Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating of the Neogene coral reefs, Xisha Islands, South China Sea: implications for tectonic evolution
Hong XuZhao-peng JiShan-ying LiYan-qiou YangShoujie LiuHaiyang ZhangShu-shen LuTong-qiang ShiTao MengNa QinWeiwei ZhangSU Da-pengLongwei Qiu
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The Xisha Block is a minor one in the South China Sea and an important tectonic unit in the northwestern part of the region. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb ages for three volcanic intrusive core samples from Xike-1, an exploratory well penetrating the bioherms of the Xisha Islands. The core samples are from the Miocene reef carbonate bedrock and are recognized as dark-gray biotite-hornblende gabbro, gray fine-grained biotite diorite, and gray fine-grained granite, respectively. Zircon cathodoluminescence (CL) images and trace Th, U and Pb compositions of the zircons show that these rocks are of volcanic intrusive origin. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating yielded six groups of ages, ranging from 2451-1857 Ma to early Cretaceous, which indicate that the formation and evolution of the Xisha Block was affected by the evolution and closure of Neotethys Ocean, probably within its eastern extension into South China Sea. Both old, deep-sourced material, including fragments from Rodina supercontinent, and recent mantle-derived magma products contributed to the emergence and formation of the Xisha block. The SHRIMP U-Pb results also proved that this process differed from that of the Kontum massif, the Hainan Block, and the South China Block, but is similar to that of the Nansha and Zhongsha blocks. The process was associated with the effects of Yanshanian magmatism induced by subduction mechanisms of the Paleo-Pacific Plate or the reworking of the multiple magmatisms since the Early to mid-Yanshanian, possibly jointly experienced by the Xisha-Zhongsha-Nansha Block.Keywords:
Neogene
China sea
Abstract Zircon textures, chemistry and microstructures have been characterized in situ within Carboniferous sandstones from the Midland Valley of Scotland using back‐scattered electron and cathodoluminescence images, electron backscatter diffraction techniques and chemical analyses. The study of polished thin sections reveals a variety of zircon types including unmodified detrital zircon, zircon outgrowths and different forms of modified zircon that formed in low‐temperature conditions within the sedimentary rocks. These rocks have only experienced temperatures of <100 °C during burial; however, altered zircon is abundant and characterized by a low mean atomic number, with relatively high contents of non‐formula elements and a nano‐crystalline or microcrystalline structure. It forms by replacement of detrital zircon that subsequently became metamict. Two types of replacement mechanisms are effective in sedimentary environments and involve either dissolution–reprecipitation or solid‐state reaction, but both require fluid access to the radiation‐damaged areas. The former process appears to become the dominant replacement mechanism as temperature increases and produces highly porous, inclusion‐rich zircon. Metamict zircon is extremely reactive in near‐surface conditions and the production of low‐temperature zircon is sensitive to both parent zircon characteristics and environmental conditions. As such, the alteration of zircon has the potential to yield unique information on the diagenetic history of sedimentary rocks. Low‐temperature zircon would be unlikely to survive sedimentary transport or the rock crushing procedures that characterize many investigations of detrital zircon populations and consequently may generate severe biases in studies of this type.
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Io-ages obtained for glass-zircon pairs which were not consistent with expected ages were discussed on the basis of uranium and thorium distribution between zircon and glass. Uranium and thorium distribution between zircon and host rocks from dacites and granites were also discussed. Discordant Io-ages obtained for glass-zircon pairs with normal (Th/U)zircon/(Th/U)glass ratio are explained by early stage crysallization of the zircon in the magma. Discordant Io-ages with abnormal (Th/U)zircon/(Th/U)glass ratios suggest that the zircon was captured in the magma as xenoryst. The discrepancy between (Th/U)zircon/(Th/U)glass ratios (about 0.19) for dacites and (Th/U)zircon/(Th/U)whole rock ratios (about 0.12) for granites could be explained by crystallization of granitic zircon from liquid having chemical composition different from that of the whole rock of granite.
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This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Synthesized Zircon from Zircon Precursors Zircon-Zircon Composite
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The intrusive rocks in El Sela area can be arranged from the oldest to the youngest into: two-mica granite and postgranitic dikes which include microgranite, dolerite and bostonite dikes. Zircon is the most abundant accessory mineral. Zircon morphology and geochemical features are good indicators for evolution of rocks. The aim of the work is to determine the morphology, internal structure and chemical composition of zircon to identify the difference of zircon in various intrusive rocks. Results show that morphologically, zircon in the two-mica granite is euhedral coarse- grained with zonation. It is represented by crystals up to 125 µm and corresponds to S10 and P2. Zircon in post-granitic dikes exhibit irregular forms. Geochemically, zircon crystals have higher ZrO2 values in the core whereas HfO2 , UO2 , ThO2 increase at the peripheries of zoned crystals of the two-mica granite. Zircon of two-mica granite contains high HfO2 , UO2 , ThO2 and CaO contents but low Sc2 O3 content. HfO2 is not detected in zircon of microgranite. TiO2 in zircon of two-mica granite and bostonite dikes is under detection limits. REEs are not recorded in zircon of the studied intrusive rocks
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This paper presents a systematic study on morphology,geochemistry and geochronology of a zircon population from the Danzhu granodiorite located in the southwest region of the Zhejiang province.The analysis results show that there are two types of zircons from the Danzhu granodiorite:magmatic zircon and metamorphic zircon.The former is characterized by euhedral—subhedral and long-prismatic form,incolorness,transparence,presence of magmatic and mineral inclusions,homogeneous internal structure(occasionally with oscillatory zoning)on the section of grains revealed by backscattered electron(BSE)imaging,and analogue pattern of typological indices of zircon for those from the calco-alkaline granodiorite;the latter is characterized mainly by its occurrence as overgrowth on magmatic zircon,but it also occurs very occasionally as anhedral grains,which is yellow-brown,semi-transparent,and homogeneous on the BSE imaging.These two types of zircon differ also in trace element composition,i.e.,the magmatic zircon is significantly richer in the substituent elements like as U,Th and Y than the metamorphic zircon.The zircon U-Pb dating using LA-ICPMS shows that the magmatic zircon and metamorphic zircon were formed in two different periods:at 1875±33 Ma and at 209±12 Ma respectively,demonstrating the objective response for the Zhe-Min(Zhejiang—Fujian)movement and the Indosinian movement in the southwest region of the Zhejiang province.
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In this article we present a compilation of U-Pb zircon ages of the whole Xolapa terrane in coastal southern Mexico (dataset 1) as a curved line, obtained from plotting individual zircon grains versus its corresponding age. We identified five low-slope segments of the curved line, each one assigned to a high zircon-production (or preservation) event (HZE). Crystallization temperatures (CT) from Ti-in-zircon geothermometer data on Xolapa rocks were estimated separately from individual zircon grains (dataset 2), in order to compare CT ranges corresponding to each HZE identified. Datasets 1 and 2 are discussed for tectonic implications in the research article "The opening and closure of the Jurassic-Cretaceous Xolapa basin, southern Mexico" Peña-Alonso et al., 2017.
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