Detrital zircon evidence for the antiquity of Taiwan

In-situ U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic studies of zircons from the Pre-Tertiary basement complex and Eocene rocks of the Central Range of Taiwan were carried out to elucidate the history of detrital zircons older than 2.3 Ga. Zircons from the eastern Backbone Range and Eastern Central Range show Paleoproterozoic to late Neoarchean ages (2.3-≥2. 5 Ga), whereas those from the Hsuehshan Range yield Neoarchean to Mesoarchean ages (2.6-3. 2Ga). The ε_Hf(T) for the Paleoproterozoic to late Neoarchean zircons varies from -7.4 to +5.1, implying both juvenile crustal growth and reworking of old crusts. This dual origin could extend back to Mesoarchean-Paleoarchean (3.0-3.4 Ga) based on Hf isotopic model ages. Consistent but narrower ε_Hf(T) values and Hf crustal model ages for zircons from Taiwan compared to Cathaysia suggest a possible common origin for these zircons, although Taiwan has a generally younger crustal evolution history than SE China.