Zircon geochronology and geochemistry of mafic xenoliths from Liaoning kimberlites: Track the early evolution of the lower crust, North China Craton

Mafic xenoliths from Paleozoic Fuxian kimberlites (Liaoning Province) mainly include garnet granulite, with minor pyroxene amphibolite, meta-gabbro and pyroxene syenite. The SiO₂ contents of the xenoliths are from 47.3 wt% to 49.9 wt%. The granulites are mainly coarse-medium grained and reasonably with well-developed granoblastic (mostly polygonal) texture, contain the assemblage of garnet + plagioclase + pyroxene + K-feldspar ± phlogopite. The mineral assemblage of the amphibolites is plagioclase + pyroxene + amphibole ± K-feldspar, with the equilibrium temperature and pressure conditions of 744-821°C and 0.76-0.88 GPa. The granulites are regarded as derivation from the lower crust depth (more than 29 km), below the amphibolites. Garnet granulites compositionally correspond to sub-alkalic basalt, and have wide ranges of Ni abundance (133-840 ppm), and Nb/Y (0.12-1.85), Nb/U (3.51-53.86) and Ta/U (0.38-2.48). The amphibolite and the syenite correspond to alkalic basalt. The Fuxian mafic xenoliths are regarded as the metamorphic product of the underplated magmas (including fractional crystallization or not) experienced the contamination with the pre-existed crustal components, and partly effected by kimberlitic magmas. The concordant ages of zircons for the gabbro (2610-2580 Ma) and the near-concordant upper intercept ages of zircons for the garnet granulite and pyroxene amphibolite (2578-2538 Ma) indicate that they are currently known as the oldest deep-seated xenoliths from the lower crust of the North China Craton. These ages recorded the formation of the united Eastern Block of the North China Craton, That is, Neoarchean (2.6-2.5 Ga) is an important continental crustal growth period of the North China Craton. The lower intercept age of the garnet granulite (1853 Ma) recorded an important tectonic thermal event in Paleoproterozoic. This event was probably related to collision of the East and West block, and resulted in the final assembly of the North China Craton around at 1.8 Ga. Copyright by Science in China Press 2004.