Deconstructing South China and consequences for reconstructing Nuna and Rodinia

Cawood, Peter A.; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Tianyu; Xu, Yajun; Mulder, Jack; Pisarevsky, Sergei A.; Zhang, Limin; Gan, Chengshi; He, Huaiyu; Liu, Huichuan; Qi, Liang; Wang, Yuejun; Yao, Jinlong; Zhao, Guochun; Zhou, MF; Zi, Jian–Wei

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103169

Cited by 143 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 276 publications

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“…1.85 Ga zircon xenocrysts are mostly restricted to the west of the Zhenghe-Dapu fault ( Fig. 1; Wang et al, 2020), suggestive of different crustal histories between the western and eastern parts of the Cathaysia Block prior to the Paleoproterozoic (e.g., Xu et al, 2007;Cawood et al, 2020;Dong et al, 2020). We therefore suggest that the Cathaysia Block, especially its western part, has been an integral part of the Nuna Supercontinent, though further studies are needed to make a detailed correlation of the Cathaysia Block with other Nunaforming continents, when more geological, geochemical and paleomagnetic evidence is available.…”

Section: The Cathaysia Blockmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…geological studies during the past decades (e.g., Zhao and Cawood, 2012;Zhang and Zheng, 2013;Li Z X et al, 2014). Yet lots of efforts were made to characterize its Neoproterozoic tectonics (e.g., Li et al, 2012;Wang et al, 2017;Xia et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2018;Yao et al, 2019) and less attention has been paid to the earlier crustal history (e.g., Cawood et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020 and references therein). The Yangtze Block and the Cathaysia Block, the two constituent Precambrian blocks of South China, feature a prolonged Archean to Mesoproterozoic history of continental growth and subsequent modification that built the ancient crust (e.g., Li et al, 1995;Charvet et al, 1996;Zhao and Cawood, 2012) (Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Nature and Evolution of Pre‐Neoproterozoic Continental Crust in South China: A Review and Tectonic Implications

Kai

Dong

Yao

et al. 2020

Acta Geologica Sinica (Eng)

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South China as an amalgamation of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks is composed of Archean to Mesoproterozoic basement overlain by Neoproterozoic and younger cover. Both the constituent Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks contain well‐preserved Neoproterozoic rocks that have been extensively studied in terms of the age and tectonic nature, but less is known about their earlier crustal history due to the incomplete rock record. Recent efforts in investigating the yet survived crustal nature based on isotopic and elemental signatures preserved in igneous and sedimentary rocks have steadily improved our knowledge about the pre‐Neoproterozoic continental crustal evolution in South China. In this paper, we summarize the up‐to‐date pre‐Neoproterozoic records, including petrological, geochronological, geochemical and geophysical data, across South China, and discuss its spatiotemporal patterns of the pre‐Neoproterozoic crust and the relevant tectonic events. While the xenocrystic/inherited and detrital zircon records suggest widespread Archean (mainly ca. 2.5 Ga) crustal components within both the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks, exposed Archean rocks are only limited to isolated crustal provinces in the Yangtze Block. These Archean rocks are dominated by TTGs (tonalite‐trondhjemite‐granodiorite) with varied ages (3.3–2.5 Ga) and zircon Hf isotopes, indicating a compositionally heterogeneous nature of the Archean Yangtze Block and, by inference, the development of multiple ancient terranes. The early Paleoproterozoic (2.4–2.2 Ga) tectonomagmatic events characterize the western Yangtze Block and are supportive of an east‐west subdivision of the Yangtze basement, whereas the late Paleoproterozoic (2.1–1.7 Ga) orogeneses may have affected a larger area covering both the western and eastern parts of the Yangtze Block, and also the Cathaysia Block. The eastern Yangtze Block with generally northeastward‐younging late Paleoproterozoic magmatism and metamorphism likely experienced a prolonged 2.05–1.75 Ga orogenic process welding the various Archean proto‐continents, consistent with the documentation of a buried late Paleoproterozoic orogenic belt imaged by deep seismic profiling from its central part and of a slightly older ophiolitic mélange in the northern part. The Cathaysia Block was probably involved in a short‐lived 1.9–1.8 Ga orogenic event. The two orogeneses overlapped in time and may have contributed to the cratonization of a possible unified South China, and are referred to be linked with the assembly of the Nuna Supercontinent. The subsequent late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic rift successions and intrusions (1.7–1.5 Ga) in the southwestern Yangtze Block, and the ca. 1.43 Ga rifting in Hainan Island of the Cathaysia Block could be responses to the Nuna break‐up. Late Mesoproterozoic (1.2–1.0 Ga) magmatism of varied age and nature in different localities of the Yangtze Block is reflective of a complex tectonic process in the context of the assembly of the Rodinia Supercontinent. Similar‐aged metamorphism (...

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Section: The Cathaysia Blockmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nature and Evolution of Pre‐Neoproterozoic Continental Crust in South China: A Review and Tectonic Implications

Kai

Dong

Yao

et al. 2020

Acta Geologica Sinica (Eng)

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“…This is in favor of a close linkage of detrital source between west Hainan‐Yangtze and northwest India. Additionally, the Neoproterozoic magmatism in the Yangtze and NW India show comparable low‐δ 18 O compositions (Wang et al, 2017), and coeval Neoproterozoic strata from NW India and the Yangtze Block show similar detrital age patterns (Cawood et al, 2013, 2020, and references therein). Igneous and sedimentary rocks from the Delhi Fold Belt in northwest India are well correlated with those from the Jiangnan Fold Belt in the South China Block (Zhao et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Alternatively, geochronological and geochemical data suggest that the final amalgamation between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks did not occur until ~825–805 Ma (Wang et al, 2013; Wang, Zhou, Griffin, et al, 2014, 2018; Wu et al, 2006; Zhang & Wang, 2019; Zheng et al, 2007; Zhou et al, 2002), ruling out the correlation of orogenic events in mainland South China with Grenville collisional events resulting in Rodinia assembly and favoring an external location for the South China Block in Rodinia (Figures 2c and 2d; Cawood et al, 2013, 2018; Wang et al, 2013, Wang, Zhou, Griffin, et al, 2014, 2018; Zhang & Wang, 2016, 2019; Zhao et al, 2011). Recently, some researches have redefined the internal constituents of the South China Block, disaggregating the current associations of Proterozoic and older rock units before reassembling them to explore new associations for reconstructing the South China Block in Columbia and Rodinia (Cawood et al, 2020; H. C. Liu et al, 2020). Therefore, understanding the tectonic setting of Hainan, as well as the relationship between Hainan and the Yangtze/Cathaysia blocks during the late Mesoproterozoic‐early Neoproterozoic, has become the key to establishing the paleographic reconstruction of the South China Block within Rodinia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provenance Record of Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic Units, West Hainan, South China, and Implications for Rodinia Reconstruction

et al. 2020

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Unraveling the character and source of late Mesoproterozoic‐early Neoproterozoic sedimentary sequences is crucial in constraining Rodinia reconstructions. We carried out an integrated geochemical, zircon U‐Pb geochronological and Lu‐Hf isotopic study of the Shilu Group and the overlying Shihuiding Formation in Hainan, South China. These two successions are chemically mature and dominated by siliceous components. The Shilu Group was mainly derived from felsic arc lithologies whereas the Shihuiding Formation was from recycled sedimentary materials and records a transition from convergent to passive margin settings during the late Mesoproterozoic‐early Neoproterozoic in Hainan. Detrital zircons from the Shilu Group and Shihuiding Formation yield similar age populations, with maximum depositional ages of ~1,100–1,000 Ma and ~900 Ma, respectively. The Shilu Group matches well with the Kunyang Group outcropped in the Yangtze Block in depositional age, detrital zircon age populations and Lu‐Hf isotopic compositions, and geochemical characteristics, whereas the Shihuiding Formation exhibits significantly different detrital age populations from the Wanquan Group in the Cathaysia Block. This indicates that Hainan was linked to the Yangtze Block rather than the Cathaysia Block in the late Mesoproterozoic‐early Neoproterozoic. The Shilu and Kunyang groups have similar detrital age patterns to the late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic strata in northwest India and are distinct from their equivalents in west Laurentia, suggesting an external location of Hainan‐Yangtze in Rodinia.

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“…Early studies of Proterozoic supercontinents provide individual snapshots of continental configurations; though there are differences between competing interpretations. More recently, attempts have been made to reconcile Neoproterozoic 71 continental motions within a continuous kinematic framework (Cawood et al, 2020;Collins and 72 Pisarevsky, 2005;Li et al, 2008). To further infer the extent and nature of tectonic boundaries covering all 73 of Earth's surface in the Proterozoic requires methodical extrapolation of available observations and is 74 subject to major uncertainties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending full-plate tectonic models into deep time: Linking the Neoproterozoic and the Phanerozoic

Merdith¹,

Williams²,

Collins³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Recent progress in plate tectonic reconstructions has seen models move beyond the classical idea of continental drift by attempting to reconstruct the full evolving configuration of tectonic plates and plate boundaries. A particular problem for the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian is that many existing interpretations of geological and palaeomagnetic data have remained disconnected from younger, better-constrained periods in Earth history. An important test of deep time reconstructions is therefore to demonstrate the continuous kinematic viability of tectonic motions across multiple supercontinent cycles. We present, for the first time, a continuous full-plate model spanning 1 Ga to the present-day, that includes a revised and improved model for the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (1000-520 Ma) that connects with models of the Phanerozoic, thereby opening up pre-Gondwana times for quantitative analysis and further regional refinements. In this contribution, we first summarise methodological approaches to full-plate modelling and review the existing full-plate models in order to select appropriate models that produce a single continuous model. Our model is presented in a palaeomagnetic reference frame, with a newly-derived apparent polar wander path for Gondwana from 540 to 320 Ma, and a global apparent polar wander path from 320 to 0 Ma. We stress, though while we have used palaeomagnetic data when available, the model is also geologically constrained, based on preserved data from past-plate boundaries. This study is intended as a first step in the direction of a detailed and self-consistent tectonic reconstruction for the last billion years of Earth history, and our model files are released to facilitate community development.

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Deconstructing South China and consequences for reconstructing Nuna and Rodinia

Cited by 143 publications

References 276 publications

Nature and Evolution of Pre‐Neoproterozoic Continental Crust in South China: A Review and Tectonic Implications

Nature and Evolution of Pre‐Neoproterozoic Continental Crust in South China: A Review and Tectonic Implications

Provenance Record of Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic Units, West Hainan, South China, and Implications for Rodinia Reconstruction

Extending full-plate tectonic models into deep time: Linking the Neoproterozoic and the Phanerozoic

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