Crustal growth and reworking: A case study from the Erguna Massif, eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt.

ABSTRACT: Despite being the largest accretionary orogen on Earth, the record of crustal growth and reworking of individual microcontinental massifs within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) remain poorly constrained. Here, we focus on zircon records from granitoids in the Erguna Massif to discuss its crustal evolution through time. Proterozoic-Mesozoic granitoids are widespread in the Erguna Massif, and spatiotemporal variations in their zircon ε_Hf(t) values and T_DM2(Hf) ages reveal the crustal heterogeneity of the massif. Crustal growth curve demonstrates that the initial crust formed in the Mesoarchean, and shows a step-like pattern with three growth periods: 2.9-2.7, 2.1-1.9, and 1.7-0.5 Ga. This suggests that microcontinental massifs in the eastern CAOB have Precambrian

SUBMITTER: Sun C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6881325 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature