Ca. 2.5 billion year old coeval ultramafic–mafic and syenitic dykes in Eastern Hebei: Implications for cratonization of the North China Craton

A group of extremely rare coeval ultramafic–mafic and syenitic dykes was discovered in the Eastern Hebei region of the North China Craton. These dykes intrude the 3.8–2.55 Ga old Caozhuang complex. An olivine gabbro dyke and syenite dyke yield, respectively, SHRIMP zircon U–Pb ages of 2516 ± 26 Ma and 2504 ± 11 Ma, interpreted as the magmatic crystallization age. Their zircons have single-stage Hf model ages 2677 Ma and 2705 Ma. The olivine gabbros have Mg# values of 59–63, similar to high-magnesian tholeiitic basalt. They show relatively LREE-enriched patterns without Eu anomalies (La/YbN = 9.28–9.78, Gd/YbN = 2.8, δEu = 0.96–1.00), with enrichment in LILEs and depletion in HFSEs. They also contain high Cr and Ni, and have Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios similar to those of the primitive mantle. The syenites are alkaline in composition, with 8.67–8.88 wt.% Na2O + K2O, and show high total REE contents (543–854 ppm) and strong LREE-enriched patterns with minor Eu negative anomalies (La/YbN = 50–101, Gd/YbN = 5.2–5.3, δEu = 0.80–0.82). Trace element diagrams show strong LILE-enrichment relative to HFSE. Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios are 47–49 and 26–76, respectively, which are much higher than those of primitive mantle and higher than the average Nb/Ta ratio of post-Archean continental crust. The petrological and geochemical features indicate that these dykes were derived from a deep subcontinental lithospheric mantle source, which implies that the NCC probably had continental crust of considerable thickness at this time. Combined with evidence for ∼2.5 Ga granite intrusion and metamorphism in the Eastern Hebei region and adjacent areas, we propose that the NCC has been a present scale craton at the end of Archean.