Tectono-thermal events in East Kunlun, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Evidence from zircon U–Pb geochronology

•Basement rocks of the East Kunlun Orogen experienced the Neoproterozoic metamorphism.•The East Kunlun Orogen reserves Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic tectono-thermal events.•The Qaidam block is probably a continental margin of an Archean continent.

The widely distributed high-grade gneisses in the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB) are keys to understand the Precambrian tectonic evolution of the Northern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, new LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages from paragneiss and schist of the Proterozoic Jinshuikou Group and quartzite of the Proterozoic Binggou Group are reported in an attempt to evaluate the Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic tectono-thermal events of the EKOB. These geochronologic data can be classified into 4 groups: Group 1 ages ranging from 2243 Ma to 3701 Ma are represented by inherited zircons from protolith and confirm the existence of Eoarchean to Paleoproterozoic continental nucleus in the source region of the Jinshuikou Group. Group 2 ranging from 928 Ma to 1849 Ma yields lower intercept ages of 0.9–1.0 Ga which represent the Neoproterozoic tectono-thermal event. This event, similar to that of the northern margin of Qaidam, might be a response to the assembly of Rodinia. Group 3 ranges from Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic with lower intercept ages which are identical to the weighted mean ages of Group 4. These two age groups confirm the tectono-thermal event related to Paleozoic oceanic subduction. Moreover, based on the youngest age of 2.2 Ga in Group 1 and the upper intercept age of 1.8 Ga in Group 2, the depositional timing of the Jinshuikou and Binggou groups can be defined as Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic, respectively.

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