Arabian Shield magmatic cycles and their relationship with Gondwana assembly: Insights from zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopes

•449 Arabian zircons define 845, 710, 620, and 525 Ma discrete magmatic events.•Dated granitoids reflect accretionary cycles following Rodinian break-up.•525 Ma plutons follow the Cambrian unconformity and mark final Gondwana assembly.•270 Hf isotopic analyses suggest juvenile (εHf >+5) basaltic underplated crust.•Juvenile model ages of 1100-900 Ma suggest connection with Mozambique Ocean closure.

The Arabian Shield preserves a protracted magmatic record of amalgamated juvenile terranes that host a diverse range of early Neoproterozoic to Cambrian granitoids intruding volcanosedimentary basin assemblages that have corollaries in other parts of the East African Orogen. New zircon U-Pb geochronology of 19 granitoids intruding eight Arabian Shield terranes, define four discrete magmatic events: island arc (∼845 Ma), syncollisional (∼710 Ma), post-tectonic (∼620 Ma) and anorogenic (∼525 Ma). Zircon Lu-Hf isotopic analyses indicate that all studied granitoids are juvenile with typical εHf values of >+5 to +10 and Stenian-Tonian (∼1100-900 Ma) model ages, regardless of their precise intrusive ages or spatial relationship. Subtle changes in isotopic signatures between ∼850 and 600 Ma, suggest the result from changes in granite source materials brought about by; basaltic underplating, limited crustal interaction with Palaeoproterozoic basement and a change to lithospheric delamination/subduction roll-back processes driving juvenile ANS crustal growth.The cycle of granite intrusion reflects accretionary cycles initiated during Mozambique Ocean closure and during Gondwana amalgamation and final assembly. Post-tectonic magmatism is divided into a ∼636-600 Ma phase and post 600 Ma event that reflects first subduction and then within-plate related processes. The identification of magmatism at ∼525 Ma is now the youngest granitoid identified so far in the Saudi Arabian Shield and may change the identified age of the regional, basal Palaeozoic unconformity. This late magmatism may be generated by the Najd Fault reactivation correlating with the Malagasy/Kunnga Orogeny that marked the final stages of Gondwana assembly.