Detrital Zircon Records of Meso-Neoproterozoic Strata in the Yan-Liao Rift Zone, North China Craton, and Their Implications of Tectono-Sedimentary Evolution

Abstract

The Meso-Neoproterozoic eras witnessed critical transitions in supercontinental cycles that shaped global tectonic regimes and paleogeographic configurations. This study presents LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb geochronology analyses of thirteen sandstone samples from the Yan-Liao rift zone along the northern North China Craton (NCC) margin to constrain regional tectonic evolution and basin development. Detrital zircon populations exhibit multiple age clusters, with pre-1800 Ma grains derived from NCC basement terranes and younger populations (< 1.8 Ga) correlating with Mesoproterozoic magmatic events. Systematic younging of Maximum Depositional Age (MDA), determined through robust statistical treatment of the multi-MDA method, reveals spatial–temporal depositional patterns controlled by source-to-sink relationships across the rift system. Provenance analysis demonstrates that evolving rift morphology progressively modified zircon transport mechanisms and age distributions, defining four distinct stages of basin evolution between 1.8 and 0.9 Ga. These evolutionary phases exhibit temporal correlations with global supercontinent cycles—initial rifting phases correspond to Columbia breakup (1.8–1.4 Ga), while later tectonic reorganization aligns with Rodinia assembly (1.4–0.9 Ga). Our integrated approach provides critical constraints on NCC margin evolution during Precambrian supercontinental transitions, offering new insights into cratonic responses to global-scale geodynamic processes.