Detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopes of late Meso-Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the South Altyn Tagh: Implications for tectonic affinity of microcontinents in NW China

The Neoproterozoic tectonic correlation between the Central-South Altyn, Qilian, Qaidam, and East Kunlun blocks in northwestern China remains controversial, with competing models favoring separate blocks or a unified single block, and debatable paleo-positions in the Rodinia supercontinent. In this study, we present a systematic provenance study on the late Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks from the South Altyn Tagh. A mica quartz schist sample from the Bashikuergan group yielded a maximum depositional age of 1050 ± 31 Ma. Four paragneiss samples from the Altyn Complex yielded maximum depositional ages of 1106 Ma, 1065 Ma, 1054 Ma, and 870 Ma. Given that the Altyn Complex was intruded by numerous early Neoproterozoic granitoids (ca. 976–900 Ma), we propose that the sedimentary protoliths of the Altyn Complex and the Bashikuergan Group were deposited at two stages, i.e., ca. 1105–975 Ma and after 870 Ma. Provenance tracing indicates that these 1105–975 Ma sediments probably received detritus from the late Mesoproterozoic rocks of Western Australia, East Antarctica, and Central Indian Tectonic Zone in India. In contrast, the detritus of the paragneiss (deposited after 870 Ma) was likely sourced from local regions in the Altyn Tagh orogen. Combined with the comparable magmatic, sedimentary, and tectonic records, we propose that a few microcontinental fragments in northwestern China, including Central-South Altyn Tagh, Qilian, Qaidam, and East Kunlun blocks, constituted a unified block in the early Neoproterozoic and occupied a periphery position of the Rodinia supercontinent with a close paleogeographic affinity to South China and Northwest India.