Multi-mineral dating of Archean granitoids of the Jiaobei Terrane: Decoding multiple tectono-thermal events in the eastern North China Craton

Archean tonalitic – trondhjemitic − granodioritic (TTG) and granitic gneisses extensively exposed in the Precambrian basement of the Jiaobei terrane, Eastern Block of the North China Craton. To elucidate the crustal evolution of the North China Craton, we present an integrated U-Pb geochronological study of zircon, apatite and titanite from granitic and TTG gneisses in the Qixia area. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that both TTG and granitic gneisses were emplaced at ∼ 2.54–2.52 Ga and subsequently subjected to a regional metamorphic event at ∼ 2.46 Ga during the late Neoarchean. Titanite and apatite in these gneisses record multistage metamorphic overprints: titanite yields ages of 1.91–1.86 Ga, while apatite records 1.84–1.80 Ga, corresponding to the Paleoproterozoic high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism and subsequent amphibolite-facies retrogression in the jiaobei Terrane. In addition, titanite and apatite preserve the late Paleoproterozoic (∼1.69–1.61 Ga) and the mid-Mesoproterozoic (∼1.30 Ga) metamorphic ages. These episodes, rarely reported in the Jiaobei terrane and the broader NCC and their definite tectonic significance is not yet clear, which may be related to the the multi-stage rifting activities and the breakup of the Columbia supercontinent in the North China Craton, likely reflect multistage rifting events and the fragmentation of the Columbia supercontinent. A Mesozoic apatite rim age of 315 ± 20 Ma suggests thermal overprinting linked to late Carboniferous subduction of the Paleotethyan oceanic crust. The geochronological data from Archean TTG and granitic gneisses provide critical constraints on the Jiaobei terrane’s evolution and highlight the utility of apatite and titanite U-Pb dating in deciphering polyphase metamorphic histories of Precambrian terranes globally.