Timing and Nd-Hf isotopic mapping of early Mesozoic granitoids in the Qinling Orogen, central China: Implication for architecture, nature and processes of the orogen

The Qinling orogen, one of the most important orogens in Asia, belongs to the northeastern part of the Tethyan orogen. The architecture and processes of the Qinling orogen remain controversial. In this study, we present 15 new zircon U–Pb ages, 20 whole-rock geochemical and 46 Sm-Nd isotopic analyses, and 30 zircon Lu–Hf isotopic data for early Mesozoic granitoids in this orogen, combining with data from literature, to delineate the crustal architecture and processes of the orogen. A total of 181 zircon U–Pb ages show three phase (252–230, 230–198, and 190–185 Ma) of granitoids. The first-phase granitoids occur mainly in the westernmost segment of the orogen and formed in a subduction setting during the closure of the Mianlue Ocean (a northern branch of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean). The second- and third-phase granitoids, distributed in the middle to eastern parts of the Qinling orogen, were generated in late syn-collisional and post-collisional tectonic settings, respectively. Whole-rock Nd and zircon Hf isotopic mapping of these granitoids yield six and seven isotopic provinces, respectively. These provinces display that the southern margin of the North China Block and the northern margin of the South China Block are dominated by ancient deep crust, that is, early Paleoproterozoic (2.3–1.8 Ga) and late Paleoproterozoic (∼1.7 Ga) components, respectively. By way of camparison, the North Qinling contains younger Mesoproterozoic [εNd(t) = −10.7 to −0.2; TDM = 1.4–1.0 Ga] basement, evidencing that it is an independent terrane different from the North China Block. The isotopic mapping also reveals a deep-seated NNE–SSW-trending zoned architecture that is approximately perpendicular to the WNW–ENE-trending of the orogen. This provides new evidence for the “Spaghetti Junction model” for the Qinling orogen. The old Nd (2.2–1.0 Ga, mostly 2.0–1.2 Ga) and Hf (2.3–0.8 Ga, mostly 2.0–1.2 Ga) model ages indicate that the continental growth in this orogen occurred mainly during the Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic, with only minor amounts of juvenile [εNd(t) = ∼0, TDM = ∼0.1 Ga] continental growth along the Shangdan and Mianlue sutures. These characteristics suggest that the Qinling orogen is dominantly formed by the collision of ancient continental blocks, distinct from some typical accretionary orogens, such as the Central Asian Orogenic Belt with voluminous juvenile crust.