Discovery of the Early Mesozoic granulite xenoliths in North China Craton

The discovery of the Early Mesozoic basic granulite xenoliths in the Harqin area of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (for short Inner Mongolia) is reported for the first time in this paper. According to the mineral assemblage the xenoliths include two-pyroxene granulite, clinopyroxene granulite, and hypersthene granulite. Their protolytes are mainly gabbroite rocks. The zircon U−Pb age of the granulite xenoliths is 251 Ma, and K−Ar age of the hypersthene is 229 Ma. They represent the times of metamorphism and cooling of the granulite facies respectively. The host rock of the xenoliths is Early Mesozoic biotite-quartz diorites, whose whole-rock K−Ar age is 219 Ma. This discovery confirms existence of an Early Mesozoic underplating in the North China Craton, which is of much importance in research on the Early Mesozoic mantle-crust interaction in the concerned area.