Early Paleozoic Granulite-Facies Metamorphism and Magmatism in the Northern Wulan Terrane of the Quanji Massif: Implications for the Evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean in Northwestern China

The nature and evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean originated from the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia remain controversial. Early Paleozoic magmatism and metamorphism can provide important constraints on the closure of the Proto-Tethys Ocean. This paper reports on a set of geological, petrographical, geochronological, mineralogical and geochemical data for Early Paleozoic granite, gabbro, granulite and granitic leucosome in the northern Wulan terrane of the Quanji Massif. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating reveals two episodes of magmatism, with the emplacement of a granitic pluton at 476.7±2.8 Ma and a gabbroic dike at 423±2 Ma. Whole-rock geochemistry suggests an arc affinity for the magma of the granitic pluton but a post-collisional extension setting for the gabbroic dike. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating also shows that the peak granulite-facies metamorphism and anatexis occurred at ~475 Ma, coeval with the formation of the granitic pluton in the Quanji Massif as well as the early lawsonite-bearing eclogites in the North Qaidam high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure (HP-UHP) metamorphic belt to the south. The granulite-facies metamorphism with peak P-T conditions at 718–729 ºC and 0.46–0.53 GPa is characterized by an anticlockwise P-T path. Our data provide compelling evidence for Early Paleozoic paired metamorphic belts with HP-UHP metamorphism in the North Qaidam to the south and low P/T metamorphism in the Quanji Massif as a continental arc to the north, hence suggesting a northward subduction polarity for the Proto-Tethys oceanic plate. The intrusion of the post-collisional gabbroic dike supports for the closure of the Proto-Tethys Ocean in northwestern China before 423 Ma.