Archean Basement and a Paleoproterozoic Collision Orogen in the Huoqiu Area at the Southeastern Margin of North China Craton： Evidence from Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro-Probe U-Pb Zircon Geochronology

This paper reports sensitive high resolution ion micro-probe U-Pb zircon ages for the ＂Huoqiu Group＂ and granitoids of the Early Precambrian basement in the Huoqiu area, southeastern margin of the North China Craton. The ＂Huoqiu Group＂ is similar in rock association and metamorphism to the khondalite series, apart from it containing considerable amounts of banded iron formation. All detrital zircons from the ＂Huoqiu Group＂ meta-sedimentary rocks are 3.0 Ga and 2.75 Ga, without any 2.5 Ga and younger ones, as is commonly found in Paleoproterozoic khondalite series in other areas of the North China Craton. In the Huoqiu area, 2.75 Ga and 2.56 Ga granitoids have also been identified. This basement assemblage underwent strong metamorphism during the late Paleoproterozoic （-1.84 Ga） tectonothermal event that is widely developed in the North China Craton. Thus the formation time of the ＂Huoqiu Group＂ can be constrained between 2.75 and 1.84 Ga in terms of detrital and metamorphic zircon ages. It is considered, combined with regional data, that there may be a Paleoproterozoic collision orogen extending in a NWW-SEE direction to the southern margin of the North China Craton.