Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton
The geodynamic processes that formed Earth’s earliest continents are intensely debated. Particularly, the transformation from ancient crustal nuclei into mature Archaean cratons is unclear, primarily owing to the paucity of well-preserved Eoarchaean–Palaeoarchaean ‘protocrust’. Here, we report a new...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Research
2024
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| _version_ | 1811140349241851904 |
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| author | Liu, J Palin, RM Mitchell, RN Liu, Z Zhang, J Li, Z Cheng, C Zhang, H |
| author_facet | Liu, J Palin, RM Mitchell, RN Liu, Z Zhang, J Li, Z Cheng, C Zhang, H |
| author_sort | Liu, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The geodynamic processes that formed Earth’s earliest continents are intensely debated. Particularly, the transformation from ancient crustal nuclei into mature Archaean cratons is unclear, primarily owing to the paucity of well-preserved Eoarchaean–Palaeoarchaean ‘protocrust’. Here, we report a newly identified Palaeoarchaean continental fragment—the Baishanhu nucleus—in northeastern North China Craton. U–Pb geochronology shows that this nucleus preserves five major magmatic events during 3.6–2.5 Ga. Geochemistry and zircon Lu–Hf isotopes reveal ancient 4.2–3.8 Ga mantle extraction ages, as well as later intraplate crustal reworking. Crustal architecture and zircon Hf–O isotopes indicate that proto-North China first formed in a stagnant/squishy lid geodynamic regime characterised by plume-related magmatic underplating. Such cratonic growth and maturation were prerequisites for the emergence of plate tectonics. Finally, these data suggest that North China was part of the Sclavia supercraton and that the Archaean onset of subduction occurred asynchronously worldwide. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-25T04:20:34Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:722e623d-b0b9-4310-9fa2-161689609084 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-25T04:20:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Nature Research |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:722e623d-b0b9-4310-9fa2-1616896090842024-08-01T19:33:49ZArchaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China CratonJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:722e623d-b0b9-4310-9fa2-161689609084EnglishJisc Publications RouterNature Research2024Liu, JPalin, RMMitchell, RNLiu, ZZhang, JLi, ZCheng, CZhang, HThe geodynamic processes that formed Earth’s earliest continents are intensely debated. Particularly, the transformation from ancient crustal nuclei into mature Archaean cratons is unclear, primarily owing to the paucity of well-preserved Eoarchaean–Palaeoarchaean ‘protocrust’. Here, we report a newly identified Palaeoarchaean continental fragment—the Baishanhu nucleus—in northeastern North China Craton. U–Pb geochronology shows that this nucleus preserves five major magmatic events during 3.6–2.5 Ga. Geochemistry and zircon Lu–Hf isotopes reveal ancient 4.2–3.8 Ga mantle extraction ages, as well as later intraplate crustal reworking. Crustal architecture and zircon Hf–O isotopes indicate that proto-North China first formed in a stagnant/squishy lid geodynamic regime characterised by plume-related magmatic underplating. Such cratonic growth and maturation were prerequisites for the emergence of plate tectonics. Finally, these data suggest that North China was part of the Sclavia supercraton and that the Archaean onset of subduction occurred asynchronously worldwide. |
| spellingShingle | Liu, J Palin, RM Mitchell, RN Liu, Z Zhang, J Li, Z Cheng, C Zhang, H Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton |
| title | Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton |
| title_full | Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton |
| title_fullStr | Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton |
| title_full_unstemmed | Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton |
| title_short | Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton |
| title_sort | archaean multi stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the north china craton |
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