Neoarchaean quartz diorites in the Jiefangyingzi area, Central Asian Orogenic Belt: geological and tectonic significance

Quartz diorite intrusions in the Jiefangyingzi area associated with deformed Palaeozoic rocks of the Palaeozoic Bainaimiao arc magmatic belt on the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC) were studied to determine their age, chemical composition, and isotopic characteristics. U–Pb dating of magmatic zircons indicates that the quartz diorites formed in Neoarchaean time between 2502.6 ± 9.1 Ma and 2551 ± 7.3 Ma. The quartz diorites have high Al₂O₃ and low K₂O contents, A/CNK = 0.75–0.97, and belong to the low-K tholeiitic series. The quartz diorites are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) with high (La/Yb)_N ratios and exhibit weak positive or no Eu anomalies, characteristics of high-alumina tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) igneous rocks. Zircon <i>ε</i>_Hf(<i>t</i>) value for the quartz diorites ranges from +1.6 to +8.7, and the two-stage Hf-depleted mantle model age (T_DM) ranges from 2705 to 2744 Ma, suggesting that the quartz diorite was derived from melting juvenile Neoarchaean crust formed from partial melting of the mantle at 2.7 Ga. Amphibolite xenoliths have low REE concentrations and are moderately depleted in LREE with (La/Yb)_N ratios of 0.46–1.09. The trace element characteristics of the amphibolites are consistent with a mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB)-like protolith. This is the first time that Archaean rocks have been identified in the Bainaimiao arc magmatic belt and the age and nature of Jiefangyingzi quartz diorites suggest that they belonged to the NCC. The Early Palaeozoic Bainaimiao arc thus appears to represent an Andean-type continental arc on the northern margin of the NCC.