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The NE Jiangxi ophiolitic melange separates the Huaiyu and Jiuling terranes in the eastern Jiangnan Orogen of the South China Block. Two phases of S-type granites, which are geochemically and mineralogically similar to the Himalayan leucogranites, are newly recognized in mantle peridotites of the NE Jiangxi ophiolite. The first phase, a tourmaline-bearing granite porphyry, has a SIMS zircon U–Pb age of 904.4 ± 4.8 Ma and is strongly enriched in K2O (4.00–4.26 wt%) and strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 2.94–3.24). It further shows high Rb/Sr ratios and highly fractionated REE patterns, indicating an origin due to fluid-absent melting of metapelites at relatively high temperatures. The granite porphyry exhibits highly evolved zircon Hf (−6.0 to −1.0) and whole-rock Nd (−4.2 to −5.1) isotopes, which is in contrast to juvenile-derived magmatic rocks in the Huaiyu Terrane. We thus propose that the granite porphyry was formed by melting of the metapelites sourced from the Yangtze Block subsequent to the accretion of the Huaiyu arc to the Jiuling Terrane (the continental margin of the Yangtze Block). The second phase, a muscovite-bearing quartz porphyry, is strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.29–1.34) with low CaO/Na2O ratios (0.11–0.14) and low FeOt + MgO + TiO2 contents (2.39–2.75 wt%), similar to melts derived from fluid-fluxed melting of metapelites. Zircon grains from the quartz porphyry yielded U–Pb ages of ca. 803–801 Ma with mainly positive eHf(t) values (+1.9 to +8.7), which are younger than the depositional ages of the basement sequences and nearly identical to the accumulation of the overlying unmetamorphosed cover in the Jiangnan Orogen. Therefore, it is suggested that the quartz porphyry was formed in a post-collisional extensional setting subsequent to the final assembly of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks. In conjunction with published data, we conclude that multiple subduction-accretion events may have been involved in the formation of the South China Block during Neoproterozoic times.

The Central Tianshan Block (CTB) is one of the major continental constituents of the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Its nature and origin is essential for understanding the accretionary processes and the reconstruction of the architectural framework of the CAOB. The Wuwamen Metamorphic Complex (WMC), which is believed to represent the basement of the CTB, was incorporated into the Wuwamen ophiolitic melange during the Paleozoic evolution of the South Tianshan Ocean. The WMC is mainly composed of amphibolite-facies volcano-sedimentary rocks, including migmatites, orthogneisses, amphibolites, schists and locally marbles. Zircon U–Pb geochronology suggests that the protoliths of the interlayered biotite-two feldspar and biotite-plagioclase-hornblende gneisses in the Yangjuan area were formed between 2529 and 2513 Ma and overprinted by amphibolite-facies metamorphism between 1815 and 1809 Ma. Subsequently, the gneisses were intruded by ∼1724 Ma meta-mafic dykes and ∼787 Ma leucogranite dykes/veins. Geochemical data reveal that the biotite-two feldspar gneisses have high-silica adakite affinities with high SiO2 and Na2O contents as well as high Sr/Y ratios (61–117) and slightly evolved zircon Hf isotopic compositions. Consequently, they are interpreted to be the products of partial melting of relatively old subducted oceanic crust. In contrast, the interlayered biotite-plagioclase-hornblende gneisses have high MgO, Cr, Co and Ni contents and prominent negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies, indicating derivation from partial melting of an ancient sub-continental lithospheric mantle in a continental arc setting. The ∼1.72 Ga meta-mafic dykes have geochemical similarities of typical Fe-Ti basalts and are characterized by incompatible element enrichments and primitive Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic signatures ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.703446 − 0.703535); ɛNd(t) = +6.49 to +6.90; zircon ɛHf(t) = +0.57 to +10.6), which is consistent with partial melting of a relatively fertile, isotopically depleted asthenospheric mantle in a post-collisional extensional setting. In addition, the ∼787 Ma leucogranites are trondhjemitic in composition and display extremely low total REE contents and highly evolved Nd–Hf isotopic signatures (ɛNd(t) = −4.71 to −4.53; zircon ɛHf(t) = −19.4 to −13.0). They are thought to have no petrogenetic relationship with the host orthogneisses and to be products of a foreign melt injection. Our new data provide robust evidence for a Neoarchean–Paleoproterozoic basement of the CTB. Comparison of the tectono-thermal-magmatic events reveals that the CTB and the Tarim Craton have a partly overlapping Precambrian crustal evolution, and thus the CTB could have originated from the Tarim Craton. However, a major difference between both is the presence of juvenile Mesoproterozoic magmatism in the CTB and its absence in the Tarim Craton and, therefore, further geological and geochronological research is required to determine the precise origin of the CTB and its tectonic affinity with adjacent terranes in the western CAOB.

The Central Tianshan Arc Terrane is one of the major constituents of the Tianshan orogen in the southwestern Altaids. Thus its Precambrian evolution is important for unravelling the geodynamic and continental evolution of the Altaids. Biotite-plagioclase-hornblende orthogneisses intruded by leucogranite dykes are exposed as exotic blocks within the Southern Central Tianshan ophiolitic melange. Zircon U–Pb age dating of one orthogneiss sample yields an upper intercept age of 2466 ± 51 Ma and a weighted mean 207 Pb/ 206 Pb age of 1812 ± 19 Ma around the lower intercept. These ages are interpreted as protolith crystallization age and subsequent metamorphic overprint age, respectively. The orthogneisses have moderate SiO 2 contents, high MgO and Na 2 O contents, high Sr/Y ratios (32–43) and moderately fractionated REE patterns ([La/Yb] N = 7.59–13.64) with negligible Eu anomalies, enriched Sr contents and pronounced negative Th–U, Nb–Ta, Zr–Hf and Ti anomalies resembling high-SiO 2 TTGs derived from subducted basaltic slab-melts. Positive ɛ Hf ( t ) values (+3.4 to +9.2) and low ( 176 Hf/ 177 Hf) i ratios (0.281304–0.281469) with Neoarchaean to early Paleoproterozoic single-stage Hf model ages (T DM1 = 2431–2652 Ma) suggest that the orthogneisses probably originated from partial melting of juvenile subducted oceanic crust. The orthogneisses were subsequently also affected by collisional orogenic events associated with the assembly of the supercontinent Columbia. In contrast, the zircon U–Pb age of 785 ± 15 Ma obtained for the intrusive leucogranite dykes is consistent with the timing of rifting events associated with the breakup of Rodinia. The leucogranites have a high-Al trondhjemitic composition characterized by extremely low MgO and K 2 O contents as well as high SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and Na 2 O contents, dramatically low ∑REE abundances and REE patterns with moderate LREE enrichments ([La/Yb] N = 3.55–8.4) and pronounced positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 1.29–2.61). The high zircon initial Hf compositions (0.281670–0.281841) and negative ɛ Hf ( t ) values (−21.7 to −15.4), in conjunction with high whole-rock initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.70737–0.70751) and negative ɛ Nd ( t ) values (−4.7 to −5.1) suggest that the leucogranite resulted from reworking of ancient lower crust. Based on the presented data we conclude that the Central Tianshan Arc Terrane has undergone three tectonothermal events, namely ∼2.5 Ga continental crustal growth, ∼1.8 Ga collision related to the Columbia assembly and ∼785 Ma crustal reworking due to the Rodinia breakup. The Central Tianshan Arc Terrane, which experienced the same tectonic events as the Tarim Craton during the Precambrian, is considered to be a micro-Precambrian block that separated from the Tarim Craton during the Rodinia breakup.