Paleogeographic Reconstruction of Precambrian Terranes Reworked by Phanerozoic Orogens: An Example Based on Detrital Zircon REE From Lhasa Terrane in Southern Tibet

Paleogeographic reconstruction of Precambrian terranes reworked by Phanerozoic orogens (e.g., the Tibetan Plateau) results in complex lithotectonic relations due to intracrustal reworking by tectonothermal events. Detrital zircon rare earth element (REE) databases at global (global major river sands) and regional (the Gangdese Mountains, southern Tibet) scales reveal trends in LREEN‾/HREEN‾ $\overline{{\mathrm{L}\mathrm{R}\mathrm{E}\mathrm{E}}_{\mathrm{N}}}/\overline{{\mathrm{H}\mathrm{R}\mathrm{E}\mathrm{E}}_{\mathrm{N}}}$ and Eu/Eu* that effectively record the crustal evolution of the source, including crustal thickness and redox state of the magma that generated the zircons. Regional comparisons of these chemical markers provide a new approach for paleogeographic reconstructions that we apply to study the origin of the Lhasa terrane, southern Tibet. Using Precambrian to early Paleozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks in the Lhasa terrane and compiling detrital zircon analyses from the northern margin of Gondwana, we show that the Lhasa terrane had an African affinity in the Rodinia–Gondwana supercontinent cycles (ca. 1.4–0.4 Ga).

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