title: First Direct Evidence of Pan-African Orogeny Associated with Gondwana Assembly in the Cathaysia Block of Southern China.
abstract: Metamorphic zircon from a hornblendite in the South China Block (SCB) yield U-Pb age of 533 ± 7 Ma and Hf model ages from 900 to 1200 Ma. Geochemical and isotopic characteristics indicate that primary magma of the hornblendites was probably derived from an enriched asthenospheric mantle source. This Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (Pan-African) metamorphic event provides the first direct evidence that the SCB was an integral part of the Gondwana assembly. Combined with available geological data which show that the SCB has great affinity with India or Australia, the Pan-African metamorphic event most likely belongs to the eastern Kuunga orogeny. We propose that the SCB was located at the nexus between India, Antarctica and Australia along the northern margin of East Gondwana, with the Cathaysia Block connecting western Australia whereas the Yangtze Block facing northern India at ca. 533 Ma.
authors.affiliation: School of Resources and Environment, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China. longming_li@hfut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Longming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Resources and Environment, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China.|Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Shoufa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Nanjing, 210016, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guangfu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Nanjing, 210016, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Resources and Environment, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230026, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D008962:Models, Theoretical