Old continental zircons from a young oceanic arc, eastern Taiwan: Implications for Luzon subduction initiation and Asian accretionary orogeny

Research Article| June 01, 2015 Old continental zircons from a young oceanic arc, eastern Taiwan: Implications for Luzon subduction initiation and Asian accretionary orogeny Wen-Yu Shao; Wen-Yu Shao 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Sun-Lin Chung; Sun-Lin Chung * 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan2Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan *E-mail: sunlin@ntu.edu.tw Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Wen-Shan Chen; Wen-Shan Chen 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hao-Yang Lee; Hao-Yang Lee 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lie-Wen Xie Lie-Wen Xie 3Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Wen-Yu Shao 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Sun-Lin Chung * 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan2Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan Wen-Shan Chen 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Hao-Yang Lee 1Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Lie-Wen Xie 3Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China *E-mail: sunlin@ntu.edu.tw Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 03 Dec 2014 Revision Received: 03 Mar 2015 Accepted: 05 Mar 2015 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2015 Geological Society of America Geology (2015) 43 (6): 479–482. https://doi.org/10.1130/G36499.1 Article history Received: 03 Dec 2014 Revision Received: 03 Mar 2015 Accepted: 05 Mar 2015 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Wen-Yu Shao, Sun-Lin Chung, Wen-Shan Chen, Hao-Yang Lee, Lie-Wen Xie; Old continental zircons from a young oceanic arc, eastern Taiwan: Implications for Luzon subduction initiation and Asian accretionary orogeny. Geology 2015;; 43 (6): 479–482. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G36499.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Accretionary orogeny that involves terrain accretion and subsequent reprocessing plays a crucial role in the Phanerozoic tectonics and continental growth of Asia. This study reports zircon U-Pb and Hf isotope data from the Chimei igneous complex, eastern Taiwan, part of the intra-oceanic Luzon arc that has accreted onto the Eurasian continental margin since ca. 5 Ma. Among 292 U-Pb dates and 267 Hf isotope ratios obtained for zircon separates from six andesites, ten grains of magmatic zircons gave a mean 206Pb/238U age at 9.0 ± 0.3 Ma, with εHf(t) values from +20 to +12, which we interpret as the emplacement age of the Chimei complex. Remaining zircons, however, show inherited ages clustering at ca. 14 Ma (n = 9) and ca. 220 Ma (n = 56, the largest peak), along with much older ages of ca. 0.7 Ga, 1.9 Ga, and 2.5 Ga. Whereas the ca. 14 Ma zircons may have crystallized from the earliest magmatism of the northern Luzon arc, the Indosinian and older zircons suggest Cathaysia-type sources that we attribute to a continental fragment that split off from the Eurasian margin by opening of the South China Sea and then drifted and accreted to the western Philippine Sea plate before the Luzon subduction initiation. Consequently, magmas derived from the depleted mantle wedge evolved and picked up the continental zircons during ascent. Our study not only better integrates regional tectonics with magmatic records in Southeast Asia, but also signifies a modern example from Taiwan that highlights the importance of ribbon continents in Asian orogenesis over time and space. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.