The time of eclogite formation in the ultrahigh pressure rocks of the Sulu terrane: Constraints from Lu–Hf garnet geochronology

Eclogites from the main borehole of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling project yield highly precise Lu–Hf garnet–clinopyroxene ages of 216.9 ± 1.2 Ma (four samples) and 220.5 ± 2.7 Ma (one sample). The spatial distribution of the rare earth elements in garnet is consistent with the preservation of primary growth zoning, unmodified by diffusion, which supports the interpretation that the Lu–Hf ages date the time of formation of garnet, the major rock forming mineral in the eclogites. The preservation of primary REE-zoning, despite peak metamorphic temperatures around 800–850 °C, indicates that the Lu–Hf chronometer is perfectly suitable to date garnet-forming reactions in high grade rocks. The range of Lu–Hf ages for eclogites in the Dabie–Sulu UHP terrane point to episodic rather than continuous growth of garnets and thus punctuated metamorphism during the collision of the North China Block and the Yangtze Block. The U–Pb ages and Hf-isotope systematics of zircon grains from one eclogite sample imply a protracted geologic history of the eclogite precursors that started around 2 Ga and culminated in the UHP metamorphism around 220 Ma.