Petrology and U-Th-Pb chemical monazite dating of the low-P metapelitic granulites at the region of Muzhaerte River in southwestern Tianshan, NW China, and their geological implications
新疆西南天山木扎尔特河一带低压泥质麻粒岩岩石学特征、独居石U-Th-Pb定年及其地质意义

During the closure of the South Tianshan Paleo-Ocean, a suite of low-pressure pelitic granulite-facies Crd-Grt-Sil-Bt gneiss was formed by the intrusion of arc magma into the landward continental margin of Muzhaerte River in South Tianshan, Xinjiang. Using the thermodynamic software of Theriak-Domino, we performed the NCKFMASH phase equilibria calculation on the Crd-Grt-Sil-Bt gneiss (WQ003) and the sillimanite-bearing Crd-Grt-Bt gneiss (WQ006) , and gained that their peak metamorphic conditions are T = 630 ～674℃ ,P = 5. 2～5.5kbar and T = 645 ～684℃ ,P = 5. 4 ～5. 7kbar, respectively. Moreover, we carried out the geochronological research on three monazite grains in sample WQ006 with the technique of U-Th-Pb chemical monazite dating by electron microprobe and got two characteristic isochron ages, 376 ±8Ma and 280 ±8Ma (2σ). Based on the petrographic study of monazite, 280 ±8Ma can be explained as the age of peak granulite-facies metamorphism, whereas 376 ± 8Ma (2σ) maybe represent the age of detrital or diagenesis, and we conclude that the subduction of South Tianshan oceanic crust began in Late Paleozoic and confirm the opinion that the subduction-collision of Southwest Tianshan orogen occurred after Late-Permian.