Composition, tectonic framework, and evolution of the Luxi Orogenic Belt in the North China Craton

[Objective] The growth and evolution of the early Earth’s crust is one of the hot topics in Precambrian research. The accretion and evolution of Earth’s early crust represent one of the central scientific questions in Early Precambrian research. As one of the oldest cratons in the world, the North China Craton (NCC) has undergone a complex cratonization process accompanied by crustal growth and reformation. [Methods] Petrological, geochemical, chronological, and deformation studies are summarized to reveal the tectonic evolution of the Luxi granite-greenstone belt in the eastern NCC. [Results] There exists a series of evidence indicating late Neoarchean crustal growth, including the continental arc and arc magmatic rocks represented by the Feicheng‒Tengzhou magmatic arc and the late Neoarchean volcanic rocks, the post-collisional crustal-derived magmatism represented by the Lushan‒Yishui magmatic belt, the sedimentation of back-arc basin defined by the late Neoarchean metamorphic sedimentary rocks, and the strike-slip shear deformation caused by the oblique convergence of plates. The >2.60 Ga tonalite, trondhjemite, granodiorite (TTG suite) and supracrustal rock belt exposed in the central part of the Luxi area represents an ancient microcontinent with apparent affinity to the Jiaoliao Block. [Conclusions] Therefore, the Luxi granite-greenstone belt is an accretionary orogenic belt located on the western margin of the Jiaoliao Block, namely the Luxi Orogenic Belt. The high-angle oblique arc-continent collision and the underplating of large amounts of mantle-derived magmas represent two crustal growth modes in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. This orogenic belt has undergone multi-stage evolution, including formation of initial oceanic crust, subduction, and intracontinental extension from the Neoarchean to the end of the Paleoproterozoic. [Significance] In the late Neoarchean, extensive crustal growth occurred around the Jiaoliao Block in the eastern NCC, which was controlled by the early plate tectonic regime characterized by hot subduction.