During the existence of Proto-Tethys Ocean (550–430 Ma), microcontinents in northern East Gondwana merged with the northern margin of India-Australia, completing the assembly of Gondwana. Ongoing controversy surrounds the disappearance of the Proto-Tethys Ocean, the dynamic mechanisms of suturing and the palaeogeographic relationships among microcontinents in northern East Gondwana, contributing to the uncertainty about the tectonic evolution of the region. This paper concerns the lower Silurian Zusailing Formation in the Hainan Island and focuses on the affinity between Hainan Island and various microcontinents in northern East Gondwana during the early Silurian. We use detrital zircon geochronology to reconstruct the closure process of the Proto-Tethys Ocean and show that the detrital zircon U–Pb age groups of the lower Silurian Zusailing Formation are 2800–2200, 2100–1350, 1250–950, 600–480 and 480–430 Ma, with a significant age peak of ca. 449 Ma. Furthermore, the analysis of detrital zircon geochemistry and europium anomalies shows that the Hainan Island crust continued to thicken during 600–434 Ma. Comparing the age spectrum of early Palaeozoic detrital zircons from Hainan Island and various microcontinents in northern East Gondwana, as well as the affinity among them during the Silurian, we conclude that the closure of the eastern Proto-Tethys Ocean evolved from unidirectional subduction (600–480 Ma) to bidirectional subduction (480–430 Ma).

The NE–NNE-trending Yuan-Ma Basin in central South China, an overprinted basin, is important for understanding the transition in Mesozoic intracontinental deformation in South China from compressional to extensional settings. A detailed sedimentary and structural cross-section across the basin reveals the Upper Triassic – Lower Jurassic black coal-bearing shale, greyish-green sandstone and brick-red claystone, and the Middle Jurassic brick-red sandstone, pebbly sandstone and conglomerate in the eastern segment of the basin. The Lower Cretaceous brick-red coarse sandstone, pebbly sandstone and siltstone occurred in the western and central segments, as well as fault breccia and Lower Cretaceous sandstone at the western margin of the basin. Detrital zircon U–Pb dating by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry shows that the magmatic and metamorphic zircons yield significant age clusters at 900–700, 500–350 and 300–150 Ma, as well a minor age cluster at 120–100 Ma. Synthesizing the stratigraphic sequences, structures, isotopic dating results and palaeocurrent data, we infer that the Yuan-Ma Basin experienced three evolutionary stages and tectonic settings: (1) during Late Triassic – Early Jurassic time, the Yuan-Ma Basin was related to the diachronous progressive intracontinental deformation as a result of the early Mesozoic Xuefeng intracontinental orogeny in South China; (2) during Middle–Late Jurassic time, the Yuan-Ma Basin was related to intracontinental compression in South China; and (3) during late Early Cretaceous time, the Yuan-Ma Basin was constrained by the intracontinental extension that occurred in eastern China. These three stages, a result of various tectonic regimes, caused the intracontinental deformation that was controlled by the evolution of the continents and their margins.

The Turkana Basin of northwestern Kenya is well known for its rich Neogene–Quaternary vertebrate fossil record; however, it also represents one of the few locations in sub-Saharan Africa where Cretaceous vertebrate fossils, including dinosaurs and other archosaurs, are preserved. These Cretaceous deposits are colloquially referred to as the ‘Turkana Grits’, and assumed to be Cretaceous in age based on their limited biostratigraphy. The ‘Turkana Grits’ are overlain by Palaeogene volcanic rocks (<35 Ma), which are widely considered to record the earliest evidence of plume-related volcanism in the East African Rift System. In this study, we present the results of an integrated sedimentary provenance investigation of two units within the ‘Turkana Grits’ called the Lapur and Muruanachok sandstones. Analysis of U–Pb ages and Lu–Hf initial ɛHf(t) values from 1106 detrital zircons demonstrate that sediments are primarily derived from Neoarchaean and Neoproterozoic basement sources, except for six Palaeogene grains from the upper Lapur Sandstone, which are of unknown provenance. Considered together, these data point to the Mozambique Belt, which makes up the nearby rift flanks, as the primary provenance source. This is consistent with palaeocurrent data, and suggests localized sediment input by alluvial fans, which fed into NNW-directed fluvial systems. Perhaps the most surprising finding is the identification of the late Paleocene detrital zircons, which not only demonstrate that the depositional age for the top of the formation is Paleocene rather than Cretaceous, but also provides possible evidence for the oldest Palaeogene volcanic activity within the East African Rift System.

Thick successions of turbidites are widespread in the Ross–Delamerian and Lachlan orogens and are now dispersed through Australia, Antarctica and New Zealand. U-Pb detrital zircon age patterns for latest Precambrian, Cambrian and Ordovician metagreywackes show a closely related provenance. The latest Neoproterozoic–early Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks have major components, at c. 525, 550, and 595 Ma, i.e. about 40–80 million years older than deposition. Zircons in these components increase from the Neoproterozoic to Ordovician. Late Mesoproterozoic age components, 1030 and 1070 Ma, probably originate from igneous/metamorphic rocks in the Gondwanaland hinterland whose exact locations are unknown. Although small, the youngest zircon age components are coincident with estimated depositional ages suggesting that they reflect contemporaneous and minor, volcanic sources. Overall, the detrital zircon provenance patterns reflect the development of plutonic/metamorphic complexes of the Ross–Delamerian Orogen in the Transantarctic Mountains and southern Australia that, upon exhumation, supplied sediment to regional scale basin(s) at the Gondwana margin. Tasmanian detrital zircon age patterns differ from those seen in intra-Ross Orogen sandstones of northern Victoria Land and from the oldest metasediments in the Transantarctic Mountains. A comparison with rocks from the latter supports an allochthonous western Tasmania model and amalgamation with Australia in late Cambrian time.

The tectonic origin of pre-Devonian rocks of Svalbard has long been a matter of debate. In particular, the origin and assemblage of pre-Devonian rocks of western Spitsbergen, including a blueschist-eclogite complex in Oscar II Land, are enigmatic. We present detrital zircon U–Pb LA-ICP-MS data from six Mesoproterozoic to Carboniferous samples and one U–Pb TIMS zircon age from an orthogneiss from Oscar II Land in order to discuss tectonic models for this region. Variable proportions of Palaeo- to Neoproterozoic detritus dominate the metasedimentary samples. The orthogneiss has an intrusion age of 927 ± 3 Ma. Comparison with detrital zircon age spectra from other units of similar depositional age within the North Atlantic region indicates that Oscar II Land experienced the following tectonic history: (1) the latest Mesoproterozoic sequence was part of a successor basin which originated close to the Grenvillian–Sveconorwegian orogen, and which was intruded by c. 980–920 Ma plutons; (2) the Neoproterozoic sediments were deposited in a large-scale basin which stretched along the Baltoscandian margin; (3) the eclogite-blueschist complex and the overlying Ordovician–Silurian sediments probably formed to the north of the Grampian/Taconian arc; (4) strike-slip movements assembled the western coast of Spitsbergen outside of, and prior to, the main Scandian collision; and (5) the remaining parts of Svalbard were assembled by strike-slip movements during the Devonian. Our study confirms previous models of complex Caledonian terrane amalgamation with contrasting tectonic histories for the different pre-Devonian terranes of Svalbard and particularly highlights the non-Laurentian origin of Oscar II Land.

The Lower Carboniferous flysch of the Istanbul Zone in Turkey is an over 1500 m thick turbiditic sandstone–shale sequence marking the onset of the Variscan deformation in the Pontides. It overlies Lower Carboniferous black cherts and is unconformably overlain by Lower Triassic continental sandstones and conglomerates. The petrography of the Carboniferous sandstones and the geochronology and geochemistry of the detrital zircons and rutiles were studied to establish the provenance of the clastic rocks. The sandstones are feldspathic to lithic greywackes and subgreywackes with approximately equal amounts of quartz, feldspar and lithic clasts. The amount of quartz and lithic fragments decreases upwards in the sequence at the expense of feldspar. The lithic fragments are dominated by intermediate volcanic rocks, followed by metamorphic and sedimentary rock fragments. Coarse lithic fragments are generally granitoidic. In the discrimination diagrams, sandstone samples lie mainly in the field of dissected arc. A total of 218 detrital zircons and 35 detrital rutiles from four sandstone samples were analysed with laser ablation ICP-MS. The detrital zircons show a predominantly bimodal age distribution with Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous (390 to 335 Ma) and Cambrian–Neoproterozoic (640 to 520 Ma) ages. The remaining 9 % of the analysed zircons are in the 1700–2750 Ma range; zircons of the 700–1700 Ma age range are absent. The REE patterns and Th/U ratios of the zircons are consistent with a magmatic origin. With one exception (Neoproterozoic), the rutile ages are Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous and their geochemistry indicates that they were derived from amphibolite-facies metamorphic rocks. Sandstone petrography and detrital zircon–rutile ages suggest one dominant source for the Lower Carboniferous sandstones: a Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous magmatic and metamorphic province with overprinted Neoproterozoic basement. Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous magmatic and metamorphic rocks are unknown from the Eastern Mediterranean region. They are, however, widespread in central Europe. The Istanbul Zone is commonly correlated with the Avalonian terrranes in central Europe, which collided with the Armorican terranes during Carboniferous times, resulting in the Variscan orogeny. The Carboniferous flysch of the Istanbul Zone must have been derived from a colliding Armorican terrane, as indicated by the absence of 700–1700 Ma zircons and by Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous magmatism, typical features of the Armorican terranes. This suggests that during Carboniferous times the Istanbul terrane was located close to the Bohemian Massif and has been translated by strike-slip along the Trans-European Suture Zone to its Cretaceous position north of the Black Sea.