The Precambrian Geology of the North China Craton: A Review and Update of the Key Issues

Abstract

This paper reviews current thinking with respect to the main issues concerning the nature and evolution of the North China Craton (NCC). Because literature on the NCC is so voluminous, it of necessity focuses on specific aspects that have wider applicability to the nature of Precambrian cratons in general. The assembly of the craton is examined and opposing views evaluated. The overall distribution of Precambrian rocks is placed within the favoured model for subdividing the craton, and recent advances in determining the ages of key lithological associations are presented. The more controversial topic of where the NCC was placed in the Nuna/Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents is canvassed, although no definitive conclusions can be drawn. Finally, the removal of continental lithosphere from beneath the eastern part of the craton in the Phanerozoic is briefly examined, since this phenomenon has wider implications for the global preservation of Precambrian crust.