Precambrian tectonic affinity of the North Qinling Microcontinent: Constraints from the discovery of Mesoproterozoic magmatic zircons in the Qinling Group

This paper presents new results on zircon U–Pb dating of a two‐mica schist from the Qinling Group in the core of the North Qinling Orogenic Belt (NQB), Central China, with the aim of constraining the formation time of the Qinling Group, and the tectonic affinity of the North Qinling Microcontinent. Zircon U–Pb dating indicates that the protolith of the metasedimentary rock in the Qinling Group was deposited later than ~1502 Ma. The Qinling Group...