U-Pb-Dating of Detrital Zircons from Mindoro, the Palawan Continental Terrane: Evidence for Sources and Correlations

The island of Mindoro forms the northeastern part of the Palawan Continental Terrane, a terrane that is considered to have formed at the southwestern margin of SE China and subsequently drifted into its present position as a consequence of the opening of the South China Sea. Using U-Pb age determinations of detrital zircon in sedimentary rocks and of current river sediments, this study aims to establish the relationships between the various geological units exposed on this island. The results indicate that some established units have left no trace in the current river sediments. On the other hand, some ages found in the age distributions of river sediments have no known source in the studied units. The data presented support the concept that the Northeast Mindoro Block is distinct from the Southwest Mindoro Block. Both blocks contain units that may be correlated with units exposed in northern and southern Palawan, and thus both appear to be related to the SE China margin of the South China block.