Revised Statherian to Tonian Chronostratigraphic Framework for the Greater North China Craton: A Record of Transition from the Columbia to Rodinia Supercontinent

Reliable chronostratigraphic correlations for Precambrian cratons are critical for understanding associated tectonic processes and the environments in which early life evolved. This study examines implications of recent geochronological advances for the Statherian‒Tonian chronostratigraphic framework of the Greater North China Craton (GNCC), which encompasses the Langrim and Quanji-Central Qilian blocks, in addition to the traditional North China Craton (NCC). New age constraints subdivide the Statherian-Tonian stratigraphic record of the GNCC into three stages: ca. 1.78‒1.35, 1.35‒1.24, and 1.24‒0.80 Ga. Late Statherian deposition initiated in the Xionger Rift Basin and progressed toward an epicontinental carbonate sea covering the GNCC by ca. 1600 Ma. This corresponds with the initial breakup of Columbia that established evolutionary niches for early eukaryotes. An extensive ca. 1.35‒1.0 Ga depositional gap resulted from protracted collision, uplift, and erosion on the GNCC, associated with the Grenville-age, southward-migrating foreland basin in which black shales of the ca. 1.38 Ga Xiamaling Formation and related units were deposited. Between ca. 1240 and 800 Ma, deposition of carbonate-dominated successions indicates the development of an embayment on the Langrim Block (Pyeongnam Basin) that gradually expanded across the entire GNCC, corresponding to the rifting and breakup of Rodinia.