Zircon SHRIMP dating of the Cailing granite on the eastern margin of the Qitianling granite, Hunan, South China, and its significance

Abstract：The Cailing granite on the eastern margin of the Qitianling granite was precisely dated at 160±2 Ma using zircon SHRIMP, which suggests that the Cailing granite was intruded in the early Yanshanian, rather than in the Indosinian as is considered previously. A few inherited cores record Mesoproterozoic age information, which indicates that Precambrian rocks might be one of the important components in the granitic magma melting source region in the study area.