Zircon diffusion chronometry reveals brief ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in a prolonged Paleoproterozoic orogen

Ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism (≥900 °C) represents the most extreme thermal regime in the continental crust. Whether such conditions occurred as brief pulses (<1 m.y.) during the Precambrian, as observed in some Phanerozoic orogens, remains unresolved. Here we integrate phase equilibria modeling, thermobarometry, high-resolution nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) trace-element mapping, and diffusion modeling in zircon from pelitic granulites in the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji orogen, North China craton. The rocks record peak pressures of ∼1.30 GPa at ∼850 °C, followed by heating during decompression to ≥940 °C and ∼0.65 GPa, and subsequent cooling to ∼600 °C. Zircons preserve Archean detrital cores with oscillatory Dy, Yb, and Ti zoning, overgrown by ca. 1.85 Ga metamorphic rims. Diffusion modeling of these elemental profiles within the detrital cores reveals heating durations of 0.02−0.62 m.y. and UHT residence times within 0.05−1.3 m.y., providing the first robust evidence for ultrafast (∼0.1 m.y.) UHT pulses in the Paleoproterozoic. Ti zoning further yields the first empirical constraints on Ti diffusivity in natural zircon at crustal temperatures, showing rates three to five orders of magnitude faster than experimental extrapolations. The spatial and temporal links to ca. 1.85 Ga mafic intrusions suggest transient mantle upwelling as the heat source. These findings demonstrate that vigorous Paleoproterozoic crust-mantle interactions generated short-lived UHT events comparable to those in modern orogens, highlighting the power of NanoSIMS-guided zircon diffusion chronometry in resolving the tempo of Precambrian thermal and tectonic processes.