The Wudangshan, Yaolinghe volcanic-sedimentary sequences and doleritic-gabbroic sills comprise the largest exposed Precambrian basement in South Qinling. Zircons separated from 5 volcanic-pyroclas- tic samples of the Wudangshan Group, 2 volcanic samples of the Yaolinghe Group and one sample for the mafic sills were used for U-Pb dating by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spec- trometry (LA-ICPMS). The results reveal that the Wudangshan volcanic sequence was formed at (755±3) Ma (a weighted mean from the 5 samples, MSWD=0.47), whereas the Yaolinghe volcanic suite and the mafic sill were crystallized at (685±5) (2 samples, MSWD=0.36) and (679±3) Ma (MSWD=1.6), respectively, which are equal to each other within analysis errors. These ages are markedly younger than those previously documented for the rocks. The newly obtained ages for the Wudangshan and Yaolinghe Groups are identical to those of the bottom Liantuo and slightly older than those of the Nantuo Forma- tions, respectively, lower strata of the Nanhua (middle to late Neoproterozoic) stratotype section in eastern Three Gorges, Yangtze craton. A range of inherited magmatic zircons was recognized with ages of 830 to 780 Ma, which are typical of Neoprotzrozoic magmatisms recorded along the margins and interior of the Yangtze craton. Thus, there is Neoproterozoic basement comprising 830―780 Ma igne- ous suites in South Qinling; the inherited zircons were detrital sediments derived from the northern margin of the Yangtze craton. Accordingly, it is suggested that the South Qinling is a segment of the Yangtze craton before the Qinling Orogeny.
U-Pb dating was made by the LA-ICP-MS method for detrital zircons from the Wudangshan volcanic-sedimentary succession in the South Qinling. Samples comprise quartz sandstones of the Wudangshan Group collected from the base of the Yangping For-mation and an upper layer of the Shuangtai Formation overlain its volcanic sequence, and two river-sand collections from the drainage systems cutting across the two formations, respectively. The results show that the Yangping detrital zircons are domi-nated by 830–780 Ma grains with a minor population of ～1.0–0.84 Ga and sporadic grains of ～2.6, ～2.4 and 2.0 Ga, whereas the Shuangtai zircons yield an upper intercept age of 763±33 Ma, identical to the timing of the Wudangshan volcanism within error, with few concordant grains of 1.9 and 0.86 Ga. Age spectra for the two river-sand samples are similar to those of the Yangping and Shuangtai Formations, respectively. It thus suggests that the Wudangshan strata are less than 780 Ma, whereas their major detrital zircon populations of 1.0–0.85 Ga and 830–780 Ma are consistent with timing of the Hannan magmatic activities along the northwestern margin of the South China Block. This suggests a Hannan or adjacent area provenance for the Wudangshan strata. The Wudang area is characterized by rift-related igneous events at ～755 and ～680 Ma, respectively, pointing to a tectono-magmatic history different from the Hannan area. It is inferred that the ～755 Ma magmatism is likely to indicate a separation of the South China Block from the supercontinent Rodinia, while the ～680 Ma event suggests a further split between the South Qinling and some unknown continent.
