TheYushugouterrainofhigh-pressuregranulitefaciesinsouthernTianshanMountainiscomposedmainlyofanophiolitesuite.Mostselectedziroconsareroundorellipticalinshape,andsomeareoftetragonalprismwithroundedges.Thegranulometricanalysesshowthattheyarewellsortedinsedimentation.ZrO2/HfO2ratiosinzirconsrangefrom45to57.thesecharacters,togetherwiththepetrologicandgeochemicalcharactersofplagioclase-garnet-orthopyroxenitebearingzircons,indicatethattheprotolithofplagioclase-garnet-orthopyroxenitemaybederivedmainlyfromvolcanicbasesurgesedimentarydebrisinoceanicislandsandfromclaysformedbyseafloorweathering.Zirconsaresimplyofpyroclasticdebris.Theophioliteformationageof(440±18)Maandthefirst-stagemetamorphicage(amphiboliteorgranulitefacies)of(364±5)Mawereobtainedwithamethodofmultiplegrainsindifferentgroupsandamethodofconcordiaplot.TheseagesprovideimportantinformationonthetemporalandspatialoccurrenceofsouthernPaleoxoicTianshanOcean,Thesubductionrateoftheoceaniccrustandtheformationmechanismofophioliteofgranulitefacies.
