U- Pb ages of the detrital zircons from Gandun and Wutongwozi Formations along the Huangshan- Jingerquan Ni- Cu metallogenic belt were determined using LA- ICP- MS (laser ablation- inductively coupled plasma- mass spectrometry). The U- Pb ages of detrital zircon from the Gandun carbonaceous slate, meta- sandstone, and meta- arkose are 301~491 Ma, 307~426 Ma and 313~461 Ma, respectively. The weighted mean ages of the youngest zircons of these three samples are 307. 1±3. 7 Ma, 310. 4±2. 2 Ma, 315. 0±10 Ma, respectively, indicating that the maximum sedimentary age of the Gandun Formation is Late Carboniferous. The U- Pb ages of detrital zircons from the Wutongwozi metasandstone and meta- tuff are 384~448 Ma and 393~448 Ma, respectively. The weighted mean ages of the youngest zircons of the two samples are 386. 5±5. 8 Ma and 394. 6±4. 5 Ma, respectively, suggesting a sedimentary event in the Early- Middle Devonian. This is consistent with recent zircon U- Pb ages of the plutons emplaced in the Wutongwozi Formation. The new U- Pb ages of the detrital zircons from the Gandun and Wutongwozi Formations demonstrated that the subduction along the Kanguer- Yamansu arc belt was initiated in the Middle Devonian. The Upper Devonian- Lower Carboniferous strata between the Wutongwozi and Gandun Formations are ~10 km thick. This implies that the magma conduit system for the Ni- Cu sulfide mineralization extended at least 10 km in vertical direction; the Ni- Cu sulfide- bearing mafic- ultramafic intrusions emplaced in the Wutongwozi and Gandun Formations represent magmatic conduit in the depths and the magma chambers in the shallow levels, respectively.