Mesozoic basin-fill records in south foot of the Dabie Mountains: Implication for Dabie Orogenic attributes

For the Triassic continental collision, subduction and orogenesis in the Dabie-Sulu belt, a lot of data on petrology, geochemistry and chronology have been published[1]. However, so far no depositional records on the Triassic syn-collisional orogenesis of…     

Mesozoic basin evolution and tectonic mechanism in Yanshan, China

The Mesozoic basins in Yanshan, China underwent several important tectonic transformations, including changes from a pre-Late Triassic marginal cratonic basin to a Late Triassic-Late Jurassic flexural basin and then to a late Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rift basin. In response to two violent intraplate deformation at Late Triassic and Late Jurassic, coarse fluvial depositional systems in Xingshikou and Tuchengzi Formations were deposited in front of thrust belts. Controlled by transform and extension faulting, fan deltas and lacustrine systems were deposited in Early Cretaceous basins. The composition of clastic debris in Late Triassic and Late Jurassic flexural basins respectively represents unroofing processes from Proterozoic to Archean and from early deposited, overlying pyroclastic rocks to basement rocks in provenance areas. Restored protobasins were gradually migrated toward nearly NEE to EW-trending from Early Jurassic to early Late Jurassic. The Early Cretaceous basins with a NNE-trending crossed over early-formed basins. The Early-Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous basins were respectively controlled by different tectonic mechanisms.     

Syn-tectonic sedimentation and its linkage to fold-thrusting in the region of Zhangjiakou,North Hebei,China

The timing of the "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic setting that controlled the Yanshan fold-and-thrust belt during Jurassic time in China are still matters of controversy. Sediments that filled the intramontane basins in the Yanshan belt perfectly record the history of "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic background of these basins. Recognizing syn-tectonic sedimentation, clarifying its relationship with structures, and accurately defining strata ages to build up a correct chronostratigraphic framework are the key points to further reveal the timing and kinematics of tectonic deformation in the Yanshan belt from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. This paper applies both tectonic and sedimentary methods on the fold-and-thrust belt and intramontane basins in the Zhangjiakou area, which is located at the intersection between the western Yanshan and northern Taihangshan. Our work suggests that the pre-defined "Jurassic strata" should be re-dated and sub-divided into three strata units: a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic unit, a Middle Jurassic unit, and a Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous unit. Under the control of growth fold-and-thrust structures, five types of growth strata developed in different growth structures: fold-belt foredeep type,thrust-belt foredeep type, fault-propagation fold-thrust structure type, fault-bend fold-thrust structure type, and fault-bend foldthrust plus fault-propagation fold composite type. The reconstructed "source-to-sink" systems of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic,Middle Jurassic and Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous times, which are composed of a fold-and-thrust belt and flexure basins, imply that the "Yanshanian Movement" in our study area started in the Middle Jurassic. During Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous times, there have been at least three stages of fold-thrust events that developed "Laramide-type" basementinvolved fold-thrust structures and small-scale intramontane broken "axial basins". The westward migration of a "pair" of basement-involved fold-thrust belt and flexure basins might have been controlled by flat subduction of the western Paleo-Pacific slab from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous.     

Uplift and evolution of Helan Mountain

The Helan Mountain lies in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin and its uplift periods have close relations with the tectonic feature and evolution of the basin. There are many views on the uplift time of Helan Mountain, which is Late Triassic and Late Jurassic. It is concluded by the present strata, magmatic rock and hot fluid distribution that the Helan Mountain does not uplift in Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic but after Middle Jurassic. Through the research of the sedimentary strata and deposit rate in Yinchuan Graben which is near to the Helan Mountain, it is proved that the Helan Mountain uplifts in Eocene with a huge scale and in Pliocene with a rapid speed. The fission track analysis of apatite and zircon can be used to determine the precise uplift time of Helan Mountain, which shows that four stages of uplifting or cooling Late Jurassic to the early stage of Early Cretaceous, mid-late stage of Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous and since Eocene. During the later two stages the uplift is most apparent and the mid-late stage of Early Cretaceous is a regional cooling course. Together with several analysis ways, it is considered that the earliest time of Helan Mountain uplift is Late Jurassic with a limited scale and that Late Cretaceous uplift is corresponding to the whole uplift of Ordos Basin, extensive uplift happened in Eocene and rapid uplift in Pliocene.     

Uplift and evolution of Helan Mountain

The Helan Mountain lies in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin and its uplift periods have close relations with the tectonic feature and evolution of the basin. There are many views on the uplift time of Helan Mountain, which is Late Triassic and Late Jurassic. It is concluded by the present strata, magmatic rock and hot fluid distribution that the Helan Mountain does not uplift in Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic but after Middle Jurassic. Through the research of the sedimentary strata and deposit rate in Yinchuan Graben which is near to the Helan Mountain, it is proved that the Helan Mountain uplifts in Eocene with a huge scale and in Pliocene with a rapid speed. The fission track analysis of apatite and zircon can be used to determine the precise uplift time of Helan Mountain, which shows that four stages of uplifting or cooling: Late Jurassic to the early stage of Early Cretaceous, mid-late stage of Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous and since Eocene. During the later two stages the uplift is most apparent and the mid-late stage of Early Cretaceous is a regional cooling course. Together with several analysis ways, it is considered that the earliest time of Helan Mountain uplift is Late Jurassic with a limited scale and that Late Cretaceous uplift is corresponding to the whole uplift of Ordos Basin, extensive uplift happened in Eocene and rapid uplift in Pliocene.     

Jurassic depositional records and sandstone provenances in Hefei Basin, central China: Implication for Dabie orogenesis

Abstract   Detrital composition and major element geochemistry of Jurassic sandstones in the south Hefei Basin, central China, show their provenance to be the Dabie Mountains, whose tectonic attributes are closely related to continent–island arc complexes. It was found that a provenance change, from recycled orogen signatures and mixed orogenic sandstones to arc orogen, occurs from the lower Middle Jurassic to the Upper Jurassic (the Zhougongshan Formation). Dissected magmatic arc sources were gradually exposed in the Dabie Mountains due to intensive exhumation during the Late Jurassic, particularly after the Fenghuangtai depositional phase. Furthermore, it can be infered that the magmatic arc was initially present in both the Early Paleozoic and the Triassic, according to isotopic dating studies in previously published reports. δ¹³C–δ¹⁸O tracing between existing marbles of different strata in the Dabie block and marble gravels of the Fenghuangtai Formation in the Hefei Basin indicate that partial lithostratigraphic units for the Jurassic provenances have entirely disappeared from the Dabie block; therefore, it is impossible to reconstruct integral orogenic processes from studies on the remaining Dabie block alone. These findings, together with basin-fill sequences, also suggest that the Hefei Basin was mainly subjected to compressive mechanical regimes rather than extensional regimes in the Jurassic, which resulted in reverse-grading clastic depositional sequences, and is probably related to the northward intracontinental deep subduction of the Yangtze Plate. Regional exhumation properties and a tectonic model of the Late Mesozoic Dabie orogenesis are discussed in this paper.     

扬子东南缘浙赣地区中生代盆地演化与构造环境研究

针对扬子东南缘浙赣地区地质构造特征,通过研究中生代的构造分层、盆地演化、火山活动构造环境等,分析了研究区中生代构造环境,认为研究区中生代盆地演化经历了由近东西向、北东东向向北东、北北东向构造方向的转变和由挤压-拉张-挤压-拉张的构造环境变化;构造体制环境从晚侏罗世开始,到早白垩世早期基本完成转换过程。伴随构造环境的转变,研究区内形成了中生代不同类型的盆地。     

Tethyan ophiolites and Pangea break-up

Abstract The break‐up of Pangea began during the Triassic and was preceded by a generalized Permo‐Triassic formation of continental rifts along the future margins between Africa and Europe, between Africa and North America, and between North and South America. During the Middle–Late Triassic, an ocean basin cutting the eastern equatorial portion of the Pangea opened as a prograding branch of the Paleotethys or as a new ocean (the Eastern Tethys); westwards, continental rift basins developed. The Western Tethys and Central Atlantic began to open only during the Middle Jurassic. The timing of the break‐up can be hypothesized from data from the oceanic remnants of the peri‐Mediterranean and peri‐Caribbean regions (the Mesozoic ophiolites) and from the Atlantic ocean crust. In the Eastern Tethys, Middle–Late Triassic mid‐oceanic ridge basalt (MORB) ophiolites, Middle–Upper Jurassic MORB, island arc tholeiite (IAT) supra‐subduction ophiolites and Middle–Upper Jurassic metamorphic soles occur, suggesting that the ocean drifting was active from the Triassic to the Middle Jurassic. The compressive phases, as early as during the Middle Jurassic, were when the drifting was still active and caused the ocean closure at the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary and, successively, the formation of the orogenic belts. The present scattering of the ophiolites is a consequence of the orogenesis: once the tectonic disturbances are removed, the Eastern Tethys ophiolites constitute a single alignment. In the Western Tethys only Middle–Upper Jurassic MORB ophiolites are present – this was the drifting time. The closure began during the Late Cretaceous and was completed during the Eocene. Along the area linking the Western Tethys to the Central Atlantic, the break‐up was realized through left lateral wrench movements. In the Central Atlantic – the link between the Western Tethys and the Caribbean Tethys – the drifting began at the same time and is still continuing. The Caribbean Tethys opened probably during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. The general picture rising from the previous data suggest a Pangea break‐up rejuvenating from east to west, from the Middle–Late Triassic to the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous.     

Sedimentary fill history of the Huicheng Basin in the West Qinling Mountains and associated constraints on Mesozoic intracontinental tectonic evolution

The Qinling Orogenic Belt is divided commonly by the Fengxian-Taibai strike-slip shear zone and the Huicheng Basin into the East and West Qinling mountains,which show significant geological differences after the Indosinian orogeny.The Fengxian-Taibai fault zone and the Meso-Cenozoic Huicheng Basin,situated at the boundary of the East and West Qinling,provide a natural laboratory for tectonic analysis and sedimentological study of intracontinental tectonic evolution of the Qinling Orogenic Belt.In order to explain the dynamic development of the Huicheng Basin and elucidate its post-orogenic tectonic evolution at the junction of the East and West Qinling,we studied the geometry and kinematics of fault zones between the blocks of West Qinling,as well as the sedimentary fill history of the Huicheng Basin.First,we found that after the collisional orogeny in the Late Triassic,post-orogenic extensional collapse occurred in the Early and Middle Jurassic within the Qinling Orogenic Belt,resulting in a series of rift basins.Second,in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous,a NE-SW compressive stress field caused large-scale sinistral strike-slip faults in the Qinling Orogenic Belt,causing intracontinental escape tectonics at the junction of the East and West Qinling,including eastward finite escape of the East Qinling micro-plate and southwest lateral escape of the Bikou Terrane.Meanwhile,the strike-slip-related Early Cretaceous sedimentary basin was formed with a right-order echelon arrangement in sinistral shear zones along the southern margin of the Huicheng fault.Overall during the Mesozoic,the Huicheng Basin and surrounding areas experienced four tectonic evolutionary stages,including extensional rift basin development in the Early and Middle Jurassic,intense compressive uplift in the Late Jurassic,formation of a strike-slip extensional basin in the Early Cretaceous,and compressive uplift in the Late Cretaceous.     

Subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath Eurasian continent: Mesozoic-Paleogene magmatic records in Northeast Asia

This paper presents a review on the rock associations, geochemistry, and spatial distribution of Mesozoic-Paleogene igneous rocks in Northeast Asia. The record of magmatism is used to evaluate the spatial-temporal extent and influence of multiple tectonic regimes during the Mesozoic, as well as the onset and history of Paleo-Pacific slab subduction beneath Eurasian continent. Mesozoic-Paleogene magmatism at the continental margin of Northeast Asia can be subdivided into nine stages that took place in the Early-Middle Triassic, Late Triassic, Early Jurassic, Middle Jurassic, Late Jurassic, early Early Cretaceous, late Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous, and Paleogene, respectively. The Triassic magmatism is mainly composed of adakitic rocks, bimodal rocks, alkaline igneous rocks, and A-type granites and rhyolites that formed in syn-collisional to post-collisional extensional settings related to the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. However, Triassic calc-alkaline igneous rocks in the Erguna-Xing’an massifs were associated with the southward subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic slab. A passive continental margin setting existed in Northeast Asia during the Triassic. Early Jurassic calc-alkaline igneous rocks have a geochemical affinity to arc-like magmatism, whereas coeval intracontinental magmatism is composed of bimodal igneous rocks and A-type granites. Spatial variations in the potassium contents of Early Jurassic igneous rocks from the continental margin to intracontinental region, together with the presence of an Early Jurassic accretionary complex, reveal that the onset of the Paleo- Pacific slab subduction beneath Eurasian continent occurred in the Early Jurassic. Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous magmatism did not take place at the continental margin of Northeast Asia. This observation, combined with the occurrence of low-altitude biological assemblages and the age population of detrital zircons in an Early Cretaceous accretionary complex, indicates that a strike-slip tectonic regime existed between the continental margin and Paleo-Pacific slab during the Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous. The widespread occurrence of late Early Cretaceous calc-alkaline igneous rocks, I-type granites, and adakitic rocks suggests low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath Eurasian continent at this time. The eastward narrowing of the distribution of igneous rocks from the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene, and the change from an intracontinental to continental margin setting, suggest the eastward movement of Eurasian continent and rollback of the Paleo- Pacific slab at this time.     

Geodynamic evolution of Korea: A view

Abstract Evidence for South Korean Palaeozoic geodynamic evolution is restricted to the Ogcheon Belt, which is a complex polycyclic domain forming the boundary between the Precambrian Gyeonggi Block to the northwest and the Ryeongnam Block to the southeast. Two independent sub-zones can be distinguished: the Taebaeksan Zone to the northeast and the Ogcheon Zone sensu stricto. The Taebaeksan Zone and Ryeongnam Block display characteristic features of the North China palaeocontinent. This domain remained relatively stable during the Palaeozoic. In contrast, the Ogcheon Belt s. s. is a highly mobile zone that belongs to the South China palaeocontinent and corresponds to a rift that opened during the Early Palaeozoic. In lowermost Devonian times, the rift basin was closed and the Ogcheon Belt was structured in a pile of nappes. From the lack of suture in the Ogcheon Belt it can be inferred that the Gyeonggi Block belongs to the South China palaeocontinent. Thus, the boundary between the North China and South China blocks should be located to the north of Gyeonggi Block, that is, in the Palaeozoic Imjingang Belt. From the Middle Carboniferous, sedimentation started again on a weakly subsiding paralic platform located in the hinterland of the Late Palaeozoic orogen of southwest Japan. In the Late Carboniferous, increasing subsidence recorded extensional tectonics related to the opening of the Yakuno Oceanic Basin (southwest Japan). In the Middle Permian, the end of marine influences in the platform and emplacement of terrestrial coal measures, may be correlated with the closure of the oceanic area and subsequent ophiolite obduction. In Late Permian to Early Triassic times, the Honshu Block (the eastern palaeomargin of the Yakuno Basin) collided with Sino-Korea. Post-collisional intracontinental tectonics reached the Ogcheon Belt in the Middle Triassic (Songnim tectonism). Ductile dextral shear zones associated with synkinematic granitoids were emplaced in the southwest of the belt. In the Upper Triassic, the late stages of the intracontinental transcurrent tectonics generated narrow intramontane troughs (Daedong Supergroup). The Daedong basins were deformed during two tectonic events, in the Middle (?) and Late Jurassic. The Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous basins (Gyeongsang Supergroup), that are controlled by left-lateral faults, may have resulted from the same tectonic event.     

鄂尔多斯地块构造演化的古地磁学研究

鄂尔多斯地块与中朝地台其它地区相同时代地层的古地磁结果基本一致表明:晚二叠世以来,中朝地台经历了从低纬度(19°左右)向中纬度的北移过程,并伴有50°左右的逆时针旋转;晚二叠世—中三叠世地台北移10°(1000km)左右,而方位基本未变;中三叠世—中侏罗世主要发生50°左右的逆时针旋转,而北向位移不明显,这一旋转可能与杨子地台和中朝地台碰撞拼合有关,或者说是印支运动在该地区的反应,中侏罗世—早白垩世地块已基本和现代位置一致     

Mesozoic terranes of the northwest Pacific continental margin (Russia): Radiolarian ages and sedimentary environments

Abstract Geological mapping using detailed tectonic and complex radiolarian analysis revealed significant northward displacement of a number of Russian Far and Northeast Asia terranes. It was recorded that some terranes possibly crossed the equator. Terranes of north-east Russia were composed of different allochthonous formations, ranging in age from Middle Triassic to Maestrichtian-Paleocene and accumulated from the margin to oceanic basins. The Middle to Upper Triassic interval included two formations: (i) volcanogenic, consisting of typical volcanic rocks of the island arcs (up to 800 m thick); and (ii) a chert-limestone-terrigenous one composed of marginal sandstone, siltstone, limestone and tuffic chert (about 400 m). Lower Jurassic allochthonous formations are represented by chert-terrigenous (about 300 m) and jasper-alkaline-basaltic (WPB-type) seamount deposits (about 100 m). Middle Jurassic to Hauterivian allochthonous terranes from the northern part of the Koryak-Kamchatka region include five formations: jasper (bedding jaspers with condensed limestone lenses with Buchias, 80 m), jasper-basalt (with MORB, 100-150 m), ferrotitanic basalt (WPB with lenses of jasper mainly composed of genus Parvicingula, about 75%, 150 m), terrigenous-volcanic (with MORB, IAT, CA basalts and olistostrome, 600 m), tuffic-jasper-basalt (MORB and deposits of arc-trench system, about 500 m) with the same age according to radiolarian data. Aptian? Albian-Maestrichtian ones are predominantly terrigenous-tuffaceous-siliceous. Moreover, the Early and Middle Jurassic faunas of the northwest Pacific margin contain many boreal elements similar to those of New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere), Japan, ODP Site 801. The Late Jurassic faunas of the Koryak and Kamchatka region are mainly North Tethyan and seldom Central Tethyan and are very closely related to those of the Americas. The Tithonian to Early Cretaceous radiolarian are predominantly Central Tethyan and Equatorial in contrast to Boreal Late Cretaceous. The combining in the same region at 60°N Pacific margin of the formations accumulated in different tectonic paleoenvironments and paleoclimatic provinces, is good evidence for the possible significant northward displacement of some terranes in the northwestern Pacific.     

Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic transition in Kuqa Depression-Tianshan, Northwest China: Evidence from sandstone detrital and geochemical records

Succeeding to multiply collisions of different blocks in Late Paleozoic[1―5], complex intracontinental structural deformation occurred in the Tianshan area during Mesozoic-Cenozoic[6―16], which controlled coeval basin-range evolution and resulted in intensive modi- fication and adjustment of the Paleozoic oil-gas reser- voirs[17―19]. The Kuqa Depression is a secendary struc- tural unit of the Tarim basin, in which Mesozoic- Ce- nozoic deposits occur in thickness of 6000―7000 m. The Kuq…     

Jurassic integrative stratigraphy and timescale of China

The Jurassic stratigraphy in China is dominated by continental sediments. Marine facies and marine-terrigenous facies sediment have developed locally in the Qinghai-Tibet area, southern South China, and northeast China. The division of terrestrial Jurassic strata has been argued, and the conclusions of biostratigraphy and isotope chronology have been inconsistent.During the Jurassic period, the North China Plate, South China Plate, and Tarim Plate were spliced and formed the prototype of ancient China. The Yanshan Movement has had a profound influence on the eastern and northern regions of China and has formed an important regional unconformity. The Triassic-Jurassic boundary(201.3 Ma) is located roughly between the Haojiagou Formation and the Badaowan Formation in the Junggar Basin, and between the Xujiahe Formation and the Ziliujing Formation in the Sichuan Basin. The early Early Jurassic sediments generally were lacking in the eastern and central regions north of the ancient Dabie Mountains, suggesting that a clear uplift occurred in the eastern part of China during the Late Triassic period when it formed vast mountains and plateaus. A series of molasse-volcanic rock-coal strata developed in the northern margin of North China Craton in the Early Jurassic and are found in the Xingshikou Formation, Nandailing Formation, and Yaopo Formation in the West Beijing Basin. The geological age and markers of the boundary between the Yongfeng Stage and Liuhuanggou Stage are unclear. About 170 Ma ago, the Yanshan Movement began to affect China. The structural system of China changed from the near east-west Tethys or the Ancient Asia Ocean tectonic domain to the north-north-east Pacific tectonic domain since 170–135 Ma. A set of syngenetic conglomerate at the bottom of the Haifanggou or Longmen Fms. represented another set of molasse-volcanic rock-coal strata formed in the Yanliao region during the Middle Jurassic Yanshan Movement(Curtain A1). The bottom of the conglomerate is approximately equivalent to the boundary of the Shihezi Stage and Liuhuanggou Stage. The bottom of the Manas Stage creates a regional unconformity in northern China(about 161 Ma, Volcanic Curtain of the Yanshan Movement, Curtain A2). The Jurassic Yanshan Movement is likely related to the southward subduction of the Siberian Plate to the closure of the Mongolia-Okhotsk Ocean. A large-scale volcanic activity occurred in the Tiaojishan period around 161–153 Ma. Note that 153 Ma is the age of the bottom Tuchengzi Formation, and the bottom boundary of the Fifth Stage of the Jurassic terrestrial stage in China should have occurred earlier than this. This activity was marked by a warming event at the top of the Toutunhe Formation, and the change in the biological assembly is estimated to be 155 Ma. The terrestrial Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary(ca. 145.0 Ma) in the Yanliao region should be located in the upper part of Member 1 of the Tuchengzi Formation, the Ordos Basin in the upper part of the Anding Formation, the Junggar Basin in the upper part of the Qigu Formation, and the Sichuan Basin in the upper part of the Suining Formation The general characteristics of terrestrial Jurassic of China changed from the warm and humid coal-forming environment of the Early-Middle Jurassic to the hot, dry, red layers in the Late Jurassic. With the origin and development of the Coniopteris-Phoenicopsis flora, the Yanliao biota was developed and spread widely in the area north of the ancient Kunlun Mountains, ancient Qinling Mountains, and ancient Dabie Mountain ranges in the Middle Jurassic, and reached its great prosperity in the Early Late Jurassic and gradually declined and disappeared and moved southward with the arrival of a dry and hot climate.     

Triassic mid-oceanic sedimentation in Panthalassa Ocean: Sambosan accretionary complex, Japan

Abstract   The Sambosan accretionary complex of southwest Japan was formed during the uppermost Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous and consists of basaltic rocks, carbonates and siliceous rocks. The Sambosan oceanic rocks were grouped into four stratigraphic successions: (i) Middle Upper Triassic basaltic rock; (ii) Upper Triassic shallow-water limestone; (iii) limestone breccia; and (iv) Middle Middle Triassic to lower Upper Jurassic siliceous rock successions. The basaltic rocks have a geochemical affinity with oceanic island basalt of a normal hotspot origin. The shallow-water limestone, limestone breccia, and siliceous rock successions are interpreted to be sediments on the seamount-top, upper seamount-flank and surrounding ocean floor, respectively. Deposition of the radiolarian chert of the siliceous rock succession took place on the ocean floor in Late Anisian and continued until Middle Jurassic. Oceanic island basalt was erupted to form a seamount by an intraplate volcanism in Late Carnian. Late Triassic shallow-water carbonate sedimentation occurred at the top of this seamount. Accumulation of the radiolarian chert was temporally replaced by Late Carnian to Early Norian deep-water pelagic carbonate sedimentation. Biotic association and lithologic properties of the pelagic carbonates suggest that an enormous production and accumulation of calcareous planktonic biotas occurred in an open-ocean realm of the Panthalassa Ocean in Late Carnian through Early Norian. Upper Norian ribbon chert of the siliceous rock succession contains thin beds of limestone breccia displaced from the shallow-water buildup resting upon the seamount. The shallow-water limestone and siliceous rock successions are nearly coeval with one another and are laterally linked by displaced carbonates in the siliceous rock succession.     

Revisiting Triassic stratigraphy of the Yanshan belt

Age determinations of the Triassic lithostratigraphic units of the Yanshan belt were previously based on plant fossils and regional correlations of lithologies. The Liujiagou and Heshanggou Formations were assigned as the Lower Triassic, and the Ermaying Formation was regarded as the Middle Triassic. We carried out a geochronologic study of detrital zircon grains from the Triassic sandstone in the Xiabancheng and Yingzi basins in northern Hebei where the Triassic strata are exceptionally well preserved. The results show that the Liujiagou, Heshanggou, and Ermaying Formations are all Late Triassic in age. The ages of detrital zircons also revealed that the upper part of the Shihezi Formation and the overlying Sunjiagou Formation, both of which were thought to be the Middle-Late Permian units, are actually late Early to Middle Triassic deposits. This study combines the upper Shihezi and Sunjiagou Formations into a single unit termed as the Yingzi Formation. We also substitute the widely-used Liujiagou, Heshanggou, and Ermaying Formations with the Dingjiagou, Xiabancheng, and Huzhangzi Formations, respectively. Field observations and facies analysis show that the top of the Shihezi Formation is an erosive surface, marking a parallel unconformity between the Middle Permian and Lower Triassic. The Yingzi Formation is composed mainly of meandering river deposits, indicative of tectonic quiescence and low-relief landform in the Early to Middle Triassic. In contrast, the Dingjiagou, Xiabancheng, and Huzhangzi Formations are interpreted as the deposits of sandy/gravelly braided rivers, alluvial fans, fan deltas, and deep lakes in association with volcanism, thus indicating an intense rifting setting. A new Triassic lithostratigraphic division is proposed according to age constraints and facies analysis, and the results are of significance for understanding the early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the Yanshan belt.     

Subdivision and age of the Yanchang Formation and the Middle/Upper Triassic boundary in Ordos Basin,North China

The Yanchang Formation is extensively developed in the Ordos Basin and its surrounding regions. As one of the best terrestrial Triassic sequences in China and the major oil-gas bearing formations in the Ordos Basin, its age determination and stratigraphic assignment are important in geological survey and oil-gas exploration. It had been attributed to the Late Triassic and regarded as the typical representative of the Upper Triassic in northern China for a long time, although some scholars had already proposed that the lower part of this formation should be of the Middle Triassic age in the mid-late 20th century. In this paper, we suggest that the lower and middle parts of the Yanchang Formation should be of the Ladinian and the bottom possibly belongs to the late Anisian of the Middle Triassic, mainly based on new fossils found in it and high resolution radiometric dating results. The main source rocks, namely the oil shales and mudstones of the Chang-7, are of the Ladinian Age. The upper part of the Yanchang Formation, namely the Chang-6 and the above parts, belongs to the Late Triassic. The uppermost of the Triassic is missed in most parts of the Ordos Basin. The Middle-Upper Triassic Series boundary lies in the Yanchang Formation, equivalent to the boundary between Chang-7 and Chang-6. The Ladinian is an important palaeoenvironmental turning point in the Ordos Basin. Palaeoenvironmental changes in the basin are coincidence with that of the Sichuan Basin and the main tectonic movement of the Qinling Mountains. It indicates that tectonic activities of the Qinling Mountains are related to the big palaeoenvironmental changes in both the Ordos and Sichuan Basins, which are caused by the same structural dynamic system during the Ladinian.     

Polyphase accretionary tectonics in the Jurassic to Cretaceous accretionary belts of central Japan

Abstract Mesozoic accretionary complexes of the southern Chichibu and the northern Shimanto Belts, widely exposed in the Kanto Mountains, consist of 15 tectonostratigraphic units according to radiolarian biochronologic data. The units show a zonal arrangement of imbricate structure and the age of the terrigenous clastics of each unit indicates successive and systematic southwestward younging. Although rocks in these complexes range in age from Carboniferous to Cretaceous, the trench-fill deposits corresponding to the Hauterivian, the Aptian to Middle Albian and the Turonian are missing. A close relationship between the missing accretionary complexes and the development of strike-slip basins is recognizable. The tectonic nature of the continental margin might have resulted from a change from a convergent into a transform or oblique-slip condition, so that strike-slip basins were formed along the mobile zones on the ancient accretionary complexes. Most terrigenous materials were probably trapped by the strike-slip basins. Then, the accretion of the clastic rock sequence occurred, probably as a result of the small supply of terrigenous materials in the trench. However, in the case of right-angle subduction, terrigenous materials might have been transported to the trench through submarine canyons and deposited there. Thus, the accretionary complexes grew rapidly and thickened. Changes both in oceanic plate motion and in the fluctuation of terrigenous supply due to the sedimentary trap caused pulses of accretionary complex growth during Jurassic and Cretaceous times. In the Kanto Mountains, three tectonic phases are recognized, reflecting the changes of the consuming direction of the oceanic plates along the eastern margin of the Asian continent. These are the Early Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous right-angle subduction of the Izanagi Plate, the Early to early Late Cretaceous strike-slip movement of the Izanagi and Kula Plates, and the late Late Cretaceous right-angle subduction of the Kula Plate.     

祁连盆地第三纪沉积物磁性地层和岩石磁组构初步研究

祁连山山间盆地内的新生代沉积物是研究新生代以来祁连山构造演化的重要材料.本文以位于祁连山中部祁连盆地内的新生代沉积物为研究对象,利用磁性地层学方法结合碎屑颗粒裂变径迹定年方法获取其沉积时代框架,在此基础上,结合岩性变化与沉积环境变迁分析祁连山构造演化历史.野外实测剖面显示该盆地内的第三系可划分为下部砾岩组和上部砂岩组两大岩性单元.古地磁结果显示砾岩组的沉积时代约为10—14.3Ma.砾岩组沉积大约在14.3 Ma开始形成,指示祁连山14.3 Ma以来构造活动变强烈.磁组构结果显示砾石组顶部沉积形成时的受力方向与现今祁连盆地周缘断层分布所指示的应力方向一致,表明这些断层大约在10 Ma附近开始活动.我们的结果揭示祁连山中部山脉14.3 Ma以来尤其在10 Ma附近构造活动较强烈.这与过去低温热年代学所获得的祁连山山体的快速冷却年龄及祁连山两端大型盆地内的第三系所记录的构造事件发生的时间基本吻合.而砂岩组的古地磁结果并未通过褶皱检验,其古地磁记录发生了后期重磁化,无法获得地层的准确沉积年龄.