Tectonic Framework and Evolution of the Dabie Mountains in Anhui, Eastern China

The Dabie Mountains are believed to be a collisional orogenic belt between the Yangtze amd Sino-Koreancontinental plates. It is composed of the foreland fold-thrust zone, the subducting cover and basement of theYangtze continental plate, the coesite- and diamond-bearing ultra-high pressure metamorphic zone and themeta-ophiolitic melange zone in the subducting basement, the fore-arc flysch nappe and the back thrust zoneoccurring respectively on the southern and northern margins of the Sino-Korean continental plate and the in-herited basin with molassic deposits on the northern margin. When the palaeo-Dabie oceanic plate subductednorthward in the Early Palaeozoic, volcanic arc and back arc basin probably formed on the southern margin ofthe Sino-Korean continental plate. The Sm / Nd isotopic dating of the strata and eclogite which were drawn in-to the foreland fold-thrust zone indicates that the intense collision of the two continental plates took place inthe Early Mesozoic.     

Basement of the South China Sea Area: Tracing the Tethyan Realm

The basement of the South China Sea (SCS) and adjacent areas can be divided into six divisions (regions) – Paleozoic Erathem graben-faulted basement division in Beibu Gulf, Paleozoic Erathem strike-slip pull-apart in Yinggehai waters, Paleozoic Erathem faulted-depression in eastern Hainan, Paleozoic Erathem rifted in northern Xisha (Paracel), Paleozoic Erathem strike-slip extending in southern Xisha, and Paleozoic-Mesozoic Erathem extending in Nansha Islands (Spratly) waters. The Pre-Cenozoic basement in the SCS and Yunkai continental area are coeval within the Tethyan tectonic domain in the Pre-Cenozoic Period. They are formed on the background of the Paleo-Tethyan tectonic domain, and are important components of the Eastern Tethyan multi-island-ocean system. Three branches of the Eastern Paleo-Tethys tectonic domain, North Yunkai, North Hainan, and South Hainan sea basins, have evolved into the North Yunkai, North Hainan, and South Hainan suture zones, respectively. This shows a distinctive feature of localization for the Pre-Cenozoic basement. The Qiongnan (i.e. South Hainan) Suture Zone on the northern margin of the South China Sea can be considered the vestige of the principal ocean basin of Paleo-Tethys, and connected with the suture zone of the Longmucuo-Shuanghu belt–Bitu belt –Changning-Menglian-Bentong-Raub belt, the south extension of Bitu-Changning-Menglian–Ching Mai belt–Chanthaburi-Raub-Bentong belt on the west of South China Sea, and with the Lianhua-Taidong suture zone (a fault along the east side of Longitudinal Valley in Taiwan)–Hida LP/HT (low pressure-high temperature) metamorphic belt–Hida-marginal HP/LT metamorphic belt in southwestern Honshu of Japan, on the east of the South China Sea. The Qiongbei (North Hainan) suture zone may eastwards extended along the Wangwu-Wenjiao fault zone, and connects with the Lufeng-Dapu-Zhenghe-Shangyu (Lianhuashan) deep fault zone through the Pearl River Mouth Basin. The Meso-Tethys developed on the south of the South China Sea. The Nansha Trough may be considered the vestige of the northern shelf of the Meso-Tethys. The oceanic crust of the Meso-Tethys has southwards subducted along the subduction-collision-thrust southern margin of the Nansha Trough with a subduction-pole opposite to those of the Yarlung Zangbo-Mytkyina-Bago zone on the west of the South China Sea, and the Meso-Tethyan (e.g. Northern Chichibu Ocean of the Meso-Tethys) suture zone “Butsozo tectonic line” in the outer belt of the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous terrene group in southwest Japan, on the east of the South China Sea.     

Petrogenetic Evolution of the Bayan Gol Ophiolite— Geological Record of an Early Carboniferous "Red Sea Type"Ocean Basin in the Tianshan Mountains, Northwestern China

The Bayan Gol ophiolite fragment is a portion of the North Tianshan Early Carboniferous ophiolite belt. This ophiolite belt represents a geological record of an Early Carboniferous “Red Sea type” ocean basin that was developed on the northern margin of the Tianshan Carboniferous-Permian rift system in northwestern China. The late Early Carboniferous Bayan Gol ophiolite suite was emplaced in an Early Carboniferous rift volcanosedimentary succession of shallow-marine to continental facies (Volcanics Unit). Ophiolitic rocks in the Bayan Gol area comprise ultramafic rocks, gabbros with associated plagiogranite veins, diorite, diabase, pillow basalts and massive lavas. The Early Carboniferous tiffing and the opening process of the North Tianshan ocean basin produced mafic magmas in composition of tholeiite and minor amounts of evolved magmas. Compositions of trace elements and Nd, Sr and Pb isotopes reveal the presence of two distinct mantle sources: (1) the Early Carboniferous rift mafic lavas from the Volcanics Unit were generated by a relatively low degree of partial melting of an asthenospheric OIB-type intraplate source; (2)younger (late Early Carboniferous, -324.8 Ma ago) mafic lavas from the Ophiolite Unit were formed in a relatively depleted MORB-like mantle source, located in the uppermost asthenosphere and then gradually mixed with melts from the asthenospheric OIB-like mantle. A slight interaction between asthenosphere-derived magmas and lithospheric mantle took place during ascent to the surface. Subsequently, the most depleted mafic lavas of the ophiolite assemblage were contaminated by upper-crustal components (seawater or carbonate crust).     

Geochemical Features of the Two Early Paleozoic Ophiolitic Zones and Volcanic Rocks in the Central —Southern Tianshan Region ,Xinjiang

This paper deals with the geochemical features of the two Early Paleozoic ophiolite zones in the central-southem Tianshan region and the central Tianshan igneous rock belt between them.Study results suggest that the central Tianshan belt was an Ordovician volcanic arc with an affinity of continental crust, and the Kumux-Hongluhe ophiolitic zone that is located on the southern margin of central Tianshan has a crustal affinity to back-arc marginal sea.The Aqqikkudug-Weiya ophiolitic zone is an accretionary boundary between the Tuha continental block and the central Tianshan volcanic arc during Late Silurian to Devoniann;Ordovician ophi-olitic blocks,Silurian flysch sequence and HP metamorphic rock relics are distributed along the Aqqikkudug-Weiya zone.Geochemically,ophiolitic rocks in the Aqqikkudug-Weiya zone have an affinity to oceanic crust,reflecting a tectonic setting of paleo-trench or subduction zone .The Early Carboniferous red molasses were deposited unconformably on the pre-Carboniferous meta-mrophosed and ductile sheared volcanic and flysch rocks,providing an upper limit age of the central and southern Tianshan belts.     

Precise Timing of Caledonian Structural Deformation Chronology and Its Implications in Southeast Qilian Mountains, China

The middle Qilian orogenic belt and Lajishan orogenic belt, both of which were formed in the Caledonian, strike NW-SE direction across southeast Qilian Mountains and their basement consists of pre-Caledonian metamorphic rocks with lozenge-shaped ductile shear zones in the crystalline base- ment. The blunt angle between the conjugated ductile shear zones ranges from 104° to 114°, indicating approximate 210° of the maximum principal stress. The plateau ages of muscovite 40Ar/39Ar obtained from the mylonitized rocks in the ductile shear zones of Jinshaxia-Hualong-Keque massif within the middle Qilian massif are (405.1±2.4) Ma and (418.3±2.8) Ma, respectively. The chronology data confirm the formation of ductile shear zones in the Caledonian basement metamorphic rocks during the Cale- donian orogeny. Furthermore, on the basis of basement rock study, precise timing for the closing of the Late Paleozoic volcanic basin (or island-arc basin) and Lajishan ocean basin is determined. This pro- vides us a new insight into the closing of ocean basin in the structural evolution of orogenic belt.     

Early Cretaceous Paleoclimate Characteristics of China: Clues from Continental Climate-indicative Sediments

The Cretaceous was one of the most remarkable ‘greenhouse' climate periods in geological history. Most of the reported studies of the Cretaceous paleoclimate are based upon marine sedimentary records. Large spatial scale paleoclimatic reconstruction, which has a higher time resolution based upon continental sediments in China, is rarely found. This study presents paleoclimate reconstruction for the six time periods of the Early Cretaceous in China by employing continental climate-indicative sediments, including calcareous deposits, coal, oil shale, gypsum, halite, desert sedimentary systems, ferruginous deposits and laterite, copper-bearing deposits, limestone and dolomite. Based on the distribution of the association of climate-indicative sediments and the influences of paleotopography and orogenic belts(or important structural belts) on climate, seven climatic zones have been identified: 1) a warm and humid zone; 2) a warm and humid-warm and arid zone; 3) a warm and arid zone; 4) an arid and hot zone; 5) the Tibet hot and humid zone; 6) a hot and arid-semiarid zone; and 7) a hot and humid-hot and arid one. It is found that the Early Cretaceous climatic zones of China were nearly latitudinally distributed from northwest to southeast. The aridhot climatic zone expanded in the Aptian, suggesting that a hotter and drier climate prevailed in later period of the Early Cretaceous. Conversely, the humid climatic zone expanded in the Albian, indicating that a wetter climate appeared at the end of the Early Cretaceous. The overall distribution pattern of the seven climatic zones indicates that a hot-warm and arid climate was predominant in China; this coincides with a global ‘greenhouse climate' background. However, palaeogeographic features and specific geologic events, such as the existence and disappearance of the eastern high plateau, and the uplift and denudation of Yinshan, Yanshan, Tianshan, Qinling and Dabie Mountains, led to distinctive regional climatic features of the Cretaceous in China.     

Deformation Stages and Ar‐Ar Age Data of the Wan‐Zhe‐Gan Tectonic Zone,Southeast China,and Their Tectonic Significance

The major tectonic zone that passes through the border regions of the Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi Provinces in southeast China has been commonly referred to as the Wan-Zhe-Gan fault zone. Geologically, this zone consists of several regional fault belts of various ages and orientations. We have categorized the faults into four age groups based on field investigations. The Neoproterozoic faults are northeast striking. They start from the northeast Jiangxi Province and extend northeastward to Fuchuan in Anhui Province, the same location of the northeast Jiangxi-Fuchuan ophiolite belt. The faults probably acted? during the Neoproterozoic as a boundary fault zone of a plate or a block suture with mélange along the faults. The nearly east-west- or east-northeast-striking faults are of Silurian ages (40Ar/39Ar age 429 Ma). This group includes the Qimen-Shexian fault and the Jiangwang-Jiekou ductile shear belt. They represent a major tectonic boundary in the basement because the two sides of the fault have clear dissimilarities. The third group of faults is north-northeast striking, having formed since the early-middle Triassic with 40Ar/39Ar ages of 230–254 Ma. They form a fault belt starting from Yiyang in northern Jiangxi and connect with the Wucheng as well as the Ningguo-Jixi faults. This fault belt is a key fault-magmatic belt controlling the formation of Jurassic-Cretaceous red basins, ore distribution, magmatic activity, and mineralization. When it reactivated during the late Cretaceous, the belt behaved as a series of reverse faults from southeast to northwest and composed the fourth fault group. Therefore, classifying the Wan-Zhe-Gan fault zone into four fault groups will help in the analysis of the tectonic evolution of the eastern segment of the Jiangnan orogen since the Neoproterozoic era.     

Geochronology and Petrogenesis of the Late Paleozoic Yulinhe Granodiorite in the Dunhuang Block,Western China

The Dunhuang Block is located in the conjunction area of the Tarim Craton,Central Asian Orogenic Belt.North China Craton.and Tethyan tectonic domain,and is traditionally regarded as a Precambrian crystalline basement block.However,recent research concluded that the Dunhuang Block represents a Paleozoic orogenic belt.The granitoids that outcrop in the Dunhuang Block recorded tectonic-thermal events in both the Early and Late Paleozoic,which are crucial to understand the tectonic evolutionary history of the Dunhuang Block.In this study,we carried out new petrographic,zircon U-Pb geochronological,and geochemical analyses on the Late Paleozoic Yunlinhe granodiorite,and evaluated its petrogenesis,especially in terms of genesis type and the residual rock.     

Segmental closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean: Insight from detrital geochronology in the East Transbaikalia Basin

The Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean extended between the Siberian and Amur–North China continents.The timing and modalities of the oceanic closure are widely discussed.It is largely accepted that the ocean closed in a scissor-like manner from southwest to northeast(in modern coordinates),though the timing of this process remains uncertain.Recent studies have shown that both western(West Transbaikalia)and eastern(Dzhagda)parts of the ocean closed almost simultaneously at the Early–Middle Jurassic boundary.However,little information on the key central part of the oceanic suture zone is available.We performed U-Pb(LA-ICP-MS)dating of detrital zircon from wellcharacterized stratigraphic sections of the central part of the Mongol-Okhotsk suture zone.These include the initial marine and final continental sequences of the East Transbaikalia Basin,deposited on the northern Argun-Idemeg terrane basement.We provide new stratigraphic ages for the marine and continental deposits.This revised chronostratigraphy allows assigning an age of~165–155 Ma,to the collisionrelated flexure of the northern Argun-Idemeg terrane and the development of a peripheral foreland basin.This collisional process took place 5 to10 million years later than in the western and eastern parts of the ocean.We demonstrate that the northern Argun-Idemeg terrane was the last block to collide with the Siberian continent,challenging the widely supported scissor-like model of closure of the MongolOkhotsk Ocean.Different segments of the ocean closed independently,depending on the initial shape of the paleo continental margins.     

Polymetamorphism of the Variscan Basement of the Moldanubian Black Forest （Germany） Documented in Zircon and Garnet Minerals from Gneisses

High-grade metamorphic Variscan basement is exposed in the Moldanubian zone of the Black Forest (BF), being the internal zone of the European Variscan belt. Zircon grains from K-rich felsic orthogneisses and an anatectic paragneiss in the Moldanubian Black Forest demonstrate a multi-stage crystallization at ～ 600 Ma, ～ 480 Ma, ～ 400 - 380 Ma, and ～350 Ma. The last three stages of crystallization probably represent metamorphic overprint during pre-Variscan and Variscan metamorphism.Using stepwise leaching procedures, garnet minerals from felsic orthogneisses as well as paragneisses in the Moldanubian Black Forest yielded Early Carboniferous Sm-Nd ages (～ 330- 340 Ma), which are consistent with the well-constrained Variscan HT metamorphic event,and Early Palaeozoic ( ～480 Ma) to Devonian ( ～400 - 370 Ma) Pb-Pb ages. The coincidence of growth time for zircon and garnet minerals at Early Palaeozoic is interpreted as dating a metamorphic event. These garnet data demonstrate that the Moldanubian BF basement underwent at least two metamorphic events during the Early Palaeozoic and Early Carboniferous.During the Variscan HT metamorphism, the Sm-Nd system of garnet was disturbed, but not the U-Pb system, implying the peak metamorphic temperature was lower than ～800℃.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111001113

The Rheic Ocean was one of the most important oceans of the Paleozoic Era.It lay between Laurentia and Gondwana from the Early Ordovician and closed to produce the vast Ouachita-Alleghanian -Variscan orogen during the assembly of Pangea.Rifting began in the Cambrian as a continuation of Neoproterozoic orogenic activity and the ocean opened in the Early Ordovician with the separation of several Neoproterozoic arc terranes from the continental margin of northern Gondwana along the line of a former suture.The rapid rate of ocean opening suggests it was driven by slab pull in the outboard lapetus Ocean.The ocean reached its greatest width with the closure of lapetus and the accretion of the periGondwanan arc terranes to Laurentia in the Silurian.Ocean closure began in the Devonian and continued through the Mississippian as Gondwana sutured to Laurussia to form Pangea.The ocean consequently plays a dominant role in the Appalachian-Ouachita orogeny of North America,in the basement geology of southern Europe,and in the Paleozoic sedimentary,structural and tectonothermal record from Middle America to the Middle East.Its closure brought the Paleozoic Era to an end.     

Geological Features of the Eastern Sector of the Bangong Co-Nujiang River Suture Zone: Tethyan Evolution

According to an analysis of the geological features in the eastern sector of the Bangong Co-Nujiang River suture zone, the Tethyan evolution can be divided into three stages. (1) The Embryo-Tethyan stage (Pz1): An immature volcanic arc developed in Taniantaweng (Tanen Taunggyi) Range, indicating the existence of an Embryo-Tethyan ocean. (2) The Palaeo-Tethyan stage (C-T2): During the Carboniferous the northern side of the Taniantaweng Range was the main domain of the Pa-laeo-Tethyan ocean, in which developed flysch sediments intercalated with bimodal volcanic rocks and oceanic tholeiite, and Pemian-Early Triassic arc granites were superimposed on the Taniantaweng magmatic arc; on the southern side the Dengqen-Nujiang zone started secondary extension during the Carboniferous, in which the Nujiang ophiolite developed, and the Palaeo-Tethyan ocean closed before the Middle Triassic. (3) The Neo-Tethyan stage (T3-E): During the Late Triassic the Dengqen zone developed into a relatively matural ocean basin, i     

Evolution, Migration, Controlling Factors and Forming Setting of Mesozoic Basins in Western Shandong

The distinctive topography in western Shandong province consists of several NW-WNW-trending mountain ranges and intervening basins. Basins, in which late-stage sediments to the south have progressively overlapped the earlier sediments and ＂basement＂ rocks of the hanging-wall block, are bounded by S-SW-dipping normal faults to the north. Basin analysis reveals the Jurassic-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks accumulated both within the area of crustal extension and during extensional deformation; they contain a record of a sequence of tectonic events during stretching and can be divided into four tectonic-sequence episodes. These basins were initially developed as early as ca. 200 Ma in the northern part of the study area, extending dominantly N-S from the Early Jurassic until the Late Cretaceous. Although with a brief hiatus due to changes in stress field, to keep uniform N-S extensional polarity in such a long time as 130 Ma requires a relatively stable tectonic controlling factor responsible for the NW- and E-W-extensional basins. The formation of the extensional basins is partly concurrent with regional magmatism, but preceded magmatism by 40 Ma. This precludes a genetic link between local magmatism and extension during the Mesozoic. Based on integrated studies of basins and deformation, we consider that the gravitational collapse of the early overthickened continental crust may be the main tectonic driver for the Mesozoic extensional basins. From the Early Jurassic, dramatic reduction in north-south horizontal compressive stress made the western Shandong deformation belt switch from a state of failure under shortening to one dominated by extension and the belt gravitationally collapsed and horizontally spread to the south until equilibrium was established; synchronously, the normal faults and basins were developed based on the model of simple-shear extensional deformation. This may be relative to the gravitational collapse of the Mesozoic plateau in eastern China.     

SHRIMP Geochronology of Volcanics of the Zhangjiakou and Yixian Formations, Northern Hebei Province, with a Discussion on the Age of the Xing＇anling Group of the Great Hinggan Mountains and Volcanic Strata of the Southeastern Coastal Area

A zircon U-Pb geochronological study on the volcanic rocks reveals that both of the Zhangjiakou and Yixian Formations, northern Hebei Province, are of the Early Cretaceous, with ages of 135-130 Ma and 129-120 Ma, respectively. It is pointed out that the ages of sedimentary basins and volcanism in the northern Hebei -western Liaoning area become younger from west to east, i. e. the volcanism of the Luanping Basin commenced at c. 135 Ma, the Luotuo Mount area of the Chengde Basin c. 130 Ma, and western Liaoning c. 128 Ma. With a correlation of geochronological stratigraphy and biostratigraphy, we deduce that the Xing‘anling Group, which comprises the Great Hinggan Mountains volcanic rock belt in eastern China, is predominantly of the early-middle Early Cretaceous, while the Jiande and Shimaoshan Groups and their equivalents, which form the volcanic rock belt in the southeastern coast area of China, are of the mid-late Early Cretaceous, and both the Jehol and Jiande Biotas are of the Early Cretaceous, not Late Jurassic or Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. Combining the characteristics of the volcanic rocks and, in a large area, hiatus in the strata of the Late Jurassic or Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous between the formations mentioned above and the underlying sequences, we can make the conclusion that, in the Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous, the eastern China region was of high relief or plateau, where widespread post-orogenic volcanic series of the Early Cretaceous obviously became younger from inland in the west to continental margin in the east. This is not the result of an oceanward accretion of the subduction belt between the Paleo-Pacific ocean plate and the Asian continent, but rather reflects the extension feature, i.e. after the closure of the Paleo-Pacific ocean, the Paleo-Pacific ancient continent collided with the Asian continent and reached the peak of orogenesis, and then the compression waned and resulted in the retreating of the post-orogenic extension from outer orogenic zone to inner part (or collision zone). The determination of the eruption age of the volcanics of the Zhangjiakou Formation definitely constrains the switch period, which began in the Indosinian and finished in the Yanshanian, that is, 140-135 Ma. The switch is concretely the change from the approximate E-W Paleo-Asian tectonic system to the NE to NNE Pacific system, and the period is also the apex of a continent-continent collision and orogenesis of subduction, being consumed and eventually disappearing of the Paleo-Pacific ancient continent, and all the processes commenced in the Indosinian. While the following post-orogenic large-scale eruption in the Early Cretaceous marks the final completeness of the Paleo-Pacific structure dynamics system.     

Pressure-Temperature Contours and PT Paths of the Early Precambrian Rocks through the Yinshan Area and Their Implication to the Crustal Evolution

Four distinct lithe-tectonic belts (zones) in the Yinshan area, North China, were identified by pressure-temperature contours and litho-tectonic features, such as the Sanggan granulite belt, Jining metasedimentary belt. Wulashan-Daqingshan front tectonic zone and Se' eratengshan belt. This area witnessed two important thermo-tectonic events. The older one is c. 2.5 Ga while the younger one c. 1.9 Ga. The Se' ertengshan Neoarchaean terrane features a clockwise PT path with the decompression ranging from > 1500 MPa to 800-1000 MPa in the Se' ertengshan belt, which implies an island arc setting. The Sanggan belt is a Mesoarchaean microcontinent reworked by Neoarchaean magma underplating, which shows an counterclockwise PT path. During the Palaeoproterozoic period, two Archaean continent (arc) collided. The Archaean basement of the Sanggan and Wulashan-Daqingshan belts overthrust northwards, the PTt paths of basement show a decompression from 1000-1200 MPa to 500-700 MPa. The PT paths of the Jining and Erda     

From Flysch to Molasse——Sedimentary and Tectonic Evolution of Late Caledonian-Early Hercynian Foreland Basin in North Qilian Mountains

The Late Caledonian to Early Hercynian North Qilian orogenic belt in northwestern China is an elongate tectonic unit situated between the North China plate in the north and the Qaidam plate in the south. North Qiilan started in the latest Proterozoic to Cambrian as a rift basin an the southern mar-gin of North China, and evolved later to an archipelagic ocean and active continental margin during the Ordovician and a fardand basin from Silurian to the Early and Middle Devonian. The Early Silurian fly-sch and sulmmrine alluvial fan, the Middle to Late Silurian shallow marine to tidal flat deposits and the Early and Middle Devonian terrestrial.molasse are developed along the corridor Nansimn. The shallo-wing-upward succession from subabyssal flysch, shallow marine, tidal flat to terrestrial molasse and its gradually narrowed regional distribution demonstrate that the foreland basin experienced the transition from flysch stake to molasse stake during the Silurian and Devonian time.     

Tectonic evolution of the West Kunlun Orogenic Belt along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau:Implications for the assembly of the Tarim terrane to Gondwana

The West Kunlun orogenic belt(WKOB) along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is important for understanding the evolution of the Proto-and Paleo-Tethys oceans. Previous investigations have focused on the igneous rocks and ophiolites distributed mostly along the Xinjiang-Tibet road and the China-Pakistan road, and have constructed a preliminary tectonic model for this orogenic belt. However, few studies have focused on the so-called Precambrian basement in this area. As a result, the tectonic affinity of the individual terranes of the WKOB and their detailed evolution process are uncertain. Here we report new field observations, zircon and monazite U-Pb ages of the "Precambrian basement" of the South Kunlun terrane(SKT) and the Tianshuihai terrane(TSHT), two major terranes in the WKOB. Based on new zircon U-Pb age data, the amphibolite-facies metamorphosed volcanosedimentary sequence within SKT was deposited during the late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian(600-500 Ma), and the flysch-affinity Tianshuihai Group, as the basement of the TSHT, was deposited during the late Neoproterozoic rather than Mesoproterozoic. The rock association of the volcano-sedimentary sequence within SKT suggests a large early Paleozoic accretionary wedge formed by the long-term lowangle southward subduction of the Proto-Tethys Ocean between Tarim and TSHT. The amphibolitefacies metamorphism in SKT occurred at ca. 440 Ma. This ca. 440 Ma metamorphism is genetically related to the closure of the Proto-Tethys Ocean between Tarim and the Tianshuihai terrane, which led to the assembly of Tarim to Eastern Gondwana and the final formation of the Gondwana. Since the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic, the northward subduction of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean along the HongshihuQiaoertianshan belt produced the voluminous early Mesozoic arc-signature granites along the southern part of NKT-TSHT. The Paleo-Tethys ocean between TSHT and Karakorum closed at ca. 200 Ma, as demonstrated by the monazite age of the paragneiss in the Kangxiwa Group. Our study does not favor the existence of a Precambrian basement in SKT.     

Tectonic Units and Their Fundamental Characteristics on the Northern Margin of the Alxa Block

The northern margin of the Alxa block is the junction of a tectonic units. Four first-order tectonic units are distinguished: 1. the Yagan structural zone characteristic of an immature island arc; 2. the Zhusileng-Hangwula structural zone, which was a passive continental margin in the Early Palaeozoic and was transformed into an active continental margin in the Late Palaeozoic;3. the Shalazha structural zone characteristic of a mature island arc; 4. the Nuru-Langshan structural zone, which was a Proterozoic orogenic belt and later evolved into an extensional transtional crust in the Palaeozoic. The above-mentioned tectonic units differ remarkably in sedimentary formations, magmatic rock associations, metamorphism and geochemistry and are bounded by faults between one another.     

Detrital Zircon U‐Pb Ages and Geochemistry of the Silurian to Permian Sedimentary Rocks in Central Inner Mongolia,China: Implications for Closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean

The Solonker suture zone has long been considered to mark the location of the final disappearance of the PaleoAsian Ocean in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB). However, the time of final suturing is still controversial with two main different proposals of late Permian to early Triassic, and late Devonian. This study reports integrated wholerock geochemistry and LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of sedimentary rocks from the Silurian Xuniwusu Formation, the Devonian Xilingol Complex and the Permian Zhesi Formation in the Hegenshan-Xilinhot-Linxi area in central Inner Mongolia, China. The depositional environment, provenance and tectonic setting of the Silurian-Devonian and the Permian sediments are compared to constrain the tectonic evolution of the Solonker suture zone and its neighboring zones. The protoliths of the silty slates from the Xuniwusu Formation in the Baolidao zone belong to wacke and were derived from felsic igneous rocks with steady-state weathering, poor sorting and compositional immaturity. The protoliths of metasedimentary rocks from the Xilingol Complex were wackes and litharenites and were sourced from predominantly felsic igneous rocks with variable weathering conditions and moderate sorting. The Xuniwusu Formation and Xilingol Complex samples both have two groups of detrital zircon that peak at ca. 0.9–1.0 Ga and ca. 420–440 Ma, with maximum deposition ages of late Silurian and middle Devonian age, respectively. Considering the ca. 484–383 Ma volcanic arc in the Baolidao zone, the Xuxiniwu Formation represents an oceanic trench sediment and is covered by the sedimentary rocks in the Xilingol Complex that represents a continental slope sediment in front of the arc. The middle Permian Zhesi Formation metasandstones were derived from predominantly felsic igneous rocks and are texturally immature with very low degrees of rounding and sorting, indicating short transport and rapid burial. The Zhesi Formation in the Hegenshan zone has a main zircon age peak of 302 Ma and a subordinate peak of 423 Ma and was deposited in a back-arc basin with an early marine transgression during extension and a late marine regression during contraction. The formation also crops out locally in the Baolidao zone with a main zircon age peak of 467 Ma and a minor peak of 359 Ma, and suggests it formed as a marine transgression sedimentary sequence in a restricted extensional basin and followed by a marine regressive event. Two obvious zircon age peaks of 444 Ma and 280 Ma in the Solonker zone and 435 Ma and 274 Ma in Ondor Sum are retrieved from the Zhesi Formation. This suggests as a result of the gradual closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean a narrow ocean sedimentary environment with marine regressive sedimentary sequences occupied the Solonker and Ondor Sum zones during the middle Permian. A restricted ocean is suggested by the Permian strata in the Bainaimiao zone. Early Paleozoic subduction until ca. 381 Ma and renewed subduction during ca. 310–254 Ma accompanied by the opening and closure of a back-arc basin during ca. 298–269 Ma occurred in the northern accretionary zone. In contrast, the southern accretionary zone documented early Paleozoic subduction until ca. 400 Ma and a renewed subduction during ca. 298–246 Ma. The final closure of the Paleo-Asian ocean therefore lasted at least until the early Triassic and ended with the formation of the Solonker suture zone.     

The Metamorphic and Deformational History of a Continental Collision Zone and its Geodynamic Process——as Evidenced by Qinling Complex,Western Henan,China

The Qinling orogenic belt is a collision zone between the North China andYangtze cratons.The Qinling Complex is a Precambrian metamorphic com-plex,developed in the inner zone of the orogenic belt,which records themetamorphic and deformational history and PTt path of the regional meta-morphism of the collision zone.The present paper studies the metamor-phic and deformational history and the PTt path of various tectono-metamorphic cycles in order to describe the geodynamic processes prevailing inthat part of the Qinling orogenic belt since Proterozoic.The tectonometamorphic history and evolution of the Qinling Complex isdivided into two stages:the stage of formation and the stage of modificationDuring the stage of formation dated as Proterozoic,three deformational se-quences are recognized.The amphibolite facies regional metamorphism is earlierthan or synchronous with the first or second phase of folding.Threemetamorphic zones,i.e.And-Ms,Sil-Ms,Sil-Kfs are delimited.During thestage of modification,the emp