The main old lands in China and assembly of Chinese unified continent

The main old lands in China include the North China Block (NCB), South China Block (SCB) and Tarim Block (TRB), all of which have individual tectonic evolving histories. The NCB experienced complex geological evolution since the early Precambrian onwards, and carries important records from the old continental nuclei, giant crustal growth episode and cratonization (stabilitization), then to the Paleoproterozoic rifting-subduction-accretion-collision with imprints of the Great Oxygen Event (GOE), and to the Late Paleoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic multi-stage rifting representing North China platform tectonic features. The TRB has two-layer basement of the Early Precambrian metamorphic complexes and Neoproterozoic sedimentary sequences. Three till sheets have been reported. The SCB consists of the Yangtze Block (YZB) and Cathaysia Block (CTB) that were cohered in the Neoproterozoic. The YZB recorded tectonic processes of the Early Precambrian crustal growth, 1.0–0.9 Ga and 0.8–0.6 Ga metamorphic-magmatic events, and two Neoproterozoic glaciations. The CTB consists of ca. 1.8 Ga, 1.0 to 0.9 Ga and ca. 0.8 Ga granitic gneisses and metamorphic rocks, indicating there was a vast Precambrian basement. The Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks overlie partly on the basement. That the YZB and CTB have a Neoproterozoic uniform cover layer illustrates the SCB should form, at least, during 1.0–0.9 Ga, corresponding to the Rodinia Supercontinent. The Central Chinese Orogenic System with high-ultra-high-pressure metamorphic rocks supports a suggestion that the above-mentioned three old lands were collided to assemble a unified Chinese Continent during the Pangea orogenic period.     

Cadomian basement of the palaeozoic platform in central Europe

Summary In central Europe, evidence for Cadomian basement occurs from the Midlands Massif in the United Kingdom to the Moesian Platform in Romania. The patchily exposed basement rocks either have survived almost intact through the Phanerozoic (e.g. Lusatia), overstepped by different Palaeozoic strata, or have been reworked to various degrees (e.g. Erzgebirge) and involved in Variscan structures (e.g. Sudetes, Moravia). In the Polish and German lowlands, undated subsurface basement occurs below the Permo-Mesozoic cover and Variscan molasse and flysch successions. The mutual relationships between the various Cadomian fragments occurring within and/or below the Palaeozoic, both orogenic and platform successions, are far from fully understood.     

New Lu-Hf and Pb-Pb age constraints on the earliest animal fossils

The Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation, South China, preserves a unique assemblage of early multicellular fossils and overlies rocks, which are thought to have formed during an ice age of global extent. The age of this formation is thus critical for understanding the important biological and climatic events that occurred towards the end of the Proterozoic Eon. Until now, direct dating of sedimentary formations such as the Doushantuo has been difficult and associated with large uncertainties. Here, we show that dating of Doushantuo phosphorites by a novel Lu-Hf dating method and conventional Pb-Pb geochronometry independently yield ages of 584±26 Ma and 599.3±4.2 Ma, respectively. These ages are in agreement with bio- and chemostratigraphical observations and show that the Doushantuo animal remains predate diverse Ediacaran fossil assemblages, making them the oldest unambiguous remains of metazoans currently known. Furthermore, the Pb-Pb age for the post-glacial Doushantuo rocks suggests that the Neoproterozoic glaciation in China might predate glacial rocks in Eastern North America commonly associated with the younger (Marinoan) of two major Neoproterozoic glaciations. The combination of Lu-Hf and Pb-Pb dating shows considerable potential for dating other phosphorite successions and future application of these methods could therefore provide further constraints on Proterozoic biological and environmental history.     

Geophysical modeling of the northern Appalachian Brompton-Cameron, Central Maine, and Avalon terranes under the New Jersey Coastal Plain

A regional terrane map of the New Jersey Coastal Plain basement was constructed using seismic, drilling, gravity and magnetic data. The Brompton-Cameron and Central Maine terranes were coalesced as one volcanic island arc terrane before obducting onto Laurentian, Grenville age, continental crust in the Taconian orogeny [Rankin, D.W., 1994. Continental margin of the eastern United States: past and present. In: Speed, R.C., (Ed.), Phanerozoic Evolution of North American Continent-Ocean Transitions. DNAG Continent-Ocean Transect Volume. Geological Society of America, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 129–218]. Volcanic island-arc rocks of the Avalon terrane are in contact with Central Maine terrane rocks in southern Connecticut where the latter are overthrust onto the Brompton-Cameron terrane, which is thrust over Laurentian basement. Similarities of these allochthonous island arc terranes (Brompton-Cameron, Central Maine, Avalon) in lithology, fauna and age suggest that they are faulted segments of the margin of one major late Precambrian to early Paleozoic, high latitude peri-Gondwana island arc designated as “Avalonia”, which collided with Laurentia in the early to middle Paleozoic. The Brompton Cameron, Central Maine, and Avalon terranes are projected as the basement under the eastern New Jersey Coastal Plain based on drill core samples of metamorphic rocks of active margin/magmatic arc origin. A seismic reflection profile across the New York Bight traces the gentle dipping (approximately 20 degrees) Cameron's Line Taconian suture southeast beneath allochthonous Avalon and other terranes to a 4 sec TWTT depth (approximately 9 km) where the Avalonian rocks are over Laurentian crust. Gentle up-plunge (approximately 5 degrees) projections to the southwest bring the Laurentian Grenville age basement and the drift-stage early Paleozoic cover rocks to windows in Burlington Co. at approximately 1 km depth and Cape May Co. at approximately 2 km depths. The antiformal Shellburne Falls and Chester domes and Chain Lakes-Pelham dome-Bronson Hill structural trends, and the synformal Connecticut Valley-Gaspe structural trend can be traced southwest into the New Jersey Coastal Plain basement. A Mesozoic rift basin, the “Sandy Hook basin”, and associated eastern boundary fault is identified, based upon gravity modeling, in the vicinity of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The thickness of the rift-basin sedimentary rocks contained within the “Sandy Hook basin” is approximately 4.7 km, with the basin extending offshore to the east of the New Jersey coast. Gravity modeling indicates a deep rift basin and the magnetic data indicates a shallow magnetic basement caused by magnetic diabase sills and/or basalt flows contained within the rift-basin sedimentary rocks. The igneous sills and/or flows may be the eastward continuation of the Watchung and Palisades bodies.     

Provenance for the Chang 6 and Chang 8 Member of the Yanchang Formation in the Xifeng area and in the periphery Ordos Basin: Evidence from petrologic geochemistry

Study indicates that the major paleocurrent and source direction for the Chang 8 Member of the Yangchang Formation, Upper Triassic in the Xifeng area of the southwestern Ordos Basin derived from the southwest direction with the southeast source as the subordinate one. While the Chang 6 Member was influenced not only by the same source as that of the Chang 8 Member from the southwest and the southeast direction, but also affected by the northeast and the east provenance around the Ordos Basin, based upon measurement of paleocurrents on outcrops located in the periphery Ordos Basin, analysis of framework grains and heavy minerals in sandstones of the Chang 6 and Chang 8 Members and their spatial distribution in the study area, combined with characteristics of trace elements and rare-earth elements of mudstones and of a small amount of sandstones in the Xifeng area and outcrops in margin of the Ordos Basin. The Yuole-Xuanma-Gucheng-Heshui-Ningxia region located in the northeastern and the eastern Xifeng area was the mixed source area where the southwest, southeast, northeast and the east sources were convergent till the Chang 6 Member was deposited. The rare earth elements of the Chang 6 and Chang 8 Members are characterized by slight light rare earth-elements (LREE) enrichment and are slightly depleted in heavy rare earth-elements (HREE) with weak to moderate negative abnormal Eu, resulting in a right inclined REE pattern, which implies that the source rocks are closely related with better differential crust material. Analysis on geochemical characteristics of the mudstones and sandstones, features of parent rocks in provenance terranes and tectonic settings shows that source rocks for the Chang 8 Member mainly came from metamorphic and sedimentary rocks in transitional continental and basement uplift terranes with a small amount of rocks including metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks coming from mixed recycle orogenic belt located in the southwest margin of the Ordos basin. Rocks in the crystalline basement and the overlying sedimentary cover in a basement uplift setting in the northeast periphery of the basin also contributed a part of the sources for the Chang 6 Member, in addition to the sources deriving from transitional continental and basement uplift terranes in the southwest margin of the basin. Parent rocks of the provenance terrane in the northeast margin of the Ordos Basin are characterized by having more felsic rocks.     

Ambiguous biogeographical patterns mask a more complete understanding of the Ordovician to Devonian evolution of Japan

Fossil assemblages of the Ordovician to Devonian successions of Japan suggest complex temporal, environmental and geographical controls on their biogeographical signature. Thus, limited similarity at the species‐level between the trilobite, brachiopod and ostracod faunas of the South Kitakami, Hida‐Gaien and Kurosegawa terranes in part reflects the sporadic stratigraphic distribution of shelly fauna within these terranes. As a result, and with the exception of corals and pan‐tropical radiolarians, species‐level similarities are greater with other regions of East Asia and Australia than amongst the Japanese terranes. The Silurian faunas of the South Kitakami Terrane have affinities with North America, Europe, Central Asia and Australia, but there is no overriding signature to support proximity either to South China or Gondwana. Notably, brachiopod and trilobite faunas of the Middle Devonian suggest strong connections with North China. Trilobite, coral and ostracod faunas of the Hida‐Gaien Terrane show affinity, including at species level, with Siluro‐Devonian faunas from westerly‐situated palaeocontinents, especially those of Central Asian and European affinity, suggesting a continuation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, or of its associated lithofacies. Greater diversity of groups such as ostracods and trilobites in this terrane may signal closer links with continental shelf faunas of East Asia. The dominant biogeographical signature of the Kurosegawa Terrane is from corals and trilobites, suggesting links with the Siluro‐Devonian of Central Asia, Australia and South China. The variable biogeographic signal of the Japanese faunas may reflect the lifestyles of organisms with different physiologies and larval dispersal mechanisms, as well as the relative incompleteness of the Japanese fossil record. The present state of knowledge of the faunas cautions against placing Japan in relative proximity to the North or South China plates, or of presenting the Japanese terranes as a unified island arc to the north of the South China Plate during the Early Palaeozoic.     

江南古陆变质基底地层年代的修正和武陵运动构造意义

江南古陆变质基底的研究中,最突出的基础地质问题依然是地层年代的精确标定。地层年代标定涉及到成矿地层的划分和对比及其构造演化的时限,也直接影响层控矿床找矿中涉及的基础地质问题。在最新的中国地层年表中,前寒武纪地层对比和构造背景解释已发生重大变化。本文依据扬子块体和华夏块体新元古代地层中最新的系列锆石U—Pb测年结果,初步揭示“江南古陆”变质基底地层火山事件和分布范围。结合全球格林威尔造山运动基本特征,对江南古陆变质基底地层年代的修正将有利于重新厘定江南造山带的成矿背景,提供层控矿床基础年代地层资料,为新的矿产资源大调查服务。     

Pre-Variscan basement rocks in southern Poland: Where is the southeastern margin of eastern Avalonia (Cadomia)?

Summary Pre-Variscan basement in southern Poland is poorly exposed and thus known mostly from subsurface data. The availability of the latter is reviewed for terrains located between the Sudetes and the East European Platform. In these terrains the following relationships have been documented: Cadomian granitoids capped by Variscan flysch, Palaeozoic platform strata, Palaeozic folded and partly thermally altered successions, and low-grade metamorphic rocks overlain by Middle Cambrian strata. In view of their interrelationships the location of the Avalonia-Baltica suture in southeastern Poland is uncertain.     

The discovery of Neoproterozoic extensional structures and its significance for gas exploration in the Central Sichuan Block,Sichuan Basin,South China

The Central Sichuan Block(CSB) is the hardest block between the deep faults of Pujiang-Bazhong and Huaying Mountain in the central part of Sichuan Basin, which lies in the northwestern part of the upper Yangtze Craton. The CSB has long been considered as the oldest and most stable core area of Yangtze Craton, with the uniform basement and high level of hardening. Here we present a detailed interpretation of deep structures in the CSB by integrating high-resolution seismic data(approx. 50000 km2) with large-scale aeromagnetic data. Results show that eight Neoproterozoic extensional structures of different scales are nearly EW-, NEE-, and NW-trending in the CSB. Discovery of these extensional structures changes previous understanding of the CSB as a unified block. The extensional structures experienced one or two stages of extension in the longitudinal section, and filled with 3000–5000-m-thick weakly magnetic materials. Development of basal A-type granite in Weiyuan, Sichuan Basin and bimodal volcanic rocks of the Suxiong Formation, Western Sichuan confirms the CSB's Neoproterozoic extensional tectonic setting. The newly discovered Neoproterozoic extensional structures are of great significance for source rock and favorable sedimentary facies distribution, reservoir development, and gas accumulation.     

Sulfur isotopic characteristics of late Cenozoic ore deposits at the arc junction of Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract Sulfide minerals of late Cenozoic vein-type deposits of southwest Hokkaido and Kuril Islands yielded δ³⁴_CDT S values of 2 to 8 permil, which are typical green-tuff values of magnetite-series igneous terrane. Sulfides of the Kitami district of northeast Hokkaido, on the other hand, are characterized by negative δ³⁴S_CDT values, ranging from 0 to - 7 permil. This unique value among ore deposits in the late Cenozoic back-arc terranes in the Japanese Islands is considered to have resulted from extraction of ³²S enriched sulfur from the basement rocks, because of well-developed N-S fracturing in the basement, which is characteristic of the axial belt and Kitami district of Hokkaido.     

Ophiolites and the oceanic crust: New evidence from the Tyrrhenian sea and the Western Alps

The succession recovered in ODP hole 107–651 in the young oceanic Vavilov basin (Tyrrhenian Sea) comprises, beneath a thick Pleistocene to Upper Pliocene sedimentary cover (chiefly volcanoclastics), four basement units: (1) MORB-type basaltic pillows and breccias; (2) a complex succession made of dolerites, albitites, basaltic breccias, metadolerite pebbles (including an intercalated sandy layer with periodotite clasts); (3) MORB-type basaltic pillows and breccias; (4) highly serpentinized peridotite. Between units 3 and 4, granitoid pebbles occur.This sequence is surprisingly similar to successions known in the Western Alps' Tethyan ophiolites. There, the sediments (Callovian-Oxfordian radiolarian cherts) lie stratigraphically upon breccias mostly derived from underlying serpentinite, and sometimes gabbroic basement. At some places, thin basaltic (tholeiitic) pillows and breccias occur between the radiolarian cherts and the breccias.From the comparison between a present day setting (the central Tyrrhenian Sea) and a formerly emplaced basement succession (the Western Alps), we stress the following (a) both the here-discussed ophiolites and oceanic basement are different from classical ophiolite sequences; (b) both occurrences imply unroofing of mantle rocks that therefore were directly outcropping on the seafloor; (c) such a comparison may indicate a very slow spreading rate for the Alpine Tethyan ocean.     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age and Nd isotopic study on the Nyainqêntanglha Group in Tibet

The Nyainqêntanglha Group is traditionally viewed as the oldest metamorphic basement in the Lhasa block, but its formation age and tectonic setting remain debate. Zircons extracted from the metamorphic sequence of volcanics and intrusions of the Nyainqêntanglha Group, 10 km west of Nam Co in northern Lhasa block, have been investigated by cathodoluminescence (CL), backscattered (BSE) and dated by ion microprobe (SHRIMP). We conclude that the U-Pb age of 787 ê9 Ma of zircons from the trondhjemite imposes a constraint on maxi-mum protolith age, and minimum formation age of the Nyainqêntanglha Group is constrained by U-Pb age of 748 ê8 Ma of zircons from the granite. The formation age of the Nyainqêntanglha Group is consistent with sedimentary age of Greater Himalayan rocks, showing that they devel-oped coevally in an arc-basin tectonic setting of Neoproterozoic active continental margin along the northern margin of the India shield. The inherited zircons from the tholetiite and granite give older 207 Pb/206 Pb ages from 947 to 1766 Ma. The positive å Nd(t) value indicates that the mafic rocks were derived from the depleted mantle, but contaminated by the older continental crustal material. Integrated Nd model age and U-Pb age data provide excellent evidence for the existence of Mesoproterozoic basement in the Lhasa block during Neoproterozoic time.     

Mass-production of Cambro–Ordovician quartz-rich sandstone as a consequence of chemical weathering of Pan-African terranes: Environmental implications

A vast sheet of mature quartz sand blanketed north Africa and Arabia from the Atlantic coast to the Persian Gulf in Cambro–Ordovician times. U–Pb geochronology of a representative section of Cambrian sandstone in southern Israel shows that these sediments are dominated by 550–650 Ma detrital zircons derived from Neoproterozoic Pan-African basement. The short time lag between magmatic consolidation of a Pan-African source and deposition of its erosional products indicates that, despite their significant mineralogical maturity, the voluminous quartz-rich sandstones on the northern margin of Gondwana are essentially first-cycle sediments.

Mass production of these voluminous first-cycle quartz-rich sandstones resulted from widespread chemical weathering of the Pan-African continental basement. We suggest that conditions favoring silicate weathering, particularly a warm and humid climate, low relief and low sedimentation rates prevailed over large tracts of Gondwana in the aftermath of the Pan-African orogeny. An unusually corrosive Cambro–Ordovician atmosphere and humid climate enhanced chemical weathering on the vegetation-free landscape. We infer that late Neoproterozoic–Cambro–Ordovician atmospheric pCO₂ rose as a consequence of widespread late Neoproterozoic volcanism, followed by an uptake of CO₂ by chemical weathering to produce the Cambro–Ordovician sandstone as a negative feedback.     

Relationship of Avalonian and Cadomian terranes to Grenville and Pan-African events

Suturing of the supercontinent Rodinia in the Grenville event (˜ 1000 Ma) was followed by rifting in the late Proterozoic (˜ 800-700 Ma), reorganization to Gondwana in the Pan-African (˜ 700-500 Ma) and further accretion to develop Pangea at the end of the Paleozoic. One of the Rodinian rifts followed part of the Grenville suture, it produced the margin of eastern North America and southern Baltica and the contrasting margin of west Gondwana in present South America. The Paleozoic accretionary wedge against the Grenville-age margin of North America and Baltica contains Avalonian/Cadomian terranes that exhibit Pan-African erogenic events ± sediments apparently developed while the terranes were in or near Gondwana. These terranes carry lower-Paleozoic fauna (Acado-Baltic) that are not indigenous to North America and Baltica.U---Pb zircon ages range from 1500-1000 Ma in Grenville terranes and from 800–500 Ma with minor inheritance in Avalonian terranes; they are generally much older in Cadomian terranes, implying very little resetting during Pan-African events. T_DM ages are generally 2000–1200 Ma in Grenville terranes, 1300–600 Ma in Avalonian terranes and 2000–1200 in Cadomian terranes. These summary data show that: (1) the Grenville orogenic event produced almost no juvenile crust; (2) the Avalonian terranes of North America contain crust that evolved primarily in the late Proterozoic, possibly as a mixture of juvenile Pan-African material and Grenville or slightly older material; (3) the Cadomian terranes of Europe consist of old (middle-Proterozoic to Archean) crust with minor juvenile Pan-African material. The Avalonian terranes apparently evolved near, and partly on, the Grenville-age crust now in South America during the intense orogeny associated with rotation of Gondwana away from North America. The Cadomian terranes of Europe, however, appear to be fragments of other parts of Gondwana, probably West Africa.     

四川盆地东西陆块中下地壳结构存在差异

四川盆地是中上扬子克拉通的主要组成部分.作为我国三大稳定克拉通之一,扬子克拉通经历了自太古代以来的长期演化,直到新元古代晚期与华夏板块发生碰撞拼合前,一直被认为是一个稳定的统一陆块.基底包括了新太古宙-新元古代岩层,其上广泛被新元古代晚期至显生宙地层覆盖,仅有~2.9—2.95 Ga基底岩石零星出露于四川盆地的西缘、西南缘和三峡地区,使得对于沉积盖层之下的中下地壳的性质和分布规模的认识十分有限.重力异常则能够宏观揭示区域结构特征.本文通过刨除沉积盖层和莫霍面起伏引起的重力异常而获得了中下地壳的重力异常,反映了四川盆地东西陆块中下地壳存在结构差异,结合深地震反射资料、航磁异常和地球化学资料,证实了该分界线位于重庆—华蓥一线,故而推测中上扬子克拉通在太古宙-古元古代可能存在东西两个陆核.     

The basement geology of Japan from A to Z

The Precambrian and lower Paleozoic units of the Japanese basement such as the Hida Oki and South Kitakami terranes have geological affinities with the eastern Asia continent and particularly strong correlation with units of the South China block. There are also indications from units such as the Hitachi metamorphics of the Abukuma terrane and blocks in the Maizuru terrane that some material may have been derived from the North China block. In addition to magmatism, the Japanese region has seen substantial growth due to tectonic accretion. The accreted units dominantly consist of mudstone and sandstone derived from the continental margin with lesser amounts of basaltic rocks associated with siliceous deep ocean sediments and local limestone. Two main phases of accretionary activity and related metamorphism are recorded in the Jurassic Mino–Tanba–Ashio, Chichibu, and North Kitakami terranes and in the Cretaceous to Neogene Shimanto and Sanbagawa terranes. Other accreted material includes ophiolitic sequences, e.g. the Yakuno ophiolite of the Maizuru terrane, the Oeyama ophiolite of the Sangun terrane, and the Hayachine–Miyamori ophiolite of the South Kitakami terrane, and limestone‐capped ocean plateaus such as the Akiyoshi terrane. The ophiolitic units are likely derived from arc and back‐arc basin settings. There has been no continental collision in Japan, meaning the oceanic subduction record is more complete than in convergent orogens seen in intracontinental settings making this a good place to study the geological record of accretion. Hokkaido lacks most of the Paleozoic history recognized in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Ryukyu Islands to the south and its geology reflects the Cenozoic development of two convergent domains with volcanic arcs, their approach, and eventual collision. The Hidaka terrane reveals a cross section through a volcanic arc and the main accretionary complex of the convergent system is represented by the Sorachi–Yezo terrane.     

The history of crustal uplift and metamorphic evolution of Panzhihua-Xichang micro-palaeoland,SW China: Constraints on Sm-Nd, <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar and FT ages of granulites

Panzhihua-Xichang micro-palaeoland (Panxi ter-rane) is located on the western margin of the Yangtze Block. The western boundary of the Panxi mi-cro-palaeoland, and also the western boundary of the Yangtze Block, is the Jinhe-Jinghe fault, which defines the eastern boundary of the Songpan-Ganzi Fold Belt. The eastern boundary of this micro-palaeoland is the Ganluo fault. On the east side of the Ganluo fault is the Sichuan Basin in the Yangtze Block (fig. 1). Panxi micro-palaeoland is on…     

Geochemical characteristics and origin of the Neoproterozoic high-K calc-alkaline granitoids in the northern part of Mandara hills,northeastern Nigeria

The high-K calc-alkaline granitoids in the northern part of the Mandara Hills are part of the wellexposed post-collisional plutons in northeastern Nigeria.The calc-alkaline rock association consists of quartz monzodiorite,hornblende biotite granite,biotite granites and aplite which intruded the older basement consisting mainly of low-lying migmatitic gneisses and amphibolites during the Neoproterozoic Pan-African Orogeny.Petrological and geochemical studies have revealed the presence of hornblende,iron oxide,and metaluminous to slightly peraluminous characteristics in the granitoids which is typical of I-type granite.The granitoids are also depleted in some high field strength elements(e.g.Nb and Ta) as well as Ti.Plots of Mg#versus SiO_2 indicate that the granite was derived from partial melting of crustal sources.Lithospheric delamination at the waning stage of the PanAfrican Orogeny possibly triggered upwelling of hot mafic magma from the mantle which underplated the lower crust.This,in turn,caused partial melting and magma generation at the lower to middle-crustal level.However,the peculiar geochemical characteristics of the quartz monzodiorite especially the enrichment in compatible elements such as MgO,Cr,and Ni,as well as LILE element(e.g.K,Ce,Cs,Ba,and Sr),signify that the rock formed from an enriched upper mantle source.The emplacement of high-K granites in the Madara Hill,therefore,marked an important episode of crustal reworking during the Neoproterozoic.However,further isotopic work is needed to confirm this model.     

Permian felsic magmatism in the Neoproterozoic Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex of the Malani Igneous Suite: Evidence from zircon U–Pb age

We report Permian (ca. 272 Ma ±5.4 Ma) felsic dykes that intrude into the Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) magmatic suite of the Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex (NPIC), the western extension of the Malani Igneous Suite (MIS). The NPIC consists of Neoproterozoic basement amphibolites and granites (riebeckite–aegirine gray granites and the biotite–hornblende pink granites), all of which are intruded by several generations of mafic and felsic dykes. Granitic magmatism occurred in the Late Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) due to the subduction‐, followed by the rift‐related tectonic regime during the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. U–Th–Pb zircon and monazite CHIME age data of 700–800 Ma from the earlier generation porphyritic felsic dykes suggest the dyke intrusion was coeval or soon after the emplacement of the host granites. Our findings of Permian age orthophyric felsic dykes provide new insights for the prevalence of active tectonics in the MIS during late Paleozoic. Textural features and geochemistry also make the orthophyric dykes distinct from the early‐formed porphyritic dykes and the host granites. Our newly obtained age data combined with geochemistry, suggest the existence of magmatism along the western margin of India (peri‐Gondwana margin) during Permian. Like elsewhere in the region, the Permian magmatism in the NPIC could be associated with the rifting of the Cimmerian micro‐continents from the Gondwana.     

Terrane analysis and accretion in North-East Asia

Abstract A terrane map of North-East Asia at 1:5 000 000 scale has been compiled. The map shows terranes of different types and ages accreted to the North-Asian craton in the Mesozoic–Cenozoic, sub-and superterranes, together with post-amalgamation and post-accretion assemblages. The great Kolyma-Omolon superterrane adjoins the north-east craton margin. It is composed of large angular terranes of continental affinity: craton fragments and fragments of the passive continental margin of Siberia, and island arc, oceanic and turbidite terranes that are unconformably overlain by shallow marine Middle-Upper Jurassic deposits. The superterrane resulted from a long subduction of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust beneath the Alazeya arc. Its south-west boundary is defined by the Late Jurassic Uyandina-Yasachnaya marginal volcanic arc which was brought about by subduction of the oceanic crust that separated the superterrane from Siberia. According to paleomagnetic evidence the width of the basin is estimated to be 1500–2000 km. Accretion of the superterrane to Siberia is dated to the late Late Jurassic-Neocomian. The north-east superterrane boundary is defined by the Lyakhov-South Anyui suture which extends across southern Chukotka up to Alaska. Collision of the superterrane with the Chukotka shelf terrane is dated to the middle of the Cretaceous. The Okhotsk-Chukotka belt, composed of Albian-Late Cretaceous undeformed continental volcan-ites, defines the Cretaceous margin of North Asia. Terranes eastward of the belt are mainly of oceanic affinity: island arc upon oceanic crust, accretion wedge and turbidite terranes, as well as cratonic terranes and fragments of magmatic arcs on the continental crust and metamorphic terranes of unclear origin and age. The time of their accretion is constrained by post-accretionary volcanic belts that extend parallel to the Okhotsk-Chukotka belt but are displaced to the east: the Maastrichtian-Miocene Kamchatka-Koryak belt and the Eocene-Quaternary Central Kamchatka belt which mark active margins of the continent of corresponding ages.