Paleozoic convergence processes in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Insights from U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from West Junggar,northwestern China

The West Junggar orogen,located in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),preserves an abundant record of tectonic processes associated with the evolution of the Junggar Ocean.In this study,we use detrital zircon U–Pb age data from Ordovician to Carboniferous sandstones in the southern and central West Junggar domains,complemented by literature data,to better constrain the tectonic evolution of the southwestern CAOB.The Kekeshayi,Qiargaye,and Laba formations in the southern West Junggar domain were deposited during the Darriwilian-Sandbian,Katian-Aeronian,and Homerian-Emsian,respectively.Detrital zircon provenances of these formations display a marked shift from the southern West Junggar domain to the Paleo-Kazakhstan Continent(PKC).This suggests that the southern West Junggar intra-oceanic arc might have gradually accreted to the northern margin of the PKC prior to the Emsian,which has significantly contributed to the lateral growth of the PKC.The Carboniferous strata,Xibeikulasi,Baogutu,and Tailegula formations,in the central West Junggar domain represent a coherent sequence of volcaniclastic turbidites and were deposited in a progressively shrinking remnant oceanic basin during the Visean to Moscovian.They contain unimodal detrital zircon distributions and are derived from the local and coeval magmatic rocks in the central West Junggar domain.We propose that the final closure of the Junggar Ocean likely occurred in the end of the Late Carboniferous in response to regional amalgamation events in the southwestern CAOB,which marks the final assembly of the Kazakhstan Orocline.The central and southern West Junggar domains underwent individual evolution in the Paleozoic,and were recombined by the significant intra-continental reworking along the large-scale strike-slip faults.     

Cenozoic Crustally-derived Carbonate-rich Magmatic Rocks in West Junggar,North Xinjiang,Western China: Geochronology,Geochemistry and Tectonic Implications

The carbonate-rich magmatic rocks of West Junggar are distributed in the Baijiantan and Darbut ophiolitic mélanges in the forms of extrusive rocks overlying the mélanges and dykes, either along the margins of the mélange or cross-cutting components of mélanges. Chilled margin and flow structures are present. A SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 39.7 ± 1.3 Ma indicates that these carbonate-rich rocks in West Junggar were formed during the Eocene. They have low concentrations in REEs, Th, U, Nb, Ta and are characterized by extremely low εN d(t), high(87 Sr/86 Sr)i ratios, relatively high δ18 OV-SMOW values and high δ13 CV-PDB values, which is similar with most sedimentary carbonates. Furthermore, no contemporaneous mantle-derived silicate rocks have yet been found in West Junggar. The carbonate-rich rocks in West Junggar are thus distinct from mantle-derived carbonatites and are interpreted to result from melting of the Carboniferous sedimentary carbonates at crustal levels, these rocks therefore being referred to as 'crustal carbonatites'. The Eocene crustal carbonatites in West Junggar and other Cenozoic magmatic rocks in North Xinjiang are generally situated along regional strike-slip faults or fault intersections. Therefore, we propose that the reactivation of the Darbut and Baijiantan crustal-scale strike-slip fault zones(ophiolitic mélanges), due to the far-field effects of the Indian-Eurasian collision, enables decompression melting of the underlying continental lithospheric mantle. These resulting melts ascended to the lower crust through the strike-slip faults, causing partial melting of the Carboniferous carbonaceous sediments. The crustal carbonatites in West Junggar provide a new piece of evidence for Cenozoic magmatism in North Xinjiang and are also significant for the investigation of tectono-magmatic relations in North Xinjiang and the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.     

Detrital Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Provenance of the Hebukesaier Formation in the Shaerbuerti Mountains, Northern West Junggar: Implication for Devonian Subduction of the Junggar–Balkhash Ocean

Limited Devonian magmatic record in northern West Junggar leads to contrasting models on its tectonic evolution. In this study, we conducted LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating on detrital zircons of two sandstones from the Hebukesaier Formation in the Shaerbuerti Mountains. Detrital zircons with oscillatory zoning are characterized by high Th/U (> 0.3) and low La/Yb (< 0.15), indicating their magmatic origin. The youngest zircon ages of two samples are 402 ± 2 Ma and 406 ± 2 Ma, respectively, suggesting that the Hebukesaier Formation was deposited at the Early Devonian. Detrital zircon age patterns show single peaks (at ca. 424 Ma, n =157), which indicates that these clastics were likely proximal accumulation after short distance transportation. Provenance of the Hebukesaier Formation was the Xiemisitai and Shaerbuerti Mountains. Detrital zircon ages range from 481 Ma to 395 Ma, which indicates that there was relatively continuous Early Paleozoic magmatism in the Xiemisitai and Shaerbuerti Mountains since the Early Ordovician. Age spectrums of sampled detrital zircons are distinct from those of Lower Devonian strata either in southern West Junggar or in East Junggar, which implies for individual tectonic evolution of northern West Junggar. We favor that Lower Devonian Hebukesaier Formation was developed in a fore–arc setting due to the northward subduction of the Junggar–Balkhash Ocean.     

Geochemical Characteristics,Petrogenesis of the Sanukitic Dikes in the Miaoergou Area of West Junggar,Xinjiang, NW China and Their Geological SignificanceEI北大核心CSCD

NS-trending dikes which contain dioritic enclaves widely occur in the Miaoergou pluton, West Junggar, Xinjiang. The dikes are composed of quartz diorite and quartz diorite porphyrite. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of the quartz diorite and diorite are 298.0±3.7 Ma and 299.4±2.5 Ma, respectively, corresponding to the end of the Late Carboniferous to beginning of the Early Permian. The dikes and enclaves have similar geochemical properties with island arc features. They are calc-alkaline, with moderate SiO2 (53.58% to 57.89%), high MgO (3.09% to 4.83%, Mg# values ranging from 44.69 to 54.12), TiO2 (1.17% to 1.66%), Cr (51.24×10-6 to 126.1×10-6), Ni (35.91×10-6 to 57.55×10-6) contents and K/Na ratios (0.35 to 0.70). Moreover, all samples are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs: e.g. K, Rb, Ba and U) and light rare earth elements, but strongly depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs: e.g. Nb, Ta and Ti), with insignificant Eu anomalies (δEu=0.67 to 1.08). In contrast, the dikes and enclaves in the Miaoergou pluton show geochemical signatures similar to those of the Cenozoic sanukitoids in Setouchi volcanic belt of SW Japan and the sanukitoids in the Hatu area, West Junggar. The source of the dikes might be the depleted mantle previously metasomatized by fluids released from subduction slabs. These sanukitic dikes may be generated by interaction of the mantle wedge with fluids derived from dehydration of the subducting oceanic slab, resulting in 2% to 5% partial melting of amphibole-spine peridotite. The identification of the sanukitic dikes in the Miaoergou pluton, together with previous studies, suggest that the southern West Junggar region was still dominated by subduction-related island arc setting at the beginning of the Early Permian, and multi-stage subduction-accretionary orogeny may account for the difference of subduction duration between the north and the south of West Junggar. © 2018, Science Press. All right reserved.     

Mineralization during Collisional Orogenesis and Its Control of the Distribution of Gold and Other Deposits in the Junggar Orogen, Xinjiang, China

The Junggar orogen, Xinjiang, China, is an important part of the Ural-Mongolian orogen.The collisional orogenesis in this region occurred primarily in the Carboniferous and Permianwith an evolutional process of early compression and late extension. Mineralization of gold andother metals in the Junggar orogen occurred mainly in the Permian and in a few cases in theLate Carboniferous. The deposits are largely distributed in areas where collisional orogenesiswas intensive and formed in a transitional stage from compression to extension. Therefore, goldmineralization in the Junggar orogen is fully consistent with the collisional orogenesis in time,space and geodynamic setting. This indicates that the mineral deposit model of collisionalorogenesis is applicable to prospecting and study of ore deposits in the Junggar orogen.Furthermore, the factual distribution of gold and other deposits in this region is just the same asthe collisional orogenic model presents.     

Emplacement Mechanism of the Akebasitao Pluton: Implications for Regional Tectonic Evolution of West Junggar, NW China

Late Carboniferous to Early Permian A-type granites are extensively distributed throughout the West Junggar region, NW China, and the Akebasitao pluton is extremely distinguished among these plutons. In this paper, we reported new anisotropy of magnetic susceptible (AMS) data combine with detailed field study and audio magnetotelluric (AMT) sounding to assess the three-dimensional shape and magmatic emplacement mechanism of the Akebasitao pluton. The geological features and the AMT sounding indicate that the pluton had a slightly oblique movement of magma from northwest to southeast, which was most likely to correspond to an asymmetrical torch with a laccolith-shaped upper part, and a lower part formed by sub-vertical “root” that was located within its northwestern part, probably controlled by the NE-trending Anqi fault. The AMS fabrics of all the specimens reveal a low Pj value (mean of 1.02) and a low T value (mean of ?0.024), suggesting that the deformation of the AMS ellipsoid is relatively weak. The specimens exhibit both oblate and prolate shapes of the AMS ellipsoid. Magnetic lineations and foliations are randomly distributed throughout the pluton without any preferred orientation. These AMS patterns indicate that the pluton formed in a relatively stable structural environment with no regional extrusion. Therefore, we propose a complex emplacement process in which the magmas reached the shallower crust levels via deep-faults and subsequently occupied the room created by doming, accompanied by stoping near the pluton roof. Additionally, the regional tectonic setting was relatively stable during the emplacement of the Akebasitao pluton, indicating the termination of compressional orogeny during the late Late Carboniferous in the West Junggar region. This conclusion perfectly coincides with the regional tectonic paleogeography, magmatic system, and paleostress field.     

Accration and Subduction of Seamounts in West Junggar

<正>Recently,through implementation of the National Nature Science Foundation of China(No.41303027)and Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Central Colleges(310827153506,310827153407,2014G1271058),we focused on basalts in Darbut and Karamay ophiolitic mélanges in West Junggar which is a part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt,and made some advances as follows.     

Intra-continental deformation and tectonic evolution of the West Junggar Orogenic Belt,Central Asia:Evidence from remote sensing and structural geological analyses

The West Junggar Orogenic Belt(WJOB)in northwestern Xinjiang,China,is located in the core of the western part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB).It has suffered two stage tectonic evolutions in Phanerozoic,before and after the ocean–continental conversion in Late Paleozoic.The later on intracontinental deformation,characterized by the development of the NE-trending West Junggar sinistral strike-slip fault system(WJFS)since Late Carboniferous and Early Permian,and the NW-trending Chingiz-Junggar dextral strike-slip fault(CJF)in Mesozoic and Cenozoic,has an important significance for the tectonic evolution of the WJOB and the CAOB.In this paper,we conduct geometric and kinematic analyses of the WJOB,based on field geological survey and structural interpretation of remote sensing image data.Using some piercing points such as truncated plutons and anticlines,an average magnitude of^73 km for the left-lateral strike-slip is calculated for the Darabut Fault,a major fault of the WJFS.Some partial of the displacement should be accommodated by strike-slip fault-related folds developed during the strike-slip faulting.Circular and curved faults,asymmetrical folds,and irregular contribution of ultramafic bodies,implies potential opposite vertical rotation of the Miao’ergou and the Akebasitao batholiths,resulted from the sinistral strike-slipping along the Darabut Fault.Due to conjugate shearing set of the sinistral WJFS and the dextral CJF since Early Mesozoic,superimposed folds formed with N–S convergence in southwestern part of the WJOB.     

The Late Carboniferous–Early Permian Ocean-Continent Transition in the West Junggar, Central Asian Orogenic Belt: Constraints from Columnar Jointed Rhyolite

The West Junggar of the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt is one of the typical regions in the term of ocean subduction, contraction and continental growth in the Late Paleozoic. However, it is still controversial on the exact time of ocean-continent transition so far. This study investigates rhyolites with columnar joint in the West Junggar for the first time.Based on zircon U-Pb dating, we determined that the ages of the newly-discovered rhyolites are between 303.6 and 294.5 Ma, belonging to Late Carboniferous–Early Permian, which is the oldest rhyolite with columnar joint preserved in the world at present. Geochemical results show that the characteristics of the major element compositions include a high content of SiO_2(75.78–79.20 wt%) and a moderate content of Al_2O_3(12.21–13.19 wt%). The total alkali content(K_2O +Na_2O) is 6.14–8.05 wt%, among which K_2O is 2.09–4.72 wt% and the rate of K_2O/Na_2O is 0.38–3.05. Over-based minerals such as Ne, Lc, and Ac do not appear. The contents of TiO_2(0.09–0.24 wt%), CaO(0.15–0.99 wt%) and MgO(0.06–0.18 wt%) are low. A/CNK=0.91–1.68, A/NK=1.06–1.76, and as such, these are associated with the quasi-aluminum-weak peraluminous high potassium calc-alkaline and some calc-alkaline magma series. These rhyolites show a significant negative Eu anomaly with relative enrichment of LREE and LILE(Rb, Ba, Th, U, K) and depletion of Sr, HREE and HFSE(Nb, Ta, Ti, P). These rhyolites also have the characteristics of an A2-type granite, similar to the Miaoergou batholith,which indicates they both were affected by post-orogenic extension. Combining petrological, zircon U-Pb dating and geochemical characteristics of the rhyolites, we conclude that the specific time of ocean-continent transition of the West Junggar is the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian.     

Construction of the Continental Asia in Phanerozoic: A Review

This is a review of the formation and tectonic evolution of the continental Asia in Phanerozoic.The continental Asia has formed on the bases of some pre-Cambrian cratons,such as the Siberia,India,Arabia,North China,Tarim,South China,and Indochina,through multi-stage plate convergence and collisional collages in Phanerozoic.The north-central Asia had experienced the expansion and subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean(PAO)in the early Paleozoic and the closure of the PAO in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic,forming the PAO regime and Central Asian orogenic belt(CAOB).In the core of the CAOB,the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean(MOO)opened with limited expansion in the Early Permian and finally closed in the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous.The south-central Asia had experienced mainly multi-stage oceanic opening,subduction and collision evolution in the Tethys Ocean,forming the Tethys regime and Himalaya-Tibetan orogenic belt.In eastern Asia,the plate subduction and continental margin orogeny on western margin of the Pacific Ocean,forms the West Pacific regime and West Pacific orogenic belt.The PAO,Tethys,and West Pacific regimes,together with Precambrian cratons among or surrounding them,made up the major tectonic and dynamic systems of the continental Asia in Phanerozoic.Major tectonic events,such as the Early Paleozoic Qilian,Uralian,and Dunhuang orogeneses,the late Paleozoic East Junggar,Tianshan and West Junggar orogeneses,the Middle to Late Permian Ailaoshan orogeny and NorthSouth Lhasa collision,the early Mesozoic Indochina-South China and North-South China collisions,the late Mesozoic Mongolia-Okhotsk orogeny,Lhasa-Qiangtang collision,and intra-continental Yanshanian orogeny,and the Cenozoic IndoAsian,Arab-Asian,and West Pacific margin collisions,constrained the formation and evolution of the continental Asia.The complex dynamic systems have left large number of deformation features,such as large-scale strike-slip faults,thrustfold systems and extensional detachments on the continental Asia.Based on past tectonics,a future supercontinent,the Ameurasia,is prospected for the development of the Asia in ca.250 Myr.     

Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating and Sr-Nd isotope study of the Guposhan granite complex, Guangxi, China

Zircon U-Pb dating by the LA-ICP-MS method was applied to determining the ages of different units of the Guposhan granite complex, among which the East Guposhan unit is 160.8±1.6 Ma, the West Guposhan unit is 165.0±1.9 Ma, and the Lisong unit is 163.0±1.3 Ma in age. Much similarity in ages of the three units has thus proved that the whole Guposhan granite complex was formed in the same period of time. They were the products of large-scale granitic magmatism through crust-remelting in the first stage of the Middle Yanshanian in South China. However, the three units have differences both in petrology and in geochemistry. Besides the differences in major, trace and rare-earth elements, they are distinct in their Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions. The East Guposhan unit and Lisong unit and its enclaves have a similar (87Sr/86Sr)i value of 0.7064 with an average of εNd(t)=-3.03, indicating that more mantle material was evolved in the magma derivation; whereas the West Guposhan unit has a higher (87Sr/86Sr)i value of 0.7173 but a lower εNd(t) value of -5.00, and is characterized by strong negative Eu anomalies and higher Rb/Sr ratios, suggesting that its source materials were composed of relatively old crust components and new mantle-derived components. In addition, an inherited zircon grain in the East Guposhan unit (GP-1) yielded a 206Pb/238U age of 806.4 Ma, which is similar to the ages of the Jiulin cordierite granite in northern Jiangxi and of the Yinqiao migmatic granite in Guangxi in the HZH granite zone. All this may provide new evidence for Late Proterozoic magmatism in the HZH granite zone.     

Kinematics of syn-tectonic unconformities and implications for the tectonic evolution of the Hala'alat Mountains at the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin,Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The Hala’alat Mountains are located at the transition between the West Junggar and the Junggar Basin.In this area,rocks are Carboniferous,with younger strata above them that have been identified through well data and high-resolution 3D seismic profiles.Among these strata,seven unconformities are observed and distributed at the bases of:the Permian Jiamuhe Formation,the Permian Fengcheng Formation,the Triassic Baikouquan Formation,the Jurassic Badaowan Formation,the Jurassic Xishanyao Formation,the Cretaceous Tugulu Group and the Paleogene.On the basis of balanced sections,these unconformities are determined to have been formed by erosion of uplifts or rotated fault blocks primarily during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.In conjunction with the currently understood tectonic background of the surrounding areas,the following conclusions are proposed:the unconformities at the bases of the Permian Jiamuhe and Fengcheng formations are most likely related to the subduction and closure of the Junggar Ocean during the late Carboniferous-early Permian;the unconformities at the bases of the Triassic Baikouquan and Jurassic Badaowan formations are closely related to the late Permian-Triassic Durbut sinistral slip fault;the unconformities at the bases of the middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation and Cretaceous Tugulu Group may be related to reactivation of the Durbut dextral slip fault in the late Jurassic-early Cretaceous,and the unconformity that gives rise to the widely observed absence of the upper Cretaceous in the northern Junggar Basin may be closely related to large scale uplift.All of these geological phenomena indicate that the West Junggar was not calm in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic and that it experienced at least four periods of tectonic movement.     

Laumontitization as an Exploration Indicator of Epithermal Gold Deposits： A Case Study of the Axi and Other Epithermal Systems in West Tianshan, China

In the light of field investigation, microscopic study, X-ray phase analysis and mineral infrared spectral analysis, it is considered that laumontitization is of extensive occurrence in the Axi gold orefield. The development of laumontitization and its relationship to mineralization show that the laumontitization appeared mainly at the top of and in the periphery of orebodies, and occurred at the edge of the epithermal system or at the late stage of epithermal system evolution. Therefore, laumontitization can be used as an exploration indicator of epithermal gold deposits. The fluids responsible for laumontitization in the Axi gold orefield are similar to those producing hot spring-type gold deposits or those from modem geothermal fields. Epithermal mineralization of the Axi gold deposit was dated at Carboniferous, indicating that the West Tianshan of China is a region favorable to epithermal-type gold mineralization and preservation. Hence the West Tianshan of China is a target area for exploring epithermal gold deposits.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111000235

In this paper we present a review of mineral systems in northern Xinjiang,NW China,focussing on the Tianshan,West and East Junggar and Altay orogenic belts,all of which are part of the greater Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB).The CAOB is a complex collage of ancient microcontinents,island arcs,oceanic plateaux and oceanic plates,which were amalgamated and accreted in Early Palaeozoic to Early Permian times.The establishment of the CAOB collage was followed by strike-slip movements and affected by intrap...     

Geochronology and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic composition of the granites, enclaves, and dikes in the Karamay area, NW China: Insights into late Carboniferous crustal growth of West Junggar

New whole-rock major and trace elements,and zircon U-Pb and Hf-Nd isotope compositions are reported for the Karamay dikes,enclaves,and host granites in the West Junggar,NW China.Zircon U-Pb dating of the Karamay pluton yields an age of 300.7 ± 2.3 Ma for the enclave and 300.0 ± 2.6 Ma for the host granite,which was intruded by dike with an age of 298 Ma.The host granites exhibit relatively low SiO_2 contents and A/CNK and Ga/Al ratios,low initial ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr ratios(0.703421—0.703526) and positive εHf(t)(5.5—14.1) and εNd(t)(7.3—8.1) values with a young model age,suggesting that they are I-type granites and were mainly derived from a juvenile lower crustal source.The enclaves and dikes belong to an andesitic calc-alkaline series and have high MgO concentrations at low silica content and positive εNf(t)(7.6-13.2,14.2-14.9) and εNd(t)(6.8-8.3,~6.9) values.They are enriched in LILEs(Rb,Ba and U) and LREE and depleted in HFSEs(Nb and Ta) with insignificant negative Eu anomalies,indicating that the melts were derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle modified by subducted oceanic crust-derived melts and minor fluids,followed by fractional crystallization.The Karamay host granites and enclaves are of mixed origin and are most probably formed by the interaction between the lower crust- and lithospheric mantle-derived magmas,and were intruded by the unmixed dikes subsequently.The upwelling mantle through a slab window in an island arc environment might have triggered partial melting of the lithospheric mantle and its subsequent interaction with the granitic magma,further suggesting that the ridge subduction played an important role in the crustal growth of West Junggar.     

Geochronological and Geochemical Constrains on Petrogenesis of the Jietebutiao A-type Granite in West Junggar,Xinjiang

Late Paleozoic post-collisional granitoids are widespread in West Junggar,as well as northern Xinjiang.As a representative of those intrusions,the Jietebutiao granite occurs in the southwestern margin of the West Junggar（northwest China）,and is mainly composed of mid-coarsegrained monzogranite and syenogranite.In the present study,we report the results of high-precision zircon laser-ablation-inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry U-Pb dating on the Jietebutiao granite for the first time,and yield weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 287±9 Ma and 278±3 Ma for monzogranite and syenogranite,respectively.The Jietebutiao granite has a pronounced A-type affinity;it is metaluminous to slightly peraluminous;has a high-K calc-alkaline composition;high concentrations of Na₂O + K₂O,varying from 6.8 to 8.5 wt%;high FeOt/MgO;10 000a/Al ratios,a low CaO,MgO,and TiO₂ content;enriched in some large ion lithophile elements（LILE,such as Rb and Th） and high field strength elements（HFSE,such as Zr,Hf,and Y）;and depleted in Sr,Ba,and Ti.In addition,the granite has a relatively high rare earth element（REE） content（except for Eu）, with significant negative Eu anomalies（Eu/Eu^* = 0.01-0.72）,and showing slight tetrad REE patterns and non-charge and radius controlled（CHARAC） trace element behavior.Petrographic,geochemical, and geochronological data suggest that the parental magma of Jietebutiao intrusions are of mixed origin,and are most probably formed by the interaction between the lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas in the Early Permian post-collisional tectonic setting.The basaltic magmas underplated and interacted with the lower crust that was dominated by deeply buried arc（and back-arc basin） series and the oceanic crust formed in the Paleozoic,and then triggered the partial melting of the juvenile lower crust,producing voluminous granitic melts and forming the Jietebutiao A₂-typc monzogranites, with the lithospheric mantle progressively thinning and rifting to form A₁-type granites,such as syenogranites,in the Jietebutiao pluton.This further proves the important contribution of Late Paleozoic granitic magmatism in terms of vertical crustal growth in northern Xinjiang.     

Seismic Evidence for Plume and Subducting Slab in West Yunnan, Southwestern China

Western Yunnan is located within a gigantic Tethys orogenic zone between Gondwana and Laurasia. Magmatic activity records of the associated Wilson orogenic cycle show that the causes of plate spreading in the region might have been related to sub-mantle plume. Tectonics, geophysics, sedimentary strata, tectonic evolution of the lithosphere and other research results indicate that there is geological evidence for mantle plume magmatic activities in West Yunnan. Tomography also supports the idea that there is a subducting slab near the Red River fault and an upwelling mantle plume in West Yunnan. Here our research presents seismic evidence for upwelling mantle plume, which is a main cause leading to subducting slab in West Yunnan. The analysis is based on compressional-to-shear (P-to-S) converted seismic phases, recorded on seismograph stations in the Sichuan-Yunnan seismic network, and made a study on 410-km and 660-km discontinuities, as well as on three sections of CCP stacking.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113001370

Mineral chemistry,whole-rock major oxide,and trace element compositions have been determined for the Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion,in order to understand the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the West Junggar orogenic belt at the southern margin of the Central Asian orogenic belt.The Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion is a well-differentiated complex comprising peridotite,olivine pyroxenite,gabbro,and diorite.The ultramafic rocks are mostly seen in the central part of the intrusion and surrounded by mafic rocks.The Tuerkubantao intrusive rocks are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements and depleted high field strength elements relative to N-MORB.In addition,the Tuerkubantao intrusion displays relatively low Th/U and Nb/U(1.13—2.98 and 2.53—7.02,respectively) and high La/Nb and Ba/Nb(1.15—4.19 and 37.7—79.82,respectively).These features indicate that the primary magma of the intrusion was derived from partial melting of a previously metasomatized mantle source in a subduction setting.The trace element patterns of peridotites,gabbros,and diorite in the Tuerkubantao intrusion have sub-parallel trends,suggesting that the different rock types are related to each other by differentiation of the same primary magma.The intrusive contact between peridotite and gabbro clearly suggest that the Tuerkubantao is not a fragment of an ophiolite.However,the Tuerkubantao intrusion displays many similarities with Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic intrusions along major sutures of Phanerozoic orogenic belts.Common features include their geodynamic setting,internal lithological zoning,and geochemistry.The striking similarities indicate that the middle Devonian Tuerkubantao intrusion likely formed in a subduction-related setting similar to that of the Alaskan-type intrusions.In combination with the Devonian magmatism and porphyry mineralization,we propose that subduction of the oceanic slab has widely existed in the expansive oceans during the Devonian around the Junggar block.     

The First Stegosaur （Dinosauria, Ornithischia） from the Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of Xinjiang, China

A new stegosaur species, Jiangjunosaurus junggarensis, gen. et sp. nov., is erected based on a specimen collected from the Upper Jurassic upper section of the Shishugou Formation in the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China. It represents the first stegosaur from the Jurassic of Xinjiang and increases the diversity of the dinosaur fauna in the Shishugou Formation. The new genus is characterized by symmetrical and proportionally wide tooth crowns, a sub-rectangular axial neural spine seen in lateral view, and large openings on the lateral surfaces of the cervical centra. A preliminary character analysis suggests that this new taxon is more derived than the Middle Jurassic stegosaur Huayangosaurus but more primitive than most other known stegosaur species.     

Differential Hydrocarbon Accumulation Controlled by Structural Styles along the Southern and Northern Tianshan Thrust Belt

The Kuqa and the Southern Junggar foreland thrust belts, which lie to the southern and northern Tianshan, respectively, were formed under a strong compressional tectonic setting. Due to the differential propagation and deformation under the control of the décollement horizon, the structural deformation styles differ in the Kuqa and Southern Junggar thrust belts. Imbricated stacking is developed in the Kuqa thrust belt, forming a piggyback imbricated pattern of faulted anticline and fault-block structural assemblage dominated by salt structures. In contrast, wedge-shaped thrusts are developed in Southern Junggar, mainly forming vertical laminated patterns of multi-wedge-structure stacks strongly influenced by the décollement horizons. The different deformation patterns and structural styles of the north and south of Tian Shan control the contrasting characteristics of hydrocarbon accumulation in the foreland thrust belts of the Kuqa and the Southern Junggar thrust belts, including the variance in the hydrocarbon trap types, pathway systems and hydrocarbon-bearing horizons. Proven by the hydrocarbon accumulation research and exploration achievements, recent exploration targets should focus on sub-salt piggyback imbricated structural patterns in the Kuqa and the deep laminated patterns in the Southern Junggar thrust belt.