Late Triassic rifting and Jurassic–Cretaceous passive margin development of the Southern Neotethys: evidence from the Adıyaman area,SE Turkey

Evidence of rifting and continental break-up to form the S Neotethys is found within the volcanic-sedimentary Koçali Complex. This is a folded, thrust-imbricated succession that includes lavas, volcaniclastic sediments, pelagic carbonates, radiolarites and manganiferous deposits. Interbedded ribbon cherts contain radiolarians of Late Triassic to Late Jurassic age. The lower part of the succession of Mid?-Late Triassic age (Tarasa Formation) is dominated by enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB). The overlying Late Triassic to Mid-Jurassic interval (Konak Formation) is characterised by intercalations of ocean island basalt and E-MORB. Taking account of structural position, the basalts erupted within the outer part of a continent–ocean transition zone. Continental break-up probably occurred during the Late Triassic (Carnian–Norian). Early to Mid-Jurassic lavas and volcaniclastic sediments record volcanism probably after continental break-up. In addition, the Karadut Complex is a broken formation that is located at a relatively low structural position just above the Arabian foreland. Pelagic carbonates, redeposited carbonates and radiolarites predominate. Radiolarians are dated as Early to Mid-Jurassic and Late Cretaceous in age. The pelagic carbonates include planktic foraminifera of Late Cretaceous age. The Karadut Complex resulted from the accumulation of calcareous gravity flows, pelagic carbonate and radiolarites in a relatively proximal, base-of-slope setting. After continental break-up, MORB and ophiolitic rocks formed within the S Neotethys further north. Tectonic emplacement onto the Arabian platform took place by earliest Maastrichtian time. Regional interpretation is facilitated by comparisons with examples of Triassic rifting and continental break-up in the eastern Mediterranean region and elsewhere.     

Middle–Late Triassic sedimentation in the Helanshan tectonic belt: Constrain on the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Ordos Basin,North China

The Helanshan tectonic belt is located to the west of the Ordos Basin, and separates the Alxa (or Yinshan) Massif to the west from the Ordos block to the east. Triassic sedimentation in the Helanshan tectonic belt records important information about tectono-sedimentary process between the Alxa Massif and the Ordos block. Detailed geological mapping and investigation on the lithological package, sedimentary facies and paleocurrent orientation have been conducted on the Middle to Upper Triassic clastic rocks in the Helanshan tectonic belt. The succession is characterized by upward-fining sequence and comprises coarse grained alluvial-fluvial facies in the lower part as well as deltaic-lacustrine facies in the upper part. Based on detailed study and comparisons on the sedimentary sequence along various sections, the Middle to Upper Triassic strata have been revealed that show clear southeastward-deepening sedimentary differentiation and transgression from southwest to northeast, which are consistent with the southeastward flowing paleocurrent. These features indicate a southeastward-dipping paleogeography in the Helanshan tectonic belt, which was original western part of southeastward orientated fluvial-lacustrine system in the northwestern proto-Ordos Basin. Further to the east, the Triassic succession in the Ordos Basin displays gradually thickening and alluvial-fluvial system flowed from southeast to northwest, showing a huge thick sedimentary wedge in the western basin margin. Together with the Late Permian–Early Triassic closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean to the north, the Late Triassic extensional structures and diabase dykes in the Helanshan tectonic belt, all the above sedimentary features could be mostly interpreted as records of an extensional basin correlated to post-collisional collapse of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.     

Middle Triassic pteridosperms (Pinophyta) of the Timan–Pechora basin

The collection of fossil plants sampled by geologists from VNIGRI at the end of the 20th century from Triassic continental sections drilled by many wells and cropping out in several natural localities and stored at the Museum of Petroleum Geology and Paleontology of the same institute was critically revised. The use of the epidermal method for the study of plant remains with consideration of recent publications dedicated to continental sections of Central Europe made it possible to substantially broaden the taxonomic composition of the Triassic flora and first specify the composition of its pteridosperm representatives. Unlike the Triassic floras of Western Europe, the pteridosperms the Pechora region appeared to be relatively diverse. They number 37 species of 11 genera, which are confined to the upper part of the Triassic sequence: Anguran and Naryan-Mar formations and their analogs. The Middle Triassic, mainly, Ladinian, age of these formations is reliably substantiated both by paleontological (vertebrate and palynological) data and by results of the comparative analysis of the Anguran–Naryan-Mar taphofloras and coeval European type floras dated back to the Anisian–Ladinian by marine faunal remains. The stratigraphic significance of pteridospermous plant remains becomes undoubted for continental sections of the Timan–Pechora basin, while the genera Scytophyllum, Kalantarium, and Kirjamkenia may be considered with respect to their diversity and abundance as representing orthostratigraphic taxa.     

The Middle–Late Triassic Closure of the East Paleotethys Ocean: Paleomagnetic Evidence from the Baoshan Terrane, China

正Objective It is still controversial about when,where and how the East Paleotethys Ocean closed due to the lack of reliable paleomagnetic data from the blocks or terranes located in both sides of the suture,which prohibits our better understanding of a series of key scientific issues such as how major blocks of East Asia collided together,and the     

Late Permian–early Middle Triassic back-arc basin development in West Qinling,China

The Late Permian–early Middle Triassic strata of the northern West Qinling area, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, are composed of sediment gravity flow deposits. Detailed sedimentary facies analysis indicates these strata were deposited in three successive deep-marine environments. The Late Permian–early Early Triassic strata of the Maomaolong Formation and the lowest part of the Longwuhe Formation define a NW–SE trending proximal slope environment. Facies of the Early Triassic strata composing the middle and upper Longwuhe Formation are consistent with deposition in a base-of-slope apron environment, whereas facies of the Middle Triassic Anisian age Gulangdi Formation are more closely associated with a base-of-slope fan depositional environment. The lithofacies and the spatial–temporal changes in paleocurrent data from these strata suggest the opening of a continental margin back-arc basin system during Late Permian to early Middle Triassic time in the northern West Qinling. U–Pb zircon ages for geochemically varied igneous rocks with diabasic through granitic compositions intruded into these deep-marine strata range from 250 to 234 Ma. These observations are consistent with extensional back-arc basin development and rifting between the Permian–Triassic Eastern Kunlun arc and North China block during the continent–continent collision and underthrusting of the South China block northward beneath the Qinling terrane of the North China block. Deep-marine sedimentation ended in the northern West Qinling by the Middle Triassic Ladinian age, but started in the southern West Qinling and Songpan-Ganzi to the south. We attribute these observations to southward directed rollback of Paleo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere, continued attenuation of the West Qinling on the upper plate, local post-rift isostatic compensation in the northern West Qinling area, and continued opening of a back-arc basin in the southern West Qinling and Songpan-Ganzi. Rollback and back-arc basin development during Late Permian to early Middle Triassic time in the West Qinling area explains: the truncated map pattern of the Eastern Kunlun arc, the age difference of deep-marine sediment gravity flow deposits between the Late Permian–early Middle Triassic northern West Qinling and the late Middle Triassic–Late Triassic southern West Qinling and Songpan-Ganzi, and the discontinuous trace of ophiolitic rocks associated with the Anyemaqen-Kunlun suture.     

Stratigraphic significance of Middle Triassic radiolarians from the central part of Kotel’nyi Island (New Siberian Islands)

New data on Middle Triassic radiolarians from the central part of Kotel’nyi Island are discussed. The Triassic section is represented by clays and mudstones with diverse macro- and microfossils, which confirm the presence of lower Anisian, upper Anisian, and upper Ladinian sediments on the island. The lower Anisian Substage 10–15 m thick is composed of clays with ammonoid species Karangatites evolutus. The upper Anisian Substage 20 m thick consists of clays with phosphate concretions and bivalves Daonella sp. cf. D. moussoni Merian, D. americana Smith, ammonoid form Indigirophyllites sp. ex gr. I. spetsbergensis (Oeberg), and radiolarian assemblage with Glomeropyle boreale Bragin. The upper Ladinian Substage 25–30 m thick is composed of clays with phosphate concretions and bivalves including Daonella frami Kittl., ammonoid species Indigirophyllites sp. ex gr. I. oimekonensis Popow, and radiolarian assemblage with Muelleritortis firma (Gorican). The middle Anisian and lower Ladinian substages are missing, which may be explained by the incompleteness of the section. The Middle Triassic section of Kotel’nyi Island is first stratified on the basis of radiolarians, which are supplemented by the data on cephalopods and bivalves. Glomeropyle saccum Bragin, sp. nov. is described.     

Petrogenesis of the Neogene volcanic units in the NE–SW-trending basins in western Anatolia,Turkey

The western Anatolian volcanic province formed during Eocene to Recent times is one of the major volcanic belts in the Aegean–western Anatolian region. We present new chemical (whole-rock major and trace elements, and Sr, Nd, Pb and O isotopes) and new Ar/Ar age data from the Miocene volcanic rocks in the NE–SW-trending Neogene basins that formed on the northern part of the Menderes Massif during its exhumation as a core complex. The early-middle Miocene volcanic rocks are classified as high-K calc-alkaline (HKVR), shoshonitic (SHVR) and ultrapotassic (UKVR), with the Late Miocene basalts being transitional between the early-middle Miocene volcanics and the Na-alkaline Quaternary Kula volcanics (QKV). The early-middle Miocene volcanic rocks are strongly enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE), have high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i) (0.70631–0.71001), low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i) (0.512145–0.512488) and high Pb isotope ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.838–19.148; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.672–15.725; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.904–39.172). The high field strength element (HFSE) ratios of the most primitive early-middle Miocene volcanic rocks indicate that they were derived from a mantle source with a primitive mantle (PM)-like composition. The HFSE ratios of the late Miocene basalts and QKV, on the other hand, indicate an OIB-like mantle origin—a hypothesis that is supported by their trace element patterns and isotopic compositions. The HFSE ratios of the early-middle Miocene volcanic rocks also indicate that their mantle source was distinct from those of the Eocene volcanic rocks located further north, and of the other volcanic provinces in the region. The mantle source of the SHVR and UKVR was influenced by (1) trace element and isotopic enrichment by subduction-related metasomatic events and (2) trace element enrichment by “multi-stage melting and melt percolation” processes in the lithospheric mantle. The contemporaneous SHVR and UKVR show little effect of upper crustal contamination. Trace element ratios of the HKVR indicate that they were derived mainly from lower continental crustal melts which then mixed with mantle-derived lavas (~20–40%). The HKVR then underwent differentiation from andesites to rhyolites via nearly pure fractional crystallization processes in the upper crust, such that have undergone a two-stage petrogenetic evolution.     

Role of tectonic-sedimentary melange and Permian–Triassic cover units,central southern Turkey in Tethyan continental margin evolution

Melanges play a key role in the interpretation of orogenic belts, including those that have experienced deformation and metamorphism during continental collision. This is exemplified by a Palaeozoic tectonic-sedimentary melange (part of the Konya complex) that is exposed beneath a regionally metamorphosed carbonate platform near the city of Konya in central Anatolia. The Konya complex as a whole comprises three units: a dismembered, latest Silurian–Early Carboniferous carbonate platform, a Carboniferous melange made up of sedimentary and igneous blocks in a sedimentary matrix (also known as the Hal?c? Group or S?zma Group), and an overlying Volcanic-sedimentary Unit (earliest Permian?). The Palaeozoic carbonates accumulated on a subsiding carbonate platform that bordered the northern margin of Gondwana, perhaps as an off-margin unit. The matrix of the melange was mainly deposited as turbidites, debris flows and background terrigenous muds. Petrographic evidence shows that the clastic sediments were mostly derived from granitic and psammitic/pelitic metamorphic rocks, typical of upper continental crust. Both extension- and contraction-related origins of the melange can be considered. However, we interpret the melange as a Carboniferous subduction complex that formed along the northern margin of Gondwana, related to partial closure of Palaeotethys. Blocks and slices of Upper Palaeozoic radiolarian chert, basic igneous rocks and shallow-water carbonates were accreted and locally reworked by gravity processes. Large (up to km-sized) blocks and slices of shallow-water limestone were emplaced in response to collision of the Palaeozoic Carbonate Platform with the subduction zone. The overlying Volcanic-sedimentary Unit (earliest Permian?) comprises alkaline lava flows, interbedded with volcaniclastic debris flows and turbidites, volcanogenic shales and tuff. The complex as a whole is overlain by shallow-water, mixed carbonate–siliciclastic sediments of mainly Late Permian age that accumulated on a regional-scale shelf adjacent to Gondwana. Successions pass transitionally into Lower Triassic rift-related shallow-water carbonates and terrigenous sandstones in the southwest of the area. In contrast, Triassic sediments in the southeast overlie the melange unconformably and pass upwards from non-marine clastic sediments into shallow-marine calcareous sediments of Mid-Triassic age, marking the base of a regional Mesozoic carbonate platform. During the latest Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic the entire assemblage subducted northwards and underwent high pressure/low temperature metamorphism and polyphase folding as a part of the regional Anatolide unit.     

Middle Jurassic subduction-related ophiolite fragment in Triassic accretionary complex (Mamu Dağı ophiolite,Northern Turkey)

ABSTRACT

The Mamu Da?? ophiolite, ca. 13 km long and 5 km across (Tokat, Sakarya Zone), consists of peridotites, pyroxenites, gabbros, and basalts, which are crosscut by dolerite dykes. These rocks show variable degrees of serpentinization and alteration. Gabbroic rocks consisting of plagioclase + clinopyroxene ± orthopyroxene ± olivine ± amphibole ± sphene ± opaque minerals have commonly the ophitic and the cumulate textures. Similar mineral paragenesis is observed in the basalts and the dolerites, which are commonly characterized by the sub-ophitic and the microlitic porphyric textures.

Primitive mantle-normalized rare earth and trace element diagrams of gabbros and basalts display subduction-related geochemical characteristics such as high Th concentrations, negative Nb, Zr, and Ti anomalies. Some of the gabbros are interpreted to be the cumulate rocks. They have mostly positive europium anomaly (Eu/Eu* 1.77–0.83) and relatively low SiO₂ and incompatible element (e.g. Zr, Ti) contents. The initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values of gabbro/dolerite and basalt samples vary between 0.7036 and 0.7049, between 0.51259 and 0.51278, respectively. The isotope data and the whole rock geochemistry suggest that the Mamu Da?? ophiolite was derived from a mantle source that was affected by the subduction component rather than MORB or depleted mantle source.

Hornblendes from a gabbro sample of the Mamu Da?? ophiolite yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 159 ± 1 Ma. This age data is similar to those of many ophiolites located along the ?zmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone but is different from the ages reported for the Tokat Massif.     

Tectonic significance of Triassic mafic rocks in the June Complex,Sanandaj–Sirjan zone,Iran

This study concentrates on the petrological and geochemical investigation of mafic rocks embedded within the voluminous Triassic June Complex of the central Sanandaj–Sirjan zone (Iran), which are crucial to reconstruct the geodynamics of the Neotethyan passive margin. The Triassic mafic rocks are alkaline to sub-alkaline basalts, containing 43.36–49.09 wt% SiO₂, 5.19–20.61 wt% MgO and 0.66–4.59 wt% total alkalis. Based on MgO concentrations, the mafic rocks fall into two groups: cumulates (Mg# = 51.61–58.94) and isotropic basaltic liquids (Mg# = 24.54–42.66). In all samples, the chondrite-normalized REE patterns show enrichment of light REEs with variable (La/Yb)_N ratios ranging from 2.48 to 9.00, which confirm their amalgamated OIB-like and E-MORB-like signatures. Enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements and depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE) relative to the primitive mantle further support this interpretation. No samples point to crustal contamination, all having undergone fractionation of olivine + clinopyroxene + plagioclase. Nevertheless, elemental data suggest that the substantial variations in (La/Sm)_PM and Zr/Nb ratios can be explained by variable degrees of partial melting rather than fractional crystallization from a common parental magma. The high (Nb/Yb)_PM ratio in the alkaline mafic rocks points to the mixing of magmas from enriched and depleted mantle sources. Abundant OIB alkaline basalts and rare E-MORB appear to be linked to the drifting stage on the northern passive margin of the Neotethys Ocean.     

Complex basin evolution in the Gökova Gulf region: implications on the Late Cenozoic tectonics of southwest Turkey

Southwestern Turkey experienced a transition from crustal shortening to extension during Late Cenozoic, and evidence of this was recorded in four distinct basin types in the Mu?la–Gökova Gulf region. During the Oligocene–Early Miocene, the upper slices of the southerly moving Lycian Nappes turned into north-dipping normal faults due to the acceleration of gravity. The Kale–Tavas Basin developed as a piggyback basin along the fault plane on hanging wall blocks of these normal faults. During Middle Miocene, a shift had occurred from local extension to N–S compression/transpression, during which sediments in the Eskihisar–T?naz Basins were deposited in pull-apart regions of the Menderes Massif cover units, where nappe slices were already eroded. During the Late Miocene–Pliocene, a hiatus occurred from previous compressional/transpressional tectonism along intermountain basins and Yata?an Basin fills were deposited on Menderes Massif, Lycian Nappes, and on top of Oligo–Miocene sediments. Plio-Quaternary marked the activation of N–S extension and the development of the E–W-trending Mu?la–Gökova Grabens, co-genetic equivalents of which are common throughout western Anatolia. Thus, the tectonic evolution of the western Anotolia during late Cenozoic was shifting from compressional to extensional with a relaxation period, suggesting a non-uniform evolution.     

Thermochronological record of Middle–Late Jurassic magmatic reheating to Eocene rift-related rapid cooling in the SE South China Block

We investigate the Mesozoic–Cenozoic thermal history of the Daxi region (central SE South China Block) to evaluate the influence of the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate beneath the SE South China Block along the block's southeast margin on the tectonothermal evolution of the upper plate. We apply a multi-chronological approach that includes U-Pb geochronology on zircon, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating on muscovite and biotite from granitic rocks as well as fission-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He analyses on zircon and apatite from granitic and sedimentary rocks. The Heping granite, located in the Daxi region, has a magmatic age of ca. 441 Ma. The biotite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of ca. 193 Ma for the Early Jurassic Shibei granite and ca. 160 Ma for the Late Jurassic Fogang granite, respectively, reflect magmatic cooling. The Triassic Longyuanba granite yielded a muscovite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of ca. 167 Ma, recording heating to ≥ 350 °C induced by nearby intrusion of Middle Jurassic granites. Zircon fission-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He ages from Lower Carboniferous–Lower Jurassic sandstones (140–70 Ma) record continuous cooling during the Cretaceous that followed extensive Middle–Late Jurassic magmatism in the Daxi region. Cretaceous cooling is related to exhumation in an extensional tectonic setting, consistent with lithospheric rebound due to foundering and rollback of the subducted Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate. Apatite fission-track (53–42 Ma) and (U-Th-Sm)/He ages (43–36 Ma), and thermal modelling document rapid cooling in the Paleocene–Eocene, which temporally coincides with continental rifting in the SE South China Block in the leadup to the opening of the South China Sea.     

First Evidence of Middle Triassic Basic Magmatism in the Southwestern Part of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoi Superterrane (Ilikan Terrane)

U–Pb ID–TIMS zircon analyses of the Dzhigda gabbro–gabbrodiorite Massif (Ilikan block in the southwestern part of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoi superterrane) have been carried out. The results demonstrate that the formation of the massif at 244 ± 5 Ma corresponds to one of the stages of formation of the Selenga–Vitim volcano–plutonic belt. The latter stretches along the southeastern margin of the North Asian Craton along its border with the Mongol–Okhotsk fold belt. This indicates that the Selenga–Vitim volcano–plutonic belt along with granitoids and volcanics comprises Permian–Triassic massifs and that this belt is superimposed onto structures of not only the Selenga–Stanovoi terrane but also the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoi terrane.     

New Discovery of the Late Triassic Terrigenous Sediments in the Great Xing’an Range Region, NE China and its Geological Significance

<正>Objective The Great Xing'an Range is located in the eastern section of Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB).As a superposed position of multiple tectonic domains,its structural evoIlution has always been a focused issue of geological research.The Triassic is a critical turning point     

Conodont Biostratigraphy and Age Determination of the Lower–Middle Triassic Boundary in South Guizhou Province, China

The demarcation of the Lower–Middle Triassic boundary is a disputed problem in global stratigraphic research. Lower–Middle Triassic strata of different types, from platform to basin facies, are well developed in Southwest China. This is favorable for the study of the Olenekian–Anisian boundary and establishing a stratotype for the Qingyan Stage. Based on research at the Ganheqiao section in Wangmo county and the Qingyan section in Guiyang city, Guizhou province, six conodont zones have been recognized, which can be correlated with those in other regions, in ascending order as follows: 1, Neospathodus cristagalli Interval-Zone; 2, Neospathodus pakistanensis Interval-Zone; 3, Neospathodus waageni Interval-Zone; 4, Neospathodus homeri-N. triangularis Assemblage-Zone; 5, Chiosella timorensis Interval-Zone; and 6, Neogongdolella regalis Range-Zone. An evolutionary series of the Early–Middle Triassic conodont genera Neospathodus-Chiosella-Neogongdolella discovered in the Ganheqiao and Qingyan sections has an intermediate type named Neospathodus qingyanensis that appears between Neospathodus homeri and Chiosella timorensis in the upper part of the Neospathodus homeri-N. triangularis Zone, showing an excellent evolutionary relationship of conodonts near the Lower–Middle Triassic boundary. The Lower–Middle Triassic boundary is located at 1.5 m below the top of the Ziyun Formation, where Chiosella timorensis Zone first appears in the Qingyan section, whereas this boundary is located 0.5 m below the top of the Ziyun Formation, where Chiosella timorensis Zone first appears in the Ganheqiao section. There exists one nearly 6-m thick vitric tuff bed at the bottom of the Xinyuan Formation in the Ganheqiao section, which is usually regarded as a lithologic symbol of the Lower–Middle Triassic boundary in South China. Based on the analysis of high-precision and high-sensitivity Secondary Ion Mass Spectrum data, the zircon age of this tuff has a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 239.0±2.9Ma (2s), which is a directly measured zircon U-Pb age of the Lower–Middle Triassic boundary. The Ganheqiao section in Wangmo county can therefore provide an excellent section through the Lower–Middle Triassic because it is continuous, the evolution of the conodonts is distinctive and the regionally stable distributed vitric tuff near the Lower–Middle Triassic boundary can be regarded as a regional key isochronal layer. This section can be regarded not only as a standard section for the establishment of the Qingyan Stage in China, but also as a reference section for the GSSP of the Lower–Middle Triassic boundary.     

Geochemistry,provenance and tectonic setting of the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician Seydişehir Formation in the Çaltepe and Fele areas,SE Turkey

The major, trace and rare earth element (REE) contents of metapelite (MPL), metapsammite (MPS) and metamarl (MM) samples from the Cambro-Ordovician Seydi?ehir Formation were analyzed to investigate their provenance and tectonic setting. The MPS, MPL, and MM samples have variable SiO₂ concentrations, with average values of 72.36, 55.54, and 20.95 wt%, moderate SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios (means of 6.88, 3.23, and 3.80), moderate to high Fe₂O₃ + MgO contents (means of 5.14, 9.55, 3.56 wt%), and high K₂O/Na₂O ratios (means of 3.26, 3.64, 2.90), respectively. On average, the chemical index of alteration (CIA) values of the MPS and the MPL are 65.87 and 71.96, respectively, while the chemical index of weathering (CIW) values are 74.54 and 85.09, respectively. These data record an intermediate to high degree of alteration (weathering) of plagioclase to illite/kaolinite in the samples’ provenance. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of all the sample groups are similar and are characterized by subparallel light rare earth elements (LREE)-enriched, relatively flat heavy rare earth elements (HREE) patterns with pronounced Eu anomalies (mean of 0.69) and moderate fractionation [average (La/Yb)_N = 8.7]. Plots of sediments in ternary diagrams of La, Th, Sc and elemental ratios (La/Sc, Th/Sc, Cr/Th, Eu/Eu*, La/Lu, Co/Th, La/Sc and Sc/Th), which are critical for determining provenance, and REE patterns indicate that the metaclastic units of the Seydi?ehir Formation were derived dominantly from felsic to intermediate magmatic rocks and not from a mafic source. The La–Sc–Th and Th–Sc–Zr/10 ternary diagrams of the Seydi?ehir Formation are typical of continental island arc/active continental margin tectonic settings. The geologic location and geochemistry of the Seydi?ehir Formation suggest that it was deposited in an Andean-type retroarc foreland basin during the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician period. The Neoproterozoic intermediate to felsic magmatic rocks and metaclastic sediments with felsic origins of the Sand?kl?–Afyon Basement Complex (SBC) and their equivalent units, which are thought to be overlain by the younger units in the study area, may be the dominant source rocks for the Seydi?ehir Formation.     

The First Reconstructions of Vegetation and Climate Changes in the Central Part of the Oka Plateau (East Sayan Mountains) in the Middle–Late Holocene

Doklady Earth Sciences - The Central part of the Oka Plateau lying in the East Sayan Mountains is still a poorly studied area of southern Siberia as regards its paleogeography. This gap can be...     

Remnants of late Permian–Middle Triassic ocean islands in northern Tibet: Implications for the late-stage evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean

In this paper we present new data for the Tianquan (TQ) and Dabure (DB) ocean islands in the western segment of the Longmuco–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang suture zone, northern Tibet, including the results of major and trace element analyses, zircon U–Pb dating, and Hf isotope analyses. Our aim was to assess the genesis of these ocean islands and to consider the implications for the tectonic evolution of the region as a whole. Both TQ and DB retain an ocean-island-type double-layered structure comprising a volcanic basement (basalt and andesite) and an oceanic sedimentary cover sequence (conglomerate, limestone, and chert). The basalts and andesites in the TQ and DB are enriched in light rare earth elements and high field strength elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and Ti), yielding chondrite-normalized REE patterns and primitive-mantle-normalized trace element patterns that are similar to those of ocean island basalts. Given the small and generally positive ε_Hf(t) values of the TQ andesites (+ 4.25 to + 6.22) and DB andesites (− 0.59 to + 1.97, mostly > 0), we conclude that the basalts were derived from the partial melting of garnet peridotite in the mantle and that the andesites were formed by fractional crystallization of the mafic parent magma derived from the garnet peridotite mantle. The ascending magmas underwent varying degrees of fractional crystallization but were not contaminated by crustal material. These features indicate that both TQ and DB are typical ocean islands that formed in an ocean basin. Geochemical analyses of cherts from TQ and DB show that they contain terrigenous material, indicating the proximity of a continental margin. The andesites of TQ contain zircons that yield two U–Pb ages of 251 Ma. Given that ages of 246, 247, and 254 Ma had been reported previously, we conclude that TQ formed during the late Permian–Early Triassic. The andesites of DB contain zircons that yield U–Pb ages of 242 and 246 Ma. Taking into account the youngest age of 244 Ma from the DB basalt, we conclude that DB formed during the Middle Triassic. These data, combined with the geological history of the region, indicate that the development of the Longmuco–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang Paleo-Tethys Ocean continued after the early Permian and that the closure of this ocean was diachronous from east to west. The eastern segment of the ocean closed during the Early Triassic; however, the western segment remained at least partially open until the Middle Triassic, although the ocean was relatively small at this time. The ocean finally closed in the Late Triassic.