Basaltic dykes of the Eastern Belt of Peninsular Malaysia: The effects of the difference in crustal thickness of Sibumasu and Indochina

Basaltic dykes of Peninsular Malaysia are confined to the Eastern Belt (Indochina/East Malaya block) as compared with the Western Belt (Sibumasu Block). The dyke intruded through a crustal fracture formed by stress developed from the evolution of two offshore basins (Malay and Penyu basins) east of Peninsular Malaysia. The Ar–Ar dating from the present study combined with the previous geochronological data indicate that the ages of dykes range from 79 ± 2 Ma to 179 ± 2 Ma. Thus it is difficult to correlate the dykes with the closure of Tethys during Permo-Triassic time because of the younger age of the dykes. The majority of the dykes exposed in the Eastern Belt may have been attributed to the difference of crustal thickness between the Eastern and Western belt of Peninsular Malaysia. A thicker Western Belt crust (13 km more than both Eastern and Central belts) is difficult to rupture with normal plate tectonic stress and therefore serves to contain the rise of a mantle derived melt. The chemistry indicates the basalts are olivine to quartz normative and are of the continental within-plate category.     

Late Jurassic intraplate faulting in eastern Australia: A link to subduction in eastern Gondwana and plate tectonic reorganisation

Eastern Gondwana was subjected to subduction processes during the Middle-Late Jurassic, but how these processes affected intraplate deformation in eastern Australia is poorly understood. Here we present ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, K-Ar, and Rb-Sr geochronological data from illitic clay-bearing fault gouges associated with the northern part of the 200 km long, N-striking, dextral strike-slip, Demon Fault in eastern Australia. We show a major range of geochronological ages at 162.99 ± 0.74–152.1 ± 4.8 Ma, indicating that the Demon Fault was active during the Late Jurassic. This period partially coincides with the Middle-Late Jurassic deposition of widespread ash-fall tuffs in the Clarence-Moreton, Surat, and Eromanga basins. We propose that Middle-Late Jurassic intraplate tectonism in eastern Australia was influenced by subduction processes farther east, which produced extensive calc-alkaline magmatism in New Zealand from ~170 Ma. A global plate reorganisation event, related to the development of Early-Middle Jurassic sea-floor spreading of the Pacific Plate, possibly acted as the driving mechanism responsible for the intensification of magmatism and intraplate faulting in eastern Gondwana.     

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.     

40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Neogene-Quaternary Harrat Al-Madinah intercontinental volcanic field,Saudi Arabia: Implications for duration and migration of volcanic activity

New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages, based on incremental heating techniques for groundmass separates of 25 samples, are presented for the Harrat Al-Madinah volcanic field, part of Harrat Rahat in the north western part of the Arabian plate. This area is an active volcanic field characterized by the occurrence of two historical eruptions approximately in 641 and 1256 AD. Field investigations of the main volcanic landforms indicate dominantly monogenetic strombolian eruptions, in addition to local more explosive eruptions. The lavas consist mainly of olivine basalt and hawaiite flows with minor evolved rocks of mugearite, benmoreite, and trachyte that occur mainly as domes, tuff cones and occasionally as lava flows. Previous K/Ar dating shows that the Harrat Al-Madinah lava flows and associated domes comprise seven units spanning an age range of ca. 1.7 Ma–Recent. The new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinations confirm, to a great extent, the previously obtained K/Ar ages in the sense that no major systematic biases were found in the general stratigraphy of the different flow units. However, the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages show that volcanism in this area began in the Neogene (∼10 Ma) and continued to Recent, with the most voluminous eruptions occurring in the Quaternary. Neogene volcanism occurred in at least three pulses around 10, 5 and 2 Ma, whereas Quaternary volcanism produced at least seven units reflecting lava flow emplacement in the time period of 1.90 Ma–Recent. Thus, the whole duration of volcanic activity in the Harrat Al-Madinah (10 Ma–Recent) appears much longer than that previously identified. The longevity of volcanism in the same part of the moving Arabian plate and absence of evidence for uni-directional migration of volcanic activity indicate that there is no fixed plume beneath this region. The NNW-trending distribution of the volcanic vents is parallel to the Red Sea, and suggests their origin is related to periodic extensional episodes along the reactivated Red Sea fault system.     

Genesis of the Dadonggou Pb–Zn deposit in Kelan basin,Altay, NW China: Constraints from zircon U–Pb and biotite 40Ar/39Ar geochronological data

The genesis of polymetallic deposits in southern Altay, NW China has been disputed between a syngenetic seafloor hydrothermal process and an epigenetic orogenic-type mineralization. The Dadonggou Pb–Zn deposit occurs as NW-trending veins in the Devonian Kangbutiebao Formation volcanic-sedimentary sequence in the Kelan basin, southern Altay. A set of integrated zircon U–Pb and biotite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological data were applied to constrain the forming ages of the ores and their country rocks. Three samples of host volcanic rocks yielded weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 397.1 ± 4.5 Ma, 391.7 ± 3.6 Ma and 391.1 ± 4.2 Ma, respectively, indicating that the Kangbutiebao Formation was deposited in a Devonian back-arc basin. Two biotite samples separated from the Pb–Zn-containing quartz veins yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 205.9 ± 2.1 Ma and 204.3 ± 2.2 Ma, respectively, which represent the age of the Pb–Zn mineralization that is attributed to the closure of the Kelan back-arc basin and the Late Triassic orogeny. Combining the available geological and geochronological data, this contribution outlines the successive evolution from the development of a Devonian back-arc basin to the Late Triassic post-subduction orogeny, and proposes that the Dadonggou Pb–Zn deposit is an epigenetic orogenic-type deposit placed in the Late Triassic orogeny.     

Late Miocene–Quaternary rapid stepwise uplift of the NE Tibetan Plateau and its effects on climatic and environmental changes

The way in which the NE Tibetan Plateau uplifted and its impact on climatic change are crucial to understanding the evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and the development of the present geomorphology and climate of Central and East Asia. This paper is not a comprehensive review of current thinking but instead synthesises our past decades of work together with a number of new findings. The dating of Late Cenozoic basin sediments and the tectonic geomorphology of the NE Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the rapid persistent rise of this plateau began ~ 8 ± 1 Ma followed by stepwise accelerated rise at ~ 3.6 Ma, 2.6 Ma, 1.8–1.7 Ma, 1.2–0.6 Ma and 0.15 Ma. The Yellow River basin developed at ~ 1.7 Ma and evolved to its present pattern through stepwise backward-expansion toward its source area in response to the stepwise uplift of the plateau. High-resolution multi-climatic proxy records from the basins and terrace sediments indicate a persistent stepwise accelerated enhancement of the East Asian winter monsoon and drying of the Asian interior coupled with the episodic tectonic uplift since ~ 8 Ma and later also with the global cooling since ~ 3.2 Ma, suggesting a major role for tectonic forcing of the cooling.     

A Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic reconstruction of the Southwest Pacific region: Tectonics controlled by subduction and slab rollback processes

A Cenozoic tectonic reconstruction is presented for the Southwest Pacific region located east of Australia. The reconstruction is constrained by large geological and geophysical datasets and recalculated rotation parameters for Pacific–Australia and Lord Howe Rise–Pacific relative plate motion. The reconstruction is based on a conceptual tectonic model in which the large-scale structures of the region are manifestations of slab rollback and backarc extension processes. The current paradigm proclaims that the southwestern Pacific plate boundary was a west-dipping subduction boundary only since the Middle Eocene. The new reconstruction provides kinematic evidence that this configuration was already established in the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene. From ∼ 82 to ∼ 52 Ma, subduction was primarily accomplished by east and northeast-directed rollback of the Pacific slab, accommodating opening of the New Caledonia, South Loyalty, Coral Sea and Pocklington backarc basins and partly accommodating spreading in the Tasman Sea. The total amount of east-directed rollback of the Pacific slab that took place from ∼ 82 Ma to ∼ 52 Ma is estimated to be at least 1200 km. A large percentage of this rollback accommodated opening of the South Loyalty Basin, a north–south trending backarc basin. It is estimated from kinematic and geological constraints that the east–west width of the basin was at least ∼ 750 km. The South Loyalty and Pocklington backarc basins were subducted in the Eocene to earliest Miocene along the newly formed New Caledonia and Pocklington subduction zones. This culminated in southwestward and southward obduction of ophiolites in New Caledonia, Northland and New Guinea in the latest Eocene to earliest Miocene. It is suggested that the formation of these new subduction zones was triggered by a change in Pacific–Australia relative motion at ∼ 50 Ma. Two additional phases of eastward rollback of the Pacific slab followed, one during opening of the South Fiji Basin and Norfolk Basin in the Oligocene to Early Miocene (up to ∼ 650 km of rollback), and one during opening of the Lau Basin in the latest Miocene to Present (up to ∼ 400 km of rollback). Two new subduction zones formed in the Miocene, the south-dipping Trobriand subduction zone along which the Solomon Sea backarc Basin subducted and the north-dipping New Britain–San Cristobal–New Hebrides subduction zone, along which the Solomon Sea backarc Basin subducted in the west and the North Loyalty–South Fiji backarc Basin and remnants of the South Loyalty–Santa Cruz backarc Basin subducted in the east. Clockwise rollback of the New Hebrides section resulted in formation of the North Fiji Basin. The reconstruction provides explanations for the formation of new subduction zones and for the initiation and termination of opening of the marginal basins by either initiation of subduction of buoyant lithosphere, a change in plate kinematics or slab–mantle interaction.     

Abrupt spatial and geochemical changes in lamprophyre magmatism related to Gondwana fragmentation prior,during and after opening of the Tasman Sea

High-precision ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of lamprophyre dike swarms in the Western Province of New Zealand reveals that these dikes were emplaced into continental crust prior to, during and after opening of the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Dike ages form distinct clusters concentrated in different areas. The oldest magmatism, 102–100 Ma, is concentrated in the South Westland region that represents the furthest inboard portion of New Zealand in a Gondwana setting. A later pulse of magmatism from ~ 92 Ma to ~ 84 Ma, concentrated in North Westland, ended when the first oceanic crust formed at the inception of opening of the Tasman Sea. Magmatic quiescence followed until ~ 72–68 Ma, when another swarm of dikes was emplaced. The composition of the dikes reveals a dramatic change in primary melt sources while continental extension and lithospheric thinning were ongoing. The 102–100 Ma South Westland dikes represent the last mafic calc-alkaline magmatism associated with a long-lived history of the area as Gondwana's active margin. The 92–84 Ma North and 72–68 Ma Central Westland dike swarms on the other hand have strongly alkaline compositions interpreted as melts from an intraplate source. These dikes represent the oldest Western Province representatives of alkaline magmatism in the greater New Zealand region that peaked in activity during the Cenozoic and has remained active up to the present day. Cretaceous alkaline dikes were emplaced parallel to predicted normal faults associated with dextral shear along the Alpine Fault. Furthermore, they temporally correspond to polyphase Cretaceous metamorphism of the once distal Alpine Schist. Dike emplacement and distal metamorphism could have been linked by a precursor to the Alpine Fault. Dike emplacement in the Western Province coupled to metamorphism of the Alpine Schist at 72–68 Ma indicates a period of possible reactivation of this proto Alpine Fault before it served as a zone of weakness during the opening of the oceanic Emerald Basin (at ~ 45 Ma) and eventually the formation of the present-day plate boundary (~ 25 Ma–recent).     

The 1800–1100 Ma tectonic evolution of Australia

This paper presents a plate tectonic model for the evolution of the Australian continent between ca. 1800 and 1100 Ma. Between ca. 1800 and 1600 Ma episodic orogenesis occurred along the southern margin of the continent above a north-dipping subduction system. During this interval multiple orogenic events occurred. The West Australian Craton collided with the North Australian Craton (ca. 1790–1770 Ma), the Archaean nucleus of the Gawler Craton amalgamated with the North Australian Craton (ca. 1740–1690 Ma), and numerous smaller terranes accreted along the western Gawler Craton and the southern Arunta Inlier (ca. 1690–1640 Ma). The pattern of accretion suggests southward migration of the plate margin, which occurred due to a combination of slab rollback and back stepping of a subduction system behind the accreted continental blocks. Coeval with subduction a series of continental back-arc basins formed in the interior of the North Australian Craton and parts of the South Australian Craton, which were attached to the North Australian Craton prior to 1500 Ma. Extension of the North Australian Craton led to the opening of an oceanic basin along the eastern margin of the continent at ca. 1660 Ma. Continuing divergence was accommodated by oceanic spreading whereas the continental basins thermally subsided resulting in the development of sag-phase basins throughout the North Australian Craton. This oceanic basin was subsequently consumed during convergence, which ultimately led to development of a ca. 1600–1500 Ma orogenic belt along the eastern margin of Proterozoic Australia. Between ca. 1470 and 1100 Ma, the South Australian Craton, consisting of the Curnamona Province and the Gawler Craton rifted from the North Australian Craton and was re-attached in its present configuration during episodic ca. 1330–1100 Ma orogenesis, which is preserved in the Albany-Fraser Belt and the Musgrave Block.     

Geochronology of the initiation and displacement of the Altyn Strike-Slip Fault,western China

⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating studies have been carried out along the Dangjin Pass transect across the Altyn Strike-Slip Fault (ASSF). The samples gave ages of 445.2–454.3 Ma in the Northern Belt, 164.3–178.4 Ma in the Mesozoic Shear Zone and 26.3–36.4 Ma in the Cenozoic Shear Zone. Using the piercing point of the Bashikaogong Fault and the Cangma-Heihe Fault an offset of 350–400 km along the ASSF has been estimated. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of the syntectonic-growth or syntectonic-resetting minerals from the samples within the ASSF belt, and offset estimations from different age piercing points suggest that the ASSF should be initiated in the Middle Jurassic (178.4–160 Ma). Combined with previously reported ages, our studies show that the ASSF is characterized by multi-phase re-activation during 85–100, 25-40 and 8–10 Ma following its initiation in the Middle Jurassic in the regional tectonic setting of convergence between the Indian and Eurasian continents.     

Formation of the Japan Sea basin: Reassessment from Ar–Ar ages and Nd–Sr isotopic data of basement basalts of the Japan Sea and adjacent regions

Many studies have examined the Japan Sea basalts recovered during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg127/128. Of these, the ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating undertaken is important in constraining the timing of the formation of the Japan Sea; however, the implications of their results do not appear to be fully appreciated by the geological community. In this paper, I reassess the ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar age data of the basalts with reference to Nd–Sr isotopic data. The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating was performed on basalts somewhat enriched in large-ion lithophile elements and recovered from ODP Sites 794, 795 and the lower part of 797, yielding the plateau ages of 21.2–17.7 Ma. These basalts show the Nd–Sr isotopic signature of a moderately depleted mantle source (ε_Nd: 0.6–6.9). In contrast, the basalts from the upper part of Site 797 have yet to be dated due to their low K content, although their Nd isotopic compositions are similar to that of MORB (ε_Nd: 8.4–10.4). By analogy to the secular Nd–Sr isotopic trends reported for Sikhote-Alin and northeast Japan, the age of the upper basalts at Site 797 may be inferred to be younger than the lower basalts, probably around 16 Ma. The Nd–Sr isotopic compositions of the Japan Sea basalts have been interpreted in terms of eastward asthenospheric flow, as have the lavas of the Sikhote-Alin and northeastern Japan. The timing of volcanic activity in the Japan Sea region (i.e., from 21.2 to 14.86 Ma) is consistent with the timing of rotational crustal movements inferred from paleomagnetic studies of the Japanese Islands (i.e., 14.8–4.2 Ma for southwest Japan and 16.5–14.4 Ma for northeast Japan).     

Tectonics of the North Qilian orogen,NW China

The Qilian Orogen at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is a type suture zone that recorded a complete history from continental breakup to ocean basin evolution, and to the ultimate continental collision in the time period from the Neoproterozoic to the Paleozoic. The Qilian Ocean, often interpreted as representing the “Proto-Tethyan Ocean”, may actually be an eastern branch of the worldwide “Iapetus Ocean” between the two continents of Baltica and Laurentia, opened at ≥ 710 Ma as a consequence of breakup of supercontinent Rodinia.Initiation of the subduction in the Qilian Ocean probably occurred at ~ 520 Ma with the development of an Andean-type active continental margin represented by infant arc magmatism of ~ 517–490 Ma. In the beginning of Ordovician (~ 490 Ma), part of the active margin was split from the continental Alashan block and the Andean-type active margin had thus evolved to western Pacific-type trench–arc–back-arc system represented by the MORB-like crust (i.e., SSZ-type ophiolite belt) formed in a back-arc basin setting in the time period of ~ 490–445 Ma. During this time, the subducting oceanic lithosphere underwent LT-HP metamorphism along a cold geotherm of ~ 6–7 °C/km.The Qilian Ocean was closed at the end of the Ordovician (~ 445 Ma). Continental blocks started to collide and the northern edge of the Qilian–Qaidam block was underthrust/dragged beneath the Alashan block by the downgoing oceanic lithosphere to depths of ~ 100–200 km at about 435–420 Ma. Intensive orogenic activities occurred in the late Silurian and early Devonian in response to the exhumation of the subducted crustal materials.Briefly, the Qilian Orogen is conceptually a type example of the workings of plate tectonics from continental breakup to the development and evolution of an ocean basin, to the initiation of oceanic subduction and formation of arc and back-arc system, and to the final continental collision/subduction and exhumation.     

The age of supergene manganese deposits in Katanga and its implications for the Neogene evolution of the African Great Lakes Region

Supergene manganese deposits commonly contain K-rich Mn oxides with tunnel structure, such as cryptomelane, which are suitable for radiometric dating using the ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar method. In Africa, Mn deposits have been dated by this method for localities in western and southern parts of the continent, whereas only some preliminary data are available for Central Africa. Here we present new ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar ages for Mn oxide samples of the Kisenge deposit, in southwestern Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The samples represent supergene Mn oxide deposits that formed at the expense of primary Paleoproterozoic rhodochrosite-dominated carbonate ores. Main phases of Mn oxide formation are dated at c. 10.5 Ma, 3.6 Ma and 2.6 Ma for a core that crosses a mineralized interval. The latter shows a decrease in age with increasing depth, recording downward penetration of a weathering front. Surface samples of the Kisenge deposits also record a ≥ c.19.2 Ma phase, as well as c. 15.7 Ma, 14.2 Ma and 13.6 Ma phases. The obtained ages correspond to distinct periods of paleosurface development and stability during the Mio-Pliocene in Katanga. Because Katanga is a key area bordered to the North by the Congo Basin and to the East by the East African Rift System, these ages also provide constraints for the geodynamic evolution of the entire region. For the Mio-Pliocene, the Kisenge deposits record ages that are not systematically found elsewhere in Africa, although the 10.5–11 Ma event corresponds to a roughly simultaneous event in the Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa. The rest of the Katanga paleosurface record differs somewhat from records for other parts of Africa, for which older, Eocene ages have been obtained. This difference is most probably related to the specific regional geodynamic context: uplift of the East African Plateau, with associated erosion, and the opening of the East African Rift System at c. 25 Ma are events whose effects, in the study area, interfere with those of processes responsible for the development of continent-wide paleosurfaces.     

Geochemistry of lamprophyres at the Daping gold deposit,Yunnan Province,China: Constraints on the timing of gold mineralization and evidence for mantle convection in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Cenozoic lamprophyre dykes occur widely along the Ailao-Shan-Red-River (ASRR) shear zone related to the Indian–Eurasian collision. Two generations of lamprophyres have been found at the Daping gold deposit in the southern part of the ASRR shear zone and have been investigated by using phlogopite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating and whole-rock major and trace element as well as Sr and Nd isotope geochemical analyses. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of phlogopite from the two generations of lamprophyres bracket the emplacement of auriferous quartz veins in the Daping deposit between 36.8 ± 0.2 Ma and 29.6 ± 0.2 Ma, consistent with the timing of gold mineralization in other parts of the ASRR shear zone. Geochemical data suggest that these lamprophyres most likely originated from a subduction-modified mantle source consisting of phlogopite-bearing spinel lherzolite, which underwent partial melting with contributions from crust materials. In particular, the second generation lamprophyres are characterized by more primitive geochemical features than the first, suggesting that secular source evolution probably resulted from post-collisional slab break-off mantle convection and remelting from ascending asthenosphere after subducted lithosphere break-off. Widespread and episodic occurrences of lamprophyres and other potassic volcanism in the eastern Tibetan Plateau were probably related to the onset of transtensional tectonics along the ASRR shear zone during Oligocene. A genetic model involving transtensional tectonics has been proposed for lamprophyres and gold mineralization in the ASRR shear zone.     

Paleozoic tectonics of the southern Chinese Tianshan: Insights from structural,chronological and geochemical studies of the Heiyingshan ophiolitic mélange (NW China)

In the southern Chinese Tianshan, the southernmost part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), widespread ophiolitic mélanges form distinct tectonic units that are crucial for understanding the formation of the CAOB. However, the timing of tectonic events and the subduction polarity are still in controversy. In order to better understand these geological problems, a comprehensive study was conducted on the Heiyingshan ophiolitic mélange in the SW Chinese Tianshan. Detailed structural analysis reveals that the ophiolitic mélange is tectonically underlain by sheared and weakly metamorphosed pre-Middle Devonian rocks, and unconformably overlain by non-metamorphic and undeformed lower Carboniferous (Serpukhovian) to Permian strata. The igneous assemblage of the mélange comprises OIB-like alkali basalt and andesite, N-MORB-like tholeiitic basalt, sheeted diabase dikes, cumulate gabbro and peridotite. Mafic rocks display supra-subduction signatures, and some bear evidence of contamination with the continental crust, suggesting a continental marginal (back-arc) basin setting. Zircons of a gabbro were dated at 392 ± 5 Ma by the U–Pb LA-ICP-MS method. Famennian–Visean radiolarian microfossils were found in the siliceous matrix of the ophiolitic mélange. Mylonitic phyllite which displays northward-directed kinematic evidence yielded muscovite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 359 ± 2 Ma and 356 ± 2 Ma.These new data, combined with previously published results, suggest that the mafic protoliths originally formed in a back-arc basin in the Chinese southern Tianshan during the late Silurian to Middle Devonian and were subsequently incorporated into the ophiolitic mélange and thrust northward during the Late Devonian to early Carboniferous. Opening of the back-arc basin was probably induced by south-dipping subduction of the Paleo-Tianshan Ocean in the early Paleozoic, and the Central Tianshan block was rifted away from the Tarim block. Closure of the back-arc basin in the early Carboniferous formed the South Tianshan Suture Zone and re-amalgamated the two blocks.     

U–Pb–Hf zircon study of two mylonitic granite complexes in the Talas-Fergana fault zone,Kyrgyzstan, and Ar–Ar age of deformations along the fault

A 2000 km long dextral Talas-Fergana strike–slip fault separates eastern terranes in the Kyrgyz Tien Shan from western terranes. The aim of this study was to constrain an age of dextral shearing in the central part of the fault utilizing Ar–Ar dating of micas. We also carried out a U–Pb–Hf zircon study of two different deformed granitoid complexes in the fault zone from which the micas for Ar dating were separated. Two samples of the oldest deformed Neoproterozoic granitoids in the area of study yielded U–Pb zircon SHRIMP ages 728 ± 11 Ma and 778 ± 11 Ma, characteristic for the Cryogenian Bolshoi Naryn Formation, and zircon grains analyzed for their Lu–Hf isotopic compositions yielded εHf(t) values from −11.43 to −16.73, and their calculated tHfc ages varied from 2.42 to 2.71 Ga. Thus varying Cryogenian ages and noticeable heterogeneity of Meso- to Paleoproterozoic crustal sources was established for mylonitic granites of the Bolshoi Naryn Formation. Two samples of mylonitized pegmatoidal granites of the Kyrgysh Complex yielded identical ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 279 ± 5 Ma corresponding to the main peak of Late-Paleozoic post-collisional magmatism in the Tien Shan (Seltmann et al., 2011), and zircon grains analyzed for their Lu–Hf isotopic compositions yielded εHf(t) values from −11.43 to −16.73, and calculated tHfc ages from 2.42 to 2.71 Ga indicating derivation from a Paleoproterozoic crustal source. Microstructural studies showed that ductile/brittle deformation of pegmatoidal granites of the Kyrgysh Complex occurred at temperatures of 300–400 °C and caused resetting of the K–Ar isotope system of primary muscovite. Deformation of mylonitized granites of the Bolshoi Naryn Formation occurred under high temperature conditions and resulted in protracted growth and recrystallization of micas. The oldest Ar–Ar muscovite age of 241 Ma with a well defined plateau from a pegmatoidal granite of the Kyrgysh Complex is considered as a “minimum” age of dextral motions along this section of the fault in the Triassic while younger ages varying from 227 Ma to 199 Ma with typical staircase patterns indicate protracted growth and recrystallization of micas during ductile deformations which continued until the end of the Triassic.     

Zircon U–Pb,molybdenite Re–Os and muscovite Ar–Ar isotopic dating of the Xitian W–Sn polymetallic deposit,eastern Hunan Province,South China and its geological significance

The Xitian tungsten–tin (W–Sn) polymetallic deposit, located in eastern Hunan Province, South China, is a recently explored region containing one of the largest W–Sn deposits in the Nanling W–Sn metallogenic province. The mineral zones in this deposit comprise skarn, greisen, structurally altered rock and quartz-vein types. The deposit is mainly hosted by Devonian dolomitic limestone at the contact with the Xitian granite complex. The Xitian granite complex consists of Indosinian (Late Triassic, 230–215 Ma) and Yanshanian (Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, 165–141 Ma) granites. Zircons from two samples of the Xitian granite dated using laser ablation-inductively coupled mass spectrometer (LA-ICPMS) U–Pb analysis yielded two ages of 225.6 ± 1.3 Ma and 151.8 ± 1.4 Ma, representing the emplacement ages of two episodic intrusions of the Xitian granite complex. Molybdenites separated from ore-bearing quartz-veins yielded a Re–Os isochron age of 149.7 ± 0.9 Ma, in excellent agreement with a weighted mean age of 150.3 ± 0.5 Ma. Two samples of muscovites from ore-bearing greisens yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 149.5 ± 1.5 Ma and 149.4 ± 1.5 Ma, respectively. These isotopic ages obtained from hydrothermal minerals are slightly younger than the zircon U–Pb age of 151.8 ± 1.4 Ma of the Yanshanian granite in the Xitian area, indicating that the W–Sn mineralization is genetically related to the Late Jurassic magmatism. The Xitian deposit is a good example of the Early Yanshanian regional W–Sn ore-forming event (160–150 Ma) in the Nanling region. The relatively high Re contents (8.7 to 44.0 ppm, average of 30.5 ppm) in molybdenites suggest a mixture of mantle and crustal sources in the genesis of the ore-forming fluids and melts. Based upon previous geochemical studies of Early Yanshanian granite and regional geology, we argue that the Xitian W–Sn polymetallic deposit can be attributed to back-arc lithosphere extension in the region, which was probably triggered by the break-off of the flat-slab of the Palae-Pacific plate beneath the lithosphere.     

Thermal history of the giant Qulong Cu–Mo deposit,Gangdese metallogenic belt,Tibet: Constraints on magmatic–hydrothermal evolution and exhumation

A complete thermal history for the Qulong porphyry Cu–Mo deposit, Tibet is presented. Zircon U–Pb geochronology indicates that the mineralization at Qulong resulted from brecciation-veining events associated with the emplacement of a series of intermediate-felsic intrusions. Combined with previously published ages, our results reveal a whole intrusive history of the Qulong composite pluton. Causative porphyries were emplaced at ~ 16.0 Ma as revealed by ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating of hydrothermal biotite (15.7 ± 0.2 Ma) and sericite (15.7 ± 0.2 Ma). Zircon and apatite (U–Th)/He (ZHe and AHe) dating of Qulong revealed that both followed similar, monotonic thermal trajectories from 900 °C (U–Pb ages: 17.5–15.9 Ma) to 200 °C (ZHe: 15.7–14.0 Ma), and that the causative porphyries experienced faster cooling at a maximum rate of greater than 200 °C/myr. The Qulong deposit was exhumed between 13.6 Ma and 12.4 Ma (AHe) at an estimated rate of 0.16–0.24 mm/y, which is consistent with previous estimates for other Gangdese Miocene porphyry deposits. Our AHe thermochronology results suggest that neither the Gangdese thrust system, nor the Yadong–Gulu graben affected or accelerated exhumation at the Qulong deposit.     

Molybdenite Re–Os and albite 40Ar/39Ar dating of Cu–Au–Mo and magnetite porphyry systems in the Yangtze River valley and metallogenic implications

The area of the Middle–Lower Yangtze River valley, Eastern China, extending from Wuhan (Hubei province) to western Zhenjiang (Jiangsu province), hosts an important belt of Cu–Au–Mo and Fe deposits. There are two styles of mineralization, i.e., skarn/porphyry/stratabound Cu–Au–Mo–(Fe) deposits and magnetite porphyry deposits in several NNE-trending Cretaceous fault-bound volcanic basins. The origin of both deposit systems is much debated. We dated 11 molybdenite samples from five skarn/porphyry Cu–Au–Mo deposits and 5 molybdenite samples from the Datuanshan stratabound Cu–Au–Mo deposit by ICP-MS Re–Os isotope analysis. Nine samples from the same set were additionally analyzed by NTIMS on Re–Os. Results from the two methods are almost identical. The Re–Os model ages of 16 molybdenite samples range from 134.7 ± 2.3 to 143.7 ± 1.6 Ma (2σ). The model ages of the five samples from the Datuanshan stratabound deposit vary from 138.0 ± 3.2 to 140.8 ± 2.0 Ma, with a mean of 139.3 ± 2.6 Ma; their isochron age is 139.1 ± 2.7 Ma with an initial Os ratio of 0.7 ± 8.1 (MSWD = 0.29). These data indicate that the porphyry/skarn systems and the stratabound deposits have the same age and suggest an origin within the same metallogenic system. Albite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of the magnetite porphyry deposits indicates that they formed at 123 to 125 Ma, i.e., 10–20 Ma later. Both mineralization styles characterize transitional geodynamic regimes, i.e., the period around 140 Ma when the main NS-trending compressional regime changed to an EW-trending lithospheric extensional regime, and the period of 125–115 Ma of dramatic EW-trending lithospheric extension.     

Paleo-Tethyan tectonic evolution of Lancangjiang metamorphic complex: Evidence from SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating and 40Ar/39Ar isotope geochronology of blueschists in Xiaoheijiang-Xiayun area,Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Blueschists are sporadically exposed as lenses within the Lancangjiang metamorphic complex, and represent unique components of the Paleo-Tethys. In this paper, we present geochemical and geochronological results of blueschists to decipher their origin and tectonic significance. The whole-rock geochemical analyses revealed strong similarities with ocean island basalt (OIB), and further discrimination diagrams confirm an affinity to a within-plate setting. Combined studies on blueschists using cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircon domains and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of phengite and glaucophane provide evidence of their magmatic origin and metamorphic evolution. Slightly oscillatory zoned or compositionally homogeneous zircon grains/domains, as well as structureless zircon rims, yield ages from 231.6 ± 3.7 to 225.3 ± 4.8 Ma, recording the blueschist facies metamorphic event. In contrast, the captured zircon grains and cores with a major age peak at ~241 Ma as well as several minor older age peaks indicate the multiple provenance of the zircons. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar step heating analyses on single grains of phengite and glaucophane separated from blueschists yield plateau ages ranging from 242.5 ± 1.4 to 228.7 ± 1.5 Ma which are interpreted to reflect high-pressure metamorphism.This study provides geochemical and geochronological constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Tethyan ocean, which was closed and subsequently subducted as a result of the collision of the Simao and Baoshan Blocks. During subduction in Trassic (243 to 225 Ma), the protoliths of blueschists underwent blueschist facies conditions.