Discovery of Radiolarian Fossils from the Aiketik Group at the Western End of the South Tianshan Mountains of Chinaand Its Implications

The Aiketik Group, distributed at the western end of the South Tianshan Mountains, China, is an important lithostratigraphic unit involved in the South Tianshan orogen. It is separated from the adjacent rocks by faults. Generally, the geologists ascribed it to the Upper Carboniferous according to Pseudostaffella sp., Profusulinella sp. and Fusulinella sp. found from the limestone and sandy limestone of Aiketik. Our radiolarian fossils were obtained from the chert samples collected from the Haladaok section located at the upper Tuoshihan River. The fossils mainly include Albaillella undulata Deflandre, Albaillella paradoxa Deflandre, Albaillella sp. aff. A. paradoxa Deflandre, Albaillella sp. cf. A. deflandrei Gourmelon, Albaillella sp., Albaillella excelsa Ishiga, Kito and Imoto (?), Belowea variabilis (Ormiston et Lane), Callella cf. C. parvispinosa Won, Entactinia cf. E. tortispina Ormiston et Lane, Entactinia aff. E. tortispina Ormiston et Lane, Entactinia variospina Won, Entactinia sp., Eostylodicty     

Early Carboniferous Radiolarian Fauna from Heiyingshan South of the Tianshan Mountains and Its Geotectonic Significance

Abundant and well-preserved fossil radiolarians found from the Artencasher Formation, Heiyingshan of Baicheng County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, are identified, including 15 species and 2 unnamed species in 9 genera. The fauna is dominated by the Family Entactiniidae of Spumellaria. According to the faunal characteristics, the radiolarians may be divided into five assemblages, namely, the Triaenosphaera sicarius, Entatinosphaera palimbola, Entactinia vulgaris, Belowea cf. variabilis and Archocyrtium sp assemblages. The fauna may be correlated with that from the Early Carboniferous of Frankenwald and Rein in Germany. Thus, ophiolite was formed in the Carboniferous, while the age of collision between the Ili plate and the Tarim plate is Early Carboniferous.     

Geochemical Characteristics of the Plagiogranites in the Vicinity of Bingdaban,Central Tianshan

The tectonic and geochemical characteristics suggest that the plagiogranites exposed in the vicinity of Bingdaban on the northen margin of the central Tianshan uplift zone show a distinct mantle-source character, and their enrichment in LREE and selected enrichment in LILE(large ion lithophile elements)reflect a setting related to an arc tectonic regime.These rocks represent the products formed at shallow levels from mantle-derived magmas modified with subduction components(or super crustal rocks).     

Alkaline Basalts in the Bayingou Ophiolitic Melange of Northern Tianshan Mountains:Origination from Seamounts?

正Objective The Bayingou ophiolitic melange is located in Northern Tianshan Mountains of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt which is the largest accretionary orogen among the European,Siberian,Tarim and North China cratons.The Bayingou ophiolitic melange provide a critical geological record for unraveling regional tectonic history     

Palaeozoic evolution of the North Tianshan based on palaeomagnetic data – transition from Gondwana towards Pangaea

We present new palaeomagnetic data for Cambrian and Ordovician volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the Kyrgyz North Tianshan (NTS) and review available data from the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) to elucidate the tectonic history and evolution of this region during the early Palaeozoic. We observed a coherent evolution of the NTS and the Kazakhstan continent (or Kazakhstania) with a constant northwards movement between the Cambrian and Devonian at ～5 cm/a. After the northwards movement ceased in the Devonian, the accreted terrane assemblage of Kazakhstania occupied a stable latitudinal position at ～30°N until the final amalgamation of Eurasia occurred in the late Carboniferous to early Permian. Amalgamation of the Tarim and Turan blocks caused a counterclockwise bending within the southwestern segment of the CAOB, which occurred in an inconsistent way by a brittle-like response of the upper crust with a large variety of rotational movement. We suggest an evolution of the Kyrgyz CAOB terranes by steady migration away from Gondwana and subsequent capture in a zone of global downwelling at ~30°N, where accretion and subsequent amalgamation of Eurasia occurred with the CAOB terranes in its centre.     

Geochemical Characteristics of Granitoids in the Eastern Sector of the Northern Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang

The granitioids in question are located in the geosynclinal fold belt of the Northern Tianshan Mountains.The magmas are intruded into a Carboniferous marine volcanic-sedimentary rock series. forming a contempo-raneous. intermediate-basic to acid. composite intrusion. With a whole-rock Rb-Sr isochron age of 315.7 Ma. itis considered to be of middle Heicynian age. The granitoids have a SiO_2 content of 48-78%, a calc-alkali indexof 60 and silica-alkali indices ρ=2.2-2.4 and σ=1.5-2. From basic to acid compositions, the total REE con-tent increases from 38 to 143 ppm. δEu ranges from 0.47 to 0.86 and the Eu anomalies are negative. Thenormalized curves of REE of various rock types are very similar. These coupled with the characteristics of traceelement geochemistry show that the intrusion is an island arc-continental margin, calc-alkaline one. Theδ~(18)O values range from 5.8 to 8.9‰ and the ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr initial ratio is 0.705. The materials of the intrusion arecomposed of a mixture of the magmas at the top of the upper mantle and in the lower crust, This indicates thatthe rocks might be consanguineous. differentiated and evolved products and possess the characteristics of Ⅰtype granites.     

Ages of peak HP-UHP metamorphism of eclogites from Chinese southwestern Tianshan: Evidence from Lu-Hf geochronologySCIEI北大核心CSCD

新疆西南天山蓝片岩-榴辉岩带是全球少有的几个经历超高压变质作用的洋壳俯冲带之一,近年来的同位素年代学研究表明其变质作用主要发生于石炭纪。然而,该蓝片岩-榴辉岩带峰期变质作用,特别是超高压变质作用的时代还未精确限定。本文选取来自该带的典型钠云母黝帘石榴辉岩(样品211-3和H76-10),在详细的岩石学和相平衡研究基础上,开展了Lu-Hf同位素年代学研究,以期获得其峰期变质作用时代。相平衡模拟结果表明两榴辉岩中石榴石均记录了升温降压型折返P-T(温度-压力)轨迹。其中,样品211-3经历了超高压变质作用,其压力峰期P-T条件为~540℃、~2.9GPa,石榴石-绿辉石-全岩Lu-Hf等时线年龄为326.9±1.3Ma;样品H76-10仅经历了高压变质作用,其压力峰期P-T条件为~490℃、~2.4GPa,石榴石-绿辉石-全岩Lu-Hf等时线年龄为306±11Ma。结合前人年代学数据,获得新疆西南天山超高压榴辉岩峰期变质作用时代为327~326Ma,高压榴辉岩峰期变质作用时代为316-306Ma。本文获得的超高压变质作用确切年龄326.9±1.3Ma,对于揭示古南天山洋深俯冲和闭合的时间具有重要意义。     

Re–Os dating of chalcopyrite from selected mineral deposits in the Kalatag district in the eastern Tianshan Orogen,China

The Kalatag Cu–Zn–Au district contains a number of economically important Cu deposits in eastern Tianshan in Xinjiang, NW China. Due to the lack of precise mineralization ages, the metallogenesis of this area has long been a matter of debate. In this study, chalcopyrite Re–Os isotope methods are used to date the South Meiling Cu–Zn and Hongshi Cu deposits in the eastern part of Kalatag area.The South Meiling Cu–Zn deposit is hosted in volcanic-sedimentary rocks of the Late Ordovician to Early Silurian Daliugou Formation. The deposit consists of two parts: a concordant massive sulfide ores and discordant vein-type ores located in the footwall strata. The principal ore minerals are pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, minor tetrahedrite, galena and pyrrhotite. Gangue minerals include quartz, sericite and barite, and minor chlorite, plagioclase and carbonate minerals. The Hongshi Cu deposit represents a hydrothermal vein system hosted in the mafic volcanic rocks of Daliugou Formation. The orebodies are associated with quartz veins and controlled by subsidiary faults of the Kalatag fault. The ore-forming process can be divided into the early, middle and late stages and is characterized by quartz–pyrite, quartz–chalcopyrite–pyrite and quartz–carbonate–gypsum veins, respectively.Re–Os analyses of chalcopyrite from the South Meiling Cu–Zn deposit yield an isochron age of 434.2 ± 3.9 Ma and initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of 0.647 ± 0.098 (MSWD = 0.59). Re–Os analyses of chalcopyrite from the Hongshi Cu deposit yield an isochron age of 431.8 ± 2.7 Ma and initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of − 0.165 ± 0.075 (MSWD = 0.77). Since chalcopyrite is the primary copper mineral, we interpret these isochron ages as the timing of Cu mineralization, based on field geology and petrographic evidence. These results suggest that the Re–Os ages presented here provide, for the first time, a direct constraint on an early Paleozoic Cu mineralization event of the eastern Tianshan Orogen. The high initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios (0.647 ± 0.098) ratio of ~ 434 Ma chalcopyrite from the South Meiling deposit suggest that the metal was sourced from a two end-member mixing of crust and mantle materials. Moreover, we propose that the VMS mineral system and hydrothermal vein system of the Kalatag district were related to the south-dipping subduction of the Kalamaili oceanic plate during the Late Ordovician–Silurian.     

Carboniferous Post-collisional Rift Volcanism of the Tianshan Mountains, Northwestern China

The Tianshan Carboniferous post-collisional rift volcanic rocks occur in northwestern China as a large igneous province. Based on petrogeochemical data, the Tianshan Carboniferous post-collisional rift basic lavas can be classified into two major magma types: (1) the low-Ti/Y type situated in the eastern-central Tianshan area, which exhibits low Ti/Y (<500), Ce/Yb (<15) and SiO2 (43-55%), and relatively high Fe2O3T (6.4-11.5%); (2) the high-Ti/Y type situated in the western Tianshan area, which has high Ti/Y (>500), Ce/Yb (>11) and SiO2 (49-55%), and relatively low Fe2O3T (5.8-7.8%). Elemental data suggest that chemical variations of the low-Ti/Y and high-Ti/Y lavas cannot be explained by fractional crystallization from a common parental magma. The Tianshan Carboniferous basic lavas originated most likely from an OIB-like asthenospheric mantle source (87Sr/86Sr(t) ≈ 0.703-0.705, εNd(t) ≈ +4 to +7). The crustal contamination and continental lithospheric mantle have also contributed significantly to the formation of the basic lavas of the Tianshan Carboniferous post-collisional rift. The silicic lavas were probably generated by partial melting of the crust. The data of this study show that spatial petrogeochemical variations exist in the Carboniferous post-collisional rift volcanics province in the Tianshan region. Occurrence of the thickest volcanics dominated by tholeiitic lavas may imply that the center of the mantle-melting anomaly (mantle plume) was in the eastern Tianshan area at that time. The basic volcanic magmas in the eastern Tianshan area were generated by a relatively high degree of partial melting of the mantle source around the spinel-garnet transition zone, whereas the alkaline basaltic lavas are of the dominant magma type in the western Tianshan area, which were generated by a low degree of partial melting of the mantle source within the stable garnet region, thus the basic lavas of the western Tianshan area might have resulted from relatively thick lithosphere and low geothermal gradient.     

Re-Os Age of Cu-Ni Ores from the Huangshandong Cu-Ni Sulfide Deposit in the East Tianshan Mountains and Its Implication for Geodynamic Processes

An isochron age of 282±20 (95% conf. limit) Ma of the sulfide ores in the Huangshandong Cu-Ni sulfide deposit, the East Tianshan Mountains has been obtained through Re-Os isotopic measurement. The age implies that the Cu-Ni sulfide deposit and other related deposits in the same area occurred in a Permian extensional environment of post-collision instead of Devonian-Early Carboniferous ophiolite-related oceanic or island arc environments inferred before. It shares the same ages with the orogenic and epithermal gold deposit systems in the same area. An initial 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.25±0.04 (1σ) and a γos value of 99 on average display the participation of large quantities of crustal components into the rock-forming and ore-forming system during mineralization and magmatic emplacement.     

Petrology and U–Pb zircon dating of coesite-bearing metapelite from the Kebuerte Valley,western Tianshan,China

This paper deals with the petrology and U–Pb dating of coesite-bearing garnet–phengite schist from the Kebuerte Valley, Chinese western Tianshan. It mainly consists of porphyroblastic garnet, phengite, quartz and chlorite with minor amounts of paragonite, albite, zoisite and chloritoid. The well preserved coesite inclusions (∼100 μm) in garnet are encircled by a narrow rim of quartz. They were identified by optical microscopy and confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Using the computer program THERMOCALC, the peak metamorphic conditions of 29 kbar and 565 °C were obtained via garnet isopleth geothermobarometry. The predicted UHP peak mineral assemblage comprises garnet + jadeite + lawsonite + carpholite + coesite + phengite. The metapelite records prograde quartz–eclogite-facies metamorphism, UHP coesite–eclogite-facies peak metamorphism, and a late greenschist-facies overprint. Phase equilibrium modeling predicts that garnet mainly grew in the mineral assemblages garnet + jadeite + lawsonite + chloritoid + glaucophane + quartz + phengite and garnet + jadeite + lawsonite + carpholite + glaucophane + quartz + phengite. SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of the coesite-bearing metapelite yielded the peak metamorphic age 320.4 ± 3.7 Ma. For the first time, age data of coesite-bearing UHP metapelite from the Chinese western Tianshan are presented in this paper. They are in accord with published ages obtained from eclogite from other localities in the Chinese western Tianshan and the Kyrgyz South Tianshan and therefore prove a widespread occurrence of UHP metamorphism.     

Permo-Carboniferous Radiolarians from the Wupata''''erkan Group,Western South Tianshan, Xinjiang, China

1 IntroductionThe Wupata'erkan Group, also called Wupata'erkanFormation (Wang et al., 1990), in the western SouthTianshan, China (Fig. 1), mainly comprises gray and darkgray fine-grained clastic rocks, interlayered with medium-acidic volcanic rocks (andesite and quartz porphyry),carbonates, cherts and variegated tuffaceousconglomerates. The chert in the formation was firstly foundin our field trip along sections of the Qiqi'erjianakesu Riverand Kekebiele Daban. Deformation of the group is…     

Permo-Carboniferous Radiolarians from the Wupata''erkan Group,Western South Tianshan, Xinjiang, China

1 IntroductionThe Wupata'erkan Group, also called Wupata'erkanFormation (Wang et al., 1990), in the western SouthTianshan, China (Fig. 1), mainly comprises gray and darkgray fine-grained clastic rocks, interlayered with medium-acidic volcanic rocks (andesite and quartz porphyry),carbonates, cherts and variegated tuffaceousconglomerates. The chert in the formation was firstly foundin our field trip along sections of the Qiqi'erjianakesu Riverand Kekebiele Daban. Deformation of the group is…     

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.     

Trace Element Geochemistry of Magnetite from the Fe(-Cu) Deposits in the Hami Region, Eastern Tianshan Orogenic Belt, NW China

Laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry(LA–ICP–MS) was used to determine the trace element concentrations of magnetite from the Heifengshan, Shuangfengshan, and Shaquanzi Fe(–Cu) deposits in the Eastern Tianshan Orogenic Belt. The magnetite from these deposits typically contains detectable Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn and Ga. The trace element contents in magnetite generally vary less than one order of magnitude. The subtle variations of trace element concentrations within a magnetite grain and between the magnetite grains in the same sample probably indicate local inhomogeneity of ore–forming fluids. The variations of Co in magnetite between samples are probably due to the mineral proportion of magnetite and pyrite. Factor analysis has discriminated three types of magnetite: Ni–Mn–V–Ti(Factor 1), Mg–Al–Zn(Factor 2), and Ga– Co(Factor 3) magnetite. Magnetite from the Heifengshan and Shuangfengshan Fe deposits has similar normalized trace element spider patterns and cannot be discriminated according to these factors. However, magnetite from the Shaquanzi Fe–Cu deposit has affinity to Factor 2 with lower Mg and Al but higher Zn concentrations, indicating that the ore–forming fluids responsible for the Fe–Cu deposit are different from those for Fe deposits. Chemical composition of magnetite indicates that magnetite from these Fe(–Cu) deposits was formed by hydrothermal processes rather than magmatic differentiation. The formation of these Fe(–Cu) deposits may be related to felsic magmatism.     

Climate and environmental changes over the past 150 years inferred from the sediments of Chaiwopu Lake, central Tianshan Mountains, northwest China

We used a 55-cm sediment core from shallow Chaiwopu Lake in the central Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, northwest China, to investigate climate and environmental changes in this arid region over the past ~150 years. The core was dated using ¹³⁷Cs. We compared temporal changes in several sediment variables with recent meteorological and tree-ring records. Organic matter had a positive correlation with the Palmer Drought Severity Index in the central Tianshan Mountains, and the δ¹³C of organic matter had a positive correlation with regional temperature. We applied constrained incremental sum-of-squares cluster analysis to element concentrations in the core and identified three distinct zones: (1) 55–46 cm, ~1860–1910, (2) 46–26 cm, ~1910–1952, and (3) 26–0 cm, 1952–present. Between 1880 and 1910 AD, following the Little Ice Age (LIA), the sediment environment was relatively stable, climate was cold and dry, and the lake water displayed high salinity, in contrast to conditions during the LIA. During the LIA, westerlies carried more water vapor into Central Asia when the North Atlantic Oscillation was in a negative phase, and encountered the enhanced Siberia High, which probably led to increased precipitation. In the period 1910–1950 AD, the lake was shallow and the regional climate was unstable, with high temperatures and humidity. In the last ~15–20 years, human activities caused an increase in sediment magnetic susceptibility, and heavy metal and total phosphorus concentrations in the sediment were substantially enriched. Mean annual temperature displays a warming trend over the past 50 years, and the lowest temperature was observed in the 1950s. There has been an increase in annual total precipitation since the 1990s. The combined influences of climate and human activity on the lake environment during this period were faithfully recorded in sediments of Chaiwopu Lake. This study provides a scientific basis for environmental management and protection.     

Paleozoic Accretion-Collision Events and Kinematics of Ductile Deformation in the Eastern Part of the Southern-Central Tianshan Belt, China

The Tianshan range could have been built by both late Early Paleozoic accretion and Late Paleozoic collision events. The late Early Paleozoic Aqqikkudug-Weiya suture is marked by Ordovician ophiolitic melange and a Silurian flysch sequence, high-pressure metamorphic relics, and mylonitized rocks. The Central Tianshan belt could principally be an Ordovician volcanic arc; whereas the South Tianshan belt, a back-arc basin. Macro- and microstructures, along with unconformities, provide some kinematic and chronological constraints on 2-phase ductile deformation. The earlier ductile deformation occurring at ca. 400 Ma was marked by north-verging ductile shearing, yielding granulite-bearing ophiolitic melange blocks and garnet-pyroxene-facies ductile deformation, and the later deformation, a dextral strike-slip tectonic process, occurred during the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian. Early Carboniferous molasses were deposited unconformably on pre-Carboniferous metamorphic and ductilely sheared rocks, implying t     

Structural Setting and Heterogeneous Deformation of the Mesoproterozoic Granite–Gneisses of North Tianshan with the Example of the Karadjilga Massif (Kyrgyzstan)

Doklady Earth Sciences - A detailed structural study showed that the Mesoproterozoic Karadjilga granite–gneiss massif of the Kyrgyz North Tianshan represents a sheet intrusion, concordant to...     

New evidence on the Neogene uplift of South Tianshan: constraints from the (U–Th)/He and AFT ages of borehole samples of the Tarim basin and implications for hydrocarbon generation

We identified a Neogene rapid uplift-denudation event of the South Tianshan based on apatite (U–Th)/He and apatite fission track (AFT) ages in Tertiary rocks of the Tarim basin, using borehole samples. The (U–Th)/He thermochronology can be used to reveal the tectono-thermal events with lower temperature than that of AFT thermochronology and has not been used previously to study the uplift of the Tianshan Mountain. Using these data, we show the relationship between the uplift of the South Tianshan and the subsidence/deposition of the northern Tarim basin during the Neogene. The apatite helium ages reveal the migration of uplift, erosion and deposition in the northern Tarim basin. A rapid uplift of the South Tianshan during the Miocene and a corresponding rapid subsidence in the northern Tarim basin occurred. However, in the Pliocene, the Kuqa Depression and South Tianshan uplifted and eroded at the same time and in turn provided the detrital source rocks for the Northern Uplift of the Tarim basin. In contrast to earlier studies, we arrive at the conclusion that the South Tianshan experienced rapid uplift in the Miocene based on (U–Th)/He data of apatite obtained from borehole samples collected in the Tarim basin itself, and not from the bordering mountain chain. Combined apatite (U–Th)/He and fission track thermochronometry enables reconstruction of thermal histories of sedimentary rocks between 40 and 120°C, and this has implications for the generation of liquid hydrocarbon in the 65–120°C range in the basin. Thermal and burial histories of typical samples were also modelled to show the rapid uplift in our study. Our works not only provide a new evidence for the South Tianshan uplift but also indicate that there is a coupling between uplift and subsidence in the South Tianshan and adjacent northern part of the Tarim basin, which controlled hydrocarbon accumulation in the Kuqa Depression and Northern Uplift of the Tarim basin.