Destruction of North China Craton:Insights from temporal and spatial evolution of the proto-basins and magmatism

Temporal and spatial evolution of proto-basins and magmatism in the North China Craton might provide information of its destruction.Overall,the destruction of the North China Craton is a heterogeneous process of bottom upward and from margin toward interior,related to multiple interactions between the craton and its surrounding plates.The interior of craton would be initially destructed during the Early-Middle Jurassic.Subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean Plate may have destructed the northern margin of the North China Craton.Collision of the Yangtze Plate with the North China Craton is significant for the magmatic and tectonic activities during the Late Triassic-Middle Jurassic.Subductions of the Izanagi and Paleo-Pacific plates lead to the ultimate destruction of the North China Craton.Temporal and spatial evolution of the proto-basins and related magmatism in the North China Craton indicate that the dominant mechanism of the cratonic destruction may be thermal mechanical-chemical erosion.     

Geodynamics of decratonization and related magmatism and mineralization in the North China Craton

The North China Craton(NCC) experienced strong destruction(i.e., decratonization) during the Mesozoic, which triggered intensive magmatism, tectonism and thermal events and formed large-scale gold and other metal deposits in the eastern part of the craton. However, how the decratonization controls the formation and distribution of large-scale of gold and other metal deposits is not very clear. Based on a large number of published data and new results, this paper systematically summarizes all the data for the rock assemblages, chronology, geochemistry and petrogenesis of Mesozoic magmatic rocks, as well as for the mineralizing ages of gold and other metal deposits and the evolution of the Mesozoic basins in the eastern NCC. The results are used to restore the extensional rates of Mesozoic to Cenozoic basins and the strike-slip distance of the Tanlu Fault, to ascertain the location of the Paleo-Pacific plate subduction zones during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic, and to reconstruct the temporal and spatial distribution of Mesozoic gold and other metal deposits and magmatic rocks in the eastern NCC. It is obtained that the magmatism and mineralization in the eastern NCC westward migrate from east to west during the Early to Middle Jurassic, but they eastward migrate from west to east during the Early Cretaceous. The metallogenesis of these deposits is genetically related to magmatism, and the magmas provided some ore-forming materials and fluids for the generation of metal deposits. The geodynamic mechanism of decratonization and related magmatism and mineralization is proposed, i.e., the westward low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath the NCC formed continental magmatic arc with plenty of porphyry Cu-Mo-Au deposits in the Jurassic, similar to the Andean continental arc in South America. The mantle wedge was metasomatized by the fluids/melts derived from the subducting slab, laying a material foundation for hydrothermal mineralization in the Early Cretaceous. While the rollback of the subducting slab with gradually increasing subduction angle and the retreat of the subduction zones during the Early Cretaceous induced strong destruction of the craton and the formation of extensive magmatic rocks and large-scale gold and other metal deposits.     

Discovery of the Early Mesozoic granulite xenoliths in North China Craton

The discovery of the Early Mesozoic basic granulite xenoliths in the Harqin area of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (for short Inner Mongolia) is reported for the first time in this paper. According to the mineral assemblage the xenoliths include two-pyroxene granulite, clinopyroxene granulite, and hypersthene granulite. Their protolytes are mainly gabbroite rocks. The zircon U?Pb age of the granulite xenoliths is 251 Ma, and K?Ar age of the hypersthene is 229 Ma. They represent the times of metamorphism and cooling of the granulite facies respectively. The host rock of the xenoliths is Early Mesozoic biotite-quartz diorites, whose whole-rock K?Ar age is 219 Ma. This discovery confirms existence of an Early Mesozoic underplating in the North China Craton, which is of much importance in research on the Early Mesozoic mantle-crust interaction in the concerned area.     

Triassic magmatism and its relation to decratonization in the eastern North China Craton

Lithospheric removal and destruction of the North China Craton have been hotly discussed recently. It has been confirmed that the timing of a strong lithospheric removal took place in Late Mesozoic; however, little is known about when the lithospheric removal was initiated and how the Late Permian to Early Triassic deep subduction of Yangtze continental crust affected the cratonic destruction. This paper presents an overview on the temporal and spatial framework and geochemical characteristics of the Triass...     

Renewed profile of the Mesozoic magmatism in Korean Peninsula: Regional correlation and broader implication for cratonic destruction in the North China Craton

Widespread Mesozoic magmatism occurs in the Korean Peninsula (KP). The status quo is poles apart between the northern and southern parts in characterizing its distribution and nature, with the nearly absence of any related information in North Korea. We have the opportunity to have conducted geological investigations in North Korea and South Korea during the past ten years through international cooperation programs. This led to the revelation of a number of granitoids and related volcanic rocks and thus facilitates the comparison with those in East China and Japan. Mesozoic granitoids in the KP can be divisible into three age groups: the Triassic group with a peak age of ~220 Ma, the Jurassic one of ~190–170 Ma and the late Early Cretaceous one of ~110 Ma. The Triassic intrusions include syenite, calc-alkaline to alkaline granite and minor kimberlite in the Pyeongnam Basin of North Korea. They have been considered to form in post-orogenic settings related to the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) or the Dabie-Sulu Orogenic Belt (DSOB). The Jurassic granitoids constitute extensive occurrence in the KP and are termed as the Daebo-period magmatism. They correlate well with coeval counterparts in NE China encompassing the northeastern part of the North China Craton (NCC) and the eastern segment of the CAOB. They commonly consist of biotite or two-mica granites and granodiorites, with some containing small dark diorite enclaves. On one hand, Early Jurassic to early Middle Jurassic magmatic rocks are rare in most areas of the NCC, whilst Middle-Late Jurassic ones are not developed in the KP. On the other hand, both NCC and KP host abundant Cretaceous granites. However, the present data revealed contrasting age peaks, with ~130–125 Ma in the NCC and ~110–105 Ma in the KP. Cretaceous granites in the KP comprise the dominant biotite granites and a few amphibole granites. The former exhibit mildly fractionated REE patterns and zircon ε _Hf(t) values from -15 to -25, whereas the latter feature strongly fractionated REE patterns and zircon ε _Hf(t) values from -10 to -1. Both granites contain inherited zircons of ~1.8–1.9 or ~2.5 Ga. These geochemical characters testify to their derivation from re-melting distinct protoliths in ancient basement. Another Cretaceous magmatic sub-event has been entitled as the Gyeongsang volcanism, which is composed of bimodal calc-alkaline volcanic rocks of 94–55 Ma and granitic-hypabyssal granitic bodies of 72–70 Ma. Synthesizing the Mesozoic magmatic rocks across the KP, NCC and Japan can lead to the following highlights: (1) All Triassic granites in the NCC, KP and Japan have similar characteristics in petrology, chronology and geochemistry. Therefore, the NCC, KP and Japan tend to share the same tectonic setting during the Triassic, seemingly within the context of Indosinian orogensis. (2) Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the NCC seem to define two episodes: episode A from 175 to 157 Ma and episode B from 157 to 135 Ma. Jurassic magmatic rocks in the KP span in age mainly from 190 to 170 Ma, whereas 160–135 Ma ones are rare. With the exception of ~197 Ma Funatsu granite, Jurassic magmatic rocks are absent in Japan. (3) Cretaceous granites in the KP have a peak age of ~110, ~20 Ma younger than those in the NCC, while Japan is exempt from ~130–100 Ma granites. (4) The spatial-temporal distribution and migratory characteristics of the Jurassic-Cretaceous magmatic rocks in Japan, KP, and NE China-North China indicate that the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate might not be operative before Late Cretaceous (~130–120 Ma). (5) Late Cretaceous magmatic rocks (~90–60 Ma) occur in the southwestern corner of the KP and also in Japan, coinciding with the metamorphic age of ~90–70 Ma in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt of Japan. The magmatic-metamorphic rock associations and their spatial distribution demonstrate the affinities of sequentially subduction zone, island arc and back-arc basin from Japan to Korea, arguing for the Pacific plate subduction during Late Cretaceous. (6) This study raises another possibility that the Mesozoic cratonic destruction in the NCC, which mainly occurred during ~150–120 Ma, might not only be due to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate, but also owe much to the intraplate geodynamic forces triggered by other adjacent continental plates like the Eurasian and Indian plates.     

Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous tectonic switching in Liaodong Peninsula of the North China Craton and the implications for gold mineralisation

Constraining the processes of deformation during tectonic switching from compression to extension is difficult because of the scarcity or absence of associated sedimentary and magmatic rocks and weak metamorphism. The east margin of the eastern North China Craton experienced Early to Middle Jurassic compression and Early Cretaceous extension. However, the period of tectonic quiescence lasting ～13 million years(between 153 and 140 Ma) during which this transition occurred is poorly understood. This paper reports the identification of small-scale N-S-trending thrust and sinistral strike-slip faults(TSS) and NWtrending thrust and dextral strike-slip faults(TDS) in the Tongyuanpu-Aiyang region, which is part of the northern Liaodong Peninsula. Calculation of the tectonic stress field using striations, fault planes and kinematics reveals a NW-SE-oriented maximum principal axis(σ_1), and sub-horizontal σ_2 and σ_3. Assemblages of N-S-trending TSS and NW-trending TDS were arranged with right stepping and resulted in local uplift and erosion at the junctions between fault terminations, which partitioned the Early and Middle Jurassic basins into residual smaller volcanic-sedimentary basins. These basins were unconformably overlain by small Early Cretaceous volcanic-sedimentary basins, such as those at Tongyuanpu and Fangjiaweizi. Magmatic ages and the timing of basin formation constrain the initiation of tectonic switching to 156–153 Ma, and its termination to 140–139 Ma. We suggest that R-R' Riedel shears controlled the formation of the N-S-trending TSS and NW-trending TDS. The R-R'shears were produced by continued sinistral strike-slip and northward growth along the Bohai Bay segment of the Tan-Lu fault zone during the Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous, simultaneous with a gradual weakening in the tectonic stress field during a switch in the direction of subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific plate from NW-ward to NNW-ward. This tectonic switching might have promoted the dissolution of gold and migration of gold-bearing fluids.     

Mesozoic basin evolution and tectonic mechanism in Yanshan, China

The Mesozoic basins in Yanshan, China underwent several important tectonic transformations, including changes from a pre-Late Triassic marginal cratonic basin to a Late Triassic-Late Jurassic flexural basin and then to a late Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rift basin. In response to two violent intraplate deformation at Late Triassic and Late Jurassic, coarse fluvial depositional systems in Xingshikou and Tuchengzi Formations were deposited in front of thrust belts. Controlled by transform and extension faulting, fan deltas and lacustrine systems were deposited in Early Cretaceous basins. The composition of clastic debris in Late Triassic and Late Jurassic flexural basins respectively represents unroofing processes from Proterozoic to Archean and from early deposited, overlying pyroclastic rocks to basement rocks in provenance areas. Restored protobasins were gradually migrated toward nearly NEE to EW-trending from Early Jurassic to early Late Jurassic. The Early Cretaceous basins with a NNE-trending crossed over early-formed basins. The Early-Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous basins were respectively controlled by different tectonic mechanisms.     

Major tectonic units of the North China Craton and their Paleoproterozoic assembly

In the last decade, Chinese geologists have made a remarkable progress in studies on thelithology, structural style, metamorphic evolution, geochemistry and geochronology of the North China Craton, including recognition of numerous tonalitic-trondhjemitic…     

Time range of Mesozoic tectonic regime inversion in eastern North China Block

An important tectonic inversion took place in eastern North China Block(NCB) during Mesozoic, which caused a great lithosphere thinning, reconstruction of basin-range series, powerful interaction between mantle and crust, a vast granitic intrusion and volcanism, and large-scale metallogenic explosion. The time range of the Mesozoic tectonic regime inversion in the eastern North China Block is one of the key issues to understand mechanism of tectonic regime inversion. Our updated results for recognizing the time range are mainly obtained from the following aspects: structural analyses along northern and southern margins of the NCB and within the NCB for revealing tectonic inversion from compression to extension and structural striking from -EW to NNE; geothermic analyses of the eastern sedimental basins for a great change of thermal history and regime; basin analysis for basin inversion from compression to extension and basin migration from -EW to NNE; petrological and geochemical studies of volcanic roc     

Newly discovered Late Cretaceous adakites in South Fujian Province: Implications for the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of Southeast China

The Yongchun pluton is a Late Cretaceous adakitic intrusion in South Fujian Province, Southeast China, with associated metal mineralization. An understanding of the Yongchun pluton is helpful in tectono‐magmatic evolutionary processes, and is important in explaining the origin of related porphyry‐type deposits. Zircons from three samples of the pluton were analyzed by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS), yielding U–Pb ages of 99.50 ±0.87 Ma, 97.74 ±0.59 Ma, and 99.65 ±0.92 Ma. These ages are similar to those of the Sifang, Luoboling, and Sukeng plutons, all of which are related to Cu–Pb–Zn–Mo mineralization within the study area. The Yongchun pluton comprises high‐potassium, calc‐alkaline, metaluminous rocks, with average A/CNK values of 0.91, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.705 51 to 0.706 83, εNd(t) values of ?4.63 to ?5.90, and two‐stage Nd model (T_2DM) ages of 1.49–1.39 Ga, indicating the magmas were generated by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic continental crust mixed with mantle‐derived magmas. The pluton has geochemical characteristics typical of adakites, such as a high Sr content (average 553 ppm), and low Y (average 15.2 ppm) and Yb (average 1.61 ppm) contents, indicating that the parental magma was formed under high‐pressure conditions. The magmatism was associated with thickening of the lower crust during a change in subduction angle and convergence rate of the paleo‐Pacific Plate at 100 Ma. The compression was limited to South Fujian Province.     

Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China: Implications for thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere

The North China Craton (NCC) has been thinned from >200 km to <100 km in its eastern part. The ancient subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) has been replaced by the juvenile SCLM in the Meoszoic. During this period, the NCC was destructed as indicated by extensive magmatism in the Early Cretaceous. While there is a consensus on the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China, it has been hotly debated about the mechanism of cartonic destruction. This study attempts to provide a resolution to current debates in the view of Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China. We made a compilation of geochemical data available for Mesozoic mafic igneous rocks in the NCC. The results indicate that these mafic igneous rocks can be categorized into two series, manifesting a dramatic change in the nature of mantle sources at ~121 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks emplaced at this age start to show both oceanic island basalts (OIB)-like trace element distribution patterns and depleted to weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. In contrast, mafic igneous rocks emplaced before and after this age exhibit both island arc basalts (IAB)-like trace element distribution patterns and enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. This difference indicates a geochemical mutation in the SCLM of North China at ~121 Ma. Although mafic magmatism also took place in the Late Triassic, it was related to exhumation of the deeply subducted South China continental crust because the subduction of Paleo-Pacific slab was not operated at that time. Paleo-Pacific slab started to subduct beneath the eastern margin of Eruasian continent since the Jurrasic. The subducting slab and its overlying SCLM wedge were coupled in the Jurassic, and slab dehydration resulted in hydration and weakening of the cratonic mantle. The mantle sources of ancient IAB-like mafic igneous rocks are a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the cratonic mantle wedge peridotite not only with aqueous solutions derived from dehydration of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust in the Jurassic but also with hydrous melts derived from partial melting of the subducting South China continental crust in the Triassic. On the other hand, the mantle sources of juvenile OIB-like mafic igneous rocks are also a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the asthenospheric mantle underneath the North China lithosphere with hydrous felsic melts derived from partial melting of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust. The subducting Paleo-Pacific slab became rollback at ~144 Ma. Afterwards the SCLM base was heated by laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, leading to thinning of the hydrated and weakened cratonic mantle. There was extensive bimodal magmatism at 130 to 120 Ma, marking intensive destruction of the cratonic lithosphere. Not only the ultramafic metasomatites in the lower part of the cratonic mantle wedge underwent partial melting to produce mafic igneous rocks showing negative ε_Nd(t) values, depletion in Nb and Ta but enrichment in Pb, but also the lower continent crust overlying the cratonic mantle wedge was heated for extensive felsic magmatism. At the same time, the rollback slab surface was heated by the laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, resulting in partial melting of the previously dehydrated rocks beyond rutile stability on the slab surface. This produce still hydrous felsic melts, which metasomatized the overlying asthenospheric mantle peridotite to generate the ultramafic metasomatites that show positive ε_Nd(t) values, no depletion or even enrichment in Nb and Ta but depletion in Pb. Partial melting of such metasomatites started at ~121 Ma, giving rise to the mafic igneous rocks with juvenile OIB-like geochemical signatures. In this context, the age of ~121 Ma may terminate replacement of the ancient SCLM by the juvenile SCLM in North China. Paleo-Pacific slab was not subducted to the mantle transition zone in the Mesozoic as revealed by modern seismic tomography, and it was subducted at a low angle since the Jurassic, like the subduction of Nazca Plate beneath American continent. This flat subduction would not only chemically metasomatize the cratonic mantle but also physically erode the cratonic mantle. Therefore, the interaction between Paleo-Pacific slab and the cratonic mantle is the first-order geodynamic mechanism for the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China.     

华北东部晚中生代伸展构造作用

本文在对华北东部晚中生代变质核杂岩、原型裂陷盆地群分布特征研究的基础上,结合区域地壳和上地幔的地球物理场特征,分析了变质核杂岩构造、裂陷盆地群的主要控制因素和岩石圈巨大减薄作用的形成机理,阐明了华北东部晚中生代的构造演化受太平洋板块俯冲效应、扬子板块碰撞挤压和软流圈大规模上涌联合作用的控制,而地表、中－上地壳分界和Moho界面是深部地质过程和浅部地质构造之间耦合的关键界面.     

Metallogenic geodynamic background of Mesozoic gold deposits in granite-greenstone terrains of North China Craton

The spatial distribution map of 65 mid-large gold-deposits hosted in the granite-greenstone terrains of the North China Craton is first drawn. These gold deposits mainly concentrate in the Mesozoic remobilized Yinshan-Yan-shan-Liaoning-Jilin intracontinental collisional orogenic belt, the northern Qinling and the Jiaodong Mesozoic collisional orogenic belts, and the Mesozoic intracontinental fault-magmatic belts developed along the Taihangshan and the Tan-Lu faults; their mineralizing time is predominantly Jurassic-Cretaceous, i. e. the Yanshanian. The metallogenic geodynamic background is exactly the compression-to-extension transition regime during continental collision. The results are partly from the project entitled “The main types of gold mineralizations in China and their metallogenic model” (89-El) supported by the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry of China, and projects “Geology and metallogenesis of the main type gold deposits in East Chinaⁿ” (Grant No. 9488010) and “Study on ore-forming fluids of the Wangfeng gold deposit, Xinjiang” supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49672119).     

Nature and secular evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton

The Archean mantle lithosphere beneath the North China Craton(NCC) was transformed in the Mesozoic, leading to the craton destruction. Despite the significant breakthroughs in the craton studies, lithospheric transformation mechanisms are yet to be fully understood. Compositional variations of mantle-derived rocks and xenoliths provide insights into the nature of the mantle lithosphere before and after the craton destruction. The Paleozoic lithosphere of the NCC is ～200 km thick. It has a refractory mantle with an evolved isotopic signature. The Mesozoic mantle lithosphere was relatively fertile and highly heterogeneous. In the Cenozoic, the lithosphere in the eastern NCC is about 60–80 km thick. It has an oceanic-type mantle that is fertile in composition and depleted in the Sr-Nd isotopic signature. The Central Zone lithosphere is 100 km thick and has a double-layer mantle with an old upper layer and a new lower layer. The Western Block has a lithosphere of ～200 km thick. The lithospheric mantle beneath the southern and northern margins and eastern part of the NCC has been transformed significantly by peridotite-melt reactions due to the multiple subductions of adjacent plates since the Paleozoic. Paleo-Pacific subduction and the associated dynamic processes significantly alter the lithosphere based on the distribution of craton destruction. The involved mechanisms include mechanical intrusion of subduction plates, melt/fluid erosion, and local delamination. The lithospheric thinning of ～120 km is relevant to the continental extension caused by subduction plate rollback and trench retreat.     

Material records for Mesozoic destruction of the North China Craton by subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab

It is well known that the destruction of the North China Carton(NCC) is closely related to subduction of the PaleoPacific slab, but materials recording such subduction has not been identified at the peak time of decratonization. This paper presents data of whole-rock major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes and zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopes for Mesozoic volcanic rocks from the Liaodong-Jinan region in the northeastern NCC, in order to trace the subduction-related materials in their source and origin. The Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the Liaodong-Jinan region are mainly composed of two series of rocks, including alkaline basaltic trachyandesite, trachyandesite and trachyte, and subalkaline trachyandesite and andesite. Zircon U-Pb dating yields eruption ages of 129–124 Ma for these rocks. The Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks are all enriched in LILEs(such as Rb, Sr, Ba and Th) and LREEs, depleted in HFSEs(such as Nb, Ta and Ti), indicating that they were originated from mantle sources that had been modified by subducted crustal materials. However, they have relatively heterogeneous and variable isotopic compositions. The alkaline basaltic trachyandesite, trachyandesite and trachyte have enriched whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf and zircon Hf isotopic compositions and mantle-like δ~(18)O values, suggesting that they were derived from low-degree partial melting of an isotopically enriched lithospheric mantle source. In contrast, the subalkaline trachyandesite and andesite have relatively depleted isotopic compositions with zircon ε_(Hf)(t) values up to +5.2 and heavy zircon O isotopic compositions with δ~(18)O values of +8.1‰ to +9.0‰, indicating that they were originated from a lithospheric mantle source that had been metasomatized by melts/fluids derived from the recycled low-T altered oceanic basalt. All of these geochemical features suggest that the Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks in the Liaodong-Jinan region would result from mixing of mafic magmas with different compositions. Such magmas were originated from the enriched lithospheric mantle and the young metasomatized mantle, respectively, with variable extents of enrichment and depletion in trace elements, radiogenic isotopes and O isotopes. Importantly, the identification of the low-T altered oceanic crust component in the origin of Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks by the zircon Hf-O isotopes provides affirmative isotopic evidence and direct material records for Mesozoic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab that induced decratonization of the North China Craton.     

Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Longmenshan fault belt

The giant earthquake (M _s=8.0) in Wenchuan on May 12, 2008 was triggered by oblique convergence between the Tibetan Plateau and the South China along the Longmenshan fault belt. The Longmenshan fault belt marks an important component of the tectonic and geomorphological boundary between the eastern and western part of China and has a protracted tectonic history. It was first formed as an intracontinental transfer fault, patitioning the differential deformation between the Pacific and Tethys tectonic domains, initiated in late Paleozoic-early Mesozoic time, then served as the eastern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau to accommodate the growth of the plateau in Cenozoic. Its current geological and geomorphological frameworks are the result of superimposition of these two tectonic events. In Late Triassic, the Longmenshan underwent left-slip oblique NW-SE shortening due to the clockwise rotation of the Yangtze Block, which led to the flexural subsidence of the Sichuan foreland basin, but after that, the subsidence of the Sichuan Basin seems no longer controlled by the tectonic activity of the Longmenshan fault belt. The Meosozoic tectonic evolution of the Songpan-Ganzi fold belt differs significantly compared with that of the Yangtze Platform, featured by intensive northeast and southwest shortening and resulted in the close of the Paleo-Tethys. Aerial photos taken immediately after main shock of the giant May 12, 2008 earthquake have documented extensive rock fall and landslides that represent one of the most destructive aspects of the earthquake. Both rock avalanches and landslides delivered a huge volume of debris into the middle part of the Minjiang River, and formed many dammed lakes. Breaching of these natural dams can be catastrophic, as occurred in the Diexi area along the upstream of the Minjiang River in the year of 1933 that led to devastating floodings. The resultant flood following the breaching of these dams flowed through and out of the Longmenshan belt into the Chengdu Plain, bringing a huge volume of sediments. The oldest alluvial deposits within the Chengdu Plain are estimated to be Late Miocene (8–13 Ma). We suggest that the flooding that transported the course-grained sediments into the Chengdu Plain occurred in late Cenozoic, resulted from both the climate and the historical earthquakes similar to the May 12 earthquake. Estimated age of the sediments related to earthquakes and coeval shortening across the Chengdu Plain indicate that the eastern margin of the plateau became seismically and tectonically active in Late Miocene. Supported by Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-12), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40672151, 40721003, 40472121 and 40830314) and PetroChina Company Limited     

华北克拉通北缘—西伯利亚板块南缘的地壳速度结构特征

华北克拉通北缘—西伯利亚板块南缘（张家口—中蒙边界）的深地震测深剖面长600 km,跨越华北板块、内蒙造山带和西伯利亚板块.沿测线采用8个1.5t的爆炸震源激发地震波,使用300套数字地震仪接收,取得了高质量的地震资料.通过资料分析和处理,识别出沉积层及结晶基底的折射波（Pg）、上地壳底面的反射波（P2）、中地壳内的反射波（P3）、中地壳底面的反射波（P4）、下地壳内的反射波（P5,仅在镶黄旗—苏尼特右旗下方出现）和莫霍面的反射波（Pm）等6个震相.采用地震动力学射线方法（seis88）得到的地壳速度结构表明：（1）在华北板块与内蒙造山带之间,内蒙造山带与西伯利亚板块之间,上地壳中存在明显的高速度局部变化,在地表发育大量的古生代花岗岩体、超基性岩体.（2）在中下地壳华北板块南缘的地震波速度大,为6.3~6.7 km/s,西伯利亚板块北缘的速度小,为6.1~6.7 km/s,且界面比较平缓.原因是在内蒙造山带内地壳的缩短和隆升造山引起了中下地壳界面的剧烈起伏,不同海陆块的拼合和物质交换导致了不同区域速度的不均匀性.（3）莫霍面在赤峰断裂带（F2）以南和索伦敖包—阿鲁科尔沁旗断裂带（F4）以北较为平缓,平均深度为40~42 km.在F2—F4之间呈双莫霍面,莫霍面1明显上隆,深度为33.5 km,层速度为6.6~6.7 km/s.莫霍面2明显下凹,在西拉木伦河断裂带（F3）下方,最深达到47 km,速度达到最大为6.8~6.9 km/s,这可能是由壳幔物质混合引起的.依据莫霍面的特点,本文认为双莫霍面以南为华北板块北缘,以北为西伯利亚板块南缘,拼合位置在赤峰断裂带（F2）与索伦敖包—阿鲁科尔沁旗断裂带（F4）之间的区域.     

中国东部华北克拉通南缘至华夏地块深部电性结构研究

在华北克拉通南缘至华夏地块之间完成了两条大地电磁长剖面,通过二维非线性共轭梯度反演,获得了沿剖面100 km深的电性结构模型.结合研究区地质和地球物理资料,详细分析了研究区地壳及上地幔顶部电性结构特征与地质含义.研究发现：(1)江山—绍兴断裂带深部低阻异常成因可能是受南华纪裂解事件影响以及晚中生代岩石圈伸展作用、深部热物质上涌造成的;(2)华北克拉通南缘大部分地区中下地壳及上地幔顶部表现为低阻异常,可能存在大范围的软弱层或发生局部熔融.长江中下游成矿带壳内高导体可能是由含水流体引起;(3)华夏地块电阻性地壳与晚中生代构造-岩浆活动有着紧密的关系,其上地幔顶部的高阻异常可能与玄武岩浆活动有关.古太平洋板块的西向俯冲是华夏地块晚中生代构造活动的动力学背景.

     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages for the Paleoproterozoic metamorphic-magmatic events in the southeast margin of the North China Craton

A garnet-pyroxene bearing amphibolite as a xenolith hosted by the Mesozoic igneous rocks from Xuzhou-Suzhou area was dated by zircon SHRIMP U-Pb method, which yields a metamorphic age of 1918 ± 56 Ma. In addition, the zircons from a garnet amphibolite as a lens interbedded with marble in the Archean metamorphic complex named Wuhe group in the Bengbu uplift give a metamorphic U-Pb age of 1857 ± 19 Ma, and the zircons from Shimenshan deformed granite in the eastern margin of the Bengbu uplift give a magma crystallization U-Pb age of 2054 ± 22 Ma. Both the Xuzhou-Suzhou area and Bengbu uplift are located in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton. Therefore, these ages indicate that there is a Paleoproterozoic tectonic zone in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton, and its metamorphic and magmatic ages are consistent with those of the other three Paleoproterozoic tectonic zones in the North China Craton. In view of the large scale sinistral strike-slip movement occurred at the Mesozoic along the Tan-Lu fault zone, the position of the eastern Shandong area, which is a south section of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt, was correlated to Xuzhou-Suzhou-Bengbu area prior to movement of the Tan-Lu fault zone. This suggests that the Xuzhou-Suzhou-Bengbu Paleoproterozoic tectonic zone might be a southwest extension of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40634023)