Neoproterozoic Tectonic Setting of Southeast China: New Constraints from SHRIMP U-Pb Zircon Ages and Petrographic Studies on the Mamianshan Group

<正>Precambrian tectonic history of Zhejiang,Fujian,and Jiangxi provinces of south China is important for understanding the tectonic evolution of South China but its magmatic activity, petrogenesis,stratigraphic sequence of the Mamianshan Group is still strongly controversial.Here we present new sensitive high resolution ion micro-probe(SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon geochronological data for the Mamianshan Group and petrographical data to constrain the tectonic framework of the regions.Our results showed that the SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of green schists of the Dongyan Formation is 796.5±9.3 Ma,the Daling Formation is 756.2±7.2 Ma,and mica-quartz schist of the Longbeixi Formation is 825.5±9.8 Ma.These data indicate that the Mamianshan Group was formed not in the Mesoproterozoic,but in the Neoproterozoic and its stratigraphic sequences should be composed of Longbeixi,Dongyan,and Daling Formations from the bottom to the top.Rocks from this Group, from Zhejiang,Fujian and Jiangxi provinces,constituted the upper basement of the Cathaysia Block that overlay the lower basement of the Mayuan Group.Detailed petrographic studies demonstrate that the amphibole schists of the Dongyan Formation in the Mamianshan Group were formed within an intra-arc rift setting rather than a continental rift as previously suggested.Rather,this island-arc type formation was developed by collision and/or subduction between various blocks resulting from the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia at c.850-750 Ma.The Zhuzhou conglomerate,distributed near Dikou Town,Jian'ou City,Fujian Province and previously considered as evidence of the Mesoproterozoic Dikou movement,is shown here not to be the basal conglomerate above the angular unconformity between the upper and lower basements.Our conclusions have important implications for understanding the Precambrian tectonics of South China.     

库鲁克塔格地区新元古代贝义西组的构造环境:来自碎屑岩地球化学的证据

库鲁克塔格位于南天山和塔里木盆地接合部,保留相对较完整的地层记录.其中新元古代贝义西组为一套火山-沉积组合序列,长期以来被认为是Rodinia裂解产物.本文通过对该套组合中的沉积岩(主要是细碎屑岩)地球化学分析,并对该套组合的物源区特征和形成构造环境进行研究,结果并不支持这一结论.研究结果表明,贝义西组砂岩主要为成熟度...     

Structural evolution within the Luning–Fencemaker fold-thrust belt, Nevada: progression from back-arc basin closure to intra-arc shortening

The Luning–Fencemaker fold-thrust belt (LFTB) of central Nevada reflects major Mesozoic shortening in the western US Cordillera, and involved contractional deformation in Triassic and lower Jurassic back-arc basinal strata. Structural analyses in the Santa Rosa Range, in the northern LFTB, provide new insight into the evolution of this belt. Four phases of deformation are recognized in the Santa Rosa Range. D₁ involved tight to isoclinal folding, cleavage development under low-grade metamorphic conditions, and reverse faulting. This deformation phase reflects NW–SE shortening of 55–70% in the Early and/or Middle Jurassic. D₂ structures are similar in orientation to D₁ but involved much less overall strain and are well developed only to the southeast. D₂ appears to be related to thrusting along the eastern margin of the LFTB in the Middle and/or Late Jurassic. D₃ deformation reflects very minor shortening (<5%) in a subvertical direction, and is tentatively interpreted to reflect stresses generated during initial intrusion of mid-Cretaceous plutons in the area. D₄ deformation demonstrably occurred synchronously with emplacement of Cretaceous granitoids dated at 102 Ma (U–Pb zircon) based on syntectonic relations between D₄ structures and thermal metamorphism associated with intrusion, and an upgrade in D₄ strain in the thermally softened metamorphic aureoles of the intrusions. This last phase of deformation reflects minor regional NE–SW shortening, coupled with localized strain associated with pluton emplacement.Formation of the LFTB structural province was accomplished during the D₁ and D₂ phases of deformation, and most shortening occurred during the D₁ event. This Jurassic deformation led to structural closure of the back-arc basin by top-to-the-SE tectonic transport and development of a largely ductile fold-thrust belt. Subsequent deformation (D₃ and D₄) is >50 m.y. younger and unrelated to development of the LFTB. The younger deformation reflects a combination of minor regional shortening, interpreted to be related to the Cretaceous Sevier orogeny, plus localized shortening related to emplacement of Cretaceous intrusions.     

Continental growth at convergent margins facing large ocean basins: a case study from Mesozoic convergent-margin basins of Baja California, Mexico

Mesozoic rocks of the Baja California Peninsula form one of the most areally extensive, best-exposed, longest-lived (160 my), least-tectonized and least-metamorphosed convergent-margin basin complexes in the world. This convergent margin shows an evolutionary trend that may be typical of arc systems facing large ocean basins: a progression from highly extensional (phase 1) through mildly extensional (phase 2) to compressional (phase 3) strain regimes. This trend is largely due to the progressively decreasing age of lithosphere that is subducted, which causes a gradual decrease in slab dip angle (and concomitant increase in coupling between lower and upper plates), as well as progressive inboard migration of the arc axis.This paper emphasizes the usefulness of sedimentary and volcanic basin analysis for reconstructing the tectonic evolution of a convergent continental margin. Phase 1 consists of Late Triassic to Late Jurassic oceanic intra-arc to backarc basins that were isolated from continental sediment sources. New, progressively widening basins were created by arc rifting and sea floor spreading, and these were largely filled with progradational backarc arc-apron deposits that record the growth of adjacent volcanoes up to and above sea level. Inboard migration of the backarc spreading center ultimately results in renewed arc rifting, producing an influx of silicic pyroclastics to the backarc basin. Rifting succeeds in conversion of the active backarc basin into a remnant backarc basin, which is blanketed by epiclastic sands.Phase 1 oceanic arc–backarc terranes were amalgamated by Late Jurassic sinistral strike slip faults. They form the forearc substrate for phase 2, indicating inboard migration of the arc axis due to decrease in slab dip. Phase 2 consists of Early Cretaceous extensional fringing arc basins adjacent to a continent. Phase 2 forearc basins consist of grabens that stepped downward toward the trench, filled with coarse-grained slope apron deposits. Phase 2 intra-arc basins show a cycle of (1) arc extension, characterized by intermediate to silicic explosive and effusive volcanism, culminating in caldera-forming silicic ignimbrite eruptions, followed by (2) arc rifting, characterized by widespread dike swarms and extensive mafic lavas and hyaloclastites. This extensional-rifting cycle was followed by mid-Cretaceous backarc basin closure and thrusting of the fringing arc beneath the edge of the continent, caused by a decrease in slab dip as well as a possible increase in convergence rate.Phase 2 fringing arc terranes form the substrate for phase 3, which consists of a Late Cretaceous high-standing, compressional continental arc that migrated inboard with time. Strongly coupled subduction resulted in accretion of blueschist metamorphic rocks, with development of a broad residual forearc basin behind the growing accretionary wedge, and development of extensional forearc (trench–slope) basins atop the gravitationally collapsing accretionary wedge. Inboard of this, ongoing phase 3 strongly coupled subduction, together with oblique convergence, resulted in development of forearc strike-slip basins upon arc basement.The modern Earth is strongly biased toward long-lived arc–trench systems, which are compressional; therefore, evolutionary models for convergent margins must be constructed from well-preserved ancient examples like Baja California. This convergent margin is typical of many others, where the early to middle stages of convergence (phases 1 and 2) create nonsubductable arc–ophiolite terranes (and their basin fills) in the upper plate. These become accreted to the continental margin in the late stage of convergence (phase 3), resulting in significant continental growth.     

Volcanic facies architecture of an intra-arc strike-slip basin, Santa Rita Mountains, Southern Arizona

The three-dimensional arrangement of volcanic deposits in strike-slip basins is not only the product of volcanic processes, but also of tectonic processes. We use a strike-slip basin within the Jurassic arc of southern Arizona (Santa Rita Glance Conglomerate) to construct a facies model for a strike-slip basin dominated by volcanism. This model is applicable to releasing-bend strike-slip basins, bounded on one side by a curved and dipping strike-slip fault, and on the other by curved normal faults. Numerous, very deep unconformities are formed during localized uplift in the basin as it passes through smaller restraining bends along the strike-slip fault. In our facies model, the basin fill thins and volcanism decreases markedly away from the master strike-slip fault (“deep” end), where subsidence is greatest, toward the basin-bounding normal faults (“shallow” end). Talus cone-alluvial fan deposits are largely restricted to the master fault-proximal (deep) end of the basin. Volcanic centers are sited along the master fault and along splays of it within the master fault-proximal (deep) end of the basin. To a lesser degree, volcanic centers also form along the curved faults that form structural highs between sub-basins and those that bound the distal ends of the basin. Abundant volcanism along the master fault and its splays kept the deep (master fault-proximal) end of the basin overfilled, so that it could not provide accommodation for reworked tuffs and extrabasinally-sourced ignimbrites that dominate the shallow (underfilled) end of the basin. This pattern of basin fill contrasts markedly with that of nonvolcanic strike-slip basins on transform margins, where clastic sedimentation commonly cannot keep pace with subsidence in the master fault-proximal end. Volcanic and subvolcanic rocks in the strike-slip basin largely record polygenetic (explosive and effusive) small-volume eruptions from many vents in the complexly faulted basin, referred to here as multi-vent complexes. Multi-vent complexes like these reflect proximity to a continuously active fault zone, where numerous strands of the fault frequently plumb small batches of magma to the surface. Releasing-bend extension promotes small, multivent styles of volcanism in preference to caldera collapse, which is more likely to form at releasing step-overs along a strike-slip fault. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.