DOCSLIB.ORG

The Alashan Terrane Was Not Part of North China by the Late Devonian: Evidence from Detrital Zircon U–Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotopes

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Alashan Terrane Was Not Part of North China by the Late Devonian: Evidence from Detrital Zircon U–Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotopes Gondwana Research 27 (2015) 1270–1282 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Gondwana Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/gr The Alashan Terrane was not part of North China by the Late Devonian: Evidence from detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and Hf isotopes Wei Yuan a,b, Zhenyu Yang c,d,a,⁎ a School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China b Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China c Key Laboratory of Paleomagnetism and Tectonic Reconstruction, Ministry of Land and Resource, Beijing 100081, China d Institute of Geomechanics , Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China article info abstract Article history: The relationship between the Alashan Terrane and North China is a contentious issue given the discovery of al- Received 9 July 2013 lochthonous detrital zircons in Middle Ordovician flysch sandstones from the southwestern Ordos Margin and Received in revised form 8 November 2013 the large differences in palaeolatitudes between the North China and Tarim cratons. We have collected a suite Accepted 8 December 2013 of Middle to Late Devonian sedimentary rocks from the Niushoushan Mountains at the southeastern margin of Available online 28 December 2013 the Alashan Terrane, adjacent to the western margin of the Ordos Basin of the North China Craton (NCC). U–Pb – – Handling Editor: Z.M. Zhang dating and Lu Hf isotopic studies were carried out on detrital zircons from these rocks. The zircon U Pb ages de- fine five age populations: 0.4–0.7 Ga (peak at 488 Ma), 1.0–1.3 Ga (peaks at 1001 and 1152 Ma), 1.5–1.8 Ga, Keywords: 2.4–2.8 Ga (prominent peak at 2506 Ma and secondary peaks at 2668 and 2796 Ma) and N3.0 Ga (peak at Alashan Terrane 3332 Ma). One detrital zircon yielded a Hadean age of 4022 ± 17 Ma. Zircons with U–Pb age spectra of North China Craton 2.4–2.7 and N3.0 Ga and their corresponding εHf(t) values are significantly different from those in the NCC, indi- East Gondwana cating that these detrital zircons are not from the NCC, which implies that the Alashan Terrane was not part of Middle to Late Devonian North China until the Middle to Late Devonian. U–Pb age spectra of zircons dated at 1.0–1.3 Ga, 2.4–2.7 Ga, – Zircon U Pb dating and Hf isotopes and N3.0 Ga, and their corresponding Hf isotope data, have a strong similarity with zircons from East Gondwana and the South China Craton. © 2013 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction these have improved our understanding of the regional geology of these areas. Given its different Precambrian basement The continental crust of China is a mosaic of Precambrian cratonic and Neoproterozoic geological processes, the existence of the Sino– cratons and terranes separated by orogenic belts, in which the Tarim, Korean–Tarim Craton (Li et al., 1982) has been called into question North China, and Yangtze cratons constitute the basic tectonic on the basis of geological and palaeomagnetic results that suggest framework of China (Lu et al., 2009; Zheng et al., 2013,)(Fig. 1A). The the Tarim Craton had collided with Kazakhstan and Siberia by the Alashan Terrane that bridged the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt end-Permian, whereas the NCC and Mongolian Orogenic Belt were and the Tarim, Qaidam, and North China Craton (NCC), is considered distant from Siberia during the Permian–Triassic (Enkin et al., as the key region in understanding the tectonic evolution of Northern 1992; Yang and Besse, 2001; Xiao et al., 2008, 2010). As such, deter- China. In recent decades, numerous geological and palaeomagnetic mining the affinity of the Alashan Terrane with these two cratons studies have been conducted in the Qilian Orogenic Belt, Hexi corridor, during the Early Palaeozoic might shed light on the tectonic evolution Alashan Terrane, and NCC (e.g., Yang et al., 1992, 1996, 1998; Yang of Northern China. For example, supposed the Alashan Terrane was and Besse, 2001; Geng et al., 2002; Yang et al., 2002, 2004; Zhao et al., the westernmost part of NCC during the Early Palaeozoic, Xiao et al. 2004, 2005; Geng et al., 2007; Xiao et al., 2009; Zhao, 2009; Geng and (2009) proposed the multiple subduction systems that the Alashan Zhou, 2010; Liu et al., 2010; Dan et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2013; Song Terrane and its cover sequence were underthrust southward beneath et al., 2013; Tang et al., 2013; Yang et al., 2014; Zhai and Santosh, the coherent Qilian arc at a low angle, which led to final amalgamation 2013; H.F. Zhang et al., 2013; Zhao and Zhai, 2013; Zheng et al., 2013; between the Alashan Terrane (NCC), Qilian Orogenic belt and Qaidam Zhou and Wilde, 2013; Wang et al., 2013; Zheng et al., 2014), and block in the Late Devonian. However, Ge et al. (2009) argued that a tectono-stratigraphic comparison prior to the Mesozoic between the NCC and Alashan Terrane suggests that suturing between these two ⁎ Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory of Paleomagnetism and Tectonic cratons occurred during the Late Hercynian–Indosinian (Late Triassic) Reconstruction, Ministry of Land and Resource, Beijing 100081, China. Tel.: +86 10 68422348; fax: +86 1068422326. in a zone buried under the Tengger Desert. The assumed linkage between E-mail address: [email protected] (Z. Yang). the Alashan Terrane and the NCC in the early Palaeozoic has also been 1342-937X/$ – see front matter © 2013 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2013.12.009 W. Yuan, Z. Yang / Gondwana Research 27 (2015) 1270–1282 1271 Fig. 1. (A) Sketch maps of the tectonic elements of Northern China. (B) Simplified geological map of the study area and adjacent regions in the Niushoushan Mountains at the southeastern margin of the Alashan Terrane. The star symbol denotes the sampled section. questioned on the basis of the detrital zircon geochronology of Ordovi- not connected with the NCC prior to the Middle Ordovician. Based on cian clastic sediments in the Alashan Terrane (J. Zhang et al., 2011; X.J. field observations, Li et al. (2012) also concluded that amalgamation of Zhang et al., 2011). These results suggest that the Alashan Terrane was the NCC with the Alashan Terrane took place between the Late 1272 W. Yuan, Z. Yang / Gondwana Research 27 (2015) 1270–1282 Ordovician and Early Devonian. Thus, the relationship between the NCC red beds intercalated with sparse limestones and marly sandstones. and Alashan Terrane requires further clarification. Vertebrate fossil assemblages that include Remigolepis microcephala The robustness of the zircon U–Pb dating technique, coupled with Pan (sp. Nov.), R. major Pan (sp. nov.), Remigolepis zhongweiensis Pan (sp. Lu–Hf isotope investigations of zircon (Kinny et al., 1991; Kinny and nov.), Remigolepis xiangshanensis Pan (sp. nov.), and Sublepidodendron Maas, 2003; Yang et al., 2006), has led to many studies using these mirabile (Nath.) Hirmer (Pan et al., 1987) indicate a Middle Devonian methods to study supercontinent cycles and the growth of continental age. The Shixiagou Formation is unconformably overlain by the Dadaigou crust (e.g., Condie and Aster, 2013). Moreover, combined U–Pb dating Formation. The Upper Devonian Zhongning Formation conformably and Hf isotope analysis of zircons can be used to constrain the prove- overlies the Upper Devonian Dadaigou Formation and is, in turn, nance of clastic sediments that, in turn, may enable the reconstruction disconformably overlain by the Lower Carboniferous Chouniugou of the tectonic evolution of continental cratons (Hoskin and Ireland, Formation. Sediments of the Zhongning Formation comprise grey to 2000; Fedo et al., 2003). grey–yellow, medium-bedded, fine-grained, quartzo-feldspathic sand- We have carried out a zircon U–Pb geochronological and Hf isotope stone with minor glutenite layers, which contain fossil fish such as study of detrital zircons in Middle to Upper Devonian sediments from Bothriolepis niushoushanensis, Quansipetalichthys haikouensis Liu,and the Niushoushan Mountains at the southeastern margin of the Alashan Bothriolepis niushoushanensis (BGMRGS, Bureau of Geology and Mineral Terrane (Fig. 1B), which is located adjacent to the western margin of the Resources of Gansu Province, 1990). Ordos Basin of the NCC. These data are used to constrain the relationship Five sandstone samples were collected for detrital zircon analysis between the Alashan Terrane and the NCC. from the Middle Devonian Shixiagou Formation and Upper Devonian Zhongning Formation in the Niushoushan Mountains of the Ningxia 2. Geological setting and sampling Autonomous Region at the southeastern margin of the Alashan Terrane (Fig. 1B). Sample SX-1 was collected from the Shixiagou Formation, and The Alashan Terrane is a triangle-shaped terrane that has long been the other four samples were taken from the Zhongning Formation (from considered the western part of the NCC, which sutured to the Qilian Oro- lower to upper: SX-3, SX-4, SX-6, and SX-7). These five samples are genic Belt in the Devonian (Li et al., 1982; Xiao et al., 2009; Zhao, 2009; purple red medium-coarse grained sandstones. Based on microscopic Song et al., 2013; Zheng et al., 2013). Xiao et al. (2009) suggested that observations, sample SX-1 is a medium grained sandstone, composing the Qilian Orogenic Belt has recorded multiple subduction–accretion pro- of 76% quartz, 13% feldspar, 9% lithic fragments and 2% dolomite. Sample cesses between the Alashan and Qaidam blocks during the Early to Middle SX-3 has a composition of 78% quartz, 5% feldspar, 10% lithic fragments Palaeozoic. The Alashan Terrane is bounded to the east by the NCC (across and 7% calcite cement (dolomite).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Community Involvement in Geoconservation: a Conceptual Approach Based on the Geoheritage of South Angola
    Sustainability 2015, 7, 4893-4918; doi:10.3390/su7054893 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Article Community Involvement in Geoconservation: A Conceptual Approach Based on the Geoheritage of South Angola Alexandre Oliveira Tavares 1,2,*, Maria Helena Henriques 2,3,†, Artur Domingos 4,† and Abel Bala 5,† 1 Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (Polo II), Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal 2 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Coimbra (Polo II), Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal 3 Geosciences Centre, University of Coimbra (Polo II), Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal; E-Mail: [email protected] 4 Magistério Primário do Lubango-Nambambe, Lubango, Angola; E-Mail: [email protected] 5 Instituto Superior Politécnico da Tundavala and Escola Secundária do 2° Ciclo/Quilengues, Huíla, Angola; E-Mail: [email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +351-239-860-566; Fax: +351-239-860-501. Academic Editor: Marc A. Rosen Received: 24 March 2015 / Accepted: 20 April 2015 / Published: 24 April 2015 Abstract: In this work, it is argued that effective protection of geological objects displaying heritage value requires the local community’s involvement in all geoconservation actions, i.e., inventory, evaluation, conservation, valuation and monitoring procedures, and not only at the final part of the process, when it is expected from local communities that the physical integrity of such objects is guaranteed. Community involvement in geoheritage inventory and evaluation procedures can be appraised by using a classification system that integrates both the geoheritage properties displayed by the geological objects and usually recognized by geoscientists (i.e., relevance grade) and the social role attributed to geological objects by communities outside Earth scientists that arise from the public perception of such objects (i.e., abstract perceptiveness).
    [Show full text]
  • Two Contrasting Phanerozoic Orogenic Systems Revealed by Hafnium Isotope Data William J
    ARTICLES PUBLISHED ONLINE: 17 APRIL 2011 | DOI: 10.1038/NGEO1127 Two contrasting Phanerozoic orogenic systems revealed by hafnium isotope data William J. Collins1*(, Elena A. Belousova2, Anthony I. S. Kemp1 and J. Brendan Murphy3 Two fundamentally different orogenic systems have existed on Earth throughout the Phanerozoic. Circum-Pacific accretionary orogens are the external orogenic system formed around the Pacific rim, where oceanic lithosphere semicontinuously subducts beneath continental lithosphere. In contrast, the internal orogenic system is found in Europe and Asia as the collage of collisional mountain belts, formed during the collision between continental crustal fragments. External orogenic systems form at the boundary of large underlying mantle convection cells, whereas internal orogens form within one supercell. Here we present a compilation of hafnium isotope data from zircon minerals collected from orogens worldwide. We find that the range of hafnium isotope signatures for the external orogenic system narrows and trends towards more radiogenic compositions since 550 Myr ago. By contrast, the range of signatures from the internal orogenic system broadens since 550 Myr ago. We suggest that for the external system, the lower crust and lithospheric mantle beneath the overriding continent is removed during subduction and replaced by newly formed crust, which generates the radiogenic hafnium signature when remelted. For the internal orogenic system, the lower crust and lithospheric mantle is instead eventually replaced by more continental lithosphere from a collided continental fragment. Our suggested model provides a simple basis for unravelling the global geodynamic evolution of the ancient Earth. resent-day orogens of contrasting character can be reduced to which probably began by the Early Ordovician12, and the Early two types on Earth, dominantly accretionary or dominantly Paleozoic accretionary orogens in the easternmost Altaids of Pcollisional, because only the latter are associated with Wilson Asia13.
    [Show full text]
  • 2014 Journal Articles, Books, Book Chapters and Conference Papers
    2014 Journal articles, books, book chapters and conference papers ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT – CHAPTERS – Motshoane Puleng PL and McKenna S. "More than agency: the multiple mechanisms affecting postgraduate education" in Pushing Boundaries in Postgraduate Supervision. 2014. SUN Press. ISBN: 978-1-920689-15-5 – CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS – Govender Cookie CM and Taylor Susanne S. "Student reflections on the pilot WIL partnership capacity building model in a human resource management qualification ". National Conference on Work Integrated Learning: Building Capacity. 2014. Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) Limited. ISBN: 978-0-9805706-0-1 Lautenbach Geoffrey GV and Amory Alan AM. "Learning with technology: an assessment of learning design and knowledge construction online". World Conference on Educational Media & Technology (EdMedia 2014). 2014. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). ISBN: 978-1-939797-08-7 Van Wyk Rene R, Morgan Brandon B and Vorster Paul PP. "Preliminary validation of a collective intelligence questionnaire". 31st Pan Pacific Conference: Designing the Shared Future through Co- Creation. 2014. Pan-Pacific Business Association. ISBN: 1-931649-27-4 – JOURNALS – Amory Alan AM. "Tool-mediated authentic learning in an educational technology course: a designed- based innovation". Interactive Learning Environments (ISI). 2014. Vol. 22 (4) Kane Sandra S, Dube Cecilia CM and Lear Miriam MR. "Reflections on the role of meta-cognition in student reading and learning at higher education level". Africa Education Review (Educare). (DHET). 2014. Vol. 11 (4) Mavunga George G, Kufakunesu P and Mutambwa J. "'Iwe' or 'imi'? An analysis of terms of address used by police officers at Mbare police station". Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Southern Africa) (DHET).
    [Show full text]
  • Assembly, Configuration, and Break-Up History of Rodinia
    Author's personal copy Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Precambrian Research 160 (2008) 179–210 Assembly, configuration, and break-up history of Rodinia: A synthesis Z.X. Li a,g,∗, S.V. Bogdanova b, A.S. Collins c, A. Davidson d, B. De Waele a, R.E. Ernst e,f, I.C.W. Fitzsimons g, R.A. Fuck h, D.P. Gladkochub i, J. Jacobs j, K.E. Karlstrom k, S. Lu l, L.M. Natapov m, V. Pease n, S.A. Pisarevsky a, K. Thrane o, V. Vernikovsky p a Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia b Department of Geology, Lund University, Solvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden c Continental Evolution Research Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia d Geological Survey of Canada (retired), 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0E8 e Ernst Geosciences, 43 Margrave Avenue, Ottawa, Canada K1T 3Y2 f Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton U., Ottawa, Canada K1S 5B6 g Tectonics Special Research Centre, Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia h Universidade de Bras´ılia, 70910-000 Bras´ılia, Brazil i Institute of the Earth’s Crust SB RAS, Lermontova Street, 128, 664033 Irkutsk, Russia j Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway k Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northrop Hall University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA l Tianjin Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, CGS, No.
    [Show full text]
  • Balkatach Hypothesis: a New Model for the Evolution of the Pacific, Tethyan, and Paleo-Asian Oceanic Domains
    Research Paper GEOSPHERE Balkatach hypothesis: A new model for the evolution of the Pacific, Tethyan, and Paleo-Asian oceanic domains 1,2 2 GEOSPHERE, v. 13, no. 5 Andrew V. Zuza and An Yin 1Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA 2Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA doi:10.1130/GES01463.1 18 figures; 2 tables; 1 supplemental file ABSTRACT suturing. (5) The closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean in the early Permian was accompanied by a widespread magmatic flare up, which may have been CORRESPONDENCE: avz5818@gmail .com; The Phanerozoic history of the Paleo-Asian, Tethyan, and Pacific oceanic related to the avalanche of the subducted oceanic slabs of the Paleo-Asian azuza@unr .edu domains is important for unraveling the tectonic evolution of the Eurasian Ocean across the 660 km phase boundary in the mantle. (6) The closure of the and Laurentian continents. The validity of existing models that account for Paleo-Tethys against the southern margin of Balkatach proceeded diachro- CITATION: Zuza, A.V., and Yin, A., 2017, Balkatach hypothesis: A new model for the evolution of the the development and closure of the Paleo-Asian and Tethyan Oceans criti- nously, from west to east, in the Triassic–Jurassic. Pacific, Tethyan, and Paleo-Asian oceanic domains: cally depends on the assumed initial configuration and relative positions of Geosphere, v. 13, no. 5, p. 1664–1712, doi:10.1130 the Precambrian cratons that separate the two oceanic domains, including /GES01463.1. the North China, Tarim, Karakum, Turan, and southern Baltica cratons.
    [Show full text]
  • Scottish Missionaries and the Circumcision Controversy in Kenya 1900-1960
    International Review of Scottish Studies Vol. 28 2003 Kenneth Mufaka SCOTTISH MISSIONARIES AND THE CIRCUMCISION CONTROVERSY IN KENYA 1900-1960 t the turn of the century, the British High Commis- sioner in East Africa set up various areas in which A Christian missionaries were allowed exclusive influence. Scottish missionaries served the largest and most politically astute tribe in Kenya, the Kikuyu. Scottish educa- tion, combining a theoretical base with vocational training, attracted the best and the brightest of Kikuyu youths. This type of education provided a basis for future employment in government and industry. Jomo Kenyatta and Mbui Koinanage, both future nationalist leaders of Kenya, were converts and protégés of Scottish missionaries. However, in 1929, a sudden rift occurred between the Kikuyu Christian elders and congregations on one hand and their Scottish missionary patrons on the other side. The rift came about when the Scottish missionaries insisted that all Kikuyu Christians should take an oath against female initiation. Two thirds of the Kikuyu Christians left the mission church to form their own nationalist oriented churches. The rise of nationalistic feeling among Kenyans can be traced to this controversy. The issue of female circum- cision seems to have touched on all the major ingredients that formed the basis of African nationalist alienation from colo- nial rule. This article argues that the drama of 1929 was a rehearsal of the larger drama of the Mau Mau in 1950-1960 that put an end to colonial rule in Kenya. Though initiation practices were widespread in Kenya and the neighboring Sudan, the Scottish missionaries were unaware of them until 1904.
    [Show full text]
  • Deconvolving the Pre-Himalayan Indian Margin E Tales of Crustal Growth and Destruction
    Geoscience Frontiers 10 (2019) 863e872 HOSTED BY Contents lists available at ScienceDirect China University of Geosciences (Beijing) Geoscience Frontiers journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/gsf Research Paper Deconvolving the pre-Himalayan Indian margin e Tales of crustal growth and destruction Christopher J. Spencer a,b,*, Brendan Dyck c, Catherine M. Mottram d,e, Nick M.W. Roberts b, Wei-Hua Yao a,f, Erin L. Martin a a Earth Dynamics Research Group, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University, 6845, Perth, Australia b NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK c Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, University Drive, Burnaby V5A 1S6, Canada d Department of Environment, Earth and Ecosystems, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK e School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK f Schoolof Earth Sciences and Engineering, SunYat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China article info abstract Article history: The metamorphic core of the Himalaya is composed of Indian cratonic rocks with two distinct crustal Received 30 November 2017 affinities that are defined by radiogenic isotopic geochemistry and detrital zircon age spectra. One is Received in revised form derived predominantly from the Paleoproterozoic and Archean rocks of the Indian cratonic interior and is 4 February 2018 either represented as metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of the Lesser Himalayan Sequence (LHS) or as Accepted 22 February 2018 slices of the distal cratonic margin. The other is the Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) whose prove- Available online 16 March 2018 nance is less clear and has an enigmatic affinity.
    [Show full text]
  • Locating South China in Rodinia and Gondwana: a Fragment of Greater India Lithosphere?
    Locating South China in Rodinia and Gondwana: A fragment of greater India lithosphere? Peter A. Cawood1, 2, Yuejun Wang3, Yajun Xu4, and Guochun Zhao5 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of St Andrews, North Street, St Andrews KY16 9AL, UK 2Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia 3State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China 4State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China 5Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China ABSTRACT metamorphosed Neoproterozoic strata and From the formation of Rodinia at the end of the Mesoproterozoic to the commencement unmetamorphosed Sinian cover (Fig. 1; Zhao of Pangea breakup at the end of the Paleozoic, the South China craton fi rst formed and then and Cawood, 2012). The Cathaysia block is com- occupied a position adjacent to Western Australia and northern India. Early Neoproterozoic posed predominantly of Neoproterozoic meta- suprasubduction zone magmatic arc-backarc assemblages in the craton range in age from ca. morphic rocks, with minor Paleoproterozoic and 1000 Ma to 820 Ma and display a sequential northwest decrease in age. These relations sug- Mesoproterozoic lithologies. Archean basement gest formation and closure of arc systems through southeast-directed subduction, resulting is poorly exposed and largely inferred from the in progressive northwestward accretion onto the periphery of an already assembled Rodinia. presence of minor inherited and/or xenocrys- Siliciclastic units within an early Paleozoic succession that transgresses across the craton were tic zircons in younger rocks (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Springer Geology More Information About This Series at Mingguo Zhai Editor
    Springer Geology More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10172 Mingguo Zhai Editor Precambrian Geology of China 123 Editor Mingguo Zhai Institute of Geology and Geophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China ISSN 2197-9545 ISSN 2197-9553 (electronic) Springer Geology ISBN 978-3-662-47884-4 ISBN 978-3-662-47885-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-47885-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944154 Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface The Precambrian (4560–541 Ma) covers almost 90 % of the planet Earth’s history.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleomagnetic Constraints on the Duration of the Australia-Laurentia Connection in the Core of the Nuna Supercontinent Uwe Kirscher1,2*, Ross N
    https://doi.org/10.1130/G47823.1 Manuscript received 1 May 2020 Revised manuscript received 11 August 2020 Manuscript accepted 14 August 2020 © 2020 The Authors. Gold Open Access: This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY license. Published online 23 September 2020 Paleomagnetic constraints on the duration of the Australia-Laurentia connection in the core of the Nuna supercontinent Uwe Kirscher1,2*, Ross N. Mitchell3,1*, Yebo Liu1, Adam R. Nordsvan4,1, Grant M. Cox1,5, Sergei A. Pisarevsky1,6, Chong Wang1,3,7, Lei Wu1,8, J. Brendan Murphy1,9 and Zheng-Xiang Li1 1 Earth Dynamics Research Group, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia 2 Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany 3 State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China 4 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 5 Tectonics and Earth Science (TES) Group, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia 6 Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk 664033, Russia 7 Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland 8 Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3 Alberta, Canada 9 Department of Earth Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada ABSTRACT et al., 2019), suggests that the original proto- The Australia-Laurentia connection in the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic supercon- SWEAT connection is valid at ca.
    [Show full text]
  • Destruction of the North China Craton
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257684968 Destruction of the North China Craton Article in Science China Earth Science · October 2012 Impact Factor: 1.49 · DOI: 10.1007/s11430-012-4516-y CITATIONS READS 69 65 6 authors, including: Rixiang Zhu Yi-Gang Xu Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences 264 PUBLICATIONS 8,148 CITATIONS 209 PUBLICATIONS 7,351 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Tianyu Zheng Chinese Academy of Sciences 62 PUBLICATIONS 1,589 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, Available from: Yi-Gang Xu letting you access and read them immediately. Retrieved on: 26 May 2016 SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences Progress of Projects Supported by NSFC October 2012 Vol.55 No.10: 1565–1587 • REVIEW • doi: 10.1007/s11430-012-4516-y Destruction of the North China Craton ZHU RiXiang1*, XU YiGang2, ZHU Guang3, ZHANG HongFu1, XIA QunKe4 & ZHENG TianYu1 1 State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; 2 State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; 3 School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; 4 School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China Received March 27, 2012; accepted June 18, 2012 A National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) major research project, Destruction of the North China Craton (NCC), has been carried out in the past few years by Chinese scientists through an in-depth and systematic observations, experiments and theoretical analyses, with an emphasis on the spatio-temporal distribution of the NCC destruction, the structure of deep earth and shallow geological records of the craton evolution, the mechanism and dynamics of the craton destruction.
    [Show full text]
  • RESEARCH Geochronology and Geochemistry of Neoproterozoic
    RESEARCH Geochronology and geochemistry of Neoproterozoic granitoids in the central Qilian Shan of northern Tibet: Reconstructing the amalgamation processes and tectonic history of Asia Chen Wu1,*, Andrew V. Zuza2,3, An Yin1,2, Changfeng Liu4, Robin C. Reith2, Jinyu Zhang5, Wencan Liu4, and Zhiguang Zhou1 1STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY GROUP, CHINA UNIVERSITY OF GEOSCIENCES (BEIJING), BEIJING 100083, CHINA 2DEPARTMENT OF EARTH, PLANETARY, AND SPACE SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1567, USA 3NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, NEVADA 89557, USA 4INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, CHINA UNIVERSITY OF GEOSCIENCES (BEIJING), BEIJING 100083, CHINA 5INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY, CHINA EARTHQUAKE ADMINISTRATION, BEIJING 100029, CHINA ABSTRACT Our understanding of the assembly history of Asia depends critically on the tectonic relationships between its major cratons, including Siberia, North China, South China, and Tarim. The intervening microcontinents between these cratons can provide insight into the paleogeographic and paleotectonic relationships of the cratons, but there is currently a general lack of knowledge regarding the basement geology of these microcontinents. Here we present results from systematic geologic mapping, U-Pb zircon dating, whole-rock geochemical analysis, and syn- thesis of existing data to establish the Proterozoic to early Paleozoic evolution of the central Qilian basement to the south of the North China craton in northwest China. Our results indicate that the region underwent three major periods of magmatic activity at 960–880, 877–710, and 550–375 Ma. Our geochemical analysis suggests that the ca. 900 Ma plutons were generated during arc magmatism and/or syncollisional crustal melting, whereas the ca. 820 Ma plutons are A-type granitoids, which are typically associated with extensional tectonism.
    [Show full text]