Mesozoic Basins and Associated Palaeogeographic Evolution in North China

Journal of Palaeogeography 2015, 4(2): 189-202 DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1261.2015.00073

Tectonopalaeogeography andPalaeogeography palaeotectonics

Mesozoic basins and associated palaeogeographic evolution in North China

Yong-Qing Liu*, Hong-Wei Kuang, Nan Peng, Huan Xu, Peng Zhang,

Neng-Sheng Wang, Wei An* Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China

Abstract In North China, the Mesozoic terrestrial basins, sedimentary palaeogeography and tectonic settings involved five evolutionary stages: (1) the Early-Middle Triassic, (2) the Late Triassic to Early-Middle Jurassic, (3) the Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous, (4) the middle-late Early Cretaceous and (5) the Late Cretaceous. The regional punctuated tectonic events occurred during these evolutionary stages. During the Early-Middle Triassic (stage 1), the Xingmeng Orogenic Belt (XMOB, i.e., eastern part of Central Asia Orogenic Belt, CAOB) of the northern North China was settled in the transition of tectonic environment from syn-orogenic compression to post-orogenic extension with intensive uplifting. It is a main provenance in the unified Ordos-North China Basin.The united continental plate of China and the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu Orogenic Belt formed due to convergence and collision between the North China Plate and the Yangtze Plate along two suture zones of the Mianlue and the Shangdan in the terminal Middle Triassic. During the Late Triassic to the Early-Middle Jurassic (stage 2), the Late Triassic mafic or alkaline rocks and intrusions occurred on the northern and southern margins of North China Craton (NCC) and XMOB, implying that intensified extension happened all over the North China (early phase of stage 2). Additionally, in the late phase of stage 2, the basic volcanic- filling faulted basins were widely distributed in the northeastern North China during the Early- Middle Jurassic, including a series of small‑ to medium-sized basins with coal-bearing strata and some volcanic rocks in other areas of North China, which was the result of subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate during the Early-Middle Jurassic. An active continental margin with accretionary complex developed in the eastern Heilongjiang of China, Japan and the Far East of Russia at that time. However, in the end of the Early-Middle Jurassic, because of the Yan- shanian orogeny characterized by complicated thrust and fold, the previous unified Ordos- North China Basin was separated by the northeast-oriented Great Xing’an Range and Taihang Mountain uplifted linearment. The differential evolution of basins and sedimentary palaeogeography between eastern and western North China was initiated, and was interpreted to result in the closure of Okhotsk Ocean and the subduction of Palaeo-Pacific Plate (late stage 2). During the Late Jurassic (the early phase of stage 3), a variety of faulted basins occurred in the Yanshan and Yinshan areas in the northeastern North China. In Yanshan area, basins were filled with thickened intermediate volcanic rocks and purple-red coarse-grained clastic rocks. In contrast, only thick layered sedimentary rocks with rare volcanic rocks developed in the Yinshan faulted basins, the Ordos Basin and basins in sourthern North China. XMOB was

* Corresponding author. E‑mail: [email protected]. Received: 2014-05-29 Accepted: 2015-01-09 190 JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY Apr. 2015

the main provenance of the Early Mesozoic basins in the North China, while the Ordos Basin and the Hefei Basin were partly supplied by the northern Qinling Orogenic Belt. During the Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous (the late phase of stage 3), the northern and northeastern North China experienced extensional movement after the subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate, the closure of the Mongolia-Okhotsk Ocean and the subsequent Yanshanian orogeny. At the same time, a NE-oriented, giant rift basin system (NE Asia Rift) extended from the Yanshan to the western Great Xing’an Range, where rift basins were filled with the regional, NE-oriented, thick coarse-grained clastic rocks and a belt of volcanic rocks. In the meantime, the eastern and northeastern China and most areas of NCC were presented as highland terrains. During the middle-late Early Cretaceous (stage 4), rift basins developed and accumulated alluvial sediments and interbedded alkaline volcanic rocks in the western and northern North China, including Yingen, Ejinaqi and Erlian regions. Basins were formed on both sides of the Tan-Lu Fault Zone under a striking-slipping force. Furthermore, faulted basins developed in the Yishu Fault Zone of Shandong (central Tan-Lu Fault Zone) as well, where dinosaur fauna flourished. Basic volcanic rocks and fluvial-lacustrine sediments were deposited in small- or medium-sized rift basins in the northeastern China. The Songliao Basin was a typical giant basin that was mainly filled with late Early Cretaceous lacustrine sediments. A group of rift basins occurred in the Sanjiang area, central Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China. From the middle-late Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous (stage 5), depositional and subsiding center of the basins constantly shifted southeastwards in Heilongjiang Province. The tectonic setting changed into the Palaeo-Pacific continental margin in north and northeastern China. Besides, during the Late Mesozoic, a huge terrestrial biota, mainly dinosaur fauna, dominated in North China. The Yanliao biota of the Middle-Late Jurassic and the Jehol biota of the Early Cretaceous are characterized by feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, mammals, pterosaur, insects and plants (angiosperms). In northeastern Asia, this Late Mesozoic tectonic background , palaeogeoraphy and palaeoecology were shared by East China, Korean Penin- sula, Japan and the Far East of Russia.

Key words Mesozoic, basin, orogenic belt, tectonic zone, palaeogeography, North China

1 Introduction the extension of Circum Pacific Orogenic Belt from North and South America to the northeastern Asia, subduction The Mesozoic is an important period in the evolution‑ of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate, the closure of the Mongolia- ary history of the Earth which was partially covered by Okhotsk Ocean and its subsequent orogeny, the occur‑ the broad Tethys Ocean (the Tethys domain) and widely rence of Yanshanian Orogeny in the intra-plate of North distributed terrestrial basins. Since the Late Mesozoic, a China (Davis et al., 2001; Yang et al., 2006), large-scale number of important geological events had taken place in volcanic activities and mineralizations in eastern China the Tethys domain, such as Pangea break-up (Keppie et al., (Xu et al., 2013) and the destruction of the North China 2004; Veevers, 2004), Tethys closure (Sone and Metcalfe, Craton (NCC) (Zhai et al., 2007; Li et al., 2012a; Zhang 2008), the formation of Mongolia-Okhotsk tectonic zone et al., 2012b; Zhu et al., 2012a, 2012b; Tang et al., 2013). in Central Asia Orogenic Belt (Metelkin et al., 2007; Pei et Then, extensive volcanic-magmatic-orogenic activities al., 2011; Donskaya et al., 2013) and the Pacific Ocean ex‑ in the Mesozoic terrestrial environments of North China re‑ pansion (Kemkin, 2008; Chough and Sohn, 2010; Zhang sulted in the complex and diverse palaeogeography, along et al., 2012a). Simultaneously, in terrestrial environments, with a rapid evolution of flourishing flora and fauna. For a series of important geological/tectonic events with glob‑ example, dinosaur fauna was a dominant creature which al-scale implications occurred successively, for example, lived through the fast radiation during the Late Mesozoic Yong-Qing Liu et al.: Mesozoic basins and associated palaeogeographic Vol. 4 No. 2 evolution in North China 191 and the mass extinction during the Late Cretaceous (Zhou was the world’s largest Paleozoic accretive orogenic belt, et al., 2003). Therefore, the Late Mesozoic of North China and formed at about 250 Ma along the Solonker suture had important implications on terrestrial palaeogeography, (Xiao, 2004, 2009, 2013; Li et al., 2006). The Mongolia- palaeoclimatology and palaeoenvironment, as well as the Okhotsk Ocean closed during the Jurassic-Cretaceous complicated global tectonic background, which has been a (Donskaya et al., 2013; Zhou and Wilde, 2013) (Figure 1). research focus for long-term. The NCC, as one of the world’s oldest cratons, was In recent years, the authors, supported by the National finally cratonized in ca. 1.85 Ga, and then experienced Science Foundation of China and China Geological Survey, extension during the Late Paleoproterozoic, stabilizing carried out systematic investigations and comprehensive as a platform during the Middle Neoproterozoic (Zhai et studies of sedimentary-tectonic evolution and associated al., 2000; Zheng et al., 2013), receiving marine sediments palaeogeography, focusing on the Mesozoic sedimentary during the Paleozoic, having depositional hiatus from the basins in North China. Based on the tectonic evolution Middle Ordovician to the Carboniferous, and accumu‑ stages of the Mesozoic basins, this paper analyzed and lating terrestrial deposits since the Permian. The Tan-Lu summarized not only the spatial-temporal evolution of the Fault Zone crosses the eastern part of NCC and the Jilin- Mesozoic terrestrial palaeogeography and palaeoenviron‑ Heilongjiang Provinces (Figure 1). ment, but also the tectonic activities in North China. The southeastern region of NCC hosted the Qinling- Dabie-Sulu Orogenic Belts which were formed by col‑ 2 Geological setting lisions of South China Block and North China Craton during the Early Mesozoic and were symbolized the Pale‑ North China includes the Tianshan-Xingmeng Oro‑ ozoic-Mesozoic continental collision and ultra high pres‑ genic Belt to the north, the North China Craton (NCC) to sure (UHP) metamorphism (Zhang et al., 2004; Zheng et the south and the East Asian continental margin (Figures 1, al., 2013). The southwestern region of NCC contained the 2). The Tianshan-Xingmeng Orogenic Belt, which expe‑ Qilian Orogenic Belt that recorded the closure of Tethys rienced a long-term accretive arc-continent collision with Ocean (Zhang et al., 2004). The eastern region of NCC a similar orogenic history as the Tethyan tectonic domain, belonged to the continental margin of East Asia, which not only was the eastern edge of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate since the Mesozoic, but also constituted the complex tec‑ tonic setting of the Palaeo-Asia and northwestern Pacific Ocean since the Paleozoic (Li, 2006; Zheng et al., 2013). The eastern part of present Heilongjiang was located in the active continental margin of the Palaeo-Pacific subduction zone during the Late Jurassic (Kojima, 1989; Kirillova, 2003; Kemkin, 2008).

3 Mesozoic basin evolution, palaeogeo‑ graphy, and tectonics in North China

Mesozoic basins were widely distributed in North China (Figures 2, 3). On the basis of sedimentary palaeogeogra‑ phy and tectonic settings, five evolutionary stages can be identified in chronological order,i.e. , (1) Early-Middle Tri‑ assic, (2) Late Triassic to Early-Middle Jurassic, (3) Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous, (4) middle-late Early Cretaceous and (5) Late Cretaceous. Between each indi‑ vidual evolutionary stage, there were regional punctuated tectonic deformation (event) surfaces (Figure 3).

3.1 Stage 1: Early-Middle Triassic Figure 1 A schematic map of the Mesozoic tectonics in North China. During stage 1 (Figure 4), the North China was char‑ 192 JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY Apr. 2015

69° 75° 81° 87° 93° 99° 105° 111° 117° 123° 129°

50°

44° Sanjiang

Hailar N Great Altay Mt. Xing’an Range Harbin 44° Songliao

Junggar Urumqi S Great Erlian Xing’an Shenyang Bogda Mt. Range 38° TianshanTurpan-Hami Mt. Tianshan–Xingmeng Orogenic Belt Beishan Mt. 38° Yinshan Mt. Yanshan Mt. Yingen–Ejinaqi Tarim Beijing Hexi Corridor Bohai Bay Qilian Mt. Yinchuan Kunlun Mt. Ordos 32° Qaidam LüliangMt.

Xining TaihangMt. North China Craton 32° Qilian–Qinling–DabieLanzhou Orogenic Belt

Zhengzhou East Asian continental margin of the Mesozoic Qinling Xi’anMt. Tan-lu Fault 400 km Hefei Shanghai

Wuhan

87° 93° 99° 105° 111° 117°

Superimposed basin Rift basin Fault City

Figure 2 Distribution map of the Mesozoic basins in North China. Mt. = Mountain; the same below. acterized by differentiated palaeogeographic and tectonic China Plate and the Yangtze Plate approached together and evolution from south to north. The Junggar-Turpan-Hami by the end of the Middle Triassic, collision between the area was a unified basin located in northwestern China in North China Plate and the Yangtze Plate occured along the Early Trassic, which was under the distance effection the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu subduction belt, which caused of the Tethys evolution in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the uplift and extensive erosion in the southeastern region of northward compression. The uplifted mountains around the North China and palaeogeographic rising of the southeast‑ basin are provenance and result in the purple-red fluvial- ern North China. At that time, palaeogeographic highlands lacustrine sediments of the Early Trassic. were widely distributed in eastern and northeastern China, North China was in a syn-orogenic or post-orogenic tec‑ and in Xingmeng Orogenic Belt (XMOB). Hence, most tonic setting, e.g., the Tianshan-Xingmeng accretionary areas of XMOB and northeastern China were represented orogeny or Central Asian Orogeny through the Late Paleo‑ by the palaeogeographic highlands, which consisted of zoic to Early Triassic. The northern margin of NCC and the the main provenance of Ordos-North China Basin (Li et Xingmeng Orogenic Belt were strongly compressed which al., 2013a, 2013b; Yang et al., 2013). Palaeo-currents and demonstrated the syn-orogenic and uplift tectonic features. provenances including detrital zircon analysis of the Low‑ The Ordos-North China was represented by a giant ba‑ er-Middle Triassic sediments indicated a bidirectional sin with widely-distributed facies assemblages of alluvial sedimentary supply pattern from either northern Qinling fan-fluvial and shallow lake facies. In Yanshan region, the Mountain or XMOB and northern North China to the cen‑ Lower-Middle Trassic was dominated by alluvial fan and tral Ordos-North China Basin (Figure 4). fluvial channel deposits of purple-red sandstone and mud 3.2 Stage 2: Late Triassic to Early-Middle Jurassic sediments, which were deposited in western Shandong as well. In southern North China and northern Qinling Moun‑ The stage 2 (Figures 5, 6) is characterized by most in‑ tain, however, the Lower-Middle Triassic was dominated tense regional extension in North China in the previous by alluvial fan-fluvial and shallow-deep lacustrine facies uplift terrains. In the northern area of the northeastern and assemblages. During the Early-Middle Triassic, the North eastern China, highlands collapsed successively. In the Yong-Qing Liu et al.: Mesozoic basins and associated palaeogeographic Vol. 4 No. 2 evolution in North China 193

XMOB and the northern margin of NCC, during the Late northeastern side of NE China was in a back-arc setting of Triassic, volcanic lavas or alkaline rocks appeared (Xu the Palaeo-Pacific Ocean subduction under the East Asia et al., 2009, 2013) with small-scale basins that contained Continent (Wu, 2007). Basin evolution, palaeogeography coarse-grained clastics and coal-bearing beds. Two giant and dynamic mechanism of the Early-Middle Jurassic in basin systems of the Junggar-Turpan-Hami and the Or‑ northern North China and northeastern China were associ‑ dos-North China presented, where regional well-correlat‑ ated with the closure of the Okhotsk Ocean as well. There‑ ed fluvial-lacustrine deposits were accumulated (Figure 5). fore, current researches suggest that the northern North During the Early-Middle Jurassic (Figure 6), North China and northeastern China were in a back-arc environ‑ China was characterized by the extensive streching of the ment of composite subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate Earth crust. A series of faulted basins filled with basic- and the Okhotsk oceanic plate during the Early-Middle intermediate volcanic rocks and coal-beds developed Jurassic (Xu et al., 2013; Safonova and Santosh, 2014). well in North China and northeastern China. Across the Hence, rising of the gravity gradient zone from Great Junggar-Turpan-Hami Basin in northwestern China, and Xing’an Range to Taihang Mountain is not only an indica‑ in the western areas of the gravity gradient zone from the tor of beginning differentiated the palaeogeographic and Great Xing’an Range to the Taihang Mountain, there de‑ tectonic evolution from east to west in North China, but posited thick coal-bearing lacustrine and fluvial sediments, also a crustal extension across the NCC in a large-scale however, the dominant deposits of the eastern areas were and the maximum intensity. The Late Jurassic to the early basic-intermediate lavas at bottom overlied by lacustrine Early Cretaceous strata were mainly volcanic-sedimen‑ and coal-bearing fluvial sediments. Besides, the ringlike tary assemblages and were characterized by bimodal-like depositional facies zones consisting of coarse-grained volcanic rock associations. They rested on the unconform‑ sediments of fluvial fans and channels surrounded in the ity induced by the Middle Jurassic Yanshan Orogeny and Hexi Corridor Basin and the Ordos-North China Basin, consisted of, in an ascending order, basic-intermediate and the palaeocurrents towards the central Ordos-North volcanic rocks of basalt, basaltic andesite, trachyandesite China Basin, suggested that their sediment provenances and andesite, interbedded with lacustrine deposits of the were the uplift mountains around these basins. But, palae‑ Yanliao Biota-bearing Tiaojishan Formation, huge thick ocurrent and provenance analysis of the Jurassic deposits coarse-grained sediments of a combination of alluvial in West Shandong Province showed that these sediments fan-fluvial conglomerates and sandstones containing local came from East Shandong to the East Tan-Lu Fault Zone intermediate-acidic volcanic or volcaniclastic rocks of the and northern North China or Central Asia Orogenic Belt Tuchengzi Formation, and acidic lavas and volcaniclastic (Yang et al., 2013). rock associations of dacite and rhyolite and pyroclastic Furthermore, during the late Early-Middle Jurassic, the rocks of the Zhangjiakou Formation (Figure 3). The vast Yanshanian orogeny characterized by complicated thrusts middle Early Cretaceous rifting volcanic and sedimentary and folds was widely developed in North China (Davis et rocks containing the Jehol Biota of younger than 130 Ma al., 2001; Cope et al., 2007), which led to a differential overlied the Late Jurassic to the early Early Cretaceous basin evolution in western and eastern regions of North volcanic-sedimentary strata. China. Thus, the previously unified Ordos-North China 3.3 Stage 3: Late Jurassic to early Early Creta- Basin was split into two sub-basins (the Ordos Basin and ceous the North China Basin) due to synchronous uplift along the NE-oriented line from the Great Xing’an Range to Taihang During the early stage 3 (the middle Late Jurassic) (Fig‑ Mountain (the gravity gradient zone) which was effected ure 7), a variety of faulted basins occupied the Yinshan- and formed by Palaeo-Pacific Ocean subduction from the Yanshan areas because of regional extension. Faulted ba‑ Early-Middle Jurassic. However, Xu (2007) indicated sins in the Yanshan Mountain were filled with sedimentary that this gravity gradient zone was caused by the subduc‑ succession of massive intermediate-basic volcanic rocks tion of the Palaeo-Pacific Ocean Plate in the middle Early (the Tiaojishan Formation) and the overlying purple-red, Cretaceous. coarse-grained clastic rocks (the Houcheng Formation/ Thus, the differential evolution of basins and sedimen‑ Tuchengzi Formation), which were not in co-occurrence tary palaeogeography between the eastern and western with thrust faults regionally. Actually, through 154 Ma to North China has initiated since the Early-Middle Jurassic. 135 Ma, i.e., from the Late Jurassic to the early Early Creta‑ In fact, the eastern Heilongjiang Province located in the ceous, there was vast thick purple-red coarse-fine-grained 194 JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY Apr. 2015 - = Sifangtai; SJW = Sunjiawan; YJ = Yaojia; ZJG = Zhongjiangou. Yaojia; YJ = = Sunjiawan; = Sifangtai; SJW evolution stages of the Mesozoic basins in North China (vertical line areas refer to the missing strata). Fm. = = Formation; Group; Gr. MMB = Manketuoebo Stratigraphy and

Manitu - Baiyingaolao; MS = Mingshui; NJ Neijiang; QSK Qingshankou; SFT Figure 3 Figure Yong-Qing Liu et al.: Mesozoic basins and associated palaeogeographic Vol. 4 No. 2 evolution in North China 195

0 250 500 km

Junggar Karamay Mt. Basin Harbin N Tianshan Mt. Urumqi S Tianshan Mt. Turpan–Hami Basin –Inner Mongolia Orogenic Belt (Highland)

NE China Highland Great Xing’an Range N margin of NCC Korean Yinshan–Yanshan Sea of Japan Qilian Mt. Hohhot Beijing

Peninsula Bohai Bay Taiyuan Ordos– North China Jinan Lanzhou Rifting Basin Yellow Sea Tethys volcanics Zhengzhou Qinling–Qilian Trough Highland of Sulu Highland Fault zone

Protobasin Fault Remnant Palaeo- Hefei basin current Marginal basin City

Figure 4 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China during the Early-Middle Triassic (stage 1). clastic deposits in North China. The Shishugou or Wuchai‑ along the Yanshan Mountain to the western Great Xing’an wan Group in northern Xinjiang, NW China was both pur‑ Range in NE China, the lithology of which mainly consist‑ ple-red tuffaceous clastics with plenty of intercalations of ed of basic-intermediate volcanic rocks, middle-coarse- conglomerates (165-164 Ma). Rare tuffaceous sediments grained clastic rocks (the Houcheng Formation/Tuchengzi except for purple-red coarse-fine-grained clastic depos‑ Formation/Emuerhe Group), and acid volcanic rocks with its occurred in Gansu and Ningxia provinces, NW China. sedimentary rocks at top (the Zhangjiakou Formation and Faulted basins in the Yinshan Mountain were mainly filled its equivalent) (Wang et al., 2006; Zhang et al., 2008, with thick-layered alluvial-fluvial-lacustrine clastic sedi‑ 2009, 2010, 2011; Ying et al., 2010). ments interbedded with freshwater limestone locally (Li et Further, statistics of dating results of the Zhangjiakou al., 2004). On the other hand, the Ordos Basin was filled Formation showed a minor discordant with previous re‑ with thick lacustrine-fluvial-alluvial fan deposits and fre‑ sults (Wang et al., 2006; Zhang et al., 2008, 2010). Current quent volcanic rocks, while thick conglomerates (the Fen‑ study indicates that acidic volcanic peak of the Zhangjiak‑ fanghe Formation) consisting mainly of the Paleozoic or ou Formation is not only in an interval of 165-130 Ma but Triassic limestone dolomites and sedimentary rocks were also in two peak pulses of 160-150 Ma and 140-130 Ma deposited along the margin of the Ordos Basin. rather than 160-150 Ma and 141-122 Ma (Zhang et al., However, the eastern Heilongjiang located at the active 2010) or simply 135 Ma as previously published research continental margin of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate (Xu et al., results (Wei et al., 2012). However, dating results of vol‑ 2013; Safonova and Santosh, 2014) was dominated by the canism of the Zhangjiakou Formation suggest a 150-140 accretionary complex and ocean plate stratigraphy which Ma weak peak being well consistent with the previous consisted of gabbro, diabase, basic pillow lavas (basalt, results (Zhang et al., 2010), which indicates the transfor‑ spilite) and siliceous rocks, or exotic limestone blocks of mation of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate subduction, i.e., from a the Late Paleozoic. low angle subduction to slab rollback through the Jurassic During the late stage 3 (the late Late Jurassic to early to the Early Cretaceous (Wang et al., 2006; Zhang et al., Early Cretaceous) (Figure 7), a giant rift system appeared 2008, 2009, 2010; Ying et al., 2010). 196 JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY Apr. 2015

Karamay Mt. 0 250 500 km

Harbin Ocean Palaeo-Pacific Junggar Basin N Tianshan Mt. Urumqi S Tianshan Mt.

Inner Mongolia Orogenic Belt (Highland) – Korean Hohhot Northern margin of NCC Yinshan–Yanshan Sea of Japan Great Xing’an Range Beijing Peninsula Bohai Bay Taiyuan Ordos– North China Jinan Lanzhou Basin Yellow Sea

Zhengzhou Qinling–Qilian Trough Qilian Mt. Tethys Rifting volcanics

Highland Fault Hefei

Protobasin Palaeo- current Remnant basin City

Figure 5 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China during the Late Triassic (early stage 2).

Palaeo-Pacific Ocean

Altay Mt.

0 250 500 km Great Xing’an Range –Inner Mongolia –NE China (Highland)

Junggar Harbin

–Turpan-HamiUrumqi Basins N Tianshan Mt.

Yinshan–Yanshan Korean

Hohhot Beijing Sea of Japan

Peninsula Hexi Corridor–Ordos Basin Bohai Bay Taiyuan Jinan Lanzhou Tethys Yellow Sea Qinling–Qilian Orogenic Belt Taihang Mt. Zhengzhou Highland Fault

Protobasin Palaeo- current Highland of Sulu Remnant Hefei basin Provenance Rifting City volcanics

Figure 6 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China during the Early-Middle Jurassic (late stage 2). The previously unified Ordos-North China Basin was split into the two sub-basins of Ordos Basin and North China Basin during the late Early- Middle Jurassic. Yong-Qing Liu et al.: Mesozoic basins and associated palaeogeographic Vol. 4 No. 2 evolution in North China 197

Stratigraphic framework of Late Jurassic-early Early to basin formation within fault zone (i.e., in Hefei, eastern Cretaceous displays a regular variation from Yinshan- and western Shandong, northeastern Songliao and the San‑ Yanshan Orogenic Belt to Great Xing’an Range, however, jiang Region). Typical pull-apart basins filled with thick the Tiaojishan Formation is either missing or decreasing volcanic-sedimentary rocks (the Qingshan and Dasheng in thickness in western and northern Great Xing’an Range. Groups) appeared in the Yishu rift fault zone. Dinosaur On the contrary, the contemporary strata of the Tuchengzi bones and trace fossils were well preserved in shallow- Formation reaches a great depositional thickness in north‑ lake sediments of the Dasheng Group. At that time, NE ern Great Xing’an Range. In southern Great Xing’an Range China was of the middle Early Cretaceous in age. Small‑ to and Yinshan-Yanshan Orogenic Belt, both the Tiaojishan middle-scale faulted basins were filled with basic volcan‑ Formation and the Tuchengzi Formation present a huge ics and fluvial-lacustrine sediments. The Songliao Basin thick succession. However, thickness of the Zhangjiakou was a late Early Cretaceous giant lacustrine basin filled Formation and its contemporary strata in the whole Great with deep-water lake (shale)-river facies sediments (Ren Xing’an Range and western Yinshan-Yanshan Orogenic et al., 2002; Feng et al., 2010; Li et al., 2012b). Rift basins Belt is larger than those somewhere in North China. of the middle-late Early Cretaceous were characterized by At the same time, most of the eastern region of North marine-terrigenous sediments and interbedded with calc- China, in spite of giant rift systems, was a palaeogeograph‑ alkaline volcanic rocks in Sanjiang Region as well. Here, ic highland named as the “East North China Highland”, the river system connected with the Palaeo-Pacific Ocean which indicated a common geographic uplift and erosion. and palaeoclimate was mainly warm and humid (Sha, This study suggests that during stage 3, the regional tec‑ 2007; Figure 9). tonic setting, volcanics and magmas, sedimentary basins, 3.5 Stage 5: Late Cretaceous and palaeogeographic evolution are not related to the com‑ posite subduction. In contrast, the North China was under During stage 5 (the Late Cretaceous), a series of broad post-orogenic extension which caused the collapse of the basins with fluvial to shallow lacustrine facies occurred Mangolia-Okhotsk Orogenic Belt and the Yinshan-Yan‑ in the Hexi Corridor, including the Yingen-Ejinaqi Ba‑ shan Orogenic Belt (Fan et al., 2003). sin which was located in NW China and the Erlian Basin which was located in the northern region of North China 3.4 Stage 4: middle-late Early Cretaceous (Figure 10). The Songliao Basin and the Sanjiang faulted Furthermore, in North China, after intensive thrust and (rift) basin groups continued their spreading. At this pe‑ fold events at the end of stage 3, widespread extension riod, basins and palaeogeography of North China and its reached its peak during stage 4 (Figures 8, 9) correspond‑ northeastern region were obviously effected by the strik‑ ing to lithospheric thinning and destruction of the NCC ing-slipping movement of the Tan-Lu Fault. (Zhu et al., 2012a, 2012b). In sedimentary basins, the Actually, since the Late Mesozoic, from the western volcanic-sedimentary deposits accumulated either uncon‑ side of Great Xing’an Range through the Songliao Basin to formably or conformably on the previous orogenic belts. the Sanjiang Region of Heilongjiang, sedimentary basins Those medium‑ or large-scale basins were common on distributed gradually towards the southeast of NE China, XMOB, which were mainly filled with fluvial and lacus‑ which reflected the influence of the Palaeo-Pacific conti‑ trine deposits under hot and arid environments. Regional nental margin evolution (Wang et al., 2006). In addition, faulted basins with fluvial-lacustrine sediments and alka‑ during the Late Mesozoic, terrestrial biota represented by line volcanic intercalations were, however, developed in flourishing dinosaur fauna prevailed in North China and the Beishan Mountain, Hexi Corridor, and Yingen-Ejina‑ the North-East Asia, including the Middle-Late Jurassic qi areas in northwestern China and Erlian regions on the Yanliao Biota and the middle-late Early Cretaceous Je‑ northern side of North China. But, rift basins filled with hol Biota characterized by terrestrial plants and animals, intermediate volcanic rocks which were interbedded with feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, mammals, insects, fluvial-lacustrine sediments containing well-preserved and angiosperms (Zhou et al., 2003; Liu et al., 2012). fossils of the Jehol Biota were widely developed in the In general, during the Late Mesozoic, the eastern China northern and northeastern China, the Far East of Russia, and the northeastern Asia, South Korea, Japan and the Far Mongolia, South Korea and Japan (Zhou et al., 2003; Mat‑ East of Russia all shared the same tectonic, palaeogeo‑ sukawa et al., 2006; Figure 8). graphic and palaeoecological environments, which was At the same time, the Tan-Lu striking-slipping fault led habitable for terrestrial vertebrate and invertebrate faunas 198 JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY Apr. 2015

Mt.

Altay Mt. Yanshan – zone NE China Highland 0 250 500 km Ocean Palaeo-Pacific Range basin

Junggar an ' Harbin Karamay Mt. –Turpan-HamiUrumqi rifting Basins N Tianshan Mt.

Great Xing Beishan Mt. and central Inner Mongolia Highland Yinshan–Yanshan Korean Sea of Hohhot Beijing Japan Hexi Corridor–Ordos Basin Peninsula Bohai Bay W North ChinaTaiyuan Highland Jinan Yinchuan E North China Qinling–Qilian Orogenic Belt Highland Yellow Sea Tethys Zhengzhou Highland Fault Taihang Mt. Remnant Palaeo- basin current Hefei Rifting volcanics City

Figure 7 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China from the Late Jurassic to the early Early Cretaceous (stage 3).

Altay Mt.

Range zone an ' 0 250 500 km NE China Junggar basin Highland Basin Harbin Karamay Mt. Urumqi rifting Great Xing Turpan-Hami N Tianshan Mt. Basin Beishan Mt. and central Inner Ocean Palaeo-Pacific Mongolia Highland

Korean Sea Hohhot of Beijing Japan Peninsula Qinling–Qilian Orogenic Belt Yinchuan Bohai Bay Hexi Corridor–Ordos Basin Taiyuan W North China Highland Jinan E North China Tethys Highland Yellow Sea Highland Zhengzhou Taihang Mt. Protobasin Fault Hefei Remnant Palaeo- basin current Rifting City volcanics

Figure 8 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China during the middle Early Cretaceous (early stage 4). Yong-Qing Liu et al.: Mesozoic basins and associated palaeogeographic Vol. 4 No. 2 evolution in North China 199

Altay Mt. Highland

0 250 500 km Range Range Junggar an an Basin Karamay Mt. ' ' basins Harbin Urumqi

Turpan-Hami rifting Songliao rift N Tianshan Mt. Great Xing Great Xing and depression Basin basins Ocean Palaeo-Pacific

Western Gansu and central Inne r Yinshan–Yanshan Mongolia rifting basins Korean Sea E Jihei rifting of Hohhot Beijing Japan Peninsula Qinling–Qilian HexiOrogenic Corridor Belt –Ordos Basin Bohai Bay Yinchuan Taiyuan E Shandong rifting basins Tethys Jinan

Highland Yellow Sea

Protobasin Fault Zhengzhou Taihang Mt. Remnant Palaeo- N Dabie Mt.Hefei basin current rifting basins Rifting City volcanics

Figure 9 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China during the late Early Cretaceous (late stage 4).

Highland

Altay Mt.

Range Palaeo- Pacific an 0 250 500 km ' Ocean Junggar Basin Harbin Karamay Mt.

Urumqi Great Xing Turpan-Hami N Tianshan Mt. Basin NE China Songliao Depression Highland basins N North China Highland Yinshan–Yanshan Korean Sea of Western and central depressionHohhot Beijing Japan Peninsula Bohai Bay Taiyuan Ordos Highland Qinling–Qilian Orogenic Belt Jinan Lanzhou Yellow Sea

Taihang Mt. Tethys Zhengzhou

Highland Fault Palaeo-Pacific Ocean

Protobasin Palaeo- Hefei current Remnant basin City

Figure 10 Basins and sedimentary palaeogeography of North China during the Late Cretaceous (stage 5). 200 JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY Apr. 2015 and floras (Matsukawa et al., 2006). geographic and palaeoecologic environments, which were habitable for terrestrial vertebrate and invertebrate faunas 4 Conclusions and floras.

In North China, terrestrial sedimentary palaeogeogra‑ Acknowledgements phy and tectonic settings can be classified as five evolu‑ tionary stages for the Mesozoic basins. During the Early We would like to thank Prof. Zeng-Zhao Feng, whose Mesozoic, the XMOB was in a post-orogenic setting; advice was invaluable and we also appreciate the editors afterwards it was uplifted and supplied sediments to the for helpful comments in general. This project was support‑ Ordos-North China Basin. ed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Following the initial extension of the Middle Triassic, (grants No. 41372109, 90914003 and 41272021), and the more intensive expansion and a series of faulted basins China Geology Survey (grants No. 1212011085477 and occurred during the period from the Late Trassic to the 12120114064301). Early-Middle Jurassic. 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