Emplacement and Exhumation of the Kuznetskalatau Basement (Siberia
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doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2011.01006.x Emplacement and exhumation of the Kuznetsk-Alatau basement (Siberia): implications for the tectonic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and sediment supply to the Kuznetsk, Minusa and West Siberian Basins Johan De Grave,1 Stijn Glorie,1 Fedor I. Zhimulev,2 Mikhail M. Buslov,2 Marlina Elburg,1 Frank Vanhaecke3 and Peter Van den haute1 1Department of Mineralogy & Petrology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; 2Institute of Geology & Mineralogy, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia; 3Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ABSTRACT New geochronological data [zircon U ⁄Pb, titanite fission-track tion filled the adjoining Kuznetsk and Minusa basins and buried (TFT) and apatite fission-track (AFT) dating and apatite (and re-heated) the Kuznetsk-Alatau basement. After initial (U-Th-Sm) ⁄ He thermochronology] and thermal history modelling Pangaea break-up and Siberian flood-basalt magmatism, the yield constraints on the development of the granitoid basement basement reached TFT and AFT retention-temperatures in the of the Kuznetsk-Alatau Mountains, southern Siberia. The final Middle Triassic and Early Cretaceous, respectively, during stages of magmatism in the Kuznetsk-Alatau palaeo-island-arc denudation-induced cooling. are Late Cambrian, and collision of the arc with Siberia occurred in the Early Ordovician. The basement was exhumed by the Terra Nova, 23, 248–256, 2011 Early Devonian. Continuous Devonian–Early Triassic sedimenta- 2003) and Mesozoic reactivation that Kuznetsk-Alatau island-arc Introduction and geological setting exhumed the crystalline basement (De The Palaeozoic basement of the Kuz- The Altai–Sayan fold belt forms part Grave et al., 2009) and filled major netsk-Alatau forms a ridge between of the intracontinental Central Asian Mesozoic basins (Davies et al., 2010). the Late Palaeozoic–Mesozoic Minusa Orogenic Belt (CAOB; Fig. 1), which The Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic (east) and Kuznetsk Basin (west) was partially reactivated as a far field basins surrounding the Kuznetsk-Ala- (Figs 1 and 2). The Kuznetsk-Alatau effect of India-Eurasia convergence tau area (Minusa, Kuznetsk and West terrane can be subdivided into four (De Grave et al., 2007). The basement Siberian Basin) have attracted atten- structural blocks: the Zolotokitat, of the CAOB, and of Altai–Sayan in tion in relation to their important Martaiga, Iuys-Batenev and Mras-Su particular, is mainly composed of Late hydrocarbon potential and their asso- blocks (Fig. 2; Kazansky et al., 2003). Precambrian and Palaeozoic tectonic ciation with the c. 250 Ma Siberian Our study focuses on the crystalline units. These units – micro-continents, flood basalts. The adjoining basement basement of the Iuys-Batenev block. island-arcs, accretionary complexes blocks hold key information on the The basement of these blocks consti- and seamounts – often demarcated timing of sedimentary input and tutes the Ediacaran–Cambrian Kuz- by ophiolite complexes, assembled regional thermal history. netsk-Alatau palaeo-island-arc, and is into the proto-Asian continent during The Kuznetsk-Alatau in fact repre- mainly composed of volcanic rocks Palaeozoic collision–accretion events sents the northernmost section of the with a sandstone and limestone cover (Windley et al., 2007) and evolution of Altai–Sayan basement (Fig. 1). and are extensively intruded by Cam- the Palaeo-Asian Ocean (PAO) (Khain Although Cenozoic tectonic reactiva- brian–Ordovician granitoids (Figs 2 et al., 2003; Dobretsov and Buslov, tion produced a significant modern and 3). Kuznetsk-Alatau forms part 2007; Buslov, 2011). Voluminous gran- Altai–Sayan mountain belt to the of a more extensive island-arc system, itoid intrusions are associated with south, the Kuznetsk-Alatau region stretching into the Gorny-Altai ter- these accretion–collision events. Many shows only embryonic signs of rane to the south (Buslov et al., 2002; parts of the CAOB (or Altaids; S¸engo¨ r recent deformation (Allen and Davies, Dobretsov and Buslov, 2007). Pres- et al., 1993), including Altai–Sayan, 2007; Novikov et al., 2008) and is ently, these basement rocks form a were subjected to Late Palaeozoic characterized by a low, hilly land- complex sequence of imbricated, strike-slip deformation (Buslov et al., scape. Absolute age constraints on overthrusted nappes. In the Early its Palaeozoic basement, Meso-Ceno- Ordovician, the Kuznetsk-Alatau is- Correspondence: Johan De Grave, Depart- zoic evolution and topography are land-arc accreted to Siberia due to ment of Mineralogy & Petrology, Ghent limited. This study, centred on multi- progressive closure of the PAO. The University, Krijgslaan 281 ⁄ S8, WE13, B- method chronology and supported by collision is accompanied by deposition 9000 Gent, Belgium. Tel.: +32 9264 4564; detailed mapping, was therefore of Ordovician molasse and emplace- fax: +32 9264 4984; e-mail: johan. undertaken. [email protected] ment of subalkaline intrusions. 248 Ó 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Terra Nova, Vol 23, No. 4, 248–256 J. De Grave et al. • Emplacement and exhumation of the Kuznetsk-Alatau crystalline basement ............................................................................................................................................................. erosional conglomerate lies on the Kuznetsk-Alatau basement along a (a) sharp angular unconformity (Fig. 3b). It is followed by an Early Devonian volcanic unit (Byskar Series) with alkaline basalts, andesites, rhyolites and tuffs. This unit is covered by a continuous Middle Devonian–Early Permian sequence of sandstones with conglomerate lenses, limestones and mudstones. At the base, they reflect shallow marine conditions with a regressive transition to continental conditions up-section (including coal seams, Sekretarev and Lipishanov, 2000). An unconformity marks the bound- ary with overlying Late Permian– Early Triassic sediments. Widespread, but isolated pockets of coal-bearing Jurassic sediments occur above a Late (b) Triassic–Early Jurassic unconformity. These are in turn cut by a Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous unconfor- mity and overlying Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic sediments. Kuznetsk Basin West of Kuznetsk-Alatau lies the Kuznetsk Basin, situated at the south- ern edge of the vast, hydrocarbon-rich West Siberian Basin (Vyssotski et al., 2006) (Fig 1). Its sediments are predom- inantly Permian–Cretaceous (Buslov et al., 2010; Davies et al., 2010). A basal Late Carboniferous–Early Permian unit of non-marine sediments is followed by the main (continuous) Permian–Middle Triassic continental succession, rich in coal and containing basalt units of c. 250 Ma (Reichow et al., 2009; Buslov et al., 2010). These are related to the Siberian flood bas- alts that form the worldÕs most exten- sive continental Large Igneous Province (LIP). The Permian–Triassic deposits show signs of post-Middle Fig. 1 General location of the study area in Southern Siberia: (a) Kuznetsk-Alatau Triassic compressional deformation forms the northern part of the Altai–Sayan fold-belt in the Central Asian Orogenic (Davies et al., 2010). Belt (CAOB). The Mongol–Okhotsk Orogenic Belt (MOOB) is located to the south Early–Middle Jurassic sediments (east) of this area. (b) Kuznetsk-Alatau is a Palaeo-Mesozoic fold belt that separates (1 km) cover the Permian–Middle the Kuznetsk Basin (west) and the Minusa Basin (east). It is further delimited by the Triassic units unconformably and are West Siberian Basin (north) and the present-day Altai–Sayan orogen (south). The coal-bearing. Another unconformity study area is located in the northern section of Kuznetsk-Alatau. separates these strata from Early Cre- taceous sediments that represent the Minusa Basin terminal basin infill. In contrast to all back-arc basin, behind the developing other sediments, the Cretaceous is The Minusa Basin, east of the Kuz- Siberian active margin later in the considered marine in nature. The netsk-Alatau ridge (Fig. 2), formed in Devonian. Devonian–Carboniferous Mesozoic sediments are folded, the Early Devonian on SiberiaÕs sediments dominate the basin (Fedo- suggesting post-Early Cretaceous Palaeozoic margin and evolved into a seev, 2008). A basal Early Devonian deformation (Davies et al., 2010). Ó 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 249 Emplacement and exhumation of the Kuznetsk-Alatau crystalline basement • J. De Grave et al. Terra Nova, Vol 23, No. 4, 248–256 ............................................................................................................................................................. 88 90 92 and thermal history modelling was West Siberian Basin 50 km performed using HeFTy software 56 (Ketcham, 2005). Irradiations for Mariinsk Krasnoyarsk AFT and TFT were done at the BR1 facility (Belgian Nuclear Research Centre). Apatite (U–Th–Sm) ⁄He I (AHe) analysis was carried out at Kansas State University (USA) with Kuznetsk-Alatau terrane procedures described by Blackburn North Minusa Basin et al. (2008). II Results and discussion The TV-82 dolerite dyke yields a Fig.3 concordant ZUPb age of 496 ± Kuznetsk 7 Ma (Late Cambrian), and the TV- Basin 85 granodiorite of the Tuim-Karish III massif gives a concordant age of 54 477 ± 5 Ma (Early Ordovician) (Table 2, Fig. 4). The age of 496 ± IV 7 Ma for TV-82 constrains the latest stages of island-arc magmatism to the Carboniferous (and Early Permian) shallow marine Ediacaran–Early Cambrian island-arc rocks and continental deposits Paibian, Late Cambrian. The initial