Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Palaeoworld 26 (2017) 403–422 Jurassic–Cretaceous terrestrial transition red beds in northern North China and their implication on regional paleogeography, paleoecology, and tectonic evolution ∗ Huan Xu, Yong-Qing Liu , Hong-Wei Kuang, Yan-Xue Liu, Nan Peng Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China Received 21 December 2015; received in revised form 26 April 2016; accepted 19 May 2016 Available online 25 May 2016 Abstract The Jurassic–Cretaceous terrestrial transition red beds in the northern North China Craton are associated with a number of major geological issues that remain controversial, such as paleogeography, biotic transition, and tectonic evolution. Based on previous studies and new progress related to stratigraphy, sedimentology, provenance, biotas, and tectonics, this paper performs a comprehensive review of the red beds in the northern North China Craton represented by the Tuchengzi/Houcheng/Daqingshan Formation (ca. 154–137 Ma) and offers some new perspectives. Based on the 15 measured sections, five facies units including alluvial fan, fluvial, delta, lacustrine, and eolian facies have been recognized and described in detail. Provenance analysis indicates that the red beds were derived from local sources. Deposits in the basins in the eastern Yinshan–Yanshan orogenic belt were derived mainly from volcanic rocks of the Middle–Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation and the Mesoproterozoic–Early Paleo- zoic carbonate, siliceous, and clastic rocks present around the basin, especially in the north. In contrast, sediments in the basins in the western Yinshan–Yanshan orogenic belt were provided predominantly by the Neoarchean–Paleoproterozoic metamorphic rocks exposed mainly in the north of the basin. Paleocurrent features in different regions show characteristics of a localized convergent paleo-drainage system, suggest- ing that a series of relatively independent small- to mid-scale basins developed in the northern North China Craton. The east–west-trending Yinshan–Yanshan orogenic belt, formed in the late Middle Jurassic, uplifted successively and constituted a paleogeographic highland in northern North China during the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition time. The presence of eolian deposits in the early Early Cretaceous indicates degradation of the severe arid and hot environment, which may have been an essential factor in the dying out of the Yanliao Biota. Combined with regional Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous A-type granites, mafic dykes, and metamorphic core complexes and rift basins, this suggests that the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition red beds were formed in an extensional tectonic setting controlled by the post-orogenic collapse of the Mongol–Okhotsk orogenic belt. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Jurassic–Cretaceous; Tuchengzi/Houcheng/Daqingshan Formation; Transition red beds; North China Craton 1. Introduction been well recorded in marine strata (Handschumacher et al., 1988; McClelland and Gehrels, 1992; Bertotti et al., 1993; The breakup of Pangea, the expansions of the Atlantic and Monger et al., 1994; Adatte et al., 1996; Jadoul et al., 1998; Tethys Oceans, and the subduction of the Pacific Plate caused Hathway, 2000; McDermid et al., 2002; Ellouz et al., 2003; Ford major impacts on global plate framework, paleogeography, and and Golonka, 2003; Golonka, 2004; Weissert and Erba, 2004; paleoecology during Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (Winterer, Isozaki et al., 2010; Sofonova and Santosh, 2014), but remain 1991; Veevers, 2004). These major geological events have poorly studied in terrestrial strata. Two important terrestrial biotas developed in Northeast Asia in late Mesozoic time: the Yanliao Biota (ca. 165–152 Ma) (Y.Q. ∗ Liu et al., 2012a) and the Jehol Biota (ca. 143–120 Ma) (Zhou Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 10 68995462. E-mail address: [email protected] (Y.Q. Liu). et al., 2003; Zhou, 2006; Wei et al., 2008). Both biotas include http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2016.05.007 1871-174X/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS. All rights reserved. 404 H. Xu et al. / Palaeoworld 26 (2017) 403–422 a large number of exceptionally well-preserved feathered non- northern Mongolia and Russia, represents the locus of final amal- avian dinosaurs, mammals, pterosaurs, fish, and insects (Ji et al., gamation of the Siberian Craton with the Mongolia–North China 1998, 2002; Ren, 1998; X. Xu et al., 1999, 2002; Gao and block (Zorin, 1999). To the south, the Qinling–Dabie–Sulu oro- Shubin, 2003; X.L. Wang et al., 2005; J. Meng et al., 2006; Luo genic belt separates the NCC from the South China Craton et al., 2007; Hu et al., 2009; Yuan et al., 2013), recording two (Ratschbacher et al., 2003). The Yinshan–Yanshan orogenic successive terrestrial ecosystems in the age of dinosaur. In the belt (YYOB), related to the Yanshan movement proposed by lithological succession between the strata that contain Yanliao Weng (1927), is a Mesozoic intracontinental orogenic belt in and Jehol biotas, there exists a suite of very thick terrestrial red the northern NCC (Fig. 1A). beds crossing the Jurassic–Cretaceous (J-K) boundary, namely Northern North China evolved into a continental environment the Tuchengzi/Houcheng/Daqingshan Formation in the northern since Early Triassic and preserved thick and widely distributed part of North China Craton (NCC). The J-K transition red beds Jurassic–Cretaceous strata (Fig. 1B). In northern Hebei–western and their contemporary strata are widely distributed in the north- Liaoning, the Jurassic–Cretaceous can be divided into four eastern part of North China, Northeast China, and East Mongolia volcanic-sedimentary cycles (Fig. 2): the first cycle is character- (Davis et al., 2001; Graham et al., 2001; H. Xu et al., 2011). Due ized by the Early–Middle Jurassic basic–intermediate volcanic to the paucity of contained fossils, the red beds remain poorly rocks and coal-bearing clastic rocks; the second cycle comprises studied. the late Middle Jurassic–early Early Cretaceous intermediate- In recent years, notable progress has been made concerning acid volcanic rocks and coarse clastic rocks; the third cycle the evolution of terrestrial biota as well as its paleogeographic, consists of the middle Early Cretaceous acid volcanic rocks and paleoecological, and paleoclimatic settings in the transitional fine-grained clastic rocks, which are absent in western Liao- period of J-K boundary (Lockley et al., 2006; X.J. Zhao et al., ning; the fourth cycle is composed of the late Early Cretaceous 2006; H. Xu et al., 2011, 2013a; Xing et al., 2012, 2014; J.P. basic-intermediate volcanic rocks and clastic rocks. The Yanliao Zhang et al., 2012). and Jehol biotas are preserved in the second and third cycles, The J-K transition red beds have been increasingly recog- respectively. In western Inner Mongolia (Yinshan–Daqingshan nized as stratigraphically and geologically important for the area), in contrast, volcanic activities were weak and occurred regional tectonic evolution of northern NCC in the Mesozoic only in the late Early Cretaceous, and the clastic deposits are (Y. Zhao, 1990; Davis et al., 1998, 2001; He et al., 1998, 1999, thick (Fig. 2). Two regional angular unconformities represent- 2007, 2008; Davis, 2005; Cope et al., 2007; S.F. Liu et al., 2007; ing an intracontinental orogeny (Yanshan movement) are present H. Xu et al., 2011, 2012, 2013b; J. Liu et al., 2014). However, the in northern North China; one is under the Tiaojishan/Lanqi basin structural properties of the Jurassic–Cretaceous deposits Formation, and the other is under the Yixian and Lisangou and regional tectonic background are hotly debated. These con- formations. troversies include whether the intense products were controlled The J-K transition red beds, represented by the Tuchengzi by the compression from thrust faults (Davis et al., 1998, 2001; Formation in western Liaoning, the Houcheng Formation in He et al., 1998; Cope et al., 2007) or by intraplate extension (Ma northern Hebei, and the Daqingshan Formation in western Inner et al., 2002; Shao et al., 2003; Y.Q. Liu et al., 2015) or the deep Mongolia, are characterized by light purple, purple-red clastic strike-slip faults in the northern margin of the NCC (Qu et al., rocks with regional stability (Figs. 3 and 4). Large amounts of 2006) or by the back-arc extension resulted from subduction of high-precision isotopic dating data have constrained the age of the paleo-Pacific plate (H. Xu et al., 2011). Recent studies based the red beds to 154–137 Ma (H. Xu et al., 2012, 2014) (Fig. 4). on metamorphic core complexes (MCC), mafic dykes, volcanic The J-K transition red beds are widespread in northern North rocks, A-type granites and rift basins in NCC and Northeast China, with thickness of 800–4000 m (Figs. 1C and 4). In gen- Asia indicate that large-scale extension may have been initiated eral, they consist of thick-bedded or massive conglomerate in in the Late Jurassic (S. Liu et al., 2008; Ying et al., 2010; T. Wang the lowermost part, medium–thick-bedded sandstone, siltstone, et al., 2012; Charles et al., 2013; W.L. Xu et al., 2013; Qi et al., mudstone, and limestone interbedded with conglomerate and 2015). Based on these new results and a more detailed analysis tuff in the lower–middle part, and thick-bedded conglomer- of the depositional environment and sediment provenance on the ate and cross-bedded sandstone interbedded with tuff in the J-K transition red beds, this paper comprehensively reviews the middle–upper part in an ascending order (Fig. 3). Tuffaceous geological issues, such as paleogeographic, paleoenvironmen- or volcanic interlayer is absent in the Daqingshan Forma- tal, paleoecological, paleoclimatic and tectonic settings in the tion in Yinshan–Daqingshan. The J-K transition red beds have transitional period of J-K boundary in the northern NCC. conformable or unconformable contacts with the underlying Tiaojishan (intermediate volcanic rocks, volcaniclastic rocks, 2.