The West Junggar of the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt is one of the typical regions in the term of ocean subduction, contraction and continental growth in the Late Paleozoic. However, it is still controversial on the exact time of ocean‐continent transition so far. This study investigates rhyolites with columnar joint in the West Junggar for the first time. Based on zircon U‐Pb dating, we determined that the ages of the newly‐discovered rhyolites are between 303.6 and 294.5 Ma, belonging to Late Carboniferous–Early Permian, which is the oldest rhyolite with columnar joint preserved in the world at present. Geochemical results show that the characteristics of the major element compositions include a high content of SiO 2 (75.78–79.20 wt%) and a moderate content of Al 2 O 3 (12.21–13.19 wt%). The total alkali content (K 2 O + Na 2 O) is 6.14–8.05 wt%, among which K 2 O is 2.09–4.72 wt% and the rate of K 2 O/Na 2 O is 0.38–3.05. Over‐based minerals such as Ne, Lc, and Ac do not appear. The contents of TiO 2 (0.09–0.24 wt%), CaO (0.15–0.99 wt%) and MgO (0.06–0.18 wt%) are low. A/CNK=0.91–1.68, A/NK=1.06–1.76, and as such, these are associated with the quasi‐aluminum‐weak peraluminous high potassium calc‐alkaline and some calc‐alkaline magma series. These rhyolites show a significant negative Eu anomaly with relative enrichment of LREE and LILE (Rb, Ba, Th, U, K) and depletion of Sr, HREE and HFSE (Nb, Ta, Ti, P). These rhyolites also have the characteristics of an A2‐type granite, similar to the Miaoergou batholith, which indicates they both were affected by post‐orogenic extension. Combining petrological, zircon U‐Pb dating and geochemical characteristics of the rhyolites, we conclude that the specific time of ocean‐continent transition of the West Junggar is the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian.
Abstract The continental Asia is mainly composed of three major tectonic regimes, the Tethys, Paleo Asian Ocean, and West Pacific. It underwent multi‐stage plate convergences, ocean‐continent transformations, and subductions, collisions and/or collages, and post collisional (orogenic) extensions in Phanerozoic. Tectonic evolution of the Asia brings up a unique fault system and tectonic geomorphological features in the mainland China. Also, it provides a geodynamic background for the formation and evolution of metallogeneses and mineral systems, resulting in nonuniform distribution of tectono‐metallogenic systems and metallogenic belts. The spatiotemporal distribution of mineral deposits in China and adjacent areas exhibits periodic variation under controlling of the full life Wilson cycle and tectonic evolution, forming the plate convergence‐related mineral system in East Asia. Porphyry Cu deposits are mainly related to compressional systems in Paleozoic and early Mesozoic, and more closely related to post‐collision extensional settings in late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Orogenic Au deposits mainly formed in post‐orogeny extensional setting. Alkaline rock related rare earth element deposits formed mainly at margins of the North China and Yangtze cratons. Granite‐pegmatite Li and other rare metal deposits formed mainly in early Mesozoic, related to Indosinian post‐orogeny extension. Tectono‐metallogenic systems provide important basis for the prospecting of mineral resources.
Abstract Strike-slip faults are widely developed throughout the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), one of the largest Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic collages in the world, and may have played a key role in its evolution. Recent studies have shown that a large number of Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic ductile shear zones developed along the southern CAOB. This study reports the discovery of a NW–SE striking, approximately 500 km long and up to 2 km wide regional ductile shear zone in the southern Alxa Block, the Southern Alxa Ductile Shear Zone (SADSZ), which is located in the central part of the southern CAOB. The nearly vertical mylonitic foliation and subhorizontal stretching lineation indicate that the SADSZ is a ductile strike-slip shear zone, and various kinematic indicators indicate dextral shearing. The zircon U-Pb ages and the 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of the muscovite and biotite indicate that the dextral ductile shearing was active during Middle Permian to Middle Triassic (ca. 269–240 Ma). The least horizontal displacement of the SADSZ is constrained between ca. 40 and 50 km. The aeromagnetic data shows that the SADSZ is in structural continuity with the coeval shear zones in the central and northern Alxa Block, and these connected shear zones form a ductile strike-slip duplex in the central part of the southern CAOB. The ductile strike-slip duplex in the Alxa Block, including the SADSZ, connected the dextral ductile shear zones in the western and eastern parts of the southern CAOB to form a 3000 km long E-W trending dextral shear zone, which developed along the southern CAOB during Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic. This large-scale dextral shear zone was caused by the eastward migration of the orogenic collages and blocks of the CAOB and indicates a transition from convergence to transcurrent setting of the southern CAOB during Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic.
Abstract The North Huicheng Basin strike-slip fault system is on the northeastern frontier of the Tibetan Plateau and separates the West and East Qinling differential orogeny. However, the deformation mechanism of this strike-slip fault system and its exact tectonic significance are unclear. Here, we carried out systematic field structural analysis, physical analog modeling, and multiproxy geochronological dating to address these issues. The field structural analysis indicates that the North Huicheng Basin strike-slip fault system was induced from the plate-like movement of the West and East Qinling Orogens, which underwent multiple left-lateral strike-slip faulting and controlled salient and recessed structures. The scaled physical analog experiment results confirm this hypothesis and reveal the primary spatial-temporal deformational kinematic process. Combined with published works, multiproxy geochronological dating (zircon U‒Pb age of 213 Ma, biotite 40Ar/39Ar age of 203 Ma, and apatite fission-track age of 56 Ma) outlines the main thermal history of the hanging wall. Based on the above facts, the integrated research suggests that multistage strike-slip faulting played a significant role in the main tectonic events, that is, late Triassic magmatic emplacement, Jurassic/Cretaceous local pull-apart, and Cenozoic rapid exhumation driven by Tibetan Plateau growth.
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