How many sutures in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Insights from East Xinjiang-West Gansu(NW China)?

How ophiolitic mèlanges can be defined as sutures is controversial with regard to accretionary orogenesis and continental growth.The Chinese Altay,East junggar,Tianshan,and Beishan belts of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt（CAOB） in Northwest China,offer a special natural laboratory to resolve this puzzle.In the Chinese Altay,the Erqis unit consists of ophiolitic melanges and coherent assemblages,forming a Paleozoic accretionary complex.At least two ophiolitic melanges（Armantai,and Kelameili） in East Junggar,characterized by imbricated ophiolitic melanges,Nb-enriched basalts,adakitic rocks and volcanic rocks,belong to a Devonian-Carboniferous intra-oceanic island arc with some Paleozoic ophiolites,superimposed by Permian arc volcanism.In the Tianshan,ophiolitic melanges like Kanggurtag,North Tianshan,and South Tianshan occur as part of some Paleozoic accretionary complexes related to amalgamation of arc terranes.In the Beishan there are also several ophiolitic melanges,including the Hongshishan,Xingxingxia-Shibangjing,Hongliuhe-Xichangjing,and Liuyuan ophiolitic units.Most ophiolitic melanges in the study area are characterized by ultramafic,mafic and other components,which are juxtaposed,or even emplaced as lenses and knockers in a matrix of some coherent units.The tectonic settings of various components are different,and some adjacent units in the same melange show contrasting different tectonic settings.The formation ages of these various components are in a wide spectrum,varying from Neoproterozoic to Permian.Therefore we cannot assume that these ophiolitic melanges always form in linear sutures as a result of the closure of specific oceans.Often the ophiolitic components formed either as the substrate of intra-oceanic arcs,or were accreted as lenses or knockers in subduction-accretion complexes.Using published age and paleogeographic constraints,we propose the presence of （1） a major early Paleozoic tectonic boundary that separates the Chinese Altay-East Junggar multiple subduction systems of the southern Siberian active margin from those of the northern Tarim;and （2） a major Permian suture zone that separates the Tianshan-Beishan from the northern active margin of the Tarim Craton.These new observations and interpretations have broad implications for the architecture and crustal growth of central Asia and other ancient orogens as well.

A new ophiolitic mélange containing boninitic blocks in Alxa region:Implications for Permian subduction events in southern CAOB

The Alxa region, located in the southernmost part of Central Asian Orogenic Belt, is a key region for understanding the tectonic processes associated with the closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Issues of late Paleozoic tectonic settings and tectonic unit divisions of the Alxa region still remain controversial. In this study, we report a new ophiolitic mélange named the Tepai ophiolitic mélange in the northern Alxa region, northwest of Alxa Youqi. The tectonic blocks in the Tepai ophiolitic mélange are mainly composed of serpentinized peridotites, serpentinites, mylonitized gabbros, gabbros, basalts, and quartzites, with a matrix comprising highly deformed clastic rocks. A gabbro exhibits a zircon LA-ICP-MS Ue Pb age of278.4 ± 3.3 Ma. Gabbros exhibit high Mg O and compatible element contents, but extremely low TiO_2,totally rare earth element and high field strength element contents. These rocks exhibit light rare earth element depleted patterns, and display enriched in large-ion lithophile elements and depleted in high field strength elements. Boninite-like geochemical data show that they were formed in a subductionrelated environment, and derived from an extremely depleted mantle source infiltrated by subduction-derived fluids and/or melts. The Tepai ophiolitic mélange exhibits similar zircon U-Pb-O isotopic compositions and whole-rock geochemical characteristics to those of the Quagan Qulu ophiolite.Therefore, we propose that the Tepai ophiolitic mélange may have been the western continuation of the Quagan Qulu ophiolite. Our new finding proves the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean might have taken place later than the early Permian.

Geochronology and geochemistry of Late Carboniferous dykes in the Aqishan-Yamansu belt,eastern Tianshan:Evidence for a post-collisional slab breakoff

With aim of providing constraints on the Late Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),an integrated study was conducted on the geochronological and geochemical data for dioritic,granitic and diabase dykes from the Aqishan-Yamansu belt in the eastern Tianshan,NW China.Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the dioritic and granitic dykes were both emplaced in the Late Carboniferous(~311 Ma and^315 Ma).The dioritic dykes show adakitic characteristics and have high Na2 O and positiveεHf(t)values(+12 to+17),which suggest an origin from partial melts of a subducted oceanic slab.The granitic dykes have high SiO2 and K2 O contents and are characterized by en riched light rare earth elements(LREE)and slightly flat heavy rare earth elements(HREE),with negative Eu and Nb-Ta-Ti anomalies.These dykes are alkali-calcic and show geochemical features of highly fractionated Itype granites.Their positiveεHf(t)values(+16 to+17)suggest that they were derived from a juvenile accreted oceanic crustal sou rce.The coeval diabase dykes have low SiO2 and K2 O contents but high TiO2,MgO and Mg#(54-59).They are enriched in LREE and show characteristics of enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts(E-MORB).The relatively high Ba/Th,slightly low Th/Ta ratios,and negative Nb-Ta anomalies imply a mantle source metasomatised by slab-derived fluids.Thus,these basic dykes were generated likely by partial melting of the upwelling asthenosphere mantle with a slight influence of slab-derived fluids.Therefore,we suggest that the formation of these Late Carboniferous dykes were triggered by a post-collisional slab breakoff and the Aqishan-Yamansu belt was a continental arc formed by southdipping subduction of the Kangguer oceanic plate.

Fisson-track constrains on superposed folding in the Beishan orogenic belt, southernmost Altaids

The Hongyanjing inter-arc basin, is located at the central part of Beishan Orogenic College （BOC）, Gansu Province, northwest China. Thick sequences of Permian sediments were strongly folded, forming extremely spectacular superposed folds. To better understand the thermal history of Hongyanjing interarc basin and to potentially constrain the timing of deformation, apatite fission track thermochronology method was applied on two superposed folds in the Hongyanjing Basin. Samples from the basin, yield central AFT ages ranging from - 206 to 118 Ma. AFT peak ages were largely consistent between samples and can divided into three groups： 245, 204-170 and 112-131 Ma. Subsequent thermal history modeling of the samples from the Hongyanjing Basin can be summarized as follows： （1） thermal reheating by sedimentary burial at - 260 to -220 Ma; （2） major cooling from -220 to -180 Ma; （3） an episode of very slow subsequent cooling from -180 to 65 Ma （-80 ℃） to present-day outcrop temperatures. Sediments in the Hongyanjing Basin were folded forming F1 fold during the early to late Triassic （-240--220 Ma）, by regional stress, and at the time that the adjacent Xingxingxia shear zone started to become active. It is further suggested that the F2 folding occurred at -225-219 Ma. The deformation age of F2 should he extended to 180 Ma based on our thermal history modeling for the Hongyanjing Basin, which show a rapid exhumation and cooling at the late Triassic to early Jurassic （-220-- 180 Ma）. In our interpretations, the F1 folding is therefore thought to he related to the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, while the F2 folding occurred at - 225-180 Ma associated with a major pulse of orogenesis in the BOC.

Continental reconstruction and metallogeny of the Circum-Junggar areas and termination of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Continental reconstructions in Central Asia are represented by orogenesis along some large orogenic belts in the Altaid collage （Fig. 1 ） or Central Asian Orogenic Belt （CAOB）, which separate the East European and Siberian cratons to the north from the Tarim and North China cratons to the south （$eng0r et al,, 1993; Jahn et al., 2004; Windley et al., 2007; Qu et al., 2008; Xiao et al., 2010; Xiao and Santosh, 2014）. The Altaid Collage was characterized by complex long tectonic and structural evolution from at least ca. 1.0 Ga to late Paleozoic-early Mesozoic with considerable continental growth （Khain et al., 2002; Jahn et al., 2004; Xiao et al., 2009, 2014; KrOner et al., 2014）, followed by Cenozoic intracontinental evolution related to far-field effect of the collision of the In- dian Plate to the Eurasian Accompanying with these complex world-class ore deposits developed 2001; Goldfarb et al., 2003, 2014）. Plate （Cunningham, 2005）. geodynamic evolutions, many （Qin, 2000; Yakubchuk et al,2001; Goldfarb et al., 2003, 2014）.

Northward subduction-related orogenesis of the southern Altaids:Constraints from structural and metamorphic analysis of the HP/UHP accretionary complex in Chinese southwestern Tianshan,NW China

The Chinese Tianshan belt of the southern Altaids has undergone a complicated geological evolution. Different theories have been proposed to explain its evolution and these are still hotly debated. The major subduction polarity and the way of accretion are the main problems. Southward, northward subduction and multiple subduction models have been proposed. This study focuses on the structural geology of two of the main faults in the region, the South Tianshan Fault and the Nikolaev Line. The dip direction in the Muzhaerte valley is southward and lineations all point towards the NW. Two shear sense motions have been observed within both of these fault zones, a sinistral one, and a dextral one, the latter with an age of 236-251 Ma. Structural analyses on the fault zones show that subduction has been northward rather than southward. The two shear sense directions indicate that the Yili block was first dragged along towards the east due to the cloclkwise rotation of the Tarim block. After the Tarim block stopped rotating, the Yili block still kept going eastward, inducing the dextral shear senses within the fault zones.

Frontiers in geoscience: A tribute to Prof. Xuanxue Mo-Preface

In response to the proposal by the Earth Science community of China,we are delighted to organize this special issue of Geoscience Frontiers(GSF)in honor of the work by Xuanxue Mo,Professor of Petrology and Geochemistry of China University of Geosciences(Beijing)and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,as a tribute to him on his 80th birthday.In his over 50 years of professional career,Prof.Mo has contributed enormously to the developments of China’s Earth Sciences and it is fair to say that Prof.Mo is one of the most influential administrators,educators and researchers in China’s Earth Science community and also internationally.The research papers assembled in this special issue reflect the authors’appreciation of Prof.Mo who has benefitted them as students,collaborators and colleagues over the years.

Hot subduction in the southern Paleo-Asian Ocean:Insights from clinopyroxene chemistry and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes of Carboniferous volcanics in West Junggar

The chemical evolution and pressure-temperature conditions of subduction zone magmatism along ancient suture zones in orogenic belts can provide important information regarding plate convergence processes in paleo-oceans.Carboniferous magmatism in West Junggar is key to understanding the tectonothermal and subduction history of the Junggar Ocean,which was a branch of the Paleo-Asian Ocean,as well as the accretionary processes in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB).We undertook a geochronological,mineralogical,geochemical,and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic study of volcanic rocks from the Baikouquan area of West Junggar.We used these data to determine the petrogenesis,mantle source,and pressure-temperature conditions of these magmas,and further constrain the subduction and tectonic history of the Junggar Ocean.The studied volcanic rocks yielded zircon U-Pb ages of 342-337 Ma and are characterized by enrichments of large-ion lithophile elements(LILEs),and depletions in high-field-strength elements(HFSEs),indicative of an island arc affinity.The volcanic rocks have positiveƐNd(t)(5.83-7.04)andƐHf(t)(13.47-15.74)values,87Sr/86Sr(t)ratios of 0.704023-0.705658,and radiogenic 207Pb/204Pb(t)and 208Pb/204Pb(t)ratios at a given 206Pb/204Pb(t)ratio,indicative of a depleted mantle source contaminated by subduction-related materials.Geochemical modeling calculations indicate that≤1%of a subduction component comprising fluid and sediment melt could have generated the source of the parental melts of the Baikouquan volcanic rocks.Clinopyroxene phenocrysts in the volcanic rocks are classified as high-and low-Ti clinopyroxene,and pressure-temperature calculations suggest the host rocks formed at high temperatures(~1300℃)and shallow to moderate depths(<2 GPa).The magma was probably generated by hot and hydrous melting in a mantle wedge in response to subduction of young,hot oceanic lithosphere.The present results,combined with published data,suggest that the Baikouquan volcanic rocks record a transition in tectonic setting from normal cold to anomalous hot subduction of young oceanic lithosphere close to a mid-ocean ridge.This indicates ridge subduction began shortly after 337 Ma.Our results provide new insights into the tectonomagmatic evolution during intra-oceanic subduction prior to ridge subduction.

地震反射剖面揭示阿尔泰山陆内逆冲造山机制

The Altai orogen is a typical intracontinental orogen in Central Asia that experienced far-field deformation associated with Indian-Eurasian plate convergence. This region is characterized by uplift comparable to that of the Tianshan Mountains but has a distinct strain rate. Half of the Indo-Asia strain is accommodated by the Tianshan Mountains, whereas the Altai Mountains accommodates only 10%. To elucidate how the Altai Mountains produced such a large amount of uplift with only one-fifth of the strain rate of the Tianshan Mountains, we constructed a detailed crustal image of the Altai Mountains based on a new 166.8-km deep seismic reflection profile. The prestack migration images reveal an antiform within the Erqis crust, an ~10 km Moho offset between the Altai arc and the East Junggar area, and a major south-dipping(30° dip) thrust in the lower crust beneath the Altai Mountains, which is connected to the Moho offset. The south-dipping thrust not only records the southward subduction of the Ob-Zaisan Ocean in the Paleozoic but also controlled the Altai deformation pattern in the Cenozoic with the Erqis antiform. The Erqis antiform prevented the extension of deformation to the Junggar crust. The southdipping thrust in the lower crust of the Altai area caused extrusion of the lower crust, generating uplift at the surface, thickening of the crust, and steep(~10 km) Moho deepening in the Altai Mountains. This process significantly widened the deformation zone of the Altai Mountains. These findings provide a new geodynamic model for describing how inherited crustal structure controls intraplate deformation without strong horizontal stress.

Cyclical one-way continental rupture-drift in the Tethyan evolution: Subduction-driven plate tectonics

Numerous continents have rifted and drifted away from Gondwana to repeatedly open ocean basins over the past-500 millionyears.These Gondwana-derived continents drifted towards and collided with components of the Eurasian continent to successively close the preexisting oceans between the two.Plate tectonics satisfactorily describes the continental drift from Gondwana to Eurasia but does not define the geodynamic mechanism of continuously rifting to collisions of continents in the Tethy an Realm.After reappraisal of geological records of the rift,collision and subduction initiation from the surface and various geophysical observations from depth,we propose that Eurasia-directed subducting oceanic slabs would have driven Tethyan system in the Phanerozoic.The Eurasia-directed subduction would have dragged the passive Gondwana margin to rift and drift northwards,giving birth to new oceans since the Paleozoic.The closure of preexisting oceans between the Gondwana-derived continents and Eurasia led to continental collisions,which would have induced the initiation of oceanic subduction in the Tethyan Realm.Multiple episodic switches between collision-subduction-rift repeatedly led to the separation of continental fragments from Gondwana and dragged them to drift towards Eurasia.The final disappearance of Neo-Tethy s would have induced collision of the Gondwana-derived continents with the Eurasian continent,giving rise to the Cenozoic Alpine-Zagros-Himalayan collisional system.Therefore,the Eurasia-directed oceanic subduction would have acted as a’one-way train’that successively transferred the ruptured Gondwana continental fragments in the south,into the terminal in the north.In this regard,the engine of this"Tethyan one-way train"is the negative buoyancy of subducting oceanic slabs.

Accretionary processes and metallogenesis of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Advances and perspectives

As one of the largest Phanerozoic orogens in the world,the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB)is a natural laboratory for studies of continental dynamics and metallogenesis.This paper summarizes the research progresses of the accretionary processes and metallogenesis of the CAOB since the Peopled Republic of China was founded,and puts forward the prospect for future research.During the early period(1950s-1970s),several geological theories were applied to explain the geological evolution of Central Asia.In the early period of China's reform and opening-up,the plate tectonics theory was applied to explain the evolution of the northern Xinjiang and Xingmeng regions,and the opinion of subduction-collision between Siberian Kazakhstan and China-North Korea-Tarim plates was proposed.The idea of the Solonker-Yanbian suture zone was established.In the 1990s,the study of the CAOB entered a period of rapid development.One school of scholars including geologists from the former Soviet Union proposed a multi-block collision model for the assemblage of the CAOB.In contrast,another school of scholars,led by a Turkish geologist,Celal Sengor,proposed that the Altaids was formed through the growth and strike-slip duplicates of a single island arc,and pointed out that the Altaids is a special type of collisional orogen.During this period,Chinese geologists carried out a lot of pioneering researches on ophiolites and high-pressure metamorphic rocks in northern China,and confirmed the main suture zones accordingly.In 1999,the concept of"Central Asian metallogenic domain"was proposed,and it became one of the three major metallogenic domains in the world.Since the 21st century,given the importance for understanding continental accretion and metallogenic mechanism,the CAOB has become the international academic forefront.China has laid out a series of scientific research projects in Central Asia.A large number of important scientific research achievements have been spawned,including the tectonic attribution of micro-continents,timing and tectonic settings of ophiolites,magmatic arcs,identification and anatomy of accretionary wedges,regional metamorphism-deformation,(ultra)high-pressure metamorphism,ridge subduction plume-plate interaction archipelagic paleogeography and spatio-temporal framework of multiple accretionary orogeny,continental growth accretionary metallogenesis,structural superposition and transformation etc.These achievements have made important international influences.There still exist the following aspects that need further study:(1)Early evolution history and subduction initiation of the Paleo-Asian Ocean;(2)The accretionary mechanism of the extroversion Paleo-Asian Ocean;(3)The properties of the mantle of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and their spatiotemporal distribution;(4)The interaction between the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the Tethys Ocean;(5)Phanerozoic continental growth mechanism and its global comparison;(6)Accretionary metallogenic mechanism of the Central Asian metallogenic domain;and(7)Continental transformation mechanism.

The large-scale ductile shear zone in Kuda, western Kunlun

A set of metamorphic suites, previously known as the Precambrian metamorphic basement in Kuda, western Kunlun has been determined as a large nappe ductile shear zone which develops penetrative foliation, oriented stretching lineation, various but consistent kinematic indicators of thrusting from north to south. The microstructure and the

Origin of the DUPAL anomaly in the Tethyan mantle domain and its geodynamic significance

Mantle heterogeneity has revealed systematic differences in Pb isotopic compositions between the Indian OceanSouth Atlantic mantle in the Southern Hemisphere and the Pacific Ocean-North Atlantic mantle in the Northern Hemisphere.This large-scale difference in mantle isotopes in the Southern Hemisphere is known as the DUPAL anomaly,but its origin remains controversial.Based on a systematic review of the Nd-Pb isotopic evolution of the Tethyan mantle domain,this study identified the long-term presence of the DUPAL anomaly in this domain since the early Paleozoic,characterized by long-term and high mantle thorium/uranium(Th/U)ratios.By comparing the Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of the Tethyan mantle domain with the Panthalassic-Pacific mantle domain(the Paleo-Asian,Paleo-Pacific,and modern Pacific oceans),it is shown that the mantle initially had low Th/U features due to early Earth crust-mantle differentiation,with the crust having high Th/U ratios.As such,the mantle initially had uniformly low Th/U ratios that were inherited throughout the Panthalassic-Pacific mantle domain.However,the plate tectonics and continental collisions in the Tethyan domain affected its characteristics,leading to the long-term and large-scale DUPAL anomaly.During the opening of and subduction in the Tethys Ocean,Gondwanaland fragmentation and frequent continent-continent collisions led to long-term and extensive crust-mantle interactions and the continuous input of highTh/U mantle sources,which thus modified the mantle.This process formed not only the unique DUPAL anomaly in the Tethyan mantle domain,but also the Tethyan tectonic domain dominated by continental collisions.Moreover,the high DUPAL anomaly in the Proto-and Paleo-Tethyan mantle domains records the effects of mantle plumes,which might have occurred primarily during the formation of the Proto-and Paleo-Tethys oceans during the early evolution of the Tethyan domain.Therefore,the inherent coupling of mantle domain properties and plate tectonic mechanisms provides important insights for understanding plate tectonics and geodynamic processes in the Tethyan domain.

An Upper Crustal Ophiolite Remnant within the Feather River Ultramafic Belt, California:Tectonomagmatic Origins and Implications for Its Evolution

The 150-km-long Feather River ultramafic belt(FRB) of the northern Sierra Nevada,California,consists of serpentinized ultramafic rocks,gabbroic rocks,with lesser amounts of amphibolitic rocks. The gabbroic rocks contain metagabbro and dikes within it. Based on the electron microprobe analyses,the metagabbro consists of typical igneous composition for clinopyroxene and early hornblende,indicating that they bear low grade metamorphism. The gabbroic rocks show Nb and Ta depletion in primitive-mantle normalized plots that is similar to typical island arc rocks. We present that the metagabbro within the ultramafic rocks is forming in the suprasubduction zone setting. Tectonic models are presented for the metagabbro and amphibolitic rocks in FRB. The low P burial metamorphism of the upper plate metagabbro and the high grade amphibolitic rocks are typical of relationships of upper plate ophiolites to metamorphic soles. The amphibolitic rocks record as metamorphic sole forming during subduction initiation beneath the ultramafic rocks and metagabbro. The unusual and protracted tectonic history of the FRB is similar to other ophiolite belts of the Cordillera of California but differs in the lack of crustal rocks.

Plate divergent-convergent coupling system and dynamic mechanism of continental orogenic belts

Since the establishment of the theory of plate tectonics in the1960s and 1970s,the comprehension of global tectonics has shifted from “fixism” to “mobilism”,which is hailed as a revolution in earth science(Vine,1966;Dewey and Bird,1970).According to the basic theoretical framework of plate tectonics,the Earth’s surface can be divided into a number of rigid lithospheric plates,which move relative to one another on the ductile asthenosphere,giving rise to deformation。