Comparative Orotomy of the Archean Superior,North China,and Phanerozoic Altaid Orogenic Systems Architecture

Geological maps encode vast amounts of data about rock types,ages,chemistry,orogenic architecture and deep-time history or different tectonic units,yet these are often difficult to extract because of the way different geologists portray their results at various scales.To understand orogenesis in 4D,it is essential to uniformly integrate map data,together with geophysical data and deep geochemical mapping(Wang et al.,2023).

Emplacement Mechanism of the Akebasitao Pluton:Implications for Regional Tectonic Evolution of West Junggar,NW China

Late Carboniferous to Early Permian A-type granites are extensively distributed throughout the West Junggar region, NW China, and the Akebasitao pluton is extremely distinguished among these plutons. In this paper, we reported new anisotropy of magnetic susceptible （AMS） data combine with detailed field study and audio magnetotelluric （AMT） sounding to assess the three-dimensional shape and magmatic emplacement mechanism of the Akebasitao pluton. The geological features and the AMT sounding indicate that the pluton had a slightly oblique movement of magma from northwest to southeast, which was most likely to correspond to an asymmetrical torch with a laccolith-shaped upper part, and a lower part formed by sub-vertical ＂root＂ that was located within its northwestern part, probably controlled by the NE-trending Anqi fault. The AMS fabrics of all the specimens reveal a low Pj value （mean of 1.02） and a low T value （mean of -0.024）, suggesting that the deformation of the AMS ellipsoid is relatively weak. The specimens exhibit both oblate and prolate shapes of the AMS ellipsoid. Magnetic lineations and foliations are randomly distributed throughout the pluton without any preferred orientation. These AMS patterns indicate that the pluton formed in a relatively stable structural environment with no regional extrusion. Therefore, we propose a complex emplacement process in which the magmas reached the shallower crust levels via deep-faults and subsequently occupied the room created by doming, accompanied by stoping near the pluton roof. Additionally, the regional tectonic setting was relatively stable during the emplacement of the Akebasitao pluton, indicating the termination of compressional orogeny during the late Late Carboniferous in the West Junggar region. This conclusion perfectly coincides with the regional tectonic paleogeography, magmatic system, and paleostress field.

DEEP Neoarchean Subduction Indicated by Ultra-high Pressure TiO_(2)(Ⅱ) Inclusion in Ophiolitic Podiform Chromitite Block in Mélange, Central(Taihang) Orogenic Belt, North China

Understanding crust-mantle recycling through time,especially into the Archean,is crucial for understanding how the crust has grown from the mantle,and in turn how crustal material returned to the mantle alters the mantle reservoir.Recycling of crustal material,such as C-H-O-NS-P are especially important for understanding how processes such as subduction,melting,volcanism,and the release of volatiles have regulated climate and life on Earth over billions of years.

Morphodynamic development of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake Depression,Central Mongolia:Implications for the relationships of Faulting,Volcanic Activity,and Lake Depression Formation

Data on the origin and morphology of lake depressions caused by volcanism are scarce in Mongolia.Previous studies focused on climate change patterns based on Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake sediment.We present a result of existing reconstructions of lake depression development and changes in the hydrology system during the Khorgo volcanic activation and the Holocene environmental change.A depression of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake is formed by a lava flow barrier from the Khorgo volcano.However,the Khorgo volcanic eruption and the lake depression that could shape a large lake have arisen instead from a fault.The morphometric analysis and field measurements indicate that the derivation of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake depression and Khorgo volcano may have evolved from movement on a sinistral strike-slip fault,which is about 70 km long.The southern mountains and rivers were displaced from northwest to southeast along the Terkh Fault.The offset along Terkh Fault is 4.02-5.28 km in the depression of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake.After movement,a wide valley of the Terkh River developed in the present landscape.The active Khorgo Volcano formed along the Khorgo Fault.The Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake is formed by blocked water from the PaleoTerkh River after lava damming from the Khorgo Volcano.The initial paleo-lake area was about 195.7km^(2),which was three times larger than the modern lake.The current water volume of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake is 0.351 km^(3) while the volume of the paleo-lake was 2.248 km^(3).Based on this volume indicator the paleo-lake was 6.4 times larger than the current lake.Overflowing water from the lake depression formed the Suman River by a drying canyon through the lava plateau,but the canyon is along the Terkh Fault.Changes in the water volume of Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake and erosion of Suman River canyon are inversely related to each other.We present the morphometric relationships between the lava plateau of Khorgo Volcano and development of Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake depression.

Sedimentary and Heavy Mineral Records for the Oligocene-Miocene Exhumation of the Easternmost Tianshan

The topography of the Harlik Mountain has a strong impact on the formation of current arid climate in the Turpan-Hami Basin.However,it is still controversial if Harlik Mountain experienced significant exhumation during the Middle to Late Cenozoic according to the previous thermochronology studies.The features of the Oligocene to Miocene sediments in the foreland basin could provide productive information for resolving the debates.The peak ages of detrital apatite fission track analysis of the Oligocene–Miocene sandstone in the Turpan-Hami Basin are well comparable with the cooling age records of the Harlik Mountain rocks,indicating that the Oligocene–Miocene Taoshuyuanzi Formation in the basin was mostly derived from the Harlik Mountain.The stratigraphic sequence exhibits coarsening upward,reflecting that the source area was in a tectonically active period during the deposition process.Heavy mineral assemblages also suggest that the unstable minerals in the sediment increased significantly at the end of the deposition.Moreover,the proportion of apatite increased up-section,while the garnet content decreased significantly,indicating that the Carboniferous metamorphic rocks have been gradually eroded out and more intrusive rocks have been exposed to the surface.These observations suggest that the Harlik Mountain experienced exhumation during the Oligocene to Miocene,and the denudation depth afterward was probably less than 2.5 km according to the previously apatite(U-Th)/He data.The Oligocene–Miocene exhumation probably acted as one of the triggers for the heavy drought of the Turpan-Hami Basin during the Middle–Late Neogene.

Geological Evidence for the Operation of Plate Tectonics throughout the Archean:Records from Archean Paleo-Plate Boundaries

Plate tectonics describes the horizontal motion of rigid lithospheric plates away from midoceanic ridges and parallel to transforms, towards deep-sea trenches, where the oceanic lithosphere is subducted into the mantle. This process is the surface expression of modern-day heat loss from Earth. One of the biggest questions in Geosciences today is ＂when did plate tectonics begin on Earth＂ with a wide range of theories based on an equally diverse set of constraints from geology, geochemistry, numerical modeling, or pure speculation. In this contribution, we turn the coin over and ask ＂when was the last appearance in the geological record for which there is proof that plate tectonics did not operate on the planet as it does today＂. We apply the laws of uniformitarianism to the rock record to ask how far back in time is the geologic record consistent with presently-operating kinematics of plate motion, before which some other mechanisms of planetary heat loss may have been in operation. Some have suggested that evidence shows that there was no plate tectonics before 800 Ma ago, others sometime before 1.8–2.7 Ga, or before 2.7 Ga. Still others recognize evidence for plate tectonics as early as 3.0 Ga, 3.3–3.5 Ga, the age of the oldest rocks, or in the Hadean before 4.3 Ga. A key undiscussed question is： why is there such a diversity of opinion about the age at which plate tectonics can be shown to not have operated, and what criteria are the different research groups using to define plate tectonics, and to recognize evidence of plate tectonics in very old rocks？ Here, we present and evaluate data from the rock record, constrained by relevant geochemical-isotopic data, and conclude that the evidence shows indubitably that plate tectonics has been operating at least since the formation of the oldest rocks, albeit with some differences in processes, compositions, and products in earlier times of higher heat generation and mantle temperature, weaker oceanic lithosphere, hotter subduction zones caused by more slab-melt generation, and under different biological and atmospheric conditions.

Tectonothermal Records in Migmatite-Like Rocks of the Guandi Complex in Zhoukoudian, Beijing: Implications for Late Neoarchean to Proterozoic Tectonics of the North China Craton

Migmatite-like rocks transformed from strongly metamorphosed and deformed enclave- bearing felsic plutons usually make people confuse with the true migmatites and mistake in interpreta- tion of their petrogenesis and tectonic implications. Here we report a suite of rocks that have long been called as migmatites from the Guandi complex in Zhoukoudian region, southwest of Beijing. The rocks are dominated by felsic gneisses with garnet-free amphibolites. Field occurrence, petrography and geochemistry indicate that the felsic gneisses and amphibolites were metamorphosed from protoliths of intermediate-acid and basic igneous rocks, respectively. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and geothermobarometry study further reveal that precursor magmas of the two types of rocks were emplaced at 2.54-2.56 Ga and the rocks subsequently underwent medium P/T-type metamorphism with upper amphibolite facies conditions of 0.55-0.90 GPa and 670-730℃ at -2.48-2.50 Ga. Geochemically, precursor magmas of the amphibolites were suggested to be derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source in continental arc setting, and those of the felsic gneisses are characterized by tonalitic to trondhjemitic magmas that are usually considered to be generated by partial melting of hydrated, thickened metamorphosed mafic crust with garnet as residues, suggesting that the rock associations are not of true migmatites but migmatite-like rocks. Our study reveal that protoliths of the migmatite-like rocks from the Guandi complex, were likely formed via magmatism in a continental arc setting, followed by accretion and collision of the continental arc as well as the intro-oceanic arc terranes to the Eastern Block of the North China Craton in the transition from the Late Neoarchean to Early Paleoprnterozuic.

Paleozoic convergence processes in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Insights from U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from West Junggar,northwestern China

The West Junggar orogen,located in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),preserves an abundant record of tectonic processes associated with the evolution of the Junggar Ocean.In this study,we use detrital zircon U–Pb age data from Ordovician to Carboniferous sandstones in the southern and central West Junggar domains,complemented by literature data,to better constrain the tectonic evolution of the southwestern CAOB.The Kekeshayi,Qiargaye,and Laba formations in the southern West Junggar domain were deposited during the Darriwilian-Sandbian,Katian-Aeronian,and Homerian-Emsian,respectively.Detrital zircon provenances of these formations display a marked shift from the southern West Junggar domain to the Paleo-Kazakhstan Continent(PKC).This suggests that the southern West Junggar intra-oceanic arc might have gradually accreted to the northern margin of the PKC prior to the Emsian,which has significantly contributed to the lateral growth of the PKC.The Carboniferous strata,Xibeikulasi,Baogutu,and Tailegula formations,in the central West Junggar domain represent a coherent sequence of volcaniclastic turbidites and were deposited in a progressively shrinking remnant oceanic basin during the Visean to Moscovian.They contain unimodal detrital zircon distributions and are derived from the local and coeval magmatic rocks in the central West Junggar domain.We propose that the final closure of the Junggar Ocean likely occurred in the end of the Late Carboniferous in response to regional amalgamation events in the southwestern CAOB,which marks the final assembly of the Kazakhstan Orocline.The central and southern West Junggar domains underwent individual evolution in the Paleozoic,and were recombined by the significant intra-continental reworking along the large-scale strike-slip faults.

On the Geodynamic Mechanism of Episodic Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic Era

Multi-stage uplift of the Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic implies a complex geodynamic process.In this paper,we review main geodynamic models for the uplift of the plateau,and,in particular,analyze the spatio-temporal framework of the Cenozoic deformation structures,which are closely related to the deep geodynamic mechanism for the plateau uplift.From this perspective,significant change of the deformation regime over the Tibetan Plateau occurred by the middle-late Miocene,while thrust and thrust-folding system under NS compression was succeded by extension or stress-relaxation.Meanwhile,a series of large-scale strike-slip faults commenced or was kinemtically reversed.Based on a systematic synthesis of the structure deformation,magmatism,geomorphological process and geophysical exploration,we propose a periodical model of alternating crustal compression and extension for episodic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.

Multiple Genesis of Fluid and Melt during Exhumation of Deeply-Subducted UHP Eclogite

Supercritical fluid and granitic melt are commonly generated as pressure decreases during exhumation of deeply subducted continental crust from mantle depths,promoting crust–mantle interaction,changing the rheology of material along much of the subduction channel and,in a feedback loop,facilitating ongoing exhumation.However.

Petrology of ultramafic to mafic cumulate rocks from the G?ksun(Kahramanmaras) ophiolite,southeast Turkey

The G?ksun(Kahramanmaras)ophiolite(GKO),cropping out in a tectonic window bounded by the Malatya metamorphic unit on both the north and south,is located in the EW-trending lower nappe zone of the southeast Anatolian orogenic belt(Turkey).It exhibits a complete oceanic lithospheric section and overlies the Middle Eocene Maden Group/Complex with a tectonic contact at its base.The ophiolitic rocks and the tectonically overlying Malatya metamorphic(continental)unit were intruded by I-type calc-alkaline Late Cretaceous granitoid(~81-84 Ma).The ultramafic to cumulates in the GKO are represented by wehrlite,plagioclase wehrlite,olivine gabbro and gabbro.The crystallization order for the cumulate rocks is as follows:olivine±chromian spinel→clinopyroxene→plagioclase.The major and trace element geochemistry as well as the mineral chemistry of the ultramafic to mafic cumulate rocks suggest that the primary magma generating the GKO is compositionally similar to that observed in the modern island-arc tholeiitic sequences.The mineral chemistry of the ultramafic to mafic cumulates indicates that they were derived from a mantle source that was previously depleted by earlier partial melting events.The highly magnesian olivine(Fo77-83),clinopyroxene(Mg#of 82-90)and the highly Ca-plagioclase(An81-89)exhibit a close similarity to those,which formed in a supra-subduction zone(SSZ)setting.The field and the geochemical evidence suggest that the GKO formed as part of a much larger sheet of oceanic lithosphere,which accreted to the base of the Tauride active continental margin,including the ispendere,K?mürhan and the Guleman ophiolites.The latter were contemporaneous and genetically/tectonically related within the same SSZ setting during the closure of the Neotethyan oceanic basin(Berit Ocean)between the Taurides to the north and the Bitlis-Pütürge massif to the south during the Late Cretaceous.

A Paleoproterozoic(Orosirian) Ophiolitic Mélange, North Yangzte Craton

Ophiolites represent fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere,tectonically incorporated into continental margins during plate subduction or remained in the subduction–collisional orogenic belt.They provide

The Significance of Sheeted Dike Complexes in Ophiolites

The modern‘Penrose’definition of ophiolites is based largely on the Troodos complex of Cyprus,which contains a spectacular and well-exposed sheeted dike complex in which dike intrudes dike without intermediate screens of

Plate Tectonics:The Stabilizer of Earth’s Habitability

Earth is the only planet known to be habitable,and is also unique with its liquid water,and the operation of plate tectonics.The geological record shows that the habitability of our planet can rapidly recover from major disasters or catastrophes,even those that cause mass extinctions.We suggest that plate tectonics,which acts as a link between the shallow and deep,is pivotal for the formation,evolution,and long-term stability of the hydrosphere,atmosphere,lithosphere,and thus life.Plate tectonics links the surface environment with the deep interior of high viscosity,low Reynolds number,low entropy,and low chaos,able to produce a strong healing effect to neutralize catastrophic events.It can transfer the bio-essential elements from the deep interior to the near-surface environment and can recycle toxic elements to the deep.This unique planetary energy and material transfer process of Earth is a continuous,slow-release,and bidirectional cycle,where a change in the surface is slowly buffered by a reaction from the deep,shaping a long-term and stable habitable environment.Therefore,it is considered that plate tectonics is the basic condition for the long-term stable evolution of the Earth’s biosphere and the stabilizer of the Earth’s habitability.

Twin Earthquakes Devastate Southeast Türkiye and Syria:First Report from the Epicenters

In early February,2023,southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria were hit by a series of deadly earthquakes(two of them above magnitude 7.5)that are proving to be one of the most significant earthquake disasters of this century.These“twin quakes”caused a large number of casualties and property losses.As of press time,the death toll in Türkiye and Syria has surpassed 51000 and the number of injured has surpassed 120000,with the number affected>13.5 million.The toll is constantly rising and the hope of finding more survivors has rapidly faded.The USGS PAGER(United States Geological Survey,Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquake for Response)service estimates economic losses of 10–100 billion US dollars.

A Sheeted Dike Complex in the Protrozoic Miaowan Ophiolite Complex on the Northern Yangtze Craton: Recording Seafloor Spreading

The Proterozoic Miaowan Ophiolite Complex is a highly dismembered ophiolitic complex cropping out near the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton(Peng et al.,2012).The rocks of this complex consist of,from bottom

A Neoarchean Subduction Polarity Reversal Event in the North China Craton: Evidence from 2.5 Ga Mafic Dikes and Coeval Granites

Fabrics of an Archean mélange belt in the Zanhuang Complex of the North China Craton(NCC)were intruded by mafic dikes and a granite pluton(Deng et al.,2013;Wang et al.,2013).Igneous zircons from an undefomed

Documentation of the Sirjan Orocline in the southeast Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, Iran

At the southeastern part of the SanandajSirjan Zone of Iran, a group of structural elements outline a large-scale arc curvature around a vertical axis. This curvature comprises several elongated structural elements and their dividing faults, axialfold traces, layering, and foliation. The most frequent lithological units include Paleozoic metamorphic rocks, Mesozoic-Paleogene sedimentary rocks, and Mesozoic magmatic-ophiolitic complex disposed in several anticlines and synclines, forming a horseshoeshaped structure with a 240-km arc length and a 90-km wavelength. We name this structure the Sirjan Orocline, and characterize this structure here through field observations and satellite image analyses. The Sirjan Orocline formed during the late EoceneOligocene related to the most significant deformation event after regional metamorphism. The final form of this structural arc is affected by a younger tectonic event that compressed and transected this structure.

A New Understanding on the Emplacement of Ophiolitic Mélanges and Its Tectonic Significance: Insights from the Structural Analysis of the Remnant Oceanic Basin-Type Ophiolitic Mélanges

Ophiolites represent on-land fragments of paleooceanic crust and have been recognized as one of the key markers of suture zones.Here,we provide new insights into the emplacement of ophiolitic mélanges based on detailed geological mapping and structural analysis in the West Junggar and Songpan-Ganzi-Bayan Har orogens(Fig.1 and Fig.2).The results show that some ophiolitic mélange belts cannot be regarded as suture zones.The distribution of these ophiolitic mélange belts are usually associated with the structural processes during the closure of remnant oceanic basins.After the remnant-oceanic basin is filled with thick clastic deposit,the oceanic lithosphere material as the base of the remnant basin can be injected into the overlying sedimentary strata through various faultings under the regional compressive stress,forming the remnant oceanic basintype ophiolitic mélange system with dispersive distribution characteristics.Combining with previous researches,the emplacement mechanism of ophiolitic mélanges can be divided into four categories:subduction type which oceanic lithosphere subducted beneath active continental margin,obduction type which oceanic lithosphere obducted over passive continental margin,collision type between two continental lithospheres,and closure type of remnant-oceanic basin(Fig.3).These different types of ophiolitic mélange belts will be superimposed and even re-emplacement by the tectonic processes of post-plate convergence,complicating their distribution.Therefore,identifying the emplacement mechanism type of ophiolitic mélange belts formed in different tectonic processes and backgrounds is of importance for understanding the process of ocean-continental transition and the evolution of orogenic belts.

Petrogenesis of Late Mesozoic Calc-Alkaline Lamprophyres from Sulu UHP Terrane, Eastern China: Implications to Paleo-Pacific Plate Subduction and Destruction of the North China Craton

Destruction of the North China Craton has caused extensive concern on its multiple potential mechanisms including thermal erosion,chemical erosion and delamination.It is widely accepted that thinning of the