Detrital zircon constraints on late Paleozoic tectonism of the Bogda region(NW China)in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The Chinese North Tianshan(CNTS)in the southern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB)has undergone multistage accretion-collision processes during Paleozoic time,which remain controversial.This study addresses this issue by tracing the provenance of Late Paleozoic sedimentary successions from the Bogda Mountain in the eastern CNTS through U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analyses of detrital zircons.New detrital zircon U-Pb ages(N=519)from seven samples range from 261±4 Ma to 2827±32 Ma.The most prominent age peak is at 313 Ma and subordinate ages vary from 441 Ma to 601 Ma,with some Precambrian detrital zircon ages(~7%)lasting from 694 Ma to 1024 Ma.The youngest age components in each sample yielded weighted mean ages ranging from 272±9 Ma to 288±5 Ma,representing the maximum depositional ages.These and literature data indicate that some previously-assumed"Carboniferous"strata in the Bogda area were deposited in the Early Permian,including the Qijiaojing,Julideneng,Shaleisaierke,Yangbulake,Shamaershayi,Liushugou,Qijiagou,and Aoertu formations.The low maturity of the sandstones,zircon morphology and provenance analyses indicate a proximal sedimentation probably sourced from the East Junggar Arc and the Harlik-Dananhu Arc in the CNTS.The minor Precambrian detrital zircons are interpreted as recycled materials from the older strata in the Harlik-Dananhu Arc.Zircon EHf(t)values have increased since^408 Ma,probably reflecting a tectonic transition from regional compression to extension.This event might correspond to the opening of the Bogda intraarc/back arc rift basin,possibly resulting from a slab rollback during the northward subduction of the North Tianshan Ocean.A decrease of zirconεHf(t)values at^300 Ma was likely caused by the cessation of oceanic subduction and subsequent collision,which implies that the North Tianshan Ocean closed at the end of the Late Carboniferous.

Early Cambrian high pressure/low temperature metamorphism in the southeastern Tarim craton in response to circum-Gondwana cold subduction

The circum-Gondwana subduction initiated by the early Cambrian has been suggested to reflect the establishment of the modern plate tectonics.The metamorphic rocks with low thermobaric(T/P)ratios indicative of cold subduction in the present tectonic regime have not been well investigated.To better understand the circum-Gondwana subduction and to test its possible link with the emergence of the modern plate tectonics,this study focused on blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks in the Altyn Tagh of the southeastern Tarim craton.Mineral assemblage and chemistry,phase equilibrium modelling,and quartz-in-garnet Raman elastic geobarometry reveal that the zoisite blueschist and glaucophane(Gln)-bearing quartz schist in northern Altyn Tagh were metamorphosed to lawsonite to epidote blueschistfacies at 520–545℃ and 16–19 kbar.It reflects high-pressure(HP)/low temperature(LT)metamorphism with low T/P ratios of<300℃/GPa and thermal gradients of<10℃/km.These blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks underwent rapid decompression starting at P-T conditions of<495℃ and<9.6 kbar during exhumation.Ar-Ar geochronology records paragonite Ar-Ar plateau ages of 520–506 Ma for the zoisite blueschist samples and phengite Ar-Ar plateau ages of 522–516 Ma for the Gln-bearing quartz schist samples,suggesting that the peak HP/LT metamorphism occurred prior to ca.522 Ma.Based on new results and available data from the major Gondwana blocks,cold subduction was suggested to profoundly operate along circum-Gondwana in the early Cambrian after the amalgamation of Gondwana.The extensive circum-Gondwana subduction represents the earliest global cold subduction in Earth’s history associated with the establishment of the modern plate tectonics,as directly recorded by the studied early Cambrian blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks and a dramatic drop in the mean T/P of metamorphism since the early Paleozoic.