Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic extension in southwestern Fujian Province, South China： Geochemical, geochronological and Hf isotopic constraints from basic-intermediate dykes

The tectonic evolution of SE China block since late Paleozoic remains debated.Here we present a new set of zircon U-Pb geochronological,Lu-Hf isotopic data and whole-rock geochemistry for two stages of basicintermediate dykes from the southwestern Fujian.The samples were collected from the NE-trending(mainly diabases) and NW-trending(mainly diabasic diorites) dykes and yielded zircon U-Pb ages of 315 and 141 Ma,with ε_(Hf)(t) values of-8.90 to 7.49 and-23.39 to-7.15(corresponding to T_(DM2) values of 850 to 1890 Ma and 737 to 2670 Ma),respectively.Geochemically these rocks are characterized by low TiO_2(0.91-1.73 wt.%)and MgO(3.04-7.96 wt.%),and high Al_2O_3(12.5-16.60 wt.%) and K_2O(0.60-3.63 wt.%).Further they are enriched in LREEs and ULEs(Rb,Ba,Th and K).but depleted in HFSEs(Nb,Ta and Zr).The tectonic discrimination analysis revealed that the dykes were formed in an intraplate extensional environment.However,the NW trending dykes show crust-mantle mixed composition,which indicate an extensional tectonic setting with evidence for crustal contamination.The SE China block experienced two main stages of extensional tectonics from late Carboniferous to early Cretaceous.The tectonic evolution of the SE China block from late Devonian to Cretaceous is also evaluated.

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.

Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the mixed clastic-carbonate deposits in the Late Paleozoic icehouse period:A case study from the northern Qaidam Basin

The widely-developed,mixed clastic-carbonate succession in the northern Qaidam Basin records the paleo-environment changes under the glacial activity during the Late Paleozoic icehouse period in the context of regional tectonic stability,however,the depositional environment and sequence stratigraphy characteristics of the mixed deposits is rarely reported and still not clear.Combined the latest drilling wells data,we analyzed the sedimentary and stratigraphic characterization of the mixed strata via detailed field outcrops and core observations and thin section microscopic observations and recognized three depositional systems,including progradational coastal system,incised valley system,and carbonate-dominated marine shelf system,and identified four third-order sequences,SQ1,SQ2,SQ3 and SQ4,consisting of LST,TST,and HST.The depositional environment is overall belonged to marine-continental transition context and shifted from marine to continental environment frequently,showing an evolutionary pattern from marine towards terrestrial-marine transition and then back into the marine environment again in the long-term,which was controlled by the regional tectonic subsidence and the high-frequency and large-amplitude sea-level changes due to the Late Paleozoic glacial activity.The result is of significance in understanding the evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the sedimentation-climate response.

Late Paleozoic alkaline magmatism in Western Transbaikalia,Russia:Implications for magma sources and tectonic settings

This paper presents the results of geochronological(40Ar-39Ar,U-Pb SHRIMP Ⅱ),petrological and geochemical studies of the Late Paleozoic complexes of alkaline rocks(Zimovechinsky,Tuchinsky and Koma) located within the Vitim Plateau(the western part of the Mongol-Okhotsk Orogenic Belt).The rocks were formed at 310-280 Ma.It is coeval with Late Paleozoic magmatism within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.The εNd(T) values show large variations from-2.1 to +3.3 as well as the initial Sr(I) isotopic ratios from 0.7042 to 0.7138,that demonstrate strong isotopic heterogeneity of the magmatic source.The geochemical characteristics of the rocks show pronounced positive Pb and negative Ti,Zr-Hf anomalies that can be explained by involvement of the subducted component in primary melts.The rocks intruded in a setting of extension at the active continental margin of the Siberian Craton during subduction of Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic crust under the Siberian Craton.

Lithospheric dripping in a soft collision zone:Insights from late Paleozoic magmatism suites of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The closure of Paleo-Asian Ocean is considered to have occurred along the Solonker Suture in the southernmost segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),the largest Phanerozoic accretionary orogen on the globe.The suture branches to the east to form the northern Hegenshan-Heihe Suture and the southern Solonker-Changchun Suture.The Hegenshan-Heihe Suture is an ideal natural laboratory for studying the post-collisional geodynamic processes operating in a soft collision zone driven by divergent double-sided subduction.Here we report results from an integrated study of the petrology,geochronology,geochemistry,and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of the Early Carboniferous-Early Permian mag-matic suite in the Hailar Basin of the Xing'an-Erguna Block.The Early Carboniferous igneous rocks are represented by 356-349 Ma andesitic tuffs,exhibiting typical subduction-related features,such as enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements and depletion in high-field-strength elements.These features,together with the relatively depleted Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions,constant Nb/Y values,but highly variable Rb/Y and Ba values indicate that these rocks were generated by partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge metasomatized by slab-derived fluids.The Late Carboniferous-Early Permian magmatic suite(317-295 Ma)is characterized by high Sr contents(313-1080 ppm)and low Y contents(5-13 ppm),and these can be subdivided into calc-alkaline adakitic rocks and high-K calc-alkaline adakitic rocks.The calc-alkaline adakitic rocks have higher values of Sr/Y,(Sm/Yb)_(source normalized),and Mg#,and lower values of Y,_(Ybsource normalized),and K_(2)O/Na_(2)O than the high-K calc-alkaline adakitic rocks,which suggests that the former was generated by partial melting of foundered lower continental crust and the latter by partial melting of normal lower continental crust.Based on our new data,in conjunction with those in previous studies,we conclude that the tectonic evolution of the Hegenshan-Heihe Suture involved Early Carboniferous double-sided subduction of the Nenjiang Ocean,latest Early Carboniferous soft collision between the Xing'an-Erguna and Songliao blocks,and Late Carboniferous-Early Permian post-collisional extension.We also propose a new geodynamic scenario in which removal of the lithospheric root might have occurred in a soft collision zone during the post-collision period via repeated and localized lithospheric dripping,which results from combined effects of hydration weakening of the lithosphere caused by pre-collision subduction and asthenospheric stirring triggered by slab break-off.

Variabilities of carbonateδ13C signal in response to the late Paleozoic glaciations,Long’an,South China

An integrated study of biostratigraphy,microfacies,and stable carbon isotope stratigraphy was carried out on the late Famennian–early Asselian carbonates of the Long’an section in Guangxi,South China.Stable carbon isotope studies in the Long’an section have revealed four major positive shifts ofδ13C values in the Carboniferous strata in South China.The first shift occurred in the Siphonodella dasaibaensia zone in the Tournaisian,with an amplitude of 4.19‰.The second shift occurred near the Visean/Serpukhovian boundary,with an amplitude of 2.63‰.The third shift occurred in the Serpukhovian,with an amplitude of 3.95‰.The fourth shift occurred in the Kasimovian,with an amplitude of 3.69‰.Furthermore,there were several brief positiveδ13C shifts during the late Famennian to early Tournaisian.All of these shifts can be well correlated globally,and each corresponds to sea-level regressions in South China and Euro-America,indicating increases in ocean primary productivity and global cooling events.Chronologically,the four major positive excursions ofδ13C,together with several brief positiveδ13C shifts that were observed during the late Famennian to the early Tournaisian,correspond to the well-accepted Glacial I,II,and III events.

Zircon SHRIMP U–Pb geochronology,geochemistry,and geological significance of dacite in the Zhesang gold district,southeast Yunnan Province,China

The Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic tectonic framework of the Nanpanjiang Basin has much been disputed.Herein,the middle-acid volcanic rock,dacite,exposed to the Zhesang gold district,southeast Yunnan Province,has been analyzed.The results show that the dacite belongs to a calc-alkaline series,SiO_(2)contents range from 62.79 to 76.66 wt%.Zircon SHRIMP U–Pb dating of dacite demonstrates that they were formed in the Early Triassic(247.8±1.7 Ma,MSWD=1.2).All samples exhibit enrichment in LILE(e.g.Rb,K,Th,and U),and depletion in HFSE(e.g.Nb,Ta,and Ti),which has the geochemical affinity of I-type granite.La–La/Sm and La–La/Yb discrimination diagrams show that the partial melting,mainly of the mafic lower crust,of rocks,plays a major role in the formation process.The dacite has low initial ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.706954 to 0.708589)and negative ε_(Nd)(t)values(-11.77 to-10.88).Zircons in dacite have ε_(Hf)(t)values of-16.2 to-8.3,and the two-stage Hf model ages are 1799–2301 Ma,mostly concentrated between 1800 and 1900 Ma,indicating that the magma source area is the reconstructed ancient lower crust mixed with some mantle materials,and crystal fractionation process underwent in the late stage of magma migration.This study reveals that the arc-volcanic rocks of the Early Triassic in the southern margin of the Nanpanjiang Basin were formed by the subduction of the Late Paleozoic ocean basin within the border region between China and Vietnam.

Structural,Kinematic and Geochronological Study of the Main Tianshan Shear Zone in the Borohoro Ranges,NW China

The western segment of the Main Tianshan shear zone(MTSZ)branches into three major dextral strike-slip shear zones in the Borohoro Ranges,northwestern China.Mylonitic rocks within these zones exhibit vertical foliations,subhorizontal lineations,and dextral kinematics.The microstructures and CPO patterns of calcite and quartz in the tectonites suggest shearing at temperatures of 200℃ to 500℃ or above.The amount of dextral displacement along the zones is less than 100 km.LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircons from some pre-kinematic granites gave ages of 364-325 Ma and 316 Ma,and zircons from a syn-kinematic leucogranite gave an age of 291 Ma.We propose that dextral shearing along the MTSZ started in the earliest Permian.Our data indicate that collision between the Yili and Junggar plates might have finished before 325 Ma or 316 Ma,with a tectonic transformation from 325 Ma to 300 Ma,resulting in intracontinental transpression from 300 Ma or 291 Ma.We suggest that the formation of the Kazakhstan orocline(KO)took place in two stages,with the early stage of bending driven by convergence related to oblique subduction,and the late stage possibly associated with lateral disarticulation as a result of the dextral strike-slip shear zones.

Water-Flux Melting of Amphibolite in Paleozoic Leucogranite from the North Qinling,Central China:Implication for Post Collisional Setting

Paleozoic granites can provide important insights of crustal differentiation and collision process of the North Qinling terrane. The Dafanggou leucogranites that intruded in the Qinling Complex is a Paleozoic granite with zircon U-Pb age of 404±6.4 Ma(MSWD=0.13, n=9). The leucogranites display moderate SiO2(68.4 wt.% to 71.7 wt.%) content and high Na2O/K2O(1.07 to 2.74) and Sr/Y(42 to 65) ratios, and low A/CNK(1.04 to 1.08) and Rb/Sr(0.09 to 0.16) ratios. Combined with negative ε(Nd)(t)(-10.4) and ε(Hf)(t)(-9.35 to-0.25) values and ancient TDM2 ages(1.2 to 1.7 Ga), suggesting the leucogranite are derived from ancient amphibolitic crust in the Qinling Group. In addition, the absence of coeval mafic igneous rocks or mafic enclaves occurred in the Dafanggou pluton and the low T(Zrn)(~700 ℃) of leucogranites preclude that the leucogranites derived from high temperature dehydration melting of amphibolite. Thus, we propose that the occurrence of the Dafanggou leucogranite indicates that water-flux melting of middle-lower crust in postcollision setting may be a potential model for the genesis of granites in collisional orogenic belt.

Glaciation-induced features or sediment gravity flows——An analytic review

For more than 150 years, geologic characteristics claimed to be evidence for pre-Pleistocene glaciations have been debated. Advancements in recent decades, in understanding features generated by mainly glacial and mass flow processes, are here reviewed. Detailed studies of data offered in support of prePleistocene glaciations have led to revisions that involve environments of mass movements. Similarities and differences between Quaternary glaciogenic and mass movement features are examined, to provide a more systematic methodology for analysing the origins of more ancient deposits. Analyses and evaluation of data are from a) Quaternary glaciogenic sediments, b) formations which have been assigned to pre-Pleistocene glaciations, and c) formations with comparable features associated with mass movements(and occasionally tectonics). Multiple proxies are assembled to develop correct interpretations of ancient strata. The aim is not per se to reinterpret specific formations and past climate changes, but to enable data to be evaluated using a broader and more inclusive conceptual framework.Regularly occurring pre-Pleistocene features interpreted to be glaciogenic, have often been shown to have few or no Quaternary glaciogenic equivalents. These same features commonly form by sediment gravity flows or other non-glacial processes, which may have led to misinterpretations of ancient deposits. These features include, for example, environmental affinity of fossils, grading, bedding, fabrics, size and appearance of erratics, polished and striated clasts and surfaces(“pavements”), dropstones, and surface microtextures.Recent decades of progress in research relating to glacial and sediment gravity flow processes have resulted in proposals by geologists, based on more detailed field data, more often of an origin by mass movements and tectonism than glaciation.The most coherent data of this review, i.e., appearances of features produced by glaciation, sediment gravity flows and a few other geological processes, are summarized in a Diamict Origin Table.

Devonian-Carboniferous Pillow OIB-Type Basalts in the Youjiang Basin,SW China:Implications for the Eastern Extension of the Paleo-Tethys Branch Ocean

Late Paleozoic pillow basalts are well preserved in the Youjiang Basin of SW China.In this study,we conducted geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic study on the Late Devonian and Late Carboniferous basalts in Napo area,Youjiang Basin.The analyzed samples comprise moderate SiO2,TiO2,Mg#,and REE contents,with slightly positive or negative Eu anomalies,similar to the chemical nature of OIB(Oceanic island basalt).All basalts show low(^(143)Nd/^(144)Nd)iand(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)ivalues,close to EMI-type(I-type Enriched Mantle)magma source.Late Carboniferous basalts display higher(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)i,Nb/Th,and lowerε_(Nd)(t),Zr/Nb values than those of the Late Devonian basalts,implying progressively decreased enrichment components in the magma source processes.Such evolution trend reflects a continuous lithospheric thinning event,supporting a progressive rifting setting of the Youjiang Basin along the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block in Late Paleozoic.Combined with regional geological background,the Youjiang Basin is viewed as a continental rift basin related to the opening of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in Late Devonian and became a passive continental margin basin in Carboniferous.The Paleo-Tethys branch ocean probably extended further to the southern Youjiang Basin,likely corresponding to the Song Ma suture zone.

Paleoenvironment controls on organic matter accumulation in transitional shales from the eastern Ordos Basin,China

To investigate the paleoenvironmental controls on organic matter accumulation of Upper Paleozoic shales in the eastern Ordos Basin,China,26 shale samples were collected from two wells drilled into the Shanxi and Taiyuan Formations.The total organic carbon(TOC)content,mineral compositions and elemental geochemistry of the samples were analyzed.Quartz(35.42%)and clay minerals(48.34%)are the dominant minerals and trace elements(Li,Cs,Cu,V,Co,and Cr)are commonly enriched in the shale samples compared to the Upper Continental Crust.C-values(ranging from 0.2 to 4.5),chemical indices of weathering(CIW)values(48.82 to 99.11),and Sr/Cu ratios(1.00 to 11.05)suggest that the paleoclimate was humid in the study area during the Late Paleozoic.Elemental redox indices(e.g.,Al_(2)O_(3)/(Al_(2)O_(3)+Fe_(2)O_(3)),V/Cr,Ni/Co,V/(V+Ni)and U/Th)indicate a dysoxic to oxic paleoenvironment characterized by transi-tional sedimentary deposits in a continental margin setting.In addition,chemical index of alteration(CIA,ranging from 77.92%to 98.36%)and CIW(89.19%to 99.11%)values suggest that there was intense chemical weathering in the study area,while the Al_(2)O_(3)-CaO^(*)+Na_(2)O-K_(2)O(A-CN-K)ternary diagram demonstrates that the shales were not subjected to potassium metasomatism during diagen-esis.Al_(2)O_(3)/TiO_(2)and TiO_(2)/Zr ratios,as well as REE characteristics suggest a felsic source rocks and discount seawater as an REE source.Ce anomalies indicate an oxic environment with terrigenous input during black shale deposition,and LREE enrichment with negative Eu anomalies suggests that both shale formations were affected by detrital input rather than hydrothermal fluids.The correlation of TOC(ranging from 1.10%to 6.39%,with an average of 2.77%)with trace elemental redox indices(Sr/Cu,Sr/Ba,V/Cr,and U/Th)indicates that a warm-humid,dysoxic to oxic environment preserved much of the organic matter.