Deformation at the Easternmost Altyn Tagh Fault: Constraints on the Growth of the Northern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

How the Altyn Tagh fault(ATF) extends eastwards is one of the key questions in the study of the growth of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Detailed fieldwork at the easternmost part of the ATF shows that the ATF extends eastward and bypasses the Kuantan Mountain;it does not stop at the Kuantan Mountain, but connects with the northern Heishan fault in the east. The ATF does not enter the Alxa Block but extends eastward along the southern Alxa Block to the Jintanan Mountain. The Heishan fault is not a thrust fault but a sinistral strike-slip fault with a component of thrusting and is a part of the ATF. Further to the east, the Heishan fault may connect with the Jintananshan fault. A typical strike-slip duplex develops in the easternmost part of the ATF. The cut and deformed Quaternary sediments and displaced present gullies along the easternmost ATF indicate that it is an active fault. The local highest Mountain(i.e., the Kuantan Mountain) in the region forms in a restraining bend of the ATF due to the thrusting and uplifting. The northward growth of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and the active deformation in South Mongolia are realized by sinistral strike-slipping on a series of NE–SW-trending faults and thrusting in restraining bends along the strike-slip faults with the northeastward motion of blocks between these faults.

Late Quaternary sinistral slip rate along the Altyn Tagh fault and its structural transformation model

Based on technical processing of high-resolution SPOT images and aerophotos, detailed mapping of offset landforms in combination with field examination and displacement measurement, and dating of offset geomorphic surfaces by using carbon fourteen (14C), cos- mogenic nuclides (10Be+26Al) and thermoluminescence (TL) methods, the Holocene sinistral slip rates on different segments of the Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF) are obtained. The slip rates reach 17.5 ±2 mm/a on the central and western segments west of Aksay Town, 11±3.5 mm/a on the Subei-Shibaocheng segment, 4.8±1.0 mm/a on the Sulehe segment and only 2.2±0.2 mm/a on the Kuantanshan segment, an easternmost segment of the ATF. The sudden change points for loss of sinistral slip rates are located at the Subei, Shibaocheng and Shulehe triple junctions where NW-trending active thrust faults splay from the ATF and propagate southeastward. Slip vector analyses indicate that the loss of the sinistral slip rates from west to east across a triple junction has structurally transformed into local crustal shortening perpendicular to the active thrust faults and strong uplifting of the thrust sheets to form the NW-trending Danghe Nanshan, Daxueshan and Qilianshan Ranges. Therefore, the eastward extrusion of the northern Qing- hai-Tibetan Plateau is limited and this is in accord with “the imbricated thrusting transforma- tion-limited extrusion model”.

Determination of the Altyn Tagh strike-slip fault basin and its relationship with mountains

A special extended basin topography is developed in the middle segment of the Altyn Tagh Fault Zone. The ratio of its length to width is over 50. The long boundaries at the two sides of the basin are controlled by the straight normal faults with strike-slip component. Within the basin, the Cenozoic strata are spread. The Altyn Tagh main fault goes through the basin, and a series of strike-slip topography was formed within the basin. The reverse thrust structures were formed at the two sides of the center of the basin, thus making the geological bodies composed of old metamorphic rocks at the two sides of the basin extrude vertically, and forming the extended massif (mountain) at the sides of the basin and parallel to the basin. This special topography was called the strike-slip fault basin. The giant extended strike-slip fault basin began to form during Pliocene, and its topography was basically formed during the late Pleistocene. It is the special topography formed during the strike-slip deformation

The Altun Fault: Its Geometry, Nature and Mode of Growth

The Altun (or Altyn Tagh) fault displays a geometry of overlapping of linear and arcuate segments and shows strong inhomogeneity in time and space. It is a gigantic fault system with complex mechanical behaviours including thrusting, sinistral strike slip and normal slip. The strike slip and normal slip mainly occurred in the Cretaceous—Cenozoic and Plio-Quaternary respectively, whereas the thrusting was a deformation event that has played a dominant role since the late Palaeozoic (for a duration of about 305 Ma). The formation of the Altun fault was related to strong inhomogeneous deformation of the massifs on its two sides (in the hinterland of the Altun Mountains contractional deformation predominated and in the Qilian massif thrust propagation was dominant). The fault experienced a dynamic process of successive break-up and connection of its segments and gradual propagation, which was synchronous with the development of an overstep thrust sequence in the Qilian massif and the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. With southward propagation of the thrust sequence and continued uplift of the plateau, the NE tip of the Altun fault moved in a NE direction, while the SW tip grew in a SW direction.

吐拉盆地锆石U-Pb年代学:对成岩年龄、源区特征及阿尔金新生代走滑的制约

吐拉盆地是青藏高原北缘的中、新生代陆相沉积盆地,其沉积物中的碎屑锆石年龄记录了重要的区域地质演化信息。本文以盆地西部吐拉牧场凹陷内原犬牙沟组砂岩为研究对象,应用LA-ICP-MS单颗粒锆石U-Pb定年法对7个样品中的650颗锆石进行了U-Pb同位素年代学分析,探讨了砂岩样品的成岩年龄、物源区特征、阿尔金断裂新生代大规模走滑等地质信息。分析结果显示,两个凝灰质砂岩样品中含有新生代岩浆锆石年龄信息,指示其沉积年龄应为66~51 Ma,因而地层应归属古近系,并非前人厘定的下白垩统犬牙沟组。砂岩中碎屑锆石年龄指示其沉积源区具有典型的劳亚大陆属性,并记录了罗迪尼亚大陆聚合与裂解、泛非造山、加里东造山及印支造山等全球关键构造事件年代学信息。物源分析显示其沉积物源应为南祁连及柴北缘块体,并非前人认为的阿尔金块体,其原始沉积位置相当于现今阿尔金断裂南缘冷湖以西一带。本次工作证实,吐拉盆地中生代时期原属柴达木盆地的一部分,在新生代阿尔金断裂大规模走滑作用下被拖拽分离至现今位置。区域构造分析表明,作为印度板块与欧亚板块碰撞的远程效应,阿尔金断裂左行走滑活动的开始时间应在51 Ma之后,滞后于板缘碰撞约4 Ma,两个阶段的总走滑位移量大于500 km。

甘肃省车路沟北金矿找矿方向探讨: 来自阿尔金断裂带东段“金三角”金矿控矿因素对比研究的启迪

甘肃省玉门市车路沟北金矿地处北祁连造山带西端和阿尔金韧性剪切带东段交汇部位,是区域上著名的西北“金三角”。该矿的形成与阿尔金左行韧性剪切带关系密切并且产出受其次级分支断裂带的控制;古生界在区域上普遍含金较高,是该矿主要的矿源层;区域岩浆活动强烈,与金矿(化)体紧密伴生,车路沟花岗闪长杂岩体为该矿形成提供热源和部分矿源。结合区域成矿背景,采用区域矿床综合类比的方法,详细对比了车路沟北金矿区和寒山金矿、鹰嘴山金矿、滴水山金矿、牛毛泉东金矿、胡湾子金矿、南湖西金矿、红口子金矿、车路沟金矿以及昌马金矿等“金三角”金矿在地层-构造-岩浆岩-物化遥异常特征等控矿因素以及矿体、矿石、围岩蚀变等矿床地质特征等等方面的情况。研究结果表明:车路沟北金矿和上述诸金矿控矿因素基本类同,矿床地质特征极其相似,作为“金三角”金矿带在北东方向上的延伸,具备深部隐伏较大规模矿床的潜力。在此基础上进一步系统总结了“金三角”金矿的找矿模型,探讨了找矿标志和找矿方向。研究成果能对本矿区以及北祁连地区构造蚀变岩型金矿床进一步的勘查工作有所启迪。