Polyphase Deformation of the Weihai-Rongcheng UHP Unit Rocks,NE Sulu:Insights into the Tectonic Evolution of the Dabie-Sulu UHP and HP Belts,China

Different scales of structural data reveal a complex deformation history of ultrahigh- pressure （UHP） rocks exposed in the Weihai-Rongcbeng area, NE Sulu （northern Jiangsu-eastern Shandong）, eastern China. Excluding pre-UHP deformations, at least five major sequential deformational stages （D1-Ds） are recognized. The first deformation （DO produced a weak foliation and lineation in massive eclogites. The foliated eclogite with a dominant foliation containing a stretching and mineral lineation was developed during the I）2 deformation. Both the D1 and D2 deformations occurred under UHP metamorphic conditions, and are well preserved in the eclogite bodies. D3 structures which developed shortly after the formation of granulite/amphibolite facies symplectites are characterized by imbricated associations marked by a regional, steeply dipping foliation, compositional layering, eclogite boudinage, isoclinal folds and reverse ductile shear zones. The D3 deformation was accompanied by decompressional partial melting. A regional, gently dipping amphibolite facies foliation and stretching lineation, low-angle detachments, and dome- and arc-shaped structures formed during the D4 deformation stage dominate to some degree the map pattern of the Weihai-Rongcbeng UHP domain. The last stage of deformation （Ds） gave rise to the final exhumation of the UHP rocks. Ds is characterized by development of brittle-dominated high-angle faulting associated with emplacement of large volmnes of undeformed granite plutons and dykes dated at 134-100 Ma. The deformational and metamorphic sequence followed by the UHP rocks in the Weihai-Rongcheng area is similar to that studied in the entire Dabie-Sulu UHP and HP metamorphic belts from microscopic to mapping scale. Based on structural data, combined with available petrographic, metamorphic and geochronological data, a speculative tectonic evolutionary model for the Dabie-Sulu UHP and IIP belts is proposed, involving continental subduction/collision between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons and subsequent polyphase exhumation histories of the UHP and IIP metamorphic rocks.

Crustal deformation and tectonic levels of Nujiang Gorge since the Miocene

Crustal deformation shows different patterns at different depths due to changes in the physical properties of rock.Tectonic levels can be defined based on the geometry and deformation mechanisms of crustal deformation patterns. Nujiang Gorge, with a high riverbed drop, great erosion depth, and strong deformation, has rock exposures at different tectonic levels and thus provides an ideal lab for deformation study. This paper takes the Nujiang Gorge from Chawalong to Fugong as the object to identify structural deformation patterns at different depths through field study and deformation analysis. At depth, the primary form of deformation is flow deformation, as shown on the outcrops at Maji. Ductile shear deformation can be found in many outcrops within the study region, e.g., the Gaoligong dextral shear zone and Puladi-Songta sinistral shear zone that lie to the south and north of Maji, respectively. Further to the north of Puladi, the dominated deformation pattern is similar fold and dense sub-vertical foliation. In addition, brittle faults, as evidence of shallow deformation, can be seen overprinting on the deeper deformation features all over the region. Based on those observations, this paper identifies four tectonic levels from depth to the surface: flow deformation, ductile shear deformation, similar fold, and brittle fault deformation, all of which result from the NEE-SWW compressive stress field. Further evidence from studies on the region′s thermal evolution and regional tectonics suggests that the development of different tectonic levels is closely linked to the discrepant uplift or denudation since the Miocene(~21 Ma).