Thermal Evolution of Plutons and Uplift Process of the Yanshan Orogenic Belt

Abstract: Thermochronological dating was used to study the thermal evolution of the Mesozoic plutons and uplift history of the Yanshan orogenic belt. The results show that the cooling history of the plutons is complicated, corresponding to the inhomogeneous uplift process of the Yanshan orogenic belt. The Panshan granite cooled fast during 226.48–204.95 Ma at a rate of 10.22°C/Ma after its emplacement at a depth of about 10 km, and its fast uplift occurred in about 96–35 Ma at an average rate of 0.115 mm/a. The Wulingshan pluton cooled fast during 132–127.23 Ma at a rate of 94.34°C/Ma, and its rapid uplift occurred in 86–45 Ma at an average rate of 0.186 mm/a. The Yunmengshan granite cooled fast during 143–120.99 Ma at a rate of 19.51°C/Ma, and its rapid uplift occurred in 106–103.95 Ma and 20–0.0 Ma at a rate of 1.06 mm/a and 0.15 mm/a respectively. The Sihetang granite-gneiss uplifted rapidly since 13 Ma at an average rate of 0.256 mm/a. The Badaling granite uplifted rapidly since 6 Ma at an average rate of 0.556 mm/a. The Cenozoic uplift of the Yanshan Mountains can be well correlated to the rifting process of the surrounding basins.

Episodic Orogeny Deduced from Coeval Sedimentary Sequences in the Foreland Basin and Its Implication for Uplift Process of Longmen Mountain,China

Longmen Mountain located at the boundary between the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau,representing the steepest gradient of any edges of the plateau.Three endmember models of uplift process and mechanism have been proposed,including crustal thickening,crustal flow,and crustal isostatic rebound.Here we use coeval sedimentary sequences in the foreland basin to restraint uplift process and mechanism in the Longmen Mountain.The more than 10,000 m thick Late TriassicQuaternary strata filled in this foreland basin and can be divided into six megasequences that are distinguished as two distinct types.The first type is the wedge-shaped megasequences which are sedimentary response of strong active thrust loading events,characterized by a high rate of subsidence and sediment accumulation,coarsening-upward succession and a dual-sourced sediment supply.This type includes Late Triassic,Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous to Paleogene megasequences.The second type is the tabular megasequences,characterized by the low rate of subsidence and sediment accumulation,finingupward succession,and a single-sourced sediment supply,which is sedimentary response of isostatic rebound and erosion unloading.This type includes the Early to Middle Jurassic,Middle Cretaceous and Neogene to Quaternary megasequences.Basing on sedimentary,active tectonic,geomorphic evidence,we infer that the direction has been reversed from SSWdirected sinistral strike-slip to NNE-directed dextral strike-slip during 40-3.6 Ma,and since 3.6 Ma,the Longmen Mountain thrust belt belong to times of isostatic rebound and erosional unloading with NNEdirected dextral strike-slip.This suggests that crustal isostatic rebound is a primary driver for uplift and topography of the present Longmen Mountain.The Wenchuan(Ms8.0) earthquake,which ruptured a large thrust fault with NNE-directed dextral strikeslip along the range front,is an active manifestation of this crustal isostatic rebound process with dextral strike-slipping and shortening.This process may be the cause for the Wenchuan Earthquake and the apparent paradox of high relief,little shortening,the relative dearth of historical seismicity in the region.