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The E-W Kanggur tectonic belt, a major tectonic belt in the Eastern Tianshan (ETS) of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), records the amalgamation history between the ETS and the Tarim Craton. Two generations of structural deformation (D1 and D2) are recognized by field observations in the Jingerquan, Huangshan-Jingxia, Yamansu North Mountain, and Nanbeidagou-Kanggurtag areas. Early deformation is exhibited by vertical 'A' type (asymmetrical and symmetrical) S0 folds, lenticular symmetrical boudins, S-C fabric, and nearly vertical S1 foliation, demonstrating an ~N-S compressional setting. Late deformation is characterized by ~E-W-trending dextral shearing and local S1 folding. Transpressional deformation explains the kinematic compatibility of these fold and shear structures. The new U-Pb zircon and Ar/Ar age data in this study provide constraints on the timing of deformation, suggesting that D1 occurred in the late Carboniferous-early Permian (300–286 Ma) and that dextral shearing (D2) likely occurred in the middle-late Permian (262–233 Ma). The ~N-S contraction was driven by orogenic thickening during the convergence of the North Tianshan (NTS) island arc system, the Central Tianshan (CTS), and the Tarim Craton. Dextral transpression is related to the oblique convergence between the Eastern Tianshan (ETS) and Tarim Craton. On a larger scale, dextral kinematics along the Main Tianshan Shear Zone in the Eastern and Western Tianshan, together with sinistral shearing in northeastern Kazakhstan and the Chinese Altai, accommodated the eastward escape of central orogenic materials, which were possibly affected by the convergence of the Siberian, Baltic, and Tarim Cratons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late Mesozoic tectonic domain of Southeast China transitioned from compression to extension because of the Paleo-Pacific plate rollback. However, the precise timing of the initiation of extensional tectonics remains unclear. This work focuses on the E–W-trending granite belt and the growth strata of Early Cretaceous red beds in Southeast China to establish the extensional tectonic model in Southeast China. The petrogenesis of four granitic plutons from the E–W-trending granite belt in NE Jiangxi is traced on the basis of zircon U–Pb ages and whole-rock major and trace element abundances to elucidate lithosphere evolution in the study area. U–Pb zircon dating reveals the granite emplacement at 130–135 Ma. Geochemical results demonstrate that all granite intrusions can be identified as A-type granites derived from crustal and a few mantle sources respectively through lithospheric thinning and magma upwelling under the extension background. Field observation shows the enlargement of the sedimentary area of the early Cretaceous Huizhou Formation (Fm.) in the Huangshan Basin closely after (or simultaneously) 139 Ma Shiling volcanic activities. The dip angles of the lower part of Huizhou Fm. vary from 49° to 25° towards the basin centre, and the thickness exhibited a slightly increasing trend towards the lower part within the same bed. These phenomena are consistent with the shape of the growth strata. A model, in which the NE–SW-oriented structure lines transfer to the E–W-trending tectono-magmatic belts by meeting and inheriting the previous E–W-trending tectonic axis, is established in the present work. Lithospheric thinning, magma upwelling, and crustal remelting occur within an oblique extension stress field since ca. 140 Ma. Consequently, these phenomena are influenced by the Paleo-Pacific plate rollback and the inheritance of a structural framework from the regional basement series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mesozoic to Cenozoic mountain uplift, exhumation, and deformation of the SW Tianshan Mountains (Kyrgyzstan and Northwest China) offer an important window to understand the intra-continental rejuvenation mechanism of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), as response to the far-field effects of the India-Asia collision. This article presents new observation and data for the planation surface and sedimentation and deformation features of the regional intermountain basins to rebuild the orogenic history in Mesozoic to Cenozoic. Three planation surfaces were recognized by field observation, showing that the mountain may have experienced lengthy erosion since the end Cretaceous, and a continuous planation surface may have formed at the Eocene to Oligocene. The filling sequences and deformation character revealed that the orogenic disintegrate and intermountain basin formation likely began in the end of Oligocene. Subsequently, the uniform planation surface in Western Tianshan may have begun to disintegrate, leading to the basin-and-range landform formation. Folds and nappes in the Cenozoic basins, large-scale thrusting of Palaeozoic rocks over Cenozoic sediments at the basin margin associated with the rapid mountain uplift may have occurred at the end of Early Pleistocene, suggesting a tectonic inversion. The Mesozoic-Cenozoic Tianshan uplift and deformation were likely induced by the collision/accretion along the southern margin of Eurasia. Both the northward propagation of the Parmir syntaxis to the SW Tianshan and the oblique dextral faulting of the Talas-Fergana fault have likely played an important role on the formation and deformation of the Cenozoic basins in the SW Tianshan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale volcanism in the late Mesozoic was a prominent geological event in southeast China. The late Mesozoic volcanic sequences, named the Moshishan Group, are exposed in Zhejiang Province and are predominantly felsic in composition with subordinate mafic magma and rare andesites. To understand the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of southeast China, we present zircon U–Pb dating, major and trace element analyses, and Hf isotopic compositions from felsic volcanic rocks of the Moshishan Group. Zircon U–Pb dating shows that the Moshishan Group formed between 145 and 129 Ma. The εHf(t) of the analysed zircons ranges from −16.58 to +6.89, and theTDM2age ranges from 753 to 2238 Ma with a major peak at ca. 1870 Ma. Hf isotopic compositions of zircons in Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks are more radiogenic than that of the metamorphic basement rocks, indicating a juvenile component in these magmas. Major element concentrations show that the volcanic rocks mainly belong to the high-K calc-alkaline series. Both zircon saturation temperatures and the εHf(t) values of zircons gradually increased with the evolution of the magma. Trace element data indicates that neither magmatic differentiation of mantle-derived magma nor mixing of magmas from different sources were the predominant magmagenetic processes. Earlier studies suggest that contemporaneous underplating contributed to the heat source that induced crustal melting and to the material origin that inconsistently mixed with the local crustal melts. Magmatic underplating is likely to have occurred because of the southwestward subduction of the Pacific plate with episodic slab rollback. The data obtained in this study suggest that the crust–mantle interaction under the influence of slab rollback played a progressive role in the formation of Early Cretaceous felsic volcanic rocks in southeast China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry-based dating, as well as the analysis of bulk-rock major and trace elements, and Sr–Nd isotopes to address the genesis and tectonic settings of the Yanshanian granitoids in neighbouring sections of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui provinces (the WZG region) within the Yangtze block. Geochronological results indicate that intense magmatic activity took place during Jurassic to Cretaceous time in the WZG region. Three episodes can be clearly distinguished by their bulk-rock geochemistry. (1) Early–Middle Jurassic granitoids (180–170 Ma) have high Sr and low Yb content, high ϵNd(t)and low initial87Sr/86Sr ratios, and weakly negative Eu anomalies. These granitoids are strongly enriched with LREE, Rb, K, and Th but are depleted of HREE, Nb, and Ta. (2) Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous granitoids (165–140 Ma) have relatively low Sr and low Yb contents, as well as low ϵNd(t)and high initial87Sr/86Sr ratios, with characteristics similar to those of the Early–Middle Jurassic granitoids in terms of the rare earth element and trace element patterns. (3) Early Cretaceous granitoids (140–120 Ma) have extremely low Sr and high Yb concentrations, as well as high SiO2but low MgO, CaO, and Al2O3content, with strong negative anomalies in Eu, Ba, Sr, P, and Ti. These characteristics indicate that the WZG Jurassic granitoids were related to northwestward subduction of the Izanagi plate, whereas the Early Cretaceous granitoids formed in a within-plate extensional setting. The time of transition between the two tectonic environments can be constrained to ∼140 Ma. This tectonic transition may be attributed to progressive slab roll-back of the Izanagi plate. The presence of two A-type granite belts in the WZG region probably reflects lithospheric thinning. The NE trend of the A-type granite belts indicates that this extension in Southeast China was controlled by underflow of the Izanagi plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northwestern Fujian contains abundant well-studied Precambrian basement, and was a composite terrane in Cathaysia during the Neoproterozoic; however, its magmatic activity, petrogenesis, and tectonic evolution remain controversial. This article focuses on the geochronology and geochemistry of the Neoproterozoic Group in order to resolve the above problems. We provide new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating for the Mamianshan Group: 851.9 ± 9.2 to 825.5 ± 9.8 Ma for the Longbeixi Formation, 796.5 ± 9.3 Ma for the Dongyan Formation, and 756.2 ± 7.2 Ma for the Daling Formation. These ages document the existence of Neoproterozoic magmatism in the northwestern Cathaysia Block. Dongyan Nd-Sr isotopic data show that mafic amphibolite schists, mafic greenschists, and quartzofeldspathic schists were derived from a more depleted mantle (initial εNd˜ +5.5 and87Sr/86Sr ratio 0.703409643), a mixture of depleted mantle and crustal components (initial εNd˜ −1 and87Sr/86Sr ratio 0.702045282–0.704147714), and late Palaeoproterozoic continental crustal materials (initial εNd< −1 and87Sr/86Sr ratio 0.71083603), respectively. These new data, together with previous studies, suggest a bi-subduction-collision orogenic model for the Neoproterozoic evolution of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks. Our plate tectonic scenario involves earlier NW-dipping subduction during 1.0 Ga–860 Ma along the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block and later NW-dipping subduction near the northwestern margin of the Cathaysia Block starting at ca. 850 Ma. The 796.5 ± 9.3 Ma age of the volcanic Dongyan Formation suggests that the final assembly of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks probably occurred after ca. 800 Ma. The 756.2 ± 7.2 Ma age of the Daling Formation indicates that post-orogenic extensional magmatism took place after 800 Ma along the northwestern margin of Cathaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]