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Combining detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb age and Lu-Hf isotope data is important in revealing the tectonic evolution of ancient orogens. Here, we conducted DZ U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope research on 7 modern river sand samples collected from the northern Chinese West Tianshan Orogen (CWTO). The DZs from modern river sands yield ages 340 to 320 Ma and reflect Mesozoic magmatism in the northern Yili Block (YB). In addition, the DZs reflected disproportionate contributions from the source area, which might be affected by the zircon fertility and erodibility of the source rocks. These newly obtained data, together with compiled DZ U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope data from other modern river sands and ancient sedimentary rocks in the CWTO, are used to constrain the subduction and closure history of the southwestern part of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The eHf(t) values of 500 to 450 Ma zircons from the southern YB and Central Tianshan Block display a fanning trend (changing from a narrow to a wide range over time), indicating a crustal thickening event at ∼ 450 Ma. The closure of the North Tianshan Ocean was completed when the YB and an immature/nascent island arc collided in the latest Carboniferous. The South Tianshan Ocean (STO) subducted bidirectionally beneath the Yili–Central Tianshan Block (YCTB) and the Tarim Craton starting at 460 Ma. Slab rollback or retreat of the STO in the northern Tarim Craton starting at 440 Ma caused the opening of several small diachronous back-arc basins. The fanning trend of eHf(t) values indicates that collision between the YCTB and the Tarim Craton occurred at 320 to 310 Ma.

The eastern Heilongjiang Province, NE China, is located in the eastern CAOB (Central Asian Orogenic Belt). Previous studies suggest that subduction of the Mudanjiang and Paleo-Pacific oceans had been initiated in this area during the early Mesozoic. However, research on the Mesozoic volcanic rocks is insufficient, limiting our understanding of the relationship between magmatism and subduction process. To solve the problem, seven volcanic rocks in the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range and the Jiamusi Block were collected for zircon U-Pb dating (SHRIMP) and whole-rock geochemical analysis. Most samples from the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range are Jurassic in age (189-178 Ma), including andesite, trachyandesite, trachydacite, and rhyolite. The andesitic to trachytic rocks were generated by magma mixing at an active continental margin, whereas the rhyolite is highly fractionated I-type. All the samples from the Jiamusi Block and one basaltic andesite from the Lesser Xing'an Range are late Early Cretaceous in age (ca. 100 Ma) and were formed in a back-arc extensional setting (roll-back). Fractional crystallization was important in the generation of most Cretaceous rocks (basalt to trachydacite). However, magma mixing or crustal contamination was required to explain some andesites from the Jiamusi Block showing extremely low Cr, Ni, and Mg#. When integrated with the coeval blueschist-facies metamorphism, the Early Jurassic volcanism indicates an active continental margin in the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range due to the westward subduction of the Mudanjiang Ocean. After the closure of the Mudanjiang Ocean, two NE/NNE trending sinistral strike-slip faults in NE China were triggered, accompanied by the slab roll-back of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate. The Jurassic continental arc and accretionary complexes in NE China were cut through by the two strike-slip faults and bended to form small oroclines. At ca. 100 Ma, numerous accretionary complexes were accreted along the eastern margin of the CAOB, further forcing the retreat of trench and slab roll-back. The late Early Cretaceous intra-continental volcanism was generated in the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range and Jiamusi Block during this roll-back process.

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The most striking structural features in the interior of the Shan Plateau, southeast of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, are a series of NE-trending faults that exhibit sinistral movement and an arcuate geometry. Their origin and tectonic evolution remain poorly understood. Furthermore, a switch in slip sense is recorded along many of these faults, but the timing of kinematic reversal is still unclear, hindering an understanding of the causal geodynamic mechanisms. We conducted an integrative study of apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and structural and geomorphic analysis to decipher the evolution of two major NE-trending faults: the Nantinghe and Dayingjiang faults. At least three deformation stages are identified within the Nantinghe fault zone, including top-to-the-SE/ESE thrusting, dextral ductile strike-slip shearing, and sinistral movement. Zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He data, collected from the northeastern terminus of the Nantinghe fault, reveal rapid cooling in the early Miocene. Combined with the 40Ar/39Ar data from sinistrally sheared mylonite, left-lateral movement on the Nantinghe fault is inferred to have initiated as early as ca. 20 Ma. The Dayingjiang fault reactivated as a sinistral brittle fault along the dextral Yingjiang shear zone. A two-stage thermal history is identified along the shear zone, with prominent cooling during dextral ductile shearing in the early- to mid-Miocene followed by a lower-magnitude cooling episode at ca. 11 Ma caused by sinistral transtension along the Dayingjiang fault. The evolution of the Nantinghe and Dayingjiang faults suggests that the NE-trending fault system in the Shan Plateau may have developed along preexisting structures and underwent diachronous slip-sense inversion in the late Cenozoic. The northward advance of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis caused a major change in both the regional stress field and fault geometries in the eastern India-Eurasia oblique convergence zone, contributing to the inversion of fault kinematics.

The Cona-Oiga rift (COR) is the easternmost member of a series of ∼N-S trending Cenozoic rifts in the southern Tibetan Plateau. The Yarlung River flows from west to east, across the COR and exhibits diverse river morphology along strike. We analyze tributary fluvial longitudinal profiles in the Yarlung drainage and the published strain rate field on both sides of the rift in order to gain knowledge about its development and crustal deformation patterns within the plateau interior. Tributaries on the western side of the rift have relatively low normalized steepness index (ksn). Concave curves in χ-elevation plots and cross-divide contrasts in χ, mean relief, and mean gradient, indicate ongoing river reorganization in this region. In contrast, high topographic relief and steep stream channels developed on the eastern side. In addition, spatial variations in negative dilatational strain rates indicate diverse crustal shortening and regional uplift across the COR. We suggest that the Cona-Oiga rift plays an important role in accommodating deformation associated with the continuing indentation of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Tectonic forcing might be the dominant factor controlling landscape evolution across the COR.

The Xianshuihe fault in eastern Tibet is one of the most active faults in China, with the next large earthquake most likely to occur along its SE part near Kangding. Quantifying its slip rate along...

Three continent-scale shear zones are arguably the most outstanding structural features in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, and therefore, their tectonic and landscape evolution have significant implications for understanding the history and mechanisms of intracontinental mountain building and plateau growth. This study presents low-temperature thermochronology from the Gaoligong and Chongshan shear zones (GLSZ and CSSZ) and quantitative analyses of fluvial longitudinal profiles of tributaries in the Salween drainage, which lies between the shear zones. Apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He data reveal a two-stage exhumation history for both shear zones: rapid and prominent cooling in the middle Miocene followed by a second, lower magnitude cooling event in the late Miocene to early Pliocene. Ductile transpressional shearing is inferred to have caused the first cooling, continuing until ~11 Ma. The northward migration of the tectonic events along the Mogok metamorphic belt and GLSZ and synchronous dextral displacement along the Jiali fault indicate the dominant role of the north advancing eastern Himalayan syntaxis on the surrounding structures. Increased river incision is identified in the middle Salween drainage, leading to two-segment river profiles and further exhumation along the GLSZ and CSSZ. The tributary transient response could result from temporal changes in uplift or adjustments of the trunk channel to climatic change. Furthermore, glaciers play an important role in shaping the landscape of the upper reaches of catchments in the northern segment of the shear zones. Different drivers for the two exhumation events may reflect distinct stages of plateau growth characterized by different crustal deformation patterns.

The closure of the North Tianshan Ocean between the Junggar Terrane and the Yili Block is a longtime debated issue in literature, because of the different understanding of the Carboniferous volcanic rocks in the northern margin of the Yili Block. This study presents new geochronological and whole-rock geochemical data for the granitic rocks from the Borohoro pluton to provide constraints on the tectonic regime for the northern West Tianshan during the Carboniferous. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating results reveal two magmatic phases for the Borohoro pluton. The former magmatic activity in the Early Carboniferous formed the fine-grained granodiorite (332 Ma). The later magmatic activity occurred during the Late Carboniferous (305–300 Ma), forming a diversity of granitic rocks, involving quartz diorite, granodiorite and granite. Geochemical and mineralogical studies reveal that the studied granitic rocks from the Borohoro pluton all belong to metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, calc-alkaline I-type granites. They are characterized by enrichment in LILEs relative to HFSEs, and depletion of Nb, Ti and P, typical of continental arc-type granites. The intermediate SiO2, high Al2O3, and relatively low Fe2O3T, MgO and TiO2 contents reflect that these granitic rocks are mainly crust-derived. But the high Mg# values for most samples and the occurrence of microgranular mafic enclaves indicate that their magma sources were mixed by mantle-derived components. Especially, the Late Carboniferous rocks define an elegant mixing trend in both the Rb-Rb/V and the 1/V-Rb/V diagrams, consistent with mixing between magmas from subcontinental lithospheric mantle and mafic lower crust. Taking into consideration of the facts that all the Devonian to Carboniferous granitoids belong to calc-alkaline I-type granites, and granitoids of A-type didn’t appear until the Early Permian, we suggest that the subduction of the North Tianshan Ocean continued to the Late Carboniferous, generating the granitic rocks of the Borohoro pluton.

NE China recorded the key tectonic evolution history of the Eurasian Plate from the Paleozoic-Mesozoic collisional formation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt to the Mesozoic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. To better understand this tectonic transition, it is crucial to constrain the time and pattern of the initial subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. Recently, some researchers proposed that the Mudanjiang Ocean existed between the Songnen and Jiamusi blocks was part of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. Here, through geochemical and geochronological studies on the widespread granitoids in the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range in the eastern Songnen Block, we verify that these magmatic rocks show volcanic arc affinity with increased mantle contribution from east to the west of the range, likely related to a flattening subduction of the Mudanjiang Ocean. In addition, a universal westward younging trend for over 70 Myr can be observed for the granitoids throughout the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range, indicating a long-lasting subduction of the Mudanjiang Ocean. More interestingly, the oldest ages of the granitoids in the east display a northward younging trend from 275 Ma to 218 Ma, suggesting that the subduction of the Mudanjiang Ocean had been initiated at latest by 275 Ma in the south and then progressively expanded to the north. Based on these observations, we proposed a new tectonic evolution model for the Mudanjiang Ocean, i.e., a Triassic-Jurassic westward scissor-like subduction and closure, to contribute to the understanding of the early subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean.

The Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt in Russian Far East is comprised of several N-S trending belts, including the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous accretionary prisms and turbidite basin which are now separated by thrusts and strike-slip faults. The origin and collage of the belts have been studied for decades. However, the provenance of the belts remains unclear. Six sandstone samples were collected along a 200-km long east-west traverse across the major belts in the southern Sikhote-Alin for U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotope analysis to constrain the provenance and evaluate the evolution of the northwest Pacific margin at this time. The result reveals that the sediments from the main Samarka belt was mainly from the adjacent Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka Block (BJKB); the eastern Samarka belt and the Zhuravlevka turbidite basin were supplied by detritus from both the North China Craton (NCC) and the BJKB; the Taukha belt was mainly fed by sediments from the NCC; whereas the data from the Sergeevka nappes are insufficient to resolve their provenance. In the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, collision and subduction was important in the initial collage of most belts in Sikhote-Alin. However, merely E-W trending collage cannot explain the increasing importance of the NCC provenance from west to east. It is proposed that the main Samarka belt was located adjacent to the BJKB when deposited, whereas the other belts were father south to accept the materials from the NCC. Sinistral strike-slip faulting transported the eastern belts northwards after their initial collage by thrusting.

In the Datan area, located 60 km northeast to Hohhot, an undeformed plutonic complex has intruded into the Panyangshan thrust system on the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). The plutonic complex consists of the predominant earlier Datan pluton and the scattered later Hanqinggou plutons. The Datan pluton has relatively high eHf(t) (−7.4 to 0.2), low (87Sr/86Sr)i (0.704280 to 0.706508), and negative eNd(t) (−14.9 to −10.6), and the core phase with the lowest SiO2 content has features of C-type Adakite-like granite (high Sr/Y, (La/Yb)N, and Sr; low Y and Yb; no Eu anomaly; and HREE depletion). This suggests that the Datan pluton was probably derived from the metamorphic mafic rocks of the thickened continental lower crust that was heated and injected with juvenile mantle-derived melt. The Hanqinggou plutons which have similar geochemical features but are more depleted in Ba, Ti, and P may represent the residual phase of the Datan pluton. Crystal fractionation predominated by feldspar, biotite, apatite, zircon, titanite, ilmenite, apatite, allanite, titanite, and zircon took place during the magmatic evolution. The dating results suggested that the zircon U Pb ages for the undeformed Datan pluton intruding into the Panyangshan thrust system ranged from 252 ± 1 Ma to 248 ± 1 Ma. Additionally, the youngest detrital zircon U Pb age of the autochthon recorded in the literature is 274 ± 4 Ma. These indicate that the Panyangshan thrust system representing the crustal thickening occurred from ca. 274 Ma to ca. 252 Ma and may be due to the subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the collision between the Mongolian arcs and the NCC. This contraction was followed by asthenospheric upwelling and initial extension represented by Datan complex, indicating a significant tectonic conversion in ca. 250 Ma.

We present new geochemical and geochronological data for volcanic and related rocks in the regions of the Jia–Yi and Dun–Mi faults, in order to constrain the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the northern segment of the Tan–Lu Fault. Zircon U–Pb dating shows that rhyolite and intermediate–mafic rocks along the southern part of the Jia–Yi Fault formed at 124 and 113 Ma, respectively, whereas the volcanic rocks along the northern parts of the Jia–Yi and Dun–Mi faults formed at 100 Ma. The rhyolite has an A-type granitoid affinity, with high alkalis, low MgO, Ti, and P contents, high rare earth element (REE) contents and Ga/Al ratios, enrichments in large-ion lithophile (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Th, and U) and high-field-strength element (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, and Y), and marked negative Eu anomalies. These features indicate that the rhyolites were derived from partial melting of crustal material in an extensional environment. The basaltic rocks are enriched in light REEs and LILEs (e.g., Rb, K, Th, and U), and depleted in heavy REEs, HFSEs (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti, and P), and Sr. These geochemical characteristics indicate that these rocks are calc-alkaline basalts that formed in an intraplate extensional tectonic setting. The dacite is a medium- to high-K, calc-alkaline, I-type granite that was derived from a mixed source involving both crustal and mantle components in a magmatic arc. Therefore, the volcanic rocks along the Jia–Yi and Dun–Mi faults were formed in an extensional regime at 124–100 Ma (Early Cretaceous), and these faults were extensional strike-slip faults at this time.

The presence of the Yingba (Yinggete–Bagemaode) metamorphic core complex (MCC) is confirmed near the Sino-Mongolian border in China. We report its structural evolution and the rheological features of ductile shear zones within this complex. Three deformations (Ds, Dm, and Db) since the Late Jurassic are identified. Ds is characterized by ductile structures that resulted from early NW-oriented, low-angle, extensional ductile shearing. Dm is associated with partial melting and magmatic diapirism, which accelerated the formation of the dome-like geometry of the Yingba MCC. Synchronously with or slightly subsequently to Ds and Dm, the Yingba MCC was subjected to brittle, extensional faulting (Db), which was accompanied by the exhumation of the lower crust and the formation of supracrustal basins. The ductile shearing (Ds) developed under greenschist-to amphibolite-facies metamorphic conditions (400–650 °C), as indicated by microstructures in quartz and feldspar, quartz [c] axis fabrics, and two-feldspar geothermometry. The mean kinematic vorticity estimates of 48–62% show a pure shear-preferred flow during Ds. The Yingba MCC provides an excellent sample that recorded an intermediate to high temperature shearing, which also implies the widely extensional regime in northeastern Asia at that time.

The long-standing controversies in tectonic boundary, the nature of basement rocks, and the Phanerozoic continental crustal growth in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) in NE China have been the key barriers in the understanding of the regional tectonic evolution. In this paper, we integrated published and new zircon U–Pb and Hf isotopic data of the Phanerozoic granitoids from the Jiamusi Block and the Lesser Xing'an-Zhangguangcai Range (LXZR) for a zircon Hf isotopic mapping of the region. The mapping results outlined three Hf isotopic provinces on the basis of TDMC ages: Province I (TDMC = 2.0–1.6 Ga, eHf(t) = −7.0 to −5.2) and Province II (TDMC = 1.6–1.1 Ga, eHf(t) = −4.6 to +3.9) represent the ancient basements in the Jiamusi Block; Province III (TDMC = 1.1–0.4 Ga with eHf(t) = +2.1 to +13.1) represents the juvenile crustal components in the LXZR. Province I (total area ~ 6000 km2) is sporadically exposed within Province II (~121,000 km2); the latter is bounded to Province III (~144,000 km2) along a sharp SE-NW boundary ~130 km west of the Mudanjiang Fault. This suggests that at least the part of the Songnen Block to the east of this boundary was in the same tectonic unit with the Jiamusi Block in the Paleozoic. Province III spatially accounts for about 53% of the study area, indicating a significant Mesozoic growth of continental crustal in the easternmost CAOB.

Determining an age framework for Precambrian crystalline rocks and associated granulite-facies metamorphism of the inner blocks in the North China Craton (NCC) is important for determining the tectonic setting and evolution of the craton during the Neoarchaean–Palaeoproterozoic. The Eastern Hebei terrane (EHT), located in the Eastern Block of the NCC, is composed of tonalitic-trondhjemitic-granodioritic (TTG) gneisses and potassium-rich granitoids, along with rafts of supracrustal rocks that are intruded by basic dikes. TTG gneisses in the EHT yield crystallization ages of 2516–2527 Ma. The oldest age of inherited zircons from a mylonitic TTG gneiss is ~2918 Ma. Granulite-facies supracrustal metamorphic rocks in the Zunhua high-grade meta-greenstone belt indicate an andesitic/basaltic protolith that was formed at ~2498 Ma. A syn-deformational granite in the Jinchangyu greenschist-facies shear zone yields a crystallization age of ~2474 Ma. Metamorphism of the supracrustal rocks and mylonitic greens...

Destruction of the North China Craton (NCC) in the Mesozoic due to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate has attracted a lot of recent interest, with numerous studies focusing on regional tectonics and associated magmatism. Although the peak ages for this event have been established, the timing of its initiation remains poorly understood. In this paper, two rift basins in the northern Hebei Province of China, the Diaoe Basin (DB) and Houcheng Basin (HB), are studied in order to constrain the timing of destruction of the northern margin of the NCC. Both NNE-striking basins developed on Proterozoic basement. The DB is a graben controlled by normal faults on its two margins, and the HB is a half-graben bounded by normal faults on its eastern side. Basin fills include detrital sediments and volcanic rocks, which are (from bottom to top) the Houcheng Formation (Fh), the Zhangjiakou Formation (Fzh), the Shijiayao Formation (Fs), and the Huajiying Formation (Fhj). The Fh is composed mainly of detrital sediments interlayered with andesite in its lower section, and interlayered with felsic volcanics (rhyolite) in its upper section. There exists a transitional change from the Fh to the thick felsic volcanic strata of the Fzh. Geochemically, the andesite layers in the lower Fh were most likely derived from mixing of crust and mantle melts, whereas the felsic rocks were derived from melting of the lower crust. U–Pb dating of zircons by LA-ICP-MS yielded ages for the lower Fh andesites of ca. 165.7 Ma in the HB and ca. 157.4 Ma in the DB. The felsic rocks at the base of the Fzh yielded ages of ca. 155.1 Ma in the HB and ca. 149.2–143.4 Ma in the DB. The Fs and Fhj in the DB both yielded similar ages of ca. 136 Ma. The development of rift basins, together with the occurrence of massive felsic volcanic rocks, indicates a period of significant extension and thinning of the NCC. The ca. 165.7–155.1 Ma age for andesites not only represents the initial timing of crustal extension, but also the timing of thermally induced melting of the lower lithosphere. We conclude, therefore, that the destruction of the northern margin of the NCC started by the Middle Jurassic or earlier.

Himalayan leucogranites provide a robust record of the thermal and tectonic processes that occurred during convergence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. We present structural, petrological, mineralogical, whole-rock geochemical, Sr Nd isotope, and geochronological results for Cenozoic leucogranites from the Kampa Dome, Northern Himalaya. The Kampa leucogranites are typical syn-tectonic granites and occur as a series of sills, dikes, and puddings in the Kampa Shear Zone, which is considered to be the exhumed portion of the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) in the Northern Himalaya. The Kampa syn-tectonic leucogranites provide information about the timing and nature of regional kinematics, and record thermal conditions and the initiation of the STDS. Whole-rock geochemistry and Sr Nd isotope analyses show that the Kampa leucogranites are characterized by the following: (1) they are peraluminous and have high SiO2, Al2O3, and A/CNK, low TiO2, MgO, P2O5, and TFe2O3, and variable CaO, Na2O, K2O, and total alkalis; (2) they are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (e.g., K and Rb) and depleted in high-field-strength elements (e.g., Zr and Ti), with negative Eu anomalies; and (3) they display variable initial 87Sr/86Sr compositions (0.7507580.826065), and their eNd(i) values range between −7.6 and − 12.2. Anatexis of graywackes and metapelites in the Great Himalayan Crystalline Series played an important role in the formation of the Kampa leucogranites. Anatexis was controlled by fluid-absent partial melting of muscovite. Mineralogical and petrological analyses show that zircons belong to an early crystallization phase, whereas monazites are remnants of the final crystallization phase of the granitic melt. Zircon U Pb dating reveals that anatexis in the deep Himalayan crust occurred at ca. 32–23 Ma, during the Oligocene. Monazites yield homogeneous 208Pb/232Th ages of ca. 23.5 Ma and record rapid emplacement in the Kampa Shear Zone. These results indicate that movement on the STDS was initiated during the early Oligocene and became well-developed during the late Oligocene in the Kampa region. The Oligocene was a unique period of counterbalance between continued plate convergence and intense extension in the Himalayan Orogen.

The Chinese Tianshan belt of the southern Altaids has undergone a complicated geological evolution. Different theories have been proposed to explain its evolution and these are still hotly debated. The major subduction polarity and the way of accretion are the main problems. Southward, northward subduction and multiple subduction models have been proposed. This study focuses on the structural geology of two of the main faults in the region, the South Tianshan Fault and the Nikolaev Line. The dip direction in the Muzhaerte valley is southward and lineations all point towards the NW. Two shear sense motions have been observed within both of these fault zones, a sinistral one, and a dextral one, the latter with an age of 236–251 Ma. Structural analyses on the fault zones show that subduction has been northward rather than southward. The two shear sense directions indicate that the Yili block was first dragged along towards the east due to the clockwise rotation of the Tarim block. After the Tarim block stopped rotating, the Yili block still kept going eastward, inducing the dextral shear senses within the fault zones.

This paper establishes a reference data set of carbonaceous materials (CMs) from the active fault zone of the Longmen Shan fault belt that ruptured in the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake and presents an application of these data for studies of both other exhumed carbonaceous-rich fault zones and deep-drilling cores. The CMs distributed in the active fault zone are found as narrow veins and located along the slip surfaces. Microstructural observation shows that the carbonaceous material veins (CMVs) are located along slip surfaces in the fault gouge zones. Some CMVs have a cataclastic fabric, and their branches intrude into voids around the slip surfaces. Raman spectra of the CMVs show a wide (full width at half maximum >200 cm−1) D-peak at ~1345 cm−1 (defect peak), which is much lower than the O-peak at ~1595 cm−1 (ordered peak), indicating a metamorphic temperature of zeolite facies or lower than 250 °C. In addition, the stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ13C values) of the CMVs, ranging from −23.4 to −26.4‰, are very similar to that of the kerogen collected from the Late Triassic Xujiahe Formation in Sichuan Basin. Given the data at which it may be formed, the Xujiahe Formation is the most likely origin of CMs for the CMVs, and it seems that some CMVs in the fault zone were crushed and intruded into the voids during coseismic events, possibly driven by an enhanced pore fluid pressure. Since graphitization is suggested as an indicator of transient frictional heating in this area, our study providing a reference data set of CMs would help future CM-rich fault-zone research to retrieve seismic signatures presumably occurring in the Longmen Shan fault zone belt.

Late Mesozoic granitoid plutons of four distinct ages intrude the lower plate of the Hohhot metamorphic core complex along the northern margin of the North China craton. The plutons belong to two main groups: (1) Group I, deformed granitoids (148 and 140 Ma subgroups) with high Sr, LREE, and Na2O, low Y and Yb contents, high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, weak or no Eu anomalies, low Rb/Ba ratios, similar initial 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7064–0.7071) and low Mg# (

A large-scale pop-up structure occurs at the front of the northern Dabashan thrust belt (NDTB), bound by the NNE-dipping Chengkou fault to the south, and the SSW-dipping Gaoqiao fault to the north. The pop-up structure shows different features along its strike as a direct reflection of the intensity of tectonic activity. To the northwest, the structure is characterized by a two-directional thrust system forming a positive flower-like structure. In contrast, the southeastern part is composed of the vertical Chengkou fault and a series of N-directed backthrusts, showing a semi-flower-like structure. We present results from Ar-Ar dating of syntectonic microthermal metamorphic sericite which show that the Chengkou fault experienced intense deformation during the mid-Mesozoic Yanshanian epoch (about 143.3 Ma), causing rapid uplift and thrusting of the northern Dabashan thrust belt. During the propagation of this thrust, a series of backthrusts formed because of the obstruction from the frontier of Dabashan thrust belt, leading to the development of the pop-up structure.

The Hohhot metamorphic core complex (MCC) is one of the typical MCCs in the North China craton. Its fault systems consist of the master Hohhot detachment zone (HHDZ) on the southern flank of the Daqing Shan, and the lowermost and uppermost northern detachment zones on the northern flank. Ductile deformation temperatures of three zones were estimated as 500 ± 50°C, 650 ± 50°C, and 400 ± 50°C, respectively, by analysis of microstructures of minerals and quartz [c] crystallographic axis fabrics using electron backscattered diffraction. These measurements suggest that previous 40Ar/39Ar ages could not represent the time of the high-temperature (>500°C) ductile deformations. Therefore, we used U-Pb zircon ages of mylonitized and non-mylonitized granitic intrusions to constrain the timing of the early high-temperature shearing. Strongly mylonitized granites and weakly mylonitized granites in the lowermost northern detachment zone yielded zircon U-Pb ages of 148 ± 1 and 140 ± 1 million years respectively. A syn-...

Gyirong basin and its adjacent area are located at a special position in the Himalayan orogen, where the south Tibetan detachment system (STDS) and N-S trending rift converged. The north Himalayan orogen here can be divided into five petrologic-tectonic units successively from south to north: 1) the Greater Himalayan crystalline complex (GHC); 2) the STDS shear zone; 3) the Tethyan Himalayan sedimentary sequence (THS); 4) the late Cenozoic sedimentary basins, such as Gyirong and Oma basins; and 5) the Malashan gneiss dome. Structural studies show that this area experienced four stages of deformation: 1) the earlier south-directed thrusting, preserved both in the GHC and THS; 2) top-down-to-north slip along the STDS, normal faults related to this slip formed the early controlling structures of the Cenozoic basins, and the tilted pattern of the blocks between the basins indicated a north-directed slip; 3) east-west extension, the resultant N-S trending normal fault formed the eastern boundary of the basins; and 4) late gravitational collapse. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating on the syn-deformational (leuco-) granite along the STDS indicates that the major activity of the STDS occurred at ca. 26 Ma, but its onset may have begun as early as ca. 36 Ma.

The Xainza-Dinggye rift is one of several north-south trending rifts in central and southern Tibet created by Cenozoic east-west extension during Indo-Asian convergence. The southern part of the rift cuts through the Tethyan and High Himalayas. In the Tethyan Himalaya, this rift consists of an early domal structure and a late normal fault developed during the progressive deformation. The dome is cored by leucogranitic plutons that intruded during extension. Muscovite 40Ar/39Ar ages of the mylonitic leucogranite indicate that extension in the Tethyan Himalaya began at ∼8 Ma or before. In the High Himalaya, the rift is controlled by a normal fault dipping to the southeast. This fault has a structural constitution similar to a detachment fault. Its lower block is made up of mylonitic High Himalayan gneiss, intruded by early mylonitic leucogranite sills and late less-deformed biotite-bearing leucogranite dikes. Mica 40Ar/39Ar ages of these leucogranites and the retrograded metamorphosed gneiss of the lower block range from ∼13 to ∼10 Ma. In the study area, the south Tibetan detachment system (STDS) is a ductile shear zone composed of mylonitic leucogranite that is intruded by less-deformed leucogranite and overlain by low grade metamorphic rocks. Mica 40Ar/39Ar ages of leucogranites in the shear zone and schist from the detachment hanging wall indicate a protracted deformation history of the STDS from ∼19 to ∼13 Ma. The Xainza-Dinggye rift is younger than the STDS because it offsets the STDS; this north-south trending rift belongs to a different tectonic system from the east-west striking STDS, and may be caused by geological process related to India–Asia convergence. This temporal and spatial relationship of the STDS to the rift may indicate an important change in tectonic regime at ∼13 Ma in the building of the plateau.

[1] Late Mesozoic extension in NE Asia resulted in the development of a large extensional province. Metamorphic core complexes (MCCs) are the major features in this province and have 40Ar/39Ar ages of 130–110 Ma for the mylonites and U-Pb zircon ages of 150–110 Ma for the integral granitic intrusions. Based on this and previous studies, this paper summarizes major characteristics of these MCCs and recognizes a regional kinematic shear sense. Most MCCs in the Transbaikalia region, Sino-Mongolia border tract, and the northwest-central portion of the North China craton (NCC) show a top-to-the-southeast (SE) shear, whereas those in the eastern and southern NCC locally underwent top-to-the-northwest (NW) shear. The three largest basins (Songliao, Huabei and Ordos) in North China are located in the transitional zone between domains of opposing shear sense. We interpret the extension in the Transbaikalia, Sino-Mongolia tract and northwestern part of the NCC to reflect late-orogenic collapse of thickened crust following Middle-Late Jurassic collision along the Okhotsk suture. The southeastward extension is probably controlled by crustal-scale top-to-the-SE tangential shear. The transition from contraction to extension is marked by detachment faults that nucleated as extensional crenulation cleavage (ecc, i.e., C′) in sub-horizontal ductile shear zones late in orogenic crustal thickening. The combined effect of gravitational loading and thermal-uplifting is considered to be the origin of the late-or post-orogenic collapse. The top-to-the-NW extension in the NE of the NCC might reflect antithetic sub-extensional zones or Mesozoic back-arc extension as a far-field effect of Cretaceous Pacific plate subduction.