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Mesozoic thrusting within the Yanshan fold-and-thrust belt of North China resulted in a series of fault-bounded intramontane basins whose infill and evolution remain poorly understood. In particular, the bounding faults and adjacent sediment accumulations along the western segments of the belt are almost unstudied. A sedimentological and provenance analysis of the Lower Jurassic Xiahuayuan Formation and the Upper Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation have been mapped to show two distinctive clastic wedges: an early Jurassic wedge representing a mass-flow-dominated, Gilbert-type fan delta with a classic tripartite architecture, and an late Jurassic shoal-water fan delta without steeply inclined strata. The basinward migration of the fan-delta wedges, together with the analysis of their conglomerate clast compositions, paleocurrent data and detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra, strongly suggest that the northern-bounding Xuanhuan thrust fault controlled their growth during accumulation of the Jiulongshan Formation. Previous studies have suggested that the fan-delta wedge of the Xiahuayuan Formation was also syntectonic, related to movement on the Xuanhua thrust fault. Two stages of thrusting therefore exerted an influence on the formation and evolution of the Xiahuayuan basin during the early-late Jurassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mantle convection could have a significant effect on basin evolution; however, research quantifying this relationship is controversial. To understand the formation mechanism and evolution of the Cenozoic rift basins in eastern China, we applied the back-stripping technique and strain rate inversion modeling to 119 wells from Sangjiang Basin, Bohai Bay Basin, North Yellow Sea Basin, South Yellow Sea Basin, East China Sea Shelf Basin, and four basins within the northern South China Sea margin. The modeled results can be used to reconstruct the tectonic subsidence history and further assess the potential subsidence mechanisms of eastern China. Residual subsidence is defined as the difference between the theoretical and observed tectonic subsidences. Our results show that the residual subsidence since 20 Ma in eastern China generally increases from ∼100 to 300 m in terrestrial areas to ∼1.2–1.8 km on the continental shelf. Our observed residual subsidence is generally consistent with the present-day dynamic topography that is predicted from mantle flow models, and it is associated with a stagnant slab within the mantle that has been observed by seismic tomography. The migration pathway of the residual subsidence since 20 Ma is consistent with the movement direction of the Pacific and Philippine plates. Therefore, we suggest that the residual subsidence might be a dynamic subsidence induced by a negative buoyancy of the sinking slab in the deep mantle beneath eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mesozoic northern Yangtze foreland basin system was formed by continental collision between the North China and South China plates along the Mianlue suture. Synorogenic stratigraphic sequences of Late Triassic to Early-Middle Jurassic age were developed in the northern Yangtze foreland basin. The upper Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation consists mainly of thick-bedded terrestrial successions that serve as the main body of the basin-filling sequences, suggesting intense tectonism in the peripheral orogeny of the foreland basin. Laser-ICP-MS U-Pb analysis of 254 detrital zircon grains from sandstone samples and several published Lower-Middle Jurassic samples, detrital compositions, petrofacies, and paleocurrent reconstructions in the northern Yangtze foreland basin indicate that discrete source areas included the Qinling-Dabieshan ranges and the Mianlue suture zone to the north, and the South China plate to the south. The stratigraphic succession and sediment provenance of the foreland basin imply that the early Mianlue oceanic basin, magmatic arc, and nonmarine molasse foreland basin during the period of deposition were modified or buried by the subsequent continent-continent collision between the North China-Qinling-Dabieshan plate and the Yangtze plate during the Jurassic, which followed the oblique amalgamation between these plates during the Middle-Late Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern Yangtze foreland basin system was formed during the Mesozoic continental collision between the North and South China plates along the Mianlue suture. In response to the later phase of intra-continental thrust deformation, an extensive E–W-trending molasse basin with river, deltaic, and lake deposits was produced in front of the southern Qinling–Dabieshan foreland fold-and-thrust belt during the Early–Middle Jurassic (201–163 Ma). The basin originated during the Early Jurassic (201–174 Ma) and substantially subsided during the Middle Jurassic (174–163 Ma). A gravelly alluvial fan depositional system developed in the lower part of the Baitianba Formation (Lower Jurassic) and progressively evolved into a meandering river fluvial plain and lake systems to the south. The alluvial fan conglomerates responded to the initial uplift of the southern Qinling–Dabieshan foreland fold-and-thrust belt after the oblique collision between the Yangtze and North China plates during the Late Triassic. The Qianfoya Formation (lower Middle Jurassic) mainly developed from shore-shallow lacustrine depositional systems. The Shaximiao Formation (upper Middle Jurassic) predominantly consists of thick-bedded braided river delta successions that serve as the main body of the basin-filling sequences. The upward-coarsening succession of the Shaximiao Formation was controlled by intense thrusting in the southern Qinling–Dabieshan fold-and-thrust belt. Palaeogeographic reconstructions indicated an extensive E–W foredeep depozone along the fold-and-thrust belt during the Middle Jurassic (174–163 Ma) that was nearly 150 km wide. The depozone extended westward to the Longmenshan and further east to the northern middle Yangtze plate. The northern Yangtze foreland basin was almost completely buried or modified by the subsequent differential thrusting of Dabashan and its eastern regions (Late Jurassic to Cenozoic). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The United States Cretaceous Western Interior Basin has long been considered a foreland basin, driven by the Sevier thrust and associated basin sediment loads. However, flexural studies demonstrate that this effect exists only within a narrow band in front of the thrust belt. Most of the basin appears to be due to mantle flow-induced dynamic subsidence associated with Farallon plate subduction. Here we show how the components of evolving long-wavelength dynamic subsidence and flexural subsidence created the accommodation space and controlled the stratigraphy across the western United States, based on a correlated stratigraphic section across central Utah and Colorado. These backstripped subsidence data reveal the dynamic-topography driven nature of the Western Interior Basin. The results seem to support that the depocenters track the trough of dynamic subsidence with ca. 18 Myr cycles through time and space and the stratigraphic patterns of large-scale progradation, eastward migration of depocenter, and regional clinoform-like downlap are related with the dynamic subsidence. Interpretation of these data also provides more insights into the repeated, ca. 2 to 6 Myr cycles of thrust-induced subsidence in front of the thrust belt, which control the local eastward progradation of the sand bodies from the thrust belt. The dynamic, flexural subsidence and eustatic sea level changes interacted and controlled the timing and distribution of unconformities. Our work shows how the stratigraphy precisely records the timing, patterns and position of dynamic versus flexural subsidences, and that combination of such data leads to important geophysical discoveries and supplies strict constraints for geodynamic modeling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Xunhua, Guide and Tongren intermontane basin system in the NE Tibetan Plateau, situated near the Xining basin to the N and the Linxia basin to the E, is bounded by thrust fault-controlled ranges. These include to the N, the Riyue Shan, Laji Shan and Jishi Shan ranges, and to the S the northern West Qinling Shan ( NWQ). An integrated study of the structural geology, sedimentology and provenance of the Cenozoic Xunhua and Guide basins provides a detailed record of the growth of the NE Tibetan Plateau since the early Eocene. The Xining Group ( ca. 52-21 Ma) is interpreted as consisting of unified foreland basin deposits which were controlled by the bounding thrust belt of the NWQ. The Xunhua, Guide and Xining subbasins were interconnected prior to later uplift and damming by the Laji Shan and Jishi Shan ranges. Their sediment source, the NWQ, is constrained by strong unidirectional paleocurrent trends towards the N, a northward fining lithology, distinct and recognizable clast types and detrital zircon ages. Collectively, formation of this mountain-basin system indicates that the Tibetan Plateau expanded into the NWQ at a time roughly coinciding with Eocene to earliest Miocene continental collision between India and Eurasia. The Guide Group ( ca. 21-1.8 Ma) is inferred to have been deposited in the separate Xunhua, Guide and Tongren broken foreland basins. Each basin was filled by locally sourced alluvial fans, braided streams and deltaic-lacustrine systems. Structural, paleogeographic, paleocurrent and provenance data indicate that thrust faulting in the NWQ stepped northward to the Laji Shan from ca. 21 to 16 Ma. This northward shift was accompanied by E-W shortening related to nearly N-S-striking thrust faulting in Jishi Shan after 11-13 Ma. A lower Pleistocene conglomerate (1.8-1.7 Ma) was deposited by a through-flowing river system in the overfilled and connected Guide and Xunhua basins following the termination of thrust activity. All of the basin-mountain zones developed along the Tibetan Plateau's NE margin since Indian- Tibetan continental collision may have been driven by collision-induced basal drag of old slab remnants in the manner of N-dipping and flat-slab subduction, and their subsequent sinking into the deep mantle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We integrated a systematic sedimentary data into a regional Early Mesozoic stratigraphic framework which demonstrated a detailed picture of spatiotemporal variations in basin deposition and formation in the North China Craton. The Early Mesozoic basin sedimentary evolution is utilized to interpret polyphase tectonism and to unravel the craton deformation. The Late Triassic, nearly WNW-trending, giant intracratonic Ordos basin was widely distributed across most of North China Craton, with a southern wedge-top depozone along the northern East Qilian–Qinling orogenic belt and a northwestern rift depozone along the Helanshan. The continuous subsidence and deposition within the basin were dominantly related to the thrust load of the East Qilian–Qinling belt and inferred mantle flow effects associated with paleotethys plate subduction, and the rift in the northwestern Ordos was driven by nearly north-vergent compression of the eastern North Qilian–North Qinling active margins with the stable North China Craton. This intracratonic Ordos basin formation initiated the deformation of the North China Craton. Formation of the Jurassic NNE-trending walled intracratonic Ordos basin and the broken flexural basins indicates the North China Craton underwent the second, even more abroad nearly NNE trending crustal deformation, with lithosphere thickening in the eastern part of the North China Craton, and dynamic subsidence in the west, which may have been driven by nearly northwestward subduction of the Izanagi plate and the eastward extrusion and underthrusting of the western North China Craton crustal basement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A Mesozoic foreland-basin complex formed along the northern Yangtze plate during subduction of this plate under the Qinling–Dabieshan orogenic belt along the Mianlue suture. As the Yangtze plate moved northwestwards and was obliquely subducted under the Qinling–Dabieshan (Middle–Late Triassic), a flysch foredeep developed in the Diebu–Songpan in the western part of the northern Yangtze plate. During the Late Triassic, a nonmarine molasse basin first formed in the eastern part of the northern Yangtze plate in response to initial collision there. This molasse clastic wedge prograded over the former marine basin and was accompanied by a change from high-sinuosity river systems flowing into basinal lakes, to higher gradient braidplains. Complete oceanic closure along the Mianlue suture during the Middle Jurassic produced a more extensive east–west molasse basin with rivers, deltas and lakes. During Late Jurassic through Early Cretaceous, the depocenter of the nonmarine molasse basin migrated continually from east to west because of intracontinental deformation associated with clockwise rotation of the Yangtze plate relative to the North China plate. In this time interval, the basin was again dominated by fluvial and lake-delta deposition and rivers continued to disperse sediments southwards into the basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Late Cretaceous Western Interior Basin of North America is generally considered to have been a retroarc foreland basin. Flexural backstripping of the stratigraphic record from 97.2 Ma to 73.4 Ma, along a section perpendicular to the Wyoming-Idaho salient of the Sevier belt, clearly demonstrates that there were components of subsidence in addition to those driven by the thrust and associated sediment loads. The simulation demonstrates that the flexural foredeep is only ∼180–120 km wide and shows a forebulge located near the subsequent Laramide Rock Springs uplift. Foredeep strata between the Rock Springs uplift on the east and the thrust front to the west were mostly involved in the eastwardoverlapping thrust belt or deeply truncated by inferred rebound after 78.5 Ma. The difference between the observed, decompacted, cumulative subsidence and the amount of subsidence that can be explained by simple flexural loading, the "residual" subsidence, increases from ∼800 m in eastern Wyoming to ∼1.8 km near the thrust belt. The westward-thickening Upper Cretaceous sediment wedge filled the accommodation space generated by downward tilting to the west of the North American cratonic margin by underplating and mantle flow associated with the shallowly subducted Farallon plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the discovery of granite gravel in Hefei Jurassic backland basin. Significance of the discovery for probing into uplift and exhumation of the Dabie orogenic belt; Geological and petrochemical characteristics of samples; Results of the isotopic analysis.