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The final subduction and suture of the Paleo-Asia Ocean (PAO) are controversial, and the key to this question is to locate the latest subduction/final suture of the accretionary type orogenic belt. Previous studies mainly focused on the Tianshan, Beishan, Alxa, and Solonker Orogens for this issue. As a Phanerozoic orogenic belt located further south of the Beishan-Alxa Tectonic Belts, the Dunhuang Orogenic Belt (DOB) is becoming a research hotspot for revealing the evolutionary history of the southernmost Central Asia Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The youngest subduction-related arc magmatism is pivotal for constraining the lower limit of subduction of a lost ocean. This study presents integrated investigations of field observation, whole-rock geochemistry, and geochronology, targeting diabase dykes, intermediate-acid magmatic rocks, and garnet-bearing metabasite samples in the middle part of the DOB. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon yielded episodic magmatism of ca. 274–273 Ma for Xiaohongshan granite and Dongbatu syenogranite, ca. 250 Ma for Keziletage syenite, ca. 243–239 Ma for diabase and granitic dykes in the Kalatashitage area and Mogutai syenogranite, and maximum deposition age of ca. 262 Ma for pyroclastic rock in the Kalatashitage area. Most of those Permian-Triassic magmatic rocks show continental arc-related geochemical features during the subduction stage. The negative εHf(t) values and ancient TDM2 model ages of zircon indicate they were mainly derived from the partial melting of ancient crustal materials. The hornblende 40Ar/39Ar ages of ca. 258–250 Ma of the garnet-bearing metabasite samples also reflect a high heat flow setting during this period possibly triggered by arc activities. These Permian-Triassic magmatic and thermal records in the DOB are similar to contemporaneous records in surrounding South Tianshan-Alxa-Beishan orogens. We suggest that the final subduction of the PAO in the DOB possibly at least lasted to the Middle Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early Palaeozoic evolution of the Kazakhstan orocline in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is key to reconstructing the Palaeozoic tectonic framework in Central Asia. This study presents field mapping, geochemistry, and geochronological data from the Wulasitai area of northern West Junggar to constrain the subduction polarity and major tectonic events in the Chingiz arc of the Kazakhstan orocline during the Early Palaeozoic. The mapping area outcrops imbricated coherent turbidite slices and mélanges that consist of chert, limestone, silt, sandstone, and conglomerate blocks in mudstone matrix, representing an OPS (Ocean Plate Stratigraphy) mélange in an accretionary complex. Existing fossil ages from these blocks range from the Ordovician to Silurian, while our new detrital zircon U-Pb samples from the turbiditic matrix yield maximum depositional ages (MDTs) from 428 ± 2 Ma to 450 ± 1 Ma. Detrital zircon ages of ~510 to 430 Ma in the mélange suggest the Chingiz arc to the south of the study area as a major sediment source, providing an indirect constraint on the polarity of subduction. We suggest that the northern part of the Chingiz arc may be underlain by southward subduction, with the accretionary complex located on the Wulasitai area of the northern West Junggar. The Wulasitai mélange is overlain depostionally by volcanic rocks carrying depleted HFSE and enriched LILE, LREE. The andesite and tuff are dated to 415 ± 5 Ma, 414 ± 3 Ma, and 402 ± 6 Ma, which we interpret as reflecting the development of the volcanic arc onto the previous subduction complex. This model implies the generation of the arc (accretion arc) as the slab rolling back and trench retreating, which may play an important role in the evolutionary history of CAOB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]