Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology
The Beishan orogen, a significant component of the southern Altaids, presents an opportunity for investigating the intracontinental deformation and exhumation history of the Altaids during the Mesozoic era. Although previous studies indicated that the Beishan orogen has experienced multiple reactiva...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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GeoScienceWorld
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Lithosphere |
| Online Access: | https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/lithosphere/article-pdf/doi/10.2113/2023/lithosphere_2023_239/6198597/lithosphere_2023_239.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827370549635973120 |
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| author | Fujun Wang Meng Luo Zhiyuan He Yiqiong Wang Bihai Zheng Zhiyong Zhang Xiao Hu Wenbin Zhu |
| author_facet | Fujun Wang Meng Luo Zhiyuan He Yiqiong Wang Bihai Zheng Zhiyong Zhang Xiao Hu Wenbin Zhu |
| author_sort | Fujun Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Beishan orogen, a significant component of the southern Altaids, presents an opportunity for investigating the intracontinental deformation and exhumation history of the Altaids during the Mesozoic era. Although previous studies indicated that the Beishan orogen has experienced multiple reactivation since the late Mesozoic, the precise extent of these events remains poorly constrained. Here, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of field observations and apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronological dating throughout the Beishan orogen. Detailed field observations confirmed four major E-W trending thrusts in our study area. Based on the youngest truncated strata associated with the thrusts and previous dating results from neighboring regions, we propose that these thrust sheets likely developed in the late Middle Jurassic. AFT dating results from seven pre-Mesozoic granitoid samples and associated with thermal history modeling demonstrate that the Beishan orogen experienced a rapid basement cooling during the mid-Cretaceous (~115–80 Ma). Moreover, a compilation of previously published and newly gained AFT data reveals a comparable mid-Cretaceous cooling event in other parts of Central Asia, such as Qilian Shan, Eastern Tianshan, and Altai-Sayan. This observation suggests that the mid-Cretaceous cooling event is more likely to be regional rather than localized. This mid-Cretaceous cooling pulse is interpreted as a tectonic exhumation controlled by boundary faults and related to the rotation of the Junggar and Tarim basins. These processes are linked to distant plate-margin events along the Eurasian continent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:17:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cba320dd73dd4bd99eecd1845bd151cb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1941-8264 1947-4253 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:17:07Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | GeoScienceWorld |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Lithosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-cba320dd73dd4bd99eecd1845bd151cb2024-01-28T14:52:54ZengGeoScienceWorldLithosphere1941-82641947-42532024-01-012023Special 1410.2113/2023/lithosphere_2023_239Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track ThermochronologyFujun Wang0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3474-4465Meng Luo1Zhiyuan He2Yiqiong Wang3Bihai Zheng4Zhiyong Zhang5Xiao Hu6Wenbin Zhu7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2487-0161State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Institute of Continental Geodynamics, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Institute of Continental Geodynamics, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, ChinaLaboratory for Mineralogy and Petrology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 S8, Ghent, 9000, BelgiumState Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Institute of Continental Geodynamics, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Institute of Continental Geodynamics, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Institute of Continental Geodynamics, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Institute of Continental Geodynamics, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, ChinaThe Beishan orogen, a significant component of the southern Altaids, presents an opportunity for investigating the intracontinental deformation and exhumation history of the Altaids during the Mesozoic era. Although previous studies indicated that the Beishan orogen has experienced multiple reactivation since the late Mesozoic, the precise extent of these events remains poorly constrained. Here, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of field observations and apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronological dating throughout the Beishan orogen. Detailed field observations confirmed four major E-W trending thrusts in our study area. Based on the youngest truncated strata associated with the thrusts and previous dating results from neighboring regions, we propose that these thrust sheets likely developed in the late Middle Jurassic. AFT dating results from seven pre-Mesozoic granitoid samples and associated with thermal history modeling demonstrate that the Beishan orogen experienced a rapid basement cooling during the mid-Cretaceous (~115–80 Ma). Moreover, a compilation of previously published and newly gained AFT data reveals a comparable mid-Cretaceous cooling event in other parts of Central Asia, such as Qilian Shan, Eastern Tianshan, and Altai-Sayan. This observation suggests that the mid-Cretaceous cooling event is more likely to be regional rather than localized. This mid-Cretaceous cooling pulse is interpreted as a tectonic exhumation controlled by boundary faults and related to the rotation of the Junggar and Tarim basins. These processes are linked to distant plate-margin events along the Eurasian continent.https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/lithosphere/article-pdf/doi/10.2113/2023/lithosphere_2023_239/6198597/lithosphere_2023_239.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Fujun Wang Meng Luo Zhiyuan He Yiqiong Wang Bihai Zheng Zhiyong Zhang Xiao Hu Wenbin Zhu Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology Lithosphere |
| title | Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology |
| title_full | Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology |
| title_fullStr | Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology |
| title_short | Mid-Cretaceous Accelerated Cooling of the Beishan Orogen, NW China: Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology |
| title_sort | mid cretaceous accelerated cooling of the beishan orogen nw china evidence from apatite fission track thermochronology |
| url | https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/lithosphere/article-pdf/doi/10.2113/2023/lithosphere_2023_239/6198597/lithosphere_2023_239.pdf |
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