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Tectonic evolution of the South Tianshan orogen and adjacent regions, NW China: geochemical and age constraints of granitoid rocks

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Abstract

Geochemical and geochronological evidence was obtained from granitoids of the South Tianshan orogen and adjacent regions, which consist of three individual tectonic domains, the Kazakhstan–Yili plate, the Central Tianshan Terrane and the Tarim plate from north to south. The Central Tianshan Terrane is structurally bounded by the Early Paleozoic ‘Nikolaev Line–North Nalati Fault’ and Late Paleozoic ‘Atbashy–Inyl’chek–South Nalati–Qawabulak Fault’ zones against the Kazakhstan–Yili and Tarim plates, respectively. The meta-aluminous to weakly peraluminous granitic rocks, which are exposed along the Kekesu River and the Bikai River across the Central Tianshan Terrane, have a tholeiitic, calc-alkaline or high-potassium calc-alkaline composition (I-type). Geochemical trace element characteristics and the Y versus Rb–Nb or Y versus Nb discrimination diagrams favor a continental arc setting for these granitoid rocks. SHRIMP U–Pb and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon age data indicate that the magmatism started at about 480 Ma, continued from 460 to 330 Ma and ended at about 275 Ma. The earlier magmatism (>470 Ma) is considered to be the result of a simultaneous southward and northward subduction of the Terskey Ocean beneath the northern margin of the Tarim plate and the Kazakhstan–Yili plate, respectively. The later magmatism (460–330 Ma) is related to the northward subduction of the South Tianshan Ocean beneath the southern margin of the Kazakhstan–Yili–Central Tianshan plate. The dataset presented here in conjunction with previously published data support a Late Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the South Tianshan orogen, not a Triassic one, as recently suggested by SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating for eclogites.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by ‘National Basic Research Program of China’ (Nos. 2007CB411302 and 2007CB411304), National Natural Science Foundation of China (40672153, 40721062 and 40872057), and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (KL 692/17-2). We are indebted to J. Q. Wang for conducting the XRF-analyses, X. D. Jin and H. Y. Li for their arrangement in the trace element analysis, B. Song and H. Tao for help during the SHRIMP dating and X. M. Liu for help during the La-ICP-MS dating. We thank Mr. Y. G. Ma and Q. Mao for their help with the Cathodoluminescence (CL) images. Constructive reviews by M. Sun and an anonymous reviewer are highly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 9825, 100029, Beijing, China

    Jun Gao, Qing Qian, Wen Su & Wei Liu

  2. Beijing Institute of Geology for Mineral Resources, 100012, Beijing, China

    Lingli Long

  3. GeoForschungszentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen, Schlossgarten 5, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Reiner Klemd

  4. Beijing SHRIMP Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100037, Beijing, China

    Dunyi Liu

  5. College of Resources and Environmental Engineer, Guizhou University, 550003, Guiyang, China

    Xianming Xiong

  6. Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100037, Beijing, China

    Yitian Wang & Fuqun Yang

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  1. Jun Gao
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Correspondence to Jun Gao.

Electronic supplementary material

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531_2008_370_MOESM1_ESM.rtf

Table 1 Major (wt.%) and trace element (ppm) compositions of granitoids from the Kekesu River and Bikai River, South Tianshan Mountains, NW China (RTF 143 kb)

531_2008_370_MOESM2_ESM.rtf

Table 2 U–Th–Pb isotopic data obtained by LA-ICPMS method for zircons of granitoids from the Kekesu River and Bikai River, South Tianshan Mountains, NW China (RTF 466 kb)

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Gao, J., Long, L., Klemd, R. et al. Tectonic evolution of the South Tianshan orogen and adjacent regions, NW China: geochemical and age constraints of granitoid rocks. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 98, 1221–1238 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-008-0370-8

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