Late Paleozoic tectonics of the Solonker Zone in the Wuliji area, Inner Mongolia, China: Insights from stratigraphic sequence, chronology, and sandstone geochemistry

• Published in: Journal of Asian earth sciences 2016-09, Vol.127, p.100-118
• Main Authors: Shi, Guanzhong, Song, Guangzeng, Wang, Hua, Huang, Chuanyan, Zhang, Lidong, Tang, Jianrong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Altaids (CAOB); Inner Mongolia; Sandstone geochemistry; Solonker Zone; Stratigraphic sequence
• ISSN: 1367-9120; 1878-5786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jseaes.2016.06.022

[Display omitted] The geology in the Wuliji area (including the Enger Us and Quagan Qulu areas) is important for understanding the Late Paleozoic tectonics of the Solonker Zone. Ultramafic/mafic rocks in the Enger Us area, previously interpreted as an ophiolitic suture, are actually lava flows and sills in a Permian turbiditic sequence and a small body of fault breccia containing serpentinite. Subduction zone features, such as accretionary complexes, magmatic arc volcanics or LP/HP metamorphism are absent. Early Permian N-MORB mafic rocks and Late Permian radiolarian cherts accompanied by turbidites and tuffeous rocks indicate a deep water setting. In the Quagan Qulu area, outcrops of the Late Carboniferous to Permian Amushan Formation are composed of volcano-sedimenary rocks and guyot-like reef limestone along with a Late Permian volcano-sedimentary unit. A dacite lava in the Late Permian volcano-sedimentary unit yields a zircon U-Pb age of 254Ma. The gabbros in the Quagan Qulu area are intruded into the Amushan Formation and caused contact metamorphism of country rocks. Sandstones in the Upper Member of the Amushan Formation contain detrital clasts of volcanic fragments and mineral clasts of crystalline basement rocks (i.e. biotite, muscovite and garnet). Geochemical analysis of volcaniclastic sandstones shows a magmatic affinity to both continental island arc (CIA) and active continental margin (ACM) tectonic settings. A Late Permian incipient rift setting is suggested by analyzing the lithostratigraphic sequence and related magmatism in the Wuliji area. The volcano-sedimentary rocks in the Wuliji area experienced a nearly N-S shortening that was probably related to the Early Mesozoic nearly N-S compression well developed in other areas close to the Wuliji area.