Early Palaeozoic accretionary tectonics of West Kunlun Orogen: Insights from Datong granitoids, mafic–ultramafic complexes, and Silurian–Devonian sandstones, Xinjiang, NW China

The Datong area is located in the western part of the Western Kunlun Orogen (WKO), occupying a key area of the Tethyan domain. Our new SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages from the Datong area provide new information about the Palaeozoic evolution of the Western Kunlun Orogen. A 473.0 ± 2.8 Ma granite with 493.6...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geological journal (Chichester, England) England), 2019-05, Vol.54 (3), p.1505-1517
Main Authors: Li, Yongchen, Xiao, Wenjiao, Tian, Zhonghua, Liu, Y.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accretion
Area
Crystallization
Datong pluton
detrital zircon spectra
Devonian
Gabbros
Geochemistry
Geological time
Granite
Lead
mafic–ultramafic complex
Magma
Marine crustaceans
Oceanic crust
Orogeny
Palaeozoic
Paleoceanography
Plutons
Rocks
Sandstone
Seamounts
Silurian
Subduction
Subduction (geology)
Tectonics
Western Kunlun Orogen
Zircon
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Summary:The Datong area is located in the western part of the Western Kunlun Orogen (WKO), occupying a key area of the Tethyan domain. Our new SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages from the Datong area provide new information about the Palaeozoic evolution of the Western Kunlun Orogen. A 473.0 ± 2.8 Ma granite with 493.6 ± 4.8 Ma inherited zircons from the Kusilafu extrusive rocks is interpretation as an A‐type granite formed in a fore‐arc tectonic setting. The 485.5 ± 1.9 Ma granitoid of the Datongdong pluton combined with the 452.7 ± 7 Ma granitoid of the Datong pluton indicate that the Datong pluton is an intra‐oceanic arc complex formed by the southern subduction of the Proto‐Tethyan ocean crust. Zircons from gabbros of the Datong mafic–ultramafic complex have a 499.2 ± 2.1 Ma U–Pb crystallization age. Combined with its complicated whole‐rock geochemistry, we propose that there may have existed a Datong seamount in the early Palaeozoic. The detrital zircon results of Silurian–Devonian sandstones reveal that the Late Silurian sandstones have the characteristic zircons both from the Tarim Block and Datong Arc, suggesting that the Datong arc collided with the Tarim Block in the Late Silurian. The tectonic history of the WKO was characterized by a southern subduction of Proto‐Tethys terminated in the Late Silurian.
ISSN:0072-1050
1099-1034
DOI:10.1002/gj.3246