The Altaids accreted around, and grew southward, from the Siberian craton, but the time of final amalgamation of this orogen is still controversial. The Eastern Tianshan in the southernmost Altaids is characterized by multiple, late, accreted arcs and thus is an ideal tectonic environment to answer the time of final amalgamation of the Altaids. In this study we report the results of new field-based lithological mapping and structural analysis on the Kanguer mélange in the Eastern Tianshan, which is composed of blocks of basalt, chert, limestone, and other rocks within a strongly deformed and cleaved matrix of sandstone and schist. Our geochemical and isotopic data of basaltic blocks from several parts of the Kanguer mélange show they are relics of Normal-Mid-Ocean-Ridge (N-MORB)-type oceanic lithosphere, and U–Pb ages and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from the matrix sandstones indicate they were derived only from the Dananhu arc to the north. Accordingly, our interpretation is that the Kanguer mélange was part of an accretionary complex that fringed the Dananhu arc, and therefore the subduction polarity of the Kanguer Ocean was to the north (present coordinates). The maximum depositional ages (MDAs) of our three sandstone samples (08K01, 08K02, and 08K03) from the mélange matrix were 234 ± 14 Ma, 242.5 ± 1.3 Ma, and 236 ± 2.0 Ma respectively, indicating that the Kanguer Ocean was still being subducted at ca. 234 Ma, and the accretion of the Kanguer mélange must have lasted until that time, when the accretionary complex was still located opposite to the Yamansu-CTS accretionary complex to the south. Thus, the final amalgamation of the Dananhu and Yanmansu-CTS arcs took place by the welding of two accretionary complexes in the late Middle Triassic (Ladinian) in this part of the southern Altaids. Integration with relevant amalgamation histories throughout the Tianshan indicates that the time of terminal amalgamation in the southern Altaids was probably in the Middle-Late Triassic, which is much younger than previously envisaged.

阿尔泰人从西伯利亚克拉通开始生长，并向南生长，但是这个造山带最终合并的时间仍然是有争议的。最北端的阿尔泰山脉的天山东部具有多条晚生的弧形，因此是回答阿尔泰山脉最终合并时间的理想构造环境。在这项研究中，我们报告了新的基于田野的岩性测绘结果和东天山的康格尔混杂岩的结构分析结果，该岩体由玄武岩、,石，石灰石和其他强烈变形和分裂的砂岩基质中的岩石块组成和片岩。我们来自Kanguer混杂岩几个地区的玄武岩块的地球化学和同位素数据表明，它们是正常-中-海洋-里奇（N-MORB）型海洋岩石圈的遗迹，基质砂岩中碎屑锆石的U–Pb年龄和Hf同位素表明它们仅来自北部的Dananhu弧。因此，我们的解释是，Kanguer混杂岩是一个附着在Dananhu弧边缘的增生复合物的一部分，因此，Kanguer海洋的俯冲极性位于北部（当前坐标）。我们三个混杂岩基质的砂岩样品（08K01、08K02和08K03）的最大沉积年龄（MDA）分别为234±14 Ma，242.5±1.3 Ma和236±2.0 Ma，这表明坎古尔海洋仍在约扣除。234 Ma，Kanguer混杂物的积聚必须一直持续到那时，那时增生复合物仍位于南部Yamansu-CTS增生复合物的对面。从而，Dananhu和Yanmansu-CTS弧的最终合并是通过在阿尔泰山脉南部中三叠世晚期（拉丁尼亚）焊接两个增生复合体而进行的。与整个天山相关合并历史的整合表明，阿尔泰山脉南部的末期合并时间可能在三叠纪中晚期，这比以前设想的要年轻得多。