Middle Jurassic orogeny in the northern North China block
Introduction
The North China block (NCB), also called the North China craton, had kept its tectonic stability as a whole from the Mesoproterozoic to early Mesozoic although its peripheral zones experienced strong crustal deformation because of sequential terrane accretions on the north and the NCB–SCB collision on the south (Cui et al., 2000; Li, 1994, Li, 2013; Liu et al., 2003, Liu et al., 2013; Meng et al., 2019; Zhao et al., 2010). Late Mesozoic saw a period when the NCB was affected by episodic contraction and extension (Davis et al., 2001; Li et al., 2004; Ma et al., 2002; Meng et al., 2019; G. Zhu et al., 2018). Destabilization of the NCB is attributed primarily to Early Cretaceous lithospheric rifting induced by high-angle subduction of the western paleo-Pacific plate (cf. Fan et al., 2000; Zhu et al., 2012). Two shortening events preceded the Early Cretaceous extension, as recorded by two regional angular unconformities in the Mesozoic successions in the northern NCB. The two unconformities separate the Upper Jurassic from the Lower-Middle Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sequences, respectively (Meng, 2017). Wong (1927) coined the term “the Yanshanian Movements” to specify the intracontinental orogenesis in the Yanshan belt in the northern NCB.
Mesozoic multiple tectonic processes led to structural complexity of the northern NCB, as recorded by the superposition of Jurassic fold-thrust systems and Early Cretaceous extensional basins and metamorphic core complexes (Davis et al., 2001; C. Li et al., 2016). The fold-thrust systems in the northern NCB can be divided into three segments from west to east, the Yinshan, Yanshan and Liaoxi belts, respectively (Fig. 1a). Contractional deformations have been extensively investigated, and a variety of tectonic models were proposed to explain the structural development (Chen, 1998; Davis et al., 1998, Davis et al., 2001; Li et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2018; Yan et al., 2006; Zhang et al., 2011; Zheng et al., 2000). Chen (1998) proposed a thick-skinned model to explain the structural evolution of the Yanshan belt in view of the involvement of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic crystalline basement rocks. Davis et al., 1998, Davis et al., 2001 favored thin-skinned fold-thrust tectonics and inferred large-magnitude displacement of thrust sheets from south to north. Li et al. (2016) conducted restoration of contractional structures of the Yanshan belt and argued that out-of-sequence thrusting might have been dominant in Mesozoic deformational processes. Uncertainties remain as to the timing of the onset of the Yanshanian orogeny, duration of individual shortening events, spatial variation of deformational styles, and mechanisms for cyclic shortening in the northern NCB.
The first-phase shortening was thought to have happened prior to ~180 Ma (Davis et al., 2001; C. Li et al., 2016; Zheng et al., 2000), but it was recently shown that thrusting should not have commenced until the Middle Jurassic (Meng et al., 2019). Opinions also dispute on the duration of the first-phase shortening, which was assumed to have persisted from 170 to 135 Ma according to the timing of contractional structure (Dong et al., 2015), from 175 to 165 Ma based on thrust faults and unconformity (C. Li et al., 2016) or from 170 to 165 Ma through regional unconformity and basin evolution process (Meng et al., 2014). We believe that differences in study regions, dating methods and research specializations have led to inconsistent perceptions of the deformation timing. The Yanshan belt displays marked lateral variations in structural styles and deformation intensity, but no consensus has been reached on how the discrepancies were generated (cf. Faure et al., 2012). Different mechanisms were proposed to account for late Mesozoic intracontinental deformation of the NCB, such as flat subduction of the paleo- Pacific plate during Late Jurassic (Zheng et al., 2000; G. Zhu et al., 2018), and far-field effect of the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk ocean in the north from Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (Davis et al., 1998; Zhao et al., 2004a) and combined effects of multiple terrane accretion from many directions during 170–136 Ma (Dong et al., 2018). In summary, there are still different understandings on the timing, deformation process and dynamic mechanism of the Yanshanian orogeny.
Previous work mostly focused on the young-generation or end-Jurassic shortening because the resulting structures are well preserved (Davis et al., 2001; Yan et al., 2006; Zhang et al., 2006, Zhang et al., 2011). The first-phase structure and deformational processes are comparatively less understood because of strong modification of later tectonic activities. It is often assumed that the first-phase contraction was weak and merely led to long-wavelength folding (Ting, 1929; Wong, 1929; Zhao, 1959; Zhang et al., 2013). This view was largely based on the observations in the southern part of the western Yanshan belt or the Xishan region where the Middle-Upper Jurassic boundaries are parallel or low-angle unconformities (Bao et al., 1983; Wong, 1927; Zhang et al., 2013).
This study concentrates on the first-phase deformation of the Yanshan orogeny in the western Yanshan belt in that complete Jurassic stratigraphic sequences and first-phase structures are well preserved and unexceptionally exposed. The approaches include our new observations of key stratigraphic contacts and their spatial variations, structural analysis of contractional deformations, and geochronologic constraints on crustal shortening through our newly obtained isotope chronology data of the strata above and below regional unconformities. This study focuses on the first-phase fold-thrust tectonics in the western Yanshan belt, but we also investigated coeval shortening in the eastern Yanshan belt to understand deformational processes in the whole northern margin of the NCB. A tectonic model is accordingly advanced to illustrate how distinct deformations were generated in the southern and northern Yanshan belt and what were the possible causes triggering Middle Jurassic orogeny in the northern NCB.
Section snippets
Geologic setting
The Yanshan fold-thrust belt has long been recognized as an intracontinental orogen built up by multiple contractional events in the Mesozoic (Cui et al., 2002; Ge, 1989; Guo et al., 2002; Song, 1999; Zhang, 1999, Zhang, 2008). Episodic shortening was evidenced by the superposed deformation and two regional unconformities below and above Upper Jurassic strata (Davis et al., 2001; Meng et al., 2014). The two unconformities are called Unconformity A and Unconformity B (Fig. 2), result from the
Stratigraphy
The northern NCB shares similar late Paleoproterozoic-Paleozoic stratigraphy to that of its interior but displays distinct Mesozoic lithostratigraphic sequences (Meng et al., 2019). The salient feature of Mesozoic successions in the Yanshan belt is the repeated occurrence of volcanic and volcaniclastic intervals, as represented by Lower Jurassic Nandaling basalts, Upper Jurassic Jiulongshan-Tiaojishan andesite and ignimbrite, and Lower Cretaceous Zhangjiakou rhyolite. Proterozoic successions
Unconformities
Several stratigraphic discordances exist in Proterozoic-Mesozoic sequences, marked by either parallel or angular unconformities. The discordant surfaces in the pre-Middle Jurassic successions prove mostly disconformities in nature (Meng et al., 2014), which are present below the Neoproterozoic, Cambrian, Upper Carboniferous, Triassic, and Lower-Middle Jurassic units, respectively (Fig. 2). The making of these disconformities was thought of as the consequence of eustatic change or vertical
Structure
The present structural framework of the Yanshan belt was shaped by the second-phase contraction, which can be readily perceived by the involvement of Upper Jurassic sequences in the fold-thrust belts. Examples include the NE-SW-trending Baihuashan-Tiaojishan synclinorium in the Xishan region (Fig. 3), the NW-verging Jimingshan and Huangyangshan thrust faults that displaced Mesoproterozoic Wumishan dolostone onto the Upper Jurassic Jiulongshan and Tiaojishan formations in the Xuanhua region (
Timing of first-phase shortening
Timing of the first-phase shortening has been a matter of debate. Some researchers considered that conglomeratic facies are an indication of contractional events and can be used to constrain the timing of crustal shortening. The Longmen Formation, which contains many conglomeratic intervals, was thought of as deposits of compressive basins in the Xishan region (Zhao et al., 2002). However, synchronous volcanic and volcaniclastic interlayers throughout the Longmen succession conflict with the
Deformational processes
As mentioned above, the Unconformity A manifests itself as a parallel unconformity in the Xishan region and an angular unconformity in the southern Xuanhua region, and then loses its identity northwards. No satisfactory interpretations have been provided yet to account for the spatial change of the stratigraphic contacts. The making of disconformities is usually attributed to crustal vertical movement, whereas angular unconformities mostly originate from crustal horizontal compression. The
Tectonic implications
It was once regarded that Mesozoic folding and thrusting initiated since the Late Triassic in the Yanshan belt and propagated southward from hinterland to foreland (Li et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2013b). Late Mesozoic shortening was then featured by out-of-sequence thrusting (Li et al., 2016). Meng et al., 2014, Meng et al., 2019, however, demonstrated that thrusting might not start until the Middle Jurassic (Fig. 2). This work shows that the first-phase thrusting was mainly north-directed or
Conclusions
This study arrived at the following conclusions:
- (1).
the northern NCB experienced prominent crustal shortening in the late Middle Jurassic, challenging the previous view that the first-phase deformation was mild compared with subsequent contractional events.
- (2).
Middle Jurassic structural evolution of the western Yanshan belt was likely controlled by initial tapers of Proterozoic rift sedimentary wedge, with the high-tapered prism forming the dominant single thrust sheet in the south and the low-tapered
Declaration of Competing Interest
None.
Acknowledgments
Guowei Zhang is thanked for the enlightening discussions in the fieldwork. G.-L. Wu is grateful to Diying Huang for his suggestions about regional stratigraphic correlation. This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant 2016YFC0600406), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 41702237), and by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB18030103).
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2023, Journal of PalaeogeographyA new model for the segmentation, propagation and linkage of the Tan-Lu fault zone, East Asia
2023, Journal of Asian Earth SciencesCitation Excerpt :We dated this stock at 167 ± 1 Ma (L9192, Figs. 10, S5 and S6) using zircon U-Pb ICP-MS method. Basal volcanic rocks of the Tiaojishan Formation yield U-Pb SHRIMP ages of 157–164 Ma (Zhao et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2006) and a U-Pb SIMS age of 159 Ma (Wu et al., 2021) in the north and south of Lingyuan (Fig. 6). Thus, the NNE-trending sinistral strike-slip faults in the eastern Yanshan belt initiated between 167 and 164 Ma.
Timing of the Kaiyuan-Jiapigou shear zone in the northern margin of the North China Craton: Implications for closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean
2022, TectonophysicsCitation Excerpt :Many evidences show the most part of Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean (except the easternmost part) closed during the Middle-Late Jurassic, and produced a nearly N-S direction contraction which was widespread across northeastern China and the northern margin of the NCC (Xu et al., 2013; Ji et al., 2018; Li et al., 2018; Li et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2018; Chu et al., 2019; Li et al., 2019; Liang et al., 2019; Tang et al., 2019; Zou et al., 2019; Feng et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020a; Liu et al., 2020; Sorokin et al., 2020; Yi and Meert, 2020; Zaika et al., 2020; Cai et al., 2021; Li et al., 2021a, 2021b). During this time, northwestward flat-slab subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate developed along the eastern edge of the Asian continent and produced a strong NW-SE direction contraction in east of Asia (Gao et al., 2018; Lin et al., 2018; Li et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2018b; Clinkscales and Kapp, 2019; Hao et al., 2019; Lin et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2020b; Li et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020c; Li et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020d, 2020e; Hao et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2021a, 2021b; Tominaga and Hara, 2021; Ren et al., 2021; Wu et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2021c). We believe it likely these two direction contractions related with the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean and northwestward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate together controlled the deformation and magmatism of the northern margin of the NCC during the Middle-Late Jurassic (Ratschbacher et al., 2000; Dong et al., 2000, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2018b; Liu et al., 2005a; Li et al., 2011a, Li et al., 2012a; Zhu et al., 2011; Dong et al., 2018a; Li et al., 2021a).
When did the large-scale extensional tectonics begin in North China Craton?
2022, TectonophysicsCitation Excerpt :Yinshan-Yanshan belt that was expressed by the north-directed fold and thrust deformation at the early stage (so-called “Yanshanian movement A") and south-directed ductile shearing deformation and thrust fault system (so-called “Yanshanian movement B") (Zhao, 1990; Davis et al., 2001; Faure et al., 2012; Lin et al., 2013a, 2013b). The former has the age of the deformation around 174 Ma (Dong et al., 2015, 2018; Meng et al., 2019; Wu et al., 2021); and the latter has the age of around 140 Ma (Davis et al., 2001; Lin et al., 2013a; Zhu et al., 2015; Li et al., 2016). After the contractional tectonics represented by Yanshanian movement, the NCC underwent a significant extensional tectonics, during which the thickness of the NCC's lithosphere was reduced by more than 100 km (Menzies et al., 1993; Wu et al., 2008).
Migration of Middle-Late Jurassic volcanism across the northern North China Craton in response to subduction of Paleo-Pacific Plate
2022, TectonophysicsCitation Excerpt :After the final cratonization at ∼1.85 Ga by assembly of the eastern and western blocks (Zhao et al., 2012; Zhai and Santosh, 2011), this craton kept stable for more than 1.6 Gyr until it was subjected multiple subduction/collision by surrounding plates from three directions since late Paleozoic, including: 1) subduction and/or collision with the Paleo-Asian and the Mongolia-Okhotsk oceanic plates from the north in the Permian-Triassic and Jurassic, respectively (Xiao et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2017; Gu et al., 2018); 2) subduction of Paleo-Tethyan oceanic in the Late Paleozoic and the following deep subduction and collision of the Yangtze block from the south in the Triassic (Li et al., 1993; Zhu et al., 2017); and 3) ongoing subduction of the (Paleo-) Pacific plate in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic from the east (Zhu et al., 2017; Zhu and Xu, 2019; Wu et al., 2019; Ma and Xu, 2021). The YFTB in the northern margin of the NCC with Great Xing'an Range as a neighboring in the north was characterized by vigorous volcanism, intense crustal deformation and widespread volcanic-sedimentary basins in the Mesozoic (Davis et al., 2001; Wei et al., 2015; Meng et al., 2020; Su et al., 2021; Wu et al., 2021). The volcanic rocks, varying from basaltic, andesitic to rhyolitic in composition, erupted in four pulses: the early Jurassic Nandaling formation, middle-late Jurassic Tiaojishan formation and early Cretaceous Zhangjiakou and Yixian formations.