Sedimentologic Evidence for Early Cretaceous Back-arc Rifting of the Gangdese Magmatic Arc, Tibet, Western China

ZHANG Kai-jun; XIA Bin; XIA Bang-dong; WANG Guan-min; ZHANG Meng-qun; LI Yong-tie; YE He-fei

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Article Navigation > Acta Sedimentologica Sinica > 2003 > 21(1): 31-37,65

ZHANG Kai-jun, XIA Bin, XIA Bang-dong, WANG Guan-min, ZHANG Meng-qun, LI Yong-tie, YE He-fei. Sedimentologic Evidence for Early Cretaceous Back-arc Rifting of the Gangdese Magmatic Arc, Tibet, Western China[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2003, 21(1): 31-37,65.

Citation:

ZHANG Kai-jun, XIA Bin, XIA Bang-dong, WANG Guan-min, ZHANG Meng-qun, LI Yong-tie, YE He-fei. Sedimentologic Evidence for Early Cretaceous Back-arc Rifting of the Gangdese Magmatic Arc, Tibet, Western China[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2003, 21(1): 31-37,65.

Sedimentologic Evidence for Early Cretaceous Back-arc Rifting of the Gangdese Magmatic Arc, Tibet, Western China

1.
Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640;
2.
Department of Earth Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093;
3.
Department of Resources, Petroleum University, Dongying, Shandong 257062;
5.
Material Analysis Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093;
Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina Company Limited, Beijing 100083

Received Date: 2002-12-26
Rev Recd Date: 2003-01-10
Publish Date: 2003-03-10

Abstract

Early Cretaceous sedimentary system in the back-arc area of the Gangdese magmatic arc, central Tibet, western China, is characterized by a distinct change from clastics to carbonates in an ascending order. An intensive marine transgression occurred in this area during middle Cretaceous time, which led to accumulation of a massive succession of platform limestone in the southern margin of the Qiangtang terrain and the Lhasa terrain. The trend of eustasy in this area is quite different from that in the Tarim and Simao basins, where a coeval marine regression was in progress. Sandstones (Q78F11L11) in early Early Cretaceous were mainly derived from northern orogen but, upwards, they were gradually dominated by a (southern) magmatic arc provenance. Both bimodal volcanic rocks and bimodal volcanic debris were sometimes found within the middle Cretaceous sedimentary sequences in the southern margin of the back-arc area. An early Cretaceous back-arc rifting event is thus proposed regarding the Gangdese magmatic arc. This back-arc rifting gave rise to the Shyok marginal sea that was floored by oceanic basement, in the back-arc area of the Ladakh-Kohistan arcs. We believe that, during (early-) middle Cretaceous time, the entiresouthern Eurasian margin could have been active, leading to a series of back-arc rift basins. Some basins may have ultimately been floored by oceanic crust while others remained underlain by continental or transitional basement, much like the present western Pacific margin. There is no mechanism and no paleogeographic and topographic evidence to support the view that the Tibetan plateau had intensely been elevated by the end of Early Cretaceous time.
- Gangdese magmatic arc,
- Early Cretaceous,
- back-arc rifting,
- southern margin of the Eurasian continent,
- tectonic reconstruction

References

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

1.
沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

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Sedimentologic Evidence for Early Cretaceous Back-arc Rifting of the Gangdese Magmatic Arc, Tibet, Western China

1. Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640;

2. Department of Earth Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093;

3. Department of Resources, Petroleum University, Dongying, Shandong 257062;

5. Material Analysis Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093;

Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina Company Limited, Beijing 100083

Received Date: 2002-12-26

Rev Recd Date: 2003-01-10

Publish Date: 2003-03-10

Key words:

Gangdese magmatic arc /
Early Cretaceous /
back-arc rifting /
southern margin of the Eurasian continent /
tectonic reconstruction

Abstract: Early Cretaceous sedimentary system in the back-arc area of the Gangdese magmatic arc, central Tibet, western China, is characterized by a distinct change from clastics to carbonates in an ascending order. An intensive marine transgression occurred in this area during middle Cretaceous time, which led to accumulation of a massive succession of platform limestone in the southern margin of the Qiangtang terrain and the Lhasa terrain. The trend of eustasy in this area is quite different from that in the Tarim and Simao basins, where a coeval marine regression was in progress. Sandstones (Q78F11L11) in early Early Cretaceous were mainly derived from northern orogen but, upwards, they were gradually dominated by a (southern) magmatic arc provenance. Both bimodal volcanic rocks and bimodal volcanic debris were sometimes found within the middle Cretaceous sedimentary sequences in the southern margin of the back-arc area. An early Cretaceous back-arc rifting event is thus proposed regarding the Gangdese magmatic arc. This back-arc rifting gave rise to the Shyok marginal sea that was floored by oceanic basement, in the back-arc area of the Ladakh-Kohistan arcs. We believe that, during (early-) middle Cretaceous time, the entiresouthern Eurasian margin could have been active, leading to a series of back-arc rift basins. Some basins may have ultimately been floored by oceanic crust while others remained underlain by continental or transitional basement, much like the present western Pacific margin. There is no mechanism and no paleogeographic and topographic evidence to support the view that the Tibetan plateau had intensely been elevated by the end of Early Cretaceous time.

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Sedimentologic Evidence for Early Cretaceous Back-arc Rifting of the Gangdese Magmatic Arc, Tibet, Western China

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