Ar-Ar geochronology of Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks from the Yanji area, NE China and tectonic implications

Abstract

Ar-Ar dating results of late Mesozoic-Cenozoic volcanic rocks from the Yanji area, NE China provide a new volcano-sedimentary stratigraphic framework. The previously defined "Triassic-Jurassic" volcanic rocks (including those from Sanxianling, Tuntianying, Tianqiaoling and Jingouling Fms.) were erupted during 118-106 Ma, corresponding to Early Cretaceous. The new eruption age span is slightly younger than the main stage (130-120 Ma) of the extensive magmatism in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt and its adjacent regions. Subduction-related adakites occurring in the previously defined Quanshuicun Fm. were extruded at ca. 55 Ma. Based on these new Ar-Ar ages, the late Mesozoic to Palaeocene volcano-sedimentary sequences is rebuilt as: Tuopangou Fm., Sanxianling/Tuntianying Fm. (118-115 Ma), Malugou/Tianqiaoling Fm. (K 1 ), Huoshanyan/Jingouling Fm. (108-106 Ma), Changcai Fm. (K 2 ), Quanshuicun Fm. (~55 Ma) and Dalazi Fm. Our results suggest that subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Ocean beneath the East Asian continental margin occurred during 106 to 55 Ma, consistent with the paleomagnetic observations and magmatic records which indicated that the Izanagi-Farallon ridge subduction beneath the southwestern Japan took place during 95-65 Ma.

Variable sediment flux in generation of Permian subduction-related mafic intrusions from the Yanbian region, NE China

“…The mafic intrusions were previously considered to have formed in late Paleozoic, but the precise emplacement ages are lacking. The Mesozoic geological evolution of the area was characterized by eruption of voluminous lavas, granitoid emplacement and deposition of terrestrial sediments, probably as a result of subduction of the paleo-Pacific Ocean (Zhang et al, 2004;Li et al, 2007;Xu et al, 2013b;Guo et al, 2015).…”

Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic evolution of the Sanjiang Basin in NE China and its tectonic implications for the West Pacific continental margin

“…the Songliao, Hailaer and Erlian Basins). This volcanism seen in the Sanjiang and adjacent basins falls within a widespread suite of Early Cretaceous magmatic activity migrating from west to east across NE China (Wu et al, 2002(Wu et al, , 2011Wang et al, 2006;Li et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2008aZhang et al, , 2010Zhang et al, , 2011, forming a number of significant NNE-trending igneous belts including the Great Hingan Range volcanic belt and Liaodong Penisular granitic belt. Contemporary metamorphic core complexes are also widely recognized in eastern China (Ratschbacher et al, 2000; Davies et al, 2001;Liu et al, 2005;Darby et al, 2004;Yang et al, 2007;Lin et al, 2008a), supporting an overall view of the Eurasian continental margin as controlled by an extensional regime at this time.…”

“…Kravchisky et al, 2002;Cogné et al, 2005;Metelkin et al, 2007Metelkin et al, , 2010. During the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, the Izanagi plate continued to subduct northward and the eastern Asian continent was dominated by voluminous volcanism and granitoid intrusion (Jiang and Quan, 1988;Zhao et al, 1989;Wu et al, 2005Wu et al, , 2011Li et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2008aZhang et al, ,b, 2010Zhang et al, , 2011, widespread intracontinental rifting (Graham et al, 2001;Ren et al, 2002;Meng, 2003;Johnson, 2004) and the accretion of circum-Pacific orogenic terranes including the Nadanhada Terrane in NE China, Sikhote-Alin complex in the Russian Far East, and the Tamba-Mino-Ashio terrane in Japan (Kojima, 1989;Faure and Natal'in, 1992;Sengör and Natal'in, 1996;Maruyama, 1997;Zyabrev and Matsuoka, 1999;Cheng et al, 2006;Wu et al, 2007;Zhou et al, 2009b;Isozaki et al, 2010). From the Late Cretaceous to early Paloegene, the Kula plate began to subduct under the Eurasian continent toward the west, leading to disruption and inversion of the Mesozoic sedimentary basins in the eastern Asian continental margin (Kirillova, 2003(Kirillova, , 2005.…”

Implications of subduction and subduction zone migration of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath eastern North China, based on distribution, geochronology, and geochemistry of Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks

“…Wang et al 2002), Yanji Zone (e.g. Li et al 2007), Jibei-Liaoxi Zone (e.g. Zhang et al 2008a;Yang and Li 2008), Xishan Zone (e.g.…”