Mesozoic‐Cenozoic Basin Features and Evolution of Southeast China

Abstract

The Late Triassic to Paleogene (TJ-E) basin occupies an area of 143100 km2, being the sixth area of the whole of SE China; the total area of synchronous granitoid is about 127300 km'; it provides a key for understanding the tectonic evolution of South China. From a new 1:1500000 geological map of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins of SE China, combined with analysis of geometrical and petrological features, some new insights of basin tectonics are obtained. Advances include petrotectonic assemblages, basin classification of geodynamics, geometric features, relations of basin and range. According to basin-forming geodynamical mechanisms, the Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin of SE China can be divided into three types, namely: 1) para-foreland basin formed from Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (TJ-J~) under compressional conditions; 2) rift basins formed during the Middle Jurassic ( Jz) under a strongly extensional setting; and 3) a faulted depression formed during Early Cretaceous to Paleogene (Kl-E) under back-arc extension action. From the rock assemblages of the basin, the faulted depression can be subdivided into a volcanic-sedimentary type formed mainly during the Early Cretaceous (K1) and a red -bed type formed from Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (K2-E). Statistical data suggest that the area of all para-foreland basins (TJ-J~) is 15120 km', one of rift basins (Jz) occupies 4640 km2, and all faulted depressions equal to 124330 km'including the K r E red-bed basins of 37850 km'. The Early Mesozoic (TrJI) basin and granite were mostly co-generated under a post-collision compression background, while the basins from Middle Jurassic to Paleogene ( J r E ) were mainly constrained by regional extensional tectonics. Three geological and geographical zones were surveyed, namely: 1) the Wuyishan separating zone of paleogeography and climate from Middle Jurassic to Tertiary; 2) the Middle Jurassic rift zone; and 3) the Ganjiang separating zone of Late Mesozoic volcanism. Three types of basin-granite relationships have been identified, including compressional (a few), strike-slip (a few), and extensional (common). A three-stage geodynamical evolution of the SE-China basin is mooted: an Early Mesozoic basin-granite framework; a transitional Middle Jurassic tectonic regime; intracontinental extension and red-bed faulted depressions since the Late Cretaceous,

Formation and Forward Propagation of the Indosinian Foreland Fold‐Thrust Belt and Nanpanjiang Foreland Basin in SW China

“…M. Zhou, Sun, et al, 2006). Yanshanian contraction was followed by extension, which may have resulted from slab rollback of the Pacific plate (Shu et al, 2007;X. M. Zhou, Sun, et al, 2006).…”

“…The Yanshanian event initiated in the Middle Jurassic, and continued into the Early Cretaceous due to the NW-ward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. It is characterized by a broad NNE-striking fold-thrust belt, including the thin-and thick-skinned system separated by the Dayin thrust fault in the Yangtze Block, the NW-verging thrust faults with NE-striking anticlines, and the Late Mesozoic granitoids in the Cathaysia Block (Hua et al, 2005;Li et al, 2016Li et al, , 2014Shu et al, 2007;Wang et al, 2018;Yan et al, 2003;Y. Q. Zhang, Xu, et al, 2009;X.…”

Cretaceous growth strata in terrigenous basins in the East Yangtze Block: A response to Early Cretaceous extension in Southeast China

“…The junction region of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi Provinces exhibits three stages of nappe structures and at least two stages of extensional structures during the Mesozoic (Yu et al, 2020). The first shortening in the Middle Triassic formed several thrust faults that cut pre-Jurassic strata and were buried by J-K deposits; the first extension occurred in the Middle-Late Jurassic (Shu et al, 2007(Shu et al, , 2009; the second shortening in the Late Jurassic was caused by flat-slab subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate, forming the Xiaoxi thrust fault and tectonic window (Figure 3a); the second extension in the Early Cretaceous was caused by Palaeo-Pacific Plate rollback, forming extensional structures, such as growth strata and basin marginal faults (north margin of the Huangshan Basin; Figure 3a); and the last shortening at the end of the Late Cretaceous formed the Jixi-Ningguo F I G U R E 1 Geological sketch map showing the Early Cretaceous (145-120 Ma) basins and volcanic and plutonic rocks of South China. The boundary between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks is referred to Ji et al (2017) Fault thrusting northwestward over the Huangshan Basin (Figure 2; Yu et al, 2020).…”

“…and Huangshan Basin in south Anhui;Gilder et al, 1991;Li, Zhang, Dong, & Li, 2012;Shu et al, 2007Shu et al, , 2009, extensional dome structures (e.g., the Wugongshan, Lushan, and Hengshan domes; Lin et al, 2000;Shen, Zhang, & Zhang, 2008;Shu et al, 1998;Yu, Ye, & Peng, 1998), and numerous A-type granitic and bimodal volcanic rocks (e.g., the Xiangshan, Gan-Hang Belt, and southeast coastal area;Li, 2000;Wong et al, 2009;Yang et al, 2012;Zhou & Li, 2000;Zhou, Sun, Shen, Shu, & Niu, 2006). However, the tectonic regime in the Late Mesozoic and the precise timing of the initiation of extensional tectonics remain vigorously debated.…”

“…Most scholars consider that the extension began in the Late Cretaceous ca. 120 Ma (Jia, Mao, Liu, & Li, 2018;Li, Qiu, & Yang, 2014;Shu et al, 2007Shu et al, , 2009Sun et al, 2013;Sun, Ding, Hu, & Li, 2007;Zhang, Xu, Liu, Yang, & Du, 2019) or 84 Ma (Tang, Yan, Qiu, Gao, & Wang, 2014) or at least not earlier than 125-130 Ma (Jiang et al, 2018;Jiang, Zhao, Zhou, Liao, & Jin, 2011;Sun, Xu, Zou, & Xia, 2015;Wong et al, 2009;Zhao et al, 2016). A few scholars argue that the extension began from 142 to 140 Ma (Deng et al, 2014;Huang, Wang, Pan, Liu, & Sun, 2019;Li, Qiu et al, 2013) or was separated into several stages (Li, Zhang, Dong, & Johnston, 2014;Li, Ma, et al, 2014;Suo et al, 2019).…”