Middle Paleozoic initial amalgamation and crustal growth in the West Junggar (NW China): Constraints from geochronology, geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Hf–Os isotopes of calc-alkaline and alkaline intrusions in the Xiemisitai-Saier Mountains

Spatial–temporal framework for the closure of the Junggar Ocean in central Asia: New SIMS zircon U–Pb ages of the ophiolitic mélange and collisional igneous rocks in the Zhifang area, East Junggar

“…1a), is one of the important tectonic units in the evaluation and examination of the greatest continental accretion on earth (Briggs et al, 2007;Xiao et al, 2008Xiao et al, , 2010Choulet et al, 2011Choulet et al, , 2012cWu et al, 2012;Yang et al, 2012c;Chen et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2015). However, the tectonic property and closure time of the Junggar Ocean are controversial.…”

The Ediacaran to Early Palaeozoic evolution of the Junggar–Balkhash Ocean: A synthesis of the ophiolitic mélanges in the southern West Junggar terrane, NW China

“…There has been a long‐standing dispute among tectonic divisions within the WJT (see a review and figure 2 in Liu, Han, Chen, et al, ), which is partly due to the fact that the WJT's ophiolitic mélanges do not always occur in linear belts (Figure b) and their specific tectonic implications remain relatively unexamined. Here, we follow the widely accepted division scheme, as proposed by Choulet et al (), Choulet et al (), Z. Xu et al (), Chen, Han, et al (), Liu, Han, Chen, et al (), and Ren et al (), with an emphasis on the importance of utilizing known ophiolitic mélanges in dividing the tectonic units.…”

“…According to the exposures of the Ediacaran–Early Palaeozoic ophiolitic gabbros (dated by zircons or sphenes) and cherts (dated by conodonts or radiolarians), the WJT could be roughly divided into three tectonic units by the Chagantaolegai ophiolite in the north and the BMT ophiolite in the south (Figure b). The northern WJT contains the Late Palaeozoic Zharma–Saur arc (ZhSA: 344–321 Ma; Chen et al, ; Liu, Chen, et al, ) and the middle Palaeozoic Boshchekul–Chingiz arc (BCA: 424–392 Ma; Chen, et al, ). These two arcs were separated from each other by the E–W striking Kujibai–Hebukesaier–Hongguleleng suture zone (Han, Guo, & He, ; Han, Guo, Zhang, et al, ) which consists of an ophiolitic mélange belt composed of normal mid‐ocean ridge basalt (N‐MORB)‐type gabbros (Du & Chen, ; Yang, Zhao, Zheng, & Xu, ) and basalts (Zhang et al, ) and island arc tholeiite (IAT)‐type diabases and basalts (She, Deng, Liu, Gao, & Di, ).…”

“…Detailed tectonic implication of the Chagantaolegai ophiolite is quite cryptic. It may represent remnants of an ocean basin connected to the Kujibai–Hebukesaier–Hongguleleng Ocean (Zhao & He, ; Zong et al, ) or a suture zone between the BCA and the central WJT (Chen, et al, ; Du & Chen, ).…”

Late Carboniferous to Early Permian adakitic rocks and fractionated I‐type granites in the southern West Junggar terrane, NW China: Implications for the final closure of the Junggar–Balkhash Ocean

“…The WJT is widely accepted to be composed of three ophiolite‐bounded subterranes (Figure a), which are defined as tectonic units with rock assemblages that differ greatly from those of adjacent terranes (Chen et al, ; Choulet et al, ; Liu et al, ; Liu, Han, Chen, et al, ; Ren, Han, Guan, Liu, & Wang, ; Xu, Ji, et al, ). The northern WJT is an arc system including the Late Palaeozoic Zharma–Saur arc and the Early Palaeozoic Boshchekul–Chingiz arc (Chen et al, ), which are dissected by an ophiolitic mélange belt (e.g., Kujibai, Hebukesaier, and Hongguleleng).…”