Timing, scale and mechanism of the destruction of the North China Craton

Abstract

The North China Craton (NCC) is a classical example of ancient destroyed cratons. Since the initiation of the North China Craton Destruction Project by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, numerous studies have been conducted on the timing, scale, and mechanism of this destruction through combined interdisciplinary research. Available data suggest that the destruction occurred mainly in the eastern NCC, whereas the western NCC was only locally modified. The sedimentation, magmatic activities and structural deformation after cratonization at ~1.8 Ga indicate that the NCC destruction took place in the Mesozoic with a peak age of ca 125 Ma. A global comparison suggests that most cratons on Earth are not destroyed, although they have commonly experienced lithospheric thinning; destruction is likely to occur only when the craton has been disturbed by oceanic subduction. The destruction of the NCC was coincident with globally active plate tectonics and high mantle temperatures during the Cretaceous. The subducted Pacific slab destabilized mantle convection beneath the eastern NCC, which resulted in cratonic destruction in the eastern NCC. Delamination and/or thermal-mechanical-chemical erosion resulted from the destabilization of mantle convection. timing, scale and mechanism, craton destruction, North China Craton Citation:Zhu R X, Chen L, Wu F Y, et al. Timing, scale and mechanism of the destruction

Petrology, geochemistry and Re–Os isotopes of peridotite xenoliths from Yantai, Shandong Province: Evidence for Phanerozoic lithospheric mantle beneath eastern North China Craton

“…This recognition highlights that the cratonic lithospheric mantle is not preserved forever and can be destroyed under certain circumstances, especially when water is involved (Menzies et al, 2007;Niu, 2005;Zhu et al, 2011). It also significantly promotes our understanding of intraplate deformation and magmatism.…”

Recycled oceanic crust in the source of 90–40Ma basalts in North and Northeast China: Evidence, provenance and significance

“…Meanwhile, this advance presents a major problem in the study of the cause and mechanism of continental lithospheric thinning, because cratonic keels are presumably stable due to the buoyancy and low density of highly melt-depleted peridotites (3.3-3.35 g/cm 3 ) (O'Reilly et al, 2001;Lee, 2003;Lee et al, 2011). So far, several potential triggers have been proposed as causes for the destabilization of the NCC, including (1) the India-Eurasia collision (Menzies et al, 1993); (2) mantle plume activity Deng et al, 2005); (3) the Yangtze-North China collision (Menzies and Xu, 1998;Gao et al, 2002) and (4) the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath the eastern Asian continent (Griffin et al, 1998;Xu, 2001;Niu, 2005;Wu et al, 2008;Zhu et al, 2011). The first possibility can be ruled out due to the different timing of two events.…”

Geochemistry of Cenozoic basalts from the Bohai Bay Basin: Implications for a heterogeneous mantle source and lithospheric evolution beneath the eastern North China Craton

“…However, the timing and cause of this thinning event remain controversial (e.g., Menzies et al, 2007;Wu et al, 2008;Xu et al, 2009;Zhu et al, 2011). Some studies have advocated that the lithospheric thinning mainly occurred by means of delamination in the Jurassic or Early Cretaceous (e.g., Deng et al, 1994;Gao et al, 2004Gao et al, , 2008Gao et al, , 2009Liu et al, 2008;F.Y.…”