Yanshanian deformation in Western Shandong, eastern North China Craton: Response to a transition from paleo‐Pacific to Pacific Plate subduction

Abstract

The eastern part of the North China Craton has experienced cratonic destruction during the Mesozoic–Cenozoic period. However, the mechanism and geodynamic process of cratonic destruction is still not clear. The Shandong Province is a typical region that suffered the Yanshanian (Jurassic to Cretaceous) tectono‐thermal event relating to the cratonic destruction. In this paper, we focus on the Yanshanian deformation in Western Shandong and integrate the previous studies of contemporaneous magmatism. There are two‐stage compressive structures developed in Western Shandong, NE‐ or NNE‐ trending open folds, which subsequently evolved the same trend as the thrust faults. A series of NW‐trending normal faults converted from the pre‐existing Indosinian (Triassic) thrusts controlled the formation of Mesozoic basins. These deformations are a tectonic response to the subduction of the Izanagi Plate (paleo‐Pacific Plate) under the North China Craton during the Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. The Cretaceous magmatic rocks in Western Shandong mainly occurred between 130–125 Ma and have multi‐magmatic sources, including enriched lithospheric mantle, delaminated lithosphere, and subducted oceanic slab. We propose that the subduction of the Izanagi Plate converting to the Pacific Plate occurred during the middle Early Cretaceous induced a delamination of the lower crust linked to the destruction of the eastern North China Craton.

The Geological Significance of the Deformation and Geochronology of the Xiaotian–Mozitan Shear Zone in the Dabie Orogenic Belt (East‐Central China)

“…Nevertheless, none of these models listed above could comprehensively elucidate all the geological features of this extension concerning its large scale, spatial distribution and temporal span. Recent studies (Tang et al, 2013;Niu, 2014;Zhang et al, 2017;Zhu et al, 2017;Li et al, 2019) attributed this enormous extensional event to the cratonic destruction of the NCB (North China Block), pointing out that the subduction, roll-back and retreat, stagnation and dehydration of the paleo-western Pacific plate were the main mechanisms that triggered and controlled this process (Fig. 13).…”

Early Mesozoic intracontinental deformation in the eastern North China Block: Implication for an indentation model of North China to South China blocks

“…Triassic‐Early Jurassic deformation includes a series of folds and thrusts in eastern North China and its northeastern areas, which is hard to distinguish because of the later tectonic superposition (Zhang et al, ). Therefore, we first discuss the deformation in the Luxi, Liaonan areas, combining the previous studies for the Xuhuai, Luxi, Bohai Bay Basin and Liaonan areas, where the Triassic‐Early Jurassic deformation is relatively obvious.…”

Central China Orogen along the Silk Road (Part I): Tectono‐thermal evolution and its links

“…The paper by Guo et al () proposes a new exhumation model for HP‐UHP rocks in recognizing the late Triassic Dabie‐Sulu Orocline. The identification of Yanshanian deformation in Western Shandong by J. Zhang et al () is suggested to mark the transition from Paleo‐Pacific to Pacific Plate subduction. Studies on numerical modelling by Dai, Li, Li, Somerville, and Liu () have been used to explain postorogenic extension in the Western Dabie Orogen.…”