Combined with field studies, microscopic observations, and EBSD fabric analysis, we defined a possible Early Cretaceous metamorphic core complex （MCC） in the Wulian area along the Sulu orogenic belt in eastern China. The MCC is of typical Cordilleran type with five elements： （1） a master detachment fault and sheared rocks beneath it, a lower plate of crystalline rockswith （2） middle crust metamorphic rocks, （3） syn-kinematic plutons, （4） an upper plate of weakly deformed Proterozoic metamorphic rocks, and （5） Cretaceous volcanic-sedimentary rocks in the supradetachment basin. Some postkinematic incursions cut across the master detachment fault zone and two plates. In the upper plate, Zhucheng （诸城） Basin basement consists of the Proterozoic Fenzishan （粉子山） Group, Jinning period granite （762–834 Ma）. The s u pr a de tac hme nt ba sin a bo ve the Proterozoic rocks is filled with the Early Cretaceous Laiyang （莱阳） （~135–125 Ma） and Qingshan （青山） groups （120–105 Ma）, as wellas the Late Cretaceous Wangshi （王氏） Group （85–65 Ma）. The detachment fault zone is developed at the base and margin of the superposed basin. Pseudotachylite and micro breccia layers located at the top of the detachment fault. Stretching lineation and foliation are well developed in the ductile shear belt in the detachment faults. The stretching lineation indicates a transport direction of nearly east to west on the whole, while the foliations trend WNW, WSW, and SE. Protomylonite, mylonite, and ultramylonite are universally developed in the faults, transitioning to mylonitic gneiss, and finally to gneiss downward. Microstructure and quartz preferred orientation show that the mylonites formed at high greenschist facies to low greenschist facies as a whole. The footwall metamorphic rock series of the Wulian MCC are chiefly UHP （ultrahigh pressure） metamorphic rocks. Syntectonic rocks developed simultaneously with the Wulian MCC detachment and extension. Geo
The early Precambrian high-grade metamorphosed basement in the Xi Ulanbulang area, central Inner Mongolia of China, is composed mainly of intermediate granulites and charnockitic gneisses. Both types of the rocks are closely associated spatially and temporally, with a gradual variation between them. In order to understand timing of the high-grade metamorphism, we carried out SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons of the rocks. Zircons from the granulites and charnockitic gneisses are similar in structure and age. Zircon cores show magmatic zoning and have ages of 2507-2545 Ma. The ages are interpreted as the forming time of protolith of the granulites and charnockitic gneisses, indicating that a strong magmatism existed at that time in the Yinshan Block. The zircon mantles and rims show homogeneous structures and record a strong granulite facies metamorphism event around 2500 Ma, with a time interval between the metamorphism and magamatism being less than 50 Ma. These suggest that the Western Block was similar to the Eastern Block in tectono-thermal timing at the end of the Neoarchean.
The NNE-trending ductile shear zones in Yiwulü Mountain area were formed in relation to two successive extensional events.The Yiwulü High Temperature Extensional Ductile Shear Zone and the Waziyu Low Temperature Extensional Ductile Shear Zone were related to ductile deformation at higher temperatures and brittle-ductile deformation at lower temperatures,respectively.Both deformations were accompanied by large scale volcanic eruptions and magmatic intrusions.Based on structural analysis of macroscopic and microscopic deformations,and quartz lattice preferred orientations,we show that the early Yiwulü High Temperature Extensional Ductile Shear Zone was resulted from a NE-SW extension at amphibolite facies in the middle crust,whereas the Waziyu Low Temperature Extensional Ductile Shear Zone was due mainly to a NWW-SEE extension at greenschist facies in the upper crust.The SHRIMP zircon age of a syn-tectonic granitic dike emplaced at the late stage of high temperature extension is 155±2 Ma,indicating that the early extensional event took place in the Middle-Late Jurassic.40Ar-39Ar age of muscovite from tectonic schists in the low temperature extensional ductile shear zone is 131.6±1.0 Ma,suggesting that the late extension occurred in the Early Cretaceous.Subsequent overall uplifting succeeded the late extension.The new discovery of the Middle-Late Jurassic NNE-trending extensional ductile shear zone provides evidence constraining the switch of tectonic regimes and Middle Jurassic thinning of lithosphere in the eastern North China Craton.
LI GangLIU ZhengHongLIU JunLaiLI YongFeiXU ZhongYuanDONG XiaoJie
The combination of field surveys with analysis of microstructure of tectonite and Electron Backscatter Diffraction(EBSD) on quartz fabric indicated that three periods of ductile shear events developed in the Paishanlou gold deposits and the E-W and NE-striking ductile shear zones were formed during each event.The E-W-striking ductile shear zone,accompanied by compressional and dextral shear slip,was shear-cut by the NE-striking shear zones,accompanied by compressional-sinistral shear slip and sinistral-normal shear slip,successively.An E-W-striking ductile shear zone developed at a deeper tectonic level and at middle- to high-temperatures,accompanied by abundant microstructures,including microlayering between a polycrystal quartz belt and mica,and quartz deformation was depended on cylinder(10-10) or glide.The development of an E-W-striking shear zone can be seen as a tectonic pattern in the region of the Paishanlou gold deposits of the collision between the Mongolian tectonic belt and the North Archean Craton from Suolun to the Linxi suture zone during the Indosinian.The NE-striking ductile shear zone developed approximately 160 Ma during the early Yianshanian at middle to shallow tectonic levels and at middle- to low-temperatures,accompanied by typical microstructures,including polycrystal quartz aggregation and quartz subgrain rotation recrystallization,etc.,and quartz deformation was depended on prismatic(1011) glide.The last ductile shear event around the NE-striking shear zone developed at low temperatures and shallow tectonic levels,yielding to a pre-existing NE-striking shear zone,accompanied by abundant microstructures,including low-temperature quartz grain boundary migration and bulging recrystallization.The last ductile shear movement may be related to lithosphere thinning and the destruction of the North China Craton from approximately 130-120 Ma,and this shear event resulted directly in the mineralization in the Paishanlou region.
NI JinLongLIU JunLaiTANG XiaoLingZHAO ChunQiangZENG QingDong
