Showing papers on "Gondwana published in 2017"
TL;DR: In this paper, the Proto-Tethys Ocean is defined as a complex complex paleo-ocean located between the Tarim-North China and the Sibumasu/Baoshan blocks, and it was opened from the rifting of the Supercontinent Rodinia and mainly closed at the end of the Early Paleozoic.
424 citations
TL;DR: The history of the South China Craton and the constituent Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks are directly linked to Earth's Phanerozoic and Precambrian record of supercontinent assembly and dispersal.
356 citations
TL;DR: Zhang et al. as discussed by the authors proposed that the microcontinents of the CAOB originated as part of Rodinia along the global Grenville Orogenic Belt (1100-750 ǫ) and drifted to the north to the southern margin of the Siberia Craton where collision took place during the late Pan-African.
252 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors brought up the concept of composite metallogenic system to summarize the regional metallogeny driven by superimposed orogeny, which caused the overlapping of diverse genetic types of deposit formed in different tectonic periods in the same tectono-metallogenic belt.
205 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the existence of three Gondwana-derived microcontinents which were involved in the Variscan collision is confirmed, supported by biogeographical data and in accord with palaeomagnetic constraints.
199 citations
TL;DR: The location and tectonic nature of the Solonker suture in East Asia and hence the late Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic closure of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean have notoriously been enigmatic in the past decades due to limited rock exposure and the absence of unambiguous collision-related regional features as discussed by the authors.
143 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide new field observations and isotopic data for key areas of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), reiterating their previous assessment that no excessive crustal growth occurred during its ca. 800 Ma long orogenic evolution.
138 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a revised model for the Neoproterozoic evolution of Western Gondwana is presented, in which geological, geochronological and isotopic data are integrated in order to present a revised approach to infer the evolution of most Western gondwana cratons.
Abstract: Geological, geochronological and isotopic data are integrated in order to present a revised model for the Neoproterozoic evolution of Western Gondwana. Although the classical geodynamic scenario assumed for the period 800–700 Ma is related to Rodinia break-up and the consequent opening of major oceanic basins, a significantly different tectonic evolution can be inferred for most Western Gondwana cratons. These cratons occupied a marginal position in the southern hemisphere with respect to Rodinia and recorded subduction with back-arc extension, island arc development and limited formation of oceanic crust in internal oceans. This period was thus characterized by increased crustal growth in Western Gondwana, resulting from addition of juvenile continental crust along convergent margins. In contrast, crustal reworking and metacratonization were dominant during the subsequent assembly of Gondwana. The Rio de la Plata, Congo-Sao Francisco, West African and Amazonian cratons collided at ca. 630–600 Ma along the West Gondwana Orogen. These events overlap in time with the onset of the opening of the Iapetus Ocean at ca. 610–600 Ma, which gave rise to the separation of Baltica, Laurentia and Amazonia and resulted from the final Rodinia break-up. The East African/Antarctic Orogen recorded the subsequent amalgamation of Western and Eastern Gondwana after ca. 580 Ma, contemporaneously with the beginning of subduction in the Terra Australis Orogen along the southern Gondwana margin. However, the Kalahari Craton was lately incorporated during the Late Ediacaran–Early Cambrian. The proposed Gondwana evolution rules out the existence of Pannotia, as the final Gondwana amalgamation postdates latest connections between Laurentia and Amazonia. Additionally, a combination of introversion and extroversion is proposed for the assembly of Gondwana. The contemporaneous record of final Rodinia break-up and Gondwana assembly has major implications for the supercontinent cycle, as supercontinent amalgamation and break-up do not necessarily represent alternating episodic processes but overlap in time.
109 citations
TL;DR: In this article, new field observations, ages and geochemical data are presented for the Adamawa-Yade domain, forming part of Central African Orogenic Belt in Cameroon.
108 citations
TL;DR: The geodynamic evolution of the Caucasus mountain belt from the Paleozoic to present based on a review of works from Eastern Anatolia, Greater and Lesser Caucasus and Western Iran is summarized in this paper.
91 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present new paleomagnetic data from early Ediacaran strata of northwest Tarim, and document large-scale rotation at near-constant paleolatitudes during Cryogenian time.
TL;DR: Two Gondwana-derived Paleozoic belts rim the Archean/Paleoproterozoic nucleus of the East European Platform in the Black Sea region as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Two Gondwana-derived Paleozoic belts rim the Archean/Paleoproterozoic nucleus of the East European Platform in the Black Sea region. In the north is a belt of Paleozoic passive-margin-type sedimentary rocks, which extends from Moesia to the Istanbul Zone and to parts of the Scythian Platform (the MOIS Block). This belt constituted the south-facing continental margin of the Laurussia during the Late Paleozoic. This margin was deformed during the Carboniferous by folding and thrusting and forms the Variscan foreland. In the south is a belt of metamorphic and granitic rocks, which extends from the Balkanides through Strandja, Sakarya to the Caucasus (BASSAC Block). The protoliths of the metamorphic rocks are predominantly late Neoproterozoic granites and Paleozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks, which were deformed and metamorphosed during the Early Carboniferous. There are also minor eclogites and serpentinites, mostly confined to the northern margin of the BASSAC Block. Typical metamorphism is of low pressure–high temperature type and occurred during the Early Carboniferous (Visean, 340–330 Ma) coevally with that observed in the Central Europe. Volumetrically, more than half of the crystalline belt is made up of Carboniferous–earliest Permian (335–294 Ma) granites. The type of metamorphism, its concurrent nature over 1800 km length of the BASSAC Block and voluminous acidic magmatism suggest that the thermal event probably occurred in the deep levels of a continental magmatic arc. The BASSAC arc collided with Laurussia in the mid-Carboniferous leading to the foreland deformation. The ensuing uplift in the Permian resulted in the deposition of continental red beds, which are associated with acidic magmatic rocks observed over the foreland as well as over the BASSAC Block. In the Black Sea region, there was no terminal collision of Laurussia with Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic and the Laurussia margin continued to face the Paleo-Tethyan ocean in the south.
TL;DR: The provenance of Sibumasu terrane sedimentary rocks and their tectonic relationships with surrounding terranes exposed in Southeast Asia record separation and accretion of Gondwana-derived terrane during Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic time as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: The Himalayan Orogen consists of two rock packages that parallel the topographic trend of the mountain belt between the eastern and western syntaxes as mentioned in this paper, and these packages are known as Himalayan Assemblage A and Himalayan assemblage B.
TL;DR: In this paper, the evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic supercollage (CAOS) between the breakup of Rodinia and assembly of Pangea shows that its internal pattern cannot be explained via a split of metamorphic terranes from and formation of juvenile magmatic arcs near the East European and Siberian cratons.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented an overview of the subvolcanic parts of the Gondwana LIPs (Kalkarindji, Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, Karoo and the Paraná-Etendeka) aimed at summarizing their current understanding of timings, scale and impact of these provinces.
Abstract: Abstract Gondwana was an enormous supertarrane. At its peak, it represented a landmass of about 100 × 106 km2 in size, corresponding to approximately 64% of all land areas today. Gondwana assembled in the Middle Cambrian, merged with Laurussia to form Pangea in the Carboniferous, and finally disintegrated with the separation of East and West Gondwana at about 170 Ma, and the separation of Africa and South America around 130 Ma. Here we have updated plate reconstructions from Gondwana history, with a special emphasis on the interactions between the continental crust of Gondwana and the mantle plumes resulting in Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) at its surface. Moreover, we present an overview of the subvolcanic parts of the Gondwana LIPs (Kalkarindji, Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, Karoo and the Paraná–Etendeka) aimed at summarizing our current understanding of timings, scale and impact of these provinces. The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) reveals a conservative volume estimate of 700 000 km3 of subvolcanic intrusions, emplaced in the Brazilian sedimentary basins (58–66% of the total CAMP sill volume). The detailed evolution and melt-flux estimates for the CAMP and Gondwana-related LIPs are, however, poorly constrained, as they are not yet sufficiently explored with high-precision U–Pb geochronology.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a large seismic reflection dataset, tied to wells, to document the Cretaceous-Paleocene evolution of the greater Taranaki Basin region.
Abstract: The break-up of Gondwana resulted in extension of New Zealand continental crust during the Cretaceous–Paleocene. Offshore the geometry and rift history are well imaged by new regional mapping of a large seismic reflection dataset, tied to wells, used here to document the Cretaceous–Paleocene ( c . 105 – 55 Ma) evolution of the greater Taranaki Basin region. Two temporally distinct phases of rifting have been recognized in the region, and record Gondwana break-up. The first (Zealandia rift phase) produced half-grabens trending NW to WNW during the mid-Cretaceous ( c . 105 – 83 Ma). These rift basins predate, and are parallel to, Tasman Sea spreading centres. They record distributed stretching of northern Zealandia prior to the onset of seafloor spreading in the Tasman Sea. A short period ( c . 83 – 80 Ma) of uplift and erosion followed, possibly representing a break-up unconformity, with erosion in southern Taranaki Basin and deposition of the ‘Taranaki Delta’ sequence in Deepwater Taranaki. The second, West Coast–Taranaki rift phase produced north- to NE-trending extensional half-grabens in the shelfal Taranaki Basin during the latest Cretaceous–Paleocene ( c . 80 – 55 Ma). This rift was narrow ( Supplementary material: A full set of eight palaeogeographical maps as well as expanded versions of the seismic figures, with both uninterpreted and interpreted versions, are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3772175
TL;DR: In this article, trace-element, isotopic and geochronological data on ∼550 Ma magmatic rocks from the Taknar complex, NE Iran, and use this information to better understand episodes of flare-up, crustal thickening and magmatic periodicity in the Cadomian arcs of Iran and Anatolia.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present new paleospreading directions from six Upper Cretaceous ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria, calculated by using new and published paleomagnetic data from sheeted dyke complexes.
Abstract: Formation of new subduction zones represents one of the cornerstones of plate tectonics, yet both the kinematics and geodynamics governing this process remain enigmatic. A major subduction initiation event occurred in the Late Cretaceous, within the Neo-Tethys Ocean between Gondwana and Eurasia. Suprasubduction zone ophiolites (i.e., emerged fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere formed at suprasubduction spreading centers) were generated during this subduction event and are today distributed in the eastern Mediterranean region along three ~E-W trending ophiolitic belts. Several models have been proposed to explain the formation of these ophiolites and the evolution of the associated intra-Neo-Tethyan subduction zone. Here we present new paleospreading directions from six Upper Cretaceous ophiolites of Turkey, Cyprus, and Syria, calculated by using new and published paleomagnetic data from sheeted dyke complexes. Our results show that ~NNE-SSW subduction zones were formed within the Neo-Tethys during the Late Cretaceous, which we propose were part of a major step-shaped subduction system composed of ~NNE-SSW and ~WNW-ESE segments. We infer that this subduction system developed within old (Triassic?) lithosphere, along fracture zones and perpendicular weakness zones, since the Neo-Tethyan spreading ridge formed during Gondwana fragmentation would have already been subducted at the Pontides subduction zone by the Late Cretaceous. Our new results provide an alternative kinematic model of Cretaceous Neo-Tethyan subduction initiation and call for future research on the mechanisms of subduction inception within old (and cold) lithosphere and the formation of metamorphic soles below suprasubduction zone ophiolites in the absence of nearby spreading ridges.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe newly discovered Neoproterozoic orthogneisses from the Mishan region in the central Jiamusi-Khanka Block.
TL;DR: Zircon U-Pb ages and geochemical and isotopic data for Late Ordovician granites in the Baoshan Block reveal the early Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of the margin of East Gondwana.
Abstract: Zircon U–Pb ages and geochemical and isotopic data for Late Ordovician granites in the Baoshan Block reveal the early Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of the margin of East Gondwana. The granites are high-K, calc-alkaline, metaluminous to strongly peraluminous rocks with A/CNK values of 0.93–1.18, are enriched in SiO2, K2O, and Rb, and depleted in Nb, P, Ti, Eu, and heavy rare earth elements, which indicates the crystallization fractionation of the granitic magma. Zircon U–Pb dating indicates that they formed at ca. 445 Ma. High initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.719761–0.726754, negative ɛNd(t) values of –6.6 to –8.3, and two-stage model ages of 1.52–1.64 Ga suggest a crustal origin, with the magmas derived from the partial melting of ancient metagreywacke at high temperature. A synthesis of data for the early Palaeozoic igneous rocks in the Baoshan Block and adjacent Tengchong Block indicates two stages of flare-up of granitic and mafic magmatism caused by different tectonic settings along the East Gond...
TL;DR: In this article, detrital zircons are used to probe the early Paleozoic history of NE Iran and evaluate the link between sediment sources and Gondwanan pre-Cadomian, Cadomian and younger events.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyse the Rodinia-Gondwana transition during the Neoproterozoic, investigating the proposed Australia-Laurentia configurations during Rodinia, and the motion of India colliding with Gondwana.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provided a robust and well-dated paleomagnetic pole from the Lower Permian Kaixinling Group lavas on the northern Qiangtang block.
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TL;DR: The Aracuai orogenic front propagates into the craton interior and interacts with preexistent rift structures as discussed by the authors, forming a basement assemblage older than 1.8 Ga, the 1.7-0.9 Ga rift to rift-sag successions of the Espinhaco Supergroup, the Tonian-Edicaran rift-passive margin Macaubas Group, as well as the syn-orogenic Salinas Formation and crustal derived granitic intrusions.
Abstract: The Aracuai belts extends along the curved southeastern margin of the Sao Francisco craton between the Brazilian coast and Lat 21°S, where it merges with the Ribeira belt. It represents the external, basement-involved fold-thrust belt of the Aracuai-West Congo confined orogen (AWCO), which formed due to the closure of the terminal branch of the Adamastor ocean during the amalgamation of West Gondwana in the Ediacaran and beginning of the Cambrian. Bounded to the east and southeast by the high grade and granitic core of the AWCO, the Aracuai belt involves a basement assemblage older than 1.8 Ga, the 1.7–0.9 Ga rift to rift-sag successions of the Espinhaco Supergroup, the Tonian-Edicaran rift-passive margin Macaubas Group, as well as the syn-orogenic Salinas Formation and crustal derived granitic intrusions. The Macaubas Group, the type unit of the belt, contains a glaciomarine sequence made up of thick diamictites, sandstones and Rapitan-type banded iron formations. The units exposed along the belt were metamorphosed under greenschist to amphibolite facies conditions and affected by thrusts, reverse faults and cratonward verging folds, developed between 575 and 530 Ma. The Aracuai orogenic front propagates into the craton interior and interacts with preexistent rift structures. This chapter describes the stratigraphic framework and overall structure of the Aracuai belt, emphasizing the paleogeographic and tectonic significance of its sedimentary and volcanic assemblages.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented new compilations of airborne magnetic and airborne gravity data, together with digital enhancements and 2D models, enabling them to re-evaluate the crustal architecture of the Weddell Sea Rift System (WSRS) and its tectonic and kinematic evolution.
TL;DR: The Geological Framework of Mexico is formed by a mosaic of tectono-stratigraphic terranes that were assembled during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic as the result of the complex interaction between Laurentia, Gondwana, and the paleo-Pacific plate.
TL;DR: In this paper, a meta-felsic volcanic rock from the Mengtong Group yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 462-±-2.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reconstruct the tectonic and palaeogeographic framework of the Silurian Sichuan Basin, analyze the distribution of sedimentary facies, and subdivide the sedimentary succession into a number of stages.
01 Jan 2017
TL;DR: The Sao Francisco craton (SFC) of southeastern Brazil represents the most intensively studied Precambrian terrain of the continent as discussed by the authors, and it can be viewed as continent within a continent or a continent in miniature.
Abstract: The Brazilian shield, land surface expression of the Precambrian nucleus of South America, exposes cratons and a network of Neoproterozoic orogenic belts. The cratons correspond to internal parts of plates that amalgamated to form West Gondwana by the end of the Neoproterozoic and beginning of the Paleozoic. The Neoproterozoic Brasiliano belts, on the other hand, encompass the margin of those plates and accreted terranes. As one among five old and differentiated components of the South American lithosphere, the Sao Francisco craton (SFC) of southeastern Brazil represents the most intensively studied Precambrian terrain of the continent. This chapter contains introductory information on the SFC, which display attributes typical of the ancient lithosphere and hosts a rock record that spans from the Paleoarchean to the Cenozoic. Together with its bounding orogenic belts the SFC can be viewed as continent within a continent or a continent in miniature. Here, we present a panoramic view of the craton and its marginal belts, briefly discuss the history of its definition and delimitation, and conclude with an outline of the present book.