Contrasted tectonic styles for the Paleoproterozoic evolution of the North China Craton. Evidence for a ~2.1 Ga thermal and tectonic event in the Fuping Massif

Pierre Trap (1) , Michel Faure (1) , Wei Lin (2) , Olivier Bruguier (3) , Patrick Monié (3)

1 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans
2 IGG - Institute of Geology and Geophysics [Beijing]
3 Géosciences Montpellier

Structural analysis along with 40Ar–39Ar and U–Pb datings in the Fuping massif provide new insight into the evolution of the eastern part of the Trans-North China Belt (North China Craton), from 2.7 Ga to 1.8 Ga. D1 is responsible for the development of a dome-and-basin structure coeval with crustal melting giving rise to migmatite and Nanying gneissic granites at 2.1 Ga. This dome-and-basin architecture resulted from the interference between a N–S compression of a weak ductile crust and gravity-driven vertical flow, in a high thermal regime. The next events involved flat lying ductile thrusting (D2) and normal faulting (D3) dated at around 1880 Ma and 1830 Ma, respectively. The D2 and D3 events belong to the Trans-North China Orogeny that results in the final amalgamation of the North China Craton. The D1 deformation is considered as evidence for an earlier orogen developed around 2.1 Ga prior to the Trans-North China Orogeny. The change in the deformation style between the 2.1 Ga and 1.8 Ga could be viewed as a consequence of the cooling of the continental crust in the North China Craton.

Keywords: Trans-North China Belt; Paleoproterozoic geodynamics; Dome-and-basin structure; Ductile shearing; Syntectonic plutonism

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Earth Sciences; Tectonics; Environmental Sciences; Global Changes

Pierre Trap, Michel Faure, Wei Lin, Olivier Bruguier, Patrick Monié. Contrasted tectonic styles for the Paleoproterozoic evolution of the North China Craton. Evidence for a ~2.1 Ga thermal and tectonic event in the Fuping Massif. Journal of Structural Geology, 2008, 30 (9), pp.1109-1125. ⟨10.1016/j.jsg.2008.05.001⟩. ⟨insu-00309553⟩