Punctuated Orogeny During the Assembly of Asia: Tectonostratigraphic Evolution of the North China Craton and the Qilian Shan From the Paleoproterozoic to Early Paleozoic

The Proterozoic-Phanerozoic evolution of the Tarim and North China cratons is integral to the construction of the Eurasian continent. Throughout the Paleozoic, these continents were bound by the Paleo-Asian and Tethyan Oceans to the north and south, respectively, and, thus, their paleogeography is critical to reconstructions of the oceanic domains. Specifically, it remains uncertain whether the Tarim and North China cratons were contiguous during the Paleozoic. Geologic observations from the Qilian Shan and Longshou Shan of western China provide valuable information regarding the paleotectonic relationships of these continents. Here we present detailed field, geochronological, and geochemical observations from key locations in the Qilian Shan and Longshou Shan to decipher complex relationships between the Kunlun-Qaidam, North China, and Tarim continents. Paleoproterozoic deformation might have been associated with the northern North China orogen, whereas a Neoproterozoic collisional orogen occurred between the Kunlun-Qaidam-South Tarim and the North China-North Tarim. Subsequent late Neoproterozoic rifting led to the opening of the Qilian ocean as an embayed marginal sea, and the Paleo-Asian Ocean developed along the northern margin of the North China craton. South-dipping subduction, arc magmatism, slab rollback, and convergence between Kunlun-Qaidam and North China continued throughout the Early Silurian, which were recorded in the Qilian Shan and Longshou Shan regions. Our updated geotectonic framework requires reevaluation of previously published paleogeographic models, including ones that suggest the North China craton was affixed to Gondwana in the early Paleozoic. It is further considered a possible connection between the North China and southern Africa at ca. 2.05 Ga.

Automated summary

The study discusses the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic evolution of the Tarim and North China cratons, emphasizing their importance in the construction of the Eurasian continent and the value of geological observations from the Qilian Shan and Longshou Shan in understanding the paleotectonic relationships of these continents.