Abstract
Based on study of Nd isotopic composition for 101 rocks of various types from Tianshan Orogen, the age and character of basement and continental crustal evolution of the Tianshan Orogen were proposed. It is deduced that the continental crustal basement of the Tianshan Orogen was formed 1. 8 Ga ago. The protolith of its metamorphic rocks was derived from long-term depleted mantle source in the ancient are tectonic setting probably. The Tianshan Orogen is obviously different from the North Tarim Block in age of basement and post-evolution history. It was also shown that Paleozoic continental crustal growth happened extensively in the Tianshan Orogen, which is distinguished from Yangtse Block and Cathaysia Block in eastern China.
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Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49633250). It belongs to the National “305” Project in Xinjiang, which is one of the National Key Projects in the Ninth Five-Year Plan (96-915-07-05A).
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Hu, A., Zhang, G., Zhang, Q. et al. Constraints on the age of basement and crustal growth in Tianshan Orogen by Nd isotopic composition. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 41, 648–657 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878748
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878748