Chapter 10 Archean and Early Proterozoic Evolution of the Siberian Craton: A Preliminary Assessment

Abstract

The Siberian craton extends from Lake Baikal on the south for over 2500 km to the Arctic Ocean on the north, and from the Yenisey River on the west to the Sea of Okhotsk on the east The borders of the craton are major Phanerozoic suture zones that formed during the aggregation of Pangea in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic. The oldest suture is between the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton and the Central Asia Paleozoic orogenic belt. This orogenic belt was formed by accretion of Late Proterozoic and early Paleozoic arc systems to the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton beginning in the Late Riphean and continuing into the mid-Paleozoic. During this collision in the Devonian, the Barguzin terrane composed of Paleozoic and Late Proterozoic rocks was thrust onto the southern margin of the Siberian craton. During the mid to late Mesozoic, terranes collided with Siberia along the southeastern and eastern borders (directions based on present position) forming the Mongolia-Okhotsk and Verkhoyansk orogenic belts. Although the western border of the Siberian craton is covered with Mesozoic cratonic sediments, geophysical data suggest the presence of a tectonic boundary in the subsurface west of Noril'sk.