Early Paleozoic oceanic inliers and reconstruction of accretionary tectonics in the Middle Gobi region, Mongolia: Evidence from SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating and geochemistry

Abstract

The ophiolites that occur as inliers among the Late Paleozoic formations in the Middle Gobi area are crucial for understanding the tectonic evolution of South Mongolia. In this paper, we conducted detailed studies on the Namdain hundy ophiolite to provide some constraints on the Early Paleozoic evolution of the Middle Gobi region in Mongolia. The ophiolite mainly consists of ultramafic rocks (carbonatation), plagiogranite, metagabbro, basalt and chert. The metagabbro and plagiogranite from Namdain hundy ophiolite yielded SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages of 528±7Ma and 519±5Ma, respectively. Though most of the volcanic rocks of this ophiolite show supra-subduction zone (SSZ) affinity, samples with OIB and N-MORB geochemical features were also identified, indicating genesis in a forearc setting. The granodiorite intruding into the Namdain hundy ophiolite yielded a SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 491±3Ma, which constrained the upper age limit of ophiolite emplacement. This granodiorite shows adakitic geochemical affinity, attesting to the existence of Cambrian paleo - subduction in South Mongolia. Based on the available data so far, we suggest the Middle Gobi area comprises of the Manlay accretion complex, the island arc and the Biluutiin ovoo back-arc basin. The spatial configuration of these three tectonic belts suggests that the polarity of the paleo-ocean subduction was from south to north in the Early Paleozoic, forming a trench-arc-basin system south of the Central Mongolia microcontinent.