Eastern extension of the Solonker‐Xar Moron‐Changchun‐Yanji Suture Zone: Constraints from thermochronology of sedimentary and mafic rocks in the Hunchun‐Yanji area, Northeast China

Abstract

The Late Palaeozoic Solonker‐Xar Moron‐Changchun‐Yanji Suture (SXCYS) is considered to mark the location of the final closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean, which separated the North China Craton to the south and the amalgamated blocks to the north in Northeast China. There has always been controversy about its eastern extension in Northeast China and the final closure time of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean. To explore this issue, we collected gabbro and quartz‐diorite samples in the Hunchun area for the genesis of mafic magma and age dating, and five groups of Permian to Triassic sandstones belonging to both sides of the potential suture locations in the middle and east Jilin Province for the provenance analysis to discuss the final closure time of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean and the possible positions of the eastward termination of the SXCYS. The gabbro reveals a Middle Permian concordia average age of 266.9 ± 5.2 Ma, and the quartz diorite reveals a Late Permian Concordia average age of 258.8 ± 4.8 Ma. Lithological and geochemical analysis reveal the two rock samples belong to low‐K arc tholeiites from the oceanic island and calk‐alkaline volcanics from the active continental margin, respectively, which implies that during the middle to late Permian, the SW margin of the Jiamusi–Khanka Block (JB) continuously experienced the subduction process from the Paleo‐Asian Ocean Plate. The final closure time of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean should be later than the Late Permian. Meanwhile, four groups of sandstone from the east Jilin reveal typically Jiamusi–Mongolia Block (JMB) provenance features, with age components of ~500 Ma, ~0.9–1.5 Ga implying that the Wangqing, Hunchun, Kaishantun area belongs to the northern part of the SXCYS from late Early Permian to Middle Triassic, with youngest age components of 288.2 ± 2.8, 275.5 ± 1.8, 250 ± 1.7, and 244.9 ± 1.7 Ma, respectively. The late Early Permian sandstone from the middle Jilin reveals the youngest age component of 273.8 ± 3.4 Ma and the age component of 487 ± 3 Ma also revealing JMB feature. Comparing to previous studies, we propose that the Paleo‐Asian Ocean finally closed during Middle to Late Triassic. A possible ENE fault separates the eastern extension of SXCYS into two parts, which means the possible position of the eastward extension of the SXCYS should go along the Wangqing‐Kaishantun with NNW direction in the west, Hunchun‐Laoheishan with NW direction in the east.