Abstract
Abstract The eastern North China Craton (NCC) has been recognised as undergoing cratonic destruction during the Mesozoic; however, the mechanism of its destruction is still unclear. The main difference between the proposed models is whether the lower continental crust (LCC) underwent thinning. In this study, we conducted comprehensive analyses of Late Mesozoic felsic intrusive rocks, including Late Jurassic granites (166–146 Ma), Early Cretaceous granodiorites (136–123 Ma), and latest Early Cretaceous granites (123–108 Ma) from the Jiaodong Peninsula, located on the southeastern margin of the NCC. These rocks allowed us to investigate variations in the LCC thickness in this region and to further discuss the destruction mechanism of the eastern NCC. Here, temporal variations in crustal thickness can be tracked using whole-rock La/Yb ratios of the felsic intrusive rocks. Our study shows that the continental crust in the eastern NCC thickened during the Late Jurassic (>40 km) due to compression and the westward subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Ocean lithosphere beneath the NCC since the Early Jurassic. The continental crust further thickened during the Early Cretaceous, caused by the steepening of the subducting slab after ~144 Ma that produced crustal underplating of mantle-derived melts in an extensional setting. However, the continental crust thinned (20–40 km) during the latest Early Cretaceous, caused by the rollback of the subducting slab after ~123 Ma. The geochemical compositions of three stages of felsic intrusions also suggest that the regional tectonic stress that affects the eastern NCC altered from a compressional to an intraplate extensional environment after ~144 Ma. Thus, the Late Mesozoic destruction of the eastern NCC and its accompanying magmatism were controlled by prolonged thermomechanical-chemical erosion due to low-angle subduction, steepening, and rollback of the Palaeo-Pacific Oceanic lithosphere.
Highlights
The North China Craton (NCC) is a typical ancient craton that formed during the Neoarchaean to the Palaeoproterozoic [1,2,3] and has been recognised as having undergone destruction during the Mesozoic
In the Jiaodong Peninsula, located on the southeastern margin of the NCC, Late Mesozoic felsic intrusive rocks ranging from Late Jurassic to latest Early Cretaceous are widespread and provide vitally important details for revealing the thickening and thinning processes of the lower crust beneath the Jiaodong Peninsula and the mechanism that controlled the destruction of the eastern NCC during the Late Mesozoic
The Jiaodong Peninsula is located on the eastern margin of the NCC (Figure 1(a)) and is composed of the Jiaobei terrane and the Sulu orogenic belt, which are separated by the Wulian-Yantai fault (Figure 1(b))
Summary
The North China Craton (NCC) is a typical ancient craton that formed during the Neoarchaean to the Palaeoproterozoic [1,2,3] and has been recognised as having undergone destruction during the Mesozoic. Three major periods of felsic magmatism, including Triassic, Late Jurassic, and Early Cretaceous, have been observed in the eastern NCC, it is not clear whether these magmatic events were derived from reworking of the continental crust or from the destruction of cratonic mantle (Dai et al, 2016). In the Jiaodong Peninsula, located on the southeastern margin of the NCC, Late Mesozoic felsic intrusive rocks ranging from Late Jurassic to latest Early Cretaceous are widespread and provide vitally important details for revealing the thickening and thinning processes of the lower crust beneath the Jiaodong Peninsula and the mechanism that controlled the destruction of the eastern NCC during the Late Mesozoic. The geochemical variations described constrain the changes in crustal source for the Late Mesozoic granites and thinning of the lower crust, which further constrains the mechanism of the destruction of the eastern NCC
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
