Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic Geodynamics of Central Asia

Abstract

Correlation and synthesis of published and new structural, paleomagnetic and geochronological data from Central Asia show the important role of strike-slip faulting in their evolution. The pattern of major strike-slip faults outlines a terrane collage produced by a Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous collision of the Gondwana-derived Altai-Mongolia-Tuva composite microcontinent with Siberia, and a Late Carboniferous-Permian collision of East Europe and Kazakhstan, with Siberia. The accreted continental margins were cut by strike-slip faults and conjugate thrusts into numerous terranes, which mixed with one another and disturbed the previous structural and facies framework. Those complex and multi-stage deformations resulted from the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous collision of Gondwana-derived terranes. The deformations reached their peak in the Late Carboniferous-Permian due to the collision of the Kazakhstan, East-European (Baltica) and Siberian continents. A system of sinistral strike-slip faults formed a mosaic-block structure of Central Asia along the margin of the Siberian continent as a result of the Late Carboniferous-Permian collision. This resulted in the formation of the Northern Eurasia continent. Early Mesozoic strike-slip faulting and conjugate thrusting resulted from the rotation of the Siberian and East European cratons.