Opening and Tectonic Evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

Abstract

The Paleo-Asian ocean is defined by units located between the Russian (East European), Siberian, Tarim, and Sino-Korean (North China) continents. The study of the composition, age, and structural position of island-arc magmatic rocks, ophiolites, and high-pressure meta-morphic assemblages and their mutual correlations made it possible to identify similarities and differences in the evolution of the Paleo-Asian and Paleo-Pacific oceans. The initial stage of the evolution of the Paleo-Asian ocean defined its opening at 900 Ma, whereas opening of the Paleo-Pacific took place at 750 to 700 Ma. Closing of the Paleo-Asian ocean in the Carboniferous (NE branch) and the Permian corresponds to the main stage of reorganization and reopening of the Paleo-Pacific. The maximal opening of the Paleo-Asian ocean occurred after or simultaneously with the first accretion-collision event at 600 to 700 Ma, resulting from the collision of microcontinents and the Siberian continent. Vendian-Early Cambrian boninite-bearing island-arc complexes occur as lavas, sheeted dikes, and sill-dikes associated with gabbro-pyroxenites and ultramafics. These complexes are widely distributed in the Gornyy Altay, East Sayan, and West Mongolian regions and can be considered fragments of a giant boninite-bearing belt. In the late Early Cambrian, collision of seamounts with an island arc caused the squeezing of the subduction zone and return flows within the accretionary wedge. Serpentinite melange within fragments of ophiolites and high-pressure rocks are typical components of the Late Paleozoic accretionary wedges. Because of Middle Cambrian-Early Ordovician collisional events, two new oceans (Junggar-Irtysh-Kazakhstan and Uralian-South Tien Shan-South Mongolian) were formed. The junction of both oceans in East Mongolia opened to the Paleo-Pacific.