Strain and shear types of the Louzidian ductile shear zone in southern Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

The Louzidian ductile shear zone at the south of Chifeng strikes NE-SW and dips SE at low-medium-angles. This ductile shear zone is mainly composed of granitic mylonite, which grades structurally upward into a chloritized zone, a microbreccia zone, a brittle fault and a gouge zone. All these zones share similar planar attitudes, but contain different linear attitudes and kinematic indicators. Finite strain measurements were performed on feldspar porphyroclasts using the Fry method. These measurements yield Fulin indexes of 1.25–3.30, Lode’s parameters of −0.535–−0.112 and strain parameters of 0.41–0.75 for the protomylonite, respectively. These data are plotted within the apparent constrictional field in Fulin and Hossack diagrams. In contrast, for the mylonite, corresponding parameters are 0.99–1.43, −0.176–−0.004 and 0.63–0.82, respectively, and located in the apparent constrictional field close to the plane strain. The mean kinematic vorticity numbers of the protomylonite and mylonite by using three methods of polar Mohr circle, porphyroclast hyperbolic and oblique foliation, are in the range of 0.67–0.95, suggesting that the ductile shearing is accommodated by general shearing that is dominated by simple shear. Combination of the finite strain and kinematic vorticity indicates that shear type was lengthening shear and resulted in L-tectonite at the initial stage of deformation and the shear type gradually changed into lengthening-thinning shear and produced L-S-tectonite with the uplifting of the shear zone and accumulating of strain. These kinds of shear types only produce a/ab strain facies, so the lineation in the ductile shear zone could not deflect 90° in the progressively deformation.