Tectonic Setting of the Eastern Margin of the Sino-Korean Block in the Pennsylvanian: Constraints from Detrital Zircon Ages

Mun Gi Kim,Taejin Choi,Yong Il Lee

doi:10.3390/min10060527

Abstract

To test the previous hypothesis that upper Paleozoic sediments in the eastern Sino-Korean Block were mostly derived from the paleo-orogen located to the east, we compared published and new U–Pb age data of detrital zircons from Pennsylvanian strata distributed in the Sino-Korean Block (SKB). The age distributions of detrital zircons from different localities of Pennsylvanian strata in North China reflect varying contributions from the Inner Mongolia Paleo-uplift in the north and the Central China Orogenic Belt in the south. The supply of detritus from the northern source to distant areas, however, appears to have been limited during the Pennsylvanian times. The age distributions of detrital zircons from Korean Pennsylvanian strata located in the east of the SKB are characterized by a dense cluster of 1.84–1.90 Ga and differ from those of North China. The Korean age characteristic is best explained by strong influences of the detritus derived from the Paleoproterozoic Yeongnam Massif in southeastern Korea. Along with the significant number of zircons that record syn- to near-depositional magmatic activities, this observation supports the hypothesis of the existence of an active continental margin setting in the east of the SKB.

Highlights

Detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology has greatly improved our understanding on the latePaleozoic tectonic evolution of the Sino-Korean Block (SKB; called the North China Block).The upper Paleozoic succession in North China, its lowermost strata deposited upon the Late Ordovician–Pennsylvanian unconformity, has been rigorously analyzed in many different localities [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Analytical methods for detrital zircon U–Pb dating of the Yobong Formation sample are presented data, we analyzed detrital zircon U–Pb ages of one sandstone sample collected from the basal part of in Appendix A
(5) Late Paleoproterozoic, 1930 Ma), and (6) Early Paleoproterozoic to Neoarchean

Summary

Introduction

Detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology has greatly improved our understanding on the latePaleozoic tectonic evolution of the Sino-Korean Block (SKB; called the North China Block).The upper Paleozoic succession in North China, its lowermost strata deposited upon the Late Ordovician–Pennsylvanian unconformity, has been rigorously analyzed in many different localities [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology has greatly improved our understanding on the late. Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Sino-Korean Block (SKB; called the North China Block). The upper Paleozoic succession in North China, its lowermost strata deposited upon the Late Ordovician–Pennsylvanian unconformity, has been rigorously analyzed in many different localities [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Results pointed to two major source terrains, each carrying the “northern” and “southern” signatures in the U–Pb age and Hf isotopic composition of detrital zircons: the uplifted northern margin of the SKB, commonly referred to as the Inner Mongolian Paleo-uplift (IMPU), and the Central China Orogenic Belt (CCOB) including the North Qinling Block (NQB) in the south, respectively (Figure 1). Wang et al [7] described the Pennsylvanian depositional setting as a “walled continental basin”, which was set before the Permian southward tilt of the basin due to further uplift in the north [10].

Methods

Results

Conclusion