Wide rift model in Bohai Bay Basin: insight into the destruction of the North China Craton

Abstract

The Bohai Bay Basin is a Cenozoic extensional basin along the eastern aspect of Asia. Whether the Bohai Bay Basin is a pull-apart or rift basin is controversial. The Bohai Bay Basin exhibits a high density of extensional faults and records destruction of the North China Craton. Many structural analyses have been performed on the Bohai Bay Basin, especially the Tan-L and Taihang Mountain fault systems which control its boundary. The initial deposition of Kongdian Formation was mainly distributed along the boundary of Bohai Bay Basin during the Palaeocene–early Eocene. Subsequently, tectonic activity migrated toward the interior of the basin during deposition of Shahejie Formation in the middle Eocene–early Oligocene. Bohai Bay Basin crust was thickened in early Mesozoic time and has thinned since late Mesozoic time. The crustal strength profile of Bohai Bay Basin is characterized by very weak lower crust, which differs from that of adjacent crust. In regard to the crustal structure, lithospheric thickness, and extensional style, an alternative rift model is proposed. Initial Bohai Bay Basin rifts were characterized by metamorphic core complexes affecting the North China Craton, which reflects collapse of parts of the early Mesozoic intra-plate orogen. Furthermore, westward subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate led to upwelling of asthenosphere mantle. Persistent upwelling of mantle decreased the strength of lower crust and led to the warm heat-flow regime and generation of a lower crustal fluid layer and wide rifting. Outward flow of ductile lower crust following late Cretaceous extension thinned the lower crust and generated the overall sag appearance of the basin in early Cenozoic time. The model supports a model whereby a wide rift narrows with time. For the Bohai Bay Basin, extension and strike-slip faulting were two independent deformation systems superimposed on each other.