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Geoscience ›› 2022, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (01): 244-258.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2020.047

• Petrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Identification of Ophiolites in the Baimuxia-Mengangxia Area in the Eastern Part of the North Qilian Mountains and Their Regional Tectonic Significance

LIU Jiandong1,2(), LI Wufu1,2(), WANG Guoliang1,2, DONG Jinshen1,2, CAO Jinshan1,2, LI Honggang1,2, ZHAO Zhongguo1,2   

  1. 1. Qinghai Geological Survey Institute, Xining, Qinghai 810012, China
    2. The Northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Geological Processes and Mineral Resources Laboratory, Xining, Qinghai 810012, China
  • Received:2018-12-19 Revised:2020-04-16 Online:2022-02-10 Published:2022-03-08
  • Contact: LI Wufu

Abstract:

In order to strengthen the investigation of Early Paleozoic Archipelagic arc-basin-system ophiolitic mélange in North Qilian,the Baimuxia-Mengangxia ophiolite is selected for petrographic, chronological and geochemistry study.Baimuxia-Mengangxia ophiolite is located in Huzhu County, Haidong City, Qinghai Province,tectonically located in the middle-eastern section of the North Qilian orogenic belt.The ophiolite is mainly composed of peridotite,gabbro and basic volcanic rocks,making up a relatively complete ophiolite unit.Single zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb isotope dating of gabbro was carried out, and the weighted average age of 206Pb/238U was (525.2 ± 1.1) Ma (MSWD=0.06).It represents the age of ophiolite formation, corresponding to the Early Cambrian.Petrogeochemical studies show that: The basic volcanic rocks in the ophiolite belong to tholeiite series, showing the geochemical characteristics of oceanic island basalts; in basalts Th/Yb-Nb/Yb and TiO2/Yb-Nb/Yb tectonic discrimination diagrams, it shows that the formation environment of the ophiolite is not related to subduction.Through detailed field investigation and regional comparison, it is considered that the ophiolite represents the northern Qilian oceanic crust of the Early Paleozoic, and together with the ophiolites such as Yushigou-Chuancigou, it constitutes the Dabanshan-Yushigou ophiolite belt.

Key words: North Qilian orogenic belt, Baimuxia-Mengangxia ophiolite, LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating, OIB

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