The 600–580 Ma continental rift basalts in North Qilian Shan, northwest China: Links between the Qilian-Qaidam block and SE Australia, and the reconstruction of East Gondwana.

Xu, X.; Song, S.G.; Su, L.; Li, Z.X.; Niu, Yaoling; Allen, M.B.

doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2014.11.017

The 600–580 Ma continental rift basalts in North Qilian Shan, northwest China: Links between the Qilian-Qaidam block and SE Australia, and the reconstruction of East Gondwana.

Xu, X.; Song, S.G.; Su, L.; Li, Z.X.; Niu, Yaoling; Allen, M.B.

Authors

X. Xu

S.G. Song

L. Su

Z.X. Li

Yaoling Niu

Professor Mark Allen m.b.allen@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

We report a sequence of thick, well-preserved basaltic lavas interlayered with shallow marine dolomitic carbonates, mudstones and siltstones of the Zhulongguan Group, in the western segment of the North Qilian orogen, northwest China. Two new zircon SIMS ages show that this sequence formed at ∼600–580 Ma. The mafic volcanics can be subdivided into tholeiitic and alkaline basalts, and have compositions similar to present-day ocean island basalt (OIB) or continental flood basalts. The occurrence, geochemical features and age data suggest that the Zhulongguan basalts originated at a continental rift setting in the latest Neoproterozoic, within the north margin of the Qilian-Qaidam block. This volcanic-sedimentary formation exhibits close affinity to the passive continental margin in southeastern Australia. Our observations favor a link of the Qilian-Qaidam block with SE Australia (also south China) during the breakup of Rodinia, thereby filling a void in existing reconstructions of the region.

Citation

Xu, X., Song, S., Su, L., Li, Z., Niu, Y., & Allen, M. (2015). The 600–580 Ma continental rift basalts in North Qilian Shan, northwest China: Links between the Qilian-Qaidam block and SE Australia, and the reconstruction of East Gondwana. Precambrian Research, 257, 47-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2014.11.017

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication Date	2015-02
Deposit Date	Dec 15, 2014
Journal	Precambrian Research
Print ISSN	0301-9268
Electronic ISSN	1872-7433
Publisher	Elsevier
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	257
Pages	47-46
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2014.11.017
Keywords	Zhulongguan basalts, Continental rifting, Late Neoproterozoic, Qilian-Qaidam block, Breakup of East Gondwana.
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1415327