Geochronological data and paleontology of early Paleozoic terranes in
Inner Mongolia: indicating the evolution of the southeast Central Asian
orogenic belt
Abstract
In this study, we present detrital zircon U-Pb dating and
paleontological data for the newly identified Ayadeng formation in the
northern margin of the North China Block (NCB) and Xibiehe formation
(molasse) in the Bainaimiao Arc Belt (BAB), which could provide strong
evidence indicating the affinity of the BAB and the evolution of the
southeast Central Asian orogenic Belt (CAOB). Zircon U-Pb data of
siltstone samples and paleontological data indicate the Ayadeng
formation dates back to the early Ordovician. Although its location is
near the NCB, its zircon grains’s age spectra and paleontology share a
closer affinity with those of Tarim and NE Gondwana, as the U-Pb data
suggest an age range of 778-1235 Ma, and similar gastropod fossils are
found in Tarim and NE Gondwana. The U-Pb ages of meta-sandstone samples
in the Xuniwusu formation indicate a shared inheritance with the Ayadeng
formation (before 440 Ma), and the U-Pb ages of sandstone samples in the
Xibiehe formation are concentrated, with age peaks centered at ca.
420Ma. Fossil corals occur in these two formations, and their
sedimentary facies also indicate a collisional setting. Therefore, it is
speculated that the BAB rifted from Tarim or NE Gondwana during the
Ordovician and became attached to northern NCB between 440-420 Ma as an
exotic terrane. During the early Paleozoic, there may have occurred a
collision between an arc and a continental block.