Evolution of Mesozoic Sandstone Compositions, Southern Junggar, Northern Tarim, and Western Turpan Basins, Northwest China: A Detrital Record of the Ancestral Tian Shan

Structural framework of a major intracontinental orogenic termination zone: the easternmost Tien Shan, China

“…Permian-Triassic thrusting and consequent topographic uplift in the easternmost Tien Shan are also indicated by sedimentological data in the Junggar and TurpanHami basins, which suggest that physical separation of these basins began at that time (Hendrix 2000;Greene et al 2001). Ductile thrusting on the major thrust fault that bounds the southern front of Karlik Tagh also occurred during the Triassic, presumably during a continuation of the same major contractional event recorded on the north sides of Barkol and Karlik Tagh.…”

“…The extent to which uplift of the Tien Shan was diachronous or instantaneous along its .2000 km length is unclear although the western Tien Shan has accommodated considerably more shortening than the eastern end (c. 10 km per degrees west gradient; Avouac et al 1993;Burchfiel et al 1999). Sedimentological data from basins to the north and south of the central and eastern Tien Shan indicate that the range has been a positive physiographical feature since the Triassic (Hendrix et al 1992;Hendrix 2000;Greene et al 2001). Fission-track and structural data from transects across the central Chinese Tien Shan indicate that the range has been repeatedly uplifted and structurally reactivated since original basement terrane amalgamation in the late Palaeozoic (Windley et al 1990;Dumitru et al 2001).…”

Provenance, diagenesis, tectonic setting and geochemistry of Hawkesbury Sandstone (Middle Triassic), southern Sydney Basin, Australia

“…This would favor a weathered crystalline granitic source terrain (Pettijohn, 1975;Roser et al, 1996;Akarish and El-Gohary, 2008). Relatively unstrained monocrystalline quartz grains that contain common inclusions are present in all samples, suggesting a plutonic origin (Basu et al, 1975;Potter, 1978;Hindrix, 2000). The polycrystalline quartz grains composed of 3 or more crystals with straight to slightly curved intercrystalline boundaries indicate that the Hawkesbury Sandstone Formation was derived from plutonic igneous rocks (Folk, 1974;Blatt et al, 1980).…”

Seismic Hazard in Tien Shan: Basement Structure Control Over the Deformation Induced by Indo-Eurasia Collision

“…Given the ages, the specific low-T-sensitivity of the various thermochronologic methods applied, and the punctuated character, we interpret the Jurassic-Cretaceous Kyrgyz Tien Shan basement cooling as exhumation of this basement due to denudation of the overlying bedrock. The denudation and erosion can be associated with a phase of tectonic reactivation of the Tien Shan orogen and rejuvenated mountain building [Graham et al, 1993;Cobbold et al, 1994;Allen & Vincent, 1997;Métivier & Gaudemer, 1997;Hendrix, 2000;Li et al, 2004]. This Mesozoic tectonic activity and the resulting sediments are expressed in the field e.g.…”

“…Issyk-Kul), still present in the current mountain belt, and their Mesozoic basal sediment load. Also, thick Mesozoic foreland deposits can be traced far into the Tarim, Junggar and Kazakh basins [Carroll et al, 1995;Hendrix, 2000]. In its turn, the Mesozoic reactivation and denudation can be further linked to the contemporaneous Cimmerian orogeny.…”