Geological evolution of Central Asian Basins and the western Tien Shan Range

Abstract

The geological evolution of Central Asia commenced with the evolution of a complex Precambrian–Palaeozoic orogen. Cimmerian blocks were then accreted to the southern margin during the Mesozoic, leading to tectonic reactivation of older structures and discrete episodes of basin formation. The Indian and Arabian blocks collided with Asia during the Cenozoic, leading to renewed structural reactivation, intracontinental deformation and basin development. This complex evolution resulted in the present-day setting of an elongated Tien Shan range flanked by large Mesozoic–Cenozoic sedimentary basins with smaller intramontane basins distributed within the range. The aim of this volume is to present multidisciplinary results and reviews from research groups in Europe and Central Asia that focus on the western part of the Tien Shan and some of the large sedimentary basins in that area. These works elucidate the Late Palaeozoic–Cenozoic tectono-sedimentary evolution of the area. Emphasis is placed on the collision of terranes and/or continents and the ensuing fault reactivation; the impact of changes in climate on the sedimentation is also examined.

Seismic geomorphology and stratigraphic trap analyses of the Lower Cretaceous siliciclastic reservoir in the Kopeh Dagh-Amu Darya Basin

“…The study area is located in the eastern Kopeh Dagh Foldbelt in the south of the KDADB. The present NW-SE to WNW-ESE elongated shape and structural features of the basin is the result of various orogenies from Paleozoic to the present (Alavi et al 1997;Zanchetta et al 2013;Robert et al 2014;Siehl 2015;Zanchi et al 2016;Brunet et al 2017). The main folding and thrusting of sediments occurred during the Alpine (Neogene-Quaternary) orogenic phases (Ramazani-Oomali et al 2008;Robert et al 2014;Jolivet 2015;Siehl 2015;Brunet et al 2017).…”

“…The Kopeh Dagh-Amu Darya Basin (KDADB) is a large and producing world-class hydrocarbon province (Fig. 1a, Kryuchkov 1996;Ulmishek 2004;Brunet et al 2017). The KDADB contains several hydrocarbon-bearing fields on the Turkmenistan, NE Iran, Uzbekistan and north of Afghanistan most of which are gas fields (Fig.…”

“…On the other hand, recent studies and exploration of new reef reservoirs (e.g. in Galkynysh Field) in the basin are showing importance of stratigraphic reservoirs in exploration (Yixin et al 2015;Brunet et al 2017).…”

Chronological Constraints on Late Paleozoic Collision in the Southwest Tianshan Orogenic Belt, China: Evidence from the Baleigong Granites

“…1b). The extensive South Tianshan Orogenic Belt is interpreted as a late Paleozoic collisional belt located between the Middle Tianshan and the Tarim Block (Windley et al, 1990;Gao et al, 1998;Yin et al, 1998;Xiao et al, 2000;He et al, 2001;Chen et al, 2002;Glorie et al, 2011;Brunet et al, 2017). The Southwest Tianshan Orogenic Belt is composed mainly of Cambrian-Carboniferous marine carbonates, clastic rocks, cherts and interlayered volcanics, ophiolite mélange, Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental clastic rocks, and Hercynian intrusive rocks (Allen et al, 1992;Carroll et al, 1995;Chen et al, 2002;Zhang et al, 2005;Gao Jun et al, 2006Xiao et al, 2013;Jiang et al, 2014;Han et al, 2015;Klemd et al, 2015;Gou et al, 2016).…”

“…The Southwest Tianshan Orogenic Belt is composed mainly of Cambrian-Carboniferous marine carbonates, clastic rocks, cherts and interlayered volcanics, ophiolite mélange, Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental clastic rocks, and Hercynian intrusive rocks (Allen et al, 1992;Carroll et al, 1995;Chen et al, 2002;Zhang et al, 2005;Gao Jun et al, 2006Xiao et al, 2013;Jiang et al, 2014;Han et al, 2015;Klemd et al, 2015;Gou et al, 2016). The Silurian-Carboniferous marine sedimentary (i.e., Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous thick carbonate platforms) and volcanic rocks constitute the main part of the strata in the Southwest Tianshan Orogenic Belt (Gao et al, 1995(Gao et al, , 1998Xiao et al, 2013;Brunet et al, 2017). A HP-UHP metamorphic belt, composed of eclogites, blueschists and greenschists, is exposed along the northernmost of the Southwest Tianshan Orogenic Belt (Gao, 1997;Gao et al, 2000Gao et al, , 2011Li et al, 2016).…”