Paleozoic collisional belt of the South Tien Shan: A review

Late Palaeozoic potassic igneous rocks of the Molo‐Sarychat pluton in the eastern Kyrgyz Tien Shan: Geochemistry, U–Pb zircon geochronology and implications for related skarn‐porphyry Mo‐W‐Cu‐Au mineralization

“…The geochemical and geochronological data obtained in this study can be used for suggesting tectonic setting of the Molo‐Sarychat (and possibly other) pluton(s) situated along the ‘Nikolaev Line’. In particular, as emphasized by Alexeiev et al (2009), following the data of Biske (1996), a start of the Late Palaeozoic subduction process in this region is identified by the development of flysсh sequences and olistostrome in the accretion complex of the Southern Tien Shan, which occurred at the late Visean and early Serpukhovian stages of the Carboniferous (~330–325 Ma) in the western segment of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan, and at the Bashkirian‐Moscovian stages (~315 Ma)—in the eastern segment of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan. Collision of the Kazakhstan and Tarim palaeocontinents started in the Late Carboniferous, coincident with the development of the troughs along the northern margin of the Tarim Craton (Carroll et al, 1995).…”

“…In particular, some authors suggested the Late Permian-late Triassic closure is based on the geological and isotopic age of various subduction-related and accretionary formations in the Kyrgyz and Chinese Southern Tien Shan (Abuduxun et al, 2021;Sang et al, 2018;Tan et al, 2022). Other authors (Alexeiev, Biske, et al, 2019; Permian emplacement in post-collisional setting, consistent with the respective closure of sea basins in Tien Shan, intense folding and beginning of granitoid magmatism in the Southern Tien Shan (Alexeiev et al, 2009;Biske, 1996;Konopelko et al, 2007). More recent data also indicate a Late Palaeozoic post-collisional development of the eastern Tien Shan occurring in the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian, with the respective magmatic intrusions emplaced at 311-315 Ma (Long et al, 2020) to ca.…”

“…The geochemical and geochronological data obtained in this study can be used for suggesting tectonic setting of the Molo-Sarychat (and possibly other) pluton(s) situated along the 'Nikolaev Line'. In particular, as emphasized by Alexeiev et al (2009), following the data of Biske (1996) 2 and 3. The numbers near the individual CL zircon images are those listed in Table 3.…”

“…of the Tarim Craton (Carroll et al, 1995). 'Advanced collision' started in the middle of the Asselian stage of the Early Permian ($295 Ma), contemporaneous to the final closure of sea basins in Tien Shan, intense folding and beginning of granitoid magmatism in the Southern Tien Shan (Alexeiev et al, 2009;Biske, 1996;Konopelko et al, 2007).…”

“…Over the most of its extent to the west of China, the Tien Shan orogenic belt comprises three major tectonic units, or terranes, referred to as the Northern, Middle and Southern Tien Shan (Figures 1 and 2) (Biske, 1996; Biske et al, 2013; Biske & Seltmann, 2010; Dolgopolova et al, 2017). The Northern Tien Shan represents a deformed margin of the Palaeo‐Kazakhstan microcontinent that formed due to subduction to the north and subsequent closure of the Terskey palaeoocean in the Late Ordovician (Dolgopolova et al, 2017).…”