Phanerozoic cratonization by plume welding

Abstract

Deformation-resistant cratons comprise >60% of the continental landmass on Earth. Because they were formed mostly in the Archean to Mesoproterozoic, it remains unclear if cratonization was a process unique to early Earth. We address this question by presenting an integrated geological-geophysical data set from the Tarim region of central Asia. This data set shows that the Tarim region was a deformable domain from the Proterozoic to early Paleozoic, but deformation ceased after the emplacement of a Permian plume despite the fact that deformation continued to the north and south due to the closure of the Paleo-Asian and Tethyan Oceans. We interpret this spatiotemporal correlation to indicate plume-driven welding of the earlier deformable continents and the formation of Tarim’s stable cratonic lithosphere. Our work highlights the Phanerozoic plume-driven cratonization process and implies that mantle plumes may have significantly contributed to the development of cratons on early Earth.

Limited Northward Expansion of the Tibetan Plateau in the Late Cenozoic: Insights From the Cherchen Fault in the Southeastern Tarim Basin

“…The linear relationship's intercept yields the potential underlying detachment depth of ∼25 km (Gonzalez-Mieres & Suppe, 2006). This calculated depth supports that the Cherchen fault involved the basement (Xu et al, 2023), implying that deformation migrated from the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau to the Tarim Basin (Laborde et al, 2019). The computed fault trajectory (black dash line in Figure 7a) steepens upward near the surface (∼77°), which is consistent with our interpretation that the Cherchen fault is a high-angle fault (see Figure S3in Supporting Information S1 for more fault trajectory calculation details).…”

Plume‐Modified Lithosphere Mantle Controlled the Cenozoic Sediment Thickness in the Tarim Basin

“…In post‐Permian time, the Tarim craton likely experienced a plume‐driven recratonization process, which can heal the craton and restore its lithospheric thickness through refilling of the buoyant and deep melting residues of the plume in lithospheric thin spots. Relevant evidence includes: (a) high‐velocity anomaly extending to ∼150 km beneath the Tarim Basin (Agius & Lebedev, 2013; Huang & Zhao, 2006; Lü et al., 2019; Sun et al., 2022), and (b) absence of post‐Permian deformation except at the Tarim Basin's margins (Guo et al., 2005; Lin et al., 2012; Wen et al., 2020; X. Xu et al., 2023; Yin & Nie, 1996). This mechanism was recently exemplified in the Slave craton, where the Mackenzie plume recratonized the lithosphere of the Slave craton (J. Liu et al., 2021).…”

“…More recently, X. Xu et al (2023) further proposed that plume-driven residue accretion welded the Tarim craton, because the Tarim region was deformable from the Proterozoic to early Paleozoic, but deformation ceased after the Permian plume impingement. The tectonic evolution of the Tarim Basin can be analogous to the Slave craton, where J. showed that the lithospheric thin spot in the northern Slave craton caused by the Mackenzie plume was healed via the melt residues accretion.…”

Impact of Ancient Tectonics on Intracontinental Deformation Partitioning: Insights From Crustal Structures of the East Junggar‐Altai Area

“…However, previous numerical models often involve simplifications that hinder a comprehensive understanding of the role played by crustal properties and structures, particularly those arising from past tectonics. These factors are also vital in controlling strain partitioning and shaping the intracontinental deformation pattern (Gao et al, 2023;X. Xu et al, 2022).…”

“…However, previous numerical models often involve simplifications that hinder a comprehensive understanding of the role played by crustal properties and structures, particularly those arising from past tectonics. These factors are also vital in controlling strain partitioning and shaping the intracontinental deformation pattern (Gao et al., 2023; W. Li et al., 2022; X. Xu et al., 2022). Therefore, a comprehensive investigation of deep crustal structures within typical intracontinental orogens and their immediate vicinity is essential for understanding the mechanisms behind the intracontinental deformation and further advancing our knowledge of intracontinental deformation partitioning.…”