The location and timing of the development of the suture zone between the Siberian and North China paleoplates in the northern part of the East Asian continent are controversial. This work involved petrological, geochronological, and geochemical analyses of the Xingshuwa ophiolitic mélange to determine the tectonic affinity of the Xar Moron River ophiolite belt and place further constraints on the late Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the northern part of the East Asian continent. Geological mapping and petrological analyses revealed various sizes of serpentinite, gabbro, basalt, chert, and oceanic-island/seamount and sandstone blocks, which represent a dismembered ophiolite and oceanic plate stratigraphy (OPS) above the ophiolite, in the matrix of deformed sandstones and siltstones. Geochemical analysis revealed multiple types of ophiolites and chert blocks in the mélange. The diversity of ophiolite and OPS components suggests that they represent fragments of a broad oceanic basin like today’s Pacific Ocean. Zircon U-Pb dating revealed that some ophiolite blocks formed in the Early Permian, and the youngest zircons in the matrix formed in the middle‒Late Permian. Based on zircon U-Pb dating and regional geological data, the emplacement of the Xingshuwa ophiolitic mélange occurred in the Late Permian‒Early Triassic. Compared with the other ophiolite belts in the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), the Xar Moron River ophiolite belt has the youngest formation age, which is similar to that of the Solonker ophiolite belt. The Solonker‒Xar Moron River ophiolite belt is suggested to represent the final suture zone between the Siberian and North China paleoplates, and indicates that the Paleo-Asian Ocean closed in the Late Permian‒Early Triassic.
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Research Article|
February 05, 2025
Early Publication
Closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and amalgamation of the northern part of the East Asian continent in the latest Paleozoic: Evidence from the Xingshuwa ophiolitic mélange in southeastern Inner Mongolia
Jianfeng Liu;
Jianfeng Liu
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
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Jinyi Li;
Jinyi Li
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
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Wenlong Zhang;
Wenlong Zhang
2
Natural Resources Survey Institute of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150036, China
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Shuo Zhao;
Shuo Zhao
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
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Dongfang Yin;
Dongfang Yin
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
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Peixi Zheng
Peixi Zheng
3
College of Earth Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
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Jianfeng Liu
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
Jinyi Li
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
Wenlong Zhang
2
Natural Resources Survey Institute of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150036, China
Shuo Zhao
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
Dongfang Yin
1
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
Peixi Zheng
3
College of Earth Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Received:
02 Jun 2024
Revision Received:
25 Oct 2024
Accepted:
30 Dec 2024
First Online:
05 Feb 2025
Online ISSN: 1943-2674
Print ISSN: 0016-7606
© 2025 Geological Society of America
GSA Bulletin (2025)
Article history
Received:
02 Jun 2024
Revision Received:
25 Oct 2024
Accepted:
30 Dec 2024
First Online:
05 Feb 2025
Citation
Jianfeng Liu, Jinyi Li, Wenlong Zhang, Shuo Zhao, Dongfang Yin, Peixi Zheng; Closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and amalgamation of the northern part of the East Asian continent in the latest Paleozoic: Evidence from the Xingshuwa ophiolitic mélange in southeastern Inner Mongolia. GSA Bulletin 2025; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B38086.1
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