Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions

The early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogen in South China is a major orogenic belt in East Asia that formed at a similar time as the classic Caledonian orogeny in Europe. Despite the possibility of its being one of the few examples of intraplate orogenesis in the world, details about the orogen remain p...

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Main Authors: Li, Zheng-Xiang, Li, X., Wartho, J., Clark, Chris, Li, W., Zhang, C., Bao, C.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Geological Society of America 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33040
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author Li, Zheng-Xiang
Li, X.
Wartho, J.
Clark, Chris
Li, W.
Zhang, C.
Bao, C.
author_facet Li, Zheng-Xiang
Li, X.
Wartho, J.
Clark, Chris
Li, W.
Zhang, C.
Bao, C.
author_sort Li, Zheng-Xiang
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogen in South China is a major orogenic belt in East Asia that formed at a similar time as the classic Caledonian orogeny in Europe. Despite the possibility of its being one of the few examples of intraplate orogenesis in the world, details about the orogen remain poorly defined. In this study, we provide age constraints on metamorphic and magmatic events in the eastern segment of the orogen, and the protoliths of the amphibolite-facies metamorphic rocks found there.By combining previous work with our new metamorphic and petrogenetic analyses, we present the following findings: (1) the Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny occurred between mid-Ordovician (>460 Ma) and earliest Devonian (ca. 415 Ma) time; (2) amphibolite-facies metamorphism in the eastern Wuyi-Yunkai orogen occurred between ca. 460 and 445 Ma, whereas cooling below 500–300 °C occurred by ca. 420 Ma; (3) the orogen exhibits a clockwise pressure-temperature (P-T) path and a maximum pressure of >8 kbar, indicating crustal thickening during the orogeny; (4) protoliths of the high-grade metamorphic rocks in the eastern segment of the orogen were dominantly Neoproterozoic (840–720 Ma) volcanic and volcaniclastic rift successions and younger deposits formed in a failed rift, and Paleoproterozoic rocks account for only a small proportion of the outcrops; and (5) the analyzed granites indicate a mixed source of Paleoproterozoic basement and Neoproterozoic continental rift rocks, with elevated melt temperatures of >800 °C, which are interpreted as reflecting dehydration melting of basin sediments taken to below midcrustal levels.
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publishDate 2010
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-330402017-09-13T15:53:51Z Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions Li, Zheng-Xiang Li, X. Wartho, J. Clark, Chris Li, W. Zhang, C. Bao, C. petrogenetic analysis amphibolitefacies metamorphism Wuyi-Yunkai orogen intraplate orogenesis The early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogen in South China is a major orogenic belt in East Asia that formed at a similar time as the classic Caledonian orogeny in Europe. Despite the possibility of its being one of the few examples of intraplate orogenesis in the world, details about the orogen remain poorly defined. In this study, we provide age constraints on metamorphic and magmatic events in the eastern segment of the orogen, and the protoliths of the amphibolite-facies metamorphic rocks found there.By combining previous work with our new metamorphic and petrogenetic analyses, we present the following findings: (1) the Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny occurred between mid-Ordovician (>460 Ma) and earliest Devonian (ca. 415 Ma) time; (2) amphibolite-facies metamorphism in the eastern Wuyi-Yunkai orogen occurred between ca. 460 and 445 Ma, whereas cooling below 500–300 °C occurred by ca. 420 Ma; (3) the orogen exhibits a clockwise pressure-temperature (P-T) path and a maximum pressure of >8 kbar, indicating crustal thickening during the orogeny; (4) protoliths of the high-grade metamorphic rocks in the eastern segment of the orogen were dominantly Neoproterozoic (840–720 Ma) volcanic and volcaniclastic rift successions and younger deposits formed in a failed rift, and Paleoproterozoic rocks account for only a small proportion of the outcrops; and (5) the analyzed granites indicate a mixed source of Paleoproterozoic basement and Neoproterozoic continental rift rocks, with elevated melt temperatures of >800 °C, which are interpreted as reflecting dehydration melting of basin sediments taken to below midcrustal levels. 2010 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33040 10.1130/B30021.1 Geological Society of America restricted
spellingShingle petrogenetic analysis
amphibolitefacies metamorphism
Wuyi-Yunkai orogen
intraplate orogenesis
Li, Zheng-Xiang
Li, X.
Wartho, J.
Clark, Chris
Li, W.
Zhang, C.
Bao, C.
Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
title Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
title_full Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
title_fullStr Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
title_full_unstemmed Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
title_short Magmatic and metamorphic events during the early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny, southeastern South China: New age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
title_sort magmatic and metamorphic events during the early paleozoic wuyi-yunkai orogeny, southeastern south china: new age constraints and pressure-temperature conditions
topic petrogenetic analysis
amphibolitefacies metamorphism
Wuyi-Yunkai orogen
intraplate orogenesis
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33040