Geological Evolution of the Karakorum and Kunlun Mountains

Author: Pan Yusheng
Language: English
1996; Hardcover;165x240mm;288

The monograph is a summarized report of the first subproject of the current expedition. It was jointly accomplished by more than twenty colleagues from five participating institutions. A large number of new data and information have been summarized in this book . Therefore, it is an essential step forward in the study on the geological evolution of the Tibetan Pleteau:

1. The fifth suture zone on the Tibetan Plateau, the Oytag-Kuda-Subashi Suture
zone was distinguished for the first time dated as Caledonian in age (Sinian to Ordovician).

2. A Caledonian tectono-magmatic belt was newly identified in the Kunlun Mts. It is in essence a collision-originated magmatic belt accompanying the fifth suture zone with an isotope age of about 400-500 Ma.

3. The existence of the disputable fourth suture zone was reconfirmed again with the position of its western part along Mazha-Kangxiwar-Muztag.

4. More than one hundred new palaeontological fossils and stratigraphic units were found out thus updating a series of regional stratigraphic division and improving regional stratigraphic system and the paleogeocenosis.

5. A division of three types of sedimentary basins was proposed, namely substable neritic sedimentary basins of continental shelf type, sedimentary basins of pelagic ocean type and those of transitional type, thus reconfirming the existence of pelagic-abyssal sedimentary basins in the Kunlun Mts region representing in essence the ophiolitic turbidite-flysch sediments.

6. The conception of Proto-Tethys was reintroduced representing a pelagic ocean basin in between the Laurasian Land and the Gondwana Land during Sinian-Ordovician time.

7. The post-Paleozoic magmatic activities were divided into four stages, five rock belts (accompanying the suture zones) plus the Pamir alkalic rock belt.

8. The existence of multi-stage deformations was reconfirmed with a tendency of northward increasing terrain deformation stages and tectonic deformation complexity thus proposing a new concept of so-called superimposed press-flat deformation.

9. The heterogeneity and multi-layer structure of the crust in this region was revealed by comprehensive geophysical surveys including magnetotelluric sounding, natural seismicity and gravimetry.

10. On the basis of the above-listed new data and progresses a brand-new model of the formation and evolution of the regional tectonics-the superimposed press-flat deformation model was suggested with can more all-sidedly and reasonably explain the formation and evolution of the regional geotectonic features.

Table of Contents

Contents

1. The Stratigraphy and Paleontology
2. Characteristics of Sedimentary Rocks and Their Environmental Evolution
3. Ophiolites
4. Geochemistry of Granitoid Rocks
5. Isotopic Geochemistry of Plutonic Rocks
6. Tectonics
7. Geophysics and Infrastructure
8. Regional Geological Evolution and Conclusion

Kunlun Mountains general situation