Late Mesozoic Tectono-Thermal History in the South Margin of Great Xing’an Range, NE China: Insights from Zircon and Apatite (U-Th)/He Ages

Abstract

The Late Mesozoic tectono-thermal evolution and geodynamic setting of the Great Xing’an Range (GXR), particularly in the south margin, are still ambiguous. In this study, we present original low-temperature thermochronological data of six granitoid samples collected from Maanzi pluton in the south margin of the GXR. The apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He ages vary of 70.8 ± 4.3–119.0 ± 7.0 Ma and 120.0 ± 7.1–146.7 ± 8.7 Ma, respectively. Further numerical inverse modeling results reveal that the granitoid plutons experienced a rapid cooling and exhumation stage during Early Cretaceous with a rate of ∼5.0–6.0 °C/Ma and ∼0.14–0.17 mm/yr, respectively, including the western minor pluton emplaced during Early Permian and the major pluton crystallized in latest Jurassic, corresponding to the extensional tectonics in NE China. The rapid exhumation processes in the south margin of the GXR during the Early Cretaceous could be related to both the rollback of Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate and the collapse of thickened crust in the Mongol-Okhotsk Orogen.

Keywords

Great Xing’an Range / tectono-thermal history / (U-Th)/He dating / extensional tectonics / Mongol-Okhotsk collapse / Paleo-Pacific subduction / geochemistry

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