Objective The modem Earth is characterized by two types of orogens： collisional orogen and accretionary orogen. It is widely accepted that the Central Asian Orogenic Belt （CAOB） is made up of widespread multiple ancient archipelagos. It has been recognized as a non-collisional orogen, contrasting with the archetypical Alpine- Himalayan-type collisional orogens. Although the CAOB is traditionally compared to subduction-accretion systems that have been well studied, all accretionary orogens ultimately passed into a collisional phase at the end of the orogenic Wilson cycle due to ocean closure and termination of subduction, which will lead to subsequent crustal shortening, thickening and reworking. Therefore, the archipelago-type CAOB may also preserve a terminal collision record, although this is not a classic continental collision at all.
LI ShanCHUNG SunlinSimon A.WILDEWANG TaoXIAO WenjiaoGUO Qianqian
The Chinese Tianshan belt of the southern Altaids has undergone a complicated geological evolution. Different theories have been proposed to explain its evolution and these are still hotly debated. The major subduction polarity and the way of accretion are the main problems. Southward, northward subduction and multiple subduction models have been proposed. This study focuses on the structural geology of two of the main faults in the region, the South Tianshan Fault and the Nikolaev Line. The dip direction in the Muzhaerte valley is southward and lineations all point towards the NW. Two shear sense motions have been observed within both of these fault zones, a sinistral one, and a dextral one, the latter with an age of 236-251 Ma. Structural analyses on the fault zones show that subduction has been northward rather than southward. The two shear sense directions indicate that the Yili block was first dragged along towards the east due to the cloclkwise rotation of the Tarim block. After the Tarim block stopped rotating, the Yili block still kept going eastward, inducing the dextral shear senses within the fault zones.
Mark ScheltensLifei ZhangWenjiao XiaoJinjiang Zhang
