The northern Qiangtang Block rapid drift during the Triassic Period: Paleomagnetic evidence |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geology & State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Northwest University, Xi''an 710069, China;2. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, AB, Canada |
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| Abstract: | As one of the pivotal Gondwana–derived blocks, the kinematic history of the northern Qiangtang Block (in the Tibetan Plateau) remains unclear, mainly because quantitative paleomagnetic data to determine the paleoposition are sparse. Thus, for this study, we collected 226 samples (17 sites) from Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Raggyorcaka and Tuotuohe areas of the northern Qiangtang Block (NQB). Stepwise demagnetization isolated high temperature/field components from the samples. Both Early and Late Triassic datasets passed field tests at a 99% confidence level and were proved to be primary origins. Paleopoles were calculated to be at 24.9°N and 216.5°E with A95 = 8.2°(N = 8) for the Early Triassic dataset, and at 68.1°N, 179.9°E with A95 = 5.6° (N = 37) for the Late Triassic, the latter being combined with a coeval volcanic dataset published previously. These paleopoles correspond to paleolatitudes of 14.3°S±8.2° and 29.9°N±5.6°, respectively. Combining previously published results, we reconstructed a three-stage northward drift process for the NQB. (1) The northern Qiangtang Block was located in the subtropical part of the southern hemisphere until the Early Triassic; (2) thereafter, the block rapidly drifted northward from southern to northern hemispheres during the Triassic; and (3) the block converged with the Eurasian continent in the Late Triassic. The ～4800 km northward movement from the Early to Late Triassic corresponded to an average motion rate of ～11.85 cm/yr. The rapid drift of the NQB after the Early Triassic led to a rapid transformation of the Tethys Ocean. |
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| Keywords: | Northern Qiangtang block Paleomagnetism Plate tectonics Tethys ocean Tibetan plateau Triassic |
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