The tectonic evolution of the pre-Mesozoic key period in the Tarim Basin: Constraints from U-Pb geochronology of paleozoic detrital zircons in the central uplift zone

Abstract

In recent years, as oil and gas exploration has increasingly advanced into deeper layers, the tectonic evolution of the Tarim Basin before the Mesozoic has garnered significant attention. However, due to the scarcity of magmatic and metamorphic records within the basin, analyses of major tectonic events remain contentious. Orogenic events contribute substantial detrital material to nearby regions, which is consequently reflected in the detrital zircon record. This study focuses on the sedimentary strata of the central uplift zone of the Tarim Basin. U-Pb dating was conducted on 600 detrital zircon grains from the Silurian to the Carboniferous periods, revealing two main age peaks at 806Ma and 452Ma. No significant peaks were observed in the age distribution outside of these two regions. The Paleozoic zircon data obtained from this study, when combined with previously published U-Pb age data of 2155 detrital zircons from southern and northern Tarim, indicate that these ages do not correlate with the Grenville orogeny event occurring between 1300Ma and 900Ma. Thus, the impact of the Grenville orogeny on the Tarim Craton appears to be very limited. The peak around 800 Ma generated by all zircon data corresponds to the transition period from the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent to the formation of Gondwana. The collisional assembly of the north and south Tarim terranes likely occurred between 900 and 820Ma, during which the collisional orogeny led to the formation of the central uplift zone in Tarim. In the Paleozoic, the sediment sources of the central uplift zone in Tarim primarily originated within Tarim itself, with additional influences from the West Kunlun orogenic belt, South Tianshan, and Altun orogenic belt.