Tectonic Evolution of the Western Kunlun Orogenic Belt
Summary
The Western Kunlun Orogenic Belt (WKOB) occupies the northwestern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and records a protracted history of oceanic closure, subduction and continental collision from the early Palaeozoic to the Cenozoic. Initial convergence involved southward subduction of the Proto-Tethys Ocean beneath Gondwana-affinity terranes, forming an accretionary prism and high-pressure metamorphic rocks. This was followed by Devonian–Carboniferous closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean and subsequent collision between the Tarim block and the Qaidam–Kangxiwa terrane, which produced widespread magmatism, regional metamorphism and large-scale strike-slip faulting. In the Mesozoic, slab break-off and asthenospheric upwelling drove post-collisional extension, generating voluminous granitoid plutons and pegmatites. Cenozoic reactivation along major shear zones accommodated India–Asia convergence, resulting in uplift and exhumation of deep crustal rocks. The WKOB thus provides a natural laboratory for understanding multi-stage orogenesis, terrane amalgamation and the interplay between plate-scale forces and mantle dynamics. Its evolution has global significance for models of continental growth, resource endowment and the architecture of mountain belts worldwide.
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Tectonic Evolution of the Western Kunlun Orogenic Belt publication trend
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Technical terms
Orogenic belt: A region of mountain building formed by convergence of tectonic plates.
Subduction: The descent of one lithospheric plate beneath another into the mantle.
Terrane accretion: The suturing of distinct crustal blocks or microcontinents onto a continental margin.
Pluton: A large body of intrusive igneous rock crystallised deep within the crust.
Detrital zircon dating: Determination of sediment source ages by analysing zircon grains in clastic rocks.
References
- Provenance of cretaceous sediments in the West Kunlun piedmont belt and implications for tectonic evolutionary events. Frontiers in Earth Science (2024).
- Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications of the North Kudi Granitoids in the West Kunlun Orogen, NW China. Minerals (2023).
- New Insights on the Early Proto-Tethys Subduction History: Evidence from Ages and Petrogenesis of Volcanic Rocks in the Bulunkuole Complex, West Kunlun Orogen. Lithosphere (2024).
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