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Reassessment of the Mesozoic metasedimentary rocks and tectonic setting of Taiwan and the adjacent continental margin of eastern Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2016

YU WANG*
Affiliation:
Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, PR China
CHIN-HO TSAI
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan
LIYUN ZHOU
Affiliation:
Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, PR China
YAN QIU
Affiliation:
Institute of Geological Investigation, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, PR China
GUIHUA SUN
Affiliation:
Institute of Geological Investigation, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, PR China
*
† Author for correspondence: wangy@cugb.edu.cn
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Abstract

It remains unclear whether a crystalline basement exists in SE China (including Taiwan), whether the formation of the Tananao metamorphic belt in Taiwan was linked to subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate, and whether the source rocks of the sedimentary sequences in the metamorphic belts are late Mesozoic or Palaeozoic in age. Field investigations and zircon age data in the present study indicate that there is no pre-Palaeozoic gneiss (crystalline basement) in Taiwan (although orthogneisses were produced during deformation and metamorphism of Mesozoic granites), and investigations of the metasediments show that the sedimentary sequences in the Tailuko and Yuli belts are similar. Moreover, LA-ICP-MS dating of detrital zircons from the Pingtan–Dongshan belt in Fujian Province yields a cluster of 206Pb–238U ages at ~ 210–190 Ma, and the Tailuko and Yuli belts in Taiwan have similar clusters of detrital zircon ages at 200 Ma, 160 Ma, 120 Ma and 110 Ma, as well as a later overprinting caused by arc–continent collision. The cathodoluminescence images and trace-element characteristics of the zircons show that they were originally magmatic in origin. This finding, combined with the Hf isotope data, indicates that the sources of sediments in the Tananao belt (Tailuko and Yuli belts) were relatively close to an active continental margin, and that both the Tailuko and Yuli belts have similar sedimentary sources. From the margin of the Chinese mainland to Taiwan, the metasediments seem to represent a continuous sequence of deposits ranging in age from Jurassic to Cretaceous, but with the sediments becoming progressively younger towards the east. It can be inferred that the sediments in the Tailuko and Yuli belts were continental-shelf sequences with sources in SE China.

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Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 
Figure 0

Figure 1. Tectonic location of the southeastern China margin and the eastern Taiwan metamorphic belt. (a) Regional tectonic map of the southeastern margin of China.

Figure 1

Figure 1 (Continued) (b) Distribution of metamorphic belts in the marginal areas of mainland China and Taiwan (modified from Ren, 2013). CNFZ – Changle-Nanao fault zone; PDMB – Pingtan–Dongshan metamorphic belt in the mainland margin; TMB – Tananao metamorphic belt in Taiwan; TWS – Taiwan Strait. The locations of Figures 2 and 3 are indicated. Also shown is the location of the Chaoshan Depression in SW Taiwan.

Figure 2

Figure 2. Geology of the Dongshan area along the Pingtan–Dongshan metamorphic belt. (a) Local geological map of Dongshan Island (based on the 1:250000 geological map of the Institute of Fujian Geological Survey, 2003). Age data were obtained by the zircon LA-ICP-MS dating.

Figure 3

Figure 2. (Continued) (b) Schematic cross-sections (A–A′, B–B′). The locations of the cross-sections are shown in (a).

Figure 4

Figure 3. Simplified geological map of metamorphic rocks in eastern Taiwan. TB – Tailuko belt; YB – Yuli belt; LV – Longitudinal Valley; CR – Coastal Range. Rectangles indicate the locations shown in Figure 4a–e.

Figure 5

Figure 4. Simplified geological maps and structural cross-sections in the studied areas along the Tailuko and Yuli belts. Sample numbers and age data are from this study. (a) The Hepingxi area in the Tailuko belt (simplified from http://gis.moeacgs.gov.tw).

Figure 6

Figure 4. (Continued) (b) The Tailuko Gorge area in the Tailuko belt (modified from Lo et al. 2009).

Figure 7

Figure 4. (Continued) (c) The Muguaxi area, southwest of Hualien (simplified from http://gis.moeacgs.gov.tw).

Figure 8

Figure 4. (Continued) (d) The Wanjong area (modified from Yui et al. 2012).

Figure 9

Figure 4. (Continued) (e) The Hongye area (modified from Yui et al. 2012).

Figure 10

Figure 5. Field photographs and microphotographs showing contacts between metasandstone, metapelite and marble in the Tananao metamorphic belt, Taiwan. (a) Interlayered metapelite and marble from north of Tailuko Gorge Park. (b) Interlayered metapelite and metasandstone. The outcrop is in the Hepingxi area, where sample TW-18 was collected. (c) Deformed metasandstone and fine-layered metapelite from the Wanjong area, where sample TW-29 was collected. (d) Interlayered metapelite and metasandstone from the Muguaxi area, where sample TW-16 was collected. (e) Deformed metasandstone (the sample was collected from the metasandstone shown in (b)) containing recrystallized quartz and rotated feldspar, indicating brittle–ductile deformation. Oriented muscovite and sericite define the foliation and stretching lineation. (f) Muscovite–quartz schist that represents a deformed and metamorphosed mudstone (the sample was collected from the metapelite shown in (b)), with muscovite defining the schistosity. (g) Metamorphosed and deformed sandstone (the sample was collected from the metasandstone shown in (e). Oriented muscovite and recrystallized quartz indicate brittle–ductile deformation. (h) Deformed and metamorphosed mudstone (the sample was collected from the metapelite shown in (d)) in which sericite has grown. Mus – muscovite; Pl – plagioclase; Qz – quartz; Ser – sericite.

Figure 11

Table 1. Sample descriptions and detrital/igneous zircon U–Pb age data from Pingtan–Dongshan and Tananao belts

Figure 12

Figure 6. Field photographs and microphotographs of metamorphosed and deformed granite and sandstone in the Pingtan–Dongshan and Tananao metamorphic belts. (a) Contact between a granitic intrusion and muscovite–quartz schist at Dongshan in the Pingtan–Dongshan metamorphic belt. (b) Metamorphosed and deformed muscovite and recrystallized quartz (collected from the outcrop shown in (a) deformed quartz–muscovite schist). (c) Deformed amphibolite (?) at Fenniaolin, north of Yilan, in eastern Taiwan. (d) Hornblende and plagioclase, oriented and parallel to each other (collected from the outcrop shown in (c)). (e) Deformed granitic mylonite from the eastern edge of Tailuko Gorge Park. (f) Recrystallized quartz and deformed sericite, muscovite and hornblende (collected from the outcrop shown in (e)). (g) Mylonitized granite from the eastern section of Tailuko Gorge Park. (h) Recrystallized quartz, feldspar and muscovite in granite–mylonite from Hepingxi, eastern Taiwan. Amp – amphibole; Mus – muscovite; Pl – plagioclase; R.Qz – recrystallized quartz.

Figure 13

Figure 7. Typical CL images of detrital and magmatic zircons from the Tailuko and Yuli belts. Images of other zircons examined in this study can be found in the online Supplementary Material available at http://journals.cambridge.org/geo.

Figure 14

Figure 8. Plots of LA-ICP-MS data for samples of detrital and magmatic zircons from the Dongshan–Pingtan and Tailuko belts. Age data are from this study.

Figure 15

Figure 8. (Continued) Plots of LA-ICP-MS data for samples of detrital and magmatic zircons from the Yuli belt. Age data are from this study.

Figure 16

Figure 9. Summary plots of LA-ICP-MS age data for detrital zircons from the Pingtan–Dongshan, Tailuko and Yuli belts. Age data are from this study. On the figure, 0–500 Ma and 600–3000 Ma age data are plotted separately.

Figure 17

Figure 10. REE geochemical characteristics obtained from single zircon spots for representative analysed samples. Samples are from the Pingtan–Dongshan, Tailuko and Yuli belts.

Figure 18

Figure 11. Plots of Hf isotope data of detrital zircons. The plots show Hf(t) v. t (Ma) for samples TW-16, TW-29 and TW-32 (Yuli belt) and TW-18 (Tailuko belt).

Figure 19

Figure 12. Plots of Hf isotope data of detrital zircons. The plots show Hf(t) v. TDM2 ages (Ma) for samples TW-16, TW-29 and TW-32 (Yuli belt) and TW-18 (Tailuko belt).

Figure 20

Figure 13. Summary of interpreted sedimentary profiles and metamorphic sequences for the margin of the Chinese mainland and eastern Taiwan. The sedimentary profile for the Chaoshan Depression is based on Shao et al. (2007). Age data are from this study.

Figure 21

Figure 14. Proposed model for the Early Jurassic – late Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the studied region. (a) During 220–190 Ma, continental marginal sedimentation occurred, and Palaeo-Pacific Plate subduction had just commenced. (b) During 165–160 Ma, Palaeo-Pacific Plate subduction was taking place, and deformation, metamorphism and magmatism occurred within the Pingtan–Dongshan belt. (c) At ~ 160–110 Ma, volcanic eruptions and magmatic intrusions occurred, and sedimentation in the Tailuko and Yuli belts migrated from west to east. (d) At 160–130 Ma, islands and marginal basins formed along the western margin of Taiwan. (e) At 130–110 Ma, rapid and voluminous sedimentation occurred in the Tailuko and Yuli belts. (f) At 110–25 Ma, sedimentation continued. (g) At 16–6 Ma, a new subduction zone formed and arc–continent collision occurred.

Supplementary material: File

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Table S1

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Supplementary material: File

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Table S2

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Table S3

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