Mesozoic intracontinental orogeny in the Qinling Mountains, central China

Abstract The Qinling Orogenic belt has been well documented that it was formed by multiple steps of convergence and subsequent collision between the North China and South China Blocks during Paleozoic and Late Triassic times. Following the collision in Late Triassic times, the whole range evolved into an intracontinental tectonic process. The geological, geophysical and geochronological data suggest that the intracontinental tectonic evolutionary history of the Qinling Orogenic Belt allow deduce three stages including strike-slip faulting during Early Jurrassic, N-S compressional deformation during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and orogenic collapse during Late Cretaceous to Paleogene. The strike-slip faulting and the infills in Early Jurassic along some major boundary faults show flower structures and pull-apart basins, related to the continued compression after Late Triassic collision between the South Qinling Belt and the South China Block along the Mianlue suture. Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous large scale of N-S compression and overthrusting progressed outwards from inner of Qinling Orogen to the North China Block and South China Block, due to the renewed southward intracontinental subduction of the North China Block beneath the Qinling Orogenic Belt and continuously northward subduction of the South China Block, respectively. After the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous compression and denudation, the Qinling Orogenic Belt evolved into Late Cretaceous to Paleogene orogen collapse and depression, and formed many large fault basins along the major faults.