Paleogene dyke swarms in the eastern Geoje Island, Korea: their absolute ages and tectonic implications

The Paleogene dikes intruding into the late Cretaceous granodiorite are pervasively observed in the Irun-myeon, eastern Geoje Island. They are classified into three groups: NW-trending acidic dike swarm and WNW- (A-Group) and (B-Group) basic dike swarms. Based on their cross-cutting relationships, the earliest is the acidic dike group and fellowed by A- and B-Groups in succession. The acidic dikes seem to have intruded into tension gashes induced by the sinistral strike-slip faulting of the Yangsan fault system during the late Paleogene. In terms of rock-type, orientation, age, and geochemistry, A-Group and B-Group are intimately correlated with the intermediate and basic dike swarms in the Gyeongju-Gampo area, respectively. These results significantly suggest that the corresponding dike swarms are genetically related. Based on the K-Ar and Ar-Ar age data, A- and B- Groups were intruded during and , respectively. The result means that the direction of tensional stress in and around the SE Korean peninsula was changed abruptly from NNE-SSW to at about 51 Ma. Considering the tectonic environments during the Paleogene, it is interpreted that A-Group was injected along the WNW-trending tensional fractures developed under an regional sinistral simple shear regime which was caused by the north-northwestward oblique subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the Eurasian plate. Meanwhile, the regional stress caused by the collision of India and Eurasia continents at about 55 Ma was likely propagated to the East Asia at about 51 Ma, and then the East Asia including the Korean peninsula was extruded eastwards as a trench-rollback and the dip of downgoing slab of the Pacific plate was abruptly steepened. As a result, the strong suction-force along the plate boundary produced a tensional stress field trending EW or WNW-ESE in and around the Korean peninsula, which resultantly induced B-Group to intrude passively into the study area.