Read more
This Ph.D. thesis attempts to decipher the closure of the Palaeozoic Palaeo-Asian Ocean along the enigmatic Solonker Suture in East Asia adopting a methodology that integrates geochemical and geochronological data from Palaeozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks in the region. It provides an in-detail but also broad insight into the Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the region, not only pin-pointing the debated location of the Solonker Suture but also the timing of final disappearance of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean during Permian to Early Triassic times. The results have led to propose a tectonic 'soft-collision' model for the amalgamation of the North China Craton and the Mongolian Terranes in northern Asia explaining the general absence of geologic features characteristic for continent-continent collisions such as the occurrence of regional-scale high-grade metamorphic rocks, ophiolite belts and fold-thrust structures. This new model may serve as a blueprint for the tectonic evolution of similar suture zones that are characterized by the absence of typical collision related lithologies and structures. The thesis is particularly useful as a guide for researchers who seek an in-depth understanding of the Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of northern China and Central Asia along the Solonker Suture.
List of contents
Introduction.- Regional Geology across the Solonker Suture Zone.- Methodology.- Results.- Geochronological Entropy, and its Relevance to Age Measurements.- Accretionary Collision between the Mongolian Arcs and North China Craton.- Conclusions.
About the author
Dr. Paul R. Eizenhöfer received his Ph.D. in Geology from The University of Hong Kong in 2014. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Germany, involved in deciphering the evolution of the Alps. Originally trained as a geochronologist and geochemist, Dr. Eizenhöfer adopts multidisciplinary approaches to tackle geoscientific problems. His research interest lies in the reconstruction of tectonic processes from plate tectonics to orogen scale, with over 20 research papers published. Dr. Eizenhöfer is a reviewer for Nature Communications, Tectonics, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters and other journals. He was awarded by The University of Hong Kong with the Outstanding Postgraduate Research Student Award and a Feodor-Lynen Postdoctoral Research Scholarship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Summary
This Ph.D. thesis attempts to decipher the closure of the Palaeozoic Palaeo-Asian Ocean along the enigmatic Solonker Suture in East Asia adopting a methodology that integrates geochemical and geochronological data from Palaeozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks in the region. It provides an in-detail but also broad insight into the Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the region, not only pin-pointing the debated location of the Solonker Suture but also the timing of final disappearance of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean during Permian to Early Triassic times. The results have led to propose a tectonic ‘soft-collision’ model for the amalgamation of the North China Craton and the Mongolian Terranes in northern Asia explaining the general absence of geologic features characteristic for continent-continent collisions such as the occurrence of regional-scale high-grade metamorphic rocks, ophiolite belts and fold-thrust structures. This new model may serve as a blueprint for the tectonic evolution of similar suture zones that are characterized by the absence of typical collision related lithologies and structures. The thesis is particularly useful as a guide for researchers who seek an in-depth understanding of the Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of northern China and Central Asia along the Solonker Suture.
