Closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean in the Middle-Late Triassic (Ladinian-Carnian): Evidence From Provenance Analysis of Retroarc Sediments

A major current debate in Asian tectonics concerns the time of closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) and the collision between the Central Asian arcs and the Tarim and North China cratons (NCC). This has led to much uncertainty about the reconstruction of proto-Asia and tectonic configuration of northeast Pangea. Here we report Triassic provenance change in the foreland of the Alxa Block by field-based zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic analysis. Nonmarine sediments, unconformable on or in fault contact, with the Alxa basement yield Precambrian and Paleozoic-Triassic detrital zircon ages with maximum depositional ages of Middle-Late Triassic (similar to 244-224 Ma). Hf isotopic data indicate that Middle Triassic sandstones were sourced from the NCC basement and a continental arc, whereas Late Triassic sediments received an additional input from a juvenile arc. This provenance change in the foreland sedimentation indicates that the final closure of the PAO was in the Middle-Late Triassic.