2025-02-15 PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY 2025 660(卷), null(期), (null页)
During the Neoproterozoic, the Tarim Block was located along the northwestern margin of the Rodinia supercontinent. Thick marine and terrestrial strata overlying the ancient crystalline basement in this region capture a detailed record of Rodinia's tectonic evolution. This study focuses on the Muyangtan and Dongwu Formations in the northwestern Tarim Block, NW China. Sedimentology, petrology, elemental geochemistry, and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology are utilized to unravel the paleoenvironments, provenance, tectonic settings, and tectonic- sedimentary evolution of the Muyangtan and Dongwu Formations. The results indicate that the deposition of the Muyangtan and Dongwu Formations corresponds to a phase of tectonic uplift along the northwestern Tarim Basin, signifying a sedimentary response to Rodinia's rifting during the Neoproterozoic. After 760 Ma, the northwestern margin of the Tarim Block transitioned from a subduction to a rifting environment, with the metamorphic basement uplifted to the surface by 730 Ma. The Muyangtan and Dongwu formations were deposited during this period. The Muyangtan Formation is characterized by turbidite deposits formed in a semiarid climate and a relatively oxidizing paleomarine environment. The magmatic arc associated with the early subduction of the Tarim Block remained a primary provenance for the Muyangtan Formation, potentially including magmatic rocks from the Rodinia rifting phase. Early in the Dongwu Formation, extensive tillite deposits formed under the influence of the "Snowball Earth" conditions, likely corresponding to the early Sturtian glaciation. Rifting and basement uplift contributed to a more complex sediment source. The uplift of the underlying sandstone, blueschist, and residual arc volcanic rocks supplied a significant material source for the Dongwu Formation. The end of the ice age in the later stage of the Dongwu Formation led to a warming climate and increased weathering. A significant influx of glacial meltwater into the sedimentary basin reduced seawater salinity. The more mature detrital components are deposited in the coastal area, forming alluvial fans-shoreline conglomerates. This transition in sedimentary and source systems reflects a sedimentary response to the rifting of the Rodinia supercontinent's margin.