Late Triassic initial closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean in the western segment: Constraints from sedimentological, detrital zircon ages and paleomagnetic evidence

The Mesozoic evolution of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean (MOO) has significantly affected the configuration of the modern Asian continent. Although a scissor-like closure of the MOO has long been proposed, when and how the MOO closed are still hotly debated, especially the timing of initial closure of the MOO in its western segment, hindering our understanding of both the evolution of the MOO and tectonics of the northern Asian continent. In order to uncover the timing of initial closure of the MOO, we performed a multidisciplinary study in sedimentology, detrital zircon U-Pb dating and paleomagnetic on the Late Triassic clastic strata from the Tarvagatay Block and the Amuria Block (AMB) on the both sides of the Mongol-Okhotsk Suture. The upper Triassic strata on both sides of the suture were dominated by plant fossil-bearing alluvial-fluvial facies sediments, which unconformably overlain pre-Triassic geological units, indicating a terrestrial setting after the closure of the MOO. Detrital zircon U-Pb dating results revealed consistent age distribution patterns for samples from both sides of the suture with a predominant peak at -253-251 Ma and a secondary peak at -359-357 Ma, representing two main arc magmatic events during the bidirectional subduction of the MOO in the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous and Late Permian-Early Triassic. Coeval Late Triassic paleomagnetic poles were obtained from the northern AMB and Tarvagatay Block, revealing a comparable paleolatitude of the AMB (-31-33 & DEG;) and Tarvagatay Block (-32-34 & DEG;) in the Late Triassic, arguing for that the western segment of the MOO should have closed at the Late Triassic. The compilation of sedimentology, detrital zircon U-Pb dating, magmatic and paleomagnetic evidence provides integrated constraints on the Late Triassic initial closure of the MOO in its western segment. & COPY; 2023 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.