Integrated P‐T Paths of the High‐Pressure Rocks and Their Tectonic Implications for the Mountain‐Building of the North Qilian, China

Abstract  After the integration of petrographic study, geothermobarometry and Gibbs method, the synthetic P‐T paths for the rocks from different geological profiles in the North Qilian, China, have been derived. The composite P‐T paths from different methods indicate that all the high‐pressure rocks in the Qilian area recorded P‐T paths with clockwise loops starting at the blueschist facies, later reaching peak metamorphism at the blueschist facies, eclogite facies or epidote‐amphibolite facies and ending up with the greenschist facies. The incremental Ar‐Ar dating shows that the plateau ages for the high‐pressure rocks range from 410 to 443 Ma. The plateau ages could be used as a minimum age constraint for the subduction that resulted in the formation of these high‐pressure rocks in the Qilian area. It is proposed that the late‐stage decompressional and cooling P‐T paths with ends at the greenschist facies for these high‐pressure rocks probably reflect the uplift process which could occur after shifting the arc‐trench tectonic system to the system of continental orogenic belts. The retrograde paths for the high‐pressure rocks in the North Qilian tectonic belt are characterized by dramatic decompression with slight cooling, which suggests very rapid exhumation. Petrography supports that the mountain‐building for the Qilian mountain range could undergo a very fast process which caused rapid uplift and denudation.