Mesozoic to Cenozoic denudation and uplift process in Luxi Terrane, North China Craton

The North China Craton (NCC) is the oldest block in eastern China. Since it cratonized during the Paleoproterozoic, the NCC experienced a stable tectonic period during the Paleozoic. During the Meso-Cenozoic, the NCC was influenced by three tectonic domains (the Paleo Asian, the Paleo Tethys and the Pacific Ocean). During that time, the NCC experienced multiple deformation events associated with the Indosinian, Yanshannian and Himalayan orogeny. During the Yanshannian phase, the NCC experienced  lithospheric thinning and destruction. This was potentially associated with the formation of a plateau surface with a mean elevation of approximately 2000 m. However, Jurassic-Cretaceous basins with sediment thickness reaching up to 2000 meters, and the coal-bearing strata of Jurassic indicate that the NCC was at low elevations and humid climate at that time. The Luxi terrane is a basement high located in the middle of the eastern NCC surrounded by basins. It composed of the Archean and Proterozoic metamorphic basement, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata. We can directly observe the unconformity contact between Carboniferous and Jurassic, Lower Cretaceous and Upper Paleogene. Thus, Luxi terrane is an ideal place to study the tectonic geomorphology evolution in eastern NCC during the Meso-Cenozoic. In order to understand the evolution of the eastern NCC during the Meso-Cenozoic, we selected 5 sampling transects perpendicular to the NW trend tectonic line to collect samples in different elevation for low temperature thermochronology experiments including apatite fission track and apatite (U-Th)/He dating. Combined with detrital provenance analysis and structural analysis, we reconstruct the time-temperature history of the NCCFirst apatite fission track results indicate early Jurassic uplift of the NCC. Moreover, based on track length analyses and time-temperature modeling, we show that the samples were subject to elevated temperatures between 160 and 100 Ma. Second, results show that the region was subject to a long-wavelength exhumation phase at approximately 100 Ma. After that, our results indicate a rapid uplift event during the Cenozoic, but the farther north the sample located, this uplift occurred more earlier and slower.