Late Mesozoic impact of paleo-Pacific subduction on the North China craton revealed by apatite U-Pb and fission-track double dating and trace element analysis in the eastern Yanshan fold belt, northeastern Asia

The late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the eastern North China craton was intimately related with the subduction of the paleoPacific plate. This study sheds light on Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous basin-mountain coupling during paleo-Pacific subduction based on low-temperature thermochronology and geochemical analyses from the easternmost Yanshan fold belt, located at the northern edge of the craton. We performed apatite U-Pb and fission-track double dating and trace element analyses of basement and sedimentary rock samples, integrated with zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He analyses on bedrock samples. Our results revealed that the eaststages of rapid cooling and exhumation in 170-140 Ma) and in the Early Cretaceous (ca. 140-90 Ma). The Middle Jurassic-earlimargins of intermontane basins of the eastern Yanshan fold belt. This exhumation event movement during the Middle Jurassic-eartaceous rapid cooling is ascribed to the progressive evolution of the metamorphic core complexes and associated tectonic exhumation of major plutons of northeastern Asia, which were likely controlled by rollback of the paleo-Pacific slab. A middle Cretaceous (ca. 110-90 Ma) tectonic exhumation event is revealed by very low lag -time values in middle Cretaceous strata. Our findings illustrate the potential of a thermochronology approach that combines single -grain double dating and trace element analyses in synmagmatic orogenic systems, which may find application to other orogenic settings worldwide.