Geometric aspects of synkinematic granite intrusion into a ductile shear zone — an example from the Yunmengshan core complex, northern China

Abstract

The Cretaceous Yungmengshan core complex in northern China contains a large syntectonic granodiorite batholith that intrudes a slightly older diorite intrusion. A major gently dipping ductile décollement shear zone is developed along the contact of the diorite and granodiorite. The shear zone is invaded by a large volume of granitic and pegmatite veins associated with the main granodiorite batholith during activity of the shear zone under high-grade metamorphic conditions. Progressively older veins are more strongly deformed into tight cylindrical fold structures rotated into parallelism with the lineation and foliation in the shear zone. Parallelism of veins to the foliation is partly due to this rotation, but also to foliation-parallel injection of younger syntectonic pegmatite veins. Several small-scale structures have been recognized that allow distinction of solid-state deformation of veins. Granite veins do not extend much above the ductile shear zone that seems to act as a lid and an effective depository to intruding granite veins from the underlying batholith. There was considerable volume increase in the footwall and lower part of the shear zone by vein intrusion