Mesozoic thrusts and extensional structures in the Daqingshan orogen, Inner Mongolia, and their temporal and spatial relationship

Three large-scale thrusts developed in the Daqingshan orogen, Inner Mongolia, with a northeast-east trending from Louhuashan to Suletu are described in this paper. These northwest-directed thrusts, together with the four tectonic belts (or tectonic sheets) separated by these faults, formed a typical thrusting system. The originally defined Hohhot metamorphic core complex may be a tectonic sheet, making the uppermost tectonic unit of the thrusting system and truncated by the Daqingshan detachment fault on top. The existing tectono-chronological studies showed that the thrusting of this region possibly happened at the same time as the extension along the top detachment fault. This presents that the contraction and extension in Daqingshan orogen were probably simultaneous. The structural pattern of the Daqingshan orogen can be correlated to the Himalayan orogen, and models for simultaneous thrusting and detachment in Himalaya may give a hint for explaining the development of the Daqingshan orogen.