A series of Early Cretaceous sedimentary basins developed in the Hexi Corridor along the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. These basins preserve critical records of the regional pre-Cenozoic tectonic evolution, forming the basis for understanding the Cenozoic growth mechanism of the Tibetan Plateau. However, the nature of these Early Cretaceous basins remains controversial, impeding a clear understanding of the late Mesozoic tectonics in this critical area.
Focusing on the Minle Basin in the central Hexi Corridor, this study carried out systematic field structural investigations and paleo-stress reconstructions. Through detailed structural analysis, the formation and post-depositional modification processes of the Minle Basin were re-evaluated.
Our investigation reveals that the Lower Cretaceous strata in the Minle Basin are characterized by abundant syn-sedimentary normal faults with initial nearly N-S strikes, indicating that the basin was an extensional fault basin controlled by E-W-directed extension during the Early Cretaceous. Subsequent deformation is represented by two sets of folds with NE-SW and NW-SE axial trends, together with shortening structures in Lower Cretaceous rocks, revealing that the basin underwent bidirectional (NE-SW and NW-SE) horizontal shortening during the Late Cretaceous.
The Early Cretaceous extension in the Minle Basin was consistent with the widespread extensional deformation and extensional stress direction across East Asia during this period, resulting from the slab rollback of the Paleo-Pacific Plate and associated mantle flow. The bidirectional Late Cretaceous shortening resulted from the superimposition of the remote effects of simultaneous compression events in the Tethys and Pacific tectonic domains, respectively, along the southern and eastern margins of the Eurasian Plate. [Significance] The deformation characteristics demonstrate that the influence of the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate extended westward to at least the Hexi Corridor and the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |