Journal ArticleTectonic evolution of the Beishan orogen in central Asia: Subduction, accretion, and continent-continent collision during the closure of the Paleo-Asian OceanLi, Jie; Wu, Chen; Chen, Xuanhua; Zuza, Andrew V.; Haproff, Peter J.; Yin, An; Shao, ZhaogangThe Beishan orogen is part of the Neoproterozoic to early Mesozoic Central Asian Orogenic System in central Asia that exposes ophiolitic complexes, passive-margin strata, arc assemblages, and Precambrian basement rocks. To better constrain the tectonic evolution of the Beishan orogen, we conducted field mapping, U-Pb zircon dating, whole-rock geochemical analysis, and Sr-Nd isotopic analysis. The new results, when interpreted in the context of the known geological setting, show that the Beishan region had experienced five phases of arc magmatism at ca. 1450−1395 Ma, ca. 1071−867 Ma, ca. 542−395 Ma, ca. 468−212 Ma, and ca. 307−212 Ma. In order to explain the geological, geochemical, and geochronological data from the Beishan region, we present a tectonic model that involves the following five phases of deformation: (1) Proterozoic rifting that separated the North Beishan block from the Greater North China craton that led to the opening of the Beishan Ocean, (2) early Paleozoic north-dipping subduction (ca. 530−430 Ma) of the Beishan oceanic plate associated with back-arc extension followed by collision between the North and South Beishan microcontinental blocks, (3) northward slab rollback of the south-dipping subducting Paleo-Asian oceanic plate at ca. 450−440 Ma along the northern margin of the North Beishan block that led to the formation of a northward-younging extensional continental arc (ca. 470−280 Ma) associated with bimodal igneous activity, which indicates that the westward extension of the Solonker suture is located north of the Hongshishan-Pengboshan tectonic zone, (4) Late Carboniferous opening and Permian north-dipping subduction of the Liuyuan Ocean in the southern Beishan orogen, and (5) Mesozoic-Cenozoic intracontinental deformation induced by the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean system in the north and the Tethyan Ocean system in the south.2022-07-0610339158GSA Bulletin0016-7606https://doi.org/10.1130/B36451.11914501; 1914503National Science Foundation