40Ar-39Ar ages of the Louzidian-Dachengzi ductile shear zone near Chifeng, Inner Mongolia and their tectonic significance

The Louzidian normal fault occurs as the eastern detachment fault of the Kalaqin metamorphic core complex. Field observations and microstructural analyses reveal that the Louzidian-Dachengzi ductile shear zone developed in its lower-plate was genetically related to sinistral strike-slips and extensional faulting. Two samples from this ductile shear zone yield ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar plateau ages of 133 Ma (Bi) and 126 Ma (Kp), which are concordant with their isochron ages. The plateau age of 133 Ma (Bi) records the formation age of the ductile shear zone. The inconsistent relationship between the earlier strike-slip ductile shear zone and the later normal fault makes the Kalaqin Quasi-metamorphic core complex distinctive from Cordilleran metamorphic core complex. These ages provide important geochronological data for putting constraints on the formation age and genesis of such ductile shear zones.