Radiation Measurements 50 (2013) 187e191

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Radiation Measurements
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/radmeas

Apatite ssion-track data from upper Cretaceous formations in the Yuanan

Graben (China): Constraints on the timing of synsedimentary fault activity
Lei Peng a, b, Chuanbo Shen a, *, Zhao Yang c, Xiang Ge b
a

Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources, Faculty of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430074, China
Faculty of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
c
Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xian 710069, China
b

h i g h l i g h t s
< Apatite ssion-track dating is used to constraint on the timing of fault activity.
< The onset time of extension in Jianghan Basin is ca. 117 Ma.
< Combination of AFT and ESR to determine a Graben evolution.

a r t i c l e i n f o

a b s t r a c t

Article history:
Received 3 December 2011
Received in revised form
5 February 2012
Accepted 29 June 2012

Apatite ssion-track signatures of upper Cretaceous Formations in the Yuanan Graben are made to
constraint on the timing of the Yuanan and Tongchenghe synsedimentary fault activity. The apatite
ssion-track ages range from 102.0
14.6 to 84.1
3.7 Ma with P(c2) >0.05; the mean conned track
lengths of 14.18
0.09 and 14.16
0.08 mm with mean Dpar values of 2.25
0.02 and 2.26
0.03 mm,
respectively. These data are interpreted as dating their source-area exhumation, recording the exhumation and cooling of the footwall during major normal faulting. The results indicate that the timing of
the Yuanan and Tongchenghe synsedimentary fault activity occurred at 117e82 Ma and the intensive
movement at 100e82 Ma; the onset time of extension in Jianghan Basin is ca. 117 Ma, which is related to
the lithospheric extension associated with the subduction of the Pacic Plate beneath the Asian Plate.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Fission-track
Synsedimentary fault
Fault activity
Cretaceous
Jianghan Basin

1. Introduction
Determining the absolute timing of fault activities remains
challenges and also is more difcult (Siebel et al., 2010). Traditionally,
stratigraphic or intrusive/extrusive geological markers have been
often used as the most direct way to achieve the timing of normal
faulting but lack of enough datable (Stockli, 2005). More recent
studies have highlighted the potential for constraint on the timing of
onset, duration, and rates of extensional faulting, block tilting and
exhumation using ssion-track thermochronology (Ehlers et al.,
2001, 2003; Redeld et al., 2005; Stockli, 2005; Hendriks et al.,
2010; Zwingmann et al., 2010). Synsedimentary fault or growth
fault is a particular type of normal fault in sedimentary basin that
develops and moving during ongoing sedimentation, thus the
deposition and fault movement can be thought to occur at the same
time. Footwall rocks move relatively upwards during major normal

* Corresponding author. Tel.: 86 27 87481219; fax: 86 27 67883051.

E-mail addresses: cugshen@yahoo.com.cn, cugshen@yahoo.cn (C. Shen).
1350-4487/$ e see front matter 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2012.06.022

faulting, leading to exhumation and cooling of the footwall and

contemporaneously deposition of the hangingwall, such that the
timing of fault activity can be estimated from the cooling age of the
footwall or the maximal depositional age of the hangingwall stratum
(e.g., Ehlers and Chapman, 1999; Stockli, 2005).
In this study, three sandstones from Cretaceous sediments in the
Yuanan Graben were analyzed for apatite ssion-track (AFT) dating
that gives the cooling age of the source-area. Integrating the electron spin resonance (ESR) dating for quartz minerals of fault rock
within fault zone and previous published AFT data provides direct
constraints on the absolute timing of the Yuanan and Tongchenghe
synsedimentary fault activities and the relationship between the
exhumation of the footwall and contemporaneously deposition of
the Yuanan Graben by normal faulting.
2. Geological setting
The Yuanan Graben is located at the Jianghan Basin, central
China, bounded by NWW-trending Yuanan and Tongchenghe

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L. Peng et al. / Radiation Measurements 50 (2013) 187e191

synsedimentary fault (Fig. 1a). The Jianghan Basin, covering nearly

28,000 km2, is a large CretaceouseTertiary rift petroliferous basin
outlined by NNE-trending normal faults (Dai et al., 2000). It is
surrounded by the QinlingeDabie orogen (NE), the Jiangnan orogen
(S), and the Huangling dome (NW) (Fig. 1a insert). The basin ll is
regionally similar, comprising relatively coarse-grained alluvial fan
and/or deltaic deposits that grade up-section into lacustrine
mudstones (Dai et al., 2000; Shen et al., 2012a). The Cretaceous
sediments comprise, from base (Lower Cretaceous) to top (Upper
Cretaceous), the Shimen (K1s), the Wulong (K1w), the Luojingtang
(K2l), the Honghuatao (K2h) and the Paomagang (K2p) Formations
(Fig. 1b). The K1s varies from 12 to 185 m in thicknesses and is
composed of gray, yellow and red conglomerates with interbedded
siltstones. The K1w is 714e1696 m thick and consists mainly of
grayeyellow and grayered siltstones and medium-grained sandstones with interbedded sandy conglomerate and conglomerate in
the lower unit. The K2l with 270e812 m thick consists of redewhite
massive conglomerate with thin-bedded sandstone and siltstone.
The K2h is 269e1420 m thick and underlies the K2p (263e805 m
thick), both of which are composed of massive red ne-grained
sandstone, siltstone and mudstone (Fig. 1b). The Luojingtang, the

Honghuatao and the Paomagang Formations constitute sediments

of The Yuanan Graben (Fig. 1a).
3. Samples and methodology
Samples 10YA1 (11138.76400 E, 30 53.47490 N, 152.6 m), 10YA2
(11137.49080 E, 30 57.42060 N, 148.9 m) and 10YA3 (E11137.32660 ,
3104.04170 N, 124.4 m) were collected from K2h, K2l and K2p
respectively (Fig. 1b). The main lithology of the samples for AFT
dating is the sandstone. Rock samples were crushed in a steel
jaw crusher. A shaking bed and heavy liquid techniques were used
to concentrate heavy minerals. Apatite grains were separated
from other heavy minerals by hand picking under a binocular
microscope. AFT analysis was performed at Bergakademie
Freiberg following the methods detailed in Enkelmann et al.
(2006). The apatite mounts were etched in 4.0 M HNO3 for 15 s
at 25  C and the muscovite external detectors in 40% HF
for 30 min at room temperature. IRMM 540R standard
uranium glasses were embedded together with the age standards
(zIRMM 278.4
5.1 a.cm2). Separate mounts (samples 10YA2 and
10YA3) for track-length measurements were irradiated with heavy

Fig. 1. a, Simplied geological map for the Yuanan Graben in the Jianghan Basin and sample locations, modied from Liu et al. (2009). b, Stratigraphy of Cretaceous sequence of the
Jianghan Basin with showing sample sites. F1, Yuanan fault; F2, Tongchenghe fault.

L. Peng et al. / Radiation Measurements 50 (2013) 187e191

189

Table 1
The results of ssion track analysis of apatite in the Yuanan Graben.
Sample No.

Epoch

Grains

Area

rs (105/cm)

Ns

ri (105/cm)

Ni

rd (105/cm)

P(c2) %

T
1s Ma

10YA1
10YA2
10YA3
HL01+
HL02+
HL03+
HL06+
HL07+
HL08+

K2h
K2l
K2p
K2p
K2h
K2l
S2
S2
S2

59
12
52
6
4
4
25
4
20

764
154
484
e
e
e
e
e
e

15.942
7.723
22.758
10.47
16.83
26.27
12.21
9.82
10.50

2436
224
2203
71
56
190
633
49
303

7.978
3.182
12.128
25.35
55.29
71.63
28.53
17.83
24.18

1219
98
1174
172
184
518
1479
89
698

3.22
3.23
3.24
47.30
47.35
47.40
47.61
47.71
47.56

6.41
99.99
7.62
e
e
e
e
e
e

89.0
102.0
84.1
110.0
81.5
98.2
115.0
148.0
117.0

3.8
14.6
3.7
16.0
12.7
8.8
6.0
27.0
9.0

Length
1sd mm

e
14.16
14.19
11.22
12.32
12.71
13.03
12.63
13.79

e
119
175
11
4
25
70
5
46

1.04
1.08
0.56
0.64
0.39
0.20
0.78
0.81

Note: (1) Ns and Ni are fossil track numbers and induced track numbers; rs, ri and rd are the densities of spontaneous, induced and standard uranium glasses tracks; (2) P(c2)is
Chi-sq test probability; (3) T is ssion track age (Ma), using Pooled ages; Length is mean track lengths, n is testing track numbers; (4) + samples from Liu et al. (2009); (5) d
no data.

ions at the GSI Darmstadt to increase the number of etchable

conned ssion tracks (Jonckheere et al., 2007). ESR dating for
quartz minerals within the Yuanan and Tongchenghe fault zone
was accomplished in the Institute of Nuclear Technology of the
Chengdu University of Technology following the procedures of
Yang et al. (2006).
4. Results and discussions
The ssion track analytical details of 3 new samples and 6
samples from Liu et al. (2009) are listed in Table 1. The AFT and ESR
ages data are displayed in Fig. 1a. Our three new AFT ages are
102.0
14.6, 89.0
3.8 and 84.1
3.7 Ma with P(c2) > 0.05
(Table 1). Liu et al. (2009) reported the three AFT ages, 110.0
16.0,
98.2
8.8 and 81.5
12.7 in the Yuanan Graben. Compared to
these data, it is obvious that these ages are almost consistent within
the experimental error; moreover, our data are more precise than
that of Liu et al. (2009) because of more apatite grains and ssiontrack numbers. Samples 10YA2 and 10YA3 have consistent mean
conned track lengths of 14.18
0.09 (1s) and 14.16
0.08 (1s) mm
with standard deviations (SD) between 1.04 and 1.08 mm, and mean
Dpar values (Burtner et al., 1994; Donelick, 1993) of 2.25
0.02 (1s)
and 2.26
0.03 (1s) mm, respectively (Table 1, Fig. 2a, c). The c-axis
projected lengths (Donelick et al., 1999) of samples 10YA2 and
10YA3 are 15.01
0.85 (SD) and 15.03
0.81 (SD) mm respectively
(Fig. 2b, d). The ESR ages for the Yuanan fault are 85.5
8.6 to
86.1
8.6 Ma; the ESR age for the Tongchenghe fault is

84.8
8.5 Ma. These results of ESR dating registered a normal

faulting at 84.8e86.1 Ma.
The detrital zircon UePb dating reveal the maximum depositional age of the Luojingtan (K2l) and Honghuatao (K2h) Formations with the age 96.00
9.29 and 89.43
9.29 Ma respectively
(Shen et al., 2012b). The maximum stratum age for the Paomagang
(K2p) Formation is 73.4
4.4 Ma using apatite (UeTheSm)/He
thermochronology method (Shen et al., 2012b). The AFT age
(89.0
3.8 Ma, K2h) of sample 10YA1 is approximately equal to its
corresponding stratigraphic age (89.43
9.29 Ma), but the AFT
ages of sample 10YA2 and 10YA3 are well more than their corresponding stratigraphic ages. Therefore these AFT ages can be
interpreted as dating their source-area exhumation, which is also
supported by the length distribution. It is accepted that the mean
length of tracks that formed in the low temperature zone (below
60  C) over geologic time is reduced relative to the induced track
length and ranges between w14 and 15 mm (Enkelmann et al.,
2006). The mean conned track lengths of 14.18
0.09 and
14.16
0.08 mm indicate our samples could experience slight
annealing or not experience the heating reset. The c-axis projected
lengths are real ssion-track lengths according to Donelick et al.
(1999). From Fig. 2b and d, the c-axis projected lengths of
samples 10YA2 and 10YA3 are slightly shorter than the original
ssion-track length (16.3
0.9 mm) not suffered annealing which
also indicating the three samples have not went through the
heating reset and not reached to the closure temperature of AFT.
Thus, our AFT ages record the exhumation of the source-area and

Fig. 2. Distribution histograms of apatite conned track length. a and c, mean conned track lengths; b and d, c-axis projected lengths according to Donelick et al. (1999).

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L. Peng et al. / Radiation Measurements 50 (2013) 187e191

Fig. 3. Cool onset ages as determined by the track age Spectrum Calculation (TASC,
Belton and Raab, 2010). a, sample 10YA2; b, sample 10YA3.

the onset of strata deposit. For the Graben system, the sediments
are generally derived from the footwall. There is no signicant
thermal metamorphism or volcanism existed in the research area
based on our geological survey. Therefore these AFT ages record
the exhumation and cooling of the footwall resulting from the
normal faulting and also reveal the timing of fault activity.

The Track Age Spectrum Calculator (TASC) approach developed

by Belton and Raab (2010) can derives the age of onset of cooling,
which denes the time the apatite ssion track system begins to
retain tracks and starts to record thermal history information
(Belton and Raab, 2010). Track age spectra were calculated for
samples 10YA2 and 10YA3 and the TASC analyses produced
maximum cooling onset ages of 116
17 and 96
4 Ma for sample
10YA2 and 10YA3 respectively (Fig. 3). Combining these results and
the AFT data from Liu et al. (2009) suggest that the timing of the
Yuanan and Tongchenghe synsedimentary fault activity occurred
at 117e82 Ma and the intensive movement at 100e82 Ma, which is
consistent with the exhumation and cooling ages of the footwall
and also supported by the eld geological survey evidences (Fig. 4,
Tian et al., 2010). The AFT data registered the main exhumation and
cooling ages of the footwall at 117e115 Ma (Fig. 1a, Liu et al., 2009).
Field investigation shows that the fault widely appeared in the
upper Cretaseous strata (Fig. 4). There are angle unconformities
between the former-Cretaceous strata and the Cretaceous strata in
the Jianghan Basin, which reect the tectonic action during the
Cretaceous. This also demonstrates that the Yuanan and Tongchenghe faults are synsedimentary faults because the depositional
age of Cretaceous sediments in the Yuanan Graben and the
bounding fault activities occur at the same time. That is, footwall
rocks move relatively upwards during the normal faulting, resulting in the exhumation and cooling of the footwall and the
contemporaneously and continuous deposition of the hangingwall
(the Graben). According to our results, one could speculate that the
Jianghan Basin initiated at ca. 117 Ma, which is consistent with the
results of muti-method geochronology for the Huarong granitoids
in the Jianghan Basin (Shen et al., 2012b). The Cretaceous extension
widely occurred in the eastern China continent and is related to the
lithospheric extension associated with the subduction of the Pacic
Plate beneath the Asian Plate (Li, 2000; Wu et al., 2005). Our results
provide new and more detailed evidence for the initial timing of the
Yuanan and Tongchenghe fault activity; but further research is
required to determine the duration and termination time of fault
activity after Cretaceous.

Fig. 4. Cretaceous sediments in the Yuanan Graben. a, synsedimentary structure and faults, modied from Tian et al. (2010); b and c, Late Cretaceous red beds affected by normal
faulting.

L. Peng et al. / Radiation Measurements 50 (2013) 187e191

5. Conclusions
The new results of ssion-track analyses from Cretaceous
samples in the Yuanan Graben indicate that the timing of the
Yuanan and Tongchenghe synsedimentary fault activity occurred
at 117e82 Ma and the intensive movement at 100e82 Ma. The
formation the Jianghan rift basin, a major depocenter in the middle
Yangtze block, could have initiated at ca. 117 Ma, which is related to
the lithospheric extension associated with the subduction of the
Pacic Plate beneath the Asian Plate. The study provides new
evidence for the onset time of extension in Jianghan Basin.
Acknowledgments
The authors are very grateful to Wanming Yuan, Raymond
Jonckheere and An Wang for their kind help in ssion track study
and analysis; Xingzhong Liang for the ESR analysis; Guillermo
Espinosa and two anonymous reviewers for comments and
suggestions. This research was supported by the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (No. 40902038), the PetroChina
Innovation Foundation (No.2009D-5006-01-08), the Hubei Natural
Science Foundation (No. 2009CDB217) and the Fundamental
Research Funds for National University, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan, No.CUGL100411).
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