EARLY STAGES OF THE PALEOASIAN OCEAN FORMATION: RESULTS OF GEOCHRONOLOGICAL, ISOTOPIC, AND GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF LATE RIPHEAN AND VENDIAN-CAMBRIAN COMPLEXES IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN FOLDBELT

Abstract

The term “Paleoasian Ocean” designates a system of different-age structures formed within the oceanic lithosphere. They were accreted to the Siberian Craton to form the Central Asian Foldbelt (CAFB) in the course of the Caledonian, Hercynian, and Indosinian epochs of tectogenesis. The appearance of the CAFB is related to the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent and, in particular, to the breakup of its Laurasian segment into the Siberian and Laurentian cratons.