Meso-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Talas-Fergana region of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan revealed by low-temperature basement and detrital thermochronology

A multi-staged Meso-Cenozoic tectonic activity, likely driven by the accretion of Cimmerian blocks to the Eurasian margin, has been revealed in the Talas-Fergana region of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan. This discovery is supported by new low-temperature thermochronometric data from basement rocks and detrital sediments adjacent to the Talas-Fergana Fault. The study identifies rapid Late Triassic–Early Jurassic (200 Ma) and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (130–100 Ma) cooling events in the Kyrgyz Tien Shan, as well as distinct burial histories on either side of the fault, with Cenozoic reactivation evident in the western region due to India-Eurasia convergence. The research combines zircon (U–Th)/He and apatite fission track data from both basement and sediment samples to constrain tectonic evolution.

Nachtergaele, S., De Pelsmaeker, E., Glorie, S., Zhimulev, F., Jolivet, M., Danišík, M., Buslov, M. M., & De Grave, J. (2018). Meso-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Talas-Fergana region of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan revealed by low-temperature basement and detrital thermochronology. Geoscience Frontiers, 9(5), 1495–1514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2017.11.007