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The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group: Stratigraphy, magmatic evolution and timing
of Carboniferous arc development in SE Mongolia

Article  in  Journal of the Geological Society · April 2010

DOI: 10.1144/0016-76492009-094

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Journal of the Geological Society, London, Vol. 167, 2010, pp. 491–509. doi: 10.1144/0016-76492009-094.

The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group: stratigraphy, magmatic evolution and timing of
Carboniferous arc development in SE Mongolia

JA M E S H . S . B L I G H T 1 * , M I C H A E L G . P E T T E R S O N 2 , Q U E N T I N G . C ROW L E Y 3,4
& DICKSON CUNNINGHAM 1
1
Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
2
British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
3
NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
4
Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
*Corresponding author (e-mail: jamesblight@gmail.com)

Abstract: The Palaeozoic–Mesozoic tectonic evolution of Central Asia, including the vast terrane collage that
makes up Mongolia, has been a topic of considerable debate. The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group is a sequence
of volcanic and sedimentary rocks in SE Mongolia that forms the southern part of the Devonian–Permian
Saykhandulaan Inlier. Fieldwork traverses and mapping have established four distinct formations in the Oyut
Ulaan Volcanic Group that record the nature of arc activity in part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt during
the Carboniferous. Physical volcanological and sedimentological characteristics of the four formations suggest
three clear eruptive styles: (1) periodic andesite volcanism in an actively eroding arc setting that also
contained large rivers and swamps; (2) highly effusive plateau andesite volcanism; (3) explosive rhyolitic
effusion. Geochemical analyses of volcanic lithologies suggest that the group represents subduction-related,
mature, continental arc volcanism. Geochemical results document an evolving magma system to which surface
processes of the volcano-sedimentary model may be linked. Magma pulses and replenishments are identified
from variations in chemostratigraphy. Newly obtained zircon ages from the volcanic succession fix its
emplacement (eruption) at 323.0  0.7 Ma (mid-Carboniferous or late Mississippian). A granite cobble from
the lower part of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group gives a U–Pb zircon age of 338.9  0.4 Ma indicating that
arc plutons were emplaced 10 Ma prior to the Oyut Ulaan volcanism and were eroded soon after. Our work
provides timing constraints for final accretion and continental assembly in SE Mongolia, and also sheds light
on the petrological development of a magmatic arc system within an evolving accretionary orogen.

The Gobi region of southeastern Mongolia lies within the Central
Asian Orogenic Belt (Fig. 1), Earth’s largest area of Phanerozoic
continental growth, and is a natural laboratory for documenting
processes of volcanic arc growth, terrane accretion and crustal
amalgamation. There is considerable debate regarding the
Palaeozoic–Mesozoic tectonic evolution of this region. Important
mineral deposits have been discovered in the SE Gobi region of
Mongolia during the last decade and consequently, the region is
now a major mineral exploration province (Seltmann & Porter
2005). Nevertheless, few studies exist documenting the Palaeo-
zoic evolution and lithotectonic context of the SE Gobi mineral
belt. This is partly because the area is remote, has low relief, and
in general displays poor exposure. However, the Saykhandulaan
Inlier (Figs 1 and 2), which crops out 400 km to the south of
Ulaan Baatar, is unusual because it contains a large area of
basement exposure and provides a good opportunity for unravel-
ling the major Palaeozoic tectonic, metamorphic and intrusive
events that have affected the South Gobi Mineral Belt. In
addition, it hosts the Oyut Ulaan Cu–Au porphyry prospect and
is along strike of other major intrusion-hosted exploration targets
in the region. Therefore, a detailed multidisciplinary study
incorporating field investigations and structural and geochemical
analyses was carried out during 2004–2006 to document the
crustal evolution of the Saykhandulaan Inlier and the terrane
context of SE Gobi mineralization.
This paper focuses on a succession of volcanic rocks within
the Saykhandulaan Inlier named the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group
(Blight et al. 2008). We present detailed field observations,
geochemical data and U–Pb zircon age constraints that form the
basis for interpreting the group’s eruptive history and the
volcanological processes that occur during the evolution of a
major arc terrane.
Regional geology
The Central Asian Orogenic Belt records terrane accretion and
crustal growth between the Angaran Craton (also known as the
Siberian Craton) and the North China and Tarim Cratons from
the Neoproterozoic to the Permian (Fig. 1). The Central Asian
Orogenic Belt extends from Kazakhstan to Eastern Siberia and
averages around 300 km wide (Xiao et al. 2003, 2004). Terranes
in southern Mongolia lie within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt
to the north of the Solonker suture, which marks the final closure
of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean in the Permian (Xiao 2003; Fig. 1).
The basement geology of south Mongolia consists of island-arc,
back-arc–forearc basin and accretionary prism terranes that
accreted around a postulated Precambrian cratonic block that
underlies the Hangay Dome in central Mongolia (Fig. 1; Şengör
& Natal’in 1996; Badarch et al. 2002). These terranes are
intruded by voluminous alkali granitoids, which have been
interpreted to have been caused either by slab break-off (Wu et
al. 2000, 2002; Zhu et al. 2001) or a Mongolian mantle hotspot
(Kovalenko et al. 2004, 2006). Although primarily Palaeozoic in
age, the region also contains Proterozoic crust: the south

491
492 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .

Fig. 1. Tectonostratigraphic terrane map of SE Mongolia, after Badarch et al. (2002). Location and offset sense of Zuunbayan Fault after Lamb et al.
(1999). Location of Solonker Suture after Xaio et al. (2003). Location of terrane boundaries in China is not shown because of uncertain terrane
correlations across border. Inset maps show regional political boundaries (top) and locations of Precambrian cratons and terrane collage forming the
Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) after Şengör & Natal’in (1996) and Helo et al. (2006) (bottom).

Mongolian microcontinent and the Baga Bogd massif (Wang et

Fig. 2. Palaeogeographical interpretations of south Mongolia redrawn
from Lamb & Badarch (2001): (a) Devonian; (b) Carboniferous. Location
of Gurvansayhan and Edren localities from Lamb & Badarch (2001) is
shown. The Saykhandulaan Inlier is the field area for this study. Question
marks indicate extrapolation of the broad palaeogeographical model of
Lamb & Badarch to the east, beyond the areas covered in their study.
al. 2001; Demoux et al. 2007). These terranes record the tectonic
evolution of the northern margin of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean
during the Palaeozoic, generally interpreted to have taken place
above a northward-dipping subduction zone (Windley et al.
2007).
Two hypotheses exist for the formation of the Mongolian
Central Asian Orogenic Belt crust during the Palaeozoic. A
majority of workers have suggested the existence of multiple
island arcs drifting across the Palaeo-Asian Ocean and accreting
various arc-marginal basin terranes and ophiolite slivers before
terminal collision against the southern margin of Siberia–Hangay
(Ruzhentsev & Pospelov 1992; Zorin et al. 1993; Badarch et al.
2002). In an alternative model, Şengör et al. (1993) and Şengör
& Natal’in (1996) postulated one long-lived island arc, with a
complex history of magmatic front migration, strike-slip motion
and oroclinal bending along its length prior to terminal accre-
tion.
The construction of a palinspastic model for southern Mon-
golia has been complicated by a lack of detailed field data. Lamb
& Badarch (1997, 2001) addressed this by documenting Palaeo-
zoic stratigraphic successions and their geochemical character-
istics from a range of localities throughout southern Mongolia.
They proposed that an island arc existed between Edren in the
west and Tsagaan Suvarga in the east during the Devonian (Fig.
2a). In the Carboniferous, arc activity was split into two separate
fronts, both built on the existing Devonian arc crust (Fig. 2b).
The mechanism that produced this duplication of arc fronts in
the Carboniferous was not discussed, although several other
palinspastic models for the region show dextral strike-slip
duplication of arc sections during the Devonian and Carbonifer-
 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
ous (Şengör & Natal’in 1996; Badarch et al. 2002). All arcs in
both the multiple-arc and single-arc models are interpreted to
have developed above northward-dipping subduction zones
(Şengör & Natal’in 1996; Lamb & Badarch 1997, 2001; Badarch
et al. 2002; Windley et al. 2007; Xiao et al. 2009). However,
Rippington et al. (2008) proposed a south-dipping Carboniferous
subduction zone in the south central Gobi region, based on the
juxtaposition of different lithotectonic belts and the geometry of
contractional structures.
Lamb & Badarch’s (1997, 2001) tectonic model benefits both
from being based on original field observations and from being
focused on a relatively small area, compared with some of the
grand syntheses available elsewhere. Work by Rippington et al.
(2008) and Blight et al. (2008) followed a similar field-based,
focused approach.
Geochemical and Nd isotope data from the Gurvansayhan
Range suggest that a juvenile oceanic arc was active in the
region in the late Silurian to early Devonian (Helo et al. 2006).
These data, considered together with the work of Lamb &
Badarch (2001), support the existence of an incipient, juvenile
island arc, which originated in the Silurian and became more
evolved and alkaline during the Devonian, before the effects of
back-arc rifting spread south into the area in the Carboniferous.
There is a general paucity of geochronological data from the
region, although some ore bodies have been dated, including
Tsagaan Suvarga (364.9  3.5 Ma; Ar/Ar date for sericitic
alteration; Lamb & Cox 1998; 370.4  0.8 Ma; Re/Os on
molybdenite; Watanabe & Stein 2000) and Oyu Tolgoi (411 
3 Ma; K/Ar on K-silicate alteration halo; Perello et al. 2001).
More recently Yarmolyuk et al. (2008) have defined a ‘Carboni-
ferous–Permian marginal continental magmatic belt’ featuring a
suite of differentiated calc-alkaline material with an age range of
350–330 Ma and a later suite with a bimodal affinity and an age
range of 320–290 Ma.
Whereas other parts of the Gobi Altai have been a focus for
detailed work on Palaeozoic–Cenozoic crustal evolution in the
last decade (Zorin et al. 1993; Lamb & Badarch 1997; Cunning-
ham 1998, 2005; Lamb et al. 1999; Zorin 1999; Buchan et al.
2001; Cunningham et al. 2001; Lamb & Badarch 2001; Perello
et al. 2001; Wang et al. 2001; Helo et al. 2006; Demoux et al.
2007; Xiao et al. 2009), the easterly reaches of the Mongolian
Gobi are much less studied. The field area for this study was
selected, therefore, to partly address this imbalance and to
document the volcanic-arc setting of the South Gobi Mineral
Belt and test existing terrane models for south Mongolia.
The Saykhandulaan Inlier is situated around 150 km to the NE
of Tsagaan Suvarga (Fig. 1) and is composed of a series of east–
west-trending lithotectonic domains (Blight et al. 2008). The
inlier records the Devonian–Carboniferous history of the bound-
ary between island arc dominated lithologies in the south and
rocks formed from craton-derived basin sediments in the north.
The southernmost domain is a folded succession of Carbonifer-
ous volcanic and sedimentary rocks named the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group (Blight et al. 2008), which is the subject of this
paper.
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group
The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group crops out along the southern
margin of the Saykhandulaan Inlier in a 45 km long east–west-
trending belt (Fig. 3). The main outcrops are in the west of this
belt in a 25 km east–west range of hills. The eastern outcrops
form the country rocks to the Oyut Ulaan Intrusion and are
separated from the western outcrops by an area of no exposure.
493
The contiguous succession is around 4.6 km thick and is
composed of a variety of extrusive lithologies from basalt to
rhyolite lavas and volcaniclastic sediments locally interbedded
with a wide range of siliciclastic sediments. The total strati-
graphic thickness of 4.6 km is a minimum value, as neither the
base nor the top of the group is constrained, the outcrop being
surrounded by inferred faults and overstepped by poorly lithified
Mesozoic sediments on all sides.
The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group is tightly folded with hinges
parallel to the regional east–west structural grain. The main
western outcrops occur within the north-dipping limb and hinge
zone of a major syncline. Folds are upright, have an inter-limb
angle of c. 708, and plunge on average 308 to the west. Cleavage
is rare and the rocks are relatively unmetamorphosed.
The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group has not previously been
described in the literature. The geological map of Mongolia
(Tomurtogoo et al. 2000) shows the area as an undifferentiated
block of Carboniferous volcanic rocks. The geographically
closest relevant work is that of Lamb & Badarch (1997, 2001),
who described rocks 150 km to the west of the Saykhandulaan
Inlier. Lamb & Cox (1998) noted Carboniferous sedimentary and
volcanic strata overlying the Devonian Tsagaan Suvarga por-
phyry copper–molybdenum deposit, which is situated 150 km to
the SW of the Saykhandulaan Inlier (Fig. 1).
Field data
Fieldwork was conducted to establish a detailed stratigraphy for
the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group. Field data and rock samples for
petrological and geochemical analysis were collected along a
series of lithological and structural traverses directed across the
structural grain of the area (Fig. 3c). The key results are
presented below, first progressing upwards through the contig-
uous succession from east to west, then describing the separate
exposure area in the east (Fig. 3).
Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation
The c. 1500 m thick Gurvan Morin Höndiy (Three Horse Valley)
Formation crops out in the east of the contiguous succession, and
is the stratigraphically lowest part of this sucession. The forma-
tion was principally observed in a dry river valley (line of
transect shown in Fig. 3) that cuts across the dominant east–
west-trending structural grain (Fig. 3). It is composed of 10–
150 m thick intermediate lavas and coarse conglomerates inter-
bedded with .15 m thick feldspathic sandstone sequences (Fig.
4). The lavas and conglomerates are cliff-forming units separated
by zones of little to no outcrop. Lavas and conglomerates are
mainly within the southern limb of a first-order syncline and dip
steeply to the north. Farther north, the upper parts of the
succession are deformed into a number of second-order folds
indicative of their proximity to the first-order hinge. In the south,
the formation is fault bound; its base is not exposed.
The formation is subdivided into three units, designated A, B
and C (Fig. 4). Unit A, at the base of the formation, is 500 m
thick and is composed of basic to intermediate lavas. These lavas
occur in five ‘stacks’ in which single flow units are indistinguish-
able; three of these stacks are 70–90 m thick and form major
topographic ridges composed primarily of feldspar-phyric ande-
site.
Unit B, which conformably overlies Unit A, contains similar
extrusive lithologies along with thick successions of conglomer-
ates and some sandstones. The base of Unit B is defined by
exposures of sedimentary rocks that do not occur lower in the
494 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .

Fig. 3. Maps of Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group outcrop areas, showing the vertically contiguous Gurvan Morin Höndiy, Shargyn Moghai and Tsagaan Nuruu
Formations in the west and the Yasun Eliy-e Formation in the east, in contact with the Oyut Ulaan intrusion. (a) Map of SE Mongolia showing locations
of Palaeozoic inliers after Tomurtogoo et al. (2000); location of Saykhandulaan inlier marked by box. (b) Satellite image interpretation of the
Saykhandulaan Inlier showing location of (c). In (c), dotted lines indicate locations of transects or stratigraphic sections in study areas from various
formations: 1, Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation; 2, 3, 4, Shargyn Moghai Formation; 5, Tsagaan Nuruu Formation; 6, Yasun Eliy-e Formation. Points
sm1–9 indicate locations of Shargyn Moghai Formation samples not marked on stratigraphy in Figure 4.

formation (Fig. 5a). This sequence includes conglomerates,
siltstones and several 1–3 m thick lavas, separated from each
other by thin sediment screens. In contrast to the extrusive
lithologies from Unit A, the lavas in this sequence are dark grey
and aphyric, or contain only sparse (,1 mm diameter) horn-
blende phenocrysts. The conglomerates are poorly sorted and
predominantly composed of well-rounded, pebble-to-boulder
andesitic clasts, supported by a coarse immature volcanic–
sandstone matrix. Sandstone and siltstone horizons define the
upper parts of unit B, in which a number of sedimentary
structures occur including graded sandstones with cross-strati-
fied bases and bioturbation and siltstones with lycopsid bark
impressions (Fig. 5c–e; H. Falcon-Lang, pers. comm.). One
segment of lycopsid trunk occurs in apparent life position (Fig.
5d), whereas others are parallel to bedding (Fig. 5e). Thin 1–
3 cm thick seams of coal with Fe-oxide haloes occur in these
units.
Unit C is lithologically similar to Unit B and contains
thick conglomerates and andesites. The lithologies of Unit C
were traced laterally around a series of second-order folds in
the northern part of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation
outcrop area, documenting lateral transitions in the succes-
sion. Sequences of polymict conglomerate, 50–80 m thick,
occur within Unit C, containing rounded clasts of granite,
andesite, sandstone, siltstone, basalt and dacite, of which
granite clasts are the most numerous. Clast sizes range from
10 to 100 cm. Compared with Units A and B, Unit C is
better exposed as a result of its location in the core of the
regional syncline.
At the outcrop scale, tectonic structures are rarely seen in the
Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation, with the exception of the
upper parts of Unit C, where the relatively thinly bedded
sediments contain many small-scale folds; these minor folds
verge to the north and plunge to the west at c. 308. The formation
is most altered at its northern and southern margins and at the
margins of thick lava sequences, where carbonate veins have
epidotized haloes.
Shargyn Moghai Formation
The c. 2000 m thick Shargyn Moghai (Yellow Snake) Formation
is situated stratigraphically and conformably above the Gurvan
Morin Höndiy Formation (Figs 3 and 4). It is made up of a
relatively monotonous succession of basaltic andesites and
andesites (Fig. 4). Around 600 m of stratigraphy from the upper
half of this formation were recorded along one continuous
transect, and an additional succession from a parallel shorter
transect along-strike to the west was also documented. The
transects cut through the southern limb of the regional syncline
(Fig. 3). The uppermost parts of the formation were recorded
on the northern limb, below the overlying Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation. Reconnaissance fieldwork across the remainder of
 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P 495

Fig. 4. Stratigraphic columns for each of the four principal formations in the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group. Grey pattern-fill indicates interpretative sections
in more poorly exposed areas. Location of key transects is shown in Figure 3. Numbers to the right of columns indicate positions of geochemically
analysed samples. A, B and C to the left of Gurvan Morin Höndiy column indicate position of ‘units’ as described in text.
496 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .
the Shargyn Moghai Formation outcrop area indicated that the
formation deviates little from the lithologies seen along the
transects.
Bed thicknesses range from 2 to 10 m and are mainly
identified through scarp and dip slopes. There is rarely more
than 1–2 cm of rubbly volcanic detritus between lava sheets;
most contacts are lava on lava, suggesting high effusion rates.
Single flows exhibit variations in phenocryst phase and size,
vesicularity, flow banding and brecciation; most sheets have
Fig. 5. (a–c) Lithological logs from Gurvan
Morin Höndiy Formation (stratigraphic
positions shown in Fig. 4).
(a) Stratigraphically lowest sedimentary
units; sediment screens within lava
sequence bound lava flow units.
(b) Sandstone and conglomerate beds and
an intercalated carbon-rich black shale unit.
(c) Sandstone–shale beds featuring lycopsid
bark impressions in mudstones and fine
sandstones. (d) Photograph showing tree
trunk apparently in life position
perpendicular to the bedding surface.
(e) Photograph showing in situ lycopsid
tree-bark impressions.
relatively massive interiors and brecciated flow margins. Both
aphyric and porphyritic textures occur, the latter dominantly
featuring euhedral plagioclase phenocrysts. Groundmasses pri-
marily consist of plagioclase microlaths. Small, partially re-
sorbed granitoid particles occur in one section and are
interpreted to represent wall-rock xenoliths, introduced during
ascent. Exposures in the uppermost 150 m of the formation
contain siltstone-grade laminated volcaniclastic sediments that
crop out between c. 10 m thick basalt lavas.
 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
Tsagaan Nuruu Formation
The c. 1000 m thick Tsagaan Nuruu (White Ridge) Formation
crops out in the northwestern part of the area of contiguous
stratigraphy (Fig. 3c) within the core of the first-order regional
syncline. It is composed of a number of distinctive 5–10 m thick
felsic units that are blocky and crystalline and form positive
topography, interbedded with c. 60 m thick fine-grained volcani-
clastic sediments that are sparsely exposed (Fig. 4). Near its top,
between felsic units, the formation contains basalt lavas, sand-
stone and black organic mudstones with plant fragments. The
high competency contrast between the relatively thin but erosion-
ally resistant felsic units and the thick intercalated tuff sequences
results in topographically expressed second-order folds, which
form ridges snaking across the landscape.
The lower part of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation is poorly
exposed and composed of regular repeating sequences of blocky
rhyolite units interbedded with sediments, including conglomer-
ate containing basalt and andesite clasts, and finely laminated
and highly silicic fine-grained units. In thin section, the rhyolites
are predominantly composed of a fine-grained groundmass
featuring spherulites of intergrown quartz and plagioclase with
euhedral phenocrysts of orthoclase constituting 5–10% of the
rock mass.
In the upper part of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation, intervals
between blocky crystalline units are thinner, and sequences are
better exposed. In a 5 m thick bed of black shale beneath a
rhyolitic flow deposit, Cordaites leaf impressions occur on
bedding-parallel surfaces (Fig. 6a). Interbedded 1 m thick mas-
sive sandstones and carbon-rich black shales occur below the
ninth rhyolitic unit (Fig. 6b). The black shaly tops of graded
sandstones exhibit wood and leaf fragments and are overlain by
497
laminated siltstones. The bases of the massive sandstone beds
contain rip-up clasts of the underlying siltstone (Fig. 6b and c).
The upper parts of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation differ from the
rhyolitic lava composition that dominates the majority of the
formation; andesite and basalt units are also present.
The Tsagaan Nuruu Formation may be considerably thicker
than recorded here, as the syncline plunges to the west, where
there is more outcrop. However, the stratigraphic relationship
between the rocks farther to the west and the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation stratigraphy as described here is ambiguous, as the
two are divided by large outcrop gaps interpreted to represent
major structural breaks.
Yasun Eliy-e Formation
The Yasun Eliy-e (Dead Vulture) Formation lies in the east,
isolated from the rest of the group stratigraphy. It has a minimum
thickness of 1500 m (Fig. 4). It forms the host rocks to the Oyut
Ulaan intrusion (Fig. 3) and is the least chemically evolved of the
formations. Volcanic sandstones and trachybasaltic lithologies are
dominant. The Yasun Eliy-e Formation was observed in a river-
valley transect that crosses the regional structural grain in the west
of the formation’s outcrop area. Beds in the Yasun Eliy-e
Formation dip between 258 and 608 to the north.
The lowest units of the formation (which are exposed north of
Mesozoic basin sequences situated to the south of the area) are
feldspar-phyric basalts that are interbedded in places with coarse,
immature sandstones. Farther up-section, 10–20 m thick trachy-
basalts are interbedded with poorly sorted breccia–conglomer-
ates, exhibiting clast sizes of up to boulder grade with basalt
andesite and basalt compositions dominating. A series of finely
laminated volcaniclastic lithologies are exposed at a stratigraphic
Fig. 6. Lithological log and photographs
from upper part of Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation (for stratigraphic position see
Fig. 4): (a) lithological log of sandstones
and mudstones with plant fragments; (b)
Cordiates leaf fragment; (c) rip-up clast of
laminated mudstone in coarse sandstone.
498 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .
height of 475 m above the base of the measured section,
consisting of a number of 5–10 cm thick, coarse, lapilli-grade
horizons, interbedded with 20–30 cm thick ash-fall tuffs. Farther
up the sequence, along with thick (110 m) volcanic sandstone
units, further monomict conglomerates occur, forming well-
defined escarpments, and drift-covered lee slopes. Sub-angular
andesitic clasts with vesicles and feldspar phenocrysts occur in a
coarse matrix that again resembles the fine groundmass of the
clasts.
The Yasun Eliy-e Formation is the only part of the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group observed to be cut by minor discordant intru-
sions. In the north, a 1 m wide olivine-phyric basalt dyke trends
1308; south of this, in the centre of the area, a small dioritic plug
with a roughly circular surface expression, 20 m in diameter, cuts
the volcanic–sedimentary succession.
The stratigraphic relationship between the Yasun Eliy-e forma-
tion and the rest of the group is ambiguous. It lies in the east,
and the group younging direction is with the plunge of the major
syncline to the west, suggesting that the Yasun Eliy-e Formation
predates the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation. However, there is
a 16 km gap in outcrop between the recorded sections of each
formation (Fig. 7), and the possibility that there is some
alternative association between the two cannot be ruled out. One
explanation for the gap in the stratigraphy may be post-
Palaeozoic brittle deformation. Evidence for a Mesozoic sinistral
strike-slip regime has been recorded from both the greater region
(Lamb et al. 1999) and the Saykhandulaan Inlier (Blight et al.
2008). On satellite imagery, it appears that the area of poor
exposure that separates the two formations is at the intersection
of several major lineaments (Fig. 7a). If the sinistral and dextral
(antithetic) fault movements interpreted from aerial photographs
are reversed, the Yasun Eliy-e Formation moves closer to the
base of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation (Fig. 7b).
U–Pb dating of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group
Single zircons from two samples were analysed by isotope
dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) at the
NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory (NIGL), using analytical
procedures as adapted from Noble et al. (1993). One dated
sample was a welded ignimbrite from the lower part of the
Tsagaan Nuruu Formation stratigraphy, the other was a granite
clast from the coarse conglomerates in lower part of the Gurvan
Morin Höndiy Formation (for results, see Table 1 and Fig. 8).
Zircon crystals were separated from ,355 ìm grained bulk-
rock powder using standard vibrating-table, specific gravity and
magnetic techniques. Crystal fractions for analysis were picked
by hand in alcohol under a binocular microscope; all analysed
fractions consisted of single grains. Some zircon crystals were
subjected to air abrasion (Krogh 1982), whereas a modified
chemical abrasion technique (Mattinson 2005) was used for
others. Chemically abraded zircons were annealed as bulk zircon
fractions between 800 and 900 8C in quartz glass beakers for
between 48 and 60 h. The zircon crystals were ultrasonically
washed in 4N HNO3, rinsed in ultra-pure water, then further
washed in warm 4N HNO3 prior to rinsing with distilled water to
remove surface contamination. The annealed, cleaned bulk zircon
fractions were then chemically treated in 200 ìl 29N HF and
20 ìl 8N HNO3 between 120 and 180 8C for 12 h to minimize or
eliminate Pb loss. Both air abraded and chemically abraded
zircons were washed several times in ultra-pure water, cleaned in
warm 4N HNO3 for several hours on a hot plate, rinsed again in
ultra-pure water and 8N HNO3, and split into single-grain
fractions ready for dissolution. A mixed 205 Pb– 235 U or 205 Pb–
233
U– 235 U tracer was used to spike all fractions. Dissolved,
spike-equilibrated samples were not subjected to ion-exchange
procedures but were converted to chloride and loaded onto
degassed rhenium filaments in silica gel following a procedure
modified after Mundil et al. (2004). Isotope data were collected
using a Thermo Electron Triton with SEM for ion counting and
Faraday cups for voltage measurement when ion counts exceeded
800 000 s 1 . Errors were calculated using numerical error propa-
gation (Ludwig 1980). Isotope ratios were plotted using Isoplot
version 3 (Ludwig 1993, 2003), and error ellipses reflect 2ó
uncertainty.
Procedural blanks recorded during four separate batches of
analysis were in the range of 1.2–0.2 pg for Pb and 0.1–0.05 pg
for U. Samples were blank-corrected using a blank
Fig. 7. Structural relationship between
Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation and Yasun
Eliy-e Formation outcrop areas. (a) Aerial
photograph (courtesy of the Institute of
Geology and Mineral Resources, Mongolian
Academy of Sciences) with interpreted
locations and movement sense of major and
minor faults. (b) Reconstruction to show
suggested pre-deformation juxtaposition of
the two formations. Location of figure is
shown in Figure 3.
Table 1. U–Pb Isotope compositions of single zircon grains from a rhyolite of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation and a granite cobble from the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation
206
Fraction Weight (ìg) U (ppm) Cm-Pb (ppm)* Pb/204 Pb† Ratios Ages (Ma)

207
Pb/206 Pb‡ 2ó% 206
Pb/238 U‡ 2ó% 207
Pb/235 U‡ 2ó% Rho 207
Pb/206 Pb 2ó abs 206
Pb/238 U 2ó abs 207
Pb/235 U 2ó abs

Sample 95:3A
Z-12 0.6 682 0.86 1921 0.05152 0.88 0.03806 0.47 0.2704 1.03 0.53 264.3 20.2 240.8 0.6 243.0 2.3
Z-13 0.6 1030 3.27 926 0.05265 0.43 0.04575 0.26 0.3321 0.52 0.56 313.8 9.7 288.4 0.4 291.2 1.4
Z-14 4.1 50 0.21 907 0.05379 0.38 0.05818 0.59 0.4314 0.71 0.84 362.1 8.4 364.5 1.1 364.2 1.8
Z-15 2 55 0.34 435 0.05220 0.97 0.04034 1.54 0.2903 1.84 0.85 294.1 21.9 254.9 1.9 258.8 3.2
Z-16 1.6 296 0.01 113773 0.05141 0.21 0.03655 0.13 0.2591 0.25 0.55 259.3 4.7 231.4 0.5 233.9 0.7
Z-17 2.8 156 0.92 1548 0.05309 0.16 0.05136 0.21 0.3760 0.26 0.80 332.7 3.6 322.9 10.6 324.1 9.9
Z-19 206 2 0.58 1715 0.05301 0.25 0.04565 0.32 0.3337 0.41 0.80 329.4 5.6 287.8 14.5 292.4 13.5
Sample 55.22A
Z-20 3 246 0.67 3753 0.05335 0.09 0.05370 0.17 0.3950 0.20 0.89 343.8 2.0 337.2 9.4 338.0 7.7
Z-1 0.9 897 0.50 5529 0.05331 0.09 0.05395 0.21 0.3966 0.22 0.92 342.2 2.0 338.7 11.2 339.2 8.9
Z-2 0.9 1416 0.07 58668 0.05320 0.09 0.05400 0.18 0.3961 0.20 0.91 337.3 1.9 339.0 10.0 338.8 8.0
Z-3 0.5 1137 1.11 1763 0.05324 0.25 0.05397 0.22 0.3962 0.33 0.68 339.0 5.6 338.9 11.9 338.9 13.2
Z-4 0.7 651 0.21 7530 0.05343 0.31 0.05394 0.35 0.3973 0.47 0.74 347.0 7.1 338.6 18.6 339.7 18.6

T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
All errors are 2ó (per cent for ratios, absolute for ages).
*Total common Pb in analysis, corrected for spike and fractionation (0.09% per atomic mass unit).
†Measured ratio, corrected for spike and Pb fractionation.
‡Corrected for blank Pb, U and common Pb (Stacey & Kramers 1975).
four-point discordia.
it is not within error of the upper intercept age calculated from a
1.1 Ma and is interpreted as representing a xenocrystic grain, as
Zircon fraction Z-14 yields an older 206 Pb/238 U age of 364.5 
upper concordia intercept age of 323.0  3.5 Ma (MSWD 0.15).
supported by a less precise four-point discordia that gives an
youngest formation of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group. This is
which is interpreted to represent the age of the base of the
8a). Fraction Z-17 gives a 206 Pb/238 U age of 323.0  0.7 Ma,
were concordant and five discordant as a result of Pb loss (Fig.
Tsagaan Nuruu Formation rhyolite (sample 95:3A), two of which

was negligible, as the Pb blank dominated the correction.

however, the amount of common lead in the analysed zircons
common lead evolutionary model of Stacey & Kramers (1975);
for common lead in all samples was carried out using the
204

including decay constant errors.

and corresponding errors. Wide grey diagonal line is the concordia
Gurvan Morin Hondiy Formation. Black ellipses show the data points,
of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation and (b) the granite cobble from the
Fig. 8. Concordia diagrams for (a) the rhyolitic unit from the lower part
Seven single-grain zircon fractions were analysed for the

Pb:206 Pb:207 Pb:208 Pb ratio of 1:18.70:15.15:36.82. Correction

499
500 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .

Seven single-grain zircon fractions were analysed for the

granite cobble (sample 55:2A) from the Gurvan Morin Höndiy
Formation. Four overlapping, concordant analyses (Fig. 8b) give
a concordia age of 338.9  0.8 Ma (concordance and equiva-
lence MSWD 2.5, probability 0.013) and a mean 206 Pb/238 U age
of 338.9  0.4 Ma (MSWD 0.17, probability of fit 0.92) the
latter of which is taken as the best estimate of the emplacement
age of the granite protolith. Three further analyses, one of which
is plotted in Figure 8b, are discordant as a result of Pb loss.
One other age is of relevance to the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic
Group and, together with the ages detailed above, sets the timing
of magmatic evolution within the group. This is the Oyut Ulaan
granite (330 Ma; Blight et al. 2010). This intrusion is hosted by
the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group (specifically the Yasun Eliy-e
formation); therefore, the Yasun Eliy-e Formation must predate
330 Ma.
Because of the age gap between emplacement of the intrusion
that yielded the cobble and the deposition of the cobble in the
conglomerate (interpreted to have occurred sometime between
330 and 323 Ma), it is apparent that the conglomerate included
detritus derived from fairly recently intruded granites from
within the arc terrane and that emplacement, uplift and erosion
occurred on a scale of 10–20 Ma.
Geochemical data
One hundred representative whole-rock samples from the Oyut
Ulaan Volcanic Group were analysed using standard X-ray
fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry techniques at the University of
Leicester (Table 2). Twelve samples were analysed in duplicate
or triplicate to constrain uncertainty related to experimental
precision, resulting in a total of 121 analyses. Geochemical data
from the South Sandwich Islands, New Hebrides Arc, The Lesser
Antilles, Honshu Arc, Sunda Arc, and the Andean Central
Volcanic Zone were used for comparison of the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group with known tectonic regimes. Comparison data
were acquired from the Georoc online geochemical database
(http://georoc.mpch-mainz.gwdg.degeoroc/).
The total alkali–silica (TAS) diagram illustrates a range of
key compositional characteristics (Fig. 9), as follows.
(1) The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group varies in composition
from Na  K-enriched basalt and trachybasalt, through andesite
and trachyandesite, dacite and trachydacite to rhyolites. The Na
 K-enriched signature appears to reflect original composition
and not secondary processes, as this signature is a constant
across the whole arc, whereas metamorphism is low to non-
existent and alteration is a local field phenomenon.

Table 2. Elemental abundances for representative samples from the four formations of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group

Yasun Eliy-e Gurvan Morin Höndiy Shargyn Moghai Tsagaan Nuruu

Sample: 89.12A 89.10A 88.7A 54.20A 54.3A 55.1A 3/08_2 56.17A 31/07_1 95.1A 95.5A 91.3B

wt%
SiO2 51.37 49.52 49.18 56.77 58.07 63.52 64.62 53.78 59.42 73.68 71.99 50.89
TiO2 0.77 1.02 0.84 0.75 0.65 0.59 0.51 0.66 0.71 0.27 0.35 1.97
Al2 O3 17.30 19.33 18.87 18.45 16.89 16.72 16.89 16.61 15.09 12.97 14.00 17.25
Fe2 O3 8.39 8.50 11.05 5.90 5.99 4.09 4.27 6.56 6.32 1.38 1.09 11.36
MnO 0.17 0.13 0.17 0.09 0.09 0.03 0.06 0.14 0.09 0.01 0.01 0.28
MgO 3.87 1.95 3.74 1.99 2.93 1.58 1.24 4.67 2.49 0.07 0.08 2.34
CaO 7.28 8.37 8.69 3.56 4.82 1.42 1.85 6.91 5.97 0.88 1.04 3.40
Na2 O 4.16 4.58 2.64 7.44 4.69 5.45 5.40 5.40 4.55 5.16 5.44 6.97
K2 O 0.79 1.12 1.83 2.36 3.02 3.52 3.02 1.45 0.88 4.31 5.55 0.36
P2 O5 0.19 0.50 0.48 0.33 0.29 0.16 0.23 0.24 0.32 0.03 0.11 0.77
SO3 0.03 0.03 0.19 0.04 0.08 0.24 0.01 0.07 0.02 0.05 0.06 0.02
ppm
As 10.47 32.54 19.75 5.57 6.15 38.47 2.83 8.78 58.63 28.93 8.37 38.54
Ba 411.23 517.58 362.96 677.95 1027.70 1798.76 964.35 1312.96 611.07 394.95 592.83 181.64
Ce 29.75 43.28 49.87 34.81 30.35 18.50 21.25 26.51 29.55 401.50 126.99 80.74
Co 28.19 25.00 37.04 18.60 18.28 11.19 13.02 26.52 19.12 0.88 0.69 39.01
Cr 7.81 18.29 67.93 b.d.l. 70.00 867.78 35.64 404.85 47.89 b.d.l. b.d.l. 61.53
Cs 2.76 0.53 1.48 2.49 b.d.l. 2.88 1.00 b.d.l. b.d.l. 11.62 1.15 5.64
Cu 76.92 145.65 70.84 94.30 118.21 79.39 48.39 77.13 43.75 b.d.l. b.d.l. 102.16
Ga 19.48 20.60 21.30 17.83 21.69 15.36 18.77 17.71 14.96 26.46 26.78 23.14
La 4.59 14.74 14.12 14.04 13.49 11.39 15.83 10.24 14.31 177.11 53.42 30.13
Mo 1.32 2.22 1.78 1.30 2.13 3.90 0.54 2.43 1.48 3.04 2.90 2.66
Nb 0.74 7.12 5.27 2.02 3.45 4.04 2.91 2.48 4.31 24.72 24.61 9.83
Nd 11.68 22.97 23.12 14.46 17.24 13.84 13.57 13.47 19.39 211.13 71.83 40.65
Ni 4.69 2.05 1.76 3.98 10.54 5.26 26.97 115.55 22.08 3.60 2.45 32.32
Pb 1.86 8.29 7.05 11.35 6.11 11.08 6.71 2.57 5.04 25.34 15.85 5.03
Rb 13.14 20.62 41.78 39.26 45.44 56.80 54.97 19.81 13.76 75.04 98.08 7.66
Sc 32.79 20.18 22.18 21.64 16.10 16.19 6.94 29.71 16.26 6.31 5.86 30.98
Sr 719.63 667.37 596.19 1541.07 1187.51 1270.68 927.56 1278.96 981.23 39.84 62.68 654.84
Th 3.45 4.02 5.60 2.99 3.04 4.44 6.98 4.41 5.07 13.96 14.18 4.49
U b.d.l. 2.88 3.16 0.12 b.d.l. 0.47 1.68 1.23 0.25 4.71 5.80 1.92
V 258.23 171.35 256.22 208.72 180.05 204.10 93.56 186.25 143.61 4.38 7.63 266.68
Y 16.70 33.02 30.38 9.64 11.42 12.94 10.73 12.56 17.68 133.58 119.77 58.39
Zn 75.01 82.35 129.68 53.79 60.59 32.29 53.70 60.76 55.36 59.67 59.76 156.56
Zr 75.17 134.64 103.20 102.47 122.54 123.33 120.40 82.81 137.79 909.10 964.17 330.84

b.d.l., below detection limit.

 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
(2) There is a distinct and well-defined magmatic evolutionary
trend from less to more evolved compositions with time. The
most basic parts of each formation become more evolved with
time (Fig. 9).
(3) There is a sharp rise in silica values in the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation compared with the other formations.
Trace element variograms illustrate the key characteristics of
subduction-zone derived magmas; for example, high ratios of
low field strength elements to high field strength elements
(LFSE:HFSE) and a negative Nb anomaly (Saunders et al. 1980;
Wilson 1989). Furthermore, the trace element signature of the
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group most closely resembles patterns
from mature oceanic or continental arcs. Multi-element vario-
grams (Fig. 10) show that the closest compositional analogues
are arcs and cordillera such as Sunda, Honshu and the Andes,
with elevated, convex-upwards Sr–Th patterns and negative to
gently concave-upwards Ce–Y patterns. Ratio–ratio plots invol-
ving Zr, Ti, Nb, Ce, and Y (e.g. Nb/Y v. Zr/Y; Fig. 11) confirm
that when the data are plotted in tightly constrained fields, the
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group exhibits very similar compositions
to highly evolved arcs such as Sunda, Honshu and the Central
Andes.
Geochemical results generally show an evolutionary trend
within the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group, from basalts at its base
to volcaniclastic deposits of rhyolitic composition in its upper
reaches. Abundances of CaO, TiO2, Al2 O3 and Fe2 O3 generally
fall with stratigraphic height, whereas SiO2, Ba and Sr show
501
Fig. 9. Total alkalis–silica (TAS) diagram
after Le Bas et al. (1986) for Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group rocks showing wide range
of compositions for both silica and alkalis.
Thumbnail graph below shows fields of
analyses for each formation. It should be
noted that despite considerable
compositional overlap, each formation is
more evolved than its predecessor.
general increases. Stratigraphic variations in some elemental
abundances (e.g. Zr, Nb and Y) show variations that are more
intricate, illustrating the development of the underlying magma
system with time (Fig. 12).
The Tsagaan Nuruu Formation represents the upper, most
silicic part in the evolutionary trend of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic
Group; however, the chemistry of this formation shows some
other significant differences from the rest of the group. The
rhyolites of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation are weakly peralkaline
to peraluminous (the other formations have a metaluminous
signature) and have an A2 -type signature when plotted on granite
discrimination diagrams developed by Eby (1990, 1992; Fig. 13a
and b). The A2 -type signature relates to granitoid magma
chemistries generated in extensional environments. Mafic and
intermediate units from the upper parts of the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation have higher Y, Nb Zr and TiO2 abundances than
similar lithologies from the other formations in the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group (Fig. 13c). Abundances of other elements are
consistent with the broad evolutionary trend of the group as a
whole.
Discussion
Physical volcanic model
The three contiguous formations in the west contain 4.6 km of
stratigraphy from an evolving volcanic–sedimentary system, and
502 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .
record three distinct stages of volcanism: (1) commencement of
volcanic activity within an energetic fluvial sedimentary environ-
ment; (2) high rates of basaltic and andesitic effusion; (3)
explosive, mainly felsic volcanism with some bimodal affinities
(Fig. 14).
The Yasun Eliy-e Formation is interpreted to represent the
beginnings of volcanism in the group, with basic lavas interrupt-
Fig. 10. Spidergrams for trace elements
from Yasun Eliy-e Formation (YEF),
Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation (GMHF)
and Shargyn Moghai Formation (SMF).
White line on main plot shows average of
all results. Lower plots show comparison of
this average with other magmatic arcs
worldwide (data from Georoc database,
http://georoc.mpch-mainz.gwdg.degeoroc/).
All data are normalized to mid-ocean ridge
basalt (MORB) values of Pearce (1983).
Fig. 11. Trace element ratio–ratio plots to
show comparison between results from
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group and other arc
environments worldwide.
ing a stable sediment-dominated palaeo-environment (Fig. 14a).
Volcaniclastic horizons suggest explosive eruptions. The sand-
dominated sedimentary sequences suggest a shallow marine or
lacustrine environment, perhaps leading to phreato-magmatic
activity. The lack of thick, erosion-resistant sequences of the
coarse fluvial conglomerates that characterize the Gurvan Morin
Höndiy Formation suggests that Yasun Eliy-e Formation volcan-
 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
ism predates the major uplift and erosion of older crust, or is a
lateral facies variant of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation.
The Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation represents intermittent
volcanism within an active, high-energy sedimentary environ-
ment (Fig. 14b). In its lower parts (Unit A), andesite sheets are
intermixed with coarse heterolithic conglomerates, interpreted to
have been deposited by large river systems eroding the uplands
and depositing alluvial-fan sequences in the lower parts of the
503
Fig. 12. Various elements plotted against
relative vertical stratigraphic position to
show systematic variations in elemental
abundances with time in the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group. Scale on y-axis is
numerical order of sample in Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group, starting with the
stratigraphically lowest at one.
arc. Although their heterolithic nature points to a widespread
provenance, the high proportion of large granite clasts suggests
that the provenance zone included older arc plutons. This
suggests that at the beginning of Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group
volcanism the area was not a simple immature island arc but had
more in common with either an evolved island arc or a
continental margin. The polymict nature of the succession’s
voluminous conglomerates shows that a varied geological hinter-
504 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .
land was undergoing erosion contemporaneously with the Oyut
Ulaan volcanism.
Higher in the succession conglomerates have smaller clast
sizes, are more thinly bedded, and finer siliciclastic sediments
become more common. Sandstones are commonly graded and
have mudstone or siltstone caps, suggesting current sorting in a
fluvial–deltaic environment. Evidence of mature vegetation sug-
gests a stable terrestrial landscape and long inter-eruptive
periods, leading to growth of plant life within a swamp-like
environment. This is consistent with a palaeo-environment of
braided rivers flowing into lakes and swamps in a warm humid
climate. The northwards thinning observed in lava sheets sug-
gests that volcanic vents were located to the south and that lavas
have wedge-like thickness patterns. Lava–sediment mixing at the
base of some sheets suggests lava was emplaced onto wet
Fig. 13. (a, b) Diagrams after Eby (1990,
1992) to show A2-type signature of the
rhyolitic components of the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation. (c) Harker plots against SiO2 to
show elevated values of various elements in
the basic units of the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation compared with the other
formations of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic
Group.
sediment, resulting in loading structures. Pillow andesites at the
top of the formation suggest that some lava was being extruded
within a subaqueous environment; in light of the other evidence,
it is suggested that this was lacustrine or swamp-like rather than
marine. The presence of bioclastic limestone cobbles in con-
glomerates in the upper parts of the formation suggests proximal
erosion of marine sequences, highlighting the growth of the arc
from earlier marine settings.
In conclusion, it is hypothesized that the first stage of Oyut
Ulaan Volcanic Group volcanism exhibited periodic andesitic
effusion with long periods of volcanic quiescence within a wet–
humid semi-tropical environment. Initially, volcanism occurred
within the rifted lowlands of a mature arc close to geologically
diverse uplands. This environment probably contained large,
intermittently powerful rivers that had the capacity to transport
 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
and deposit large volumes of coarse material from the precursor
arc-hinterland to the volcanically active arc-graben. As time
progressed the rate of effusion increased, as did the extent of low
swamplands with standing lacustrine bodies and braided sand-
and silt-bearing river systems.
The Shargyn Moghai Formation represents an abrupt change
in volcanic style. It is composed almost entirely of basaltic
andesite and andesite lava sheets lacking intercalated sediments,
suggesting an increase in effusion rates. Many sheet-on-sheet
contacts are evident, expressed as trap topography. Pillow lavas
do not occur, implying that the great bulk of volcanism took
place subaerially. Voluminous volcanic deposition rapidly filled-
in and buried the aqueous environment present in the upper and
northern parts of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation. No
pyroclastic activity is recorded; this implies that even during
extrusion of intermediate compositions, degassing was wide-
spread and magma paths to the surface were numerous. Thin,
lobate, channel-bound deposits, which are typical of steep-sided
volcanic-cone sequences, do not occur within the Shargyn
Moghai Formation. The stratigraphy of this formation is sugges-
505
Fig. 14. Interpretative volcanic environment
and magma-chamber models for the various
formations of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic
Group. (a) Yasun Eliy-e Formation;
(b) Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation;
(c) Shargyn Moghai Formation; (d) pre-
Tsagaan Nuruu Formation; (e) Tsagaan
Nuruu Formation.
tive of a subaerial andesite field with multiple low-angle shield-
style vents, similar to that of the Birker Fell Formation in the
Borrowdale Volcanic Group, Lake District, UK (Petterson et al.
1992; McConnell et al. 2002). Andesite fields feature tabular
lava deposits of considerable areal extent, and are a feature of
many pre-stratocone and pre-caldera sequences worldwide. Pre-
caldera andesite fields occur in a range of locations, including
beneath both the Loma Seca Tuff in Central Chile (Hildreth et
al. 1984) and the Santorini ignimbrites (Druitt et al. 1989). In
the Shargyn Moghai Formation, voluminous and regular out-
pourings of lava appear to have prevented the re-establishment of
Carboniferous flora, in spite of a probably humid, warm climate.
Modern analogues of this type of volcanic landscape could
include an energetic, Tongariro-style, North Island New Zealand
province (Nairn et al. 1998).
The Tsagaan Nuruu Formation is the uppermost part of the
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group, and represents another change in
volcanic style. Andesite sheets, notable for their voluminous
presence elsewhere in the stratigraphy, are absent. The formation
is dominated by deposits resulting from explosive felsic volcan-
506 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .
ism, including thick sequences of ash-fall tuffs, interrupted by
lava-like welded ignimbrites or low-viscosity rhyolite lavas (Fig.
14e). Large volumes of fine-grained material suggest that the
Tsagaan Nuruu strata may have been deposited within a
syndepositional volcano-tectonic depression. The upper parts of
the formation show a gradual lessening of extrusion rates and a
return to a fluvial–swamp-dominated depositional environment
for the first time since the deposition of the upper parts of the
Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation. Again, the presence of plant
detritus in carbon-rich shale units is indicative of a relatively
quiescent and moist environment at this time; vegetation was
established on the land once more, and low-energy sedimentation
in lacustrine or deltaic flood-plain environments could take place.
The occurrence of more basic lithologies, near the top of the
formation, illustrates the bimodal nature of the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation.
Geochemical implications for the physical volcanic model
The least evolved formation is the Yasun Eliy-e Formation,
which field and remote-sensing evidence suggests represents the
deepest stratigraphy. The formation’s vertical geochemical varia-
tion corroborates this interpretation, fitting in as least evolved at
the base of the group and becoming slightly more silicic with
height (Fig. 12). The Yasun Eliy-e Formation varies from the rest
of the group’s Na-transitional signature; it is predominantly K-
series alkaline. Zirconium abundances rise in the Yasun Eliy-e
Formation, showing a simple evolving trend of fractional crystal-
lization, with the residual magma becoming gradually more
evolved. These data are consistent with a simple andesitic
fractionation trend, with intermittent eruptions that tapped this
gradually evolving source (Figs 12 and 14a).
Unit A, at the base of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation,
has distinctive decreasing abundances of Zr and La with
stratigraphic height (Fig. 12); this counter-evolutionary trend
may result from a new influx of basaltic parent magma. The fact
that this is expressed as a smooth trend rather than a sudden step
suggests that the remaining residual magma from the Yasun Eliy-
e Formation was mixed with a new, more primitive magma
influx, whilst concurrent eruptions tapped the chamber (Fig.
14b). The thick andesite sheets of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy
Formation provide further evidence for periods of heightened
magma chamber throughput. Upper parts of the Gurvan Morin
Höndiy Formation show minor systematic fluctuations in Zr; both
Unit B and Unit A show similar slight increasing trends with
height (Fig. 12), which are interpreted as having been caused by
new influxes of magma that were introduced to the underlying
chamber, and which progressed through fractional-crystallization
controlled evolutionary trends in a similar manner to the Yasun
Eliy-e Formation. It is interpreted that this pulsing magma
replenishment produced long inter-eruption time gaps leading to
the establishment of the relatively stable swamp environments in
the upper parts of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation.
The Shargyn Moghai Formation exhibits two consecutive
sequences of decreasing Zr trends with height (Fig. 12). Other
incompatible HFSE also fall, but trends are less distinct. The
highest abundances of Cr and Ni from the whole group are seen
in the upper parts of the Shargyn Moghai Formation, as are
enriched TiO2, Al2 O3 and Fe2 O3, indicating fresh and volumi-
nous inputs of more primitive magma at this interval. These
trends imply that magma input rate into the underlying chamber
was exceeding the rate of extrusion at the time of the Shargyn
Moghai Formation, causing the eruption of less evolved lava
sequences (Fig. 14c). This scenario supports the interpretation of
high effusion rates in the Shargyn Moghai Formation.
The Tsagaan Nuruu Formation is predominantly composed of
highly evolved silicic volcaniclastic deposits, and the geochem-
ical results reflect this; most elemental abundances show a
significant compositional gap from preceding evolutionary trends
(Fig. 14). Intermediate and basic lava units at the top of the
Tsagaan Nuruu Formation show a return to a similar effusive
eruptive style that occurred in earlier formations. However, the
chemistry of these units indicates a potentially different source;
elevated values of Y, Nb, Zr and TiO2 suggest contamination by
deeper, mantle-derived alkaline magmas. Abundances of the
same elements in the felsic parts of the Tsagaan Nuruu Forma-
tion may also be elevated above those that would result from a
simple evolutionary trend in the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group.
The general interpretations of the variation of Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group geochemical data with stratigraphic height (Fig.
12) are as follows: (1) an overall trend towards more SiO2 -rich
magmas with time; (2) sawtooth patterns of elemental abun-
dances with stratigraphic height, suggestive of a dynamic magma
environment with pulses of primitive magma being introduced
into the magma chamber(s) episodically; (3) indications of
magmatic evolutionary trends that differ from the predominant
trend; (4) a clear compositional gap between the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation rhyolites and the older parts of the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group.
Magmatic–tectonic model
The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group is interpreted to record a series
of tectonic events affecting a mature continental-style arc (Figs
14 and 15). The group constitutes a more northeasterly expres-
sion of volcanic activity than has previously been recorded for
the southern Mongolia Carboniferous arc (see Lamb & Badarch
2001).
Magmatism began in the Yasun Eliy-e Formation within a
relatively stable environment. Its K-alkaline signature may
signify an arc-front setting somewhat removed from the subduct-
ing trench, if a simple K-h style trend (in which magmatism
becomes more alkaline with distance from the trench) was
operational (Gill 1981; Wilson 1989).
Extension is interpreted as the trigger for volcanism in the
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group, and particularly the increasing
effusion rates of the Shargyn Moghai and Tsagaan Nuruu
formations. The extension may have been produced by roll-back
of the subducting slab, or transtension along the arc. This
extension would have been geomorphologically expressed by
rejuvenated mountain fronts and river systems, and could have
promoted an increase in the number of potential magma
conduits. The coarse conglomerates and thick andesite sequences
of the Gurvan Morin Höndiy Formation suggest an intra-arc
extensional graben environment, with footwall uplift providing a
hinterland source of older-arc material for erosion. Similar,
ancient arc-graben depressions occur in the southwestern USA,
and a modern analogue occurs in the Guatemala–Nicaragua
sections of the Central American arc (Fisher & Schmincke
1994). Increasing extension, during Shargyn Moghai Formation
times, led to the development of many magma conduits and
vents, resulting in high effusion rates. Some Shargyn Moghai
Formation lavas contain xenoliths of granite that are lithologi-
cally similar to the nearby Oyut Ulaan intrusion. Andesitic dykes
cut the intrusion and are geochemically similar to the Shargyn
Moghai Formation. These dykes may represent the feeder
structures to the Shargyn Moghai Formation.
 T H E OY U T U L A A N VO L C A N I C G RO U P
Two possible hypotheses for the high-silica sequences of the
Tsagaan Nuruu Formation are suggested. A first hypothesis is
that the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation followed a period of volcanic
quiescence; the trapping of substantial magma volumes at
shallow levels allowed for a protracted period of fractionation
and led to the development of a stratified magma chamber, with
a concentration of volatile-rich rhyolitic fluids in its upper parts.
This scenario could have led to explosive felsic eruptions, and
the rapid emptying of the stratified chamber. Once the main
chamber had been largely emptied, basic magma from its deeper
parts was tapped and emplaced into a relatively quiescent
environment, suggested by the black shales and organic matter in
the upper parts of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation. However, it is
not clear what process would have caused the pause in volcanism
during which the magma chamber stratification could take place.
A second hypothesis, that the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation repre-
sents the beginnings of extension-related bimodal volcanism in
the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group, is supported by the A-type
chemistry of the rhyolites. The age of the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation also agrees with the 320–290 Ma regional bimodal
suite postulated by Yarmolyuk et al. (2008). Furthermore, the
chemistry of basalts and andesites at the top of the Tsagaan
Nuruu Formation suggests the influence of alkaline mantle-
derived magmas that could have been introduced into the source
area during crustal extension. It is possible that such magmas
provided additional heat for melting of the felsic crust of the
continental arc, resulting in the explosive rhyolitic volcanism of
the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation. This second hypothesis appears
more likely, as other characteristics of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic
Group indicate increasing extension; and a sudden pause in
507
Fig. 15. Interpretation of sequence of
tectonic events that controlled the Oyut
Ulaan volcanism.
volcanism, after the high effusive rates of the Shargyn Moghai
Formation, appears counterintuitive to this interpreted trend.
Regional implications
The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group represents mid-Carboniferous
volcanism within a mature continental arc environment. Evi-
dence for continuing uplift and magmatism in the arc through
earlier parts of the Carboniferous occurs locally as granite
cobbles within the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group succession,
whereas, on a regional scale, the arc had been active since the
Devonian (Lamb & Cox 1998; Perello et al. 2001). Field and
geochemical data from the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group are
consistent with the suggestion of Lamb & Badarch (2001) that
the southern Mongolia Carboniferous arc may ‘continue eastward
for several hundred kilometres’ from Tsagaan Suvarga (Fig. 2).
It also further supports the continental nature of the arc in this
area. Along-strike to the west of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group,
lithologies cropping out within the Gurvansayhan range record
arc activity in the Devonian, but a back-arc basin environment
during the early and middle Carboniferous (Fig. 2; Lamb &
Badarch 2001). The same tensional stress field that is interpreted
to have facilitated the eruption of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group
may have caused this change in environments further west.
Various regional models suggest Carboniferous dextral move-
ments along the arc front in the area (Şengör & Natal’in 1996;
Badarch et al. 2002). The extension may thus be transtensional
in nature and a product of oblique subduction, which was
apparently an important feature of Devonian–Permian closure of
the Palaeo-Asian Ocean (Dobretsov & Buslov 2005). An increase
508 J. H . S . B L I G H T E T A L .
in the intensity of extension is tentatively interpreted during
deposition of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation, based on the
evolving change in eruption style to bimodal volcanism. The A-
type signature of rhyolitic lithologies within the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation suggests that it was extruded during the final, waning
stages of subduction zone related magmatism (Eby 1992), and
the age of the Tsagaan Nuruu Formation (323.12  0.64 Ma)
therefore tentatively provides a maximum age for the cessation
of subduction in this area. A modern analogue for the transition
from calc-alkaline magmatism in an arc environment to exten-
sion-related A-type magmatism is North America’s Basin and
Range province, where an early stage of extension, occurring as
a result of intra-arc strike-slip movements, can be distinguished
from a later transition to continental post-accretion extensional
tectonism (Zoback et al. 1981).
Some time after the emplacement of the Tsagaan Nuruu
Formation, the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group was deformed into
east–west-trending folds. This deformation has three potential
causes. First, Badarch et al. (2002) showed that to the south of
the Devonian–Carboniferous arc are further arc terranes and
cratonic blocks (Enshoo, Hutag Uul; Fig. 1). The docking of any
of these terranes at the subduction zone may have caused folding
of the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group. Second, the dextral strike-slip
duplication and westward migration of previous laterally contig-
uous arc segments as a result of oblique subduction may have
caused the folding. Third, the folding in the Oyut Ulaan Volcanic
Group may be considered to be related to closure of the Palaeo-
Asian ocean in the Permian (Xiao et al. 2003). Major brittle
faults, on the margins of the Saykhandulaan Inlier, are also
thought to be Permian in age (Blight et al. 2008).
Conclusions
The Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group provides crucial information
about the terrane evolution in southern Mongolia during the
Carboniferous. It constitutes some of the youngest arc material
yet dated from southern Mongolia and it represents one of the
last phases of arc volcanism prior to the final closure of the
Palaeo-Asian Ocean in the Permian.
Lithological and geochemical data from the Oyut Ulaan
Volcanic Group shed light on both the palaeogeography and the
volcano-tectonic regime at the time of emplacement. From
incipient basic volcanism in a marine environment, through
increasing extrusion rates within uplifted sections of a precursor
arc, to an evolved upper sequence of explosive volcanism, the
Oyut Ulaan Volcanic Group documents a period of dominantly
subaerial volcanism in a mature island arc or continental arc
setting. This arc represents the eastern continuation of Carboni-
ferous arc systems in south Mongolia and NW China. The Oyut
Ulaan Volcanic Group appears to span the transition from calc-
alkaline arc magmatism, to bimodal, A-type post-orogenic
magmatism; an important stage of the late Carboniferous and
Permian growth of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.
Research reported in this paper was supported by the National Environ-
mental Research Council, UK, the Society of Economic Geologists, and
the University of Leicester. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. provided extensive field
support, data sharing, and scientific collaboration; in particular, the
authors wish to thank D. Kirwin, P. Carter and A. Stewart. We thank the
late G. Badarch of the Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources,
Mongolian Academy of Sciences, for technical support, and S. Crockford
for excellent fieldwork assistance. At NIGL, A. Wood, N. Boulton and A.
Sumner are thanked for technical assistance. The reviewers W. Xiao, A.
Kröner and R. Seltmann are thanked for their detailed and positive
comments.
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