Geo‐thermochronological analysis reveals transition from transverse to axial detrital inputs during Cretaceous rifting in the Songliao Basin, NE China

The impact of tectonics, volcanism and climate in controlling temporal and spatial variations in rift-basin sedimentation is still poorly understood. Here, we tackle this issue by the analysis of mid-Cretaceous sediments deposited in the Songliao Basin, northeastern China. We present new zircon U–Pb, apatite fission-track and trace-element data from the northeastern basin, which are discussed within the framework of the published geochronology dataset. Our results reveal a major provenance change from syn-rift tectonic extension to post-rift thermal subsidence at ~103 Ma. During the syn-rift stage, the detrital inputs were dominantly from transverse rivers sourced from the surrounding mountains including graben shoulders and volcanoes. During the post-rift stage and coeval thermal subsidence, the basin sedimentation was controlled by coexisting transverse and axial drainage systems sourced from uplifting regions in the south. We conclude that tectonics, not climate, exerted a major control in sediment provenance change in the mid-Cretaceous Songliao Basin.