Uplift and evolution of Helan Mountain

The Helan Mountain lies in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin and its uplift periods have close relations with the tectonic feature and evolution of the basin. There are many views on the uplift time of Helan Mountain, which is Late Triassic and Late Jurassic. It is concluded by the present strata, magmatic rock and hot fluid distribution that the Helan Mountain does not uplift in Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic but after Middle Jurassic. Through the research of the sedimentary strata and deposit rate in Yinchuan Graben which is near to the Helan Mountain, it is proved that the Helan Mountain uplifts in Eocene with a huge scale and in Pliocene with a rapid speed. The fission track analysis of apatite and zircon can be used to determine the precise uplift time of Helan Mountain, which shows that four stages of uplifting or cooling: Late Jurassic to the early stage of Early Cretaceous, mid-late stage of Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous and since Eocene. During the later two stages the uplift is most apparent and the mid-late stage of Early Cretaceous is a regional cooling course. Together with several analysis ways, it is considered that the earliest time of Helan Mountain uplift is Late Jurassic with a limited scale and that Late Cretaceous uplift is corresponding to the whole uplift of Ordos Basin, extensive uplift happened in Eocene and rapid uplift in Pliocene.