Baikal rift basement: structure and tectonic evolution

Abstract

The Baikal rift zone in East Siberia has, due to its very long history, starting in the Early Precambrian and continuing into the Cenozoic, a heterogeneous structure. Two major structural elements are distinguished: the Siberian craton and the Sayan-Baikal fold system, which is part of the Central Asian Fold Belt. Two major periods are distinguished: the Early Precambrian period which comprises several phases of deformation and metamorphism with diverse magmatic activity, and the Riphean-Phanerozoic periold. The tectonic evolution during the latter period is described -from Authors