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When the Paleo‐Asian Ocean closed and the Paleo‐Pacific subduction started in NE China remains controversial. To constrain these key issues, we carried out zircon U‐Pb‐Hf isotopic and whole‐rock geochemical studies of Early Mesozoic igneous rocks in central southern Jilin Province, NE China. Early Mesozoic igneous rocks in region were formed at three stages: the middle Triassic (246 Ma), the late Triassic (219–220 Ma), and the early Jurassic (172–194 Ma). Middle Triassic trachyandesites in southern Jilin Province were solely generated through partial melting of ancient lower crust of the North China Craton (NCC), implying ongoing southward subduction of Paleo‐Asian Ocean Plate beneath the NCC at this time. Late Triassic trachyandesites in southern Jilin Province were derived from the magma mixing/mingling of the NCC lithospheric mantle and juvenile eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt crustal sources. Late Triassic hornblende gabbros in central Jilin Province were derived from depleted lithospheric mantle previously metasomatized by subduction‐related fluids. Coeval adakitic granodiorites were likely produced through the partial melting of thickened juvenile lower crust. Spatially, these rocks occurred on both sides of the Solonker‐Xra‐Moron‐Changchun Suture Zone and record N–S directed extension accompanied by the final closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean. Early Jurassic andesites were produced through mixing/mingling between partial melts derived from eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt lithospheric mantle and ancient NCC crust. In contrast, Early Jurassic felsic rocks, including A‐type granites, were derived from the partial melting of Neoproterozoic accreted lower crust, jointly implying an extensional setting as the result of the initial subduction from Paleo‐Pacific Plate at this time. Key Points: Three magmatism stages are recognized in central southern Jilin Province, NE ChinaMiddle–Late Triassic rocks record the subduction and termination of Paleo‐Asian Ocean tectonic regimeEarly Jurassic rocks record the onset of the Paleo‐Pacific tectonic regime [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A layer of Mesoproterozoic tsunami deposits from the North China Craton was recently discovered and investigated in the Xingcheng area, Liaoning Province, China. They occur at the bottom of the Dahongyu Formation of the Changcheng Group (1.8-1.6 Ga). The tsunami deposits are identified based on the analysis of the sedimentary facies. They are markedly different from the normal deposits of shore-shallow sea siliciclastics, and are characterized by rip-up clasts, poorly sorted gravels, fining-upward sequences, redeposited underlying materials, complex sources of underlying strata and erosional bases at the bottom of beds. They are compelling features of tsunamiites when they occur together. During the Mesoproterozoic, the Xingcheng area was in an active tectonic belt, the Yanshan Taphrogenic Trough. The origin of the tsunami was probably triggered by the earthquake, which resulted from the the activities of the Luanxian-Jianchang Fault in early Mesoproterozoic times. The deposition of tsunamiites occurred in a coastal environment and involved several stages, from the origin, propagation, inundation, and deposition to the backwash flow. The geodynamic backgrounds of the tsunami event in the North China Craton are consistent with the breakup event of the Columbia supercontinent in the Mesoproterozoic. Some events, such as tsunamis and volcanism, are all controlled by extensional rift systems and should be recognized as effects of the breakup of the Columbia supercontinent in the North China Craton. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]