Abstract:
T [Objective] To reveal the intrinsic link between manganese mineralization in the Kunlun-Altyn Tagh-Tianshan-Junggar region surrounding the Tarim Basin and the coupling mechanism among the crust, mantle, and inner core within the Earth's rotational system, and to elucidate the deep geodynamic mechanism responsible for manganese ore formation in this region. [Methods] The metallogenic ages and ore-forming material sources of the major manganese belts surrounding the Tarim Basin were compiled, and the paleogeographic positions of the Kunlun-Altyn Tagh-Tianshan orogenic belt during each metallogenic epoch were reconstructed based on paleomagnetic and paleogeographic data. The principles of rotational Earth dynamics were then applied to analyze angular momentum redistribution among the solid inner core, mantle, and crust during poleward or equatorward crustal migration, and its effects on mantle convection, magmatic activity, and geomagnetic field reversal. [Results] Manganese mineralization in the study area predominantly occurred during the Early-Middle Ordovician, Early Devonian, Early-Late Carboniferous, and Early Permian, with ore-forming materials primarily derived from manganese-bearing magmatic hydrothermal fluids or hot liquids. All identified metallogenic events coincided with periods of geomagnetic field reversal. During the Early-Middle Ordovician, Early Devonian, and Early-Late Carboniferous–Early Permian, the paleogeographic positions of the Kunlun-Altyn Tagh-Tianshan orogenic belt were situated near the equator, between 20°N and 20°S. According to the principles of rotational Earth dynamics, when the crust migrates poleward, angular momentum of the crust decreases while that of the mantle and solid inner core increases; the mantle, due to its rheological characteristics, undergoes extensional upwelling near the equator, facilitating the upward migration of magmatic hydrothermal fluids and intensifying magmatic activity. The positively charged solid inner core undergoes super-rotation, and when the velocity difference between the positively charged inner core and the negatively charged liquid outer core exceeds a critical threshold—at which point the observed surface geomagnetic field intensity drops to zero—a geomagnetic reversal is triggered. Conversely, when the crust migrates equatorward, angular momentum of the crust increases while that of the mantle and solid inner core decreases; the positively charged solid inner core decelerates, and the geomagnetic field recovers to its normal state, during which extensional upwelling in the mantle occurs at mid-to-high latitudes. [Conclusions] The formation of manganese deposits in the East-West Kunlun, East-West Tianshan, and Altyn Tagh regions is closely related to mantle extensional upwelling near the equator during geomagnetic reversal periods. This mineralization is the product of crust-mantle-inner core coupling within the Earth's rotational system, rather than a result of isolated shallow geological processes. [Significance] This study establishes, for the first time, a linkage between regional manganese mineralization and the crust-mantle-inner core angular momentum exchange mechanism within the framework of rotational Earth dynamics, providing a novel geodynamic perspective for understanding deep-time metallogenic events. It reveals the genetic association between geomagnetic reversal periods and mantle-derived mineralization, offering a theoretical basis for predicting concealed manganese deposits using paleomagnetic and paleogeographic data, and provides a representative case for the scientific proposition that deep Earth processes control shallow crustal mineralization, contributing significantly to the refinement of the global manganese metallogenic theory.