Mantle‐Induced Dynamic Subsidence in the Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous Ordos Basin, North China

Abstract The origin and geodynamic controls of giant intracratonic basins are highly debated in geosciences. Surrounded by structural belts, the Ordos Basin is situated in the western part of the North China Craton, forming an intracratonic basin. The genesis of the basin and its connection with the adjacent fold‐thrust belts remain controversial. Flexural backstripping of the stratigraphic record from the Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, reveals that the total subsidence of the Ordos Basin is composed of flexural subsidence due to the load of the marginal thrust belts and sediments and residual subsidence. The residual subsidence is characterized by a continuous increase and long‐wavelength nature, growing sequentially and stabilizing at 340–388 m between 153 Ma and 136 Ma. Comparison of the observed residual subsidence with the predicted dynamic subsidence indicates that both exhibit similar spatial subsidence magnitudes (i.e., on the order of several hundred meters), amplitudes (177–197 m), and evolutionary tendencies at 153 Ma and 136 Ma. Our study fully demonstrates that the residual subsidence should be attributed to dynamic subsidence driven by the westward subduction of the Izanagi Plate during the Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, with thrust‐related deformation events in peripheral regions serving as local and secondary influencing factors. Our study offers a new geodynamic perspective on the genesis mechanism of intracratonic basins, emphasizing a mantle process‐dominated origin and evolution, and underscoring the critical role of deep mantle activity in shaping giant intracratonic basins.