Variable involvements of mantle plumes in the genesis of mid-Neoproterozoic basaltic rocks in South China: A review

Ca. 825–720 Ma global continental intraplate magmatism is generally linked to mantle plumes or a mantle superplume that caused rifting and fragmentation of the supercontinent Rodinia. Widespread Neoproterozoic igneous rocks in South China are dated at ca. 825–760 Ma. There is a hot debate on their petrogenesis and tectonic affiliations, i.e., mantle plume/rift settings or collision/arc settings. Such competing interpretations have contrasting implications to the position of South China in the supercontinent Rodinia and in Rodinia reconstruction models.Variations in the bulk-rock compositions of primary basaltic melts can provide first order constraints on the mantle thermal–chemical structure, and thus distinguish between the plume/rift and arc/collision models. Whole-rock geochemical data of 14 mid-Neoproterozoic (825–760 Ma) basaltic successions are reviewed here in order to (1) estimate the primary melts compositions; (2) calculate the melting conditions and mantle potential temperature; and (3) identify the contributions of subcontinental lithosphere mantle (SCLM) and asenthospheric mantles to the generation of these basaltic rocks.In order to quantify the mantle potential temperatures and percentages of decompression melting, the primary MgO, FeO, and SiO₂ contents of basalts are calculated through carefully selecting less-evolved samples using a melting model based on the partitioning of FeO and MgO in olivine. The mid-Neoproterozoic (825–760 Ma) potential temperatures predicted from the primary melts range from 1390 °C to 1630 °C (mostly > 1480 °C), suggesting that most 825–760 Ma basaltic rocks in South China were generated by melting of anomalously hot mantle sources with potential temperatures 80–200 °C higher than the ambient Middle Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB)-source mantle.The mantle source regions of these Neoproterozoic basaltic rocks have complex histories and heterogeneous compositions. Enriched mantle sources (e.g., pyroxenite and eclogite) are recognized as an important source for the Bikou and Suxiong basalts, suggesting that their generations may have involved recycled components. Trace elements variations show that interactions between asthenospheric mantle (OIB-type mantle) and SCLM played a very important role in generation of the 825–760 Ma basalts. Our results indicate that the SCLM metasomatized by subduction-induced melts/fluids during the 1.0–0.9 Ga orogenesis as a distinct geochemical reservoir that contributed significantly to the trace-elements and isotope inventory of these basalts.The continental intraplate geochemical signatures (e.g., OIB-type), high mantle potential temperatures and recycled components suggest the presence of a mantle plume beneath the Neoproterozoic South China block. We use the available data to develop an integrated plume-lithosphere interaction model for the ca. 825–760 Ma basalts. The early phases of basaltic rocks (825–810 Ma) were most likely formed by melting within the metasomatized SCLM heated by the rising mantle plume. The subsequent continental rift allowed adiabatic decompression partial melting of an upwelling mantle plumes at relatively shallow depth to form the widespread syn-rifting basaltic rocks at ca. 810–800 Ma and 790–760 Ma.     

The Grenvillian and Pan-African orogens: World's largest orogenies through geologic time, and their implications on the origin of superplume

The Neoproterozoic Earth was shaped largely by the Grenvillian and Pan-African orogenies. Out of these, the Grenvillian orogeny has long been regarded to be of minor nature in terms of global-scale orogenic episodes, whereas the Pan-African orogeny has been widely recognized in many continental fragments, although not in major parts of Asia. Based on chronological information in zircons from major river mouths across several important terrains of the globe, we show here that the Grenvillian orogeny contributed significantly to the formation of the continental crust. The time period between 0.6 Ga and 0.8 Ga marked the climax at the dawn of the Pan-African orogeny. Continental crust formed in this period is concentrated in the Pan-African orogenic belts widely across the globe. These regions were widespread over the half hemisphere of the globe, and were subsequently reduced in size after they moved to form Laurasia. The normalized frequency distribution of zircon ages from river-mouth sand over the world clearly demonstrates that Neoproterozoic and (0.9–0.6 Ga) and Grenvillian (1.3–1.0 Ga) peaks define the largest population. This means that extensive subduction, and hence active plate tectonics, might have operated through these periods. The zircon study has also brought to light new regions of the Grenvillian orogenic belts, particularly in the continents which are now covered by thick Phanerozoic sedimentary basins. Based on the new locations of Grenvillian orogens identified in this study, and using the distribution patterns as a marker bed, we propose revised paleogeographic configurations of the Rodinia and Gondwana supercontinents.Our results demonstrate that the Neoproterozoic was the most active period of crust formation in the Earth. The cold basins, formed right after the assembly of Rodinia, exhibit a basin chain fringing the northern periphery of Rodinia, which turned into sites of mantle upwellings and led to the rifting and separation of the supercontinental assembly. The continents then moved northwards after the formation of Gondwana at ca. 540 Ma, and enlarged the northern half of the supercontinent Pangea since 250 Ma.Based on the results, we also evaluate the role of supercontinents in the mechanism of generation of superplumes addressing the enigma that the coldest mantle right above the Core–Mantle Boundary turns to the hottest one over a period of several hundreds of million years. Slab graveyard formed by the Pan-African subduction can be imaged through P-wave tomography. We postulate that the high-velocity anomaly in the D” layer underneath Gondwana has now transformed to the low-V regions to generate the African superplume. The tectonic history of solid Earth in the Phanerozoic seems to be controlled by the slab graveyards formed by the Grenvillian orogeny ca. 1.0 Ga.     

Role of tonalite-trodhjemite-granite (TTG) crust subduction on the mechanism of supercontinent breakup

The tonalite-trondhjemite-granite (TTG) crust has been considered to be buoyant and hence impossible to be subducted into the deep mantle. However, recent studies on the juvenile arc in the western Pacific region indicate that immature island arcs subduct into the deep mantle in most cases, except in the case of parallel arc collision. Moreover, sediment trapped subduction and tectonic erosion are also common. This has important implications in evaluating the role of TTG crust in the deep mantle and probably on the bottom of the mantle. Because the TTG crust is enriched in K, U and Th, ca. 20 times more than that of CI chondrite, the accumulated TTG on the Core Mantle Boundary (CMB) would have played a critical role to initiate plumes or superplumes radiating from the thermal boundary layer, particularly after 2.0 Ga, related to the origin of superplume-supercontinent cycle. This is because selective subduction of oceanic lithosphere including sediment-trapped subduction, tectonic erosion and arc- and microcontinent-subduction proceeded under the supercontinent before the final amalgamation ca. 200-300 million years after the formation of the nuclei. We speculate the mechanism of superplume evolution through the subduction of TTG-crust and propose that this process might have played a dominant role in supercontinent breakup.     

Mantle plumes of Central Asia (Northeast Asia) and their role in forming endogenous deposits

The Phanerozoic within-plate magmatism and the related deposits of Siberia are reviewed. The formation of post-perovskite at about 2.5 Ga in the Earth’s interior and the isotope characteristics of within-plate igneous rocks have shown that plate tectonics and deep geodynamics started to operate at about 2–2.5 Ga. The assembly and breakup of supercontinents under the effect of the superplumes formed in layer D″ is considered. Thus, the supercontinent–superplume cycles spanning about 700 Ma are recognized in the Earth’s history.The manifestations of the within-plate magmatic activity are found throughout the whole Phanerozoic. It was demonstrated earlier that between 570 and 160 Ma, the Siberian continent drifted within the African hot mantle field or large low shear velocity province (LLSVP). At least four plumes, excluding the superplume leading to the breakup of Rodinia at 750 Ma, interacted with the Siberian continent. The superplume leading to the breakup of Rodinia was also responsible for the origin of ultramafic intrusions with carbonatites hosting rare-metal (Nb, Ta, REE) mineralization as well as ultramafic–mafic intrusions with Cu–Ni–Pt mineralization localized along the rift zones.The plumes originated in other Phanerozoic cycles formed most likely at the lower-upper mantle boundary, where most of the stagnant slabs is accumulated. Those plumes were responsible for the origin of within-plate igneous rocks. The granitic batholiths formed in the centers of zonal area surrounded by rift zones containing abundant rare-metal intrusions with rare-metal mineralization. Gold, tin, base metal, and porphyry copper deposits are also related to these zonal area.The studies have shown that the formation of folded zones and related deposits which surround these zones as well as the structures of cratons and their metallogenic specialization should be considered in terms of both plate tectonics and plume tectonics.     

Mantle dynamics of Western Pacific and East Asia: Insight from seismic tomography and mineral physics

Recent results of high-resolution seismic tomography and mineral physics experiments are used to study mantle dynamics of Western Pacific and East Asia. The most important processes in subduction zones are the shallow and deep slab dehydration and the convective circulation (corner flow) processes in the mantle wedge. The combination of the two processes may have caused the back-arc spreading in the Lau basin, affected the morphology of the subducting Philippine Sea slab and its seismicity under southwest Japan, and contributed to the formation of the continental rift system and intraplate volcanism in Northeast Asia, which are clearly visible in our tomographic images. Slow anomalies are also found in the mantle under the subducting Pacific slab, which may represent (a) small mantle plumes, (b) upwellings associated with the slab collapsing down to the lower mantle, or (c) sub-slab dehydration associated with deep earthquakes caused by the reactivation of large faults preserved in the slab. Combining tomographic images and earthquake hypocenters with phase diagrams in the systems of peridotite + water, we proposed a petrologic model for arc volcanism. Arc magmas are caused by the dehydration reactions of hydrated slab peridotite that supply water-rich fluids to the mantle wedge and cause partial melting of the convecting mantle wedge. A large amount of fluids can be released from hydrated MORB at depths shallower than 55 km, which move upwards to hydrate the wedge corner under the fore-arc, and never drag down to the deeper mantle along the slab surface. Slab dehydration reactions at 120 km depth are the antigorite-related 5 reactions which supply water-rich fluids for forming the volcanic front. Phase A and Mg-surssasite breakdown reactions at 200 and 300 km depths below 700 °C cause the second and third arcs, respectively. Moreover, the dehydration reactions of super-hydrous phase B, phases D and E at 500–660 km depths cause the fluid transportation to the mantle boundary layer (MBL) (410–660 km depth). The stagnant slabs extend from Japan to Beijing, China for over 1000 km long, indicating that the arc–trench system covers the entire region from the Japan trench to East Asia. We propose a big mantle wedge (BMW) model herein, where hydrous plumes originating from 410 km depth cause a series of intra-continental hot regions. Fluids derived from MBL accumulated by the double-sided subduction zones, rather than the India–Asia collision and the subsequent indentation into Asia, are the major cause for the active tectonics and mantle dynamics in this broad region.     

Deep slab subduction and dehydration and their geodynamic consequences: Evidence from seismology and mineral physics

We present new pieces of evidence from seismology and mineral physics for the existence of low-velocity zones in the deep part of the upper mantle wedge and the mantle transition zone that are caused by fluids from the deep subduction and deep dehydration of the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs under western Pacific and East Asia. The Pacific slab is subducting beneath the Japan Islands and Japan Sea with intermediate-depth and deep earthquakes down to 600 km depth under the East Asia margin, and the slab becomes stagnant in the mantle transition zone under East China. The western edge of the stagnant Pacific slab is roughly coincident with the NE–SW Daxing'Anling-Taihangshan gravity lineament located west of Beijing, approximately 2000 km away from the Japan Trench. The upper mantle above the stagnant slab under East Asia forms a big mantle wedge (BMW). Corner flow in the BMW and deep slab dehydration may have caused asthenospheric upwelling, lithospheric thinning, continental rift systems, and intraplate volcanism in Northeast Asia. The Philippine Sea slab has subducted down to the mantle transition zone depth under Western Japan and Ryukyu back-arc, though the seismicity within the slab occurs only down to 200–300 km depths. Combining with the corner flow in the mantle wedge, deep dehydration of the subducting Pacific slab has affected the morphology of the subducting Philippine Sea slab and its seismicity under Southwest Japan. Slow anomalies are also found in the mantle under the subducting Pacific slab, which may represent small mantle plumes, or hot upwelling associated with the deep slab subduction. Slab dehydration may also take place after a continental plate subducts into the mantle.     

A speculation on the structure of the D″ layer: The growth of anti-crust at the core–mantle boundary through the subduction history of the Earth

The growth curve of the continental crust shows that large amounts of continental crust formed in the early part of the Earth history are missing. In order to test a hypothesis that the former crust was subducted to the deep mantle, we performed phase assemblage analysis in the systems of mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB), anorthosite, and tonalite–trondhjemite–granite (TTG) down to the core–mantle boundary (CMB) conditions. Results show that all these materials can be subducted to the CMB leading to the development of a compositional layering in the D″ layer. We speculate that there could be five layers of FeO-enriched melt from partial melting of MORB, MORB crust, anorthosite, TTG, and slab or mantle peridotite in ascending order. Although the polymorphic transformation of perovskite to post-perovskite in (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ may explain the seismic discontinuity at the top of the D″ layer (D″ discontinuity), the effects of solid solution on the sharpness of the transformation suggest that the compositional layering is more plausible for the origin of the D″ discontinuity. The D″ layer can be an “anti-crust” made up mostly of TTG + anorthosite derived from the former continental crust. Tectonic style of the anti-crust at the CMB is similar to that at the surface. At both places, chemically distinct layers are density stratified and are also characterized by the processes of accretion, magmatism, and metasomatism.     

The contemporary North Pangea supercontinent and the geodynamic causes of its formation

The supercontinental status of the contemporary aggregation of continents called North Pangea is substantiated. This supercontinent comprises all continents with the probable exception of Antarctica. In addition to the spatial contiguity of continents, the supercontinent is characterized by the prevalence of the continental crust that combines North America and Eurasia, Eurasia and Africa, and Eurasia and Australia. Over the course of the 300–250-Ma evolution from Wegener’s Pangea to contemporary North Pangea, the aggregation of continents has not lost its supercontinental status, despite modification of the supercontinent shape and opening and closure of the newly formed Paleotethys, Tethys, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Over the last 250–300 Ma, all movements of the lithospheric plates have most likely occurred within the Indo-Atlantic segment of the Earth, whereas the Pacific segment has remained oceanic. In short, the formation of the North Pangea supercontinent can be outlined in the following terms. The long and deep subduction of the lithospheric plates beneath Eurasia and North America gave rise to the stabilization of the continents and accumulation of huge bodies of the cold lithosphere commensurable in volume with the upper mantle at the deeper mantle levels. This brought about compensation ascent of hot mantle (mantle plumes) near the convergent plate boundaries and far from them. A special geodynamic setting develops beneath the supercontinent. Due to encircling subduction of the lithospheric plates and related squeezing of the hot mantle, an ascending flow, or plume (superplume) formed beneath the central part of the supercontinent. In our view, the African superplume broke up Wegener’s Pangea in the Atlantic region, caused the opening of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and migrated to the Arctic Region 53 Ma ago.     

Preserved paleo-oceanic plateaus in accretionary complexes: Implications for the contributions of the Pacific superplume to global environmental change

We have reinvestigated the mid-Cretaceous plume pulse in relation to paleo-oceanic plateaus from accretionary prisms in the circum-Pacific region, and we have correlated the Pacific superplume activity with catastrophic environmental changes since the Neoproterozoic. The Paleo-oceanic plateaus are dated at 75–150 Ma; they were generated in the Pacific superplume region and are preserved in accretionary prisms. The volcanic edifice composed of both modern and paleo-oceanic plateaus is up to 10.7 × 10⁶ km² in area and 19.1 × 10⁷ km³ in volume. The degassing rate of CO₂ (0.82 − 1.1 × 10¹⁸ mol/m.y.) suggests a significant impact on Cretaceous global warming. The synchronous occurrence of paleo-oceanic plateaus in accretionary complexes indicates that Pacific superplume pulse activities roughly coincided at the Permo-Triassic boundary and the Vendian–Cambrian boundary interval. The CO₂ expelled by the Pacific superplume probably contributed to environmental catastrophes. The initiation of the Pacific superplume contributed to the snowball Earth event near the Vendian–Cambrian boundary; this was one of the most dramatic events in Earth's history. The scale of the Pacific superplume activity roughly corresponds to the scale of drastic environmental change.     

Supercontinent formation from stochastic collision and mantle convection models

The large-scale tectonics in the last billion years (Ga) are predominated by the assembly and breakup of supercontinents Rodinia and Pangea. The mechanisms controlling the assembly of supercontinents are not clear. Here, we investigate the assembly of a supercontinent with 1) stochastic models of randomly-moving continental blocks and 2) 3-D spherical models of mantle convection with continental blocks. For the stochastic models, we determined the time required for all the blocks to assemble into a single supercontinent on a spherical surface. We found that the assembly time from our stochastic models is significantly longer than inferred for Pangea and Rodinia. However, our study also suggests that the assembly time from stochastic models is sensitive to the rules for randomly assigning continental motion in the models. In our dynamic models of mantle convection, continental blocks are modeled as deformable and compositionally distinct materials from the mantle. We found that mantle convective planform has significant effects on supercontinent assembly. For models with moderately strong lithosphere and the lower mantle relative to the upper mantle that lead to degree-1 mantle convection, continental blocks always assemble to a supercontinent in  250 million years (Ma) and this assembly time is consistent with inferred for Pangea and Rodinia. However, for models with intrinsically small-scale mantle flows, we found that even when continental blocks merge to form a supercontinent, the assembly times are too long and the convective structures outside of supercontinent regions are of too small wavelengths, compared with observed.     

Neoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Hongseong area, southwestern Gyeonggi Massif, South Korea; implication for the tectonic evolution of Northeast Asia

Two types of Neoproterozoic metabasites occur together with regionally intruded arc-related Neoproterozoic granitoids (ca. 850–830 Ma) in the Hongseong area, southwestern Gyeonggi Massif, South Korea, which is the extension of the Dabie–Sulu collision belt in China. The first type of metabasite (the Bibong and Baekdong metabasites) is a MORB-like back-arc basin basalt or gabbro formed at ca. 890–860 Ma. The Bibong and Baekdong metabasites may have formed during back-arc opening by diapiric upwelling of deep asthenospheric mantle which was metasomatized by large ion lithophile element (LILE) enriched melt or fluid derived from the subducted slab and/or subducted sediment beneath the arc axis. The second type of metabasite (the Gwangcheon metabasite) formed in a plume-related intra-continental rift setting at 763.5 ± 18.3 Ma and is geochemically similar to oceanic island basalt (OIB). These data indicate a transition in tectonic setting in the Hongseong area from arc to intra-continental rift between ca. 830 and 760 Ma. This transition is well correlated to the Neoproterozoic transition from arc to intra-continental rift tectonic setting at the margin of the Yangtze Craton and corresponds to the amalgamation and breakup of Rodinia Supercontinent.     

Assembly and Breakup of Rodinia (Some results of IGCP project 440)

The principal results of project 440 “Assembly and Breakup of Rodinia” of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP) are reviewed in this work. A map of that supercontinent compiled using geological and paleomagnetic data describes global paleogeography 900 Ma ago. The assembly of Rodinia, which comprised most of Precambrian continental blocks, lasted ca. 400 m.y. (from 1300 to 900 Ma). Its breakup presumably triggered by mantle superplume took place between 830 and 650 Ma. The correlation between tectonic events in different continental blocks is considered. Some problems concerning the Rodinia reconstruction and history, e.g., the slow growth of juvenile crust and effects of mantle-plume events during the amalgamation period and of glaciations at the breakup time, are discussed. The latter caused changes in the biosphere and climate, whereas postglacial periods stimulated progress in biota evolution.     

Late Cenozoic volcanic province in Central and East Asia

The paper presents materials on the inner structure of the Late Cenozoic within-plate volcanic province in Central and East Asia, in which two subprovinces are distinguished: Central Asian and Far Eastern, which comprise a number of autonomously evolving volcanic areas. Some of the volcanic areas are proved to have evolved for a long time, starting in the Late Mesozoic. In spite of differences in their age and structural setting, the volcanic areas evolved according to similar scenarios in the Late Cenozoic. Magmatism in the province was related to a mantle source of the within-plate type. The magmatic associations are dominated by mafic alkaline high-K rocks. The rocks are geochemically close to basalts of the OIB type, and their isotopic composition corresponds to a combination of mantle sources of the PREMA, EMI, and EMII types at the predominance of PREMA. Geological, geochemical, and isotopic lines of evidence suggest that magmatism in the province was related to mantle plumes. This is consistent with geophysical data, which testify that the volcanic areas are underlain by upwellings of the asthenospheric mantle or plumes. Seismic tomography data indicate that the “stems” of the plumes can be traced down to the upper and lower mantle. The province is thought to have been produced when the eastern margin of the Asian plate overlapped one of the branches of the Pacific superplume at approximately 160 Ma. This branch of the superplume is pronounced in the modern mantle structure as a cluster of mantle plumes that control (according to seismic tomography data) the interaction zone of the Pacific and Asian lithospheric plates.     

The dynamics of big mantle wedge, magma factory, and metamorphic–metasomatic factory in subduction zones

The East Asian continental margin is underlain by stagnant slabs resulting from subduction of the Pacific plate from the east and the Philippine Sea plate from the south. We classify the upper mantle in this region into three major domains: (a) metasomatic–metamorphic factory (MMF), subduction zone magma factory (SZMF), and the ‘big mantle wedge’ (BMW). Whereas the convection pattern is anticlockwise in the MMF domain, it is predominantly clockwise in the SZMF and BMW, along a cross section from the south. Here we define the MMF as a small wedge corner which is driven by the subducting Pacific plate and dominated by H₂O-rich fluids derived by dehydration reactions, and enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) which cause the metasomatism. The SZMF is a zone intermediate between MMF and BMW domains and constitutes the main region of continental crust production by partial melting through wedge counter-corner flow. Large hydrous plume generated at about 200 km depth causes extensive reduction in viscosity and the smaller scale hydrous plumes between 60 km and 200 km also bring about an overall reduction in the viscosity of SZMF. More fertile and high temperature peridotites are supplied from the entrance to this domain. The domain extends obliquely to the volcanic front and then swings back to the deep mantle together with the subducting slab. The BMW occupies the major portion of upper mantle in the western Pacific and convects largely with a clockwise sense removing the eastern trench oceanward. Sporadic formation of hydrous plume at the depth of around 410 km and the curtain flow adjacent to the trench cause back arc spreading. We envisage that the heat source in BMW could be the accumulated TTG (tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite) crust on the bottom of the mantle transition zone. The ongoing process of transportation of granitic crust into the mantle transition zone is evident from the deep subduction of five intra-oceanic arcs on the subducting Philippine Sea plate from the south, in addition to the sediment trapped subduction by the Pacific plate and Philippine Sea plate. The dynamics of MMF, SZMF and BMW domains are controlled by the angle of subduction; a wide zone of MMF in SW Japan is caused by shallow angle subduction of the Philippine Sea plate and the markedly small MMF domain in the Mariana trench is due to the high angle subduction of Pacific plate. The domains in NE Japan and Kyushu region are intermediate between these two. During the Tertiary, a series of marginal basins were formed because of the nearly 2000 km northward shift of the subduction zone along the southern margin of Tethyan Asia, which may be related to the collision of India with Asia and the indentation. The volume of upper mantle under Asia was reduced extensively on the southern margin with a resultant oceanward trench retreat along the eastern margin of Asia, leading to the formation of a series of marginal basins. The western Pacific domain in general is characterized by double-sided subduction; from the east by the oldest Pacific plate and from the south by the oldest Indo-Australian plate. The old plates are hence hydrated extensively even in their central domains and therefore of low temperature. The cracks have allowed the transport of water into the deeper portions of the slab and these domains supply hydrous fluids even to the bottom of the upper mantle. Thus, a fluid dominated upper mantle in the western Pacific drives a number of microplates and promote the plate boundary processes.     

康滇地轴元古代重大地质事件与拉拉IOCG矿床成矿响应

有关IOCG最新研究成果建议,将IOCG矿床限定于资源量大于1 Mt的大型/超大型矿床。对世界上已知的大型/超大型IOCG矿床的成矿背景和成矿作用进行分析对比,发现前寒纪大型/超大型IOCG矿床均位于前寒纪超大陆的边缘、形成于非造山期,与壳幔相互作用有关,与板底垫托、地幔柱等相关的重大地质事件关系密切。通过对康滇地轴元古代地质体岩石/矿物的同位素年龄数据分析研究,同时对拉拉IOCG矿床成矿特征及同位素测龄分析,认为扬子地台西缘康滇地轴存在早元古代早期(2 486～1 884 Ma BP)古陆壳,是Kenorland超大陆的一部分。在中元古代发育了康滇陆缘裂谷(1 725～1 466 Ma BP),与Columbia超大陆非造山期同时。新元古代的晋宁运动使该裂谷产物变质,及形成康定杂岩,成为康滇地轴的上层结晶基底(1 100～721 Ma BP)。其是Rodinia超大陆的拼贴与裂解事件的响应。拉拉矿床具有2期成矿作用。第一期火山喷发成矿期(1 712～1 680 Ma BP),是康滇裂谷事件的产物。第二期变质热液成矿期主成矿阶段(1 000～900Ma BP),是Rodinia超大陆的拼贴作用的响应。康滇地轴元代地层中具有形成IOCG矿床的巨大潜力。     

新元古代“雪球地球”形成与消融及华南板块的记录

新元古代为距今约1 000~540 Ma的地质历史时期,当时地球处于Rodinia超大陆汇聚和裂解期,板块运动和岩浆作用强烈,且伴随全球性气温下降以及大范围的几期冰期作用,形成覆盖整个地球的冰雪,形成雪球地球（Snowball Earth）。就华南板块而言,在新元古代时期存在有几期冰期冰碛物残留,学者们对其的定年工作成果也相当丰富,但对雪球地球的形成和消融因素方面还存在的一定争议,包括形成与消融时间、方式、影响因素等。通过总结前人研究成果,从而提出关于华南板块新元古代“雪球地球”形成与消融因素,即在当时古地理环境下雪球地球的形成与消融是多因素综合性作用的结果,包括地史早期微生物作用、超大陆裂解以及超级地幔柱、甲烷渗漏、冰期岩浆热液作用。从新元古代以来,随着Rodinia超大陆的裂解以及在超级地幔柱作用下,海岸线不断增加,大量微生物以及小壳动物繁殖,呈现峰值增加,CO₂等温室气体含量迅速下降,从而破坏温室平衡。后期由于冰期岩浆热液作用以及海底温室气体CH₄排放,导致温室效应重新加剧,恢复原始地球形貌。     

川西新元古代玄武质岩浆岩的锆石U-Pb年代学、元素和Nd同位素研究:岩石成因与地球动力学意义

扬子块体西缘新元古代岩浆活动非常强烈 ,其成因对研究Rodinia超级大陆的演化有重要意义。目前对这些岩浆岩的成因和形成的构造背景存在地幔柱和岛弧两种截然不同的观点。文中对康定地区的冷碛辉长岩进行了SHRIMP锆石UPb、元素和Nd同位素研究 ,结果表明辉长岩结晶年龄为 (80 8± 12 )Ma ,与康定花岗质杂岩在时空上密切共生。虽然辉长岩浆在上升过程中受到富集岩石圈地幔和 /或基性下地壳物质的混染 ,但其元素和Nd同位素特征总体上与苏雄碱性玄武岩 (典型的板内型玄武岩 )相似 ,形成于板内裂谷环境。与玄武质岩石相反 ,扬子西缘新元古代花岗质岩石地球化学特征没有明确的构造岩石组合关系。目前的研究资料表明扬子块体西北缘在约 95 0～ 90 0Ma期间可能存在一个近东西向的俯冲带和火山弧 ,但在 86 0～ 75 0Ma期间不存在火山弧 ,这个时期的大规模岩浆活动很可能与Rodinia超级大陆下的一个超级地幔柱活动有关。     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology and geochemistry of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks in Northwestern Fujian, Cathaysia block, China: Tectonic implications and the need to redefine lithostratigraphic units

Northwestern Fujian Province is one of the most important Pre-Palaeozoic areas in the Cathaysia Block of South China. Metavolcano-sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks of different types, ages and metamorphic grades (granulite to upper greenschist facies) are present, and previously were divided into several Formations and Groups. Tectonic contacts occur between some units, whereas (deformed) unconformities have been reported between others. New SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages presented here indicate that the original lithostratigraphy and the old “Group” and “Formation” terminology should be abandoned. Thus the “Tianjingping Formation” was not formed in the Archaean or Palaeoproterozoic, as previously considered, but must be younger than its youngest detrital zircons (1790 Ma) but older than regional metamorphism (460 Ma). Besides magmatic zircon ages of 807 Ma obtained from metavolcano-sedimentary rocks of the “Nanshan Formation” and 751–728 Ma for the “Mamianshan Group”, many inherited and detrital zircons with ages ranging from 1.0 to 0.8 Ga were also found in them. These ages indicate that the geological evolution of the study area may be related to the assembly and subsequent break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent. The new zircon results poorly constrain the age of the “Mayuan Group” as Neoproterozoic to early Palaeozoic (728–458 Ma), and not Palaeoproterozoic as previously thought. Many older inherited and detrital zircons with ages of 3.6, 2.8, 2.7, 2.6–2.5, 2.0–1.8 and 1.6 Ga were found in this study. A 3.6 Ga detrital grain is the oldest one so far identified in northwestern Fujian Province as well as throughout the Cathaysia Block. Nd isotope t_DM values of eight volcano-sedimentary and clastic sedimentary rock samples centre on 2.73–1.68 Ga, being much older than the formation ages of their protoliths and thus showing that the recycling of older crust played an important role in their formation. These rocks underwent high grade metamorphism in the early Palaeozoic (458–425 Ma) during an important tectono-thermal event in the Cathaysia Block.     

The Paleoproterozoic North Hebei Orogen: North China craton's collisional suture with the Columbia supercontinent

Understanding the geologic history and position of the North China craton in the Paleoproterozoic Columbia supercontinent has proven elusive. Paleoproterozoic orogenic episodes (2.00–1.85 Ga) are temporally associated with ultimate stabilization of the North China craton (NCC), followed by the development of extensive craton-wide rift systems at 1.85–1.80 Ga. The age difference between the sedimentary cover and the metamorphic basement is up to 500–700 Ma, suggesting that uplift and doming of cratonic basement occurred in the latest Paleoproterozoic. Mafic dike swarms (1.80–1.77 Ga) and anorogenic magmatism (1.80–1.70 Ga) record the extensional breakup and dispersal of the North China craton during this stage. The late Paleoproterozoic tectonic framework and geological events documented provide important constraints for reconstruction of the NCC within the Late Paleoproterozoic supercontinent of Columbia.An east-west striking thousand kilometer long belt of khondalites (granulite facies metapelites) stretches along the northern margin of the North China craton, on the cratonward side of the Northern Hebei orogenic belt. This granulite belt includes Mg–Al (sapphirine bearing) granulites that reached ultrahigh-temperature “peak” metamorphic conditions of  1000 °C at 10 kbars at 1927 ± 11 Ma. Following peak ultrahigh-temperature conditions, the rocks underwent initial isobaric cooling and subsequent isothermal decompression, and these trajectories are interpreted to be part of an overall anti-clockwise P-T evolution indicating that the northern margin of the craton experienced continental collision at 1.93–1.92 Ga. The position of the khondalite belt south of the Northern Hebei orogenic belt makes it analogous to Tibet, a continental collision-related plateau characterized by double crustal thicknesses and granulite facies metamorphism at depth. We suggest that the tectonic evolution of the NCC during this period was closely related to the assembly and break-up of the Columbia supercontinent, and that the NCC was adjacent to the Baltic and Amazonian cratons in the period 2.00–1.70 Ga. Craton-wide extension occurred within 100–150 Ma of collision along the northern margin of the craton at 1.93–1.92 Ga. It is concluded that mantle upwellings are chiefly responsible for the breakup of the NCC from the Paleoproterozoic supercontinent.     

Illawarra Reversal: The fingerprint of a superplume that triggered Pangean breakup and the end-Guadalupian (Permian) mass extinction

The Permian magnetostratigraphic record demonstrates that a remarkable change in geomagnetism occurred in the Late Guadalupian (Middle Permian; ca. 265 Ma) from the long-term stable Kiaman Reverse Superchron (throughout the Late Carboniferous and Early-Middle Permian) to the Permian–Triassic Mixed Superchron with frequent polarity changes (in the Late Permian and Triassic). This unique episode called the Illawarra Reversal probably reflects a significant change in the geodynamo in the outer core of the planet after a 50 million years of stable geomagnetism. The Illawarra Reversal was likely led by the appearance of a thermal instability at the 2900 km-deep core–mantle boundary in connection with mantle superplume activity. The Illawarra Reversal and the Guadalupian–Lopingian boundary event record the significant transition processes from the Paleozoic to Mesozoic–Modern world. One of the major global environmental changes in the Phanerozoic occurred almost simultaneously in the latest Guadalupian, as recorded in 1) mass extinction, 2) ocean redox change, 3) sharp isotopic excursions (C and Sr), 4) sea-level drop, and 5) plume-related volcanism. In addition to the claimed possible links between the above-listed environmental changes and mantle superplume activity, I propose here an extra explanation that a change in the core's geodynamo may have played an important role in determining the course of the Earth's surface climate and biotic extinction/evolution. When a superplume is launched from the core–mantle boundary, the resultant thermal instability makes the geodynamo's dipole of the outer core unstable, and lowers the geomagnetic intensity. Being modulated by the geo- and heliomagnetism, the galactic cosmic ray flux into the Earth's atmosphere changes with time. The more cosmic rays penetrate through the atmosphere, the more clouds develop to increase the albedo, thus enhancing cooling of the Earth's surface. The Illawarra Reversal, the Kamura cooling event, and other unique geologic phenomena in the Late Guadalupian are all concordantly explained as consequences of the superplume activity that initially triggered the breakup of Pangea. The secular change in cosmic radiation may explain not only the extinction-related global climatic changes in the end-Guadalupian but also the long-term global warming/cooling trend in Earth's history in terms of cloud coverage over the planet.