Flood basalts and metallogeny: The lithospheric mantle connection

Continental flood basalts, derived from mantle plumes that rise from the convecting mantle and possibly as deep as the core–mantle boundary, are major hosts for world-class Ni–Cu–PGE ore deposits. Each plume may have a complex history and heterogeneous composition. Therefore, some plumes may be predisposed to be favourable for large-scale Ni–PGE mineralisation (“fertile”).Geochemical data from 10 large igneous provinces (LIPs) have been collected from the literature to search for chemical signatures favourable for Ni–PGE mineralisation. The provinces include Deccan, Kerguelen, Ontong Java, Paraná, Ferrar, Karoo, Emeishan, Siberia, Midcontinent and Bushveld. Among these LIPs, Bushveld, Siberia, Midcontinent, Emei Mt and Karoo are “fertile”, hosting magmatic ore deposits or mineralisation of various type, size and grade. They most commonly intruded through, or on the edges of, Archaean–Paleoproterozoic cratonic blocks. In contrast, the “barren” LIPs have erupted through both continental and oceanic crustal terranes of various ages.Radiogenic isotopic signatures indicate that almost all parental LIP magmas are generated from deep-seated mantle plumes, and not from the more widespread depleted asthenospheric mantle source: this confirms generally accepted plume models. However, several important geochemical signatures of LIPs have been identified in this study that can discriminate between those that are “fertile” or “barren” in terms of their Ni–PGE potential.The fertile LIPs generally contain a relatively high proportion of primitive melts that are high in MgO and Ni, low in Al₂O₃ and Na₂O, and are highly enriched in most of the strongly incompatible elements such as K, P, Ba, Sr, Pb, Th, Nb, and LREE. They have relatively high Os contents (≥ 0.03 to 10 ppb) and low Re/Os (< 10). The fertile LIP basalts display trends of Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic variation intermediate between the depleted plume and an EM1-type mantle composition (and thus could represent a mixing of these two source types), and have elevated Ba/Th, Ba/Nb and K/Ti ratios. These elemental and isotopic signatures suggest that interaction between plume-related magmas and ancient cratonic lithospheric mantle with pre-existing Ni- and PGE-rich sulfide phases may have contributed significantly to the PGE and Ni budget of the fertile flood basalts and eventually to the mineralisation. This observation is consistent with the location of fertile LIPs adjacent to deep old lithospheric roots (as inferred from tectonic environment and also seen in global tomographic images) and has predictive implications for exploration models.Barren LIPs contain fewer high-MgO lavas. The barren LIP lavas in general have low Os contents (mostly ≤ 0.02 ppb) with high Re/Os (10–≥ 200). They show isotopic variations between plume and EM2 geochemical signatures and have high Rb/Ba ratios. These signatures may indicate involvement of deep recycled material in the mantle sources or crustal contamination for barren LIPs, but low degrees of interaction with old lithospheric-type roots.     

Frontiers in large igneous province research

Earth history is punctuated by events during which large volumes of mafic magmas were generated and emplaced by processes distinct from “normal” seafloor spreading and subduction-related magmatism. Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) of Mesozoic and Cenozoic age are the best preserved, and comprise continental flood basalts, volcanic rifted margins, oceanic plateaus, ocean basin flood basalts, submarine ridges, ocean islands and seamount chains. Paleozoic and Proterozoic LIPs are typically more deeply eroded and are recognized by their exposed plumbing system of giant dyke swarms, sill provinces and layered intrusions. The most promising Archean LIP candidates (apart from the Fortescue and Ventersdorp platformal flood basalts) are those greenstone belts containing tholeiites with minor komatiites. Some LIPs have a substantial component of felsic rocks. Many LIPs can be linked to regional-scale uplift, continental rifting and breakup, climatic shifts that may result in extinction events, and Ni–Cu–PGE (platinum group element) ore deposits.

Some current frontiers in LIP research include:

(1) Testing various mantle plume and alternative hypotheses for the origin for LIPs.

(2) Characterizing individual LIPs in terms of (a) original volume and areal extent of their combined extrusive and intrusive components, (b) melt production rates, (c) plumbing system geometry, (d) nature of the mantle source region, and (e) links with ore deposits.

(3) Determining the distribution of LIPs in time (from Archean to Present) and in space (after continental reconstruction). This will allow assessment of proposed links between LIPs and supercontinent breakup, juvenile crust production, climatic excursions, and mass extinctions. It will also allow an evaluation of periodicity in the LIP record, the identification of clusters of LIPs, and postulated links with the reversal frequency of the Earth's magnetic field.

(4) Comparing the characteristics, origin and distribution of LIPs on Earth with planets lacking plate tectonics, such as Venus and Mars. Interplanetary comparison may also provide a better understanding of convective processes in the mantles of the inner planets.

In order to achieve rapid progress in these frontier areas, a global campaign is proposed, which would focus on high-precision geochronology, integrated with paleomagnetism and geochemistry. Most fundamentally, such a campaign could help hasten the determination of continental configurations in the Precambrian back to 2.5 Ga or greater. Such reconstructions are vital for the proper assessment of the LIP record, as well as providing first-order information related to all geodynamic processes.     

Influence of supercontinents on deep mantle flow

The assembly of supercontinents should impact mantle flow fields significantly, affecting the distribution of subduction, upwelling plumes, lower mantle chemical heterogeneities, and thus plausibly contributing to voluminous volcanism that is often associated with their breakup. Alternative explanations for this volcanism include insulation by the continent and thus elevated subcontinental mantle temperatures. Here we model the thermal and dynamic impact of supercontinents on Earth-like mobile-lid convecting systems. We confirm that insulating supercontinents (over 3000 km extent) can impact mantle temperatures, but show the scale of temperature anomaly is significantly less for systems with strongly temperature-dependent viscosities and mobile continents. Additionally, for continents over 8000 km, mantle temperatures are modulated by the development of small-scale convecting systems under the continent, which arise due to inefficient lateral convection of heat at these scales. We demonstrate a statistically robust association between rising plumes supercontinental interiors for a variety of continental configurations, driven largely by the tendency of subducting slabs to lock onto continental margins. The distribution of slabs also affects the spatial positioning of deep mantle thermochemical anomalies, which demonstrate stable configurations in either the sub-supercontinent or intraoceanic domains. We find externally forced rifting scenarios unable to generate significant melt rates, and thus the ultimate cause of supercontinent breakup related volcanism is probably related to dynamic continental rifting in response to mantle reconfiguration events.     

大火成岩省及地幔动力学

大火成岩省由一个体积巨大的、连续的、以富镁铁岩石占优势的喷出岩及其伴生的侵入岩组成，是一个全球现象。它包括大陆溢流玄武岩和伴生的侵入岩，火山被动边缘玄武岩，大洋高原、海岭、海山群和洋盆溢流玄武岩。Ontong Java和Kerguelen-Broken Ridge大洋高原、北大西洋火山被动边缘、德干和哥伦比亚河大陆溢流玄武岩是3个主要大火成岩省的典型代表。各种不同的大火成岩省在时空分布及组成上都具有相似性，它们具有非常大的体积、高的喷发速率，岩石类型以拉斑玄武岩为主。大火成岩省代表了地球上已知的最大的火山岩浆活动，记录了物质和能量从地球内部向外的大量转换。大火成岩省难以用板块构造来解释，可用热柱模式来解释，通常被认为是与来自下地幔的热柱“头”有关。大火成岩省是地球动力学过程在地壳的表现，因此大火成岩省参数可作为边界条件去反演地幔动力学过程。     

Origin of the LLSVPs at the base of the mantle is a consequence of plate tectonics——A petrological and geochemical perspective

In studying the petrogenesis of intra-plate ocean island basalts(OIB) associated with hotspots or mantle plumes, we hypothesized that the two large-low-shear-wave-velocity provinces(LLSVPs) at the base of the mantle beneath the Pacific(Jason) and Africa(Tuzo) are piles of subducted ocean crust(SOC)accumulated over Earth's history. This hypothesis was formulated using petrology, geochemistry and mineral physics in the context of plate tectonics and mantle circulation. Because the current debate on the origin of the LLSVPs is limited to the geophysical community and modelling discipline and because it is apparent that such debate cannot be resolved without considering relevant petrological and geochemical information, it is my motivation here to objectively discuss such information in a readily accessible manner with new perspectives in light of most recent discoveries. The hypothesis has the following elements:(1) subduction of the ocean crust of basaltic composition to the lower mantle is irreversible because(2) SOC is denser than the ambience of peridotitic composition under lower mantle conditions in both solid state and liquid form;(3) this understanding differs from the widespread view that OIB come from ancient SOC that returns from the lower mantle by mantle plumes, but is fully consistent with the understanding that OIB is not derived from SOC because SOC is chemically and isotopically too depleted to meet the requirement for any known OIB suite on Earth;(4) SOC is thus the best candidate for the LLSVPs, which are, in turn, the permanent graveyard of SOC;(5) the LLSVPs act as thermal insulators, making core-heating induced mantle diapirs or plumes initiated at their edges, which explains why the large igneous provinces(LIPs) are associated with the edges of the LLSVPs;(6) the antipodal positioning of Jason and Tuzo represents the optimal momentum of inertia, which explains why the LLSVPs are stable in the spinning Earth.     

Telecommunication interactions between microplates and basal mantle LLSVPs.SCIEI北大核心CSCD

基于海洋地质地球物理观测建立的板块构造理论意味着板块和浅部地幔共同演化,然而地幔底部尤其是大型横波低速异常区(LLSVP)与板块(尤其微板块)运动和演化之间是否存在关联仍有争议。一些研究认为LLSVP长期保持稳定,而另一些模型则认为它与各级板块存在相互作用。为此,本文通过总结前人成果,并基于近期发表的板块重建和地幔对流模型进行进一步分析,探讨微板块运动和LLSVP的演化关系。模拟结果表明,微板块与大板块类似,俯冲后通常会下沉至核幔边界。微幔块会推动地幔底部热的物质聚集并形成大的热化学结构。该热化学结构与层析成像揭示的LLSVP基本吻合。下地幔径向流速场和温度场的二阶结构与地表速度场散度的二阶结构随时间的移动轨迹相似,表明深浅部圈层的耦合演化,但是下地幔结构演化一般会滞后于浅表。在微幔块推挤之下,地幔柱优先沿着地幔底部热化学结构的边缘形成,且有时会被推至热化学结构的内部。地幔柱上升至浅部后,能够导致岩石圈弱化甚至裂解或板块边界跃迁,形成微板块。因此,地幔底部LLSVP不是稳定或静止的,而是与微板块动态协同演化,并通过地幔柱与浅表板块边界发生遥相关,从而控制微板块生成场所。     

Supercontinental cyclicity in the Earth’s evolution

The Earth’s evolution is determined by supercontinental cyclicity with a period of 400 Ma. A supercycle consists of a supercontinental proper and an inter-supercontinental stage, each of which includes two phases, respectively: integration-destruction and fragmentation-convergence. The worldwide analysis of geologic-historic and isotope-geochronologic data supports the existence of such cyclicity. In all, ten supercontinental cycles of supercontinents have been identified; in this case, the most ancient proto-supercontinent was recognized tentatively, Supercontinents identified previously by other researchers fit into this cyclicity. An association between magmatism from mantle plumes and certain phases of supercontinental cyclicity was revealed. Amalgamation and breakup of supercontinents occurred against the background of disymmetry of the Northern and Southern hemispheres of the Earth, which changed its polarity between the cycles.     

Granulite Gneiss Belts: The Geodynamic Aspect

The features of the structure and tectonic evolution of granulite gneiss belts (GGBs) are analyzed and summarized from the present-day data. Their continent–continent collision tectonic origin is supported, as well as multicycle and an inherited style of evolution expressed in multiple manifestations of granulite facies metamorphism of the belt separated by few 100 Ma. GGBs are permanently mobile structures that exhibit endogenic activity during all stages of their evolution, including intraplate conditions. Their relationship with supercontinental cyclicity is evident from (i) the spatial location of most GGBs in the margins of young oceans that originated during the breakup of Pangea, (ii) the amalgamation and breakup of ancient supercontinents along the GGBs, and (iii) the correlation between various types of granulite metamorphism of these belts and stages of supercontinental cycle. The evolution of these belts leads to complex interaction of plate and mantle plume tectonics, which is expressed in combination of continent–continent collision and underplating. The possible use of GGBs in paleotectonic analysis along with other indicators of geodynamic settings is shown.     

Magmatic systems of large continental igneous provinces

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) formed by mantle superplume events have irreversibly changed their composition in the geological evolution of the Earth from high-Mg melts (during Archean and early Paleoproterozoic) to Phanerozoic-type geochemically enriched Fe-Ti basalts and picrites at 2.3 Ga. We propose that this upheaval could be related to the change in the source and nature of the mantle superplumes of different generations. The first generation plumes were derived from the depleted mantle, whereas the second generation (thermochemical) originated from the core-mantle boundary (CMB). This study mainly focuses on the second (Phanerozoic) type of LIPs, as exemplified by the mid-Paleoproterozoic Jatulian–Ludicovian LIP in the Fennoscandian Shield, the Permian–Triassic Siberian LIP, and the late Cenozoic flood basalts of Syria. The latter LIP contains mantle xenoliths represented by green and black series. These xenoliths are fragments of cooled upper margins of the mantle plume heads, above zones of adiabatic melting, and provide information about composition of the plume material and processes in the plume head. Based on the previous studies on the composition of the mantle xenoliths in within-plate basalts around the world, it is inferred that the heads of the mantle (thermochemical) plumes are made up of moderately depleted spinel peridotites (mainly lherzolites) and geochemically-enriched intergranular fluid/melt. Further, it is presumed that the plume heads intrude the mafic lower crust and reach up to the bottom of the upper crust at depths ～20 km. The generation of two major types of mantle-derived magmas (alkali and tholeiitic basalts) was previously attributed to the processes related to different PT-parameters in the adiabatic melting zone whereas this study relates to the fluid regime in the plume heads. It is also suggested that a newly-formed melt can occur on different sides of a critical plane of silica undersaturation and can acquire either alkalic or tholeiitic composition depending on the concentration and composition of the fluids. The presence of melt-pockets in the peridotite matrix indicates fluid migration to the rocks of cooled upper margin of the plume head from the lower portion. This process causes secondary melting in this zone and the generation of melts of the black series and differentiated trachytic magmas.     

Continental crustal growth and the supercontinental cycle: evidence from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Studies of supercontinental cycle are mainly concentrated on the assembly, breakup and dispersal of supercontinents, and studies of continental crustal growth largely on the growth and loss (recycling) of the crust. These two problems have long been studied separately from each other. The Paleozoic–Mesozoic granites in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt have commonly positive Nd values, implying large-scale continental crustal growth in the Phanerozoic. They coincided temporally and spatially with the Phanerozoic Pangea supercontinental cycle, and overlapped in space with the P-wave high-V anomalies and calculated positions of subducted slabs for the last 180 Ma, all this suggests that the Phanerozoic Laurasia supercontinental assembly was accompanied by large-scale continental crustal growth in central Asia. Based on these observations, this paper proposes that there may be close and original correlations between a supercontinental cycle, continental crustal growth and catastrophic slab avalanches in the mantle. In this model we suggest that rapid continental crustal growth occurred during supercontinent assembly, whereas during supercontinental breakup and dispersal new additions of the crust were balanced by losses, resulting in a steady state system. Supercontinental cycle and continental crustal growth are both governed by changing patterns of mantle convection.     

Upstairs-downstairs: supercontinents and large igneous provinces,are they related?

There is a correlation of global large igneous province (LIP) events with zircon age peaks at 2700, 2500, 2100, 1900, 1750, 1100, and 600 and also probably at 3450, 3000, 2000, and 300 Ma. Power spectral analyses of LIP event distributions suggest important periodicities at 250, 150, 100, 50, and 25 million years with weaker periodicities at 70–80, 45, and 18–20 Ma. The 25 million year periodicity is important only in the last 300 million years. Some LIP events are associated with granite-forming (zircon-producing) events and others are not, and LIP events at 1900 and 600 Ma correlate with peaks in craton collision frequency. LIP age peaks are associated with supercontinent rifting or breakup, but not dispersal, at 2450–2400, 2200, 1380, 1280, 800–750, and ≤200 Ma, and with supercontinent assembly at 1750 and 600 Ma. LIP peaks at 2700 and 2500 Ma and the valley between these peaks span the time of Neoarchaean supercraton assemblies. These observations are consistent with plume generation in the deep mantle operating independently of the supercontinent cycle and being controlled by lower-mantle and core-mantle boundary thermochemical dynamics. Two processes whereby plumes can impact continental assembly and breakup are (1) plumes may rise beneath supercontinents and initiate supercontinent breakup, and (2) plume ascent may increase the frequency of craton collisions and the rate of crustal growth by accelerating subduction.     

Global warming of the mantle beneath continents back to the Archaean

Throughout its history, the Earth has experienced global magmatic events that correlate with the formation of supercontinents. This suggests that the distribution of continents at the Earth's surface is fundamental in regulating mantle temperature. Nevertheless, most large igneous provinces (LIPs) are explained in terms of the interaction of a hot plume with the lithosphere, even though some do not show evidence for such a mechanism. The aggregation of continents impacts on the temperature and flow of the underlying mantle through thermal insulation and enlargement of the convection wavelength. Both processes tend to increase the temperature below the continental lithosphere, eventually triggering melting events without the involvement of hot plumes. This model, called mantle global warming, has been tested using 3D numerical simulations of mantle convection [Coltice, N., Phillips, B.R., Bertrand, H., Ricard, Y., Rey, P. (2007) Global warming of the mantle at the origin of flood basalts over supercontinents. Geology 35, 391–394.]. Here, we apply this model to several continental flood basalts (CFBs) ranging in age from the Mesozoic to the Archaean. Our numerical simulations show that the mantle global warming model could account for the peculiarities of magmatic provinces that developed during the formation of Pangea and Rodinia, as well as putative Archaean supercontinents such as Kenorland and Zimvaalbara.     

Plume interaction and mantle heterogeneity:A geochemical perspective

Mantle plumes originating from the Core-Mantle Boundary(CMB) or the Mantle Transition Zone(MTZ) play an important role in material transfer through Earth's interior.The hotspot-related plumes originate through different mechanisms and have diverse processes of material transfer.Both the Morganian plumes and large low shear wave velocity provinces(LLSVPs) are derived from the D " layer in the CMB,whereas the Andersonian plumes originate from the upper mantle.All plumes have a plume head at the Moho,although the LLSVPs have an additional plume head at the MTZ.We compare the geochemical characteristics of various plumes in an attempt to evaluate the material exchange between the plumes and mantle layers.The D" layer,the LLSVPs and the Morganian plumes are consisted of subducted slab and post-perovskite from the lower mantle.Bridgmanite would crystallize during the upwelling process of the LLSVPs and the Morganian plumes in the lower mantle,and the residual is a basalt-trachyte suite.Unlike the Morganian plumes,the crystallization in the LLSVPs is insufficient that material accumulates beneath the MTZ to form a plume head.Typically,the secondary plumes above the plume head occur at the edge of the LLSVPs because it is easier for bridgmanite crystal separating from the plume head at the edge,and the residual material with low density upwells to form the secondary plumes.Meanwhile,Na and K are enriched during the long-term crystallization process,and then the basalt-phonolite suite appears in the LLSVPs.The geochemical characteristics of Andersonian plumes suggest that the basalt-rhyolite suite is the major component in the upper mantle.Meanwhile the basalt-rhyolite suite also appears in the LLSVPs and the Morganian plumes because of the assimilation and contamination in the plume head beneath the Mono.     

Modern volcanism in the Earth’s northern hemisphere and its relations with the evolution of the North Pangaea modern supercontinent and with the spatial distribution of hotspots on the Earth: The hypothesis of relations between mantle plumes and deep subduction

The paper reports results of the analysis of the spatial distribution of modern (younger than 2 Ma) volcanism in the Earth’s northern hemisphere and relations between this volcanism and the evolution of the North Pangaea modern supercontinent and with the spatial distribution of hotspots of the Earth’s mantle. Products of modern volcanism occur in the Earth’s northern hemisphere in Eurasia, North America, Greenland, in the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic, Africa, and the Pacific Ocean. As anywhere worldwide, volcanism in the northern hemisphere of the Earth occurs as (a) volcanism of mid-oceanic ridges (MOR), (b) subduction-related volcanism in island arcs and active continental margins (IA and ACM), (c) volcanism in continental collision (CC) zones, and (d) within-plate (WP) volcanism, which is related to mantle hotspots, continental rifts, and intercontinental belts. These types of volcanic areas are fairly often neighboring, and then mixed volcanic areas occur with the persistent participation of WP volcanism. Correspondingly, modern volcanism in the Earth’s northern hemisphere is of both oceanic and continental nature. The latter is obviously related to the evolution of the North Pangaea modern supercontinent, because it results from the Meso-Cenozoic evolution of Wegener’s Late Paleozoic Pangaea. North Pangaea in the Cenozoic comprises Eurasia, North and South America, India, and Africa and has, similar to other supercontinents, large sizes and a predominantly continental crust. The geodynamic setting and modern volcanism of North Pangaea are controlled by two differently acting processes: the subduction of lithospheric slabs from the Pacific Ocean, India, and the Arabia, a process leading to the consolidation of North Pangaea, and the spreading of oceanic plates on the side of the Atlantic Ocean, a process that “wedges” the supercontinent, modifies its morphology (compared to that of Wegener’s Pangaea), and results in the intervention of the Atlantic geodynamic regime into the Arctic. The long-lasting (for >200 Ma) preservation of tectonic stability and the supercontinental status of North Pangaea are controlled by subduction processes along its boundaries according to the predominant global compression environment. The long-lasting and stable subduction of lithospheric slabs beneath Eurasia and North America not only facilitated active IA + ACM volcanism but also resulted in the accumulation of cold lithospheric material in the deep mantle of the region. The latter replaced the hot mantle and forced this material toward the margins of the supercontinent; this material then ascended in the form of mantle plumes (which served as sources of WP basite magmas), which are diverging branches of global mantle convection, and ascending flows of subordinate convective systems at the convergent boundaries of plates. Subduction processes (compressional environments) likely suppressed the activity of mantle plumes, which acted in the northern polar region of the Earth (including the Siberian trap magmatism) starting at the latest Triassic until nowadays and periodically ascended to the Earth’s surface and gave rise to WP volcanism. Starting at the breakup time of Wegener’s Pangaea, which began with the opening of the central Atlantic and systematically propagated toward the Arctic, marine basins were formed in the place of the Arctic Ocean. However, the development of the oceanic crust (Eurasian basin) took place in the latter as late as the Cenozoic. Before the appearance of the Gakkel Ridge and, perhaps, also the oceanic portion of the Amerasian basin, this young ocean is thought to have been a typical basin developing in the central part of supercontinents. Wegener’s Pangaea broke up under the effect of mantle plumes that developed during their systematic propagation to the north and south of the Central Atlantic toward the North Pole. These mantle plumes were formed in relation with the development of global and local mantle convection systems, when hot deep mantle material was forced upward by cold subducted slabs, which descended down to the core-mantle boundary. The plume (WP) magmatism of Eurasia and North America was associated with surface collision- or subduction-related magmatism and, in the Atlantic and Arctic, also with surface spreading-related magmatism (tholeiite basalts).     

Were the Deccan Flood Basalts Derived in Part from Ancient Oceanic Crust Within the Indian Continental Lithosphere?

Deep mantle plumes supposedly incorporate deeply subducted eclogitized oceanic crust, and continental flood basalts (CFBs) are now thought by some to be derived from such eclogite-bearing peridotite plumes. Eclogite-peridotite mixtures have much lower solidi (and produce much greater melt fractions for a given temperature) than peridotite. Fe-rich (eclogite- or pyroxenite-bearing) sources have been inferred for many CFBs. However, plumes with considerable amounts of eclogite should have difficulty in upwelling owing to the high density of eclogite. Besides, CFBs are always located along pre-existing lithospheric structures (suture zones, edges of thick cratons) and commonly associated with lithospheric rifting and continental breakup. India's major late Mesozoic CFB, the Deccan Traps, erupted through rift zones and a new continental margin that had developed along ancient suture zones traversing the subcontinent. Many Deccan basalts are too Fe-rich to have been in equilibrium with a peridotite mantle source, and have commonly been considered to be significantly fractionated derivatives of picritic liquids. However, it is possible to view them as relatively less evolved liquids derived from a source with extra fertility (i.e., an Fe-rich source). A new non-plume, plate tectonic model for Icelandic hotspot volcanism involves melting of a shallowly recycled slab of eclogitized Iapetus oceanic crust formerly trapped along the Caledonian suture. The model explains the geochemical-petrological characteristics of Icelandic basalts, and is consistent with passive upper mantle upwelling under Iceland inferred from recent seismic tomography. Based on the petrological and geochemical features of the Deccan flood basalts of the type section, in the Western Ghats, I propose that old, eclogitized oceanic crust trapped in the ancient Indian suture zones could have produced voluminous basaltic melts during the Deccan event.     

Phanerozoic within-plate magmatism of North Asia: Absolute paleogeographic reconstructions of the African large low-shear-velocity province

The phanerozoic within-plate magmatism of Siberia is reviewed. The large igneous provinces (LIPs) consecutively arising in the Siberian Craton are outlined: the Altai-Sayan LIP, which operated most actively 400–375 Ma ago, the Vilyui LIP, which was formed from the Middle Devonian to the Early Carboniferous, included; the Barguzin-Vitim LIP (305–275 Ma); the Late Paleozoic Rift System of Central Asia (318–250 Ma); the Siberian flood basalt (trap) province and the West Siberian rift system (250–247 Ma); and the East Mongolian-West Transbaikal LIP (230–195 Ma), as well as a number of Late-Mesozoic and Cenozoic rift zones and autonomous volcanic fields formed over the last 160 Ma. The trace-element and isotopic characteristics of the igneous rocks of the above provinces are reviewed; their mantle origin is substantiated and the prevalence of PREMA, EM2, and EM1 mantle magma sources are shown. The paleogeographic reconstructions based on paleomagnetic data assume that the Iceland hot spot was situated beneath the Siberian flood basalts 250 Ma ago and that the mantle plumes retained a relatively stable position irrespective of the movements of the lithospheric plates. At present, the Iceland hot spot occurs near the northern boundary of the African large low shear velocity province (LLSVP). It is suggested that the within-plate Phanerozoic magmatism of Siberia was related to the drift of the continent above the hot spots of the African LLSVP.     

Neoproterozoic Mafic Dykes and Basalts in the Southern Margin of Tarim, Northwest China: Age, Geochemistry and Geodynamic Implications

<正>Neoproterozoic rifting-related mafic igneous rocks are widely distributed both in the northern and southern margins of the Tarim Block,NW China.Here we report the geochronology and systematic whole-rock geochemistry of the Neoproterozoic mafic dykes and basalts along the southern margin of Tarim.Our zircon U-Pb age,in combination with stratigraphic constraint on their emplacement ages,indicates that the mafic dykes were crystallized at ca.802 Ma,and the basalt, possibly coeval with the ca.740 Ma volcanic rocks in Quruqtagh in the northern margin of Tarim. Elemental and Nd isotope geochemistry of the mafic dykes and basalts suggest that their primitive magma was derived from asthenospheric mantle(OIB-like) and lithospheric mantle respectively,with variable assimilation of crustal materials.Integrating the data supplied in the present study and that reported previously in the northern margin of Tarim,we recognize two types of mantle sources of the Neoproterozoic mafic igneous rocks in Tarim,namely the matasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle(SCLM) in the northern margin and the long-term enriched lithospheric mantle and asthenospheric mantle in the southern margin.A comprehensive synthesis of the Neoproterozoic igneous rocks throughout the Tarim Block led to the recognition of two major episodes of Neoproterozoic igneous activities at ca.820-800 Ma and ca.780-740 Ma,respectively.These two episodes of igneous activities were concurrent with those in many other Rodinian continents and were most likely related to mantle plume activities during the break-up of the Rodinia.     

大火成岩省研新进展

大火成岩省的含义是指连续的、体积庞大的火成岩(包括镁铁质和长英质火成岩)所构成的巨型岩浆岩建造。镁铁质大火成岩省可分为:大陆溢流玄武岩、火山被动陆缘、大洋高原玄武岩、大岩墙群和大层状侵入体。镁铁质大火成岩省是地幔柱岩浆活动的直接产物,一般与聚敛板块边界无关。长英质大火成岩省主要由酸性、中酸性熔结凝灰岩及与之有成因联系的花岗岩构成,与岩石圈伸展构造和玄武岩浆底侵作用有不可分割的联系。今后研究方向包括大火成岩省的形成与地幔动力学的联系以及它与大陆增生、大陆裂解和生物绝灭的关系。此外还包括大火成岩省与成矿作用研究     

Gondwana from top to base in space and time

Gondwana is reviewed from the unification of its several cratons in the Late Neoproterozoic, through its combination with Laurussia in the Carboniferous to form Pangea and up to its progressive fragmentation in the Mesozoic. For much of that time it was the largest continental unit on Earth, covering almost 100 million km², and its remnants constitute 64% of all land areas today. New palaeogeographical reconstructions are presented, ranging from the Early Cambrian (540 Ma) through to just before the final Pangea breakup at 200 Ma, which show the distributions of land, shallow and deep shelves, oceans, reefs and other features at nine selected Palaeozoic intervals. The South Pole was within Gondwana and the Gondwanan sector of Pangea for nearly all of the Palaeozoic, and thus the deposition of significant glaciogenic rocks in the brief Late Ordovician (Hirnantian) and the much longer Permo-Carboniferous ice ages help in determining where their ice caps lay, and plotting the evaporites in the superterrane area indicates the positions of the subtropics through time. Reefs are also plotted and selected faunal provinces shown, particularly at times such as the Early Devonian (Emsian), when high climatic gradients are reflected in the provincialisation of shallow-marine benthic faunas, such as brachiopods.In Late Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic times, Gondwana (with Africa at its core) lay over the African large low shear-wave velocity province (LLSVP), one of two major thermochemical piles covering ca. 10% of the core–mantle boundary. The edges of the LLSVPs (Africa and its Pacific antipode) are the plume generation zones (PGZs) and the source regions of kimberlite intrusions and large igneous provinces (LIPs). Our palaeomagnetic reconstructions constrain the configuration of Gondwana and adjacent continents relative to the spin axis, but in order to relate deep mantle processes to surface processes in a palaeomagnetic reference frame, we have also rotated the PGZs to account for true polar wander. In this way, we visualize how the surface distribution of LIPs and kimberlites relate to Gondwana's passage over the PGZs. There are only two LIPs in the Palaeozoic (510 and 289 Ma) that directly affected Gondwanan continental crust, and kimberlites are rare (83 in total). This is because Gondwana was mostly located between the two LLSVPs. The majority of Palaeozoic kimberlites are Cambrian in age and most were derived from the African PGZ. Sixty-six Early Mesozoic kimberlites are also linked to the African LLSVP. All known LIPs (Kalkarindji, Panjal Traps, Central Atlantic Magmatic Province and Karoo) from 510 to 183 Ma (the lifetime of Gondwana) were derived from plumes associated with the African LLSVP, and three of them probably assisted the breakup of Gondwana and Pangea.     

华北克拉通对前寒武纪超大陆旋回的基本制约

全球大陆克拉通在前寒武纪至少记录了3次超大陆聚合－裂解的构造旋回。不同大陆前寒武纪地质的研究证明，板块的构造模式可以前推至新太古代。超大陆的聚合表现为大规模造山带的穿时性发育，而裂解则表现为大陆裂谷系、非造山花岗岩及巨型基性岩浆岩省的同期快速发育。广泛的区域地质研究揭示华北克拉通前寒武纪地质构造演化具有明显的阶段性差异特征，克拉通主体形成于新太古代陆壳增生与碰撞造山过程。华北克拉通在太古宙末期首次经历强烈的裂解作用，在古元古代晚期涉及强烈的陆缘再造作用。在古元古代末期发生第二次大规模的裂解活动，随后以中元古代末期的造山带拼合为Rodinia超大陆的组成部分。详细的区域构造对比证明，华北克拉通长期以来与波罗的地质、东南极克拉通、印度南部克拉通、巴西克拉通等具有构造亲缘关系。