Petrology of mafic lavas within the Onega plateau, central Karelia: evidence for 2.0 Ga plume-related continental crustal growth in the Baltic Shield

The Onega plateau constitutes part of a vast continental flood basalt province in the SE Baltic Shield. It consists of Jatulian-Ludikovian submarine volcanic, volcaniclastic and sedimentary sequences attaining in places 4.5?km in thickness. The parental magmas of the lavas contained ～10% MgO and were derived from melts generated in the garnet stability field at depths 80–100?km. The Sm-Nd mineral and Pb-Pb whole-rock isochron ages of 1975?±?24 and 1980?±?57 Ma for the upper part of the plateau and a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of 1976?±?9 Ma for its lower part imply the formation of the entire sequence within a short time span. These ages coincide with those of picrites in the Pechenga-Imandra belt (the Kola Peninsula) and komatiites and basalts in the Karasjok-Kittilä belt (Norway and Finnmark). Together with lithostratigraphic, chemical and isotope evidence, these ages suggest the derivation of the three provinces from a single large (～2000?km in diameter) mantle plume. These plume-generated magmas covered ～600,000?km² of the Baltic Shield and represent a major contribution of juvenile material to the existing continental crust at 2.0 Ga. The uppermost Onega plateau lavas have high (Nb/Th)_N?=?1.4–2.4, (Nb/La)_N= 1.1–1.3, positive ?Nd(T) of +3.2 and unradiogenic Pb-isotope composition (μ₁?= 8.57), comparable with those of modern oceanic plume-derived magmas (oceanic flood basalt and ocean island basalt). These parameters are regarded as source characteristics. The lower sequences have (Nb/Th)_N= 0.58–1.2, (Nb/La)_N= 0.52–0.88 and ?Nd(T) =?2.6. They have experienced mixing with 10–30% of continental crust and resemble contaminated lavas from other continental flood basalt provinces. The estimated Nb/U ratios of 53?±?4 in the uncontaminated rocks are similar to those found in the modern mantle (～47) suggesting that by 2.0 Ga a volume of continental crust similar to the present-day value already existed.     

Palaeoproterozoic subduction‐related and passive margin basalts in the Halls Creek Orogen,northwest Australia

Palaeoproterozoic basaltic rocks in the Halls Creek Orogen form part of two stratigraphic sequences on either side of a major structure, the Angelo‐Halls Creek‐Osmond Fault System. The two sequences have contrasting geological histories and probably formed in different tectonostratigraphic terranes. To the east, basalts of the Biscay Formation, which are part of the Halls Creek Group, were erupted at ca 1880 Ma and deformed and metamorphosed first at low grade between ca 1845 and ca 1820 Ma. To the west, basalts of the Tickalara Metamorphics were deposited after 1865 Ma, and were metamorphosed at medium to high grade and intruded by tonalite and leucogranite sheets at 1850 to 1845 Ma. Two groups of metabasalts are identified in the Biscay Formation. Group 1 samples have compositions similar to enriched (E‐)MORB. Group 2 samples have lower TiO₂, P₂O₅, Cr, Y, Nb and Zr contents, and trace‐element ratios (e.g. Ti/V and Zr/Nb), similar to low‐TiO₂ continental flood basalts. Metabasalts from the Tickalara Metamorphics consist of depleted and enriched types. The depleted samples have high field strength element (HFSE) and rare‐earth element (REE) abundances similar to oceanic island arc/backarc basin tholeiites. The enriched samples have compositions similar to E‐MORB, and are similarto group 1 samples from the Biscay Formation. Basalts of the Biscay Formation were erupted on a passive continental margin, whereas those of the Tickalara Metamorphics formed in an oceanic island arc/backarc basin or ensialic marginal basin, the two terranes being brought together by ca 1820 Ma. This is consistent with the evolution of the Halls Creek Orogen during the Palaeoproterozoic by plate‐tectonic processes similar to those operating in the Phanerozoic.     

Basalt magmatism along the passive continental margin of SE Brazil (Campos basin)

The SE-Brazil passive continental margin is characterized by tholeiitic magmatism that is particularly widespread in the marginal Campos basin, facing the inland flood basalts of the adjacent Paranà basin. Campos magmatism is represented by Early Cretaceous (EC; 134–122 Ma) flood basalts and minor Upper Cretaceous-Early Tertiary basalt flows and intrusives, which were emplaced in a basin with attenuated crustal thickness (20 km). Petrography, mineral chemistry, wholerock geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotope composition emphasize that the EC-Campos basalts have suffered extensive seawater interaction which caused enrichment in MgO, FeO total, K₂O, Rb and Ba, and depletion in SiO₂ and CaO, while Zr, Nb, Y and REE remained virtually constant in samples with loss-on-ignition values less than 4 wt%. In general, Campos basalts have bulkrock chemistry similar to those of the inland Parana tholeiites (140–130 Ma) with relatively low concentrations of incompatible elements and TiO₂ (<2 wt%). Batch-melting calculations suggest that Campos basalt genesis requires a garnet-peridotite source and variable degree of melting (9–25%) in order to explain the rare-earth-element (REE) patterns with chondrite normalised La/Yb_(N) ratio ranging from 0.9–1.0 to 4.4–7.1. The Sr–Nd isotopic data for the slightly altered Campos basalts, of both Early Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous-Early Tertiary age, plot close to bulk earth, or in the enriched quadrant of the mantle array. Inter-element (La, Zr, Nb, Ba) ratios preclude for the Campos (and Paranà) basalt genesis any significant participation of N-type (Zr/Nb>16) MORB (mid-ocean-ridge basalt) mantle in simple binary mixing models. On the whole, the Early Cretaceous Campos basalts appear as an easterly, younger extension of the northern Paranà volcanism and probably erupted during early stages of the major riftingprocesses which caused continental thinning. It is notable that in the Campos marginal basin both the basalt magmatism contemporaneous with the continental break-up, as well as that which occurred after the S. America-Africa separation, appears substantially related to subcontinental lithosphere and a Dupal-like OIB (ocean-island basalt) (e.g. Tristan da Cunha) source components.     

Composition and age of tertiary sills and dykes, Jameson Land Basin, East Greenland: relation to regional flood volcanism

The Paleozoic–Mesozoic Jameson Land Basin (East Greenland) is intruded by a sill complex and by a swarm of ESE trending dykes. Together with dykes of the inner Scoresby Sund fjord, they form a regional Early Tertiary intrusive complex located 200–400 km inland of the East Greenland rifted continental margin. Most of the intrusive rocks in the Jameson Land Basin are geochemically coherent and consist of evolved plagioclase–augite–olivine saturated, uncontaminated high-Ti basalt with 48.5–50.2 wt.% SiO₂, 2.2–3.2 wt.% TiO₂, 5.1–7.4 wt.% MgO, 9–17 ppm Nb and La/Yb_N=2.8–3.6. Minor tholeiitic rock types are: (a) low-Ti basalt (49.7 wt.% SiO₂, 1.7 wt.% TiO₂, 6.8 wt.% MgO, 2.6 ppm Nb and La/Yb_N=0.5) akin to oceanic basalts; (b) very-high-Ti basalt (48.6 wt.% SiO₂, 4.1 wt.% TiO₂, 5.1 wt.% MgO and 21 ppm Nb); and (c) plagioclase ultraphyric basalt. The tholeiitic dolerites are cut by alkali basalt (43.7–47.3 wt.% SiO₂, 4.1–5.1 wt.% TiO₂, 4.9–6.2 wt.% MgO, 29–46 ppm Nb and La/Yb_N=16–17) sills and dykes.Modelling of high-field-strength and rare-earth elements indicate that the high-Ti basalts formed from 6–10% melting of approximately equal proportions of garnet- and spinel-bearing mantle of slightly depleted composition beneath thick continental lithosphere. Conversely, dolerite intrusions and flood basalts of similar compositional kindred from adjacent but more rift-proximal occurrences in Northeast Greenland formed from shallower melting of dominantly spinel-bearing mantle beneath extended and thinned continental lithosphere. These variations in lithospheric thickness suggest the continent–ocean transition of the East Greenland rifted volcanic margin is sharp and narrow.⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating and paleomagnetism show that the high-Ti dolerites were emplaced at 53–52 Ma (most likely during C23r) and hence surprisingly postdate the main flood volcanism by 2–5 Ma and the inception of seafloor spreading between Greenland and Europe by 1–2 Ma. The formation of tholeiitic and alkaline magmas emplaced into the Jameson Land Basin corroborates to the importance of post-breakup magmatism along the East Greenland volcanic rifted margin. Upwelling of the ancestral Iceland mantle plume under central Greenland at 53–52 Ma (rather than under the active rift), perhaps accompanied by a failed attempt to shift the rift zone westward towards the plume axis, may have triggered post-breakup continental magmatism of the Jameson Land Basin and the inner Scoresby Sund region, along preexisting structural lineaments.     

Possible correlation of Oligocene climate changes with Ethiopian Oligocene ignimbrite eruptions

The Oligocene Ethiopian continental flood basalt province (ca. 29–31 Ma) contains significant silicic pyroclastic rocks (>60,000 km³ constituting up to 20% of the volcanic stratigraphy). Rhyolitic tephras, synchronous with the Ethiopian silicic pyroclastic rocks, are found in Indian Ocean ODP holes 711A. They are geochemically akin to the Ethiopian silicic pyroclastic rocks. This suggests that the Indian Ocean tephras originated from Ethiopian silicic eruptions and represents more distal fallout of this volcanism. The temporal coincidence of the Ethiopian flood volcanism with the Oligocene global cooling event (Oi2?～?30.3 Ma) and the emplacement of the Ethiopian silicic pyroclastic eruptions on a near-global scale strongly suggest that the Ethiopian continental flood basalt province may have contributed or at least accelerated the climate change that was already underway.     

Geochemical Constrains on Petrogenesis and Tectonic Setting of Volcanic Rocks from the Baimianxia and Sanwan Formations in the Northern Margin of the Yangtze Plate

On the basis of petrogeochemical data, the volcanic lavas of the Baimianxia Formation can be classified into two units: high TiO2 and low TiO2. The TiO2 concentration of the former is generally higher than 1%, which occurs in the lower part with high-grade metamorphism, but the latter is less than 1% and crops out in the upper part with low-grade metamorphism. The high-TiO2 unit is dominated by tholeiitic lavas showing high rare earth element (REE) contents (ΣREE?=?83.4–180.8?μg/g), high light/heavy REE (LREE/HREE) ratios (LREE/HREE=2.17–5.85) and weak negative Eu anomaly (Eu=0.79–1.01). Its trace element patterns display weak Nb-Ta anomalies with respect to Th, K, La, Ce, showing within-plate basalt affinities. In contrast, the low-TiO2 unit is characterized by low REE contents, low LREE/HREE ratios, and pronounced Nb-Ta anomalies, indicating typical arc or continental arc signature. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of basalts and andesites from the Sanwan Formation are flat or LREE depletion, which is very similar to normal mid-oceanic basalt. Therefore, we suggest that these lavas should be formed in a back-arc basin setting. Sr-Nd isotopic data of the basalt in the lower part suggest that the rocks would have been formed in ~1144?Ma. Based on the geochemical and isotopic features of the basalts, we suggest that these rocks in the low part of the Baimianxia Formation should originate from an asthenospheric oceanic-island basalt-like mantle source, which may be produced by partial melting of garnet lherzolite, and significantly underwent fractional crystallization and crustal or lithospheric mantle contamination en route to the surface. However, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb dating of the basalt sample from the upper part of the Baimianxia Formation gives a 437 Ma, indicating a Early Paleozoic age. The geochemical analysis in this paper suggests that they may originate from an arc or continental arc in response to aqueous fluids or melt expelled from a subducting slab, and the partial melting occurred in the garnet stability field. The samples of basalts and andesites in the Sanwan Formation show they are derived from depleted mantle source similar to normal mid-oceanic basalt. Finally, we can conclude that the lavas in the lower part of the Baimianxia Formation represent the geological records of rift-related volcanism in the middle Proterozoic, which is commonly considered to be the precursor of continental breakup and followed by oceanic basin forming from Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic. Whereas, the lavas in upper part of the Baimianxia Formation and Sanwan Formations may have been generated by the oceanic and continental conversion that occurred in the early Paleozoic.     

Carboniferous Highly Fractionated I‐type Granites from the Kalamaili Fault Zone,Eastern Xinjiang,NW China: Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications

Carboniferous magmatism is one of the most important tectonothermal events in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB). However, the final closure time of the Kalamaili Ocean between East Junggar and Harlik Mountain is still debated. Early Carboniferous(332 Ma) and late Carboniferous(307–298 Ma) granitic magmatism from Kalamaili fault zone have been recognized by LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating. They are both metaluminous highly fractionated I-type and belong to the high-K calc-alkaline. The granitoids for early Carboniferous have zircon ε_(Hf)(t) values of-5.1 to +8.5 with Hf model ages(T_(DM2)) of 1.78–0.83 Ga, suggesting a mixed magma source of juvenile material with old continental crust. Furthermore, those for late Carboniferous have much younger heterogeneous zircon ε_(Hf)(t) values(+5.1 to +13.6) with Hf model ages(T_(DM2)=1.03–0.45 Ga) that are also indicative of juvenile components with a small involvement of old continental crust. Based on whole-rock geochemical and zircon isotopic features, these high-K granitoids were derived from melting of heterogeneous crustal sources or through mixing of old continental crust with juvenile components and minor AFC(assimilation and fractional crystallization). The juvenile components probably originated from underplated basaltic magmas in response to asthenospheric upwelling. These Carboniferous highly fractionated granites in the Kalamaili fault zone were probably emplaced in a post-collisional extensional setting and suggested vertical continental crustal growth in the southern CAOB, which is the same or like most granitoids in CAOB. This study provides new evidence for determining the post-accretionary evolution of the southern CAOB. In combination with data from other granitoids in these two terranes, the Early Carboniferous Heiguniangshan pluton represents the initial record of post-collisional environment, suggesting that the final collision between the East Junggar and Harlik Mountain might have occurred before 332 Ma.     

4350–3130 Ma detrital zircons in the Southern Cross Granite‐Greenstone Terrane,Western Australia: Implications for the early evolution of the Yilgarn Craton

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon analysis indicates that detrital zircons from extensive quartzite units in the Southern Cross Granite‐Greenstone Terrane of the central Yilgarn Craton have ages ranging from ca 4350 Ma to ca 3130 Ma. Regional mapping studies indicate that the quartzites lie at the stratigraphic base of the exposed succession. The detrital zircon age profiles of the Southern Cross Granite‐Greenstone Terrane quartzites are remarkably similar to those of quartzites in the Narryer and South West Terranes, in the northwest and southwest of the Yilgarn Craton respectively, and are significantly older than any igneous rocks that have been dated anywhere in the Yilgarn Craton other than the Narryer Terrane. Similar detrital‐zircon‐bearing quartzites have not been identified in the Murchison Granite‐Greenstone Terrane. These age profiles suggest that the quartzites have a common depositional history. Granites in the central Yilgarn Craton are mainly younger than ca 2750 Ma and contain rare xenocrystic zircons older than 3100 Ma. If the central and western Yilgarn quartzites were all deposited at approximately the same time, the lack of preserved continental crust in the Southern Cross and Murchison Granite‐Greenstone Terranes, and the South West Terrane, that is older than 3100 Ma, suggests that pre‐3100 Ma Narryer‐like continental crust may have been rifted or extensively reworked during deposition of greenstone successions between ca 3000 and ca 2700 Ma. If not, then a ca 4350 Ma detrital zircon in the Southern Cross Granite‐Greenstone Terrane indicates more widespread, very old, continental crust than has previously been identified.     

Source, genesis, and timing of giant ignimbrite deposits associated with Ethiopian continental flood basalts

The Ethiopian continental flood basalt (CFB) province (∼30 Ma, > 3 × 10⁵ km³) was formed as the result of the impingement of the Afar mantle plume beneath the Ethiopian lithosphere. This province includes major sequences of rhyolitic ignimbrites generally found on top of the flood basalt sequence. Their volume is estimated to be at least 6 × 10⁴km³, which represents 20% of that of the trap basalts. Their phenocryst assemblage (alkali feldspar, quartz, aegyrine-augite, ilmenite ± Ti-magnetite, richterite, and eckermanite) suggests temperatures in the range of 740 to 900°C. Four units were recognized in the field (Wegel Tena, Jima, Lima Limo, and Debre Birhan areas), each with its own geochemical specificity. Zr/Nb ratios remain constant between basalt and rhyolite in each area, and rhyolites associated with high-Ti or low-Ti basalts are, respectively, enriched or depleted in titanium. Their trace element and isotope (Sr, Nd, O) signatures (high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, compared to those of rhyolites from other CFB provinces) are clearly different from those of typical crustal melts and indicate that the Ethiopian rhyolites are among the most isotopically primitive rhyolites. Their major and trace element patterns suggest that they are likely to be derived from fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas similar in composition to the exposed flood basalts with only limited crustal contribution. Since Ethiopian high-Ti basalts have been shown to form from melting of a mantle plume, it is likely that Ethiopian ignimbrites, at least those that are Ti-rich, also incorporated material from the deep mantle.Rb-Sr isochrons on whole rocks and mineral separates (30.1 ± 0.4 Ma for Wegel Tena and 30.5 ± 0.4 Ma for Jima ignimbrites) show that most of the silicic volcanism occurred within < 2 Ma during the Oligocene. Ignimbritic eruptions resumed in the Miocene during two episodes dated at 15.4 ± 0.2 Ma and 8.0 ± 0.2 Ma for the Debre Birhan area. The Rb-Sr isochron ages of ignimbrites (both Oligocene and Miocene rhyolites) are indistinguishable within uncertainties from the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the underlying flood basalts. The Oligocene ignimbrites and the underlying trap basalts are synchronous with a shift in the oxygen composition of foraminifera recorded in Indian and Atlantic Ocean cores. The temporal coincidence of Ethiopian Oligocene volcanism, which released immense volumes of S (> 1.4 × 10¹⁵ mol) and Cl (6.4 × 10¹⁵ mol) into the atmosphere over a short time span, with the global cooling event at 30.3 Ma suggests that this volcanism might have accelerated the climate change that was already underway.     

塔里木西北缘阿克苏地区大陆拉斑玄武岩对新元古代裂解事件的制约

塔里木西北缘新元古界苏盖特布拉克组不整合覆盖在前寒武纪阿克苏群蓝片岩及侵入其中的基性岩墙之上,苏盖特布拉克组底部发育两层玄武岩夹层,其形成时代和成因背景对认识塔里木板块前寒武纪构造演化及有关的超大陆循环和地球动力学过程具有重要意义。本文对这两层玄武岩进行了全岩地球化学和锆石U-Pb年代学研究。结果显示,玄武岩均属于大陆拉斑玄武岩系列,微量元素地球化学特性与典型的大陆溢流玄武岩非常相似,其岩浆来源于富集地幔,并遭受了一定程度的地壳混染作用。玄武岩中锆石的LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄分布在1945~755Ma,这些锆石均属于玄武岩浆上升过程中从地壳岩石捕获的继承锆石,记录了塔里木北缘元古代期间多期变质和岩浆事件。这一年龄范围表明,玄武岩形成的时代应晚于755Ma。本文的研究结果表明,阿克苏大陆拉斑玄武岩形成于板内裂谷环境,可能与新元古代Rodinia超大陆之下的地幔柱活动有关,是塔里木板块从Rodinia超大陆裂解出来的直接证据。     

Palaeoweathering characteristics of an intrabasaltic red bole of the Deccan Flood Basalts near Shrivardhan of western coast of India

An intrabasaltic red bole horizon is studied for its weathering characteristics with respect to the underlying and overlying basalts. The study indicates that all the three units have been considerably weathered; the red bole unit, however shows some distinctive characteristics. The red boles show a higher cation exchange capacity (CEC) and lower sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and organic carbon (OC) as compared to the weathered basalts. The lower values of Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and Fe₂O₃(T) in red boles indicate their lesser weathering than the underlying and overlying basalts, which is further corroborated by the weathering intensity measured by the indices like chemical index of alteration (CIA) and statistical empirical index of chemical weathering (W). It is also evident that the red bole samples show more retention of original mafic and felsic components. While K₂O exhibits an erratic behaviour, the MgO and CaO do not show much leaching in red boles. Lesser leaching and salinity in the red boles is indicated by the higher values of calcification and lower values of salinization. The SiO₂–Al₂O₃–Fe₂O₃ plot indicates that red bole samples are close to the basalt field, while the weathered upper basalt is more kaolinized than the weathered lower basalt. These observations reveal that the post-formational weathering processes have least affected the original palaeoweathering characters of the red bole horizon and hence the intrabasaltic palaeosols (weathering horizons) can effectively be used to constrain the palaeoweathering and palaeoclimates during the continental flood basalt episodes in the geologic past.     

Dating of the Giant Huize Zn-Pb Ore Field of Yunnan Province, Southwest China: Constraints from the Sm-Nd System in Hydrothermal Calcite

The Huize ore field, which is the most famous high‐grade Mississippi Valley‐type Zn‐Pb ore field in China, consists of the Kuangshanchang and Qilinchang deposits. The Sm‐Nd isotopic compositions of gangue calcite were analyzed to constrain the timing of mineralization. Eight calcite samples from the No. 6 orebody in the Qilinchang deposit have Sm and Nd concentrations of 1.82–25.93 and 15.25–79.02 ppm, respectively, and yielded an age of 225 ± 9.9 Ma with epsilon Nd =?10.6 and MSWD = 0.13. Five calcites from the No. 1 orebody in the Kuangshanchang deposit contain 2.37–2.90 ppm Sm and 8.18–16.85 ppm Nd, and yielded an age of 228 ± 16 Ma, with epsilon Nd =?10.6 and MSWD = 0.28. These two ages are close to the age of the Emeishan flood basalt, which is ca 255 Ma, and agree with the reported ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau and isochron ages of the native copper mineralization related to the Emeishan flood basalt in this region, which are 226–228 Ma. Moreover, previous study shows that the magnitude of uplift resulting from the Emeishan flood basalts is >1000 m. It indicates that the Kuangshanchang and the Qilinchang deposit formed during the same geological event and originated by fluid migration during uplift resulting from the Emeishan flood basalt.     

Eruption of the Continental Flood Basalts at -259 Ma in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China： Evidence from Laser Microprobe ^40Ar/^39Ar Dating

A suite of continental flood basalts sampled over a vast exposure and stratigraphic thickness in the Emeishan large igneous province (LIP), SW China was investigated for laser microprobe 40Ar/39Ar dating. There are two 40Ar/39Ar age groups for these basalts, corresponding to 259-246 Ma and 177-137 Ma, respectively. A well-defined isochron gives an eruption age of huge quantities of mafic magmas at 258.9±3.4 Ma, which is identical to previous dating and paleontological data. Much younger 40Ar/39Ar ages for some basalts with low-greenschist metamorphic facies probably recorded a late thermo-tectonic event caused by collision between the Yangtze and Qiangtang continental blocks during the Mesozoic, which resulted in the reset of argon isotope system. The 40Ar/39Ar age data, we present here, combined with previous dating and paleontological data, suggest relatively short duration (about 3 Ma) of mafic volcanism, which have important implication on mantle plume genesis of the Emeishan continental flood basalts in the LIP.     

Global and regional factors responsible for the drowning of the Central Apennine Chattian carbonate platforms

This work discusses and interprets the factors responsible for the Oligocene–Miocene drowning of the Central Apennine platform deposits, based on facies and stable‐isotope analyses of two representative stratigraphic sections. The Mediterranean carbonate platforms were affected during the Oligocene–Miocene boundary by a carbonate production crisis that was induced by global factors and amplified by regional events, such as volcanic activity. The positive δ¹³C shift observed in the studied sections corresponds to vertical facies changes reflecting the evolution from middle carbonate ramp to outer ramp‐hemipelagic depositional environments. This drowning event is recorded not only in the Apennine platforms, but also in other Mediterranean platforms such as in southern Apulia, Sicily and Malta, and outside the Mediterranean Basin. The ~24–23.5 Ma Mi‐1 glacial maximum may have had a significant influence on this drowning event because it was associated with high rates of accumulation of continent‐derived sediments. The increased continental weathering and runoff sustained high trophic conditions. These probably were a consequence of the Aquitanian–Burdigalian volcanic activity in the Central‐Western Mediterranean, that may have led to an increase in nutrient content in seawater and an increase in atmospheric and marine CO₂ concentrations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ∼1100 Ma Sturgeon Falls paleosol revisited: Implications for Mesoproterozoic weathering environments and atmospheric CO2 levels

During the active rifting stage of the ∼1100 Ma Midcontinental Rift in North America, alluvial sediments were deposited intermittently between basalt flows on the north and south shores of present day Lake Superior. At times of depositional quiescence, paleosols developed in both areas on the alluvial sediments and on the antecedent basalt. New results from the Sturgeon Falls paleosol in Michigan characterizing the weathering processes at the time of its formation indicate moderate maturity, high degrees of hydrolysis and leaching, and a low degree of salinization. Geochemical provenance indices indicate a homogeneous source for the paleosols, and in contrast to earlier work, there is little evidence for K metasomatism. As a result, atmospheric CO₂ levels of 4–6× pre-industrial atmospheric levels were calculated using a mass-balance model. This result is consistent with previous calculations from nearly contemporaneous paleosols from the other side of the Keweenawan Rift and from the ∼100 Ma younger Sheigra paleosol in Scotland. The calculated CO₂ values are also consistent with the calculated weathering environment proxies that indicate weak to moderate weathering at this time frame and suggest that the higher greenhouse gas loads indicated by Paleoproterozoic paleosols had dissipated by the mid-late Mesoproterozoic.     

Collision Event during 177-135 Ma on the Eastern Marginof the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Evidence from ~(40)Ar/ ~(39)Ar Dating for Basaltson the Western Margin of the Yangtze Platform

Geochronology of continental flood basalts sampled from the Emei large igneous province (LIP) on the western margin of the Yangtze platform was investigated by the laser microprobe 40Ar/39Ar dating technique. These basalts yield a fairly wide range of 40Ar/39Ar ages, varying from 259 to 135 Ma. One basalt sample, at least altered, recorded the oldest 40Ar/39Ar age of about 259 Ma, corresponding to a peak eruption age of the Emei LIP continental flood basalts. Most of the samples yield much younger ages from 135 to 177 Ma, which are consistent with the K-Ar ages for the same samples (122.8-172.1 Ma). The dating data suggest that these Permian basalts had been widely affected by the regional tectonothermal event at 177-135 Ma. The event was probably caused by the convergence and collision among the Laurasia, Yangtze and Qiangtang-Qamdo continental blocks on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau after the late Triassic. The age of the event reflects the timing of the peak collisional orogeny.     

Origin of the Matauri Bay halloysite deposit, Northland, New Zealand

At the Matauri Bay halloysite deposit, economically valuable halloysite-rich clays are hosted by a sanidine rhyolite dome (Ar–Ar dated at 10.1?±?0.03?Ma). The rhyolite dome intrudes an older basalt and is overlain by alluvial sediments and a younger basalt (4.0?±?0.7?Ma). A blanket-like, halloysite-rich zone is restricted to depths of 10–30?m from the present day erosion surface. Primary sanidine and plagioclase phenocrysts in rhyolite are completely leached out in the halloysite-rich zone but are only partially leached out at greater depth. Halloysite was formed by hydrolysis and cation leaching of sanidine and plagioclase phenocrysts and groundmass glass in the rhyolite, resulting in loss of K, Ca, Na and Si and enrichment in OH (LOI 6–10%) and Al₂O₃ (20–30%) relative to least-altered rhyolite with 1.8% LOI and 14.5% Al₂O₃. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope data indicate the halloysite is supergene rather than hydrothermal in origin, which is consistent with the absence of pyrite, alunite and other acid-sulphate type hydrothermal minerals, and with the blanket-like alteration profile. The dominance of halloysite over kaolinite was favoured by water-saturated weathering conditions during the late Miocene-Pliocene subtropical weathering regime in Northland.     

苏鲁超高压变质带东北端多种成因类型变基性岩:来自岩石学、同位素年代学及地球化学属性的制约

苏鲁超高压变质带是扬子板块与华北板块在三叠纪俯冲-碰撞的产物。变基性岩是苏鲁超高压变质带内出露最广泛的岩石类型之一,研究其岩石学、年代学、地球化学属性及成因机制,对于揭示扬子板块与华北板块之间的俯冲-碰撞-折返的动力学过程具有重要的科学意义。以(退变)榴辉岩为代表的超高压变质岩石广泛出露在威海-荣成一带,少量出露在乳山地区。锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年结果显示,(退变)榴辉岩的原岩时代为792~760Ma,峰期榴辉岩相变质时代为243~226Ma,后期角闪岩相退变质时代为221~207Ma。非榴辉岩相变质的基性岩(麻粒岩和斜长角闪岩)主要出露在乳山地区,其原岩形成时代应不晚于古元古代(1939Ma),峰期麻粒岩相变质时代为1895~1870Ma,后期角闪岩相退变质时代为1848~1806Ma,与胶北地体变基性岩的原岩时代和变质时代十分相似。全岩地球化学研究结果表明,(退变)榴辉岩的原岩显示高Fe拉斑玄武岩的特点,根据其稀土和微量元素特征,可将(退变)榴辉岩进一步划分为A、B和C三组。在球粒陨石标准化稀土配分模式和原始地幔均一化蛛网图解上,A、B和C三组样品分别具有轻稀土弱亏损、轻稀土弱富集和轻稀土富集的特点。轻稀土富集或弱富集型(退变)榴辉岩的原岩地球化学性质与岛弧或大陆玄武岩相似,它们的源区可能与深部富集地幔或受流体交代的地幔楔存在密切的成因关系;而轻稀土亏损型(退变)榴辉岩的原岩可能来自于亏损地幔的部分熔融。由此可见,(退变)榴辉岩的原岩具有成因多样性的特点。乳山地区的基性麻粒岩和斜长角闪岩的原岩也具有高Fe拉斑玄武岩的地球化学属性,Al2O3与Mg O呈正相关变化,TiO_2、P_2O_5与MgO表现出一定程度的负相关性。绝大多数非榴辉岩相变质基性岩的球粒陨石标准化稀土配分模式和原始地幔均一化蛛网配分曲线具有微右倾或明显右倾的特点。上述特征表明,研究区绝大多数非榴辉岩相变质的基性岩原岩来自于富集地幔,少数来自于原始地幔或亏损地幔,并经历了斜长石和辉石的分离结晶以及不同程度的部分熔融过程。由此可见,乳山地区出露的非超高压变质基性岩的原岩具有与胶北地体(高压)基性麻粒岩相近的成因特点。岩石学、同位素年代学和地球化学特征的综合对比研究结果表明,在苏鲁超高压变质带东北端的威海-荣成-乳山地区,既存在与华北板块古老变质基底相关的变基性岩,也存在与华南板块北缘新元古代变质基底相关的超高压榴辉岩,表明三叠纪时期华北板块东南缘胶北地体的部分古老变质基底曾卷入到扬子板块与华北板块之间的俯冲-碰撞造山过程,随后与超高压岩石一起抬升折返,形成当今的构造混杂岩带。     

Permian Tectonic Evolution in the Middle Part of Central Asian Orogenic Belt: Evidence from Newly Identified Volcanic Rocks in the Bilutu Area,Inner Mongolia

In this study, zircon U-Pb ages, geochemical and Lu-Hf isotopic data are presented for the newly identified volcanic rocks which were considered as Bainaimiao group in Bainaimiao Arc Belt(BAB), Inner Mongolia, which could provide important constraints on the evolution of the northern part of North China Block(NCB) and BAB. Basalt to basaltic andesite and andesite to dacite were collected from two sections, which showed eruption ages of 278.2±4.1 Ma and 258.3±3.0 Ma respectively. All samples are characterized by high abundances in Al_2O_3, LREEs, and LILEs, but depleted in HFSEs. Together with high Mg# ratios and low K/tholeiite to calc-alkaline series, these features indicated that basalt to andesite was likely derived from relatively low degree partial melting of the subduction-fluid related mantle in the spinel phase. And dacite was mainly from the partial melting of crust, then affected by mantle. All samples barely went through fractional crystallization process with the slight Eu anomaly. Compared with the contemporary basalt in NCB, rocks in BAB have a complex composition of zircon and a more positive ε_(Hf)(t) value(-6.6–6.4), indicating that they had different magma sources of rocks. Though with different basements, NCB and BAB have become an integrated whole before 278 Ma. Therefore, it could be concluded that NCB and BAB belonged to the active continental margin and the PAO had not closed yet until late Permian and then it disappeared gradually and the CAOB developed into a condition of syn-post collision.     

基于结构体的峨眉山玄武岩风化程度评价（Ⅳ）：风化指数FF

提要：岩石化学风化程度评价指标应该同时满足以下三个基本条件,即与风化程度之间的关系简单明确、对风化程度变化具有足够的敏感性和易于确定和不易受到人为因素影响。作为铁镁质岩石的主要代表,（峨眉山）玄武岩风化程度评价除考虑可引起组分淋失与富集的水解反应外,还应充分考虑二价铁的氧化反应。新鲜峨眉山玄武岩中并存的二价铁和三价铁的含量总体稳定,910个样品的FeO、Fe₂O₃平均含量分别为8.45%和5.15%,以均匀、随机的方式赋存于辉石、橄榄石、杏仁体中的绿泥石、磁铁矿及火山玻璃中。风化玄武岩、玄武岩斜坡地下水及新鲜玄武岩浸泡液的地球化学研究结果表明,FeO及Fe₂O₃含量对峨眉山玄武岩风化程度的敏感性明显高于其他组分,同时铁又是玄武岩风化过程中活动性最差的元素之一。三价铁和二价铁的摩尔数比值（FF）适合于峨眉山玄武岩整个风化过程的风化程度判别,比既有风化指数具有更高的分辨率,尤其是对风化初期玄武岩。