The discovery of the Neoarchean mafic dyke swarm in Hengshan and reinterpretation of the previous “Wutai greenstone belt”

The structural mapping and section study indicate that the “greenstone belts” in the southern to central parts of Hengshan were intensively sheared and transposed mafic dyke swarm, which originally intruded into the Neoarchean grey gneiss and high-pressure granulite terrain (HPGT). The HPGT is characterized by flat-dipping structures, to the south it became steep and was cut by the Dianmen mafic dyke swarm. After high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphic event, the mafic dyke swarm occurred, and was associated with the extensional setting and reworked by the late strike-slip shearing. The zircon age dating proves that the Dianmen mafic dyke swarm was emplaced during the period between 2499±4 Ma and 2512±3 Ma, followed by late tectonothermal reworking. The Dianmen mafic dyke swarm further documents the extensional episode in the central to northern parts of North China Craton (NCC), providing the important constraint for the limit between Archean and Proterozoic and correlation between NCC and other cratonic blocks of the world.     

The paleomagnetism and geological significance of Mesoproterozoic dyke swarms in the central North China Craton

The Mesoproterozoic mafic dyke swarms are extensively distributed in the central North China Craton(NCC) including North Shanxi, Wutai and Lüliang areas, which are not deformed and metamorphic but high magnetic, so the dyke swarms become the mark to compare the high metamorphic rock areas in magnetism. Based on the analysis of paleomagnetism of mafic dyke swarms in North Shanxi, Wutai and Lüliang areas, NCC inclined southward about 18ü so that North Shanxi lifted up and rotated 10ü left to Wutai area. The dyke swarms in Lüliang developed later than in North Shanxi and Wutai area. The NNW-trending and WNW-trending dyke swarms developed in Lüliang while the North China Plate moved northward consistently so that the paleomagnetism of dyke swarms in Lüliang is greatly different from North Shanxi and Wutai area.     

A felsic dyke swarm formed under the sea: the Archean Hunter Mine Group,south-central Abitibi Belt,Quebec, Canada

An extensive rhyolitic dyke swarm has intruded subaqueous pyroclastic deposits, iron-formations, hyaloclastite breccias and lava flows of the 2730 Ma Hunter Mine Group (HMG) in the south-central part of the Archean Abitibi belt, Quebec. The dyke swarm has a minimum width of 500 m and can be traced perpendicular to the section for 2.4 km. Based on crosscutting relationships, chilled margins, quartz content and colour, five distinct dyke generations have been established. Each dyke generation has several magmatic pulses as indicated by parallel rows of columnar joints. Absence of brecciation between parallel rows suggests extremely brief intervals between magma pulses. The central parts of most dykes display inverted V-shaped patterns of columnar-joint convergence, inferred to indicate differential cooling during the late stages of dyke propagation. The dykes commonly display delicate spherulites suggesting rapid cooling, solidification temperatures between 400 and 600°C and penecontemporaneous devitrification. Quartz-feldspar aggregates in the groundmass have locally developed microgranophyric textures. Large spherulites near the chilled margins probably formed at temperatures below 400°C. Percolation of abundant water throughout the dyke complex is suggested by ubiquitous prominent chilled dyke margins. Development of a chilled margin 500 m along one dyke suggests that water percolated at least 500 m below the water/rock interface. Because the dykes intruded subaqueous pyroclastic deposits of similar composition, dyke emplacement below the sea floor is inferred. Interstratification of pillowed flows and brecciated pillowed flows containing rhyolite fragments at the top of the 4–5-km-thick sequence indicates that the central felsic complex probably never emerged during its evolutionary history, supporting the contention that the felsic dyke complex was emplaced beneath the Archean sea floor.     

Basement control on dyke distribution in Large Igneous Provinces: Case study of the Karoo triple junction

Continental flood basalts consist of vast quantities of lava, sills and giant dyke swarms that are associated with continental break-up. The commonly radiating geometry of dyke swarms in these provinces is generally interpreted as the result of the stress regime that affected the lithosphere during the initial stage of continental break-up or as the result of plume impact. On the other hand, structures in the basement may also control dyke orientations, though such control has not previously been documented. In order to test the role of pre-dyke structures, we investigated four major putative Karoo-aged dyke swarms that taken together represent a giant radiating dyke swarm (the so-called “triple-junction”) ascribed to the Jurassic Karoo continental flood basalt (> 3 × 10⁶ km²; southern Africa). One of the best tests to discriminate between neoformed and inherited dyke orientation is to detect Precambrian dykes in the Jurassic swarms. Accordingly, we efficiently distinguished between Jurassic and Precambrian dykes using abbreviated low resolution, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental heating schedules.Save-Limpopo dyke swarm samples (n = 19) yield either apparent Proterozoic (728–1683 Ma) or Mesozoic (131–179 Ma) integrated ages; the Olifants River swarm (n = 20) includes only Proterozoic (851–1731 Ma) and Archaean (2470–2872 Ma) dykes. The single age obtained on one N–S striking dyke (1464 Ma) suggests that the Lebombo dyke swarm includes Proterozoic dykes in the basement as well. These dates demonstrate the existence of pre-Karoo dykes in these swarms as previously hypothesized without supporting age data. In addition, aeromagnetic and air-photo interpretations indicate that: (1) dyke emplacement was largely controlled by major discontinuities such as the Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal craton boundaries, the orientation of the Limpopo mobile belt, and other pre-dyke structures including shear zones and (2) considering its polygenetic, pre-Mesozoic origin, the Olif ants River dyke swarm cannot be considered part of the Karoo magmatic event.This study, along with previous results obtained on the Okavango dyke swarm, shows that the apparent “triple junction” formed by radiating dyke swarms is not a Jurassic structure; rather, it reflects weakened lithospheric pathways that have controlled dyke orientations over hundreds of millions of years. One consequence is that the “triple-junction” geometry can no longer be unambiguously used as a mantle plume marker as previously proposed, although it does not preclude the possible existence of a mantle plume. More generally, we suggest that most Phanerozoic dyke swarms (including triple junctions) related to continental flood basalts were probably controlled in part by pre-existing lithospheric discontinuities.     

Structure,evolution and regional tectonic implications of the Queshan metamorphic core complex in eastern Jiaodong Peninsula of China

The Queshan MCC is an important example of a crustal extensional structure in the eastern Jiaodong Peninsula along the southeastern margin of the NCC in the Early Cretaceous. The MCC is a typical Cordilleran-type core complex with a three-layered structure: (1) the upper plate is constituted by the Cretaceous supradetachment basin and Paleoproterozoic basement; (2) the lower plate comprises the Neoarchean high-grade metamorphic complexes and late Mesozoic granitic intrusions; and (3) the two plates are separated by a master detachment fault. A series of late NEN-oriented brittle faults superimposed on and destructed the early MCC. Petrology, geometry, kinematics, macro- and micro-structures and quartz c-axis fabrics imply that the MCC has a progressive exhumation history from middle-lower to subsurface level (via middle-upper crustal level) under the nearly WNW-ESE regional extensional regime. We present structural and geochronological evidence to constrain the exhumation of the Queshan MCC from ca. 135 to 113 Ma. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the different patterns of extensional structures in the Jiaodong and Liaodong Peninsula, we have defined the Jiao-Liao Early Cretaceou extensional province and further divided the crustal extension of it into two stages: the first stage was the intense flow of the middle-lower crust and the second stage was the extension of the middle-upper crust. Combining the tectonic setting, the lithosphere thinning in the Jiao-Liao Early Cretaceous extensional province can be considered a typical model for the response of crust-mantle detachment faulting under regional extension in East Asia.     

An Archean oceanic felsic dyke swarm in a nascent arc: the Hunter Mine Group, Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada

The 2730-Ma-old Hunter Mine Group (HMG), a dominantly felsic subaqueous volcanic sequence, was formed during early arc construction in the Abitibi greenstone belt (Quebec, Canada). The western part of the HMG contains a felsic dyke swarm up to 1.5 km wide and traceable up-section for 2.5 km. Five distinct generations were identified: (1) aphanitic to feldspar-phyric dykes; (2) quartz-feldspar-phyric dykes with < 5% quartz phenocrysts; (3) quartz-feldspar-phyric dykes with 10–25% quartz phenocrysts; (4) dacitic feldspar-phyric dykes; and (5) mafic dykes. The felsic dykes collectively constitute more than 90% of the dyke swarm. Geochemically, they resemble modern calc-alkaline dacites and rhyolites. Their mantle-normalized incompatible trace-element patterns display a moderate enrichment of Th and light REE relative to HFSE and heavy REE as well as negative Nb, Ta, Eu and Ti anomalies. Most of the major- and trace-element abundance variations in these rocks can be explained by crystallization of feldspars. Geochemical data including depleted mantle-like _Nd values suggest that an older sialic substrate was not involved in their genesis. We infer that the felsic rocks were generated by melting of mafic oceanic crust. The swarm was emplaced during nascent oceanic island-arc development and was related to rifting of the arc. The conformably overlying MORB-like basalts and basaltic komatiites of the Stoughton-Roquemaure Group used the same conduits and further indicate splitting of the arc. HMG and associated parts of the Abitibi greenstone belts bear a strong resemblance to modern rifted intraoceanic arcs of the western Pacific.     

Geology of the Grove Mountains in East Antarctica——New evidence for the final suture of Gondwana Land

As the core block of the East Gondwana Land, the East Antarctic Shield was traditionally thought, before 1992, as an amalgamation of a number of Archaean-Paleoproterozoic nuclei, be-ing welded by Grenville aged mobile belts during 1400—900 Ma, while the …     

Crustal deformation and dynamics of Early Cretaceous in the North China Craton

The Early Cretaceous represents a peak period of the North China Craton(NCC) destruction. A comprehensive analysis of crustal deformation during this period can reveal processes and dynamics of the destruction. The peak destruction of the NCC was associated with intense extension whose representative deformation products are metamorphic core complexes(MCCs), extensional domes and rifted basins. These MCCs occurred along both northern and southern margins of the NCC, and resulted from synchronous extension and magmatism, showing difference from the typical orogen-type MCCs in many aspects.The MCCs of the Early Cretaceous were replaced by extensional domes under relatively weak extension and uplift. In contrast to a major depression-type basin of the Early Cretaceous in the western NCC, rifted basins of the same age in the eastern NCC appeared as medium-to small-scale ones extensively. In the eastern NCC, the rifted basins north of the Bohai Bay are characterized by a feature similar to an active rift whereas those south of the Bohai present similarity to a passive rift. Various sorts of extensional structures developed during the peak destruction indicate a stable stress state of NE-SE extension over the entire central to eastern NCC, consistent with the plate margin-driven stress field. Spatial distribution of the extensional structures presents an 1800 km wide back-arc extension region in the central to eastern NCC, consistent with the Paleo-Pacific slab rollback model following flat subduction. Temporal-spatial variation of initial extension and volcanic activity during the peak period also supports the rollback model right after the flat oceanic slab. The crustal deformation evolution demonstrates that the peak destruction of the NCC took place after the B-episode compression of the Yanshan Movement of the earliest Early Cretaceous and terminated with onset of the C-episode compression of the earliest Late Cretaceous.     

Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China: Implications for thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere

The North China Craton (NCC) has been thinned from >200 km to <100 km in its eastern part. The ancient subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) has been replaced by the juvenile SCLM in the Meoszoic. During this period, the NCC was destructed as indicated by extensive magmatism in the Early Cretaceous. While there is a consensus on the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China, it has been hotly debated about the mechanism of cartonic destruction. This study attempts to provide a resolution to current debates in the view of Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China. We made a compilation of geochemical data available for Mesozoic mafic igneous rocks in the NCC. The results indicate that these mafic igneous rocks can be categorized into two series, manifesting a dramatic change in the nature of mantle sources at ~121 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks emplaced at this age start to show both oceanic island basalts (OIB)-like trace element distribution patterns and depleted to weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. In contrast, mafic igneous rocks emplaced before and after this age exhibit both island arc basalts (IAB)-like trace element distribution patterns and enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. This difference indicates a geochemical mutation in the SCLM of North China at ~121 Ma. Although mafic magmatism also took place in the Late Triassic, it was related to exhumation of the deeply subducted South China continental crust because the subduction of Paleo-Pacific slab was not operated at that time. Paleo-Pacific slab started to subduct beneath the eastern margin of Eruasian continent since the Jurrasic. The subducting slab and its overlying SCLM wedge were coupled in the Jurassic, and slab dehydration resulted in hydration and weakening of the cratonic mantle. The mantle sources of ancient IAB-like mafic igneous rocks are a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the cratonic mantle wedge peridotite not only with aqueous solutions derived from dehydration of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust in the Jurassic but also with hydrous melts derived from partial melting of the subducting South China continental crust in the Triassic. On the other hand, the mantle sources of juvenile OIB-like mafic igneous rocks are also a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the asthenospheric mantle underneath the North China lithosphere with hydrous felsic melts derived from partial melting of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust. The subducting Paleo-Pacific slab became rollback at ~144 Ma. Afterwards the SCLM base was heated by laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, leading to thinning of the hydrated and weakened cratonic mantle. There was extensive bimodal magmatism at 130 to 120 Ma, marking intensive destruction of the cratonic lithosphere. Not only the ultramafic metasomatites in the lower part of the cratonic mantle wedge underwent partial melting to produce mafic igneous rocks showing negative ε_Nd(t) values, depletion in Nb and Ta but enrichment in Pb, but also the lower continent crust overlying the cratonic mantle wedge was heated for extensive felsic magmatism. At the same time, the rollback slab surface was heated by the laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, resulting in partial melting of the previously dehydrated rocks beyond rutile stability on the slab surface. This produce still hydrous felsic melts, which metasomatized the overlying asthenospheric mantle peridotite to generate the ultramafic metasomatites that show positive ε_Nd(t) values, no depletion or even enrichment in Nb and Ta but depletion in Pb. Partial melting of such metasomatites started at ~121 Ma, giving rise to the mafic igneous rocks with juvenile OIB-like geochemical signatures. In this context, the age of ~121 Ma may terminate replacement of the ancient SCLM by the juvenile SCLM in North China. Paleo-Pacific slab was not subducted to the mantle transition zone in the Mesozoic as revealed by modern seismic tomography, and it was subducted at a low angle since the Jurassic, like the subduction of Nazca Plate beneath American continent. This flat subduction would not only chemically metasomatize the cratonic mantle but also physically erode the cratonic mantle. Therefore, the interaction between Paleo-Pacific slab and the cratonic mantle is the first-order geodynamic mechanism for the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China.     

Geology,geochronology and tectonic setting of late Cenozoic volcanism along the southwestern Gulf of Mexico: The Eastern Alkaline Province revisited

A NNW-trending belt of alkaline mafic volcanic fields parallels the Gulf of Mexico from the U.S. border southward to Veracruz state, in eastern Mexico. Previous studies grouped this volcanism into the so-called “Eastern Alkaline Province” (EAP) and suggested that it resulted from Gulf-parallel extensional faulting migrating from north to south from Oligocene to Present. On the basis of new geologic studies, forty-nine unspiked K–Ar and two ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages, we propose a new geodynamic model for the volcanism along the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.We studied in detail four of the six recognized fields of mafic alkaline volcanism in Veracruz state: 1) The lavas flows of Tlanchinol area (7.3–5.7 Ma), 2) the Alamo monogenetic field and Sierra de Tantima (7.6–6.6 Ma), 3) the Poza Rica and Metlatoyuca lava flows (1.6–1.3 Ma) and 4) the Chiconquiaco–Palma Sola area (6.9–3.2 Ma). Other two mafic volcanic fields may represent the continuation of alkaline volcanism to the southeast: the Middle Miocene lavas at Anegada High, offshore port of Veracruz, and the Middle to Late Miocene volcanism at the Los Tuxtlas.The existence of major Neogene extensional faults parallel to the Gulf of Mexico (i.e., ∼N–S to NNW–SSE) proposed in previous works was not confirmed by our geological studies. Elongation of volcanic necks, vent alignment, and faults mapped by subsurface data trend dominantly NE to ENE and NW to NNW. These directions are parallel to transform and normal faults that formed during the Late Jurassic opening of the Gulf of Mexico. Ascent of mafic magmas was likely facilitated and controlled by the existence of these pre-existing basement structures.Coupled with previous studies, our data demonstrate the occurrence of three magmatic episodes in Veracruz: 1) A Middle Miocene (∼15–11 Ma) episode in southern Veracruz (Palma Sola, Anegada, and Los Tuxtlas); 2) A Late Miocene to Early Pliocene (∼7.5–3 Ma) pulse of mafic alkaline volcanism throughout the study region; and 3) A Late Pliocene to Quaternary transitional to calc–alkaline volcanism in southern Veracruz (Palma Sola, Los Tuxtlas). Whereas the first and third episodes may be considered part of the subduction-related Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, the second pulse of mafic alkaline volcanism has a more complex origin. The absence of significant extensional faulting precludes a rift origin. We favor a model in which a transient thermal anomaly and melting of the mantle was triggered by the tearing and detachment of part of the subducted slab.     

Three-dimensional structure of inclined sheet swarms: Implications for crustal thickening and subsidence in the volcanic rift zones of Iceland

Inward-dipping (cone) sheet swarms and an associated central volcano are well-exposed in the deeply-eroded Tertiary crust of Vatnsdalur, Skagi Peninsula region, northern Iceland. Spatially registered orientations of 389 mafic sheets, mapped in three distinct sheet swarms define both the overall shape and magmatic source of each swarm. The Vatnsdalur sheet swarms consist of planar inward-dipping sheets that collectively define a conical shape rather than a bowl- or trumpet-shape as have been found in swarms in other locations. In the best exposed swarm, three-dimensional projection of mafic sheets into the subsurface defines two distinct foci, which are interpreted as the magmatic sources of two temporally distinct sub-swarms. These results help to establish the influence of inclined sheet intrusion on crustal accretion at central volcanoes. The geometry of the swarm constrains the thickness of material that was added to the crust during sheet intrusion. When combined with estimates of surface relief, we calculate that 2.2 to 4.1 km of subsidence were required beneath the central volcano in order to accommodate the intrusion of the sheet swarm. Similar processes of crustal thickening and subsidence likely occur in a wide variety of both continental rift and mid-ocean ridge systems where magmatic activity is focused at central volcanoes.     

南海西南海盆构造演化的热模拟研究

南海西南海盆的张裂和海底扩张是白垩纪末至中始新世南海形成过程中最重要的构造事件.本文采用三维有限单元法对该区的热演化过程进行了模拟计算.通过对变形、温度结构的计算,研究了西南海盆张裂变形、海底扩张持续时间、地幔物质上升、地壳岩墙沿扩张中心的挤入扩张活力、岩浆活动等.计算结果表明：由于其深部动力学条件不足,海盆一次扩张持续时间在10～15Ma之间,其后地幔物质的上升活动逐渐停止,地壳失去扩张动力,使得扩张中心成为残留扩张中心的死亡裂谷,而未构成中脊或中隆带.虽然该处地幔物质上升的潜力不足,但伴随局部的断裂,尤其是盆、缘边界的拆离拉张,仍能产生相当强烈的岩浆喷溢活动,导致此区海盆成型之后的海山崛起.     

华北元古代基性岩墙群研究

我国华北元古代基性岩墙群的岩石以辉绿结构为主,成分为镁低、钾钠稍高的拉斑玄武岩类。内含3个亚群,分別在1.5Ga、1.2Ca、0.9Ga前形成。推导出3期拉张应力场的方向分別为南北、北东-南西和北西-南东向     

Gold mineralization age of the Anjiayingzi gold deposit in Chifeng County,Inner Mongolia and implications for Mesozoic metallogenic explosion in North China

The Anjiayingzi gold deposit in Chifeng County, Inner Mongolia is located in the central part of the gold mineralization belt of the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC), and is adjacent to the Paleozoic Inner Mongolia-Da Hinggan Mountains orogenic belt in the north. The Chifeng-Kaiyuan fault, which separates the NCC from this orogenic belt, is considered to be a regional ore-controlling structure. The Anjiayingzi gold deposit is a mediate-size quartz lode-gold deposit and is hosted by the Anjiayingzi quartz monzonite that was emplaced into the basement composed of early Precambrian gneisses. Rhyolitic and porphyritic dikes are generally associated with the gold mineralization. Zircon U-Pb analyses suggest that the Anjiayingzi granite was emplaced from 132 Ma to 138 Ma, while the rhyolitic dikes that occupy the same fracture system as the gold-bearing quartz veins and locally crosscut the gold lodes crystallized from 125 Ma to 127 Ma. These results constrain the mineralization age between 126     

Exhumed Himalayan-type syntaxis in the Grenville orogen, northeastern Laurentia

A deep-seated analog of the syntaxis developed in the Tibetan Plateau occurs in the Grenville Orogen of eastern Laurentia. During the final assembly of Rodinia, Amazonia collided with Laurentia and produced a series of large, conjugate, transcurrent, shear systems and pervasive strike-slip deformation that overprinted compressional structures related to the Ottawan Orogeny (the last orogenic phase of what is considered Grenvillian). A northeast-striking dextral system at least 35-km wide developed in the Reading Prong of New York (locally known as the Hudson Highlands), New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. U-Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronology and Ar/Ar thermochronology on the lowest grade cataclasites constrain the age of movement between 1008 and 876 Ma. A 60-km-wide, east-west striking, sinistral shear system developed across the central Adirondack Highlands. This system overprints rocks with granulite-facies metamorphic assemblages containing ca. 1050 Ma metamorphic zircons and is cut by a swarm of 950 Ma leucogranites. The timing, geometric relationships, and shear sense of the Adirondacks and Reading Prong shear systems suggest a conjugate system within a syntaxis with bulk compression directed ENE–WSW. This tectonic scenario invokes a component of strike-parallel deformation during the Ottawan Orogeny and provides a kinematic mechanism for an otherwise enigmatic, synchronous, late (ca. 930 Ma) extensional event including the Carthage–Colton mylonite zone in the northwest Adirondacks and Canada.     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating and its geological significance of Chibaisong gabbro in Tonghua area,Jilin Province,China

The basic dykes are widely distributed in the Tonghua area, among which the Chibaisong No.1 gabbro has attracted many geologists’ attention to the copper-nickel sulfide deposit within it. However, its formation time has been controversial all the time. Most geologists considered that it could be formed at the late Archean or the Paleoproterozoic[1]1), while some other geologists contended that it might be formed in early Yanshannian of Mesozoic2). The forming time of the basic dyke swarm i…     

Renewed profile of the Mesozoic magmatism in Korean Peninsula: Regional correlation and broader implication for cratonic destruction in the North China Craton

Widespread Mesozoic magmatism occurs in the Korean Peninsula (KP). The status quo is poles apart between the northern and southern parts in characterizing its distribution and nature, with the nearly absence of any related information in North Korea. We have the opportunity to have conducted geological investigations in North Korea and South Korea during the past ten years through international cooperation programs. This led to the revelation of a number of granitoids and related volcanic rocks and thus facilitates the comparison with those in East China and Japan. Mesozoic granitoids in the KP can be divisible into three age groups: the Triassic group with a peak age of ~220 Ma, the Jurassic one of ~190–170 Ma and the late Early Cretaceous one of ~110 Ma. The Triassic intrusions include syenite, calc-alkaline to alkaline granite and minor kimberlite in the Pyeongnam Basin of North Korea. They have been considered to form in post-orogenic settings related to the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) or the Dabie-Sulu Orogenic Belt (DSOB). The Jurassic granitoids constitute extensive occurrence in the KP and are termed as the Daebo-period magmatism. They correlate well with coeval counterparts in NE China encompassing the northeastern part of the North China Craton (NCC) and the eastern segment of the CAOB. They commonly consist of biotite or two-mica granites and granodiorites, with some containing small dark diorite enclaves. On one hand, Early Jurassic to early Middle Jurassic magmatic rocks are rare in most areas of the NCC, whilst Middle-Late Jurassic ones are not developed in the KP. On the other hand, both NCC and KP host abundant Cretaceous granites. However, the present data revealed contrasting age peaks, with ~130–125 Ma in the NCC and ~110–105 Ma in the KP. Cretaceous granites in the KP comprise the dominant biotite granites and a few amphibole granites. The former exhibit mildly fractionated REE patterns and zircon ε _Hf(t) values from -15 to -25, whereas the latter feature strongly fractionated REE patterns and zircon ε _Hf(t) values from -10 to -1. Both granites contain inherited zircons of ~1.8–1.9 or ~2.5 Ga. These geochemical characters testify to their derivation from re-melting distinct protoliths in ancient basement. Another Cretaceous magmatic sub-event has been entitled as the Gyeongsang volcanism, which is composed of bimodal calc-alkaline volcanic rocks of 94–55 Ma and granitic-hypabyssal granitic bodies of 72–70 Ma. Synthesizing the Mesozoic magmatic rocks across the KP, NCC and Japan can lead to the following highlights: (1) All Triassic granites in the NCC, KP and Japan have similar characteristics in petrology, chronology and geochemistry. Therefore, the NCC, KP and Japan tend to share the same tectonic setting during the Triassic, seemingly within the context of Indosinian orogensis. (2) Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the NCC seem to define two episodes: episode A from 175 to 157 Ma and episode B from 157 to 135 Ma. Jurassic magmatic rocks in the KP span in age mainly from 190 to 170 Ma, whereas 160–135 Ma ones are rare. With the exception of ~197 Ma Funatsu granite, Jurassic magmatic rocks are absent in Japan. (3) Cretaceous granites in the KP have a peak age of ~110, ~20 Ma younger than those in the NCC, while Japan is exempt from ~130–100 Ma granites. (4) The spatial-temporal distribution and migratory characteristics of the Jurassic-Cretaceous magmatic rocks in Japan, KP, and NE China-North China indicate that the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate might not be operative before Late Cretaceous (~130–120 Ma). (5) Late Cretaceous magmatic rocks (~90–60 Ma) occur in the southwestern corner of the KP and also in Japan, coinciding with the metamorphic age of ~90–70 Ma in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt of Japan. The magmatic-metamorphic rock associations and their spatial distribution demonstrate the affinities of sequentially subduction zone, island arc and back-arc basin from Japan to Korea, arguing for the Pacific plate subduction during Late Cretaceous. (6) This study raises another possibility that the Mesozoic cratonic destruction in the NCC, which mainly occurred during ~150–120 Ma, might not only be due to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate, but also owe much to the intraplate geodynamic forces triggered by other adjacent continental plates like the Eurasian and Indian plates.     

鄂尔多斯盆地东缘紫金山侵入岩热演化史与隆升过程分析

运用LA-ICP MS锆石U-Pb定年、角闪石和黑云母⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar定年、锆石和磷灰石裂变径迹(FT)分析等构造热年代学研究方法,探讨分析了鄂尔多斯盆地东缘紫金山侵入岩的热演化历史及其抬升冷却过程.紫金山侵入岩主要由次透辉二长岩和正长岩组成,锆石U-Pb测年给出的岩浆侵位-结晶年龄为136.7 Ma,角闪石和黑云母⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar测年获得的岩浆结晶-固结年龄集中在133.1~130.4 Ma,表明紫金山侵入岩主要形成于早白垩世的136.7~130.4 Ma.侵入岩T-t轨迹与磷灰石FT模拟热史路径综合揭示了鄂尔多斯盆地东缘紫金山侵入岩抬升冷却的三个构造热演化阶段:1) 136~120 Ma侵位岩浆结晶-固结阶段,岩体平均冷却速率高达52 ℃/Ma;2) 120~30 Ma岩体相对缓慢抬升冷却阶段,平均抬升冷却速率为2.5 ℃/Ma;3) 30 Ma以来岩体快速抬升冷却阶段,平均抬升冷却速率3.6 ℃/Ma,尤以近10 Ma以来的快速抬升冷却最为显著,抬升冷却速率接近7 ℃/Ma.结合区域构造动力学环境分析认为,鄂尔多斯盆地东缘的紫金山岩浆活动与华北克拉通早白垩世构造体制转换过程的大规模岩浆活动属于相同时期、统一构造作用的产物,早白垩世末期以来由慢到快的差异抬升过程主要受控于华北克拉通东部(古)太平洋体系与其西南部特提斯体系之间相互联合、彼此消长的构造作用.     

Mantle dynamics of the Paleoproterozoic North China Craton: A perspective based on seismic tomography

We investigate the mantle dynamics beneath the North China Craton (NCC) and surrounding regions based on a synthesis of recent P-wave mantle tomographic data down to depths of 600–800 km and their correlation with the surface geological features, with particular reference to the Paleoproterozoic tectonic events associated with the incorporation of the NCC within the Columbia supercontinent amalgam. From the tomographic images, we identify a hot corridor in the mantle transition zone beneath the central region of the Western Block of the NCC sandwiched between two cold corridors. This scenario is similar to the donut-shaped high-velocity anomaly surrounding a region of low-velocity anomaly in the lowermost mantle under the Pacific and suggests that the cold regions might represent slab graveyards which provide the fuel for the plumes rising from the center. A tomographic transect along the collisional suture of the NCC with the Columbia supercontinent, covering the Yinshan-Ordos Blocks in the Western Block through the Central Orogenic Belt and into the Eastern Block of the NCC reveals a ca. 250 km thick lithospheric keel below the Ordos Block defined by a prominent high-velocity anomaly. We identify slab break-off and asthenospheric upwelling in this region and suggest that this process probably initiated the thermal and material erosion of the tectosphere beneath the Eastern Block from the Paleoproterozoic, which was further intensified during the Mesozoic when a substantial part of the sub-continental mantle lithosphere was lost. We visualize heat input from asthenosphere and interaction between asthenosphere and overlying carbonated tectosphere releasing CO₂-rich fluids for the preservation of ultra-high temperature (ca. 1000 °C) metamorphic rocks enriched in CO₂ as well as high-pressure mafic granulites as a paired suite in this region. We also identify a hot swell of the asthenosphere rooted to more than 200 km depth and reaching up to the shallow mantle in the tomographic section along 35°N latitude at a depth of 800 km. This zone represents a cross-section through the southern part of the NCC. The surface distribution of Paleoproterozoic Xiong’er lavas and mafic dykes in this region would indicate that this region might have evidenced similar upwellings in the past. Our study has important implications in understanding the evolution of the NCC and suggests that the extensive modification of the mantle architecture and lithospheric structure beneath one of the fundamental Precambrian nuclei of Asia had a prolonged history probably dating from the Paleoproterozoic suturing of the NCC within the Columbia supercontinent amalgam.     

Permian felsic magmatism in the Neoproterozoic Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex of the Malani Igneous Suite: Evidence from zircon U–Pb age

We report Permian (ca. 272 Ma ±5.4 Ma) felsic dykes that intrude into the Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) magmatic suite of the Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex (NPIC), the western extension of the Malani Igneous Suite (MIS). The NPIC consists of Neoproterozoic basement amphibolites and granites (riebeckite–aegirine gray granites and the biotite–hornblende pink granites), all of which are intruded by several generations of mafic and felsic dykes. Granitic magmatism occurred in the Late Neoproterozoic (ca. 750 Ma) due to the subduction‐, followed by the rift‐related tectonic regime during the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. U–Th–Pb zircon and monazite CHIME age data of 700–800 Ma from the earlier generation porphyritic felsic dykes suggest the dyke intrusion was coeval or soon after the emplacement of the host granites. Our findings of Permian age orthophyric felsic dykes provide new insights for the prevalence of active tectonics in the MIS during late Paleozoic. Textural features and geochemistry also make the orthophyric dykes distinct from the early‐formed porphyritic dykes and the host granites. Our newly obtained age data combined with geochemistry, suggest the existence of magmatism along the western margin of India (peri‐Gondwana margin) during Permian. Like elsewhere in the region, the Permian magmatism in the NPIC could be associated with the rifting of the Cimmerian micro‐continents from the Gondwana.