A metasomatic setting,the Russian River Arch,and gravitational emplacement in the history of eclogites at the classic eclogite locality of Jenner,California, USA

ABSTRACT

Blocks of metamorphic rock designated as ‘high-grade’ blocks, commonly less than 100 m in diameter, consisting of garnet-glaucophane- and hornblende-schists and gneisses and rare eclogite, are widely distributed within mélanges of the Franciscan (accretionary) Complex of California. Eclogite-glaucophane schist blocks present at Jenner, California, have been studied for petrographic, geochemical, structural, and age characteristics, but their relationship to associated Franciscan rocks is poorly understood. The studied blocks are not in situ, but rather occur in landslide deposits and beach sands. The landslide deposits overlie the low to middle slope exposures of sandstone-rich broken formations of the Franciscan Complex that are not known to contain high-grade blocks. Geochemical studies suggest a serpentinite host for the blocks. Upslope, a serpentinite-matrix mélange contains numerous high-grade blocks, including rare retrograded eclogite, and is the likely block source. The Jenner terrain as a whole was uplifted relative to rocks to the north and south near Annapolis and Freestone, respectively, by uplift along the post-Pliocene Russian River (anticlinal) Arch, as indicated by the regional distribution of arching, wave-cut, post-Franciscan surfaces with overlying Miocene/Pliocene marine sedimentary rocks. Local uplift increased landsliding and colluvial downslope movement of the blocks. In addition, local, wave-influenced transportation of smaller blocks, together with the downslope mass movements, brought the high-grade blocks to their present positions. The high-grade blocks are thus displaced from upslope exposures of the original serpentinite-matrix mélange host, in which the blocks likely experienced the metasomatism that converted eclogite to glaucophane schist. In general, the relationship of blocks to the original serpentinite host is a critical element of subduction zone architecture related to subduction zone processes and history, and should be analysed, in any studies that seek to explain the architecture and history of any accretionary complex with similar high-grade blocks.     

西南“三江”格咱火山-岩浆弧中红山-属都蛇绿混杂岩带的厘定及其意义

义敦岛弧南段的格咱火山-岩浆弧的东西斑岩带在成矿期次、成矿作用等方面存在较大差异性,二者之间是否有大型构造单元的存在,与东部代表洋壳消减的甘孜-理塘主蛇绿混杂岩带关系如何等一直是悬而未决问题。研究发现,区内存在由断续出露镁铁-超镁铁堆积杂岩,以及尼汝组玄武岩、硅质板岩和复理石、灰岩等岩片组成的红山-属都蛇绿混杂岩带,属于甘孜-理塘洋壳早期俯冲残留次级蛇绿混杂岩带,与主蛇绿混杂岩带及格咱火山-岩浆弧构成了本区构造格架。其中,红山-属都蛇绿混杂岩带将格咱弧分为东西两个斑岩成矿带。本蛇绿混杂岩带的厘定,为进一步研究甘孜-理塘洋范围、俯冲时限、构造演化、甘孜-理塘洋是否存在两次俯冲,及格咱弧东西斑岩带成矿规律提供了基础资料,并对指导区域找矿具有一定意义。     

Diagnostic features and field-criteria in recognition of tectonic,sedimentary and diapiric mélanges in orogenic belts and exhumed subduction-accretion complexes

Multiple episodes of deformation during the tectonic evolution of orogenic belts and ancient subduction-accretion complexes cause obfuscation of primary block-in-matrix fabric of mélanges, and thereby making the recognition of their tectonic, sedimentary or diapiric origin difficult. Here we present a comprehensive overview and synthesis of a diverse set of field-based stratigraphic and structural criteria, which are at the base of geological mapping rules, to differentiate between various mélange types, developed by disparate geological processes and mechanisms. We first define the current concepts of mélange and mélange nomenclature, and describe the most diagnostic features of tectonic, sedimentary and diapiric mélanges at different scales. We discuss some of the main issues complicating the application of these diagnostic criteria, such as: (i) similarities between the block-in-matrix fabric of different mélange types formed in partially lithified sediments at shallow structural levels, (ii) transformation of fabric elements with increased depth due to tectonic reworking and recrystallization processes, (iii) significance of “exotic” versus “native” blocks in mélange matrix, and (iv) age relationships between blocks and matrix in a mélange. We introduce two additional criteria in approaching these complexities and in recognizing different processes of polygenetic mélanges formation in the field when primary diagnostic fabrics were reworked by multiple deformational events. These new criteria are based on (i) the coherence between lithological compositions of mélange components (blocks and matrix) and characteristics and tectonic evolution of the geodynamic setting of their formation (“tectonic environment criterion”), and (ii) specificity and kinematic coherence in the distribution of deformation between blocks and the matrix (“deformation criterion”). The discussed diagnostic criteria can be applied to all field-based investigations of mélanges and broken formations in orogenic belts and exhumed subduction-accretion complexes around the world, regardless of their location, age, and tectonic history.     

Whither the megathrust? Localization of large-scale subduction slip along the contact of a mélange

Long-lived subduction complexes, such as the Franciscan Complex of California, include tectonic contacts that represent exhumed megathrust horizons that collectively accommodated thousands of kilometres of slip. The chaotic nature of mélanges in subduction complexes has spawned proposals that these mélanges form as a result of megathrust displacement. Detailed field and petrographic relationships, however, show that most Franciscan mélanges with exotic blocks formed by submarine landsliding. Field relationships at El Cerrito Quarry in the eastern San Francisco Bay area suggest that subduction slip may have been accommodated between the blueschist facies metagreywacke of the Angel Island nappe above and the prehnite-pumpellyite facies metagreywacke of the Alcatraz nappe below. Although a 100–200 m-thick mélange zone separates the nappes, this mélange is a variably deformed, prehnite-pumpellyite facies sedimentary breccia and conglomerate deposited on the underlying coherent sandstone, so the mélange is part of the lower nappe. A 20–30 m-thick fault zone between the top of the mélange, and the base of the Angel Island nappe displays an inverted metamorphic gradient with jadeite-glaucophane-lawsonite above lawsonite-albite assemblages. This zone has a strong seaward (SW)-vergent shear fabric and hosts ultracataclasite and pseudotachylite. These relationships suggest that significant subduction megathrust displacement at depths of 15–30 km was accommodated within the 20–30 m-thick fault zone. Field studies elsewhere in the Franciscan Complex suggest similar localization of megathrust slip, with some examples lacking mélanges. The narrow megathrust zone at El Cerrito Quarry, its uniform sense-of-shear, and the localization of slip along the contact of, rather than within a mélange, contrast sharply with the predictions of numerical models for subduction channels.     

Blueschist metamorphism during accretion in the Lachlan Orogen, south-eastern Australia

Low‐T, intermediate to high‐P assemblages indicative of the prehnite–pumpellyite, greenschist and blueschist facies are preserved in mélange zones and slivers of oceanic crust within two major fault zones of the turbidite‐dominated Lachlan Orogen. In one of these fault zones (Governor Fault Zone), blueschists occur as Franciscan‐like blocks in a serpentinite/talc matrix that is interleaved with phyllites and slates, and structurally overlain by a fault slice or duplex of predominantly pillow basalt, chert, and turbidite. The blueschist metavolcanics are interpreted to have formed at < 450 °C and at a depth of approximately 21–27 km. The presence of blue amphibole in the blocks, rinds and matrix indicate that the metavolcanics were emplaced in the matrix prior to blueschist metamorphism. Blocks and matrix were partially exhumed, interleaved with tectonic slices of phyllite and slate, and subsequently folded at about 10–12 km depth, inferred from b_o values of the dominant mica fabric in the phyllites and slates. Metamorphic P–T is highest in the structurally lowest slice (mélange zone) and lowest in the overlying ophiolitic fault slice, suggestive of an accretionary burial metamorphic pattern formed by underplating of the mélange. In the other fault zone (Heathcote Fault Zone), blueschists transitional to greenschist facies are interpreted to have formed at < 450 °C and at a depth of approximately 15–21 km. They occur as blocks in serpentinite/talc‐matrix mélange and are also associated with fault slices of oceanic crust. Textural and mineralogical evidence suggests that the protoliths for the blueschists in both fault zones were boninitic pillow lavas. The metamorphic facies and patterns, and the structural and lithological associations, can be interpreted in terms of disruption of oceanic crust and overlying sediments during subduction, and formation of serpentinite‐matrix mélange overprinted by blueschist metamorphism either prior to or during underplating of the mélange and duplex formation. The presence of blueschist metavolcanics indicate that these processes occurred at considerable depth. These interpretations have implications for the evolution of large‐scale fault zones in noncollisional, convergent oceanic settings.     

Perspectives on the roles of melanges in subduction accretionary complexes: A review

Melanges play three principal, overlapping roles in the architecture of subduction accretionary complexes (SACs) during and after SAC formation. First, tectonic melanges serve as zones of concentrated deformation within and below the accreted rocks that are assembled during the subduction-accretion process. These melanges facilitate preservation of inter-melange, less deformed, accretionary units (AUs). Beneath the trench side of the SAC, the initial deformation zone along the decollement at the top of the down-going plate is marked by non-melange, tectonically dismembered formations or thinner units of scaly rock and breccia that separate accreted rocks above from the subducting rocks below. Olistostromal rocks may be incorporated into the decollement here. In the mid-arc to inner-arc areas of the SAC, exotic block-bearing mélanges develop in zones of tectonic fragmentation and mixing of accreting ocean plate stratigraphy, in mud diapirs, and along out-of-sequence faults, some of which facilitate uplift of high-pressure rocks and serpentinite-matrix mélanges. Second, after accretion, the sedimentary, tectonic, diapiric, and polygenetic mélange units serve as single block or sheet architectural AUs (or subunits within larger accreted AUs) of the SAC. Diapiric melanges and sedimentary olistostromal mélanges formed in and above SAC fault blocks, respectively, may become incorporated into the SAC during ongoing deformation and become architectural units, as well. Third, melanges serve as post-subduction stress guides that focus shear strain during continuing and post-accretion deformation of SACs, allowing ongoing modification of the SAC during progressive deformation of the orogen. Examples of each type of role reveal the importance of all three processes in the current architecture of outer orogenic belts.     

The origin of mélanges: Cautionary tales from Indonesia

The origin of block-in-matrix mélanges has been the subject of intense speculation by structural and tectonic geologists working in accretionary complexes since their first recognition in the early twentieth century. Because of their enigmatic nature, a number of important international meetings and a large number of publications have been devoted to the problem of the origin of mélanges. As mélanges show the effects of the disruption of lithological units to form separate blocks, and also apparently show the effects shearing in the scaly fabric of the matrix, a tectonic origin has often been preferred. Then it was suggested that the disruption to form the blocks in mélanges could also occur in a sedimentary environment due to the collapse of submarine fault scarps to form olistostromes, upon which deformation could be superimposed tectonically. Subsequently it has proposed that some mélanges have originated by overpressured clays rising buoyantly towards the surface, incorporating blocks of the overlying rocks in mud or shale diapirs and mud volcanoes.Two well-known examples of mélanges from the Banda and Sunda arcs are described, to which tectonic and sedimentary origins were confidently ascribed, which proved on subsequent examination to have been formed due to mud diapirism, in a dynamically active environment, as the result of tectonism only indirectly. Evidence from the Australian continental Shelf to the south of Sumba shows that large quantities of diapiric mélange were generated before the diapirs were incorporated in the accretionary complex. Comparable diapirs can be recognised in Timor accreted at an earlier stage. Evidence from both Timor and Nias shows that diapiric mélange can be generated well after the initial accretion process was completed.The problem is: Why, when diapirism is so abundantly found in present convergent margins, is it so rarely reported from older orogenic belts? Many occurrences of mélanges throughout the world to which tectonic and/or sedimentary and origins have been ascribed, may in future investigations prove to have had a diapiric origin.It is emphasised that although the examples of diapiric mélange described here may contain ophiolitic blocks, they were developed in shelf or continental margin environments, and do not contain blocks of high grade metamorphic rocks in a serpentinous matrix; such mélanges originate diapirically during subduction in a mantle environment, as previous authors have suggested.     

Sedimentary compared to tectonically-deformed serpentinites and tectonic serpentinite mélanges at outcrop to petrographic scales: Unambiguous and disputed examples from California

This paper compares features of unambiguous tectonic serpentinite mélanges (TSM) or serpentinite shear zones in the Coast Range ophiolite, Franciscan subduction complex, of coastal California and Sierra City Mélange of the northern Sierra Nevada of northeastern California with undisputed sedimentary serpentinite mélange (SSM) of the Great Valley Group (GVG) forearc basin deposits of coastal California, and with Franciscan serpentinite mélanges of disputed (sedimentary versus tectonic) origin. The GVG sedimentary serpentinite mélanges and disputed Franciscan serpentinite mélanges share strongly similar matrix textures and block-matrix relationships at scales from tens of meters or more to petrographic scale but differ significantly from serpentinite shear zones and TSM. This comparison suggests shared (non-diagnostic) and distinguishing features of TSM versus SSM. Internal bedding or foliation in blocks is oriented subparallel to mélange boundaries and matrix foliation for both TSM and SSM both may have strongly foliated matrix and both may feature localized shearing in matrix around block borders, especially if an SSM underwent significant post-depositional deformation. The same holds true for deformation and dismemberment of blocks, which is the block-forming and mixing mechanism in TSM but variably exhibited in SSM. In contrast only SSM have blocks or clasts whose internal foliation or bedding terminates abruptly along clast/block boundaries with a mismatch in mineralogy and/or lithology across such boundaries. Matrix foliation cuts blocks/clasts in TSM but not in SSM. SSM may show block/grain size grading but not TSM. SSM have exotic blocks and blocks may span a range of metamorphic grade, whereas TSM lack exotic blocks and blocks are isofacial.     

The metahyaloclastitic matrix of a unique metavolcanic block reveals subduction in the Somozas Mélange (Cabo Ortegal Complex,NW Iberia): tectonic implications for the assembly of Pangea

The allochthonous Cabo Ortegal Complex (NW Iberian Massif) contains a ~500 m thick serpentinite‐matrix mélange located in the lowest structural position, the Somozas Mélange. The mélange occurs at the leading edge of a thick nappe pile constituted by a variety of terranes transported to the East (present‐day coordinates; NW Iberian allochthonous complexes), with continental and oceanic affinities, and represents a Variscan suture. Among other types of metaigneous (calcalkaline suite dated at 527–499 Ma) and metasedimentary blocks, it contains close‐packed pillow‐lavas and broken pillow‐breccias with a metahyaloclastitic matrix formed by muscovite–paragonite–margarite–garnet–chlorite–kyanite–hematite–epidote–quartz–rutile. Pseudosection modelling in the MnCNTKFMASHO system indicates metamorphic peak conditions of ~17.5–18 kbar and ~550 °C followed by near‐isothermal decompression. This P–T evolution indicates subduction/accretion of an arc‐derived section of peri‐Gondwanan transitional crust. Subduction below the Variscan orogenic wedge evolved to continental collision with important dextral component. Closure of the remaining oceanic peri‐Gondwanan domain and associated release of fluid led to hydration of the overlying mantle wedge and the formation of a low‐viscosity subduction channel, where return flow formed the mélange. The submarine metavolcanic rocks were deformed and detached from the subducting transitional crust and eventually incorporated into the subduction channel, where they experienced fast exhumation. Due to the cryptic nature of the high‐P metamorphism preserved in its tectonic blocks, the significance of the Somozas Mélange had remained elusive, but it is made clear here for the first time as an important tectonic boundary within the Variscan Orogen formed during the late stages of the continental convergence leading to the assembly of Pangea.     

甘肃北山火石山地区早古生代蛇绿混杂岩的发现及其地质意义

在甘肃北山火石山地区新发现了蛇绿混杂岩,该混杂岩由蛇绿岩岩块和混杂基质组成。蛇绿岩块有纯橄岩、辉石橄榄岩、辉石岩、辉长岩、玄武岩及硅质岩等。基质为志留系中上统公婆泉群,主要是一套变凝灰质砂岩夹碳酸盐岩和少量安山岩。野外调查及室内鉴定结果显示蛇绿岩岩块和基质遭受了较强的变质变形。火石山蛇绿混杂岩位于红柳河、牛圈子蛇绿岩之间,且该蛇绿岩地球化学特征显示其同红柳河蛇绿岩相似,因此认为红柳河—牛圈子蛇绿混杂岩是通过火石山相连接。火石山蛇绿混杂岩的发现对研究该带洋陆时空演化提供了新的线索,对北山古生代构造背景研究具有重要意义。     

The Yarlung suture mélange,Lopu Range,southern Tibet: Provenance of sandstone blocks and transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision

With the aim of better understanding the history of ocean closure and suturing between India and Asia, we conducted a geologic investigation of a siliciclastic matrix tectonic mélange within the western Yarlung suture zone of southern Tibet (Lopu Range region, ~ 50 km northwest of Saga). The siliciclastic matrix mélange includes abundant blocks of ocean plate stratigraphy and sparse blocks of sandstone. Metapelite and metabasite blocks in the mélange exhibit lower greenschist facies mineral assemblages, indicating that they were not deeply subducted. We obtained detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic and sandstone petrographic data from sandstone blocks in the mélange and sandstone beds from Tethyan Himalayan strata exposed to the south of the suture. The sandstones from both units are all similar in U-Pb detrital zircon age spectra and petrography to the nearby Tethyan Cretaceous–Paleocene Sangdanlin section, which records the earliest appearance (at ~ 59 Ma) of arc-affinity strata deposited conformably on Indian-affinity strata. Two Paleocene sandstones, one of which is a schistose block incorporated in the siliciclastic matrix mélange, yielded indistinguishable maximum depositional ages of ~ 59 Ma. Mesozoic Asian-affinity sandstone blocks previously documented in the siliciclastic matrix mélange 200–500 km along strike to the east are notably absent in the Lopu Range region. We documented a gradational transition in structural style from the block-in-matrix mélange in the northeast to the south-vergent Tethyan thrust belt in the southwest. Blocks of Tethyan Himalayan strata increase in size and the volumetric proportion of matrix decreases from northeast to southwest. We conclude that no arc-affinity sandstone blocks were incorporated into the subduction complex until India-Asia collision at ~ 59 Ma when the Xigaze forearc basin became overfilled and Tethyan Himalayan strata entered the trench. As collision progressed, there was a gradual transition in structural style from block-in-matrix mélange formation to imbricate-style thrust belt formation.     

Tectonic setting required for the preservation of sedimentary mélanges in Palaeozoic and Mesozoic accretionary complexes of southwest Japan

The Palaeozoic to Mesozoic accretionary complexes of southwest Japan include various types of mélange. Most mélanges are polygenetic in origin, being sedimentary or diapiric mélanges that were overprinted by tectonic deformation during subduction. Sedimentary mélanges, without a tectonic overprint, are present in the Permian accretionary complexes of the Akiyoshi and Kurosegawa belts and in the Early Cretaceous accretionary complex of the Chichibu Belt. These mélanges are characterized by dominant basalt and limestone clasts, within a mudstone matrix. The basalt and limestone clasts within the sedimentary mélanges were derived from ancient seamounts. Subduction of a seamount results in deformation of the pre-existing accretionary wedge, and it is difficult to incorporate a seamount into an accretionary wedge; therefore, preservation of seamount fragments requires a special tectonic setting. Oceanic plateau accretion might play an important role in interrupting the processes of subduction and accretion during the formation of accretionary complexes. Especially the Mikabu oceanic plateau might have caused the cessation of accretion during the Early Cretaceous. The subduction and accretion of volcanic arcs and oceanic plateaux helps to preserve sedimentary mélanges from tectonic overprinting by preventing further subduction.     

Counterclockwise P-T-t trajectory from the metamorphic sole of a Neo-Tethyan ophiolite (Turkey)

The Kiziltepe ophiolitic thrust sheet in the Bolkar Mountains of Turkey occurs between two subparallel ophiolite belts bounding the Tauride carbonate platform and represents a remnant of the Cretaceous Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. It is underlain by foliated amphibolite that represents a metamorphic sole developed at the inception of an intra-oceanic subduction zone in the Neo-Tethys 92-90 Ma. Blueschist-facies overprinting of the amphibolite indicates that the metamorphic sole was dragged deeper into the subduction zone where it experienced increasing P/T with cooling. Regional tectonic constraints suggest a Maastrichtian age for the timing of this blueschist-facies metamorphism. Sodic amphibole-rich veins and crossite/Mg-riebeckite rims on hornblende suggest that growth of blueschist-facies minerals was facilitated by infiltration of fluid along fractures and grain boundaries. We infer a counterclockwise P-T-t trajectory during which metamorphism was accompanied/succeeded by rapid uplift along the northern edge of the Tauride belt in Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary time.     

青藏高原构造混杂岩带的孕灾地质基因与重大工程地质问题研究

孕灾地质基因是指一定区域所具有的促进地质灾害孕生的内在关键因素。板块构造混杂岩带所处的特殊构造部位决定了其复杂的演化过程和特殊的地质基因。本文在梳理青藏高原构造混杂岩带地质特征的基础上,总结分析了其孕灾地质基因,包括活跃的地质构造、复杂的水热条件、混杂的岩性组合、特殊的蚀变软岩和构造岩溶导水通道等,是引发重大地质灾害和工程地质安全风险的根源。结合典型案例,剖析了构造混杂岩带大型滑坡的成因类型主要有三大类：构造控制型、泥质软岩控制型和蚀变蛇绿岩带控制型,其中蚀变蛇绿岩带是构造混杂岩带最具特色的易滑地质结构,具有典型的地质构造与特殊岩性联合控制特征。构造混杂岩带隧道工程变形破坏主要有塌方、水平收敛、环向收敛、底鼓和错断等五种模式,黏土化蚀变软岩的不良工程特性是制约构造混杂岩带隧道围岩稳定性的重要因素。针对传统的工程地质理论和灾害风险防控技术难以适应构造混杂岩带大规模工程建设面临的挑战,提出了有待深入研究的关键问题和防灾减灾策略。     

南天山齐齐加纳克蛇绿混杂岩的SHRIMP年龄及其构造意义

齐齐加纳克蛇绿混杂岩位于中国新疆西南天山阔克萨彦岭地区,主要由辉石橄榄岩,橄榄辉石岩,橄榄玄武岩,辉长岩,辉绿岩,基性熔岩等组成。它们以一系列构造碎片近东西向产出,断续沿长约5km,宽约500m。本文应用SHRIMP方法对该蛇绿混杂岩中玄武岩中的锆石进行SHRIMP锆石U-Pb测年,获得了399±4Ma的加权平均年龄,说明该蛇绿混杂岩形成于早泥盆世。结合前人的研究成果,我们推测齐齐加纳克蛇绿混杂岩与吉根蛇绿岩残片均为中亚造山带南天山蛇绿岩带的延伸,可能代表了一个多岛窄洋盆演化的产物,为南天山洋北向俯冲及其后的塔里木微板块与哈萨克斯坦-准噶尔板块陆陆碰撞形成的最后缝合带。     

Ionprobe U-Pb zircon ages from the high-pressure/low-temperature mélange of Syros, Greece: age diversity and the importance of pre-Eocene subduction

The Cycladic blueschist belt in the central Aegean Sea has experienced high‐pressure (HP) metamorphism during collisional processes between the Apulian microplate and Eurasia. The general geological and tectonometamorphic framework is well documented, but one aspect which is yet not sufficiently explored is the importance of HP mélanges which occur within volcano‐sedimentary successions. Unresolved issues concern the range in magmatic and metamorphic ages recorded by mélange blocks and the significance of eventual pre‐Eocene HP metamorphism. These aspects are here addressed in a U‐Pb zircon study focusing on the block–matrix association exposed on the island of Syros. Two gneisses from a tectonic slab of this mélange, consisting of an interlayered felsic gneiss‐glaucophanite sequence, yielded zircon ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 240.1 ± 4.1 and 245.3 ± 4.9 Ma, respectively, similar to Triassic ages determined on zircon in meta‐volcanic rocks from structurally coherent sequences elsewhere in the Cyclades. This strongly suggests that parts of these successions have been incorporated in the mélanges and provides the first geochronological evidence that the provenance of mélange blocks/slabs is neither restricted to a single source nor confined to fragments of oceanic lithosphere. Zircon from a jadeitite and associated alteration zones (omphacitite, glaucophanite and chlorite‐actinolite rock) all yielded identical ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of c. 80 Ma. Similar Cretaceous U‐Pb zircon ages previously reported for mélange blocks have been interpreted by different authors to reflect magmatic or metamorphic ages. The present study adds a further argument in favour of the view that zircon formed newly in some rock types at c. 80 Ma, due to hydrothermal or metasomatic processes in a subduction zone environment, and supports the interpretation that the Cycladic blueschist belt records both Cretaceous and Eocene HP episodes and not only a single Tertiary HP event.     

Subduction and exhumation mechanisms of ultra‐high and high‐pressure oceanic and continental crust at Makbal (Tianshan,Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan)

The Makbal Complex in the northern Tianshan of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan consists of metasedimentary rocks, which host high‐P (HP) mafic blocks and ultra‐HP Grt‐Cld‐Tlc schists (UHP as indicated by coesite relicts in garnet). Whole rock major and trace element signatures of the Grt‐Cld‐Tlc schist suggest a metasomatized protolith from either hydrothermally altered oceanic crust in a back‐arc basin or arc‐related volcaniclastics. Peak metamorphic conditions of the Grt‐Cld‐Tlc schist reached ~580 °C and 2.85 GPa corresponding to a maximum burial depth of ~95 km. A Sm‐Nd garnet age of 475 ± 4 Ma is interpreted as an average growth age of garnet during prograde‐to‐peak metamorphism; the low initial εΝd value of ?11 indicates a protolith with an ancient crustal component. The petrological evidence for deep subduction of oceanic crust poses questions with respect to an effective exhumation mechanism. Field relationships and the metamorphic evolution of other HP mafic oceanic rocks embedded in continentally derived metasedimentary rocks at the central Makbal Complex suggest that fragments of oceanic crust and clastic sedimentary rocks were exhumed from different depths in a subduction channel during ongoing subduction and are now exposed as a tectonic mélange. Furthermore, channel flow cannot only explain a tectonic mélange consisting of various rock types with different subduction histories as present at the central Makbal Complex, but also the presence of a structural ‘dome’ with UHP rocks in the core (central Makbal) surrounded by lower pressure nappes (including mafic dykes in continental crust) and voluminous metasedimentary rocks, mainly derived from the accretionary wedge.     

东昆仑南缘布青山复合增生型构造混杂岩带组成特征及其形成演化过程

为了研究东昆仑南缘布青山复合增生型构造混杂岩带的物质组成、构造属性及形成演化历史,在前人资料基础上从构造混杂岩带物质组成、形成时代、构造属性等方面对其进行综合研究.研究结果表明,布青山复合增生型构造混杂岩带是一条分隔东昆仑造山带与巴颜喀拉造山带的增生型构造边界,主要由元古代-古生代不同构造属性的大型构造混杂岩块与混杂基质组成.构造混杂岩块包括中元古代中深变质基底岩块（苦海岩群）、寒武纪蛇绿岩岩块、奥陶纪蛇绿岩岩块、石炭纪蛇绿岩岩块、石炭纪洋岛/海山玄武岩岩块、奥陶纪中酸性弧岩浆岩岩块、格曲组磨拉石沉积等.基质岩系主要为一套强烈构造变形的早中二叠世马尔争组浊积岩系.该混杂岩带记录了东昆仑南缘布青山地区东特提斯洋（布青山洋）自新元古代晚期开启以来,从晚寒武世-中三叠世长期持续向北的洋壳消减及俯冲增生过程,并于中三叠世晚期布青山洋消减完毕而使巴颜喀拉地块与东昆仑地块碰撞拼合.该次造山事件导致了不同类型、不同时代构造岩块与马尔争组浊积岩强烈混杂,最终形成了布青山复合增生型构造混杂岩的基本构造格架.      

OPS mélange: a new term for mélanges of convergent margins of the world

Ocean plate stratigraphy (OPS) is essential to understanding accretionary wedges and complexes along convergent plate margins. Mélanges within accretionary wedges and complexes are the products of fragmentation and mixing processes during and following OPS accretion. A new term, ‘OPS mélange’, is proposed here for mélanges composed mostly of blocks of OPS with an argillaceous matrix, and for a mixture of mélanges of multiple origins with either broken or coherent formations. An OPS mélange results from the fragmentation and disruption of OPS, without admixing of other components. Three major types of OPS mélange can be distinguished on the basis of their components: turbidite type, chert–turbidite type, and limestone–basalt type. These three types potentially form similar mélanges, but they are derived from different parts of the OPS, depending on the level of the decollement surface. The concept of ‘OPS mélange’ can be applied to most of the mélanges in accretionary prisms and complexes worldwide. In addition, this proposal recognizes a distinction between processes of fragmentation and mixing of OPS components, and mixing of ophiolite components, the latter of which results in serpentinite mélanges, not OPS mélanges. Mélanges composed of OPS sequences occur worldwide. The recognition of OPS mélanges is a key aspect of understanding tectonic processes at convergent margins, which result in mélange formation in orogenic belts globally.     

桐柏碰撞造山带及其邻区变形特征与构造格局

桐柏碰撞造山带及其邻区可以划分为九个大地构造单元,自北向南分别是:华北克拉通南缘岩石构造单元——宽坪岩群、具弧后盆地性质的二郎坪岩石构造单元、具岛弧性质的秦岭杂岩单元、龟山岩组和南湾岩组构成的俯冲前缘楔构造带、构造混杂岩带、桐柏北部高压岩片单元、桐柏核部杂岩单元、桐柏南部高压岩片单元以及随州构造变形带。根据详细的构造解析以及新的地质年代学资料,本文将中生代以来的构造变形划分为五幕,前两幕变形主要发育在构造混杂岩带以南的各个岩石构造单元中,之后的三幕变形则波及整个研究区。第一幕变形的时间约为255～238Ma,以发育区域上透入性的片理及北西西向的拉伸线理为主,并导致了高压岩片早期自西向东的挤出。第二幕变形的时间约为230～215Ma,以自北向南的逆冲推覆构造为主,使得高压岩片进一步垂向抬升。第三幕变形应早于下侏罗统,以近北西西向的宽缓褶皱为主要特征,该幕变形期间桐柏核部杂岩及其两侧高压岩片单元发生同步的抬升。第四幕变形大致发生在140～130Ma之间,主要表现为桐柏核部杂岩两侧走滑型韧性剪切带的活动,桐柏核部杂岩表现出向东的挤出。第五幕变形发生在120～80Ma,表现为北西向及北东向的脆性断裂活动,并切割以上所有构造形迹。桐柏高压岩片的抬升剥露受多幕变形控制,呈阶段性的抬升。