Magmatic evolution of the South Shetland Islands,Antarctica, and implications for continental crust formation

Lavas from the South Shetland Islands volcanic arc (northern Antarctic Peninsula) have been investigated in order to determine the age, petrogenesis and compositional evolution of a long-lived volcanic arc constructed on 32-km-thick crust, a thickness comparable with average continental crust. New ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages for the volcanism range between 135 and 47 Ma and, together with published younger ages, confirm a broad geographical trend of decreasing ages for the volcanism from southwest to northeast. The migration pattern breaks down in Palaeogene time, with Eocene magmatism present on both Livingston and King George islands, which may be due to a change in both subduction direction and velocity after c. 60 Ma. The lavas range from tholeiitic to calc-alkaline, but there is no systematic change with age or geographic location. The compositions of lavas from the north-eastern islands indicate magma generation in a depleted mantle wedge with relatively low Sr and high Nd isotopic compositions and low U/Nb, Th/Nd and Ba/Nb ratios that was metasomatized by hydrous fluids from subducted basaltic oceanic crust. Lavas from the south-western islands show an additional sedimentary influence most likely due to fluid release from subducted sediments into the mantle wedge. Although magmatic activity in the South Shetland arc extended over c. 100 m.y., there is no evolution towards more enriched or evolved magmas with time. Few South Shetland arc lavas are sufficiently enriched with incompatible elements to provide a potential protolith for the generation of average continental crust. We conclude that even long-established subduction zones with magmatic systems founded on relatively thick crust do not necessarily form continental crustal building blocks. They probably represent only the juvenile stages of continental crust formation, and additional re-working, for example during subsequent arc-continental margin collision, is required before they can evolve into average continental crust.     

Volcanic arcs as archives of plate tectonic change

Processing of the oceanic lithosphere in subduction zones gives rise to arc magmatism, and strong compositional links exist between trench input and arc output. Here we address the question whether these compositional links are sufficiently strong to allow for ‘tracing’ the composition of the sedimentary and igneous oceanic crust through the chemistry of arcs. The tracing approach hinges critically on whether key characteristics of the subducted slab are transmitted to arcs. Results from forward and inverse modeling, verified by observations from modern arc settings, demonstrate that elements Sr, Pb, Nd and Hf that are associated with radiogenic isotopes may preserve chemical characteristics of the subducted slab in arc magmas. The data indicate that the much thicker igneous subducted crust dominates the recycled flux to arcs. The flux from the highly enriched, but thin sediment layer is buffered, and may be even concealed, by the concomitant contributions from igneous crust, and/or subarc mantle, despite the much better visibility of sediment components in trace element and isotope space. Arc Pb and Pb isotopes are the most promising tracers that may capture the isotopic diversity of subducted MORB-type and OIB-type crust with sufficient temporal and spatial resolution. While arc Sr is also strongly controlled by the flux from the subducted crust, arc data may allow for distinguishing among radiogenic Sr recycled from altered oceanic crust or from subducted sediment in moderately radiogenic arcs (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr < ~ 0.7045). Co-mingling of Nd and Hf from igneous subducted crust with mantle contributions mostly hinders the isotopic identification of subducted crust through arc chemistry. However, Nd and Hf may provide complementary information about the efficiency of recycling, and recycling via subduction erosion.The tracing approach appears feasible in Cenozoic arcs where much of the original subduction context is preserved. First results from the Izu Bonin and Central American arcs show that plate tectonic events like oceanic plate formation and destruction, subduction of hotspot tracks and the closure of oceanic gateways are recorded in the chemistry of arcs. A comparative evaluation of Cenozoic global arcs may hence significantly complement the information from the modern oceanic basins, help to obtain a more complete image of the oceanic crustal composition and implicate the geochemical processes by which it formed. Possibly, the tracing approach may also be useful in ancient, inactive arcs to obtain information on the composition of oceanic crust subducted in the geological past.     

Two-dimensional numerical modeling of tectonic and metamorphic histories at active continental margins

The evolution of an active continental margin is simulated in two dimensions, using a finite difference thermomechanical code with half-staggered grid and marker-in-cell technique. The effect of mechanical properties, changing as a function of P and T, assigned to different crustal layers and mantle materials in the simple starting structure is discussed for a set of numerical models. For each model, representative P–T paths are displayed for selected markers. Both the intensity of subduction erosion and the size of the frontal accretionary wedge are strongly dependent on the rheology chosen for the overriding continental crust. Tectonically eroded upper and lower continental crust is carried down to form a broad orogenic wedge, intermingling with detached oceanic crust and sediments from the subducted plate and hydrated mantle material from the overriding plate. A small portion of the continental crust and trench sediments is carried further down into a narrow subduction channel, intermingling with oceanic crust and hydrated mantle material, and to some extent extruded to the rear of the orogenic wedge underplating the overriding continental crust. The exhumation rates for (ultra)high pressure rocks can exceed subduction and burial rates by a factor of 1.5–3, when forced return flow in the hanging wall portion of the self-organizing subduction channel is focused. The simulations suggest that a minimum rate of subduction is required for the formation of a subduction channel, because buoyancy forces may outweigh drag forces for slow subduction. For a weak upper continental crust, simulated by a high pore pressure coefficient in the brittle regime, the orogenic wedge and megascale melange reach a mid- to upper-crustal position within 10–20 Myr (after 400–600 km of subduction). For a strong upper crust, a continental lid persists over the entire time span covered by the simulation. The structural pattern is similar in all cases, with four zones from trench toward arc: (a) an accretionary complex of low-grade metamorphic sedimentary material; (b) a wedge of mainly continental crust, with medium-grade HP metamorphic overprint, wound up and stretched in a marble cake fashion to appear as nappes with alternating upper and lower crustal provenance, and minor oceanic or hydrated mantle interleaved material; (c) a megascale melange composed of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic oceanic and continental crust, and hydrated mantle, all extruded from the subduction channel; (d) zone represents the upward tilted frontal part of the remaining upper plate lid in the case of a weak upper crust. The shape of the P–T paths and the time scales correspond to those typically recorded in orogenic belts. Comparison of the numerical results with the European Alps reveals some similarities in their gross structural and metamorphic pattern exposed after collision. A similar structure may be developed at depth beneath the forearc of the Andes, where the importance of subduction erosion is well documented, and where a strong upper crust forms a stable lid.     

Subduction of Indian continent beneath southern Tibet in the latest Eocene (~ 35 Ma): Insights from the Quguosha gabbros in southern Lhasa block

Geophysical data illustrate that the Indian continental lithosphere has northward subducted beneath the Tibet Plateau, reaching the Bangong–Nujiang suture in central Tibet. However, when the Indian continental lithosphere started to subduct, and whether the Indian continental crust has injected into the mantle beneath southern Lhasa block, are not clear. Here we report new results from the Quguosha gabbros of southern Lhasa block, southern Tibet. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of two samples gives a ca. 35 Ma formation age (i.e., the latest Eocene) for the Quguosha gabbros. The Quguosha gabbro samples are geochemically characterized by variable SiO₂ and MgO contents, strongly negative Nb–Ta–Ti and slightly negative Eu anomalies, and uniform initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7056–0.7058) and ε_Nd(t) (− 2.2 to − 3.6). They exhibit Sr–Nd isotopic compositions different from those of the Jurassic–Eocene magmatic rocks with depleted Sr–Nd isotopic characteristics, but somewhat similar to those of Oligocene–Miocene K-rich magmatic rocks with enriched Sr–Nd isotopic characteristics. We therefore propose that an enriched Indian crustal component was added into the lithospheric mantle beneath southern Lhasa by continental subduction at least prior to the latest Eocene (ca. 35 Ma). We interpret the Quguosha mafic magmas to have been generated by partial melting of lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted continental sediments, which entered continental subduction channel(s) and then probably accreted or underplated into the overlying mantle during the northward subduction of the Indian continent. Continental subduction likely played a key role in the formation of the Tibetan plateau at an earlier date than previously thought.     

Asia: a frontier for a future supercontinent Amasia

Asia is the world’s largest but youngest continent, in which Pacific-type (P-type) and collision-type (C-type) orogenic belts coexist with numerous amalgamated continental blocks. P-type orogens represent major sites of continental growth through tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite type (TTG-type) juvenile granitoid magmatism and accretion of oceanic crust and intra-oceanic arcs. The Asian continent includes several P-type orogenic belts, of which the largest are the Central Asian and Western Pacific. The Central Asian Orogenic Belt is dominated by P-type fossil orogens arranged with a regular northward subduction polarity. The Western Pacific is characterized by ongoing P-type orogeny related to the westward subduction of the Pacific plate. Asia has a multi-cratonic structure and its post-Palaeozoic history has witnessed amalgamation of the Laurasia composite continent and Pangaea supercontinent. Nowadays, Asia is surrounded by double-sided subduction zones, which generate new TTG-type crust and supply oceanic crust and microcontinents to its active margins. The TTG-crust can be tectonically eroded and subducted down to the mantle transition zone to form a ‘second’ continent, which may generate mantle upwelling, plumes, and extensive intra-plate volcanism. Moreover, recent plate movements around Asia are dominated by northward directions, which resulted in the India–Eurasia and Arabia–Eurasia collisions beginning at 50–45 and 23–20 Ma, respectively, and will result in Africa–Eurasia collision in the near future. Therefore, Asia is the best candidate to serve as the nucleus for a future supercontinent ‘Amasia’, likely to form 200–250 Ma in the future. In this paper we unravel a puzzle of continental growth in Asia through P-type orogeny by discussing its tectonic history and geological structure, subduction polarity in P-type orogens, tectonic erosion of TTG-type crust and arc subduction at convergent margins, generation of mantle plumes, and prospects of Asia growth and overgrowth.     

Generation of new continental crust by sublithospheric silicic-magma relamination in arcs: A test of Taylor's andesite model

The paradox of the Earth's continental crust is that although this reservoir is generally regarded as having differentiated from the mantle, it has an andesitic bulk composition that contrasts with the intrinsic basaltic composition of mantle-derived melts. Classical models for new crust generation from the mantle in two-stage processes fail to account for two fundamental facts: the absence of ultramafic residues in the lower crust and the hot temperature of batholith magma generation. Other models based on the arrival of already-fractionated silicic magmas to the crust have not received the necessary attention. Addition of new crust by relamination from below of subducted materials has been formulated as a process complementary to delamination of mafic residues. Here we show important support to relamination from below the lithosphere as an important mechanism for new crust generation in magmatic arcs of active continental margins and mature intraoceanic arcs. The new support is based on three independent lines: (1) thermo-mechanical modeling of subduction zones, (2) experimental phase relations and melt compositions of subducted materials and (3) geochemical relations between mafic granulites (lower crust) and batholiths (upper crust). The mineral assemblage and bulk geochemistry of lower crust rocks are compared with solid residues left after granite melt segregation. The implication is that an andesite magma precursor is responsible for the generation of new continental crust at active continental margins and mature oceanic arcs. According to our numerical and laboratory experiments, melting and eventual reaction with the mantle of subducted oceanic crust and sediments produce the andesite magmas. These ascend in the form of mantle wedge diapirs and are finally attached (relaminated) to the continental crust, where they crystallize partially and produce the separation of the solid fraction to form mafic granulites (lower crust) and granitic (sl) liquids to form the batholiths (upper crust).     

大陆的起源

太阳系固体星球都有类似的核-幔-壳结构,但唯独人类居住的地球具有长英质组成的大陆壳。太古宙大陆克拉通主要由英云闪长岩(Tonalite)-奥长花岗岩(Trondhjemite)-花岗闪长岩(Granodiorite)为主的TTG深成侵入体变质而成的正片麻岩和由基性-超基性酸性火山岩及少量沉积岩变质的表壳岩(绿岩)组成。已有的资料显示这些太古宙大陆岩石组合起源于大洋壳的部分熔融。大洋壳分为大洋盆地、洋中脊、岛弧和洋底高原(大洋岛)。前两者地壳的平均厚度只有5~10km,不可能成为形成太古宙TTG深成侵入体的场所。因此,长英质大陆或起源于板块构造体制下的岛弧,或起源于地幔柱体制下的洋底高原。板块构造体制下的岛弧模式能够很好地解释太古宙克拉通TTG深成岩的成因,即俯冲大洋板片部分熔融所形成的埃达克岩相当于太古宙高压(高Al2O2)型TTG,而俯冲板片脱水导致地幔楔部分熔融形成的玄武质地壳再次熔融所形成的钙碱性花岗质岩石相当于太古宙低压(低Al2O2)型TTG。然而,板块构造体制下的岛弧模式不能令人满意地解释太古宙绿岩带火山岩组合中缺少大量的安山岩、科马提岩~1600℃高温形成环境、克拉通规模近于同时侵位的TTG岩套、大规模卵形构造样式、代表性的逆时针P-T轨迹变质作用演化等诸多特征。相反,地幔柱洋底高原模式能够合理地解释太古宙绿岩双峰式火山岩组合的成因,即基性的拉斑玄武岩和超基性的科马提岩分别来自地幔柱头部部分熔融和尾柱熔浆,而酸性的英安岩、流纹质英安岩和流纹岩是地幔柱热异常导致的洋底高原底部的部分熔融物。按照地幔柱洋底高原模式,太古宙TTG岩浆是由洋底高原底部玄武质地壳的部分熔融而成,这样能够合理地解释为什么太古宙TTG能够在短时间内巨量产出并在形成时间上没有任何系统变化。地幔柱洋底高原模式还能合理地解释太古宙克拉通穹隆构造(dome-and-keel structure)样式、近等压冷却型(IBC)逆时针P-T轨迹,缺少蓝片岩和双变质带的等典型岛弧俯冲带的标志的特征。本文在对大陆起源的岛弧模式和地幔柱洋底高原模式综合评述的基础上,提出一个大陆起源于洋底高原的两阶段模式。     

Numerical modeling of intraoceanic arc growth

We investigate crustal growth processes on the basis of a 2D coupled geochemical—petrological-thermomechanical numerical model of retreating intraoceanic subduction. The model includes spontaneous slab retreat and bending, subducted crust dehydration, aqueous fluid transport, mantle wedge melting, and melt extraction resulting in crustal growth. Our numerical experiments show that (1) the rate of plate retreat influences both the rate of crust formation and composition of newly formed crust; (2) both the intensity of melt extraction and the age of subducted plate affect the volume of newly formed crust. In the present paper we describe possible scenarios of magmatic and geodynamic evolution of the arc system and then compare results with magmatic addition rates of Western Pacific arcs. Published in Russian in Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Geologiya, 2009, No. 4, pp. 30–43. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

From oceanic plateaus to allochthonous terranes: Numerical modelling

Large segments of the continental crust are known to have formed through the amalgamation of oceanic plateaus and continental fragments. However, mechanisms responsible for terrane accretion remain poorly understood. We have therefore analysed the interactions of oceanic plateaus with the leading edge of the continental margin using a thermomechanical–petrological model of an oceanic-continental subduction zone with spontaneously moving plates. This model includes partial melting of crustal and mantle lithologies and accounts for complex rheological behaviour including viscous creep and plastic yielding. Our results indicate that oceanic plateaus may either be lost by subduction or accreted onto continental margins. Complete subduction of oceanic plateaus is common in models with old (> 40 Ma) oceanic lithosphere whereas models with younger lithosphere often result in terrane accretion. Three distinct modes of terrane accretion were identified depending on the rheological structure of the lower crust and oceanic cooling age: frontal plateau accretion, basal plateau accretion and underplating plateaus.Complete plateau subduction is associated with a sharp uplift of the forearc region and the formation of a basin further landward, followed by topographic relaxation. All crustal material is lost by subduction and crustal growth is solely attributed to partial melting of the mantle.Frontal plateau accretion leads to crustal thickening and the formation of thrust and fold belts, since oceanic plateaus are docked onto the continental margin. Strong deformation leads to slab break off, which eventually terminates subduction, shortly after the collisional stage has been reached. Crustal parts that have been sheared off during detachment melt at depth and modify the composition of the overlying continental crust.Basal plateau accretion scrapes oceanic plateaus off the downgoing slab, enabling the outward migration of the subduction zone. New incoming oceanic crust underthrusts the fractured terrane and forms a new subduction zone behind the accreted terrane. Subsequently, hot asthenosphere rises into the newly formed subduction zone and allows for extensive partial melting of crustal rocks, located at the slab interface, and only minor parts of the former oceanic plateau remain unmodified.Oceanic plateaus may also underplate the continental crust after being subducted to mantle depth. (U)HP terranes are formed with peak metamorphic temperatures of 400–700 °C prior to slab break off and subsequent exhumation. Rapid and coherent exhumation through the mantle along the former subduction zone at rates comparable to plate tectonic velocities is followed by somewhat slower rates at crustal levels, accompanied by crustal flow, structural reworking and syndeformational partial melting. Exhumation of these large crustal volumes leads to a sharp surface uplift.     

Mesoproterozoic Fraser Complex: Geochemical evidence for multiple subduction‐related sources of lower crustal rocks in the Albany‐Fraser Orogen,Western Australia

The 1300 Ma Fraser Complex in the Albany‐Fraser Orogen of Western Australia is a thrust stack of mainly gabbroic rocks metamorphosed to granulite facies. This package of fault‐bounded units was elevated from a deep crustal level onto the margin of the Yilgarn Craton during continental collision between the Mawson and Yilgarn Cratons. Incompatible trace‐element distributions demand at least three mantle sources. Primitive‐mantle‐normalised incompatible‐element distributions show strong negative Ta–Nb anomalies, typical of subduction‐derived magmas. Three lines of evidence indicate that the mafic magmas did not acquire these anomalies by assimilation of crustal rocks: (i) major‐element compositions do not allow appreciable contamination with felsic material; (ii) Ni contents of many mafic rocks are too high for a significant contribution from a felsic assimilant; and (iii) Sr and Nd isotopic data support a largely juvenile source for the magmas that produced the Fraser Complex. Hence, the Ta–Nb anomalies are interpreted to reflect subduction‐related magmatic sources. On multielement diagrams, depletions in Sr, Eu, P, and Ti can be explained by fractional crystallisation, whereas Th and Rb depletions in many of the Fraser Complex rocks probably reflect losses during granulite‐facies metamorphism. These results suggest that the lower crust in this region at 1300 Ma was dominantly of arc origin, and there is no evidence to support mantle plume components. The Fraser Complex is interpreted as remnants of oceanic arcs that were swept together and tectonically interleaved with the margin of the Mawson Craton just before, or during, collision with the Yilgarn Craton at 1300 Ma.     

Composition,sources, and mechanisms of formation of the continental crust of the Lake zone of the Central Asian Caledonides. II. Geochemical and Nd isotope data

Part II of this paper reports geochemical and Nd isotope characteristics of the volcanogenic and siliceous-terrigenous complexes of the Lake zone of the Central Asian Caledonides and associating granitoids of various ages. Geological, geochronological, geochemical, and isotopic data were synthesized with application to the problems of the sources and main mechanisms of continental crust formation and evolution for the Caledonides of the Central Asian orogenic belt. It was found that the juvenile sialic crust of the Lake zone was formed during the Vendian-Cambrian (approximately 570–490 Ma) in an environment of intraoceanic island arcs and oceanic islands from depleted mantle sources with the entrainment of sedimentary crustal materials into subduction zones and owing to the accretion processes of the amalgamation of paleoceanic and island arc complexes and Precambrian microcontinents, which terminated by ∼490 Ma. The source of primary melts for the low-Ti basalts, andesites, and dacites of the Lake zone ophiolites and island arc complexes was mainly the depleted mantle wedge above a subduction zone. In addition, an enriched plume source contributed to the genesis of the high-Ti basalts and gabbroids of oceanic plateaus. The source of terrigenous rocks associating with the volcanics was composed of materials similar in composition to the country rocks at a minor and varying role of ancient crustal materials introduced into the ocean basin owing to the erosion of Precambrian microcontinents. The sedimentary rocks of the accretionary prism were derived by the erosion of mainly juvenile island arc sources with a minor contribution of rocks of the mature continental crust. The island arc and accretion stages of the development of the Lake zone (∼540–590 Ma) were accompanied by the development of high- and low-alumina sodic granitoids through the melting at various depths of depleted mantle reservoirs (metabasites of a subducted oceanic slab and a mantle wedge) and at the base of the island arc at the subordinate role of ancient crustal rocks. The melts of the postaccretion granitoids of the Central Asian Caledonides were derived mainly from the rocks of the juvenile Caledonian crust at an increasing input of an ancient crustal component owing to the tectonic mixing of the rocks of ophiolitic and island arc complexes and microcontinents. The obtained results indicate that the Vendian-Early Paleozoic stage of the evolution of the Central Asian orogenic belt was characterized by the extensive growth of juvenile continental crust and allow us to distinguish a corresponding stage of juvenile crust formation.     

Strontium isotope variations in lower tertiary-quaternary volcanic rocks from the Kurile island arc

Average ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for lavas from Quaternary and Pleistocene volcanoes of the Kurile island arc, NW Pacific, decrease from 0.7035 in the south to 0.7032 in the north. The northern Kuriles are characterised by K₂Oricher volcanics and by an older crust. Varying ratios show no simple relation to crustal thickness or geochemical indicators of crustal contamination. This is thought to reflect the immature character of the crust — its simatic composition, low Rb/Sr ratios and youthfulness. Older lavas from the Kuriles (Lower Tertiary, Miocene) have similar or slightly higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios; some have suffered slight alteration and possibly crustal contamination. Quaternary volcanics from the Kurile and Aleutian arcs have the lowest ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of all circum-Pacific arcs and this may be ascribed to (a) the isotopic individuality of the landward North American plate and/or (b) the high degree of mechanical coupling between the Pacific and North American plates reducing the amount of subducted ⁸⁷Sr-rich sediments and seawater. An isotopic boundary between island arcs is located in central Hokkaido. The primary basaltic magmas of the Kuriles were derived from mantle recently contaminated by radiogenic Sr. Subsequent fractionation to andesites and dacites occurred by closed-system fractional crystallization.     

2D thermomechanical modelling of continent–arc–continent collision

Arc–continent collision is a key process of continental growth through accretion of newly grown magmatic arc crust to older continental margin. We present 2D petrological–thermo-mechanical models of arc–continent collision and investigate geodynamic regimes of this process. The model includes spontaneous slab bending, dehydration of subducted crust, aqueous fluid transport, partial melting of the crustal and mantle rocks and magmatic crustal growth stemming from melt extraction processes. Results point to two end-member types of subsequent arc–continent collisional orogens: (I) orogens with remnants of accretion prism, detached fragments of the overriding plate and magmatic rocks formed from molten subducted sediments; and (II) orogens mainly consisting of the closed back-arc basin suture, detached fragments of the overriding plate with leftovers of the accretion prism and quasi insignificant amount of sediment-derived magmatic rocks. Transitional orogens between these two endmembers include both the suture of the collapsed back-arc basin and variable amounts of magmatic production. The orogenic variability mainly reflects the age of the subducting oceanic plate. Older, therefore colder and denser oceanic plates trigger subduction retreat, which in turn triggers necking of the overriding plate and opening of a backarc basin in which new oceanic lithosphere is formed from voluminous decompression melting of the rising hot asthenosphere. In this case, subducted sediments are not heated enough to melt and generate magmatic plumes. On the other hand, young and less dense slabs do not retreat, which hampers opening of a backarc basin in the overriding plate while subducted sediments may reach their melting temperature and develop trans-lithospheric plumes. We have also investigated the influences of convergence rate and volcanic/plutonic rocks' ratio in newly forming lithosphere. The predicted gross-scale orogenic structures find similarities with some natural orogens, in particular with deeply eroded orogens such as the Variscides in the Bohemian Massif.     

俯冲带岩浆作用与大陆地壳生长

大陆地壳的起源、生长和改造一直都是国际地学界广泛关注的热点问题,目前仍存在一定的争议,特别体现在陆壳增生的方式和速率上.为了探讨大陆地壳的生长方式,简要综述了俯冲带及其岩浆作用和大陆地壳生长的研究成果.俯冲带可划分为洋洋俯冲带、洋陆俯冲带和陆陆俯冲带,其岩浆作用以产出弧岩浆岩为主要特征,被广泛接受为大陆地壳生长的主要方式.目前主要有两种陆壳生长的假说:玄武岩模式和安山岩模式.玄武岩模式主要通过拆沉和底垫过程来实现新生地壳向大陆地壳的演化;安山岩模式则强调陆壳直接形成于产出安山质岩浆的俯冲带岩浆弧环境.俯冲带和碰撞带等板块汇聚边界是显生宙大陆地壳生长和改造的主要位置,俯冲带岩浆作用对陆壳生长发挥着重要的作用.      

Juvenile versus recycled crust in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt: Implications from ocean plate stratigraphy,blueschist belts and intra-oceanic arcs

New or “juvenile” crust forms and grows mainly through mafic to andesitic magmatism at Pacific-type or accretionary type convergent margins as well as via tectonic accretion of oceanic and island-arc terranes and translation of continental terranes. During the last decades the juvenile or recycled nature of crust has been commonly evaluated using whole-rock isotope and Hf-in-zircon isotope methods. However, evidence for the accretionary or Pacific-type nature of an orogenic belt comes from geological data, for example, from the presence of accretionary complexes (AC), intra-oceanic arcs (IOA), oceanic plate stratigraphy units (OPS), and MORB-OIB derived blueschist belts (BSB). The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) represents the world's largest province of Phanerozoic juvenile crustal growth during ca. 800 m.y. between the East European, Siberian, North China and Tarim cratons. From geological point of view, the CAOB is a typical Pacific-type belt as it hosts numerous occurrences of accretionary complexes, intra-oceanic arcs, OPS units, and MORB-OIB derived blueschist belts. In spite of its accretionary nature, supported by positive whole rock Nd isotope characteristics in CAOB granitoids, the Hf-in-zircon isotope data reveal a big portion of recycled crust. Such a controversy can be explained by presence of accreted microcontinents, isotopically mixed igneous reservoirs and by the tectonic erosion of juvenile crust. The most probable localities of tectonic erosion in the CAOB are the middle and southern Tienshan and southern Transbaikalia because these regions comprise a predominantly recycled crust (based on isotope data), but the geological data show the presence of intra-oceanic arcs, blueschist belts and accreted OPS with oceanic island basalts (OIB) and tectonically juxtaposed coeval arc granitoids and accretionary units. This warrants combination of detailed geological studies with isotopic results, as on their own they may not reflect such processes as tectonic erosion of juvenile crust and/or arc subduction.     

Influence of the precollisional stage on subduction dynamics and the buried crust thermal state: Insights from numerical simulations

At continental subduction initiation, the continental crust buoyancy may induce, first, a convergence slowdown, and second, a compressive stress increase that could lead to the forearc lithosphere rupture. Both processes could influence the slab surface P–T conditions, favoring on one side crust partial melting or on the opposite the formation of ultra-high pressure/low temperature (UHP-LT) mineral. We quantify these two effects by performing numerical simulations of subduction. Water transfers are computed as a function of slab dehydration/overlying mantle hydration reactions, and a strength decrease is imposed for hydrated mantle rocks. The model starts with an old oceanic plate ( 100 Ma) subducting for 145.5 Myr with a 5 cm/yr convergence rate. The arc lithosphere is thermally thinned between 100 km and 310 km away from the trench, due to small-scale convection occuring in the water-saturated mantle wedge. We test the influence of convergence slowdown by carrying on subduction with a decreased convergence rate (≤ 2 cm/yr). Surprisingly, the subduction slowdown yields not only a strong slab warming at great depth (> 80 km), but also a significant cooling of the forearc lithosphere at shallower depth. The convergence slowdown increases the subducted crust temperature at 90 km depth to 705 ± 62 °C, depending on the convergence rate reduction, and might thus favor the oceanic crust partial melting in presence of water. For subduction velocities ≤ 1 cm/yr, slab breakoff is triggered 20–32 Myr after slowdown onset, due to a drastic slab thermal weakening in the vicinity of the interplate plane base. At last, the rupture of the weakened forearc is simulated by imposing in the thinnest part of the overlying lithosphere a dipping weakness plane. For convergence with rates ≥ 1 cm/yr, the thinned forearc first shortens, then starts subducting along the slab surface. The forearc lithosphere subduction stops the slab surface warming by hot asthenosphere corner flow, and decreases in a first stage the slab surface temperature to 630 ± 20 °C at 80 km depth, in agreement with P–T range inferred from natural records of UHP-LT metamorphism. The subducted crust temperature is further reduced to 405 ± 10 °C for the crust directly buried below the subducting forearc. Such a cold thermal state at great depth has never been sampled in collision zones, suggesting that forearc subduction might not be always required to explain UHP-LT metamorphsim.     

大陆弧岩浆幕式作用与地壳加厚:以藏南冈底斯弧为例

大陆弧岩浆带位于汇聚板块的前缘,记录了洋陆俯冲过程和大陆地壳生长过程,是研究壳幔相互作用的天然实验室。越来越多的研究发现,大陆弧岩浆的生长与侵位并不是均一的、连续的过程,而是呈现阶段性、峰期性特征,即幕式岩浆作用。弧岩浆峰期与岩浆平静期相比,岩浆增生速率显著增强,易于发生岩浆聚集,继而形成大的岩基,如北美西部科迪勒拉造山带内华达岩基、半岛岩基等。藏南冈底斯岩浆带位于拉萨地体南缘,属于印度-亚洲碰撞带的上盘,其南侧与喜马拉雅地体以雅鲁藏布蛇绿岩带为界。冈底斯弧岩浆形成时代集中在240~50 Ma期间,其形成与演化与新特提斯洋壳岩石圈板片俯冲到拉萨地体之下密切相关。因此,对冈底斯弧型岩浆作用的研究,将很好地揭示大陆型弧岩浆的演化过程,继而反演洋-陆俯冲过程,以及壳幔相互作用过程。通过对冈底斯岩浆带岩浆岩锆石U-Pb及Lu-Hf同位素,以及弧前和前陆盆地碎屑锆石U-Pb和Lu-Hf同位素的收集和整理,结合已经发表的区域地质资料的总结,我们发现冈底斯弧型岩浆演化具有如下特点:1幕式侵位,岩浆峰期为100~80 Ma和65~40 Ma,中间为岩浆平静期;2峰期阶段岩浆聚集,形成巨大岩基;岩石同位素非常亏损,预示着地幔物质的显著参与;3在弧岩浆的峰期阶段,冈底斯地壳厚度有显著增加,说明弧岩浆的峰期侵位对地壳加厚有重大贡献。     

The role of amphibole in the evolution of arc magmas and crust: the case from the Jurassic Bonanza arc section, Vancouver Island, Canada

The Jurassic Bonanza arc, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, represents an exhumed island arc crustal section of broadly diorite composition. We studied bodies of mafic and ultramafic cumulates within deeper levels of the arc to constrain the conditions and fractionation pathways leading from high-Mg basalt to andesite and dacite. Major element trends coupled with textural information show the intercumulus crystallization of amphibole, as large oikocrysts enclosing olivine in primitive cumulates controls the compositions of liquids until the onset of plagioclase crystallization. This process is cryptic, occurring only in the plutonic section, and explains the paucity of amphibole in mafic arc volcanics and the change in the Dy/Yb ratios in many arc suites with differentiation. The correlation of octahedral Al in hornblende with pressure in liquidus experiments on high-Mg basalts is applied as an empirical barometer to hornblendes from the Bonanza arc. It shows that crystallization took place at 470–880 MPa in H₂O-saturated primitive basaltic magmas. There are no magmatic equivalents to bulk continental crust in the Bonanza arc; no amount of delamination of ultramafic cumulates will shift the bulk arc composition to the high-Mg# andesite composition of bulk continental crust. Garnet removal from wet magmas appears to be the key factor in producing continental crust, requiring high pressures and thick crust. Because oceanic island arcs are built on thinner crust, the long-term process generating the bulk continental crust is the accretion of island arcs to continental margins with attendant tectonic thickening.     

Construction of the granitoid crust of an island arc. Part II: a quantitative petrogenetic model

Results of simple model calculations that integrate cumulate compositions from the Kohistan arc terrain are presented in order to develop a consistent petrogenetic model to explain the Kohistan island arc granitoids. The model allows a quantitative approximation of the possible relative roles of fractional crystallization and assimilation to explain the silica-rich upper crust composition of oceanic arcs. Depending in detail on the parental magma composition hydrous moderate-to-high pressure fractional crystallization in the lower crust/upper mantle is an adequate upper continental crust forming mechanism in terms of volume and compositions. Accordingly, assimilation and partial melting in the lower crust is not per se a necessary process to explain island arc granitoids. However, deriving few percent of melts using low degree of dehydration melting is a crucial process to produce volumetrically important amounts of upper continental crust from silica-poorer parental magmas. Even though the model can explain the silica-rich upper crustal composition of the Kohistan, the fractionation model does not predict the accepted composition of the bulk continental crust. This finding supports the idea that additional crustal refining mechanism (e.g., delamination of lower crustal rocks) and/or non-cogenetic magmatic process were critical to create the bulk continental crust composition.     

Constraints from Thorium/Lanthanum on Sediment Recycling at Subduction Zones and the Evolution of the Continents

Arc magmas and the continental crust share many chemical features,but a major question remains as to whether these features arecreated by subduction or are recycled from subducting sediment.This question is explored here using Th/La, which is low inoceanic basalts (<0·2), elevated in the continents(>0·25) and varies in arc basalts and marine sediments(0·09–0·34). Volcanic arcs form linear mixingarrays between mantle and sediment in plots of Th/La vs Sm/La.The mantle end-member for different arcs varies between highlydepleted and enriched compositions. The sedimentary end-memberis typically the same as local trench sediment. Thus, arc magmasinherit their Th/La from subducting sediment and high Th/Lais not newly created during subduction (or by intraplate, adakiteor Archaean magmatism). Instead, there is a large fractionationin Th/La within the continental crust, caused by the preferentialpartitioning of La over Th in mafic and accessory minerals.These observations suggest a mechanism of ‘fractionation& foundering’, whereby continents differentiate intoa granitic upper crust and restite-cumulate lower crust, whichperiodically founders into the mantle. The bulk continentalcrust can reach its current elevated Th/La if arc crust differentiatesand loses 25–60% of its mafic residues to foundering. KEY WORDS: arc magmatism; continental crust; delamination; thorium; sediment subduction