A geodynamic model of the Southern Apennines accretionary prism

The Apennines comprise a Neogen—Quaternary accretionary prism that shows several anomalies with respect to classic alpine-type mountain belts, namely (i) low elevation, (ii) a shallow new Moho below the core of the belt, (iii) high heat flow in the internal parts, (iv) mainly sedimentary cover involved in the prism, (v) a deep foredeep and (vi) a fully developed back-arc basin. The suction exerted by a relatively eastward migrating mantle can determine the eastward retreat of the subduction zone and an asthenospheric wedging at the retreating subduction hinge. Heat flow, geochemical and seismological data support the presence of a hot mantle wedge underlying the western side of the Apenninic accretionary prism. A thermal model of the belt with foreland dipping isotherms fits with deepening of the seismicity toward the east. Mantle volatiles signatures are also widespread in springs along the Apennines.     

青藏高原中的古特提斯体制与增生造山作用

青藏高原古特提斯体系的特征表现为古特提斯洋盆中多条状地体的存在,多俯冲、多岛弧增生体系的形成和多地体汇聚、碰撞造山的动力学环境,其构架包括4条代表古特提斯洋壳残片的蛇绿岩或蛇绿混杂岩(昆南-阿尼玛卿蛇绿岩带、金沙江-哀牢山-松马蛇绿岩带、羌中-澜沧江-昌宁-孟连蛇绿岩带和松多蛇绿岩带)、5条火山岩浆岛弧带(布尔汗布达岛弧岩浆带、义敦火山岩浆岛弧带、江达-绿春火山岛弧带、东达山-云县火山岛弧带和左贡-临沧岛弧-碰撞岩浆带)、4个陆块或地体(松潘-甘孜地体、羌北-昌都-思茅地体、羌南-保山地体)、3条洋壳深俯冲形成的高压-超高压变质带(金沙江得荣高压变质带、龙木错-双湖高压变质带、松多高(超)压变质带),以及5条弧前增生楔或增生杂岩(西秦岭增生楔、巴颜喀拉-松潘-甘孜增生楔、金沙江增生楔、双湖-聂荣-吉塘-临沧增生楔、松多增生杂岩)。古特提斯洋盆的俯冲增生造山作用普遍存在于青藏高原古特提斯复合造山体中,构成与多条古特提斯蛇绿岩带(缝合带)相伴随的俯冲增生杂岩带(链)。古特提斯俯冲增生杂岩带包括由弧前强烈变形的沉积增生楔、以及高压变质岩、岛弧岩浆岩、蛇绿岩和外来岩块组成的混杂体,代表在洋盆俯冲过程中的活动陆缘的地壳增生。     

Submarine landslides caused by seamounts entering accretionary wedge systems

Seamounts entering active subduction zone trenches initially collide with the frontal sedimentary accretionary wedges resulting in severe deformation of the overriding plate. A typical feature of this deformation is the occurrence of submarine landslides due to gravitational instabilities. Such landslides have been reported from the Middle America and Hikurangi trenches and potentially generate tsunami waves. Yet, the dynamics of accretionary wedges during seamount indentation, and landsliding as a mechanical response in particular, have not been investigated qualitatively. Here, I use 3D high‐resolution numerical experiments to model the collision of conical and flat‐topped seamounts into accreting sedimentary sequences. Results show that the topographical evolution of an accretionary wedge mainly depends on the volume of the entering seamount and not on its height. Submarine landslides occur only if seamounts are not completely buried by the sedimentary sequence, and the volume of the avalanche is roughly correlated with the seamount volume overtopping the incoming sediments.     

Internal deformation and compaction of the Makran accretionary wedge

The Makran accretionary wedge is one of the largest on Earth. A 7-km-thick column of sands and quartzolithic turbidites are incorporated into this wedge in a series of deformed thrust sheets. We present the results of prestack depth migration and focusing-error analysis (migration velocity analysis) performed on a profile across the Makran wedge. The depth section shows the deformation style of the accreted sediments, and the migration velocities allow us to estimate porosity variations in the sediments. The thrust sheets show evidence of fault-propagation folding, with a long wavelength of deformation (≈ 12 km) and secondary thrusting in the kink bands of the folds, such that the central part of each thrust sheet is elevated to form an additional ridge. This deformation style and the 15° steep surface slope of the first ridge suggest a high degree of consolidation. Porosities were calculated from the seismic migration velocities and the ratio of fluid pressure to lithostatic pressure λ was estimated for 5 locations along the profile. Rather than being undercompacted and overpressured as in most accretionary wedges, the sedimentary input is normally compacted (exponential porosity decay) throughout almost the whole wedge. However, a slight increase in porosity and λ at depth, with respect to the normal compaction curve indicates, that the turbiditic sequence might be overpressured landward of the deformation front.     

南羌塘增生过程的中-晚三叠世岩浆记录:藏北玛依岗日-角木日地区基性岩墙

古特提斯洋向北俯冲形成增生杂岩,它们向南增生构成了南羌塘增生地体,且增生期内发育的岩浆岩可以用来研究南羌塘的增生过程。在南羌塘增生杂岩带内,由北向南,发育有玛依岗日(MG)辉长岩墙、角木日(JM)辉长辉绿岩墙。锆石U-Pb测年结果显示,两者分别形成于237. 1±2. 3Ma和230. 7±1. 8Ma,为南羌塘增生期内岩浆岩。它们的岩石地球化学特征均介于OIB与E-MORB之间,富集Ti、Nb,以及LREE和LILE。Nd-Pb同位素结果显示两者均起源于富集地幔源区。Sm/YbLa/Yb图解显示,两者均起源于尖晶石-石榴石二辉橄榄岩源区,相对于JM辉长辉绿岩MG辉长岩部分熔融程度较高。两者Mg#和Ni、Cr特征表明,MG辉长岩分异程度高于JM辉长辉绿岩。Th/Nb-La/Nb图解显示,相对于JM辉长辉绿岩MG辉长岩经历了一定程度的地壳混染。综合研究认为,MG辉长岩和JM辉长辉绿岩为古特提斯洋壳俯冲过程中软流圈上涌的两次岩浆活动的产物,并受俯冲洋壳和地幔楔影响。MG辉长岩和JM辉长辉绿岩记录了南羌塘的增生过程,它们为相关研究提供了岩浆岩证据。     

Early Paleozoic accretionary orogens along the Western Gondwana margin

Early Paleozoic accretionary orogens dominated the Western Gondwana margin and were characterized by nearly continuous subduction associated with crustal extension and back-arc basin development.The southwestern margin is represented by Famatinian and Pampean basement realms exposed in South America,both related to the protracted Paleozoic evolution of the Terra Australis Orogen,whereas the northwestern margin is mainly recorded in Cadomian domains of Europe and adjacent regions.However,no clear relationships between these regions were so far established.Based on a compilation and reevaluation of geological,paleomagnetic,petrological,geochronological and isotopic evidence,this contribution focuses on crustal-scale tectonic and geodynamic processes occurring in Western Gondwana accretionary orogens,aiming at disentangling their common Early Paleozoic evolution.Data show that accretionary orogens were dominated by high-temperature/lowpressure metamorphism and relatively high geothermal gradients,resulting from the development of extended/hyperextended margins and bulk transtensional deformation.In this sense,retreating-mode accretionary orogens characterized the Early Paleozoic Gondwana margin,though short-lived pulses of compression/transpression also occurred.The existence of retreating subduction zones favoured mantle-derived magmatism and mixing with relatively young(meta)sedimentary sources in a thin continental crust.Crustal reworking of previous forearc sequences due to trenchward arc migration thus took place through assimilation and anatexis in the arc/back-arc regions.Therefore,retreating-mode accretionary orogens were the locus of Early Paleozoic crustal growth in Western Gondwana,intimately associated with major flare-up events,such as those related to the Cadomian and Famatian arcs.Slab roll back,probably resulting from decreasing convergence rates and plate velocities after Gondwana assembly,was a key factor for orogen-scale geodynamic processes.Coupled with synchronous oblique subduction and crustal-scale dextral deformation,slab roll back might trigger toroidal mantle flow,thus accounting for bulk dextral transtension,back-arc extension/transtension and a large-scale anticlockwise rotation of Gondwana mainland.     

Paleozoic accretionary terranes in Northern Tianslian, NW China

During the paleozoic,the Northern Tianshan region of China in Central Asia consists of 7 allochthonous terranes which were situated in the ancient sino-Mongolian Ocean as volcanic arcs and splitted continental fragments.The tectonic framework was similar to that of Southwest pacific today,In the Late Paleozoic,these terranes started mutual amalgamation to cause strong thrusting.At thd end of Carboniferous,the Sino-mongolian ocean including several inter-terrane small sea basins closed and these terranes accreted on the margins of the Siberian and Tarim continents,The 6 ophiolitic zones zomong the terranes recorded this collision event.     

Refining accretionary orogen models for the Tasmanides of eastern Australia

The well-known southwest-to-northeast younging of stratigraphy over a present-day cross strike distance of >1500 km in the southern Tasmanides of eastern Australia has been used to argue for models of accretionary orogenesis behind a continually eastwards-rolling paleo-Pacific plate. However, these accretionary models need modification, since the oldest (ca 530 Ma) outcrops of Cambrian supra-subduction zone rocks occur in the outboard New England Orogen, now ～900 km east of the next oldest (520–510 Ma) supra-subduction zone rocks. This is not consistent with simple, continuous easterly rollback. Instead, the southern Tasmanides contain an early history characterised by a westwards-migrating margin between ca 530 and ca 520 Ma, followed by rapid eastwards rollback of the paleo-Pacific plate from 520 to 502 Ma that opened a vast backarc basin ～2000 km across that has never been closed. From the Ordovician through to the end of the Carboniferous, the almost vertical stacking of continental margin arcs (within a hundred kilometres of each other) in the New England Orogen indicates a constant west-dipping plate boundary in a Gondwana reference frame. Although the actual position of the boundary is inferred to have undergone contraction-related advances and extension-related retreats, these movements are estimated to be ～250 km or less. Rollback in the early Permian was never completely reversed, so that late Permian–Triassic to Cretaceous arcs lie farther east, in the very eastern part of eastern Australia, with rifted fragments occurring in the Lord Howe Rise and in New Zealand. The northern Tasmanides are even more anomalous, since they missed out on the middle Cambrian plate boundary retreat seen in the south. As a result, their Cambrian-to-Devonian history is concentrated in a ～300 km wide strip immediately west of Precambrian cratonic Australia and above Precambrian basement. The presence in this narrow region of Ordovician to Carboniferous continental margin arcs and backarc basins also implies a virtually stationary plate boundary in a Gondwana frame of reference. This bipolar character of the Tasmanides suggests the presence of a segmented paleo-Pacific Plate, with major transform faults propagating into the Tasmanides as tear faults that were favourably oriented for the formation of local supra-subduction zone systems and for subsequent intraplate north–south shortening. In this interpretation of the Tasmanides, Lower–Middle Ordovician quartz-rich turbidites accumulated as submarine fan sequences, and do not represent multiple subduction complexes developed above subduction zones lying behind the plate boundary. Indeed, the Tasmanides are characterised by the general absence of material accreted from the paleo-Pacific plate and by the dominance of craton-derived, recycled sedimentary rocks.     

Geochemistry of mud volcano fluids in the Taiwan accretionary prism

Taiwan is located at the collision boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Asian Continental Plate and is one of the most active orogenic belts in the world. Fluids sampled from 9 sub-aerial mud volcanoes distributed along two major geological structures in southwestern Taiwan, the Chishan fault and the Gutingkeng anticline, were analyzed to evaluate possible sources of water and the degree of fluid-sediment interaction at depth in an accretionary prism. Overall, the Taiwanese mud volcano fluids are characterized by high Cl contents, up to 347 mM, suggesting a marine origin from actively de-watering sedimentary pore waters along major structures on land. The fluids obtained from the Gutingkeng anticline, as well as from the Coastal Plain area, show high Cl, Na, K, Ca, Mg and NH₄, but low SO₄ and B concentrations. In contrast, the Chishan fault fluids are much less saline (1/4 seawater value), but show much heavier O isotope compositions (δ¹⁸O=5.1–6.5 ‰). A simplified scenario of mixing between sedimentary pore fluids and waters affected by clay dehydration released at depth can explain several crucial observations including heavy O isotopes, radiogenic Sr contents (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.71136–0.71283), and relatively low salinities in the Chishan fluids. Gases isolated from the mud volcanoes are predominantly CH₄ and CO₂, where the CH₄–C isotopic compositions show a thermogenic component of δ¹³C=−38 ‰. These results demonstrate that active mud volcano de-watering in Taiwan is a direct product of intense sediment accretion and plate collision in the region.     

那丹哈达地体及周缘中生代变形与增生造山过程

东亚陆缘中生代增生造山过程及变形响应一直以来都是中国区域地质研究的重大课题,也是东亚地质构造演化的一个难点和热点。其中一个最为关键的科学问题就是,古太平洋板块(Izanagi)何时开始启动俯冲?对中生代东亚大陆边缘产生何种影响?那丹哈达地体出露于中国东北,为一套构造混杂岩系,是中国境内由古太平洋板块俯冲-增生形成的唯一证据,为解决这一问题提供了可能。本文通过总结大量前人最新的岩石学、同位素年代学、沉积岩石组合、主干断裂、岩浆活动、古生物及古地磁等资料,试图厘定那丹哈达地体构造属性、增生过程、拼贴时间以及古太平洋板块开始俯冲的时间,并与周缘地体进行对比。结果表明:(1)那丹哈达增生杂岩分为饶河杂岩和跃进山杂岩,饶河杂岩具有洋岛玄武岩(OIB)的特征,不是前人认为的蛇绿岩,可称之为洋岛(海山)杂岩;跃进山杂岩具有洋中脊玄武岩(MORB)的特征,是典型的蛇绿岩,同时暗示古太平洋板块可能于晚三叠世开始启动俯冲,并在136~131 Ma期间就位于现今位置。(2)那丹哈达与日本丹波—美浓—尾足地体都是侏罗纪增生楔,在沉积岩石组合和年龄、放射虫类型及分布、地质构造等特征上都非常相似,在中新世日本海打开之前应是一个统一的超级地体。     

Tectonic wedging along the rear of the offshore Taiwan accretionary prism

The structural geometry, kinematics and density structure along the rear of the offshore Taiwan accretionary prism were studied using seismic reflection profiling and gravity modeling. Deformation between the offshore prism and forearc basin at the point of incipient collision, and southward into the region of subduction, has been interpreted as a tectonic wedge, similar to those observed along the front of mountain ranges. This tectonic wedge is bounded by an east-dipping roof thrust and a blind, west-dipping floor thrust. An east-dipping sequence of forearc-basin strata in the hanging wall of the roof thrust reaches a thickness in excess of 4 km near the tip of the interpreted tectonic wedge. Section restoration of the roof sequence yields an estimate of 4 km of shortening, which is small compared with that inferred in the collision area to the north, based on the variation in distance between the apex of the prism and the island arc.Previous studies propose that either high-angle normal faulting or backfolding has exhumed the metamorphic rocks along the eastern flank of the Central Range in the collision zone on land. To better constrain the initial crustal configuration, we tested 350 crustal models to fit the free-air gravity anomaly data in the offshore region to study the density structure along the rear of the accretionary prism in the subduction and initial collision zones before the structures become more complex in the collision zone on land. The gravity anomaly, observed in the region of subduction (20.2°N), can be modeled with the arc basement forming a trenchward-dipping backstop that is overlain by materials with densities in the range of sedimentary rocks. Near the point of incipient collision (20.9°N), however, the free-air gravity anomaly over the rear of the prism is approximately 40 mgal higher, compared with the region of subduction, and requires a significant component of high density crustal rocks within the tectonic wedge. These results suggest that the forearc basement may be deformed along the rear of the prism, associated with the onset of collision, but not in the subduction region further to the south.     

Mud diapirism: the origin of melanges in accretionary complexes?

Chaotic melange deposits, a mixture of blocks in a clay matrix, have commonly been attributed to the mechanism of submarine slumping. In the oceans at the present day slumping does not occur on a sufficiently large scale to produce the quantities of melange seen in ancient accretionary complexes. In modern accretionary complexes, massive shale diapirism produces large volumes of melange, and is an entirely adequate mechanism to account for melanges in ancient complexes.     

HFSE-rich picritic rocks from the Mino accretionary complex,southwestern Japan

Sills, pillow lavas and hyaloclastites of the HFSE-rich picrite and related rocks (ankaramite and basanite) occur in the Middle Permian cherts in the Mino Jurassic accretionary complex, southwestern Japan. These rocks show systematic trace element patterns enriched in incompatible elements, which indicate that the associated ankaramite and basanite are formed by the crystal fractionation from the picrite. The presence of the hyaloclastite in the chert sequence covering a large tholeiitic greenstone body indicates that the picrite was produced in an intraoceanic setting in the Middle Permian time subsequent to the extrusion of the voluminous oceanic island tholeiite. The Mino picrites resemble the Siberian meimechite and Polynesian picrites in its HFSE-rich chemical composition. The HFSE enrichment in these picrites cannot be explained by low degree of partial melting of primitive peridotite mantle only, and needs a source material involving recycled oceanic crust (eclogite). The differences in MgO content and in TiO₂/Al₂O₃ and Zr/Y ratios among the HFSE-rich picrites indicate that the melting pressure increases from the Polynesian picrite through Mino picrite to Siberian picrite. This may reflect the increasing thickness of the overlying lithosphere at the time and place of magmatism. The HFSE-rich picrites may be a product of a superplume event. The presence of HFSE-rich picrite in Mino and Siberia indicate that the superplume activities occur in both continental and oceanic settings in the Permian time.     

Paleozoic multiple accretionary and collisional tectonics of the Chinese Tianshan orogenic collage

Subduction-related accretion in the Junggar–Balkash and South Tianshan Oceans (Paleo-Asian Ocean), mainly in the Paleozoic, gave rise to the present 2400 km-long Tianshan orogenic collage that extends from the Aral Sea eastwards through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, to Xinjiang in China. This paper provides an up-to-date along-strike synthesis of this orogenic collage and a new tectonic model to explain its accretionary evolution.The northern part of the orogenic collage developed by consumption of the Junggar–Balkash Ocean together with Paleozoic island arcs (Northern Ili, Issyk Kul, and Chatkal) located in the west, which may have amalgamated into a composite arc in the Paleozoic in the west and by addition of another two, roughly parallel, arcs (Dananhu and Central Tianshan) in the east. The western composite arc and the eastern Dananhu and Central Tianshan arcs formed a late Paleozoic archipelago with multiple subduction zones. The southern part of the orogenic collage developed by the consumption of the South Tianshan Ocean which gave rise to a continuous accretionary complex (Kokshaal–Kumishi), which separated the Central Tianshan in the east and other Paleozoic arcs in the west from cratons (Tarim and Karakum) to the south. Cross-border correlations of this accretionary complex indicate a general southward and oceanward accretion by northward subduction in the early Paleozoic to Permian as recorded by successive southward juxtaposition of ophiolites, slices of ophiolitic mélanges, cherts, island arcs, olistostromes, blueschists, and turbidites, which are mainly Paleozoic in age, with the youngest main phase being Late Carboniferous–Permian. The initial docking of the southerly Tarim and Karakum cratons to this complicated late Paleozoic archipelago and accretionary complexes occurred in the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian in the eastern part of the Tianshan and in the Late Permian in the western part, which might have terminated collisional deformation on this suture zone. The final stages of closure of the Junggar–Balkash Ocean resembled the small ocean basin scenario of the Mediterranean Sea in the Cenozoic. In summary, the history of the Altaids is characterized by complicated multiple accretionary and collisional tectonics.     

Effect of fluid pressure distribution on the structural evolution of accretionary wedges

Numerical experiments on evolving accretionary wedges usually implement predefined weak basal décollements and constant strength parameters for overlying compressed sequences, although fluid pressure ratio, and therefore brittle strength, can vary strongly in sedimentary basins. A two‐dimensional finite difference model with a visco‐elasto‐plastic rheology is used to investigate the influence of different simplified fluid pressure ratio distributions on the structural evolution of accretionary wedge systems. Results show that a linear increase in fluid pressure ratio towards the base leads to toeward‐verging thrust sheets and underplating of strata, while simulations with a predefined décollement form conjugate shear zones supporting box‐fold‐type frontal accretion. Surface tapers are in agreement with the critical wedge theory, which here is modified for cases of varying fluid pressure ratio. Furthermore, the numerical results resemble findings from natural examples of accretionary wedges.