http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987115001516

The Semail ophiolite of Oman and the United Arab Emirates(UAE) provides the best preserved large slice of oceanic lithosphere exposed on the continental crust,and offers unique opportunities to study processes of ocean crust formation,subduction initiation and obduction.Metamorphic rocks exposed in the eastern UAE have traditionally been interpreted as a metamorphic sole to the Semail ophiolite.However,there has been some debate over the possibility that the exposures contain components of older Arabian continental crust.To help answer this question,presented here are new zircon and rutile U-Pb geochronological data from various units of the metamorphic rocks.Zircon was absent in most samples.Those that yielded zircon and rutile provide dominant single age populations that are 95-93 Ma,partially overlapping with the known age of oceanic crust formation(96.5-94.5 Ma),and partially overlapping with cooling ages of the metamorphic rocks(95-90 Ma).The data are interpreted as dating high-grade metamorphism during subduction burial of the sediments into hot mantle lithosphere,and rapid cooling during their subsequent exhumation.A few discordant zircon ages,interpreted as late Neoproterozoic and younger,represent minor detrital input from the continent.No evidence is found in favour of the existence of older Arabian continental crust within the metamorphic rocks of the UAE.     

Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Intracontinental Basaltic Volcanism on the Northwest Arabian Plate,Gaziantep Basin,Southeast Anatolia,Turkey

Volcanism along the northwest boundary of the Arabian Plate found in the Gaziantep Basin, southeast Turkey, is of Miocene age and is of alkaline and calc-alkaline basic composition. The rare earth element data for both compositional series indicates spinel–peridotite source areas. The rare earth and trace elements of the alkaline lavas originate from a highly primitive and slightly contaminated asthenospheric mantle; those of the calc-alkaline lavas originate from a highly heterogeneous, asthenospheric, and lithospheric mantle source. Partial melting and magmatic differentiation processes played a role in the formation of the petrological features of these volcanics. These rocks form two groups on the basis of their ~(87) Sr/~(86) Sr and ~(143) Nd/~(144) Nd isotopic compositions in addition to their classifications based on their chemical compositions(alkaline and calc-alkaline). These isotopic differences indicate a dissimilar parental magma. Therefore, high Nd isotope samples imply a previously formed and highly primitive mantle whereas low Nd isotope samples may indicate comparable partial melting of an enriched heterogeneous shallow mantle. Other isotopic changes that do not conform to the chemical features of these lavas are partly related to the various tectonic events of the region, such as the Dead Sea Fault System and the Bitlis Suture Zone.     

内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原古冰缘遗迹科学考察研究进展

冰缘遗迹（特别是冷生楔形构造及融冻褶皱）是重建古气候及第四纪晚期多年冻土环境的重要证据。内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原是我国北方地区冰缘现象最为发育的地区之一。为准确了解鄂尔多斯高原冰缘遗迹类型及其分布特征、区域冻土演化历史等,中国科学院西北生态环境资源研究院和荷兰自由大学共同组成科研小组,于2018年5—6月组织了“鄂尔多斯高原冰缘遗迹科学考察”。考察区域涉及靖边—城川—乌审旗—鄂尔多斯东胜区一带约12 000 km²的范围。考察内容主要包括鄂尔多斯高原冰缘遗迹类型及特征、分布区域、各类型冰缘遗迹所指示的气候条件的初步推断等。结果表明：冻融褶皱和冷生楔体构造是鄂尔多斯高原主要存在的两大类冰缘遗迹。基于本次考察中关于冰缘遗迹的分布与特征等新发现,并综合前人研究成果,初步推断：在气温极低、多年冻土非常发育的时段,有利于形成各类冷生楔状构造,如冰楔假形和大型原生砂楔等;在气候转暖、多年冻土退化,但还没有全部融化完阶段,可能形成融冻褶皱;区域性大面积分布和成群出现的融冻褶皱一般反映较暖气候环境下,多年冻土层上部已退化到一定程度。基于光释光（OSL）年代测试结果,结合冰缘遗迹的特征及其所指示的古气候环境,初步重建了鄂尔多斯5万年以来的冻土环境变化序列。区内多年冻土在多年冻土最大期（LPM,25~19 ka BP）时最发育,以大面积连续多年冻土为主;之后,随气温转暖,总趋势呈退化状态,多年冻土分布逐渐变为片状→岛状→零星斑状,直至现今全部融完变为深季节冻土区。