The origin of the Naturaliste Plateau,SE Indian Ocean: Implications from dredged basalts

Although a 1972 dredging by USNS Eltanin from the submarine Naturaliste Plateau was reported to yield rocks of continental origin, a re‐examination of the dredge haul shows that the rock clasts are in fact altered tholeiitic basalts. They have affinities both with MOR basalts and, especially, within‐plate basalts. Petrographically they correlate most closely with the Bunbury Tholeiitic Suite on the Australian mainland to the east. The basalts are reworked cobbles in a manganiferous Quaternary slump mass, which contains a quartz‐rich, felsic, detrital mineral suite with a granite‐gneiss provenance. The basalt cobbles were part of a basal conglomerate, which covered large areas of the Plateau. It is suggested that this was laid down from nearby elevated volcanic structures formed during the inception of seafloor spreading and the separation of Greater India from Australia at about 122 Ma BP.     

Seamount volcanism associated with the Xigaze ophiolite, Southern Tibet

Basaltic lavas at Renbu, Southern Tibet are associated with the Xigaze ophiolite in the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone. They are alkaline lavas rich in large ion lithophile elements (LILE, Ba, Rb and Sr) and high field strength elements (HFSE, Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf), but poor in Cr, Co and Ni. All of the rocks have chondrite-normalized REE patterns enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE), comparable to modern basalts of the Society Islands, Kerguelen Plateau and Broken Ridge. Abundances of some immobile or moderately immobile elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Y, Ti and REE) are also comparable to Kerguelen alkaline basalts. The Renbu basalts are geochemically similar to oceanic island basalts (OIB) and have some elemental ratios, such as Nb/Ta ratios = 15.7–18.1, Th/Nb =  0.06–0.10, La/Nb = 0.59–0.83 and Th/Ta = 1.03–1.52, similar to the primitive mantle. Their ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70453–0.70602) are relatively high, similar to OIB. In the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr vs. εNd(t) diagram, the Renbu basalts plot along a trend from N-MORB to EMII (enriched mantle II), suggesting the involvement of at least two mantle sources in their generation. The Renbu basalts represent seamount volcanism associated with the Xigaze ophiolite. They formed from an OIB-type mantle source within the Neo-Tethyan Ocean that had a composition similar to the modern Indian Ocean mantle.     

Investigation of datolite (CaB[SiO4/(OH)]) from basalts in the Northern Apennines ophiolites (Italy): Genetic implications

Datolite, ideally CaB[(OH/SiO₄)], from hydrothermal veins crosscutting pillow basalt in 10 different localities of the Northern Apennine ophiolites was investigated with regard to mineral chemistry and fluid inclusion microthermometry. Bulk analyses of datolite crystals show REE contents below chondritic, except for La and Ce. With respect to host rock, datolite is occasionally enriched in La, Rb, Cs, Be, and shows relatively high contents of chalcophile elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni) when occurring in contact with sulfide-mineralized basalt. Volatiles escaped during the decomposition in the temperature range 600 and 700 °C. The main component is water. The temperature maximum of water release is different and frequently with a shoulder or a second maximum. Together with water, sulfur species as H₂S and SO₂ and traces of boron species escaped. The CO₂ release by the decomposition especially of datolite from Castellaro and Cinghi has a maximum in the range of 500-580 °C and is different from the decomposition of calcite. Together with CO₂ a boron species escaped. Chlorine does not detect. Two-phase (L+V) fluid inclusions texturally identifiable as primary and secondary were observed, yielding average homogenization-temperatures of 236 and 173 °C, respectively. Fluid inclusion cooling data yield calculated salinity in the range of 10-16 wt% NaCl equivalents, thus relatively higher compared with seawater. The results are compatible with those reported for fluids formed under diagenetic conditions, but differ from those observed in seafloor hydrothermal systems and/or emanating from magmas. Distribution of trace elements between datolite and host basalt indicates enrichment with respect to the host rock limited to a few elements such as La, Rb, Cs, Be, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb. The lithophile elements can be hosted in the datolite lattice, whereas the chalcophile metals and Ni are probably carried in sub-microscopic inclusions.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000899

The Rajahmundry Trap Basalts（RTB） are erupted through fault-controlled fissures in the Krishna-Godavari Basin（K-G Basin） of Godavari Triple Junction,occurring as a unique outcrop sandwiched between Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments along the east coast of India.Detailed geochemical studies have revealed that RTB are mid-Ti（1.74-1.92） to high-Ti（2.04-2.81） basalts with a distinct quartz tholeiitic parentage.MgO（6.2-13.12 wt.%）,Mg^#（29-50） and Zr（109-202 ppm） suggest that these basalts evolved by fractional crystallization during the ascent of the parent magma along deep-seated fractures.Moderate to high fractionation of HREE,as indicated by（Gd/Yb）N ratios（1.71-2.31） of RTB,suggest their generation through 3-5%melting of a Fe-rich mantle corresponding to the stability fields of spinel and garnet peridotite at depths of 60-100 km.Low K₂O/P₂O₅（0.26-1.26）,high TiO₂/P₂O₅（6.74-16.79）,La/Nb（0.89-1.45）,Nb/Th > 8（8.35-13）,negative anomalies at Rb reflect minimum contamination by granitic continental crust.（Nb/La）_PM ratios（0.66-1.1） of RTB are attributed to endogenic contamination resulted through recycling of subducted oceanic slab into the mantle.Pronounced Ba enrichment with relative depletion in Rb indicates assimilation of Infra- and Inter-trappean sediments of estuarine to shallow marine character.Geochemical compositions such as Al₂O₃/TiO₂（3.88-6.83）,medium to high TiO₂（1.74-2.81 wt.%）.positive Nb anomalies and LREE enrichment of these RTB attest to their mantle plume origin and indicate the generation of parent magma from a plume-related enriched mantle source with EM 1signature.Ba/Th（46-247）,Ba/La（3.96-28.51） and Th/Nb（0.08-0.13） ratios suggest that the source enrichment process was marked by recycling of subduction-processed oceanic crust and lithospheric components into the mantle.Zr/Hf（37-41） and Zr/Ba（0.51-3.24） indicate involvement of an asthenospheric mantle source.The Rajahmundry basalts show affinity towards FOZO（focal zone mantle） and PSCL（post-Archaean subcontinental lithosphere） which reflect mixing between asthenospheric and lithospheric mantle components in their source.Origin of RTB magma is attributed to plume-lithosphere interaction and the upward movement of melt is facilitated by intrabasinal deep-seated faults in the K-G Basin.     

非洲乍得盆地玄武岩K-Ar和39Ar-40Ar年代学及其动力学背景

乍得的Doba、Bongor和Lake Chad盆地是早白垩世中非右行走滑应力场控制下形成的一系列中新生代陆内拉分盆地,形成与中、赤道及南大西洋打开有关。钻井揭示了盆地内分布有大量的中新生代玄武岩。系统的K-Ar、Ar-Ar法年代学研究发现,至少可识别出2个周期的火山活动旋回,即（1）95-75Ma,只分布于Doba盆地;（2）66-52Ma,分布于Bongor和Lake Chad盆地。研究表明,乍得盆地内中新生代火山活动是板内伸展应力机制下的产物,与白垩纪整个西中非地区的区域构造背景相一致,岩浆作用与裂谷作用密切相关。     

Magmatic systems of large continental igneous provinces

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) formed by mantle superplume events have irreversibly changed their composition in the geological evolution of the Earth from high-Mg melts (during Archean and early Paleoproterozoic) to Phanerozoic-type geochemically enriched Fe-Ti basalts and picrites at 2.3 Ga. We propose that this upheaval could be related to the change in the source and nature of the mantle superplumes of different generations. The first generation plumes were derived from the depleted mantle, whereas the second generation (thermochemical) originated from the core-mantle boundary (CMB). This study mainly focuses on the second (Phanerozoic) type of LIPs, as exemplified by the mid-Paleoproterozoic Jatulian–Ludicovian LIP in the Fennoscandian Shield, the Permian–Triassic Siberian LIP, and the late Cenozoic flood basalts of Syria. The latter LIP contains mantle xenoliths represented by green and black series. These xenoliths are fragments of cooled upper margins of the mantle plume heads, above zones of adiabatic melting, and provide information about composition of the plume material and processes in the plume head. Based on the previous studies on the composition of the mantle xenoliths in within-plate basalts around the world, it is inferred that the heads of the mantle (thermochemical) plumes are made up of moderately depleted spinel peridotites (mainly lherzolites) and geochemically-enriched intergranular fluid/melt. Further, it is presumed that the plume heads intrude the mafic lower crust and reach up to the bottom of the upper crust at depths ～20 km. The generation of two major types of mantle-derived magmas (alkali and tholeiitic basalts) was previously attributed to the processes related to different PT-parameters in the adiabatic melting zone whereas this study relates to the fluid regime in the plume heads. It is also suggested that a newly-formed melt can occur on different sides of a critical plane of silica undersaturation and can acquire either alkalic or tholeiitic composition depending on the concentration and composition of the fluids. The presence of melt-pockets in the peridotite matrix indicates fluid migration to the rocks of cooled upper margin of the plume head from the lower portion. This process causes secondary melting in this zone and the generation of melts of the black series and differentiated trachytic magmas.     

Magmatism of the Weddell Sea rift system in Antarctica: Implications for the age and mechanism of rifting and early stage Gondwana breakup

Thick (∼800 m) basaltic successions from the eastern Antarctic Peninsula have been dated in the interval 180–177 Ma and preserve a transition from a continental margin arc to a back-arc extensional setting. Amygdaloidal basalts from the Black Coast region of the eastern margin of the Antarctic Peninsula represent a rare onshore example of magmatism associated with back-arc extension that defines the early phase of Weddell Sea rifting and magmatism, and Gondwana breakup. The early phase of extension in the Weddell Sea rift system has previously been interpreted to be related to back-arc basin development with associated magnetic anomalies attributed to mafic-intermediate magmatism, but with no clearly defined evidence of back-arc magmatism. The analysis provided here identifies the first geochemical evidence of a transition from arc-like basalts to the development of depleted back-arc basin basalts in the interval 180–177 Ma. The exposed Black Coast basaltic successions are interpreted to form a minor component of magmatism that is also defined by onshore sub-ice magnetic anomalies, as well as the extensive magnetic anomalies of the southern Weddell Sea. Back-arc magmatism is also preserved on the Falkland Plateau where intrusions postdating 180 Ma are associated with early phase rifting in the Weddell Sea rift system. Back-arc extension was probably short-lived and had ceased by the time the northern Weddell Sea magmatism was emplaced (<175 Ma) and certainly by 171 Ma, when an episode of silicic magmatism was widespread along the eastern Antarctic Peninsula. Previous attempts to correlate mafic magmatism from the eastern Antarctic Peninsula to the Ferrar large igneous province, or, as part of a bimodal association with the Chon Aike silicic province are both dismissed based on age and geochemical criteria.     

云南民乐铜矿床中玄武岩和流纹斑岩的成因: 年代学和地球化学制约

本文对云南民乐铜矿床中宋家坡组流纹斑岩进行了锆石SIMS U-Pb年代学,流纹斑岩和玄武岩的地球化学和Nd同位素研究工作,目的是揭示民乐铜矿床中赋矿建造次火山岩和玄武岩的成因和构造环境。宋家坡组玄武岩通常显示出较高的Fe₂O₃、Al₂O₃ 和Na₂O含量,随SiO₂含量增加,MgO、CaO和P₂O₅ 含量减小。玄武岩具有较高的ε_Nd(t) 值(+2.9~+3.5),岩石稀土总量较低(∑REE=50.1×10^-6~60.6 ×10^-6)并在球粒陨石标准化的稀土元素图解上显示出比较平坦的REE模式,在蛛网图上表现出Nb-Ta轻微亏损Sr富集的特征。这些岩石总体上表现出亚碱性玄武质岩石特征,原始岩浆很可能来源于长期亏损、富斜长石而贫石榴石的尖晶石地幔源区部分熔融。本文认为这些玄武岩形成过程中岩浆经历了结晶分异作用和不同程度的地壳混染作用。宋家坡组流纹斑岩的锆石SIMS U-Pb年龄为234.8±2.4Ma。这些岩石与一般流纹岩相比具有较高的SiO₂、(Na₂O+K₂O)和Al₂O₃含量,在球粒陨石标准化的稀土元素图解上显示出轻稀土元素(LREE)富集而重稀土元素相对平坦的模式,并具有轻微Eu负异常的特征。在原始地幔标准化的微量元素蛛网图上,这些岩石的Nb-Ta、Sr、P 和Ti表现出明显亏损的特点。上述流纹斑岩显示出I型花岗岩的特征,其ε_Nd(t) 为-1.9至 -0.51之间。这些岩石的母岩浆很可能是弱碱性的流纹安山质岩浆,可能是由区域分布的中-新元古代镁铁质-中性的下地壳部分熔融而来,然后加入了少量的同时代玄武质岩浆。这些岩浆而后经历了较充分的结晶分异作用形成了流纹斑岩。民乐矿区玄武岩和流纹斑岩表现出岛弧火山岩的特征,很可能是在碰撞晚期-碰撞后环境下形成。     

板块汇聚边缘玄武岩大地构造环境的Th、Nb、Zr判别

根据Th、Nb、Zr的地球化学性质和判别机理，利用世界上典型大地构造环境区玄武岩类的Th、Nb、Zr数据，研究了Th、Nb、Zr判别玄武岩大地构造环境的地球化学机理，发现不同构造环境区玄武岩系的Th、Nb、Zr特征具有显著差异，其比值特征能将玄武岩形成的大地构造位置很好地划分出来。提出了板块汇聚边缘玄武岩大地构造环境的Nb/Zr Th/Zr判别图，该图不但能较好地区分出板块汇聚边缘中的洋—洋俯冲带、洋—陆俯冲带及陆—陆碰撞带，同时还能反映出岛弧区大地构造环境演化的趋势。