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     

Post-Collisional Transition from Subduction- to Intraplate-type Magmatism in the Westernmost Mediterranean: Evidence for Continental-Edge Delamination of Subcontinental Lithosphere

Post-collisional magmatism in the southern Iberian and northwesternAfrican continental margins contains important clues for theunderstanding of a possible causal connection between movementsin the Earth's upper mantle, the uplift of continental lithosphereand the origin of circum-Mediterranean igneous activity. Systematicgeochemical and geochronological studies (major and trace element,Sr–Nd–Pb-isotope analysis and laser ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar-agedating) on igneous rocks provide constraints for understandingthe post-collisional history of the southern Iberian and northwesternAfrican continental margins. Two groups of magmatic rocks canbe distinguished: (1) an Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene (8·2–4·8Ma), Si–K-rich group including high-K (calc-alkaline)and shoshonitic series rocks; (2) an Upper Miocene to Pleistocene(6·3–0·65 Ma), Si-poor, Na-rich group includingbasanites and alkali basalts to hawaiites and tephrites. Maficsamples from the Si–K-rich group generally show geochemicalaffinities with volcanic rocks from active subduction zones(e.g. Izu–Bonin and Aeolian island arcs), whereas maficsamples from the Si-poor, Na-rich group are geochemically similarto lavas found in intraplate volcanic settings derived fromsub-lithospheric mantle sources (e.g. Canary Islands). The transitionfrom Si-rich (subduction-related) to Si-poor (intraplate-type)magmatism between 6·3 Ma (first alkali basalt) and 4·8Ma (latest shoshonite) can be observed both on a regional scaleand in individual volcanic systems. Si–K-rich and Si-poorigneous rocks from the continental margins of southern Iberiaand northwestern Africa are, respectively, proposed to havebeen derived from metasomatized subcontinental lithosphere andsub-lithospheric mantle that was contaminated with plume material.A three-dimensional geodynamic model for the westernmost Mediterraneanis presented in which subduction of oceanic lithosphere is inferredto have caused continental-edge delamination of subcontinentallithosphere associated with upwelling of plume-contaminatedsub-lithospheric mantle and lithospheric uplift. This processmay operate worldwide in areas where subduction-related andintraplate-type magmatism are spatially and temporally associated. KEY WORDS: post-collisional magmatism; Mediterranean-style back-arc basins; subduction; delamination; uplift of marine gateways     

Strain partitioning into dry and wet zones and the formation of Ca-rich myrmekite in syntectonic syenites: A case for melt-assisted dissolution-replacement creep under granulite facies conditions

The formation of Ca-rich myrmekites is described in syntectonic syenites crystallized and progressively deformed under granulite facies conditions. The syenites are found in high- and low-strain zones where microstructure and mineral composition are compared. Heterogeneously distributed water-rich, late-magmatic liquids were responsible for strain partitioning into dry and wet high-strain zones at outcrop scale, where contrasting deformation mechanisms are reported. In dry high-strain zones K-feldspar and clinopyroxene are recrystallized under high-T conditions. In wet high-strain zones, the de-stabilization of clinopyroxene and pervasive replacement of relatively undeformed K-feldspar porphyroclasts by myrmekite and subordinate micrographic intergrowths indicate dissolution-replacement creep as the main deformation mechanism. The reworking of these intergrowths is observed and is considered to contribute significantly to the development of the mylonitic foliation and banding. A model is proposed for strain partitioning relating a positive feedback between myrmekite-forming reaction, continuous inflow of late-magmatic liquids and dissolution-replacement creep in the wet zone at the expenses of original mineralogy preserved in the dry zones. Melt-assisted dissolution-replacement creep in syntectonic environments under granulite-facies conditions may extend the field of operation of dissolution-replacement creep, changing significantly the rheology of the lower continental crust.     

Two new glaphyrids (Coleoptera,Scarabaeoidea) from the Jehol Biota,China

Two new species, Cretohypna puncta sp. nov. and Cretohypna robusta sp. nov., of Glaphyridae are described and illustrated. These fossils were collected from the Jehol Biota, Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liutiaogou Village in Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia, China. Up to date, 18 fossil species in 6 genera of Glaphyridae have been reported, among which ten species are from China. Respective keys to the Mesozoic genera of Glaphyridae and to species of Cretohypna Yan, Nikolajev & Ren, 2012 are provided. This is the first report of spiracles in fossil Glaphyridae leading to a hypothesis that the character of the 7th abdominal spiracles present in pleural membrane is a plesiomorphy for Glaphyridae.     

Bimodal magmatism of the Tucumã area,Carajás province: U-Pb geochronology,classification and processes

Geological mapping of the Tucumã area has enabled the identification of dike swarms intruded into an Archean basement. The disposition of these dikes is consistent with the well-defined NW-SE trending regional faults, and they can reach up to 20 km in length. They were divided into three main groups: (i) felsic dikes (70% of the dikes), composed exclusively of porphyritic rhyolite with euhedral phenocrysts of quartz and feldspars immersed in an aphyric felsite matrix; (ii) mafic dikes, with restricted occurrence, composed of basaltic andesite and subordinate basalt, with a mineralogical assembly consisting dominantly of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine; and (iii) intermediate rocks, represented by andesite and dacite. Dacites are found in outcrops associated with felsic dikes, representing different degrees of hybridization or mixture of mafic and felsic magmas. This is evidenced by a large number of mafic enclaves in the felsic dikes and the frequent presence of embayment textures. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating of felsic dikes yielded an age of 1880.9 ± 3.3 Ma. The felsic dikes are peraluminous to slightly metaluminous and akin to A2, ferroan and reduced granites. The intermediate and mafic dikes are metaluminous and belong to the tholeiitic series. Geochemical modeling showed that mafic rocks evolved by pyroxene and plagioclase crystallization, while K-feldspar and biotite are the fractionate phases in felsic magma. A simple binary mixture model was used to determine the origin of intermediate rocks. It indicated that mixing 60% of rhyolite and 40% basaltic andesite melts could have generated the dacitic composition, while the andesite liquid could be produced by mixing of 60% and 40% basaltic andesite and rhyolite melts, respectively. The mixing of basaltic and andesitic magmas probably occurred during ascent and storage in the crust, where andesite dikes are likely produced by a more homogeneous mixture at high depths in the continental crust (mixing), while dacite dikes can be generated in the upper crust at a lower temperature, providing a less efficient mixing process (mingling). The affinities observed between the felsic to intermediate rocks of the Rio Maria and São Felix do Xingu areas and the bimodal magmatism of the Tucumã area reinforce the hypothesis that in the Paleoproterozoic the Carajás province was affected by processes involving thermal perturbations in the upper mantle, mafic underplating, and associated crustal extension or transtension. The 1.88 Ga fissure-controlled A-type magmatism of the Tucumã area was emplaced ∼1.0 to ∼0.65 Ga after stabilization of the Archean crust. Its origin is not related to subduction processes but to the disruption of the supercontinent at the end of the Paleoproterozoic.     

郯庐断裂带晚中生代演化历史及其对华北克拉通破坏过程的指示

郯庐断裂带晚中生代的演化历史是华北克拉通破坏过程的重要记录。中侏罗世末(燕山运动A幕),郯庐断裂带局部发生左行平移活动,而华北克拉通上出现了一系列北北东走向的缩短构造,指示了西太平洋伊泽奈崎板块俯冲的开始。晚侏罗世期间,郯庐断裂带没有发生活动,而华北克拉通出现局部伸展与岩浆活动及区域性隆升,应为弧后弱拉张背景。早白垩世初(燕山运动B幕),郯庐断裂带再次发生强烈的左行平移活动,华北克拉通北部与东部出现了一系列近南北向挤压产生的构造,应是鄂霍茨克洋最终关闭与伊泽奈崎板块高速俯冲双重作用的结果。随后的早白垩世期间,华北克拉通在弧后拉张背景下发生峰期破坏,郯庐断裂带呈现为强烈的伸展活动。早白垩世末的区域性挤压作用,结束了华北克拉通的峰期破坏,并使郯庐断裂带再次发生了一期左行平移活动。这期挤压作用出现在太平洋板块接替伊泽奈崎板块这一重大板块调整的背景之中。     

郯庐断裂带张八岭隆起段晚中生代岩浆岩继承锆石U-Pb年代学:源区属性及构造意义

大别与苏鲁造山带之间的郯庐断裂带张八岭隆起段,构成了华北与扬子板块之间的断裂边界。该边界带的深部结构状态长期以来存在着不同的认识。本文利用张八岭隆起带沿线出露的晚中生代岩浆岩中继承锆石U-Pb年代学信息,结合地球物理资料及Nd、Pb、Hf同位素资料,分析了其深部的岩浆源区属性及结构状态。张八岭隆起带北段晚中生代岩浆岩继承锆石年龄以1.9~2.7Ga为主,最大峰值年龄为2.5Ga;南段继承锆石年龄以2.2~2.6Ga为主,峰值年龄也为2.5Ga;郯庐断裂带庐江段则以含大量新元古代锆石为特征,在0.7Ga形成显著的分布峰值,并有早元古和少量太古代年龄信息。分析结果表明,张八岭隆起带北段的晚中生代岩浆岩源区为华北下地壳,南段的源区兼有华北和扬子陆壳的信息,而更南部庐江段则以扬子地壳源区为特征。电法剖面揭示,郯庐断裂主边界在张八岭隆起带下向南东倾斜,从而深部存在华北地壳;而南部庐江段转变为向北西陡倾,从而深部皆为扬子地壳。郯庐断裂深部产状特征支持其印支期应为斜向汇聚边界。而其中三叠纪继承锆石的缺失指示隆起带上变质岩应为原地岩石,而非来自大别造山带。     

西藏恐弄拉地区中侏罗统桑卡拉佣组的厘定及其地质意义

贵州省地质调查院在开展西藏自治区1∶5万班戈县恐弄拉地区区域地质调查时,在马前乡恐弄拉西侧车尖西南一带前人划分的一套早白垩世桂牙岩组碳酸盐岩地层中采集了腕足类和腹足类化石,据采集的古生物化石时代确定此套碳酸盐岩地层为中侏罗世沉积(晚巴柔期—卡洛期),通过岩石组合特征、基本层序、沉积环境及生物化石时代对比,将该套地层重新厘定为桑卡拉佣组。这一地层的确定为冈底斯带地层区侏罗系地层划分对比、地层格架建立提供了重要的依据,并为中生代盆地的演化历史,古地理轮廓的确定提供了新的基础资料。     

渤海蓬莱9-1中生代花岗岩体岩石地球化学特征及其区域构造意义

蓬莱9-1花岗岩体是渤海海域首次发现的中生代花岗岩,鉴于渤海海域在华北克拉通中的重要构造位置,该花岗岩的形成时代和成因机制的研究对区域构造研究具有重大意义。锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年结果表明该花岗岩体形成于中侏罗世160~165Ma。花岗岩属于高钾钙碱性系列,为准铝质-过铝质花岗岩;富Al_2O_3(14.84%~17.19%)和Sr(485×10~(-6)~909×10~(-6)),贫Y(0.66×10~(-6)~1.39×10~(-6))和Yb(小于2.0×10~(-6)),无铕的负异常,多数样品表现为铕的弱正异常,表现出C-型埃达克岩特征。表明渤海地区在160~165Ma期间处于挤压地壳增厚环境下,以地壳减薄为标志的克拉通破坏过程彼时尚未发生,其区域动力学环境可能仍处于华北板块-华南板块碰撞拼接的影响范围内。