Fluid/melt in continental deep subduction zones: Compositions and related geochemical fractionations

Plate subduction is the most magnificent process in the Earth. Subduction zones are important sites for proceeding matter- and energy- transports between the Earth's surface and the interior, continental crust growth, and crust-mantle interactions. Besides, a number of geological processes in subduction zones are closely related to human beings' daily life, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, formation of mineral deposits. Subduction process thus has long been the centric topic of Earth sciences. The finding in 1980 s that continental crust could be subducted to mantle depths is a revolutionary progress in plate tectonic theory. Compared to oceanic crust, continental crust is colder, drier, lighter, and much more geochemically/isotopically heterogeneous. Hence, continental subduction process would affect the structure, compositions and evolutions of the overlying mantle wedge even more. During continental subduction and subsequent exhumation, fluids and melts can be generated in the(de)hydration process and partial melting process, respectively. These melts/fluids play important roles in crust-mantle interactions, elemental migrations, isotopic fractionations, and mantle metasomatism. By summarizing recent research works on subduction zones in this paper, we present a review on the types, physicochemical conditions and compositions of fluids/melts, as well as the migration behaviors of fluid-related characteristic elements(Nb-Ta-V) and the fractionation behaviors of non-traditional stable isotopes(Li-Mg) in subduction zones. The aim of this paper is to provide the readers an update comprehensive overview of the melt/fluid activities in subduction zones and of Li-Mg isotope systematics in subduction-related rocks and minerals.     

Geodynamic modeling of thermal structure of subduction zones

During subduction processes, slabs continuously have heat exchange with the ambient mantle, including both conduction and advection effects. The evolution of slab thermal structure is one of the dominant factors in controlling physical and chemical property changes in subduction zones. It also affects our understanding of many key geological processes, such as mineral dehydration, rock partial melting, arc volcanism, and seismic activities in subduction zones. There are mainly two ways for studying thermal structure of subduction zones with geodynamic models: analytical model and numerical model. Analytical model provides insights into the most dominant controlling physical parameters on the thermal structure, such as slab age, velocity and dip angle, shear stress and thermal conductivity, etc. Numerical model can further deal with more complicated environments, such as viscosity change in the mantle wedge, coupling process between slabs and the ambient mantle, and incorporation of petrology and mineralogy. When applying geodynamic modeling results to specific subduction zones on the Earth, there are many factors which may complicate the process, therefore it is difficult to precisely constrain the thermal structure of subduction zones. With the development of new quantitative methods in geophysics and geochemistry, we may obtain more observational constraints for thermal structure of subduction zones, thus providing more reasonable explanations for geological processes related to subduction zones.     

全球地幔垂直流动速度研究

用高分辨率地震体波速度成像以及相关的地球物理资料,计算地幔垂直流动形式及流动速度,得到全球地幔流垂直运动模式.从全球尺度来看,地幔流基本可划分为以下几个区域：欧亚大陆—澳大利亚、北美洲—南美洲为两个大规模下降流区域,西印度洋—非洲及大西洋、中南太平洋及东太平洋为两个大规模地幔上升流区域.地幔上升流起源于核幔边界,主要表现在地幔中部和上地幔下部.地幔垂直流动速度约每年1～4cm.地幔流动对地表板块运动、海洋中脊和中隆、俯冲带和碰撞带的分布起着控制作用.地幔上升流与地表现代热点有密切关系.从东亚尺度看,地幔流大体分为三个区域：东亚边缘裂谷系和西太平洋边缘海为上升流、西伯利亚地幔深度表现为物质下降流、青藏高原—缅甸—印度尼西亚特提斯俯冲带地幔下降流,这三个区域地幔流动与地表的西太平洋构造域、亚洲构造域和特提斯构造域相吻合.勾勒出南海地区构造特征：从上到下的大体结构是上部呈“工"字型、中间为圆柱型、底部呈盾形的地幔上升流.     

板块俯冲中水分运移过程及其地球物理含义

流体/水分在地球演化过程中具有重要作用,它的存在可以提高地质体的扩散及蠕变,降低岩石/地幔的固液相限,对地质体的地球物理性质、地质灾害诱发、地质构造演化等都有着重要的作用.在板块俯冲区,流体/水分的影响贯穿了整个动力学过程,但板块深部脱水还存在着争议,且目前系统地研究水分在整个俯冲中的迁移过程及其地球物理意义的工作还较...     

初论华北东部中生代金成矿的地球动力学背景——以胶东金矿为例

山东金矿研究的最新成果表明 ,胶东众多金矿床 (无论矿化类型、产出空间、地质背景的不同)的成矿时代主要集中在 1 1 5± 1 5Ma(早白垩世 )前后这一狭短的时段内 ,暗示它们都受某一次统一的重大地质事件的制约 .金矿石中碳酸盐矿物的碳氧同位素组成显示成矿流体中的CO2 很可能来自深部 (岩石圈地幔甚或更深 ) .1 1 5± 1 5Ma(早白垩世 )前后正是华北东部中生代动力学体制转折的关键时段 ,此时古太平洋板块向欧亚大陆斜向快速俯冲、华北东部岩石圈剧烈减薄、郯庐断裂发生强烈左行走滑、区域构造应力场转变为强烈引张、火山 -岩浆活动也最为强烈、尤其是深源(幔源 )岩浆活动最为强烈 .同时 ,这也与部分学者提出的超级地幔柱的高潮时段 (1 2 5～ 1 0 0Ma)相吻合 ,暗示可能有深部物质 (不仅是上地幔物质 ,还可能包括下地幔物质 )和热能的大规模强烈上涌 .因此 ,胶东金矿 (以及华北东部的许多其它金矿床 )的形成有可能是 1 1 5± 1 5Ma前后华北东部动力学体制转折过程中一次大规模的深部物质和深部能量上涌的结果     

地球系统中的天然气水合物-天然气体系研究展望

虽然目前国外已有很多学者研究了天然气水合物及其分解产生的气体在地球系统各圈层中的循环转化过程,但国内基本上还没有开展相关方面的研究,况且其中的很多问题尚不清楚.本文的目的是通过分析国内外相关的研究进展,提出天然气水合物-天然气体系这个概念,并归纳总结天然气水合物-天然气体系在地球系统各圈层中的循环转化问题,希望能为研究天然气水合物在全球碳循环和气候变化中的作用提供一定的参考.通过分析发现,天然气水合物-天然气体系在地球系统各圈层中的循环转化过程是非常复杂的,而各个圈层对于天然气水合物-天然气体系在地球系统中的循环转化过程都十分重要,这个体系可能是影响全球碳循环和气候变化的一个重要组成部分.     

CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTI-SCALE GRAVITY FIELD VARIATION AND SEISMOGENIC MECHANISM ANALYSIS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN TIBETAN PLATEAU

As the most basic geophysical field, the earth gravity field has achieved wide attention, and its spatial anomaly characteristics and dynamic variation can provide important scientific basis for studying the internal structure and dynamics of the Earth. Based on the mobile gravity observation data of the southeastern Tibetan plateau from 2013 to 2016, the dynamic variation tendency and anomaly characteristics of the regional gravity field in different temporal resolutions are obtained before and after the Ludian and Jinggu earthquakes in the study area respectively. The method of wavelet multi-scale decomposition is used to analyze the relationships of gravity field variation with the earth movement, material density change, and strong earthquake preparation. The deep material variation, dynamic process and the mechanism of earthquake inoculation in the southeastern Tibetan plateau are further discussed. Results indicate that the gravity field variation in the source region before the Ludian and Jinggu earthquake respectively is characterized by obvious positive and negative anomalous transition zone and gradient zone that are consistent with the direction of fault tectonics, suggesting the strong crustal movement and mass migration during the earthquake incubation period. The result of wavelet multi-scale decomposition of the gravity field during the period from September 2013 to April 2014 shows that the gravity field variation at different depth and space scale in the crust and upper mantle of the southeastern Tibetan plateau is significantly correlated with seismic distribution and the location of active fault zone. This indicates that the earthquake inoculation in the study area is closely related to the fault movement and the distribution of material density in the crust and upper mantle, which may be affected by the complex deep dynamic process of the material migration in the crust and mantle. The characteristic that strong earthquakes always occur near positive and negative anomaly transition zones and gradient zones of gravity field change is preliminarily explained, based on the dynamic process of material migration in the crust and upper mantle of the southeastern Tibetan plateau. The research results of this paper have some reference value to the study on the earth movement and seismogenic mechanism.     

Slab pull,mantle convection,and Pangaean assembly and dispersal

Two global-scale mantle convection cells presently exist on Earth, centred on upwelling zones in the South Pacific Ocean and northeast Africa: one cell (Panthalassan) contains only oceanic plates, the other (Pangaean) contains all the continental plates. They have remained fixed relative to one another for >400 Ma. A transverse (Rheic–Tethyian) subduction system splits the Pangaean cell. Poloidal plate motion in the oceanic cell reflects circumferential pull of Panthalassan slabs, but toroidal flow in the Pangaean cell, reflected by vortex-type motion of continents toward the Altaids of central-east Asia throughout the Phanerozoic, has resulted from the competing slab-pull forces of both cells. The combined slab-pull effects from both cells also controlled Pangaean assembly and dispersal. Assembly occurred during Palaeozoic clockwise toroidal motion in the Pangaean cell, when Gondwana was pulled into Pangaea by the NE-trending Rheic subduction zone, forming the Appalachian–Variscide–Altaid chain. Pangaean dispersal occurred when the Rheic trench re-aligned in the Jurassic to form the NW-trending Tethyside subduction system, which pulled east Gondwanan fragments in the opposite direction to form the Cimmerian–Himalayan–Alpine chain. This re-alignment also generated a new set of (Indian) mid-ocean ridge systems which dissected east Gondwana and facilitated breakup. 100–200-Myr-long Phanerozoic Wilson cycles reflect rifting and northerly migration of Gondwanan fragments across the Pangaean cell into the Rheic–Tethyian trench. Pangaean dispersal was amplified by retreat of the Panthalassan slab away from Europe and Africa, which generated mantle counterflow currents capable of pulling the Americas westward to create the Atlantic Ocean. Thermal blanketing beneath Pangaea and related hotspot activity were part of a complex feedback mechanism that established the breakup pattern, but slab retreat is considered to have been the main driving force. The size and longevity of the two cells, organised and maintained by long-lived slab-pull forces, favours deep mantle convection as the dominant circulation process during the Phanerozoic.     

Carbon isotope composition of the Lower Triassic marine carbonates, Lower Yangtze Region, South China

The Early Triassic is a critical period in earth his- tory. A series of events such as volcano eruptions[1,2], sea-level fluctuations, changes in environmental con- ditions[3], mass extinctions[4,5] as well as global negative carbon isotope excursions[6-9] have been discovered in the uppermost Permian or across the Permian-Triassic boundary. Large scale sea-level rise[10-12], restoration of environment conditions, re- covery of ecosystem[13], including gradual carbon iso- tope rise[14] occur…     

Tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt, southeastern Australia: constraints from coupled numerical models of crustal deformation and surface erosion driven by subduction of the underlying mantle

We have used a coupled thermo-mechanical finite-element (FE) model of crustal deformation driven by mantle/oceanic subduction to demonstrate that the tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) during the Mid-Palaeozoic (Late Ordovician to Early Carboniferous) can be linked to continuous subduction along a single subduction zone. This contrasts with most models proposed to date which assume that separate subduction zones were active beneath the western, central and eastern sections of the Lachlan Orogen. We demonstrate how the existing data on the structural, volcanic and erosional evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt can be accounted for by our model. We focus particularly on the timing of fault movement in the various sectors of the orogen. We demonstrate that the presence of the weak basal decollement on which most of the Lachlan Fold Belt is constructed effectively decouples crustal structures from those in the underlying mantle. The patterns of faulting in the upper crust appears therefore to be controlled by lateral strength contrasts inherited from previous orogenic events rather than the location of one or several subduction zones. The model also predicts that the uplift and deep exhumation of the Wagga-Omeo Metamorphic Belt (WOMB) is associated with the advection of this terrane above the subduction point and is the only tectonic event that gives us direct constraints on the location of the subduction zone. We also discuss the implications of our model for the nature of the basement underlying the present-day orogen.     

New advances of seismic tomography and its applications to subduction zones and earthquake fault zones: A review

Abstract There have been significant advances in the theory and applications of seismic tomography in the last decade. These include the refinements in the model parameterization, 3-D ray tracing, inversion algorithm, resolution and error analyses, joint use of local, regional and teleseismic data, and the addition of converted and reflected waves in the tomographic inversion. Applications of the new generation tomographic methods to subduction zones have resulted in unprecedentedly clear images of the subducting oceanic lithosphere and magma chambers in the mantle wedge beneath active arc volcanoes, indicating that geodynamic systems associated with the arc magmatism and back-arc spreading are related to deep processes, such as the convective circulation in the mantle wedge and deep dehydration reactions in the subducting slab. High-resolution tomographic imagings of earthquake fault zones in Japan and California show that rupture nucleation and earthquake generating processes are closely related to the heterogeneities of crustal materials and inelastic processes in the fault zones, such as the migration of fluids. Evidence also shows that arc magmatism and slab dehydration may also contribute to the generation of large crustal earthquakes in subduction regions.     

Mantle geochemistry: Insights from ocean island basalts

The geochemical study of the Earth's mantle provides important constraints on our understanding of the formation and evolution of Earth, its internal structure, and the mantle dynamics. The bulk Earth composition is inferred by comparing terrestrial mantle rocks with chondrites, which leads to the chondritic Earth model. That is, Earth has the same relative proportions of refractory elements as that in chondrites, but it is depleted in volatiles. Ocean island basalts(OIB) may be produced by mantle plumes with possible deep origins; consequently, they provide unique opportunity to study the deep Earth. Isotopic variations within OIB can be described using a limited number of mantle endmembers, such as EM1, EM2 and HIMU, and they have been used to decipher important mantle processes. Introduction of crustal material into the deep mantle via subduction and delamination is important in generating mantle heterogeneity; however, there is active debate on how they were sampled by mantle melting, i.e.,the role of olivine-poor lithologies in the OIB petrogenesis. The origin and location of high 3He/4He mantle remain controversial,ranging from unprocessed(or less processed) primitive material in the lower mantle to highly processed materials with shallow origins, including ancient melting residues, mafic cumulates under arcs, and recycled hydrous minerals. Possible core-mantle interaction was hypothesized to introduce distinctive geochemical signatures such as radiogenic 186 Os and Fe and Ni enrichment in the OIB. Small but important variations in some short-lived nuclides, including 142 Nd, 182 W and several Xe isotopes, have been reported in ancient and modern terrestrial rocks, implying that the Earth's mantle must have been differentiated within the first 100 Myr of its formation, and the mantle is not efficiently homogenized by mantle convection.     

The transport of water in subduction zones

The transport of water from subducting crust into the mantle is mainly dictated by the stability of hydrous minerals in subduction zones. The thermal structure of subduction zones is a key to dehydration of the subducting crust at different depths. Oceanic subduction zones show a large variation in the geotherm, but seismicity and arc volcanism are only prominent in cold subduction zones where geothermal gradients are low. In contrast, continental subduction zones have low geothermal gradients, resulting in metamorphism in cold subduction zones and the absence of arc volcanism during subduction. In very cold subduction zone where the geothermal gradient is very low(?5?C/km), lawsonite may carry water into great depths of ?300 km. In the hot subduction zone where the geothermal gradient is high(25?C/km), the subducting crust dehydrates significantly at shallow depths and may partially melt at depths of 80 km to form felsic melts, into which water is highly dissolved. In this case, only a minor amount of water can be transported into great depths. A number of intermediate modes are present between these two end-member dehydration modes, making subduction-zone dehydration various. Low-T/low-P hydrous minerals are not stable in warm subduction zones with increasing subduction depths and thus break down at forearc depths of ?60–80 km to release large amounts of water. In contrast, the low-T/low-P hydrous minerals are replaced by low-T/high-P hydrous minerals in cold subduction zones with increasing subduction depths, allowing the water to be transported to subarc depths of 80–160 km. In either case, dehydration reactions not only trigger seismicity in the subducting crust but also cause hydration of the mantle wedge. Nevertheless, there are still minor amounts of water to be transported by ultrahigh-pressure hydrous minerals and nominally anhydrous minerals into the deeper mantle. The mantle wedge overlying the subducting slab does not partially melt upon water influx for volcanic arc magmatism, but it is hydrated at first with the lowest temperature at the slab-mantle interface, several hundreds of degree lower than the wet solidus of hydrated peridotites. The hydrated peridotites may undergo partial melting upon heating at a later time. Therefore, the water flux from the subducting crust into the overlying mantle wedge does not trigger the volcanic arc magmatism immediately.     

Estimation for ammonia emissions at county level in China from 2013 to 2018

Science China Earth Sciences - Ammonia (NH3) can interact with other trace chemicals in the atmosphere, significantly impacting atmospheric chemistry and global climate change. China is a largely...     

Water and partial melting of Earth’s mantle

Water plays a crucial role in the melting of Earth’s mantle. Mantle magmatisms mostly occur at plate boundaries (including subduction zones and mid-ocean ridges) and in some intraplate regions with thermal anomaly. At oceanic subduction zones, water released by the subducted slab may induce melting of the overlying mantle wedge or even the slab itself, giving rise to arc magmatism, or may evolve into a supercritical fluid. The physicochemical conditions for the formation of slab melt and supercritical fluid are still under debate. At mid-ocean ridges and intraplate hot zones, water and CO₂ cause melting of the upwelling mantle to occur at greater depths and in greater extents. Low degree melting of the mantle may occur at boundaries between Earth’s internal spheres, including the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), the upper mantletransition zone boundary, and the transition zone-lower mantle boundary, usually attributed to contrasting water storage capacity across the boundary. The origin for the stimulating effect of water on melting lies in that water as an incompatible component has a strong tendency to be enriched in the melt (i.e., with a mineral-melt partition coefficient much smaller than unity), thereby lowering the Gibbs free energy of the melt. The partitioning of water between melt and mantle minerals such as olivine, pyroxenes and garnet has been investigated extensively, but the effects of hydration on the density and transport properties of silicate melts require further assessments by experimental and computational approaches.     

印度-欧亚碰撞与洋—陆碰撞的差异

观测的证据充分表明,印度——欧亚的缝合带雅鲁藏布江上存在自南向北的地壳俯冲带,它穿过莫霍面,深度大约达到100 km. 喜马拉雅中可能存在多重的地壳俯冲. 它们有别于海洋碰撞时所产生的整个岩石圈俯冲. 作者观测到雅鲁藏布江以北上地幔的板片构造,它可以解释为印度向欧亚俯冲时上地幔岩石圈的痕迹. 它们说明与洋——陆的俯冲不同,印度向欧亚俯冲时,地壳与上地幔岩石圈出现拆层现象. 综合现有的地壳上地幔构造,显示在不同地质年代中,印度与欧亚之间产生自南向北以及自北向南相反方向的俯冲,而且俯冲带周围出现某些速度异常区.      

India-Eurasian collision <Emphasis Type="Italic">vs.</Emphasis> ocean-continent collision

Ample observational evidence shows that there is a northward crustal subduction zone underneath the Yarlung Zangbo suture between India and Eurasia. It penetrates Moho to a depth of about 100 km. There are probably multiple such crustal subductions under the Himalayas. They are different from lithosphere subduction during oceanic collisions. The detected slabs in the upper mantle north of the Yarlung Zangbo suture can be interpreted as remains of the Indian Plate’s mantle lithosphere. In contrary to ocean-continent subduction, the mantle lithosphere is delaminated from the crust as the Indian Plate subducts underneath Eurasia. Existing structural images of the crust and upper mantle of the Tibetan Plateau reveal that there were both northward and southward subductions over different geological periods, causing some seismic velocity anomalies around those subduction zones.     

Effect of hydration on the elasticity of mantle minerals and its geophysical implications

Recent studies have shown that major nominally anhydrous minerals in the Earth’s mantle, such as olivine, pyroxene and garnet, can incorporate considerable amounts of water as structurally bound hydroxyl. Even a small amount of water is present in mantle minerals, it can strongly affect a number of physical properties, including density, sound velocity, melting temperature, and electrical conductivities. The presence of water can also influence the dynamic behavior, lead to lateral velocity heterogeneities, and affect the material circulation of the Earth’s deep interior. In particular, seismic studies have reported the existence of low-velocity zones in various locations of the Earth’s upper mantle and transition zone, which has been expected to be associated with the presence of water in the region. In the past two decades, the effect of water on the elasticity and sound velocities of minerals at relevant pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions of the Earth’s mantle attracted extensive interests. Combining the high P-T experimental and theoretical mineralogical results with seismic observations provides crucial constraints on the distribution of water in the Earth’s mantle. In this study, we summarize recent experimental and theoretical mineral physics results on how water affects the elasticity and sound velocity of nominally anhydrous minerals in the Earth’s mantle, which aims to provide new insights into the effect of hydration on the density and velocity profile of the Earth’s mantle, which are of particular importance in understanding of water distribution in the region.     

1838 Deep Carpathian Earthquake

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—Deep earthquakes occur in subduction zones—they play a key role in the global tectonic model. There are only a few places on the Earth...     

Characteristics of mantle degassing and deep-seated geological structures in different typical fault zones of China

Large-scale fault zones play an important role in controlling and adjusting all kinds of geological proc-esses,such as deposition,magmatism,metamorphism,metallogenesis,tectonic stress field,tectonic deforma-tion,even the movement of geological massifs,earth-quakes,and they also are the key to solving geological problems concerned,especially regional and even global structures.Due to their special geological tec-tonic significance,they are one of the main research fields of tectonic geology and …