Paleomagnetic evidence for large en-bloc rotations in the Eastern Alps during Neogene orogeny

We present new paleomagnetic data from the Northern Calcareous Alps and the Central Alps of Austria. All new data are overprint magnetizations and can be subdivided into two groups: In rocks older than earliest Rupelian, two remagnetizations reflecting both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation were detected. In rocks of late Rupelian and younger ages, only a counter-clockwise rotated remagnetization was found. Our results together with results from previous paleomagnetic studies from the Eastern and Southern Alps suggest two main phases of vertical axis rotation. The first, clockwise rotation affecting the Northern Calcareous Alps was active between earliest to Late Rupelian. We propose a model where the Northern Calcareous Alps are segmented into individual blocks. Within a dextral shear corridor these blocks rotated clockwise due to the counter-clockwise rotation of the Southern Alps and Central Alps. The second, counter-clockwise rotation occurred in the Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene, affecting Eastern and Southern Alps. In this stage of orogeny, the internal massifs of the Western Alps were already accreted to the upper plate and therefore included in counter-clockwise rotation. This rotation is contemporaneous with counter-clockwise rotation in the Apennines and opening of the Balearic basin, and a genetic relationship is suggested. A second step of counter-clockwise rotation, reconstructed from published data, is observed in the sedimentary basins at the southeastern margin of the Eastern Alps, where counter-clockwise rotated Miocene and Pliocene sedimentary rocks are present. This rotation is seen in connection to a young counter-clockwise rotation of the Adriatic plate.     

Recent macroids on the Kikai‐jima shelf,Central Ryukyu Islands,Japan

Sandy and gravelly carbonate sediments found off Kikai‐jima, southern Japan, a coral reef‐related island shelf, represent the northernmost sub‐tropical, carbonate deposits in the Central Ryukyu Islands (Ryukyus). On the Kikai‐jima shelf, at water depths of 61 to 105 m, these sediments are characterized by macroid pavements. Since the abundance of very small and of exceptionally large macroids may indicate specific hydrodynamic controls regarding constraints on growth and taphonomy, the detailed analysis of recent and fossil macroid pavements is meaningful ecologically and environmentally. Macroids, ranging in size from ca 25 to 130 mm in diameter, are spheroidal and sub‐spheroidal in shape and consist mainly of the encrusting foraminifer Acervulina inhaerens and subordinate thin encrusting and lumpy coralline algae. Accessory components include bryozoans, serpulids and, to a lesser extent, encrusting arborescent foraminifera (Homotrema and Miniacina). Low sedimentation rates and occasional movement due to current action are indicated by sizes, shapes and growth‐forms of the studied macroids, the Entobia–Gastrochaenolites–Trypanites–Maeandropolydora ichnocoenosis and the ‘Bioerosion Index’ for coated grains (introduced herein). The deep‐water tidally induced current energy was sufficient to maintain multi‐directional growth (spheroidal shapes) of the larger macroids and to initiate macroid growth using the diverse biogenic remnants as nuclei. The asymmetrical inner arrangement suggests possible periods of stability for the macroids. The residence time of the coated grain in its original environment determines the size and morphology of the macroid and the selection of coating organisms. The composition of the coating community is mainly a consequence of component growth rates in relation to turnover time and residence time. Long‐term studies are needed to assess the spatial and temporal resolution of present‐day encrusting communities across biogeographic provinces and shelf to slope regions.     

Geochemical variation within the northern Ryukyu Arc: magma source compositions and geodynamic implications

The major and trace element and Pb–Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of Quaternary mafic lavas from the northern Ryukyu arc provide insights into the nature of the mantle wedge and its tectonic evolution. Beneath the volcanic front in the northern part of the arc, the subducted slab of the Philippine Sea Plate bends sharply and steepens at a depth of ∼80 km. Lavas from the volcanic front have high abundances of large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements relative to the high field strength elements, consistent with the result of fluid enrichment processes related to dehydration of the subducting slab. New Pb isotopic data identify two distinct asthenospheric domains in the mantle wedge beneath the south Kyushu and northern Ryukyu arc, which, in a parallel with data from the Lau Basin, appear to reflect mantle with affinities to Indian and Pacific-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Indian Ocean MORB-type mantle, contaminated with subducted Ryukyu sediments can account for the variation of lavas erupted on south Kyushu, and probably in the middle Okinawa Trough. In contrast, magmas of the northern Ryukyu volcanic front appear to be derived from sources of Pacific MORB-type mantle contaminated with a sedimentary component. Along-arc variation in the northern Ryukyus reflects increasing involvement of a sedimentary component to the south. Compositions of alkalic basalts from the south Kyushu back-arc resemble intraplate-type basalts erupted in NW Kyushu since ∼12 Ma. We propose that the bending of the subducted slab was either caused by or resulted in lateral migration of asthenospheric mantle, yielding Indian Ocean-type characteristics from a mantle upwelling zone beneath NW Kyushu and the East China Sea. This model also accounts for (1) extensional counter-clockwise crustal rotation (∼4–2 Ma), (2) voluminous andesite volcanism (∼2 Ma), and (3) the recent distinctive felsic magmatism in the south Kyushu region. Received: 30 November 1999 / Accepted: 20 July 2000     

The northern Qiangtang Block rapid drift during the Triassic Period: Paleomagnetic evidence

As one of the pivotal Gondwana–derived blocks, the kinematic history of the northern Qiangtang Block (in the Tibetan Plateau) remains unclear, mainly because quantitative paleomagnetic data to determine the paleoposition are sparse. Thus, for this study, we collected 226 samples (17 sites) from Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Raggyorcaka and Tuotuohe areas of the northern Qiangtang Block (NQB). Stepwise demagnetization isolated high temperature/field components from the samples. Both Early and Late Triassic datasets passed field tests at a 99% confidence level and were proved to be primary origins. Paleopoles were calculated to be at 24.9°N and 216.5°E with A₉₅ = 8.2°(N = 8) for the Early Triassic dataset, and at 68.1°N, 179.9°E with A₉₅ = 5.6° (N = 37) for the Late Triassic, the latter being combined with a coeval volcanic dataset published previously. These paleopoles correspond to paleolatitudes of 14.3°S±8.2° and 29.9°N±5.6°, respectively. Combining previously published results, we reconstructed a three-stage northward drift process for the NQB. (1) The northern Qiangtang Block was located in the subtropical part of the southern hemisphere until the Early Triassic; (2) thereafter, the block rapidly drifted northward from southern to northern hemispheres during the Triassic; and (3) the block converged with the Eurasian continent in the Late Triassic. The ∼4800 km northward movement from the Early to Late Triassic corresponded to an average motion rate of ∼11.85 cm/yr. The rapid drift of the NQB after the Early Triassic led to a rapid transformation of the Tethys Ocean.     

Neogene rotations of the Chenoua massif,northern Algeria,from remagnetizations

The tectonics of the Chenoua massif suggests block rotations of Neogene nappes associated with the African–European plate convergence. To estimate the extent of these rotations, a Paleomagnetic study on rhyolites and andesites of Langhian–Serravallian age and sandstones of Burdigalian age was carried out on 23 sites (200 specimens). The sites are distributed in the northwestern, southeastern and southern Chenoua massif. One or two components of magnetization, mainly carried by magnetite, pyrrhotite and/or hematite, were isolated in sandstones and volcanics. The sandstone sites reveal magnetizations in sandstones from the Cap Blanc syncline that are post-folding. However, both polarities are found, which is consistent with data from Africa during the Upper Miocene. Clockwise and counterclockwise rotations were recorded, dating back to the Neogene times in volcanics and sediments. From the faulted Cap Blanc syncline counterclockwise rotations of 1?±?4° to 18?±?28° around a vertical axis occurred in sediments since the Miocene with respect to Africa. In fact, remagnetizations occurred at several periods of time and in different sites, providing information on the evolution of post-tectonic rotations. Some volcanics record counterclockwise rotations of about 30° since the Miocene, whereas others do not show any significant rotation. This can be explained by the direction of the principal compressive stress axis σ ₁ and by lateral extrusions related to an indentation model, in which we expect both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations.     

The radiolarian evidence for the accretion of the Fu-saki Formation with the inferred oceanic plate stratigraphy: A case of weakly-metamorphosed accretionary complex in Ishigaki Jima,southern Ryukyu Arc,Japan

The island of Ishigaki Jima, located in the western part of the southern Ryukyu Arc, Japan, is underlain by a basement comprising the Tumuru and Fu-saki formations. The former is a pelitic glaucophane schist with a metamorphic age of 220–190 Ma, and the latter is a weakly metamorphosed accretionary complex, composed mainly of chert, mudstone and sandstone with minor amounts of limestone and mafic rocks. The Fu-saki Formation was weakly metamorphosed at ∼140 Ma. Latest Carboniferous–Early Jurassic microfossils have been obtained from the limestones, cherts and siliceous mudstones of this formation, but no fossils have been collected from the phyllitic mudstones. The radiolarian fauna of the phyllitic mudstones described herein indicates a late Pliensbachian–early Toarcian (Early Jurassic) age. This result, when combined with existing data, enables the reconstruction of an oceanic plate stratigraphy, showing a succession of (in ascending order) Upper Carboniferous–Triassic cherts, Sinemurian–lower Pliensbachian siliceous mudstones and upper Pliensbachian–lower Toarcian phyllitic mudstones and sandstones. The radiolarians from the phyllitic mudstones are important in constraining the timing of the accretion of the Fu-saki Formation to the base of the Tumuru Formation.     

Palaeogeographic reconstruction of the 1.55 Ma synchronous isolation of the Ryukyu Islands,Japan, and Taiwan and inflow of the Kuroshio warm current

In the Quaternary, the Ryukyu Islands evolved from a continental margin arc to an island arc by backarc spreading of the Okinawa Trough, accompanied by subsidence and isolation of the islands, a process that has continued to the present. Trough-parallel half grabens were filled with marine siltstone. Similar sediments filling orthogonal fault-controlled and west-draining non-tectonic valleys record island separation. New Quaternary nannofossil biostratigraphic data date the deposition of the marine siltstone at 1.552 ± 0.154 Ma. At that time, the entire 1000 km-long island chain comprising the Ryukyu Islands separated from the Asian continent by rifting extending from the Okinawa Trough to the Tsushima Strait. The Tokara, Kerama, and Yonaguni gaps, branched or transverse rifts of the Okinawa Trough, separate the island chain into subgroups of the Osumi, Amami, Okinawa, and Yaeyama islands, and Taiwan. The shallow Taiwan Strait separated Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. The Kuroshio warm current that previously ran offshore of the continental margin arc began to enter the opening backarc basin through the Yonaguni gap and to exit through the Tokara gap, flowing along the axis of the Okinawa Trough. Under influence of the warm current and because of entrapment of continentally sourced detrital sediments by the Okinawa Trough, coral reefs formed around each island. These reefs make up a unit called the Ryukyu limestone. Subsidence continued through the deposition of this limestone, resulting in further isolation of each island. Some islands did not separate from the mainland but emerged above sea level later as a result of volcanic edifice construction or forearc uplift. Following initial isolation, the Japanese islands and Taiwan may have been connected to the mainland by land bridges during some sea level low stands related to glacial periods, whereas the other islands remained isolated. Based on ages of isolation of each island, a Quaternary palaeogeographic map and ‘phylogenetic tree’ of the islands can be drawn showing the separation time of each island from the mainland and from each other. This information should be useful for phylogenetic molecular biologists studying evolution of Ryukyu endemic species and vicariant speciation and could facilitate analysis of the DNA substitution rate.     

Paleomagnetic evidence for a large counterclockwise rotation of northern Greece prior to the Tertiary clockwise rotation

Abstract

This study aims at unravel the geotectonic evolution of northern Greece prior to the already established Tertiary clockwise rotation. Therefore, Mesozoie sediments, Early Mesozoie ophiolites and Carboniferous granites were sampled. While the metamorphosed and/or too weakly magnetized limestones had to be rejected, the gabbros and serpentinites of the 80 km long Chalkidiki belt (40.4°N, 23.3”E), and the granites of the northern Pelagonian zone (40.8°N, 21.2°E) have yielded similar results interpretable in terms of geoleetonies. In both areas the demagnetizing process has revealed a poh phased magnetic evolution.

The oldest magnetizations, labelled M (D=311°, I=20°, a₉₅, = 15°; VGP: 37°N, 272.5°, for the ophiolites; D=320.5°, I = 26°, a₉₅ =11°; VGP : 46°N, 264.5”E, for the granites) are interpreted as overprints acquired in Late Jurassic-Cretaceous times. The younger magnetizations, called C2 (D = 66°, I = 28°, a₉₅ = 9°; VGP : 28°N, 117°E, in the ophiolites ; D=64°, I = 2° a₉₅, = 11°; VCP : 20°N, I28°E, in the granites) are Tertiary overprints. Northeasterly C’ directions with negative inclinations (and conversely) are considered as overprints empiaceli prior to the Ca magnetizations ; they are interpreted as due to a barkthrusting of the ophiolilic belt of Chalkidiki and of the N. Pelagonian granitic belt, during the Early - Middle Tertiary convergence phase. The large deviation from the M to the C₂ directions, also observed by other authors in Mesozoic volcanics and sediments, results from a counterclockwise rotation of the Hellenides, probably in the Late Cretaceous as it is the case for the counterclockwise rotations of the western Mediterranean microplates. The deviation from the C₂ to the present field direction is due to a clockwise rotation of all Hellenic zones, probably in several phases.     

Paleomagnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Plio-Pleistocene in the Kinki district, Japan

The magnetostratigraphic subdivision of the Plio-Pleistocene series in the Kinki district around Osaka in southwest Japan, based on NRM measurements of volcanic ash beds, is correlated with biostratigraphic and paleoclimatic marker beds as well as past sea level oscillations. At least 10 high sea level stands occurred in the study area between about 1.5 and 0.27 million years ago, all associated with relative warming. A significant change in the composition of flora, from Metasequoia to Fagus dominated assemblages, was observed around the Jaramillo event.     

Slab rollback suggested by latest Miocene to Pliocene forearc stress and migration of volcanic front in southern Kyushu, northern Ryukyu Arc

The northern Ryukyu Arc has active backarc rift, neutral-stress forearc, and active accretionary prism. The Okinawa Trough has been shaped by the episodic rifting in the backarc. Paleostresses were inferred in this study from mesoscale faults in Neogene forearc sediments called the Miyazaki Group, southeast Kyushu in the northern Ryukyu Arc. The forearc stress changed from compressional to extensional from the latest Miocene through Early Pliocene time. The stress history is concordant with the transition in tectonic regime from folding to rifting in the backarc. The transition in the stress state occurred simultaneously also with trenchward movement of the volcanic front. These phenomena suggest that the subducting slab under southern Kyushu became steeper in the Early Pliocene. Extensional tectonics ceased sometime in the late Pliocene or early to mid-Pleistocene, concordant with the counterclockwise change of subducting direction of the Philippine Sea Plate.     

Active extension of the Shanxi rift,north China: does it result from anticlockwise block rotations?

The Shanxi rift is an intraplate extensional zone in the North China Block. Active extension has previously been considered to result from anticlockwise block rotation, with successive indentation of the Indian plate toward the Eurasian plate. However, GPS data show that the entire North China Block is moving coherently from WNW to ESE, indicating that no significant block rotations presently exist along the two sides of the rift. We use a viscoelastic model to predict that its active extension might be caused by intraplate deformation localization with lateral changes of the crustal rheological structures. A model result shows that for the ESE movement of the North China Block, the existing topographical loading and crustal weakness could have resulted in the obvious long‐term extension of the Shanxi rift even without different block rotations. The surface extension rate approximated from lateral inhomogeneous crustal models is ～ 0.5–1.4 mm yr^?1, consistent with observed geological and seismological extension rates.     

On the origin of andesite in the northern Mariana Island Arc: Implications from Agrigan

Magmatic evolution on the active volcano of Agrigan in the northern Mariana Island Arc is interpreted as resulting in the production of calc-alkaline andesites by the fractional crystallization of high-alumina basalt. Basaltic products predominate, but the ratio of andesites to basalts increases with time up to an event of voluminous andesitic pyroclastic ejection accompanied by caldera-collapse; post-collapse lavas are entirely basaltic. Moderate iron-enrichment is demonstrated for the volcanic suite, with indications of a progressive, pre-caldera decrease in iron-enrichment; post-caldera lavas display a return to moderate Fe-enrichment. Overall, the lavas are enriched in the LIL elements (K, Rb, Ba, Sr) and depleted in Ti, Mg, Cr, and Ni. From the oldest to the youngest pre-caldera volcanic sequence, the LIL elements increase 3-6X while Ca and Mg decrease by 50% or more. Approximately constant K/ Rb (430±60) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7032–0.7034) indicate consanguinity of the basalts and the andesites. Cumulate plutonic xenoliths, common in the lavas, are composed of mineral phases also encountered as phenocrysts. The following order of crystallization is indicated: olivine; anorthite-bytownite; clinopyroxene; orthopyroxene and titanomagnetite. Co-existing xenolithic olivines (Fo_74–83) and plagioclase (An_88–96) are typical of calc-alkaline island-arc assemblages and contrast with assemblages in the tholeiites from the Mariana Trough to the west. The relatively fayalitic composition and low abundances of Ni in olivines and Cr in clinopyroxenes indicate equilibrium with an already-fractionated liquid. These data, along with structural evidence, high Ca in the olivines, and comparison of the observed assemblages with experimental studies, suggests that these xenoliths formed as crystal cumulates at the floor of a shallow ( 7 km) crustal magma chamber.Major element modeling studies using the separation of observed xenocrystic and phenocrystic phases from assumed parental liquids reproduce the observed temporal and geochemical variations in the lavas. Trace element modeling parallels this evolution with the exception of Cr and Ni in the andesites. An extensive (16.3 km³) gabbroic body is required by this modeling to be present beneath Agrigan to produce the inferred volumes of the various lithologies preserved in the volcano's evolution. The sum of stratigraphic, geochemical, and isotopic evidence on Agrigan supports the derivation of calc-alkaline andesite by the removal of about 75% solids from a high-alumina basalt accompanied by a process of K and Rb enrichment, such as volatile-transfer. Considerations of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and ³He/⁴He isotopic data indicate that the source region of these parental liquids lies in the mantle, not subducted crust. In the northern Marianas, the model of a shallow-crustal origin for andesite is preferred over one requiring andesite generation in the deeper mantle and/or subducted slab.     

Paleomagnetic evidence for post-Cretaceous internal deformation of the Chuan Dian Fragment in the Yangtze block: a consequence of indentation of India into Asia

Paleomagnetic samples of Paleocene–Eocene red sandstones were collected at 36 sites from the Jiangdihe-4 and Zhaojiadian formations around the Yongren (26.1°N, 101.7°E) and Dayao areas (25.7°N, 101.3°E). These areas are located in the Chuxiong basin of the Chuan Dian Fragment, southwestern part of the Yangtze block. After stepwise thermal demagnetization, a high-temperature component with unblocking temperature of about 680 °C is isolated from 26 sites. The primary nature of this magnetization is ascertained through positive fold and reversal tests at 95% confidence level. The tilt-corrected mean paleomagnetic directions for the Yongren and Dayao areas are D=17.2°, I=26.6° with α₉₅=5.8° and D=16.5°, I=31.1° with α₉₅=4.8, respectively. Easterly deflected declinations from this study are consistent with those reported from other areas of the Chuxiong basin, indicating its wide presence in the Cretaceous–Eocene formations of the said basin. Comparison with declination values expected from the Cretaceous–Eocene APWP of Eurasia indicates that the magnitude of clockwise rotation systematically increases toward the southeast within the Chuxiong basin as well as in the Chuan Dian Fragment. This trend of the differential tectonic rotation in the Chuan Dian Fragment is consistent with curvature of the Xianshuihe–Xiojiang fault system. Deformation of the Chuxiong basin can fairly be associated with the formation of eastward bulge in the southern part of the Chuan Dian fragment. During southward displacement, the Chuan Dian Fragment was probably subjected to tectonic stresses as a result interaction with the Yangtze and Indochina blocks, which resulted into east–west extension and north–south shortening.     

Small-scale mélange fabric between serpentinite block and matrix: Magnetic evidence from the Mitsuishi ultramafic rock body, Hokkaido, Japan

The Mitsuishi ultramafic rock body in Hokkaido, Japan, consists mainly of serpentinized peridotites that originated from a depleted mantle. This study aims to show new evidence of small-scale mélange fabric of serpentinite matrix in the rock body. Each serpentinite block in the serpentine matrix shows large and stable intensities of natural remanent magnetization (NRM). However, the directions of serpentinite blocks' NRM in the matrix are randomly scattered. A Curie temperature (Tc) of 580 °C corresponding to pure magnetite was also observed. Additionally, there is no evidence of heating over 580 °C after serpentinization. The blocks in the matrix must have obtained crystallization remanent magnetization (CRM) during serpentinization. The directions of the blocks' characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) are also scattered. It shows that serpentinite blocks were magnetized prior to uplifting. The results of the study indicate that the magnetic carrier of the serpentinite blocks in the matrix is mainly composed of magnetite, and it can keep original magnetization before uplifting. The results also imply that the scattering directions of NRM indicate the presence of small-scale mélange fabric of serpentinite matrix.     

Sulfur isotope study of Quaternary volcanic rocks from the Japanese Islands Arc

The sulfide and sulfate contents and their δ³⁴S values were determined in Quaternary volcanic rocks from the Japanese Islands Arc. The total sulfur contents are much lower (less than 40 ppm) and the δ³⁴S values are higher (+4.4 ± 2.1) than those of ocean-floor basalts (800 ± 100 ppm and +0.8 ± 0.5, respectively; Moore and Fabbi, 1971; Sakaiet al., 1982). Lateral variations of both sulfur content and δ³⁴S values were observed in the four volcanic belts in Japan. In the Northeast Japan belt, the sulfur content (30 ± 10 ppm) of the rocks in the inner zone (the Japan Sea side) is 3 to 5 times that in the outer zone (the Pacific side), although the δ³⁴S values of the two zones are almost the same (+4.3 ± 1.0). The δ³⁴S values for the two belts in West Japan are on the average 2%. higher than those of East Japan.This study suggests that the primary magmas that formed the island arc volcanic rocks are initially depleted in sulfur (<120 ppm) and enriched in ³⁴S ($\text{δ}{}^{34}\text{S: +5 ～ +7}$) compared to ocean-floor tholeiitic basalts which formed at mantle under oceanic region. This indicates that the upper-mantle is heterogeneous in sulfur content and isotope composition.     

Paleomagnetic Constraints on Mineralization Age of the Nansatsu-type Gold Deposits in Southern Kyushu, Japan

Abstract: Two mineralization stages, stage I and stage II, have been identified from textural, mineralogical and crosscutting relationships in gold ore from the Nansatsu-type gold deposits of Kasuga, Iwato and Akeshi. Mineralization age of each stage in each deposit was determined with paleomagnetic methods on 432 specimens from 312 oriented samples. As results, mineralization ages of stage I of each deposit fall in the same period, the reversed polarity subchron of 4.18–3.58 Ma, and those of stage II are limited in the normal and reversed polarity subchrons of 3.58–3.22 Ma. Contrasting with previous results based only on K-Ar ages, our conclusion shows that these Nansatsu-type gold deposits were formed contemporaneously.     

Multi-stage magma ascent beneath the Canary Islands: evidence from fluid inclusions

Gabbroic and ultramafic xenoliths and olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts in basaltic rocks from Gran Canaria, La Palma, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Gomera (Canary Islands) contain abundant CO₂-dominated fluid inclusions. Inclusion densities are strikingly similar on a regional scale. Histogram maxima correspond to one or more of the following pressures: (1) minimum 0.55 to 1.0 GPa (within the upper mantle); (2) between 0.2 and 0.4 GPa (the Moho or the lower crust); (3) at about 0.1 GPa (upper crust). Fluid inclusions in several rocks show a bimodal density distribution, the lower-density maximum comprising both texturally early and late inclusions. This is taken as evidence for an incomplete resetting of inclusion densities, and simultaneous formation of young inclusions, at well-defined magma stagnation levels. For Gran Canaria, pressure estimates for early inclusions in harzburgite and dunite xenoliths and olivine phenocrysts in the host basanites overlap at 0.9 to 1.0 GPa, indicating that such magma reservoir depths coincide with levels of xenolith entrainment into the magmas. Magma chamber pressures within the mantle, inferred to represent levels of mantle xenolith entrainment, are 0.65–0.95 GPa for El Hierro, 0.60–0.68 GPa for La Palma, and 0.55–0.75 GPa for Lanzarote. The highest-density fluid inclusions in many Canary Island mantle xenoliths have probably survived in-situ near-isobaric heating at the depth of xenolith entrainment. Inclusion data from all islands indicate ponding of basaltic magmas at Moho or lower crustal depths, and possibly at an additional higher level, strongly suggestive of two main crustal accumulation levels beneath each island. We emphasize that repeated magmatic underplating of primitive magmas, and therefore intrusive accretion, are important growth mechanisms for the Canary Islands, and by analogy, for other ocean islands. Comparable fluid inclusion data from primitive rocks in other tectonic settings, including Iceland, Etna and continental rift systems (Hungary, South Norway), indicate that magma accumulation close to Moho depths shortly before eruption is not, however, restricted to oceanic intraplate volcanoes. Lower crustal ponding and crystallization prior to eruption may be the rule rather than the exception, independent of the tectonic setting. Received: 30 May 1997 / Accepted: 6 February 1998     

The olivine-plagioclase reaction: Geological evidence from the seiland petrographic province,northern Norway

The experimentally determined equilibrium curves for the subsolidus olivineplagioclase reaction fall into two groups: those with positive slopes (dP/dT) that suggest reaction during cooling, and those with zero slopes that imply reaction by increase of pressure. Corona structures were developed in the mafic cumulates of northern Norway at different times during Caledonian almandine amphibolite facies metamorphism, as individual intrusions cooled from solidus temperatures. Unless pressure increases coincided fortuitously with subsolidus cooling, these relationships suggest that the positive-slope models are most analogous to natural systems.     

扬子北缘晚古元古代A型花岗质岩:Columbia超大陆裂解的证据

为约束扬子陆块晚古元古代构造演化历史,以华山观岩体的钾长花岗岩和二长花岗岩为研究对象,开展地球化学、年代学、全岩Nd同位素及锆石Hf同位素分析。锆石U-Pb定年结果显示钾长花岗岩和二长花岗岩的结晶年龄分别为1860±12 Ma(MSWD=0.69)和1832±14 Ma(MSWD=0.48)。两类岩石都显示铝质A型花岗岩的地球化学特征,一致的ε_(Hf)(t)值(-10.9～-13.8)及其二阶段模式年龄(2962～3183 Ma),揭示其由同一套太古宙的地壳部分熔融形成。综合已有ε_(Hf)(t)值资料,表明扬子陆块广泛存在两套太古宙长英质地壳(3.0～3.5 Ga; 3.5～3.9 Ga),为华山观两类花岗岩的岩浆形成提供了物源。华山观岩体两类花岗岩的锆石饱和温度揭示源岩位于较深的地壳,且二长花岗岩的形成有更多热源的参与。结合扬子陆块同期(～1.85Ga)A型花岗岩的地球化学数据,认为华山观钾长花岗岩具有后碰撞A_2型花岗岩的特征,形成于后碰撞伸展环境,而华山观二长花岗岩具有A_1型花岗岩的地球化学特征,暗示造山后伸展到陆内裂谷过渡的构造背景,可能与Columbia超大陆裂解有关。