Formation and Evolution of Early Precambrian Continental Crust in Alxa Block

By the analysis of the published zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data, this paper firstly presents a comprehensive review about the staggered growth and reworking of early Precambrian continental crust in Alxa Block. The results show that the ancient crustal remnants of Alxa Block was formed in Meso-Paleo Archean, which was recorded by 3.0~3.6 Ga detrital zircons and Hf model ages. The early crustal growth of Alxa Block could be traced back to early Paleo-archean. Currently, the oldest zircon U-Pb age is about 3.6 Ga. Analogous to the other places of North China Craton, the Alxa Block underwent two-stage crustal growth at 2.7~2.9 Ga and 2.5~2.6 Ga respectively, and the former might be wider. The ~2.5 Ga (TTG) tectono-magmatic event, which represents the North China continent’s cratonization, also existed in Alxa Block. The corresponding zircon Hf isotope data indicate that the TTGs were mainly derived by melting of 2.7~2.9 Ga juvenile crust, possibly by mixing with a certain ancient crust, and a small portion was produced by instant reworking of 2.5~2.6 Ga juvenile crust. Proceeding to Paleo-proterozoic, the Alxa Block underwent multi-stage tectono-magmatic events, approximately peaked at 2.30~2.35 Ga, 2.15~2.17 Ga, 2.00~2.10 Ga, 1.95~1.98 Ga and ~1.90 Ga. The continental crust was mainly formed by reworking of 2.7~2.9 Ga and 2.5~2.6 Ga juvenile crust, simultaneously by a fraction of ~2.1 Ga juvenile crust. In Paleo-proterozoic, not only the Archean crustal reworking but also the juvenile crustal growth existed in Alxa Block.     

陆壳的垂向增生

陆壳的垂向增生是幔源物质进入到下地壳和下地壳物质进入到地幔的双向过程 ,前者主要表现为壳下底侵作用 ,后者主要表现为岩石圈规模的拆沉作用 ,其中拆沉作用往往诱发了陆壳下大规模的底侵作用。下地壳部分熔融残余的超镁铁质岩沉入到岩石圈地幔的过程称为陆壳沉没作用 ,它可能是陆壳物质进入地幔的一种重要方式。     

Stages of Granitoid Magmatism and Formation of the Continental Crust of Eastern Arctic

Geotectonics - Three main stages of granitoid magmatism and continental crust formation of Eastern Arctic are distinguished: Neoproterozoic (750–550 Ma), Devonian–Early Carboniferous...     

Niobium-tantalum Fractionation During Slab Subduction:Implications for the Formation of Continental Crust

Compared with the oceanic crust, knowledge about the formation of the continental crust (CC) is relatively poor. Although melting of subducted slabs in the early history of the Earth has been considered as the major way that shaped the chemical characteristics of the CC by most geologists, as the CC shares many characteristics with modern adakites, some geologists argued that Archean TTG was formed in the same way as modern arcs rather than slab melting, whereas others proposed that melting at the bottom of the thickened oceanic crust was more important. Recently,the debate is mainly focused on the unique subchondritic Nb/Ta value of the CC, and particularly, how Nb and Ta fractionated from each other and consequently how, in detail, the CC was built.     

南海边缘海减薄陆壳成因剖析

南海中央海盆南、北两侧陆缘分布着面积较广的减薄陆壳,正确认识海盆减薄陆壳的成因是研究南海构造演化的重要一环.通过分析基于地壳伸展因子公式计算的南海地壳拉张伸展特征和解释中生代以来的陆壳隆升特征等,证实晚中生代以来至渐新世末,该区不仅发生了地壳拉张伸展作用,还发生了较长期的地壳隆升挤压作用,致使酸性侵入岩出露地表,减薄陆壳区的上地壳厚薄分布不均.始新世南海南部发育海陆过渡相和海相沉积、北部仅为陆相沉积,暗示始新世南海古地理格局是南、北陆缘具有不同沉积环境的盆地群,二者之间应该被隆起所隔.这些地质现象说明该区地壳隆升剥蚀与地壳拉张伸展活动时间有较长的重叠.南海中央海盆两侧减薄陆壳的成因不仅仅是地壳拉张伸展所致,而是拉张伸展与隆升剥蚀共同作用的结果,因此可以认为在曾经发生了地壳隆升挤压而遭受长期剥蚀的区域,如果用全地壳伸展因子的公式来估算地壳拉张伸展程度,将得出错误的结论.      

The Junggar Immature Continental Crust Province and Its Mineralization

According to the study on the peripheral orogenic belts of the Junggar basin and combined with the interpretation of geophysical data, this paper points out that there is an Early Paleozoic basement of immature continental crust in the Junggar area, which is mainly composed of Neoproterozoic-Ordovician oceanic crust and weakly metamorphosed covering sedimentary rocks. The Late Paleozoic tectonism and mineralization were developed on the basement of the Early Paleozoic immature continental crust. The Junggar metallogenic province is dominated by Cr, Cu, Ni and Au mineralization. Those large and medium-scale deposits are mainly distributed along the deep faults and particularly near the ophiolitic melange zones, and formed in the Late Paleozoic with the peak of mineralization occurring in the Carboniferous-Permian post-collisional stage. The intrusions related to Cu, Ni and Au mineralization generally have low Is, and positive εNd(t) values. The δ34S values of the ore deposits are mostly near zero, and t     

地壳全元素探测技术与实验示范

重点发展地壳全元素精确分析技术、地壳深部物质成分识别技术、盆地穿透性地球化学探测技术和化学地球构建技术.参照全球地球化学基准网,以1∶20万图幅为基准网格单元,建立一个覆盖全国的地球化学基准网,系统采集不同时代沉积岩、变质岩和火成岩样品以及疏松沉积物样品,获得中国大陆地壳76种元素基准值,研究化学元素在中国大陆的演化历...     

The Significance of Crust Structure and Continental Dynamics Inferred from Receiver Functions in West Yunnan

Abstract: In our study we collected the teleseismic record of 31 broadband stations and 9 PASSCAL stations in West Yunnan, as well as extracted more than a million receiver functions. Using the waveform model and stacking techniques, we calculated the earth crust thicknesses and Vp/Vs ratios below the stations and obtained 35 valid data points. At the same time, we evenly stacked the receiver functions at the same station and superimposed the two profiles’ cross sections of the main tectonic units. The results show a clear difference between the crust thicknesses of different tectonic units. Because of the magma underplatting and delimanition of the lower crust in the role of deep process, the West Yunnan’s crust can be divided two kinds－mafic-ultramafic and feldspathic crusts. The research also shows that the mafic-ultramafic crust corresponds to a good background of mineralization. The delamination of the lower crust is one of the leading causes for moderate to strong earthquake prone in central Yunnan. The thinner crust and high velocity ratio as well as the multimodal structure of Ps in the Tengchong volcanic area confirms existence of a deep process of the strong magma underplating. Due to the basic crust structure and nature, it is believed that the Honghe fault is a main suture of the Gondwana and Eurasia continents.     

Involvement of Continental Crust in the Formation of the Cretaceous Kerguelen Plateau: New Perspectives from ODP Leg 120 Sites

The basaltic basement of the large igneous province formed bythe Kerguelen Plateau and Broken Ridge in the southeastern IndianOcean has been sampled by three Ocean Drilling Program cruises(Legs 119, 120 and 183). Although the Cretaceous parts of thisplateau formed in the embryonic Indian Ocean basin, presumablyby melting associated with the Kerguelen plume, trace elementabundances and isotopic ratios of Sr, Nd and Pb of Cretaceousbasalt from several drill sites indicate that continental lithospherewas involved in their petrogenesis. On the basis of relativedepletions in Nb, Ta and Th, and isotopic characteristics similarto those of EMI ocean island basalt, lavas from Leg 120 Site747 in the Central Kerguelen Plateau contain a component derivedfrom lower continental crust. On the basis of relative abundancesof Sr and Eu and EMI-like Pb isotopic ratios, the source ofbasalt from Leg 120 Site 750 in the northeastern part of theSouthern Kerguelen Plateau also contained a component derivedfrom lower continental crust; in this case, the crustal componentformed as a plagioclase-rich, clinopyroxene-bearing cumulate.Basalts from Leg 120 Site 749 define two distinct isotopic (Sr,Nd and Pb) groups which differ from the isotopic fields forSite 747 and 750 basalts. Among Site 749 lavas, there is subtleevidence for a continental component, broadly similar (i.e.moderate ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb     

华北地块的增生和大陆壳形成历史的探讨

追溯一块古老地壳的形成演变历程,势必涉及地球的生成假说,这是一个诸多争论的问题。本文不拟过多地卷入地球的形成和初始地壳的争论,仅以在华北地块上稳定类型沉积的第一次出现和典型的盖层沉积的普遍发育为起始,研讨该地块盖层的沉积演变和我国北方大陆壳的形成历史。     

The Generation of Granitic Magmas by Intrusion of Basalt into Continental Crust

When basalt magmas are emplaced into continental crust, meltingand generation of silicic magma can be expected. The fluid dynamicaland heat transfer processes at the roof of a basaltic sill inwhich the wall rock melts are investigated theoretically andalso experimentally using waxes and aqueous solutions. At theroof, the low density melt forms a stable melt layer with negligiblemixing with the underlying hot liquid. A quantitative theoryfor the roof melting case has been developed. When applied tobasalt sills in hot crust, the theory predicts that basalt sillsof thicknesses from 10 to 1500 m require only 1 to 270 y tosolidify and would form voluminous overlying layers of convectingsilicic magma. For example, for a 500 m sill with a crustalmelting temperature of 850 ?C, the thickness of the silicicmagma layer generated ranges from 300 to 1000 m for countryrock temperatures from 500 to 850?C. The temperatures of thecrustal melt layers at the time that the basalt solidifies arehigh (900–950?C) so that the process can produce magmasrepresenting large degrees of partial fusion of the crust. Meltingoccurs in the solid roof and the adjacent thermal boundary layer,while at the same time there is crystallization in the convectinginterior. Thus the magmas formed can be highly porphyritic.Our calculations also indicate that such magmas can containsignificant proportions of restite crystals. Much of the refractorycomponents of the crust are dissolved and then re-precipitatedto form genuine igneous phenocrysts. Normally zoned plagioclasefeldspar phenocrysts with discrete calcic cores are commonlyobserved in many granitoids and silicic volcanic rocks. Suchpatterns would be expected in crustal melting, where simultaneouscrystallization is an inevitable consequence of the fluid dynamics. The time-scales for melting and crystallization in basalt-inducedcrustal melting (10²–10³ y) are very short compared tothe lifetimes of large silicic magma systems (>10⁶ y) orto the time-scale for thermal relaxation of the continentalcrust (> l0⁷ y). Several of the features of silicic igneoussystems can be explained without requiring large, high-level,long-lived magma chambers. Cycles of mafic to increasingly largevolumes of silicic magma with time are commonly observed inmany systems. These can be interpreted as progressive heatingof the crust until the source region is partially molten andbasalt can no longer penetrate. Every input of basalt triggersrapid formation of silicic magma in the source region. Thismagma will freeze again in time-scales of order l0²–10³y unless it ascends to higher levels. Crystallization can occurin the source region during melting, and eruption of porphyriticmagmas does not require a shallow magma chamber, although suchchambers may develop as magma is intruded into high levels inthe crust. For typical compositions of upper crustal rocks,the model predicts that dacitic volcanic rocks and granodiorite/tonaliteplutons would be the dominant rock types and that these wouldascend-from the source region and form magmas ranging from thosewith high temperature and low crystal content to those withhigh crystal content and a significant proportion of restite.     

Near-Ultrahigh Pressure Processing of Continental Crust: Miocene Crustal Xenoliths from the Pamir

Xenoliths of subducted crustal origin hosted by Miocene ultrapotassicigneous rocks in the southern Pamir provide important new informationregarding the geological processes accompanying tectonism duringthe Indo-Eurasian collision. Four types have been studied: sanidineeclogites (omphacite, garnet, sanidine, quartz, biotite, kyanite),felsic granulites (garnet, quartz, sanidine and kyanite), basalticeclogites (omphacite and garnet), and a glimmerite (biotite,clinopyroxene and sanidine). Apatite, rutile and carbonate arethe most abundant minor phases. Hydrous phases (biotite andphengite in felsic granulites and basaltic eclogites, amphibolesin mafic and sanidine eclogites) and plagioclase form minorinclusions in garnet or kyanite. Solid-phase thermobarometryreveals recrystallization at mainly ultrahigh temperatures of1000–1100°C and near-ultrahigh pressures of 2·5–2·8GPa. Textures, parageneses and mineral compositions suggestderivation of the xenoliths from subducted basaltic, tonaliticand pelitic crust that experienced high-pressure dehydrationmelting, K-rich metasomatism, and solid-state re-equilibration.The timing of these processes is constrained by zircon agesfrom the xenoliths and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the host volcanic rocksto 57–11 Ma. These xenoliths reveal that deeply subductedcrust may undergo extensive dehydration-driven partial melting,density-driven differentiation and disaggregation, and sequestrationwithin the mantle. These processes may also contribute to thealkaline volcanism observed in continent-collision zones. KEY WORDS: xenolith; high-pressure; subduction; Pamir; Tibet     

俯冲带岩浆作用与大陆地壳生长

大陆地壳的起源、生长和改造一直都是国际地学界广泛关注的热点问题,目前仍存在一定的争议,特别体现在陆壳增生的方式和速率上.为了探讨大陆地壳的生长方式,简要综述了俯冲带及其岩浆作用和大陆地壳生长的研究成果.俯冲带可划分为洋洋俯冲带、洋陆俯冲带和陆陆俯冲带,其岩浆作用以产出弧岩浆岩为主要特征,被广泛接受为大陆地壳生长的主要方式.目前主要有两种陆壳生长的假说:玄武岩模式和安山岩模式.玄武岩模式主要通过拆沉和底垫过程来实现新生地壳向大陆地壳的演化;安山岩模式则强调陆壳直接形成于产出安山质岩浆的俯冲带岩浆弧环境.俯冲带和碰撞带等板块汇聚边界是显生宙大陆地壳生长和改造的主要位置,俯冲带岩浆作用对陆壳生长发挥着重要的作用.      

Seismic lamination and anisotropy of the Lower Continental Crust

Seismic lamination in the lower crust associated with marked anisotropy has been observed at various locations. Three of these locations were investigated by specially designed experiments in the near vertical and in the wide-angle range, that is the Urach and the Black Forrest area, both belonging to the Moldanubian, a collapsed Variscan terrane in southern Germany, and in the Donbas Basin, a rift inside the East European (Ukrainian) craton. In these three cases, a firm relationship between lower crust seismic lamination and anisotropy is found. There are more cases of lower-crustal lamination and anisotropy, e.g. from the Basin and Range province (western US) and from central Tibet, not revealed by seismic wide-angle measurements, but by teleseismic receiver function studies with a P–S conversion at the Moho. Other cases of lamination and anisotropy are from exhumed lower crustal rocks in Calabria (southern Italy), and Val Sesia and Val Strona (Ivrea area, Northern Italy). We demonstrate that rocks in the lower continental crust, apart from differing in composition, differ from the upper mantle both in terms of seismic lamination (observed in the near-vertical range) and in the type of anisotropy. Compared to upper mantle rocks exhibiting mainly orthorhombic symmetry, the symmetry of the rocks constituting the lower crust is either axial or orthorhombic and basically a result of preferred crystallographic orientation of major minerals (biotite, muscovite, hornblende). We argue that the generation of seismic lamination and anisotropy in the lower crust is a consequence of the same tectonic process, that is, ductile deformation in a warm and low-viscosity lower crust. This process takes place preferably in areas of extension. Heterogeneous rock units are formed that are generally felsic in composition, but that contain intercalations of mafic intrusions. The latter have acted as heat sources and provide the necessary seismic impedance contrasts. The observed seismic anisotropy is attributed to lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of major minerals, in particular of mica and hornblende, but also of olivine. A transversely isotropic symmetry system, such as expected for sub-horizontal layering, is found in only half of the field studies. Azimuthal anisotropy is encountered in the rest of the cases. This indicates differences in the horizontal components of tectonic strain, which finally give rise to differences in the evolution of the rock fabric.     

前寒武纪大陆地壳地质构造演化研究进展与问题

前寒武纪地质构造是地球系统科学研究的一个承前启后的重要组成部分,现存最古老的固体地球物质是38亿年前的大陆长英质岩石。以地质构造热事件为标志确认早中太古代已有30亿年年龄值的大陆克拉通化,而新太古代末大陆地壳已出现普遍的克拉通化。由深变质作用岩石测得的p-t值推断当时地温梯度与现今大陆稳定区相似,大规模的陆壳区断块已具基本刚性特征,使板块构造运动模式基本适用于太古宙地壳演化。古元古代末陆壳普遍隆升和遭剥蚀,陆壳生长作用导致形成大陆区块上的裂谷型坳拉槽系。中元古代起,世界约于18亿年前近乎同时出现不变质的沉积盖层,使前寒武纪明显必需划分为早、晚前寒武纪两大阶段。华北克拉通区是世界大陆克拉通地壳的组成部分,与世界各大陆克拉通演化有很好的可对比性,在前寒武纪超级大陆重建中有一定位置。在现今阶段研究基础上,对华北克拉通区提出了几个前瞻性的基础研究课题,应予深入探索。     

Pleistocene Underplating and Metasomatism of the Lower Continental Crust: a Xenolith Study

Xenoliths from Engeln–Kempenich in the East Eifel volcanicfield (Germany) comprise gabbroic to ultramafic cumulates, andmeta-igneous and meta-sedimentary granulite- to amphibolite-facieslithologies. They provide evidence for Pleistocene heating andmetasomatism of the lower continental crust by mafic magmas.The metamorphic xenoliths were divided into three types: (1)primitive type P, which are little affected by metasomatic replacementstructures; (2) enriched type E1 defined by metasomatic replacementof primary pyroxene and garnet by pargasitic amphibole and biotite;(3) enriched type E2 defined by breakdown of hydrous phases.Type E rocks are geochemically related to type P and cumulatexenoliths by compositional trends. During modal metasomatism,type E rocks were oxidized. Type E1 rocks were typically enrichedin Rb, Th, U, Nb, K, light rare earth elements (LREE) and Zr,and E2 enriched in Rb, Th, U, Nb, K, REE, Zr, Ti and Y, relativeto type P rocks. Formation of the hydrous, chlorine-bearingphases amphibole and scapolite containing glass and fluid inclusionsin the E1 rocks provides evidence for a water and Cl-bearingfluid phase coexisting with silicate melt. Accordingly, we calculated10 mol % H₂O back into the CO₂-dominated fluid inclusions, inagreement with experimental data on the composition of a fluidphase coexisting with mafic alkaline melts at elevated pressure.Primary CO₂-dominated fluid inclusions coexisting with glassinclusions in metamorphic corona phases and neoblasts, and incumulate xenoliths, have overlapping densities. Fluid inclusionbarometry using the corrected densities indicates that bothcumulates and metamorphic xenoliths originated from the samedepth at 22–25 km (650 ± 50 MPa). This is interpretedas being a main magma reservoir level within the upper partof the lower crust close to the Conrad discontinuity, wherethe xenoliths represent wall-rocks. The Conrad discontinuityseparates an upper-crustal layer, consisting of preferentiallyductile granodioritic and tonalitic gneisses, and more brittlelower-crustal mafic granulites. The brittle–ductile transitionappears to be a preferred level of magma stagnation. KEY WORDS: continental lower crust; fluids; magma chamber; metasomatism; xenoliths     

大陆深部地壳物质成分识别方法综述

本文系统总结了大陆深部地壳物质成分识别研究方法和元素丰度合理性检验的方法,以期为大陆深部地壳物质成分探测提供技术方法体系。深部地壳物质成分识别的主要方法有:①因构造运动抬升出露到地表的中下地壳剖面;②地表出露的高级变质地体;③产于火山岩中的深部地壳捕掳体,如麻粒岩捕掳体;④地球物理测深资料与深部岩石物理性质的高温高压实验测定结果之间的拟合和⑤壳源岩浆岩源区地球化学示踪。元素丰度合理性检验的方法主要有地表热流和元素比值法。     

冀西北新太古代下部陆壳及其性质初探

按其地壳组成比例、强烈的紫苏花岗岩化和高压麻粒岩相变质作用,冀西北怀安一带存在一个发育基本完整的下部陆壳（下地壳）剖面,由于地体碰撞向南掀斜而出露地表。本文讨论了其地球化学与构造环境。稀土分配平坦型的拉斑玄武岩（ＴＨ１）类似于洋壳,但与ＭＯＲＢ显著不同,更象不成熟的大陆性火山弧。轻稀土富集型的拉斑玄武岩（ＴＨ２）成分分散,有的跨入钙碱性玄武岩区,又有大量中酸性火山岩－沉积岩伴生,分离结晶作用显著,接近于板内热点产物。两种反映截然不同构造环境的玄武岩又密切地伴生在一起,使本区表现了许多不同于一般陆壳的特殊性。与冀东相比,本区并以古地热梯度变陡（２０℃／ｋｍ）为特征,这也许正是距今２８亿年之后地球上才开始出现了类似于现代样式板块的原因