The petrogenesis of 30–20 Ma basic and intermediate volcanics from the Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field,New Mexico,USA

In the western USA calcalkaline magmas were generated hundreds of kilometres from the nearest destructive plate margin, and in some areas during regional extension several Ma after the cessation of subduction. The Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field (MDVF) in southern New Mexico was a centre of active magmatism in the mid- to late-Tertiary, and a detailed field, petrographic and geochemical study has been undertaken to evaluate the relations between extensional tectonics and calcalkaline magmatism in the period 30–20 Ma. The rocks comprise alkalic to high-K calcalkaline lavas, ranging from basalt to high silica andesitc. Most of the basaltic rocks have relatively low HFSE abundances, elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, similar to many Tertiary basalts across the western USA, and they are inferred to have been derived from the continental mantle lithosphere. Two differentiation trends are recognised, with the older magmas having evolved to more calcalkaline compositions by magma mixing between alkalic basaltic andesites and silicic crustal melts, and the younger rocks having undergone 30–40% fractional crystallisation to more alkalic derivatives. The younger basalts also exhibit a shift to relatively higher HSFE abundances, with lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and these have been modelled as mixtures between an average post-5 Ma Basin and Range basalt and the older MDVF lithosphere-derived basalts. It is argued that the presence of subduction-related geochemical signatures and the development of calcalkaline andesites in the 30–20 Ma lavas from the MDVF are not related to the magmatic effects of Tertiary subduction. Rather, basic magmas were generated by partial melting of the lithospheric mantle which had been modified during a previous subduction event. Since these basalts were generated at the time of maximum extension in the upper crust it is inferred that magma generation was in response to lithospheric extension. The association of the 30–20 Ma calcalkaline andesites with the apparently anorogenic tectonism of late mid-Tertiary extension, is the result of crustal contamination, in that fractionated, mildly alkaline, basaltic andesite magmas were mixed with silicic crustal melts, generating hybrid andesite lavas with calcalkaline affinities.     

The Principles for Discrimination of the Source Composition of Mantle-Derived Igneous Rocks and the Nature of the Mantle Source Region of the Emeishan Basalts

This paper discusses the discrimination principles. deduction and methods for probing into the source composition of mantle-derived magma. The magmatophile (incompatible) source elements are not all optimal tracers for mantle source composition. The ratios of two strong magmatophile elements (D<1) or the ratios of two trace elements with the same D value are not controlled by the formation mode and evolution degree of a magma, but maintain the characteristics of their composition in mantle source region prior to the magma formation. The ratios are related to different mantle-crust structures and dynamics. The mantle source composition of the Emeishan Basalt series is similar to that of the South Atlantic Rio Grande Rise-Walvis Ridge Basalts and Brazil continental-margin basalts. This may indicate that these basalt series might have similar source regions and tectonic environments.     

Tectonic Environments of Cenozoic Volcanic Rocks in China and Characteristics of the Source Regions in the Mantle

Extensive volcanism is one of the important features of Cenozoic geology in China.Based on temporal-spatial distribution,the volcanism was associated with three major different geological settings:1)the continental rift basalts in Northeast and North China;2)the tension-fault basalts on the continental margins of Southeast China; and 3) the collision-zone high-K volcanics in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and its vicinities.The characteristics of “depletion in the south and enrichment in the north“of the China continental mantle are strongly supported by isotopic evidence.The Cenozoic continental cal characters,into the following geochemical provinces:1)the depleted mantle in South China;2)the primary mantle in Northeast and NorthChina; 3)the hybrid and transi-tional mantle in the region of Shandong ,Anhui,Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang;4)the depleted mantle around the Bohai Bay and the Lower Liaohe River;5)the K-metasomatic enriched mantle in the northern part of Northeast China;and 6)the re-cycled enriched mantle in the ancient subduction zone in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and its surround-ings.These geochemical characteristics on a regional scale must be a reflection of the nature of lithosphere evolution.     

Mountain-block recharge, present and past, in the eastern Espa?ola Basin, New Mexico, USA

Noble gas recharge temperatures (NGTs) and radiocarbon ages were determined for 43 groundwater samples collected in the eastern Espa?ola Basin, New Mexico (USA), to identify mountain-block recharge in waters <10 thousand years (ka) old and to evaluate possible changes in mountain-block recharge over the past ??35?ka. For Holocene samples from the southeastern area, NGTs are dominantly 2?C4° cooler than the measured water-table temperature near the mountain front. Computed minimum mountain-block recharge fractions are dominantly 0.2?C0.5, consistent with previous large mountain-block recharge estimates. NGTs do not display the distinct low during the last glacial maximum observed in other paleorecharge studies; samples recharged 15?C25?ka ago are on average only 1.3° cooler than Holocene samples. Instead, samples with the coldest NGTs were recharged 25?C35?ka ago. A proposed explanation is that higher precipitation rates during the last glacial maximum resulted in a lower mean recharge elevation for the basin, essentially buffering the effect of the lower mean annual air temperature and producing NGTs similar to the Holocene. In the period preceding the last glacial maximum, precipitation rates more like today??s resulted in Holocene-like mountain-block recharge fractions, producing a mean NGT ??5° cooler than the Holocene, as expected.     

Magmatic Source Composition and Magmatism of the Volcanic Rocks in the Area of Kuruktag, Southern Xinjiang

1. Geological setting The terrane of Kuruktag lies in the north-eastern margin of the Tarim Basin and is a faulted marginal uplift of the basin. In the terrane, there occur extensively Dagelagebulake Group and Xinditage Group of Archaean-Paleoprotozoic metamorphic sequences overlain by Sinian-Cambrian sequences (Geological and mineral bureau of Xingjiang ulger atonomous region, 1993). The sedimentology of the Sinian-Cambrian strata have been studied (South Xinjiang petrollum exploratio…     

Mantle plume or slab window?: Physical and geochemical constraints on the origin of the Caribbean oceanic plateau

The Caribbean oceanic plateau formed in the Pacific realm when it erupted onto the Farallon plate from the Galapagos hotspot at ～ 90 Ma. The plateau was subsequently transported to the northeast and collided with the Great Arc of the Caribbean thus initiating subduction polarity reversal and the consequent tectonic emplacement of the Caribbean plate between the North and South American continents. The plateau represents a large outpouring of mafic volcanism, which has been interpreted as having formed by melting of a hot mantle plume. Conversely, some have suggested that a slab window could be involved in forming the plateau. However, the source regions of oceanic plateaus are distinct from N-MORB (the likely source composition for slab window mafic rocks). Furthermore, melt modelling using primitive (high MgO) Caribbean oceanic plateau lavas from Curaçao, shows that the primary magmas of the plateau contained ～ 20 wt.% MgO and were derived from 30 to 32% partial melting of a fertile peridotite source region which had a potential temperature (T_p) of 1564–1614 °C. Thus, the Caribbean oceanic plateau lavas are derived from decompression melting of a hot upwelling mantle plume with excess heat relative to ambient upper mantle. Extensional decompression partial melting of sub-slab asthenosphere in a slab window with an ambient mantle T_p cannot produce enough melt to form a plateau. The formation of the Caribbean oceanic plateau by melting of ambient upper mantle in a slab window setting, is therefore, highly improbable.     

The “Upper Basalts” of the East Chukotka Segment of Okhotsk–Chukotka Belt: the Along Strike Migration of Volcanic Activity or the Overprint by Later Magmatic Event?

Doklady Earth Sciences - New U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar isotopic dates on volcanic rocks of the East Chukotka segment of the Okhotsk–Chukotka Belt correspond to 76–71 Ma span, which is...     

Geochemistry of Two Types of Basalts in the Emeishan Basaltic Province: Evidence for Mantle Plume-Lithosphere Interaction

Based on the temporal-spatial distribution and geochemical characteristics, the Emeishan basalts can be divided into two types: high-P2O-TiO2 basalt (HPT) and low-P2O5-TiO2 basalt (LPT), which differ distinctly in geochemistry: the LPTs are characterized by relatively high abundances of MgO, total FeO and P2O5 and compatible elements (Cr, Ni, Sc), and relatively low contents of moderately compatible elements (V, Y, Yb, Co), LREE and other incompatible elements compared with the HPT. On the diagrams of trace element ratios, they are plotted on an approximately linear mixing line between depleted and enriched mantle sources, suggesting that these two types of basalts resulted from interactions of varying degrees between mantle plume and lithospheric mantle containing such volatile-rich minerals as amphibole and apatite. The source region of the LPT involves a smaller proportion of lithospheric components, while that of the HTP has a larger proportion of lithospheric components. Trachyte is generated by pa     

Kimberlite-like Metasomatism and 'Garnet Signature' in Spinel-peridotite Xenoliths from Sal, Cape Verde Archipelago: Relics of a Subcontinental Mantle Domain within the Atlantic Oceanic Lithosphere?

A mantle xenolith suite from two Late Tertiary necks on SalIsland (Cape Verde Archipelago) consists of nearly equivalentamounts of anhydrous spinel-bearing lherzolites and harzburgites,in which secondary metasomatic textural domains are superimposedon the original protogranular textures. Detailed petrographicstudies, coupled with in situ major and trace element analysesof the constituent minerals and interstitial glasses, revealthe complex evolutionary history of the Cape Verde lithosphericmantle, from depletion in the garnet facies to re-equilibrationand re-enrichment in the spinel stability field. Low CaO (16·4–18·0wt %) and heavy rare earth element (HREE; Yb_n = 2·4–4·8),and high Cr₂O₃ (1·06–1·84 wt %) contentsin the clinopyroxenes of the lherzolites can be quantitativelyaccounted for by (1) low-degree (4%) partial melting of a PrimitiveMantle-like garnet lherzolite followed by (2) partial re-equilibrationof the melting residuum from the garnet to the spinel stabilityfield. This model is further supported by thermobarometric estimates(T = 975–1210°C; P = 1·3–2·1 GPa),which cluster around the spinel–garnet boundary in theperidotite system. Secondary parageneses, regardless of theprimary lithologies, are characterized by (1) two clinopyroxenes,cpx2-O and cpx2-C, respectively related to orthopyroxene andclinopyroxene destabilization after reaction with metasomaticfluids, and (2) glasses with anomalously high, even for continentalsettings, K₂O contents (up to 8·78 wt %), together withK-feldspar. Major and trace element mass balance calculationsbetween the primary and secondary parageneses suggest infiltrationof a kimberlite-like metasomatizing agent (on volatile-freebasis, MgO 17–27 wt %; K₂O/Na₂O 1·6–3·2molar; (K₂O + Na₂O)/Al₂O₃ 1·1–3·0 molar;Rb 91–165 ppm; Zr 194–238 ppm). The kimberlite-likemetasomatism in the Cape Verde lithospheric mantle, togetherwith the presence of lherzolitic domains, partially re-equilibratedfrom the garnet to the spinel stability field, may suggest thepresence of subcontinental mantle lithosphere relicts left behindby drifting of the African Plate during the opening of the CentralAtlantic Ocean. KEY WORDS: Cape Verde; mantle metasomatism; garnet signatures; clinopyroxenes; kimberlites     

Geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic composition of the Harrat Al-Madinah Volcanic Field,Saudi Arabia

Whole-rock geochemical and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope data are presented for the Harrat Al-Madinah volcanic field, in the north western part of the Arabian plate, aiming to understand their origin and the composition of their mantle source. This area is an active volcanic field characterized by the occurrence of two historic eruptions approximately in 641 and 1256 A.D. Field investigation of the main volcanic landforms indicates dominantly monogenetic strombolian eruptions, in addition to local phreatomagmatic eruption style. The lavas consist mainly of alkali olivine basalt, olivine transitional basalt, and hawaiite with ocean island basalt (OIB)-like characteristics. Evolved rocks, represented by mugearites, benmoreites, and trachytes, occur mainly as domes, tuff cones and occasionally as lava flows. Chemical variations in the evolved rocks indicated their evolution by low pressure crystal fractionation of olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and Fe–Ti oxides from the relatively primitive basalts. The isotopic compositions of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512954–0.512995), ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.702899 to–0.702977) and Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.5515–18.7446, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.5120–15.5222, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.1347–38.4468), show restricted variations suggesting only minor crustal contamination. They defined an array consistent with mixing of two geochemically distinct components of depleted MORB-mantle (DMM) and high ²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb ratio (HIMU). The variations in Tb/Yb, La/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios in the relatively primitive basalts (MgO > 6 wt.%) indicated garnet peridotite source. However, the positive Nb, Sr, Ba and Ti anomalies in the primitive mantle-normalized incompatible element patterns and the significant variation between Zr/Nb vs. Ce/Y and La/Yb vs. Yb suggest contribution of an amphibole-bearing spinel lherzolite source. Moreover, the negative correlations between SiO₂ vs. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Th vs. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd are interpreted as an indication of mixing melts derived from two end-members; one is garnet bearing asthenospheric source with OIB characteristic and the other is amphibole-bearing spinel lherzolite. The Harrat Al-Madinah volcanic field occurs near the Red Sea Rift System and its origin reflects a strong lithospheric control on the loci of partial melting. The dominantly NNW alignment patterns of the volcanoes, which is similar to the regional Red Sea trend, may suggest that the magmas were produced by decompression partial melting triggered by lithospheric extension related to the Red Rift.     

New Data on the Sm–Nd Age of Picrites in the Lysogorsk Complex,Southern Urals

Doklady Earth Sciences - This paper reports new data on the age of picrites in the Lysogorsk complex, which are common in the Taratash metamorphic complex (Bashkir Meganticlinorium, the western...     

Cenozoic Sedimentary Sequence in the Kumkal Basin, Xinjiang and New Evidence for the Late Quaternary Uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

1. IntroductionThe Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is an importantregion for the study of the global change andstructural evolution history). The in-depth knowledgeon its uplift process is the ke}' to understand theformation and development of temporary ph}'sicalenvironment of China or even East Asia. Therefore.a large quantity of researchers have given muchmore attention on this field (Burbank et al.. l982;Fang Xiaornin et al.. 1995f Ruddoman. ]997f AnZhisheng et al.. 1998). The macroscopic e\'o…     

Geochemical Characteristics and Tectonic Setting of the Laohushan Basalts, North Qilian Mountains

The Ordovician Laohushan ophiolite, located in the eastern part of the North Qilian Mountains, is mainly composed of meta-peridotites, gabbros and basalts alternating with sediments. The sediments are mainly turbidites, including sandstones, siltstones, cherts etc. Major elements show that the basalts are subalkaline tholeiites and may be analogous to ocean-floor basalts. Except a few N-MORBs, most of the basalts are E-MORBs as indicated by incompatible element ratios such as (La/Ce)N, La/Sm, Ce/Zr, Zr/Y and Zr/Nb. Negative Nb anomaly is common but negative Zr, Hf and Ti anomalies are quite rare. Based on the geochemical characteristics, it is suggested that the Laohushan basalts were formed in a back-arc basin. εNd (t) of the basalts ranges between +3.0 and +8.9 and (87Sr/86Sr), ranges between 0.7030 and 0.7060, indicating a depleted mantle source which was mixed with more or less enriched mantle components. Furthermore, the petrography of the sandstones and geochemistry of the cherts suggest that the     

Mantle convection modeling of the supercontinent cycle： Introversion,extroversion, or a combination？

The periodic assembly and dispersal of continental fragments,referred to as the supercontinent cycle,bear close relation to the evolution of mantle convection and plate tectonics.Supercontinent formation involves complex processes of"introversion"(closure of interior oceans),"extroversion"(closure of exterior oceans),or a combination of these processes in uniting dispersed continental fragments.Recent developments in numerical modeling and advancements in computation techniques enable us to simulate Earth’s mantle convection with drifting continents under realistic convection vigor and rheology in Earth-like geometry(i.e.,3D spherical-shell).We report a numerical simulation of 3D mantle convection,incorporating drifting deformable continents,to evaluate supercontinent processes in a realistic mantle convection regime.Our results show that supercontinents are assembled by a combination of introversion and extroversion processes.Small-scale thermal heterogeneity dominates deep mantle convection during the supercontinent cycle,although large-scale upwelling plumes intermittently originate under the drifting continents and/or the supercontinent.     

Quaternary bimodal volcanism in the Niğde Volcanic Complex (Cappadocia,central Anatolia,Turkey): age,petrogenesis and geodynamic implications

The late Neogene to Quaternary Cappadocian Volcanic Province (CVP) in central Anatolia is one of the most impressive volcanic fields of Turkey because of its extent and spectacular erosionally sculptured landscape. The late Neogene evolution of the CVP started with the eruption of extensive andesitic-dacitic lavas and ignimbrites with minor basaltic lavas. This stage was followed by Quaternary bimodal volcanism. Here, we present geochemical, isotopic (Sr–Nd–Pb and δ¹⁸O isotopes) and geochronological (U–Pb zircon and Ar–Ar amphibole and whole-rock ages) data for bimodal volcanic rocks of the Ni?de Volcanic Complex (NVC) in the western part of the CVP to determine mantle melting dynamics and magmatic processes within the overlying continental crust during the Quaternary. Geochronological data suggest that the bimodal volcanic activity in the study area occurred between ca. 1.1 and ca. 0.2 Ma (Pleistocene) and comprises (1) mafic lavas consisting of basalts, trachybasalts, basaltic andesites and scoria lapilli fallout deposits with mainly basaltic composition, (2) felsic lavas consisting of mostly rhyolites and pumice lapilli fall-out and surge deposits with dacitic to rhyolitic composition. The most mafic sample is basalt from a monogenetic cone, which is characterized by ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7038, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.5128, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.80, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.60 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.68, suggesting a moderately depleted signature of the mantle source. Felsic volcanic rocks define a narrow range of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd isotope ratios (0.5126–0.5128) and are homogeneous in Pb isotope composition (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.84–18.87, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.64–15.67 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.93–38.99). ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotopic compositions of mafic (0.7038–0.7053) and felsic (0.7040–0.7052) samples are similar, reflecting a common mantle source. The felsic rocks have relatively low zircon δ¹⁸O values (5.6 ± 0.6 ‰) overlapping mantle values (5.3 ± 0.3 %), consistent with an origin by fractional crystallization from a mafic melt with very minor continental crustal contamination. The geochronological and geochemical data suggest that mafic and felsic volcanic rocks of the NVC are genetically closely related to each other. Mafic rocks show a positive trend between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Th, suggesting simultaneous assimilation and fractional crystallization, whereas the felsic rocks are characterized by a flat or slightly negative variation. High ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr gneisses are a potential crustal contaminant of the mafic magmas, but the comparatively low and invariant ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the felsic volcanics suggests that these evolved dominantly by fractional crystallization. Mantle-derived basaltic melts, which experienced low degree of crustal assimilation, are proposed to be the parent melt of the felsic volcanics. Geochronological and geochemical results combined with regional geological and geophysical data suggest that bimodal volcanism of the NVC and the CVP, in general, developed in a post-collisional extensional tectonic regime that is caused by ascending asthenosphere, which played a key role during magma genesis.     

Oceanic Island Basalts from the Darbut and Karamay Ophiolitic Mélange in West Junggar(NW China): Product of a Middle Devonian Mantle Plume?

<正>The Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB)is an immense accretionary orogen and is an important site of Phanerozoic crustal growth(Fig.1a;Seng?r et al.,1993;Jahn,2004;Windley et al.,2007;Xiao et al.,2008;Safonova and Santosh,2014).The West Junggar,situated     

Diamond and Recycled Mantle:A New Perspective——Introduction of IGCP 649 Project

<正>The IGCP 649 project entitled "Diamonds and Recycled Mantle"was approved by UNESCO and IUGS in March 2015.This project is led by an international team of researchers,including Prof.Yang Jingsui of Institute of Geology of CAGS(China),Prof.Yildirim Dilek of Miami     

Was the enclosed Qaidam Basin of The Tibetan Plateau Accumulative or Erosive during the Late Quaternary?

正A geological feature in the Qaidam Basin known as the"Shell Bar"contains millions of freshwater articulated clam shells buried in-situ.Since the 1980s this feature in the now hyper-arid basin has been interpreted to be lake deposits that provide evidence for a warmer and more humid climate than present during late Marine Isotope Stage 3(MIS 3)(Bowler et al.,1986).However,the global climate during     

Geodiversity,palaeodiversity or biodiversity: where is the place of palaeobiology and an understanding of taphonomy?

While some authors view biodiversity as an integral part of an over-arching geodiversity, most would see them as separate constructs. If that is the case, then the life–death interface marks the critical boundary between those that study organisms in life and the palaeontologists who try to interpret fossils in terms of their palaeobiology. The interface between life and the fossil record is characterised by the processes of taphonomy and, when fossils are collected, care must be taken to ensure that vital taphonomic information is not lost. This does not appear to be highlighted in the various fossil collecting codes and the avoidance of the loss of taphonomic information during collection should be a key feature of collecting policies and geoconservation in general.