87Sr/86Sr composition of seawater during the Phanerozoic

${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ measurements of 108 sedimentary carbonate rocks have been used to trace variations in the strontium isotopic composition of seawater during the Phanerozoic. The lowest ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr observed for any suite of carbonates is taken as the best approximation to the value in well-mixed contemporary seawater. Our data support the existence of low ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ in the Cretaceous and Late Jurassic but they do not support further structure beyond a general trend through the Phanerozoic, which may correlate with the continental denudation rate.     

An overview of anorthosite-bearing layered intrusions in the Archaean craton of southern West Greenland and the Superior Province of Canada: implications for Archaean tectonics and the origin of megacrystic plagioclase

Anorthosite-bearing layered intrusions are unique to the Archaean rock record and are abundant in the Archaean craton of southern West Greenland and the Superior Province of Canada. These layered intrusions consist mainly of ultramafic rocks, gabbros, leucogabbros and anorthosites, and typically contain high-Ca (>An₇₀) megacrystic (2–30 cm in diameter) plagioclase in anorthosite and leucogabbro units. They are spatially and temporally associated with basalt-dominated greenstone belts and are intruded by syn-to post-tectonic granitoid rocks. The layered intrusions, greenstone belts and granitoids all share the geochemical characteristics of Phanerozoic subduction zone magmas, suggesting that they formed mainly in a suprasubduction zone setting. Archaean anorthosite-bearing layered intrusions and spatially associated greenstone belts are interpreted to be fragments of oceanic crust, representing dismembered subduction-related ophiolites. We suggest that large degrees of partial melting (25–35%) in the hotter (1500–1600 °C) Archaean upper mantle beneath rifting arcs and backarc basins produced shallow, kilometre-scale hydrous magma chambers. Field observations suggest that megacrystic anorthosites were generated at the top of the magma chambers, or in sills, dykes and pods in the oceanic crust. The absence of high-Ca megacrystic anorthosites in post-Archaean layered intrusions and oceanic crust reflects the decline of mantle temperatures resulting from secular cooling of the Earth.     

Metasomatic effects related to channelled fluid streaming through deep crust: fenites and associated carbonatites (In Ouzzal Proterozoic granulites, Hoggar, Algeria)

The In Ouzzal granulitic unit (IOGU) consists predominantly of felsic orthogneisses most of which correspond to granitoids emplaced during the Archaean, plus metasediments, including olivine-spinel marbles, of late Archaean age. All units were metamorphosed at granulite facies during the Eburnean (2 Ga). The stable isotope signature of the marbles (δ¹³C=–0.8 to –4.2‰/PDB; δ¹⁸O = 7.9 to 18.9‰/SMOW) does not record a massive streaming of C-bearing fluids during metamorphism. Most of the isotopic variation in the marbles is explained in terms of pregranulitic features. Metasomatic transformation of granulites into layered potassic syenitic rocks and emplacement of carbonate veins and breccias occurred during retrogressive granulite facies conditions. The chemistry of these rocks is comparable with that of fenites and carbonatites with high contents of (L)REEs, Th, U, F, C, Ba and Sr but, with respect to these elements, a relative depletion in Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr and Ti. The isotopic compositions of Nd (?Nd_(T)=–6.3 to –9.9), of Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(T)= 0.7093–0.7104), and the O isotopic composition of metasomatic clinopyroxene (δ¹⁸O = 6.9 to 8‰), all indicate that the fluid had a strong crustal imprint. On the basis of the C isotope ratios (δ¹³C =–3.5 to –9.7‰), the fluid responsible for the crystallization of carbonates and metasomatic alteration is thought to be derived from the mantle, presumably through degassing of mantle-derived magmas at depth. Intense interaction with the crust during the upward flow of the fluid may explain its chemical and isotopic signatures. The zones of metasomatic alteration in the In Ouzzal granulites may be the deep-seated equivalents of the zones of channelled circulation of carbonated fluids described at shallower levels in the crust.     

Genesis of granitoid batholiths of Peninsular Malaysia and implications for models of crustal evolution: Evidence from a NdSr isotopic and UPb zircon study

Nd, Sr and U-Pb isotopic data for the late Triassic West Coast Province batholiths and Permian to Triassic East Coast Province batholiths of Peninsular Malaysia allow estimates of the ages of the crustal fragments comprising the peninsula to be made. Initial ?_Nd and ?_Sr values for granitoids from the West Coast Province range from ?6 to ?10 and +160(0.716) to +660(0.751) respectively. Nd model ages calculated based on a depleted mantle evolution model (T_DM^Nd) range from 1300 Ma to 1800 Ma and are in general agreement with the mid-Proterozoic upper intersection ages of U-Pb zircon reverse discordia (1500–1700 Ma). Initial ?_Nd and ?_Sr values for granitoids from the East Coast Province range from ?0.8 to ?6 and +10(0.705) to +130(0.714) respectively. Calculated T_DM^Nd ages of 900–1400 Ma for these granitoids are comparable to two U-Pb zircon reverse discordia intercepts that yield 800 Ma and 1350 Ma. The general agreement of U-Pb zircon inheritance ages and T_DM^Nd ages are interpreted to correspond to the Proterozoic ‘crust formation’ ages of the continental fragments represented by the West Coast and East Coast batholithic provinces. Mid-Proterozoic (~ 1300–1900 Ma) ‘crust formation’ ages are commonly shown by other Phanerozoic continental margin plutonic and volcanic belts. The ubiquitous mid-Proterozoic ‘crust formation’ ages and the absence of Archaean signatures suggest voluminous juvenile additions to the continental crust in the mid-Proterozoic. Such ages at continental margins would imply that many continental blocks had achieved very much their present-day extent by the mid-Proterozoic.     

Geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic composition of the Donggou Mo-bearing granite porphyry,Qinling orogenic belt,central China

The eastern Qinling belt is characterized by widespread Mesozoic post-orogenic magmatism and abundant Mo–(Au–Ag) polymetallic mineralization. Most Mo deposits in this belt are genetically related to Mesozoic granitoids. The tectonic context of this close spatial and temporal relationship is still debated. This study reports U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic composition of zircons, major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic composition of the Donggou granite porphyry, host rock to one of the important Mesozoic Mo deposits in this orogen. Based on geochemical results, the Donggou granite porphyry is a silica-supersaturated, high-K metaluminous A-type granite showing enrichment in light REEs, depletion in middle REEs and significant negative Eu, Ba, Nb, Sr, P, and Ti anomalies. Negative initial ?_Nd values of??17.0 to??13.2 for whole-rock and negative initial ?_Hf values of??19.9 to??7.8 for zircon suggest that the magma was derived from a mixture of Archaean/Proterozoic crustal rocks and mantle-derived or newly added crust. Its Pb isotopic composition is similar to the lower crust of the North China block, but different from superjacent country rocks (Xiong'er and Taihua Groups). Zircon U–Pb dating yields a late Mesozoic emplacement age of 118–117 Ma, identical with the third episode of Mo mineralization in the eastern Qinling–Dabie belt. We postulate that the Donggou Mo-related porphyry granite formed by reworking of North China lower crust with significant input of juvenile material. The magmas formed in an extensional tectonic setting, induced by lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric upwelling beneath eastern China during Cretaceous time.     

Isotopic and geochemical constraints on the age and origin of granitoids from the central Mawson Escarpment, southern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica

Granitoids from the central Mawson Escarpment (southern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica) range in age from Archaean to Early Ordovician. U–Pb dating of zircon from these rocks indicates that they were emplaced in three distinct pulses: at 3,519 ± 20, 2,123 ± 12 Ma and between 530 and 490 Ma. The Archaean rocks form a layer-parallel sheet of limited extent observed in the vicinity of Harbour Bluff. This granitoid is of tonalitic-trondhjemitic composition and has a Sr-undepleted, Y-depleted character typical of Archaean TTG suites. ε_Nd and T_DM values for these rocks are −2.1 and 3.8 Ga, respectively. Subsequent Palaeoproterozoic intrusions are of granitic composition (senso stricto) with pronounced negative Sr anomalies. These rocks have ε_Nd and T_DM values of −4.8 and 2.87 Ga, indicating that these rocks were probably melted from an appreciably younger source than that tapped by the Early Archaean orthogneiss. The remaining intrusions are of Early Cambrian to Ordovician age and were emplaced coincident with the major orogenic event observed in this region. Cambro–Ordovician intrusive activity included the emplacement of layer-parallel pre-deformational granite sheets at approximately 530 Ma, and the intrusion of cross cutting post-tectonic granitic and pegmatitic dykes at ca. 490 Ma. These intrusive events bracket middle- to upper-amphibolite facies deformation and metamorphism, the age of which is constrained to ca. 510 Ma—the age obtained from a syn-tectonic leucogneiss. Nd–Sr isotope data from the more felsic Cambro–Ordovican intrusions (SiO₂ > 70 wt%), represented by the post-tectonic granite and pegmatite dykes, suggest these rocks were derived from Late Archaean or Palaeoproterozoic continental crust (T_DM ∼ 3.5–2.3 Ga, ε_Nd ∼ −21.8 to −25.9) not dissimilar to that tapped by the Early Proterozoic intrusions. In contrast, the compositionally more intermediate rocks (SiO₂ < 65 wt%), represented by the metaluminous pre-tectonic Turk orthogneiss, appear to have melted from a notably younger lithospheric or depleted mantle source (T_DM = 1.91 Ga, ε_Nd ∼ −14.5). The Turk orthogneiss additionally shows isotopic (low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and geochemical (high Sr/Y) similarities to magmas generated at modern plate boundaries—the first time such a signature has been identified for Cambrian intrusive rocks in this sector of East Antarctica. These data demonstrate that: (1) the intrusive history of the Lambert Complex differs from that observed in the adjacent tectonic provinces exposed to the north and the south and (2) the geochemical characteristics of the most mafic of the known Cambrian intrusions are supportive of the notion that Cambrian orogenesis occurred at a plate boundary. This leads to the conclusion that the discrete tectonic provinces observed in the southern Prince Charles Mountains were likely juxtaposed as a result of Early Cambrian tectonism.     

Cretaceous lower crust of the continental margins of the northern pacific: Petrological and geochronological data on lower to middle crustal xenoliths

Despite the exposures of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks and the accretionary tectonic history of the northern Pacific (northeastern Asia, Alaska, and Kamchatka), it is likely that a considerable portion of the lower crust of the continental margins is much younger and was generated by Cretaceous postaccretion magmatic events. Data on xenoliths suggest that Late Cretaceous and Paleocene mafic intrusions and cumulates of calc-alkaline magmas may become more important with increasing depth. This conclusion is based on the petrological and geochronological investigation of lower-middle crustal xenoliths borne by mantlederived alkali basalt lavas and U-Pb dating of zircon cores from the igneous rocks of the region. We studied deep mafic xenoliths of granulites and gabbroids (accounting for <2% of the general xenolith population) from the Late Neogene alkali basalt lavas of the Enmelen and Viliga volcanic fields (Russia) and the Imuruk volcanic field in the Seward Peninsula, St. Lawrence Island, and Nunivak Island (Alaska). Depleted MORB-like varieties and relatively enriched in radiogenic isotopes and LREE rocks were distinguished among plagioclase-bearing xenoliths. The most representative collection of Enmelen xenoliths was subdivided into three groups: LREE enriched charnockitoids and mafic melts, pyroxene-plagioclase cumulates with a positive Eu anomaly, and LREE depleted garnet gabbroids. Mineral thermobarometry and calculated seismic velocities (P = 5–12 kbar, T = 740–1100°C, and V _p = 7.1 ± 0.3 km/s) suggest that the xenoliths were transported from the lower and middle crust, and the rocks show evidence for their formation through the magmatic fractionation of calc-alkaline magmas and subsequent granulite-facies metamorphism. The U-Pb age of zircon from the xenoliths ranges from the Cretaceous to Paleocene, clustering mainly within 107–56 Ma (147 crystals from 17 samples were dated). The zircon dates were interpreted as reflecting the magmatic and metamorphic stages of the growth and modification of the regional crust. The distribution of the obtained age estimates corresponds to the main magmatic pulses in two largest magmatic belts of the region, Okhotsk-Chukchi and Anadyr-Bristol. The absence of older inherited domains in zircons from both the xenoliths and igneous rocks of the regions is a strong argument in favor of the idea on the injection of juvenile material and underplating of calc-alkaline magmas in the lower crust during that time interval. This conclusion is supported by isotope geochemical data: the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios of the rocks and xenolith minerals show mantle signatures (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7040–0.70463, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51252–0.51289, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.32–18.69) corresponding to an OIB source and are in general similar to those of the Cretaceous calc-alkaline basalts and andesites from continental-margin suprasubduction volcanoplutonic belts. Xenoliths from Nunivak Island and Cape Navarin show more depleted (MORB-like) geochemical and isotopic characteristics, which indicates variations in the composition of the lower crust near the southern boundary of the Bering Sea shelf.     

The parnell quartz monzonite: A proterozoic zoned pluton in the archaean pilbara block,Western Australia

The Parnell Quartz Monzonite in the Pilbara Block of Western Australia is a Proterozoic (1731 ± 14 Ma) pluton characterized by high modal K‐feldspar and a greater abundance of hornblende relative to biotite, as is typical of Phanerozoic monzonitic rocks in eastern Australia. The only geochemical features reflecting its setting in an Archaean terrain are high Na2O, Ni and Cr. The pluton is zoned, with an increase in K‐feldspar, quartz and biotite and a decrease in plagioclase and hornblende from margin to core. Chemically, this zoning is reflected by systematic variation of CaO, K₂O, Na₂O, Sr and Rb, but ferromagnesian elements have irregular trends, implying preferential extraction of feldspars relative to mafic minerals during differentiation of the magma. The unusual geochemical trends are explained by a model involving ‘in situ’ feldspar fractionation of a K‐rich residual liquid from a mafic crystalline mush.

A parent magma similar to the average rock composition of the pluton is deduced because high ferromagnesian trace element abundances preclude extensive fractionation of mafic minerals. Geochemical and isotopic constraints suggest that the ultimate source was chemically similar to a shoshonitic basaltic andesite, that must have been emplaced beneath the eastern margin of the Pilbara Block in the Early Proterozoic. Subsequent partial melting of this postulated underplated source at ～ 1700 Ma to produce the Parnell Quartz Monzonite was probably associated with tectonism in the Gregory Range Complex.     

Late syn-to post-collisional magmatism in Madagascar:The genesis of the Ambalavao and Maevarano Suites

The East African Orogen involves a collage of Proterozoic microcontinents and arc terranes that became wedged between older cratonic blocks during the assembly of Gondwana.The Ediacaran-Cambrian Ambalavao and Maevarano Suites in Madagascar were emplaced during the waning orogenic stages and consist of weakly deformed to undeformed plutonic rocks and dykes of mainly porphyritic granite but also gabbro,diorite and charnockite.U-Pb geochronological data date emplacement of the Ambalavao Suite to between ca.580 Ma and 540 Ma and the Maevarano Suite to between ca.537 Ma and522 Ma.Major and trace element concentrations are consistent with emplacement in a syn-to postcollisional tectonic setting as A-type(anorogenic) suites.Oxygen(δ~(18)O of 5.27‰-7.45‰) and hafnium(ε_(Hf)(t) of-27.8 to-12.3) isotopic data from plutons in the Itremo and Antananarivo Domains are consistent with incorporation of an ancient crustal source.More primitive δ~(18)O(5.27‰-5.32‰) andε_(Hf)(t)(+0.0 to+0.2) isotopic values recorded in samples collected from the Ikalamavony Domain demonstrate the isotopic variation of basement sources present in the Malagasy crust.The Hf isotopic composition of Malagasy zircon are unlike more juvenile Ediacaran-Cambrian zircon sou rces elsewhere in the East African Orogen and,as such,Madagascar represents a distinct and identifiable detrital zircon source region in Phanerozoic sedimentary provenance studies.Taken together,these data indicate that high-T crustal anatexis,crustal assimilation and interaction of crustal material with mantle-derived melts were the processes operating during magma emplacement.This magmatism was coeval with polyphase deformation throughout Madagascar during the amalgamation of Gondwana and magmatism is interpreted to reflect lithospheric delamination of an extensive orogenic plateau.     

Regional geochemical and isotopic characteristics of high-grade metamorphics of the Prydz bay area: The extent of proterozoic reworking of Qrchaean continental crust in East Antarctica

Preliminary isotopic data for Late Proterozoic (～ 1100 Ma) granulite-facies metamorphics of the Prydz Bay coast indicate only very minor reworking (i.e., remetamorphism) of Archaean continental crustal rocks. Only two orthopyroxene—quartz—feldspar gneisses from the Rauer Group of islands, immediately adjacent to the Archaean Vestfold Block, show evidence for an Early Archaean origin (～ 3700—3800 Ma), whereas the vast majority of samples have Middle Proterozoic crustal formation ages (～ 1600–1800 Ma). The Prydz Bay rocks consist largely of garnet-bearing felsic gneisses and interlayered aluminous metasediments, although orthopyroxene-bearing gneisses are common in the Rauer Group; in contrast, Vestfold Block gneisses are predominantly orthopyroxene-bearing orthogneisses. The extensive Prydz Bay metasediments may have been derived by erosion of Middle Proterozoic rocks, such as the predominantly orthogneiss terrain of the Rauer Group, and deposited not long before the Late Proterozoic metamorphism. Data from nearby parts of the East Antarctic shield also suggest only limited Proterozoic reworking of the margins of the Archaean cratons.As in the Prydz Bay area, high-grade metamorphies in nearby parts of the East Antarctic shield show a secular increase in the sedimentary component. Archaean terrains like the Vestfold Block consist mainly of granitic orthogneisses derived by partial melting of igneous protoliths (I-type), whereas Late Proterozoic terrains (such as the Prydz Bay coast) include a much higher proportion of rocks derived either directly or by partial melting (S-type granitic orthogneisses) from sedimentary protoliths. Related chemical trends include increases in K₂O₂, Rb, Pb, and Th, and decreases in CaO, Na₂O₂ and Sr with decreasing age, essentially reflecting changes in the proportions of plagioclase and K-feldspar.     

Geochemical comparison between Archaean and Proterozoic orthogneisses from the Nagssugtoqidian orogen,West Greenland

In the Palaeoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian orogen of West Greenland reworked Archaean and juvenile Proterozoic orthogneisses occur side by side and are difficult to differentiate in the field. Archaean gneisses have tonalitic to trondhjemitic compositions with relatively low Al₂O₃ and Sr, and may have been derived from magmas formed by melting of basaltic or amphibolitic rocks at moderate pressures. The Proterozoic rocks are on average more mafic, and it is likely that they crystallised from mantle-derived magmas. Felsic varieties of the Proterozoic igneous suite probably formed from the original magma by fractional crystallisation, in which hornblende played an important role, and at SiO₂ > 65% Archaean and Proterozoic rocks have very similar major and trace element compositions (including REE), illustrating that different modes of origin may lead to very similar results.     

Petrogenesis of Sierra Nevada plutons inferred from the Sr, Nd, and O isotopic signatures of mafic igneous complexes in Yosemite Valley, California

Mafic complexes in the central Sierra Nevada batholith record valuable geochemical information regarding the role mafic magmas play in arc magmatism and the generation of continental crust. In the intrusive suite of Yosemite Valley, major and trace element compositions of the hornblende-bearing gabbroic rocks from the Rockslides mafic complex and of the mafic dikes in the North America Wall are compositionally similar to high-alumina basalt. Of these rocks, two samples have higher Ni and Cr abundances as well as higher ε_Nd values than previously recognized for the intrusive suite. Plagioclase crystals in rocks from the North America Wall and the Rockslides have prominent calcic cores and sharply defined sodic rims, a texture commonly associated with mixing of mafic and felsic magmas. In situ analyses of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in plagioclase show no significant isotopic difference from the cores to the rims of these grains. We propose that the high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (~0.7067) and low ε_Nd (~?3.4) of bulk rocks, the homogeneity of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in plagioclase, and the high δ¹⁸O values of bulk rocks (6.6–7.3 ‰) and zircon (Lackey et al. in J Petrol 49:1397–1426, 2008) demonstrate that continental crust was assimilated into the sublithospheric mantle-derived basaltic precursors of the mafic rocks in Yosemite Valley. Contamination (20–40 %) likely occurred in the lower crust as the magma differentiated to high-alumina basalt prior to plagioclase (and zircon) crystallization. As a consequence, the isotopic signatures recorded by whole rocks, plagioclase, and zircon do not represent the composition of the underlying lithospheric mantle. We conclude that the mafic and associated felsic members of the intrusive suite of Yosemite Valley represent 60–80 % new additions to the crust and include significant quantities of recycled ancient crust.     

Geochronology and geochemistry of Cretaceous–Eocene granites,Tengchong Block (SW China): Petrogenesis and implications for Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Eastern Tethys

The Early Cretaceous–Early Eocene granitoids in the Tengchong Block record the evolutionary history of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectono-magmatic evolution of Eastern Tethys. (a) The Early Cretaceous granitoids with relatively low (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios of 0.7090–0.7169 and ε_Nd(t) values of ?9.8 to ?7.8 display metaluminous, calc-alkaline dominated by I-type granite affinity and hybrid mantle–crust geochemical signatures. They may have been derived from melting of the subducted Meso-Tethyan Bangong-Nujiang oceanic crust with terrigenous sediments in an arc-continent collisional setting. (b) The Late Cretaceous–Paleocene granitoids with relatively high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios of 0.7109–0.7627, and ε_Nd(t) values of ?12.1 to ?7.9 exhibit metaluminous to peraluminous, calc-alkaline dominated by S-type granite affinity and hybrid Lower–Upper crust geochemical signatures, which may be originated from partial melting of the Meso-Proterozoic continental crust in the collision setting between the Tengchong Block and Baoshan Block. (c) The Early Eocene granitoids have metaluminous, calc-alkaline I-type and S-type granites dual affinity, with relatively high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios of 0.711–0.736, ε_Nd(t) values of ?9.4 to ?4.7, showing crust-mantle mixing geochemical signatures. They may have been originated from partial melting of the late Meso-Proterozoic upper crustal components mixed with some upper mantle material during the ascent process of mantle magma caused by the subduction of the Neo-Tethyan Putao–Myitkyian oceanic crust, and collision between the Western Burma Block and the Tengchong Block. It is these multi-stage subductions and collisions that caused the spatial and temporal distribution of the granitic rocks in the Tengchong Block.     

The tectonics of Precambrian craton—mobile belts: progressive deformation of polygonal miniplates

The Archaean—Proterozoic crust of many Precambrian terrains consists of two contrasting tectonic units: Archaean cratonic blocks made up of granite—greenstone terrains and Archaean—Proterozoic mobile zones, fold belts and orogens which separate and tend to surround and flow around the cratons. The cratons are relatively rigid blocks, but have a history of ductile and brittle deformations. The surrounding mobile belts are either high-strain, high-grade metamorphic belts or folded basins. Thus, the relatively rigid cratons are surrounded by more ductile zones of mobility. It is speculated that the Archaean cratons are originally separate, although neighbouring ensialic, polygonal miniplate blocks of a single continent which have moved relative to one another according to the mantle controls and the prevailing Eulerian poles, and this mutual jostling has progressively deformed their common boundaries. The deformed boundaries are now the sites of the surrounding ductile and higher strain mobile belts, which are persistent crustal defects, while the cratons represent the more rigid and lower strain cores and relicts, which have stabilized after the Archaean. The mega-scale relationships between the cratons and mobile belts (e.g., East Africa) are compared to the smaller scale micro—meso-scale porphyroclast-matrix structures found in augen gneisses and mylonites. These structural relationships are of vastly different magnitudes (10⁸), but as there exists a continuum on all the intermediate scales they may all be related. Their geometric similarities are interpreted as having a common mechanical—rheological origin.     

Reply

The Archaean granite‐greenstone rocks of the Marymia Inlier outcrop within Proterozoic rocks forming the Capricorn Orogen. Five major deformation events are recognised in the rocks of the Plutonic Well and Baumgarten greenstone belts. The first two events were Late Archaean and synchronous with major epithermal gold mineralisation in the belts. Palaeoproterozoic extensional faulting was probably related to the early stages of the Capricorn Orogeny. The fourth event records a compressional phase of the Capricorn Orogeny associated with greenschist‐facies metamorphism, whereas the last major event involved wrench faulting associated with minor folding. The Archaean tectonic history, rock types and timing of mineralisation strongly suggest that the Marymia Inlier is part of the Yilgarn Craton, and that each of the provinces in the craton experienced the same geological history since 2.72 Ga. The inlier is now interpreted to include two components; one is the eastern or northern extension of either the Narryer Terrane, Murchison Province or Southern Cross Province, and the other is the northwestern extension of the Eastern Goldfields Province. The Jenkin Fault, which was active in Proterozoic times, separates these two components.     

GEOCARBSULF: A combined model for Phanerozoic atmospheric O2 and CO2

A model for the combined long-term cycles of carbon and sulfur has been constructed which combines all the factors modifying weathering and degassing of the GEOCARB III model [Berner R.A., Kothavala Z., 2001. GEOCARB III: a revised model of atmospheric CO₂ over Phanerozoic time. Am. J. Sci. 301, 182-204] for CO₂ with rapid recycling and oxygen dependent carbon and sulfur isotope fractionation of an isotope mass balance model for O₂ [Berner R.A., 2001. Modeling atmospheric O₂ over Phanerozoic time. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta65, 685-694]. New isotopic data for both carbon and sulfur are used and new feedbacks are created by combining the models. Sensitivity analysis is done by determining (1) the effect on weathering rates of using rapid recycling (rapid recycling treats carbon and sulfur weathering in terms of young rapidly weathering rocks and older more slowly weathering rocks); (2) the effect on O₂ of using different initial starting conditions; (3) the effect on O₂ of using different data for carbon isotope fractionation during photosynthesis and alternative values of oceanic δ¹³C for the past 200 million years; (4) the effect on sulfur isotope fractionation and on O₂ of varying the size of O₂ feedback during sedimentary pyrite formation; (5) the effect on O₂ of varying the dependence of organic matter and pyrite weathering on tectonic uplift plus erosion, and the degree of exposure of coastal lands by sea level change; (6) the effect on CO₂ of adding the variability of volcanic rock weathering over time [Berner, R.A., 2006. Inclusion of the weathering of volcanic rocks in the GEOCARBSULF model. Am. J. Sci.306 (in press)]. Results show a similar trend of atmospheric CO₂ over the Phanerozoic to the results of GEOCARB III, but with some differences during the early Paleozoic and, for variable volcanic rock weathering, lower CO₂ values during the Mesozoic. Atmospheric oxygen shows a major broad late Paleozoic peak with a maximum value of about 30% O₂ in the Permian, a secondary less-broad peak centered near the Silurian/Devonian boundary, variation between 15% and 20% O₂ during the Cambrian and Ordovician, a very sharp drop from 30% to 15% O₂ at the Permo-Triassic boundary, and a more-or less continuous rise in O₂ from the late Triassic to the present.     

The Dovyren intrusive complex (northern Baikal region,Russia): isotope–geochemical markers of contamination of parental magmas and extreme enrichment of the source

The Dovyren intrusive complex includes the ore-bearing (Cu–Ni–PGE) Yoko–Dovyren layered pluton (728 Ma, up to 3.4 km in thickness), underlying ultramafic sills, and comagmatic leuconorite and gabbro-diabase dikes. Studies of Sr–Nd–Pb isotope systems were carried out for 24 intrusive rocks and five associated low- and high-Ti basalts. The high-Ti basalts show 0.7028 ≤ (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_T ≤ 0.7048 and 4.6 ≤ ε_Nd(T) ≤ 5.8, similar to the values in MORB. The intrusive basic and ultrabasic rocks are geochemically similar to the low-Ti formation, making a compact cluster of compositions with extremely high ratios of radiogenic Sr and Pb isotopes and low ε_Nd values. The maximum enrichment in radiogenic Sr is shown by the rocks near the pluton bottom ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_T = 0.71387 ± 0.00010 (2σ); ε_Nd(T) = –16.09 ± 0.06), which are the products of crystallization of the most primitive high-Mg magmas. The above-located dunites, troctolites, and gabbro show lower enrichment, probably because of the contamination of the host rocks during the filling of the magma chamber and/or because of the slight heterogeneity of the source. Calculations of the proportions of mixing of the parental melt with carbonate terrigenous material have shown that the variations in the Sr and Nd isotope ratios are due to the incredibly high contamination of the sediments, up to 40–50%. This contradicts the succession of the main rock types in the Yoko–Dovyren pluton in accordance with the crystallization of picrite-basaltic magma. The contribution of 5–10% high-Ti component seems more likely and suggests interaction between two isotopically contrasting magmas in this province in the Late Riphean. In general, the minor variations in ε_Nd(T) of the intrusive rocks and metavolcanics (–14.3 ± 1.1) testify to the isotopically anomalous source of the low-Ti magmas. The time variation trend of ε_Nd and geochemical features of the Dovyren rocks indicate that the products of melting of 2.7–2.8 Ga suprasubduction mantle might have been the massif protolith. Thus, the Dovyren parental magmas formed from a much older (sub)lithospheric source in the Late Riphean. The source was initially enriched in a mafic component with a low Sm/Nd ratio and was isolated from the convecting mantle and mantle melting processes for ~ 2 Gyr. The existence of such a long-living and at least twice reactivated lithospheric substratum is confirmed by the fact that the Nd isotope evolution trend of the initially nonanomalous mantle protolith includes not only the Dovyren rocks but also the Paleoproterozoic gabbro of the Chinei pluton and the Archean enderbites of the Baikal region.© 2015, V.S. Sobolev IGM, Siberian Branch of the RAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

Comments on the Eu and Th geochemistry of the archaean continental crust of the Kaapvaal Craton,South Africa

Chemical data from sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Kaapvaal Craton have been used to trace the occurrence of highly fractionated K₂O-rich granites with pronounced negative Eu-anomalies back to the early Archaean. From the sediments of the Fig Tree Group (about 3.4 Ga-old) and granite pebbles in the overlying Moodies Group it was estimated that the igneous and metamorphic part of the continental crust at that time already contained up to about 35% of such granites. Their formation requires the presence of a thick continental crust to allow intracrustal partial melting with plagioclase as a residual phase, and the intrusion of the resulting granites at high levels within the crust. Save for some small remnants these Eu-depleted Archaean granites have since been removed by erosion.Shales of the 3.0 Ga-old Pongola Supergroup reflect only small source areas and contain considerable amounts of material derived from residual soils. The Eu-anomalies of the Pongola shales suggest up to 30% Eu-depleted granites in the source area. The shales of the Witwatersrand Supergroup (about 2.6 Ga-old) — with Eu-anomalies as low as 0.45 — reflect a source area already having typical post-Archaean crustal compositions.The Th-concentrations in South African shales support this conclusion and typical post-Archaean concentrations of above 10 ppm are found already in the early Archaean Sheba shales. Uranium and thorium mineralization has also occurred on the Kaapvaal Craton since the early Archaean.The South African late Proterozoic and Phanerozoic sedimentary record of Eu-anomalies and Th-concentrations confirms the trend observed on other cratonic areas and supports the concept of worldwide uniformity in crustal composition since the end of the Archaean. On the Kaapvaal Craton crustal growth and consolidation began 500–600 Ma earlier than in other parts of the world. The Kaapvaal Craton thus appears to represent a ‘cold spot’ on the face of the Earth.     

Identifying the leucogranites in the Ailaoshan-Red River shear zone:Constraints on the timing of the southeastward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau

The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau significantly affected the global climate system.However,the timing of its uplift and the formation of its vast expanse are poorly understood.The occurrence of two types of leucogranites(the two-mica leucogranites and garnet-bearing leucogranites) identified in the Ailaoshan-Red River(ASRR) shear zone suggests an extension event in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.The age of these leucogranites could be used to constrain the timing of uplift and southeastward expansion of the plateau.Petrography,geochronology and geochemistry investigations,including Sr-Nd isotope analysis,were conducted on the two-mica leucogranites and garnet-bearing leucogranites from the ASRR shear zone.LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating indicates that these rocks were emplaced at ～27 Ma,implying that the Tibetan Plateau had already achieved maximum uplift prior to the late Oligocene.It subsequently started to expand southeastward as a result of crustal flow.Compared to classic metapelite-derived leucogranites from Himalaya,the two-mica leucogranites show high K_2 O/Na_2 O(1.31-1.92),low Rb/Sr,CaO,lower ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr ratios(0.7089-0.7164) and higher ε_(Nd)(t)(-8.83 to-3.10).This whole-rock geochemical characteristics likely indicates a mixing source origin,composed predominantly of amphibolite with subordinated metapelite,which is also evidenced by ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr vs.ε_(Nd)(t) diagram.However,The garnetbearing leucogranites with high SiO_2 contents(72.25-74.12 wt.%) have high initial ~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr ratios(0.7332-0.7535) and low ε_(Nd)(t)(-16.36 to 18.98),indicating that they are derived from the source comprised of metapelite and results of fluexed muscovite melting under lower crustal level,which is also evidenced by the Rb-Sr-Ba systematics.These leucogranites formed from partial melting of the thickened lower crust,which resulted in the formation of granitic melt that weakened the crust.The weakened crust aided the left-lateral strikeslip movement of the ASRR shear zone,triggering the escape of the Indochina terrane in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during the late Oligocene.