Element Abundances of China‘s Continental Crust and Its Sedimentary Layer and Upper Continental Crust

China’s continental crust (CCC) has an average thickness of 47km, with the upper continental crust (CUCC) being 31 km and the sedimentary layer(CSL) 5 km in thickness. The CCC, CUCC and CSL measure 12.437 × 10⁻¹⁷, 8.005 × 10⁻¹⁷ and 1.146 × 10¹⁷ metric tons in mass, respectively. The mass ratio of the upper continental crust to the lower one is 1.8:1. The element abundances were calculated for the CCC, CUCC and CSL respectively in terms of the chemical compositions of 2246 samples of various types and some complementary trace element data. The total abundance of 13 major elements accounts for 99.6% of the CCC mass while the other minor elements only account for 0.4%. REE characteristics, the abundance ratios of element pairs and the amounts of ore-forming elements are also discussed in the present paper.     

大陆边缘弧岩浆成因与大陆地壳形成

大陆地壳如何形成是国际学术界长期关注并正在持续攻关的一个重大基础科学问题。活动陆缘弧的岩浆成因和密度分选过程是理解大陆地壳形成机制和演化过程的关键。北美白垩纪Cordilleran大陆边缘弧的形成可能经历了与底侵幔源岩浆有关的下地壳部分熔融和岩浆混合,或幔源初始玄武质岩浆的两阶段成分分异过程,以花岗质成分为主的北美内华达地区垂向地壳成分剖面结构可能与榴辉岩相残留体或堆晶岩的拆沉作用密切相关。目前并不清楚亚洲大陆南部以约200 Ma和约90 Ma两个时间断面为代表的中生代冈底斯弧,为何出现大量角闪石岩并具有玄武安山质的平均成分。探究中生代冈底斯弧的岩浆成因、地壳垂向成分结构和地壳形成机制可能有助于或多或少地解决这一问题。     

Chemical composition and fractionation of the continental crust

A new estimate of the bulk continental crust is reported consisting of 57 percent lower crust (60% felsic and 40% mafic granulites) and 43 percent upper crust. The proportions of crustal units are based on petrological observations (Bohlen &Mezger, 1989). The estimate of a bulk composition is intermediate between andesite and tonalite and is higher in Si, K, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ba, LREE, Pb, Th concentrations and lower in Mg, Ca, Sc, Mn, Fe than the crustal abundances reported byTaylor &McLennan (1985). Equal chemical composition between the upper crust and the felsic part of the lower crust is attained in balance computations if one restores a fraction of 12.5 percent S-type granite from the upper into the lower crust. An example of water-undersaturated partial melting and separation of a fraction of about 35 percent granitic magma at the conversion from amphibolite-into granulite-facies metasediments has been balanced bySchnetger (1988) in the Ivrea area (N. Italy). The worldwide observed discrepancy between a larger negative Eu anomaly in the upper crust compared with the half as large positive anomaly of the lower crust increasing from the early Precambrian to present has been explained by recycling of Ca-rich restite into the upper mantle. The composition of the Archean crust (example: Greenland) does not differ systematically from the post-Archean crust.

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Zusammenfassung Die chemische Zusammensetzung der gesamten kontinentalen Kruste, die zu 57% aus der Unterkruste (60% felsische und 40% mafische Granulite) und zu 43% aus Oberkruste besteht, wurde neu ermittelt. Die Proportionen der Krusteneinheiten beruhen auf petrologischen Beobachtungen (Bohlen &Mezger, 1989). Die geschätzte Zusammensetzung der Gesamtkruste liegt zwischen Andesit und Tonalit. Sie ist höher in den Gehalten an Si, K, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ba, LREE, Pb, Th und niedriger im Mg, Ca, Sc, Mn, Fe als die vonTaylor &McLennan (1985) mitgeteilten mittleren Krustenwerte. Die chemischen Unterschiede zwischen Ober- und Unterkruste werden ausgeglichen, wenn man die Substanz von 12,5% S-Typ-Granit von der Oberkruste abzieht und zur Unterkruste hinzufügt. Als typisches Beispiel der Abtrennung granitischer Partialschmelzen im wasseruntersättigten System wird das der variskischen Metamorphose von Metasedimenten in der Ivreazone (Nord-Italien) angesehen.Schnetger (1988) konnte hier mit einer chemischen Bilanz zeigen, daß die Umwandlung von amphibolitfaziellen zu granulitfaziellen Gesteinen mit dem Verlust von etwa 35% granitischer Schmelze verbunden war. Die negative Eu-Anomalie der Oberkruste ist weltweit doppelt so groß wie die positive Anomalie der Unterkruste. Diese in der Zeit vom Archaikum bis heute vergrößerte Diskrepanz läßt sich nur mit dem Verlust von Ca-reichen Restiten aus der Kruste an den Mantel erklären. Die chemische Zusammensetzung der kontinentalen Kruste hat sich sonst seit dem Archaikum nicht systematisch geändert, wie am Beispiel Grönlands gezeigt wird.

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Résumé Cette note propose une nouvelle estimation de la composition chimique d'ensemble de la croûte continentale, constituée pour 57% de croûte inférieure (60% de granulites felsiques et 40% de granulites mafiques) et pour 43% de croûte supérieure. Les proportions de ces unités crustales sont basées sur les observations pétrologiques (Bohlen etMezger 1989). La composition d'ensemble proposée est intermédiaire entre celles d'une andésite et d'une tonalite; par rapport aux abondances crustales données parTaylor etMcLennan (1985), les teneurs sont plus élevées en Si, K, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ba, LEE, Pb, Th et moins élevées en Mg, Ca, Sc, Mn, Fe. Si on tranfère de la croûte supérieure à la croûte inférieure la matière correspondant à 12,5% de granite de type S, la différence de composition entre ces deux croûtes disparaît. Un exemple typique de fusion partielle granitique en système sous-saturé en eau est fourni par le métamorphisme varisque de métasédiments dans la zone d'Ivrée (Italie du Nord). D'après ce bilan chimique établi parSchnetger (1988), le passage des roches du faciès des amphibolites à celui des granulites s'accompagne de la production d'environ 35% de magma granitique. L'anomalie négative en Eu de la croûte supérieure est partout le double de l'anomalie positive de la coûte inférieure. Cette différence, qui s'est accrue depuis l'Archéen jusqu'aujourd'hui, s'explique par le passage de restites riches en Ca dans le manteau supérieur. La composition d'ensemble de la croûte continentale ne s'est toutefois pas modifiée depuis l'Archéen, comme le montre l'exemple du Groenland.

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, 57% (60% 40% ), -43%. , (Bohlen & Mezger, 1989). . Taylor & McLennan (1985) Si, K, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ba, LREE, Pb, Th Mg, Ca, Sc, Mn, Fe. , 12,5% S, , . — , , . Schnetger (1988) , 35%. , . , , , , , . , .

     

Sm／Nd Evolution of Upper Mantle and Continental Crust：Constraints on Gowth Rates of the Continental Crust

A new approach to the investigation of the Sm/Nd evolution of the upper mantle directly from the data on lherzolite xenoliths is described in this paper.It is demonstrated that the model age TCHUR of an unmetasomatic iherzolite zenolith ca represent the mean depletion age of its mantle source, thus presenting a correlation trend between f^Sm/Nd and the mean depletion age of the upper mantle from the data on xenoliths.This correlation trend can also be derived from the data on river suspended loads as well as from granitoids.Based on the correlation trend mentioned above and mean depletion ages of the upper mantle at various geological times, an evolution curve for the mean f^Sm/Nd value of the upper mantle through geological time has been established.It is suggested that the upwilling of lower mantle material into the upper mantle and the recycling of continental crust material during the Archean were more active ,thus maintaining fairly constantf^Sm/Nd and εNd values during this time period. Similarly ,an evolution curve for the mean f^Sm/Nd value of the continental crust through geological time has also been established from the data of continental crust material.In the light of both evolution curves for the upper mantle and continental crust ,a growth curve for the continental crust has been worked out ,suggesting that :(1)about 30%(in volume )of the present crust was present as the continental crust at 3.8 Ga ago ;(2)the growth rate was much lower during the Archean ;and (3)the Proterozoic is another major period of time during which the continental crust wsa built up .     

Genesis and evolution of subduction-zone andesites: evidence from melt inclusions

Andesite magmatism plays a major role in continental crustal growth, but its subduction-zone origin and evolution is still a hotly debated topic. Compared with whole-rock analyses, melt inclusions (MIs) can provide important direct information on the processes of magma evolution. In this article, we synthesize data for melt inclusions hosted by phenocrysts in andesites, extracted from the GEOROC global compilation. These data show that melt inclusions entrapped by different phenocrysts have distinct compositions: olivine-hosted melt inclusions have basalt and basaltic andesite compositions, whereas melt inclusions in clinopyroxene and othopyroxene are mainly dacitic to rhyolitic. Hornblende-hosted melt inclusions have rhyolite composition. The compositions of melt inclusions entrapped by plagioclase are scattered, spanning from andesite to rhyolite. On the basis of the compositional data, we propose a mixing model for the genesis of the andesite, and a two-chamber mechanism to account for the evolution of the andesite. First, andesite melt is generated in the lower chamber by mixing of a basaltic melt derived from the mantle and emplaced in the lower crust with a felsic melt resulting from partial melting of crustal rocks. Olivine and minor plagioclase likely crystallize in the lower magma chamber. Secondly, the andesite melt ascends into the upper chamber where other phenocrysts crystallize. According to SiO₂-MgO diagrams of the MIs, evolution of the andesite in the upper chamber can be subdivided into two distinct stages. The early stage (I) is characterized by a phenocrystal assemblage of clinopyroxene + othopyroxene + plagioclase, whereas the late stage (II) is dominated by crystallization of plagioclase + hornblende.     

Creation and destruction of lower continental crust

Bulk continental crustal composition results from the net mass exchange between crust and mantle. Crustal addition is mainly by the rise of mantle-derived melts into and through the crust at convergent plate margins and (at a lower rate) within plate interiors. Crustal subtraction occurs by subduction of uppermost crust (sediment, continent-derived elements in hydrothermally altered oceanic crust), by subcrustal erosion at convergent margins and by delamination of lowermost crust following densifying gabbro-eclogite phase transformations that result in a crust-mantle density inversion. As the phase transformations only occur at high pressure, tectonic overthickening of the crust (to > 50 km) is required. The lowermost crust at continent-ocean and continent-continent convergent plate margins is more likely to experience these transient overthickening events (compressional orogenies) than is intraplate crust. Correspondingly, the preservation probability of mafic lower crust is greater for intraplate than for plate margin localities. Delamination of mafic lower crust is the main process for removing basic composition rocks from the crust, thereby creating »andesitic« crustal composition. Evidence for lower crustal delamination comes from »geochemically balanced« cross section of compressional belts, and from the high La/Yb ratios, lack of Eu anomalies, and high Sr contents in deep crustallyderived magmas from the base of tectonically over-thickened crust. These crustal magmas are often accompanied by mantle-derived basalts associated with crustal uplift and extension, both related to the coincident delamination of underlying mantle lithosphere.

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Zusammenfassung Die Gesamtzusammenfassung der Kontinentalen Kruste resultiert aus dem Massenaustausch zwischen Kruste und Mantel. Krustenzuwachs erfolgt hauptsächlich beim Aufstieg in und durch die Kruste von aus dem Mantel abstammenden Basalt an konvergierenden Plattengrenzen und zum geringeren Teil Plattenintern. Der Krustenabbau wird erreicht per Subduktion der obersten Kruste, durch subkrustale Erosion an konvergierenden Plattengrenzen (Sedimente, Elemente kontinentaler Herkunft von hydrothermal veränderter ozeanischer Kruste). Dies wird hervorgerufen von der Schichtspaltung der untersten Kruste nach der Verdichtung durch die Gabbro-Eklogit-Phasentransformation, welche in der Krusten-Mantel-Dichte-Inversion resultiert. Da die Phasentransformation nur unter hohen Drücken stattfindet, werden tektonische Mächtigkeitszunahmen der Kruste (> 50 km) benötigt. Die unterste Kruste in Bereichen von konvergierenden Kontinent-Ozean und Kontinent-Kontinent Plattengrenzen unterliegt einer größeren Wahrscheinlichkeit vorübergehende Mächtigkeitszunahmen zu erfahren als platteninterne Kruste. Dementsprechend ist die Erhaltungswahrscheinlichkeit von mafischer unterer Kruste für platteninterne Bereiche größer als für Plattengrenzen. Schichtspaltung von mafischer unterer Kruste ist der Hauptprozeß basisch zusammengesetzte Gesteine aus der Kruste zu entfernen, hierbei wird die Kruste in Richtung »andesitische« Zusammensetzung verändert. Hinweise für Schichtspaltung der unteren Kruste stammen von »geochemisch bilanzierten« Profilen aus druckhaft deformierten Zonen. Weiterhin sprechen dafür hohe La/Yb-Werte, das Fehlen von Eu-Anomalien und hohe Sr-Gehalte, wie sie an der Basis tektonisch verdickter Kruste in Magmen, die aus der tiefen Kruste stammen, gefunden werden. Diese krustalen Magmen werden häufig von Mantelbasalten begleitet, die zu Krustenhebung und Dehnung in Verbindung stehen; beides im Zusammenhang stehend zu der gleichzeitig stattfindenden Schichtspaltung der unterlagernden Mantellithosphäre.

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Résumé La composition d'ensemble de la croûte continentale résulte des échanges entre la croûte et le manteau. L'apport dans la croûte provient en ordre principal de la montée de basalte d'origine mantélique qui s'opère aux bordures des plaques convergentes et, dans une moindre mesure, à l'intérieur des plaques. Le départ hors de la croûte se produit par la subduction de la croûte supérieure (sédiments, éléments dérivés des continents dans la croûte océanique affectée d'altération hydrothermale), par érosion subcrustale le long des marges convergentes et par délamination à la base de la croûte, les transformations de phase gabbro-éclogitiques entraînant une augmentation de densité et une inversion de densité entre croûte et manteau. Comme ces transformations de phases ne se produisent qu'à haute pression, elles impliquent un épaississement tectonique de la croûte (jusqu'à plus de 50 Km). Le domaine probable de tels épaississement est la partie inférieure de la croûte en bordure des plaques convergentes continentocéan ou continent-continent (orogènes de compression), plutôt que la croûte intra-plaque. Inversement, la probabilité de conversion d'une croûte inférieure mafique est plus élevée au milieu des plaques que sur leurs bordures. La délamination de la croûte inférieure est le processus courant d'appauvrissement de la croûte en roches mafiques, avec création d'une composition crustale »andésitique«. Les arguments en faveur de cette delamination sub-crustale sont tirés de profils »géochimiquement équilibrés« dans les ceintures en compression, ainsi que des rapports La/Yb élevés, de l'absence d'anomalie de l'Eu et des hautes teneurs en Sr dans les magmas dérivés de la partie profonde des croûtes tectoniquement épaissies. Ces magmas crustaux sont souvent accompagnés de basaltes d'origine mantélique associés à un soulèvement et à une extension crustale, ces deux processus étant liés à la délamination concommittante de la lithosphère mantélique sousjacente.

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Rates of generation and growth of the continental crust

Models for when and how the continental crust was formed are constrained by estimates in the rates o crustal growth. The record of events preserved in the continental crust is heterogeneous in time with distinctive peaks and troughs of ages for igneous crystallisation, metamorphism, continental margin and mineralisation. For the most part these are global signatures, and the peaks of ages tend to b associated with periods of increased reworking of pre-existing crust, reflected in the Hf isotope ratios o zircons and their elevated oxygen isotope ratios. Increased crustal reworking is attributed to periods o crustal thickening associated with compressional tectonics and the development of supercontinents Magma types similar to those from recent within-plate and subduction related settings appear to hav been generated in different areas at broadly similar times before ~3.0 Ga. It can be difficult to put th results of such detailed case studies into a more global context, but one approach is to consider when plate tectonics became the dominant mechanism involved in the generation of juvenile continental crust The development of crustal growth models for the continental crust are discussed, and a number o models based on different data sets indicate that 65%-70% of the present volume of the continental crus was generated by 3 Ga. Such estimates may represent minimum values, but since ~3 Ga there has been reduction in the rates of growth of the continental crust. This reduction is linked to an increase in th rates at which continental crust is recycled back into the mantle, and not to a reduction in the rates a which continental crust was generated. Plate tectonics results in both the generation of new crust and it destruction along destructive plate margins. Thus, the reduction in the rate of continental crustal growth at ~3 Ga is taken to reflect the period in which plate tectonics became the dominant mechanism b which new continental crust was generated.     

克拉通、下地壳与大陆岩石圈——庆贺沈其韩先生百年华诞

把克拉通、下地壳和大陆岩石圈这几个重要的地质名词放在一起做文章的标题,其实只是想强调一个事情,即陆壳形成和稳定化的结果是形成大陆岩石圈。大陆岩石圈是地球圈层的基本单元,是现代板块构造运动的核心构件和核心载体。忽视大陆岩石圈,要讨论地球上大陆与大洋、地壳与地幔、地球的深部圈层与外部圈层、内部圈层间相互作用以及物质与能量的交换等问题都无法深入。大陆岩石的最初形成可能在冥古宙早期已经开始,全球大陆的稳定化即克拉通化一般认为完成于太古宙末,并开启了元古宙的新纪元。对大陆壳的形成机制和演化过程,已经有很多讨论,但是还存在许多争议。而对大陆岩石圈人们知之不多,文献中常常在早期的小的陆壳形成,即陆核或微陆块阶段,就将其与大陆岩石圈的概念混为一谈。岩石圈的形成固然是大陆形成演化的结果,但是岩石圈的物质组成、结构和物理性质等从最初形成到成熟并成为稳定的地球独立圈层并足以承担板块构造的重任,可能经历了不止一个阶段。本文强调应对岩石圈的形成和演化给予更多的关注,并深化研究大陆地壳形成、克拉通化对大陆岩石圈形成的贡献。

     

Rheology of Indian continental crust and upper mantle

A rheological model of the Indian shield has been constructed using the thermal structure derived from available surface heat flow and heat generation data and the flow properties of characteristic minerals and rocks like quartz, diabase and olivine which respectively represent the upper crust, lower crust and upper mantle. Lateral variations in the thicknesses of the brittle and ductile crust and of the brittle upper mantle have thus been obtained for different tectonic environments. Implications of these results to interpretation of the seismic structure of the Indian shield have been pointed out.     

Generalized geophysical model and dynamic properties of the continental crust

Detailed seismic investigations of the continental crust have produced evidence of definite regularities in the general layering of the consolidated crust despite its high degree of inhomogeneity. Three main layers may be resolved in the inner part of a continent: an upper layer with velocities of 5.8–6.4 km/s and a velocity gradient about 0.04–0.05 s⁻¹, an intermediate layer with velocities of 6.2–6.6 km/s and velocity gradient about zero, and a lower layer with velocities of 6.8–7.2 km/s and a high-velocity gradient of 0.05–0.1 s⁻¹. The intermediate layer is characteristically different not only because of its low average velocity gradient, but also because of its more pronounced horizontal layering, inversion zones, and its higher “transparency” and V_p/V_s ratio. The gravity and magnetic data have shown that basement inhomogeneities disappear at the top of the intermediate layer. Also there are few earthquakes in this layer. These pecularities may be interpreted as the result of partial melting (weakening) of rocks and their possible horizontal mobility inside this layer.Thus, dynamic models of tectonic processes must take into consideration the possible existence of a weak zone in the crust.     

Lithium isotopic composition and concentration of the upper continental crust

The Li isotopic composition of the upper continental crust is estimated from the analyses of well-characterized shales, loess, granites and upper crustal composites (51 samples in total) from North America, China, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Correlations between Li, δ⁷Li, and chemical weathering (as measured by the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA)), and δ⁷Li and the clay content of shales (as measured by Al₂O₃/SiO₂), reflect uptake of heavy Li from the hydrosphere by clays. S-type granites from the Lachlan fold belt (-1.1 to -1.4‰) have δ⁷Li indistinguishable from their associated sedimentary rocks (-0.7 to 1.2‰), and show no variation in δ⁷Li throughout the differentiation sequence, suggesting that isotopic fractionation during crustal anatexis and subsequent differentiation is less than analytical uncertainty (±1‰, 2σ). The isotopically light compositions for both I- and S-type granites from the Lachlan fold belt (-2.5 to + 2.7 ‰) and loess from around the world (-3.1 to + 4.5‰) reflect the influence of weathering in their source regions. Collectively, these lithologies possess a limited range of Li isotopic compositions (δ⁷Li of −5‰ to + 5‰), with an average (δ⁷Li of 0 ± 2‰ at 1σ) that is representative of the average upper continental crust. Thus, the Li isotopic composition of the upper continental crust is lighter than the average upper mantle (δ⁷Li of + 4 ± 2‰), reflecting the influence of weathering on the upper crustal composition. The concentration of Li in the upper continental crust is estimated to be 35 ± 11 ppm (2σ), based on the average loess composition and correlations between insoluble elements (Ti, Nb, Ta, Ga and Al₂O₃, Th and HREE) and Li in shales. This value is somewhat higher than previous estimates (∼20 ppm), but is probably indistinguishable when uncertainties in the latter are accounted for.     

Exhumation of subducted continental crust along the arc region

The Kutná Hora crystalline complex (KHCC) in the Bohemian Massif is a HP/HT complex adjacent to the magmatic arc. It is dominated by migmatite, orthogneiss and granulite with bodies of eclogite and peridotite. The KHCC migmatite consists of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, phengite, biotite, garnet and kyanite. Melting conditions were estimated at 780 °C and >16 kbar and inferred melt volume varies between 1 and 4 vol%. Peak temperature is 865 °C at 18–19 kbar followed by decompression in the presence of melt to 12–13 kbar and 770–800 °C. U-Pb monazite geochronology reveals a spread of ages between 550 Ma and 330 Ma. REE patterns show low Yb/Gd for 550–500 Ma, high Yb/Gd for ages at ~480 Ma, and decreasing Yb/Gd towards ~340 Ma. First monazite in equilibrium with garnet constrains the HP metamorphism to ~350 Ma, which is followed by recrystallization of monazite down to 325 Ma. U-Pb zircon geochronology displays an age range from ~670 Ma to ~430 Ma. The broad age range records a span of protolith crystallization and/or old metamorphism. The presence of HP ky + mu migmatite, their P–T path, protolith zircon and monazite metamorphic ages and whole-rock geochemistry are similar to HP migmatites in the Eger crystalline complex (ECC) in the Saxothuringian domain further in the west. We propose the following geodynamic scenario for subduction-relamination-exhumation mechanism: (i) subduction of the Saxothuringian continental lithosphere at 360 Ma related to early stage of trans-lithospheric diapirism triggered by arc-related magma weakening; (ii) large-scale emplacement of relaminant into the upper plate lithosphere at 350–340 Ma; and (iii) return flow of the relaminant along the subduction interface (the ECC) and emplacement of relaminant in the upper–middle crust in the rear part of the arc system (the KHCC) at 340–330 Ma.     

Density constraints on the formation of the continental Moho and crust

The densities of mantle magmas such as MORB-like tholeiites, picrites, and komatiites at 10 kilobars are greater than densities for diorites, quartz diorites, granodiorites, and granites which dominate the continental crust. Because of these density relations primary magmas from the mantle will tend to underplate the base of the continental crust. Magmas ranging in composition from tholeiites which are more evolved than MORB to andesite can have densities which are less than rocks of the continental crust at 10 kilobars, particularly if they have high water contents. The continental crust can thus be a density filter through which only evolved magmas containing H₂O may pass. This explains why primary magmas from the mantle such as the picrites are so rare. Both the over-accretion (i.e., Moho penetration) and the under-accretion (i.e., Moho underplating) of magmas can readily explain complexities in the lithological characteristics of the continental Moho and lower crust. Underplating of the continental crust by dense magmas may perturb the geotherm to values which are characteristic of those in granulite to greenschist facies metamorphic sequences in orogenic belts. An Archean continental crust floating on top of a magma flood or ocean of tholeiite to komatiite could have undergone a major cleansing process; dense blocks of peridotite, greenstone, and high density sediments such as iron formation could have been returned to the mantle, granites sweated to high crustal levels, and a high grade felsic basement residue established.     

Mechanism of continental crust subsidence in the Alpine Belt

Formation of deep basins on continental crust in fold belts is often explained by stretching. This mechanism inevitably produces large deformations in the upper crust. No deformations typical of significant stretching were revealed in the predominant part of deep basins on continental crust in the Alpine Belt. This means that these basins were not produced by stretching. Most basins were formed during a short period of time of a few million years. The short duration of the subsidences eliminates thermal relaxation as the mechanism. The space and time relationships between the subsidence and orogeny and the profile of the basin floor exclude thrust loading as a cause of formation for practically all large basins. Gabbro to eclogite transformation is suggested as a mechanism of rapid subsidence. This occurs under the upwelling of hydrous asthenosphere at moderate temperature to the base of the crust. Eclogite sinking into the mantle results in a strong attenuation of the crust and lithosphere, which permits intense subsequent folding. The major part of deep basins in continental crust that formed by rapid subsidence was intensely shortened in the Alpine Belt. Significant crustal shortening did not spread over the cratonic lithosphere.     

Heterogeneous magnesium isotopic composition of the upper continental crust

High-precision Mg isotopic data are reported for ∼100 well-characterized samples (granites, loess, shales and upper crustal composites) that were previously used to estimate the upper continental crust composition. Magnesium isotopic compositions display limited variation in eight I-type granites from southeastern Australia (δ²⁶Mg = −0.25 to −0.15) and in 15 granitoid composites from eastern China (δ²⁶Mg = −0.35 to −0.16) and do not correlate with SiO₂ contents, indicating the absence of significant Mg isotope fractionation during differentiation of granitic magma. Similarly, the two S-type granites, which represent the two end-members of the S-type granite spectrum from southeastern Australia, have Mg isotopic composition (δ²⁶Mg = −0.23 and −0.14) within the range of their potential source rocks (δ²⁶Mg = −0.20 and +0.15) and I-type granites, suggesting that Mg isotope fractionation during crustal anatexis is also insignificant. By contrast, δ²⁶Mg varies significantly in 19 A-type granites from northeastern China (−0.28 to +0.34) and may reflect source heterogeneity.Compared to I-type and S-type granites, sedimentary rocks have highly heterogeneous and, in most cases, heavier Mg isotopic compositions, with δ²⁶Mg ranging from −0.32 to +0.05 in nine loess from New Zealand and the USA, from −0.27 to +0.49 in 20 post-Archean Australian shales (PAAS), and from −0.52 to +0.92 in 20 sedimentary composites from eastern China. With increasing chemical weathering, as measured by the chemical index of alternation (CIA), δ²⁶Mg values show a larger dispersion in shales than loess. Furthermore, δ²⁶Mg correlates negatively with δ⁷Li in loess. These characteristics suggest that chemical weathering significantly fractionates Mg isotopes and plays an important role in producing the highly variable Mg isotopic composition of sedimentary rocks.Based on the estimated proportions of major rock units within the upper continental crust and their average MgO contents, a weighted average δ²⁶Mg value of −0.22 is derived for the average upper continental crust. Our studies indicate that Mg isotopic composition of the upper crust is, on average, mantle-like but highly heterogeneous, with δ²⁶Mg ranging from −0.52 to +0.92. Such large isotopic variation mainly results from chemical weathering, during which light Mg isotopes are lost to the hydrosphere, leaving weathered products (e.g., sedimentary rocks) with heavy Mg isotopes.