Nd-Sr-Pb systematics and age of the Kings River ophiolite,California: implications for depleted mantle evolution

Sm-Nd whole-rock and mineral data for the Kings River ophiolite define two isochrons of 485±21 Ma and 285±45 Ma age with _Nd (483)= +10.7±0.5 and Nd (285)= +9.9±1.1, respectively. The 483 Ma isochron is defined by samples of the main igneous construct. Samples from crosscutting diabase dikes and flaser gabbro sheets within the peridotite unit yield the 285 Ma isochron. The 483 Ma data provide the first evidence of lower Paleozoic oceanic crust in the Sierran ophiolite belt. New U-Pb analyses of zircons from a plagiogranite lying on the 483 Ma Sm-Nd isochron yield upper and lower intercepts with the concordia of 430 _–60 ⁺²⁰⁰ and 183±15 Ma. Published zircon ages have underestimated the primary age of the ophiolite by 200–300 m.y. due to the effects of polymetamorphism. The 483 Ma samples have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7023–0.7030, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=17.14–17.82, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.37–15.52, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=36.80–37.38. The 285 Ma samples have similar initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, but more radiogenic Pb. The range in Sr and Pb compositions is probably due to introduction of radiogenic Sr and Pb during multiple post-emplacement metamorphic events. The high _Nd, low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb of the least disturbed samples are clearly diagnostic of a midocean ridge origin for the 483 Ma portion of the ophiolite. Igneous activity at 285 Ma is thought to have occurred in an arc or back-arc setting, or perhaps along a leaky transform. The initial _Nd (483)=+10.7 is indistinguishable from that of the similar age Trinity Peridotite (Jacobsen et al. 1984). This value is the highest yet reported for the Mesozoic or Paleozoic depleted mantle and requires either a mantle source that was depleted 850 m.y. earlier than average or a source more highly depleted than average. Alternatively, if such values were more typical of the early Paleozoic mantle than is currently thought, then there has been little evolution of the depleted mantle over the last 500 m.y. This requires that the modern mantle has been refluxed by material with low _Nd, such as continental crust.Division Contribution # 4302 (530)     

Global warming of the mantle beneath continents back to the Archaean

Throughout its history, the Earth has experienced global magmatic events that correlate with the formation of supercontinents. This suggests that the distribution of continents at the Earth's surface is fundamental in regulating mantle temperature. Nevertheless, most large igneous provinces (LIPs) are explained in terms of the interaction of a hot plume with the lithosphere, even though some do not show evidence for such a mechanism. The aggregation of continents impacts on the temperature and flow of the underlying mantle through thermal insulation and enlargement of the convection wavelength. Both processes tend to increase the temperature below the continental lithosphere, eventually triggering melting events without the involvement of hot plumes. This model, called mantle global warming, has been tested using 3D numerical simulations of mantle convection [Coltice, N., Phillips, B.R., Bertrand, H., Ricard, Y., Rey, P. (2007) Global warming of the mantle at the origin of flood basalts over supercontinents. Geology 35, 391–394.]. Here, we apply this model to several continental flood basalts (CFBs) ranging in age from the Mesozoic to the Archaean. Our numerical simulations show that the mantle global warming model could account for the peculiarities of magmatic provinces that developed during the formation of Pangea and Rodinia, as well as putative Archaean supercontinents such as Kenorland and Zimvaalbara.     

Petrology and geochemistry of xenoliths from the Northern Baltic shield: evidence for partial melting and metasomatism in the lower crust beneath an Archaean terrane

Lower crustal xenoliths entrained in a Paleozoic ultramafic lamprophyre breccia pipe on Elovy island, Kola peninsula, Russia, represent some of the oldest lower crustal material yet investigated from Europe. The xenoliths vary from feldspar-poor, garnetrich rocks which resemble eclogites, to feldspar-rich garnet granulites. Quartz-rich felsic granulites, as well as pyroxenites and amphibole-rich rocks are also present.

The mafic granulites/eclogites represent a suite of gabbros and norites that is related by olivine fractionation. The igneous protoliths may have formed in a manner analogous to lower crustal rocks from most other European xenolith localities, i.e. by basaltic underplating, but magmatic cumulates are not in evidence.

The Kola lower crust was subjected to one or more metasomatic events which introduced up to 45% phlogopite and/or amphibole into both eclogites/granulites and pyroxenites. The resulting rocks have strong enrichments in Rb, Ba, and K, indicating that the lower crust is not uniformly depleted in LIL and heat-producing elements. Siliceous (65% SiO₂) and mafic (< 50% SiO₂) lithologies coexist in migmatitic xenoliths, which provide evidence for partial melting processes and restite formation in mafic metaigneous lower crust. The relationship, if any, between partial melting and metasomatism is unclear.     

Mafic dykes derived from Early Cretaceous depleted mantle beneath the Dabie orogenic belt: implications for changing lithosphere mantle beneath Eastern China

SHRIMP zircon U–Pb geochronological, elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic data from Early Cretaceous mafic dykes in North Dabie orogenic belt elucidate a change of Mesozoic lithospheric mantle in eastern China. The dykes are predominantly dolerite with the major mineral assemblage clinopyroxene + hornblende + plagioclase and yield a SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age of 111.6 ± 5.3 Ma. They have a narrow range of SiO₂ from 46.16% to 49.78%, and relative low concentrations of K₂O (1.07−2.62%), Na₂O (2.45−3.54%), Al₂O₃ (13.04−14.07%), and P₂O₅ (0.42−0.55%) but relatively high concentration of MgO (5.94–6.61%) with Mg^# 52–54. All the samples are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g., Ba, Th) and high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Nb, Ti). (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios from 0.704 to 0.705, ε_Nd values from 3.36 to 4.33 and mantle‐depletion Nd model ages (T_2DM) in the range 0.56–0.64 Ga indicate that the magma of the Baiyashan mafic dykes was derived from a young depleted mantle source. This finding is different from previous research on mafic dykes in the age range 120–138 Ma that revealed enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE, high initial Sr isotopic ratios and negative ε_Nd, value which represents an old enriched mantle source. Ours is the first report of the existence of Early Cretaceous depleted mantle in eastern China and it implies that changing of enriched mantle to depleted mantle occurred at ca. 112 Ma, associated with back‐arc extension which resulted from the subduction of the Palaeo‐Pacific Plate towards the Asian Continent. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Archaean mantle metasomatism below eastern Indian craton: Evidence from trace elements,REE geochemistry and Sr—Nd—O isotope systematics of ultramafic dykes

Trace, rare earth elements (REE), Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and O isotope studies have been carried out on ultramafic (harzburgite and lherzolite) dykes belonging to the newer dolerite dyke swarms of eastern Indian craton. The dyke swarms were earlier considered to be the youngest mafic magmatic activity in this region having ages not older than middle to late Proterozoic. The study indicates that the ultramafic members of these swarms are in fact of late Archaean age (Rb-Sr isochron age 2613 ± 177 Ma, Sri ∼ 0.702 ± 0.004) which attests that out of all the cratonic blocks of India, eastern Indian craton experienced earliest stabilization event. Primitive mantle normalized trace element plots of these dykes display enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE), pronounced Ba, Nb and Sr depletions but very high concentrations of Cr and Ni. Chondrite normalised REE plots exhibit light REE (LREE) enrichment with nearly flat heavy REE (HREE; (ΣHREE)_N ∼ 2–3 times chondrite, (Gd/Yb)_N ∼ 1). The ε^Nd(t) values vary from +1.23 to -3.27 whereas δ¹⁸O values vary from +3.16‰ to +5.29‰ (average +3.97‰±0.75‰) which is lighter than the average mantle value. Isotopic, trace and REE data together indicate that during 2.6 Ga the nearly primitive mantle below the eastern Indian Craton was metasomatised by the fluid (± silicate melt) coming out from the subducting early crust resulting in LILE and LREE enriched, Nb depleted, variable ε^Nd, low Sr_i(0.702) and low δ¹⁸O bearing EMI type mantle. Magmatic blobs of this metasomatised mantle were subsequently emplaced in deeper levels of the granitic crust which possibly originated due to the same thermal pulse.     

The western border of the Archaean province of the Baltic shield: evidence from northern Sweden

Restricted areas of acid to intermediate gneisses in northernmost Sweden are known to be Archaean and several other gneissic granodioritic to tonalitic massifs have been suggested to be of this age. To delimit the western border of the Archaean province of the Baltic Shield, and to characterize the Swedish Archaean, we have studied the 2.83 Ga old Soppero gneiss and 8 of the proposed Archaean massifs in northern Sweden by Sm-Nd isotopic analyses, U-Pb zircon dating (in two cases), and geochemistry.Of the Archaean gneisses proposed thus far, only those from the Soppero and Kukkola areas have Archaean ages (2.83 and 2.67 Ga, respectively). These gneisses have geochemical characteristics such as LREE-enrichment, low U-contents, and low K/Na-ratios, which are typical of Archaean TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) rocks worldwide. The REE results indicate that the Soppero and the Kukkola gneisses were generated by partial melting of basic rocks, presumably amphibolites. According to the Sm-Nd isotopic data for the Soppero gneiss, this process occurred only a short time after initial segregation from the mantle ( _Nd values between +0.9 and +3.5). The Kukkola gneiss, however, has longer crustal residence time as indicated by negative _Nd values (–1.0 and –2.5) at the U-Pb zircon age of 2.67 Ga. Evidence in support of an important event at that time is given by secondary overgrowth on zircon cores in the 2.83 Ga old Soppero gneiss.The Sm-Nd isotope results show that the Proterozoic granitoids in northern Sweden have a decreasing involvement of Archaean source material with increasing distance from the Archaean areas. Before the Proterozoic reworking, the rather small Archaean areas in northern Sweden presumably belonged to a large continuous Archaean craton. The western palaeoboundary of this craton in Sweden probably follows approximately a line extrapolated from the western limit of the Archaean of central Finland, passing west of Kukkola, and then continues to the Lofoten area in northern Norway.     

Lead isotope systematics of some igneous rocks from the Egyptian shield

Lead isotope data on late Precambrian igneous rocks from the eastern desert of Egypt are presented. Previous work has indicated that this igneous suite is characterized by uniformly low initial ratios of ${}^{37}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ (< 0.7035). The Pb data define three groups, loosely corresponding to age. An older tonalite to granodiorite (OTG) suite, with ages in the range 610–710 Ma, has Pb isotope characteristics similar to modern, mantle-derived oceanic mafic rocks. The age-corrected initial Pb isotope ratios of the OTG group lie near the “ocean regression line” in correlation diagrams of ${}^{206}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ vs. ${}^{207}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ and ${}^{203}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$. The isotope data imply an origin for the OTG group analogous to calc-alkalic igneous rocks in modern intra-oceanic island arcs.A younger suite of K-rich plutonic rocks (570–595 Ma) has similar ${}^{206}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ and ${}^{208}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ initial ratios relative to the OTG suite, but have higher ${}^{207}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ initial ratios when calculated from measured whole-rock U and Pb contents. However, K-feldspar and galena, associated with this suite, indicate initial Pb isotope ratios close to the OTG suite. We interpret this to indicate that the younger granites could have originated by anatexis of OTG-type material, but they probably experienced an episode of metasomatism after emplacement.A suite of volcanic rocks (the Dokhan Volcanics) from the central eastern desert are intermediate between the younger granites and OTG in both age (～ 610 Ma) and Pb isotope characteristics.Limited data on initial ${}^{208}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}$ ratios suggest that all the Egyptian samples originated from a source with anomalously low $\text{Th}\text{Pb}$ ratios.Although the relative abundance of granitic rocks in the Egyptian Shield decreases to the south, no evidence of north-south heterogeneity in the Pb isotope composition of the respective source regions is apparent in the data. However, the westernmost sample studied, from the Aswan area, contains distinctly more radiogenic Pb relative to the mean. This location may mark the boundary between the Late Precambrian ensimatic orogen now outcropping in the Egyptian and Saudi Arabian Shields, and an older sialic craton to the west.     

Evolution of the depleted mantle: Hf isotope evidence from juvenile rocks through time

The covariant behavior of Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotopes during most magmatic processes has long been recognized, but the details of this behavior in the depleted mantle reservoir have not been adequately examined. We report new whole-rock Hf and Nd isotope data for 1) juvenile, mantle-derived rocks, mid-Archean to Mesozoic in age, and 2) early Archean gneisses from West Greenland. Hf and Nd isotopic compositions of the juvenile rocks are well correlated, with the best fit corresponding to the equation ε_Hf = 1.40 ε_Nd + 2.1, and is similar to the collective Hf-Nd correlation for terrestrial samples of ε_Hf = 1.36 ε_Nd + 3.0. The early Archean Greenland gneisses, in contrast, have an extreme range in ε_Nd values (⁻4.4 to ⁺4.2; Bennett et al., 1993) that is not mirrored by the Hf isotopic system. The ε_Hf values for these rocks are consistently positive and have much less variation (0 to ⁺3.4) than their ε_Nd counterparts.The information from the Hf isotopic compositions of the West Greenland gneisses portrays an early Archean mantle that is relatively isotopically homogeneous at 3.8 to 3.6 Ga and moderately depleted in incompatible elements. There is no evidence that any of these gneisses have been derived from an enriched reservoir. The Hf isotopic data are in stark contrast to the Nd isotopic record and strongly imply that the picture of extreme initial isotopic heterogeneity indicated by Nd isotopes is not a real feature of the West Greenland gneisses but is rather an artifact produced by disturbances in the Sm-Nd isotope system of these rocks.Although Hf and Nd isotopic data do not uniquely constrain either the nature of the earliest crust or the timing of crustal growth, the most probable candidate for the enriched reservoir complementary to the depleted mantle in the pre-4.0 Ga Earth is a mafic, oceanic-type crust. In order to explain the predominantly positive ε_Hf and ε_Nd values for the early Archean rocks, this crust must have had a short residence time at the surface of the Earth before returning to the mantle where it was isolated from mixing with the depleted mantle for several hundred million years. The following period from 3.5 to 2.7 Ga may mark a transition during which this early formed mafic crust was mixed progressively back into the depleted mantle reservoir. While a present-day volume of continental crust at 4.0 Ga cannot be excluded on isotopic grounds, we find such a scenario unlikely based on the lack of direct isotopic and physical evidence for its existence. An important aspect of crustal growth and evolution, therefore, may be the transformation of the enriched reservoir from being predominantly mafic in the early Earth to becoming progressively more sialic through time.     

华北克拉通西北部显生宙岩石圈地幔属性与演化特征: 橄榄岩捕虏体证据

众所周知,华北克拉通东部岩石圈地幔的组成和性质在显生宙发生了显著变化,但由于西部出露含有捕虏体的火山岩较少,这在一定程度上限制了人们对该区岩石圈地幔属性与演化特征的认识。本文将华北克拉通西北部晚白垩世-新生代玄武岩中橄榄岩捕虏体的研究成果归纳总结,旨在进一步揭示该区岩石圈地幔的属性与演化特征。研究表明,华北克拉通西北部岩石圈地幔主要由低Mg^#的二辉橄榄岩和少量高Mg^#的方辉橄榄岩组成。高Mg^#橄榄岩代表该区受轻微再富集作用影响的古老岩石圈地幔残余,低Mg^#橄榄岩是软流圈来源熔体与高Mg^#橄榄岩反应的产物,代表地幔再富集作用对古老岩石圈地幔改造的结果。该区岩石圈地幔经历了多期地幔交代作用的改造,早期交代事件与古亚洲洋俯冲有关,近期与软流圈来源的玄武质熔体有关。这种广泛的地幔再富集作用对华北克拉通古老岩石圈地幔的转变做出了重要贡献。

     

Hf-Nd-Sr isotope systematics of garnet pyroxenites from Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii: Evidence for a depleted component in Hawaiian volcanism

We present the first comprehensive major, trace element and Hf, Nd and Sr isotope investigation of clinopyroxene and garnet mineral separates from a set of garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths from the Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii. These xenoliths occur in the posterosional Honolulu Volcanics Series lavas and represent some of the deepest samples from the oceanic mantle lithosphere. Our study shows that the Salt Lake Crater pyroxenites represent high pressure (>20 kb) accumulates from melts similar (but not identical) to the erupted Honolulu Volcanics, and unlike MORB or E-MORB-type melts. All clinopyroxene-garnet mineral pairs in these xenoliths show, within error, zero-age Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotope systematics. These pyroxenites have relatively radiogenic Hf isotope compositions (for a given Nd) and define a distinct steep slope (3.3) in ε_Hf-ε_Nd isotope space, similar to the Honolulu Volcanics but unlike other ocean island basalts (OIB). These compositions require an end-member component that falls above the OIB array in Nd-Hf space. This component is different than present-day MORB-mantle and it is best explained by an old depleted oceanic lithosphere. We suggest that this depleted component most likely represents a recycled depleted lithosphere that is intrinsic to the Hawaiian plume. In this respect, the Hawaiian plume is sampling both the enriched portion of a subducted oceanic crust (basalt and sediments) as well as the depleted lithospheric portion of it. This suggests that, at least for Hawaii, the whole subducted oceanic slab package has retained its integrity during subduction and subsequent mixing and storage in the mantle, probably in the order of a billion years, and that the plume is sampling the full range of these compositions.     

华北克拉通东部显生宙地幔演化

华北克拉通东部显生宙以来的地幔可以划分为3种类型:克拉通型地幔,大陆活动带型地幔和大陆裂谷型地幔。1 700 Ma—古生代末,地幔属于克拉通型:ε(Nd,t)值高于-5,为弱富集型;层圈相互作用以幔源的熔体和/或流体与古老的岩石圈地幔的作用为主,但规模较小,范围局部。100 Ma以前的中生代地幔属于“大陆活动带型”:ε(Nd,t)值低,在-5以下,为富集型;地幔中含有地壳的组分,层圈相互作用以下地壳与弱化的岩石圈地幔之间的作用为主;发生的时间为190~100 Ma,高峰期在130 Ma左右;发生的部位邻近莫霍面,导源的岩浆多为钙碱性系列,部位浅,活动范围广泛。100 Ma至新生代,地幔属于“大陆裂谷型”:为亏损型的软流圈地幔,ε(Nd,t)值高,几乎均为正值。层圈相互作用转变为软流圈岩石圈地幔之间的作用,转变的时间具有约40 Ma的过渡时期,前锋开始于100~109 Ma,导源的岩浆大致沿NWW和NEE向的大型断裂带分布。进一步证实了软流圈地幔上隆的不均匀性和主动性。     

Thermal evolution of the Indian shield and its subjacent mantle

The estimate of the paleothermal state (at −3 Ga) of the Indian shield is deduced using pressure and temperature estimates from the mineral assemblages combined with models of the heat transport mechanism and depth distribution of radiogenic heat in the crust. We find that at 3 Ga ago, the mean thermal gradient within the crust, reduced heat flow and mean mantle temperature were 28°C/km 1.08 h.f.u. and 2350°C, respectively.     

Oxygen isotope heterogeneity of the mantle beneath the Canary Islands: insights from olivine phenocrysts

A relatively narrow range of oxygen isotopic ratios (?? ¹⁸O?=?5.0?C5.4??) is preserved in olivine of mantle xenoliths, mid-ocean ridge (MORB), and most ocean island basalts (OIB). The values in excess of this range are generally attributed either to the presence of a recycled component in the Earth??s mantle or to shallow level contamination processes. A viable way forward to trace source heterogeneity is to find a link between chemical (elemental and isotopic) composition of the earlier crystallized mineral phases (olivine) and the composition of their parental magmas, then using them to reconstruct the composition of source region. The Canary hotspot is one of a few that contains ~1- to 2-Ga-old recycled ocean crust that can be traced to the core-mantle boundary using seismic tomography and whose origin is attributed to the mixing of at least three main isotopically distinct mantle components i.e. HIMU, DMM, and EM. This work reports ion microprobe and single crystal laser fluorination oxygen isotope data of 148 olivine grains also analyzed for major and minor elements in the same spot. The olivines are from 20 samples resembling the most primitive shield stage picrite through alkali basalt to basanite series erupted on Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, Canary Islands, for which shallow level contamination processes were not recognized. A broad range of ?? ¹⁸O_olivine values from 4.6 to 6.1?? was obtained and explained by stable, long-term oxygen isotope heterogeneity of crystal cumulates present under different volcanoes. These cumulates are thought to have crystallized from mantle-derived magmas uncontaminated at crustal depth, representing oxygen isotope heterogeneity of source region. A relationship between Ni?×?FeO/MgO and ?? ¹⁸O_olivine values found in one basanitic lava erupted on El Hierro, the westernmost island of the Canary Archipelago, was used to estimate oxygen isotope compositions of partial melts presumably originated from peridotite (HIMU-type component inherited its radiogenic isotope composition from ancient, ~1 to 2?Ga, recycled ocean crust) and pyroxenite (young, <1?Ga, recycled oceanic crust preserved as eclogite with depleted MORB-type isotopic signature) components of the Canary plume. The model calculations yield 5.2 and 5.9?±?0.3?? for peridotite- and pyroxenite-derived melts, respectively, which appeared to correspond closely to the worldwide HIMU-type OIB and upper limit N-MORB ?? ¹⁸O values. This difference together with the broad range of ?? ¹⁸O variations found in the Canarian olivines cannot be explained by thermodynamic effects of oxygen isotopic fractionation and are believed to represent true variations in the mantle, due to oceanic crust and continental lithosphere recycling.     

Oxygen isotope ratios of phenocrysts from alkali basalts of the Pannonian basin: Evidence for an O-isotopically homogeneous upper mantle beneath a subduction-influenced area

Oxygen isotope compositions of olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts and pyroxene and amphibole megacrysts from Neogene alkali basalts of the Pannonian basin (0.5–11 Ma) have been determined by laser fluorination. Measured δ¹⁸O values in olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts show rather restricted variations from 5.00 to 5.20‰ and from 5.07 to 5.34%., respectively, with cpx-ol fractionations Δ¹⁸O(cpx-ol) ranging from + 0.04 to + 0.29‰. These δ¹⁸O values are significantly lower than those of the corresponding whole rocks, suggesting that low temperature alteration has increased the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios of the groundmass of host rocks, even in fresh looking samples, whereas their phenocrysts have retained original oxygen isotope compositions. The uniform oxygen isotope ratio in the phenocrysts suggests that the mantle source of the alkali basalts was also homogeneous with respect to its oxygen isotope composition, which is in contrast to the relatively wide variation of Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios in the source. Variations in radiogenic isotope compositions in the basalts have been explained by the interaction of subduction-related fluids with the mantle source of the basalts. If this is the case, then the fluids which caused significant changes in the Sr and Pb isotope ratios of the mantle source clearly did not noticeably modify its oxygen isotope composition. These data support the opinion that the upper mantle is more homogeneous with respect to its oxygen isotope composition than it was previously considered.     

Modification of the subcontinental mantle beneath East Serbia: Evidence from orthopyroxene-rich xenoliths

Orthopyroxene-rich olivine websterite xenoliths (OWB₂) in Palaeogene basanites in East Serbia are mostly composed of tabular low-Al₂O₃ orthopyroxene (> 70 vol.%, Mg# 85–87) containing tiny Cr spinel inclusions. Orthopyroxene shows a slightly U-shaped primitive mantle-normalized trace element pattern with strong peaks at U and Pb, similar to that of orthopyroxene from normal regional peridotitic mantle. In between the orthopyroxenes are interstitial spaces composed of partially altered olivine (Mg# 85–87), clinopyroxene, Ti-rich spinel, Mg-bearing calcite, K-feldspar, apatite, ilmenite and relicts of a hydrous mineral. Clinopyroxene appears as selvages around orthopyroxene and as coarser euhedral crystals. Trace element patterns of the clinopyroxene selvages resemble those of adjacent orthopyroxene, whereas the coarser ones have flatter and more LREE- and LILE-enriched patterns, similar to that of metasomatic clinopyroxene. The OWB₂ xenoliths are interpreted as having formed in two stages. During Stage I orthopyroxene crystallized, along with some spinel, olivine and probably hydrous phase(s). This original OWB₂ lithology was a hydrous olivine-bearing orthopyroxenite that crystallised from subduction-related SiO₂-saturated, boninite-like magmas. During Stage II the interstitial minerals formed due to infiltration of a low-SiO₂, high-CaO and CO₂-rich external melt, accompanied by decomposition of original H₂O-bearing minerals. The calculated composition of the infiltrating liquid corresponds to a mafic alkaline melt similar to the basanitic host but more enriched in CO₂, LREE and LILE. Metasomatism is interpreted in terms of small degree melts related to the Palaeogene mafic alkaline magmatism.     

华北中、新生代岩石圈地幔的交代作用：含金云母地幔岩提供的证据

本文对华北克拉通三个不同地区（河北汉诺坝、内蒙古集宁三义堂、河南鹤壁）新发现的含金云母尖晶石二辉橄榄岩和尖晶石橄榄单斜辉石岩捕虏体进行了详细的矿物组成、单斜辉石的微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素研究.通过与相同地区不含金云母尖晶石二辉橄榄岩捕虏体的系统对比发现通常含金云母的地幔橄榄岩比不含金云母的地幔橄榄岩岩富Al2O3、CaO、NaO、K2O、TiO2,但相对贫镁;其单斜辉石的LREE更为富集,但Sr、Nd同位素组成则相对亏损.这说明地幔交代作用不仅能够造成地幔橄榄岩的玄武质组分和稀土元素的富集,而且亦能够造成全岩和橄榄石Mg#的降低和同位素组成的相对亏损.捕虏体的Rb-Sr等时线年龄暗示地幔交代作用发生在中、新生代;其交代熔体来源于软流圈.同时说明华北新生代岩石圈地幔普遍存在的主、微量元素和同位素组成类似于“大洋型”岩石圈地幔的特征很可能是岩石圈地幔橄榄岩与软流圈来源的熔体的大规模反应的结果,而非真正意义上的新增生的岩石圈地幔.     

Middle to late Archaean geology of the eastern Baltic shield,with a note on its similarity and contrast with the Archaean of southern India

The middle to late Archaean rocks of Kola and Karelia in the eastern Baltic shield consist of the Infracomplex overlain by the Saamian complex, and the Lopian greenstone belts. The Infracomplex which forms the basement is a polymigmatite, parts of which are at least 3100 Ma old. The Saamian in the central Belomorian region comprises granite gneiss, amphibolite, garnet-kyanite gneiss and high alumina gneisses which belong to the Keret, Hetolombina and Chupa suites. The Lopian greenstone belts ranging in age from 3000 to 2700 Ma are composed of peridotitic, pyroxenitic and basaltic komatiites, tholeiitic basalts, andesites, dacites and rhyolites, together with tuffs, graywackes and iron formations. Whereas there is a dominance of volcanic over sedimentary rocks in the greenstone belts of the Baltic shield, a significant proportion of detrital and chemogenic sedimentary rocks characterizes the Dharwar succession of approximately the same time span in the southern Indian shield. Association of mature and immature detrital sedimentary rocks with bimodal volcanic assemblages points to a back-arc setting for the Dharwar belts. This contrasts with the association of immature sediments with calc-alkaline volcanic rocks in the greenstone belts of the eastern Baltic shield, suggesting an island arc environment there.     

The evolution of lithospheric mantle beneath the Kalahari Craton and its margins

The compositional structure and thermal state of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Kalahari Craton and the surrounding mobile belts have been mapped in space and time using >3400 garnet xenocrysts from >50 kimberlites intruded over the period 520–80 Ma. The trace-element patterns of many garnets reflect the metasomatic refertilisation of originally highly depleted harzburgites and lherzolites, and much of the lateral and vertical heterogeneity observed in the SCLM within the craton is the product of such metasomatism. The most depleted, and possibly least modified, SCLM was sampled beneath the Limpopo Belt by early Paleozoic kimberlites; the SCLM beneath other parts of the craton may represent similar material modified by metasomatism during Phanerozoic time. In the SW part of the craton, the SCLM sampled by “Group 2” kimberlites (>110 Ma) is thicker, cooler and less metasomatised than that sampled by “Group 1” kimberlites (mostly ≤95 Ma) in the same area. Therefore, the extensively studied xenolith suite from the Group 1 kimberlites probably is not representative of primary Archean SCLM compositions. The relatively fertile SCLM beneath the mobile belts surrounding the craton is interpreted as largely Archean SCLM, metasomatised and mixed with younger material during Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic rifting and compression. This implies that at least some of the observed secular evolution in SCLM composition worldwide may reflect the reworking of Archean SCLM. There are strong correlations between mantle composition and the lateral variations in seismic velocity shown by detailed tomographic studies. Areas of relatively low Vp within the craton largely reflect the progressive refertilisation of the Archean root during episodes of intraplate magmatism, including the Bushveld (2 Ga) and Karroo (ca. 180 Ma) events; areas of high Vp map out the distribution of relatively less metasomatised Archean SCLM. The relatively low Vp of the SCLM beneath the mobile belts around the craton is consistent with its fertile composition. The seismic data may be used to map the lateral extent of different types of SCLM, taking into account the small lateral variations in the geotherm identified using the techniques described here.     

The late Cretaceous lithospheric mantle beneath the Central Andes: Evidence from phase equilibria and composition of mantle xenoliths

Temperature estimates and chemical composition of mantle xenoliths from the Cretaceous rift system of NW Argentina (26°S) constrain the rift evolution and chemical and physical properties of the lithospheric mantle at the eastern edge of the Cenozoic Andean plateau. The xenolith suite comprises mainly spinel lherzolite and subordinate pyroxenite and carbonatized lherzolite. The spinel lherzolite xenoliths equilibrated at high-T (most samples >1000 °C) and P below garnet-in. The Sm–Nd systematics of compositionally unzoned clino- and orthopyroxene indicate a Cretaceous minimum age for the high-T regime, i.e., the asthenosphere/lithosphere thermal boundary was at ca. 70 km depth in the Cretaceous rift. Major elements and Cr, Ni, Co and V contents of the xenoliths range between values of primitive and depleted mantle. Calculated densities based on the bulk composition of the xenoliths are <3280 kg/m³ for the estimated P–T conditions and indicate a buoyant, stable upper mantle lithosphere. The well-equilibrated metamorphic fabric and mineral paragenesis with the general lack of high-T hydrous phases did not preserve traces of metasomatism in the mantle xenoliths. Late Mesozoic metasomatism, however, is obvious in the gradual enrichment of Sr, U, Th and light to medium REE and changes in the radiogenic isotope composition of an originally depleted mantle. These changes are independent of the degree of depletion evidenced by major element composition. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_i ratios of clinopyroxene from the main group of xenoliths decrease with increasing Nd content from >0.5130 (depleted samples) to ca. 0.5127 (enriched samples). ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i ratios (0.7127–0.7131, depleted samples; 0.7130–0.7134, enriched samples) show no variation with variable Sr contents. Pb_i isotope ratios of the enriched samples are rather radiogenic (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 18.8–20.6, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 15.6–15.7, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 38.6–47) compared with the Pb isotope signature of the depleted samples. The large scatter and high values of ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i ratios of many xenoliths indicates at least two Pb sources that are characterized by similar U/Pb but by different Th/Pb ratios. The dominant mantle type in the investigated system is depleted mantle according to its Sr and Nd isotopic composition with relatively radiogenic Pb isotope ratios. This mantle is different from the Pacific MORB source and old subcontinental mantle from the adjacent Brazilian Shield. Its composition probably reflects material influx into the mantle wedge during various episodes of subduction that commenced in early Paleozoic or even earlier. Old subcontinental mantle was already replaced in the Paleozoic, but some inheritance from old mantle lithosphere is represented by rare xenoliths with isotope signatures indicating a Proterozoic origin.