Rb/Sr record of fluid-rock interaction in eclogites: The Marun-Keu complex, Polar Urals, Russia

Rb/Sr internal mineral isochrons in the eclogite facies Marun-Keu metamorphic complex, Polar Urals, Russia, date periods of fluid-rock interaction and record the metamorphic reaction history. The Marun-Keu complex consists of Late Proterozoic to Early Ordovician, mostly igneous rocks that experienced a subduction-related, non-pervasive eclogite facies metamorphism, followed by a local decompression-related amphibolite facies overprint, during the Uralian orogeny. Field observations show that metamorphic reactions as well as ductile deformation are controlled by local availability of a free fluid phase. Isotopic data reveals that availability of fluids similarly exerts control on isotope distribution. From a relic gabbro which has never been infiltrated by free fluids, a premetamorphic Rb/Sr age of 467 ± 39 Ma was obtained. Rb/Sr isochron ages for 14 samples of eclogite and amphibolite facies assemblages, sampled from within or close to metamorphic fluid veins, range from 352 ± 5 Ma to 360 ± 3 Ma. A Sm/Nd isochron for a metagranite yields an age of 354 ± 4 Ma. Taken together, the ages for both prograde and retrograde metamorphic assemblages overlap within analytical uncertainty and yield an average value of 355.5 ± 1.4 Ma, indicating that the metamorphic evolution and incipient exhumation of the Marun-Keu complex proceeded rapidly. The results demonstrate that assemblages preserve their Rb/Sr isotopic signatures as long as they remain devoid of free fluids, and that only fluid-rock interaction may cause Sr isotope redistribution. In addition, the data suggest local fluid-rock equilibrium, low fluid-rock ratios with overall fluid deficiency, and limited fluid mobility at depth. However, some fluids must have been mobile on the km-scale since they can be traced into the suprasubduction zone mantle wedge. Metasomatic veins in the Rai-Iz ophiolite yield a Rb/Sr mineral isochron age of 373.1 ± 5.4 Ma. They are interpreted as evidence for suprasubduction zone metasomatism in an oceanic setting, prior to subduction of the East European margin and associated formation of eclogites in the Marun-Keu complex.We propose that Rb/Sr mineral-isochron ages provide hygrochronological rather than thermochronological constraints. They define the cooling history only in combination with zircon and apatite fission track data. The straightforward interpretation of Rb/Sr mineral ages as cooling ages is obsolete.     

安徽沙坪沟斑岩钼矿床赋矿岩体钾质交代作用及其微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素响应

以沙坪沟钼矿主要的赋矿岩石——石英正长岩和花岗斑岩为对象,通过对比不同蚀变强度岩石的岩相学、岩石地球化学和同位素特征,研究该矿床的钾质交代作用-矿化特征,探讨不同热液蚀变的元素组合、蚀变过程中的元素迁移和Sr-Nd同位素的变化及其成因、不同蚀变的物理化学条件差异及其与矿化的关系,进而揭示蚀变-成矿热液流体的特征和起源。研究表明,石英正长岩和花岗斑岩的地球化学特征总体相似,显示其属同源岩浆演化产物,二者均受到钾质蚀变,但蚀变强度相差较大。钾质蚀变岩石的化学成分表现为高K_2O、Rb和低Na_2O、CaO、Sr、Ba,不同蚀变强度的岩石Rb/Sr和Sr同位素组成差别较大,花岗斑岩样品数据更显离散,甚至出现异常低的锶同位素初始值,表明热液蚀变强烈改造了Rb-Sr同位素体系,而Sm-Nd体系基本保持稳定。这一现象在东秦岭-大别钼矿带中典型的斑岩钼矿床也有出现,显示该成矿带具有相似的蚀变类型、热液起源和演化特征。而且钾长石化后期至黄铁云(绢)英岩化阶段也是最主要的钼成矿期,表明这期间流体系统pH值的降低致使Mo元素从流体中沉淀成矿。对比斑岩铜、铜-钼矿床和钼矿床的蚀变特征及其过程中元素和同位素的变化可以发现,这3种矿床均发育碱质交代作用,但蚀变强度、热液的Rb-Sr分异程度及其对原岩的改造程度存在较大差异,这暗示了各自特有的成岩、成矿物质和流体来源及大地构造背景。     

Granite,gabbro and mafic microgranular enclaves in the Gejiu area,Yunnan Province,China: a case of two-stage mixing of crust- and mantle-derived magmas

Geochronological, geochemical, whole-rock Sr–Nd, and zircon Hf isotopic analyses were carried out on the Jiasha Gabbro, mafic microgranular enclaves (MME) and host Longchahe Granite samples from the Gejiu area in the southeast Yunnan province, SW China, with the aim of characterizing their petrogenesis. Compositional zoning is evident in the gabbro body as the cumulate textures and mineral proportions in the gabbro interior are distinct from the gabbro margin. The Longchahe Granite largely comprises metaluminous quartz monzonite with distinctive K-feldspar megacrysts, but also contains a minor component of peraluminous leucogranite. The MME have spheroidal to elongated/lenticular shapes with sharp, crenulated and occasionally diffuse contacts with the host granite, which we attribute to the undercooling and disaggregation of mafic magma globules within the cooler host felsic magma. Field observations, geochronology, geochemistry, Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions point to a complex petrogenesis for this granite–MME–gabbro association. Zircon ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages determined by LA-ICP-MS for a mafic enclave, its host granite and the gabbro body are 83.1 ± 0.9 Ma, 83.1 ± 0.4 Ma and 83.2 ± 0.4 Ma, respectively, indicating coeval crystallization of these igneous rock units. Crystal fractionation processes can explain much of the compositional diversity of the Jiasha Gabbro. The geochemical features of the gabbro, such as high Mg^# (up to 70) and Cr (up to 327 ppm), enrichment in LILEs (e.g., Rb, Ba, K₂O) and LREEs, and depletion in HFSE (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti), together with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.708–0.709 and negative εNd(t) values (−5.23 to −6.45), indicate they were derived from a mantle source that had undergone previous enrichment, possibly by subduction components. The Longchahe Granite has a large range of SiO₂ (59.87–74.94 wt%), is distinctly alkaline in composition, and has Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i > 0.712, εNd(t) = −6.93 to −7.62 and εHf(t) = −5.8 to −9.9) that are indicative of derivation from a crustal source. However, the most primitive rocks of Longchahe Granite are compositionally distinct from any feasible crustal melt. We interpret the spectrum of rock types of the Longchahe Granite to have formed via mixing between crustally derived peraluminous leucogranite magma and mantle-derived magma of similar heritage to the Jiasha Gabbro. We speculate that this mixing event occurred early in the magmatic history of these rocks at relatively high temperature and/or deep in the crust to allow efficient physical mixing of magmas. Saturation and accumulation of K-feldspar and zircon in the mixed magma is invoked to explain the megacrystic K-feldspar and elevated K₂O and Zr content of some of the granitic rocks. A later episode of magma mixing/mingling is preserved as the MME that have geochemical and isotopic compositions that, for the most part, are intermediate between the granite and the gabbro. The MME are interpreted to be fractionated melts of mafic magma related to gabbro that were subsequently injected into the cooler, partly crystalline granitic magma. Mingling and mixing processes within the convectively dynamic upper crustal magma chamber resulting in a hybrid (MME) magma. During this second mixing episode, element interdiffusion, rather than bulk physical mixing, is interpreted to be the dominant mixing process.     

Petrogenesis of the magmatic complex at Mount Ascutney,Vermont, USA

The Ascutney Mountain igneous complex in eastern Vermont, USA, is composed of three principal units with compositions ranging from gabbro to granite. Sr and O isotopic and major element relationships for mafic rocks, granites, and nearby gneissic and schistose country rock have been investigated in order to describe the petrogenesis of the mafic suite which ranges from gabbro to diorite. The entire complex appears to have been formed within a short interval 122.2±1.2 m.y. ago. The granites with ¹⁸O near +7.8 had an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70395(±6) which is indistinguishable from the initial ratio of the most primitive gabbro. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and ¹⁸O values for the mafic rocks range from 0.7039 to 0.7057 and +6.1 to +8.6, respectively. The isotopic ratios are highly correlated with major element trends and reflect considerable crustal contamination of a mantle-derived basaltic parent magma. The likely contaminant was Precambrian gneiss similar to exposed bedrock into which the basic rocks were emplaced. A new approach to modelling of assimilation during the formation of a cogenetic igneous rock suite is illustrated. Chemical and isotopic modelling indicate that the mafic rocks were produced by simultaneous assimilation and fractional crystallization. The relative amounts of fractionation and assimilation varied considerably. The mafic suite was not produced by a single batch of magma undergoing progressive contamination; rather, the various rocks probably were derived from separate batches of magma each of which followed a separate course of evolution. The late stage granite was apparently derived from basaltic magma by fractionation with little or no crustal assimilation. The early intrusive phases are much more highly contaminated than the final one. The observed relationships have important implications for the formation of comagmatic complexes and for isotopic modelling of crustal contamination.     

Constraints on the petrogenesis of Martian meteorites from the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic systematics of the lherzolitic shergottites ALH77005 and LEW88516

Detailed Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic analyses have been completed on the lherzolitic shergottites ALH77005 and LEW88516. ALH77005 yields a Rb-Sr age of 185 ± 11 Ma and a Sm-Nd age of 173 ± 6 Ma, whereas the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd ages of LEW88516 are 183 ± 10 and 166 ± 16 Ma, respectively. The initial Sr isotopic composition of ALH77005 is 0.71026 ± 4, and the initial ε_Nd value is +11.1 ± 0.2. These values are distinct from those of LEW88516, which has an initial Sr isotopic composition of 0.71052 ± 4 and an initial ε_Nd value of +8.2 ± 0.6. Several of the mineral and whole rock leachates lie off the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isochrons, indicating that the isotopic systematics of the meteorites have been disturbed. The Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of the leachates appear to be mixtures of primary igneous phosphates and an alteration component with a low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio that was probably added to the meteorites on Mars. Tie lines between leachate-residue pairs from LEW88516 mineral fractions and whole rocks have nearly identical slopes that correspond to Rb-Sr ages of 90 ± 1 Ma. This age may record a major shock event that fractionated Rb/Sr from lattice sites located on mineral grain boundaries. On the other hand, the leachates could contain secondary alteration products, and the parallel slopes of the tie lines could be coincidental.Nearly identical mineral modes, compositions, and ages suggest that these meteorites are very closely related. Nevertheless, their initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions differ outside analytical uncertainty, requiring derivation from unique sources. Assimilation-fractional-crystallization models indicate that these two lherzolitic meteorites can only be related to a common parental magma, if the assimilant has a Sr/Nd ratio near 1 and a radiogenic Sr isotopic composition. Further constraints placed on the evolved component by the geochemical and isotopic systematics of the shergottite meteorite suite suggest that it (a) formed at ∼4.5 Ga, (b) has a high La/Yb ratio, (c) is an oxidant, and (d) is basaltic in composition or is strongly enriched in incompatible elements. The composition and isotopic systematics of the evolved component are unlike any evolved lunar or terrestrial igneous rocks. Its unusual geochemical and isotopic characteristics could reflect hydrous alteration of an evolved Martian crustal component or hydrous metasomatism within the Martian mantle.     

Petrological evidence for shock‐induced high‐P metamorphism in a gabbro

Microlites (minute spherulitic, dendritic, skeletal, acicular and poikilitic crystals) diagnostic of crystallization in quenched melt or glass in fault rocks have been used to infer fossil earthquakes. High‐P microlites and crystallites are described here in a variably eclogitized gabbro, the wallrock to the coesite‐bearing eclogite breccia at Yangkou in the Chinese Su‐Lu high‐P metamorphic belt. The studied hand specimens are free of discernible shear deformation, although microfractures are not uncommon under the microscope. In the least eclogitized gabbro, the metagabbro, stellate growths of high‐P minerals on the relict igneous minerals are common. Dendritic garnet crystals (<1?5 μm) grew around rutile and/or phengite replacing ilmenite and biotite, respectively. Skeletal garnet also rims broken flakes of igneous biotite and mechanically twinned augite. Radial intergrowths of omphacite and quartz developed around relict igneous orthopyroxene and are rimmed by skeletal or poikilitic garnet where a Ti‐bearing mineral relict is present. Acicular epidote, kyanite and phengite crystallites are randomly distributed in a matrix of Na‐rich plagioclase, forming the pseudomorphs after igneous plagioclase. In the more eclogitized gabbro, the coronitic eclogite located closer to the eclogite breccia, all the igneous minerals broke down into high‐P assemblages. Thick coronas of poikilitic garnet grew between the pseudomorphs after igneous plagioclase and ferromagnesian minerals. The igneous plagioclase is replaced by omphacite crystallites, with minor amounts of phengite and kyanite. Thermodynamic modelling of the plagioclase pseudomorphs shows an increase in P–T in the wallrock from the metagabbro to the coronitic eclogite, and the P–T variation is unrelated to H₂O content. The fluid‐poor pressure overstepping scenario is unsupported both by phase diagram modelling and by whole‐rock chemical data, which show that the various types of eclogitized gabbro are all fairly dry. A large pressure difference of >2 GPa between the metagabbro and the coesite‐bearing eclogites ~20 m apart cannot be explained by the subduction hypothesis because this would require a depth difference of >60 km. The microlites and crystallites are evidence for dynamic crystallization due to rapid cooling because constitutional supercooling was unlikely for the plagioclase pseudomorphs. The lack of annealing of the broken biotite and augite overgrown by strain free skeletal garnet is consistent with a transient high‐P–T event at a low ambient temperature (<300 °C), probably in the crust. Therefore, the eclogitization of the wallrock to the eclogite breccia was also coseismic, as proposed earlier for the eclogite facies fault rocks. The outcrop‐scale P–T variation and the transient nature of the high‐P–T event are inconsistent with the other existing tectonic models for high‐P metamorphism. The fact that the less refractory but denser biotite is largely preserved while the more refractory but less dense plagioclase broke down completely into high‐P microlite assemblages in the metagabbro indicates a significant rise in pressure rather than temperature. Given that the metamorphic temperatures are far below the melting temperatures of most of the gabbroic minerals under fluid‐absent conditions, stress‐induced amorphization appears to be the more likely mechanism of the coseismic high‐P metamorphism.     

Dampier Ridge,Tasman Sea,as a stranded continental fragment∗

Dredging of the Dampier Ridge recovered small fragments of granite, gabbro and sandstone. Dating of the igneous samples by the U‐Pb, K‐Ar and Rb‐Sr methods yielded precise ages mainly in the range 250 to 270 Ma, mid‐Permian. An imprecise Sm‐Nd mineral age of ～ 310 Ma might reflect slightly earlier emplacement of the gabbro. A granitic fragment has a composition approximating that of a minimum melt. Taken together with the Late Palaeozoic emplacement ages and other geochemical and geophysical data, the evidence strongly supports the conclusion that the Dampier Ridge is a continental fragment, formerly part of eastern Australia, with its present location a consequence of continental rifting and opening of the Tasman Basin by sea‐floor spreading.     

Sm---Nd isotopic systematics of a gabbro-eclogite transition

Sm---Nd isotopic systems have been studied in: (1) a sequence of coronitic olivine gabbros showing different degrees of transition to eclogite; (2) coronitic leuco-gabbro norite; and (3) country-rock eclogite, all from the Nordøyane-Brattvåg area, western Norway. Isochrons defined by combinations of whole-rock samples and relict igneous phases give ages of 1198 ± 56 and 1289 ± 48 Ma (olivine gabbro) and 926 ± 70 Ma (leuco-gabbro norite) and have been interpreted in terms of two different episodes of igneous intrusion.

In gabbro with advanced corona formation, relict augite tends to retain its original Nd isotopic composition, while plagioclase may show selective disturbance related to recrystallization and partial replacement by garnet. In completely eclogitized samples, there is a correlation between the degree of isotopic equilibrium and microstructural equilibrium. Whole-rock eclogites occurring within gabbro are characterized by pseudomorphs after igneous phases, and preserve original igneous Nd isotopic composition. Results for eclogite minerals suggest Caledonian ages, but these phases have not achieved complete isotopic equilibrium. In contrast, Nd isotopic systems in texturally equilibrated and strongly deformed eclogite within adjacent gneisses have been disturbed on a whole-rock scale. Minerals from an external eclogite define a Sm---Nd isochron with an age of 400 ± 16 Ma which is interpreted to date synkinematic eclogite equilibration at high-P and -T conditions.     

Alkali metasomatism as a process for trondhjemite genesis: evidence from Aspromonte Unit, north-eastern Peloritani, Sicily

Summary Rocks of trondhjemitic composition are widespread in the North-Eastern Peloritani Belt within the Aspromonte Unit, a Hercynian medium- to high-grade metamorphic complex intruded by late-Hercynian peraluminous granites and later affected by MP/LT Alpine metamorphism. Among these trondhjemitic bodies, the Pizzo Bottino trondhjemites form one of the largest, outcropping over about 6km² and up to 400m thick. These rocks display concordant to discordant relationships with associated metamorphic rocks and are often cut by late-Hercynian leucogranitic dykes. The field, petrographic and geochemical features of these trondhjemites are consistent with an igneous origin. Petrographic and geochemical evidences suggest that the trondhjemitic character of the Pizzo Bottino rocks is due to an alkali metasomatism process involving cationic exchange of Na and Ca for K and consequent replacement of K-feldspar by oligoclase in the original granitoids. The major and trace element contents of the Pizzo Bottino trondhjemites are in fact comparable to those of the peraluminous late-Hercynian granitoids from the southern Calabrian-Peloritani Arc (CPA), when the elements directly involved in the alkali metasomatism process (Na, Ca, K, Sr, Ba, Rb) are not considered. The behaviour of REE elements, plus Th and U, also seems to be partially controlled by metasomatic processes, because their abundances vary with the K/Na ratio. Metasomatism seems to be the only viable mechanism involved in the genesis of the Pizzo Bottino trondhjemites. Other trondhjemite generation processes such as fractionation from basaltic parents and partial melting of metabasaltic or metasedimentary sources are ruled out on geological, petrographic and isotopic (Sr, Nd) grounds. Lastly, regional considerations place the metasomatic event during the late Hercynian, after the emplacement of the original granitoids and preceding the intrusion of the leucogranitic dykes, which are not affected by metasomatism.     

The subducted oceanic crust within continental-type UHP metamorphic belt in the North Qaidam, NW China: Evidence from petrology, geochemistry and geochronology

Three types of eclogite, together with a serpentinized harzburgite, coexist as blocks within granitic and pelitic gneisses along the Shaliuhe cross section, the eastern part of the North Qaidam continental-type ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt, NW China. The olivine (Ol¹) and orthopyroxene in the harzburgite are compositionally similar to present-day abyssal peridotites. The kyanite–eclogite is derived from a troctolitic protolith, whereas the epidote–eclogite from a gabbroic protolith, both having distinct positive Eu anomalies, low TiO₂, and high Al₂O₃ and MgO. The kyanite–eclogite shows inherited cumulate layering. The phengite–eclogite has high TiO₂, low Al₂O₃ and MgO with incompatible trace elements resembling enriched-type MORB. Sr–Nd isotope data indicate that the protoliths of both kyanite–eclogite and epidote–eclogite ([⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr]_i ~ 0.703–0.704; ε_Nd(T) ~ 5.9–8.0) are of mantle origin (e.g., ocean crust signatures). On the other hand, while the lower ε_Nd(T) value (1.4–4.1) of phengite–eclogite is more or less consistent with an enriched MORB protolith, their high [⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr]_i ratio (0.705–0.716) points to an additional enrichment in their history, probably in an subduction-zone environment. Field relations and geochemical analyses suggest that the serpentinized harzburgite and the three types of eclogite constitute the oceanic lithological section of an ophiolitic sequence from mantle peridotite, to cumulate, and to upper basaltic rocks. The presence of coesite pseudomorphs and quartz exsolution in omphacite plus thermobarometric calculations suggests that the eclogites have undergone ultrahigh pressure metamorphism (i.e., peak P ≥ 2.7 GPa). The harzburgite may also have experienced the same metamorphism, but the lack of garnet suggests that the pressure conditions of ≤ 3.0 GPa. Zircon U–Pb SHRIMP dating shows that the eclogites have a protolith age of 516 ± 8 Ma and a metamorphic age of 445 ± 7 Ma. These data indicate the presence of a Paleo-Qilian Ocean between Qaidam and Qilian blocks before the early Ordovician. The ophiolitic assemblage may be the relics of subducted oceanic crust prior to the subduction of continental materials during Ordovician–Silurian times and ultimate continent collision. These rocks, altogether, record a complete history of ocean crust subduction, to continental subduction, and to continental collision.     

In situ Sr isotopic analyses of epidote: tracing the sources of multi-stage fluids in ultrahigh-pressure eclogite (Ganghe,Dabie terrane)

This study presents in situ strontium (Sr) isotope and Sr content data on multi-stage epidote crystals from ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) eclogites and omphacite–epidote veins therein at Ganghe (Dabie terrane, China), determined using LA-MC-ICP-MS. The Ganghe eclogites occur as lenses in mainly leucocratic UHP gneisses, and therefore, our data provide insights into the origin, composition, and transport scale of the discrete multi-stage fluids in UHP eclogites during the subduction and exhumation of a continental crust. Four textural types of epidote that record compositional and isotopic signatures of fluid at various metamorphic P–T conditions have been distinguished based on petrographic observations and compositional analyses. They are (1) fine-grained high-pressure (HP) epidote inclusions (Ep-In) in omphacite that define the earliest stage of epidote formation in the eclogite; (2) coarse-grained UHP epidote porphyroblasts (Ep-P) that contain omphacite with Ep-In inclusions in the eclogite; (3) fine-grained HP epidote in omphacite–epidote veins (Ep-V) as well as (4) the latest-stage epidote in disseminated amphibolite-facies veinlets (Ep-A), which crosscut the Ep-P or matrix minerals in the eclogite and HP vein. Both Ep-P and Ep-V crystals exhibit significant and complex chemical zonations with respect to the X_Fe (= Fe/(Fe + Al)) ratio and Sr content. In contrast to the varying Sr contents, Ep-In, Ep-P, and Ep-V have similar and narrow ranges of initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (from 0.70692 to 0.70720 for Ep-In, from 0.70698 to 0.70721 for Ep-P, and from 0.70668 to 0.70723 for Ep-V), which are significantly different from those in Ep-A (from 0.70894 to 0.71172). The initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of Ep-A is closer in value to the initial Sr isotopic composition of the gneisses (from 0.710790 to 0.712069) which enclose the UHP eclogite. These data indicate different sources of the eclogite-facies fluids and retrograde amphibolite-facies fluid in the Ganghe eclogites. The HP–UHP fluids responsible for the large amounts of hydrous minerals in the eclogites were internally derived and buffered. The omphacite–epidote veins were precipitated from the channelized solute-rich HP–UHP fluids released from the host eclogite. However, hydrated amphibolite-facies metamorphism during exhumation was mainly initiated by the low-Sr and high-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr external fluid, which infiltrated into the eclogite from the surrounding gneisses. The eclogite-facies fluids in the Ganghe eclogites were locally derived, whereas the infiltration of the retrograde amphibolite-facies fluid from the gneisses required a long transport, most likely longer than 80 m. This study highlights that the in situ Sr isotopic analysis of multi-stage epidote can be employed as a powerful geochemical tracer to provide key information regarding the origin and behavior of various-stage subduction-zone metamorphic fluids.     

Rb-Sr and K-Ar geochronologic and isotopic studies,Llano Uplift,central Texas

Two major episodes are evident in the metamorphic and igneous Precambrian basement of the Llano Uplift, central Texas. Dynamothermal metamorphism was accompanied by minor basaltic and tonalitic syntectonic plutonism. This was followed by a second period of thermal overprinting accompanying emplacement of high-K₂O, high-level major granite plutons. Extensive isotopic age work by Zartman, published in the mid-1960s, suggests that development of the basement complex, spanning an interval of 150 m.y. or more, began with deposition of Valley Spring Gneiss (the lowest unit) and terminated about 1,050 m.y. ago with final postmetamorphic cooling (indicated by retention ages of Ar and Sr in biotite). We have supplemented these data with more than 50 new K-Ar and Rb-Sr analyses.Two foliated plutons in the southeast are 1,167±12m.y. (2) old, with distinctly different initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. Field relationships and isotopic data indicate that these plutons are the earliest yet known in the Uplift. Metamorphosed basalt dikes and gabbro bodies were emplaced immediately preceding and following the syntectonic plutons. Eleven of these rocks had extremely uniform initial ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr=0.7029±0.0005. A Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron of the unfoliated Enchanted Rock pluton indicates an age of 1,048±34 m.y. with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr= 0.7048±0.0007. One of the northern unfoliated granites, the Lone Grove pluton, gives a whole-rock isochron age of 1,056±12 m.y., with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7061±0.0003. All of the intrusive rocks have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios consistent with a source in the mantle or lower crust, but not in ancient remobilized continental crust. Six K-Ar hornblende ages from metabasalts are 1,078±19 m.y. (1), in general agreement with K-Ar and Rb-Sr mineral ages elsewhere in the eastern Llano Uplift. A metasedimentary Valley Spring Gneiss sample from the western Uplift has a whole rock-muscovite Rb-Sr age of 1,129±9 m.y. Field and isotopic data are now sufficiently numerous to permit a moderately detailed reconstruction of the Precambrian history of the area.     

Petrology and geochemistry of eclogite xenoliths from the Rietfontein kimberlite,Northern Cape,South Africa

Petrographic and geochemical features of a suite of eclogite xenoliths from the Rietfontein kimberlite that erupted through probable Proterozoic crust west of the Kaapvaal Craton in the far Northern Cape region of South Africa, are described. Group II eclogites dominate the suite both texturally and chemically, but can be subdivided into bimineralic, opx-bearing and kyanite-bearing groups. Temperature estimates from different geothermometers range from 700 to 1,000°C, indicating derivation from relatively shallow mantle depths. Orthopyroxene-bearing eclogites are inferred to originate from depths of 85 to 115 km and lie close to the average cratonic thermal profile for southern Africa. These uppermost mantle temperatures during the late Cretaceous provide evidence for equilibration of the off-craton lithosphere to craton-like thermal conditions following Namaqua-Natal orogenesis. The kyanite eclogites are distinct from the remaining eclogites in terms of both major and trace element compositions and their lesser degree of alteration. Garnets are richer in Ca, and are Cr-depleted relative to garnets from the bimineralic and opx-bearing eclogites, which tend to be more magnesian. Clinopyroxenes from the kyanite eclogites are more sodic, with higher Al₂O₃ and lower MgO contents than the bimineralic and opx-bearing eclogites. LREE-depletion, positive Sr and Eu anomalies, and the Al-rich, Si-poor bulk composition suggest a plagioclase-rich, probably troctolitic protolith for the kyanite eclogites. In contrast, the major and trace element bulk compositions of the high-MgO bimineralic and orthopyroxene-bearing eclogites are consistent with gabbroic or pyroxenitic precursors, or high-pressure cumulates, rather than mafic to ultramafic lavas. δ¹⁸O values for garnets do not deviate significantly from typical mantle values. The observations reported do not discriminate unambiguously between continental and oceanic origins for the various eclogite components in the mantle lithosphere of this region.     

Geochemistry of Neoproterozoic mafic intrusions in the Panzhihua district (Sichuan Province,SW China): Implications for subduction-related metasomatism in the upper mantle

Metasomatism above subduction zones is an important process that produces heterogeneous mantle and thus a diversity of igneous rocks. In the Panzhihua district, on the western margin of the Yangtze Block (SW China), two Neoproterozoic mafic intrusions, one olivine gabbro and one hornblende gabbro, have identical ages of 746 ± 10 and 738 ± 23 Ma. Both of the gabbros are tholeiitic in composition and have arc-like geochemical compositions. The hornblende gabbros have K₂O concentrations ranging from 0.70 to 1.69 wt.% and show enrichment of Rb, Ba, U, Th and Pb and depletion of Nb,Ta and Ti. They have variable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7045–0.7070) with constant ɛNd(t) values (−0.12 to −0.93). The olivine gabbros have relatively low K₂O (0.19–0.43 wt.%), are depleted in Rb and Th relative to Ba and U, and have obvious negative Nb–Ta and Zr–Hf anomalies on primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagrams. Their ɛNd(t) values range from −0.64 to −1.73 and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios from 0.7070 to 0.7075. Both types of gabbro experienced fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, amphibole and minor Fe–Ti oxide. The parental magmas of the olivine and hornblende gabbros were formed by about 20% partial melting of garnet–spinel lherzolite and spinel lherzolite, respectively. According to trace elemental ratios, the hornblende gabbros were probably derived from a source strongly modified by subducted slab fluids, whereas the olivine gabbros came from a mantle source modified by subducted slab melts. The close association of the olivine gabbros and hornblende gabbros suggests that a steep subduction zone existed along the western margin of the Yangtze Block during Neoproterozoic time. Thus, the giant Neoproterozoic magmatic event in South China was subduction-related.     

Identification of repeated Alpine (ultra) high-pressure metamorphic events by U–Pb SHRIMP geochronology and REE geochemistry of zircon: the Rhodope zone of Northern Greece

U–Pb sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon geochronology, combined with REE geochemistry, has been applied in order to gain insight into the complex polymetamorphic history of the (ultra) high pressure [(U)HP] zone of Rhodope. Dating included a paragneiss of Central Rhodope, for which (U)HP conditions have been suggested, an amphibolitized eclogite, as well as a leucosome from a migmatized orthogneiss at the immediate contact to the amphibolitized eclogite, West Rhodope. The youngest detrital zircon cores of the paragneiss yielded ca. 560 Ma. This date indicates a maximum age for sedimentation in this part of Central Rhodope. The concentration of detrital core ages of the paragneiss between 670–560 Ma and around 2 Ga is consistent with a Gondwana provenance of the eroded rocks in this area of Central Rhodope. Metamorphic zircon rims of the same paragneiss yielded a lower intercept ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 148.8±2.2 Ma. Variable post-148.8 Ma Pb-loss in the outermost zircon rims of the paragneiss, in combination with previous K–Ar and SHRIMP-data, suggest that this rock of Central Rhodope underwent an additional Upper Eocene (ca. 40 Ma) metamorphic/fluid event. In West Rhodope, the co-magmatic zircon cores of the amphibolitized eclogite yielded a lower intercept ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 245.6±3.9 Ma, which is interpreted as the time of crystallization of the gabbroic protolith. The metamorphic zircon rims of the same rock gave a lower intercept ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 51.0±1.0 Ma. REE data on the metamorphic rims of the zircons from both the paragneiss of Central Rhodope and the amphibolitized eclogite of West Rhodope show no Eu anomaly in the chondrite-normalized patterns, indicating that they formed at least under HP conditions. Flat or nearly flat HREE profiles of the same zircons are consistent with the growth of garnet at the time of zircon formation. Low Nb and Ta contents of the zircon rims in the amphibolitized eclogite indicate concurrent growth of rutile. Based on the REE characteristics, the 148.8±2.2 Ma age of the garnet–kyanite paragneiss, Central Rhodope and the 51.0±1.0 Ma age of the amphibolitized eclogite, West Rhodope are interpreted to reflect the time close to the (U)HP and HP metamorphic peaks, respectively, with a good approximation. The magmatic zircon cores of the leucosome in the migmatized orthogneiss, West Rhodope, gave a lower intercept ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 294.3±2.4 Ma for the crystallization of the granitoid protolith of the orthogneiss. Two oscillatory zircon rims around the Hercynian cores, yielded ages of 39.7±1.2 and 38.1±0.8 Ma (2σ errors), which are interpreted as the time of leucosome formation during migmatization. The zircons in the leucosome do not show the 51 Ma old HP metamorphism identified in the neighboring amphibolitized eclogite, possibly because the two rock types were brought together tectonically after 51 Ma. If one takes into account the two previously determined ages of ca. 73 Ma for (U)HP metamorphism in East Rhodope, as well as the ca. 42 Ma for HP metamorphism in Thermes area, Central Rhodope, four distinct events of (U)HP metamorphism throughout Alpine times can be distinguished: 149, 73, 51 and 42 Ma. Thus, it is envisaged that the Rhodope consists of different terranes, which resulted from multiple Alpine subductions and collisions of micro-continents, rather similar to the presently accepted picture in the Central and Western Alps. It is likely that these microcontinents were rifted off from thinned continental margins of Gondwana, between the African and the European plates before the onset of Alpine convergence.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the marginal zone of the Mount Lowe Intrusion,central San Gabriel Mountains,California

The marginal zone of the Mount Lowe Intrusion (MLI) is composed of a mineralogically and geochemically distinctive suite of quartz poor, alkali-enriched monzodiorites and quartz monzodiorites. Low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, Rb, and Rb/Sr coupled with high Ab/Or, K/Rb, Ba and Sr suggest that feldspathic continental crust did not contribute significantly to the magma. The inferred original magma composition is most consistent with experimental data for about 20% batch modal melting of eclogite or quartz eclogite of altered oceanic tholeiite composition. The high absolute Ba and Sr abundances require in addition an enriched component, perhaps derived from dehydration processes within a subducted slab. At the level of exposure, the range of observed compositions resulted from fractionation of hornblende, plagioclase, sphene, apatite and magnetite. Fractionation resulted in formation of a peraluminous, Mn — enriched residual liquid which crystallized garnet. The grandite — enriched composition of the garnet is inferred to be due to high pressure (ca. 6.7 kb), high crystallization, relative to typical plutonic garnets. The composition of the marginal zone of MLI has many chemical similarities to early Mesozoic plutonism in the Cordilleran continental margin magmatic arc of western North America.     

Volcanism in nascent back-arc basins behind the Shichito Ridge and adjacent areas in the Izu-Ogasawara arc,northwest Pacific: evidence for mixing between E-type MORB and island arc magmas at the initiation of back-arc rifting

Mineral chemistry, major and trace elements, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are presented for 29 igneous rocks dredged from the northern portion of the Izu-Ogasawara arc. These rocks are compositionally bimodal. Basement gabbro and trondhjemite from the arc are extremely poor in K₂O (0.05–0.19%) and Rb (0.48–0.62 ppm), and their REE patterns and Sr isotope ratios indicate that there are island arc tholeiites. Quaternary volcanic rocks from the present volcanic front (Shichito Ridge; active arc), back-arc seamounts (east side; inactive arc) and Torishima knoll between the two back-arc depressions (incipient back-arc basins) behind the active arc have the same geochemical characteristics as the above plutonic rocks though they are not as depleted in K and Rb. Rhyolite pumice from the backarc depression is also the depleted island arc tholeiite, whereas basalts from the depression have compositions that are transitional between MORB and island arc tholeiites in trace element (Ti, Ni, Cr, V, Y and Zr) and mineral chemistries. The back-arc depression basalts have relatively high Ba_N/Ce_N(0.66–1.24), Ce_n/Yb_N(1.1–1.9) and K/Ba(45–105) and low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70302–0.70332) and Ba/Sr (0.1–0.2), which are similar to other back-arc basin basalts and E-type MORB, but are quite unlike the depleted island arc tholeiites. The diverse trace element and Sr isotope compositions of basalt-andesite from the back-arc depressions imply the interplay between E-type MORB and island arc tholeiite. These chemical characteristics and the relationships of (Ce/Yb)_N vs (Ba/Ce)_N and (Ce/Yb)_N vs ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr suggest that the back-arc depression magmas are generated by mixing of E-type MORB and depleted island arc tholeiite magmas. Geochemical characters of the associated rhyolite from the depression are compatible with partial melting of lower crust.     

西南天山哈拉达拉岩体的锆石SHRIMP年代学及地球化学研究

西南天山哈拉达拉侵入体由橄长岩、橄榄辉长岩和辉长岩组成,橄长岩和橄榄辉长岩具有典型的堆晶结构,堆晶矿物以斜长石和橄榄石为主。辉石、角闪石和金云母主要为堆晶间隙矿物。辉长岩发育辉长—辉绿结构。结晶分异作用在岩浆演化过程中起重要作用。对从辉长岩中分选出来的锆石进行的SHRIMP年代学研究表明,辉长岩形成于308.3±1.8Ma （MSWD=0.86,n=15）。哈拉达拉岩体稀土元素配分模式与E-MORB相似,具有高Rb、Cs、Ba及Sr的特点,⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr初始比值0.7040~0.7050。这些特征表明,岩浆源区具有富集地幔的特征(古南天山洋俯冲流体交代形成了富集地幔)。根据平坦的稀土元素配分模式以及Gd、Sm、Nb、Zr等微量元素的地球化学行为判别,岩浆源区岩石为含角闪石的尖晶石二辉橄榄岩。批式熔融模拟计算显示,地幔岩10%~15%的部分熔融能够形成哈拉达拉岩体的母岩浆。母岩浆通过48%~50%的结晶分异作用则能够形成哈拉达拉岩体。早期结晶的橄榄石和斜长石通过堆晶作用形成橄长岩和橄榄辉长岩,剩余岩浆结晶形成辉长岩。     

Fingerprints of forearc element mobility in blueschist-facies metaconglomerates,Catalina Schist,California

ABSTRACT

Metaconglomerates in the lawsonite–blueschist facies unit of the Catalina Schist (California) contain gabbroic and dioritic clasts exhibiting evidence for extensive metasomatism during high-P/T metamorphism. We performed whole-rock and in situ analyses of these metaconglomerate clasts to better constrain the composition of infiltrating fluids and to elucidate the history of chemical alteration. Petrographic evidence for this alteration includes replacements of plagioclase by phengite and sodic amphibole rims developed on igneous hornblende. These observations regarding mineral replacement are reinforced by corresponding shifts in chemical compositions. Relative to compositions of presumed protoliths, whole-rock compositions of the metaconglomerate clasts show enrichments in elements that are relatively mobile in aqueous fluids (LILE: K, Rb, Cs, and Ba; Li, B, N), and elevated δ¹⁵N, and show depletions in Ca and Sr. Electron and ion microprobe data, and analyses of mineral separates, show that phengite and sodic amphibole are enriched in LILE and Li and B, respectively, relative to the igneous phases they have replaced. Oxygen and C isotope compositions of finely disseminated calcite in the clasts, and of calcite in veins cross-cutting or mantling the clasts, are consistent with crystallization from fluids previously equilibrated with metasedimentary rocks within the same unit. The same fluids are implicated as the source for the Li, B, N, and LILE enrichments. These metaconglomerate clasts provide unique records of forearc metasomatism due to the presumed extremely low and well-constrained concentrations of fluid-mobile elements in their protoliths and the previously published, larger-scale fluid–rock context into which the observed metasomatic changes can be placed.     

Compositional and geochronological signatures of metamafic dykes from the Sangsang peridotites,South Tibet: Evidence for magma-starved forearc rifting during Neo-Tethyan subduction re-initiation

In this study we present new mineral chemistry, whole-rock geochemical and zircon U–Pb geochronological data for 12 metamafic dykes in the mantle sequence of the Sangsang ophiolite in South Tibet (China). Modal analyses of these dykes gave averages of ~40%–65% plagioclase and ~35%–60% amphibole and small amounts of (igneous) clinopyroxene, epidote and opaque minerals. This mineral assemblage resembles that of typical orthoamphibolites. Nevertheless, due to the absence of foliation the investigated rocks are described as metamafic lithologies. These rocks have primitive mantle (PM)-normalized multi-element patterns with negative Nb and Ta anomalies as well as weak, negative Ti anomalies. In addition, they have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios [(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i] of 0.702844–0.703581, initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios [(¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)_i] of 0.512891–0.512959 and high ε_Nd(t) values (+7.9 to +9.3). Uranium-Pb ages of magmatic zircons separated from the investigated metamafic dykes indicate that the parental melts of their protoliths intruded the Sangsang mantle at ~119.0–118.5 ​Ma.The metamorphic mineral assemblages recognized in the investigated dykes are suggestive of a retrograde metamorphic process, from (epidote-)amphibolite facies (~470–610 ​°C, ~1.9–4.3 ​kbar) and to prehnite-pumpellyite facies (≤280 ​°C, ≤ 3 ​kbar), active within a rift-produced oceanic lithosphere. Microtextural and geochemical data suggest that the protoliths of the dykes were most likely massive gabbros. Compositional data show that the parental magmas of the gabbroic protoliths were generated by melting of a depleted mantle (DM) source that had been weakly modified by fluids emanating from a subducted oceanic lithospheric slab. The age of the gabbroic protoliths is slightly younger than the existing ages for ophiolites from the central Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) in the literature (~129–123 ​Ma). We, therefore, suggest that the gabbroic protoliths of the Sangsang metamafic dykes were formed in an incipient forearc setting during Neo-Tethyan subduction re-initiation (Aptian). Our tectonomagmatic model provides insights into the igneous accretion and post-solidification evolution of the oceanic lithosphere in South Tibet.