U-Pb chronology of the Northampton Complex, Western Australia – evidence for Grenvillian sedimentation, metamorphism and deformation and geodynamic implications

Conventional and SHRIMP U-Pb analyses of zircon, monazite, titanite and apatite from the high grade rocks of the Northampton Complex in Western Australia provide constraints on the timing of metamorphic processes and deformation events in the northern Darling Mobile Belt (western margin of the Archean Yilgarn Craton). Paragneisses and mafic volcanics and/or intrusions have undergone granulite facies metamorphism in a probable extensional tectonic setting prior to formation of W- to NW-verging folds and thrusts cut by normal shears (interpreted as late collapse structures) during the main deformation event (D₁). These structures are folded by open to tight folds with NW-striking axial surfaces developed in a second, NE-SW contractional event (D₂). Zircons from a mafic granulite provide an age of 1079 ± 3 Ma attributed to new zircon growth prior to, or at the peak of regional granulite facies metamorphism. Metamorphic monazites extracted from a paragneiss yield an identical age of 1083 ± 3 Ma. The similarity of ages between zircons from the mafic granulite (1079 ± 3 Ma) and monazites from the paragneiss (1083 ± 3 Ma) is interpreted to reflect fast cooling and/or rapid uplift, which is consistent with thrusting of the gneissic units during the first deformation event (D₁) associated with the onset of retrograde metamorphism. Granitic activity at 1068 ± 13 Ma was followed by intrusion of post-D₂ pegmatite (989 ± 2 Ma), which constrains the end of metamorphism and associated deformation. Cooling of the complex to about 500 °C is timed by the apatite age of 921 ± 23 Ma. SHRIMP U-Pb ages of detrital zircons from a paragneiss sample yield a maximum age of 2043 Ma, with no evidence of an Archean Yilgarn signature. A majority of ages between 1.6 and 1.9 Ga are consistent with derivation from the Capricorn Orogen on the northern margin of the Yilgarn Craton. Younger detrital zircons with 1150–1450 Ma ages, however, indicate an additional source that had undergone early Grenvillian igneous or metamorphic event(s) and also places a maximum age constraint upon deposition. The source of this clastic material may have been from within the southern Darling Mobile Belt or from Greater India (adjacent to the Northampton Complex in Rodinia reconstructions). This study documents an extended Grenvillian history, with basin formation, sedimentation, granulite facies metamorphism, contractional tectonics (two periods with orthogonal directions of shortening) and late pegmatite emplacement taking place between 1150–989 Ma on the western margin of the Yilgarn Craton. Ages recorded in this study indicate that the proposed global distribution of Grenvillian belts during assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent should be reassessed to include the Darling Mobile Belt. Received: 7 January 1998 / Accepted: 10 March 1999     

Miocene formations and NE-trending right-lateral strike–slip tectonism in Thrace,northwest Turkey: geodynamic implications

In the Thrace Peninsula, Neogene units were deposited in two areas, the Enez Basin in the south and the Thrace Basin in the north. In the southwesternmost part of the peninsula, upper lower–lower upper Miocene continental to shallow marine clastics of the Enez Formation formed under the influence of the Aegean extensional regime. During the last stage of the transpressional activity of the NW-trending right-lateral strike–slip Balkan–Thrace Fault, which had controlled the initial early middle Eocene deposition in the Thrace Basin, a mountainous region extending from Bulgaria eastwards to the northern Thrace Peninsula of Turkey developed. A river system carried erosional clasts of the metamorphic basement southwards into the limnic depositional areas of the Thrace Basin during middle Miocene time. Deposition of fluvial, lacustrine, and terrestrial strata of the Ergene Formation, which conformably and transitionally overlie the Enez Formation, began in the late middle Miocene in the southwest part and in the late Miocene in the north‐northeast part of the basin. Activity along the NE-trending right-lateral strike–slip faults (the Xanthi–Thrace Fault Zone) extending from northeast Greece northeastwards through the Thrace Peninsula of Turkey to the southern shelf of the western Black Sea Basin began during the middle Miocene in the northern Aegean, at the beginning of the late Miocene in the southwest part, and at the end of the late Miocene in the northeast part of the Thrace region. Although the Neogene deposits in the Thrace Basin were evaluated as the products of a northerly fault, our data indicate that the NW-trending northerly fault zone became effective only during the initial stage of the basin development. The later stage deposition in the basin was controlled by the NE-trending Xanthi–Thrace Fault Zone, and the deposits of this basin progressively evolved north/northeastwards during the late Miocene. During the late early Miocene–late Miocene interval, extension within the Thrace region was part of the more regional Aegean extensional realm, but from latest Miocene time, it has been largely decoupled from the Aegean extensional realm to the south.     

P–T history of garnet-websterites in the Sharyzhalgai complex,southwestern margin of Siberian craton: evidence for Paleoproterozoic high-pressure metamorphism

The Saramta massif in the Paleoproterozoic Sharyzhalgai complex, the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton, is mainly composed of spinel-peridotites with garnet-websterites; it is enclosed within granitic gneisses and migmatites with mafic intercalations of granulite-facies grade. The garnet-websterites occur as lenses or layers intercalated within spinel-harzburgite and spinel-lherzolite. They consist mainly of clinopyroxene (Cpx), garnet (Grt), and orthopyroxene (Opx): Grt often includes Cpx, Opx, and pargasite (Prg). Opx also occurs as kelyphite with plagioclase (Pl), spinel, olivine, Prg, and biotite. Relationships between textures and chemical compositions of these minerals suggest the following P–T stages: stage 1 (pre-peak), 0.9–1.5 GPa at 640–780 °C; stage 2 (peak), 2.3–3.0 GPa at 920–1030 °C as the minimum estimate; and stage 3 (post-peak), 750–830 °C at 0.5–0.9 GPa. Finally, the garnet-websterites are veined with lower amphibolite- to greenschist-facies minerals (stage 4).These results suggests that the Saramta massif was carried to depths of c. 100 km by subduction, and metamorphosed under eclogite-facies conditions in the Paleoproterozoic, despite the commonly held view that high geothermal gradients in those times would have prevented such deep subduction. Paleoproterozoic plate subduction at the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton might have caused subduction-zone magmatism and mantle metasomatism similar to those in the Phanerozoic.     

Stages and conditions of metamorphism of mafic granulites in the Early Precambrian complex of the Angara–Kan terrane (southwestern Siberian Craton)

We present results of study of mineral assemblages and PT-conditions of metamorphism of mafic garnet–two-pyroxene and two-pyroxene granulites in the Early Precambrian metamorphic complex of the Angara–Kan terrane as well as the U–Pb age and trace-element and Lu–Hf isotope compositions of zircon from these rocks and the zircon/garnet REE distribution coefficients. The temperatures of metamorphism of two-pyroxene granulites are estimated as 800–870 to ~ 900 °C. Mafic garnet–two-pyroxene granulites contain garnet coronas formed at 750–860 °C and 8–9.5 kbar. The formation of the garnet coronas proceeded probably at the retrograde stage during cooling and was controlled by the rock composition. The age (1.92–1.94 Ga) of zircon cores, which retain the REE pattern typical of magmatic zircon, can be taken as the minimum age of protolith for the mafic granulites. The metamorphic zircon generation in the mafic granulites is represented by multifaceted or soccerball crystals and rims depleted in Y, MREE, and HREE compared to the cores. The age of metamorphic zircon in the garnet–two-pyroxene (~ 1.77 Ga) and two-pyroxene granulites (~ 1.85 and 1.78 Ga) indicates two episodes of high-temperature metamorphism. The presence of one generation (1.77 Ga) of metamorphic zircon in the garnet–two-pyroxene granulites and, on the contrary, the predominance of 1.85 Ga zircon in the two-pyroxene granulites with single garnet grains suggest that the formation of the garnet coronas proceeded at the second stage of metamorphism. The agreement between the zircon/garnet HREE distribution coefficients and the experimentally determined values at 800 °C suggests the simultaneous formation of ~ 1.77 Ga metamorphic zircon and garnet. Zircon formation by dissolution/reprecipitation or recrystallization in a closed system without exchange with the rock matrix is confirmed by the close ranges of ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf values for the core and rims. The positive ε_Hf values (up to + 6.2) for the zircon cores suggest that the protolith of mafic granulites are derived from depleted-mantle source. The first stage of metamorphism of the mafic granulites and paragneisses of the Kan complex (1.85–1.89 Ga) ended with the formation of collisional granitoids (1.84 Ga). The second stage (~ 1.77 Ga) corresponds to the intrusion of the second phase of subalkalic leucogranites of the Taraka pluton and charnockites (1.73–1.75 Ga).     

First discovery of a Palaeoproterozoic A-type granite in southern Wuyishan terrane,Cathaysia Block: evidence from geochronology,geochemistry, and Nd–Hf–O isotopes

In this study, a combined study of zircon U–Pb and Hf–O isotopes, as well as whole-rock major and trace elements and Nd isotopes has been conducted for Yangjia gneissic granite from the southern Wuyishan terrane, Southeast China, to constrain its petrogenesis and provide a new window for investigating the tectonic evolution of the Cathaysia basement. U–Pb dating for magmatic zircons yields a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of ca. 1.80 Ga, interpreted as the emplacement age of the Yangjia granite. The granites have relatively high K₂O, Rb, Ga, Zr, Nb, Y, and Ce contents and show low Al₂O₃, CaO, and Ba concentrations. Their 10,000*Ga/Al ratios range between 2.8 and 3.2. Zircons from the granite have ε_Hf(t) values ranging from ?13.2 to ?7.2, corresponding to T^Hf_DM2 model ages of 2.99 Ga to 2.72 Ga. The zircon δ¹⁸O values range between 6.7‰ and 9.1‰ with an average of 7.7‰. In addition, the whole-rock ε_Nd(t) values of the granites range from ?6.5 to ?5.4 and the T^Nd_DM2 model ages from 2.73 Ga to 2.82 Ga. All these geochemical and Nd–Hf–O isotopic signatures suggest an A-type affinity for the Yangjia granites, and they were likely generated by partial melting of Palaeoproterozoic parametamorphic rocks of the Wuyishan terrane in a post-collisional extensional setting. When our data is combined with existing geochronological data, it provides further evidence for the Palaeoproterozoic basement in the southern Wuyishan terrane, which records a rapid tectonic transition from post-collision to intraplate extension (1.80–1.77 Ga) related to the break-up of the supercontinent Columbia.     

Contrasting CW and CCW tectono-metamorphic belts in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis: quantification of P–T–t paths and tectonic interpretation

In the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, the Indus–Tsangpo Suture Zone separates the Himalaya to the south from the southern Lhasa terrane to the north. In this study, we combine petrology, zircon U–Pb geochronology and phase equilibrium modeling to quantify the P–T–t paths of metapelites from the Namche Barwa complex, part of the Himalaya, and the Nyingchi complex, part of the southern Lhasa terrane. The Namche Barwa complex is interpreted to record slow cooling across a HP granulite facies P–T field at >12 kbar from 790 °C to the solidus at 750 °C between c. 50 Ma and c. 17 Ma, followed by decompression with slight heating to a P–T field at 5.5–8 kbar and 790–825 °C at c. 3 Ma, consistent with the post-peak segment of a CW P–T–t path. By contrast, the Nyingchi complex records a CCW P–T–t path characterized by compression through peak granulite facies P–T conditions of 7.5–9 kbar at 760–780 °C, before re-crossing the solidus at P of ∼11 kbar at c. 35–31 Ma. Based on the youngest published spot date from a detrital core in zircon from metapelite, the maximum depositional age for the protoliths of the Nyingchi complex is c. 53 Ma. We propose a tectonic scenario in which the Nyingchi complex (CCW P–T–t path) was buried in the interval c. 53–35 Ma synchronous with heating then compression during ongoing convergence related to the India–Asia collision. By contrast, the Namche Barwa complex (CW P–T–t path), which represents the subducted Indian continental lithosphere, records relatively fast exhumation from c. 17 to c. 3 Ma that was initiated by crustal-scale folding linked to orogen-scale gravitational spreading and thrusting, enhanced by surface processes.     

Al zoning in orthopyroxene in a sapphirine quartzite: evidence for >1120 °C UHT metamorphism in the Napier Complex, Antarctica, and implications for the entropy of sapphirine

A unique sapphirine + orthopyroxene + quartz granulite from Mt. Riiser-Larsen in the Tula Mountains of Enderby Land, East Antarctica, preserves two generations of coarse and texturally equilibrated orthopyroxene and sapphirine coexisting with quartz. Initial subhedral orthopyroxene porphyroblasts retain core compositions enriched in Al₂O₃ (12.2 ± 0.5 wt%) compared with their rims and finer orthopyroxene (9.6 ± 0.5 wt% Al₂O₃) that forms granoblastic textures with sapphirine. Sapphirine and quartz also form symplectites on and along cleavage planes within orthopyroxene. These compositional and textural features are consistent with the reaction [2MgAl₂SiO₆=Mg₂Al₄ SiO₁₀ + SiO₂] leading to the formation of sapphirine + quartz at the expense of aluminous orthopyroxene. Calculations in the MAS and FMAS systems and theoretical considerations involving the phases enstatite, sapphirine, sillimanite, quartz and cordierite indicate that the reaction above progresses from left to right with decreasing temperature in the orthopyroxene + sapphirine + quartz field, at pressures of ca. 8–10 kbar. The temperature difference required to account for the ca. 2.5–3 wt% decrease in Al₂O₃ in orthopyroxene is at least 60–80 °C, and implies peak temperatures for the initial assemblage of at least 1120 °C if the second granoblastic assemblage equilibrated at 1040 °C, the P–T conditions required by the sapphirine + quartz association and other P–T-sensitive assemblage indicators in the Napier Complex. It is not possible to distinguish whether the two assemblages are simply related by cooling and re-equilibration or reflect a polyphase evolution involving the superposition of a second UHT event on an earlier, even higher temperature, UHT metamorphism. Preliminary thermodynamic modelling of the reaction above incorporating the observed range in orthopyroxene Al₂O₃ zoning indicates that present estimates for the entropy of high-temperature sapphirine are potentially too high by 15–18% compared with sapphirine entropy estimates that are consistent with MAS system experiments. The Mt. Riiser-Larsen sapphirine–quartz rocks preserve the first definitive record of regional metamorphic temperatures in excess of 1120 °C in the Napier Complex, or indeed any UHT granulite terrain worldwide. Similarly high peak temperatures may be retrieved from detailed studies of sapphirine–quartz granulites from other regions, further expanding the thermal realm of crustal metamorphism, but progress will critically depend on the experimental acquisition of new entropy data for sapphirine. Received: 3 September 1998 / Accepted: 8 November 1999     

Magmatic and geodynamic evolution of Urumieh–Dokhtar basic volcanism,Central Iran: major,trace element,isotopic, and geochronologic implications

Basic volcanic rocks from the West Nain area of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Assemblage demonstrate significant subduction-related geochemical characteristics; these along with the new age data obtained for the volcanic rocks shed new light on the geodynamic evolution of the Iranian segment of Alpine–Himalayan orogeny. The late Oligocene (26.5 Ma) high-Nb basic volcanic rocks are likely to represent a transient rather enriched asthenospheric mantle underlying the otherwise dominantly Eocene–early Oligocene West Nain island arc. Lithospheric mantle geochemical signatures of the low-Zr volcanic rocks (20.6 Ma) and high-Th volcanic rocks (19.7 Ma) imply replacement of the underlying mantle. The substitution of asthenospheric mantle by a lithospheric mantle wedge might have been associated with – or perhaps caused by – an increase in the subduction rate. Culmination of the West Nain magmatism into slab melting that produced the early Miocene (18.7 Ma) adakitic rocks is compatible with subsequent ascent that triggered slab decompression melting.     

Late Mesozoic magmatism from the Daye region,eastern China: U–Pb ages,petrogenesis, and geodynamic implications

Late Mesozoic dioritic and quartz dioritic plutons are widespread in the Daye region, eastern Yangtze craton, eastern China. Detailed geochronological, geochemical, and Sr–Nd isotopic studies have been undertaken for most of these plutons, in an attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding in the age, genesis and geodynamical control of the extensive magmatism. SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating indicate that the plutons were emplaced in the range of latest Jurassic (ca. 152 Ma) to early Cretaceous (ca. 132 Ma), which was followed by dyke emplacement between 127 and 121 Ma and volcanism during the 130–113 Ma interval. Both diorites and quartz diorites are sodic, metaluminous, high-K calc-alkaline, and characterized by strongly fractionated, sub-parallel REE patterns without obvious Eu anomalies. The rocks are enriched in highly incompatible elements and large ion lithophile elements, but depleted in high field strength elements. Samples of diorite and quartz diorite have similar Sr–Nd isotopic compositions that are consistent with the early Cretaceous basalts and mafic intrusions throughout the eastern Yangtze craton. The geochemical and isotopic data, together with results of geochemical modeling, indicate an enriched mantle source for the plutonic rocks. The quartz diorites have geochemical signatures resembling adakites, such as high Al₂O₃ (15–19 wt.%), Sr (630–2,080 ppm), Na₂O (>3.5 wt.%), negative Nb–Ta anomalies, low Y (7–19 ppm), Yb (0.5–1.8 ppm), Sc (5–15 ppm), and resultant high Sr/Y (45–200) and La/Yb (31–63) ratios. Genesis of the adakitic quartz diorites is best explained in terms of low-pressure intracrustal fractional crystallization of cumulates consisting of hornblende, plagioclase, K-feldspar, magnetite, and apatite from mantle-derived dioritic magmas. Mantle-derived magmatism broadly coeval with that of the Daye region also is widespread in other regions of the eastern Yangtze craton, reflecting large-scale melting of the lithospheric mantle during the Late Mesozoic. The large-scale magmatism was most likely driven by lithospheric extension associated with thinning of lithospheric mantle beneath the eastern China continent.     

Ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and anticlockwise P–T–t path of Paleozoic granulites from north Qinling-Tongbai orogen,Central China

Mafic and semi-pelitic granulites from the Qinling-Tongbai orogen in central China preserve petrological evidence and mineral paragenesis suggesting four distinct stages of metamorphic evolution. The prograde history (M₁) is recorded by the occurrence of cordierite, orthopyroxene and biotite inclusions in garnet porphyroblasts of the peak-metamorphic (M₂) assemblage. Peak-metamorphism was followed by cooling with minor decompression (M₃), which formed symplectites and coronitic textures. The greenschist facies retrograde metamorphic assemblage (M₄) is represented by hydrous minerals replacing minerals of the M₂ and M₃ assemblages. We present LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb data which show ages of 432 ± 4 Ma for the peak metamorphism and 403 to 426 Ma for the retrograde stage. Microstructural analysis, P–T pseudosections, and mineral isopleths in conjunction with the zircon U-Pb ages define an anticlockwise P–T–t path. The P–T estimates for peak metamorphic conditions of 880–920 °C and 8.0–10 kbar suggest that these rocks witnessed extreme crustal metamorphism under ultrahigh-temperature conditions. The anticlockwise trajectory reported in this study is comparable with similar P–T paths recorded from subduction–collision settings, and correlate the Tongbai granulites to hot orogens developed within a Paleozoic collisional suture. We propose a ridge subduction and slab window setting to explain the formation of the Tongbai orogen, in a convergent plate setting associated with the northward subduction of the Paleo-Tethyan Qinling Ocean.     

Counter-clockwise prograde P–T path in collisional orogeny and water subduction at the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary: The ultrahigh-pressure pelitic schist in the Kokchetav massif,northern Kazakhstan

A prograde pressure–temperature (P–T) path is estimated for pelitic schists from the latest Precambrian Kokchetav ultrahigh-pressure massif, Kazakhstan, using compositional zoning and mineral inclusions in coarse-grained and inclusion-rich garnets. Ti-bearing inclusions are abundant in garnet and display a zonal distribution. Ilmenite occurs in the inner-core, where most of it makes a composite inclusion with rutile, whereas monomineralic rutile occurs in the outer-core to mantle domains. In the rim region both ilmenite and rutile are present, although in small amounts. Application of the ilmenite-garnet thermometer yields a systematic temperature increase towards rim from 500 to 750 °C. The pressure-sensitive reaction: 3 Fe-Ilm (in Ilm) + Ky + 2 Qtz = 3 Rt + Alm (in Grt) yielded pressures of 1.2–1.3 GPa for the outer-core inclusions.A petrogenetic grid in the K₂O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O model system was used to estimate the equilibrium compositions of the garnet. The change of the grossular component along the model P–T path expected from the forward modelling is close to the observed compositional profile of the outer-core to rim domains. No constraint is available from thermobarometry in the inner-core; however, the forward modelling of garnet zoning provides information on the early stage of the P–T path during the garnet growth.The estimated P–T path is counter-clockwise in the prograde stage with a steep bend at around 700 °C and 1.2–1.5 GPa. This is similar to the metamorphic P–T gradient of the Kokchetav massif. This result contrasts markedly with the traditional clockwise P–T path in many collisional metamorphic terranes, and is regarded to represent a subduction geotherm at the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary. The P–T path proposed in this study also supports the models for the recovery of the “snowball Earth” from late-Proterozoic glaciation through effect of water in the solid Earth mantle.     

Petrological,geochemical, isotopic,and geochronological constraints for the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous magmatism in SW Gondwana (27–32°LS): an example of geodynamic switching

International Journal of Earth Sciences - We report a study integrating 13 new U–Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon ages and Hf-isotope data from dated magmatic zircons together with complete...     

Petrogenesis and geodynamic setting of Neoproterozoic and Late Paleozoic magmatism in the Manzhouli–Erguna area of Inner Mongolia,China: Geochronological,geochemical and Hf isotopic evidence

U–Pb dating and Hf isotopic analyses of zircons from various granitoids, combined with major and trace element analyses, were undertaken to determine the petrogenesis and geodynamic setting of Neoproterozoic and Late Paleozoic magmatism in the Manzhouli–Erguna area of Inner Mongolia, China. The Neoproterozoic granitoids are mainly biotite monzogranites with zircon U–Pb ages of 894 ± 13 Ma and 880 ± 10 Ma, and they are characterised by enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Ba, K) and light rare earth elements (LREEs), depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). The Late Devonian granitoids are dominantly syenogranites and mylonitised syenogranites with zircon U–Pb ages of 360 ± 4 Ma, and they form a bimodal magmatic association with subordinate gabbroic rocks of the same age. The Late Devonian syenogranites have A-type characteristics including high total alkalis, Zr, Nb, Ce and Y contents, and high FeOt/MgO, Ga/Al and Rb/Sr ratios. The Carboniferous granitoids are mainly tonalites, granodiorites and monzogranites with U–Pb ages varying from 319 to 306 Ma, and they show very strong adakitic characteristics such as high La/Yb and Sr/Y ratios but low Y and Yb contents. The Late Permian granitoids are dominated by monzogranites and syenogranites with zircon U–Pb ages ranging between 257 and 251 Ma. Isotopically, the ε_Hf(t) values of the Neoproterozoic granitoids range from +4.3 to +8.3, and the two-stage model ages (T_DM2) from 1.2 to 1.5 Ga. The Late Devonian granitoids are less radiogenic [ε_Hf(t) from +12.0 to +12.8 and T_DM2 from 545 to 598 Ma] than the Carboniferous [ε_Hf(t) from +6.8 to +9.5 and T_DM2 from 722 to 894 Ma] and Late Permian granitoids [ε_Hf(t) from +6.1 to +9.4 and T_DM2 in the range of 680–895 Ma]. These data indicate (1) the Neoproterozoic granitoids may have been generated by melting of a juvenile crust extracted from the mantle during the Mesoproterozoic, probably during or following the final stages of assembly of Rodinia as a result of the collision and amalgamation of Australia and the Tarim Craton; (2) the Late Devonian granitoids may have formed by partial melting of a new mantle-derived juvenile crust in a post-orogenic extensional setting; (3) the Carboniferous granitoids appear to have been produced by melting of garnet-bearing amphibolites within a thickened continental crust during and following the collision of the Songnen and Erguna–Xing’an terranes; and (4) the Late Permian granitoids may have been generated by melting of garnet-free amphibolites within the Neoproterozoic juvenile continental crust, probably in the post-collisional tectonic setting that followed the collision of the North China and Siberian cratons.     

Metamorphic P‒T paths and Zircon U–Pb ages of Archean ultra-high temperature paragneisses from the Qian’an gneiss dome,East Hebei terrane,North China Craton

The East Hebei terrane of North China Craton is characterized by the dome-and-keel structure, a common feature in most Archean cratons, where supracrustal rocks of granulite facies commonly occur as enclaves or rafts in tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) gneisses. The metamorphic P–T paths of the granulites are significant for addressing the Archean tectonic regimes. Two types of granulite facies paragneiss with pelitic and greywacke compositions from the western margin of Qian'an gneiss dome are documented for their petrography, mineral chemistry, phase equilibria modelling using thermocalc, and zircon dating. Anticlockwise P–T paths involving the pre-peak pressure increase to the ultra-high temperature peak conditions and post-peak cooling and decompression processes were recognized. The pre-peak pressure increase process was constrained for a pelitic granulite mainly based on the spinel and cordierite inclusions in garnet and rutile corona around ilmenite, where the transition from spinel to garnet is modelled at 6–7 kbar at a fixed T = 1,000°C. For greywacke granulite, the pre-peak pressure increase evolution can be ascertained from the textural relation that orthopyroxene is surrounded by garnet, and the outwards increasing grossular (from 0.03 to 0.05) in the core of the atoll-like garnet (Grt-A), to occur from ~7 kbar at ~1,000°C. The peak P–T conditions for pelitic granulite are roughly limited to 7–11 kbar/890–1,050°C on the basis of the stability of the inferred peak assemblage involving garnet, perthite, sillimanite, rutile/ilmenite, and quartz. The peak P–T condition for greywacke granulite can be well constrained as 9–10 kbar/>1,000°C on the basis of the maximum grossular content (X_Grs = 0.045–0.050) in the core of subhedral garnet (Grt-B) and the mantle of Grt-A together with an average re-integrated anorthite content (X_An = 0.07) in K-feldspar. The peak temperature condition is consistent with the ternary feldspar thermometer results mostly of 950–1,020°C for antiperthite and perthite in greywacke granulite, and in accordance with the development of oriented needle-like exsolution of Ti±Fe oxides in garnet from pelitic granulite. The post-peak cooling and decompression process was consistent with the decreasing X_Grs in the mantle of Grt-A and core of Grt-B in greywacke sample, and the final-stage cooling conditions can be well constrained from the stability of final assemblages marked by the later growth of biotite, as 8–9 kbar/820–880°C for pelitic granulite and 6–9 kbar/840–890°C for greywacke granulite. Zircon dating yields provenance ages from 3.34 to 2.57 Ga and metamorphic ages of c. 2.50 Ga for the two types of granulite. The metamorphic ages overlap the final pulse of the Neoarchean magmatic activity of TTGs that ranges from c. 2.56 to c. 2.48 Ga with a peak at c. 2.52 Ga. Combining the development of dome-and-keel structures, the penecontemporaneity between the metamorphism of supracrustal rocks and TTG magmatic activity, and also the unique anticlockwise P–T paths, we prefer a vertical sagduction regime to interpret the tectonic evolution of the East Hebei terrane, which may be also significant for other Archean cratons.     

Crystallogenetic models for metasomatic replacement in zircons: implications for U–Pb geochronology of Precambrian rocks

Recrystallization of zircons under the influence of fluids was studied using examples from Precambrian rocks (microcline granites, metasedimentary, and mafic rocks) of the Kola Peninsula. All zircon crystals showed complex internal textures visible by cathodoluminescence and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging. Detailed mineralogical and geochemical studies with subsequent secondary ion mass spectrometer U–Pb dating of different zircon domains show that secondary texture formation can be interpreted in terms of metasomatic replacement of zircon crystals on the base of crystallogenetic experimental models. Mechanisms of zircon replacement and interpretation of U–Pb ages for secondary zircon domains are dependent on the degree of damage of the zircon structure and the fluid composition. The recrystallization of metamict zircon without additional supply of new zircon substance (Zr, SiO₂) goes with the dissolution of amorphous domains and precipitation of new polycrystalline zircon, which preserves the U–Pb initial age, but loses radiogenic lead, and the lower intercept of Discordia lines with the Concordia curve determines the time of fluid influence. The recrystallization of metamict zircon or crystalline zircon with high contents of impurities with additional supply of Si and Zr forms monocrystalline replacements. Dissolution of primary zircon is accompanied by growth of new zircon domains differing in the composition of isomorphic impurities and zones of transitional composition, whose ages have no geological sense. The study is of particular importance for zircons from Precambrian rocks with long and complex histories.     

P–T paths and modeling the evolution of metapelitic mineral assemblages in the MnNCKFMASH system: A case of Northern Ladoga area

Phase equilibria in medium-grade metapelites of the Northern Ladoga area are calculated with the pseudosection method and Theriak/Domono software on the basis of zoning in garnets. It is shown that garnet in the staurolite-bearing parageneses crystallized at 520–600°C against the background of a pressure release from 7.0 to 3.5–4.0 kbar. The evolution of the mineral composition of rocks in the course of porphyroblast formation is discussed, placing special emphasis on the comparative analysis of P–T paths of garnet growth under decompression conditions.     

Keketuohai mafic–ultramafic complex in the Chinese Altai,NW China: Petrogenesis and geodynamic significance

Devonian magmatism was very intensive in the tectonic evolutionary history of the Chinese Altai, a key part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The Devonian Keketuohai mafic–ultramafic complex in the Chinese Altai is a zoned intrusion consisting of dunite, olivine gabbro, hornblende gabbro and pyroxene diorite. The pyroxene diorite gives a zircon U–Pb age of 409 ± 5 Ma. Variations in mineral assemblage and chemical composition suggest that the petrogenesis of the Keketuohai Complex was chiefly governed by fractional crystallization from a common magma chamber. Low SiO₂, K₂O and Na₂O contents, negative covariations between P₂O₅, TiO₂ and Mg# value suggest insignificant crustal assimilation/contamination. Thus the positive ε_Nd(t) values (0 to + 2.7) and slight enrichments in light rare earth elements (e.g., La/Yb_N = 0.98–3.64) suggest that their parental magma was possibly produced by partial melting of the lithospheric mantle. Model calculation suggests that their parental magma was high-Mg (Mg# = 66) tholeiitic basaltic melt. The Keketuohai intrusion was coeval with diverse magmatism, high temperature metamorphism and hydrothermal mineralization, which support a previously proposed model that ridge subduction most likely played an important role in the tectonic evolution of the Chinese Altai.