Neodymium isotope systematics of the mantle beneath the Baltic shield: Evidence for depleted mantle evolution since the Archaean

More than 300 published and unpublished Nd isotopic analyses of mantle derived rocks from the Baltic shield have been compiled. The rocks range in age from Archaean to Phanerozoic. Within any given age-interval, the mantle derived rocks range in ε_Nd(t) from depleted mantle values at or above the growth curves of the global depleted mantle reservoirs of DePaolo (1981) and DePaolo et al. (1991) to negative values. Initial neodymium isotopic compositions below the De Paolo curve are best explained by interaction between depleted mantle derived magmas and local crustal contaminants. The data now available lend no support to the existence of isolated, less depleted or undepleted mantle domains beneath the Baltic Shield, as was suggested by Mearns et al. (1986) and Valbracht (1991a, b).     

Supra-subduction and abyssal mantle peridotites of the Coast Range ophiolite,California

The Coast Range ophiolite (CRO) of California is one of the most extensive tracts of oceanic crust preserved in the North American Cordillera, but its origin has long remained controversial. We present here new data on mineral compositions in mantle peridotites that underlie crustal sections of the ophiolite, and show that these are dominantly refractory harzburgites related to high apparent melting in a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) setting. Abyssal peridotite (characterized by high-Al spinels and relatively high Ti, Na, Nd, Sm, Lu, and Hf in pyroxene) occurs at one location where it is associated with SSZ mantle peridotite and volcanic rocks with both oceanic and arc-like geochemistry. SSZ mantle peridotites (characterized by intermediate-Cr/Al or high-Cr spinels, and by extremely low Ti, Na, Nd, Sm, Lu, and Hf in pyroxenes) are associated with crustal sections containing arc-related volcanic rocks, including boninites. This convergence between conclusions based on crustal lithologies and their underlying mantle sections confirms previous proposals that link the CRO to SSZ processes, and seriously undermines hypotheses that invoke formation of the ophiolite at a mid-ocean ridge spreading center.     

西藏西南部休古嘎布蛇绿岩的Sm-Nd年龄及Nd-Sr-Pb同位素特征

休古嘎布蛇绿岩位于雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带西段,属于SSZ型蛇绿岩。用Sm-Nd法测定了该蛇绿岩中辉长辉绿岩的结晶年龄,辉石、斜长石和两个全岩样品的等时线年龄为(126.2±9.1)Ma,代表新特提斯洋在该区俯冲消减的时限。同时,对辉长辉绿岩的Nd-Sr-Pb同位素的测定结果表明,辉长辉绿岩的初始εNd(t)值高(6.7～9.1),反映原始岩浆起源于强烈亏损的地幔源区,未受大陆地壳物质的混染;初始206Pb/204Pb比值较低(17.412～17.523),但初始208Pb/204Pb比值较高(37.352～37.706),并具有较高的ISr值(0.70278～0.70383),指示休古嘎布蛇绿岩源于印度洋MORB型地幔域。     

新疆北天山奎屯河蛇绿岩斜长花岗岩锆石SIMS U-Pb年龄及其构造意义

作为中亚造山带南部的最终缝合界线,天山—索伦缝合带记录了古亚洲洋晚期的扩张消减历史。本文对新疆北天山混杂带中奎屯河蛇绿岩的斜长花岗岩进行了SIMS锆石年代学研究及地球化学研究。斜长花岗岩富Na2O,贫K2O(2O3(<15%),微量元素含量整体低于标准N-MORB,稀土配分曲线平坦,无明显Eu异常,是典型的洋中脊斜长花岗岩,其结晶年龄代表准噶尔洋盆扩张时代。24组离子探针测年数据显示,斜长花岗岩加权平均年龄为343.1±2.7 Ma。结合区域地质研究,本文认为在晚古生代石炭纪,伴随着哈萨克斯坦山弯构造的逐渐形成,准噶尔洋盆持续扩张并向外俯冲于周缘地体之下,形成了东、西准噶尔洋内弧,以及天山和阿尔泰安第斯型陆缘弧。     

海南岛“邦溪—晨星蛇绿岩片”的时代及其构造意义—Sm—Nd同位素制约

本文报道了邦溪和晨星两个地区变质基性岩的 Sm - Nd同位素定年结果。Sm - Nd等时线年龄 333± 12 Ma代表了变质基性岩的形成年龄。这些变质基性岩高度亏损 Th、Nb、Ta和轻稀土元素 ,εNd(t)≈ 7,与洋中脊玄武岩类似 ,形成于大洋环境。本文将这些洋中脊型变质基性岩称之为“邦溪 -晨星蛇绿岩片”,它们与金沙江 -双沟 - Song Ma蛇绿岩在形成时代上基本一致 ,代表了东古特提斯洋的残片。邦溪 -晨星蛇绿岩片在早三叠世华南 (包括海南岛北部 )和印支块体 (包括海南岛中南部 )块体碰撞拼合时构造侵位在大陆上 ,成为“石碌混杂岩”的一部分     

Petrology,geochemistry and geochronology of the Zhongcang ophiolite,northern Tibet: implications for the evolution of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean

Ophiolites are widespread along the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, northern Tibet. However, it is still debated on the formation ages and tectonic evolution process of these ophiolites. The Zhongcang ophiolite is a typical ophiolite in the western part of the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone. It is composed of serpentinized peridotite, cumulate and isotropic gabbros, massive and pillow basalts, basaltic volcanic breccia, and minor red chert. Zircon SHRIMP Ue Pb dating for the isotropic gabbro yielded weighted mean age of 163.4 ± 1.8 Ma. Positive zircon ε Hf(t) values(+15.0 to +20.2) and mantle-like σ~(18)O values(5.29 ±0.21)% indicate that the isotropic gabbros were derived from a long-term depleted mantle source. The isotropic gabbros have normal mid-ocean ridge basalt(N-MORB) like immobile element patterns with high Mg O, low TiO_2 and moderate rare earth element(REE) abundances, and negative Nb,Ti, Zr and Hf anomalies. Basalts show typical oceanic island basalt(OIB) geochemical features, and they are similar to those of OIB-type rocks of the Early Cretaceous Zhongcang oceanic plateau within the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean. Together with these data, we suggest that the Zhongcang ophiolite was probably formed by the subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean during the Middle Jurassic. The subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean could begin in the Earlye Middle Jurassic and continue to the Early Cretaceous, and finally continental collision between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes at the west Bangong-Nujiang suture zone probably has taken place later than the Early Cretaceous(ca. 110 Ma).     

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.     

Heterogeneously depleted Precambrian lithosphere deduced from mantle peridotites and associated chromitite deposits of Al'Ays ophiolite,Northwestern Arabian Shield,Saudi Arabia

The mantle section of Al'Ays ophiolite consists of heterogeneously depleted harzburgites, dunites and large-sized chromitite pods. Two chromitite-bearing sites (Site1 and Site2), about 10 km apart horizontally from one another, were examined for their upper mantle rocks. Cr-spinels from the two sites have different chemistry; Cr-rich in Site1 and Al-rich in Site2. The average Cr-ratio = (Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio) of Cr-spinels in harzburgites, dunites and chromitites is remarkably high 0.78, 0.77 and 0.87, respectively, in Site1, compared with those of Site2 which have intermediate ratio averages 0.5, 0.56 and 0.6, respectively. The platinum-group elements (PGE) in chromitites also show contrasting patterns from Site1 to Site2; having elevated IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru) and strongly depleted in PPGE (Rh, Pt, Pd) with steep negative slopes in the former, and gentle negative slopes in the latter. The oxygen fugacity (Δlog fO₂) values deduced from harzburgites and dunites of Site1 show a wide variation under reducing conditions, mostly below the FMQ buffer. The Site2 harzburgites and dunites, on the other hand are mostly above the FMQ buffer. Two magmatic stages are suggested for the lithospheric evolution of Al'Ays ophiolite in response to a switch of tectonic setting. The first stage produced a peridotites–chromitites suite with Al-rich Cr-spinels, possibly beneath a mid-ocean ridge setting, or most likely in back-arc rift of a supra-subduction zone setting. The second stage involved higher degrees of partial melting, produced a peridotites–chromitites suite with Cr-rich Cr-spinels, possibly in a fore-arc setting. The coexistence of compositionally different mantle suites with different melting histories in a restricted area of an ophiolite complex may be attributable to a mechanically juxtaposed by mantle convection during recycling. The mantle harzburgites and dunites are apt to be compositionally modified during recycling process; being highly depleted (Site1 case) than their original composition (Site2 case).     

Melt/mantle mixing produces podiform chromite deposits in ophiolites: Implications of Re-Os systematics in the Dongqiao Neo-tethyan ophiolite, northern Tibet

Podiform chromite deposits occur in the mantle sequences of many ophiolites that were formed in supra-subduction zone (SSZ) settings. We have measured the Re-Os isotopic compositions of the major chromite deposits and associated mantle peridotites of the Dongqiao Ophiolite in the Bangong-Nujiang suture, Tibet, to investigate the petrogenesis of these rocks and their genetic relationships.The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of the chromite separates define a narrow range from 0.12318 to 0.12354, less variable than those of the associated peridotites. Previously-reported ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of the Os-rich alloys enclosed in the chromitites define two clusters: 0.12645 ± 0.00004 (2 s; n = 145) and 0.12003 to 0.12194. The ultra-depleted dunites have much lower ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os (0.11754, 0.11815), and the harzburgites show a wider range from 0.12107 to 0.12612. The average isotopic composition of the chromitites (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.12337 ± 0.00001) is low compared with the carbonaceous chondrite value (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.1260 ± 0.0013) and lower than the average value measured for podiform chromitites worldwide (0.12809 ± 0.00085). In contrast, the basalts have higher ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, ranging from 0.20414 to 0.38067, while the plagioclase-bearing harzburgite and cumulates show intermediate values of ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os (0.12979 ~ 0.14206). Correspondingly, the basalts have the highest ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios, up to 45.4 ± 3.2, and the chromites have the lowest ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios, down to 0.00113 ± 0.00008. We suggest that melts/fluids, derived from the subducting slab, triggered partial melting in the overlying mantle wedge and added significant amounts of radiogenic Os to the peridotites. Mass-balance calculations indicate that a melt/mantle ratio of approximately 15:1 (melt: ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os: 45.4, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.34484; mantle peridotite: ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.0029, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os: 0.11754) is necessary to increase the Os isotopic composition of the chromitite deposits to its observed average value. This value implies a surprisingly low average melt/mantle ratio during the formation of the chromitite deposits. The percolating melts probably were of variable isotopic composition. However, in the chromitite pods the Os from many melts was pooled and homogenized, which is why the chromitite deposits show such a small variation in their Os isotopic composition. The results of this study suggest that the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of chromitites may not be representative of the DMM, but only reflect an upper limit. Importantly, the Os-isotope compositions of chromitites strongly suggest that such deposits can be formed by melt/mantle mixing processes.     

内蒙古贺根山蛇绿岩形成时代及构造启示

贺根山蛇绿岩位于兴蒙造山带北缘,发育完整的地幔橄榄岩、堆晶岩和基性熔岩组合,伴生有放射虫硅质岩,但贺根山蛇绿岩的形成时代一直存在争议,给兴蒙造山带北部构造演化阶段划分造成了很大障碍。锆石U-Pb年代学研究表明,贺根山蛇绿岩中辉长闪长岩(341±3Ma)和玄武岩(359±5Ma)结晶年龄为早石炭世早期,同时玄武岩继承锆石峰值年龄为晚泥盆世早期(375±2Ma),这些继承锆石呈短柱状、棱角状,生长环带宽缓,多为补丁状、平坦状,为典型的基性岩浆锆石,表明最迟在晚泥盆世早期洋壳物质已经开始形成。上石炭统格根敖包组火山岩与蛇绿岩局部呈喷发不整合接触,该组的晶屑凝灰岩夹层时代为晚石炭世(323±3Ma),提供了蛇绿岩构造侵位年龄的上限。因此,将贺根山蛇绿岩形成时代定为晚泥盆世-早石炭世,侵位时代为晚石炭世。侵入地幔橄榄岩中的部分基性岩脉时代为早白垩世(132±1Ma、139±3Ma和120±1Ma),它们含有大量继承锆石(144±1Ma~2698±25Ma),继承锆石峰值年龄密切响应了兴蒙造山带北部早白垩世之前复杂的岩浆及构造事件,这些基性岩脉是燕山期伸展环境下的岩浆产物,并非早白垩世蛇绿岩。结合前人的工作成果和区域岩浆岩、地层时空分布特征,建立了兴蒙造山带北部晚古生代构造演化历程:二连贺根山一线早泥盆世处于剥蚀阶段,中泥盆世陆壳拉张出现新生洋盆,晚泥盆世早期洋盆持续扩张形成新生洋壳,早石炭世晚期洋壳开始向北俯冲消减,并持续增生至西伯利亚活动陆缘,晚石炭世洋盆陆续闭合,部分已经构造侵位的蛇绿岩被晚石炭世火山岩不整合覆盖,贺根山蛇绿岩正是该洋盆的残余产物。     

Sm-Nd age of the Stillwater complex and the mantle evolution curve for neodymium

An internal isochron determined for a gabbro from the Stillwater complex by the Sm-Nd method yields a precise age of 2701 ± 8 Myr and initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.508248 ± 12. The initial is close to the CHUR evolution curve but clearly displaced below it by ?_Nd = ?2.8 ± 0.2. A spectrum of total rocks in the Stillwater complex ranging from anorthosite to pyroxenite were found to lie on the same isochron to within experimental error indicating the same age and initial. These data demonstrate that some ancient mantle-derived rocks have initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd which deviate substantially from the CHUR evolution curve at the time of their formation. This implies that there was early layering in the mantle with substantial REE fractionation (~6–12% Nd/Sm enrichment) or that the Stillwater complex was highly contaminated with REE from much older continental crust during emplacement. The results show the necessity of high-precision ages and initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values in order to properly describe REE fractionation in the mantle. While the Sm-Nd age results show no indication of any irregularities, we have confirmed that the Rb-Sr data for the Stillwater are highly disturbed. This comparison indicates that the Sm-Nd parent-daughter system may be much less susceptible to element redistribution during metamorphism, therefore permitting wide application of this technique to rocks of complex histories.     

Geochemistry and fore-arc evolution of upper mantle peridotites in the Cryogenian Bir Umq ophiolite,Arabian Shield,Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

The Bir Umq ophiolite is one of the most important ophiolitic successions in the Arabian Shield, and represents an excellent case for the study of the tectonomagmatic evolution of the earliest Precambrian events in the juvenile part of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS). It is a dismembered ophiolite, which includes a serpentinized peridotite with small amounts of gabbro and mélange, and is overlain by the Sumayir formation. The mantle section of the Bir Umq ophiolite has been pervasively sheared and folded during its emplacement and is extensively serpentinized, carbonated and silicified, resulting in the common development of magnesite and listwaenite along the shear zones. Listwaenite occurs in the form of upstanding ridges due to its resistance to erosion. Antigorite is the main serpentine mineral, which, however, has low amounts of lizardite and chrysotile, indicating that the present serpentinites formed by prograde metamorphism. The ophiolitic rocks of Bir Umq have undergone regional metamorphism up to the greenschist to amphibolite facies. The presence of mesh and bastite textures indicates harzburgite and dunite protoliths. The serpentinized peridotite preserves rare relicts of primary minerals such as olivine, pyroxene and Cr-spinel. The serpentinized ultramafics of Bir Umq have high Mg# [molar Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺); 0.90–0.93), low CaO, and Al₂O₃ contents similar to that of the environment of the suprasubduction zone. Additionally, they are characterized by the depletion of some compatible trace elements (e.g., Nb, Sr, Ta, Zr, Hf and REE), but show a wide variation in the Rb and Ba. Moreover, they are enriched in some elements that have affinities for Mg-rich minerals such as Ni, Cr, V, and Co. Fresh relics of olivine have high Fo (av. 0.91) and NiO (av. 0.42) contents, similar to those in the mantle olivine. The fresh Cr-spinel has high Cr# (0.68) and low TiO₂ content (av. 0.11), similar to those in modern fore-arc peridotites. The composition of both orth- and clinopyroxenes confirms the fore-arc affinity of the studied ultramafics. The present study indicates that the protoliths of the serpentinized ultramafics of Bir Umq have high partial melt degrees, which is consistent with the characteristics of ultramafic rocks formed in a subarc environment (fore-arc) within a suprasubduction zone system.     

Geochemistry of peridotites from the Yap Trench,Western Pacific: implications for subduction zone mantle evolution

ABSTRACT

This study examines the major and trace elements of peridotites from the Yap Trench in the western Pacific to investigate mantle evolution beneath a subduction zone. Major element results show that the peridotites are low in Al₂O₃ (0.31–0.65 wt.%) and CaO (0.04–0.07 wt.%) contents and high in Mg# (Mg/(Mg+Fe)) (0.91–0.92) and have spinels with Cr# (Cr/(Cr+Al)) higher than 0.6 (0.61–0.73). Trace element results show that the peridotites have extremely low heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents compared with abyssal peridotites but have U-shaped chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns. The degree of mantle melting estimated based on the major elements, HREEs, and spinel Cr# range from 19% to 25%, indicating that the Yap Trench peridotites may be residues of melting associated with the presence of water in the mantle source. In addition to light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment, the peridotites are characterized by high contents of highly incompatible elements, positive U and Sr anomalies, negative Ti anomalies, and high Zr/Hf ratios. The correlations between these elements and both the degree of serpentinization and high field strength element (HFSE) contents suggest that fluid alteration alone cannot account for the enrichment of the peridotites and that at least the enrichment of LREEs was likely caused by melt–mantle interaction. Comparison between the peridotites and the depletion trend defined by the primitive mantle (PM) and the depleted mantle (DM) suggests that the Yap Trench mantle was modified by subduction-related melt characterized by high contents of incompatible elements, high Zr/Hf ratios, and low HFSE contents. Hydrous melting may have been enhanced by tectonic erosion of the subducting Caroline Plate with complex tectonic morphostructures at the earliest stages of subduction initiation.     

Unexpectedly high-PGE chromitite from the deeper mantle section of the northern Oman ophiolite and its tectonic implications

Unusually high, platinum-group element (PGE) enrichments are reported for the first time in a podiform chromitite of the northern Oman ophiolite. The chromitite contains Б.5 ppm of total PGE, being highly enriched in the IPGE subgroup (Ir, Os and Ru) and strongly depleted in the PPGE subgroup (Rh, Pt and Pd). Its platinum-group minerals (PGMs) are classified into three types arranged in order of abundance: (1) sulphides (Os-rich laurite, laurite-erlishmanite solid solution and an unnamed Ir sulphide), (2) alloys (Os-Ir alloy and Ir-Rh alloy), and (3) sulpharsenides (irarsite and hollingworthite). The high PGE concentrations are observed only in a discordant chromitite deep in the mantle section, which has high-Cr# (>0.7) spinel with an olivine matrix. All the other types of chromitite (in the Moho transition zone (MTZ) and concordant pods in the deeper mantle section) are poor in PGEs and tend to have spinels with lower Cr# (up to 0.6). This diversity of chromitite types suggests two stages of magmatic activity were responsible for the chromitite genesis, in response to a switch of tectonic setting. The first is residual from lower degree, partial melting of peridotite, which produced low-Cr#, PGE-poor chromitites at the Moho transition zone and, to a lesser extent, within the mantle, possibly beneath a fast-spreading mid-ocean ridge. The second chromitite-forming event involves higher degree partial melting, which produced high-Cr#, PGE-rich discordant chromitite in the upper mantle, possibly in a supra-subduction zone setting.     

U-Pb zircon systematics at Gruinard Bay, northwest Scotland: implications for the early orogenic evolution of the Lewisian complex

The Gruinard Bay area of the mainland Lewisian complex comprises a metamorphosed suite of Archaean trondhjemites and minor granites enclosing remnants of older tonalitic gneiss and mafic to ultramafic enclaves. The U-Pb zircon dating yields ages of 2731 ±14 Ma and 2728 ±2 Ma for two trondhjemite and 2732 ±4 Ma for one granite sample, also revealing the presence of large amounts of inherited xenocrystic zircons. Although the region has been pervasively overprinted by retrogressive events in amphibolite to greenschist facies, the textural relations between biotite, hornblende, quartz and titaniferous minerals indicate that these minerals are pseudomorphs of pyroxene and high-Ti amphibole formed in hornblende-granulite facies. Structural relations link this metamorphism to a steep northeast-trending fabric coeval with the intrusion of the trondhjemites, dated at 2730 Ma. Dating of zircon in amphibolite and tonalite enclaves yields complex internal isotopic relations with apparent ages ranging from 2825 to 2740 Ma. This age range reflects new growth during the 2730 Ma metamorphic/metasomatic events, superimposed on older zircon phases which include combinations of xenocrystic cores, and magmatic and/or metamorphic growth phases whose mode of formation cannot clearly be resolved by imaging techniques (e.g. cathodoluminescence) alone. A pegmatitic vein that escaped the D₃ strain and related isotopic disturbances yields a precise age of 2792 ±2 Ma, which constrains to some degree the earliest orogenic events in the area. Age relationships displayed in the central block at Scourie–Badcall, and in the Gruinard Bay area indicate that petrogenetic events in both areas were comparable about 2800 Ma and that both areas underwent trondhjemitic magmatism about 2730 Ma. In contrast, at Gruinard Bay there is no isotopic evidence for a period of high-grade metamorphism and magmatism at 2490–2480 Ma that drastically affected the Scourie block indicating that at this stage the two regions occupied different levels of the crust. Received: 23 October 1997 / Accepted: 20 July 1998     

Sr and Nd isotope systematics of Francistown plutonic rocks, Botswana: implications for Neoarchaean crustal evolution of the Zimbabwe craton

The Francistown plutonic rocks at the south-western margin of the Zimbabwe craton consist of three igneous suites: Sanukitoid, Tonalite–Trondhjemite–Granite (TTG) suites and High-K granites. The TTG suite is subdivided into High Aluminum-TTG (HA-TTG) and Low Aluminum-TTG (LA-TTG) sub-suites. Their Rb–Sr isotope systems were partially homogenized by post-crystallization thermo–tectonic events, in which hydrothermal solutions and migmatization played an important role. Therefore, the Rb–Sr isochron age of 2427±54 Ma can only be regarded as a lower limit to the Francistown plutonic rock age. The large errors in the Sm–Nd isochron dates of Francistown granitoids indicate that these dates are not really constrained. In this study we compared the rock types of Francistown and adjacent areas, adopting the precise U, Th–Pb single zircon SHRIMP ages from the Vumba area as references. For TTG and Sanukitoid suites, the age we adopted is ca. 2.7 Ga, which is close to their depleted-mantle Sm–Nd model ages (T _DM). For High-K granites, the age adopted is ca. 2.65 Ga, which is also close to their Sm–Nd isochron age. The highest ε _Nd ^t values of Sanukitoids and TTG are +2.1 and +2.3, respectively. The positive ε _Nd ^t values and trace element geochemistry support partial melting of a depleted mantle and young oceanic crust for the genesis of Sanukitoid and the TTG suites respectively. The lowest ε _Nd ^t values of Sanukitoids and TTGs are −1.0 and −1.1, respectively, indicating contamination by continental crust, up to 10 and 14%, respectively. The ε _Nd ^t values of TTG decrease with decreasing Al₂O₃ and Sr contents and increasing Eu negative anomalies (Eu*–Eu), suggesting that the TTG magmas underwent a coupled fractionation crystallization and crustal contamination, and that the LA-TTG was the product of the fractionation and contamination of the HA-TTG sub-suite. In contrast, negative ε _Nd ^t values for the High-K granites (from −0.4 to −3.5) indicate the involvement of LA-TTG and some materials from an old continental crust in their genesis. The products of partial melting of both oceanic and continental crusts at the south-western margin of the Zimbabwe craton occurred within a short time interval (from 2.7 to 2.65 Ga ago) suggesting that the Francistown plutonic rocks were formed in a active continental margin environment, where a young ocean plate (Limpopo oceanic plate) subducted underneath an old continental plate (Zimbabwe craton).     

Geochemical systematics of the Mauranipur-Babina greenstone belt,Bundelkhand Craton,Central India:Insights on Neoarchean mantle plume-arc accretion and crustal evolution

The Neoarchean Bundelkhand greenstone sequences at Mauranipur and Babina areas within the Bundelkhand Gneissic Complex preserve a variety of magmatic rocks such as komatiitic basalts, basalts,felsic volcanic rocks and high-Mg andesites belonging to the Baragaon, Raspahari and Koti Formations.The intrusive and extrusive komatiitic basalts are characterized by low SiO_2(39-53 wt.%), high MgO(18-25 wt.%).moderately high Fe_2O_3(7.1-11.6 wt.%), Al_2O_3(4.5-12.0 wt.%), and TiO_2(0.4-1.23 wt.%)with super to subchondritic(Gd/Yb)N ratios indicating garnet control on the melts. The intrusive komatiitic suite of Ti-enriched and Al-depleted type possesses predominant negative Eu and positive Nb, Ti and Y anomalies. The chemical composition of basalts classifies them into three types with varying SiO_2, TiO_2, MgO, Fe_2O_3, Al_2O_3 and CaO. At similar SiO_2 content of type Ⅰ and Ⅲ basalts, the type II basalts show slightly high Al_2O_3 and Fe_2O_3 contents. Significant negative anomalies of Nb, Zr, Hf and Ti, slightly enriched LREE with relatively flat HREE and low ∑REE contents are observed in type Ⅰ and Ⅱ basalts. TypeⅢ basalts show high Zr/Nb ratios(9.8-10.4), TiO_2(1.97-2.04 wt.%), but possess strikingly flat Zr, Hf, Y and Yb and are uncontaminated. Andesites from Agar and Koti have high SiO_2(55-64 wt.%), moderate TiO_2(0.4-0.7 wt.%), slightly low Al_2O_3(7-11.9 wt.%), medium to high MgO(3-8 wt.%) and CaO contents(10-17 wt.%). Anomalously high Cr, Co and Ni contents are observed in the Koti rhyolites. Tholeiitic to calc alkaline affinity of mafic-felsic volcanic rocks and basalt-andesite dacite-rhyolite differentiation indicate a mature arc and thickened crust during the advanced stage of the evolution of Neoarchean Bundelkhand greenstone belt in a convergent tectonic setting where the melts were derived from partial melting of thick basaltic crust metamorphosed to amphibolite-eclogite facies. The trace element systematics suggest the presence of arc-back arc association with varying magnitudes of crust-mantle interaction. La/Sm, La/Ta,Nb/Th, high MgO contents(20 wt.%), CaO/Al_2O_3 and(Gd/Yb)_N 1 along with the positive Nb anomalies of the komatiite basalts reflect a mantle plume source for their origin contaminated by subductionmetasomatized mantle lithosphere. The overall geochemical signatures of the ultramafic-mafic and felsic volcanic rocks endorse the Neoarchean plume-arc accretion tectonics in the Bundelkhand greenstone belt.     

Nd and Sr isotope systematics of the Oka complex,Quebec, and their bearing on the evolution of the sub-continental upper mantle

A detailed isotopic study of minerals and whole rocks from the Cretaceous Oka complex, Quebec, Canada, shows a very small variation in initial Nd and Sr isotopic compositions. Assuming an age of 109 Ma for the complex, apatite, calcite, garnet, melilite, monticellite, olivine and pyroxene and whole rocks yield a range for initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70323–0.70333; and for initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.51271–0.51284 ( _SR(T)= –14.8 to –16.2; _Nd(T)=+4.1 to +6.6). The negative _SR and positive _Nd indicate derivation of the Nd and Sr from a source with a time-integrated depletion in the large-ion lithophile (LIL) elements. This agrees with data from other Canadian carbonatites and confirms that a large part of the Canadian Shield is underlain by a source region depleted in the LIL elements. The new data from Oka suggest that the depleted source may have remained coupled to the continental crust until recent time.     

Nd, Sr and Os isotope systematics in young, fertile spinel peridotite xenoliths from northern Queensland, Australia: A unique view of depleted MORB mantle?

Northeastern Queensland, a part of the Phanerozoic composite Tasman Fold Belt of eastern Australia, has a Paleozoic to Mesozoic history dominated by subduction zone processes. A suite of 13 peridotite xenoliths from the <3 Ma Atherton Tablelands Volcanic Province, predominantly from Mount Quincan, comprise fertile (1.8-3.4 wt.% Al₂O₃ and 38.7-41.9 wt.% MgO) spinel lherzolites free from secondary volatile-bearing phases and with only weak metasomatic enrichment of incompatible trace elements (Sm_N/Yb_N = 0.23-1.1; La_N/Yb_N = 0.11-4.9). The suite is isotopically heterogeneous, with measured Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7027-07047), Nd (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51249-0.51362), and to a lesser extent, Os (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.1228-0.1292) compositions broadly overlapping MORB source mantle (DMM) and extending to more depleted compositions, reflecting evolution in a time-integrated depleted reservoir. Major and rare earth element systematics are consistent with mantle that is residual after low to moderate degrees of melt extraction predominantly in the spinel facies, but with a few samples requiring partial melting at greater pressures in the garnet field or near the garnet-spinel transition. In contrast to most previously studied suites of continental lithospheric mantle samples, the incompatible trace element contents and Sr and Nd isotopic systematics of these samples suggest only minimal modification of the sampled lithosphere by metasomatic processes.Five of six Mount Quincan xenoliths preserving depleted middle to heavy REE patterns form a whole rock Sm-Nd isochron with an age of ∼275 Ma (ε_Ndi = +9), coincident with widespread granitoid emplacement in the overlying region. This isochron is interpreted to indicate the timing of partial melting of a DMM-like source. Xenoliths from other Atherton localities scatter about the isochron, suggesting that the sampled mantle represents addition of DMM mantle to the lithosphere in the Permian, when the region may have broadly been within a subduction zone setting. A sixth middle to heavy REE-depleted Mount Quincan xenolith has a distinct Nd and Os isotopic composition consistent either with an earlier, possibly Precambrian melt extraction event, or with Permian derivation from a mantle source with a less depleted (time-averaged lower Sm/Nd) Nd isotopic composition, but a more depleted (low Re/Os) Os isotopic composition.The range in measured whole rock Os isotopic compositions cannot solely be the result of time-integrated effects of variable melt extraction, especially considering the coherent Sm-Nd systematics of the suite. The Os heterogeneity more likely reflects either a heterogeneous ∼275 Ma DMM source that would have a present-day Os composition (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ∼ 0.1265-0.1287) overlapping both abyssal peridotites and chondrites, or significant and variable enrichment within the lithospheric mantle by secondary sulfides carrying radiogenic Os in a cryptic chalcophile enrichment event. Regardless of the origin of the Os isotopic variability, these data highlight the mantle Re-Os isotopic heterogeneity that may be present over small length scales where the lithophile Sm-Nd system may be relatively homogeneous.     

华北克拉通上地幔变形及其动力学意义

华北克拉通从稳定到破坏的演化过程对有关地球动力学的经典理论提出了挑战,研究其独特的演化历史是固体地球科学研究的一项重要内容。上地幔矿物晶体的各向异性记录了上地幔发生构造变形的信息,研究上地幔地震波各向异性能够揭示现今和构造历史时期所发生的构造运动。本文总结了近年来作者在华北克拉通地区所进行的高密度、覆盖广泛的地震波横波分裂观测研究结果。横波分裂的快轴方向与绝对板块运动方向的不一致,以及横波分裂参数快速的空间变化特征表明了华北克拉通的SKS横波分裂主要反映上地幔的变形。观测结果表明：鄂尔多斯块体保留了克拉通较弱的各向异性特征,其西端体现了元古代克拉通拼合的变形特征; 中新生代华北克拉通破坏事件以不同的机制主导了华北克拉通中部和东部的上地幔变形,在东部地区北西—南东向的拉张应力作用使得快轴方向平行于拉张方向,而在中部则因受到较厚岩石圈的阻挡使得地幔流动改变了方向,因此造成了北东和北北东向的岩石圈拉张。