Partial Melting and Counterclockwise P T Path of Subducted Oceanic Crust (Sierra del Convento Melange, Cuba)

Partial melting of subducted oceanic crust has been identifiedin the Sierra del Convento mélange (Cuba). This serpentinite-matrixmélange contains blocks of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-derivedplagioclase-lacking epidote ± garnet amphibolite intimatelyassociated with peraluminous trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocks.Field relations, major element bulk-rock compositions, mineralassemblages, peak metamorphic conditions (c. 750°C, 14–16kbar), experimental evidence, and theoretical phase relationssupport formation of the trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocksby wet melting of subducted amphibolites. Phase relations andmass-balance calculations indicate eutectic- and peritectic-likemelting reactions characterized by large stoichiometric coefficientsof reactant plagioclase and suggest that this phase was completelyconsumed upon melting. The magmatic assemblages of the trondhjemitic–tonaliticmelts, consisting of plagioclase, quartz, epidote, ±paragonite, ± pargasite, and ± kyanite, crystallizedat depth (14–15 kbar). The peraluminous composition ofthe melts is consistent with experimental evidence, explainsthe presence of magmatic paragonite and (relict) kyanite, andplaces important constraints on the interpretation of slab-derivedmagmatic rocks. Calculated P–T conditions indicate counterclockwiseP–T paths during exhumation, when retrograde blueschist-faciesoverprints, composed of combinations of omphacite, glaucophane,actinolite, tremolite, paragonite, lawsonite, albite, (clino)zoisite,chlorite, pumpellyite and phengite, were formed in the amphibolitesand trondhjemites. Partial melting of subducted oceanic crustin eastern Cuba is unique in the Caribbean realm and has importantconsequences for the plate-tectonic interpretation of the region,as it supports a scenario of onset of subduction of a youngoceanic lithosphere during the early Cretaceous (c. 120 Ma).The counterclockwise P–T paths were caused by ensuingexhumation during continued subduction. KEY WORDS: amphibolite; Cuba; exhumation; partial melting; trondhjemite; subduction     

Strontium and oxygen isotopic variations in Mesozoic and Tertiary plutons of central Idaho

Regional variations in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (r _i) of Mesozoic plutons in central Idaho locate the edge of Precambrian continental crust at the boundary between the late Paleozoic-Mesozoic accreted terranes and Precambrian sialic crust in western Idaho. The r _i values increase abruptly but continuously from less than 0.704 in the accreted terranes to greater than 0.708 across a narrow, 5 to 15 km zone, characterized by elongate, lens-shaped, highly deformed plutons and schistose metasedimentary and metavolcanic units. The chemical and petrologic character of the plutons changes concomitantly from ocean-arc-type, diorite-tonalite-trondhjemite units to a weakly peraluminous, calcic to calcalkalic tonalite-granodiorite-granite suite (the Idaho batholith). Plutons in both suites yield Late Cretaceous ages, but Permian through Early Cretaceous bodies are confined to the accreted terranes and early Tertiary intrusions are restricted to areas underlain by Precambrian crust. The two major terranes were juxtaposed between 75 and 130 m.y. ago, probably between 80 and 95 m.y. Oxygen and strontium isotopic ratios and Rb and Sr concentrations of the plutonic rocks document a significant upper-crustal contribution to the magmas that intrude Precambrian crust. Magmas intruding the arc terranes were derived from the upper mantle/subducted oceanic lithosphere and may have been modified by anatexis of earlier island-arc volcanic and sedimentary units. Plutons near the edge of Precambrian sialic crust represent simple mixtures of the Precambrian wall-rocks with melts derived from the upper mantle or subducted oceanic lithosphere with r _i of 0.7035. Rb/Sr varies linearly with r _i, producing “pseudoisochrons” with apparent “ages” close to the age of the wall rocks. Measured δ ¹⁸O values of the wall rocks are less than those required for the assimilated end-member by Sr-O covariation in the plutons, however, indicating that wall-rock δ ¹⁸O was reduced significantly by exchange with circulating fluids. Metasedimentary rocks of the Belt Supergroup are similarly affected near the batholith, documenting a systematic depletion in ¹⁸O as much as 50 km from the margin of the batholith. Plutons of the Bitterroot lobe of the Idaho batholith are remote from the accreted terranes and represent mixtures of Precambrian wall-rocks with melts dominated by continental lower crust (r _i>0.708) rather than mantle. “Pseudoisochrons” resulting from these data are actually mixing lines that yield apparent “ages” less than the true age of the wall rocks and meaningless “r_i”. Assimilation/ fractional-crystallization models permit only insignificant amounts of crystal fractionation during anatexis and mixing for the majority of plutons of the region.     

Mantle-melt Evolution (Dynamic Source) in the Origin of a Single MORB Suite: a Perspective from Magnesian Glasses of Macquarie Island

The effects of source composition and source evolution duringprogressive partial melting on the chemistry of mantle-derivedmid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) melts were tested using a comprehensivegeochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataset for fresh,magnesian basaltic glasses from the Miocene Macquarie Islandophiolite, SW Pacific. These glasses: (1) exhibit clear parent–daughterrelationships; (2) allow simple reconstruction of primary meltcompositions; (3) show exceptional compositional diversity (e.g.K₂O/TiO₂ 0·09–0·9; La/Yb 1·5–22;²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 18·70–19·52); (4) preserve changesin major element and isotope compositions, which are correlatedwith the degree of trace element enrichment (e.g. La/Sm). Conventionalmodels for MORB genesis invoke melting of mantle that is heterogeneouson a small scale, followed by binary mixing of variably lithophileelement-enriched melt batches. This type of model fails to explainthe compositions of the Macquarie Island glasses, principallybecause incompatible element ratios (e.g. Nb/U, Sr/Nd) and Pbisotope ratios vary non-systematically with the degree of enrichment.We propose that individual melt batches are produced from instantaneous‘parental’ mantle parageneses, which change continuouslyas melting and melt extraction proceeds. This concept of a ‘dynamicsource’ combines the models of small-scale mantle heterogeneitiesand fractional melting. A dynamic source is an assemblage oflocally equilibrated mantle solids and a related melt fraction.Common MORB magmas that integrate the characteristics of numerousmelt batches therefore tend to conceal the chemical and isotopicidentity of a dynamic source. This study shows that isotoperatios of poorly mixed MORB melts are a complex function ofthe dynamic source evolution, and that the range in isotoperatios within a single MORB suite does not necessarily requiremixing of diverse components. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalt; Macquarie Island; radiogenic isotopes; mantle; geochemistry     

Influence of stretching and density contrasts on the chemical evolution of continental magmas: an example from the Ivrea-Verbano Zone

 The southern Ivrea-Verbano Zone of the Italian Western Alps contains a huge mafic complex that intruded high-grade metamorphic rocks while they were resident in the lower crust. Geologic mapping and chemical variations of the igneous body were used to study the evolution of underplated crust. Slivers of crustal rocks (septa) interlayered with igneous mafic rocks are concentrated in a narrow zone deep in the complex (Paragneiss-bearing Belt) and show evidence of advanced degrees of partial melting. Variations of rare-earth-element patterns and Sr isotope composition of the igneous rocks across the sequence are consistent with increasing crustal contamination approaching the septa. Therefore, the Paragneiss-bearing Belt is considered representative of an “assimilation region” where in-situ interaction between mantle- and crust-derived magmas resulted in production of hybrid melts. Buoyancy caused upwards migration of the hybrid melts that incorporated the last septa and were stored at higher levels, feeding the Upper Mafic Complex. Synmagmatic stretching of the assimilation region facilitated mixing and homogenization of melts. Chemical variations of granitoids extracted from the septa show that deep septa are more depleted than shallow ones. This suggests that the first incorporated septa were denser than the later ones, as required by the high density of the first-injected mafic magmas. It is inferred that density contrasts between mafic melts and crustal rocks play a crucial role for the processes of contamination of continental magmas. In thick under plated crust, the extraction of early felsic/hybrid melts from the lower crust may be required to increase the density of the lower crust and to allow the later mafic magmas to penetrate higher crustal levels. Received: 2 May 1995 / Accepted: 1 November 1995     

Remelting of an Andesitic Crust as a Possible Origin for Rhyolitic Magma in Oceanic Arcs: an Example from the Izu-Bonin Arc

The Izu–Bonin volcanic arc is an excellent example ofan intra-oceanic convergent margin. A total of 1011 chemicalanalyses of 17 Quaternary volcanoes of the arc are reviewedto estimate relative proportions of magmas erupted. Basalt andbasic andesite (SiO₂ < 57 wt %) are the predominant eruptiveproducts of the Izu–Bonin arc, and rhyolite (SiO₂ >70 wt %) forms another peak in volume. Such rhyolites possesscompositions identical to those of partial melts produced bydehydration-melting of calc-alkaline andesites at low pressure(<7 kbar). Meanwhile, the major element variation of theShirahama Group Mio-Pliocene volcanic arc suite, Izu Peninsula,completely overlaps that of the Quaternary Izu–Bonin arcvolcanoes, and groundmasses of Shirahama Group calc-alkalineandesites have compositions similar to those of Izu–Boninrhyolites. Moreover, phenocryst assemblages of calc-alkalineandesites of the Shirahama Group resemble restite phase assemblagesof dehydration-melting of calc-alkaline andesite. These linesof evidence suggest that the rhyolite magmas may have been producedby dehydration-melting of calc-alkaline andesite in the upperto middle crust. If so, then the presence of large amounts ofcalc-alkaline andesite (3–5 times more abundant than therhyolites) within the oceanic arc crust would be expected, whichis consistent with a recently proposed structural model acrossthe Izu–Bonin arc. The calc-alkaline andesite magmas maybe water saturated, and would crystallize extensively and solidifywithin the crust. The model proposed here suggests that rhyoliteeruptions could be triggered by an influx of hot basalt magmafrom depth, reheating and partially melting the calc-alkalineandesite component of the crust. KEY WORDS: bimodal magmatism; calc-alkaline andesite; oceanic arcs; rhyolite     

Geochemistry, Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Relationships of Miocene Calc-alkaline Volcanic Rocks in the Western Carpathian Arc, Eastern Central Europe

We report major and trace element abundances and Sr, Nd andPb isotopic data for Miocene (16·5–11 Ma) calc-alkalinevolcanic rocks from the western segment of the Carpathian arc.This volcanic suite consists mostly of andesites and dacites;basalts and basaltic andesites as well as rhyolites are rareand occur only at a late stage. Amphibole fractionation bothat high and low pressure played a significant role in magmaticdifferentiation, accompanied by high-pressure garnet fractionationduring the early stages. Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataindicate a major role for crustal materials in the petrogenesisof the magmas. The parental mafic magmas could have been generatedfrom an enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB)-type mantlesource, previously metasomatized by fluids derived from subductedsediment. Initially, the mafic magmas ponded beneath the thickcontinental crust and initiated melting in the lower crust.Mixing of mafic magmas with silicic melts from metasedimentarylower crust resulted in relatively Al-rich hybrid dacitic magmas,from which almandine could crystallize at high pressure. Theamount of crustal involvement in the petrogenesis of the magmasdecreased with time as the continental crust thinned. A strikingchange of mantle source occurred at about 13 Ma. The basalticmagmas generated during the later stages of the calc-alkalinemagmatism were derived from a more enriched mantle source, akinto FOZO. An upwelling mantle plume is unlikely to be presentin this area; therefore this mantle component probably residesin the heterogeneous upper mantle. Following the calc-alkalinemagmatism, alkaline mafic magmas erupted that were also generatedfrom an enriched asthenospheric source. We propose that bothtypes of magmatism were related in some way to lithosphericextension of the Pannonian Basin and that subduction playedonly an indirect role in generation of the calc-alkaline magmatism.The calc-alkaline magmas were formed during the peak phase ofextension by melting of metasomatized, enriched lithosphericmantle and were contaminated by various crustal materials, whereasthe alkaline mafic magmas were generated during the post-extensionalstage by low-degree melting of the shallow asthenosphere. Thewestern Carpathian volcanic areas provide an example of long-lastingmagmatism in which magma compositions changed continuously inresponse to changing geodynamic setting. KEY WORDS: Carpathian–Pannonian region; calc-alkaline magmatism; Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes; subduction; lithospheric extension     

Constraints from Thorium/Lanthanum on Sediment Recycling at Subduction Zones and the Evolution of the Continents

Arc magmas and the continental crust share many chemical features,but a major question remains as to whether these features arecreated by subduction or are recycled from subducting sediment.This question is explored here using Th/La, which is low inoceanic basalts (<0·2), elevated in the continents(>0·25) and varies in arc basalts and marine sediments(0·09–0·34). Volcanic arcs form linear mixingarrays between mantle and sediment in plots of Th/La vs Sm/La.The mantle end-member for different arcs varies between highlydepleted and enriched compositions. The sedimentary end-memberis typically the same as local trench sediment. Thus, arc magmasinherit their Th/La from subducting sediment and high Th/Lais not newly created during subduction (or by intraplate, adakiteor Archaean magmatism). Instead, there is a large fractionationin Th/La within the continental crust, caused by the preferentialpartitioning of La over Th in mafic and accessory minerals.These observations suggest a mechanism of ‘fractionation& foundering’, whereby continents differentiate intoa granitic upper crust and restite-cumulate lower crust, whichperiodically founders into the mantle. The bulk continentalcrust can reach its current elevated Th/La if arc crust differentiatesand loses 25–60% of its mafic residues to foundering. KEY WORDS: arc magmatism; continental crust; delamination; thorium; sediment subduction     

Geochemical constraints on the origin of the late Jurassic proto-Caribbean oceanic crust in Hispaniola

The nature of the oceanic crust produced through rifting and oceanic spreading between North and South America during the Late Jurassic is a key element for the Caribbean plate tectonic model reconstruction. Located in the Cordillera Central of Hispaniola, the Loma La Monja volcano-plutonic assemblage (LMA) is composed of gabbros, dolerites, basalts, and oceanic sediments, as well as metamorphic equivalents, which represent a dismembered fragment of this proto-Caribbean oceanic crust. Petrologic and geochemical data show that the LMA have a relatively broad diversity in composition, which represent the crystallization products of a typical low-pressure tholeiitic fractionation of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB)-type parental magmas, ranging from N- to E-MORB. Three geochemical groups have been distinguished in the volcanic sequence: LREE-flat to slightly LREE-enriched basalts of groups II and III occur interlayered in the lower stratigraphic levels; and LREE-depleted basalts of group I in the upper levels. Mantle melt modeling suggests that group III magmas are consistent by mixing within a mantle melt column of low-degree (<1%) melts of a deep garnet lherzolite source and high-degree (>15%) melts of a shallow spinel source, and groups II and I magmas are explained with moderate to high (14–18%) and very high (>20%) fractional melting degrees of a shallower spinel mantle source, respectively. Thus, upward in the volcanic sequence of the LMA, the magmas represent progressively more extensive melting of shallower sources, in a plume-influenced spreading ridge of the proto-Caribbean oceanic crust. Nb/Y versus Zr/Y systematics combined with recent plate tectonic model reconstructions reveal that Caribbean Colombian oceanic plateau fragments in Hispaniola formed through melting of heterogeneous mantle source regions related with distinct plumes during at least from Aptian–Albian (>96 Ma) to Late Campanian.     

Melting of Amphibole-bearing Wehrlites: an Experimental Study on the Origin of Ultra-calcic Nepheline-normative Melts

Olivine + clinopyroxene ± amphibole cumulates have beenwidely documented in island arc settings and may constitutea significant portion of the lowermost arc crust. Because ofthe low melting temperature of amphibole (1100°C), suchcumulates could melt during intrusion of primary mantle magmas.We have experimentally (piston-cylinder, 0·5–1·0GPa, 1200–1350°C, Pt–graphite capsules) investigatedthe melting behaviour of a model amphibole–olivine–clinopyroxenerock, to assess the possible role of such cumulates in islandarc magma genesis. Initial melts are controlled by pargasiticamphibole breakdown, are strongly nepheline-normative and areAl₂O₃-rich. With increasing melt fraction (T > 1190°Cat 1·0 GPa), the melts become ultra-calcic while remainingstrongly nepheline-normative, and are saturated with olivineand clinopyroxene. The experimental melts have strong compositionalsimilarities to natural nepheline-normative ultra-calcic meltinclusions and lavas exclusively found in arc settings. Theexperimentally derived phase relations show that such naturalmelt compositions originate by melting according to the reactionamphibole + clinopyroxene = melt + olivine in the arc crust.Pargasitic amphibole is the key phase in this process, as itlowers melting temperatures and imposes the nepheline-normativesignature. Ultra-calcic nepheline-normative melt inclusionsare tracers of magma–rock interaction (assimilative recycling)in the arc crust. KEY WORDS: experimental melting; subduction zone; ultra-calcic melts; wehrlite     

Zircon Inheritance Reveals Exceptionally Fast Crustal Magma Generation Processes in Central Iberia during the Cambro-Ordovician

The Variscan basement of the Central Iberian Zone contains abundantCambro-Ordovician calc-alkaline to peraluminous metagranitesand metavolcanic rocks with two notable features: first, theywere apparently produced with no connection to any major tectonicor metamorphic event; second, they have an unusually high zirconinheritance. U–Pb dating combined with cathodoluminescenceimaging reveals that about 70–80%, in some samples nearer100%, of the zircon grains contain inherited pre-magmatic cores,despite the temperature reached by the magmas (about 900°C,calculated using the Ti-in-zircon thermometer) being high enoughto dissolve all the available zircon (from the rock's zirconsaturation temperature, 770–860°C). The fact thatthe dissolution of zircon was so incomplete can only be attributedto the kinetics of heat transfer to and from the magmas. Three-dimensionalmodeling of zircon dissolution behavior in melts with a compositionsimilar to the Iberian Cambro-Ordovician magmas indicates thatthe survival of zircons from the suggested late Pan-Africanprotolith would be possible only if melt production was rapid,specifically less than 10⁴ years, and probably about 2 x 10³years, from the beginning of melting (700°C) to the thermalpeak (900°C). Melt production was followed by fast magmatransfer to upper crustal levels resulting either in surfaceeruption or in the emplacement of small (< 400 m thick) sillsor laccoliths. We suggest that these elevated rates of crustalmelting could only have been caused by intrusion of mantle-derivedmafic magmas, most probably at the base of the crust. This scenariois consistent with a rifting regime in which crust and mantlewere mechanically decoupled; this would explain the scarcityof contemporaneous crustal deformation. Furthermore, fast meltingrates in the lower crust followed by fast melt transportationto the upper crust could also explain the lack of contemporaneousmetamorphism. The speed of the partial melting process resultedin the production of felsic magmas that inherited the geochemicalcharacteristics of their granitoid crustal protolith. This explainsthe apparent contradiction between the calc-alkaline to peraluminousgeochemical characteristics of the magmas and the inferred extensional(i.e. rift-related) tectonic setting. Our model is compatiblewith the hypothesis of fragmentation and dispersal of terranesfrom the northern margin of Gondwana that led to the openingof the Rheic and Galicia–South Brittany oceans and, ultimately,caused the detachment of the Iberian microplate from Armoricaand Gondwana during the early Paleozoic. KEY WORDS: igneous petrology; migmatite; granite; geochemistry; crustal contamination; ICP-MS; laser ablation     

Formation of Distinct Granitic Magma Batches by Partial Melting of Hybrid Lower Crust in the Izu Arc Collision Zone, Central Japan

The Miocene Kofu Granitic Complex (KGC) occurs in the Izu CollisionZone where the Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) arc has beencolliding with the Honshu arc since the middle Miocene. TheKGC includes rocks ranging in compositions from biotite-bearinggranite (the Shosenkyo and Mizugaki plutons), and hornblende–biotite-bearinggranodiorite, tonalite, quartz-diorite, and granite (the Shiodaira,Sanpo, Hirose and Sasago plutons), to hornblende-bearing tonaliteand trondhjemite (the Ashigawa–Tonogi pluton), indicatingthat it was constructed from multiple intrusions of magma withdifferent bulk chemistry. The Sr-isotopic compositions correctedto sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zirconages (SrI) suggest that the primary magmas of each pluton wereformed by anatexis of mixed lower crustal sources involvingboth juvenile basalt of the IBM arc and Shimanto sedimentaryrocks of the Honshu arc. After the primary magmas had formed,the individual plutons evolved by crystal fractionation processeswithout significant crustal assimilation or additional mantlecontribution. SHRIMP zircon U–Pb ages in the KGC rangefrom 16·8 to 10·6 Ma and overlap the resumptionof magmatic activity in the IBM and Honshu arcs at c. 17 Maand the onset of IBM arc–Honshu arc collision at c. 15Ma. The age of the granite plutons is closely related to theepisodic activity of arc magmatism and distinct granitic magmabatches could be formed by lower crustal anatexis induced byintrusion of underplated mantle-derived arc magmas. Based onpressures determined with the Al-in-hornblende geobarometer,the KGC magmas intruded into the middle crust. Thus, the KGCcould represent an example of the middle-crust layer indicatedthroughout the IBM arc by 6·0–6·5 km/s seismicvelocities. This granitic middle-crust layer acted buoyantlyduring the IBM arc–Honshu arc collision, leading to accretionof buoyant IBM arc middle crust to the Honshu arc. KEY WORDS: arc–arc collision; crustal anatexis; granite; Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) arc; Izu Collision Zone     

Genesis of the Kinabalu (Sabah) granitoid at a subduction-collision junction

The Kinabalu batholith is a late Neogene granitoid in northwestern Sabah (East Malaysia) apparently marking the locus at which subducted South China Basin lithosphere interacted with roots of the northern Sabah collision suture. The exposed batholith comprises a relatively small core of biotite quartz monzodiorite (BQM) grading out to dominant hornblende quartz monzonite (HQM). Both lithologies contain mafic igneous and metasedimentary inclusions and are cut by late-stage aplite dikes. Major element data indicate the BQM (K₂O/Na₂O ratios ranging 0.72–1.03) represents a low-K type while HQM (K₂O/Na₂O ratios ranging 1.35–5.58) is a distinct high-K type. Magmaphile element distributions support this distinction, HQM showing higher K, Rb, LREE and lower Ta and Nb contents than BQM, indicating the more extensive interaction of HQM with sial. Least-squares mass balance models suggest that HQM evolved through the combined effects of fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation while BQM was dominated by fractional crystallization. However, similar plagioclase zoning patterns in both lithologies suggest they are comagmatic rather than generated by melting of separate sources. It is concluded that low-K type melts, formed by subduction-induced remelting of underplated lower crust, underwent high pressure sialic contamination with development of high-K character. These provided access to later-formed low-K melts which were less contaminated and consolidated to form the pluton core. The unusual zonation from inner low-K to outer high-K type compositions may indicate that the cessation of subduction prevented upward migration of the melting anomaly and thermal maturation of the pluton.     

Petrogenesis of Volcanic Rocks from Saipan and Rota, Mariana Islands, and Implications for the Evolution of Nascent Island Arcs

An ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 45·1 Ma determined for lavas fromnorthern Saipan confirms that these high-silica rhyolites eruptedduring the ‘proto-arc’ stage of volcanism in theIzu–Bonin–Mariana system, which is characterizedelsewhere by eruption of boninitic lavas. Incompatible traceelement concentrations and Sr, Hf, Nd, and Pb isotope ratiosfor these rhyolites are transitional between those of c. 48Ma boninitic lavas and post-38 Ma ‘first-arc’ andesitesand dacites from Saipan and Rota that have typical subduction-relatedcompositions. These transitional compositions are modeled bycrystal fractionation of parental tholeiitic basalt combinedwith assimilation of young boninitic crust. A second stage ofRayleigh fractionation in the upper crust is required by SiO₂concentrations that exceed 77 wt % and near-zero compatibleelement concentrations. First-arc magma compositions are consistentwith fractionation of basalt and assimilation of crust similarin composition to the first-arc magmas themselves. The mantlesources of the proto-arc and first-arc lavas from Saipan andRota are similar to those of Philippine back-arc basin basaltsbased on Nd and Hf isotopic compositions. The Pb isotope compositionsof these lavas are between those of Pacific sea-floor basaltsand Jurassic and younger cherty and clay-rich sediments. Thiscontrasts with the boninitic proto-arc volcanic rocks from Guamand Deep Sea Drilling Project Sites 458 and 459 that have Pbisotope compositions similar to Pacific basin basalts and volcaniclasticsediments. The preferred explanation for the difference in thenature of proto-arc volcanism between Saipan and other fore-arclocations is that the crust ceased extending 3–4 Myr earlierbeneath Saipan. This was caused by a change from mantle upwelling,fore-arc extension, and shallow melting to an environment dominatedby more normal mantle wedge convection, stable crust, and deepermelting. KEY WORDS: rhyolite; andesite; Mariana arc; isotope ratios; trace elements     

Nature and origin of Triassic igneous activity in the Western Qinling Orogen: the Wenquan composite pluton example

The Western Qinling has been acknowledged to witness superimposed orogeny including north subduction of Paleotethys ocean and collision between North China and South China blocks; however, the precise timing constraints on transition of tectonic regime are remaining enigmatic. The Wenquan composite batholith comprising five phases and mafic enclaves is an ideal example to unlock this puzzle. The host granitoids are felsic, metaluminous to peraluminous, and high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic suite with I-type affinity. The mafic enclaves, however, are intermediate, and high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic. Zircon ages of multiple phases indicate an episodic growth lasting nearly 30 million years ranging from 238, 228, 218 to 208 Ma, consistent to Triassic igneous activity recording a transition regime from a subduction setting to a syn-collision setting and a post-collision setting in Western Qinling. Lead isotopes of whole-rock and K-feldspar at Wenquan and Lu-Hf isotopes of zircons separated from biotite monzogranite porphyry, porphyritic monzogranite, monzogranite porphyry, and hosted mafic enclaves suggest that the heat and the hot mafic melt initiated by the break-off of the northward subducting South China block lithosphere triggered partial melting of the Mesoproterozoic subcontinental lithospheric mantle to produce mafic magmas, and the underplated mafic magmas caused partial melting of the shallow subducted Mesoproterozoic lower crust generating granitic magmas at Wenquan. Combined our field observations and petrology study with a holistic review on previous geochronological and geochemical data of Triassic granitoids throughout the Western Qinling, we in this contribution proposed that the Triassic igneous activity in the Western Qinling corresponding to superimposed orogeny evolved from the northward subduction of Palaeotethys ocean (250–235 Ma) through syn-collision (228–215 Ma) to post-collision (215–185 Ma) between the North China and South China blocks.     

Internal Differentiation of the Archean Continental Crust: Fluid-Controlled Partial Melting of Granulites and TTG-Amphibolite Associations in Central Finland

Fault bound blocks of granulite and enderbite occur within upperamphibolite-facies migmatitic tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioritic(TTG) gneisses of the Iisalmi block of Central Finland. Theseunits record reworking and partial melting of different levelsof the Archean crust during a major tectonothermal event at2·6–2·7 Ga. Anhydrous mineral assemblagesand tonalitic melts in the granulites formed as a result ofhydrous phase breakdown melting reactions involving amphiboleat peak metamorphic conditions of 8–11 kbar and 750–900°C.A nominally fluid-absent melting regime in the granulites issupported by the presence of carbonic fluid inclusions. Thegeochemical signature of light rare earth element (LREE)-depletedmafic granulites can be modelled by 10–30 wt % partialmelting of an amphibolite source rock leaving a garnet-bearingresidue. The degree of melting in intermediate granulites isinferred to be less than 10 wt % and was restricted by the availabilityof quartz. Pressure–temperature estimates for the TTGgneisses are significantly lower than for the granulites at660–770°C and 5–6 kbar. Based on the P–Tconditions, melting of the TTG gneisses is inferred to haveoccurred at the wet solidus in the presence of an H₂O-rich fluid.A hydrous mineralogy, abundant aqueous fluid inclusions andthe absence of carbonic inclusions in the gneisses are in accordancewith a water-fluxed melting regime. Low REE contents and strongpositive Eu anomalies in most leucosomes irrespective of thehost rock composition suggest that the leucosomes are not meltcompositions, but represent plagioclase–quartz assemblagesthat crystallized early from felsic melts. Furthermore, similarplagioclase compositions in leucosomes and adjacent mesosomesare not a ‘migmatite paradox’, as both record equilibrationwith the same melt phase percolating along grain boundaries. KEY WORDS: Archean continental crust; fluid inclusion; granulite; migmatite; partial melting     

The role of subduction erosion in the generation of Andean and other convergent plate boundary arc magmas,the continental crust and mantle

Subduction erosion, which occurs at all convergent plate boundaries associated with magmatic arcs formed on crystalline forearc basement, is an important process for chemical recycling, responsible globally for the transport of ~1.7 Armstrong Units (1 AU = 1 km³/yr) of continental crust back into the mantle. Along the central Andean convergent plate margin, where there is very little terrigenous sediment being supplied to the trench as a result of the arid conditions, the occurrence of mantle-derived olivine basalts with distinctive crustal isotopic characteristics (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ≥ 0.7050; ε_Nd ≤ −2; ε_Hf ≤ +2) correlates spatially and/or temporally with regions and/or episodes of high rates of subduction erosion, and a strong case can be made for the formation of these basalts to be due to incorporation into the subarc mantle wedge of tectonically eroded and subducted forearc continental crust. In other convergent plate boundary magmatic arcs, such as the South Sandwich and Aleutian Islands intra-oceanic arcs and the Central American and Trans-Mexican continental margin volcanic arcs, similar correlations have been demonstrated between regions and/or episodes of relatively rapid subduction erosion and the genesis of mafic arc magmas containing enhanced proportions of tectonically eroded and subducted crustal components that are chemically distinct from pelagic and/or terrigenous trench sediments. It has also been suggested that larger amounts of melts derived from tectonically eroded and subducted continental crust, rising as diapirs of buoyant low density subduction mélanges, react with mantle peridotite to form pyroxenite metasomatites that than melt to form andesites. The process of subduction erosion and mantle source region contamination with crustal components, which is supported by both isotopic and U-Pb zircon age data implying a fast and efficient connectivity between subduction inputs and magmatic outputs, is a powerful alternative to intra-crustal assimilation in the generation of andesites, and it negates the need for large amounts of mafic cumulates to form within and then be delaminated from the lower crust, as required by the basalt-input model of continental crustal growth. However, overall, some significant amount of subducted crust and sediment is neither underplated below the forearc wedge nor incorporated into convergent plate boundary arc magmas, but instead transported deeper into the mantle where it plays a role in the formation of isotopically enriched mantle reservoirs. To ignore or underestimate the significance of the recycling of tectonically eroded and subducted continental crust in the genesis of convergent plate boundary arc magmas, including andesites, and for the evolution of both the continental crust and mantle, is to be on the wrong side of history in the understanding of these topics.     

Contribution of mantle components within juvenile lower-crust to collisional zone porphyry Cu systems in Tibet

Most porphyry Cu–Mo–Au deposits are found in magmatic arcs worldwide, and are associated with hydrous, high-fO₂, calc-alkaline magmas, derived from a mantle wedge that was metasomatized by the fluids from a subducted oceanic slab. Recently, such deposits have been documented as occurring widely in collisional settings, where they are associated with potassic magmas generated during the collisional process, but the genesis of the fertile magmas and the mechanism of metallic enrichment remain controversial. Here we present new geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data from the post-collisional fertile and barren porphyries of the Miocene Gangdese porphyry belt in the Tibetan orogen, an orogen formed by the collision of India and Asia in the early Cenozoic. Both types of porphyry are characterized by high K₂O contents, and have geochemical affinities with adakite, but the fertile magmas were most likely derived from the melting of a thickened juvenile mafic lower-crust, formed by the underplating of earlier asthenospheric melts at the base of crust, whereas the derivation of the barren magmas involved variable amounts of old lower-crust in Tibet. The melting of sulfide-bearing phases in the juvenile mantle components of the Tibetan lower-crust probably provided Cu, Au, and S to the fertile magmas. The breakdown of amphibole during melting at the source released the fluids necessary for the formation of the porphyry Cu deposits in Tibet. The thickened crust (up to 70–80 km), due to collision, is thought to be responsible for a decrease in the fO₂ of the fertile magmas during their ascent to the upper crust, thus preventing the generation of more porphyry Cu–Au and epithermal Au deposits in this collisional zone.     

Petrology and geochemistry of Camiguin Island, southern Philippines: insights to the source of adakites and other lavas in a complex arc setting

Camiguin is a small volcanic island located 12 km north of Mindanao Island in southern Philippines. The island consists of four volcanic centers which have erupted basaltic to rhyolitic calcalkaline lavas during the last ∼400 ka. Major element, trace element and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic data indicate that the volcanic centers have produced a single lava series from a common mantle source. Modeling results indicate that Camiguin lavas were produced by periodic injection of a parental magma into shallow magma chambers allowing assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) processes to take place. The chemical and isotopic composition of Camiguin lavas bears strong resemblance to the majority of lavas from the central Mindanao volcanic field confirming that Camiguin is an extension of the tectonically complex Central Mindanao Arc (CMA). The most likely source of Camiguin and most CMA magmas is the mantle wedge metasomatized by fluids dehydrated from a subducted slab. Some Camiguin high-silica lavas are similar to high-silica lavas from Mindanao, which have been identified as “adakites” derived from direct melting of a subducted basaltic crust. More detailed comparison of Camiguin and Mindanao adakites with silicic slab-derived melts and magnesian andesites from the western Aleutians, southernmost Chile and Batan Island in northern Philippines indicates that the Mindanao adakites are not pure slab melts. Rather, the CMA adakites are similar to Camiguin high-silica lavas which are products of an AFC process and have negligible connection to melting of subducted basaltic crust. Received: 27 February 1998 / Accepted: 27 August 1998     

Migrating magmatism in the northern US Cordillera: in situ U–Pb geochronology of the Idaho batholith

New in situ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb geochronology of zircons from the Idaho batholith and spatially overlapping Challis intrusions reveals a series of discrete magmatic belts of different ages and compositions. Following the accretion of the Blue Mountains province to North America along the Salmon River suture zone, two compositionally diverse belts of metaluminous plutons formed both adjacent to the suture and well inboard of it. These were constructed from ~100 to 85 Ma and were followed by a voluminous pulse of peraluminous magmatism, forming the bulk of the Atlanta lobe and largest fraction of the batholith between ~80 and 67 Ma. Around 70 Ma, a later and more spatially restricted suite of metaluminous plutons formed around the Bitterroot lobe of the batholith. This was followed by another pulse of voluminous peraluminous magmatism in the Bitterroot lobe, lasting from ~66 to 54 Ma. The changes from low volume metaluminous to high volume peraluminous magmatism may reflect a combination of changes in the angle and segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate and over thickening of the continental lithosphere. All of these features were then cut by plutons and dikes associated with the Challis volcanic field, lasting from ~51 to 43 Ma. Inherited components are pervasive in zircons from most phases of the batholith. While Precambrian components are very common, zircons also often contain cores or mantles that are 5–20 million years older than their rims. This suggests that the early phases of the batholith were repeatedly cannibalized by subsequent magmas. This also implies that the older suites may have been originally more aerially extensive than their currently exposed forms.     

Dehydration Melting of Metabasalt at 8-32 kbar: Implications for Continental Growth and Crust-Mantle Recycling

We report the results of partial melting experiments between8 and 32 kbar, on four natural amphibolites representative ofmetamorphosed Archean tholeiite (greenstone), high-alumina basalt,low-potassium tholeiite and alkali-rich basalt. For each rock,we monitor changes in the relative proportions and compositionof partial melt and coexisting residual (crystalline) phasesfrom 1000 to 1150C, within and beyond the amphibole dehydrationreaction interval. Low percentage melts coexisting with an amphiboliteor garnet amphibolite residue at 1000–1025C and 8–16kbar are highly silicic (high-K₂O granitic at 5%; melting, low-Al₂O₃trondhjemitic at 5–10%). Greater than 20% melting is onlyachieved beyond the amphibole-out phase boundary. Silicic tointermediate composition liquids (high-Al₂O₃ trondhjemitic-tonalitic,granodioritic, quartz dioritic, dioritic) result from 20–40%melting between 1050 and 1100C, leaving a granulite (plagioclase+ clinopyroxene orthopyroxene olivine) residue at 8 kbarand garnet granulite to eclogite (garnet + clinopyroxene) residuesat 12–32 kbar. Still higher degrees of melting ( 40–60%)result in mafic liquids corresponding to low-MgO, high-Al₂O₃basaltic and basaltic andesite compositions, which coexist withgranulitic residues at 8 kbar and edogitic or garnet granulitic(garnet + clinopyroxene + plagioclase orthopyroxene) residuesat higher pressures (12–28 kbar). As much as 40% by volumehigh-Al₂O₃ trondhjemitic-tonalitic liquid coexists with an eclogiticresidue at 1100–1150C and 32 kbar. The experimental datasuggest that the Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite(TTG) suite of rocks, and their Phanerozoic equivalents, thetonalite-trondhjemite-dacite suite (including ‘adakites’and other Na-rich granitoids), can be generated by 10–40%melting of partially hydrated metabasalt at pressures abovethe garnet-in phase boundary (12 kbar) and temperatures between1000 and 1100C. Anomalously hot and/or thick metabasaltic crustis implied. Although a rare occurrence along modern convergentplate margins, subductionrelated melting of young, hot oceaniccrust (e.g. ocean ridges) may have been an important (essential)element in the growth of the continental crust in the Archean,if plate tectonic processes were operative. Coupled silicicmelt generation-segregation and mafic restite disposal may alsooccur at the base of continental or primitive (sub-arc?) crust,where crustal overthickening is a consequence of underplatingand overaccretion of mafic magmas. In either setting, net growthof continental crust and crustmantle recycling may be facilitatedby relatively high degrees of melting and extreme density contrastsbetween trondhjemitictonalitic liquids and garnet-rich residues.Continuous chemical trends are apparent between the experimentalcrystalline residues, and mafic migmatites and garnet granulitexenoliths from the lower crust, although lower-crustal xenolithsin general record lower temperatures (600–900C) and pressures(5–13 kbar) than corresponding residual assemblages fromthe experiments. However, geo-thermobarometry on eclogite xenolithsin kimberlites from the subcontinental mantle indicates conditionsappropriate for melting through and beyond the amphibole reactioninterval and the granulite-eclogite transition. If these samplesrepresent ancient (eclogitized) remnants of subducted or otherwisefoundered basaltic crust, then the intervening history of theirprotoliths may in some cases include partial melting. KEY WORDS: dehydration melting; metabasalt; continental growth; crust–mantle recycling ^*Corresponding author. Present address: Mineral Physics Institute and Center for High Pressure Research, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA