Late Permian to Early Triassic subduction and retreating of the Paleopacific slab: Constraints from continental arc magmatism in Hainan IslandSCIEI北大核心CSCD

海南岛大规模二叠-三叠纪侵入岩的形成是与古特提斯洋有关,还是与古太平洋俯冲闭合有关还存在巨大争议。本文对琼中金波两处辉绿岩脉及其围岩花岗岩的研究显示,露头1辉绿岩脉的锆石U-Pb年龄为245.4±3.8Ma,TiO_(2)含量(1.07%~1.18%)低,而MgO(8.60%~9.41%)和Mg^(#)值(62.31~65.02)较高,为钙碱性系列,球粒陨石和原始地幔标准化配分曲线中具有明显的Eu、Nb、Ta、Ti和Ba负异常,以及显著Th、U、Zr、Rb和Pb等正异常,(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)_(i)=0.707138~0.712797,(^(143) Nd/^(144)Nd)_(i)=0.511884~0.511965,ε_(Nd)(t)值为-7.01~-8.58,指示其形成于大陆岛弧环境。相比之下,露头2辉绿岩锆石U-Pb年龄为242.8±3.1Ma,但其TiO_(2)(2.65%~3.06%)含量较高,而MgO(4.24%~5.39%)和Mg^(#)值(40.09~45.86)较低,具有Eu、Rb、Pb、Nb、Ta和Ti弱正异常和Th负异常,(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)_(i)=0.690244~0.717031,(^(143) Nd/^(144)Nd)_(i)=0.512886~0.512915,ε_(Nd)(t)值为+6.41~+7.93,具有板内玄武岩的特征,指示其形成于板内裂解环境。辉绿岩脉围岩二长花岗岩的锆石U-Pb年龄为255.3±3.0Ma和255.7±3.2Ma,含少量角闪石和黑云母,具有较高的SiO_(2)(71.62%~73.72%)、Na_(2)O+K_(2)O(6.60%~9.17%)和Al_(2)O_(3)(平均14.88%)含量,A/CNK值(0.97~1.03)较低,亏损Nb、Ta、Ti、Sr和Ba,富集Rb、Th、U和Pb,为高分异I型岛弧花岗岩。总的来看,二长花岗岩和辉绿岩形成于大陆岛弧挤压向伸展过渡的构造环境。对比二叠-三叠纪侵入岩体的走向、碰撞前-同碰撞-碰撞后岩浆岩的时代以及榴辉岩的变质年龄等,发现海南岛侵入岩与哀牢山-松马造山带明显不同,而与日本和朝鲜半岛的岛弧岩浆岩类似,由此我们认为海南岛大规模晚二叠-早三叠世岩浆岩为古太平洋板片向欧亚板块俯冲后撤的产物,后撤过程受到古特提斯俯冲板片的影响。     

Post-collisional potassic magmatism in the eastern Lhasa terrane,South Tibet: Products of partial melting of mélanges in a continental subduction channel

Post-collisional, potassic magmatic rocks widely distributed in the eastern Lhasa terrane provide significant information for comprehensive understanding of geodynamic processes of northward subduction of the Indian lithosphere and uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. A combined dataset of whole-rock major and trace elements, Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes, and in situ zircon U–Pb dating and Hf–O isotopic analyses are presented for the Yangying potassic volcanic rocks (YPVR) in the eastern part of the Lhasa terrane, South Tibet. These volcanic rocks consist of trachytes, which are characterized by high K₂O (5.46–9.30 wt.%), SiO₂ (61.34–68.62 wt.%) and Al₂O₃ (15.06–17.36 wt.%), and relatively low MgO (0.47–2.80 wt.%) and FeO_t (1.70–4.90 wt.%). Chondrite-normalized rare earth elements (REE) patterns display clearly negative Eu anomalies. Primitive mantle-normalized incompatible trace elements diagrams exhibit strong enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE) and display significantly negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies. Initial isotopic compositions indicate relatively radiogenic Sr [(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.711978–0.712090)] and unradiogenic Nd [(¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)_i = 0.512121–0.512148]. Combined with their Pb isotopic compositions [(²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i = 18.615–18.774, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i = 15.708–15.793, (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i = 39.274–39.355)], these data are consistent with the involvement of component from subducted continental crustal sediment in their source region. The whole-rock Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions exhibit linear trends between enriched mantle-derived mafic ultrapotassic magmas and relatively depleted crustal contaminants from the Lhasa terrane. The enrichment of the upper mantle below South Tibet is considered to result from the addition of components derived from subducted Indian continental crust to depleted MORB-source mantle during northward underthrusting of the Indian continental lithosphere beneath the Lhasa terrane since India–Asia collision at ~ 55 Ma. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) U–Pb zircon analyses yield the eruptive ages of 10.61 ± 0.10 Ma and 10.70 ± 0.18 Ma (weighted mean ages). Zircon Hf isotope compositions [Ɛ_Hf(t) = −4.79 to −0.17], combined with zircon O isotope ratios (5.51–7.22‰), imply an addition of crustal material in their petrogenesis. Clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometer reveals pressure (2.5–4.1 kbar) and temperature (1029.4–1082.9 °C) of clinopyroxene crystallization, suggesting that depth of the magma chamber was 11.6–16.4 km. Energy-constrained assimilation and fractional crystallization (EC–AFC) model calculation indicates depth of assimilation and fractional crystallization in the region of 14.40–18.75 km underneath the Lhasa terrane, which is in consistent with depth of the magma chamber as suggested by clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometer. Based on the whole-rock major and trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope compositions, combined with EC–AFC modeling simulations and zircon Hf–O isotope data, we propose that the YPVR resulted from assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) process of the K-rich mafic primitive magmas, which were caused by partial melting of the Indian continental subduction-induced mélange rocks.     

Review of Mesozoic multiple magmatism and porphyry Cu–Mo (W) mineralization in the Yidun Arc,eastern Tibet Plateau

The Yidun Arc was formed in response to the westward subduction of Garze–Litang Ocean (a branch of Paleotethys) in the Late Triassic, where abundant porphyry Cu–Mo deposits (221–213 Ma) developed along the regional NW–SE sinistral faults and emplaced in the southern portion of the arc. The ore-related porphyries are mostly metaluminous or slightly peraluminous, belonging to shoshonitic high-potassium calc-alkaline I-type granites, with ε_Hf(t) values of −6.64 to +4.12. The ore-bearing magmas were probably derived from the partial melting of subduction-metasomatic-enriched mantle, with the contamination of underplated mafic materials. The Late Cretaceous (88–80 Ma) highly fractionated I-type granite belt and related porphyry Cu–Mo deposits and magmatic-hydrothermal Cu–Mo–W deposits occur along approximately N–S-trending faults in the Yidun Arc. This belt extended across the Yidun Arc and Garze–Litang suture zone to the north and across the Yangtze Craton to the south, intruding the Late Triassic porphyry belt. The ore-related porphyries are characterized by high silica and high total alkalis, with enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; Rb, U and K) and depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE; Nb, Ta, P and Ti) and Ba. They have lower ε_Hf(t) values varying from −9.55 to −2.75, and significant negative Eu anomalies, indicating that the ore-bearing porphyritic magmas originated from ancient middle-upper crust. Two-stage magmatism and mineralization were superimposed in the Xiangcheng-Shangri-La district. Some ore deposits comprise two episodes of magmatism and associated mineralization such as both 207 ± 3.0 Ma granodiorite and 82.1 ± 1.2 Ma monzogranite intruded in the Xiuwacu deposit, causing Cu–Mo–W polymetallic mineralization. To date, 11 Late Triassic porphyry Cu deposits (e.g. the Pulang giant deposit with 5.1 Mt Cu), and five Late Cretaceous porphyry Cu–Mo (W) deposits (e.g. Tongchanggou Mo deposit with 0.59 Mt Mo) have been evaluated in the Xiangcheng-Shangri-La district. The continuity and inheritance of multiphase magmatism and the new understanding of superimposed mineralization will help to guide future exploration.     

Late Cretaceous arc magma differentiation in southern Tibet: Evidence from zircon U-Pb chronology,mineralogy and geochemistrySCIEI北大核心CSCD

造山带岩浆作用记录了从大洋俯冲消减到陆陆碰撞的一系列地质过程,同时也蕴含了关于大陆地壳生成、生长的重要信息,其中,与俯冲相关的弧岩浆作用被认为是大陆地壳生长的主要机制。本文通过对西藏南部拉萨地体曲水县至贡嘎县一带出露的黑云母二长花岗岩、镁铁质微粒包体以及石英闪长岩开展同位素年代学、矿物学和岩石地球化学研究,探讨了该岩石组合的成因和弧岩浆的分异演化过程。锆石U-Pb定年结果表明,这些岩石的形成时代为91~88Ma。其中,黑云母二长花岗岩属中钾钙碱性偏铝质岩石系列(A/CNK=0.77~0.99),具高SiO 2(68.90%~69.18%)和Al_(2)O_(3)(15.21%~15.48%),低MgO(1.15%~1.16%)和Mg#值(~44),高Sr/Y比值(60~82),其地球化学特征与埃达克质岩石相似;镁铁质微粒包体的SiO 2含量为54.75%~54.96%,具有较高MgO含量(3.92%~5.40%)和Mg#值(52~61),并具弱的负Eu异常(δEu=0.79~0.82)。石英闪长岩为中钾钙碱性偏铝质岩石(A/CNK=0.84~0.88),其SiO 2含量为58.55%~63.32%,具有较高的Mg#值(44~48)和弱的负Eu异常(δEu=0.68~0.81)。另外,所有黑云母二长花岗岩、镁铁质微粒包体以及石英闪长岩样品的Sr-Nd同位素和锆石εHf(t)值相近((87 Sr/86 Sr)i=0.703594~0.703939,εNd(t)=+4.6~+4.8,εHf(t)=+10.9~+15.6)。矿物成分分析表明,黑云母二长花岗岩和镁铁质微粒包体中发育环带的斜长石An值由中心向边部逐渐下降,未发育反环带结构;石英闪长岩中的辉石为单斜辉石,所分析角闪石均为钙质角闪石,黑云母为镁质黑云母。综合上述特征,本文认为黑云母二长花岗岩、镁铁质微粒包体以及同生石英闪长岩分别代表了源自亏损地幔的母岩浆通过分离结晶作用所派生的不同阶段的产物:其中,石英闪长岩最先由基性岩浆发生以辉石、Ti-Fe氧化物和磷灰石为主的分离结晶作用形成,继而作为母岩浆进一步分异演化;镁铁质微粒包体是岩浆早期结晶的堆晶产物;而黑云母二长花岗岩代表了包体形成后残余熔体的组分。本文的研究表明,冈底斯岩浆岩带晚白垩世发生了富水条件下的岩浆分离结晶和堆晶作用,俯冲带弧岩浆分异对于大陆地壳的形成和演化发挥着重要的作用。     

Record of Permian–Early Triassic continental arc magmatism in the western margin of the Jiamusi Block,NE China: petrogenesis and implications for Paleo-Pacific subduction

International Journal of Earth Sciences - In this paper, we report zircon U–Pb ages, Hf isotopes and whole-rock geochemical data for the Permian to Early Triassic granitoids from the western...     

Late Triassic–Late Cretaceous accretion/subduction in the Taiwan region along the eastern margin of South China – evidence from zircon SHRIMP dating

To examine the tectonic history of the Taiwan segment of the eastern margin of South China, six rock samples from the Tailuko belt, the metamorphic basement of Taiwan, were selected for zircon SHRIMP dating. The aim was to identify evidence shedding light on the timing of the change from passive to active tectonics for this part of the continental margin since South China separated from the supercontinent of Rodinia. The results lead to two age groups, 190–200 and 88–90 Ma. These age groups, augmented by the previously published age data, suggest that they could have resulted from two Mesozoic accretion/subduction events. In addition, this mid‐late Mesozoic Tailuko belt might have also been reactivated and structurally complicated by the late Cenozoic collision/accretion of the Luzon arc with the Eurasian continent. Records of older tectonic events, such as those derived from the Japanese Islands, are absent in this metamorphic basement. An important finding of this study is the existence of the 191±10 Ma Talun metagranite, the oldest granitic intrusion ever reported in the Taiwan region and along the eastern coast area of South China. In spite of a large age uncertainty, the occurrence of this metagranite is not consistent with the apparent younging trend of Jurassic‐Cretaceous igneous activity toward the coastline in South China, and should be taken into consideration by future studies.     

Origin of Late Cenozoic Abaga–Dalinuoer basalts,eastern China: Implications for a mixed pyroxenite–peridotite source related with deep subduction of the Pacific slab

Continental intraplate basalts (15.42–0.16 Ma) from Abaga–Dalinuoer volcanic field (ADVF) in central Inner Mongolia of eastern China, as a part of Cenozoic volcanic province along eastern margin of the Eurasian continent, provide a good opportunity to explore potential links between deep subduction of the Pacific slab and continental intraplate volcanism. In this study, we report an integrated dataset of whole-rock K–Ar ages, major and trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes, and olivine major and minor elements for the Abaga–Dalinuoer basalts (ADBs), and propose that mantle source lithology of the ADB magmas may consist of both pyroxenite and peridotite. The ADBs display low SiO₂ (42.3–50.2 wt.%), high MgO (7.3–11.4 wt.%) and moderate K₂O + Na₂O (3.8–6.4 wt.%), and can be subdivided into basanites, alkali basalts and tholeiitic basalts that are all characterized by ocean island basalt (OIB)-like rare earth elements (REE) and enrichment in both large ion lithosphile elements (LILE) and high field strength elements (HFSE). Olivine phenocrysts have higher Ni and Fe/Mn and lower Mn, Ca and Ca/Fe relative to those from peridotite melts, but exhibit clearly lower Ni contents (< 2500 ppm) compared with expected Ni range (> 3000 ppm) for olivines crystallized from olivine-free pyroxenite melts. Estimated compositions of the ADB primary magmas, together with olivine compositions, suggest an iron-rich mantle source related with silica-deficient pyroxenite that is most likely derived from deeply subducted Pacific oceanic crust. Additionally, peridotite and recent subducted sediments are also required to account for high Ni and MgO in primary magmas together with their trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope systematics. We suggest that a mixed pyroxenite–peridotite source lithology can better match observed whole-rock and olivine signatures in the ADB, compared with either peridotite only or olivine-free pyroxenite only source lithology. In our model, pyroxenite melts would either react with or mechanically mix with peridotite, and the proportion of pyroxenite melts may range from 30% to 45% for mechanical mixing scenario. A continuous spectrum from tholeiitic to alkali melts revealed by melt-peridotite reaction experiment can explain formation of primary magmas of basanites, alkali basalts and tholeiitic basalts by increasing melting degree of a similar mantle source. Relatively higher ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb of the ADB may suggest more significant role of recent (< 0.5 Ga) subducted Pacific oceanic materials, in contrast to other Cenozoic basalts in eastern China (e.g., Changbai basalts) that exhibit varying contributions from ancient (> 1.5 Ga) subducted continental sediments. We emphasize that coupled geochemical and geodynamic links (i.e., subduction polarity) between deeply subducted Pacific slab and continental intraplate volcanism in eastern China may exist, which directly support the involvement of deeply subducted Pacific materials in petrogenesis of the ADB. From the perspective of plate motion kinetics, decompression partial melting of upwelling fragmented Pacific slab (silica-deficient pyroxenite + recent subducted sediments) may be triggered by rollback of deeply subducted Pacific slab during Late Cenozoic times. Continental intraplate volcanism in the ADVF generally started with termination of opening of the Japan Sea, suggesting that deep subduction of the Pacific slab may have been an important geodynamic mechanism responsible for tectono-magmatic evolution of northeastern Asia. We suggest that the ADBs have the potential to shed light on genetic links between continental intraplate volcanism and deep subduction of the Pacific slab in geochemical and geodynamic processes.     

Late Cenozoic brittle deformation in the Southern Patagonian Andes: Record of plate coupling/decoupling during variable subduction?

The Andes of southern Patagonia experienced a Miocene shift towards faster and higher angle subduction followed by the approach and collision of the Chile oceanic ridge. We present a kinematic study characterizing palaeostress fields computed from brittle tectonics to better constrain upper crustal deformation during this complex scenario. Although previous studies already suggested variable kinematics, it is striking that in a long‐lasting subduction environment, the computed palaeostress tensors are mostly strike‐slip (55%), while 35% are extensional, and only 10% compressive which are concentrated along a main frontal thrust. Cross‐cutting relationships and synsedimentary deformation indicate that a long‐lived strike‐slip regime was punctuated by a lower Miocene extensional event in the foreland before the main compressional event. The results are discussed in contrasting geodynamic models of plate coupling/decoupling versus direction and rate of convergence of the subducting plate, to explain the main mechanisms that control back‐arc deformation.     

Late Paleozoic subduction–accretion along the southern margin of the North Qinling terrane,central China: Evidence from zircon U-Pb dating and geochemistry of the Wuguan Complex

The Qinling Orogen separating the North China plate from the Yangtze plate is a key area for understanding the timing and process of aggregation between the two plates. Two competing and highly contrasting tectonic models currently exist to explain the timing and nature of collision; one advocates a Devonian continental collision while the other favors a Triassic collision. The Wuguan Complex, between the early Paleozoic North Qinling and the Mesozoic South Qinling terranes, can provide important constraints on the late Paleozoic evolutionary processes of the Qinling Orogen. Metamorphosed sedimentary rock of the Wuguan Complex have a detrital zircon age spectrum with two major peaks at 453 Ma and 800 Ma, several minor age populations of 350–430 Ma and 1000–2868 Ma, and a youngest weighted mean age of 358 ± 3 Ma, indicating a mixed source from the North Qinling terrane. The recrystallized zircons yield a weighted mean age of 333 ± 2 Ma, representing the metamorphic age. Geochemical analyses imply that the sedimentary rocks were originally deposited in an active continental margin dominated by an acidic-arc source with a subordinate mafic-ultramafic source. The youngest population of detrital zircons (358 Ma) suggests that the Wuguan Complex developed as forearc basin along the southern accreted margin of the North Qinling terrane during the early Carboniferous, whereas the ca. 520–460 Ma mafic rocks with E-MORB, N-MORB, OIB or island arc basalt signatures probably derived from the Danfeng Group. In combination with regional data, we suggest that the depositional age of the Wuguan Complex is ca. 389–330 Ma, but it was subsequently incorporated into tectonic mélange by the northward subduction of the Paleo-Qinling Ocean. A long-lived southward-facing subduction-accretionary system in front of the North Qinling terrane probably lasted until at least the early Carboniferous.     

The Yarlung suture mélange,Lopu Range,southern Tibet: Provenance of sandstone blocks and transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision

With the aim of better understanding the history of ocean closure and suturing between India and Asia, we conducted a geologic investigation of a siliciclastic matrix tectonic mélange within the western Yarlung suture zone of southern Tibet (Lopu Range region, ~ 50 km northwest of Saga). The siliciclastic matrix mélange includes abundant blocks of ocean plate stratigraphy and sparse blocks of sandstone. Metapelite and metabasite blocks in the mélange exhibit lower greenschist facies mineral assemblages, indicating that they were not deeply subducted. We obtained detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic and sandstone petrographic data from sandstone blocks in the mélange and sandstone beds from Tethyan Himalayan strata exposed to the south of the suture. The sandstones from both units are all similar in U-Pb detrital zircon age spectra and petrography to the nearby Tethyan Cretaceous–Paleocene Sangdanlin section, which records the earliest appearance (at ~ 59 Ma) of arc-affinity strata deposited conformably on Indian-affinity strata. Two Paleocene sandstones, one of which is a schistose block incorporated in the siliciclastic matrix mélange, yielded indistinguishable maximum depositional ages of ~ 59 Ma. Mesozoic Asian-affinity sandstone blocks previously documented in the siliciclastic matrix mélange 200–500 km along strike to the east are notably absent in the Lopu Range region. We documented a gradational transition in structural style from the block-in-matrix mélange in the northeast to the south-vergent Tethyan thrust belt in the southwest. Blocks of Tethyan Himalayan strata increase in size and the volumetric proportion of matrix decreases from northeast to southwest. We conclude that no arc-affinity sandstone blocks were incorporated into the subduction complex until India-Asia collision at ~ 59 Ma when the Xigaze forearc basin became overfilled and Tethyan Himalayan strata entered the trench. As collision progressed, there was a gradual transition in structural style from block-in-matrix mélange formation to imbricate-style thrust belt formation.     

Do soft sediment deformations in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic of the UK record seismic activity during the break-up of Pangea?

The lagoonal and shallow marine sediments of the Penarth Group in the UK span the Triassic–Jurassic boundary. These sediments contain several disturbed levels with soft sediment deformations (SSDs), such as synsedimentary faults, injective domes, recumbent folds and slumps that are recognised in most basins from SW England and South Wales to NW Northern Ireland. Field observations, notably the close link of the SSDs to active faults, attest an earthquake origin of the SSDs. Fluids, faults, overpressure and lithology guided the style of the SSDs and their distribution in the sedimentary sections. Analysis of the directional data relating to SSDs in each disturbed level shows preferred orientations of deformation, which correspond to the local state of stress at the time. We favour a series of earthquakes, rather than a single mega-event as a trigger of the observed features. The active local extensional tectonic context was driven by the opening of the Permo-Triassic basins in Western Europe. The data from the SSDs in the UK suggest the development of a multi-directional, mosaic-style extensional context to occur during this early phase of the break-up of Pangea. Our integrated tectonic/sedimentary study suggests that directional data from faults, injective domes, recumbent folds and slumps preserved in sediments are reliable to reconstruct past seismic activity and basin geodynamics.     

The Middle–Late Triassic Closure of the East Paleotethys Ocean: Paleomagnetic Evidence from the Baoshan Terrane, China

正Objective It is still controversial about when,where and how the East Paleotethys Ocean closed due to the lack of reliable paleomagnetic data from the blocks or terranes located in both sides of the suture,which prohibits our better understanding of a series of key scientific issues such as how major blocks of East Asia collided together,and the     

Advances in research of the time scales of porphyry deposits: A case study of the Yulong porphyry Cu-Mo deposit in the eastern TibetSCIEI北大核心CSCD

精确限定多期次岩浆-热液活动的时间尺度一直是剖析斑岩矿床形成过程的热点和难点。借助矿物的高精度同位素定年、热力学数值模拟以及石英的钛扩散模型等方法,斑岩矿床中岩浆-热液活动的时间尺度已经被限定在几万年之内。本文以三江特提斯超大型玉龙斑岩铜(钼)矿床为例,重点识别含矿热液脉中普遍存在的石英,利用钛元素的扩散年代学方法,精确限定斑岩矿床中多期岩浆-热液流体活动的时间尺度。扩散模型表明玉龙斑岩矿床热液活动的时间尺度为32000~870000年,有力支持了超大型斑岩矿床可以在几万至几十万年甚至更短时间内形成的观点。此外,为避免钛扩散模型产生较大的误差,需要在精确测定石英中钛含量的基础上,结合矿床地质背景或其他实验方法合理地估测温度和压力条件。研究认为,将矿物的高精度同位素定年与元素的扩散年代学相结合,可以在更为精细的尺度上完善斑岩矿床岩浆-热液活动的时间框架。     

The Middle Triassic evolution of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean: evidence from analyses of OIB-type basalts and OIB-derived phonolites in northern Tibet

International Journal of Earth Sciences - In this paper, we present new major and trace element chemical data for the basalts and phonolites of the Nare ocean island fragment (NaOI), as well as...     

Geochemical Characteristics of the Cenozoic Volcanic Rocks in Central Qiangtang, Tibet: Relation with the Uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau

1. Introduction The uplift and evolution of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau has been the most important projects for studying the dynamic process of the plateau, and the uplift mechanism and history are the essential problems. Researches have been done extensively in terms of tectonics, sedimentology, geophysics, paleontology, paleoclimate and paleomagnetism for several tens of years. Many evolution models have been suggested but so far none of them have been explained perfectly. In recent years,…     

Implications of subduction and subduction zone migration of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath eastern North China,based on distribution,geochronology, and geochemistry of Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks

Several major volcanic zones are distributed across the eastern North China Craton, from northwest to southeast: the Greater Xing’an Range, Jibei-Liaoxi, Xishan, and Songliao Basins, and the Yanji, Huanghua, and Ludong volcanic zones. The Huanghua depression within the Bohai Bay Basin was filled by middle Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks and abundant Cenozoic alkaline basalts. Zircon LA-ICP-MS and SHRIMP U–Pb dating show that basic–intermediate volcanic rocks were extruded in the Early Cretaceous of 118.8 ± 1.0 Ma (weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age), before Late Cretaceous acid lavas at 71.5 ± 2.6 Ma. An inherited zircon from andesite has a Paleoprotoerozoic core crystallization age of 2,424 ± 22 Ma (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb age) indicating that the basement of the Bohai Bay Basin is part of the North China Craton. Early Cretaceous basic and intermediate lavas are characterized by strong enrichments in LREE and LILE and depletions in HREE and HFSE, indicating a volcanic arc origin related to oceanic subduction. Depletion in Zr only occurs in basic and intermediate volcanic rocks, while depletions in Sr and Ti exist only in acid samples, indicating that the acid series is not genetically related to the basic–intermediate series. Formation ages and geochemical features indicate that the Late Cretaceous acid lavas are products of crustal remelting in an extensional regime. Combined information from all these volcanic zones shows that subduction-related volcanic rocks were generated in the Jibei-Liaoxi and Xishan volcanic zones during the Early Jurassic, about 60 Ma earlier than their analogues extruded in the Huanghua and Ludong volcanic zones during the Early Cretaceous. This younging trend also exists in the youngest extension-related volcanism in each of these zones: Early Cretaceous asthenosphere-derived alkaline basalts in the northwest and Late Cretaceous in the southeast. A tectonic model of northwestward subduction and continuous oceanward retreat of the Paleo-Pacific Plate is proposed to explain the migration pattern of both arc-related and post-subduction extension-related volcanic rocks. As the subduction zone continuously migrated, active continental margin and backarc regimes successively played their roles in different parts of North China during the Late Mesozoic (J₁–K₂).     

Ecological stability during the LGM and the mid-Holocene in the Alpine Steppes of Tibet?

Arid and Alpine ecosystems are known for extreme environmental changes during the Late Quaternary. We hypothesize that the world's largest Alpine arid ecosystem however, the Alpine Steppes of the Tibetan highlands, remained ecologically stable during the LGM and the mid-Holocene. This hypothesis is tested by distributional range of plant species, plant life forms and rate of endemism. The set of character species has a precipitation gradient between 50 and 350 mm/a, testifying for resilience to precipitation changes. 83% of the species have a wider vertical range than 1000 m used as a proxy for resilience to temperature changes. 30% of the species are endemic with 10 endemic genera, including plate-shaped cushions as a unique plant life form. These findings are in line with palaeo-ecological proxies (δ¹⁸O, pollen) allowing the assumption that Alpine Steppes persisted during the LGM with 3 to 4 K lower summer temperatures.During the mid-Holocene, forests could have replaced Alpine Steppes in the upper catchments of the Huang He, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Yarlung Zhangbo, but not in the interior basins of the north-western highlands, because the basins were then flooded, suppressing forests and supporting the environmental stability of this arid Alpine grassland biome.     

“Normal” to adakite-like arc magmatism associated with the El Abra porphyry copper deposit,Central Andes,Northern Chile

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The El Abra porphyry copper deposit belongs to the Late Eocene—Early Oligocene metallogenic belt of northern Chile, which host several world-class...     

Zircon U–Pb age and Hf isotopic compositions of Mesozoic granitoids in southern Qiangtang,Tibet: Implications for the subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean

The southern Qiangtang magmatic belt was formed by the north-dipping subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean during Mesozoic. To better understand the petrogenesis, time–space distribution along the length of this belt, 21 samples of several granitoid bodies, from west to east, in the Bangong Co, Gaize, Dongqiao and Amdo areas were selected for in-situ zircon U–Pb dating, Hf isotopic and whole-rock chemical analyses. The results suggest a prolonged period of magmatic activity (185–84 Ma) with two major stages during the Jurassic (185–150 Ma) and the Early Cretaceous (126–100 Ma). Both the Jurassic and Cretaceous granitoids are high-K calc-alkaline I-type rocks, except the Cretaceous two-mica granite from Amdo in the east, which belongs to S-type. The granitoids are generated from different source materials as indicated by zircon Hf isotopic compositions. The Bangong Co and Dongqiao granitoids show high zircon ε_Hf(t) values of − 1.3–13.6 with younger T_DM^C ages of 293–1263 Ma, suggesting a relatively juvenile source; whereas the Gaize and Amdo granitoids have low ε_Hf(t) values of − 16.1–2.9 with older T_DM^C ages of 999–2024 Ma, indicating an old crustal contribution. These source rocks melt at different P–T conditions as suggested by Sr/Y ratio and T_Zr. The Sr/Y ratio of both stage granitoids increases with decreasing age. However, the T_Zr of the Jurassic granitoids decreases, whereas the T_Zr of the Cretaceous granitoids increases with decreasing age. The contrasting geochemical signatures of these granitoids may be controlled by the varying contribution of slab-derived fluids involved in the generation of the Jurassic and Cretaceous granitic magmas; i.e. increasing amount of fluids in the Jurassic, whereas decreasing amount of fluids in the Cretaceous. Therefore, it is proposed that the Jurassic and Cretaceous magmatism may be related to subduction and closure of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean, respectively. The age pattern of the Jurassic and Cretaceous granitoids suggests an oblique subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean and a diachronous collision between the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks.