Mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by sub-lithospheric convective mantle material: Transition from high- to moderate-Mg magmatism beneath Vitim Plateau,Siberia

High-Mg lavas are characteristic of the mid-Miocene volcanism in Inner Asia.In the Vitim Plateau,small volume high-Mg volcanics erupted at 16-14 Ma.and were followed with voluminous moderate-Mg lavas at 14-13 Ma.In the former unit,we have recorded a sequence of(1) initial basaltic melts,contaminated by crustal material,(2) uncontaminated high-Mg basanites and basalts of transitional(K-Na-K) compositions,and(3) picrobasalts and basalts of K series;in the latter unit a sequence of(1) initial basalts and basaltic andesites of transitional(Na-K-Na) compositions and(2) basalts and trachybasalts of K-Na series.From pressure estimation,we infer that the high-Mg melts were derived from the sublithospheric mantle as deep as 150 km,unlike the moderate-Mg melts that were produced at the shallow mantle.The 14-13 Ma rock sequence shows that initial melts equilibrated in a garnet-free mantle source with subsequently reduced degree of melting garnet-bearing material.No melting of relatively depleted lithospheric material,evidenced by mantle xenoliths,was involved in melting,however.We suggest that the studied transition from high-to moderate-Mg magmatism was due to the mid-Miocene thermal impact on the lithosphere by hot sub-lithospheric mantle material from the Transbaikalian low-velocity(melting) domain that had a potential temperature as high as 1510℃.This thermal impact triggered rifting in the lithosphere of the Baikal Rift Zone.     

Mantle structure and rifting processes in the Baikal–Mongolia region: geophysical data and evidence from xenoliths in volcanic rocks

The origin of the Baikal rift zone (BRZ) has been debated between the advocates of passive and active rifting since the 1970s. A re-assessment of the relevant geological and geophysical data from Russian and international literature questions the concept of broad asthenospheric upwelling beneath the rift zone that has been the cornerstone of many “active rifting” models. Results of a large number of early and recent studies favour the role of far-field forces in the opening and development of the BRZ. This study emphasises the data obtained through studies of peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths brought to the surface by alkali basaltic magmas in southern Siberia and central Mongolia. These xenoliths are direct samples of the upper mantle in the vicinity of the BRZ. Of particular importance are suites of garnet-bearing xenoliths that have been used to construct P–T- composition lithospheric cross-sections in the region for the depth range of 35–80 km.Xenolith studies have shown fundamental differences in the composition and thermal regime between the lithospheric mantle beneath the ancient Siberian platform (sampled by kimberlites) and beneath younger mobile belts south of the platform. The uppermost mantle in southern Siberia and central Mongolia is much hotter at similar levels than the mantle in the Siberian craton and also has significantly higher contents of ‘basaltic’ major elements (Ca, Al, Na) and iron, higher Fe/Si and Fe/Mg. The combination of the moderately high geothermal gradient and the fertile compositions in the off-cratonic mantle appears to be a determining factor controlling differences in sub-Moho seismic velocities relative to the Siberian craton. Chemical and isotopic compositions of the off-cratonic xenoliths indicate small-scale and regional mantle heterogeneities attributed to various partial melting and enrichment events, consistent with long-term evolution in the lithospheric mantle. Age estimates of mantle events based on Os–Sr–Nd isotopic data can be correlated with major regional stages of crustal formation and may indicate long-term crust–mantle coupling. The ratios of ^143/144Nd in many LREE-depleted xenoliths are higher than those in MORB or OIB source regions and are not consistent with a recent origin from asthenospheric mantle.Mantle xenoliths nearest to the rift basins (30–50 km south of southern Lake Baikal) show no unequivocal evidence for strong heating, unusual stress and deformation, solid state flow, magmatic activity or partial melting that could be indicative of an asthenospheric intrusion right below the Moho. Comparisons between xenoliths from older and younger volcanic rocks east of Lake Baikal, together with observations on phase transformations and mineral zoning in individual xenoliths, have indicated recent heating in portions of the lithospheric mantle that may be related to localised magmatic activity or small-scale ascent of deep mantle material. Overall, the petrographic, P–T, chemical and isotopic constraints from mantle xenoliths appear to be consistent with recent geophysical studies, which found no evidence for a large-scale asthenospheric upwarp beneath the rift, and lend support to passive rifting mechanism for the BRZ.     

青藏高原北羌塘榴辉岩质下地质及富集型地幔源区——来自新生代火山岩的岩石地球化学证据

利用岩石地球化学的方法，研究了北羌塘新生代火山岩，结果表明，北羌塘第三纪火山岩可区分为碱性（钾玄岩质）和高钾钙碱两套不同的火山岩组合，它们分别起源于一个特殊的，不均一的富集型上地幔和一个加厚陆壳的榴辉岩质下地壳，由于青藏陆块之下软流层物质的上涌而形成幔源碱性岩浆活动，而幔源岩浆在Mobo面的底侵作用又为下地壳中酸性高钾钙碱系列火山岩的起源提供了热动力条件，该区两套不同系列和源区类型的火山岩正是在这种特殊的构造环境中形成。     

大同第四纪玄武岩成因:主微量元素及Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf同位素研究

大同火山区位于大兴安岭-太行山重力梯度带西侧,所发育的第四纪玄武岩岩石地球化学特征为探索该区火山岩成因提供了重要约束,同时也为华北克拉通西部岩石圈地幔与软流圈的相互作用提供重要依据。根据火山地貌和岩性的不同,沿着北东向陈庄-许堡断裂可将大同玄武岩大致分为东、西两区,西区火山多呈锥状,以碱性玄武岩为主;东区则以溢流拉斑玄武岩为主,锥体少。镜下岩相学研究观察到大量橄榄石和单斜辉石斑晶,结合Ni、Cr两种元素随着MgO含量降低而减小,这两种矿物应是分离结晶作用下的主要产物。这些玄武岩的SiO₂和（K₂O+Na₂O）含量分别为45.02%~53.3%和3.60%~6.53%,相对富集轻稀土元素（（La/Yb）_N=5.8~31.6）,并显示富集LILE（Rb、Ba、Sr正异常）以及HFSE（Nb、Ta、Zr正异常）的洋岛玄武岩（OIB）特征。根据La/Yb-Sm/Yb图解模拟计算得出大同玄武岩均是石榴石相二辉橄榄岩低程度部分熔融的结果,其中碱性玄武岩部分熔融程度约为1.5%~3%,拉斑玄武岩约为4%~8%。所研究的玄武岩有较低⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr（0.703302~0.705102）、较高¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd（0.512561~0.512963）和¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf（0.282922~0.283072）比值。在¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd-⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr图解上大同玄武岩落在OIB范围内;²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb-²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb和¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd-²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb图解表明它们来自PREMA和EMⅠ端元的二元混合。大同碱性玄武岩和拉斑玄武岩的地球化学特征不同可以用两点原因来解释：（1）主量与微量元素特征的差异是两种玄武岩部分熔融程度不一样形成的;（2）同位素特征表明两种玄武岩都来自软流圈亏损端元的部分熔融并存在少量岩石圈富集端元物质的加入,其差异则是加入比例不同造成的。

     

新生代华夏岩石圈减薄与东亚边缘海盆构造演化的年代学与地球化学制约研究

年代学与地球化学制约表明,华南的茂名与三水盆地从92～38Ma期间有近连续的火山喷发,并在(56±2)Ma火山作用源区发生了急剧的转折。这与东亚边缘海盆地最早伸展在时间上和构造方向上是一致的,形成了一系列NE向左旋剪切伸展盆地以及南海南西海盆、苏拉威西海、西菲律宾海等洋盆。35～17Ma期间印支块体沿红河断裂向东南挤出,使东亚沿NE向左旋剪切伸展受阻。因此,这一期间华夏块体上没有出现与拉张有关的玄武质岩浆作用,始新世洋盆NE向扩张也逐渐被终止。关于南海的晚第三纪扩张,年代学与构造证据是与根据磁异常确定的32～17Ma扩张期相矛盾的。17Ma以后,华夏、东海至日本海岩石圈均出现了强的NE向伸展,也使印支块体沿红河断裂从左旋挤出转向右旋走滑。南海在这一期间再次出现扩张,应是一个合理的构造格局。     

Evolution of the European Cenozoic Rift System: interaction of the Alpine and Pyrenean orogens with their foreland lithosphere

The evolution of the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS) and the Alpine orogen is discussed on the base of a set of palaeotectonic maps and two retro-deformed lithospheric transects which extend across the Western and Central Alps and the Massif Central and the Rhenish Massif, respectively.During the Paleocene, compressional stresses exerted on continental Europe by the evolving Alps and Pyrenees caused lithospheric buckling and basin inversion up to 1700 km to the north of the Alpine and Pyrenean deformation fronts. This deformation was accompanied by the injection of melilite dykes, reflecting a plume-related increase in the temperature of the asthenosphere beneath the European foreland. At the Paleocene–Eocene transition, compressional stresses relaxed in the Alpine foreland, whereas collisional interaction of the Pyrenees with their foreland persisted. In the Alps, major Eocene north-directed lithospheric shortening was followed by mid-Eocene slab- and thrust-loaded subsidence of the Dauphinois and Helvetic shelves. During the late Eocene, north-directed compressional intraplate stresses originating in the Alpine and Pyrenean collision zones built up and activated ECRIS.At the Eocene–Oligocene transition, the subducted Central Alpine slab was detached, whereas the West-Alpine slab remained attached to the lithosphere. Subsequently, the Alpine orogenic wedge converged northwestward with its foreland. The Oligocene main rifting phase of ECRIS was controlled by north-directed compressional stresses originating in the Pyrenean and Alpine collision zones.Following early Miocene termination of crustal shortening in the Pyrenees and opening of the oceanic Provençal Basin, the evolution of ECRIS was exclusively controlled by west- and northwest-directed compressional stresses emanating from the Alps during imbrication of their external massifs. Whereas the grabens of the Massif Central and the Rhône Valley became inactive during the early Miocene, the Rhine Rift System remained active until the present. Lithospheric folding controlled mid-Miocene and Pliocene uplift of the Vosges-Black Forest Arch. Progressive uplift of the Rhenish Massif and Massif Central is mainly attributed to plume-related thermal thinning of the mantle-lithosphere.ECRIS evolved by passive rifting in response to the build-up of Pyrenean and Alpine collision-related compressional intraplate stresses. Mantle-plume-type upwelling of the asthenosphere caused thermal weakening of the foreland lithosphere, rendering it prone to deformation.     

Mildly incompatible elements in peridotites and the origins of mantle lithosphere

The abundances of the mildly incompatible elements Al, Cr, V, Sc and Yb in more than 1700 mantle peridotite bulk rock analyses are interpreted in the light of a fractional melting model based on experimentally measured partition coefficients (D) and melting reaction stoichiometries. All peridotites examined, irrespective of sample type (abyssal peridotites, orogenic massifs, ophiolites, on/off craton xenoliths), tectonic environment (divergent/convergent/passive margin, intraplate) or the pressure (P) they last equilibrated at in the mantle (plagioclase-, spinel- , or garnet facies), originated as residues at less than 3 GPa, mainly within the spinel-facies. Mantle rocks currently in the garnet facies likely were originally spinel-facies lithosphere underthrust or subducted to greater depths in convergent margins. This view is inescapable even within the widest range of D values employed in the calculations, and is furthermore strengthened when metasomatic effects on the abundances of the mildly incompatible elements in residues are considered. A pressure of origin of below 3 GPa for most mantle lithosphere creates difficulties for any model ascribing a significant volume of deep, cratonic mantle roots to plume sub-cretion or any other vertical tectonic mechanism.     

日本海陨击事件与新生代东亚大地构造演化

北太平洋及东亚地区在始新世左右发生了一系列重大地质事件:日本海发生开裂;日本西南和中国板块北部发生顺时针旋转(>20°);NNW向运动的太平洋板块突然改变方向开始NWW向运动;郯庐断裂带由强烈断陷造成快速冷却事件;渤海湾盆地出现地幔热异常开始形成裂谷系;阿尔金断裂开始脉冲式走滑;贝加尔湖裂谷开始形成。这些重大地质事件的发生都与日本海陨击事件相关。     

哈萨克斯坦环巴尔喀什斑岩铜矿地质与成矿背景研究

中哈萨克斯坦位于中亚造山带中部,是中亚型造山带及中亚斑岩铜矿成矿域的重要组成部分,已发现数十个大型和超大型矿床,成群成带分布。主要的斑岩铜矿类型有斑岩铜-金矿、斑岩铜矿、斑岩铜钼矿,大多具同期火山岩。已建立的热液蚀变分带模式具有碱性蚀变和酸性蚀变两个阶段,已有的硫铅同位素数据表明成矿物质来源于深部。该地区的斑岩铜矿形成与多阶段构造演化有关,早古生代的斑岩铜矿与岛弧演化的早阶段有关,而晚古生代的斑岩铜矿与泥盆纪火山—岩浆弧、石炭纪—二叠纪的火山—岩浆弧有关。从中哈萨克斯坦的北西向南东方向,斑岩铜矿的形成时代逐渐变年轻。虽然经过数十年的研究,但该地区的有关斑岩铜矿的精细时空结构仍未建立。因此,含矿斑岩体与蚀变矿化年龄的精确测定、区域成矿地球动力学背景及其演化、斑岩铜矿的精细时空结构、与中国邻区的构造—岩浆—成矿带的连接对比将是以后的研究方向。     

Reassessment of petrogenesis of Carboniferous-Early Permian rift-related volcanic rocks in the Chinese Tianshan and its neighboring areas

The Carboniferous Early Permian rill-related volcanic successions.covering large areas in the Chinese Tianshan and its adjacent areas.make up a newly recognized important Phanerozoic large igneous province in the world.which can be further divided into two sub-provinces:Tianshan and Tarim. The regional unconformity of Lower Carboniferous upon basement or pre-Carboniferous rocks.the ages (360—351 Ma) of the youngest ophiolite and the peak of subduction metamorphism of high pressure-low temperature metamorphic belt and the occurrence of Ni-Cu-bearing mafic-ultramatic intrusion with age of—352 Ma and A-type granite with age of～358 Ma reveal that the final closure of the Paleo Asian Ocean might lake place in the Early Mississippian.Our summation shows that at least four criteria.being normally used to identify ancient asthenosphere upwelling(or mantle plumes),are met for this large igneous province:(1) surface uplift prior to magmatism:(2) being associated with continental ifting and breakup events:(3) chemical characteristics of asthenosphere(or plume) derived basalts;(4) close links to large-scale minerali/alion and the uncontaminaled basalts,being analogous to those of many "ore-bearing" large igneous provinces.display Sr-Nd isotopic variations between plume and EMI geochemical signatures.These suggest that a Carboniferous asthenosphere upwelling and an Early Permian plume played the central role in the generation of the Tianshan—Tarim(central Asia) large igneous province.     

腾冲火山区的现代幔源氦释放:构造和岩浆活动意义

深地震测深(DSS)和大地电磁测深(MT)都表明腾冲火山区现今仍存在壳内岩浆囊,但对其数量和空间分布还存在分歧并缺乏全貌性认识。MT探测认为腾冲火山区是一个软流圈上涌和岩石圈减薄区,但对这一减薄区的空间范围还缺乏充分的约束。通过对腾冲火山区及外围大范围温泉逸出气体的分析测试,我们共获得了75个温泉逸出气体的氦同位素³He/⁴He比值数据(部分为前人资料)。利用氦同位素示踪原理,我们研究了腾冲火山区幔源氦释放强度空间分布和时间变化特征,结果发现:腾冲火山区的幔源挥发份释放呈1带3区分布。以³He/⁴He≥1 Ra,幔源氦比例≥15%为界,腾冲火山区的幔源挥发份释放异常区呈整片分布,为一南北走向的条带,南北长100km,东西宽50km。在整片异常区的内部,腾冲火山区的幔源挥发份释放又有强度不同的3个区域:① 中部腾冲县城-热海一带,³He/⁴He比值达到5.5 Ra以上,幔源氦比例达到70%以上,释放强度最强。② 北部曲石一带,³He/⁴He比值达4.5 Ra以上,幔源氦比例达到50%以上,释放强度次之。③ 南部五合-蒲川-新华一带,³He/⁴He比值达2Ra以上,幔源氦比例达到25%以上,释放强度最弱;腾冲火山区幔源挥发份释放强度在不断升高,其中第3个释放区的³He/⁴He比值(Ra)升高速率比前两者明显要大。我们认为:腾冲火山区现今幔源挥发份释放强度的空间分布图象就是该地区软流圈上涌和岩石圈减薄区空间尺度和上涌强度的最直接反映,上涌区(减薄区)的大小大致为南北长100km,东西宽50km;腾冲火山区现今存在3个壳内岩浆囊。第1个岩浆囊位于腾冲县城-热海一带,第2个岩浆囊位于马站-曲石一带,第3个岩浆囊位于五合-龙江-团田-蒲川-新华一带;腾冲火山区3个岩浆囊都在不断受到幔源岩浆的持续补充;第1个岩浆囊集幔源挥发份释放、相对地热梯度、地壳形变和地震活动等异常于一身,活动性最强,是未来腾冲火山最可能喷发的地点,需重点监视。第2个岩浆囊的幔源挥发份释放强度也引人注目,需加强监测。第3个岩浆囊规模大,埋深较浅,幔源挥发份释放增加较快,需引起注意。     

内蒙达里诺尔火山群晚第四纪火山地质特征与岩浆裂隙通道研究

达里诺尔火山群位于中亚造山带中部以及大兴安岭-太行山重力梯度带中部的西侧。该区拥有上百座第四纪火山,其中不乏全新世仍有过喷发的年轻火山。本文选取以鸽子山、锡塔特乌拉等形成时代最晚,推测形成于中更新世晚期至全新世的晚第四纪火山作为研究对象,从火山锥形貌和定向排列两方面推断岩浆补给裂隙通道的几何特征。结果发现,这些火山具有较为一致的NE和NEE两个方向的裂隙通道。这些方向与区域构造最大主压应力方向相近。本文提出在NE向区域主压应力作用下,在研究区域发生NEE走向的左行剪压走滑。在这个走滑带上,瑞德尔断裂提供岩浆补给裂隙通道。而局部连通瑞德尔断裂的断裂提供了NEE向通道。     

Geochemistry and tectonic development of Cenozoic magmatism in the Carpathian–Pannonian region

This review considers the magmatic processes in the Carpathian–Pannonian Region (CPR) from Early Miocene to Recent times, as well as the contemporaneous magmatism at its southern boundary in the Dinaride and Balkans regions. This geodynamic system was controlled by the Cretaceous to Neogene subduction and collision of Africa with Eurasia, especially by Adria that generated the Alps to the north, the Dinaride–Hellenide belt to the east and caused extrusion, collision and inversion tectonics in the CPR. This long-lived subduction system supplied the mantle lithosphere with various subduction components. The CPR contains magmatic rocks of highly diverse compositions (calc-alkaline, K-alkalic, ultrapotassic and Na-alkalic), all generated in response to complex post-collisional tectonic processes. These processes formed extensional basins in response to an interplay of compression and extension within two microplates: ALCAPA and Tisza–Dacia. Competition between the different tectonic processes at both local and regional scales caused variations in the associated magmatism, mainly as a result of extension and differences in the rheological properties and composition of the lithosphere. Extension led to disintegration of the microplates that finally developed into two basin systems: the Pannonian and Transylvanian basins. The southern border of the CPR is edged by the Adria microplate via Sava and Vardar zones that acted as regional transcurrent tectonic areas during Miocene–Recent times.Major, trace element and isotopic data of post-Early Miocene magmatic rocks from the CPR suggest that subduction components were preserved in the lithospheric mantle after the Cretaceous–Miocene subduction and were reactivated especially by extensional tectonic processes that allowed uprise of the asthenosphere. Changes in the composition of the mantle through time support geodynamic scenarios of post-collision and extension processes linked to the evolution of the main blocks and their boundary relations. Weak lithospheric blocks (i.e. ALCAPA and western Tisza) generated the Pannonian basin and the adjacent Styrian, Transdanubian and Z?rand basins which show high rates of vertical movement accompanied by a range of magmatic compositions. Strong lithospheric blocks (i.e. Dacia) were only marginally deformed, where strike–slip faulting was associated with magmatism and extension. At the boundary of Adria and Tisza–Dacia strike–slip tectonics and core complex extension were associated with small volume Miocene magmatism in narrow extensional sedimentary basins or granitoids in core-complex detachment systems along older suture zones (Sava and Vardar) accommodating the extension in the Pannonian basin and afterward Pliocene–Quaternary inversion. Magmas of various compositions appear to have acted as lubricants in a range of tectonic processes.     

Evolution of Topography,Drainage and Biogeography in East Asia during the Cenozoic: Summary of the Third Conference on Earth System Science

Drastic changes in the deep Earth processes and paleoenvironments on the surface occurred in Asia and surrounding regions during the Cenozoic. Driven by India-Asia collision and Pacific plate subduction, the Tibet Plateau region in the west gained its high elevation, whereas lithosphere in east China lost its thickness, and West Pacific margin seas opened, all of which led to the establishment of the present-day topography and drainage pattern. These tectonic-geomorphic processes interplayed with global cooling, re-organization of northern westerlies, Asian monsoon regime and biogeography in this region, which have become the frontier topics in earth sciences.     

Geochemistry of the mafic dykes in the Prakasam Alkaline Province of Eastern Ghats Belt, India: Implications for the genesis of continental rift-zone magmatism

Mesoproterozoic rift-zone magmatism in the Prakasam Alkaline Province of Eastern Ghats Belt, India is represented by three geochemically distinct primary mafic magmas and their plutonic differentiates. The three mafic magmas correspond to the alkali basaltic dykes, gabbroic dykes and lamprophyric dykes. The dyke activity is synchronous with the host plutons and belongs to the 1350–1250 Ma period Mesoproterozoic magmatism. Geochemical signatures suggest that the alkali basaltic dykes have a source in the thermal boundary layer, which has a history of prior melt extraction followed by enrichment. Both the gabbroic and lamprophyric dykes are derived from lithospheric sources and their geochemical variation can be explained by “vein-plus-wall-rock melting model”. Vein/wall-rock ratio is low for the sources of gabbroic dykes, whereas it is high for the lamprophyric dykes. Geochemistry of the gabbro dykes further indicates preservation of previous arc-signals by the lithosphere beneath the Prakasam Alkaline Province during the Mesoproterozoic. Geochemical signatures of lamproite, which could be a cratonic expression of the rift-triggered magmatism in the Prakasam Province, suggest a general increase in the metasomatic imprint with increasing lithosphere thickness from cratonic margin towards interior. It is found that geochemistry of continental rift-zone magmatism of the Prakasam rift is remarkably similar to that of the Gardar rift of South Greenland. It appears that the geodynamic conditions under which melting occurred in the Prakasam Alkaline Province are similar to that of a propagating rift with variable contributions from the convective mantle and subcontinental lithosphere mantle to the rift-zone magmas. The present study illustrates how fertility and chemical heterogeneity of the lithosphere play significant roles in the creation of enormous geochemical diversity characteristic of continental rift-zone magmatism.     

Speculations on evolution of the terrestrial lithosphere–asthenosphere system—Plumes and plates

In the early Earth, accretionary impact heating, including collision with a large, Mars-sized object, decay of short-lived radioisotopes, and (after an initial thermal run-up) continuous segregation of the liquid Fe–Ni core resulted in extensive the melting of the silicate mantle and in the formation of a near-surface magma mush ocean. Progressive, continuous degassing and chemical–gravitational differentiation of the crust–mantle system accompanied this Hadean stage, and has gradually lessened during the subsequent cooling of the planet. Mantle and core overturn was vigorous in the Hadean Earth, reflecting deep-seated chemical heterogeneities and concentrations of primordial heat. Hot, bottom-up mantle convection, including voluminous plume ascent, efficiently rid the planet of much thermal energy, but gradually decreased in importance with the passage of time. Formation of lithospheric scum began when planetary surface temperatures fell below those of basalt and peridotite solidi. Thickening and broadening of lithospheric plates are inferred from the post-Hadean rock record. Developmental stages of mantle circulation included: (a) 4.5–4.4 Ga, early, chaotic magma ocean circulation involving an incipient or pre-plate regime; (b) 4.4–2.7 Ga, growth of small micro-oceanic and microcontinental platelets, all returned to the mantle prior to 4.0 Ga, but increasing in size and progressively suturing sialic crust-capped lithospheric amalgams at and near the surface over time; (c) 2.7–1.0 Ga, assembly of cratons surmounting larger, supercontinental plates; and (d) 1.0 Ga–present, modern, laminar-flowing asthenospheric cells capped by gigantic, Wilson-cycle lithospheric plates. Restriction of komatiitic lavas to the Archean, and of ophiolite complexes ± alkaline igneous rocks, high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic terranes to progressively younger Proterozoic–Phanerozoic orogenic belts supports the idea that planetary thermal relaxation promoted the increasingly negative buoyancy of cooler oceanic lithosphere. The Thickening of oceanic plates enhanced the gravitational instability and the consequent overturn of the outer Earth as cold, top-down oceanic mantle convection. The scales and dynamics of deep-seated asthenospheric circulation, and of lithospheric foundering + shallow asthenospheric return flow evidently have evolved gradually over geologic time in response to the progressive cooling of the Earth.     

Deep array electromagnetic sounding on the Baltic Shield: External excitation model and implications for upper mantle conductivity studies

The BEAR array of simultaneous electromagnetic (EM) observations probes the deep crustal and upper mantle conductivity structure of the Baltic Shield searching for the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary beneath. The adequate interpretation of the results of this unique high latitude natural field EM sounding requires proper understanding of the actual external excitation conditions because conventionally used plane wave model assumptions may be substantially violated in the vicinity of inhomogeneous polar sources. The paper presents an overview of the morphology and statistics of source distortions in the BEAR EM field transfer functions (TF) and the ways of their suppression. The stability of the final TF estimates obtained with the exclusion of intensive non-stationary auroral effects is further justified. The external excitation model effective for the whole BEAR observation period is inferred from the array distribution of the inter-station geomagnetic transfer functions. The model is supported by the results of polar ionosphere–magnetosphere current system studies, based on the simultaneous ground and satellite geomagnetic observations, and sets bounds for the “plane wave” approach in the BEAR data interpretation to avoid unfounded inferences on the upper mantle electrical properties. The signatures of the lithosphere–asthenospere boundary under Fennoscandia derived from the BEAR data are summarized and its resolution within the traditional plane wave interpretational paradigm is analysed assuming the presented external source pattern and estimated TF uncertainties caused by the source inhomogeneity.     

Plateau archives of lithosphere dynamics,cryosphere and paleoclimate: The formation of Cretaceous desert basins in east Asia

Southeastern Eurasia is a global window to the Cretaceous paleoclimate and lithosphere coupling. China contains one of the most complete and complex sedimentary records of Mesozoic desert basins on planet Earth. In this study, we perform the spatio-temporal tracking of 96 Cretaceous palaeoclimate indicators during 79 Myr which reveal that the plateau paleoclimate archives from East Asia resulted from an Early to Mid-Cretaceous ocean–atmosphere coupling and a shift to a preponderant role of Late Cretaceous lithosphere dynamics and tectonic forcing on high-altitude depositional systems linked to the subduction margins of the Tethys and Paleo-Pacific realms beneath the Eurasian plate. The crustal response to tectonic processes linked with the spatio-temporal evolution of the Tethyan and Paleo-Pacific margins defined the configuration of major sedimentary basins on this region. The significant increase and decrease in the number of active sedimentary basins that occur during the Cretaceous, from 16 in the Early Cretaceous, to 28 in the Mid-Cretaceous, and a decreasing to 20 sedimentary basins in the Late Cretaceous, is a direct response of lithospheric dynamics associated with the two main subduction zones (Tethys and Pacific domains). A shift in subduction style from an Early Cretaceous Paleo-Pacific Plate slab roll back to a Late Cretaceous flat-slab mode might have triggered regional plateau uplift, blocked intraplate volcanism, thus enhancing the denudation and sediment availability, and created wind corridors that led to the construction and accumulation of extensive Late Cretaceous aeolian sandy deserts (ergs) that covered Mid-Cretaceous plateau salars. At the same time, plateau uplift associated with crustal thickening following terrane assembly in the Tethyan margin triggered altitudinal cryospheric processes in sandy desert systems. Evidence of an active Cretaceous cryosphere in China include Valanginian-Hauterivian glacial debris flows, Early Aptian geochemical signature of melt waters from extensive ice sheets, and Cenomanian–Turonian ice-rafted debris (IRD). These cryospheric indicators suggest an already uplifted plateau in southeastern Eurasia during the Cretaceous, and the marked correlation between cold plateau paleoclimate archives and marine records suggests a strong ocean-atmosphere coupling during Early and Mid-Cretaceous cold snaps. We thus conclude that lithospheric tectonics during Cretaceous played a fundamental role in triggering high-altitude basin desertification and spatio-temporal plateau paleohydrology variability in the Cretaceous of south-eastern Eurasia.     

Temperature and density of the Tyrrhenian lithosphere and slab and new interpretation of gravity field in the Tyrrhenian Basin

The gravity anomaly field of the Tyrrhenian basin and surrounding regions reflects the complex series of geodynamic events active in this area since the Oligocene–Miocene. They can resume in lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric rising beneath the Tyrrhenian Basin, coexisting with the roll-back subduction of the African plate margin westward sinking beneath the Calabrian Arc. The geographic closeness between these processes implies an intense perturbation of the mantle thermal regime and an interference at regional scale between the related gravity effects.A model of the litho-asthenospheric structure of this region is suggested, showing a reasonable agreement with both the evidences in terms of regional gravity anomaly pattern and the results concerning thermal state and petro-physical features of the mantle. The first phase of this study consisted of the computation of the isotherms in the crust–mantle system beneath the Tyrrhenian Basin and, afterwards, of the density distribution within the partially melted upwelling asthenosphere. The second phase consisted of a temperature/density modelling of the slab subducting beneath the Calabrian Arc. Finally, a 2^1 / 2 interpretation of gravity data was carried out by including as constraints the results previously obtained. Thus, the final result depicts a model matching both gravity, thermal and petrographic data. They provide (a) a better definition of the thermal regime of the passive mantle rise beneath the Tyrrhenian basin by means of the estimation of the moderate asthenospheric heating and (b) a model of lithospheric slab subducting with rates that could be smaller than generally suggested in previous works.     

On the role of heat flow, lithosphere thickness and lithosphere density on gravitational potential stresses

Gravitational potential stresses (GPSt) are known to play a first-order role in the state of stress of the Earth's lithosphere. Previous studies focussed mainly on crust elevation and structure and little attention has been paid to modelling GPSt using realistic lithospheric structures. The aim of the present contribution is to quantify gravitational potential energies and stresses associated with stable lithospheric domains. In order to model realistic lithosphere structures, a wide variety of data are considered: surface heat flow, chemical depletion of mantle lithosphere, crustal thickness and elevation. A numerical method is presented which involves classical steady-state heat equations to derive lithosphere thickness, geotherm and density distribution, but additionally requires the studied lithosphere to be isostatically compensated at its base. The impact of varying surface and crustal heat flow, topography, Moho depth and crust density on the signs and magnitudes of predicted GPSt is systematically explored. In clear contrast with what is assumed in most previous studies, modelling results show that the density structure of the mantle lithosphere has a significant impact on the value of the predicted GPSt, in particular in the case of thick lithospheres. Using independent information from the literature, the method was applied to get insights in the state of stress of continental domains with contrasting tectono-thermal ages. The modelling results suggest that in the absence of tectonic stresses Phanerozoic and Proterozoic lithospheres are spontaneously submitted to compression whereas Archean lithospheres are in a neutral to slightly tensile stress state. These findings are in general in good agreement with global stress measurements and observed geoid undulations.