Fluid-assisted granulite metamorphism: A continental journey

Lower crustal granulites, which constitute the base of all continents, belong to two series: high-pressure granulites generated by crustal thickening (subduction) and (ultra)high-temperature granulites associated with crustal extension. Fluid inclusions and metasomatic features indicate that the latter were metamorphosed in the presence of low-water activity fluids (high-density CO₂ and brines), which have invaded the lower crust at peak metamorphic conditions (fluid-assisted granulite metamorphism). High-pressure and (ultra)high-temperature granulites commonly occur along elongated paired belts. They were formed, from the early Proterozoic onwards, during a small number of active periods lasting a few hundreds of m.y. These periods were separated from each other by longer periods of stability. Each period ended with the formation of a supercontinent whose amalgamation coincided with low- to medium pressure (ultra)high-temperature granulite metamorphism, immediately before continental break-up. It is proposed that large quantities of mantle-derived CO₂ stored in the lower crust at the final stage of supercontinent amalgamation, are released into the hydro- and atmosphere during breakup of the supercontinent. Fluid-assisted granulite metamorphism, therefore, appears to be an important mechanism for transferring deep mantle fluids towards the Earth's surface. Possible consequences were, for example, the sudden end of Proterozoic glaciations, as well as the post-Cambrian explosion of life.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000589

At peak granulite-facies metamorphic conditions, lower continental crust is arguably fluxed by large amounts of two key low water activity fluids： （i） high-density CO2 and/or （ii） concentrated saline so- lutions. These fluids are either internally-derived, generated by mineral reactions or dehydration melting or, notably for CO2, externally-derived, issued from the underlying mantle. Postmetamorphic evolution results in complete disappearance of these fluids, except for minute remnants preserved in minerals as fluid inclusions. Two major processes are involved： （i） at peak conditions, granitoid magmas form, migrate upward, and crystallize as shallow intrusions in the upper crust （mineralized porphyry types or reduced intrusions）; （ii） during the rapid decompression which almost systematically follows a period of post-peak isobaric cooling, especially for ultrahigh-temperature granulites （anticlockwise P-T paths）, quartz-carbonate megashear zones are formed by repeated periods of seismic activity. Seismic activity may continue until all free fluids have disappeared, resulting in the ultramylonites and pseudotachylites that are found in many granulite domes. A great majority of vein-type Au deposits worldwide occur in the above-mentioned settings or nearby. We suggest that the Au has been scavenged by the granulite fluids, then redistributed and concentrated during the formation of veins and related phenomena.     

Granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from the Deccan Trap: insight into the nature and composition of the lower lithosphere beneath cratonic India

Granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths in lamprophyre dykes intruded during the waning stage of Deccan Trap volcanism are derived from the lower crust beneath the Dharwar craton of Western India. The xenolith suite consists of plagioclase-poor mafic granulites (55% of the total volume of xenoliths), plagioclase-rich felsic granulites (25%), and ultramafic pyroxenites and websterites (20%) with subordinate wehrlites. Rare spinel peridotite xenoliths are also present, representing mantle lithosphere. The high Mg #, low SiO₂/Al₂O₃ and low Nb/La (<1) ratios suggest that the protoliths of the mafic granulites broadly represent cumulates of sub-alkaline magmas. All of the granulites are peraluminous and light rare-earth element-enriched. The felsic granulites may have resulted from anatexis of the mafic lower crustal rocks; thus, the mafic granulites are enriched in Sr whereas the felsic ones are depleted. Composite xenoliths consisting of mafic granulites traversed by veins of pyroxenite indicate intrusion of the granulitic lower crust by younger pyroxenites. Petrography and geochemistry of the latter (e.g. presence of phlogopite) indicate the metasomatised nature of the deep crust in this region.Thermobarometric estimates from phase equilibria indicate equilibration conditions between 650 and 1200 °C, 0.7-1.2 GPa suggestive of lower crustal environments. These estimates provide a spatial context for the sampled lithologies thereby placing constraints on the interpretation of geophysical data. Integration of xenolith-derived P-T results with Deep Seismic Soundings (DSS) data suggests that the pyroxenites and websterites are transitional between the lower crust and the upper mantle. A three-layer model for the crust in western India, derived from the xenoliths, is consistent with DSS data. The mafic nature of this hybrid lower crust contrasts with the felsic lower crustal composition of the south Indian granulite terrain.     

Precambrian intraplate magmatism: high temperature,low pressure crustal granulites

Starting from the hypothesis that the lower continental crust is dominated by granulites, some essential features of granulites are recalled. Two general P-T-t paths are possible, clockwise and anticlockwise, of which the former is more common for high pressure granulites, the latter for low pressure granulites. For high temperature, low pressure granulites, granulite metamorphism appears to be a discrete event, caused by a sudden temperature increase in a more or less thickened crust. The complex granulite chemistry, characterised by the possible mobility of some elements (LILE, Ti), as well as the P-T-t evolution, are explained by two complementary mechanisms operating simultaneously in different domains and at a variable scale: fluid-absent melting and fluid-assisted metamorphism (high salinity aqueous fluid and high density CO₂ fluid). CO₂ is brought into the lower crust by mantle-derived magmas, which also supply the required heat, whereas the high salinity aqueous fluid is probably derived from internal crustal sources. The size of Precambrian granulite provinces, the geodynamic setting, and the chemical composition of syn-metamorphic intrusions, do not suggest a direct relation with subduction processes. This paper favours a model of intraplate extension without rupture, ultimately leading to a vertical accretion of the continent by the incorporation of mantle-derived magmas at the base of the crust.     

Granulitic and eclogitic inclusions from basic pipes at Delegate,Australia

Basic breccia-nephelinite pipes at Delegate (N.S.W., Australia) contain abundant two-pyroxene granulite, garnet granulite and fassaite eclogite inclusions and rare spinel pyroxenite, peridotite and charnockite inclusions.Petrographic, mineralogical and chemical data on the inclusions and their co-existing phases are consistent with the hypothesis that the fassaite eclogite, garnet granulite and spinel pyroxenite inclusions all crystallized or recrystallized in about the same temperature-pressure region, within the range 7–15 kb and 700–1200° C. This means that these particular inclusions were formed within the uppermost part of the mantle and/or the lowermost part of the crust.The two-pyroxene granulites may also have crystallized in the same region but there are some data which are indicative of crystallization at lower pressures within the crust. The charnockite inclusion is also considered to be of crustal origin.     

Composition and evolution of the continental crust: Retrospect and prospect

Until the middle of the 20th century, the continental crust was considered to be dominantly granitic. This hypothesis was revised after the Second World War when several new studies led to the realization that the continental crust is dominantly made of metamorphic rocks. Magmatic rocks were emplaced at peak metamorphic conditions in domains, which can be defined by geophysical discontinuities. Low to medium-grade metamorphic rocks constitute the upper crust, granitic migmatites and intrusive granites occur in the middle crust, and the lower crust, situated between the Conrad and Moho discontinuities, comprises charnockites and granulites. The continental crust acquired its final structure during metamorphic episodes associated with mantle upwelling, which mostly occurred in supercontinents prior to their disruption, during which the base of the crust experienced ultrahigh temperatures (>1000 °C, ultrahigh temperature granulite-facies metamorphism). Heat is provided by underplating of mantle-derived mafic magmas, as well as by a massive influx of low H₂O activity mantle fluids, i.e. high-density CO₂ and high-salinity brines. These fluids are initially stored in ultrahigh temperature domains, and subsequently infiltrate the lower crust, where they generate anhydrous granulite mineral assemblages. The brines can reach upper crustal levels, possibly even the surface, along major shear zones, where granitoids are generated through brine streaming in addition to those formed by dehydration melting in upper crustal levels.     

Phanerozoic magma underplating and crustal growth beneath the North China Craton

Evidence for post‐Archaean crustal growth via magma underplating is largely based on U–Pb dating of zircons from granulite‐facies xenoliths. However, whether the young zircons from such xenoliths are genetically related to magma underplating or to anatexis remains controversial. The lower‐crustal xenoliths carried by igneous rocks in the Chifeng and Ningcheng (North China Craton) have low SiO₂ and high MgO, indicating that parental melts of their protoliths were of unambiguous mantle origin. The xenoliths contain abundant magmatic zircons with late‐Palaeozoic ages, and have more radiogenic zircon Hf‐isotope compositions and hence younger model ages than ancient crustal magmas and the “reworking array” of the basement rocks. Our data suggest that the granulites represent episodic magmatic underplating to the lower crust of this craton in Phanerozoic time. Considering the observation that regional lowermost crust (~5 km) is mafic and characterized by Phanerozoic zircons, this work reports an example of post‐Archaean crustal growth via magma underplating.     

Hornblende-dehydration melting in mafic rocks and the link between massif-type charnockite and associated granulites,Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt,India

A massif-type (intrusive) charnockite body in the Eastern Ghats granulite belt, India, is associated with hornblende-bearing mafic granulite, two-pyroxene granulite and enderbitic granulite. The charnockite is characterised by pervasive gneissic foliation (S₁). This is axial planar to the folded layers of hornblende-bearing mafic granulite (F₁ folds), indicating that the granulite protoliths were present before the development of S₁. Two-pyroxene granulite and enderbitic granulite occur as lenticular patches disposed along the foliation and hence could be syngenetic to S₁. The tonalitic to granodioritic, metaluminous to weakly peraluminous compositions and relatively high Sr/Rb of the charnockite are consistent with its derivation by partial melting of a mafic protolith. Strong Y depletion, lack of Sr depletion and strongly fractionated REE patterns with high (La/Yb)_N ratio, but relatively lower HREE (Gd/Lu) fractionation with marked positive Eu anomalies, suggest major residual hornblende (as well as garnet), but not plagioclase, consistent with the hornblende dehydration melting in the source rocks. Such a residual mineralogy is broadly similar to those of some of the hornblende-bearing mafic granulite inclusions, which have compositional features indicative of a restitic nature. Quantitative modelling supports an origin for the charnockite melts by partial melting of a hornblende-rich mafic granulite source, although source heterogeneity is very likely given the rather variable trace element contents of the charnockite. The whole-rock and mineral compositions of the two-pyroxene granulites and enderbitic granulites are consistent with them representing peritectic phase segregations of hornblende-dehydration melting. A clockwise P-T path implies that melting could have occurred in thickened continental crust undergoing decompression.Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112000631

Charnockites sensu lato（charnockite-enderbite series） are lower crustal felsic rocks typically characterised by the presence of anhydrous minerals including orthopyroxene and garnet.They either represent dry（H₂O-poor） felsic magmas that are emplaced in the lower crust or granitic intrusions that have been dehydrated during a subsequent granulite facies metamorphic event.In the first case,postmagmatic high-temperature recrystallisation may result in widespread metamorphic granulite microstructures, superimposed or replacing the magmatic microstructures.Despite recrystallisation,magmatic remnants may still be found,notably in the form of melt-related microstructures such as melt inclusions. For both magmatic charnockites and dehydrated granites,subsequent fluid-mineral interaction at intergrain boundaries during retrogradation are documented by microstructures including K-feldspar microveins and myrmekites.They indicate that a large quantity of low-H₂O activity salt-rich brines,were present（together with CO₂ under immiscible conditions） in the lower crust.     

Perpotassic granulites from southern Bohemia

Garnetiferous, perpotassic granulites associated with voluminous, felsic calc-alkaline garnet-kyanite granulites in the Blanský les massif are described as a new rock type. A K₂O content near 13 wt%, Zr content ranging from 17 to 5877 ppm, primary Ca-Mg-Fe garnet (pyrope up to 33 mol %), and the absence of primary plagioclase and quartz characterize the new type of granulite. Calcium is incorporated only in garnet and apatite. Owing to the content of garnet the bulk syenitic compositions are metaaluminous to peraluminous. The perpotassic granulites are accompanied by subordinated melanocratic perpotassic granulite and alkali-feldspar melanocratic granulite containing up to 20 vol % quartz. These rock types also contain highly variable amounts of zircon. High-pressure, noneutectic partial melting of crustal rocks and crystallization under upper mantle conditions is suggested as the main process in generation of perpotassic granulites. A polyphase, ductile to brittle deformation and recrystallization in pyroxene granulite and later in amphibolite facies accompanied obduction of the granulite massif which carries numerous enclaves of pyrope peridotite. Euhedral equant zircon crystals up to 4 mm long enclosed in large garnet crystals and in the alkali feldspar matrix of perpotassic granulite represent a uniform, high-temperature population with a nearly concordant U-Pb system (Aftalion et al. 1989). The Hercynian age of this zircon indicates the role of the Hercynian anatexis of crustal rocks under upper mantle conditions in generation of granulites in the Moldanubian zone of the Bohemian massif.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987115000948

The formation of continents involves a combination of magmatic and metamorphic processes. These processes become indistinguishable at the crust-mantle interface, where the pressure-temperature(P-T)conditions of(ultra) high-temperature granulites and magmatic rocks are similar. Continents grow laterally, by magmatic activity above oceanic subduction zones(high-pressure metamorphic setting), and vertically by accumulation of mantle-derived magmas at the base of the crust(high-temperature metamorphic setting). Both events are separated from each other in time; the vertical accretion postdating lateral growth by several tens of millions of years. Fluid inclusion data indicate that during the high-temperature metamorphic episode the granulite lower crust is invaded by large amounts of low H_2O-activity fluids including high-density CO_2 and concentrated saline solutions(brines). These fluids are expelled from the lower crust to higher crustal levels at the end of the high-grade metamorphic event. The final amalgamation of supercontinents corresponds to episodes of ultra-high temperature metamorphism involving large-scale accumulation of these low-water activity fluids in the lower crust.This accumulation causes tectonic instability, which together with the heat input from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, leads to the disruption of supercontinents. Thus, the fragmentation of a supercontinent is already programmed at the time of its amalgamation.     

On the origin and fluid content of some rare crustal xenoliths and their bearing on the structure and evolution of the crust beneath the Bakony–Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (W-Hungary)

Rarely occurring clinopyroxene-plagioclase bearing, felsic granulite and skarn xenoliths were studied from the mantle and crustal xenolith-bearing alkaline basaltic and pyroclastic localities of the Bakony–Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (W-Hungary). Geobarometry and geothermometry of the xenoliths made it possible to categorise them in three groups according to their depth of formation. The first group formed in the lower crust together with mafic and metasedimentary granulites. The second group represents magmatic intrusions of the middle crust, and the third one comprises contact metamorphic rocks of relatively shallow origin. The calculated pressure difference from the core and rim compositions of plagioclase and clinopyroxene as well as garnet breakdown reactions in some xenoliths show evidence for pressure decrease due to crustal thinning both in lower crustal and middle crustal xenoliths during formation of the Pannonian Basin. Fluid inclusion studies reveal the dominance of the CO₂-rich fluids in the whole crustal section in contrast with fluids found in mafic garnet-bearing xenoliths. Crustal stratigraphy was constructed for the periods prior to the extension and after the extension on the basis of geobarometry and geophysical data. On the basis of mineral stabilities and geothermo-barometry, we estimated that the pre-extensional thickness of the lower and upper crust may have been 27–34 and 26–28?km, respectively. Comparison of pre-extensional and present-day thickness of the lower and upper crust indicate that thinning affected both the lower and the upper portion of the crust but on a different scale. The calculated thinning factors are between 2.25 and 3.4 for the lower crust and 1.3–1.56 for the upper crust.     

Archean granulite gneisses from eastern Hebei Province,China: rare earth geochemistry and tectonic implications

The granulite gneisses and their retrograded products of the Qianxi Group from eastern Hebei Province, China, have been investigated for their isotope and trace element geochemistry. A consistent age of about 2.5 AE has been obtained by the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd whole-rock isochron methods, in agreement with the zircon U-Pb data (Pidgeon 1980; D.Y. Liu, unpubl.). Geochemical arguments from initial isotopic ratios (I_Sr and I_Nd) and elemental distribution patterns have led us to conclude that this age of about 2.5 AE represents the time of granulite facies metamorphism, which must have followed closely the primary emplacement of their protoliths. Previous claims for early Archean ages (>3.5 AE) of these granulites are not substantiated. The mineral isotope systematics register an important thermal event at about 1.7 AE, roughly corresponding to the time of the widespread Luliang Orogeny (Ma and Wu 1981) or Chungtiao Movement (Huang 1978).The granulites of the Qianxi Group have diverse compositions ranging from ultrabasic through basic-intermediate to acid. Discriminant function calculations suggest that most analyzed samples have igneous parentage. Only a few show characteristics of metasedimentary rocks. The igneous protoliths apparently belong to two series — tholeiitic and calc-alkaline, with the latter dominating in abundance. The majority of the acid granulites have compositions corresponding to tonalite-granodiorite.Except for ultrabasic and metasedimentary rocks, all REE patterns are significantly fractionated with LREE enrichment. The degree of fractionation, as measured by the (La/Yb)_N ratios, is most important in the acid granulites. These rocks often show positive Eu anomalies and HREE depletions that are typical of Archean TTG rocks (tonalitetrondhjemite-granodiorite).The existence of komatiites has been previously reported in this region. Although a few rocks have a major element chemistry similar to that for peridotitic komatiites, the lack of associated members in a komatiitic series and the scarcity of REE data have not confirmed the true komatiite occurrence in this region.Many Qianxi granulites are highly depleted in Rb relative to K and Sr. This preferential Rb depletion during granulite facies metamorphism has led to very high K/Rb and very low Rb/Sr ratios. The most comparable case is found in Lewisian granulites.Although the fractionated REE patterns of the basic granulites somewhat resemble those of continental flood basalts, the highly different abundances in other incompatible elements (Ti, Zr, and Ba) readily distinguish them from each other. Nevertheless, the LREE enriched patterns of the basic granulites may suggest an origin of their protoliths by partial melting of LREE-enriched mantle sources. On the other hand, the REE patterns of acid granulites suggest that their protoliths could be derived by partial melting of quartz eclogite, amphibolite or basic granulite.The close time relationship for a series of geologic events, namely, from initial melting of mantle peridotites, through fractional crystallisation of basaltic magmas, to granulite facies metamorphism, seems to occur in many granulite terrains. This relationship, together with the juxtaposition of lithologies of different origins and the exceptionally high pressure conditions (>10 Kb) can be best explained by crustal underplating combined with intracrustal thin-skinned thrusting and stacking of crustal slices. The andesitic or island arc model for the formation of the lower continental crust is not in good agreement with the present geochemical data.     

CO2 windows from mantle to atmosphere: Models on ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and speculations on the link with melting of snowball Earth

We attempt here to correlate the melting phase of major snowball Earth events in the planet with the processes associated with extreme crustal metamorphism and formation of ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) granulite facies rocks. While the dry mineral assemblages that characterize UHT granulites can result from different mechanisms, the direct evidence for the involvement of CO₂-rich fluids in generating diagnostic UHT assemblages has been recorded from the common occurrence of pure CO₂ fluid inclusions in several terranes. Here we evaluate the tectonic settings under which UHT rocks are generated using modern analogues and show that divergent tectonics—both post-collisional extension and rifting—play a crucial role. In an attempt to speculate the link among CO₂ liberation from the carbonated tectosphere, UHT metamorphism and major earth processes, we address some of the important issues such as: (a) how the subcontinental mantle i.e., the tectosphere, had become carbonated; (b) how and when the tectosphere degassed; and (c) what is the difference between Proterozoic orogens and those of the present day. The fate of the Earth as a habitable planet was possibly dictated by a reversal of the fundamental process of formation of oceans through the selective removal of CO₂ into mantle in the Hadean times, carbonation of the Archean mantle wedge, and subsequent decarbonation of the carbonated mantle through divergent metamorphism and water infiltration since the Late Proterozoic.The abundant CO₂ liberated by subsolidus decarbonation along consuming plate boundaries was probably one of the factors that contributed to the greenhouse effect thereby triggering the deglaciation of snowball Earth. Based on an evaluation of the distribution of carbonated subcontinental mantle in global reconstructions of the Proterozoic supercontinent assembly, and their link with crustal domains that have undergone CO₂-aided dry metamorphism at extreme conditions, we speculate that the UHT rocks might represent windows for the transfer of CO₂ from the mantle into the mid crust and ultimately to the atmosphere.     

Geochronology, petrology and geochemistry of the granulite xenoliths from Nushan, east China: implication for a heterogeneous lower crust beneath the Sino-Korean Craton

The occurrence of both Archean granulite terrains and granulite xenoliths in Cenozoic basalts from the Sino-Korean Craton (SKC) provides an ideal opportunity to define composition and evolution of continental lower crust of eastern China. The granulite xenoliths in Quaternary basanites from Nushan (southeastern SKC) show a basic-intermediate composition that is distinctly different from mafic granulites from Hannuoba (western SKC). They instead resemble the Archean granulite terrains in terms of mineral and whole rock compositions. Trace element modeling suggests that the “protoliths” of the Nushan granulites were likely subjected to fractional crystallization and assimilation of old crustal components. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating shows at least two episodes in the formation of the lower crust at Nushan. The protoliths of the Nushan granulites were most likely formed at ca. 2.5 Ga and metamorphosed at 1.9 Ga. This late Archean crustal growth was followed by Mesozoic (∼140 Ma) basaltic underplating, which was probably coeval with the widespread thermo-tectonic lithospheric reactivation in eastern China. The Nushan granulites are therefore interpreted as dominantly derived from the late Archean crystalline basement and subordinately from the mafic layer that was accreted to the basement during late Mesozoic lithospheric thinning. The consistencies between the depth to seismic Moho and the depth to crust-mantle boundary, and between the calculated V_p (mostly < 7.0 km/s) for granulite xenoliths and the observed velocity structure strongly suggest no obvious high-velocity lowermost crust beneath Nushan and the granulite xenoliths as the dominant components in the lower crust at this locality. The modeled composition of the Nushan lower crust has SiO₂ of ca. 52%, which is more basic than that at Hannuoba (SiO₂ ≈ 58%, Liu et al., 2001). Such a compositional difference, in conjunction with contrasting age and seismic velocity structure of the lower crust at the two localities, highlights two fundamentally distinct tectonic domains in the SKC. The data presented in this study also yield implication for the origin of the compositional difference between granulite xenoliths and terrains.     

From oceanic plateaus to allochthonous terranes: Numerical modelling

Large segments of the continental crust are known to have formed through the amalgamation of oceanic plateaus and continental fragments. However, mechanisms responsible for terrane accretion remain poorly understood. We have therefore analysed the interactions of oceanic plateaus with the leading edge of the continental margin using a thermomechanical–petrological model of an oceanic-continental subduction zone with spontaneously moving plates. This model includes partial melting of crustal and mantle lithologies and accounts for complex rheological behaviour including viscous creep and plastic yielding. Our results indicate that oceanic plateaus may either be lost by subduction or accreted onto continental margins. Complete subduction of oceanic plateaus is common in models with old (> 40 Ma) oceanic lithosphere whereas models with younger lithosphere often result in terrane accretion. Three distinct modes of terrane accretion were identified depending on the rheological structure of the lower crust and oceanic cooling age: frontal plateau accretion, basal plateau accretion and underplating plateaus.Complete plateau subduction is associated with a sharp uplift of the forearc region and the formation of a basin further landward, followed by topographic relaxation. All crustal material is lost by subduction and crustal growth is solely attributed to partial melting of the mantle.Frontal plateau accretion leads to crustal thickening and the formation of thrust and fold belts, since oceanic plateaus are docked onto the continental margin. Strong deformation leads to slab break off, which eventually terminates subduction, shortly after the collisional stage has been reached. Crustal parts that have been sheared off during detachment melt at depth and modify the composition of the overlying continental crust.Basal plateau accretion scrapes oceanic plateaus off the downgoing slab, enabling the outward migration of the subduction zone. New incoming oceanic crust underthrusts the fractured terrane and forms a new subduction zone behind the accreted terrane. Subsequently, hot asthenosphere rises into the newly formed subduction zone and allows for extensive partial melting of crustal rocks, located at the slab interface, and only minor parts of the former oceanic plateau remain unmodified.Oceanic plateaus may also underplate the continental crust after being subducted to mantle depth. (U)HP terranes are formed with peak metamorphic temperatures of 400–700 °C prior to slab break off and subsequent exhumation. Rapid and coherent exhumation through the mantle along the former subduction zone at rates comparable to plate tectonic velocities is followed by somewhat slower rates at crustal levels, accompanied by crustal flow, structural reworking and syndeformational partial melting. Exhumation of these large crustal volumes leads to a sharp surface uplift.     

Divergent behaviour of Th and U during anatexis: Implications for the thermal evolution of orogenic crust

Mobilization and migration of the heat‐producing elements (HPE) during anatexis is a critical process in the development of orogenic systems, the evolution of continental crust and the stabilization of cratons. In many crustal rocks the accessory minerals are the dominant hosts of Th and U, and the behaviour of these minerals during partial melting controls the concentrations of these elements in draining melt and residue. We use phase equilibrium modelling to evaluate if loss of melt saturated in the essential structural constituents of the accessory minerals can explain the concentrations of Th and U in residual metasedimentary migmatites and granulites along two well‐characterized crustal transects in the Ivrea zone, Italy and at Mt Stafford, Australia. While an equilibrium model of accessory mineral breakdown and melt loss approximates the depletion of U in the residual crust along both transects, it does not explain the relative enrichment of Th. We propose that the high Th concentrations in residual crust may be explained by either inhibition of monazite dissolution by kinetic factors or near‐peak growth of new high Th grains and overgrowth rims on undissolved monazite due to migration of melt through the orogenic crust. Retention of the HPE in the middle and deep orogenic crust may allow metasedimentary granulites to overcome the enthalpy barrier of melting to achieve ultrahigh temperature conditions and may be partly responsible for the slow cooling of many granulite terranes. Lastly, although the mantle was warmer and crustal heat production was higher in the past, peak temperatures and apparent thermal gradients of high‐temperature (HT)–ultrahigh temperature (UHT) granulite terranes have not decreased significantly since the Neoarchean. However, the pressure of HP granulite facies metamorphism has increased gradually from the Archean to the Phanerozoic, which suggests that the lithosphere became stronger as secular cooling of the mantle enabled plate collisions to form thicker orogens. Thus, as the lithosphere became stronger, the proportion of HT–UHT metamorphism associated with thin lithosphere and mantle heat has decreased, whereas the proportion associated with the formation of thick crust and radiogenic heat has increased.     

Chemical and Thermal Evolution of Archaean Sialic Crust, Southern West Greenland

The Archaean rocks of West Greenland are predominantly bandedquartzofeldspathic gneisses enclosing thin migmatized sheetsof older metabasic and metasedimentary lithologies. Isotopicdating (Moorbath & Pankhurst, 1976) indicates that muchof the Archaean crust presently exposed in southern West Greenlandwas generated from predominantly upper mantle sources 3000-2800m.y. ago. Parts of this crust crystallized under prograde granulitefacies conditions 2950-2750 m.y. ago. The granulite gneisseswere severely depleted in some of the lithophile and heat producingelements, Si, Na, Sr, Rb, U and Th, during the granulite metamorphism.These elements appear to have been transferred to higher crustallevels by the migration of a dispersed vapour phase. The pressureand temperature recorded by amphibolite and granulite faciesassemblages have been estimated using thermometers and barometerscalibrated against the results of phase equilibrium experiments.These estimates (800 °C, 10.5 kb and 630 °C, 7.3 kbfor granulite and amphibolite facies respectively) indicatethat the Archaean continental crust in southern West Greenlandwas at least 30–40 km thick 2800 m.y. ago. Water vapourpressures in the granulites were extremely low, 0.3 to 0.1 P_total.The thermal evolution of the Archaean crust during the period3000-2700 m.y. was controlled by the emplacement of large volumesof acid-intermediate melts into a relatively thin metabasiccrust. The thermal perturbations generated by this convectivetransfer of heat from the upper mantle to the crust relaxedduring the period immediately following crustal accretion. Progradegranulite facies assemblages could have developed under stronglydehydrating conditions and progressively falling temperatures,or during a phase of rising temperature in the lower crust.     

塔里木盆地东南缘安南坝地区镁铁质麻粒岩的成因——来自地球化学及Sr-Nd-Pb同位素的制约

甘肃阿克塞县安南坝地区镁铁质麻粒岩呈脉状、透镜状赋存于新太古代米兰岩群和TTG片麻岩中。岩石主要由斜长石(Pl)+斜方辉石(Opx)+单斜辉石(Cpx)+角闪石(Amp)+磁铁矿(Mt)等组成。安南坝镁铁质麻粒岩中Ti、P、Nb、Ta、Th、Hf、Sr及REE等元素与Zr相关性较好,表明其在变质作用过程中保持基本稳定。地球化学数据显示其原岩属于拉斑玄武质岩系列,Si O_2、Ti O_2、Al_2O_3、P_2O_5含量相对较低,Ca O、Mg O含量相对较高。Mg~#值为41.52~43.09,低于原生玄武质岩石的Mg~#值,Fe_2O_3~T、Mg O、Ca O与Si O_2含量呈负相关性,指示原岩岩浆演化过程中可能发生了辉石、角闪石等镁铁质矿物的分异结晶作用。镁铁质麻粒岩∑REE较低,稀土元素配分模式为轻稀土元素弱富集、重稀土元素相对平坦的右倾型,Eu异常不明显(Eu/Eu~*=0.91~1.01)。岩石富集Rb、Ba、Sr等大离子亲石元素,亏损Nb、Ta、Zr、Ti等高场强元素,具有显生宙典型岛弧玄武质岩石的地球化学特征。Sr、Nd、Pb同位素组成显示镁铁质麻粒岩原岩源自富集地幔,并受到一定程度的地壳物质混染。构造环境分析表明安南坝镁铁质麻粒岩原岩形成于与俯冲有关的岛弧环境。在俯冲作用机制下,俯冲板片流体交代使地幔楔发生富集,形成富集地幔,随着(弧后)伸展作用的加强,进一步诱发富集地幔的部分熔融形成镁铁质岩浆,最终岩浆就位形成辉长岩或辉绿岩脉,后期在麻粒岩相变质作用条件下变质为镁铁质麻粒岩。