Indenter-tectonics in the Philippines: Example from the Palawan Microcontinental Block - Philippine Mobile Belt Collision

Abstract. The aseismic Palawan microcontinental block is an oceanic bathymetric high that has collided with the seismically-ac-tive Philippine Mobile Belt since the Early Miocene. Consequently, tectonic microblocks immediately north (Luzon) and south (Western Visayas Block) of the collision front rotated in opposite senses. The rotation led the microblocks to onramp adjacent strike-slip faults, and converted these to subduction zones, namely, the current Manila and Negros Trenches. In addition, the collision also initiated the southward propagation of a major left-lateral strike slip fault, the Philippine Fault Zone, and the Philippine Trench, which bounds the Philippine archipelago along its eastern boundary. Based on onshore and offshore data, the Philippine Fault Zone and the East Luzon Trough - Philippine Trench appears to also propagate northward. Furthermore, the opposite direction of propagation is also noted for the Manila and Negros Trenches from the locus of the collision in the Central Philippines to their northern and southern extensions, respectively. The ages of initiation of the Manila Trench (Early Miocene), Philippine Fault Zone (Middle Miocene) and Philippine Trench (Pliocene) as encountered along a west to east transect in the Central Philippines are consistent with the collision and subsequent indentation of Palawan with the rest of the Philippine Mobile Belt.     

Earthquake-induced crustal gravitational potential energy change in the Philippine area

The crustal gravitational potential energy change (ΔGPE) caused by earthquakes in the Philippine area from January 1976 to November 2011 was estimated in this study. The active convergence between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Sundaland–Eurasian margin is reflected by the greatest gains in GPE along the Philippine, Negros and Cotabato trenches, whereas the Manila Trench is covered by a GPE loss pattern. Although the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) itself is actually affected by the ongoing collision and subduction processes, almost the entire Philippine Fault Zone is dominated by GPE loss, revealing a slightly extensional environment along the fault. The time evolution of the cumulated ΔGPE for different segments along the Philippine archipelago shows distinct patterns. Due to the numerous large underthrusting events that have occurred along the Philippine Trench, the cumulated ΔGPE is regularly increasing in its most southern segment. However, in the middle segments, where the Palawan Block enters into collision with the PMB, the increase in cumulated ΔGPE is relatively small. In the most northern segment, where the North Luzon is located, a decrease of cumulated ΔGPE demonstrates that the seismic characteristic of the Manila Trench is dissimilar from other subduction systems in the world. We suggest that the collision of both the Palawan Block and the Benham Rise with the PMB promotes the rotation of the PMB and facilitates the northward escape of the northeastern Luzon, resulting in a decrease of cumulated ΔGPE in the northern Philippines.     

Ophiolite complexes as collision zone markers: making the case for the Antique Ophiolite Complex, Panay Island, central Philippines

The collision between the North Palawan Block (NPB) and Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) has been the subject of studies considering its significance in help-ing define the tectonic evolution of the Philippine is-land arc system. The geology of the western Panay island reveals the presence of a continent-related block (Buruanga Peninsula) juxtaposed to an oceanic frag-ment (Antique Ophiolite Complex). Our recent work in the Buruanga Peninsula helped us define the terrane boundary between the Peninsula and the Antique Ophiolite Complex. However, considering available published data, the Antique Ophiolite Complex has never been considered to be a part of the NPB and to mark the collision zone between Palawan and the PMB.     

Sculpting the Philippine archipelago since the Cretaceous through rifting,oceanic spreading,subduction, obduction,collision and strike-slip faulting: Contribution to IGMA5000

The Philippine archipelago resulted from a complex series of geologic events that involved continental rifting, oceanic spreading, subduction, ophiolite obduction, arc-continent collision, intra-arc basin formation and strike-slip faulting. It can be divided into two tectono-stratigraphic blocks, namely; the Palawan–Mindoro Continental Block (PCB) and the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB). The PCB was originally a part of the Asian mainland that was rifted away during the Mesozoic and drifted in the course of the opening of the South China Sea (SCS) during Late Paleogene. On the other hand, the PMB developed mainly from island arcs and ophiolite terranes that started to form during the Cretaceous. At present, the PMB collides with the PCB in the Visayas in the central-western Philippines. This paper discusses recent updates on Philippine geology and tectonics as contribution to the establishment of the International Geologic Map of Asia at 1:5 M scale (IGMA5000).     

Migration of the lower North Palawan submarine canyon: characteristics and controls

ABSTRACT

The North Palawan Canyon is a large, previously undescribed submarine canyon that incises the continental shelf and slope of the southern South China Sea. Using multibeam bathymetric data and two-dimensional seismic reflection data, we have characterized current canyon morphology and documented lower-canyon migration in cross-section since the middle Miocene. We have also explored possible causes for the ancient migrations. The 175 km modern canyon is flanked by sediment waves outside its northern bank, and depositional lobes fan out from the canyon mouth. Over the past 15 million years, at least 20 cycles of significant canyon incising and infilling have occurred, along with significant canyon migration. This migration, as recorded in the sedimentary (seismic) record near a leftward bend in the canyon’s lower reach, can be divided into three stages: southward migration during the middle Miocene (averaging 1.24 km/m.y.), northward migration during the late Miocene (1.34 km/m.y.), and stationarity since the Pliocene. The overall zigzagging pattern of the canyon thalweg (as seen in cross-section through time) results from lateral and downstream migration in an aggradational environment. The early (middle to late Miocene) rapid zigzagging migration of the lower main channel, first southward and then northward, was probably associated with the strong collision of the North Palawan Block with the Philippine Mobile Belt, which would have triggered submarine instabilities and deformed the seafloor. The more recent (Pliocene and later) slowing or cessation of canyon migration is likely the result of the now quieter tectonic setting and long-term climatic cooling and drying.     

Cathaysian slivers in the Philippine island arc: geochronologic and geochemical evidence from sedimentary formations of the west Central Philippines

The use of geodynamic information contained in sedimentary rocks has only recently been extended into the tectonic reconstruction studies of the Philippine archipelago vis-à-vis the rest of the Southeast Asian region. We present here a comparative assessment of clastic units from the western Central Philippines, particularly from the islands of Mindoro, Panay and Palawan, and propose their likely association with sources of Cathaysian origin. Geochronological data from sedimentary formations in the study areas register U–Pb dating peaks at 185–140 Ma, 140–120 Ma and 112–90 Ma. These are similar to those observed of detrital zircons from rocks of Cathaysian origin in Taiwan and Southern China that chronicle the Yanshanian magmatic events. These same formations also record an older intercept at 1.9–1.85 Ga that likely corresponds to a regional continental orogenic episode recorded in the late Paleoproterozoic Cathaysian block. Major (e.g. Al₂O₃/TiO₂) and trace-element (e.g. Y/Ni vs Cr/V) signatures of these sedimentary formations reflect stronger influences from granitic sources than mafic–ultramafic inputs that should otherwise be expected, considering their current oceanic island arc settings. Their La/Th and Th–Co–Zr/10 ratios also reveal continental island arc and active or passive continental margin depositional settings typical of rocks from the Palawan Microcontinental Block. New geochronological and geochemical data from the clastic rocks of northwest Mindoro, in addition to those already published for the other regions of the Palawan Microcontinental Block, provide further evidence for the amalgamation of fragments of Cathaysian origin within the Philippine island arc system.     

Onland signatures of the Palawan microcontinental block and Philippine mobile belt collision and crustal growth process: A review

The collision of the Palawan microcontinental block with the Philippine mobile belt had significantly influenced the geological evolution of the Philippines. Multiple collisions involving several fragments, through space and time, resulted into the collage of terranes of varying origin exposed in this part of central Philippines. Cusping of the overriding plate, volcanic arc gap, ophiolite emplacement, incipient back-arc rifting, island rotation and tilting, raised coastal terraces, metamorphism, intrusion of igneous rocks and steepened subducted slab as seen in focal mechanism solutions are some of the manifestations of this collision. A late Early Miocene to early Middle Miocene age (20–16 Ma) is proposed for the major collision between the Palawan indenter and the Philippine mobile belt. The collision boundary is located from the northern part of Mindoro through the central mountain range swinging east of Sibuyan Island in the Romblon Island Group and finally threading along the Buruanga Peninsula and eastern side of the Antique Ophiolite Complex before exiting and connecting with the Negros Trench. The collision, through accretion and crustal thickening, has contributed to the crustal growth of the Philippine archipelago.     

Present-day crustal deformation along the Philippine Fault in Luzon,Philippines

The Philippine Fault results from the oblique convergence between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Sunda Block/Eurasian Plate. The fault exhibits left-lateral slip and transects the Philippine archipelago from the northwest corner of Luzon to the southeast end of Mindanao for about 1200 km. To better understand fault slip behavior along the Philippine Fault, eight GPS surveys were conducted from 1996 to 2008 in the Luzon region. We combine the 12-yr survey-mode GPS data in the Luzon region and continuous GPS data in Taiwan, along with additional 15 International GNSS Service sites in the Asia-Pacific region, and use the GAMIT/GLOBK software to calculate site coordinates. We then estimate the site velocity from position time series by linear regression. Our results show that the horizontal velocities with respect to the Sunda Block gradually decrease from north to south along the western Luzon at rates of 85–49 mm/yr in the west–northwest direction. This feature also implies a southward decrease of convergence rate along the Manila Trench. Significant internal deformation is observed near the Philippine Fault. Using a two dimensional elastic dislocation model and GPS velocities, we invert for fault geometries and back-slip rates of the Philippine Fault. The results indicate that the back-slip rates on the Philippine Fault increase from north to south, with the rates of 22, 37 and 40 mm/yr, respectively, on the northern, central, and southern segments. The inferred long-term fault slip rates of 24–40 mm/yr are very close to back-slip rates on locked fault segments, suggesting the Philippine Fault is fully locked. The stress tensor inversions from earthquake focal mechanisms indicate a transpressional regime in the Luzon area. Directions of σ₁ axes and maximum horizontal compressive axes are between 90° and 110°, consistent with major tectonic features in the Philippines. The high angle between σ₁ axes and the Philippine Fault in central Luzon suggests a weak fault zone possibly associated with fluid pressure.     

Sedimentary filling characteristics of the South China Sea oceanic basin,with links to tectonic activity during and after seafloor spreading

ABSTRACT

Based on approximately 11,000 km of seismic reflection data collected across the South China Sea oceanic basin, we describe the sedimentary filling characteristics of the basin since its Oligocene opening, as well as connections between this history and contemporaneous regional tectonic events. The seismic lines are spaced ~50 km apart, and the data are tied to International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 drilling data. Basin filling occurred in three phases, with basin-wide mean sedimentation rates increasing through time. During the Oligocene to middle Miocene, sediments accumulated primarily in the northern East and Northwest Sub-basins, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 8 m/m.y. The presence of these deposits over deep basement floor indicates that seafloor spreading initiated in these northern regions. During the late Miocene, deposition occurred primarily in the Northwest Sub-basin and partly in the southern East Sub-basin, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 30 m/m.y. Basin filling during this time seems to have been linked to slip reversal of the Red River Fault and collision of the North Palawan Block with the Luzon Arc. During the Pliocene and Pleistocene, sediments accumulated rapidly in the northeastern and southern East Sub-basin and the Southwest Sub-basin. The mean basin-wide sedimentation rate was 70 m/m.y. Basin filling during this phase seems to have been associated with the Taiwan and North Palawan collisions, SCS subduction along the Manila Trench, and Tibetan Plateau uplift. Gravity flow deposits predominate throughout the basin fill.     

Middle Eocene low-paleolatitude radiolarian evidence for the Cabog Formation,Central East Luzon,Philippine Mobile Belt

The Cabog Formation, newly established herein and exposed in central East Luzon, Philippine Mobile Belt, is defined in age by the occurrence of radiolarians. The radiolarian assemblage is correlative with the middle Eocene and suggests a low paleolatitude affinity. The correlation, sedimentary environment, and the tectonic significance are discussed. The Cabog Formation is correlative with the distal part of the middle–late Eocene Caraballo Formation, which is exposed in the northeastern side of the Philippine Fault Zone. The sandstone composition and radiolarian age suggest that the Cabog Formation represents the first depositional stage in the early arc setting. The northward migration of the formation is also estimated in relation with the Philippine Sea Plate motion along the Older Philippine Fault from the equatorial area.     

Geological features of a collision zone marker: The Antique Ophiolite Complex (Western Panay,Philippines)

The Antique Ophiolite Complex exposed along the western side of Panay Island, central Philippines was derived from the Jurassic to Cretaceous proto-South China Sea oceanic leading edge of the Palawan microcontinental block. The subduction and ultimate closure of this ocean basin resulted in the emplacement and exposure of this lithospheric fragment along the collisional boundary of the microcontinental block and the oceanic- to island arc-affiliated Philippine mobile belt. The ophiolite complex has volcanic rocks having normal- to transitional mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) to island arc tholeiitic (IAT) geochemistry consistent with the transitional MORB–IAT characteristics of its peridotites. The chromitites manifest subduction signature suggestive of the involvement of water in its generation. All of these would be consistent with generation in a supra-subduction zone environment, specifically in a subduction-related marginal ocean basin. The collision of the Palawan microcontinental block with the Philippine mobile belt along western Panay resulted, aside from ophiolite emplacement, into arc curvature, island rotation, serpentinite diapirism and thrusting along the forearc side. The offshore bathymetric expression of the microcontinental block along the collision zone shows the leading edge of this oceanic bathymetric high to have spread laterally. This is indicative of its being buoyant resulting to non-subduction as supported by available earthquake hypocenter data.     

Paleomagnetism of Palawan,Philippines

Paleomagnetic studies have been carried out on Palawan and on the island of Busuanga to the north. Results from the Cretaceous Espina Basalts of the Calatuigas Ophiolite in the South Palawan Block (SPB) pass a fold test, yield normal and reversed directions with a magnetic intensity and AF demagnetization characteristics consistent with a primary TRM. The mean direction is 293.9° and an inclination of 5.8°, with a k of 37.7 and an α₉₅ of 12.6°. This suggests that these ophiolites have moved northward and rotated counterclockwise by 66°±+13° with respect to the geocentric axial dipole (GAD) field. It also suggests that they were obducted from the south.Paleomagnetic directions from the Jurassic Busuanga Cherts and the Cretaceous Guinlo Formation from the island of Busuanga in the North Palawan Block (NPB) and from the Guinlo on the main island of Palawan are similar, fail regional fold tests, and have AF demagnetization characteristics consistent with secondary magnetization. Their inclinations are statistically indistinguishable at a 95% significance level, but variation in declination suggests differential local rotation about a vertical axis. The paleolatitude is comparable to that of regions of pervasive Cretaceous remagnetization in the South China borderland and may reflect similar remagnetization, consistent with the NPB’s proposed South China origin.     

Petrography,geochemistry, and tectonics of a rifted fragment of Mainland Asia: evidence from the Lasala Formation,Mindoro Island,Philippines

Petrological and geochemical investigations of the sedimentary Lasala formation in northwest Mindoro, Philippines, offer new insights into the origin of this geologically contentious region. Mindoro island’s position at the boundary between Sundaland and the Philippine Mobile Belt has led to variable suggestions as to how much of it is continent derived or not. The Eocene Lasala formation overlies the Jurassic Halcon metamorphics, a regionally metamorphosed suite generally thought to have formed as a result of arc-continent collision processes. The sedimentary formation consists mainly of sandstones and shales interbedded with mudstones, basalt flows, and subordinate limestones and conglomerates. Petrographic information on the Lasala clastic rocks demonstrates a uniform framework composition that is predominantly quartzose. Major oxide, trace element abundances, and various elemental ratios similarly impart a strongly felsic signature. These characteristics are taken to indicate a chiefly continental, passive margin derivation and deposition of the Lasala sediments during the Eocene. The weak indication of active margin influence is suggested to be an inherited signature, supported by paleogeographic models of the southeastern Asian margin area during the pre-Cenozoic.     

Petrochemical Investigation of the Antique Ophiolite (Philippines): Implications on Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide and Podiform Chromitite Deposits

Abstract: The Antique ophiolite, located in Panay island (west‐central Philippines), corresponds to several tectonic slices within the suture zone between the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) and the North Palawan Block (NPB). It includes dismembered fragments of a basaltic sequence, dominantly pillow‐lavas with minor sheet flows, rare exposures of sheeted dikes, isotropic gabbros, subordinate layered mafic and ultramafic rock sequences and serpentinites. Most of the ophiolite units commonly occur as clasts and blocks within the serpentinites, which intrude the whole ophiolitic body, as well as, the basal conglomerate of the overlying Middle Miocene sedimentary formation. The volcanic rock sequence is characterized by chemical compositions ranging from transitional (T)‐MORB, normal (N)‐MORB and to chemistry intermediate between those of MORB and island arc basalt (IAB). The residual upper mantle sequence is harzburgitic and generally more depleted than the upper mantle underlying modern mid‐oceanic ridges. Calculations using whole‐rock and mineral compositions show that they can represent the residue of a fertile mantle source, which have undergone degrees of partial melting ranging from 9‐22.5 %. Some of the mantle samples display chondrite‐nor‐malized REE and extended multi‐element patterns suggesting enrichments in LREE, Rb, Sr and Zr, which are comparable to those found in fore‐arc peridotites from the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) arc system. The Antique ultramafic rocks also record relatively oxidizing mantle conditions (Δlog f_O2 (FMQ)=0.9‐3.5). As a whole, the ophiolite probably represents an agglomeration of oceanic ridge and fore‐arc crust fragments, which were juxtaposed during the Miocene collision of the PMB and the NPB. The intrusion of the serpentinites might be either coeval or subsequent to the accretion of the oceanic crust onto the fore‐arc. Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits occur either in or near the contact between the pillow basalts and the overlying sediments or interbedded with the sediments. The morphology of the deposits, type of metals, ore texture and the nature of the host rocks suggest that the formation of the VMS bodies was similar to the accumulation of metals around and in the subsurface of hydrothermal vents observed in modern mid‐oceanic ridge and back‐arc basin rift settings. The podiform chromitites occur as pods and subordinate layers within totally serpentinized dunite in the residual upper mantle sequence. No large coherent chromitite deposit was found since the host dunitic rocks often occur as blocks within the serpentinites. It is difficult to evaluate the original geodynamic setting of the mineralized bodies since the chemistry of the host rocks were considerably modified by alteration during their tectonic emplacement. A preliminary conclusion for Antique is that the VMS is apparently associated with a primitive tholeiitic intermediate MORB‐IAB volcanic suite, the chemistry of which is close to the calculated composition of the liquid that coexisted with the podiform chromitites.     

中朝板块元古宙板内地震带与盆地格局

地史中发生的强地震事件在地层中留下固定的记录 (图 1～ 3) ,这些记录在区域上呈带状分布 ,代表地史中的地震带。中朝板块元古宙目前可识别出两个板内地震带 (图 5 )。中元古代板内地震带 (170 0～ 12 0 0Ma)西起太行山北段 ,经燕山山脉、辽宁西部、穿越辽河平原至辽宁北部的泛河流域分布 ,即燕山—泛河地震带 ,现今呈NEE向延伸。新元古代震旦纪地震带沿吉林南部、辽东半岛、山东中部及苏皖北部现今呈NNE走向分布 ,即古郯庐地震带 (6 5 0～ 6 0 0Ma)。上述两个板内地震带是元古宙不同时期超大陆裂解的响应。中元古代与新元古代两个不同方向的地震断裂带分别控制着两个时期的盆地边界。燕山泛河地震断裂带构成中元古代海盆南界 (指现在的位置 ) ,形成向北开放的海域。古郯庐地震断裂带将中朝板块裂解为华北块体与胶辽朝块体。古郯庐地震断裂带构成震旦纪海域的边界 ,震旦纪海盆通过朝鲜半岛与当时的外海相连接 ,华北块体则为陆源剥蚀区。文内四幅古地理图 (图 6～ 9)是以地震灾变思想为指导 ,以新的地层研究、对比为基础编制的 ,侧重反映了盆地的格局及其变化。根据地震、同沉积断裂新的思路 ,可提供地质学家重新认识与解释某些沉积矿床的成因 ,它们的成矿元素均来自地球深部而非地表风化作用。文中编制     

北吕宋岛菲律宾活动带蛇绿岩及其上覆浊积岩的放射虫研究新进展

The basement of the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) is mainly composed of ophiolites that are mostly overlain by Paleogene to Miocene turbidites in central Luzon. To clarify the geological development of the PMB with respect to the initial stage of the arc volcanism (eg. Yumul et al., 2003, 2008; Dimalanta and Yumul, 2003; Suzuki et al., 2011), radiolarian dating was examined in siliceous sediments associated with the ophiolites and turbidites. The samples were collected from sites identified with the Zambales and Montalban ophiolites, basic tuff phyllites in NW Din-galan, and their overlying formations.     

早古生代阿拉善地块与华北地块之间的关系:来自阿拉善东缘中奥陶统碎屑锆石的信息

阿拉善东缘奥陶纪地层位于鄂尔多斯(华北地块)与北祁连早古生代造山带之间的过渡地区,该区的构造背景一直是长期争论的问题,它涉及到阿拉善地块是否与华北地块相连、奥陶系的物源以及"贺兰拗拉槽"是否存在等问题。分布于阿拉善地块东缘的中奥陶统米钵山组的碎屑锆石LA-ICP-MSU-Pb年龄测试表明,样品中数量最多的锆石年龄为900～950Ma,Alxa-1的峰值年龄为916Ma,Alxa-2的峰值年龄为953Ma,次者在494～623Ma之间,这个区间内存在多个峰值,如Alxa-1存在505Ma和588Ma两个主要峰值,Alxa-2则存在494Ma、517Ma、623Ma等几个峰值。在2.5Ga左右两个样品都存在一个弱的峰值,Alxa-1峰值为2517Ma,而Alxa-2峰值为2552Ma和2670Ma。除此之外,两个样品都有个别大于3.0Ga的成分,Alxa-1样品中最年轻的锆石为451±8Ma,Alxa-2样品则为483±4Ma。这些年龄以及沉积特征表明:(1)传统认为的奥陶纪"贺兰拗拉槽"并不存在,鄂尔多斯西南缘地区以及阿拉善东部地区当时属于北祁连早古生代周缘前陆盆地系统;(2)早古生代主要物源来自北祁连造山带,新元古代物源来自阿拉善地块;(3)鄂尔多斯西缘整个米钵山组的锆石年龄分布及其变化,指示出北祁连造山带(岛弧)逐渐靠近阿拉善地块,其间洋盆逐渐消失的过程;(4)阿拉善地块基底与华北有明显差别,阿拉善地块明显受到新元古代和古生代构造热事件的影响,两者可能是在中奥陶世或之后才拼贴在一起。     

Composite nature of the North China Granulite-Facies Belt: Tectonothermal and geochronological constraints

Granulite-facies rocks are intermittently exposed in a roughly E–W trending belt that extends for approximately 2000 km across the North China Craton, from the Helanshan, Qianlishan, Wulashan–Daqingshan, Guyang and Jining Complexes in the Western Block, through the Huai'an, Hengshan, Xuanhua and Chengde Complexes in the Trans-North China Orogen, to the Jianping (Western Liaoning), Eastern Hebei, Northern Liaoning and Southern Jilin Complexes in the Eastern Block. The belt is generally referred to as the North China Granulite-Facies Belt, previously interpreted as the lowest part of an obliquely exposed crust of the North China Craton. Recent data indicate that the North China Granulite-Facies Belt is not a single terrane. Instead, it represents components of three separate terranes: the Eastern and Western Blocks and Trans-North China Orogen. Each of these units records different metamorphic histories and reflect the complex tectonic evolution of the NCC during the late Archean and Paleoproterozoic. Mafic granulites in the Eastern Block and the Yinshan Terrane (Western Block) underwent medium-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism at about 2.5 Ga, with anticlockwise P–T paths involving near isobaric cooling following peak metamorphism, reflecting an origin related to intrusion and underplating of mantle-derived magmas. Pelitic granulites in the Khondalite Belt (Western Block) underwent medium-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism at about 2.0–1.9 Ga, with clockwise P–T paths, which record the Paleoproterozoic amalgamation of the Yinshan and Ordos Terranes to form the Western Block. Mafic and pelitic granulites in the Trans-North China Orogen experienced high- to medium-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism at 1.85 Ga, with clockwise P–T paths involving nearly isothermal decompression following peak metamorphism, which are in accord with the final collision between the Eastern and Western Blocks to form the North China Craton at 1.8 Ga. The NCGB cannot therefore represent a separate unique terrane; instead it reflects the amalgamation of three separate granulite terranes that evolved independently and at different times.     

Attribution of the Langshan Tectonic Belt: Evidence from zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions

This study describes a previously unidentified Neoproterozoic mafic dyke emplaced in the northern flank of the Langshan Tectonic Belt. This dyke intruded into the micaquartz schist of the Zhaertaishan Group, and yielded an age of 908 ± 8 Ma. The youngest U-Pb ages of micaquartz schist from the Zhaertaishan Group in the Langshan area were 1118 ± 33 Ma,1187 ± 3 Ma and 1189 ± 39 Ma,suggesting that the depositional age of the protolith of the schist was between 908 ± 8 Ma and 1118 ± 33 Ma. In addition, 436 U-Pb age data and 155 Lu-Hf isotopic data from six samples in the Langshan Tectonic Belt and one Permian greywacke from the Wuhai area show distinct differences between the northern and southern flanks of the Main Langshan area. The U-Pb ages of the northern flank are primarily Meso-Neoproterozoic; similar ages have not been identified in the southern flank to date.Moreover, two-stage Hf model ages of the northern flank feature three age peaks at ～900 Ma,～1700 Ma and ～2600 Ma; this differs from Hf model ages of the southern flank, which feature one strong age peak at ～2700 Ma. These results suggest that the northern and southern flanks of the Main Langshan area have different geochronologic characteristics and should be divided further. Based on the U-Pb ages and Hf model ages, the northern and southern flanks of the Main Langshan area are named the North and South Langshan Tectonic Belts. Comparison of the U-Pb age and two-stage Hf model age distributions from the North Langshan Tectonic Belt, South Langshan Tectonic Belt, Alxa Block and the North China Craton(NCC) reveal that the North Langshan Tectonic Belt is similar to the Alxa Block and that the South Langshan Tectonic Belt is similar to the NCC. In addition, the zircon U-Pb age of 860 ±7 Ma commonly observed in the Alxa Block was detected in the Permian greywacke from the Wuhai area of the NCC, which suggests that the amalgamation of the North and South Langshan Tectonic belts(i.e.,the amalgamation of the Alxa Block and the NCC), occurred between Devonian and late Permian.     

Structural control of low-sulfidation epithermal gold mineralization in the Rosario–Bunawan district, East Mindanao Ridge, Philippines

The Rosario–Bunawan district is situated about 200 km north of Davao City, the capital of the Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines. Gold is produced from the Co-O mine, containing about 2,034,000 t of ore at 10.9 g/t Au, and in numerous small-scale operations by local miners. Epithermal gold mineralization in the Rosario–Bunawan district and the Co-O mine is confined to narrow (0.2–4 m) low-sulfidation quartz–chalcedony–calcite veins in volcanic and volcaniclastic wall rocks. Three major vein orientations are distinguished: (1) the NNW–SSE-trending set with a sinistral strike-slip sense of deformation (Philippine Fault trend); (2) the ENE–WSW-trending dextral strike-slip set (Palawan trend) and associated veins in the Riedel geometry; and (3) the WNW–ESE-trending conjugate set (Co-O trend). Three structural stages are defined: (1) extensional shear or shear veins formed in the Co-O, the Philippine Fault, and Palawan trends during regional NW–SE compression and near vertical vein opening (D₁); (2) reactivation of veins in the Philippine Fault, veins associated with the Palawan, and, to a lesser extent, the Co-O trends during E–W compression and near horizontal N–S-oriented vein opening (D₂). New D₂ extensional shear or shear veins formed in the Philippine Fault, and structures associated with the Palawan and associated Riedel trends; (3) the D₃-stage block faulting subsequently displaced all of the auriferous veins. The auriferous Rosario–Bunawan district is situated between two splays of the Philippine Fault, which acted as a lateral ramp system during the oblique convergence of the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate. The oblique convergence resulted in a change from a compressional (D₁) to a transpressional (D₂) regime, which was a prerequisite for the two-stage vein opening and hydrothermal mineralization, leading to an economic gold enrichment. D₁ compressional tectonics may have caused an elevated geothermal gradient in shallow crustal levels, forming the heat source for the fluid plumbing system, which is at variance to typical epithermal deposits formed in extensional zones. D₂ thrusting of a limestone nappe together with syn-tectonic diorite intrusions may have further increased the geothermal gradient, maintaining the fluid plumbing system. The limestone nappe may, at the same time, have represented an aquitard forcing the hydrothermal fluids into the volcanic and volcaniclastic wall rocks, which is regarded as critical for the two-stage gold mineralization in the Rosario–Bunawan district.