Late Mesozoic crust-mantle interaction and lower crust components in South China: A geochemical study of mafic granulite xenoliths from Cenozoic basalts

Mafic granulite xenoliths have been discovered in many volcanoes (especially alkali basalt and kimberlite) all over the world. They formed generally in lower crust, and recorded lots of in- formation on the lithosphere formation and crust-mantle interacti…     

Magma mixing recorded in intermediate rocks associated with high-Mg andesites from the Setouchi volcanic belt, Japan: implications for Archean TTG formation

Calc-alkaline intermediate rocks are spatially and temporally associated with high-Mg andesites (HMAs, Mg#>60) in Middle Miocene Setouchi volcanic belt. The calc-alkaline rocks are characterized by higher Mg# (strongly calc-alkaline trend) than ordinary calc-alkaline rocks at equivalent silica contents. Phenocrysts in the intermediate rocks have petrographical features such as: (1) coexisting reversely and normally zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts in single rock; (2) sieve type plagioclase in which cores are mantled by higher An%, melt inclusion-rich zone; and (3) reversely zoned amphibole phenocrysts with opacite cores. In addition, mingling textures and magmatic inclusions were observed in some rocks. These petrographic features and the mineral chemistry indicate that magma mixing was the most important process in producing the strongly calc-alkaline rocks. The core composition of normally zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts and the mantle composition of reversely zoned orthopyroxene phenocrysts have relatively high Mg# (85–90) in maximum. Although basaltic and high-Mg andesitic magmas are candidate as possible mafic end-member magmas, basaltic magma is excluded in terms of phenocryst assemblage and bulk composition. HMA magmas are suitable mafic end-member magmas that precipitated high Mg# (90) orthopyroxene, whereas andesitic to dacitic magma are suitable felsic end-members. In contrast, it is difficult to produce the strongly calc-alkaline trend through fractional crystallization from a HMA magma, because it would require removal of plagioclase together with mafic minerals from the early stage of crystallization, whereas the precipitation of plagiolase is suppressed due to the high water content of HMA magmas. These results imply that Archean Mg#-rich TTGs (>45–55), which are an analog of the strongly calc-alkaline rocks in terms of chemistry and magma genesis, can be derived from magma mixing in which a HMA magma is the mafic end-member magma, rather than by fractional crystallization from a HMA magma.     

Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China: Implications for thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere

The North China Craton (NCC) has been thinned from >200 km to <100 km in its eastern part. The ancient subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) has been replaced by the juvenile SCLM in the Meoszoic. During this period, the NCC was destructed as indicated by extensive magmatism in the Early Cretaceous. While there is a consensus on the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China, it has been hotly debated about the mechanism of cartonic destruction. This study attempts to provide a resolution to current debates in the view of Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China. We made a compilation of geochemical data available for Mesozoic mafic igneous rocks in the NCC. The results indicate that these mafic igneous rocks can be categorized into two series, manifesting a dramatic change in the nature of mantle sources at ~121 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks emplaced at this age start to show both oceanic island basalts (OIB)-like trace element distribution patterns and depleted to weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. In contrast, mafic igneous rocks emplaced before and after this age exhibit both island arc basalts (IAB)-like trace element distribution patterns and enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. This difference indicates a geochemical mutation in the SCLM of North China at ~121 Ma. Although mafic magmatism also took place in the Late Triassic, it was related to exhumation of the deeply subducted South China continental crust because the subduction of Paleo-Pacific slab was not operated at that time. Paleo-Pacific slab started to subduct beneath the eastern margin of Eruasian continent since the Jurrasic. The subducting slab and its overlying SCLM wedge were coupled in the Jurassic, and slab dehydration resulted in hydration and weakening of the cratonic mantle. The mantle sources of ancient IAB-like mafic igneous rocks are a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the cratonic mantle wedge peridotite not only with aqueous solutions derived from dehydration of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust in the Jurassic but also with hydrous melts derived from partial melting of the subducting South China continental crust in the Triassic. On the other hand, the mantle sources of juvenile OIB-like mafic igneous rocks are also a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the asthenospheric mantle underneath the North China lithosphere with hydrous felsic melts derived from partial melting of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust. The subducting Paleo-Pacific slab became rollback at ~144 Ma. Afterwards the SCLM base was heated by laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, leading to thinning of the hydrated and weakened cratonic mantle. There was extensive bimodal magmatism at 130 to 120 Ma, marking intensive destruction of the cratonic lithosphere. Not only the ultramafic metasomatites in the lower part of the cratonic mantle wedge underwent partial melting to produce mafic igneous rocks showing negative ε_Nd(t) values, depletion in Nb and Ta but enrichment in Pb, but also the lower continent crust overlying the cratonic mantle wedge was heated for extensive felsic magmatism. At the same time, the rollback slab surface was heated by the laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, resulting in partial melting of the previously dehydrated rocks beyond rutile stability on the slab surface. This produce still hydrous felsic melts, which metasomatized the overlying asthenospheric mantle peridotite to generate the ultramafic metasomatites that show positive ε_Nd(t) values, no depletion or even enrichment in Nb and Ta but depletion in Pb. Partial melting of such metasomatites started at ~121 Ma, giving rise to the mafic igneous rocks with juvenile OIB-like geochemical signatures. In this context, the age of ~121 Ma may terminate replacement of the ancient SCLM by the juvenile SCLM in North China. Paleo-Pacific slab was not subducted to the mantle transition zone in the Mesozoic as revealed by modern seismic tomography, and it was subducted at a low angle since the Jurassic, like the subduction of Nazca Plate beneath American continent. This flat subduction would not only chemically metasomatize the cratonic mantle but also physically erode the cratonic mantle. Therefore, the interaction between Paleo-Pacific slab and the cratonic mantle is the first-order geodynamic mechanism for the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China.     

鄂尔多斯盆地东缘紫金山侵入岩热演化史与隆升过程分析

运用LA-ICP MS锆石U-Pb定年、角闪石和黑云母⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar定年、锆石和磷灰石裂变径迹(FT)分析等构造热年代学研究方法,探讨分析了鄂尔多斯盆地东缘紫金山侵入岩的热演化历史及其抬升冷却过程.紫金山侵入岩主要由次透辉二长岩和正长岩组成,锆石U-Pb测年给出的岩浆侵位-结晶年龄为136.7 Ma,角闪石和黑云母⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar测年获得的岩浆结晶-固结年龄集中在133.1~130.4 Ma,表明紫金山侵入岩主要形成于早白垩世的136.7~130.4 Ma.侵入岩T-t轨迹与磷灰石FT模拟热史路径综合揭示了鄂尔多斯盆地东缘紫金山侵入岩抬升冷却的三个构造热演化阶段:1) 136~120 Ma侵位岩浆结晶-固结阶段,岩体平均冷却速率高达52 ℃/Ma;2) 120~30 Ma岩体相对缓慢抬升冷却阶段,平均抬升冷却速率为2.5 ℃/Ma;3) 30 Ma以来岩体快速抬升冷却阶段,平均抬升冷却速率3.6 ℃/Ma,尤以近10 Ma以来的快速抬升冷却最为显著,抬升冷却速率接近7 ℃/Ma.结合区域构造动力学环境分析认为,鄂尔多斯盆地东缘的紫金山岩浆活动与华北克拉通早白垩世构造体制转换过程的大规模岩浆活动属于相同时期、统一构造作用的产物,早白垩世末期以来由慢到快的差异抬升过程主要受控于华北克拉通东部(古)太平洋体系与其西南部特提斯体系之间相互联合、彼此消长的构造作用.     

Geodynamics of decratonization and related magmatism and mineralization in the North China Craton

The North China Craton(NCC) experienced strong destruction(i.e., decratonization) during the Mesozoic, which triggered intensive magmatism, tectonism and thermal events and formed large-scale gold and other metal deposits in the eastern part of the craton. However, how the decratonization controls the formation and distribution of large-scale of gold and other metal deposits is not very clear. Based on a large number of published data and new results, this paper systematically summarizes all the data for the rock assemblages, chronology, geochemistry and petrogenesis of Mesozoic magmatic rocks, as well as for the mineralizing ages of gold and other metal deposits and the evolution of the Mesozoic basins in the eastern NCC. The results are used to restore the extensional rates of Mesozoic to Cenozoic basins and the strike-slip distance of the Tanlu Fault, to ascertain the location of the Paleo-Pacific plate subduction zones during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic, and to reconstruct the temporal and spatial distribution of Mesozoic gold and other metal deposits and magmatic rocks in the eastern NCC. It is obtained that the magmatism and mineralization in the eastern NCC westward migrate from east to west during the Early to Middle Jurassic, but they eastward migrate from west to east during the Early Cretaceous. The metallogenesis of these deposits is genetically related to magmatism, and the magmas provided some ore-forming materials and fluids for the generation of metal deposits. The geodynamic mechanism of decratonization and related magmatism and mineralization is proposed, i.e., the westward low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath the NCC formed continental magmatic arc with plenty of porphyry Cu-Mo-Au deposits in the Jurassic, similar to the Andean continental arc in South America. The mantle wedge was metasomatized by the fluids/melts derived from the subducting slab, laying a material foundation for hydrothermal mineralization in the Early Cretaceous. While the rollback of the subducting slab with gradually increasing subduction angle and the retreat of the subduction zones during the Early Cretaceous induced strong destruction of the craton and the formation of extensive magmatic rocks and large-scale gold and other metal deposits.     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages for the Paleoproterozoic metamorphic-magmatic events in the southeast margin of the North China Craton

A garnet-pyroxene bearing amphibolite as a xenolith hosted by the Mesozoic igneous rocks from Xuzhou-Suzhou area was dated by zircon SHRIMP U-Pb method, which yields a metamorphic age of 1918 ± 56 Ma. In addition, the zircons from a garnet amphibolite as a lens interbedded with marble in the Archean metamorphic complex named Wuhe group in the Bengbu uplift give a metamorphic U-Pb age of 1857 ± 19 Ma, and the zircons from Shimenshan deformed granite in the eastern margin of the Bengbu uplift give a magma crystallization U-Pb age of 2054 ± 22 Ma. Both the Xuzhou-Suzhou area and Bengbu uplift are located in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton. Therefore, these ages indicate that there is a Paleoproterozoic tectonic zone in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton, and its metamorphic and magmatic ages are consistent with those of the other three Paleoproterozoic tectonic zones in the North China Craton. In view of the large scale sinistral strike-slip movement occurred at the Mesozoic along the Tan-Lu fault zone, the position of the eastern Shandong area, which is a south section of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt, was correlated to Xuzhou-Suzhou-Bengbu area prior to movement of the Tan-Lu fault zone. This suggests that the Xuzhou-Suzhou-Bengbu Paleoproterozoic tectonic zone might be a southwest extension of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40634023)     

Crustal azimuthal anisotropy in the trans-North China orogen and adjacent regions from receiver functions

The North China Craton (NCC) is an important part of eastern China. Recent studies have shown that the eastern NCC (ENCC) has undergone significant lithospheric thinning and destruction since the late Mesozoic. Destruction of the cratonic lithosphere is necessarily accompanied by crustal deformation. Therefore, a detailed crustal deformation model can provide basic observational constraints for understanding the process and mechanisms of the destruction of the NCC. In this study, we estimated the crustal azimuthal anisotropy beneath 198 broadband stations in the NCC with a joint analysis of Ps waves converted at the Moho from radial and transverse receiver function data. We also performed a harmonic analysis to test the reliability of the measured anisotropy. We obtained robust crustal azimuthal anisotropy beneath 23 stations that are mostly located on the western margin of the Bohai Bay Basin, Yin-Yan orogenic belt, and Taihang Mountains, which reflects the crustal deformation characteristics in those regions. The crustal shear wave splitting time was found to range from 0.05 s to 0.68 s, with an average value of 0.23 s, which reveals a distinct crustal anisotropy in the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) and its adjacent areas. Our analysis of the results suggests that the strong NW-SE tectonic extension in the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic played an important role in crustal anisotropy in this region. In addition, the E-W trending crustal anisotropy on the margin of the Bohai Bay Basin indicates an effect of the ENE-WSW trending horizontal principal compressive stress. The crustal anisotropy in the Yin-Yan orogenic belt may be an imprint of the multiple-phase shortening of a dominant N-S direction from the early-to-middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. Stations in the Taihang Mountains show large splitting times and well-aligned NW-SE fast directions that correlate with those measured from SKS splitting and that are possibly related to the lithospheric modification and magmatic underplating from the Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic in this area.     

Geochemistry of calc-alkaline volcanic rocks from southeastern Iran (kouh-e-shahsavaran)

The Upper Tertiary to Quaternary volcanic complex of Kouh-e-Shahsavaran in southeastern Iran is composed of calc-alkaline rocks of island are type (high-alumina basalts, basic andesites, andesites and dacites) even though it was emplaced on the continental basement. The volcanic rocks of the complex are genetically related and were probably derived by low-pressure fractional crystallization of high-Al basalts. The anomalously high content of Sr in some rocks probably reflects an accumulation of plagioclase. The trace element data are consistent with the origin of the parental magma by partial melting of an “enriched” upper mantle peridotite.     

Petrogenesis of mafic enclaves from the north Taihang Yanshanian intermediate to felsic plutons: Evidence from petrological,geochemical, and zircon Hf-O isotopic data

We report the zircon Hf-O isotopic data for mafic enclaves from the Taihang Yanshanian intermediate to felsic plutons, and use them, along with the petrological, whole-rock chemical and Nd-Sr isotopic data, to reveal the petrogenesis of mafic enclaves. Mafic enclaves show magmatic textures and are finer-grained than host rocks. In places they are highly elongated due to stretching within the partially crystallized, convective felsic magma, but show no solid-state deformation. These data suggest that mafic e...     

华北克拉通中部过渡带SKS波分裂研究:鄂尔多斯东南角的局部软流圈绕流

本文对布设在华北克拉通东西两块体交界区域的宽频带流动地震观测台阵和部分固定台站的远震波形记录开展了SKS波分裂研究.结果显示,鄂尔多斯块体内部的各向异性比较弱,剪切波分裂导致的时间延迟一般小于0.7s.鄂尔多斯块体东缘的山西断陷带和太行山以及华北平原西部均表现出了比较强的各向异性,时间延迟大于1.0s.特别是在太行山地区观测到的ENE趋向的快波偏振方向明显不同于鄂尔多斯块体和华北平原地区的近E-W和ESE方向的快波偏振方向.在华北克拉通东西两块体交界过渡带的太行山地区观测到的显著上地幔各向异性及变化可能对应于围绕鄂尔多斯块体东南角的局部软流圈绕流,而后者可能起因于鄂尔多斯块体的逆时针旋转以及青藏高原软流圈沿秦岭大别造山带向东的流动.     

Compositions of deep-sea ash layers derived from north pacific volcanic arcs: variations in time and space

Glass separates from 115 ash layers derived from the Kamchatkan (DSDP Site 192; 34 layers), the eastern Aleutian (DSDP Site 183; 56 layers) and the Alaska Peninsula (DSDP Site 178; 25 layers) volcanic arcs have been analyzed for up to 28 elements. In addition, the abundance and diversity of associated mafic phenocrysts have been evaluated. The resulting data set has made possible an evaluation of the late Miocene to Recent changes in composition of ashes derived from North Pacific volcanic arcs and of the factors controlling the evolution of highly siliceous magmas.We find no evidence for a general transition from arc tholeiite to calc-alkalic magma parentage of ashes derived from the volcanic arcs during the last 10 m.y., but instead find 0.1- to 0.5-m.y. intervals during which particular types of volcanism are prevalent. Most convincing is the transition from arc tholeiite to calc-alkalic for ashes derived from Kamchatka during the last 0.8 m.y., a change believed to be associated with a landward shift in the site of magma generation. Considered together, ashes derived from North Pacific volcanic arcs have been becoming more siliceous during the last 1.5 m.y. and may be associated with accelerated subduction during the same time interval.Hydrous phenocrysts (e.g., biotite) are typically associated with low-silica deep-sea ashes, but not with terrestrial volcanic rocks of comparable silica contents, suggesting the important role of water in the evolution of siliceous magma. REE patterns and relative abundances of mafic phenocrysts demonstrate the importance of fractional crystallization in controlling the evolution of highly siliceous arc magmas. REE increase with increasing silica, but become less concentrated in ashes with SiO₂ > 64%. Eu anomalies increase throughout the SiO₂ range. Initial fractionation is dominated by clinopyroxene and plagioclase with amphibole strongly influencing fractionation above 64% SiO₂.     

中国东部碱性花岗岩氢氧同位素特征及其地球动力学意义

对中国东部五个有代表性的碱性花岗岩体氢氧同位素研究表明,δ18O基本正常的苏州和福州碱性花岗岩D亏损分别受单阶段与连续岩浆去气作用的影响,后期大气降水的扰动相对较弱．D-18O同步亏损特征明显的碾子山和山海关碱性花岗岩则主要受岩浆期后大气降水高温亚固态同位素交换机理的制约青岛复式花岗岩基则较为复杂,可能受岩浆去气与晚期大气降水交换的联合作用．未明显受后期地质作用扰动、典型的中国东部碱性花岗岩浆氢氧同位素组成分别为δD＝（50±5）‰和δ18＝（7．5±1．0）‰这表明中国东部碱性花岗岩是由稳定同位素组成基本正常的内地壳或上地幔物质通过低程度部分熔融产生的,而不是由再循环亏损源区物质产生的低δ18O岩浆结晶分异形成的．中国东部碱性花岗岩总体上表现出的D亏损纬度效应,预示自中生代以来其所在板块位置未发生过大规模水平位移同时,碱性花岗岩与拉张环境之间的内在联系表明,至少在中生代中国东部大陆岩石圈地壳处于拉张减薄状态．     

Extreme Nd isotope homogeneity in a large rhyolitic province: the Estérel massif, southeast France

 Previous detailed studies of large rhyolite bodies propose that their elemental and isotopic characteristics were largely acquired in shallow crustal magma chambers. This model explains the common chemical and isotopic zonations of large volumes of rhyolites as well as the less common chemical and isotopic homogeneity of such bodies. We report an intermediate situation (the Estérel massif, southeast France) in which chemical variations contrast with Nd-isotope homogeneity. We thus infer that, in this case, large volumes of rhyolite resided for enough time in shallow magma chambers to develop chemical zonations through differentiation, but this process was not accompanied by crustal assimilation. The subordinate amount of mafic rocks cropping out in the Estérel probably evolved from basalt to trachyte through assimilation and fractional crystallization. The relatively radiogenic Nd-isotope signatures of the rhyolite compared with the Hercynian crust show that it cannot have been generated by partial melting of exposed basement rocks. Several geological similarities with large rhyolitic provinces could suggest that the rhyolite was purely mantle derived or, alternatively, generated by partial melting of an ad hoc crustal component. However, mineralogical, geochemical, and geodynamic connections between the Estérel rhyolite and the hypersolvus anorogenic granites of Corsica, as well as the extreme Nd-isotope homogeneity of the rhyolite, lead us to propose that the rhyolite was generated by mixing between mantle-derived magmas and a mafic lower crust. This scenario accounts for the relatively radiogenic Nd-isotope signatures of the rhyolite compared with the Hercynian crust. The good Nd-isotope homogeneity observed in the rhyolite implies that the mixing process, which occurred in the deep crust, was complete and provided a shallow magma chamber with isotopically and probably chemically homogeneous magmas. Received: 5 December 1997 / Accepted: 16 June 1998     

Material records for Mesozoic destruction of the North China Craton by subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab

It is well known that the destruction of the North China Carton(NCC) is closely related to subduction of the PaleoPacific slab, but materials recording such subduction has not been identified at the peak time of decratonization. This paper presents data of whole-rock major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes and zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopes for Mesozoic volcanic rocks from the Liaodong-Jinan region in the northeastern NCC, in order to trace the subduction-related materials in their source and origin. The Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the Liaodong-Jinan region are mainly composed of two series of rocks, including alkaline basaltic trachyandesite, trachyandesite and trachyte, and subalkaline trachyandesite and andesite. Zircon U-Pb dating yields eruption ages of 129–124 Ma for these rocks. The Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks are all enriched in LILEs(such as Rb, Sr, Ba and Th) and LREEs, depleted in HFSEs(such as Nb, Ta and Ti), indicating that they were originated from mantle sources that had been modified by subducted crustal materials. However, they have relatively heterogeneous and variable isotopic compositions. The alkaline basaltic trachyandesite, trachyandesite and trachyte have enriched whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf and zircon Hf isotopic compositions and mantle-like δ~(18)O values, suggesting that they were derived from low-degree partial melting of an isotopically enriched lithospheric mantle source. In contrast, the subalkaline trachyandesite and andesite have relatively depleted isotopic compositions with zircon ε_(Hf)(t) values up to +5.2 and heavy zircon O isotopic compositions with δ~(18)O values of +8.1‰ to +9.0‰, indicating that they were originated from a lithospheric mantle source that had been metasomatized by melts/fluids derived from the recycled low-T altered oceanic basalt. All of these geochemical features suggest that the Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks in the Liaodong-Jinan region would result from mixing of mafic magmas with different compositions. Such magmas were originated from the enriched lithospheric mantle and the young metasomatized mantle, respectively, with variable extents of enrichment and depletion in trace elements, radiogenic isotopes and O isotopes. Importantly, the identification of the low-T altered oceanic crust component in the origin of Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks by the zircon Hf-O isotopes provides affirmative isotopic evidence and direct material records for Mesozoic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab that induced decratonization of the North China Craton.     

利用背景噪声和接收函数研究华北克拉通地壳结构

收集华北克拉通地区188个宽频带流动台站观测资料进行处理.通过背景噪声面波数据和接收函数双重资料约束联合反演,得到了研究区沉积层厚度、地壳厚度及地壳S波速度结构.结果显示:(1)沉积盖层厚度与地质构造相对应,盆地区与隆起区分界明显.(2)研究区地壳厚度变化范围约29~46 km,自西向东逐渐变薄.(3)中、上地壳华北盆地S波速度偏高,可能与新生代以来多次沉降所造成的相对高的岩石强度有关;(4)下地壳S波速度显示研究区主要存在三个低速区,分别是唐山—天津周边、张北及太行山造山带地区;华北盆地存在显著高速异常,推测可能是由于华北盆地经历下地壳拆沉后,大规模的伸展作用相伴随的幔源基性铁镁质岩浆底侵至下地壳结晶所造成的.(5)多个发生过强震的区域表现出沉积层下方存在较大范围的(约10 km)高速体,并且高速体又被其下低S波速度包裹,壳内岩石强度的差异为应力积累及地震发生提供条件.     

长白山火山的历史与演化

长白山火山跨越中朝两国,在我国境内包括天池火山、望天鹅火山、图们江火山和龙岗火山,火山活动从上新世持续到近代,是我国最大的第四纪火山分布区。长白山火山的母岩浆是钾质粗面玄武岩,将长白山火山岩区称钾质粗面玄武岩省,岩浆结晶分异作用和混合作用主导了岩浆演化过程。天池火山之下地壳岩浆房和地幔岩浆房具双动式喷发特点,一方面来自地幔的钾质粗厨玄武岩浆直接喷出地表;另一方面钾质粗面玄武岩浆持续补给地壳岩浆房,发生岩浆分离结晶作用和混合作用,导致双峰式火山岩分布特征和触发千年大喷发。西太平洋板块俯冲-东北亚大陆弧后引张是长白山火山活动的动力学机制。     

Petrogenesis of the Mesozoic intrusive rocks in the Tongling area,Anhui Province,China and their constraint on geodynamic process

TheTonglingarea,whichiscalledtheChineseCopperCapital,isoneofthemostimportantnon-ferrousmetalproducersinChina(e.g.Cu,AuandAg,especiallyCu).ManyresearchershavenotedthatthemetaldepositsarecloselyrelatedtotheMesozoicintrusiverocksinthisarea.Therefore,theTongl…     

Insight into craton evolution: Constraints from shear wave splitting in the North China Craton

The multi-episodic tectonic activities from the Precambrian to Cenozoic, including nucleus formation, cratonic amalgamation, and rejuvenation, make the North China Craton (NCC) an ideal natural laboratory for studying craton evolution. Spatial change in the upper deformation records is an important aspect for understanding cratonic formation and rejuvenation. In this study, we performed seismic shear wave splitting analysis using SKS phases from 50 portable stations. Two different methodologies, shear wave splitting measurement and amplitude analysis of transverse/radial components, produced mutually consistent splitting results. These results showed that the seismic anisotropy beneath the Ordos Block can be divided into three subgroups reflecting the tectonic control. Combining these results with those from previous splitting studies in the eastern NCC, we suggest that the Proterozoic amalgamation generated the seismic anisotropy in the boundary zone between the Ordos Block and the Trans-North China Orogen, while the anisotropy in the eastern Trans-North China Orogen and eastern NCC were possibly associated with the lithospheric rejuvenation during the Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic.     

The Matsue Formation: Evidence for gross mantle heterogeneity beneath Southwest Japan at 11 Ma

Abstract Middle Miocene basalts and basaltic andesites of the Matsue Formation outcrop within a 5 km radius of Matsue city in eastern Shimane Prefecture. Despite their limited outcrop and age (11.0 ± 1.5 Ma), they show a wide range in ⁸⁷Sr-⁸⁶Sr(0.70370–0.70593), ¹⁴³Nd-¹⁴⁴Nd(0.512904–0.512471) and large ion lithophile element (LILE) contents, but a relatively narrow range for some high field strength elements (HFSE) such as Nb and Ti. These basalts and andesites can be divided into three groups based on petrography, major element, trace element and isotope chemistry. Although one group has undergone some fractional crystallization, isotope chemistry precludes linkage of the groups by a closed-system process. Crustal contamination can explain isotope chemistry, but is not consistent with trace element variations. The most satisfactory model is eruption of two compositionally distinct magmas, with limited magma mixing and fractional crystallization. Published experimental work shows that one end-member resulted from shallow melting of upwelling mantle at ∼25 km. The simultaneous eruption of the other end member magma in the same area points towards a heterogeneous mantle. The isotopic composition of Matsue Formation basalts and andesites covers the entire range of Late Miocene mafic volcanic rocks of southwest Japan. Such gross heterogeneity developed on a local scale has implications for models that deal with regional chemical variations of mafic volcanic rocks in southwest Honshu.     

Magma mixing in granitic rocks of the central Sierra Nevada,California

The El Capitan alaskite exposed in the North American Wall, Yosemite National Park, was intruded by two sets of mafic dikes that interacted thermally and chemically with the host alaskite. Comparisons of petrographic and compositional data for these dikes and alaskite with published data for Sierra Nevada plutons lead us to suggest that mafic magmas were important in the generation of the Sierra Nevada batholith. Specifically, we conclude that: (1) intrusion of mafic magmas in the lower crust caused partial melting and generation of alaskite (rhyolitic) magmas; (2) interaction between the mafic and felsic magmas lead to the observed linear variation diagrams for major elements; (3) most mafic inclusions in Sierra Nevada plutons represent chilled pillows of mafic magmas, related by fractional crystallization and granitoid assimilation, that dissolve into their felsic host and contaminate it to intermediate (granodioritic) compositions; (4) vesiculation of hydrous mafic magma upon chilling may allow buoyant mafic inclusions and their disaggregation products to collect beneath a pluton's domed ceiling causing the zoning (mafic margins-to-felsic core) that these plutons exhibit.