Early Paleozoic Granite in the Talate Mining District,Chinese Altay,and its Geological Significance for the Altay Orogenic Belt

Zircon dating, geochemical and Nd-Sr isotopic analyses have been determined for samples from two granitic intrusions in the Talate mining district, Chinese Altay. Our data suggest that these intrusions were emplaced from 462.5 Ma to 457.8 Ma. These rocks have strong affinity to peralumious S-type granite and are characterized by prominent negative Eu anomalies(δEu=0.20–0.35), strong depletion in Ba, Sr, P, Ti, Nb, Ta and positive anomalies in Rb, Th, U, K, La, Nd, Zr, Hf. Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of the whole rock show negative εNd(t) values(-1.21 to-0.08) and Mesoproterozoic Nd model ages(T2 DM=1.20–1.30 Ga). Their precursor magmas were likely derived from the partial dehydration melting of Mesoproterozoic mica-rich pelitic sources and mixed with minor mantle-derived components, under relatively low P(≤1 kbar) and high T(746–796°C) conditions. A ridge subduction model may account for the early Paleozoic geodynamic process with mantle-derived magmas caused by Ordovician ridge subduction and the opening of a slab window underplated and/or intraplated in the middle–upper crust, which triggered extensive partial melting of the shallow crust to generate diverse igneous rocks, and provided the heat for the crustal melting and juvenile materials for crustal growth.     

Phase equilibria modelling and LASS monazite petrochronology: P–T–t constraints on the evolution of the Priest River core complex,northern Idaho

Phase equilibria modelling, laser‐ablation split‐stream (LASS)‐ICP‐MS petrochronology and garnet trace‐element geochemistry are integrated to constrain the P–T–t history of the footwall of the Priest River metamorphic core complex, northern Idaho. Metapelitic, migmatitic gneisses of the Hauser Lake Gneiss contain the peak assemblage garnet + sillimanite + biotite ± muscovite + plagioclase + K‐feldspar ± rutile ± ilmenite + quartz. Interpreted P–T paths predict maximum pressures and peak metamorphic temperatures of ~9.6–10.3 kbar and ~785–790 °C. Monazite and xenotime ²⁰⁸Pb/²³²Th dates from porphyroblast inclusions indicate that metamorphism occurred at c. 74–54 Ma. Dates from HREE‐depleted monazite formed during prograde growth constrain peak metamorphism at c. 64 Ma near the centre of the complex, while dates from HREE‐enriched monazite constrain the timing of garnet breakdown during near‐isothermal decompression at c. 60–57 Ma. Near‐isothermal decompression to ~5.0–4.4 kbar was followed by cooling and further decompression. The youngest, HREE‐enriched monazite records leucosome crystallization at mid‐crustal levels c. 54–44 Ma. The northernmost sample records regional metamorphism during the emplacement of the Selkirk igneous complex (c. 94–81 Ma), Cretaceous–Tertiary metamorphism and limited Eocene exhumation. Similarities between the Priest River complex and other complexes of the northern North American Cordillera suggest shared regional metamorphic and exhumation histories; however, in contrast to complexes to the north, the Priest River contains less partial melt and no evidence for diapiric exhumation. Improved constraints on metamorphism, deformation, anatexis and exhumation provide greater insight into the initiation and evolution of metamorphic core complexes in the northern Cordillera, and in similar tectonic settings elsewhere.     

Co-development of Jurassic I-type and A-type granites in southern Hunan,South China: Dual control by plate subduction and intraplate mantle upwelling

Two types of spatially and temporally associated Jurassic granitic rocks, I-type and A-type, occur as pluton pairs in several locations in southern Hunan Province, South China. This paper aims to investigate the genetic relationships and tectonic mechanisms of the co-development of distinct granitic rocks through petrological, geochemical and geochronological studies. Zircon LA-ICPMS dating results yielded concordant U–Pb ages ranging from 180 to 148 Ma for the Baoshan and Tongshanling I-type granodiorites, and from 180 to 158 Ma for the counterpart Huangshaping and Tuling A-type granites. Petrologically, the I-type granodiorites consist of mafic minerals such as hornblende whereas the A-type granites are dominated by felsic minerals (e.g., quartz, K-feldspar and plagioclase). Major and trace element analyses indicate that the I-type granodiorites have relatively low SiO₂ (64.5–71.0%) and relatively high TiO₂ (0.28–0.51%), Al₂O₃ (13.8–15.5%), total FeO (2.3–4.7%), MgO (1.3–2.6%) and P₂O₅ (0.10–0.23%) contents, and the A-type granites are characterized by high concentrations of Rb (212–1499?ppm), Th (18.3–52.6?ppm), U (11.8–33.6?ppm), Ga (20.0–36.6?ppm), Y (27.1–134.0?ppm) and HREE (20.3–70.0?ppm), with pronounced negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*?=?0.01–0.15). Moreover, the I-type granodiorites are classified as collision-related granites emplaced under a compressional environment, whereas the A-type granites are within-plate granites generated in an extensional setting. Zircon Hf isotopic compositions vary substantially for these granitic rocks. The I-type granodiorites are characterized by relatively young Hf model ages (T_DM1?=?1065–1302 Ma, T_DM^C =1589–2061 Ma) and moderately negative εHf(t) values (–5.9 to –11.5), whereas the A-type granites have very old model ages (T_DM1?=?1454–2215 Ma, T_DM^C?=?2211–2974 Ma) and pronounced negative εHf(t) values (–15.8 to –28.3). These petrochemical and isotopic characteristics indicate that the I-type granodiorites may have been derived from a deep source involving mantle-derived juvenile (basaltic) and crustal (pelitic) components, whereas the A-type granites may have been sourced from melting of meta-greywacke in the crust. This study proposes that the pressure and temperature differences in the source regions caused by combined effects of intra-plate mantle upwelling and plate subduction are the major controlling factors of the co-development of the two different types of magmas. Crustal anatexis related to lithospheric delamination and upwelling of hot asthenosphere under a high pressure and temperature environment led to the formation of the I-type magmas. On the other hand, the A-type magmas were formed from melting of the shallower part of the crust, where extensional stress was dominant and mantle-crust interaction was relatively weak. Rifts and faults caused by mantle upwelling developed from surface to depth and successively became channels for the ascending I- and A-type magmas, resulting in the emplacement of magmas in adjacent areas from sources at different depths.     

A clinopyroxene–basalt geothermobarometry perspective of Columbia Plateau (NW-USA) Miocene magmatism

The origin of NW-USA Columbia River Basalt Group Miocene magmatism and its relation to tectonism has been widely debated and is still open to study. We investigated the pre-eruptive evolution of the magmas, to constrain pressures and temperatures of the ascending magmas, and plumbing conditions. We determined major element concentrations of 17–6 Ma tholeiites, and applied clinopyroxene – liquid geothermobarometry to calculate pre-eruptive pressures and temperatures. These ranged from 0 to 0.66 GPa and 1120 to 1222 °C, respectively, defining two age-related parallel trends in a P–T diagram. This indicates a consistent crustal evolution of the magmas, and records at least two distinct initial temperatures. Using clinopyroxene interdiffusion coefficients we estimated magma ascent speeds ≥ 0.6 km yr⁻¹. Possible geological explanations for the calculated parameters are: lower-crust magma chamber processes; magmatism and tectonism feed-back consistent with an extensional environment.     

The petrogenesis of 30–20 Ma basic and intermediate volcanics from the Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field,New Mexico,USA

In the western USA calcalkaline magmas were generated hundreds of kilometres from the nearest destructive plate margin, and in some areas during regional extension several Ma after the cessation of subduction. The Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field (MDVF) in southern New Mexico was a centre of active magmatism in the mid- to late-Tertiary, and a detailed field, petrographic and geochemical study has been undertaken to evaluate the relations between extensional tectonics and calcalkaline magmatism in the period 30–20 Ma. The rocks comprise alkalic to high-K calcalkaline lavas, ranging from basalt to high silica andesitc. Most of the basaltic rocks have relatively low HFSE abundances, elevated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, similar to many Tertiary basalts across the western USA, and they are inferred to have been derived from the continental mantle lithosphere. Two differentiation trends are recognised, with the older magmas having evolved to more calcalkaline compositions by magma mixing between alkalic basaltic andesites and silicic crustal melts, and the younger rocks having undergone 30–40% fractional crystallisation to more alkalic derivatives. The younger basalts also exhibit a shift to relatively higher HSFE abundances, with lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and higher ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and these have been modelled as mixtures between an average post-5 Ma Basin and Range basalt and the older MDVF lithosphere-derived basalts. It is argued that the presence of subduction-related geochemical signatures and the development of calcalkaline andesites in the 30–20 Ma lavas from the MDVF are not related to the magmatic effects of Tertiary subduction. Rather, basic magmas were generated by partial melting of the lithospheric mantle which had been modified during a previous subduction event. Since these basalts were generated at the time of maximum extension in the upper crust it is inferred that magma generation was in response to lithospheric extension. The association of the 30–20 Ma calcalkaline andesites with the apparently anorogenic tectonism of late mid-Tertiary extension, is the result of crustal contamination, in that fractionated, mildly alkaline, basaltic andesite magmas were mixed with silicic crustal melts, generating hybrid andesite lavas with calcalkaline affinities.     

Metamorphic petrology of a high‐T/low‐P granulite terrane (Damara belt,Namibia) – Constraints from pseudosection modelling and high‐precision Lu–Hf garnet‐whole rock dating

Migmatites comprise a minor volume of the high‐grade part of the Damara orogen of Namibia that is dominated by granite complexes and intercalated metasedimentary units. Migmatites of the Southern Central Zone of the Damara orogen consist of melanosomes with garnet+cordierite+biotite+K‐feldspar, and leucosomes, which are sometimes garnet‐ and cordierite‐bearing. Field evidence, petrographic observations, and pseudosection modelling suggest that, in contrast to other areas where intrusion of granitic magmas is more important, in situ partial melting of metasedimentary units was the main migmatite generation processes. Pseudosection modelling and thermobarometric calculations consistently indicate that the peak‐metamorphic grade throughout the area is in the granulite facies (~5 kbar at ~800°C). Cordierite coronas around garnet suggest some decompression from peak‐metamorphic conditions and rare andalusite records late, near‐isobaric cooling to <650°C at low pressures of ~3 kbar. The inferred clockwise P–T path is consistent with minor crustal thickening through continent–continent collision followed by limited post‐collisional exhumation and suggests that the granulite facies terrane of the Southern Central Zone of the Damara orogen formed initially in a metamorphic field gradient of ~35–40°C/km at medium pressures. New high‐precision Lu–Hf garnet‐whole rock dates are 530 ± 13 Ma, 522.0 ± 0.8 Ma, 520.8 ± 3.6 Ma, and 500.3 ± 4.3 Ma for the migmatites that record temperatures of ~800°C. This indicates that high‐grade metamorphism lasted for c. 20–30 Ma, which is compatible with previous estimates using Sm–Nd garnet‐whole rock systematics. In previous studies on Damara orogen migmatites where both Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf chronometers have been applied, the dates (c. 520–510 Ma) agree within their small uncertainties (0.6–0.8% for Sm–Nd and 0.1–0.2% for Lu–Hf). This implies rapid cooling after high‐grade conditions and, by implication, rapid exhumation at that time. The cause of the high geothermal gradient inferred from the metamorphic conditions is unknown but likely requires some extra heat that was probably added by intrusion of magmas from the lithospheric mantle, i.e., syenites that have been recently re‐dated at c. 545 Ma. Some granites derived from the lower crust at c. 545 Ma are the outcome rather than the cause of high‐T metamorphism. In addition, high contents of heat‐producing elements K, Th, and U may have raised peak temperatures by 150–200°C at the base of the crust, resulting in the widespread melting of fertile crustal rocks. The continuous gradation from centimetre‐scale leucosomes to decametre‐scale leucogranite sheets within the high‐grade metamorphic zone suggests that leucosome lenses coalesced to form larger bodies of anatectic leucogranites, thereby documenting a link between high‐grade regional metamorphism and Pan‐African magmatism. In view of the close association of the studied high‐T migmatites with hundreds of synmetamorphic high‐T granites that invaded the terrane as metre‐ to decametre‐wide sills and dykes, we postulate that crystallization of felsic lower crustal magma is, at least partly, responsible for heat supply. Late‐stage isobaric cooling of these granites may explain the occurrence of andalusite in some samples.     

Neoproterozoic adakitic plutons in the northern margin of the Yangtze Block, China: Partial melting of a thickened lower crust and implications for secular crustal evolution

Numerous Neoproterozoic felsic and mafic–ultramafic intrusions occur in the Hannan region at the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. Among these, the Wudumen and Erliba plutons consist of granodiorites and have SHRIMP zircon U–Pb ages of  735 Ma. The rocks have high K₂O (0.8–3.6 wt.%) and Na₂O (4.4–6.4 wt.%) and low MgO (0.4–1.7 wt.%). They also have high Sr/Y (32–209) and (La/Yb)_n ratios (4.4–38.6). Their εNd values range from − 0.41 to − 0.92 and zircon initial ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios from 0.282353 to 0.282581. These geochemical features are similar to those of adakitic rocks produced by partial melting of a thickened lower crust. Our new analytical results, combined with the occurrence of voluminous arc-related mafic–ultramafic intrusions emplaced before 740 Ma, lead us to propose that the crustal evolution in the northern margin of the Yangtze Block during Neoproterozoic involved: (1) rapid crustal growth and thickening by underplating of mafic magmas from the mantle which was modified by materials coming from the subducting oceanic slab from  1.0 to  0.74 Ga, and (2) partial melting of the thickened lower crust due to a thermal anomaly induced by upwelling of asthenosphere through an oceanic slab window, producing the  735 Ma adakitic Wudumen and Erliba plutons. Our model suggests that the crustal thickness was more than 50 km at the northern margin of the Yangtze Block at  735 Ma, and rule out the possibility of a mantle plume impact causing the > 735 Ma magmatism in the region.     

Blueschist facies metamorphism in Nordenskiöld Land of west‐central Svalbard

Recent fieldwork in Nordenskiöld Land, Svalbard's Southwestern Basement Province, has established the presence of high‐pressure (HP) lithologies. They are strongly retrogressed blueschists consisting mainly of garnet and Ca‐amphibole with remnants of ferroglaucophane and phengite. The pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions were estimated using phase equilibrium modelling in the NCKFMMnASHTO system. P–T estimates based on the garnet, phengite and ferroglaucophane compositional isopleths and modelled paragenetic assemblage indicate peak metamorphism at 470–490 °C and 14–18 kbar. These data fall close to the 7–8 °C km^?1 geotherm, which is similar to that from Motalafjella, the only previously known occurrence of blueschists in Svalbard's Caledonides. The newly discovered blueschists could have formed during the early stage of the Caledonian Orogeny and may represent a vestige of missing marginal basins of the western Iapetus developed at the onset of subduction. The likely counterpart to Svalbard's blueschists is the ophiolitic sequence in the Pearya Terrane of northern Ellesmere Island.     

Chemical and Sr-Nd compositions and 40Ar/39Ar ages of NW-trending dolerite dikes of Burkina Faso: Evidence for a Mesoproterozoic magmatism in the West African Craton

The Paleoproterozoic basement of the northeastern part of the Leo-Man craton is intruded by generally NW-trending dikes. These regional scale dikes extend over 1000 km in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. We present chemical and Sr-Nd isotope compositions, as well as ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of these dikes with the following strikes N98°–N112°, and N114°–N124° in NE Burkina Faso. Field relationships show that the dikes are posterior to all other rock types dated between 2.26 Ga and 2.0 Ga. Chemical data indicate that the dikes are continental flood basalts and composed of low-Ti (TiO₂ ≤ 2 wt.%) sub-alkaline basalts and andesites. They exhibit a minor negative Europium anomaly (0.86–0.99) and slightly fractionated REE patterns ((La/Yb)_N = 2.5–9.1; Yb_N = 9.5–19.9). The ratios of Th/Ta (1.3–11.4) and Ce/Pb (5.2–58.5) suggest a varying crustal assimilation of the dike magmas during ascent in the continental crust for all studied samples. Calculated P-T conditions indicate that the magma reached temperatures of 1285 °C (calculated from olivine compositions) and pressures of 6.9 kbar (calculated for pyroxene minerals). Calculated initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70040–0.70260) and ɛ_Nd(t) = +2.1 to −3.5 at 1575 Ma, also point to a crustal contamination with the most primitive samples showing T_DM values of 1946 Ma and 2154 Ma. The low values of La/Ba (<0.2) and Nb/La (<1.0), contrast with the low Th/Nb (<0.9), and suggest a lithospheric mantle or subduction-modified mantle as possible source for the dikes. Sr-Nd data, Mg# and Nb-Ta-Zr-Y-Th-Tb-Yb compositions further suggest that the most primitive samples were emplaced in a none orogenic setting and their magmas were subjected to variable crustal contaminations. Literature and the present whole rock ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinations show that the dikes were emplaced during a widespread Mesoproterozoic magmatism between 1.6 Ga and 1.2 Ga, and were affected by a thermal event causing the argon systematics resetting, best constrained by the date of sample KK1 (1236 ± 20 Ma, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar = 294 ± 13, MSWD = 2.2). Contemporaneous 1590–1570 Ma extensive magmatism is reported in other crustal blocks in Baltica (Sveconorw-Goth, svecofennian) NW Laurentia (Slave craton, Yukon), and Australia (Gawler craton), and together with the 1575 studied dikes, are related to the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna.     

The origin and P–T evolution of peridotites and serpentinites of NE New Caledonia: prograde interaction between continental margin and the mantle wedge

The Pouébo and Diahot terranes of NE New Caledonia mostly comprise eclogite to blueschist facies metabasite and metasedimentary rocks that experienced c. 40 Ma metamorphism. This Eocene high‐P event has been linked with the SW‐directed obduction of the New Caledonian Ophiolite, an extensive ultramafic nappe that dominates outcrop in the south of the island. In the north, ultramafic lithologies are found only as sheets or discrete lenticular masses interleaved with, but separated from, the eclogites and blueschists by foliated talc–chlorite–serpentine–carbonate‐bearing rocks. The base of the largest and best‐preserved ultramafic body at Yambé is marked by a distinctive (2 m thick) layer of high‐P mylonite that preserves evidence for early blueschist facies conditions (S1) as inclusions in eclogite facies minerals. Textural evidence preserved in olivine‐bearing serpentinites and their bounding mafic mylonites suggest that the ultramafic bodies were emplaced within the structurally highest levels of the high‐P terrane as serpentinite tectonites sourced from hydrated mantle, formerly in the hangingwall of the Eocene subduction zone. Serpentinite emplacement accompanied burial of the NE New Caledonian margin at T<500 °C and P<16 kbar. The ultramafic fragments were buried to depths of 50–60 km in the subduction zone, where olivine was stable and coarse‐grained garnet–omphacite‐rich assemblages developed in low strain domains within enclosing mylonites. Host metabasic and metasedimentary rocks from the structurally highest portions of the high‐P belt have a prograde record identical to that of the ultramafic tectonites. The early emplacement and similar P–T history of host rocks and ultramafic masses suggest that NE New Caledonia preserves a fossil slab/mantle–wedge boundary reactivated during exhumation.     

On the geodynamics of the Alpine collisional granitoids from Central Anatolia: petrology,age and isotopic characteristics of the granitoids of the Ekecikdağ Igneous Association (Aksaray/Turkey)

Granitoids of the Ekecikda? Igneous Association (Central Anatolia/Turkey) are products of collisional–post-collisional magmatism in the Ekecikda? area. These granitoids are granodiorite, microgranite and leucogranite. Field relations of granodiorites with microgranites is obscured, but leucogranites intrude both rock types. Mean zircon laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS ²⁰⁶Pb-²³⁸U ages of granodiorites and microgranites are 84.52 ± 0.93 Ma and 80.7 ± 1.6 Ma, respectively, and age of leucogranites is suggested as 80 Ma, based on field relations combined with ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and Rb-Sr ages. Crystallisation temperatures of granodiorites, microgranites and leucogranites are 728°C-848°C, 797°C-880°C, 704°C-809°C, respectively.

Geochemical characteristics including Sr-Nd isotopic evidences infer a non-cogenetic character, as there is a high crustal contribution in I-type granodiorite sources, a crustal source with insignificant and significant mantle inputs in S-type microgranites and leucogranites, respectively. LA-ICP-MS Lu-Hf isotope data from zircons reveal their crustal nature (εHf_(t): ?1.3 ± 0.5 to ?8.8 ± 0.5). Crustal melting linked to the Alpine thickening during the Late Cretaceous led to formation of heterogeneous sourced granitoids with crustal dominated sources in the Ekecikda? area. Understanding of the nature and evolution of collisional Ekecikda? granitoids is not only important to put contribution in the geodynamic evolution of Central Anatolia and surrounding Alpine area, but also to better understand systematics of collisional magmatic systems.     

Late Paleozoic–Early Triassic magmatism on the western margin of Gondwana: Collahuasi area, Northern Chile

The basement in the ‘Altiplano’ high plateau of the Andes of northern Chile mostly consists of late Paleozoic to Early Triassic felsic igneous rocks (Collahuasi Group) that were emplaced and extruded along the western margin of the Gondwana supercontinent. This igneous suite crops out in the Collahuasi area and forms the backbone of most of the high Andes from latitude 20° to 22°S. Rocks of the Collahuasi Group and correlative formations form an extensive belt of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks throughout the main Andes of Chile, the Frontal Cordillera of Argentina (Choiyoi Group or Choiyoi Granite-Rhyolite Province), and the Eastern Cordillera of Peru.Thirteen new SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages from the Collahuasi area document a bimodal timing for magmatism, with a dominant peak at about 300 Ma and a less significant one at 244 Ma. Copper–Mo porphyry mineralization is related to the younger igneous event.Initial Hf isotopic ratios for the ~ 300 Ma zircons range from about − 2 to + 6 indicating that the magmas incorporated components with a significant crustal residence time. The 244 Ma magmas were derived from a less enriched source, with the initial Hf values ranging from + 2 to + 6, suggestive of a mixture with a more depleted component. Limited whole rock ¹⁴⁴Nd/¹⁴³Nd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotopic ratios further support the likelihood that the Collahuasi Group magmatism incorporated significant older crustal components, or at least a mixture of crustal sources with more and less evolved isotopic signatures.     

Origin of peraluminous granites and granodiorites, Iberian massif, Spain: an experimental test of granite petrogenesis

The discrimination between potential source materials involved in the genesis of Iberian granites and granodiorites, as well as the role of mantle-crust interactions, are examined using constraints imposed by melting experiments, melting-assimilation experiments and Sr-Nd isotope systematics. The Sr-Nd isotope relationships indicate the existence of different genetic trends in which juvenile mantle materials are involved by different mechanisms: (1) a source trend, traced by a particular evolution of the pre-Hercynian basement and indicating mantle participation at the time of sedimentation; (2) a set of magmatic trends traced by gabbro-tonalite-enclave-granodiorite associations, implying the incorporation of new mantle material at the time of granite generation. These relationships strongly support a pure crustal origin for the peraluminous leucogranites, derived from partial melting of crustal protoliths, and a hybrid origin for the peraluminous granodiorites. These granodiorites are the most abundant granitic rocks of the Central Iberian zone (CIZ) of the Iberian massif, implying that processes of hybridisation by assimilation and/or magma mixing played an important role in granitoid production during the Hercynian orogeny. These hypotheses have been tested by means of melting and assimilation experiments. Melting experiments in the range 800–900 °C and at pressures of 3, 6, 10 and 15 kbar indicate that: (1) several potential source materials such as Bt-Ms gneisses and metagreywackes are suitable for the production of peraluminous leucogranite melts; (2) the melt compositions are always leucogranitic, regardless of pressure; (3) pressure exerts a strong influence on the fertility of the source: experiments at 3 kbar produce more than 20 vol% of melt, compared with less than 5 vol% of melt produced at 10 and 15 kbar and at the same temperature. The melting-assimilation experiments carried out at 1000 °C and 4, 7 and 10 kbar and using a proportion of 50% gabbro and 50% gneiss give high melt proportions (more than 50 vol.%) and noritic residues. These melts have the composition of leucogranodiorites, and overlap with part of the compositional range of peraluminous granodiorites of the Iberian massif. The generation of more mafic granodiorites may be explained by the incorporation of some residual orthopyroxene to the granodiorite magmas. The low solubility of Fe + Mg prevents the generation of granodiorite melts with more than 3 wt% of MgO + FeO at all crustal pressures. The large volumes of peraluminous, hybrid granodiorites, produced by assimilation of crustal rocks by mantle magmas, imply that an important episode of crustal growth took place during the Late-Palaeozoic Hercynian orogeny in the Iberian massif. Received: 30 June 1998 / Accepted: 27 November 1998     

Exhumation, doming and slab retreat in the Betic Cordillera (SE Spain): in situ40Ar/39Ar ages and P–T–d–t paths for the Nevado-Filabride complex

The combination of metamorphic petrology tools and in situ laser ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating on phengite (linking time of growth, compositions and P–T conditions) enables us to identify a detailed P–T–d–t path for the still debated tectonometamorphic evolution of the Nevado‐Filabride complex and infer new geodynamic‐scale constraints. Our data show an isothermal decompression (at 550 °C) from 20 kbar for the Bédar‐Macael unit and 14 kbar for the Calar Alto unit down to c. 3–4 kbar for both units at 2.8 mm year^?1. At 22–18 Ma, this first part of the exhumation is followed by a final exhumation at 0.6 mm year^?1 along a high‐temperature low‐pressure (HTLP) gradient of c. 60 °C km^?1. The age of the peak of pressure is not precisely known but it is shown that it is around 30 Ma and possibly older, which is at variance with recent models suggesting a younger age for high‐pressure (HP) metamorphism. Most of the exhumation is related to late‐orogenic extension from c. 30 to 22–18 Ma. Thus the formation of the main ductile extensional shear zone, the Filabres Shear Zone (FSZ), occurred at 22–18 Ma and is clearly associated with a top‐to‐the‐west shear sense once the FSZ is well localized. The transition from ductile to brittle then occurred at c. 14 Ma. The final exhumation, accommodated by brittle deformation, occurred from c. 14 to 9 Ma and was accompanied, from 12 to 8 Ma, by the formation of nearby extensional basins. The duration of the extensional process is c. 20 Myr which argues in favour of a progressive slab retreat from c. 30 to 9 Ma. The change in the shape of the P–T path at 22–18 Ma together with strain localization along the main top‐to‐the‐west shear zone suggests that this date corresponds to a change in the direction of slab retreat from southwards to westwards.     

SOME TRENDS IN THE STUDY OF CARBONATE SEDIMENTS IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

A stratigraphically coherent blueschist terrane near Aksu in northwestern China is unconformably overlain by unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks of Sinian age (～600 to 800 Ma). The pre-Sinian metamorphic rocks, termed the Aksu Group, were derived from shales, sandstones, basaltic volcanic rocks, and minor cherty sediments. They have undergone multi-stage deformation and transitional blueschist/greenschist-facies metamorphism, and consist of strongly foliated chlorite-stilpnomelane-graphite schist, stilpnomelane-phengite psammitic schist, greenschist, blueschist, and minor quartzite, metachert, and meta-ironstone. Metamorphic minerals of basaltic blueschists include crossitic amphibole, epidote, chlorite, albite, quartz, and actinolite. Mineral parageneses and compositions of sodic amphibole suggest blueschist facies recrystallization at about 4 to 6 kbar and 300 to 400° C. Many thin diabasic dikes cut the Aksu Group; they are characterized by high alkali, TiO₂, and P₂O₅ contents and possess geochemical characteristics of within-plate basalts; some of these diabasic rocks contain sodic clinopyroxene and amphibole as primary phases and have minor pumpellyite, albite, epidote, chlorite, and calcite as the prehnite/pumpellyite-facies metamorphic assemblage. This prehnite/pumpellyite-facies overprint did not affect the host rocks of the blueschist-facies lithologies.

K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages of phengite and whole rocks from pelitic schists are ～690 to 728 Ma, and a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of crossite from the blueschist is 754 Ma. The basal conglomerate of the overlying Sinian to Eocambrian sedimentary succession contains clasts of both the blueschist and cross-cutting dike rocks, clearly demonstrating that conditions required for blueschist-facies metamorphism were attained and ceased at least 700 Ma. The northward-increasing metamorphic grade of the small blueschist terrane may reflect northward subduction of an accretionary complex beyond the northern edge of the Tarim craton. Abundant subparallel diabasic dikes indicate a subsequent period of Pre-Sinian rifting and diabasic intrusion along the northern margin of Tarim; a Sinian siliciclastic and carbonate sequence was deposited unconformably atop the Aksu Group and associated diabase dikes.     

Early Cambrian high pressure/low temperature metamorphism in the southeastern Tarim craton in response to circum-Gondwana cold subduction

The circum-Gondwana subduction initiated by the early Cambrian has been suggested to reflect the establishment of the modern plate tectonics. The metamorphic rocks with low thermobaric (T/P) ratios indicative of cold subduction in the present tectonic regime have not been well investigated. To better understand the circum-Gondwana subduction and to test its possible link with the emergence of the modern plate tectonics, this study focused on blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks in the Altyn Tagh of the southeastern Tarim craton. Mineral assemblage and chemistry, phase equilibrium modelling, and quartz-in-garnet Raman elastic geobarometry reveal that the zoisite blueschist and glaucophane (Gln)-bearing quartz schist in northern Altyn Tagh were metamorphosed to lawsonite to epidote blueschist-facies at 520–545 °C and 16–19 kbar. It reflects high-pressure (HP)/low temperature (LT) metamorphism with low T/P ratios of <300 °C/GPa and thermal gradients of <10 °C/km. These blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks underwent rapid decompression starting at P-T conditions of <495 °C and <9.6 kbar during exhumation. Ar-Ar geochronology records paragonite Ar-Ar plateau ages of 520–506 Ma for the zoisite blueschist samples and phengite Ar-Ar plateau ages of 522–516 Ma for the Gln-bearing quartz schist samples, suggesting that the peak HP/LT metamorphism occurred prior to ca. 522 Ma. Based on new results and available data from the major Gondwana blocks, cold subduction was suggested to profoundly operate along circum-Gondwana in the early Cambrian after the amalgamation of Gondwana. The extensive circum-Gondwana subduction represents the earliest global cold subduction in Earth’s history associated with the establishment of the modern plate tectonics, as directly recorded by the studied early Cambrian blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks and a dramatic drop in the mean T/P of metamorphism since the early Paleozoic.     

Nd,Sr, and O isotopic variations in metaluminous ash-flow tuffs and related volcanic rocks at the Timber Mountain/Oasis Valley Caldera,Complex, SW Nevada: implications for the origin and evolution of large-volume silicic magma bodies

Nd, Sr and O isotopic data were obtained from silicic ash-flow tuffs and lavas at the Tertiary age (16–9 Ma) Timber (Mountain/Oasis Valley volcanic center (TMOV) in southern Nevada, to assess models for the origin and evolution of the large-volume silicic magma bodies generated in this region. The large-volume (>900 km³), chemically-zoned, Topopah Spring (TS) and Tiva Canyon (TC) members of the Paintbrush Tuff, and the Rainier Mesa (RM) and Ammonia Tanks (AT) members of the younger Timber Mountain Tuff all have internal Nd and Sr isotopic zonations. In each tuff, high-silica rhyolites have lower initial _Nd values (1 _Nd unit), higher⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and lower Nd and Sr contents, than cocrupted trachytes. The TS, TC, and RM members have similar _Nd values for high-silica rhyolites (-11.7 to -11.2) and trachytes (-10.5 to -10.7), but the younger AT member has a higher _Nd for both compositional types (-10.3 and -9.4). Oxygen isotope data confirm that the TC and AT members were derived from low _Nd magmas. The internal Sr and Nd isotopic variations in each tuff are interpreted to be the result of the incorporation of 20–40% (by mass) wall-rock into magmas that were injected into the upper crust. The low _Nd magmas most likely formed via the incorporation of low ¹⁸O, hydrothermally-altered, wall-rock. Small-volume rhyolite lavas and ash-flow tuffs have similar isotopic characteristics to the large-volume ash-flow tuffs, but lavas erupted from extracaldera vents may have interacted with higher ¹⁸O crustal rocks peripheral to the main magma chamber(s). Andesitic lavas from the 13–14 Ma Wahmonie/Salyer volcanic center southeast of the TMOV have low _Nd (-13.2 to -13.8) and are considered on the basis of textural evidence to be mixtures of basaltic composition magmas and large proportions (70–80%) of anatectic crustal melts. A similar process may have occurred early in the magmatic history of the TMOV. The large-volume rhyolites may represent a mature stage of magmatism after repeated injection of basaltic magmas, crustal melting, and volcanism cleared sufficient space in the upper crust for large magma bodies to accumulate and differentiate. The TMOV rhyolites and 0–10 Ma old basalts that erupted in southern Nevada all have similar Nd and Sr isotopic compositions, which suggests that silicic and mafic magmatism at the TMOV were genetically related. The distinctive isotopic compositions of the AT member may reflect temporal changes in the isotopic compositions of basaltic magmas entering the upper crust, possibly as a result of increasing basification of a lower crustal magma source by repeated injection of mantle-derived mafic magmas.     

Regional and contact metamorphism within the Moy Intrusive Complex,Grampian Highlands,Scotland

In central Scotland, the Moy Intrusive Complex consists of (1) the Main Phase — syntectonic peraluminous granodiorite to granite emplaced at c. 455 Ma, intruded by (2) the Finglack Alaskite — post-tectonic leucocratic granite emplaced at 407+/-5 Ma. The Main Phase was emplaced into country rocks at amphibolite facies temperatures. Rb-Sr dates and a compositional spectrum of decreasing celadonite content in Main Phase muscovite suggest the persistence of c. 550° C temperatures for c. 30 Ma but with a declining pressure regime, i.e. isothermal uplift. The Finglack Alaskite was intruded at high structural level, leading to the development of a contact metamorphic aureole in the Main Phase. The thermal effects of contact metamorphism include intergrowths of andalusite, biotite and feldspar in pseudomorphs after muscovite. This is associated with recrystallized granoblastic quartz. Muscovite breakdown and reaction with adjacent biotite, quartz and feldspar, i.e. a function of local mineral assemblage rather than bulk rock composition, is postulated to explain the occurrence of metamorphic andalusite in a granitoid rock.The Main Phase pluton of the Moy Intrusive Complex lies within a NNE trending belt of c. 450 Ma Caledonian tectonic and magmatic activity paralleling the Moine Thrust, and extending from northern Scotland to the Highland Boundary Fault. Syntectonic S-type magmatism with upper crustal source areas implies crustal thickening and suggests an intracratonic orogeny.     

Magma sources for Mesozoic anorogenic granites of the White Mountain magma series,New England,USA

The magma sources for granitic intrusions related to the Mesozoic White Mountain magma series in northern New England, USA, are addressed relying principally upon Nd isotopes. Many of these anorogenic complexes lack significant volumes of exposed mafic lithologies and have been suspected of representing crustal melts. Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr isotope systematics are used to evaluate magma sources for 18 felsic plutons with ages ranging from about 120 to 230 Ma. The possibility of crustal sources is further examined with analyses of representative older crust including Paleozoic granitoids which serve as probes of the lower crust in the region. Multiple samples from two representative intrusions are used to address intrapluton initial isotopic heterogeneities and document significant yet restricted variations (<1 in _Nd). Overall, Mesozoic granite plutons range in _Nd [T] from +4.2 to -2.3, with most +2 to 0, and in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr from 0.7031 to 0.709. The isotopic variations are roughly inversely correlated but are not obviously related to geologic, geographic, or age differences. Older igneous and metamorphic crust of the region has much lower Nd isotope ratios with the most radiogenic Paleozoic granitoid at _Nd [180 Ma] of -2.8. These data suggest mid-Proterozoic separation of the crust in central northern New England. Moreover, the bulk of the Mesozoic granites cannot be explained as crustal melts but must have large mantle components. The ranges of Nd and Sr isotopes are attributed to incorporation of crust by magmas derived from midly depleted mantle sources. Crustal input may reflect either magma mixing of crustal and mantle melts or crustal assimilation which is the favored interpretation. The results indicate production of anorogenic granites from mantle-derived mafic magmas.     

Evidence from Fe- and Al-rich metapelites for thrust loading in the Transangarian region of the Yenisey Ridge, eastern Siberia

In the Transangarian region of the Yenisey Ridge in eastern Siberia (Russia), Fe‐ and Al‐rich metapelitic schists of the Korda plate show field and petrological evidence of two superimposed metamorphic events. An early middle Proterozoic event with age of c.1100 Ma produced low‐pressure, andalusite‐bearing assemblages at c. 3.5–4 kbar and 540–560 °C. During a subsequent late Proterozoic event at c. 850 Ma, a medium‐pressure, regional metamorphic overprint produced kyanite‐bearing mineral assemblages that replaced minerals formed in the low‐pressure event. Based on the results of geothermobarometry and P–T path calculations it can be shown that pressure increased from 4.5 to 6.7 kbar at a relatively constant temperature of 540–600 °C towards a major suture zone called the Panimba thrust. In order to produce such nearly isothermal loading of 1–7 °C km ^?1, we propose a model for the tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the study area based on crustal thickening caused by south‐westward thrusting of the 5–7 km‐thick upper‐plate metacarbonates over lower‐plate metapelites with velocity of c. 350 m Myr^?1. A small temperature increase (up to 20 ± 15 °C) of the upper part of the overlapped plate is explained by specific behaviour of steady‐state geotherms calculated using lower radioactive heat production of metacarbonates as compared with metapelites. The suggested thermal‐mechanical model corresponds well with P–T paths inferred from obtained thermobarometric data and correlates satisfactorily with P–T trajectories predicted by other two‐dimensional thermal models for different crustal thickening and exhumation histories.