冀东陆壳结构的岩石学模型

冀东地区的古老变质岩系是一个出露的大陆地壳断面。根据变质岩系的变质相、亚相的研究和地质温压计计算的结果推定的深度,并结合地球物理测深资料,以及笔者测定和前人的岩石高压下波速实验资料提出了本区大陆地壳结构的岩石学模型。下地壳由麻粒岩相岩石组成,上部为角闪石麻粒岩亚相的中性成分的麻粒岩,下部为辉石麻粒岩亚相的基性成分的麻粒岩构成,底部夹有透镜状蛇纹石化橄榄岩以及紫苏花岗岩。中地壳主要由高角闪岩相的中性-中酸性成分的片麻岩、片岩构成,顶部为低角闪岩相的片麻岩、片岩,广泛发育英云闪长岩和花岗闪长岩岩体,含隙间高温流体相(fluid phase),形成高导-低速层。上地壳主要为绿片岩相(部分低角闪岩相)的板岩、千枚岩、片岩、变粒岩以及花岗岩组成,顶部为沉积盖层     

Field measurements of compressional wave velocities in common crystalline rocks

Field measurements of seismic P-wave velocities have been carried out by surface to surface refraction measurements for five different rock types. Subweathering velocities are surprisingly high and range from 5.0 km/sec in quartz monzonite to 6.2 km/sec in amphibolite in agreement with the proposal of Nur and Simmons for water-saturated low-porosity rocks. Maximum velocities found are 6.1 km/sec for quartz monzonite, 5.8 km/sec for granite gneiss, 6.4 km/sec for syenite, 6.4 km/sec for anorthosite, and 7.0 km/sec for amphibolite, and maximum depth for these velocities is 1.3 km. We conclude as follows: (1) field measurements correspond well with laboratory measurements but true velocity may be slightly higher than laboratory measurements, (2) shallow velocities are much higher than older laboratory measurements but agree well with recent laboratory measurements on water-saturated samples, (3) velocities much less than 6 km/sec seem unlikely in the crust unless in an area of extreme tectonic activity, (4) velocities of 6.5–6.7 km/sec commonly reported for the lower continental crust probably correspond to rocks less mafic than basalt or gabbro.     

Complex Archean lower crustal structure revealed by COCORP crustal reflection profiling in the Wind River Range,Wyoming

A COCORP deep crustal reflection profile across the Wind River uplift crosses exposed Archean rocks and resolves an unusual complex deep crustal structure at a depth of 24–31 km in an area where depth relations in Precambrian rocks can be inferred. The different levels of exposure across the beveled plunge of the Wind River uplift reveal supracrustal rocks at shallower levels with migmatites and pyroxene granulites at deeper levels. For the first time, deep crustal structure from reflection profiling may be interpreted in terms of exposed basement geology. A folded, multilayered deep structure shown by relfection data resembles multiply folded pyroxene granulite interlayered with granitic gneiss exposed in the central Wind River uplift; isoclinal folding is suggested in the folded layered seismic structure. Earlier seismic reflection studies suggested a simpler lower crust. These data indicate that lower crustal structure may have a complexity similar to deeply eroded Precambrian granulite-facies rocks. If this seismic feature represents folded metamorphic rocks, it seems unlikely that this Archean crust could have been thickened by underplating after 2.7 b.y. B.P. and the crust would have to be at least 30 km thich when this structure was formed.     

Exposed cross-sections through the continental crust: implications for crustal structure,petrology, and evolution

The continental crust is exposed in cross-section at numerous sites on the earth's surface. These exposures, which appear to have formed by obduction along great faults during continental collision, may be recognized by exposures of deep crustal rocks exhibiting asymmetric patterns of metamorphic grade and age across the faults and by distinctive Bouguer anomaly patterns reflecting dipping basement structure and an anomalously deep mantle. From an examination of five complexes which meet these criteria, it is concluded that the most prominent layering in the crust is not compositional but metamorphic. The lower crust consists of granulite facies rocks of mafic to intermediate composition while the intermediate and shallow levels consist predominantly of amphibolite facies gneisses and greenschist facies supracrustal rocks, respectively. Post-metamorphic granitic intrusions are common at intermediate to shallow levels. Position of discontinuities in refraction velocity, where present, commonly correspond to changes in composition or metamorphic grade with depth. The continental crust is characterized by lateral and vertical heterogeneities of varying scale which are the apparent cause of the complex seismic reflections recorded by COCORP. Field observations, coupled with geochemical data, indicate a complex evolution of the lower crust which can include anatexis, multiple deformation, polymetamorphism and reworking of older crustal material. The complexity of the crust is thus the result of continuous evolution by recycling and metamorphism through time in a variety of tectonic environments.     

地壳主要岩石流变参数及华北地壳流变性质研究

岩石流变参数和变形机制是根据断层摩擦和岩石幂次流动本构关系建立岩石圈强度剖面的基础。近 30年来 ,高温高压实验取得了很大进展 ,获得了大量地壳矿物和岩石流变资料。本文系统总结了这些流变实验资料 ,并应用流变数据结合地震震源深度分布 ,对华北地壳流变性质进行了研究。结果表明 ,以花岗岩和低级变质岩为代表的上地壳为脆性破裂 ,其强度受断层摩擦约束 ,以长英质片麻岩为主的中地壳和以中性麻粒岩为主的下地壳上层处于塑性流变状态 ,由干的基性麻粒岩组成的下地壳下层处于脆性向塑性流变的过渡状态。华北地壳的这种物质组成和流变为地壳不同层次的解耦和强震孕育提供了力学条件 ,也构成了不同尺度块体的底边界     

Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isotopic studies of mafic igneous rocks from the Ryoke plutono-metamorphic belt in the Setouchi area, Southwest Japan: implications for the genesis and thermal history

Abstract Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isochron ages were determined for whole rocks and mineral separates of hornblende‐gabbros and related metadiabases and quartz‐diorite from Shodoshima, Awashima and Kajishima islands in the Ryoke plutono‐metamorphic belt of the Setouchi area, Southwest Japan. The Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd whole‐rock‐mineral isochron ages for six samples range from 75 to 110 Ma and 200–220 Ma, respectively. The former ages are comparable with the Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron ages reported from neighboring Ryoke granitic rocks and are thus due to thermal metamorphism caused by the granitic intrusions. On the contrary, the older ages suggest the time of formation of the gabbroic and related rocks. The initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of the gabbroic rocks (0.7070–0.7078 and 0.51217–0.51231 at 210 Ma, respectively) are comparable with those of neighboring late Cretaceous granites and lower crustal granulite xenoliths from Cenozoic andesites in this region. Because the gabbroic rocks are considered to be fragments of the lower crustal materials interlayered in the granulitic lower crust, their isotopic signature has been inherited from an enriched mantle source or, less likely, acquired through interaction with the lower crustal materials. The Sr and Nd isotopic and petrologic evidence leads to a plausible conclusion that the gabbroic rocks have formed as cumulates from hydrous mafic magmas of light rare earth element‐rich (Sm/Nd < 0.233) and enriched isotopic (?_Sr > 0 and ?_Nd < 0) signature, which possibly generated around 220–200 Ma by partial melting of an upper mantle. We further conclude that they are fragments of refractory material from the lower crust caught up as xenoblocks by granitic magmas, the latter having been generated by partial melting of granulitic lower crustal material around 100 Ma.     

Sm–Nd, Rb–Sr and K–Ar geochronology of the Higo metamorphic terrane, west-central Kyushu, Japan

The Higo metamorphic terrane situated in west-central Kyushu island, southwest Japan, is composed of greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphic rocks. The southern part of the metamorphic terrane consists mainly of garnet–biotite gneiss and garnet–cordierite–biotite gneiss, and orthopyroxene or cordierite-bearing S-type tonalite with subordinate amounts of hornblende gabbro. Rb–Sr, Sm–Nd and K–Ar isotopic ages for these rocks have been determined here. The garnet–biotite gneiss gives an Sm–Nd age of 227.1 ± 4.9 Ma and a Rb–Sr age of 101.0 ± 1.0 Ma. The hornblende gabbro has an Sm–Nd age of 257.9 ± 2.5 Ma and a K–Ar age of 103.4 ± 1.1 Ma. These age differences of the same samples are due to the difference in the closure temperature for each system and minerals. The garnet-cordierite–biotite gneiss contains coarse-grained garnet with a zonal structure conspicuously distinguished in color difference (core: dark red; rim: pink). Sm–Nd internal isochrons of the garnet core and the rim give ages of 278.8 ± 4.9 Ma (initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio = 0.512311 ± 0.000005) and 226.1 ± 28.4 Ma (0.512277 ± 0.000038), respectively. These ages are close to formation of the garnet core and the rim. It has been previously suggested that the Higo metamorphic terrane belongs to the Ryoke metamorphic belt. But Sr and Nd isotopic features of the rocks from the former are different from those of the Ryoke metamorphic rocks, and are similar to those of the granulite xenoliths contained in the Ryoke younger granite.     

Deep crustal reflection survey in central Israel

The results of the first deep crustal reflection survey in Israel are described. The line crosses central Israel in a SE-NW direction from near the Dead Sea rift to the Mediterranean sea. The data reveals a correlation between the reflectivity and type of crust as previously determined on the basis of magnetic and crustal refraction data. To the southeast, in an area which is thought to be underlain by continental crust, the upper crust is mostly transparent while the lower crust shows distinct reflections. Near the Mediterranean sea, where the crystalline crust was previously shown to be thinner with higher magnetization and of possible oceanic origin, the upper crust is reflective while in general the lower crust is significantly less reflective. The lateral boundary between these two patterns of crustal reflectivity coincides with the magnetic boundary which was previously used to differentiate between the two types of crusts. Detailed analysis of crustal reflections does not seem to be justified with the present data except in special cases. One such case is the determination that the uppermost basement in the coastal plain is highly reflective, possibly due to metamorphic layering. Comparison of the deep reflection data with MT and seismic refraction data indicates possible correlation in the southeastern part of the line of high conductivity with lower crust reflections and of refraction Moho with the termination of lower crustal reflections. This correlation does not extend into the northwestern part of the section in which the crust is, most probably, no longer continental.     

Crustal anorthosite formation by deep-seated hydrothermal circulation beneath fast-spreading axis: Constraints from chronological approach,Sr isotope,and fluid–chromite inclusion investigation

Hydrothermal circulation beneath the spreading axis plays a significant role in the exchange of energy and mass between the solid Earth and the oceans. Deep-seated hydrothermal circulation down to the crust/mantle boundary in the fast-spreading axis has been introduced by a number of studies regarding geological investigations and numerical models. In order to assess a reaction between hydrothermal fluid and host rock around the crust/mantle boundary, we conducted bulk trace element and Sr isotope analyses with a series of in situ investigations for crustal anorthosite, a reaction product between hydrothermal fluid and gabbro in the lowermost crustal section along Wadi Fizh, northern Oman ophiolite. In addition, we conducted titanite U–Pb isotope analyses to evaluate timing of the crustal anorthosite formation in the framework of the evolutional process of the Oman ophiolite. We estimated the formation age of the crustal anorthosite at 97.5 Ma ± 5.0 Ma, overlapping with the timing of the crust formation in the paleo spreading axis. The crustal anorthosite shows high-Th/U ratio (~2.5) and high-initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio (0.7050) due to seawater-derived hydrothermal fluid ingress into the precursor gabbro. With using analytical technique of micro-excavation at cryo-temperature, we detected Cl from a few micrometer-sized inclusion of aqueous fluid and chromite grains. The solubility of Cr was enhanced by complexation reactions with Cl in the hydrothermal fluid. Regarding reconstructed three-dimensional mass distribution of the inclusion and chromite composition, maximum Cr content of parental fluid was estimated at ~69 000 μg/g. The exceptionally high-Cr content was achieved locally by leaking of fluid and synchronous chromite crystallization during fluid entrapment. Presence of the deep-seated hydrothermal circulation could be assigned to the segment end, where cold seawater penetrates into the lowermost crust and extract heat along widely spaced network-like fluid channel.     

横过青藏高原羌塘地体中央隆起区的深反射地震试验剖面

跨越中央隆起区的深反射地震探测试验剖面,初步揭露出青藏高原羌塘地体中央隆起区的地壳结构.探测剖面表明,羌塘地体可能具有古老的结晶基底;中央隆起区上地壳变形主要以逆冲、褶皱为主,下地壳出现北倾与南倾“对冲”的反射,揭示出印度和欧亚两大板块前缘汇聚的深部过程.     

Amphibolitization within the lower crust in the termination area of the Godzilla Megamullion,an oceanic core complex in the Parece Vela Basin

Gabbroic rocks and amphibolites were collected from the KR03‐01‐D10 dredge site located on the West Arm Rise of the Godzilla Megamullion, close to the Parece Vela Rift which appears to correspond to the termination area of a detachment fault, the Philippine Sea. The gabbroic rocks and amphibolites reveal the occurrence of a high hydrothermal activity in the lower crust close to a paleo‐ridge. In the gabbroic rocks, plagioclase compositions of both porphyroclasts and matrix were transformed into sodium‐rich compositions close to albite. Amphiboles are of secondary rather than igneous origin based on their microstructural occurrences. In the amphibolites, anorthite contents of porphyroclasts and matrix plagioclase are relatively lower than those of the gabbroic rocks, whereas the chemical compositions of amphibole within the amphibolites are similar to those of amphibole within the gabbroic rocks. Amphibolites represent the product of retrograde metamorphism associated with hydrothermal alteration of the gabbroic body by the reaction: clinopyroxene + calcic plagioclase + fluid → amphibole + sodic plagioclase. The estimated temperatures of the amphibolites derived from the amphibole thermobarometer and the gabbroic rocks derived from the hornblende–plagioclase geothermometer show ～700–950°C and 650–840°C, respectively. The hydrothermal alteration recorded in the gabbroic rocks possibly occurred under high‐T conditions; the rocks were then metamorphosed to the amphibolites during a retrogressive stage. Our study indicates that amphibolitization took place with various degrees of deformation. It may imply that the hydrothermal activity increased as the Godzilla Megamullion developed as an oceanic core complex in the paleo‐ridge.     

A continental crustal model and its geothermal implications

The following crustal model based on realistic estimates of metamorphic rock volumes and H₂O content is proposed as a basis for geothermal calculations: (1) a surface zone of intermediate metamorphic rocks containing granitic intrusions and grading downward into (2) a more felsic migmatite zone, (3) a lower crustal zone of approximately andesitic composition crystallized in granulite or possibly amphibolite facies. Heat production values and thickness for the three zones are 3 HGU, 5 HGU, 0.5–1.5 HGU and 8, 8, and 18 km respectively. If the surface heat flow is 1.2 HFU, the model predicts a temperature of only 407°C at the Moho and an upper mantle heat flow of 0.3–0.5 HFU. The low temperatures resulting from this model rule out a seismic low-velocity zone in the crust produced by thermal effects.     

Lithospheric seismic fabrics of Sulu ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt

The Sulu UHP belt is a regional metamorphic belt,consisting of mainly gneisses. It also shows the ex-posed mountain root of a collisional orogenic belt. Themountain root means the thickened crust during theTriassic collision between the Yangtze andSino-Korean cratons. In the Mesozoic, entire easternChine underwent extensive magmatism and volcanism,which caused great changes of lithospheric composi-tion and structures, and leaved some signatures in deepseismic reflection profiles. In recent…     

Stress And Seismicity In The Lower Continental Crust: A Challenge To Simple Ductility And Implications For Electrical Conductivity Mechanisms

The lower crust is generally considered to be an aseismic, weak zone where fluid distribution might be governed by textural equilibrium geometries. Saline fluids below the transition from brittle to ductile rheology have been advanced as a joint explanation for deep crustal conductivity and seismic reflectivity, the depth of onset of both phenomena being apparently bounded by isotherms in the 300–450 °C temperature range. Some petrologists, meanwhile, contest that the deep crust should be devoid of extensive fluid networks. This review exposes some geophysical exceptions to the statistical norm suggested by global geophysical data compilations and presents counter-arguments that the lower crust in places may be both dry and strong, that fluids if at all present at such depths may not necessarily be connected and that fluid mobility in the lower crust may be more limited and heterogeneous than commonly assumed.Laboratory data on crustal rocks implies that the transition from brittle to ductile rheology actually occurs over a much broader range of temperatures than 300–450 °C, and the apparent association of deep crustal conductive horizons with a temperature field of 300–450 °C may be interpretable in terms of formation temperatures of graphite, rather than fluids and brittle-ductile transition rheology.High v_P/v_S ratios from a 6 km thick, seismically layered zone below the Weardale granite, NE England can be explained by underplated mafic material. They are unlikely to be explained by fluids in an area where deep crustal conductance has been shown to be relatively low, unless conventional assumptions regarding deep crustal fluid distribution are inadequate or false.Perusal of the literature reveals that lower crustal seismicity is less seldom than generally appreciated. Interpretation of earthquakes nucleating at lower crustal depths is ambiguous, but in some tectonic regimes may indicate preservation of brittle rheology to the Moho and a lower crust that is predominantly mafic and dry.A better understanding of lower crustal deformation mechanisms and history may provide better insight into deep crustal conductivity mechanisms. Recent rock mechanical experiments suggest that permeability (and thus fluid connectivity) may be decreased by ductile shearing, whereas ductile shearing may aid graphitisation at lower crustal temperatures. If the lower crust in some regions is strong, this may explain the apparent preservation of both extant- and palaeostress orientations in interpretations involving electrical anisotropy.     

Tectonic evolution of lower crustal rocks in an exposed magmatic arc section in the Hidaka metamorphic belt, Hokkaido, northern Japan

Abstract : The Hidaka metamorphic belt consists of an island-arc assembly of lower to upper crustal rocks formed during early to middle Paleogene time and exhumed during middle Paleogene to Miocene time. The tectonic evolution of the belt is divided into four stages, D₀rs, D₁, D₂rs, and D₃, based on their characteristic deformation, metamorphism, and igneous activity. The premetamorphic and igneous stage (D₀) involves tectonic thickening of an uppermost Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary accretionary complex, including oceanic materials in the lower part of the complex. D₁ is the stage of prograde metamorphism with increasing temperatures at a constant pressure during an early phase, and with a slight decrease of pressure at the peak metamorphic phase, accompanying flattening of metamorphic rocks and intrusions of mafic to intermediate igneous rocks. At the peak, incipient partial melting of pelitic and psammitic gneisses took place in the amphibolite–granulite facies transition zone, the melt and residuals cutting the foliations formed by flattening. In the deep crust, large amounts of S-type tonalite magma formed by crustal anatexis, intruded into the granulite facies gneiss zone and also into the upper levels of the metamorphic sequence during the subsequent stage. During D₁ stage, mafic and intermediate magmas supplied and transported heat to form the arc-type crust and at the same time, the magmatic underplating caused extensional doming of the crust, giving rise to flattening and vertical uplifting of the crustal rocks. D₂ stage is characterized by subhorizontal top-to-the-south displacement and thrusting of lower to upper crustal rocks, forming a basal detachment surface (décollement) and duplex structures associated with intrusions of S-type tonalite. Deformation structures and textures of high-temperature mylonites formed along the décollement, as well as the duplex structures, show that the D₂ stage movement occurred under a N-S trending compressional tectonic regime. The depth of intra-crustal décollement in the Hidaka belt was defined by the effect of multiplication of two factors, the fraction of partial melt which increases downward, and the fluid flux which decreases downward. The crustal décollement, however, might have extended to the crust-mantle boundary and/or to the lithosphere and asthenosphere boundary. The subhorizontal movement was transitional to a dextral-reverse-slip (dextral transpression) movement accompanied by low-temperature mylonitization with retrograde metamorphism, the stage defined as D₃. The crustal rocks from the basal décollement to the upper were tilted eastward on the N–S axis and exhumed during the D₃ stage. During D₂ and D₃ stages, the intrusion of crustal acidic magmas enhanced the crustal deformation and exhumation in the compressional and subsequent transpressional tectonic regime.     

云南地壳生热率分布

研究地壳岩石放射性生热率的垂向分布，是研究深部热结构的基础。根据深部地震测深资料，利用地震波速与生热率之间的关系，估计了云南地壳生热率的垂向分布。全区上地壳生热率一般为０．８～２．１μＷ／ｍ３，中地壳为０．４～１．２μＷ／ｍ３，下地壳为０．１１～０．５５μＷ／ｍ３     

哀牢山变质带元江──墨江剖面岩石的纵波波速特征及其地质意义

依据研究区的地热梯度（25℃／km）,在高温高压（最高温度为1050℃,最高压力为1.2GPa）条件下系统测量了横穿红河-哀牢山断裂带的元江-墨江地质剖面上的哀牢山岩群各类变质岩（千枚岩、片岩、浅粒岩、变粒岩、大理岩和片麻岩）的纵波速度．实验结果表明,不同岩类的纵波速度随温度压力变化的趋势不同．在相当于衷牢山岩群变质岩峰期变质温度和压力条件下（P=0．4-0.8GPa,T=35-700℃）,测得大部分岩石的纵波速度为5．50－5．80km／s,这一纵波速度值与区域地球物理测深揭示的中地壳低速层的纵波速度相当因此,结合该区变质岩、地壳内热状态及地球物理测深研究成果可初步认为：组成哀牢山岩群的浅粒岩、变粒岩、酸性片麻岩以及部分千枚岩、片岩为该地区中地壳低速层的主要岩石类型．     

The Shabogamo Intrusive Suite,Labrador: Sr and Nd isotopic evidence for contaminated mafic magmas in the Proterozoic

The Shabogamo Intrusive Suite comprises numerous bodies of variably metamorphosed gabbro which intrude Archean and Proterozoic sequences at the junction of the Superior, Churchill, and Grenville structural provinces in western Labrador. Combined Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr systematics in two bodies, ranging from unmetamorphosed to lightly metamorphosed, document a crystallization age of about 1375 m.y., and suggest that both bodies crystallized from magmas with similar Nd and Sr isotopic compositions. This age is in accordance with the existence of a regional magmatic event in the Churchill Province at approximately 1400 m.y.Rb-Sr systematics in two bodies of amphibolite-grade gabbro suggest a regional metamorphic event at about 950 m.y., corresponding to the waning stages of Grenville activity. Sm-Nd systematics in these high-grade bodies are affected to a much lesser degree than Rb-Sr.Initial ratios for¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr are lower and higher, respectively, than bulk earth values at 1375 m.y. Both these displacements are in the direction of older crustal material at 1375 m.y., and a model is proposed to produce the Shabogamo magma by mixing a mantle-derived magma with a partial melt of crustal rocks (approximately 4: 1 by volume). Young volcanic rocks with anomalous Nd and Sr isotopic ratios, which have previously been taken as evidence for “enriched” mantle, may be interpreted similarly.     

Seismic wave velocity of Archaeozoic felsic rocks from North China and its existing location in the crust

IntroductionTheArchaeozoicfelsicrocksarethemaincomponentsoftheuppercrustincratonareas,whichmayalsoexistinthelowercrust(ZHANG,SUN,1999).Thereforethestudyontheircompressionalwavevelocitiesofthiskindofrocksisofimportance.Oneofthecharactersofthistypeofrocksisexistingofquartz.Athightemperatureandpressurethe(phaseofquartztransitsinto(phasecompaniedwithvelocitychange.Consequentlythefeatureoftemperature-velocitycurveoffelsicrocksatacertainpressureisexclusiveforothertypeofrocks.FirstFielitz(1971),…     

Ophiolitic breccias associated with allochthonous oceanic crustal rocks in the East Ligurian Apennines,Italy — a comparison with observations from rifted oceanic ridges

In the East Ligurian segment of the North Apennines, eugeosynclinal sequences which contain ophiolitic rocks have been tectonically emplaced onto approximately coeval miogeosynclinal sediments. These allochthonous sequences represent the floor of a Mesozoic ocean which closed during the early Tertiary. The ophiolitic rocks consist of serpentinite, gabbro, pillowed and massive basalts, and breccias derived from these lithologies. They are overlain with depositional contacts by Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous pelagic cherts, limestones, and a shale/limestone sequence.The ophiolitic breccias attain thicknesses up to 100 m and strike lengths up to a few kilometres, and consist largely of unorganized accumulations of sand- to block-sized clasts. Compositions at specific horizons may range from oligomict breccias containing gabbro, basalt, or serpentinite fragments, to polymict breccias consisting of any mixture of these lithologies. Most of the breccias probably represent slow talus accumulations at the base of major submarine fault scarps which have exposed gabbro and serpentinite to submarine erosion. Direct exposure of gabbro and serpentinite on the ocean floor is also indicated by the occurrence of stratigraphically intact contacts between these lithologies and overlying pelagic sediments (generally cherts). The distribution and thickness of the breccias and volcanics, and the distribution of the gabbro and serpentinite, can vary greatly within distances of a few kilometres, thus producing complex heterogeneous sequences consisting of laterally impersistent lithological units.Recent observations and deep drilling of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and other rifted ridges have revealed occurrences of significant thicknesses of basaltic, serpentinitic, and gabbroic breccias upon and within the volcanic layer of the oceanic crust, as well as the direct submarine exposure of plutonic rocks. It is therefore likely that the East Ligurian sequences represent parts of rifted ridge-generated crust. If so, then the complexity of the East Ligurian sequences suggests that the upper part of rifted ridge-generated crust may in places possess large variations in its stratigraphy over small (<10 km²) areas.Smooth, non-rifted (fast-spreading) ridges, which have very reduced topography and lack major fault scarps, should form ophiolitic complexes deficient in breccias containing fragments of plutonic igneous rocks. Most large ophiolitic complexes do not contain plutonic rock-bearing breccias, and were therefore probably formed at smooth ridges. The apparently preferential preservation of this type of ophiolitic complex, as opposed to the rifted ridge-type crust in East Liguria, may be related to the less pervasive and less intense fracturing of smooth ridges. This resulted in greater “cohesion” and lateral continuity of smooth ridge-generated crust during later tectonic emplacement into allochthonous positions in orogenic belts.