Tectonostratigraphic complexes of the southern Kronotskii paleoarc (Eastern Kamchatka): Structure,age, and composition

The eastern peninsulas of Kamchatka are mostly composed of tectonostratigraphic complexes, which were formed within the Late Cretaceous-Eocene Kronotskii-Kamchatka arc. The accretion of this paleoarc to the Kamchatka margin of northeastern Asia in the terminal Cenozoic represented the last collisional event in the formation of the present-day structure of Kamchatka. The article presents new data on the age, composition, and structure of the tectonostratigraphic complexes constituting the southern segment of the Kronotskii-Kamchatka paleoarc. It is shown that the oldest rocks of these complexes are the Campanian in age and represented by volcano-sedimentary rocks that were formed in different geodynamic environments. The investigated igneous rocks are attributed to two types: (1) the tholeiite series of a mid-oceanic ridge (MOR) (Vetlovaya Complex); (2) tholeiite and calc-alkaline series of island arcs (Shipunskii Sequence of the Kronotskii Group).     

Lithological composition of island-arc complexes in the Russian Far East

The results of study of geochemistry of terrigenous rocks from the contrast (in structure) Cretaceous-Paleogene complexes of Sikhote Alin and Kamchatka are summarized. The data obtained were interpreted based on comparison with the geochemical composition of recent and ancient sediments accumulated in the well-known geodynamic settings. It is shown that the chemical composition of terrigenous rocks and some petrochemical ratios can serve as reliable indicators of various island-arc settings. These indicators make it possible to discriminate sufficiently reliably these settings in paleobasins of orogenic zones.     

Organic-walled phytoplankton from Paleogene sections of Kamchatka

Organic-walled phytoplankton assemblages from Eocene and Oligocene reference sections of western Kamchatka are analyzed. They are close in taxonomic composition to coeval assemblages of northern Japan and Sakhalin that is a good opportunity to correlate regional units and verify their age. The euryhaline species Trinovantedinium boreale that is associated with Paralecaniella indentata and Micrhystridium preferring shallow low-salinity waters, on the one hand, and taxa dwelling in normal-salinity open sea environments, on the other, are dominant in most assemblages, which are examined. The suggested variant of bed succession with dinocyst assemblages may be valid for Japan, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, and the Bering Sea.     

Volcanism of the southern part of the Sredinny Range of Kamchatka in the Neogene-Quaternary

Based on the geochemical characteristics of the Miocene-Quaternary volcanic rocks of the Sredinny Range of Kamchatka, we divide it into northern and southern provinces; the latter comprises the “eastern”, “western”, and “central” flanks. We present new data on the composition of Neogene-Quaternary volcanic rocks in the southern part of the Sredinny Range of Kamchatka: Khangar and Icha volcanic massifs and Mt. Yurtinaya on the “western” flank, Bystrinsky and Kozyrevsky Ridges on the “eastern” flank, and Anaunsky Dol and Uksichan massif located in between. We show systematic differences in the composition of rocks from the “western” and “eastern” flanks. During the Neogene, a typical island-arc volcanism took place within the “eastern” flank. Quaternary volcanic rocks of this area have both island-arc and within-plate geochemical features. We propose to call rocks of this type hybrid rocks. Within the “western” flank, hybrid volcanism has been manifested since the Neogene, while typical island-arc rocks are not found. Magma generation processes on the “western” flank of the Sredinny Ridge are influenced by an enriched mantle source; the effect of fluid is less pronounced here as compared to the rocks of the “eastern” flank, where it is clearly traced.     

The upper mantle of Kamchatka in isotopic-geochemical and geophysical anomalies: The role of asthenospheric diapirism

Data of isotopic-geochemical, seismotomographic, and gravimetric studies of the mantle characteristics of the Kamchatka and Bering Sea regions are compared. It is shown that the revealed isotopicgeochemical anomalies are well verified by the geophysical materials. A hypothesis is put forward that the anomalies of the Central Kamchatka and Bering Sea regions are a consequence of the penetration of local diapirs into the lithosphere; their activity is associated with the appearance of rocks belonging to the intraplate geochemical type. The juncture region of the Kuril-Kamchatka and Komandor-Aleutian island arc systems is characterized by the higher participation of crustal material in the composition of the volcanic rocks of the mantle genesis and by a combination of manifestations of the island arc and intraplate types.     

Provenances of metaterrigenous sequences in the Sredinny and Ganalsky uplifts, Kamchatka in the light of New Sm-Nd isotopic data

Despite the long history of studying metamorphic rocks in the Sredinny and Ganalsky uplifts of Kamchatka, their tectonic setting and origin, as well as the time of sedimentation, magmatism, and metamorphism, remain a matter of debate and wide discussion. Our isotopic study shows that composite sections of metaterrigenous rocks of the Sredinny and Ganalsky ranges (Kolpakova, Kamchatka, Malka, Kikhchik, and Ganal groups) reveal no significant difference in the Nd isotopic composition, which is evidence for the geochemical similarity of their provenances in contrast to previous conjectures that these groups vary in age from Archean to Upper Cretaceous and were formed in regions distant from one another and distinct in geodynamic setting. New Sm-Nd isotopic data and recent U-Pb (SHRIMP II) timing of zircons allow us to state that the metaterrigenous rocks of the Sredinny and Ganalsky uplifts actually make up a single terrigenous sequence of a great thickness. This sequence accumulated in the Cretaceous shallow-water epicontinental basin, underwent contact metamorphism affected by intrusions varying in age and composition, was involved in zonal regional metamorphism in the early Eocene, and only in the Pliocene was it dismembered into the Sredinny and Ganalsky uplifts as a result of rifting.     

Cretaceous sedimentary–volcanogenic complexes of the Kamchatka Isthmus: Structure,composition and geodynamic formation conditions

New data on the chemical and rare-element composition and age of the rocks referred earlier to the Iruney suite of the Kamchatka Isthmus are received. In the recent structure these rocks compose the structural–strata complexes of the nappe-folded Lesnovsky Rise. Radiolarian analysis data substantiate that the deposits belonging to the Ening series and the middle and upper parts of the Iruney suite were formed in a single sedimentation basin in the Campanian time. The discovery of a new occurrence of Prunobrachidae representatives on the Kamchatka Peninsula allows us to draw wide interregional correlations and reconstruct the sedimentation conditions. The studied volcanites relate to different igneous series and were formed in geodynamic conditions of the marginal sea and the volcanic arc. The igneous rocks of the Ening stratum are similar to the N-MOR and OI basalts that were formed within the marginal sea (Iruney Marginal Sea) basin. The Upper Cretaceous formations of the eastern slope of the Sredinny Range were formed within the volcanic rise with the island-arc type of volcanism. The younger Eocene igneous rocks of the neo-autochthon (granites and granodiorites) and the volcanic rocks of the Kinkil suite mark a new orogenic stage of development of the Kamchatka margin.     

Early cenozoic magmatism in the continental margin of Kamchatka

The paper presents isotopic-geochemical features of magmatic rocks that were produced at the continental margin of Kamchatka during its various evolutionary stages. Continental-margin magmatism in Kamchatka is demonstrated to have evolved from the Paleocene until the present time. The Paleocene and Middle-Late Eocene magmatic complexes show features of suprasubduction magmatism. The magmatic melts were derived from isotopically heterogeneous (depleted and variably enriched, perhaps, as a consequence of mixing with within-plate melts) mantle sources and were likely contaminated with quartz-feldspathic sialic sediments. The Miocene preaccretion stage differs from the Paleogene-Eocene one in having a different geochemical and isotopic composition of the mantle magma sources: the magmatic sources of the Miocene suprasubduction magmas contained no compositions depleted in radiogenic Nd isotopes, whereas the sources of the within-plate magmas were enriched in HFSE. The Late Pliocene-Quaternary postaccretion magmas of the Eastern Kamchatka Belt are noted for the absence of a within-plate OIB-like component.     

Meimechite-picrite associations in Siberia,Primorye, and Kamchatka (comparative analysis and petrogenesis)

Analysis of petrochemical and geochemical information on rocks and primary melt inclusions from olivines of meimechite–picrite associations of different ages in Siberia (Maimecha-Kotui province), Primorye (Sikhote-Alin), and Kamchatka was made. It showed that the rocks, despite their similar appearance and identical structural patterns, differ considerably in the contents and distribution of incompatible and rare-earth elements and in the composition and evolution trends of parental high-temperature highly magnesian melts.     

Aspects of tectonics of Kamchatka

The tectonics of Kamchatka are reviewed in some detail and in several cases reinterpreted in light of recent geological and geophysical studies. Maps present major structural features and magnetic data, obtained by aerial survey. Recent work has confirmed four young phases of tectogenesis, accompanied by intrusions: 1) Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene (Laramian or Kamchatka phase), 2) early Miocene (Kuril phase), 3) late Miocene (Aleutian phase), and 4) late Pliocene (Sakhalin phase). These account for the young folded region that covers most of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Koryak uplands to the northeast. Three structural-stratigraphic zones are recognized. The west zone is a marginal trough filled with coal- and oil-bearing strata, moderately folded. The central zone is an inner volcanic arc made up of volcanic rocks cut by granitoid rocks. The east zone consists of thick flysch with basic and ultrabasic igneous rocks characteristic of external folded arcs. In general, major synclinoria and anticlinoria have northeast strikes, and magnetic values in general correlate with the strike and composition of these belts. The meridionally oriented Central Massif of ancient rocks controlled the development of structures in nearby Tertiary and Cretaceous rocks. Deep faults also trend northeast and determined the position of volcanic and metallogenic zones, the ophiolite belts, and the chain of intrusive massifs. Geophysical work shows that the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk is of platform type; it has recently been postulated that the Okhotsk massif is part of the Siberian platform.—W.D. Lowry     

The beginning of volcanic activity within Sredinny metamorphic Massif (Sredinny Range,Kamchatka)

For the first time, the age of the beginning of the volcanic activity within Sredinny metamorphic Massif is determined (7–6 Ma). We suppose that this event was caused by the collision of Kamchatka with the Kronotsk arc that started about 7 Ma from accretion of Shipunsky peninsula. We demonstrate that at least two types of rocks were erupted within Sredinny Range of Kamchatka in late Miocene times: typical islandarc rocks were produced in the central and northern parts of the Range, and hybrid type rocks—in its southernmost part.     

CRITERIA FOR THE DEPTHS OF THE POST-VOLCANIC HYDROTHERMAL METAMORPHISM IN THE CENTRAL KAMCHATKA ORE ZONE

The geology of the Central Kamchatka ore zone, with particular reference to the petrology on chemical composition of the rock units, is the first part of this two-part paper. Although the paper is not clearly divided into two parts, the second and major section deals with the chemistry, alteration, and chemical alteration which has occurred as the result of hydrothermal alteration. The author has illustrated the changes in chemical composition by the use of "Input-output" variation diagrams. The paper illustrates the development of hydrothermally altered rocks in the Central Kamchatka ore zone, both horizontally and vertically, and is proffered as an aid to mineral exploration in that area. The relationship of mineral facies and a combination of mineral facies to ore mineralization is also discussed.--M. A. Klugman.     

Zoning and geochemical characterization of volcanic soils on Kamchatka

The paper presents the first data on the zoning of modern volcanic soils on the Kamchatka Peninsula according to the age and composition of volcanic ashes in which the surface organogenic horizons of the soils were formed. The following soil provinces are recognized: Northern, Central, Western, and Southeastern. Parameters of their regional geochemical background (concentrations of trace elements) are determined. The main factor controlling the background concentrations of trace elements in these soils is the composition of the ashes underlying the soils. The geochemical specifics of the surface organogenic horizons of volcanic soils on Kamchatka may be variably affected only by the concentrations of trace elements whose average contents in magmatic rocks are the highest: Cr, Cu, Mn, Sc, Zn, Co, V, and Ag. The maximum concentrations of excess elements were determined in the soils underlain by ashes of basic composition, and the minimum concentrations of these elements occur in the soils formed in silicic ashes. All soil provinces recognized on Kamchatka are characterized by pervasively elevated Cu concentrations. It is proposed to identify volcanic soils formed in the peninsula in ashes of various composition with the application of a multiplicative geochemical coefficient.     

Ultrapotassic Volcanism of the Valagin Ridge,Kamchatka

New isotopic-geochemical data are reported on the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene ultrapotassic volcanic rocks of the alkaline–ultrabasic complex of the Valagin Ridge, Eastern Kamchatka. The high Mg, low Ca and Al contents at high K/Na ratios in these rocks make them similar to the Mediterranean-type lamproites and ultrapotassic rocks. The low contents of high-field strength (HFSE) and heavy rare-earth (HREE) elements relative to the MORB composition, and the low Sr and high Nd isotopic ratios indicate the formation of their primary melts from a depleted mantle source. The enrichment of the ultrapotassic rocks in the large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) can be explained by the fluid influx in melts during melting of subsided oceanic crust.     

Geodynamic conditions of volcanism and magma formation in the Kurile-Kamchatka island-arc system

The conditions of magma formation were reconstructed on the basis of characteristic features of the evolution of the Kurile-Kamchatka island-arc system, structural and chemical zoning patterns of volcanic complexes, and available published data on peridotite and basalt melting and stability of hydrous minerals. It was shown that the volcanic arc of the Sredinnyi Range of Kamchatka occurs now at the final stage of subduction, whereas subduction beneath the volcanic arc of eastern Kamchatka began at the end of the Miocene, after its jump into the present-day position. The volcanism of Southern Kamchatka and the Kuriles has occurred under steady-state subduction conditions since the Miocene and is represented by typical island-arc magmas. The latter are generated in a mantle wedge, where the melting of water-saturated peridotite occurs in a high-temperature zone under the influence of fluid. The formation of the frontal and rear volcanic zones was related to the existence of two levels of water release from various hydrous minerals. During the initial and final stages of subduction, as well as in the zone of Kamchatka—Aleutian junction, partial melting is possible in the upper part of the subducted slab in contact with a hotter mantle material compared with the mantle in a steady-state regime. This is responsible for the coexistence of predominant typical island-arc rocks, rocks with intraplate geochemical signatures, and highly magnesian rocks, including adakites.     

Early Eocene magmatism in the Sredinnyi Range,Kamchatka: Composition and geodynamic aspects

Migmatization and granite-forming processes were widespread in the southern Sredinnyi Range of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Early Eocene (at approximately 52 ± 2 Ma). The paper presents data on the composition and genesis of the Early Eocene granitoids. The Malka Rise contains both equigranular peraluminous garnet-bearing granites, on the one hand, and migmatites and tonalites and trondhjemites (TTG), on the other. The petrography and petrochemistry of most granites in the Malka Rise in the Sredinnyi Range (high SiO₂ concentrations, the presence of muscovite and garnet, the proportions of their Al saturation index ASI and SiO₂, FeO_t + MgO + TiO₂, and SiO₂, Al₂O₃/TiO₂, and CaO/Na₂O), and the composition of biotite in these rocks highlight their similarities with S-granites. The character of the REE patterns and the Sr and Y concentrations suggest that the granites and TTG were formed via the melting of sources of two types: metasediments and metabasites. The metasedimentary nature of the protolith of most of the granitoids also follows from similarities between the REE patterns of the granitoids and host metaterrigenous rocks of the Kolpakova and Kamchatka groups. The variations in the Rb/Ba and Rb/Sr ratios of the granites imply that their protoliths could be sedimentary rocks both depleted and enriched in pelite components. The facts that, along with S-granites, some of the granites are TTG, which likely had mafic protoliths, make the Early Eocene granites generally similar to S-granites of the Cordilleran type. The collision of the Achaivayam-Valaginskii ensimatic island arc with the Kamchatka margin of Eurasia started at 55–53 Ma and predated Early Eocene magmatism. In the course of this collision, arc complexes were obducted over continental marginal rocks, and this resulted in their rapid subsidence, crustal heating, magma generation, and the derivation of the granites, tonalites, and trondhjemites at 52 ± 2 Ma at temperatures of 645–815°C. This rapid heating (duirng no more than 3–5 Ma) required an additional heat source, which was likely the mantle. The latter heated the bottom of the crust at the detachment of the slab. The influx of mantle material resulted in intrusions of the norite-cortlandite association, which was coeval with the granites and was accompanied by Cu-Ni sulfide mineralization. The composition of the granitoids and data on the intrusions of the norite-cortlandite association suggest that mantle material was involved in Early Eocene syncollisional magma generation in Kamchatka. Newly obtained U-Pb zircon SHRIMP dates of the granitoids and recently published data on the age of the norite-cortlandite intrusions indicate that they are coeval and make it possible to recognize an Early Eocene phase of magmatic activity in Kamchatka.     

Deep structure of Kamchatka according to the results of MT sounding and seismic tomography

The key features in the distribution of geoelectric and velocity heterogeneities in the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle of Kamchatka are considered according to the data of deep magnetotelluric sounding and seismotomography. Their possible origin is discussed based on the combined analysis of electric conductivity and seismic velocity anomalies. The geoelectric model contains a crustal conducting layer at a depth of 15–35 km extending along the middle part of Kamchatka. In the Central Kamchatka volcanic belt, the layer is close to the ground surface to a depth of 15–20 km, where its conductivity considerably increases. Horizontal conducting zones with a width of up to 50 km extending into the Pacific Ocean are revealed in the lithosphere of eastern Kamchatka. The large centers of current volcanism are confined to the projections of the horizontal zones. The upper mantle contains an asthenospheric conducting layer that rises from a depth of 150 km in western Kamchatka to a depth of 70–80 km beneath the zone of current volcanism. According to the seismotographic data, the low- and high-seismic-velocity anomalies of P-waves that reflect lateral stratification, which includes the crust, the rigid part of the upper mantle, the asthenospheric layer in a depth range of ~70–130 km, and a high-velocity layer confined to a seismofocal zone, are identified on the vertical and horizontal cross sections of eastern Kamchatka. The cross sections show low-velocity anomalies, which, in the majority of cases, correspond to the high-conductivity anomalies caused by the increased porosity of rocks saturated with liquid fluids. However, there are also differences that are related to the electric conductivity of rocks depending on pore channels filled with liquid fluids making throughways for electric current. The seismic velocity depends, to a great extent, on the total porosity of the rocks, which also includes isolated and dead-end channels that can be filled with liquid fluids that do not contribute to the electric-current transfer. The data on electric conductivity and seismic velocity are used to estimate the porosity of the rocks in the anomalous zones of the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle that are characterized by high electric conductivity and low seismic velocity. This estimate serves as the basis for identifying the zones of partial melting in the lithosphere and the asthenosphere feeding the active volcanoes.     

Yurchik Massifs in Kamchatka: Age and affiliation to magmatic associations

Petrographic and isotopic-geochemical data obtained on basic and ultrabasic rocks from the Yurchik Massif in the Ganal block of crystalline rocks in Kamchatka indicate that the distribution of major and trace elements in these rocks are analogous to those in the fractionation products of high-Al tholeiites occurring in island arcs in the eastern continental margin of Eurasia. Allivalites and dunites found as nodules in gabbronorites and gabbro of the massif are thought to be early cumulates of arc basalts. Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the Yurchik Massif make it different from Ni-bearing Paleocene-Eocene (approximately 50 Ma) norite-cortlandite intrusions in the Sredinnyi Range of Kamchatka. U-Pb zircon and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates for rocks from the massif definitely testify to its younger, Early Miocene (approximately 22 Ma) age.     

Two stages of granite formation in the Sredinny Range, Kamchatka: Tectonic and geodynamic setting of granitic rocks

The newly formed continental crust in southern Kamchatka was created as a result of the Eocene collision of the Cretaceous-Paleocene Achaivayam-Valagin island arc and the northeastern Asian margin. Widespread migmatization and granite formation accompanied this process in the Sredinny Range of Kamchatka. The tectonic setting and composition of granitic rocks in the Malka Uplift of the Sredinny Range are characterized in detail, and the U-Pb (SHRIMP) zircon ages are discussed. Two main stages of granite formation—Campanian (80–78 Ma ago) and Eocene (52 ± 2 Ma ago) have been established. It may be suggested that granite formation in the Campanian was related to the partial melting of the accretionary wedge due to its under-plating by mafic material or to plunging of the oceanic ridge beneath the accretionary wedge. The Eocene granitic rocks were formed owing to the collision of the Achaivayam-Valagin ensimatic island arc with the Kamchatka margin of Eurasia. In southern Kamchatka (Malka Uplift of the Sredinny Range), the arc-continent collision started 55–53 Ma ago. As a result, the island-arc complexes were thrust over terrigenous sequences of the continental margin. The thickness of the allochthon was sufficient to plunge the autochthon to a considerable depth. The autochthon and the lower portion of the allochthon underwent high-grade metamorphism followed by partial melting and emplacement of granitic magma 52 ± 2 Ma ago. The anomalously rapid heating of the crust was probably caused by the ascent of asthenospheric magma initiated by slab breakoff, while the Eurasian Plate plunged beneath the Achaivayam-Valagin arc.     

Lateral structural variability in zone of eocene island-arc-continent collision,Kamchatka

The lateral variability of structural elements in the collision zone of the Cretaceous-Paleocene Achaivayam-Valagin island arc with the northeastern Asian margin is considered. The similarity and difference of Eocene collision structural elements in the north and the south of Kamchatka are shown. In northern Kamchatka, the continent-arc boundary is traced along the Lesnaya-Vatyn Thrust Fault, which completed its evolution about 45 Ma ago. The thin, near-horizontal allochthon of this thrust, composed of island-arc rocks, overlies the deformed but unmetamorphosed terrigeneous sequences of the Asian margin. The general structure of this suture in the Kamchatka Isthmus and southern Koryakia is comparable with the uppermost subduction zone, where a thin lithospheric wedge overlaps intensely deformed sediments detached from the plunging plate. In southern Kamchatka (Malka Uplift of the Sredinny Range), the arc-continent collision started 55–53 Ma ago with thrusting of island-arc complexes over terrigenous rocks of continental margin. However, the thickness of the allochthon was much greater than in the north. Immediately after this event, both the autochthon and lower part of allochthon were deformed and subsided to a significant depth. This subsidence gave rise to metamorphism of both the autochthon (Kolpakov and Kamchatka groups, Kheivan Formation) and lower allochthon (Andrianovka and Khimka formations). The anomalously fast heating of the crust was most likely related to the ascent of asthenospheric masses due to slab breakoff, when the Eurasian Plate was plunging beneath the Achaivayam-Valagin arc.