Deep slab subduction and dehydration and their geodynamic consequences: Evidence from seismology and mineral physics

We present new pieces of evidence from seismology and mineral physics for the existence of low-velocity zones in the deep part of the upper mantle wedge and the mantle transition zone that are caused by fluids from the deep subduction and deep dehydration of the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs under western Pacific and East Asia. The Pacific slab is subducting beneath the Japan Islands and Japan Sea with intermediate-depth and deep earthquakes down to 600 km depth under the East Asia margin, and the slab becomes stagnant in the mantle transition zone under East China. The western edge of the stagnant Pacific slab is roughly coincident with the NE–SW Daxing'Anling-Taihangshan gravity lineament located west of Beijing, approximately 2000 km away from the Japan Trench. The upper mantle above the stagnant slab under East Asia forms a big mantle wedge (BMW). Corner flow in the BMW and deep slab dehydration may have caused asthenospheric upwelling, lithospheric thinning, continental rift systems, and intraplate volcanism in Northeast Asia. The Philippine Sea slab has subducted down to the mantle transition zone depth under Western Japan and Ryukyu back-arc, though the seismicity within the slab occurs only down to 200–300 km depths. Combining with the corner flow in the mantle wedge, deep dehydration of the subducting Pacific slab has affected the morphology of the subducting Philippine Sea slab and its seismicity under Southwest Japan. Slow anomalies are also found in the mantle under the subducting Pacific slab, which may represent small mantle plumes, or hot upwelling associated with the deep slab subduction. Slab dehydration may also take place after a continental plate subducts into the mantle.     

Deep slab subduction and dehydration and their geodynamic consequences: Evidence from seismology and mineral physics

We present new pieces of evidence from seismology and mineral physics for the existence of low-velocity zones in the deep part of the upper mantle wedge and the mantle transition zone that are caused by fluids from the deep subduction and deep dehydration of the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs under western Pacific and East Asia. The Pacific slab is subducting beneath the Japan Islands and Japan Sea with intermediate-depth and deep earthquakes down to 600 km depth under the East Asia margin, and the slab becomes stagnant in the mantle transition zone under East China. The western edge of the stagnant Pacific slab is roughly coincident with the NE–SW Daxing'Anling-Taihangshan gravity lineament located west of Beijing, approximately 2000 km away from the Japan Trench. The upper mantle above the stagnant slab under East Asia forms a big mantle wedge (BMW). Corner flow in the BMW and deep slab dehydration may have caused asthenospheric upwelling, lithospheric thinning, continental rift systems, and intraplate volcanism in Northeast Asia. The Philippine Sea slab has subducted down to the mantle transition zone depth under Western Japan and Ryukyu back-arc, though the seismicity within the slab occurs only down to 200–300 km depths. Combining with the corner flow in the mantle wedge, deep dehydration of the subducting Pacific slab has affected the morphology of the subducting Philippine Sea slab and its seismicity under Southwest Japan. Slow anomalies are also found in the mantle under the subducting Pacific slab, which may represent small mantle plumes, or hot upwelling associated with the deep slab subduction. Slab dehydration may also take place after a continental plate subducts into the mantle.     

The dynamics of big mantle wedge,magma factory,and metamorphic–metasomatic factory in subduction zones

The East Asian continental margin is underlain by stagnant slabs resulting from subduction of the Pacific plate from the east and the Philippine Sea plate from the south. We classify the upper mantle in this region into three major domains: (a) metasomatic–metamorphic factory (MMF), subduction zone magma factory (SZMF), and the ‘big mantle wedge’ (BMW). Whereas the convection pattern is anticlockwise in the MMF domain, it is predominantly clockwise in the SZMF and BMW, along a cross section from the south. Here we define the MMF as a small wedge corner which is driven by the subducting Pacific plate and dominated by H₂O-rich fluids derived by dehydration reactions, and enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) which cause the metasomatism. The SZMF is a zone intermediate between MMF and BMW domains and constitutes the main region of continental crust production by partial melting through wedge counter-corner flow. Large hydrous plume generated at about 200 km depth causes extensive reduction in viscosity and the smaller scale hydrous plumes between 60 km and 200 km also bring about an overall reduction in the viscosity of SZMF. More fertile and high temperature peridotites are supplied from the entrance to this domain. The domain extends obliquely to the volcanic front and then swings back to the deep mantle together with the subducting slab. The BMW occupies the major portion of upper mantle in the western Pacific and convects largely with a clockwise sense removing the eastern trench oceanward. Sporadic formation of hydrous plume at the depth of around 410 km and the curtain flow adjacent to the trench cause back arc spreading. We envisage that the heat source in BMW could be the accumulated TTG (tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite) crust on the bottom of the mantle transition zone. The ongoing process of transportation of granitic crust into the mantle transition zone is evident from the deep subduction of five intra-oceanic arcs on the subducting Philippine Sea plate from the south, in addition to the sediment trapped subduction by the Pacific plate and Philippine Sea plate. The dynamics of MMF, SZMF and BMW domains are controlled by the angle of subduction; a wide zone of MMF in SW Japan is caused by shallow angle subduction of the Philippine Sea plate and the markedly small MMF domain in the Mariana trench is due to the high angle subduction of Pacific plate. The domains in NE Japan and Kyushu region are intermediate between these two. During the Tertiary, a series of marginal basins were formed because of the nearly 2000 km northward shift of the subduction zone along the southern margin of Tethyan Asia, which may be related to the collision of India with Asia and the indentation. The volume of upper mantle under Asia was reduced extensively on the southern margin with a resultant oceanward trench retreat along the eastern margin of Asia, leading to the formation of a series of marginal basins. The western Pacific domain in general is characterized by double-sided subduction; from the east by the oldest Pacific plate and from the south by the oldest Indo-Australian plate. The old plates are hence hydrated extensively even in their central domains and therefore of low temperature. The cracks have allowed the transport of water into the deeper portions of the slab and these domains supply hydrous fluids even to the bottom of the upper mantle. Thus, a fluid dominated upper mantle in the western Pacific drives a number of microplates and promote the plate boundary processes.     

The dynamics of big mantle wedge, magma factory, and metamorphic–metasomatic factory in subduction zones

The East Asian continental margin is underlain by stagnant slabs resulting from subduction of the Pacific plate from the east and the Philippine Sea plate from the south. We classify the upper mantle in this region into three major domains: (a) metasomatic–metamorphic factory (MMF), subduction zone magma factory (SZMF), and the ‘big mantle wedge’ (BMW). Whereas the convection pattern is anticlockwise in the MMF domain, it is predominantly clockwise in the SZMF and BMW, along a cross section from the south. Here we define the MMF as a small wedge corner which is driven by the subducting Pacific plate and dominated by H₂O-rich fluids derived by dehydration reactions, and enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) which cause the metasomatism. The SZMF is a zone intermediate between MMF and BMW domains and constitutes the main region of continental crust production by partial melting through wedge counter-corner flow. Large hydrous plume generated at about 200 km depth causes extensive reduction in viscosity and the smaller scale hydrous plumes between 60 km and 200 km also bring about an overall reduction in the viscosity of SZMF. More fertile and high temperature peridotites are supplied from the entrance to this domain. The domain extends obliquely to the volcanic front and then swings back to the deep mantle together with the subducting slab. The BMW occupies the major portion of upper mantle in the western Pacific and convects largely with a clockwise sense removing the eastern trench oceanward. Sporadic formation of hydrous plume at the depth of around 410 km and the curtain flow adjacent to the trench cause back arc spreading. We envisage that the heat source in BMW could be the accumulated TTG (tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite) crust on the bottom of the mantle transition zone. The ongoing process of transportation of granitic crust into the mantle transition zone is evident from the deep subduction of five intra-oceanic arcs on the subducting Philippine Sea plate from the south, in addition to the sediment trapped subduction by the Pacific plate and Philippine Sea plate. The dynamics of MMF, SZMF and BMW domains are controlled by the angle of subduction; a wide zone of MMF in SW Japan is caused by shallow angle subduction of the Philippine Sea plate and the markedly small MMF domain in the Mariana trench is due to the high angle subduction of Pacific plate. The domains in NE Japan and Kyushu region are intermediate between these two. During the Tertiary, a series of marginal basins were formed because of the nearly 2000 km northward shift of the subduction zone along the southern margin of Tethyan Asia, which may be related to the collision of India with Asia and the indentation. The volume of upper mantle under Asia was reduced extensively on the southern margin with a resultant oceanward trench retreat along the eastern margin of Asia, leading to the formation of a series of marginal basins. The western Pacific domain in general is characterized by double-sided subduction; from the east by the oldest Pacific plate and from the south by the oldest Indo-Australian plate. The old plates are hence hydrated extensively even in their central domains and therefore of low temperature. The cracks have allowed the transport of water into the deeper portions of the slab and these domains supply hydrous fluids even to the bottom of the upper mantle. Thus, a fluid dominated upper mantle in the western Pacific drives a number of microplates and promote the plate boundary processes.     

全球地幔三维结构模型及动力学研究新进展

介绍了地幔三维地震模型及地球动力学最新进展，特别是１９９５年７月ＩＵＧＧ第２１届大会展示的新成果。地幔三维速度分布主要由全球数字地震台网资料求得。１００ｋｍ深度速度分布主要与板块构造有关，３５０ｋｍ深度显示了大陆与海洋的差异，１９００ｋｍ深度表现环太平洋的高速异常带。     

An overview of electrical conductivity structures of the crust and upper mantle beneath the northwestern Pacific, the Japanese Islands, and continental East Asia

This article reviews the electrical conductivity structures of the oceanic upper mantle, subduction zones, and the mantle transition zone beneath the northwestern Pacific, the Japanese Islands, and continental East Asia, which have particularly large potential of water circulation in the global upper mantle. The oceanic upper mantle consists of an electrically resistive lid and a conductive layer underlying the lid. The depth of the top of the conductive layer is related to lithospheric cooling in the older mantle, whereas it is attributable to the difference in water distribution beneath the vicinity of the seafloor spreading-axis. The location of a lower crustal conductor in a subduction zone changes according to the subduction type. The difference can be explained by the characteristic dehydration from the subducting slab in each subduction zone and by advection from the backarc spreading. The latest one-dimensional electrical conductivity model of the mantle transition zone beneath the Pacific Ocean predicts values of 0.1–1.0 S/m. These values support a considerably dry oceanic mantle transition zone. However, one-dimensional electrical profiles may not be representative of the mantle transition zone there, since there exists a three-dimensional structure caused by the stagnant slab. Three-dimensional electromagnetic modeling should be made in future studies.     

East Asia: Seismotectonics,magmatism and mantle dynamics

In this article, we review the significant recent results of geophysical studies and discuss their implications on seismotectonics, magmatism, and mantle dynamics in East Asia. High-resolution geophysical imaging revealed structural heterogeneities in the source areas of large crustal earthquakes, which may reflect magma and fluids that affected the rupture nucleation of large earthquakes. In subduction zone regions, the crustal fluids originate from the dehydration of the subducting slab. Magmatism in arc and back-arc areas is caused by the corner flow in the mantle wedge and dehydration of the subducting slab. The intraplate magmatism has different origins. The continental volcanoes in Northeast Asia (such as Changbai and Wudalianchi) seem to be caused by the corner flow in the big mantle wedge (BMW) above the stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone and the deep dehydration of the stagnant slab as well. The Tengchong volcano in Southwest China is possibly caused by a similar process in BMW above the subducting Burma microplate (or Indian plate). The Hainan volcano in southernmost China seems to be a hotspot fed by a lower-mantle plume associated with the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs’ deep subduction in the east and the Indian slab’s deep subduction in the west down to the lower mantle. The occurrence of deep earthquakes under the Japan Sea and the East Asia margin may be related to a metastable olivine wedge in the subducting Pacific slab. The stagnant slab finally collapses down to the bottom of the mantle, which may trigger upwelling of hot mantle materials from the lower mantle to the shallow mantle beneath the subducting slabs and cause the slab–plume interactions. Some of these issues, such as the origin of intraplate magmatism, are still controversial, and so further detailed studies are needed from now.     

An overview of electrical conductivity structures of the crust and upper mantle beneath the northwestern Pacific,the Japanese Islands,and continental East Asia

This article reviews the electrical conductivity structures of the oceanic upper mantle, subduction zones, and the mantle transition zone beneath the northwestern Pacific, the Japanese Islands, and continental East Asia, which have particularly large potential of water circulation in the global upper mantle. The oceanic upper mantle consists of an electrically resistive lid and a conductive layer underlying the lid. The depth of the top of the conductive layer is related to lithospheric cooling in the older mantle, whereas it is attributable to the difference in water distribution beneath the vicinity of the seafloor spreading-axis. The location of a lower crustal conductor in a subduction zone changes according to the subduction type. The difference can be explained by the characteristic dehydration from the subducting slab in each subduction zone and by advection from the backarc spreading. The latest one-dimensional electrical conductivity model of the mantle transition zone beneath the Pacific Ocean predicts values of 0.1–1.0 S/m. These values support a considerably dry oceanic mantle transition zone. However, one-dimensional electrical profiles may not be representative of the mantle transition zone there, since there exists a three-dimensional structure caused by the stagnant slab. Three-dimensional electromagnetic modeling should be made in future studies.     

The westward lithospheric drift,its role on the subduction and transform zones surrounding Americas:Andean to cordilleran orogenic types cyclicity

We investigate the effect of the westerly rotation of the lithosphere on the active margins that surround the Americas and find good correlations between the inferred easterly-directed mantle counterflow and the main structural grain and kinematics of the Andes and Sandwich arc slabs.In the Andes,the subduction zone is shallow and with low dip,because the mantle flow sustains the slab;the subduction hinge converges relative to the upper plate and generates an uplifting doubly verging orogen.The Sandwich Arc is generated by a westerly-directed SAM(South American) plate subduction where the eastward mantle flow is steepening and retreating the subduction zone.In this context,the slab hinge is retreating relative to the upper plate,generating the backarc basin and a low bathymetry single-verging accretionary prism.In Central America,the Caribbean plate presents a more complex scenario:(a) To the East,the Antilles Arc is generated by westerly directed subduction of the SAM plate,where the eastward mantle flow is steepening and retreating the subduction zone.(b) To the West,the Middle America Trench and Arc are generated by the easterly-directed subduction of the Cocos plate,where the shallow subduction caused by eastward mantle flow in its northern segment gradually steepens to the southern segment as it is infered by the preexisting westerly-directed subduction of the Caribbean Plateau.In the frame of the westerly lithospheric flow,the subduction of a divergent active ridge plays the role of introducing a change in the oceanic/continental plate's convergence angle,such as in NAM(North American)plate with the collision with the Pacific/Farallon active ridge in the Neogene(Cordilleran orogenic type scenario).The easterly mantle drift sustains strong plate coupling along NAM,showing at Juan de Fuca easterly subducting microplate that the subduction hinge advances relative to the upper plate.This lower/upper plate convergence coupling also applies along strike to the neighbor continental strike slip fault systems where subduction was terminated(San Andreas and Queen Charlotte).The lower/upper plate convergence coupling enables the capture of the continental plate ribbons of Baja California and Yakutat terrane by the Pacific oceanic plate,transporting them along the strike slip fault systems as para-autochthonous terranes.This Cordilleran orogenic type scenario,is also recorded in SAM following the collision with the Aluk/Farallon active ridge in the Paleogene,segmenting SAM margin into the eastwardly subducting Tupac Amaru microplate intercalated between the proto-LiquineOfqui and Atacama strike slip fault systems,where subduction was terminated and para-autochthonous terranes transported.In the Neogene,the convergence of Nazca plate with respect to SAM reinstalls subduction and the present Andean orogenic type scenario.     

Geodynamic Background of the Mesozoic Intracontinental Magmatism in Southeast China

The authors have proposed a dynamic model in this paper based on the ages,rock series and associations,Sr-Nd isotopic signatures of the Mesozoic intracontinental magmatism overlying the Cathaysian and Yangtze blocks.The model describes the relation of intracontinental collision and subduction in the Tethyan tectonic regie with Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate sudbuction-strike slip-extension in the Pacific tectonic regime.During 220-150Ma,the horizontal collision between the North China block and the Yangtze block,as well as the intracontinental subduction of some divergent microcontinental terranes in the southwestern part of South China are ascribed to the influence of the Tethyan tectonic regime,giving rise to a volume of high-Isr and low-εNd(t) S-type granites only in the Cathaysian Block.During 145-90Ma,under the geodynamic backgound of subduction-strike slip-extension of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate on the basis of the deep tectonic process in the Tethyan tectonic regime,high-K,alkalirich calc-alkaline and shoshonitic volcano-plutonic complexes were generated in the Yangtze block,and high-K calc-alkalic and bimodal volcano-plutonic complexes were generated in the Cathaysian block.The occurrence of A-type peralkaline granites in the coastal areas of South east China indicates the end of Mesozoic intracontinental magmatism.     

Horizontal inhomogeneities in the upper mantle of the carpathians and caucasus

The travel-times of waves coming from distant earthquakes, recorded by seismological stations in the Carpathians and the Caucasus were used to construct a model of horizontal inhomogeneities in the upper layer of the mantle in these regions. In comparison with the adjoining platform, the East Carpathians are characterized by higher velocity, the South Carpathians and the Carpathian foredeep by lower velocity, while the West Carpathians have a velocity similar to that of the platform. The Vrinci earthquakes originate in the high-velocity block of the East Carpathians, at its boundary with the low-velocity block of the South Carpathians. The Caucasian territory can be divided into several different mantle blocks. The western part of the Great Caucasus has a higher velocity. A submeridional belt of low velocities, extending west of the line Piatigorsk—Tiflis, has been determined; the belt passes through the Stavropol part of the Great Caucasus, the Transcaucasian central massif and part of the Little Caucasus. More to the east there extends a parallel belt of greater velocities, which also intersects a series of different structures. In the East Caucasus, a low-velocity block has been established in the Caucasian foredeep and the Great Caucasus regions; the boundary between this block and a high-velocity block lying west of it passes through the Caspian Sea.The mantle earthquakes of 1935 occurring NE of Derbent seem to be connected with this boundary. The low-velocity region of the mantle also exists in the Caspian Sea, in the vicinity of the Apsheron Peninsula. A relationship between the determined velocity variations and other geophysical fields has been discussed; some known gravity anomalies in the Caucasus, interpreted as being connected with the earth's crust, are believed to be due to the vertical inhomogeneities of density in the upper mantle.     

利用体波层析成像技术研究欧亚及邻区地幔三维速度结构

根据体波层析成像技术,利用大量走时数据,做出0°～180°E,30°S～90°S范围内0～2889km深的三维速度分布图像,得到欧亚地区局部区域岩石圈及地幔的高分辨率速度结构,并从地球动力学角度出发对这些成像结果做进一步解释。     

东亚西太平洋巨型裂谷体系岩石圈与软流圈结构及动力学

笔者根据地震面波层析成像结果，对欧亚大陆及西太平洋岩石圈和软流圈速度结构进行了研究，发现东亚至西太平洋间存在一巨型低速异常带，结合构造地质学、地幔岩石学、地球化学及其他地球物理特性的研究，确认该区存在巨型裂谷体系。该巨型裂谷体系的岩石圈和软流圈三维Vs速度结构与太平洋洋中脊、大西洋洋中脊和印度洋洋中脊及其邻区的岩石圈和软流圈地震Vs速度结构十分相似，而与东太平洋边缘现代板块俯冲带的岩石圈与软流圈Vs速度结构有显著差异。在进一步论述该区动力学特征后认为，该巨型裂谷体系是中生代中晚期以来岩石圈整体主动伸展变形，大型裂陷盆地形成，岩石圈强烈拆沉减薄，以及软流圈物质上涌加热引起的。边缘海是在大陆裂谷系形成基础上发展起来的，主导扩张期为中渐新世至中中新世（32－13Ma），这些边缘海在17－15Ma后停止扩张，因而未能将所有边缘海和洋中脊联通。据此划分出4期构造变形动力学演化阶段，现今东亚至西太平洋间大陆裂谷、边缘海与沟弧体系是新生代中晚期以来，邻区各板块构造相互作用叠加的结果。     

Mantle dynamics and mantle melting beneath Niuafo’ou Island and the northern Lau back-arc basin

A suite of young volcanic basaltic lavas erupted on the intra-plate island of Niuafo’ou and at active rifts and spreading centres (the King’s Triple Junction and the Northeastern Lau Spreading Centre) in the northern Lau Basin is used to examine the pattern of mantle flow and the dynamics of melting beneath this complex back-arc system. All lavas contain variable amounts of a subduction related component inherited from the Tonga subduction zone to the east. All lavas have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and more radiogenic Pb isotope compositions than basalts erupted at the Central Lau Spreading Centre in the central Lau Basin, and are interpreted as variable mixtures of subduction-modified, depleted upper mantle, and mantle residues derived from melting beneath the Samoan Islands which has leaked through a tear in the subducting Pacific Plate beneath the Vitiaz Lineament at the northern edge of the Lau Basin. Our data can be used to map out the present-day distribution of Samoan mantle in this region, and show that it influences the compositions of lavas erupted as far as 400 km from the Samoan Islands. The distribution of Samoan-influenced lavas implies south- and southwest-wards mantle flow rates of >4 cm/year. U-series disequilibria in historic Niuafo’ou lavas have average (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) = 1.13, (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) = 2.17, (²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th) = 2.11, and together with major and trace element data require ∼5% partial melting of mantle at between 2 and 3 GPa, with a residual porosity of 0.002 and an upwelling rate of 1 cm year⁻¹. We suggest that intraplate magmatism in the northern Lau Basin results from decompression melting during southward flow of mantle from beneath old (110–120 Ma), relatively thick Pacific oceanic lithosphere to beneath young (<5 Ma), thinner oceanic lithosphere beneath the northern Lau Basin.     

南海的右行陆缘裂解成因

南海成果是西太平洋边缘海动力学研究的重要部分,也关系到特提期,环太平洋两大超级会聚带的相互作用,是国内外地学界长期研究的热点问题。西太平洋边缘海内带,尤其是日本海和南海在形成时代,海盆形态和海底地貌,海底扩张的多轴,多阶段,由东向西扩展特征,岩石圈地幔的地球化学异常等方面具有共同特征,可能在成因上也相似,南海的海盆的楔形的楔形形状,海底扩张及陆架盆地的断陷的由北向南发展和自东向西推进的特征,地壳伸展减薄和海底扩张程度的由东向西减弱都可用尖端向西的“剪刀模型”来描述,即南海的张开是近南北向右行剪切力作用下东亚陆缘发生裂解的结果。南海张开的同时在海盆内及其西缘印支半岛上发育大量近南北向右行走滑断裂,表明当时存在区域性的近南北向右行剪切应力,而在其东缘现在看不到大型近南北向右行走滑断裂,可能是在中中新世以后受从赤道附近近滑移北上并沿马尼拉海沟仰冲的菲律宾群岛所破坏的结果。晚中生代以来,在西太平洋构造域,特提斯构造域西段（印度）及东段（澳大利亚）先后发生了朝欧亚大陆的,不同方向和速度的会聚。在这三大作用的复合和竞争的动力学背景下,东亚陆缘发生了有地幔参加传动的“超级剪切”,其应力场经历了左行压扭体制和右行张扭体制交替的阶段性变化,正是在特提斯构造域西段的会聚起主导作用的阶段,东亚陆缘在右行张扭应力场作用下发生裂解,形成了南海和其他内带边缘海。     

Two-dimensional numerical modeling of tectonic and metamorphic histories at active continental margins

The evolution of an active continental margin is simulated in two dimensions, using a finite difference thermomechanical code with half-staggered grid and marker-in-cell technique. The effect of mechanical properties, changing as a function of P and T, assigned to different crustal layers and mantle materials in the simple starting structure is discussed for a set of numerical models. For each model, representative P–T paths are displayed for selected markers. Both the intensity of subduction erosion and the size of the frontal accretionary wedge are strongly dependent on the rheology chosen for the overriding continental crust. Tectonically eroded upper and lower continental crust is carried down to form a broad orogenic wedge, intermingling with detached oceanic crust and sediments from the subducted plate and hydrated mantle material from the overriding plate. A small portion of the continental crust and trench sediments is carried further down into a narrow subduction channel, intermingling with oceanic crust and hydrated mantle material, and to some extent extruded to the rear of the orogenic wedge underplating the overriding continental crust. The exhumation rates for (ultra)high pressure rocks can exceed subduction and burial rates by a factor of 1.5–3, when forced return flow in the hanging wall portion of the self-organizing subduction channel is focused. The simulations suggest that a minimum rate of subduction is required for the formation of a subduction channel, because buoyancy forces may outweigh drag forces for slow subduction. For a weak upper continental crust, simulated by a high pore pressure coefficient in the brittle regime, the orogenic wedge and megascale melange reach a mid- to upper-crustal position within 10–20 Myr (after 400–600 km of subduction). For a strong upper crust, a continental lid persists over the entire time span covered by the simulation. The structural pattern is similar in all cases, with four zones from trench toward arc: (a) an accretionary complex of low-grade metamorphic sedimentary material; (b) a wedge of mainly continental crust, with medium-grade HP metamorphic overprint, wound up and stretched in a marble cake fashion to appear as nappes with alternating upper and lower crustal provenance, and minor oceanic or hydrated mantle interleaved material; (c) a megascale melange composed of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic oceanic and continental crust, and hydrated mantle, all extruded from the subduction channel; (d) zone represents the upward tilted frontal part of the remaining upper plate lid in the case of a weak upper crust. The shape of the P–T paths and the time scales correspond to those typically recorded in orogenic belts. Comparison of the numerical results with the European Alps reveals some similarities in their gross structural and metamorphic pattern exposed after collision. A similar structure may be developed at depth beneath the forearc of the Andes, where the importance of subduction erosion is well documented, and where a strong upper crust forms a stable lid.     

欧亚大陆及边缘海岩石圈的结构特性

从地球层块结构的研究思路出发,运用构造解析的理论和方法,对东亚及西太平洋地区人工地震测深和天然地震面波层析成像进行构造解析,发现岩石圈中下部存在形态各异、大小不等的高速块体,结合地质学、地球化学及其他地球物理学标志的综合研究将其称为幔块构造,高速块体或幔块构造是控制东亚西太平洋岩石圈构造格局和岩石圈表层构造变形最基本条件之一。在系统研究该区岩石圈高速块体或幔块构造三维几何结构基础上,建立起东亚西太平洋岩石圈八种三维几何结构型式:克拉通陆根状结构、高原陆根状结构、造山带楔状结构、碎块状结构、香肠状结构、哑铃状结构、藕节状结构和板状结构,以及岩石圈形成与构造演化四种构造类型:克拉通型岩石圈、增厚型岩石圈、减薄型岩石圈和大洋型岩石圈。文章在详细论述岩石圈各结构构造类基本特征的基础上,认为全球最大的青藏高原具有增厚型岩石圈特性,存在大陆根,并且大陆根正在增厚过程中;地震层析成像显示,研究区存在全球最大的东亚大陆巨型裂谷体系,具有减薄型岩石圈特性,新生代晚期东亚大陆巨型裂谷体系被西太平洋沟弧盆体系叠加与改造。根据岩石圈三维结构型式,探讨了岩石圈形成机制与演化模式,东亚大陆边缘岩石圈大规模伸展拆沉减薄作用以及软流圈和地幔物质上涌加热作用与青藏高原岩石圈大规模俯冲碰撞?入增厚作用是东亚大陆及边缘海晚中生代以来地幔动力学最基本的表现型式,从而形成全球最大的青藏高原和全球最大的东亚大陆巨型裂谷体系。     

热与克拉通破坏

大陆克拉通是地球表面上相对稳定的构造单元。从地热学的角度考虑,克拉通岩石圈的稳定意味着地表热流等于对流地幔岩石圈底部提供的热流加上岩石圈内部由放射性衰变产生的热量。太古代稳定克拉通一般具有冷的地热特征,且处于热平衡状态。打破克拉通热平衡的因素有多种,如岩石圈地幔的放射性生热、来自深部的地幔柱、板块俯冲等。华北是全球古老克拉通遭受破坏最明显和最典型的地区,其破坏与中生代太平洋板块向东亚的深俯冲密切相关。古太平洋板块快速俯冲并停滞在地幔转换带脱水、形成宽约1 000 km的低粘大地幔楔,导致地幔对流增强。在活跃地幔对流的热侵蚀与橄榄岩-熔体相互作用共同作用下,华北克拉通在中生代期间迅速减薄。经过中生代加热减薄的华北克拉通岩石圈强度显著变弱,在俯冲板块后撤作用下,岩石圈拉张并进一步减薄,地表热流升高。华北克拉通破坏是一个漫长的历程,期间大地热流的演化特征呈现出由中生代以前的低值演化至新生代的高值再过渡到现今的中等状态（接近全球大陆平均值）。     

The ‘subduction initiation rule’: a key for linking ophiolites,intra-oceanic forearcs,and subduction initiation

We establish the ‘subduction initiation rule’ (SIR) which predicts that most ophiolites form during subduction initiation (SI) and that the diagnostic magmatic chemostratigraphic progression for SIR ophiolites is from less to more HFSE-depleted and LILE-enriched compositions. This chemostratigraphic evolution reflects formation of what ultimately becomes forearc lithosphere as a result of mantle melting that is progressively influenced by subduction zone enrichment during SI. The magmatic chemostratigraphic progression for the Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) forearc and most Tethyan ophiolites is specifically from MORB-like to arc-like (volcanic arc basalts or VAB ± boninites or BON) because SI progressed until establishment of a mature subduction zone. MORB-like lavas result from decompression melting of upwelling asthenosphere and are the first magmatic expression of SI. The contribution of fluids from dehydrating oceanic crust and sediments on the sinking slab is negligible in early SI, but continued melting results in a depleted, harzburgitic residue that is progressively metasomatized by fluids from the sinking slab; subsequent partial melting of this residue yields ‘typical’ SSZ-like lavas in the latter stages of SI. If SI is arrested early, e.g., as a result of collision, ‘MORB-only’ ophiolites might be expected. Consequently, MORB- and SSZ-only ophiolites may represent end-members of the SI ophiolite spectrum. The chemostratigraphic similarity of the Mariana forearc with that of ophiolites that follow the SIR intimates that a model linking such ophiolites, oceanic forearcs, and SI is globally applicable.     

全球超大型斑岩铜矿浅析

燕山-喜马拉雅期构造运动,引起印度板块与欧亚板块剧烈碰撞、太平洋板块向东俯冲与美洲大陆向西漂移,产生了"加厚旋涌"效应,即下地壳的加厚并深插上地幔软流圈,改变了软流圈运动方式而上涌,伴随强烈的岩浆活动和成矿物质上涌,完成了大规模成矿作用,在特提斯-喜马拉雅地区和太平洋东部边缘产出世界级超大型斑岩铜矿系列.初步提出太平洋东部边缘成矿作用明显超过特提斯-喜马拉雅地区原因.