Monteregian Hills I. Petrography, Major and Trace Element Geochemistry, and Strontium Isotopic Chemistry of The Western Intrusions: Mounts Royal, St. Bruno, and Johnson

The Monteregian Hills petrographic province of southwesternQuebec, Canada, consists of a series of alkaline intrusionsemplaced along faults associated with the St. Lawrence graben.The intrusions are crudely cylindrical in shape, show verticalcontacts, and apparently extend to great depths. Where observed,igneous foliation is generally steeply dipping. The western intrusions consist of two petrographically distinctgroups. One group is composed of slightly undersaturated tocritically saturated pyroxenites and gabbros, largely of cumulateorigin, and associated slightly quartz-saturated syenites. Thesecond group is composed of strongly to moderately undersaturateddiorites, monzonites, and syenites which contain significantamounts of feldspathoidal minerals. The Oka carbonatite complexbelongs to the latter group. Available age data indicate that these two petrographic groupsrepresent separate periods of igneous activity. The slightlyundersaturated to critically saturated series has a mean ageof 136 Ma, while the strongly to moderately undersaturated serieshas a mean age of 118 Ma. Mounts Royal and St. Bruno are largely composed of gabbros andpyroxenites which belong to the slightly undersaturated to criticallysaturated series. These units consist of variable amounts ofcumulus pyroxene and olivine and intercumulus minerals. Someof the finer-grained gabbros approximate liquid compositions.Major and trace element rock and mineral chemistry demonstratethat the evolution of these magmas was largely controlled bypyroxene and olivine fractionation, with plagioclase appearingon the liquidus late in the crystallization history. The quartz-bearingsyenites at Mt. St. Bruno represent a late stage differentiatewhich was contaminated by siliceous crustal material. The strongly to moderately undersaturated series is representedby the essexites and pulaskites at Mount Johnson and the nepheline-bearingdiorites and feldspathoidal monzonites and syenites at MountRoyal. The petrogenetic relationships between these rocks arecomplex and apparently involve a number of processes includingliquid immiscibility, contamination, and alkali transport. Low initial Sr isotope ratios (0.7032 to 0.7035) for both ofthese rock series indicate a mantle origin. Calculated initialmelts are alkali picrites for the slightly undersaturated tocritically saturated series and basanites for the strongly tomoderately undersaturated series. The alkali picrites can beproduced by an 8 per cent melt of a light rare-earth enrichedgarnet lherzolite source. The basanites require a much morelimited degree of melting (1–2 per cent) of a spinel lherzolitesource. In the case of the basanites, CO₂ may have played animportant role in determining the nepheline-normative characterof the magmas.     

Chronology and tectonic implications of Neoproterozoic blocks in the South Qinling Orogenic Belt,Central China

The Qinling Orogenic Belt (QOB) located between the North China Craton (NCC) and the Yangtze Craton (YZC) is composed of the North Qinling Belt (NQB), the South Qinling Belt (SQB) and the northern margin of the YZC. Detailed geological and geochronological investigations have revealed distinct Neoproterozoic blocks of various scales in the middle and western segments of the SQB, including the Madao block (MDB), Mihunzhen intrusion (MHI), Zhenggou block (ZGB), and Lengshuigou block (LSB) which constitute an east-west trending Neoproterozoic uplift zone of the basement continental blocks. These blocks are mainly composed of four lithological groups. Group #1 consists mainly of diorites in the LSB, the zircons from which yield a weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/ ²³⁸U age of ca. 941 Ma. Group #2 is chiefly composed of hornblende gabbros and diorites in the MHI and LSB, which were formed at ca. 885 Ma. Group #3 comprises massive diorites, quartz diorite, tonalites, granodiorites, and monzogranites in the MDB, MHI, ZGB and LSB, which were emplaced during ca. 785–740 Ma. Group #4 is composed of hornblende gabbros with an emplacement age of ca. 667 Ma in the ZGB.Detailed whole-rock geochemical and zircon Hf isotopic studies reveal the following: (1) The diorites of Group #1 were produced by partial melting of depleted mantle which was enriched by slab-derived melts, with the parental magmas contaminated by crustal materials. (2) The gabbros of Group #2 were derived from the partial melting of depleted mantle enriched by slab-derived melts and the diorites are the fractional crystallization products of the gabbroic magmas. (3) Group #3 which can be further sub-divided based on lithological assemblages and zircon Hf isotopic features into two subgroups, one representing massive diorites, quartz diorite, tonalites, granodiorites, and monzogranites (DTGMs) and the other composed of gneissic quartz diorites and granodiorites. Among these, the DTGMs were derived through magma mixing between melts derived from the depleted mantle wedge altered by slab-derived fluids and melts from juvenile sources, which subsequently underwent amphibole-dominated fractionation, whereas the gneissic granitoids formed through partial melting of thickened lower crust contaminated by depleted mantle melts. (4) The gabbros of Group #4 originated from a depleted lithospheric mantle that was enriched by slab-derived melts and fluids with contribution of asthenospheric mantle-derived materials. In conjunction with data from previous studies on the Neoproterozoic blocks in the SQB and basement blocks in the northern margin of the YZC, our new geological, geochronological and geochemical data suggest a large Neoproterozoic uplift zone in the SQB, which was destructed by Paleozoic to Mesozoic magmatism and deformation. The Neoproterozoic uplift zone of the SQB might have been separated from the northern margin of the YZC during the formation of the Mianlue Ocean, and might have evolved under an active continental margin setting and subsequent continental rift setting accompanied by significant crustal growth. The magmatism also resulted in the formation of important Neoproterozoic ore deposits and supplied the material sources for some of the major Mesozoic ore deposits.     

High-resolution 40Ar/39Ar chronology of multiple intrusion igneous complexes

The Mount Brome complex of the Monteregian province of southern Quebec, Canada, consits of several major intrusions ranging compositionally from gabbro to syenite. The relative ages of these intrusives have been investigated with high-resolution ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analyses, including a specially designed irradiation configuration to cancel the effects of fluence gradients. Small yet distinct apparent age differences are observed. While a number of analytical and geological factors could be proposed to explain the small variations, evaluation of these suggests the age differences reflect those in emplacement times. The gabbro and nepheline diorite were emplaced within a short span 123.1 Ma ago. Generally more evolved lithologies (biotite monzodiorite, pulaskite, nordmarkite) appear to have been emplaced within a restricted interval 1.4±0.3 Ma later. Whole-rock Rb-Sr systematics do not give acceptable isochrons because of significant scatter interpreted to reflect initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr heterogeneities resulting from crustal contamination. Considering the variations in initial ratio, the Rb-Sr data are consistent with the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age.     

The Ballachulish Igneous Complex, Scotland: Petrography, Mineral Chemistry, and Order of Crystallization in the Monzodiorite-Quartz Diorite Suite and in the Granite

The igneous complex of Ballachulish is a composite calc-alkalinepluton of Caledonian age (412 ? 28 Ma), emplaced in Dalradianmetasediments at a pressure of 3 ? 0–5 kb (c. 10 km depth).The 4 by 7 km intrusion is composed of a zoned monzodiorite-quartzdiorite envelope with a distinct flowand deformation-foliation,surrounding a younger core of porphyritic granite. Two-pyroxene thermometry, Fe-Ti oxide thermobarometry, and stabilityrelationships of ternary feldspars, biotite, and amphibolesare used to calibrate the 3 kb isobaric crystallization sequencewith respect to the following parameters: the fractionationstage of the host rocks, the water content of the magmas, phasecompositions, and oxygen fugacity. Plagioclase, augite, andoxides generally yielded submagmatic temperatures due to theextensive recrystallization and re-equilibration of these phasesin the 900–l550?C subsolidus range. The ‘dry’monzodiorites apparently contained less than 1 wt. % initialmagmatic water, and remained H₂O-deficient and vapor-absentthroughout their entire crystallization range. In contrast,2.5–3 wt.% initial H₂O is estimated for the more fractionatedquartz diorites and the younger granites. The main crystallizationinterval for Opx–Cpx–Plg primocrysts in the dioritescovers c. 1100–950?C. Late-magmatic biotite and alkalifeldspar join the paragenetic sequence below 980?860?C, at fO₂near NNO. A solidus temperature of c. 900?C is inferred forthis ‘dry’ system, in which amphiboles are entirelysubsolidus. At the present level of emplacement, crystallizationintervals of {small tilde} 1050–690?C and{small tilde}900–680?C are suggested for the quartz diorites and thegranites, which probably terminated crystallization in the presenceof a hydrous fluid.     

Provenance and Magmatic-Metamorphic Evolution of a Variscan Island-Arc Complex: Constraints from U-Pb Dating, Petrology, and Geospeedometry of the Kyffhauser Crystalline Complex, Central Germany

The Kyffhäuser Crystalline Complex, Central Germany, formspart of the Mid-German Crystalline Rise, which is assumed torepresent the Variscan collision zone between the East Avalonianterrane and the Armorican terrane assemblage. High-precisionU–Pb zircon and monazite dating indicates that sedimentaryrocks of the Kyffhäuser Crystalline Complex are youngerthan c. 470 Ma and were intruded by gabbros and diorites between345 ± 4 and 340 ± 1 Ma. These intrusions had magmatictemperatures between 850 and 900°C, and caused a contactmetamorphic overprint of the sediments at P–T conditionsof 690–750°C and 5–7 kbar, corresponding toan intrusion depth of 19–25 km. At 337 ± 1 Ma themagmatic–metamorphic suite was intruded by granites, syenitesand diorites at a shallow crustal level of some 7–11 km.This is inferred from a diorite, and conforms to P–T pathsobtained from the metasediments, indicating a nearly isothermaldecompression from 5–7 to 2–4 kbar at 690–750°C.Subsequently, the metamorphic–magmatic sequence underwentaccelerated cooling to below 400°C, as constrained by garnetgeospeedometry and a previously published K–Ar muscoviteage of 333 ± 7 Ma. With respect to P–T–D–tdata from surrounding units, rapid exhumation of the KCC canbe interpreted to result from NW-directed crustal shorteningduring the Viséan. KEY WORDS: contact metamorphism; U–Pb dating; hornblende; garnet; Mid-German Crystalline Rise; P–T pseudosection     

Composition,age and origin of two proterozoic diorite—tonalite complexes in the Arabian shield

Large amounts of diorite—tonalite magma were intruded into the island-arc successions of the southern Arabian shield between ca. 900 and 700 Ma ago. Major oxide, trace element, rare earth (REE) and isotopic data are presented for two plutons exemplifying older and younger members of this plutonic phase. The Thurrat pluton, which was emplaced into virtually unmetamorphosed volcanics of sequence B, has yielded a 10-point Rb-Sr isochron indicating emplacement 744 ± 22 Ma ago and an initial ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ ratio of 0.70281. It consists of gabbros, diorites, quartz diorites, tonalites and low-Al₂O₃ trondhjemites which are compositionally primitive, with depleted lithophile element contents and flat REE patterns with a negative Eu anomaly in the trondhjemites. The magma was most probably mantle-derived, and analogies with other trondhjemitic plutons suggest that it was probably emplaced in an island-arc setting. The Bidah pluton, which was emplaced into a compositionally very immature succession of metamorphosed volcanics and volcaniclastics of sequence C, has yielded a nine-point near-isochron (MSWD = 2.86) indicating an age of 901 ± 37Ma and an initial ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ ratio of 0.70246. This date is accepted as the age of emplacement. The rocks are compositionally primitive gabbros, diorites, quartz diorites, tonalites and granodiorites with depleted lithophile element contents, and flat REE patterns with a negative Eu anomaly in the more siliceous components. The country-rock volcanics were formed in an immature island-arc environment, and the composition of the Bidah pluton is suggestive of a mainly mantle-derived magma emplaced into that arc. The data for these two plutons therefore provide further evidence that most of the rock material added to the Arabian shield between 900 and 700 Ma ago was derived from the mantle.     

Metamorphism in oceanic layer 3, Gorringe Bank,eastern Atlantic

Gorringe Bank is an anomalously high structure of the eastern part of the north Atlantic, which was known to be composed of mantle-derived peridotites (layer 4) and gabbros (layer 3). During the submersible cruise CYAGOR II in 1981, the contact between layer 4 and layer 3 was observed on Mount Gettysburg and interpreted as tectonic. The overlying series of gabbro was extensively sampled on both mounts composing the bank, Gettysburg and Ormonde. Coarse-grained to pegmatoid clinopyroxene gabbros predominate and are associated with differentiated rocks (ferrogabbros and diorites). Cumulate gabbros are missing. The gabbroic section sampled is therefore interpreted as the upper part of the plutonic section. Most samples were strongly recrystallized during two distinct events. Metamorphism occurred close to the ridge axis, from interaction of a seawater-derived fluid with still hot gabbros. High temperature shear zones favoured fluid circulation, but the water/rock ratio — estimated from the sodium input — was very small in undeformed rocks (<1). The low W/R ratio explains the strong evolution of the fluid phase and therefore some particular compositions of secondary minerals. Low temperature alteration occurred when the gabbros were tectonically emplaced close to the sea bottom.     

Open-System, Sub-Volcanic Magmatic Evolution: Constraints on the Petrogenesis of the Mount Brome Alkaline Complex, Canada

The Mount Brome alkaline complex of southern Quebec (Canada)comprises gabbroic to silica-oversaturated and -undersaturatedfelsic rocks which have variable initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Ndratios: 0.70345–0.70431 and 0.51270–0.51258, respectively,in mafic lithologies (gabbro, nepheline diorite, and biotitemonzodiorite); 0.70353–0.70403 and 0.51270–0.51263in silica-undersaturated felsic units (pulaskite and nephelinesyenite); and 0.7051–0.7115 and 0.51262–0.51259in silica-oversaturated nordmarkite. Negatively correlated ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Srvs. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd trends for the various rock types appear toconverge at the composition ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70345 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd= 0.51270 (_Nd = 4.3). This suggests that all rock types sharea common parental magma composition, either through derivationfrom a single batch of liquid, or (more probably) through twoepisodes of melting of the same depleted mantle source region.Delta ¹⁸O ranges from + 5.5 to + 8% and is broadly correlatedwith radiogenic isotopes and bulk composition. Isotopic, and major and trace element compositions suggest thatfractional crystallization (FC) of the parental magma at deeplevels produced evolved magmas, apparently without significantcrustal contamination [FC without assimilation (A)]. Duringascent and emplacement into the upper crust, these magmas thenevolved by simultaneous crystal fractionation and country-rockassimilation (AFC). Within both basic and felsic rocks thereis a clear relationship between silica saturation and degreeof contamination. Indeed, the oversaturated nordmarkites owetheir origin to assimilation of siliceous country rocks by acritically undersaturated magma. More generally, it seems likelythat this type of process is the normal mode of origin for coexistingquartz and nepheline syenites in many sub-volcanic alkalineigneous complexes. Additionally, such complexes would be likelyto develop by punctuated FC and AFC processes throughout theirpetrogenetic history.     

Some implications of xenolith glasses for the mantle sources of alkaline mafic magmas

The assumption that mafic alkaline magmas are derived from mantle sources with a lherzolite mineralogy has become entrenched in the petrologic literature. Although it is commonly assumed that highly alkaline magmas require metasomatised mantle sources, there is little understanding of the spatial relation of such sources with respect to those of associated more Si-rich transitional magmas. Glasses developed in mantle xenoliths represent natural experiments which may provide some insight on this problem. Highly silica undersaturated glasses developed in the amphibole-garnet clinopyroxenite portion of a composite xenolith from Nunivak Island, Alaska, become quartz normative where they penetrate adjacent spinel lherzolite. A comparison of glass compositions in mantle pyroxenite and lherzolite xenoliths reveals that glasses developed in amphibole pyroxenite xenoliths are in general more silica undersaturated than those in lherzolite xenoliths. This suggests that some highly silica undersaturated magmas such as nephelinites may in fact be derived by the preferential melting of amphibole or amphibole-garnet pyroxenite veins and that the spectrum from nephelinite to transitional alkaline basalt that characterizes many individual alkaline volcanic suites is produced by mixing with melt derived from the host lherzolite as the degree of partial melting increases.     

南秦岭迷魂阵岩体LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年代学和Lu-Hf同位素特征

位于陕西省的姜家沟-磨沟峡-小岭镇地区的迷魂阵岩体,为南秦岭构造带中一个古老地块内的深成侵入体。该岩体主要由闪长岩、石英闪长岩和花岗闪长岩组成。根据野外地质关系和LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb定年结果,可将迷魂阵岩体的岩浆作用分为两个阶段:早期岩浆作用阶段主要形成闪长岩,其侵位时代为885±4Ma;晚期岩浆阶段主要形成石英闪长岩-花岗闪长岩,其侵位时代为~737±4Ma。定年锆石原位Lu-Hf同位素分析揭示早期闪长质岩浆主要形成于亏损地幔的部分熔融,晚期石英闪长岩-花岗闪长岩岩浆主要来源于早期闪长质岩浆的结晶分异,并经历了地壳物质的混染或者壳幔岩浆混合作用。     

Subduction-related shoshonitic and ultrapotassic magmatism: a study of Siluro-Ordovician syenites from the Scottish Caledonides

Syenites are important or predominant components of several plutonic complexes, emplaced between 456 and 415 Ma along the NW margin of the Caledonian orogenic belt, adjacent to the Lewisian foreland, in W and NW Scotland. Although there are, in detail, chemical differences between the syenites from each centre, they form a well-defined compositional group overall. Ratios amongst their trace elements (especially very high values of La/Nb) are quite different from those trachytes and syenites formed by fractional crystallisation of ocean-island basalts and their continental equivalents, emplaced in regions of anorogenic crustal tension. Instead, the Scottish Caledonian syenites closely resemble chemically the fractional-crystallisation residua of potassic subduction-related magmas, such as the shoshonitic series. A comendite minor intrusion from a swarm associated with the Loch Borralan and Loch Ailsh syenitic complexes is remarkably similar in composition to Recent obsidian from the shoshonitic volcano of Lipari, in the Aeolian Arc. Published Sr- and Pb-isotopic ratios preclude a significant component of either upper (Proterozoic Moine schists) or lower crust (granulite-facies Archaean Lewisian or Proterozoic Grenvillian gneisses) in all these syenites, except in local syenitic facies of the Glenelg-Ratagain complex. Fractional crystallisation appears to be the mechanism by which the liquids which formed these syenites evolved from basic parental magmas. The phases involved in this process may have included plagioclase, alkali feldspar, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite, garnet, Fe-Ti oxide, sphene, allanite, apatite, zircon and zirconolite, and therefore all the ratios amongst even the so-called incompatible elements may have changed during the evolution of the leucocratic magmas. Nevertheless, a detailed study of the Glen Dessarry complex shows that the changes are insufficient to disguise the geochemical nature of the parental magmas. These appear to be picritic shoshonite (MgO> 15%, Ni>400ppm, La/Yb20, La/Nb>5) for the Glen Dessarry, Loch Borralan and Loch Ailsh syenites, and picritic ultrapotassic magmas (MgO>15%, Ni>400 ppm, La/ Yb60, La/Nb>7) — such as would crystallise to minettes — for the Loch Loyal and Glenelg-Ratagain syenites. Mafic shoshonites were erupted amongst the 410 Ma Lome lavas of this region and also occur as widespread approximately-contemporaneous volcanic feeder plugs. Minettes of similar age are also common as dykes in NW Scotland. Numerous large tonalite-granite complexes, with minor diorites and gabbros, were emplaced in W and NW Scotland between 435 and 400 Ma. These are generally acknowledged to be mixtures of magmas from crustal and mantle sources. Their more mafic members show compositional features, such as very high Ba and Sr, which group them with the rare syenites and the Lorne lavas of the same region into a distinctive geochemical province, within which shoshonitic and allied magmas were the mantle-derived component. Two models are presented to account for the generation of strongly-potassic, subduction-related magmas several hundred km behind a NW-directed subduction zone, or during the period immediately following continental collision.     

The Rio Capim volcanic–plutonic–sedimentary belt,São Francisco Craton,Brazil: Geological,geochemical and isotopic evidence for oceanic arc accretion during Palaeoproterozoic continental collision

The collision of oceanic arcs with continents is a common plate tectonic process in the Phanerozoic, but its recognition in the Precambrian is hampered by deformation and metamorphism. The Rio Capim volcanic–plutonic–sedimentary belt lies in sharp tectonic contact with Archaean rocks of the Uauá block in the northern part of the São Francisco craton. Field relationships and high-precision geochronology indicated that the Rio Capim basalts, gabbros, diorites, and dacites were emplaced approximately at 2148–2143 Ma, and later intruded by 2128 Ma-old diorite to tonalite plutons. All rocks were metamorphosed under amphibolite to granulite facies conditions mainly between 2080 Ma and 2070 Ma, but deformation may have lasted until about 2040 Ma as estimated from syn-deformation zircon and titanite grains. The association of basalt, andesite, dacite, and their plutonic counterparts, combined with their positive ε_Nd(t) values and incompatible trace element geochemical signatures similar to island arc magmas, support the proposition that the Rio Capim belt was a Palaeoproteorozoic intra-oceanic arc sequence that collided with a continent, of which the Mesoarchaean Uauá block is a remnant. The implications for the regional evolution and metallogenesis are also discussed.     

Response of zircon to melting and metamorphism in deep arc crust,Fiordland (New Zealand): implications for zircon inheritance in cordilleran granites

The Cretaceous Mount Daniel Complex (MDC) in northern Fiordland, New Zealand was emplaced as a 50 m-thick dyke and sheet complex into an active shear zone at the base of a Cordilleran magmatic arc. It was emplaced below the 20–25 km-thick, 125.3?±?1.3 Ma old Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (WFO) and is characterized by metre-scale sheets of sodic, low and high Sr/Y diorites and granites. 119.3?±?1.2 Ma old, pre-MDC lattice dykes and 117.4?±?3.1 Ma late-MDC lattice dykes constrain the age of the MDC itself. Most dykes were isoclinally folded as they intruded, but crystallised within this deep-crustal, magma-transfer zone as the terrain cooled and was buried from 25 to 50 km (9–14 kbar), based on published P-T estimated from the surrounding country rocks. Zircon grains formed under these magmatic/granulite facies metamorphic conditions were initially characterized by conservatively assigning zircons with oscillatory zoning as igneous and featureless rims as metamorphic, representing 54% of the analysed grains. Further petrological assignment involved additional parameters such as age, morphology, Th/U ratios, REE patterns and Ti-in-zircon temperature estimates. Using this integrative approach, assignment of analysed grains to metamorphic or igneous groupings improved to 98%. A striking feature of the MDC is that only?~?2% of all igneous zircon grains reflect emplacement, so that the zircon cargo was almost entirely inherited, even in dioritic magmas. Metamorphic zircons of MDC show a cooler temperature range of 740–640 °C, reflects the moderate ambient temperature of the lower crust during MDC emplacement. The MDC also provides a cautionary tale: in the absence of robust field and microstructural relations, the igneous-zoned zircon population at 122.1?±?1.3 Ma, derived mostly from inherited zircons of the WFO, would be meaningless in terms of actual magmatic emplacement age of MDC, where the latter is further obscured by younger (ca. 114 Ma) metamorphic overgrowths. Thus, our integrative approach provides the opportunity to discriminate between igneous and metamorphic zircon within deep-crustal complexes. Also, without the tight field relations at Mt Daniel, the scatter beyond a statistically coherent group might be ascribed to the presence of “antecrysts”, but it is clear that the WFO solidified before the MDC was emplaced, and these older “igneous” grains are inherited. The bimodal age range of inherited igneous grains, dominated by ~?125 Ma and 350–320 Ma age clusters, indicate that the adjacent WFO and a Carboniferous metaigneous basement were the main sources of the MDC magmas. Mafic lenses, stretched and highly attenuated into wisps within the MDC and dominated by ~?124 Ma inherited zircons, are considered to be entrained restitic material from the WFO. A comparison with lower- and upper-crustal, high Sr/Y metaluminous granites elsewhere in Fiordland shows that zircon inheritance is common in the deep crust, near the source region, but generally much less so in coeval, shallow magma chambers (plutons). This is consistent with previous modelling on rapid zircon dissolution rates and high Zr saturation concentrations in metaluminous magmas. Accordingly, unless unusual circumstances exist, such as MDC preservation in the deep crust, low temperatures of magma generation, or rapid emplacement and crystallization at higher structural levels, information on zircon inheritance in upper crustal, Cordilleran plutons is lost during zircon dissolution, along with information on the age, nature and variety of the source material. The observation that dioritic magmas can form at these low temperatures (<?750 °C) also suggests that the petrogenesis of mafic rocks in the arc root might need to be re-assessed.     

The petrology of lower crustal xenoliths from the Executive Committee Range, Marie Byrd Land Volcanic Province, West Antarctica

Alkaline magmas from the late-Cenozoic Marie Byrd Land Volcanic Province, West Antarctica, have entrained lithospheric xenoliths which vary from spinel lherzolites to supracrustal rocks. Lower crustal xenoliths have been collected from the Executive Committee Range (Mounts Hampton in the north and Mount Sidley in the south) in central Marie Byrd Land, and their petrological characteristics together with preliminary geochemical data are discussed here. Granulite xenoliths include metaigneous gabbros and norites with varying proportions of clinopyroxene, spinel and either olivine or orthopyroxene. Pyroxenites occur together with granulites, which on the basis of their similar mineral assemblage, texture and composition are considered to be related to the granulites. The composition of xenoliths from Mounts Hampton and Sidley differ (e.g. Mount Sidley xenoliths have Mg# 32–80, are relatively LREE enriched and have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70286–0.70376 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512864–0.512870, whereas Mount Hampton xenoliths have Mg# 68–78, are LREE depleted and have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70420–0.70458 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512771–0.512819), defining a major lateral lower crustal discontinuity beneath the Executive Committee Range. Relict igneous textures and low abundances of incompatible elements indicate that the xenoliths initially formed as cumulates rather than as trapped melts. The xenolith suite differs in composition to the host rocks (Mount Sidley VOLCANICS = ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70300–0.70312 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512814–0.512907) and cannot be co-genetic with them. They are interpreted here to represent the cumulates of mantle melts that evolved by crystal fractionation at lower crustal depths.     

Interaction between mafic and felsic magmas in subvolcanic environment (Tastau igneous complex,eastern Kazakhstan)

The paper reports the results of integrated geological, petrological, geochemical, and geochronological studies of the Tastau igneous ring complex in the Zaisan orogen of eastern Kazakhstan. Interaction between felsic and mafic magmas has been studied. Hybrid rocks are represented by gabbros and diorites injected into a granitic magma chamber. They occur as dikes and pillow-like and globular mafic bodies variously disintegrated and mixed with host granitoids. The age of synplutonic rocks is 242 ± 20 Ma (U/Pb zircon dating), which is, with regard to analytical error, substantially younger than it was presumed.Mechanisms of interaction between felsic and mafic magmas have been studied. They include mechanical (mingling) and chemical (mixing) interaction, which produce composite mixtures and hybrid rocks. The ratios of mafic to felsic components involved in the formation of intermediate rocks were calculated from major elements by regression analysis and tested with regard to rare and trace elements. The model for mingling includes rapid quenching of the mafic melt when it is injected into the granitic magma chamber, decomposition of crystalline fragments, dispersion of fragments and crystals in the magma chamber under conditions of rapid turbulent flow, and enrichment of felsic magma with femic components to produce monzonitic magmas.     

Permian Tectonic Evolution in Southwestern Khanka Massif: Evidence from Zircon U‐Pb Chronology,Hf isotope and Geochemistry of Gabbro and Diorite

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U-Pb dating and geochemical data for the Permian gabbros and diorites in the Hunchun area are presented to constrain the regional tectonic evolution in the study area. Zircons from gabbro and diorite are euhedral-subhedral in shape and display fine-scale oscillatory zoning as well as high Th/U ratios (0.26–1.22), implying their magmatic origin. The dating results indicate that the gabbro and diorite formed in the Early Permian (282±2 Ma) and in the Late Permian (255±3 Ma), respectively. In addition, the captured zircons with the weighted mean age of 279±4 Ma are also found in the diorite, consistent with the formation age of the gabbro within uncertainty. The gabbros belong chemically to low-K tholeiitic series, and are characterized by low rare earth element (REE) abundances, flat REE pattern, weak positive Eu anomalies (δEu), and depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs, Nb, Ta, and Ti), similar to the high-aluminum basalts from island arc setting. Initial Hf isotopic ratios of zircons from the gabbro range from +7.63 to +14.6, suggesting that its primary magma could be mainly derived from partial melting of a depleted lithospheric mantle. The diorites belong to middle K calc-alkaline series. Compared with the gabbros, the diorites have higher REE abundance, weak negative Eu anomalies, and more depletion in HFSEs (Nb, Ta, and Ti), similar chemically to the volcanic rocks from an active continental margin setting. Initial Hf isotopic ratios and Hf two-stage model ages of zircons from the diorite range from +11.22 to +14.17 and from 424 to 692 Ma, respectively, suggesting that its primary magma could be mainly derived from partial melting of the Early Paleozoic and/or Neoproterozoic accretted lower crust. Taken together, it is suggested that geochemical variations from the Early Permian gabbros to the Late Permian diorites reveal that the subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic plate beneath the Khanka Massif and collision between the arc and continent (Khanka Massif) happened in the late stage of the Late Paleozoic.     

扬子地块北缘周庵超镁铁质岩体矿物学特征及其对铜镍矿化的启示

扬子地块北缘~635 Ma周庵超镁铁质岩体是一个新发现的含铜镍硫化物矿化的隐伏岩体,主要由二辉橄榄岩组成。文章通过研究周庵岩体中橄榄石、铬铁矿和辉石的矿物成分变化探讨了岩浆演化过程和含矿岩体成因。根据岩石的矿物组合和蚀变程度,岩体从上到下分为3个部分:上部绿泥石-蛇纹石化二辉橄榄岩相带、中部二辉橄榄岩相带和下部绿泥石-角闪石化二辉橄榄岩相带。根据岩体中部带橄榄石和铬铁矿的成分,计算得到母岩浆的Mg^#值为0.63,MgO/FeO摩尔比值为1.72,w(Al₂O₃)为10.2%~11.7%,w(Ni)为476×10^-6,说明其为高镁玄武质岩浆;岩体中部带原生铬铁矿和粒间相铬铁矿核部的Cr₂O₃和Al₂O₃呈正相关关系,说明铬铁矿与粒间硅酸盐熔体发生了平衡交换,铬铁矿的高w(TiO₂) 和Cr^#值与拉张环境中层状岩体的铬铁矿特征一致;根据辉石温压计得到岩体中部单斜辉石和斜方辉石的共结温度为1 017~1 077℃,压力为(3.6~4.5)×10⁸ Pa,暗示形成岩体的浅部岩浆房深度约为12 km。岩体上部和中部带的橄榄石Fo值大部分集中在80 mol%~85 mol%,w(Ni)介于2 255×10^-6~4 455×10^-6,说明这些橄榄石是从没有经过强烈分离结晶和硫化物熔离的岩浆中结晶出来的。岩体下部带橄榄石的Fo值(67 mol%~68 mol%)和w(Ni) (1 500×10^-6~2 000×10^-6)都低于岩体上部和中部带的橄榄石相应值,说明岩体下部带的橄榄石可能形成于演化程度较高、并经历了硫化物熔离的岩浆。因此,笔者认为周庵岩体是由相对原始的和演化了的高镁玄武质岩浆两期侵位形成的。     

Geochronology and geochemistry of Ordovician plutons in the Erguna Block (NE China): further insights into the tectonic evolution of the Xing’an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt

ABSTRACT

The Ordovician plutons in the Erguna Block, NE China, can be classified into two groups: Early Ordovician diorites with zircon U–Pb ages ranging from 486 to 485 Ma and Middle Ordovician gabbros and granites with zircon U–Pb ages ranging from 466 to 463 Ma. The diorites are calc-alkaline in nature and are characterized by weak to moderate enrichments of large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE). The gabbros and granites have high total alkali contents, and all samples are enriched in LREE and LILE and depleted in HFSE such as Nb, Ta, and Ti. Isotopically, Early Ordovician diorites display values that are less radiogenic [ε_Hf(t) = + 9.9–+16.8] compared to those of Middle Ordovician gabbros [ε_Hf(t) = ? 3.0–+5.0]. Middle Ordovician granites have positive ε_Hf(t) values of +1.4 to +4.3 and two-stage Hf model ages (T_DM2) of 1167 to 1356 Ma. These data indicate that the diorites may have been generated by the partial melting of a recently metasomatized mantle source, whereas the gabbros and granites may have been formed by the partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle and Mesoproterozoic crust, respectively. Our results, combined with other regional results, suggest that Early Ordovician magmatism was likely associated with the northward subduction of the Heihe–Xilinhot oceanic plate beneath the Erguna–Xing’an Block, whereas the Middle Ordovician gabbros and granites were most likely formed in an extensional setting controlled by the rollback of this subducted oceanic plate.     

Early paleozoic granitoids in the Lesser Khingan terrane, Central Asian Foldbelt: Age, geochemistry, and geodynamic interpretations

The U-Pb zircon dates obtained for the Sutara (480 ± 4 Ma), Kabalinskii (471 ± 10 Ma), and Durilovskii (461 ± 5 Ma) massifs reliably confirm an Early Proterozoic orogenic event, which took place after granulite metamorphism at approximately 500 Ma (Wilde et al., 2003) in the Lesser Khingan (Jiamusi) terrane. The rocks emplaced most shortly after the main metamorphic event are the granites of the Sutara Massif and leucogranites of the Kabalinskii Massif, whose geochemistry is close to that of collision granites. The quartz diorites and subalkaline granites of the Durilovskii Massif, whose geochemistry suggests their origin in a postcollision environment with the participation of an enriched mantle source, were emplaced longer after metamorphic event and after the aforementioned massifs.     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology and Sr–Nd isotopic systematic of the Neoproterozoic Ghimbi-Nedjo mafic to intermediate intrusions of Western Ethiopia: a record of passive margin magmatism at 855 Ma?

The reworked Pre-Neoproterozoic and juvenile Neoproterozoic terrane of the Western Ethiopian Shield (WES) consists of three N–S trending terranes. These are the western migmatitic gneissic terrane, the central metavolcano sedimentary terrane (CVST) and the eastern migmatitic gneissic terrane. The eastern part of the CVST mostly consists of suture-related ultramafic-metasedimentary complexes, whereas metavolcanics predominate in the western part. Gabbroic to granitic intrusions frequently occur in the CVST and in adjacent areas. New zircon SHRIMP U–Pb ages for two gabbros and three diorites in the Ghimbi-Nedjo region of the WES indicate magmatic crystallization ages. Two pulses of magmatism, at 860–850 and 795–785 Ma, are documented with the former for the first time. The tholeiitic Kemashi diorite and Bikilal-Ghimbi gabbros have oceanic affinities and yield U/Pb zircon ages of 856.3 ± 9.8 and 846.0 ± 7.6 Ma, respectively. The calc-alkaline Gebeya Kemisa pyroxene diorite, and the Senbet Dura hornblende diorite plus the tholeiitic Wayu Meni gabbro, which collectively have arc-back arc characteristics are indistinguishable at ages of 794.3 ± 9.4, 787.7 ± 8.8 and 778.1 ± 6.3 Ma, respectively. Positive εNd (4.5–7.0) and low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7029 ± 0.0002) and a mean T _DM model age of 0.95 Ga for the Ghimbi-Nedjo region (mean T _DM model age of 0.95 Ga for the WES overall) indicate that the magmas were generated from juvenile Neoproterozoic depleted mantle sources, with no discernable involvement of pre-Neoproterozoic continental crust. The occurrence of gabbros and diorites with oceanic tholeiite affinities combined with the new ages suggests that the intrusions were emplaced in the earliest stages of the rifting of Rodinia. This event in the WES led to the development of a passive margin and associated plume-type magmatism at ~855 Ma. The two intrusive groups with differing magma chemistry and ages suggest that the earliest magmatism was tholeiitic and associated with the passive margin system followed by continental breakup to form the Mozambique Ocean. The combination of tholeiitic and calc-alkaline magmatism was related to arc and back-arc basin formation and later terrane accretion (~830–690 Ma).