http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711000040X

The Eastern Pontides orogenic belt in the Black Sea region of Turkey offers a critical window to plate kinematics and subduction polarity during the closure of the Paleotethys. Here we provide a brief synthesis on recent information from this belt. We infer a southward subduction for the origin of the Eastern Pontides orogenic belt and its associated late Mesozoic–Cenozoic magmatism based on clear spatial and temporal variations in Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic arc magmatism, together with the existence of a prominent south-dipping reverse fault system along the entire southern coast of the Black Sea. Our model is at variance with some recent proposals favoring a northward subduction polarity, and illustrates the importance of arc magmatism in evaluating the geodynamic milieu associated with convergent margin processes.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113000613

The effective elastic thickness （Te） represents the thickness of the elastic layer or the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere, the equivalent of which can be calculated from the spectral analysis of gravity and topographic data. Studies of Te have profound influence on intracontinental deformation, and coupling of the tectonic blocks. In this paper, we use the multitaper spectral estimation method to calculate the coherence between Bouguer gravity and topography data, and to obtain the Te map of South China. Through the process of correction, we discuss the relationships of Te versus heat flow, and Te versus seismicity. The results show that Te distribution of South China is affected by three factors：the original age, which controls the basic feature;the Mesozoic evolution, which affects the Te distribution;and the neotectonic movement, which shaped the final distribution. The crust age has a positive correlation with the first-order Te distribution;thus the Yangtze Craton has a relatively higher Te （about 50 km） whereas the Te in Cathaysia block is only 10e20 km. By analysis and comparison among the tectonic models of South China, the Te distribution can be well explained using the flat-subduction model. As is typical with neotectonics, the region with a higher heat flow is related with a lower Te. The seismicity does not have a clear relationship with Te, but the strong seismicity could cause a low Te. Seismogenic layer （Ts） has a similar trend as Te in the craton, whereas in other areas the relationship is complex.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114001121

The Chinese Tianshan belt of the southern Altaids has undergone a complicated geological evolution.Different theories have been proposed to explain its evolution and these are still hotly debated.The major subduction polarity and the way of accretion are the main problems.Southward,northward subduction and multiple subduction models have been proposed.This study focuses on the structural geology of two of the main faults in the region,the South Tianshan Fault and the Nikolaev Line.The dip direction in the Muzhaerte valley is southward and lineations all point towards the NW.Two shear sense motions have been observed within both of these fault zones,a sinistral one,and a dextral one,the latter with an age of 236-251 Ma.Structural analyses on the fault zones show that subduction has been northward rather than southward.The two shear sense directions indicate that the Yili block was first dragged along towards the east due to the clockwise rotation of the Tarim block.After the Tarim block stopped rotating,the Yili block still kept going eastward,inducing the dextral shear senses within the fault zones.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112001259

The eastern Pontides orogenic belt provides a window into continental arc magmatism in the Alpine-Himalayan belt.The late Mesozoic-Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of this belt remains controversial.Here we focus on the nature of the transition from the adakitic to non-adakitic magmatism in the Kale area of Gumushane region in NE Turkey where this transition is best preserved.The adakitic lithologies comprise porphyries and hyaloclastites.The porphyries are represented by biotite-rich andesites,hornblende-rich andesite and dacite.The hayaloclastites represent the final stage of adakitic activity and they were generated by eruption/intrusion of adakitic andesitic magma into soft carbonate mud.The non-adakitic lithologies include basaltic-andesitic volcanic and associated pyroclastic rocks. Both rock groups are cutting by basaltic dikes representing the final stage of the Cenozoic magmatism in the study area.We report zircon U-Pb ages of 48.71±0.74 Ma for the adakitic rocks,and 44.68±0.84 Ma for the non-adakitic type,suggesting that there is no significant time gap during the transition from adakitic to non-adakitic magmatism.We evaluate the origin,magma processes and tectonic setting of the magmatism in the southern part of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt.Our results have important bearing on the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean region.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112001302

We present relative sea level （RSL） curves in Antarctica derived from glacial isostatic adjustment （GIA）predictions based on the melting scenarios of the Antarctic ice sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM）given in previous works.Simultaneously,Holocene-age RSL observations obtained at the raised beaches along the coast of Antarctica are shown to be in agreement with the GIA predictions.The differences from previously published ice-loading models regarding the spatial distribution and total mass change of the melted ice are significant.These models were also derived from GIA modelling; the variations can be attributed to the lack of geological and geographical evidence regarding the history of crustal movement due to ice sheet evolution.Next,we summarise the previously published ice load models and demonstrate the RSL curves based on combinations of different ice and earth models.The RSL curves calculated by GIA models indicate that the model dependence of both the ice and earth models is significantly large at several sites where RSL observations were obtained.In particular,GIA predictions based on the thin lithospheric thickness show the spatial distributions that are dependent on the melted ice thickness at each sites.These characteristics result from the short-wavelength deformation of the Earth.However,our predictions strongly suggest that it is possible to find the average ice model despite the use of the different models of lithospheric thickness.By sea level and crustal movement observations,we can deduce the geometry of the post-LGM ice sheets in detail and remove the GIA contribution from the crustal deformation and gravity change observed by space geodetic techniques,such as GPS and GRACE,for the estimation of the Antarctic ice mass change associated with recent global warming.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111001095

During the Late Mesozoic Middle Jurassic-Late Cretaceous,basin and range tectonics and associated magmatism representative of an extensional tectonic setting was widespread in southeastern China as a r...     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111001009

The North Yellow Sea Basin is a Mesozoic and Cenozoic basin.Based on basin-margin facies,sedimentary thinning,size and shape of the basin and vitrinite reflectance.North Yellow Sea Basin is not a residual basin.Analysis of the development of the basin’s three structural layers,self-contained petroleum systems,boundary fault activity,migration of the Mesozoie—Cenozoic sedimentation centers, different basin structures formed during different periods,and superposition of a two-stage extended basin and one-stage depression basin,the North Yellow Sea Basin is recognized as a superimposed basin.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987110000332

A huge triangle-shaped tectonic region in eastern Asia plays host to numerous major earthquakes. The three boundaries of this region, which contains plateaus, mountains, and intermountain basins, are roughly the Himalayan arc, the Tianshan-Baikal, and longitude line 105°E. Within this triangular region, tectonism is intense and major deformation occurs both between crustal blocks and within most of them. Outside of this region, rigid blocks move as a whole with relatively few major earthquakes and relatively weak Cenozoic deformation. On a large tectonic scale, the presence of this broad region of intraplate deformation results from dynamic interactions between the Indian, Philippine Sea-West Pacific, and Eurasian plates, as well as the influence of deep-level mantle flow. The Indian subcontinent, which continues to move northwards at 40 mm/a since its collision with Eurasia, has plunged beneath Tibet, resulting in various movements and deformations along the Himalayan arc that diffuse over a long distance into the hinterland of Asia. The northward crustal escape of Asia from the Himalayan collisional zone turns eastwards and southeastwards along 95°–100°E longitude and defines the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. At the western Himalayan syntaxis, the Pamirs continue to move into central Asia, leading to crustal deformation and earthquakes that are largely accommodated by old EW or NW trending faults in the bordering areas between China, Mongolia, and Russia, and are restricted by the stable landmass northwest of the Tianshan-Altai-Baikal region. The subduction of the Philippine and Pacific plates under the Eurasian continent has generated a very long and narrow seismic zone along trenches and island arcs in the marginal seas while imposing only slight horizontal compression on the Asian continent that does not impede the eastward motion of eastern Asia. In the third dimension, there may be southeastward deep mantle flow beneath most of Eurasia that reaches the marginal seas and may contribute to extension along the eastern margin of Eurasia.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711400070X

We investigated the relationships among slab geometry,obliquity,and the thermal regime associated with the subduction of oceanic plates using a three-dimensional(3D) parallelepiped thermal convection model.Various models with convex and concave slab shapes were constructed in the numerical simulation,and the temperature and mantle flow distributions were calculated.The results revealed that when the slab dip angle increases,or the obliquity of subduction becomes steeper,the interplate temperature decreases remarkably.Cooler(warmer) zones on the plate interface were identified from the modeling where there was a larger(smaller) subduction angle.Consequently,the interplate temperature distribution is partly controlled by the true subduction angle(TSA),which is a function of the slab dip angle and the obliquity of subduction.The rate of change of the interface temperature for the TSA was10-50 ℃(10°TSA 20°) at depths ranging from(TSA- 10) × 5 km to 60 +(TSA- 10) × 5 km for a flat slab after a subduction history of 7 Myrs.The along-arc slab curvature affects the variation in TSA.The slab radius also appeared to influence the radius of induced mantle flow.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111000582

The Central India Tectonic Zone(CITZ) marks the trace of a major suture zone along which the south Indian and the north Indian continental blocks were assembled through subduction-accretioncollision tectonics in the Mesoproterozoic.The CITZ also witnessed the major,plume-related,late Cretaceous Deccan volcanic activity,covering substantial parts of the region with continental flood basalts and associated magmatic provinces.A number of major fault zones dissect the region,some of which are seismically active.Here we present results from gravity modeling along five regional profiles in the CITZ, and combine these results with magnetotelluric(MT) modeling results to explain the crustal architecture. The models show a resistive(more than 2000Ω·m) and a normal density(2.70 g/cm~3) upper crust suggesting\ dominant tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite(TTG) composition.There is a marked correlation between both high-density(2.95 g/cm~3) and low-density(2.65 g/cm~3) regions with high conductive zones (<80Ω·m) in the deep crust.We infer the presence of an interconnected grain boundary network of fluids or fluid-hosted structures,where the conductors are associated with gravity lows.Based on the conductive nature,we propose that the lower crustal rocks are fluid reservoirs,where the fluids occur as trapped phase within minerals,fluid-filled porosity,or as fluid-rich structural conduits.We envisage that substantial volume of fluids were transferred from mantle into the lower crust through the younger plume-related Deccan volcanism,as well as the reactivation,fracturing and expulsion of fluids transported to depth during the Mesoproterozoic subduction tectonics.Migration of the fluids into brittle fault zones such as the Narmada North Fault and the Narmada South Fault resulted in generating high pore pressures and weakening of the faults,as reflected in the seismicity.This inference is also supported by the presence of broad gravity lows near these faults,as well as the low velocity in the lower crust beneath regions of recent major earthquakes within the CITZ.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114001352

Ultrahigh temperature(UHT) metamorphism is the most thermally extreme form of regional crustal metamorphism,with temperatures exceeding 900℃.UHT crustal metamorphism is recognised in more than 50 localities globally in the metaniorphic rock record and is accepted as 'normal' in the spectrum of regional crustal processes.UHT metamorphism is typically identified on the basis of diagnostic mineral assemblages such as sapphirine+ quartz,orthopyroxene + sillimanite ± quartz and osumilite in Mg-AIrich rock compositions,now usually coupled with pseudosection-based thermobarometry using internally-consistent thermodynamic data sets and/or Al-in-Orthopyroxene and ternary feldspar thermobarometry.Significant progress in the understanding of regional UHT metamorphism in recent years includes:(1) development of a ferric iron activity-composition thermodynamic model for sapphirine,allowing phase diagram calculations for oxidised rock compositions:(2) quantification of UHT conditions via trace element thermometry,with Zr-in-rutile more commonly recording higher temperatures than Ti-in-zircon.Rutile is likely to be stable at peak UHT conditions whereas zircon may only grow as UHT rocks are cooling.In addition,the extent to which Zr diffuses out of rutile is controlled by chemical communication with zircon;(3) more fully recognising and utilising temperature-dependent thermal properties of the crust,and the possible range of heat sources causing metamorphism in geodynamic modelling studies:(4) recognising that crust partially melted either in a previous event or earlier in a long-duration event has greater capacity than fertile,unmelted crust to achieve UHT conditions due to the heat energy consumed by partial melting reactions:(5) more strongly linking U-Pb geochronological data from zircon and monazite to P-T points or path segments through using Y + REE partitioning between accessory and major phases,as well as phase diagrams incorporating Zr and REE;and(6)improved insight into the settings and factors responsible for UHT metamorphism via geodynamic forward models.These models suggest that regional UHT metamorphism is,principally,geodynamically related to subduction,coupled with elevated crustal radiogenic heat generation rates.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113001370

Mineral chemistry,whole-rock major oxide,and trace element compositions have been determined for the Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion,in order to understand the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the West Junggar orogenic belt at the southern margin of the Central Asian orogenic belt.The Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion is a well-differentiated complex comprising peridotite,olivine pyroxenite,gabbro,and diorite.The ultramafic rocks are mostly seen in the central part of the intrusion and surrounded by mafic rocks.The Tuerkubantao intrusive rocks are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements and depleted high field strength elements relative to N-MORB.In addition,the Tuerkubantao intrusion displays relatively low Th/U and Nb/U(1.13—2.98 and 2.53—7.02,respectively) and high La/Nb and Ba/Nb(1.15—4.19 and 37.7—79.82,respectively).These features indicate that the primary magma of the intrusion was derived from partial melting of a previously metasomatized mantle source in a subduction setting.The trace element patterns of peridotites,gabbros,and diorite in the Tuerkubantao intrusion have sub-parallel trends,suggesting that the different rock types are related to each other by differentiation of the same primary magma.The intrusive contact between peridotite and gabbro clearly suggest that the Tuerkubantao is not a fragment of an ophiolite.However,the Tuerkubantao intrusion displays many similarities with Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic intrusions along major sutures of Phanerozoic orogenic belts.Common features include their geodynamic setting,internal lithological zoning,and geochemistry.The striking similarities indicate that the middle Devonian Tuerkubantao intrusion likely formed in a subduction-related setting similar to that of the Alaskan-type intrusions.In combination with the Devonian magmatism and porphyry mineralization,we propose that subduction of the oceanic slab has widely existed in the expansive oceans during the Devonian around the Junggar block.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112000849

New methods are presented for processing and interpretation of shallow marine differential magnetic data,including constructing maps of offshore total magnetic anomalies with an extremely high resolution of up to 1-2 nT,mapping weak anomalies of 5-10 nT caused by mineralization effects at the contacts of hydrocarbons with host rocks,estimating depths to upper and lower boundaries of anomalous magnetic sources,and estimating thickness of magnetic layers and boundaries of tectonic blocks. Horizontal dimensions of tectonic blocks in the so-called "seismic gap" region in the central Kuril Arc vary from 10 to 100 km,with typical dimensions of 25-30 km.The area of the "seismic gap" is a zone of intense tectonic activity and recent volcanism.Deep sources causing magnetic anomalies in the area are similar to the "magnetic belt" near Hokkaido. In the southern and central parts of Barents Sea,tectonic blocks with widths of 30-100 km,and upper and lower boundaries of magnetic layers ranging from depths of 10 to 5 km and 18 to 30 km are calculated.Models of the magnetic layer underlying the Mezen Basin in an inland part of the White Sea-Barents Sea paleorift indicate depths to the lower boundary of the layer of 12-30 km.Weak local magnetic anomalies of 2-5 nT in the northern and central Caspian Sea were identified using the new methods,and drilling confirms that the anomalies are related to concentrations of hydrocarbon.Two layers causing magnetic anomalies are identified in the northern Caspian Sea from magnetic anomaly spectra.The upper layer lies immediately beneath the sea bottom and the lower layer occurs at depths between 30-40 m and 150-200 m.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113000546

In the eastern part of the Indian shield,late PaleozoiceMesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Talchir Basin lie precisely along a contact of Neoproterozoic age between granulites of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt(EGMB)and amphibolite facies rocks of the Rengali Province.At present,the northern part of the basin experiences periodic seismicity by reactivation of faults located both within the basin,and in the Rengali Province to the north.Detailed gravity data collected across the basin show that Bouguer anomalies decrease from the EGMB(wt15 mGal),through the basin(w 10 mGal),into the Rengali Province(w 15 mGal).The data are consistent with the reportedly uncompensated nature of the EGMB,and indicate that the crust below the Rengali Province has a cratonic gravity signature.The contact between the two domains with distinct sub-surface structure,inferred from gravity data,coincides with the North Orissa Boundary Fault(NOBF)that defnes the northern boundary of the Talchir Basin.Post-Gondwana faults are also localized along the northern margin of the basin,and present-day seismic tremors also have epicenters close to the NOBF.This indicates that the NOBF was formed by reactivation of a Neoproterozoic terrane boundary,and continues to be susceptible to seismic activity even at the present-day.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711400108X

We present three 3D numerical models of deep subduction where buoyant material from an oceanic plateau and a plume interact with the overriding plate to assess the influence on subduction dynamics,trench geometry,and mechanisms for plateau accretion and continental growth.Transient instabilities of the convergent margin are produced,resulting in:contorted trench geometry;trench migration parallel with the plate margin;folding of the subducting slab and orocline development at the convergent margin;and transfer of the plateau to the overriding plate.The presence of plume material beneath the oceanic plateau causes flat subduction above the plume,resulting in a "bowed" shaped subducting slab.In plateau-only models,plateau accretion at the edge of the overriding plate results in trench migration around the edge of the plateau before subduction is re-established directly behind the trailing edge of the plateau.The plateau shortens and some plateau material subducts.The presence of buoyant plume material beneath the oceanic plateau has a profound influence on the behaviour of the convergent margin.In the plateau + plume model,plateau accretion causes rapid trench advance.Plate convergence is accommodated by shearing at the base of the plateau and shortening in the overriding plate.The trench migrates around the edge of the plateau and subduction is re-established well behind the trailing edge of the plateau,effectively embedding the plateau into the overriding plate.A slab window forms beneath the accreted plateau and plume material is transferred from the subducting plate to the overriding plate through the window.In all of the models,the subduction zone maintains a relatively stable configuration away from the buoyancy anomalies within the downgoing plate.The models provide a dynamic context for plateau and plume accretion in Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic systems such as the East China Orogen and the Central Asian Orogen(Altiads),which are characterised by accreted ophiolite complexes with diverse geochemical affinities,and a protracted evolution of accretion of exotic terranes including oceanic plateau and terranes with plume origins.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113000352

The Yidun Group extends from the Shangri-La region to the south and the Changtai region to the north,and is an important component of the Triassic Yidun arc in the eastern Tibetan plateau.It is composed of the Lieyi,Qugasi,Tumugou and Lanashan Formations from the base upward.Both the Lieyi and Lanashan Formations consist dominantly of black or gray slate and sandstone,whereas the Qugasi and Tumugou Formations have variable amounts of mafic to felsic volcanic rocks and turfs accompanied with gray slate and sandstone.Sandstone from the Yidun Group has variable CIA values from 55 to 76,indicative of mild to moderate weathering condition for the source rocks.All the sandstones define a general weathering trend nearly parallel to the A-CN boundary in the A-CN-K triangular diagram,implying limited effect of diagenetic and post-depositional K-metasomatism.Dominant detrital quartz and feldspar grains of the sandstones suggest predominantly felsic sources.Relatively high Y/Ni and low Cr/V ratios of sandstones from the Yidun Group indicate more contribution from felsic than mafic sources.Similarly,the Yidun sandstones have Co/Th and La/Sc ratios generally similar to upper continental crust （UCC） and cluster between UCC and felsic sources,indicating felsic rocks as primary sources.Granodiorite represents the average chemical composition of sources as evaluated by extending the predicted weathering trend back to the feldspar join in A-CN-K diagram.Prominently high Zr/Sc ratio or Hf concentration and Paleoproterozoic Nd modal ages （1.94-2.21 Ga）point to input of recycling components derived from old sedimentary source in a relatively stable tectonic setting.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111001125

<正>Greenstone belts of the eastern Dharwar Craton,India are reinterpreted as composite tectonostratigraphic terranes of accreted plume-derived and convergent margin-derived magmatic sequences based on new high-precision elemental data.The former are dominated by a komatiile plus Mg-tholeiitic basalt volcanic association,with deep water siliciclastic and banded iron formation(BIF) sedimentary rocks.Plumes melted at90 km under thin rifted continental lithosphere to preserve inlraoceanic and continental margin aspects.Associated alkaline basalts record subduction-recycling of Mesoarchean oceanic crust,incubated in the asthenosphere.and erupted coevally with Mg basalts from a heterogeneous mantle plume.Together.komaliites-Mg basalts-alkaline basalts plot along the Phanerozoic mantle array in Th/Yb versus Nb/Yb coordinate space,representing zoned plumes,establishing that these reservoirs were present in the Neoarchean mantle. Convergent margin magmatic associations are dominated by tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalts eompositionally similar to recent intraoceanic arcs.As well,boninitic flows sourced in extremely depleted mantle are present,and the association of arc basalts with Mg-andesites-Nb enriched basalts-adakites documented from Cenozoic arcs characterized by subduction of young(20 Ma),hot,oceanic lithosphere. Consequently.Cenozoic style "hot" subduction was operating in the Neoarchean.These diverse volcanic associations were assembled to give composite terranes in a subduction-accretion orogen at～2.1 Ga,coevally with a global accretionary orogen at ~2.7 Ga,and associated orogenic gold mineralization. Archean lithospheric mantle,distinctive in being thick,refractory,and buoyant,formed complementary to the accreted plume and convergent margin terranes.as migrating arcs captured thick plumeplateaus. and the refractory,low density.residue of plume melting coupled with accreted imbricated plume-arc crust.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112000072

The Abor volcanics outcroping in the core of the Siang window in the Eastern Himalaya comprise voluminous mafic volcanics (47％-56％ w(SiO2)),with subordinate felsic volcanics (67％-75％ w(SiO2)).The felsi...