Recycling of the continental crust

In order to understand the evolution of the crust-mantle system, it is important to recognize the role played by the recycling of continental crust. Crustal recycling can be considered as two fundamentally distinct processes: 1) intracrustal recycling and 2) crust-mantle recycling. Intracrustal recycling is the turnover of crustal material by processes taking place wholly within the crust and includes most sedimentary recycling, isotopic resetting (metamorphism), intracrustal melting and assimilation. Crust-mantle recycling is the transfer of crustal material to the mantle with possible subsequent return to the crust. Intracrustal recycling is important in interpreting secular changes in sediment composition through time. It also explains differences found in crustal area-age patterns measured by different isotopic systems and may also play a role in modeling crustal growth curves based on Nd-model ages. Crustal-mantle recycling, for the most part, is a subduction process and may be considered on three levels. The first is recycling with only short periods of time in the mantle (<10 m.y.). This may be important in explaining the origin of island-arc and related igneous rocks; there is growing agreement that 1–3% recycled sediment is involved in their origin. Components of recycled crustal material, with long-term storage (up to 2.5 b.y.) in the mantle as distinct entities, has been suggested for the origin of ocean island and ultrapotassic volcanics but there is considerably less agreement on this interpretation. A third proposal calls for the return of crustal material to the mantle with efficient remixing in order to swamp the geochemical and isotopic signature of the recycled component by the mantle. This type of recycling is required for steady-state models of crustal evolution where the mass of the continents remains constant over geological time. It is unlikely if crust-mantle recycling has exceeded 0.75 km³/yr over the past 1–2 Ga.Good evidence exists that selective recycling is an important process. Sedimentary rocks preserved in different tectonic settings are apparently recycled at different rates, resulting in a bias in the sediment types preserved in the geologic record. Selective recycling has important implications for the interpretation of Nd model ages of old sedimentary rocks and in the analysis of accreted terranes. Although there is evidence that continental crust was formed prior to 3.8 Ga, the oldest preserved rocks do not exceed this age. It is likely that the intense meteorite bombardment, which affected the earth during the period 4.56–3.8 Ga, coupled with rapid mantle convection, which resulted from greater heat production, caused the destruction and probable recycling into the mantle of any early formed crust.Although crust-mantle recycling is seen as a viable process, it is concluded that crustal growth has exceeded crust-mantle recycling since at least 3.8 Ga. Intracrustal recycling has not been given adequate consideration in models of crustal growth based on isotopic data (particularly Nd model ages). It is concluded that crustal growth curves based on Nd model ages, while vastly superior to those based on K/Ar or Rb/Sr, tend to underestimate the volume of old crust, due to crust-mantle and/or intracrustal recycling.     

The Sm/Nd secular evolution of the continental crust and the depleted mantle

The published Nd isotopic data on rocks representative of either the continental crust or the depleted mantle are used to determine the Sm/Nd evolution of each system through time making allowance for a contribution from a primitive (chondritic) mantle. Screening using the ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio permits data of doubtful significance to be discarded. Mass balance equations describing mantle-crust exchange processes are numerically integrated. They suggest that crustal growth probably occurs through the addition of strongly LREE-enriched magmas derived from the mantle either directly (andesites) or indirectly (rhyolites). If the modern mean ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio of the crust is close to the sediment average (0.11), then progressive enrichment of LREE in the crust and depletion in the depleted mantle has occurred. If this ratio is of 0.13, then it, and the probable depleted-mantle ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio (0.26) have been constant over the last 3.8 Ga. The fraction of the total Nd (exclusive of the primitive mantle) stored in the continental crust has varied from 40% to 50% over the same period.The volume of the continents can have remained constant only if the rate of sediment reinjection into the mantle is 2.5 km³ a⁻¹ or more. For lower, probably more geologically reasonable, reinjection rates, a nearly uniform continent growth rate over the past 3.8 Ga is inferred. In all cases, the depleted mantle is continuously forming from a primitive reservoir.     

A continental channel wave,guided by the intermediate layer in the crust

Summary A study has been made of a new channel wave, denotedLi, using a total of 83 observations from the seismic records of Swedish stations, mainly from earthquakes at normal depth.Li resembles theLg waves in several respects: it propagates only through continental structures, it has a similar particle motion, i.e. mainly transverse horizontal, and only slightly larger period. ButLi has a higher velocity, 3.79±0.07 km/sec, and it is believed to propagate in the intermediate layer in the crust in a way similar to the propagation of theLg waves in the granitic layer.Li is identical withS ^* in records of near-by earthquakes in the same way asLg2 is identical withSg. Li usually exhibits no clear dispersion.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurden Untersuchungen angestellt über eine neue Kanalwelle, welcher die BezeichnungLi gegeben wurde, wobei insgesamt 83 Erdbebenregistrierungen von schwedischen Stationen Verwendung fanden. Hauptsächlich waren es Erdbeben mit normaler Herdtiefe. DieLi-Wellen haben in verschiedener Hinsicht Ähnlichkeit mit denLg-Wellen: Sie pflanzen sich nur im Bereich kontinentaler Struktur fort und sie haben eine ähnliche Partikelbewegung, d.h. hauptsächlich horizontaltransversal.Li hat eine nur unwesentlich höhere Periode als dieLg-Wellen. AberLi hat eine wesentlich höhere Geschwindigkeit, 3.79±0.07 km/sec, und es ist anzunehmen, dass sie sich in der Basaltschicht der Kruste in ähnlicher Weise fortpflanzt wieLg in der Granitschicht.Li ist identisch mitS ^* in Aufzeichnungen von Nahbeben, so wieLg2 identisch mitSg ist.Li weist gewöhnlich keine deutliche Dispersion auf.

     

Array measurements of the bottom boundary layer and the internal wave field on the continental slope

Abstract

An array of current meters was placed on the continental slope and rise for two months in the autumn of 1970. The bottom boundary layer was penetrated on the slope. On the smallest array scale, of the order of 1 kilometer, the array functioned as a directional internal wave antenna. Moving shoreward, the current spectra show strong suppression of the inertial peak and strong enhancement of the semidiurnal tide. The measured wave number spectra show that the tidal energy is almost completely baroclinic, and probably being generated in the region where the slope becomes “critical” for the tidal period. If this area is typical of worldwide conditions, a substantial fraction of the dissipation of surface tides takes place on the continental slopes by conversion to baroclinic waves. The bottom boundary layer has been modeled by an extension of the work of Ellison (1956) to a sloping boundary in a fluid of positive stability. An equivalent constant eddy coefficient has the value 3 cm²/sec as determined from the measurements.     

Effects of wind shear on the atmospheric convective boundary layer structure and evolution

The article reviews past accomplishments and recent advances in conceptual understanding, numerical simulation, and physical interpretation of the wind shear phenomena in the atmospheric convective boundary layer.     

Interaction between subducted continental crust and the mantle

The syncollisional mafic-ultramafic rocks with Nb, Zr, Ti negative anomalies in the North Dabie terrane have Sr and Nd isotopic compositions with EMI features. Their low and variable initial e_Nd values ranging from ?2 to ?18 are similar to those of their gneissic country rocks and the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in the South Dabie terrane. These Sr and Nd isotopic features are difficult to be interpreted by mantle metasomatism related to oceanic subduction or crust assimilation, but is best explained by the mantle metasomatism related to continental subduction.     

Interaction between subducted continental crust and the mantle

The syncollisional mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the North Dabie terrane are characterized by enriched LREE, Rb, Ba, and depletion of high field strength elements, such as Nb, Zr, Ti. The high Ti/& and Ti/Y ratios of their parent magma suggest that crust contamination of magma is not important to the above trace elements characters. They mainly reflect the features of their mantle source which has been modified by metasomatism in subduction environment.     

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

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

Helium, volatile fluxes and the development of continental crust

Mantle-derived helium has a substantial primordial component and is readily distinguished from radiogenic “crustal” He by its isotopic composition. For some years it has been known to be escaping at mid-ocean ridges and more recently it has been shown to be escaping through the continental lithosphere in tectonically active areas, particularly those undergoing extension or volcanism. The C/³He value observed in ocean ridge basalts and continental gases that contain only mantle He, is close to 10⁹. This is believed to be a typical value for the upper mantle. Other continental gases have ratios that vary widely and are diluted with crustal carbon. The ratio C/⁴He decreases with time through the production of radiogenic⁴He, and depends on the C/(U + Th) value. Departures from the average may result from exceptional concentrations of U and Th or from C/He fractionation.There is circumstantial evidence for a steady-state flux of He through the continents that may be estimated from He accumulations in lakes and aquifers. The mantle component of such fluxes is calculated from their³He content. If the mantle component is accompanied by C in the proportion indicated above, and extensional areas make up as little as 10% of the crust at any one time, then about 10% of the present inventory of crustal C would have been added to the crust every Ga by this means. C/K values for the crust and mantle are today very similar, and K may therefore scale as C. K/U and K/Th vary within narrow limits and they may scale with C also.The most plausible means of scavenging He from the mantle is by partial melting: He is expected to enter the first few percent of liquid formed, and the loss of mantle He and C at the surface is associated with the emplacement of basaltic bodies in the lower crust carrying K, U and Th. Some limits are placed on the thickness of basalt added in extensional areas.Mantle-derived CO₂ has often been invoked as a means of dehydrating continental crust to produce granulites. However, the amounts of CO₂, estimated from mantle He fluxes, entering the crust in those active tectonic areas studied so far appears too small to produce dehydration on a regional scale. The addition of mantle-derived material to the crust in extensional zones is a first-order crustal growth process the importance of which has previously been underestimated.     

Structure and composition of the continental crust in East China

Crustal structures of nine broad tectonic units in China, except the Tarim craton, are derived from 18 seismic refraction profiles including 12 geoscience transects. Abundances of 63 major, trace and rare earth elements in the upper crust in East China are estimated. The estimates are based on sampling of 11 451 individual rock samples over an area of 950 000 km², from which 905 large composite samples are prepared and analyzed by 13 methods. The middle, lower and total crust compositions of East China are also estimated from studies of exposed crustal cross sections and granulite xenoliths and by correlation of seismic data with lithologies. All the tectonic units except the Tarim craton and the Qinling orogen show a four-layered crustal structure, consisting of the upper, middle, upper lower, and lowermost crusts. P-wave velocities of the bulk lower crust and total crust are 6.8–7.0 and 6_:4–6.5 km/s, respectively. They are slower by 0.2–0.4 km/s than the global averages. The bulk lower crust is suggested to be intermediate with 58% SiO₂ in East China. The results contrast with generally accepted global models of mafic lower crusi. The proposed total crust composition in East China is also more evolved than previous estimates and characterized by SiO₂=64%, a significant negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.80), deficits in Sr and transition metals, a near-arc magma La/Nd ratio (3.0), and a calculatedμ(²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) value of 5. In addition, it has the following ratios of element pairs exhibiting similar compatibility, which are identical or close to the primitive mantle values: Zr/Hf=37, Nb/Ta=17.5, Ba/Th=87, K/Pb=0.12x10⁴, Rb/Cs=25, Ba/Rb=8.94, Sn/Sm=0.31, Se/Cd=1.64, La/ As=10.3, Ce/Sb=271, Pb/Bi=57, Rb/TI=177, Er/Ag=52, Cu/Au=3.2×10⁴, Sm/Mo=7.5, Nd/W=40, CI/Li=10.8, F/Nd=21.9, and La/B=1.8. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 49625305, 49573183, 49673184, 49794043), the State Comission of Education, the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources of China (Grant No. 850514), the Open Laboratory of Constitution, Interaction and Dynamics of the Crust-Mantle System, and the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation of Germany.     

Implications of correlated Nd and Sr isotopic variations for the chemical evolution of the crust and mantle

Published data showing a linear correlation between initial Nd and Sr isotope compositions in young basalts indicate the existence of a spectrum of isotopically distinct reservoirs in the mantle which represent either (1) mixtures of two homogeneous endmember reservoirs, one of which may be undifferentiated material or (2) fractionated reservoirs all derived from a homogeneous initial reservoir with the same ratio of enrichment factors for Sm/Nd and Rb/Sr. The slope of the correlation, which can be described approximately by (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) = ?3.74114 (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd) + 2.61935orε_Nd = ?2.7 ε_Sr, places constraints on the origin of these reservoirs and hence on the chemical evolution of the crust-mantle system. The reservoirs could be residual regions of the mantle left after ancient partial melting events. If so, the requirement of constant relative fractionation of Sm/Nd and Rb/Sr in refractory residues is a strong constraint on partial melting models. Calculations suggest that batch melting models are more compatible with this constraint than are fractional melting models, but models incorporating currently accepted distribution coefficients and residual phase assemblages cannot reproduce the observed isotope effects except under highly specific conditions. The slope of the correlation is not consistent with the hypotheses that chemical structure in the mantle is due to accretional heterogeneity or variable loss of elements to the core. If the mantle reservoirs are complementary in composition to the continental crust, and if the crust + mantle has ε_Nd = 0andε_Sr = 0 and chondritic Sr/Nd, then Rb/Sr in the crust is calculated to be less than 0.10, suggesting that the crust may be more mafic in composition and contain a smaller proportion of the earth's Rb and heat-producing elements than previously estimated.     

Chemical differentiation of the Earth: the relationship between mantle, continental crust, and oceanic crust

The average chemical compositions of the continental crust and the oceanic crust (represented by MORB), normalized to primitive mantle values and plotted as functions of the apparent bulk partition coefficient of each element, form surprisingly simple, complementary concentration patterns. In the continental crust, the maximum concentrations are on the order of 50 to 100 times the primitive-mantle values, and these are attained by the most highly incompatible elements Cs, Rb, Ba, and Th. In the average oceanic crust, the maximum concentrations are only about 10 times the primitive mantle values, and they are attained by the moderately incompatible elements Na, Ti, Zr, Hf, Y and the intermediate to heavy REE.This relationship is explained by a simple, two-stage model of extracting first continental and then oceanic crust from the initially primitive mantle. This model reproduces the characteristic concentration maximum in MORB. It yields quantitative constraints about the effective aggregate melt fractions extracted during both stages. These amount to about 1.5% for the continental crust and about 8–10% for the oceanic crust.The comparatively low degrees of melting inferred for average MORB are consistent with the correlation of Na₂O concentration with depth of extrusion [1], and with the normalized concentrations of Ca, Sc, and Al ( 3) in MORB, which are much lower than those of Zr, Hf, and the HREE ( 10). Ca, Al and Sc are compatible with clinopyroxene and are preferentially retained in the residual mantle by this mineral. This is possible only if the aggregate melt fraction is low enough for the clinopyroxene not to be consumed.A sequence of increasing compatibility of lithophile elements may be defined in two independent ways: (1) the order of decreasing normalized concentrations in the continental crust; or (2) by concentration correlations in oceanic basalts. The results are surprisingly similar except for Nb, Ta, and Pb, which yield inconsistent bulk partition coefficients as well as anomalous concentrations and standard deviations.The anomalies can be explained if Nb and Ta have relatively large partition coefficients during continental crust production and smaller coefficients during oceanic crust production. In contrast, Pb has a very small coefficient during continental crust production and a larger coefficient during oceanic crust production. This is the reason why these elements are useful in geochemical discrimination diagrams for distinguishing MORB and OIB on the one hand from island arc and most intracontinental volcanics on the other.The results are consistent with the crust-mantle differentiation model proposed previously [2]. Nb and Ta are preferentially retained and enriched in the residual mantle during formation of continental crust. After separation of the bulk of the continental crust, the residual portion of the mantle was rehomogenized, and the present-day internal heterogeneities between MORB and OIB sources were generated subsequently by processes involving only oceanic crust and mantle. During this second stage, Nb and Ta are highly incompatible, and their abundances are anomalously high in both OIB and MORB.The anomalous behavior of Pb causes the so-called “lead paradox”, namely the elevated U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios (inferred from Pb isotopes) in the present-day, depleted mantle, even though U and Th are more incompatible than Pb in oceanic basalts. This is explained if Pb is in fact more incompatible than U and Th during formation of the continental crust, and less incompatible than U and Th during formation of oceanic crust.     

Stress constraints and hydrofracturing stress data for the continental crust

Faulting and seismicity in the upper continental crust require considerable differential stresses. Application of experimentally developed friction, fracture and flow laws shows that high differential stresses can only exist in the uppermost crust. Direct hydraulic fracturing measurements in deep boreholes seem to support this rock mechanics conclusion. The experimental data base presently consists of approximately 500 hydrofrac tests conducted in about 100 boreholes at about 30 different geographical locations. To illustrate the variation of measured stresses with depth, the data are expressed as dimensionless horizontal stresses in the formS _H,h/S_v=(/z)+, whereS _v=gz Extrapolation of the experimental data to greater depth shows that the minor horizontal stress approaches the valueS _h/S_v=0.5 which limits friction on wet faults, and that the major horizontal stress approaches a value close toS _H/S_v=1 at rather shallow depth (5 to 10 km.). This limits faulting and seismicity in most of the upper crust to either strike-slip or normal faults. The lower boundary for seismicity is mainly dependent on tectonic strain accumulation and rock creep at the environmental conditions at depth.     

Three-dimensional thermal structure of the Chinese continental crust and upper mantle

We invert S-wave velocities for the 3D upper-mantle temperatures, in which the position with a temperature crossing the 1300℃ adiabat is corresponding to the top of the seismic low velocity zone. The temperatures down to the depth of 80 km are then calculated by solving steady-state thermal conduction equation with the constraints of the inverted upper-mantle temperatures and the surface temperatures, and then surface heat flows are calculated from the crustal temperatures. The misfit between the calculated and observed surface heat flow is smaller than 20% for most regions. The result shows that, at a depth of 25 km, the crustal temperature of eastern China (500―600℃) is higher than that of western China (<500℃). At a depth of 100 km, temperatures beneath eastern and southeastern China are higher than the adiabatic temperature of 1300℃, while that beneath west China is lower. The Tarim craton and the Sichuan basin show generally low temperature. At a depth of 150 km, temperatures beneath south China, eastern Yangtze craton, North China craton and around the Qiangtang terrane are higher than the adiabatic temperature of 1300℃, but is the lowest beneath the Sichuan basin and the regions near the Indian-Eurasian collision zone. At a depth of 200 km, very low temperature occurs beneath the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the south to the Tarim craton.     

Thickness and thermal history of continental crust and root zones

The survival to the present of the Archean nuclei of Precambrian shields requires special explanation if, as seems likely, the rate of heat flow out of the earth was two or three times greater in the late Archean (2.5 b.y. ago) than at present, since such a high heat flux would have melted the base of the Archean crust. It is proposed that there must have existed beneath stable continental crust a root zone (or lithosphere, or tectosphere) at least 200 km thick which has acted as a thermal buffer between the crust and the convecting mantle; this is virtually the same model as has been proposed to explain the present distribution of heat flow between continents and oceans. The strong temperature dependence of silicate rheology insures that the mantle temperature at the base of the root zone was no more than about 150°C higher in the late Archean than at present; the greater Archean heat flux would have been removed mainly through faster sea-floor spreading. To have survived, the root zone must be mechanically and chemically distinct from the rest of the mantle, and its formation was probably intimately related to the differentiation and stabilization of the continental crust.     

Some questions of geomechanics of the faults in the continental crust

We present the results of laboratory experiments on studying the formation of different slip modes on the interfaces in a rock massif such as aseismic creep, stick-slip, and periodic slow-slip events. It is shown that the way of releasing the accumulated elastic energy is determined by the mesoscale structure of the gouge rather than by its macroscopic strength characteristics. The evolution of the stress chains which are formed and broken during the displacement on the fracture, as well as the length and number of these chains, completely determines the regularities of the deformation. The role of these load-bearing elements in nature can be played, e.g., by the “contact spots,” which determine the regularities of stress concentration near the interblock boundary. We consider the effects of low-amplitude vibrations on stressed fractures. It is shown that, depending on the mode of deformation, the vibration impact can either reduce or boost the amplitude of separate events and the fraction of energy that is released dynamically. In the conclusion of the paper, we discuss the possibility of using the shear strength of the fault zone as a geomechanical parameter controlling the mode of deformation.     

Beyond KTB - electrical conductivity of the deep continental crust

Great strides have been made in understanding the upper part of the crust by in-situ logging in, and laboratory experiments on core recovered from super-deep bore-holes such as the KTB. These boreholes do not extend into the lower crust, and can contribute little to the elucidation of mechanisms that produce the high electrical conductivities that are commonly observed therein by magneto-telluric (MT) methods. Laboratory studies at simulated lower crustal conditions of temperature, pressure and saturation, on electrolyte saturated rocks thought to have been derived from the lower crust, have not been possible up until now due to their experimental difficulty. It is necessary to subject electrolyte-saturated rock samples to independently controlled confining and pore-fluid pressure, which implies that the rock be sleeved in some impermeable but deformable material, that can withstand the very high temperatures required. Metals are the only materials capable of being used, but these cause great difficulties for cell sealing and conductivity measurement. In this paper we describe recent breakthroughs in experimental work, specifically the development of two new types of sophisticated metal/ceramic seal, and a conductivity measurement technique that enables the measurement of saturated rock conductivity in the presence of a highly conducting metallic sleeve. The advances in experimental technique have enabled us to obtain data on the electrical conductivity of brine saturated basic, acidic and graphite-bearing rocks at lower crustal temperatures and raised pressures. These data have facilitated the comparison of MT derived crustal electrical conductivity profiles with profiles obtained from laboratory experiments for the first time. Initial modelling shows a good agreement between laboratory derived and MT derived profiles only if the mid-crust is composed of amphibolite pervaded by aqueous fluids, and the lower crust is composed of granulite that is saturated with aqueous fluids and/or contains interconnected grain surface films of graphite. The experimental data are consistent with a three layer crust consisting of an aqueous fluid saturated acidic uppermost layer, above an aqueous fluid saturated amphibolite mid-crust, and a granulite lowermost crust, which may or may not be saturated with aqueous fluids, but if not, requires the presence of an additional conduction mechanism such as conduction through thin graphite films.     

The isostatic gravity anomaly: key to the evolution of the ocean-continent boundary at passive continental margins

Isostatic gravity highs bordering the passive continental margins are interpreted as resulting from oceanic basement highs. These basement elevations are relics of the transient phenomenon of a higher ridge axis elevation during early rifting. The steep landward gradient in the isostatic gravity field, generally associated with a magnetic edge effect anomaly, delineates the boundary between oceanic and continental basement.     

Thermal models for the magmatic accretion and subsequent metamorphism of continental crust

I present one-dimensional conductive relaxation models for the thermal evolution of continental crust which has undergone magmatic thickening in a predominantly recumbent tectonic regime. The sustained addition of magma, and associated heat, profoundly influences the conductive relaxation of the affected sialic crust. The mechanism of accretion, successively beneath (under-accretion), or successively above (over-accretion), previously added material, strongly affects the type of P-T-time history sustained by the rocks in the middle and deep crust. The pressure and temperature conditions which might be recorded by mineral assemblages equilibrating in such tectonothermal regimes may bear very little relation to conductive heat supplies from the upper mantle. P-T values obtained by geobarometry and geothermometry in such complexes must be used with caution to constrain steady state heat flows and geothermal gradients. In a contemporary plate tectonic context I consider the tectonothermal models developed here to apply particularly to island arcs and sites of continental collision associated with extensive plutonic igneous activity. Precambrian orthogneiss complexes, such as the Archaean of southern West Greenland, probably represent exhumed deep crustal elements involved in the intense magmatic thickening processes considered here.