The origin and emplacement of the Lajishankou ophiolite complex in the South Qilian belt: evidences from geological mapping

Many ophiolite complexes like those of Oman and New Caledonia represent fragments of ancient oceanic crust and upper mantle generated at supra‐subduction zone environments and have been obducted onto the adjacent rifted continental margin together with the accretionary complexes and intra‐oceanic arcs. The Lajishan ophiolite complexes in the Qilian orogenic belt along the NE edge of the Tibet‐Qinghai Plateau are one of several ophiolites situated to the south of the Central Qilian block. Our geological mapping and petrological investigations suggest that the Lajishankou ophiolite complex consists of serpentinite, wehrlite, pyroxenite, gabbro, dolerite, and pillow and massive basalts that occur in a series of elongate fault‐bounded slices. An accretionary complex composed mainly of basalt, radiolarian chert, sandstone, mudstone, and mélange lies structurally beneath the ophiolite complex. The Lajishankou ophiolite complex and accretionary complex were emplaced onto the Qingshipo Formation of the Central Qilian block which shows features typical of turbidites deposited in a deep‐water environment of passive continental margin. Our geochemical and geochronological studies indicate that the mafic rocks in the Lajishankou ophiolite complex can be categorized into three distinct groups: massive island arc tholeiites, 509 Ma back‐arc dolerite dykes, and 491 Ma pillow basaltic and dolerite slices that are of seamount origin in a back‐arc basin. The ophiolite and accretionary complex constitute a Cambrian‐early Ordovician trench‐arc system within the South Qilian belt during the early Paleozoic southward subduction of the South Qilian Ocean prior to Early Ordovician obduction of this system onto the Central Qilian block.     

Indosinian Tectonic Setting of the Southern Yidun Arc： Constraints from SHRIMP Zircon Chronology and Geochemistry of Dioritic Porphyries and Granites

A mass of granitoid and dioritic intrusions are distributed in the southern Yidun Arc, among which the representative Indosinian intrusions include the Dongco and Maxionggou granitoid intrusions in Daocheng County and hypabyssal intrusions intruding into arc volcanic rocks near the Xiangcheng town. The Dongco and Maxionggou granitoid intrusions consist mainly of porphyraceous monzogranites, megacryst monzogranites and aplite granites. The Xiangcheng hypabyssal intrusions are composed dominantly of dioritic porphyries. SHRIMP zircon ages of 224±3 Ma and 222±3 Ma have been obtained for the Dongco granitoid intrusion and the Xiangcheng dioritic porphyries, respectively. The Xiongcheng dioritic porphyries show a cak-alkaline geochemical feature, and are characterized by higher Sr/Y ratios, depletive Nb, Ta, P and Ti, enriched LILEs, and lower εNd (t) (= -3.27), suggesting that they might be derived from mantle source magmas that were obviously contaminated by continent crustal materials. However, the Dongco and Maxionggou granitoids belong to high-potassium calc alkaline series with a per-metaluminous feature, and are characterized by higher CaO/(∑FeO+MgO) and Al2O3/(∑FeO+ MgO) ratios, lower (La/Yb)n and Sr/Y ratios, depletive Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti, enriched LILEs, and very low εNd (t) (= -8.10), indicating that the granitoids might be derived from partial melting of continental crust materials mainly of graywacke. Petrogenesis of Dongco and Maxionggou granitoids implies that there was an oceanic crust between the Zongza continental block (ZCB) and western margin of the Yangtze Craton (WMYZC). And the oceanic crust slab subducted westward during the Indosinian Epoch, producing an Andes-type continent marginal arc and a back arc basin at the WMSCC. Then the oceanic basin closed and a sinistrally lateral collision occurred at ca. 224 Ma-222 Ma between the ZCB and the WMYZC, causing partial melting of sediments in the back-arc basin to generate granitoid magmas of the Dongco and Maxionggou intrusions.     

新疆中天山南缘库米什地区蛇绿岩的锆石U-Pb同位素定年:早古生代洋盆的证据

新疆中天山南缘库米什地区的榆树沟和铜花山蛇绿混杂岩包括地幔橄榄岩,辉石岩、辉长岩、斜长岩等堆晶岩,辉绿岩墙和基性熔岩,以及上部的硅质岩等。岩石地球化学研究表明,蛇绿岩的岩石类型来自MORB型和SSZ型两种构造背景。蛇绿岩及有关岩石的锆石U-Pb同位素年代学的研究表明,与中天山南缘洋盆扩张和闭合有关的事件至少可以分为4期: (1)奥陶纪-志留纪的洋盆形成事件,证据来自蛇绿岩斜长花岗岩和斜长岩,两者的年龄分别为435.1±2.8Ma、439.3±1.8Ma;(2)志留纪的岛弧岩浆作用,获得岛弧火山岩英安岩年龄422.1±2.6Ma 和花岗闪长岩年龄423.1±1.8Ma;(3)泥盆纪的剪切变形和糜棱岩化变质作用,由于板块斜向俯冲和碰撞作用,产生大规模的走滑作用和与之伴生的由剪切作用形成的糜棱岩,糜棱岩的形成年龄为402.8±1Ma,为早泥盆世;(4)俯冲碰撞后的造山带伸展阶段的岩浆作用,在俯冲碰撞作用之后发生与垂直主受力面张裂作用伴生岩浆作用,获得石英正长斑岩294.8±1.2Ma年龄,即晚石炭世。 此外,认为榆树沟蛇绿岩北部出露的麻粒岩是一个很特殊的构造岩块,岩石的锆石中普遍存在500~1800Ma的老核,表明其原岩很复杂,不属于蛇绿岩的组合 。     

PALEOMAGNETIC STUDY OF IGNEOUS ROCKS OF GUPIS—SHAMRAN AREA,KOHISTAN ARC, PAKISTAN,NW HIMALAYA

Kohistan Sequence has been considered as island arc formed during the subduction of oceanic lithosphere at the leading edge of northward moving Indian continent.. Sedimentary sequences indicate that formation of the intra\|oceanic Kohistan arc began in early Cretaceous time. The isotopic data demonstrate the involvement of enriched, DUPAL type mantle, suggesting that Kohistan arc was formed at or south of the present equator (Khan et al., 1997). The Intra oceanic phase of Kohistan lasted until sometime between 102 and 85 Ma, when Kohistan collided with Asia. From this time until collision with India about 50 Ma ago, Kohistan existed as Andean\|type margin. This paleomagnetic study is from the volcanic and plutonic rocks exposed in Gupis\|Shamran area (west of Gilgit) in northern part of the Kohistan arc. According to geochronological data these rocks were formed 61～55Ma ago (Treloar et al., 1989), when Kohistan was existing as Andean\|type margin. Seven to nine samples were collected from nine sites of Shamran volcanics (58±1)Ma and from five sites of Pingal, Gupis, and Yasin plutons (Ar\|Ar hornblende ages ranges from 61～52Ma). On the basis of one Rb\|Sr age of (59±2)Ma from these plutons, the above\|mentioned Ar/Ar ages may be regarded as reasonable intrusion ages of these plutons (Searle, 1991).     

甘新交界红柳河地区早志留世蛇绿混杂岩的厘定及大地构造意义

地质、岩石化学、地球化学、同位素年代学综合研究证明,红柳河地区蛇绿混杂岩同橄榄岩、辉长岩、玄武岩和弧后火山－沉积岩系组成,玄武质岩石地球化学特征不同于典型大洋中脊,岛弧及板内玄武岩,并暗示其形成于大陆边缘向洋中脊过渡的构造环境,铀－铅同位素测年结果证明其侵位于早志留世,混杂时代早于晚泥盆地,上述成果表明中天山结晶基底与塔里木大陆之间在早志留世曾闰开形成红柳河小洋盆,于晚泥盆世之前发生碰撞混杂形成次级缝合带。     

甘孜—理塘蛇绿混杂岩带中段理塘地区混杂岩物质组成及其洋盆演化史

理塘混杂岩位于甘孜-理塘蛇绿混杂岩带中段新龙县-理塘县一带,其内部保存有完整的混杂岩系,包括蛇绿岩残片、洋岛残块、洋内弧残块、复理石建造、裂谷残片、高压变质岩等,是恢复和反演甘孜-理塘洋盆演化的理想地区。在总结前人研究的基础上,结合笔者近年来的研究成果,详细阐述了理塘混杂岩的物质组成、构造环境及形成时代,进一步约束了甘孜-理塘洋盆的时空、性质以及演化历程。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb测年结果表明,甘孜-理塘混杂岩带内蛇绿岩年龄为（346±17）Ma、（286.2±5.1）Ma、（219.5±2.2）Ma、（216.1±2.3）Ma,洋岛年龄为（271±10）Ma、（245.1±1.5）Ma、（211.8±1.8）Ma,在侏罗纪瑞环山组粉砂岩夹层中测得碎屑锆石最新年龄为（196±3）Ma,结合大量的古生物化石鉴定结果,分析认为理塘混杂岩最早的年龄记录可追溯至中泥盆世,最晚可延至早白垩世,是甘孜-理塘洋盆中泥盆世-早白垩世连续演化的记录。综合以上研究成果,笔者还大致建立了甘孜-理塘洋盆晚古生代-中生代的演化过程模式。     

内蒙古贺根山蛇绿岩形成时代及构造启示

贺根山蛇绿岩位于兴蒙造山带北缘,发育完整的地幔橄榄岩、堆晶岩和基性熔岩组合,伴生有放射虫硅质岩,但贺根山蛇绿岩的形成时代一直存在争议,给兴蒙造山带北部构造演化阶段划分造成了很大障碍。锆石U-Pb年代学研究表明,贺根山蛇绿岩中辉长闪长岩(341±3Ma)和玄武岩(359±5Ma)结晶年龄为早石炭世早期,同时玄武岩继承锆石峰值年龄为晚泥盆世早期(375±2Ma),这些继承锆石呈短柱状、棱角状,生长环带宽缓,多为补丁状、平坦状,为典型的基性岩浆锆石,表明最迟在晚泥盆世早期洋壳物质已经开始形成。上石炭统格根敖包组火山岩与蛇绿岩局部呈喷发不整合接触,该组的晶屑凝灰岩夹层时代为晚石炭世(323±3Ma),提供了蛇绿岩构造侵位年龄的上限。因此,将贺根山蛇绿岩形成时代定为晚泥盆世-早石炭世,侵位时代为晚石炭世。侵入地幔橄榄岩中的部分基性岩脉时代为早白垩世(132±1Ma、139±3Ma和120±1Ma),它们含有大量继承锆石(144±1Ma~2698±25Ma),继承锆石峰值年龄密切响应了兴蒙造山带北部早白垩世之前复杂的岩浆及构造事件,这些基性岩脉是燕山期伸展环境下的岩浆产物,并非早白垩世蛇绿岩。结合前人的工作成果和区域岩浆岩、地层时空分布特征,建立了兴蒙造山带北部晚古生代构造演化历程:二连贺根山一线早泥盆世处于剥蚀阶段,中泥盆世陆壳拉张出现新生洋盆,晚泥盆世早期洋盆持续扩张形成新生洋壳,早石炭世晚期洋壳开始向北俯冲消减,并持续增生至西伯利亚活动陆缘,晚石炭世洋盆陆续闭合,部分已经构造侵位的蛇绿岩被晚石炭世火山岩不整合覆盖,贺根山蛇绿岩正是该洋盆的残余产物。     

Prolonged Variscan to Alpine history of an active Eurasian margin (Georgia, Armenia) revealed by Ar/Ar dating

Variscan to Alpine magmatic activity on the North Tethys active Eurasian margin in the Caucasus region is revealed by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages from rocks sampled in the Georgian Crystalline basement and exotic blocs in the Armenian foreland basin. These ages provide insights into the long duration of magmatic activity and related metamorphic history of the margin, with: (1) a phase of transpression with little crustal thickening during the Variscan cycle, evidenced by HT-LP metamorphism at 329–337 Ma; (2) a phase of intense bimodal magmatism at the end of the Variscan cycle, between 303 and 269 Ma, which is interpreted as an ongoing active margin during this period; (3) further evolution of the active margin evidenced by migmatites formed at ca. 183 Ma in a transpressive setting; (4) paroxysmal arc plutonic activity during the Jurassic (although the active magmatic arc was located farther south than the studied crystalline basements) with metamorphic rocks of the Eurasian basement sampled in the Armenian foreland basin dated at 166 Ma; (5) rapid cooling suggested by similar within-error ages of amphibole and muscovite sampled from the same exotic block in the Armenian fore-arc basin, ascribed to rapid exhumation related to extensional tectonics in the arc; and finally (6) cessation of ‘Andean’-type magmatic arc history in the Upper Cretaceous. Remnants of magmatic activity in the Early Cretaceous are found in the Georgian crystalline basement at c. 114 Ma, which is ascribed to flat slab subduction of relatively hot oceanic crust. This event corresponds to the emplacement of an oceanic seamount above the N Armenian ophiolite at 117 Ma. The activity of a hot spot between the active Eurasian margin and the South Armenian Block is thought to have heated and thickened the Neo-Tethys oceanic crust. Finally, the South Eurasian margin was uplifted and transported over this hot oceanic crust, resulting in the cessation of subduction and the erosion of the southern edge of the margin in Upper Cretaceous times. Emplacement of Eocene volcanics stitches all main collisional structures.     

What Happened in the Trans-North China Orogen in the Period 2560-1850 Ma？

The Trans-North China Orogen （TNCO） was a Paleoproterozic continent-continent collisional belt along which the Eastern and Western Blocks amalgamated to form a coherent North China Craton （NCC）. Recent geological, structural, geochemical and isotopic data show that the orogen was a continental margin or Japan-type arc along the western margin of the Eastern Block, which was separated from the Western Block by an old ocean, with eastward-directed subduction of the oceanic lithosphere beneath the western margin of the Eastern Block. At 2550-2520 Ma, the deep subduction caused partial melting of the medium-lower crust, producing copious granitoid magma that was intruded into the upper levels of the crust to form granitoid plutons in the low- to medium-grade granite-greeustone terranes. At 2530-2520 Ma, subduction of the oceanic lithosphere caused partial melting of the mantle wedge, which led to underplating of mafic magma in the lower crust and widespread mafic and minor felsic volcanism in the arc, forming part of the greenstone assemblages. Extension driven by widespread mafic to felsic volcanism led to the development of back-arc and/or intra-arc basins in the orogen. At 2520-2475 Ma, the subduction caused further partial melting of the lower crust to form large amounts of tonalitic-trondhjemitic-granodioritic （TTG） magmatism. At this time following further extension of back-arc basins, episodic granitoid magmatism occurred, resulting in the emplacement of 2360 Ma, -2250 Ma 2110-21760 Ma and -2050 Ma granites in the orogen. Contemporary volcano-sedimentary rocks developed in the back-arc or intra-are basins. At 2150-1920 Ma, the orogen underwent several extensional events, possibly due to subduction of an oceanic ridge, leading to emplacement of mafic dykes that were subsequently metamorphosed to amphibolites and medium- to high-pressure mafic granulites. At 1880-1820 Ma, the ocean between the Eastern and Western Blocks was completely consumed by subduction, and the dosing of the ocean led to the continent-arc-continent collision, which caused large-scale thrusting and isoclinal folds and transported some of the rocks into the lower crustal levels or upper mantle to form granulites or eclogites. Peak metamorphism was followed by exhumation/uplift, resulting in widespread development of asymmetric folds and symplectic textures in the rocks.     

Precise 40Ar/39Ar ages from the metamorphic sole of the Mersin ophiolite (southern Turkey)

The Mersin ophiolite is located on the southern flank of the E–W-trending central Tauride belt in Turkey. It is one of the Late Cretaceous Neotethyan oceanic lithospheric remnants. The Mersin ophiolite formed in a suprasubduction zone tectonic setting in southern Turkey at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. The Mersin ophiolite is one of the best examples in Turkey in order to study reconstruction of ophiolite emplacement along the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental-heating measurements were performed on seven obduction-related subophiolitic metamorphic rocks. Hornblende separates yielded isochron ages ranging from 96.0±0.7 Ma to 91.6±0.3 Ma (all errors ±1σ). Five of the seven hornblende age determinations are indistinguishable at the 95% confidence level and have a weighted mean age of 92.6±0.2 (2σ) Ma. We interpret these ages as the date of cooling below 500°C. Intraoceanic thrusting occurred (∼4 Ma) soon after formation of oceanic crust. The sole was crosscut by microgabbro–diabase dikes less than 3 m.y. later. The final obduction onto the Tauride platform occurred during the Late Cretaceous–Early Paleocene. Our new high-precision ages constrain intraoceanic thrusting for a single ophiolite (Mersin) in the Tauride belt.     

蒙古洋西南弧后盆地闭合时限的探讨——来自阿拉善陆块南部岩体地球化学和锆石测年的约束

精确地厘定霍尔森-查干楚鲁弧后盆地闭合的时限对于理解阿拉善陆块的构造演化历史和梳理阿拉善陆块南部地区矿化事件的时空序列具有十分重要的意义。该弧后盆地最终消失于巴丹吉林断裂带的位置。虽然在巴丹吉林断裂带东段,通过查干楚鲁蛇绿岩套将此弧后盆地东段的闭合时间约束在275Ma左右,但由于该断裂带西段缺失蛇绿岩套,使霍尔森-查干楚鲁弧后盆地的闭合时限仍不清楚。本文通过开展对上述断裂带西段中的特拜石英闪长岩和管材陶鲁盖花岗斑岩等岩体的岩石学、地球化学、锆石U-Pb测年等方面的研究工作,结果表明,特拜石英闪长岩属I型花岗岩类,岩石相对富集Rb、Th、U、K等大离子亲石元素,相对亏损Ta、Nb、P、Zr、Hf、Ti等高场强元素,轻稀土富集,重稀土亏损,具有弱的铕负异常,Sr-Nd同位素组成接近OIB或EMⅠ型富集地幔源区,岩体形成于霍尔森-查干楚鲁弧后盆地向阿拉善陆块俯冲的挤压构造环境,成岩年龄为281.7±1.1Ma。管材陶鲁盖花岗斑岩属A型花岗岩类,岩石相对富集Rb、Th、U、K等大离子亲石元素和LREE、Zr、Hf,相对亏损Ta、Nb、P、Ti等高场强元素和Ba、Sr、Eu,轻稀土富集,重稀土亏损,铕负异常明显,Sr-Nd同位素组成接近EMⅡ型富集地幔源区,岩体形成于霍尔森-查干楚鲁弧后盆地南侧大陆与火山弧碰撞后的伸展构造环境,成岩年龄为272.6±0.8Ma。本文提出该弧后盆地西段闭合时间不应早于281.7±1.1Ma,且不应晚于272.6±0.8Ma。结合该弧后盆地东段闭合于275Ma左右的认识,本文认为霍尔森-查干楚鲁弧后盆地整体的闭合时限介于282～272Ma之间。在巴丹吉林断裂带南侧的大多数矿化事件均为对霍尔森-查干楚鲁弧后盆地闭合事件的响应,这些矿床沿巴丹吉林断裂带分布,成矿作用与华力西期岩浆活动相关,成矿年龄应接近282～272Ma。     

Neoproterozoic (800 Ma) orogeny in the Tuva-Mongolia Massif (Siberia): island arc–continent collision at the northeast Rodinia margin

The Tuva-Mongolia Massif is a composite Precambrian terrane incorporated into the Palaeozoic Sayany-Baikalian belt. Its Neoproterozoic amalgamation history involves early (800 Ma) and late Baikalian (600–550 Ma) orogenic phases. Two palaeogeographic elements are identified in the early Baikalian stage — the Gargan microcontinent and the Dunzhugur oceanic arc. They are represented by the Gargan Glyba (Block) and the island-arc ophiolites overthrusting it. The Gargan Glyba is a two-layer platform comprising an Early Precambrian crystalline basement and a Neoproterozoic passive-margin sedimentary cover. The upper part comprises olistostromes deposited in a foreland basin during the early Baikalian orogeny. The Dunzhugur arc ophiolite form klippen fringing the Gargan Glyba, and show a comprehensive oceanic-arc ophiolite succession. The Dunzhugur arc faced the microcontinent, as shown by the occurrence of forearc complexes. The arc–continent collision followed a pattern similar to Phanerozoic collisions. When the marginal basin lithosphere had been completely subducted, the microcontinental edge partially underthrust the arc, and the forearc ophiolite overrode it. Continued convergence caused a break of the arc lithosphere resulting in the uplift of the submerged microcontinental margin with the overthrust forearc ophiolites sliding into the foreland basin. Owing to the lithospheric break, a new subduction zone, inclined beneath the Gargan microcontinent, emerged. Initial melts of the newly-formed continental arc are represented by tonalites intruded into the Gargan microcontinent basement and its cover, and into the ophiolite nappe. The tonalite Rb–Sr mineral isochron age is 812±18 Ma, which is similar to a U–Pb zircon age of 785±11 Ma. A period of tonalite magmatism in Meso–Cenozoic orogenic belts is recognized some 1–10 m.y. after the collision. Accordingly, the Dunzhugur island arc–Gargan microcontinent collision is conventionally dated at around 800 Ma. It is highly probable that in the early Neoproterozoic, the Gargan continental block was part of the southern (in modern coordinates) margin of the Siberia craton. It is suggested that a chain of Precambrian massifs represents an elongate block separated from Siberia in the late Neoproterozoic. The Tuva-Mongolia Massif is situated in the northwest part of this chain. These events occurred on the NE Neoproterozoic margin of Rodinia, facing the World Ocean.     

Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Middle Proterozoic Aoyougou Ophiolite in the North Qilian Mountains,Northwestern China

The Aoyougou ophiolite lies in an early Palaeozoic orogenic belt of the western North Qilian Mountains, near the Aoyougou valley in Gansu Province, northwestern China. It consists of serpentinite, a cumulate sequence of gabbro and diorite, pillow and massive lavas, diabase and chert. Ages of 1840±2 Ma, 1783±2 Ma and 1784±2 Ma on three zircons from diabase, indicate an early Middle Proterozoic age. The diabases and basalts show light rare-earth element enrichment and have relatively high TiO2 contents, characteristic of ocean island basalts. All of the lavas have low MgO, Cr, Ni contents and Mg numbers indicating a more evolved character. They are believed to have been derived from a more mafic parental magma by fractionation of olivine, Cr-spinel and minor plagioclase. Based on the lava geochemistry and regional geology, the Aoyougou ophiolite was probably believed to have formed at a spreading centre in a small marginal basin. Subduction of the newly formed oceanic lithosphere in the Middle Proteroz     

Detrital zircon ages in Palaeozoic and Mesozoic basement assemblages of the Peninsular Ranges batholith,Baja California,Mexico: constraints for depositional ages and provenance

The origin and continuity of Phanerozoic lithostratigraphic terranes in southern and Baja California remain an unsolved issue in Cordilleran tectonics. We present data from eight detrital zircon samples collected across the southern extent of the Peninsular Ranges that help constrain the provenance of detritus and the depositional ages of these basement units. Detrital zircon signatures from units in the eastern Peninsular Ranges correlate with Palaeozoic passive margin assemblages in the southwestern North American Cordillera. Units in the central belt, which consists of Triassic–Jurassic metasedimentary turbidite assemblages that probably deformed in an accretionary prism setting, and Cretaceous metasedimentary and metavolcanic units that represent the remnants of a continental margin arc, were derived from both proximal and more distal sources. The westernmost units, which are locally structurally interleaved with the Triassic through Cretaceous units of the central belt, are Cretaceous deposits that represent a series of collapsed basin complexes located within and flanking the Cretaceous Alisitos volcanic island arc. Cretaceous intra-arc units show little influx of cratonal material until approximately 110 Ma, whereas coeval sediments on the northern and eastern flanks of the Alisitos arc contain abundant cratonal detritus. Intra-arc strata younger than approximately 110 Ma contain large amounts of Proterozoic and older detrital zircons. These data suggest that basins associated with the Alisitos arc were either too distant or somehow shielded from North American detritus before 110 Ma. In the case of the former, increased influx of continental detritus after 110 Ma would support a tectonic model in which the arc was separated from North America by an ocean basin and, as the arc approached the continent, associated depositional centres were close enough to receive input from continental sources.     

Timing of the Erlangping back‐arc basin in the Qinling orogen,central China and its tectonic significance

Back‐arc basins hold the key in understanding the geodynamics of orogenic processes. The Qinling–Dabie orogenic belt in central China is one of the most important orogenic belts constraining the tectonic framework of eastern Asia. However, its Palaeozoic accretionary processes remain equivocal, mainly derived from the age uncertainty of the back‐arc basin in the Qinling orogen. We carried out zircon U–Pb geochronology for two pyroclastic volcanic rocks intercalated within the Erlangping back‐arc basin basalts. They yield U–Pb ages of 435.8 ± 4.2 Ma and 435.7 ± 3.8 Ma, which precisely constrain the timing of the back‐arc basin opening. The opening of the Erlangping back‐arc basin might have been triggered by the rollback of the Proto‐Tethyan oceanic slab due to the southward migration of arc magmatism at ca. 440 Ma. The Palaeozoic tectonic evolution and orogen‐scale geodynamic processes of the Qinling orogen are thus reconstructed.     

Provenance diversification within an arc‐trench system induced by batholith development: the Cretaceous Japan case

By comparing detrital zircon U–Pb age spectra of coeval fore‐arc and back‐/intra‐arc basin sandstones, we identified the overall distributary pattern of terrigenous clastic material within the Cretaceous arc system of SW Japan. Abundant Proterozoic (c. 1500–2500 Ma) detrital grains from the interior of East Asia are present in the Cretaceous intra‐arc basin. However, after a barrier mountain range formed during batholith emplacement, Proterozoic clastics were rarely transported into the fore‐arc domain. Episodic batholith formation in Pacific‐type orogens likely played a major role in controlling terrigenous supply routes between coeval back‐arc and fore‐arc domains. The Cretaceous orogen in Japan thus provides a good template for analysing the tectono‐sedimentary development of other arc‐related basins.     

内蒙古贺根山蛇绿岩中玄武岩锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其地质意义

贺根山蛇绿岩（套）中发育有气孔杏仁状玄武岩,为蛇绿岩套的组成部分。通过对其锆石U-Pb测年,其加权平均年龄为395.9 Ma±3.0 Ma,结合区域地质背景,认为贺根山蛇绿岩（套）形成时代为中泥盆世—早石炭世。玄武岩为亚碱性系列,具有LREE亏损、类似N-MORB的稀土配分模式,同时具备大洋玄武岩和岛弧玄武岩特征,认为贺根山蛇绿岩（套）应形成于弧后盆地;通过与现代典型Mariana洋内弧后盆地和Okinawa陆缘弧后盆地的玄武岩以及同属中亚造山带的新疆库尔提洋内弧后盆地蛇绿岩对比,发现贺根山玄武岩同Mariana玄武岩和库尔提蛇绿岩更加类似,由此认为贺根山蛇绿岩（套）很可能形成于洋内弧后盆地环境,而非大陆边缘弧后盆地环境。     

Relics of the Mozambique Ocean in the central East African Orogen: evidence from the Vohibory Block of southern Madagascar

The Vohibory Block of south‐western Madagascar is part of the East African Orogen, the formation of which is related to the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent. It is dominated by metabasic rocks, which have chemical compositions similar to those of recent basalts from a mid‐ocean ridge, back‐arc setting and island‐arc setting. The age of formation of protolith basalts has been dated at 850–700 Ma by U–Pb SHRIMP analysis of magmatic cores in zircon, pointing to an origin related to the Neoproterozoic Mozambique Ocean. The metabasic rocks are interpreted as representing components of an island arc with an associated back‐arc basin. In the early stage of the Pan‐African orogeny, these rocks experienced high‐pressure amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism (9–12 kbar, 750–880 °C), dated at 612 ± 5 Ma from metamorphic rims in zircon. The metamorphism was most likely related to accretion of the arc terrane to the margin of the Azania microcontinent (Proto‐Madagascar) and closure of the back‐arc basin. The main metamorphism is significantly older than high‐temperature metamorphism in other tectonic units of southern Madagascar, indicating a distinct tectono‐metamorphic history.     

西藏班公湖—怒江西段舍马拉沟蛇绿岩中辉长岩年龄测定——兼论班公湖—怒江蛇绿岩带形成时代

对班公湖-怒江西段舍马拉沟蛇绿岩中层状辉长岩的Sm-Nd、K-Ar同位素测定结果表明,Sm-Nd内部等时线年龄为(191 22)Ma,K-Ar年龄为(140 4．07)Ma和(152．30 3．60)Ma,结合地质资料分析,认为前者代表了洋盆张开年龄为早侏罗世,后者代表受到洋壳俯冲影响的时问;根据中段、东段蛇绿岩带已有的资料,讨论了班公湖-怒江蛇绿岩带的洋盆张开时代、俯冲时间及闭合时代,认为班公湖-怒江洋盆可能在早侏罗世自东向西同时张开,中侏罗世开始极性向南的俯冲,洋盆最终在早侏罗世末封闭。     

An Early Aged Ophiolite in the Western Kunlun Mts., NW Tibetan Plateau and Its Tectonic Implications

1 Introduction The Kuda ophiolite occurred in the western Kunlun Mountains, which lies about the intersection of longitude 77°10′ E and latitude 36°45′ N (Figs. 1, 2). The upper portion of the ophiolite mainly consists of a thick layer of basaltic pillow lavas, which was well exposed along the high way from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the western Tibetan Plateau, and the middle-lower part, the mafic-ultramafic cumulates and upper mantle rocks occur at the top of the mountain n…