Subduction-modified pelagic sediments as the enriched component in back-arc basalts from the Japan Sea: Ocean Drilling Program Sites 797 and 794

Ocean Drilling Program Legs 127 and 128 in the Yamato Basin of the Japan Sea, a Miocene-age back-arc basin in the western Pacific Ocean, recovered incompatible-element-depleted and enriched tholeiitic dolerites and basalts from the basin floor, which provide evidence of a significant sedimentary component in their mantle source. Isotopically, the volcanic rocks cover a wide range of compositions (e.g., ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70369–0.70503, ²⁰⁴Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=17.65–18.36) and define a mixing trend between a depleted mantle (DM) component and an enriched component with the composition of EM II. At Site 797, the combined isotope and trace element systematics support a model of two component mixing between depleted, MORB-like mantle and Pacific pelagic sediments. A best estimate of the composition of the sedimentary component has been determined by analyzing samples of differing lithology from DSDP Sites 579 and 581 in the western Pacific, east of the Japan arc. The sediments have large depletions in the high field strength elements and are relatively enriched in the large-ion-lithophile elements, including Pb. These characteristics are mirrored, with reduced amplitudes, in Japan Sea enriched tholeiites and northeast Japan arc lavas, which strengthens the link between source enrichment and subducted sediments. However, Site 579/581 sediments have higher LILE/REE and lower HFSE/REE than the enriched component inferred from mixing trends at Site 797. Sub-arc devolatilization of the sediments is a process that will lower LILE/REE and raise HFSE/REE in the residual sediment, and thus this residual sediment may serve as the enriched component in the back-arc basalt source. Samples from other potential sources of an enriched. EM II-like component beneath Japan, such as the subcontinental lithosphere or crust, have isotopic compositions which overlap those of the Japan Sea tholeiites and are not enriched enough to be the EM II end-member.     

The behaviour of platinum-group elements in basalts from the East Greenland rifted margin

. The continental flood basalts of the East Greenland volcanic rifted margin were extruded during continental breakup above the ancestral Iceland mantle plume at 55 Ma. Three distinct magma types, the low-Ti, high-Ti and very high-Ti series (LTS, HTS and VHTS respectively), are found intercalated in the ~6-km-thick Plateau Lava sequence. Incompatible trace elements indicate that the LTS are derived from a more depleted mantle source compared to HTS and VHTS. The LTS is characterised by increasing Cu (105 to 248 ppm) and Pd (7 to 24 ppb), constant Cu/Pd ratio (~10,000), and decreasing Ir (1.1 to <0.05 ppb) and Ru (1.8 to <0.3 ppb) concentrations during magmatic differentiation (16 to 7 wt% MgO). The constant Cu/Pd ratio reflects silicate- and chromite-dominated fractionation without concurrent segregation of sulphide. S-undersaturated differentiation is also indicated in the HTS, which also displays increasing Pd (6-16 ppb) and decreasing Ir concentrations (1 to <0.05 ppb) during differentiation, and the Cu/Pd ratios for the entire series average 21,000. However, some HTS samples have elevated Cu/Pd ratios (up to 33,000). Cu/Pd ratios in the HTS do not correlate with MgO, and this is interpreted to reflect varying Cu/Pd ratios of HTS parental magmas rather than S-saturated differentiation. During S-undersaturated differentiation of the LTS and HTS, Pt/Pd ratios decrease from 1.3 to 0.11 and 1.1 to 0.2 respectively, which indicates that Pd is much more incompatible than Pt during S-undersaturated differentiation. The VHTS consists exclusively of highly evolved samples with low MgO (6.6-6.1 wt%) and Pd/Ir ratios 98-228. Here, Cu/Pd ratios increase from 17,500 to 35,000 with decreasing Cr concentrations which indicate that these magmas experienced silicate fractionation with concurrent segregation of sulphide. The LTS represent melting of a depleted source and show high PGE concentrations and constant Cu/Pd ratios during S-undersaturated differentiation. Melting of a normal depleted upper mantle source generates S-saturated melts (MORB), and the depleted LTS source is therefore considered an extraordinary S-poor component within the ancestral Iceland plume. Of the three series, the VHTS contain the largest contribution from enriched mantle portions. The VHTS have similar PGE but much higher Nb concentrations for instance compared to the most evolved LTS and HTS samples, indicating that the enriched source contributes Nb but not PGE.     

Two contrasting magmatic types coexist after the cessation of back-arc spreading

Amongst island arcs, Izu–Bonin is remarkable as it has widespread, voluminous and long-lived volcanism behind the volcanic front. In the central part of the arc this volcanism is represented by a series of seamount chains which extend nearly 300 km into the back-arc from the volcanic front. These back-arc seamount chains were active between 17 and 3 Ma, which is the period between the cessation of spreading in the Shikoku Basin and the initiation of currently active rifting just behind the Quaternary volcanic front. In this paper we present new age, chemical and isotopic data from the hitherto unexplored seamounts which formed furthest from the active volcanic front. Some of the samples come from volcanoes at the western limit of the back-arc seamount chains. Others are collected from seamounts of various sizes which lie on the Shikoku Basin crust (East Shikoku Basin seamounts). The westernmost magmatism we have sampled is manifested as a series of volcanic edifices that trace the extinct spreading centre of the Shikoku Basin known as the Kinan Seamount Chain (KSC).Chemically, enrichment in fluid-mobile elements and depletion in HFSE relative to MORB indicates that the back-arc seamount chains and the East Shikoku Basin seamounts have a significant contribution of slab-derived material. In this context these volcanoes can be regarded as a manifestation of arc magmatism and distinct from the MORB-like lavas of the Shikoku back-arc basin. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages range from 15.7 to 9.6 Ma for the East Shikoku Basin seamounts, indicating this arc magmatism started immediately after the Shikoku Basin stopped spreading.Although the KSC volcanoes are found to be contemporaneous with the seamount chains and East Shikoku Basin seamounts, their chemical characteristics are very different. Unlike the calc-alkaline seamount chains, the KSC lavas range from medium-K to shoshonitic alkaline basalt. Their trace element characteristics indicate the absence of a subduction influence and their radiogenic isotope systematics reflect a mantle source combining a Philippine Sea MORB composition and an enriched mantle component (EM-1). One of the most remarkable features of the KSC is that their geochemistry has a distinct temporal variation. Element ratios such as Nb/Zr and concentrations of incompatible elements such as K₂O increase with decreasing age and reach a maximum at ca. 7 Ma when the KSC ceased activity.Based on the chemical and temporal information from all the data across the back-arc region, we have identified two contrasting yet contemporaneous magmatic provinces. These share a tectonic platform, but have separate magmatic roots; one stemming from subduction flux and the other from post-spreading asthenospheric melting.     

REE geochemistry of sea-floor sediments of the continental shelf of the East China Sea

REE geochemistry has been studied of sea-floor sediments of the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The average content of RE₂O₃ is estimated at 175 ppm based on 68 sediment samples from the continental shelf. The absolute concentrations of Y and La-Lu in the sediments are shown in Table 3. The REE distribution patterns in the sediments demonstrate a distinct depletion in Eu and a negative slope. It is considered that the fragments of Mesozoie intermediate-acid igneous rocks widely distributed in southeastern China are the main source of REE in sea-floor sediments of the East China Sea continental shelf.     

Strontium isotope geochemistry of megacrysts and host basalts from southeastern Australia

Strontium isotopic data for megacrysts and lavas from six eruptive centers within the Newer Basalts province of southeastern Australia show that megacrysts of clinopyroxene are in isotopic equilibrium with associated basalts, but that megacrysts of kaersutite, ferrokaersutite, orthopyroxene and anorthoclase may exhibit slight disequilibrium with their host basalts. Furthermore, the anorthoclase megacrysts may be either more or less radiogenic than their hosts. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for 14 basalts from throughout the province vary from 0.7035 to 0.7045 and it is proposed that anorthoclase, amphibole and orthopyroxene megacrysts which crystallized in isotopic equilibrium with one magma may have been caught up in a pulse of a later magma of a different isotopic composition. The variations in the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for the basalts are attributed to variations in the isotopic composition of their source regions. Such isotopic heterogeneity is supported by published data for ultramafic xenoliths which occur in the Newer Basalts lavas.     

塔西南其木干早二叠世玄武岩的喷发时代及地球化学特征

塔西南其木干剖面棋盘组玄武岩是塔里木盆地早二叠世大火成岩省西南部的重要组成部分,根据其下伏和上覆砂岩地层的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄分析可以限定其喷发于~284Ma,相应于柯坪地区开派兹雷克组玄武岩的形成时代。其木干玄武岩的主量元素和Cr、Ni等相容元素含量变化较大,表明其曾经历广泛的橄榄石、辉石和长石结晶分异作用;所研究样品相对富集Th、U和LREE,具有弱-中等程度的Eu负异常 (Eu/Eu^*=0.82~0.99),在微量元素蛛网图上显示Nb-Ta负异常;较低的ε_Nd(t) (-4.8~-3.9) 和ε_Hf(t) (-2.4~-1.6) 值、较高的 (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i (0.7078~0.7086)和存在Hf-Nd同位素解耦等特征表明,其木干玄武岩的源区为受远洋沉积物组分交代富集的岩石圈地幔,该富集过程主要与Rodinia超大陆聚合过程有关。总体上,其木干玄武岩的地球化学特征类似于柯坪地区的开派兹雷克组玄武岩,但具有更为富集的Sr-Nd-Hf同位素,暗示了塔里木板块周缘比板内地区可能经受了更强烈的远洋沉积物组分的交代富集。     

Petrology of basalts from the Mohns-Knipovich Ridge; the Norwegian-Greenland Sea

Major element compositions of submarine basalts, quenched glasses, and contained phenocrysts are reported for samples from 25 dredge stations along the Mohns-Knipovich Ridge between the Jan Mayen fracture zone and 77°30N. Most of the basalts collected on the Jan Mayen platform have a subaerial appearance, are nepheline normative, rich in incompatible elements, and have REE-patterns strongly enriched in light-REE. The other basalts (with one exception) are tholeiitic pillow basalts, many of which have fresh quenched glass rims. From the Jan Mayen platform northeastwards the phenocryst assemblage changes from olivine±plagioclase±clinopyroxene±magnetite to olivine +plagioclase±chrome-spinel. This change is accompanied by a progressive decrease in the content of incompatible elements, light-REE enrichments and elevation of the ridge that are similar to those observed south of the Azores and Iceland hotspots. Pillow basalts and glasses collected along the esternmost part of the Mohns Ridge (450 to 675 km east of Jan Mayen) have low K₂O, TiO₂, and P₂O₅ contents, light-REE depleted patterns relative to chondrites, and Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺) ratios between 0.64 and 0.60. Pillow basalts and glasses from the Knipovich Ridge have similar (Mg/Mg+Fe²⁺) ratios, but along the entire ridge have slightly higher concentrations of incompatible elements and chondritic to slightly light-REE enriched patterns. The incompatible element enrichment increases slightly northward. Plagioclase phenocrysts show normal and reverse zoning on all parts of the ridge whereas olivines are unzoned or show only weak normal zoning. Olivine-liquid equilibrium temperatures are calculated to be in the range of 1,060–1,206° C with a mean around 1,180° C.Rocks and glasses collected on the Jan Mayen Platform are compositionally similar to Jan Mayen volcanic products, suggesting that off-ridge alkali volcanism on the Jan Mayen Platform is more widespread than so far suspected. There is also evidence to suggest that the alkali basalts from the Jan Mayen Platform are derived from deeper levels and by smaller degrees of partial melting of a mantle significantly more enriched in light-REE and other incompatible elements than are the tholeiitic basalts from the Eastern Mohns and Knipovich Ridge. The possibility of the presence of another hitherto unsuspected enriched mantle region north of 77° 30 N is also briefly considered.It remains uncertain whether geochemical gradients revealed in this study reflect: (1) the dynamics of mixing during mantle advection and magma emplacement into the crust along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) spreading axis, (e.g. such as in the mantle plume — large-ion-lithophile element depleted asthenosphere mixing model previously proposed); or (2) a horizontal gradation of the mantle beneath the MAR axis similar to that observed in the overlying crust; or (3) a vertical gradation of the mantle in incompatible elements with their contents increasing with depth and derivations of melts from progressively greater depth towards the Jan Mayen Platform.     

青藏高原东北缘红墙玄武岩的年代学、地球化学特征及成因初探

西秦岭地处青藏高原东北缘,是古亚洲构造域、特提斯构造域和滨太平洋构造域的交接转换带,也是分野中国大陆东、西部地理与地质构造的关键部位。该区广泛分布了大量中生代火山岩。由于该区基础地质研究程度很低,特别是缺少可靠的年代学和地球化学资料,对该区中生代火山岩的成因及地球动力学背景一直存在争议,影响了人们对西秦岭大地构造属性及发展演化历史的全面认识。文中提供了甘肃西秦岭夏河县麻当乡红墙村中生代玄武岩的岩相学、地球化学和同位素年代学研究资料和数据,对火山岩的成因与动力学条件进行了初步讨论。红墙玄武岩中分离出的锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年结果表明,该玄武岩形成于(104.8±0.99)Ma(MSWD=0.63),与野外观察结果一致,证明红墙玄武岩是早白垩世火山作用产物。岩相学和地球化学的观察和研究显示,该套岩石以出现斜长石斑晶、基质中出现大量斜长石微晶或微斑晶为特征,岩石具有较高的SiO2、Al2O3、Na2O和较低的CaO,属于钠质碱性玄武岩,而不同于该研究区东部礼县—宕昌一带新生代超钾质火山岩。红墙玄武岩在地球化学方面具有富集轻稀土和部分高场强元素(如Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Ti等),亏损大离子亲石元素(Rb、K等),正的εNd(t)=5.9～7.5和低的87Sr/86Sr(t)=0.703 3～0.705 6以及206Pb/204Pb(t)=17.707～18.319、207Pb/204Pb(t)=15.398～15.626和208Pb/204Pb(t)=37.266～38.454等特征。所有这些特征一致表明,红墙早白垩世玄武岩具有与大陆OIB相似的地球化学特征,其源区可能具有DMM和PREMA端员混合的特点,推测其主要来自亏损的软流圈地幔。结合对火山岩产出大地构造背景的综合分析及与礼县—宕昌新生代超钾质火山岩的对比,提出红墙早白垩世钠质碱性玄武岩是大陆裂谷岩浆作用的产物,其成因和动力学背景与自中生代以来南北构造带的裂谷性质及其发展演化有关。西秦岭东、西两段新生代与早白垩世火山岩在岩相学、全岩化学以及岩石系列和类型方面的差异,可能与不同时期软流圈地幔源区的演化、岩浆起源深度和部分熔融程度等有关。     

Trace element geochemistry in topsoil from East China

The concentrations of 23 trace elements in 50 topsoil samples collected from sites ranging between 18°19′N and 49°13′N in East China were analyzed. Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, and Ta have mean contents more than two times higher than in the continental upper crust. Three elements, Rb, Sr, and Ba, are present at lower concentrations than in the continental upper crust. Finally, a group of elements consisting of Ge, Y, Zr, Nb, Sc, Hf, Pb, Th, and U are present at concentrations 1–2 times higher than in the continental upper crust. However, concentrations of trace elements are mainly affected by parent rock. The contents of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Cu for 29 soils from basalt were found to increase from north to south, whereas Rb, Sr, and Ba contents were found to decrease. In addition, element concentration shows a close relationship with annual average temperature (AAT) as well as annual average precipitation (AAP). Since the 29 soils are all from basalt, the trends of the elemental contents should reflect the influence of climate, which determines the intensity of weathering. These elemental trends suggest that the content of certain elements may indicate the intensity of basalt weathering. Ba/Nb and Sr/Nb ratios were both found to have good correlations with AAT and AAP in this study, which means that these ratios can also indicate the intensity of chemical weathering of basalt.     

A geochemical study of magmatism associated with the initial stages of back-arc spreading

Bransfield Strait is a narrow basin separating the South Shetland Islands from the Antarctic Peninsula and is attributed to recent back-arc extension behind the South Shetland volcanic arc. The volcanic islands of Deception and Bridgeman are situated close to the axis of spreading, whereas Penguin Island lies slightly to the north of this axis. The mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of the lavas of the three volcanoes have been studied in order to provide information on the nature of magmatism associated with the initial stages of back-arc spreading.Deception Island lavas range from olivine basalt to dacite, and all are highly sodic, with high Na/K, K/Rb, Ba/Rb and Zr/Nb ratios and with Ce_N/Yb_N = 2. Incompatible elements increase systematically between basalt and rhyodacite, while Sr decreases, suggesting that fractional crystallisation is the dominant process relating lava compositions. The rhyodacites have high concentrations of Zr, Y and the REE and negative Eu anomalies and are compositionally similar to oceanic plagiogranite. Bridgeman Island lavas are mostly basaltic andesites, but the levels of many incompatible elements, including REE, are significantly lower than those of Deception lavas, although Ce_N/Yb_N ratios and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7035) are the same. Penguin Island lavas are magnesian, mildly alkaline olivine basalts with a small range of composition that can be accommodated by fractional crystallisation of olivine, clinopyroxene and/or chromite. Penguin lavas have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7039) and Ce_N/ Yb_N (4) ratios than Deception and Bridgeman lavas. The Rb/Sr ratios of Deception and Penguin basalts (ca. 0.01) are much too low to account for their present ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios.Modelling suggests that the source regions of the lavas of the three volcanoes share many geochemical features, but there are also some significant differences, which probably reflects the complex nature of the mantle under an active island arc combined with complex melting relationships attending the initial stages of back-arc spreading. Favoured models suggest that Bridgeman lavas represent 10–20% melting and the more primitive Deception lavas 5–10% melting of spinel-peridotite, whereas Penguin lavas represent less then 5% melting of a garnet-peridotite source. The mantle source for Bridgeman lavas seems to have undergone short-term enrichment in K, Rb and Ba, possibly resulting from dewatering of the subducted slab. Hydrous melting conditions may also account for the more siliceous, high-alumina nature and low trace element contents of Bridgeman lavas.     

Melanesian back-arc basin and arc development: Constraints from the eastern Coral Sea

The eastern Coral Sea is a poorly explored area at the north-eastern corner of the Australian Tectonic Plate, where interaction between the Pacific and Australian plate boundaries, and accretion of the world's largest submarine plateau – the Ontong Java Plateau – has resulted in a complex assemblage of back-arc basins, island arcs, continental plateaus and volcanic products. This study combines new and existing magnetic anomaly profiles, seafloor fabric from swath bathymetry data, Ar–Ar dating of E-MORB basalts, palaeontological dating of carbonate sediments, and plate modelling from the eastern Coral Sea. Our results constrain commencement of the opening of the Santa Cruz Basin and South Rennell Trough to c. 48 Ma and termination at 25–28 Ma. Simultaneous opening of the Melanesian Basin/Solomon Sea further north suggests that a single > 2000 km long back-arc basin, with at least one triple junction existed landward of the Melanesian subduction zone from Eocene–Oligocene times. The cessation of spreading corresponds with a reorganisation of the plate boundaries in the area and the proposed initial soft collision of the Ontong Java Plateau. The correlation between back-arc basin cessation and a widespread plate reorganisation event suggests that back-arc basins may be used as markers for both local and global plate boundary changes.     

Geochronology and geochemistry of late Cenozoic basalts from the Leiqiong area,southern China

The Leiqiong area, which includes the Leizhou Peninsula and the northern part of the Hainan Island, is the largest province of exposed basalts in southern China. Ar–Ar and K–Ar dating indicates that incipient volcanism in the Leiqiong area may have taken place in late Oligocene time and gradually increased in tempo toward the Miocene and Pliocene Epoch. Volcanic activities were most extensive during Pleistocene, and declined and ended in Holocene. Based on radiometric age dating and geographic distribution, Pliocene and Quaternary volcanism in Hainan Island can be grouped into two stages and six eruptive regions. The early volcanism is dominated by flood type fissure eruption of quartz tholeiites and olivine tholeiites whereas the later phase is dominated by central type eruption of alkali olivine basalts and olivine tholeiites. The systematic decrease of MgO, ΣFeO and TiO₂ with increasing SiO₂ content for basalts from Hainan Island indicates that fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene and Ti-bearing opaques may have occurred during magmatic evolution. From coexisting Fe–Ti oxide minerals, it is estimated that the equilibrium temperatures range from 895–986°C and oxygen fugacities range from 10^−13.4 to 10^−10.7 atmospheres in the basaltic magmas. The incompatible element ratios and the chondrite-normalized REE patterns of basalts from the Leiqiong area are generally similar to OIB. The Nb/U ratios (less than 37) in most of the tholeiitic rocks and the negative Nb anomaly observed in the spidergram of some basalts indicated that the influence of a paleo-subduction zone derived component can not be excluded in considering the genesis of the basalts from the Leiqiong area. The tholeiites in the Leiqiong area may have mixed with a more enriched lithospheric mantle component as well as undergone relatively larger percentages of partial melting than the alkali basalts.     

西准噶尔玛依勒地区枕状玄武岩年代学、地球化学及岩石成因

通过对造山带内洋岛玄武岩的时代及地球化学性质研究,不仅可以进行古海山/大洋高原的识别,而且还可以进行古洋盆演化及古构造格局恢复。笔者等最新在西准噶尔玛依勒山北侧识别出一套枕状玄武岩,其与火山碎屑岩、硅质岩共生。枕状玄武岩斜长石微晶普遍发育中空骸晶结构,是在水下熔岩急剧萃冷条件下迅速结晶的产物。通过LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb测年,获得枕状玄武岩206Pb/238U加权平均年龄为437.2±2.2Ma,该年龄的获得填补了志留纪碱性玄武岩的空白。岩石地球化学分析结果显示,玛依勒枕状玄武岩为碱性玄武岩系列,岩石具有中等Si O2(44.89%~47.81%),高Ti O2(3.28%~4.12%)及P2O5(0.50%~0.70%),低Mg O(3.49%~6.79%),轻、重稀土元素分异较为明显((La/Yb)N=5.5~7.3),无明显Eu异常(Eu/Eu*=0.96~1.06),相对富集Rb、Th、U,亏损Ba、K、Sr,没有明显Nb、Ta负异常,这些地球化学特征与洋岛玄武岩(OIB)极其相似。微量元素含量及反映源区性质的比值表明,枕状玄武岩来源于富集地幔源区,主要组成为尖晶石和石榴石二辉橄榄岩,并发生了5%±的部分熔融,其形成于大洋板内与地幔柱有关的海山/大洋岛屿环境。结合前人研究,认为西准噶尔乃至古亚洲洋在中古生代洋内俯冲的同时,大洋板内可能存在地幔柱活动。     

皖苏鲁新生代玄武岩的Sr-Nd 同位素组成及其含义

皖苏鲁新生代碱性玄武岩34个样品的Sr、Nd同位素组成，总的变化范围为ε°CHUR（Nd）=-4.5-6.9，ε°CHUR（Sr）=-20.4-33.1。分布在大洋玄武岩的Sr-Nd同位素组成范围内。其中江苏省六合一仪征、山东省蓬莱、栖霞和临朐等地区玄武岩同位素组成与PREMA型地幔端元相似，皖东嘉山-来安地区玄武岩具有EMI型地幔端元特征。前者来源于软流圈或更深部的地幔部分，后者来源于不均一的岩石圈地幔部分。来源于较流圈和岩石圈地幔的熔体互相作用决定了皖苏鲁新生代玄武岩 Sr-Nd 同位素地球化学特征。     

Seafloor spreading in the Weddell Sea from magnetic and gravity data

A re-compilation of magnetic data in the Weddell Sea is presented and compared with the gravity field recently derived from retracked satellite altimetry. The previously informally named ‘Anomaly-T,’ an east–west trending linear positive magnetic and gravity anomaly lying at about 69°S, forms the southern boundary of the well-known Weddell Sea gravity herringbone. North of Anomaly-T, three major E–W linear magnetic lows are shown, and identified with anomalies c12r, c21–29(r) and c33r. On the basis of these, and following work by recent investigators, isochrons c13, c18, c20, c21, c30, c33 and c34 are identified and extended into the western Weddell Sea. Similarly, a linear magnetic low lying along the spine of the herringbone is shown and provisionally dated at 93–96 Ma. Anomaly-T is tentatively dated to be M5n, in agreement with recent tectonic models.Although current tectonic models are generally in good agreement to the north of T, to the south interpretations differ. Some plate tectonic models have only proposed essentially north–south spreading in the region, whilst others have suggested that a period of predominantly east–west motion (relative to present Antarctic geographic coordinates) occurred during the mid-Mesozoic spreading between East and West Gondwana. We identify an area immediately to the south of T which appears to be the southerly extent of N–S spreading in the herringbone. Following recent work, the extreme southerly extent of the N–S directed spreading of the herringbone is provisionally dated M9r/M10. In the oldest Weddell Sea, immediately to the north and east of the Antarctic shelf, we see subtle features in both the magnetic and gravity data that are consistent with predominantly N–S spreading in the Weddell Sea during the earliest opening of East and West Gondwana. In between, however, in a small region extending approximately from about 50 km south of T to about 70°S and from approximately 40° to 53°W, the magnetic and gravity data appear to suggest well-correlated linear marine magnetic anomalies (possible isochrons) perpendicular to T, bounded and offset by less well-defined steps and linear lows in the gravity (possible fracture zones). These magnetic and gravity data southwest of T suggest that the crust here may record an E–W spreading episode between the two-plate system of East and West Gondwana prior to the initiation of the three-plate spreading system of South America, Africa and Antarctica. The E–W spreading record to the east of about 35°W would then appear to have been cut off at about M10 time during the establishment of N–S three-plate spreading along the South American–Antarctic Ridge and then subducted under the Scotia Ridge.     

那拉提山北缘寒武纪玄武岩的元素地球化学特征及构造意义

我国西南天山地区那拉提北缘断裂北侧出露寒武纪（516.3±7.4Ma）橄榄拉斑玄武岩,其Al2O3（120.71％-14.14％）、P2O5（0.09％-0．21％）含量较低,TiO2（1.39％-2．35％）、MgO（5.35％-8.14％）含量中等,全Fe2O3（11.74％-16．03％）含量较高,球粒陨石标准化稀土分布型式平坦,（La／Sm）.和（Y／Nb）.比值接近1,为过渡型洋脊玄武岩（T-MORB）;并且Th／Ta比值（0．8—1.5）低,高场强元素（Nb,Ta,Zr,Hf,P）没有明显亏损,缺乏陆壳混染或俯冲带流体活动的印迹.部分T-MORB的Fe、Ti含量较高（FeO^T〉12％,TiO2〉2％,FeO^T／MgO〉1．75）,Mg^#值（0．40—0.49）和Cr（53×10^-6-110×10^-6）含量较低,属于Fe-Ti玄武岩（ferrobasalt）,应为岩浆依Fenner趋势发生较高程度结晶分离演化的产物,很可能形成于洋中脊的扩展型裂谷环境.我们认为,那拉提北缘寒武纪T-MORB和Fe-n玄武岩可能与境外吉尔吉斯斯坦境内北天山南缘的旱古生代Terskey蛇绿岩带相连,为Terskey蛇绿岩的残片;寒武纪我国境内发育Terskey洋.那拉提北缘断裂可能与尼古拉耶夫线相连,代表西南天山地区Terskey洋闭合形成的一条早古生代缝合带.     

东菲律宾海新型富铁锰结壳的古海洋环境记录

尝试恢复东菲律宾海新型深水水成富铁锰结壳典型样品生长过程中所记录的古海洋环境.通过对其微间距取样样品的地球化学和铀系年代学综合研究, 得到了该结壳的3个主要生长阶段及其对应的古海洋环境.第一阶段为晚中新世晚期-早上新世的结壳快速生长期, 壳层结构疏松并含有较多的火山碎屑物质, 对应着中中新世初期-上新世早期的南极底流活跃和降温; 第二阶段为早、中上新世的结壳生长间断期, 形成深海粘土沉积, 表明此时南极底流的减弱和升温; 第三阶段为中上新世以来的结壳缓慢生长期, 指示着南极底流的再次活跃和强降温, 其强度和范围均超过第一阶段, 更利于致密和高纯壳层的发育.研究区的这段古海洋学历史在以往研究中一直不甚明了.      

Paleoenvironments Recorded in a New-Type Ferromanganese Crust from the East Philippine Sea

INTRODUCTIONHydrogenetic marine ferromanganese crusts havereceived much attention over the past several dec-ades ,not only as potential mineral resources enrichedin Mn,Co ,Cu, Ni ,and Pt ( Manhei m,1986) but al-so as potential paleoceanographic records during theirgrowth ( Banakar et al ., 2003 ; Mc Murtry et al .,1994 ; Hein et al .,1992) .Former research has demonstrated that varia-tions in the chemical composition of seamount ferro-manganese crusts canreflect theinfluence of changin…     

Plume dynamics beneath the African plate inferred from the geochemistry of the Tertiary basalts of southern Ethiopia

Southern Ethiopian flood basalts erupted in two episodes: the pre-rift Amaro and Gamo transitional tholeiites (45-35 million years) followed by the syn-extensional Getra-Kele alkali basalts (19-11 million years). These two volcanic episodes are distinct in both trace element and isotope ratios (Zr/Nb ratios in Amaro/Gamo lavas fall between 7 and 14, and 3-4.7 in the Getra-Kele lavas whereas ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios fall between 18-19 and 18.9-20, respectively). The distinctive chemistries of the two eruptive phases record the tapping of two distinct source regions: a mantle plume source for the Amaro/Gamo phase and an enriched continental mantle lithosphere source for the Getra-Kele phase. Isotope and trace element variations within the Amaro/Gamo lavas reflect polybaric fractional crystallisation initiated at high pressures accompanied by limited crustal contamination. We show that clinopyroxene removal at high (0.5 GPa) crustal pressures provides an explanation for the common occurrence of transitional tholeiites in Ethiopia relative to other, typically tholeiitic flood basalt provinces. The mantle plume signature inferred from the most primitive Amaro basalts is isotopically distinct from that contributing to melt generation in central Ethiopian and Afar. This, combined with Early Tertiary plate reconstructions and similarities with Kenyan basalts farther south, lends credence to derivation of these melts from the Kenyan plume rather than the Afar mantle plume. The break in magmatism between 35 and 19 Ma is consistent with the northward movement away from the Kenya plume predicted from plate tectonic reconstructions. In this model the Getra-Kele magmatism is a response to heating of carbonatitically metasomatised lithosphere by the Afar mantle plume beneath southern Ethiopia at this time.