Deep structure under Yellowstone National Park U.S.A.: A continental “hot spot”

In order to understand the origin of long-lived loci of volcanism (sometimes called “hot spots”) and their possible role in global tectonic processes, it is essential to know their deep structure. Even though some work has been done on the crustal, upper-mantle, and deep-mantle structure under some of these “hot spots”, the picture is far from clear. In an attempt to study the structure under the Yellowstone National Park U.S.A., which is considered to be such a “hot spot”, we recorded teleseisms using 26 telemetered seismic stations and three groups of portable stations. The network was operated within a 150 km radius centered on the Yellowstone caldera, the major, Quaternary volcanic feature of the Yellowstone region. Teleseismic delays of about 1.5 sec are found inside the caldera, and the delays remain high over a 100 km wide area around the caldera. The spatial distribution and magnitude of the delays indicate the presence of a large body of low-velocity material with horizontal dimensions corresponding approximately to the caldera size (40 km × 80 km) near the surface and extending to a depth of 200–250 km under the caldera. Using ray-tracing and inversion techniques, it is estimated that the compressional velocity inside the anomalous body is lower than in the surrounding rock by about 15% in the upper crust and by 5% in the lower crust and upper mantle. It is postulated that the body is partly composed of molten rock with a high degree of partial melting at shallow depths and is responsible for the observed Yellowstone volcanism. The large size of the partially molten body, taken together with its location at the head of a 350 km zone of volcanic propagation along the axis of the Snake River Plain, indicates that the volcanism associated with Yellowstone has its origin below the lithosphere and is relatively stationary with respect to plate motion. Using our techniques, we are unable to detect any measurable velocity contrast in the mantle beneath the low-velocity body, and, hence, we are unable to determine whether the Yellowstone melting anomaly is associated with a deep heat source or with any deep phenomenon such as a convection plume, chemical plume, or gravitational anchor.     

A crustal-scale integrated geophysical and tectonic study of the Snake River Plain region,northwestern U.S.A.

The Pacific Northwest region of North America is a site of very complex tectonomagmatic activity. This activity is due to subduction of the Pacific plate, the associated Cascade chain of volcanoes, micro-plate interactions, and mantle plume activity to the east of the plate margin that produced the Yellowstone hotspot track along the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP). A number of recent geophysical and geological studies have produced new results that have drawn attention to the complex tectonic setting of the region east of the Cascade Range, and its tectonic evolution is the subject of considerable scientific interest and debate. Numerous seismic studies have specifically focused on the crustal and upper mantle structure of the ESRP and Yellowstone area. However, crustal-scale studies of the Western Snake River Plain (WSRP) are limited. We undertook an integrated analysis of new and existing geophysical data and geologic constraints to study the crustal structure of the WSRP and generated two-dimensional crustal models across it. We observed both differences and similarities in the structural and tectonic evolution of the eastern and western arms of the SRP based on our integrated analysis. From a broader perspective based on recent geological and geophysical studies in the surrounding region, the intersection of the two arms of the SRP emerges as a major element of a complex tectonic intersection that includes the High Lava Plains of eastern Oregon, the Northern Nevada rift, a southwestern extension of the ESRP into northern Nevada, as well as, faulting and volcanism extending north-westward to connect with the Columbia River basalt plateau region. Thus, the goal of this study is to advance our understanding of the tectonomagmatic evolution of the region and to encourage further studies in the region.     

Columbia/Snake River—Yellowstone magmatism in the context of Western U.S.A. Cenozoic geodynamics

An attempt is made to calculate the total volume of Middle Cenozoic to Recent igneous rocks in the Columbia—Snake River—Yellowstone region by adding geophysically-derived estimates of the amounts of mafic intrusion to published data on the volumes of volcanic rocks. Recently published radiometric ages allow comparison of rates of basaltic magmatism in these ensialic provinces with those along equivalent lengths of mid-oceanic ridge. The rates of total magmatic activity (extrusive and intrusive) during the genesis of the Columbia River Plateau, Western Snake River Plain and Eastern Snake River Plain—Yellowstone sub-provinces were equivalent to those of mid-oceanic ridges with spreading half-rates of 10, 3 and 0.3 cm per year, respectively.It is shown that the hypothesis that magmatism in this region is the product of a deep-mantle convective plume, situated at present beneath Yellowstone, does not explain adequately several features of the Snake River Plain and becomes untenable when applied to the province as a whole. It is proposed instead that all major post-Eocene tectonic and magmatic features of the western U.S.A., east of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, are products of comparatively shallow-rooted diapiric upwelling in the mantle; triggered at about 40 m.y. by extraction of mafic silicate melt and volatiles from the Farallon lithospheric plate, subducted at a comparatively low angle beneath the North American plate. During the Oligocene the diapirism appears to have become concentrated beneath the present sites of the Great Basin and Columbia River Plateau. Subsequent annihilation of the Farallon plate by the northward-propagating San Andreas transform fault released the compressive stress field across the Great Basin diapir, so that its heat content could disperse largely through attenuation and melting of the sialic crust, rather than mantle partial fusion and basaltic magmatism. Conversely, constriction of the Columbia River Plateau diapir by the subduction zone to its west led to “run away” mantle fusion and massive production of basic magmas. At 10–13 m.y. the E-W zone of offset at 42–44°N between these diapirs was the sub-sialic analogue of a transform fault. Lateral shearing of uppermantle peridotite within this zone caused the partial fusion which was the source of Western Snake River Plain magmatism. Once established, this upper-mantle thermal disturbance became self-perpetuating and, as the North American plate drifted westward over it, generated the Eastern Snake River Plain—Yellowstone “hot spot track”. The constant position of this hot spot in the mantle, relative to that beneath Hawaii, during the last 10 m.y. or so may indicate that its roots now penetrate down into the mesosphere.     

Late cenozoic alkali-olivine basalts of the Basin-Range Province,USA

Petrographic and chemical analyses demonstrate that late Cenozoic mafic lavas from the Basin-Range Province, western United States, are predominantly alkali-olivine basalts. Associated with these lavas are lesser volumes of basaltic andesite which appear to be differentiates from the more primitive alkali basalts. Late Cenozoic basalts from adjacent regions (Columbia River Plateau, Snake River Plain, Yellowstone area, High Cascades and Sierra Nevada) are predominantly tholeiitic. This apparent petrologic provincialism is supported by complementary variations in heat flow, seismic velocities, crustal thickness, magnetic anomalies and geologic setting.Alkali-olivine basalts from Japan and eastern Australia are analogous to those from the Basin-Range province both in composition and tectonic environment. It is suggested that these lavas are the products of a unique environment characterized by high heat flow and a thin crust.Recent melting experiments on peridotites and basalts and measurements of heat flow allow limits to be placed on the depth of origin of Basin-Range alkali-olivine basalt magmas. It is proposed that these lavas are produced by partial melting (less than 20%) of peridotitic mantle material at depths between 40 and 60 km in response to an elevated geothermal gradient. The basaltic andesites may be derived from hydrous alkali basalt magma by fractionation at depths of 30 to 40 km.     

Initiation of large-volume silicic centers in the Yellowstone hotspot track: insights from H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O- and F-rich quartz-hosted rhyolitic melt inclusions in the Arbon Valley Tuff of the Snake River Plain

During the onset of caldera cluster volcanism at a new location in the Snake River Plain (SRP), there is an increase in basalt fluxing into the crust and diverse silicic volcanic products are generated. The SRP contains abundant and compositionally diverse hot, dry, and often low-δ¹⁸O silicic volcanic rocks produced through time during the formation of individual caldera clusters, but more H₂O-rich eruptive products are rare. We report analyses of quartz-hosted melt inclusions from pumice clasts from the upper and lower Arbon Valley Tuff (AVT) to gain insight into the initiation of caldera cluster volcanism. The AVT, a voluminous, caldera-forming rhyolite, represents the commencement of volcanism (10.44 Ma) at the Picabo volcanic field of the Yellowstone hotspot track. This is a normal δ¹⁸O rhyolite consisting of early and late erupted members (lower and upper AVT, respectively) with extremely radiogenic Sr isotopes and unradiogenic Nd isotopes, requiring that ~50 % of the mass of these elements is derived from melts of Archean upper crust. Our data reveal distinctive features of the early erupted lower AVT melt including: variable F concentrations up to 1.4 wt%, homogenous and low Cl concentrations (~0.08 wt%), H₂O contents ranging from 2.3 to 6.4 wt%, CO₂ contents ranging from 79 to 410 ppm, and enrichment of incompatible elements compared to the late erupted AVT, subsequent Picabo rhyolites, SRP rhyolites, and melt inclusions from other metaluminous rhyolites (e.g., Bishop Tuff, Mesa Falls Tuff). We couple melt inclusion data with Ti measurements and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging of the host quartz phenocrysts to elucidate the petrogenetic evolution of the AVT rhyolitic magma. We observe complex and multistage CL zoning patterns, the most critical being multiple truncations indicative of several dissolution–reprecipitation episodes with bright CL cores (higher Ti) and occasional bright CL rims (higher Ti). We interpret the high H₂O, F, F/Cl, and incompatible trace element concentrations in the context of a model involving melting of Archean crust and mixing of the crustal melt with basaltic differentiates, followed by multiple stages of fractional crystallization, remelting, and melt extraction. This multistage process, which we refer to as distillation, is further supported by the complex CL zoning patterns in quartz. We interpret new Δ¹⁸O(Qz-Mt) isotope measurements, demonstrating a 0.4 ‰ or ~180 °C temperature difference, and strong Sr isotopic and chemical differences between the upper and lower AVT to represent two separate eruptions. Similarities between the AVT and the first caldera-forming eruptions of other caldera clusters in the SRP (Yellowstone, Heise and Bruneau Jarbidge) suggest that the more evolved, lower-temperature, more H₂O-rich rhyolites of the SRP are important in the initiation of a caldera cluster during the onset of plume impingement.     

Evolution of the petrological and seismic Moho-implications for the continental crust-mantle boundary

The chemical and petrological composition of mafic rocks from the lower continental crust are discussed by comparing mafic granulites and meta-gabbroic rocks from the Ivrea Zone and the Northern Hessian Depression (NHD) xenolith suite. Both regions contain contrasting types of meta-mafic lithologies (i) former basaltic rocks with trace element patterns ranging from MORB-Iike to subduction-related or intra-plate tholeütes and (ü) Ca-and Al-enriched, plagiodase-dominated gabbroic rocks showing positive Eu-anomalies generated by complex deep crustal magmatic processes such as fractionation, accumulation of plagiodase and pyroxene, and crustal contamination. The absence of typical garnet-omphadte parageneses in these rocks indicates that the eclogite stability field was not reached during Palaeozoic orogenic processes. A compilation of experimentally determined P-wave velocities and densities for mafic granulites, gabbroic rocks, eclogites and peridotites is used to evaluate key physical properties of lower crustal mafic rocks during crystal thickening caused by continent-continent collision. In a step-by-step scenario it is demonstrated that the position of the seismic Moho (defined as a first-order velocity discontinuity) and the petrological Moho (defined as the boundary between non-peridotitic crustal rocks and olivine-dominated rocks) is not identical for the case that mafic rocks are transformed into edogites at the base of orogenically thickened crust. P-wave velocities of eclogites largely overlap with those of peridotites, although their densities are significantly higher than common upper mantle rocks. As a consequence, refraction seismic field studies may not detect edogites as crustal rocks. This means that the seismic Moho detected by refraction seismic field studies appears at the upper boundary between edogites and overlying crustal units. Since edogites generally have higher densities than peridotites, they might be recycled into the deeper lithosphere thereby transferring excess Eu into the upper mantle. This process could be a due for understanding the negative Euanomaly in the upper continental crust which is apparently not balanced quantitatively by the abundance of common mafic crustal rocks.     

Spatial autocorrelation of Neogene-Quaternary lava along the Snake River Plain,Idaho, USA

The sequence of eruption, spatial pattern, and spatio-temporal relationships among the Neogene-Quaternary rhyolitic and basaltic lava along the Snake River Plain (SRP) in Idaho are analyzed applying the spatial methods of global and local Moran’s I, standard deviational ellipse, and Ripley’s K-function. The results of the analyses by the Moran’s I and K-function methods indicate a higher spatial autocorrelation, hence clustering, of rhyolitic lava compared to the more dispersed basaltic lava in each center of eruption along the SRP. The clustered nature of rhyolitic lava around each caldera either reflects the original spread and large thickness of the rhyolitic lava, or the absence of younger cover strata or lava like the distribution of rhyolite in the present caldera at the Yellowstone National Park. The standard deviational ellipses (SDEs) of the lavas indicate that younger basaltic lava that erupted from newer calderas overlapped older rhyolitic and basaltic lava as the position of the Yellowstone hotspot progressively migrated to the northeast along the SRP. The less eccentric SDEs of rhyolitic lava in each caldera probably reflect the original caldera-scale spread of viscous felsic lava, compared to the more eccentric and larger SDEs of basaltic lava which represent basalt’s wider and more directed spread due to its higher fluidity and ability to flow longer distances along the trend of the SRP. The alignment of the long axes of the lava SDEs with the trend of the Eastern SRP and the trend of systematic spatial overlap of older lava by successively younger basaltic lava corroborate the previously reported migration of the centers of eruption along the ESRP as the Yellowstone hotspot migrated to the northeast.     

A three-dimensional crustal model of southwest Germany derived from seismic refraction data

From densely covered seismic refraction data obtained in 1978 (Urach experiment) and 1984 (“Schwarzer Zollern-Wald” experiment) and from seismic reflection data and results from previous refraction investigations, a three-dimensional crustal model of southwest Germany was derived. Travel-time and amplitude information of seismic refraction data were interpreted with two-dimensional forward modeling (ray tracing) to calculate two crustal cross sections in southwest Germany. These results fill a gap in the existing data and enabled the construction of a detailed three-dimensional crustal model.While seismically the upper crust is laterally homogeneous (5.9–6.0 km/s) throughout the area, the middle and lower crust show pronounced lateral variations in thickness, velocity, and reflectivity. The Moho is a flat surface at a relatively shallow depth (25–26 km). We classify the middle and lower crust of southwest Germany into two characteristic crustal types. Type I consists of a mid-crustal low-velocity zone (5.4–5.8 km/s) overlying a thick (> 10 km), high-velocity (6.6–6.8 km/s) lower crust. Type II has no prominent mid-crustal low-velocity zone, and a thin (< 10 km), low-velocity (6.3–6.4 km/s) lower crust. The crustal types correlate with the major geologic units exposed in the area: Type I is present beneath the Black Forest, forming the eastern flank of the Rhinegraben and beneath the Swabian Jura, while Type II is present beneath the intervening Triassic sediments. Beneath the South German Molasse Basin, a low-velocity zone is also present in the upper middle-crust. Seismic reflection investigations have shown that the lower crust in southwest Germany comprises a stack of layers of alternating high- and low-velocities. The lateral variation of the reflectivity of this laminated lower crust has been recognized even on refraction data. We found that high-reflectivity of the lower crust correlates to high average velocity (6.7–6.8 km/s) in the lower crust (Type I). Thus, the average velocity of the lower crust in southwest Germany seems to be an indicator of the intensity of its lamination. The uppermost mantle has a velocity of 8.3 km/s in the area and a strong, positive velocity gradient.     

VRANCEA99—the crustal structure beneath the southeastern Carpathians and the Moesian Platform from a seismic refraction profile in Romania

The VRANCEA99 seismic refraction experiment is part of an international and multidisciplinary project to study the intermediate depth earthquakes of the Eastern Carpathians in Romania. As part of the seismic experiment, a 300-km-long refraction profile was recorded between the cities of Bacau and Bucharest, traversing the Vrancea epicentral region in NNE–SSW direction.

The results deduced using forward and inverse ray trace modelling indicate a multi-layered crust. The sedimentary succession comprises two to four seismic layers of variable thickness and with velocities ranging from 2.0 to 5.8 km/s. The seismic basement coincides with a velocity step up to 5.9 km/s. Velocities in the upper crystalline crust are 5.9–6.2 km/s. An intra-crustal discontinuity at 18–31 km divides the crust into an upper and a lower layer. Velocities within the lower crust are 6.7–7.0 km/s. Strong wide-angle PmP reflections indicate the existence of a first-order Moho at a depth of 30 km near the southern end of the line and 41 km near the centre. Constraints on upper mantle seismic velocities (7.9 km/s) are provided by Pn arrival times from two shot points only. Within the upper mantle a low velocity zone is interpreted. Travel times of a PLP reflection define the bottom of this low velocity layer at a depth of 55 km. The velocity beneath this interface must be at least 8.5 km/s.

Geologic interpretation of the seismic data suggests that the Neogene tectonic convergence of the Eastern Carpathians resulted in thin-skinned shortening of the sedimentary cover and in thick-skinned shortening in the crystalline crust. On the autochthonous cover of the Moesian platform several blocks can be recognised which are characterised by different lithological compositions. This could indicate a pre-structuring of the platform at Mesozoic and/or Palaeozoic times with a probable active involvement of the Intramoesian and the Capidava–Ovidiu faults. Especially the Intramoesian fault is clearly recognisable on the refraction line. No clear indications of the important Trotus fault in the north of the profile could be found. In the central part of the seismic line a thinned lower crust and the low velocity zone in the uppermost mantle point to the possibility of crustal delamination and partial melting in the upper mantle.     

European Geotraverse: A seismic refraction profile across the Ligurian Sea

A seismic refraction profile was shot in the Ligurian Sea between Italy and Corsica in September 1983. The profile, which is part of the southern portion of the European Geotraverse, was shot using small dynamite charges, and the seismograms were recorded by ocean bottom seismometers and land stations, resulting in a number of partially overlapping reversed profiles.The refraction data were interpreted by means of the velocity-intercept and ray-tracing methods, using seismic reflection derived velocity-depth information for the sedimentary section. Refraction velocities of 4.8, 6.0 and 6.6 km s⁻¹ were calculated for the base of the sedimentary section, crystalline basement and lower crust, respectively. An upper mantle velocity of 7.4 km s⁻¹ was inferred using the refraction profiles recorded on Corsica.The interpretation of the data indicates a prominent high in the crystalline basement in the northern part of the profile, while the sedimentary section increases in thickness from about 1.5 km over the basement high to over 6 km between the basement high and Corsica, and includes a considerable thickness of pre-Miocene sediments.The crust-mantle boundary shows shoaling towards the centre of the profile, where a minimum crustal thickness of 16 km is reached. The model, therefore, is that of a stretched and thinned continental crust which was rifted in Oligo-Miocene times. The presence of a low-velocity upper mantle may be indicative of the present renewal of subcrustal activity under the Ligurian Sea.     

Moho topography and lower crustal wide-angle reflectivity around the TESZ in southern Scandinavia and northeastern Europe

The Moho topography is strongly undulating in southern Scandinavia and northeastern Europe. A map of the depth to Moho shows similarities between the areas of the Teisseyre–Tornquist Zone (TTZ) in Poland and the Fennoscandian Border Zone (FBZ), which is partly coinciding with the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone (STZ) in Denmark. The Moho is steeply dipping at these zones from a crustal thickness of approximately 32 km in the young Palaeozoic Platform and basin areas to approximately 45 km in the old Precambrian Platform and Baltic Shield. The Moho reflectivity (P_MP waveform) in the POLONAISE'97 refraction/wide-angle seismic data from Poland and Lithuania is variable, ranging from ‘sharp’ to strongly reverberating signals of up to 2 s duration. There is little or no lower crustal wide-angle reflectivity in the thick Precambrian Platform, whereas lower crustal reflectivity in the thin Palaeozoic Platform is strongly reverberating, suggesting that the reflective lower crust and upper mantle is a young phenomena. From stochastic reflectivity modelling, we conclude that alternating high- and low-velocity layers with average thicknesses of 50–300 m and P-wave velocity variations of ±3–4% of the background velocity can explain the lower crustal reflectivity. Sedimentary layering affects the reflectivity of deeper layers significantly and must be considered in reflectivity studies, although the reverberations from the deeper crust cannot be explained by the sedimentary layering only. The reflective lower crust and upper mantle may correspond to a zone that has been intruded by mafic melts from the mantle during crustal extension and volcanism.     

The Ivrea—Verbano and Strona-Ceneri Zones, Northern Italy: A cross-section of the continental crust—New evidence from seismic velocities of rock samples

Seismic velocities under confining pressures to 10 kbar have been measured for rocks of the Ivrea—Verbano and Strona—Ceneri Zones of northern Italy, a metamorphic complex thought to represent a cross-section of the continental crust and crust—mantle boundary. Laboratory-determined compressional wave velocities for schists and gneisses of the amphibolite facies found in the upper levels of the section (having an average density of 2.74 g/cm³) average 6.45 km/sec at pressures between 6 and 10 kbar. These increase with depth to values greater than 7.1 km/sec for amphibolites and rocks of the amphibolite—granulite facies transition and to 7.5 km/sec. (average density 3.06 g/cm³) in intermediate and mafic granulite facies rocks near the base of the section. Compressional wave velocities then abruptly increase to 8.5 km/sec in ultramafic complexes near the Insubric Line. Regional geophysical surveys show that P_g is 6.0 km/sec (density of 2.7 g/cm³), P* is 7.2–7.4 km/sec (density of 3.1 g/cm³) and P_n is 8.1 km/sec, values which are in agreement with the laboratory data when effects of temperature are taken into consideration. Estimated thicknesses of exposed rock units are in reasonable agreement with thicknesses determined for crustal layers in seismic refraction experiments. The agreement between the regional crustal structure and the laboratory-determined values of velocity and density provides strong evidence for the hypothesis that the rocks of this metamorphic complex represent a cross-section of the continental crust of the Po Basin.Using the Ivrea—Verbano and Strona—Ceneri sequence as a model of the continental crust, the crust of northern Italy is shown to consist of a thick series of metamorphic rocks with greenschist facies rocks occupying the uppermost levels. These grade downward into amphibolite facies gneisses and schists with occasional granitic intrusives. The Conrad discontinuity is marked by a change from silicic and intermediate amphibolite facies gneisses to intermediate and mafic granulite facies rocks in which hydrous minerals diminish in abundance and thus represents a distinct transition in terms of both composition and metamorphic grade. The lower crust is dominated by a heterogeneous series of mafic and metapelitic rocks in the granulite facies. Importantly, metasedimentary rocks of intermediate silica content found in the complex can have compressional wave velocities equivalent to velocities in mafic rocks suggesting that the lower continental crust everywhere is not necessarily mafic in composition. Ultramafic complexes near the Insubric Line may represent the upper mantle of the continent and their setting suggests that the continental crust-upper mantle boundary is sharp and is not isochemical.     

Lithospheric evolution of the Andean fold–thrust belt, Bolivia, and the origin of the central Andean plateau

We combine geological and geophysical data to develop a generalized model for the lithospheric evolution of the central Andean plateau between 18° and 20° S from Late Cretaceous to present. By integrating geophysical results of upper mantle structure, crustal thickness, and composition with recently published structural, stratigraphic, and thermochronologic data, we emphasize the importance of both the crust and upper mantle in the evolution of the central Andean plateau. Four key steps in the evolution of the Andean plateau are as follows. 1) Initiation of mountain building by 70 Ma suggested by the associated foreland basin depositional history. 2) Eastward jump of a narrow, early fold–thrust belt at 40 Ma through the eastward propagation of a 200–400-km-long basement thrust sheet. 3) Continued shortening within the Eastern Cordillera from 40 to 15 Ma, which thickened the crust and mantle and established the eastern boundary of the modern central Andean plateau. Removal of excess mantle through lithospheric delamination at the Eastern Cordillera–Altiplano boundary during the early Miocene appears necessary to accommodate underthrusting of the Brazilian shield. Replacement of mantle lithosphere by hot asthenosphere may have provided the heat source for a pulse of mafic volcanism in the Eastern Cordillera and Altiplano at 24–23 Ma, and further volcanism recorded by 12–7 Ma crustal ignimbrites. 4) After 20 Ma, deformation waned in the Eastern Cordillera and Interandean zone and began to be transferred into the Subandean zone. Long-term rates of shortening in the fold–thrust belt indicate that the average shortening rate has remained fairly constant (8–10 mm/year) through time with possible slowing (5–7 mm/year) in the last 15–20 myr. We suggest that Cenozoic deformation within the mantle lithosphere has been focused at the Eastern Cordillera–Altiplano boundary where the mantle most likely continues to be removed through piecemeal delamination.     

Crustal structure in Tengchong Volcano-Geothermal Area, western Yunnan, China

Based upon the deep seismic sounding profiles carried out in the Tengchong Volcano-Geothermal Area (TVGA), western Yunnan Province of China, a 2-D crustal P velocity structure is obtained by use of finite-difference inversion and forward travel-time fitting method. The crustal model shows that a low-velocity anomaly zone exists in the upper crust, which is related to geothermal activity. Two faults, the Longling–Ruili Fault and Tengchong Fault, on the profile extend from surface to the lower crust and the Tengchong Fault likely penetrates the Moho. Moreover, based on teleseismic receiver functions on a temporary seismic network, S-wave velocity structures beneath the geothermal field show low S-wave velocity in the upper crust. From results of geophysical survey, the crust of TVGA is characterized by low P-wave and S-wave velocities, low resistivity, high heat-flow value and low Q. The upper mantle P-wave velocity is also low. This suggests presence of magma in the crust derived from the upper mantle. The low-velocity anomaly in upper crust may be related to the magma differentiation. The Tengchong volcanic area is located on the northeast edge of the Indian–Eurasian plate collision zone, away from the eastern boundary of the Indian plate by about 450 km. Based on the results of this paper and related studies, the Tengchong volcanoes can be classified as plate boundary volcanoes.     

用综合方法研究中国东部深部构造

<正> 近年来在我国获得大量的地质、地球物理和地球化学等资料的基础上,特别是将地表地质构造的研究与深部地质构造和新构造运动的研究结合起来,更加深和丰富了对大地构造的认识。 1957年,地质部航测大队首次在我国东部发现了郯城—庐江深大断裂带。同时,大量的地球物理工作,为我国早期油田的勘探与开发提供了地质构造的依据。六十至七十年代,利用人工地震研究地壳和上地幔的结构,提出了部分地区的详细地壳模型和地壳厚度。在我国某些地区开始了古地磁学的研究。     

Lower crustal intrusions beneath the southern Baikal Rift Zone: Evidence from full-waveform modelling of wide-angle seismic data

The Cenozoic Baikal Rift Zone (BRZ) is situated in south-central Siberia in the suture between the Precambrian Siberian Platform and the Amurian plate. This more than 2000-km long rift zone is composed of several individual basement depressions and half-grabens with the deep Lake Baikal at its centre. The BEST (Baikal Explosion Seismic Transect) project acquired a 360-km long, deep seismic, refraction/wide-angle reflection profile in 2002 across southern Lake Baikal. The data from this project is used for identification of large-scale crustal structures and modelling of the seismic velocities of the crust and uppermost mantle. Previous interpretation and velocity modelling of P-wave arrivals in the BEST data has revealed a multi layered crust with smooth variation in Moho depth between the Siberian Platform (41 km) and the Sayan-Baikal fold belt (46 km). The lower crust exhibits normal seismic velocities around the rift structure, except for beneath the rift axis where a distinct 50–80-km wide high-velocity anomaly (7.4–7.6 ± 0.2 km/s) is observed. Reverberant or “ringing” reflections with strong amplitude and low frequency originate from this zone, whereas the lower crust is non-reflective outside the rift zone. Synthetic full-waveform reflectivity modelling of the high-velocity anomaly suggests the presence of a layered sequence with a typical layer thickness of 300–500 m coinciding with the velocity anomaly. The P-wave velocity of the individual layers is modelled to range between 7.4 km/s and 7.9 km/s. We interpret this feature as resulting from mafic to ultra-mafic intrusions in the form of sills. Petrological interpretation of the velocity values suggests that the intrusions are sorted by fractional crystallization into plagioclase-rich low-velocity layers and pyroxene- and olivine-rich high-velocity layers. The mafic intrusions were probably intruded into the ductile lower crust during the main rift phase in the Late Pliocene. As such, the intrusive material has thickened the lower crust during rifting, which may explain the lack of Moho uplift across southern BRZ.     

榴辉岩的地震波性质：对苏鲁超高压变质带地壳成分和折返机制的探讨

本总结了榴辉岩的高温高压弹性波速测量结果,并将其应用于苏鲁超高压变质带地震资料的解释。由于榴辉岩具有高密度和高波速,它们和长英质片麻岩、大理岩、石英岩、角闪岩、麻粒岩、蛇纹石化橄榄岩的界面可以产生强反射。如果俯冲的陆壳物质以榴辉岩与围岩互层的形式在上地幔保留下来,就可能在造山带的上地幔产生地震反射。根据CCSD孔区地震剖面所建立的地壳成分模型表明：苏鲁超高压带地壳浅部的高速层可归因于夹在花岗质片麻岩、副片麻岩、角闪岩等岩石中的榴辉岩和超基性岩;中地壳主要由中酸性片麻岩、斜长角闪岩和副片麻岩组成;下地壳以中基性麻粒岩为主。在该超高压变质带现今的深部地壳,榴辉岩含量很少或几乎没有。因此,折返的超高压变质岩是以构造岩片的形式沿一系列剪切带逆冲并覆盖在正常的中下地壳之上,深部榴辉岩的缺乏可能与下地壳拆沉作用无关。     

Water and other volatile systematics of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Yellowstone hotspot track

Major oxide, trace element and volatile (H₂O, CO₂, S, F, and Cl) compositions have been analyzed for olivine-hosted melt inclusions in eight basalt samples from Yellowstone National Park and the Snake River Plain (SRP) to identify the least differentiated melt compositions and assess the volatile budget of the Yellowstone hotspot. Melt-inclusion chemistry was evaluated to understand potential overprinting effects in the shallow mantle and crust of magmas derived from deeper levels. Maximum water concentrations of 3.3 wt% and CO₂ up to 1,677 ppm have been observed in olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Gerritt Basalts at Mesa Falls, Idaho (SRP region), which is significantly higher than the maximum concentrations measured in lavas from other hotspots such as Hawaii (~0.8–0.9 wt%). Maximum water concentrations were generally observed in the least differentiated melt inclusions in terms of incompatible major oxide concentrations, indicating that high water concentrations are characteristic of the mantle or perhaps lower crust rather than resulting from differentiation enhancement within the shallow crust, even taking into account the fact that water behaves as an incompatible element during crystal fractionation. Enrichment in Ba coupled with depletion in Th in many of the melt inclusions and their host rocks is a characteristic of many arc lavas and may indicate that volatiles in Yellowstone-Snake River Plain basalts could have a subduction zone origin.     

Granulite xenoliths from western Saudi Arabia: the lower crust of the late Precambrian Arbian-Nubian Shield

Mafic and intermediate granulite xenoliths, collected from Cenozoic alkali basalts, provide samples of the lower crust in western Saudi Arabia. The xenoliths are metaigneous two-pyroxene and garnet granulites. Mineral and whole rock compositions are inconsistent with origin from Red Sea rift-related basalts, and are compatible with origin from island arc calc-alkaline and low-potassium tholeiitic basalts. Most of the samples are either cumulates from mafic magmas or are restites remaining after partial melting of intermediate rocks and extraction of a felsic liquid. Initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are less than 0.7032, except for two samples at 0.7049. The Sm-Nd data yield T_DM model ages of 0.64 to 1.02 Ga, similar to typical Arabian-Nubian Shield upper continental crust. The isotopic data indicate that the granulites formed from mantle-derived magmas with little or no contamination by older continent crust. Calculated temperatures and pressures of last reequilibration of the xenoliths show that they are derived from the lower crust. Calculated depths of origin and calculated seismic velocities for the xenoliths are in excellent agreement with the crustal structure model of Gettings et al. (1986) based on geophysical data from western Saudi Arabia. Estimation of mean lower crustal composition, using the granulite xenoliths and the Gettings et al. (1986) crustal model, suggests a remarkably homogeneous mafic lower crust, and an andesite or basaltic andesite bulk composition for Pan-African juvenile continental crust.