Asymmetric crustal structure of the ultraslow-spreading Mohns Ridge

ABSTRACT

New analysis of the geophysical data of the ultraslow-spreading Mohns Ridge and its off-axis structure reveals a distinctive asymmetric structure. We calculate residual bathymetry (RB) and residual mantle Bouguer gravity anomaly (RMBA) and decompose the anomalies into symmetric and asymmetric components between the ridge conjugates. The western flank of the Mohns Ridge at crustal age of ~50–15 Ma is characterized by a broad zone of elevated RB and more negative RMBA, which we term the Vesteris Plateau (VP). The VP anomaly has a surface area of ~1.12 × 10⁵ km² and an excess crust volume of ~2.33 × 10⁵ km³, making it a significant anomaly comparable to other anomalies such as the Bermuda Rise. Extending north of the Kolbeinsey Ridge for more than 500 km, the VP lies above an anomalous upper mantle region of low shear-wave seismic velocity, indicating that the VP might represent the northernmost reach of the Iceland-Jan Mayen mantle anomaly. In addition, the western ridge flank of the Mohns Ridge at crustal age of 6–0 Ma is associated with higher RB and more positive RMBA relative to the eastern conjugate, indicating tectonic uplift and associated exposure of lower crust and upper mantle near the ridge axis.     

Gravity anomalies over the Central Indian Ridge between 3<Superscript>∘</Superscript>S and 11<Superscript>∘</Superscript>S,Indian Ocean: Segmentation and crustal structure

High-resolution shipboard geophysical investigations along the Indian Ocean ridge system are sparse especially over the Carlsberg and Central Indian ridges. In the present study, the shipboard gravity and multibeam bathymetry data acquired over a 750 km long section of the Central Indian Ridge between 3 ^°S and 11 ^°S have been analysed to understand the crustal structure and the ridge segmentation pattern. The mantle Bouguer anomalies (MBA) and the residual mantle Bouguer anomalies (RMBA) computed in the study area have shown significant variations along the ridge segments that are separated by transform and non-transform discontinuities. The MBA lows observed over the linear ridge segments bounded by well-defined transform faults are attributed to the thickening of the crust at the middle portions of the ridge segments. The estimates of crustal thickness from the RMBA shows an average of 5.2 km thick crust in the axial part of the ridge segments. The MBA and relative RMBA highs along the two non-transform discontinuities suggests a thinner crust of up to 4.0 km. The most significant MBA and RMBA highs were observed over the Vema transform fault suggesting thin crust of 4 km in the deepest part of the transform fault where bathymetry is more than 6000 m. The identified megamullion structures have relative MBA highs suggesting thinner crust. Besides MBA lows along the ridge axis, significant off-axis MBA lows have been noticed, suggesting off-axis mantle upwelling zones indicative of thickening of the crust. The rift valley morphology varies from the typical V-shaped valley to the shallow valley floor with undulations on the inner valley floor. Segments with shallow rift valley floor have depicted well-defined circular MBA lows with persistent RMBA low, suggesting modulation of the valley floor morphology due to the variations in crustal thickness and the mantle temperature. These are supported by thicker crust and weaker lithospheric mantle.     

南海海盆区深部结构的不对称性及控制因素

南海海盆区具有复杂的构造演化史,但目前对其深部结构的不对称性的研究和控制因素的探讨还存在不足.利用南海最新的重力数据和从27条地震剖面上获取的海盆范围沉积物精确数据计算了全海盆的剩余地幔布格重力异常(residual mantle Bouguer anomaly,RMBA),并反演了海盆的地壳厚度,运用Crust1.0...     

Slab break-off model for the Triassic syn-collisional granites in the Qinling orogenic belt,Central China: Zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope constraints

Numerous Triassic granitoids in the Qinling orogenic belt related to the Late Triassic collision between the North China Craton (NCC) and the Yangtze Block (YB) are important for determining the crustal composition at depth and the geodynamic processes by which the orogen formed. Most of the Triassic plutons in the Qinling orogen were emplaced between 205 and 225 Ma. The granitoid rocks from the southern margin of the NCC, North Qinling, South Qinling, and the northern margin of the YB that were emplaced during this interval have two-stage Hf model ages of 0.60–2.52 Ga (average 2.19 Ga), 0.90–2.66 Ga (average 1.29 Ga), 0.41–3.04 Ga (average 1.48 Ga), and 1.00–1.84 Ga (average 1.34 Ga), respectively, and mean ε_Hf(t) values of ?14.5, ?0.32, ?1.36, and ?3.98, respectively. The Hf isotope compositions of the granitoids in different tectonic units differ significantly, mirroring the diverse history of crustal growth of the four units.

The temporal and spatial distribution and Hf isotope compositions of the granitoids suggest that there was a unified geodynamic process that triggered the magmatism. Formation of the Triassic granitoid plutons at 225–205 Ma was a consequence of slab break-off or E–W-striking slab tearing, related to slab rollback in the west part of the Qinling orogen and oblique continental collision in the east. Upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle led to partial melting of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle and the lower crust, and mixing and/or mingling of the resulting magmas resulted in the formation of granitoids with diverse geological and geochemical characteristics.     

中国岩石圈的基本特征

中国及邻区岩石圈结构构造十分复杂,并具有若干明显的特点:中国大陆地壳西厚东薄、南厚北薄,青藏高原地壳平均厚度为60~65 km,最厚达80 km;东部地区一般为30~35 km,南中国海中央海盆平均只有5 km;中国大陆地壳平均厚度为476 km,大大超过全球地壳392 km的平均厚度。中国大陆及邻区岩石圈亦呈西厚东薄、南厚北薄的变化趋势,青藏高原及西北地区岩石圈平均厚度为165 km,塔里木盆地中东部、帕米尔与昌都地区岩石圈厚度可达180~200 km。大兴安岭-太行山-武陵山以东,包括边缘海为岩石圈减薄区,厚度为50~85 km。西部岩石圈、软流圈“层状结构”明显,反映了板块碰撞汇聚的动力学环境;东部岩石圈、软流圈呈“块状镶嵌结构”,岩石圈薄,软流圈厚,反映了地壳拉张、软流圈物质上涌的特点,并在东亚及西太平洋地区85~250 km深处形成一巨型低速异常体。中国东部上、下地壳及地壳、岩石圈地幔之间普遍存在“上老下新”年龄结构。     

青藏高原东北缘岩石圈密度与磁化强度及动力学含义

利用横贯柴达木盆地南北的格尔木—花海子剖面岩石圈二维P波速度结构以及地震波速度与介质密度之间的关系,建立了该剖面岩石圈二维密度结构与二维磁化强度的初始模型。依据重磁同源原理,在柴达木盆地重、磁异常的二重约束下完成了重磁联合反演,获得了该剖面岩石圈二维密度结构与二维磁化强度分布。结果表明:柴达木盆地地壳厚度沿测线变化较大,平均厚度约60km。在柴达木盆地南缘地壳厚约50km,达布逊湖附近地壳最厚为63km左右,大柴旦附近地壳较薄,为50km左右。柴达木盆地的地壳纵向上可分为三层,即上地壳、中地壳与下地壳。位于盆地中部的中、下地壳分别发育大范围的壳内低密度体,并处于上地幔隆起的背景之上;横向上可将盆地分成南北两个部分,分界在达布逊湖附近。整个剖面结晶基底埋深变化也很大,在达布逊湖附近为12km,在昆仑山北缘基底几乎出露地表。结晶基底的展布形态与地壳底界,即莫霍面呈近似镜像对称。综合研究认为,柴达木盆地的岩石圈结构存在着明显的南北差异,其分界在达布逊湖的北面。在盆地南部,岩石圈介质横向变化较小,各层介质分布正常;在盆地的北侧,岩石圈结构特别在中、下地壳和上地幔顶部横向上发生了变化。壳内低密度体的存在意味着柴达木盆地具有较热的岩石圈和上地幔,加之基底界面与莫霍面的镜像对称分布,形成与准噶尔盆地和塔里木盆地的构造差异。多种地球物理参数所揭示的地壳上地幔结构及其横向变化特点为柴达木盆地构造演化及青藏高原北部边界的地球动力学研究提供了岩石圈尺度的地球物理证据。     

南海东北部及其邻近地区地壳上地幔P波速度结构

利用中国地震台网和ISC台站记录的P波到时数据,采用球坐标系有限差分地震层析成像方法反演了南海东北部及其邻近地区壳幔三维P波速度结构,并分析了不同地质单元的构造差异及其深部特征。结果表明:南海东北部表现出陆架地区的岩石层特性,属于华南大陆向海区的延伸,岩石层厚度较大,现今不存在大规模的地幔热流活动,推测大陆边缘张裂作用仅限于地壳内部而没有延伸进入上地幔,具有非火山型大陆边缘的深部特点。中央海盆附近上地幔P波速度明显降低,与海盆下方地幔热流活动密切相关。不同的速度异常特征表明:华南大陆暨台湾地区属于欧亚大陆的正常地壳或是与菲律宾海板块相互作用产生的增厚型地壳,冲绳海槽则是弧后扩张产生的减薄型地壳。滨海断裂带作为华南大陆高速异常和南海北部高速异常的分界,代表了一定地质时期华南地块和南海地块的拼合边界。断裂附近的上地幔低速异常揭示了闽粤沿海岩浆作用的深层动力机制。吕宋岛弧、马尼拉海沟、东吕宋海槽的速度异常与其所处的特殊构造位置有密切的关系,清晰地反映出岛弧俯冲带的地壳结构差异;台湾南部至吕宋岛弧的上地幔低速异常揭示了两个重要火山链的深部构造特征,北吕宋海脊下方100 km深度的条带状高速异常有可能代表了俯冲下沉的岩石层板片。     

Geochronology and geochemistry of early Paleozoic granitic and coeval mafic rocks from the Tannuola terrane (Tuva,Russia): Implications for transition from a subduction to post-collisional setting in the northern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Early Paleozoic magmatism of the Tannuola terrane located in the northern Central Asian Orogenic Belt is important to understanding the transition from subduction to post-collision settings. In this study, we report in situ zircon U-Pb ages, whole rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotopic data from the mafic and granitic rocks of the eastern Tannuola terrane to better characterize their petrogenesis and to investigate changing of the tectonic setting and geodynamic evolution. Zircon U-Pb ages reveal three magmatic episodes for about 60 Ma from ∼510 to ∼450 Ma, that can be divided into the late Cambrian (∼510–490 Ma), the Early Ordovician (∼480–470 Ma) and the Middle-Late Ordovician (∼460–450 Ma) stages. The late Cambrian episode emplaced the mafic, intermediate and granitic rocks with volcanic arc affinity. The late Cambrian mafic rocks of the Tannuola terrane may originate from melting of mantle source that contain asthenosphere and subarc enriched mantle metasomatized by melts derived from sinking oceanic slab. Geochemical and isotopic compositions indicate the late Cambrian intermediate-granitic rocks are most consistent with an origin from a mixed source including fractionation of mantle-derived magmas and crustal-derived components. The Early Ordovician episode reveal bimodal intrusions containing mafic rocks and adakite-like granitic rocks implying the transition from a thinner to a thicker lower crust. The Early Ordovician mafic rocks are formed as a result of high degree melting of mantle source including dominantly depleted mantle and subordinate mantle metasomatized by fluid components while coeval granitic rocks were derived from partial melting of the high Sr/Y mafic rocks. The latest Middle-Late Ordovician magmatic episode emplaced high-K calc-alkaline ferroan granitic rocks that were formed through the partial melting the juvenile Neoproterozoic sources.These three episodes of magmatism identified in the eastern Tannuola terrane are interpreted as reflecting the transition from subduction to post-collision settings during the early Paleozoic. The emplacement of voluminous magmatic rocks was induced by several stages of asthenospheric upwelling in various geodynamic settings. The late Cambrian episode of magmatism was triggered by the slab break-off while subsequent Early Ordovician episode followed the switch to a collisional setting with thickening of the lower crust and the intrusion of mantle-induced bimodal magmatism. During the post-collisional stage, the large-scale lithospheric delamination provides the magma generation for the Middle-Late Ordovician granitic rocks.     

藏北岩石圈厚度与减薄机制分析

天然地震S波和大地电磁测深给出了两种不同的藏北岩石圈厚度模型,两种测量结果的地质含义至今还不十分清楚。通过对地表高程与地壳厚度回归关系的研究,以回归直线的斜率和截距作为地壳和岩石圈地幔平均密度取值的约束,并考虑相变因素对软流圈密度的影响,采用均衡理论对藏北岩石圈厚度进行了计算。计算结果表明,在可能的软流圈温度取值范围内藏北岩石圈的平均厚度约为106～120km,地壳增厚前的岩石圈平均厚度约80km。藏北新生代火山作用和岩浆起源-分凝深度分析表明,藏北现今岩石圈厚度主要受金云母脱水深度所控制。增厚前岩石圈地幔底部温度高于橄榄岩湿固相线温度,并受闪石和金云母高压脱水作用的影响。加厚岩石圈地幔因其底部不断发生脱水低程度熔融而进入软流圈小尺度对流体系,使岩石圈加厚过程中伴随有底部的脉动减薄作用。     

Constraints on the thermal evolution of continental lithosphere from U-Pb accessory mineral thermochronometry of lower crustal xenoliths,southern Africa

U-Pb isotopic thermochronometry of rutile, apatite and titanite from kimberlite-borne lower crustal granulite xenoliths has been used to constrain the thermal evolution of Archean cratonic and Proterozoic off-craton continental lithosphere beneath southern Africa. The relatively low closure temperature of the U-Pb rutile thermochronometer (~400-450 °C) allows its use as a particularly sensitive recorder of the establishment of "cratonic" lithospheric geotherms, as well as subsequent thermal perturbations to the lithosphere. Contrasting lower crustal thermal histories are revealed between intracratonic and craton margin regions. Discordant Proterozoic (1.8 to 1.0 Ga) rutile ages in Archean (2.9 to 2.7 Ga) granulites from within the craton are indicative of isotopic resetting by marginal orogenic thermal perturbations influencing the deep crust of the cratonic nucleus. In Proterozoic (1.1 to 1.0 Ga) granulite xenoliths from the craton-bounding orogenic belts, rutiles define discordia arrays with Neoproterozoic (0.8 to 0.6 Ga) upper intercepts and lower intercepts equivalent to Mesozoic exhumation upon kimberlite entrainment. In combination with coexisting titanite and apatite dates, these results are interpreted as a record of postorogenic cooling at an integrated rate of approximately 1 °C/Ma, and subsequent variable Pb loss in the apatite and rutile systems during a Mesozoic thermal perturbation to the deep lithosphere. Closure of the rutile thermochronometer signals temperatures of 𙠂 °C in the lower crust during attainment of cratonic lithospheric conductive geotherms, and such closure in the examined portions of the "off-craton" Proterozoic domains of southern Africa indicates that their lithospheric thermal profiles were essentially cratonic from the Neoproterozoic through to the Late Jurassic. These results suggest similar lithospheric thickness and potential for diamond stability beneath both Proterozoic and Archean domains of southern Africa. Subsequent partial resetting of U-Pb rutile and apatite systematics in the cratonic margin lower crust records a transient Mesozoic thermal modification of the lithosphere, and modeling of the diffusive Pb loss from lower crustal rutile constrains the temperature and duration of Mesozoic heating to 𙡦 °C for ₞ ka. This result indicates that the thermal perturbation is not simply a kimberlite-related magmatic phenomenon, but is rather a more protracted manifestation of lithospheric heating, likely related to mantle upwelling and rifting of Gondwana during the Late Jurassic to Cretaceous. The manifestation of this thermal pulse in the lower crust is spatially and temporally correlated with anomalously elevated and/or kinked Cretaceous mantle paleogeotherms, and evidence for metasomatic modification in cratonic mantle peridotite suites. It is argued that most of the geographic differences in lithospheric thermal structure inferred from mantle xenolith thermobarometry are likewise due to the heterogeneous propagation of this broad upper mantle thermal anomaly. The differential manifestation of heating between cratonic margin and cratonic interior indicates the importance of advective heat transport along pre-existing lithosphere-scale discontinuities. Within this model, kimberlite magmatism was a similarly complex, space- and time-dependent response to Late Mesozoic lithospheric thermal perturbation.     

A rapid method to map the crustal and lithospheric thickness using elevation, geoid anomaly and thermal analysis. Application to the Gibraltar Arc System, Atlas Mountains and adjacent zones

We present a method based on the combination of elevation and geoid anomaly data together with thermal field to map crustal and lithospheric thickness. The main assumptions are local isostasy and a four-layered model composed of crust, lithospheric mantle, sea water and the asthenosphere. We consider a linear density gradient for the crust and a temperature dependent density for the lithospheric mantle. We perform sensitivity tests to evaluate the effect of the variation of the model parameters and the influence of RMS error of elevation and geoid anomaly databases. The application of this method to the Gibraltar Arc System, Atlas Mountains and adjacent zones reveals the presence of a lithospheric thinning zone, SW–NE oriented. This zone affects the High and Middle Atlas and extends from the Canary Islands to the eastern Alboran Basin and is probably linked with a similarly trending zone of thick lithosphere constituting the western Betics, eastern Rif, Rharb Basin, and Gulf of Cadiz. A number of different, even mutually opposite, geodynamic models have been proposed to explain the origin and evolution of the study area. Our results suggest that a plausible slab-retreating model should incorporate tear and asymmetric roll-back of the subducting slab to fit the present-day observed lithosphere geometry. In this context, the lithospheric thinning would be caused by lateral asthenospheric flow. An alternative mechanism responsible for lithospheric thinning is the presence of a hot magmatic reservoir derived from a deep ancient plume centred in the Canary Island, and extending as far as Central Europe.     

南海北部陆缘结构及构造-岩浆演化

南海北部陆缘发育独特的远端带结构,以“裂谷宽、基底厚和地貌起伏”为主要特点,显著有别于经典贫岩浆型和富岩浆型张裂陆缘.为了解释陆缘结构的成因,综合已有研究进展和国际大洋发现计划（IODP）的钻探成果,对南海北部陆缘基底性质进行了调研,探讨了拆离断层和岩浆作用的特点以及两者间的相互作用.结果表明,在38 Ma之前南海北部大范围发育核杂岩构造,并伴随大量岩浆侵入到中下地壳;岩浆作用一方面加剧了地壳的韧性变形,导致应变无法集中而在多个地方同时发育大型拆离,另一方面对拆离面和减薄的基底进行了强烈改造.最终提出同张裂期就位的岩浆作用和中下地壳的韧性流动是形成南海北部宽裂谷陆缘的关键,深化了对陆缘结构、变形过程和岩石圈减薄机制的理解.      

The Late Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the central segment of the Andean subduction zone

The presented model of the Late Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the central Andes and the complex tectonic, geological, and geophysical model of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle along the Central Andean Transect, which crosses the Andean subduction zone along 21°S, are based on the integration of voluminous and diverse data. The onset of the recent evolution of the central Andes is dated at the late Oligocene (27 Ma ago), when the local fluid-induced rheological attenuation of the continental lithosphere occurred far back of the subduction zone. Tectonic deformation started to develop in thick-skinned style above the attenuated domain in the upper mantle and then in the Earth’s crust, creating the bivergent system of the present-day Eastern Cordillera. The destruction of the continental lithosphere is correlated with ore mineralization in the Bolivian tin belt, which presumably started at 16° S and spread to the north and to the south. Approximately 19 Ma ago, the gently dipping Subandean Thrust Fault was formed beneath the Eastern Cordillera, along which the South American Platform began to thrust under the Andes with rapid thickening of the crust in the eastern Andean Orogen owing to its doubling. The style of deformation in the upper crust above the Subandean Thrust Fault changed from thick- to thin-skinned, and the deformation front migrated to the east inland, forming the Subandean system of folds and thrust faults verging largely eastward. The thickening of the crust was accompanied by flows at the lower and/or middle crustal levels, delamination, and collapse of fragments of the lower crust and lithospheric mantle beneath the Eastern Cordillera and Altiplano-Puna Plateau. As the thickness of the middle and lower crustal layers reached a critical thickness about 10 Ma ago, the viscoplastic flow in the meridional direction became more intense. Extension of the upper brittle crust was realized mainly in gliding and rotation of blocks along a rhombic fault system. Some blocks sank, creating sedimentary basins. The rate of southward migration estimated from the age of these basins is 26 km/Ma. Tectonic deformation was accompanied by diverse magmatic activity (ignimbrite complexes, basaltic flows, shoshonitic volcanism, etc.) within the tract from the Western Cordillera to the western edge of the Eastern Cordillera 27–5 Ma ago with a peak at 7 Ma; after this, it began to recede westward; by 5 Ma ago, the magmatic activity reached only the western part of the Altiplano-Puna Plateau, and it has been concentrated in the volcanic arc of the Western Cordillera during the last 2 Ma.     

Possible orogeny-parallel lower crustal flow and thickening in the Central Andes

The relatively low elevation and thick crust in the Altiplano, in comparison to the higher elevation, but thinner crust in the Puna plateau, together with geophysical data, suggests that isostatic equillibrium is achieved by cooler and denser lithospheric mantle in the Altiplano. Excess density in the Altiplano mantle could create differential horizontal stress in the order of 25 MPa between both lithospheric columns. Numerical models accounting for pressure and temperature-dependent rheology show that such stress can induce horizontal ductile flow in the lower crust, from the Puna towards the Altiplano. With a minimum viscosity of 10¹⁹ Pa s, this flow reaches 1 cm/year, displacing more than 50 km of material within 5 Ma. If the lower crust viscosity is smaller, the amount of orogeny-parallel lower crustal flow can be even greater. Such a mechanism of channel flow may explain that different amounts of crustal material have been accommodated by shortening in the Altiplano and in the Puna. Because of the strength of the elastic-brittle upper crust, this channel flow does not necessitate large amounts of surface deformation (except vertical uplift), making it difficult to detect from the geology.     

The Cretaceous crustal shortening and thickening of the South Qiangtang Terrane and implications for proto-Tibetan Plateau formation

The timing and magnitude of deformation across the central Tibetan Plateau, including the South Qiangtang Terrane (SQT), are poorly constrained but feature prominently in geodynamic models of the Tibetan Plateau formation. The Ejiu fold and thrust belt (EFTB), which is located in the SQT, provides valuable records of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic deformation history of the central Tibetan Plateau. Here we integrate geochronology of volcanic rocks, low-temperature thermochronology, geologic mapping and a balanced cross section to resolve the deformation history of the SQT. Geochronologic data suggest that major deformation that initiated in the early Cretaceous continued until at least 80 Ma and ceased by ∼40 Ma. The balanced cross section resolves ∼66 km upper crustal shortening (34%) mainly during the Cretaceous Qiangtang-Lhasa collision. However, the Cenozoic crustal shortening is not well constrained because of a lack of successive Cenozoic strata. We also discussed whether the observed crustal shortening can account for the modern crustal thickness and elevation in the SQT. Our observations indicate that crustal shortening and thickening within the central Tibetan Plateau was mostly accomplished during the Cretaceous Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. A thick crust could be maintained since the Cretaceous due to slow erosion rates since ∼40 Ma. Minor Late Cenozoic shortening also contributed to a small amount of crustal thickening in the central Tibetan Plateau. However, close to modern >4700 m elevation was finally attained by lithospheric mantle foundering in the Qiangtang Terrane at ∼25 Ma.     

Evolution of oceanic crust on the Kolbeinsey Ridge, north of Iceland, over the past 22 Myr

The evolution of oceanic crust on the Kolbeinsey Ridge, north of Iceland, is discussed on the basis of a crustal transect obtained by seismic experiment from the Kolbeinsey Ridge to the Jan Mayen Basin. The crustal model indicates a relatively uniform structure; no significant lateral velocity variations are observed, especially in the lower crust. The uniform velocity structure suggests that the postulated extinct axis does not exist over the oceanic crust formed at the Kolbeinsey Ridge, but supports a model of continuous spreading along the ridge after oceanic spreading started west of the Jan Mayen Basin. The oceanic crust formed at Kolbeinsey Ridge is 1–2.5 km thicker than normal oceanic crust due to hotter-than-normal mantle from the Iceland Mantle Plume. The observed generally uniform thickness throughout the transect might also indicate that the temperatures of the astheno-spheric mantle ascending along the Kolbeinsey Ridge have not changed significantly since the age of magnetic anomaly 6B.     

Early metamorphic evolution and exhumation of felsic high-pressure granulites from the north-western Bohemian Massif

Summary Several granulite terrains are exposed in the Bohemian Massif of Central Europe. These were metamorphosed at pressures close to 12 kbar and temperatures of more than 800 °C c. 340 Ma ago. The corresponding penetrative deformation almost totally erased the record of the preceding metamorphic evolution. Nevertheless, rare relics such as mineral inclusions in large garnet grains are witness of this earlier evolution, which was previously related to significantly higher pressures and, thus, to a subduction-related event. The exemplary investigation of such mineral relics in a felsic granulite from the Granulitgebirge rather points to pressures of 13–14 kbar only at relatively low temperatures of 620 °C and, thus, to considerable, nearly isobaric heating before the exhumation of the granulites started at 800 °C or somewhat higher temperature. The inferred P–T evolution is compatible with a geodynamic model of lithospheric delamination, with crustal material having been involved. The delamination at c. 340 Ma ago followed long-lasting, continuous collision of Gondwana and Laurussia forming the Variscan orogen. Within the thickened continental crust, the delamination concerned mainly the dense basic material in the lower crust. This event also caused upwelling of the mantle asthenosphere. Both processes resulted in heating of the more felsic lower portion of the continental crust, thinner than before delamination. Heating by 200 °C or more caused prograde mineral reactions and created buoyancy forces, as the overlying crust became denser than the underlying hot and felsic granulites. As a consequence, considerable volumes of felsic granulite could have reached shallow crustal levels (corresponding to 3 to 4 kbar), conditions documented in granulite bodies in the north-western Bohemian Massif.     

Crustal thinning beneath the Rwenzori region, Albertine rift, Uganda, from receiver-function analysis

The Rwenzori mountains in western Uganda, with a maximum elevation of more than 5,000 m, are located within the Albertine rift valley. We have deployed a temporary seismic network on the Ugandan side of the mountain range to study the seismic velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath this section of the rift. We present results from a receiver-function study revealing a simple crustal structure along the eastern rift flank with a more or less uniform crustal thickness of about 30 km. The complexity of inner-crustal structures increases drastically within the Rwenzori block. We apply different inversion techniques to obtain reliable results for the thickness of the crust. The observations expose a significantly thinner crust beneath the Rwenzori range with thickness values ranging from about 20–28 km beneath northern and central parts of the mountains. Our study therefore indicates the absence of a crustal root beneath the Rwenzori block. Beneath the Lake Edward and Lake George basins we detect the top of a layer of significantly reduced S-wave velocity at 15 km depth. This low-velocity layer may be attributed to the presence of partial melt beneath a region of recent volcanic activity.     

From emplacement to unroofing: thermal history of the Jiazishan gabbro, Sulu UHP terrane, China

On the eastern extremity of the Jiaodong peninsula, China, shoshonitic magmas have been injected into the supracrustal rocks of the Sulu ultra-high pressure (UHP) terrane during the crustal exhumation phase. These granitoids (collectively termed the Shidao igneous complex or Jiazishan alkaline complex) show geochemical and isotopic signatures of an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle and intruded soon after the subducted Yangtze crust had reached peak metamorphic pressure conditions (240–220 Ma). We have applied various geochronometers to an alkali-gabbro sample from the Jiazishan pluton and the results allow reconstruction of the Triassic-to-present thermal history. Initial rapid cooling of the gabbro at crustal depths is indicated by the close agreement between the Sm-Nd mineral isochron age (228?±?36 Ma) and the Rb-Sr biotite age (207?±?1) Ma. This interpretation is confirmed by previously published U-Pb zircon ages (225–209 Ma), and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar amphibole and K-feldspar ages (～214 Ma) from the Jiazishan syenites. A titanite fission-track age of 166?±?8 Ma (closure temperature range 285–240°C) records widespread Jurassic magmatism in the Jiaodong peninsula, indicating that the gabbro reached upper crustal levels before it was reheated by nearby Jurassic plutons. A subsequent cooling and reheating event is indicated by an apatite fission-track age of 106?±?6 Ma which coincides with the emplacement of the adjacent Weideshan pluton (108?±?2 Ma) and postdates a period of regional lithospheric thinning beneath eastern China. A period of slow cooling (or thermal stability) from late Cretaceous to early Tertiary, documented by an apatite (U-Th)/He age of 39?±?5 Ma, was followed by a final stage of more enhanced cooling since the late Eocene. Results of this work imply that the eastern Sulu terrane has experienced a complex cooling and reheating history. Our data are consistent with a model of initial rapid cooling (sudden exhumation) of the UHP terrane, driven by the release of buoyancy forces, followed by two progressively slower cooling intervals (both after renewed crustal reheating) during the Jurassic and Cretaceous.     

中国东部壳-幔、岩石圈-软流圈之间的相互作用带：特征及转换时限

中国东部中—新生代,下部岩石圈存在壳与幔、岩石圈与软流圈两个相互作用带,它们是重要的岩浆源区,在层圈相互作用中,热和物质的交换及其动力学过程是引起中、新生代岩石圈内部层圈间的厚度调整、岩石圈不均匀减薄以及区域构造-岩浆-成矿作用的重要机理。大陆内部的壳-幔作用有3种类型:地幔来源的底侵熔体与下地壳的作用;下地壳拆沉进入弱化(weakening)了的岩石圈地幔二者发生的作用以及陆-陆碰撞深俯冲带的壳-幔相互作用。它们形成的火山岩组合有一定的差别,但源区都含有地壳组分。岩石圈-软流圈的作用带也是重要的岩浆源区,源区是以软流圈地幔为主,基本不含地壳组分。东部岩石圈的减薄时间大体与出现大规模软流圈来源的玄武岩喷发的时间一致,也与上述两类层圈作用转换的时间一致,大约在100Ma以后。