The Early Palaeozoic break-up of northern Gondwana,new palaeomagnetic and geochronological data from the Saxothuringian Basin,Germany

Early Palaeozoic volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the Saxothuringian Basin (Franconian Forest, northern Bavaria) have been subjected to detailed radiometric and palaeomagnetic studies in order to determine the tectonic environment and geographic setting in which they were deposited. Two hand samples were collected from the as yet undated pyroclastic flow deposits for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age dating. Radiometric results for these samples, obtained by the single-zircon evaporation technique, are identical within error, and the mean age of all measured grains is 478.2ǃ.8 Ma (n=11). This age is considered to be primary and firmly constrains the eruption of the ignimbrites and formation of the subaqueous pyroclastic flows as having occurred in Early Ordovician (Arenig) times. Palaeomagnetic studies were carried out on these Early Ordovician volcanic rocks, and also on the biostratigraphically dated, Late Ordovician (Ashgillian) Döbra sandstones. The volcanic rocks carry up to three directions of magnetisation. The poorly defined, low and intermediate unblocking temperature directions are thought to represent secondary overprint directions of post-Ordovician age. The high temperature component, however, identified at temperatures of up to 580 °C, is of mixed polarity and passes the fold test with 99% confidence. The overall mean direction after bedding correction is 189°/76°, !₉₅=11.6°, k=44.7 (25 samples, five sites), and is considered to be primary and Early Ordovician in origin. It yields a palaeo-south pole at 24°N and 007°E, which translates into palaeolatitudes of 63°+21.7°/-17.3° S for the Saxothuringian Terrane. Samples from the Late Ordovician Döbra sandstone are generally very weakly magnetised. A high temperature D component of magnetisation can be identified in some samples and yields a mean direction of 030°/-58°, !₉₅=18.5°, k=25.7 (15 samples, four sites) after bedding correction. The Arenig palaeomagnetic results indicate high palaeolatitudes, but separation from northern Gondwana. This is in basic agreement with data from elsewhere in the Armorican Terrane Assemblage, all of which suggest high southerly palaeolatitudes in the Early Ordovician. The geochemical signatures of these rocks indicate emplacement in an extensional environment. These new data, therefore, are interpreted as marking the onset of rifting of Saxothuringia from the north African margin of Gondwana, and the start of the relative northward migration of the Saxothuringian Terrane. Although the Late Ordovician palaeomagnetic results presented here are only poorly constrained, they suggest an intermediate palaeolatitude for Saxothuringia in Ashgillian times, in good agreement with Late Ordovician palaeomagnetic data from the Barrandian.     

Cambro-Silurian magmatisms at the northern Gondwana margin (Penninic basement of the Ligurian Alps)

The Early Paleozoic evolution of the northern margin of Gondwana is characterized by several episodes of bimodal magmatism intruded or outpoured within thick sedimentary basins. These processes are well recorded in the Variscan blocks incorporated in the Ligurian Alps because they experienced low temperature Alpine metamorphism. During the Paleozoic, these blocks, together with the other Alpine basements, were placed between the Corsica-Sardinia and the Bohemian Massif along the northern margin of Gondwana. In this framework, they host several a variegated lithostratigraphy forming two main complexes(Complexs I and II) that can be distinguished by both the protoliths and their crosscutting relationships, which indicate that the acidic and mafic intrusives of Complex II cut an already folded sequence made of sediments, basalts and granitoids of Complex I. Both complexes were involved in the Variscan orogenic phases as highlighted by the pervasive eclogite-amphibolite facies schistosity(foliation II). However, rare relicts of a metamorphic foliation at amphibolite facies conditions(foliation I)is locally preserved only in the rocks of Complex I. It is debatable if this schistosity was produced during the early folding event e occurred between the emplacement of Complex I and II e rather than during an early stage of the Variscan metamorphic cycle.New SHRIMP and LA ICP-MS Ue Pb zircon dating integrated with literature data, provide emplacement ages of the several volcanic or intrusive bodies of both complexes. The igneous activity of Complex I is dated between 507 ± 15 Ma and 494 ± 5 Ma, while Complex II between 467 ± 12 Ma and 445.5 ± 12 Ma.The folding event recorded only by the Complex I should therefore have occurred between 494 ± 5 Ma and 467 ± 12 Ma. The Variscan eclogite-amphibolite facies metamorphism is instead constrained between ~420 Ma and ~300 Ma. These ages and the geochemical signature of these rocks allow constraining the Early Paleozoic tectono-magmatic evolution of the Ligurian blocks, from a middleeupper Cambrian rifting stage, through the formation of an Early Ordovician volcanic arc during the Rheic Ocean subduction, until a Late Ordovician extension related to the arc collapse and subsequent rifting of the PaleoThetys. Furthermore, the ~420-350 Ma ages from zircon rims testify to thermal perturbations that may be associated with the Silurian rifting-related magmatism, followed by the subduction-collisional phases of the Variscan orogeny.     

Southern margin of the Variscan belt: the north-western Gondwana mobile zone (eastern Morocco and Northern Algeria)

Stratigraphic and structural correlations between the Palaeozoic massifs of eastern Morocco and northern Algeria allow three tectonic domains to be distinguished: (1) The cratonic zone, i.e. the West African platform which remained outside the Variscan chain and its peripherical margin (Moroccan Anti-Atlas and Algerian Ougarta); (2) a WSW-ENE trending zone, over 1500 km from Marrakech to Kabylia and Calabria (in their assumed Palaeozoic location). — This zone was characterized during the Late Palaeozoic by a continuous instability indicated by the development of successive turbiditic basins and a major orogeny at the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary; and (3) central and western Morocco, which corresponds to the external zones of the European Hercynides.The Marrakech-Kabylia zone separates the Variscan domain from the stable and undeformed West African craton. During Early Palaeozoic times it began as an extensive or transtensive zone. It has been deformed by the Late Devonian orogeny and by Carboniferous and Permian reactivation. The zone represents the southern limit of the Hercynian chain and is distinguished by its transcurrent regime throughout the Late Palaeozoic. Correspondence to: A. Piqué     

Potential geodynamic relationships between the development of peripheral orogens along the northern margin of Gondwana and the amalgamation of West Gondwana

The Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian evolution of peri-Gondwanan terranes (e.g. Avalonia, Carolinia, Cadomia) along the northern (Amazonia, West Africa) margin of Gondwana provides insights into the amalgamation of West Gondwana. The main phase of tectonothermal activity occurred between ca. 640–540 Ma and produced voluminous arc-related igneous and sedimentary successions related to subduction beneath the northern Gondwana margin. Subduction was not terminated by continental collision so that these terranes continued to face an open ocean into the Cambrian. Prior to the main phase of tectonothermal activity, Sm-Nd isotopic studies suggest that the basement of Avalonia, Carolinia and part of Cadomia was juvenile lithosphere generated between 0.8 and 1.1 Ga within the peri-Rodinian (Mirovoi) ocean. Vestiges of primitive 760–670 Ma arcs developed upon this lithosphere are preserved. Juvenile lithosphere generated between 0.8 and 1.1 Ga also underlies arcs formed in the Brazilide Ocean between the converging Congo/São Francisco and West Africa/Amazonia cratons (e.g. the Tocantins province of Brazil). Together, these juvenile arc assemblages with similar isotopic characteristics may reflect subduction in the Mirovoi and Brazilide oceans as a compensation for the ongoing breakup of Rodinia and the generation of the Paleopacific. Unlike the peri-Gondwanan terranes, however, arc magmatism in the Brazilide Ocean was terminated by continent-continent collisions and the resulting orogens became located within the interior of an amalgamated West Gondwana. Accretion of juvenile peri-Gondwanan terranes to the northern Gondwanan margin occurred in a piecemeal fashion between 650 and 600 Ma, after which subduction stepped outboard to produce the relatively mature and voluminous main arc phase along the periphery of West Gondwana. This accretionary event may be a far-field response to the breakup of Rodinia. The geodynamic relationship between the closure of the Brazilide Ocean, the collision between the Congo/São Francisco and Amazonia/West Africa cratons, and the tectonic evolution of the peri-Gondwanan terranes may be broadly analogous to the Mesozoic-Cenozoic closure of the Tethys Ocean, the collision between India and Asia beginning at ca. 50 Ma, and the tectonic evolution of the western Pacific Ocean.     

Early Paleozoic paleogeography of the northern Gondwana margin: new evidence for Ordovician-Silurian glaciation

During the Early Paleozoic, transgressions and the distribution of sedimentary facies on the northern Gondwana margin were controlled by a regional NNW-SSE to almost north-south striking structural relief. In Early Silurian times, a eustatic highstand enabled the sea to reach its maximum southward extent.The counterclockwise rotation of Gondwana during the Cambrian and Early Ordovician caused the northern Gondwana margin to shift from intertropical to southern polar latitudes in Ordovician times. Glacial and periglacial deposits are reported from many localities in Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Chad, Sudan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Late Ordovician glaciation phase was followed by a period of a major glacioeustatic sea-level rise in the Early Silurian due to the retreat of the ice-cap. As a consequence of the decreasing water circulation in the basin centers (Central Arabia, Murzuk- and Ghadames basins), highly bituminous euxinic shales were deposited. These shales are considered to be the main source rock of Paleozoic oil and gas deposits in parts of Saudi Arabia, Libya and Algeria.The following regression in the southern parts of the Early Silurian sea was probably caused by a second glacial advance, which was mainly restricted to areas in Chad, Sudan and Niger. Evidence for glacial activity and fluvioglacial sedimentation is available from rocks overlying the basal Silurian shale in north-east Chad and north-west Sudan. The Early Silurian ice advance is considered to be responsible for the termination of euxinic shale deposition in the basin centers.     

Terrane accretion and dispersal in the northern Gondwana margin. An Early Paleozoic analogue of a long-lived active margin

If reconstruction of major events in ancient orogenic belts is achieved in sufficient detail, the tectonic evolution of these belts can offer valuable information to widen our perspective of processes currently at work in modern orogens. Here, we illustrate this possibility taking the western European Cadomian–Avalonian belt as an example. This research is based mainly on the study and interpretation of U–Pb ages of more than 300 detrital zircons from Neoproterozoic and Early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks from Iberia and Brittany. Analyses have been performed using the laser ablation–ICP–MS technique. The U–Pb data record contrasting detrital zircon age spectra for various terranes of western Europe. The differences provide information on the processes involved in the genesis of the western European Precambrian terranes along the northern margin of Neoproterozoic Gondwana during arc construction and subduction, and their dispersal and re-amalgamation along the margin to form the Avalonia and Armorica microcontinents. The U–Pb ages reported here also support the alleged change from subduction to transform activity that led to the final break-up of the margin, the birth of the Rheic Ocean and the drift of Avalonia. We contend that the active northern margin of Gondwana evolved through several stages that match the different types of active margins recognised in modern settings.     

秦岭—大别造山带北缘新生代的构造特征及动力学探讨

秦岭－大别造山带北缘新生代的推覆构造带位于宜阳、鲁山、确山、六安一线,由SW→NE依次逆冲叠置。滑脱面主要发育在上古生界软弱岩层或差异岩性的接触面上。在推覆构造的南侧、发育有东西向串珠状分布的变质核杂岩、NE向延伸的垒－堑构造组合、北宽南窄的楔形新 生代盆地和正断层等。地球物理资料表明,宜阳、鲁山、确山、六安一为向南倾斜的地球物理异常带。北部的华北地壳与南部的秦岭－大别地壳在视电阻率、地震反射波组、地震波速、流变学分层、地壳类型和岩石圈结构等方面,均有明显的差别。秦岭－大别造山带北缘新生代不同性质、有规律展布的构造,是中生代末期以来,华北板块相对于秦岭－大别造山带作巨型陆内俯冲的结果。     

藏东类乌齐地区辉长岩:冈瓦纳大陆北缘晚古生代裂解的记录

青藏高原处于冈瓦纳大陆与劳亚大陆的交汇部位,是研究冈瓦纳大陆裂解与聚合过程的关键地区。晚古生代伴随着特提斯洋的打开与扩张,冈瓦纳大陆北缘发生了广泛的裂解作用。大陆板内岩浆作用是超大陆裂解的重要证据。在青藏高原内部已有二叠纪大陆板内特征基性岩的报道,它们是该裂解事件的记录。然而,根据目前的相关报道,这些岩石主要出露在青藏高原的西部,以羌塘和潘伽地区为主,在其他地区尚无相关报道。首次报道的藏东类乌齐地区早二叠世辉长岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年结果显示,辉长岩的形成年龄为280±2Ma。全岩地球化学资料表明,辉长岩具有与典型大陆板内玄武岩类似的地球特征。辉长岩具有明显正的锆石εHf(t)值(5.1~11.5),暗示其岩浆起源于亏损的地幔源区。结合区域地质资料,认为类乌齐辉长岩是冈瓦纳大陆北缘早二叠世裂解的产物。因此,早二叠世大陆板内基性岩浆作用在青藏高原东部也有出露,它们是在羌塘-潘伽地幔柱活动的作用下,冈瓦纳大陆北缘裂解与班公湖-怒江洋打开和扩张的结果。     

Jurassic break-up of the Peri-Gondwanan margin in northern Colombia: Basin formation and implications for terrane transfer

Jurassic extensional basins developed along the northwestern margin of South America during the break-up of Pangea. Presently, these basins are dispersed in several tectonic blocks of the northern Andes and Mexico, hindering reconstruction of western equatorial Pangea before break-up. This is the case of the Cosinas Basin (Guajira block) and the Machiques Basin (Perijá Range), in northern Colombia, which are filled by Jurassic sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary successions. Autochthonous and para-autochthonous hypotheses on the origin of this basins have been proposed. The purpose of this research is to document the sedimentological evolution, depositional age (Sr-isotope + U-Pb geochronology), sediment provenance and paleogeography of the Cosinas and Machiques basins in order to constrain whether these basins formed within a single extensional margin or they formed as extensional basins in different tectonic blocks. Volcanic detrital zircon U-Pb ages documented in La Quinta Formation in the Machiques Basin and at the base of Rancho Grande Formation in the Cosinas Basin suggest that extensional basins were active in Early Jurassic time. However, a significant difference exists in their subsequent history. Whereas in the Machiques Basin dominates the accumulation of Lower and Middle Jurassic volcanoclastic deposits with abrupt lateral thickness changes, accumulation in the Cosinas Basin is dominantly of siliciclastic strata, with the record of two major marine incursions in Late Jurassic time. Integration of provenance results indicates that the Santander Massif supplied sediments to the Machiques Basin. In contrast, Middle to Upper Jurassic sandstones of the Cosinas Basin document unroofing of basement blocks that include metamorphic, sedimentary and plutonic rocks from the Guajira and Maya blocks. The similarity in age and composition of pre-Jurassic rocks in northwestern South America and the so-called peri-Gondwana blocks in the Mexican subcontinent (i.e., Maya and Oaxaquia blocks) challenge the use of detrital zircon population as an indicator of the autochthonous or para-autochthonous origin of the Guajira block. Large uncertainty of paleomagnetic results, and the lack of constraints for the time magnetization acquisition preclude estimating paleolatitudes for the Guajira block in Jurassic time but support previous interpretation of ca. 70°-90° clockwise rotation of the Guajira block relative to stable South America craton.Our preferred paleogeography considers that the Cosinas and Machiques basins were close to each other along the western continental margin of Pangea during the onset of extension in Early Jurassic time. The change from continental to marine depositional environments in Middle to Late Jurassic time along the Cosinas Basin, which have not been identified in the Machiques Basin or other autochthonous Jurassic basins in northwestern South America, allow us to propose that these blocks were separated during the Callovian - Tithonian interval, with the Cosinas Basin remaining closer to a conjugate Mexican margin, that we interpret as the Maya block. Collision of the Guajira block with the South American margin occurred near the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, as documented by deformation of Jurassic units previous to deposition of Berriasian strata in the Guajira block.     

Diamictite and oolitic ironstones, a sedimentary association at Ordovician–Silurian transition in the north Gondwana margin: New evidence from the inner nappe of Sardinia Variscides (Italy)

The contact between the Silurian black phyllite and the Cambro–Ordovician underlying rocks has been investigated over different tectonic units, affected by green-schist facies metamorphism, in the inner nappe zone of the Sardinia Variscides. In spite of strain and metamorphism, the field work highlighted the occurrence of diamictic sediments. In the Canaglia Tectonic Unit the diamictite consists of dark, massive metamorphic claystone bearing chamositic ooliths, chamositic nodules and millimetre to centimetre sized clasts, dispersed, or gathered in clusters, within the muddy matrix. In the Argentiera Tectonic Unit the diamictite consists of angular clasts, ranging in size from few millimetres to several decimetres, scattered within a finely laminated black sericitic meta-argillite. Field data, textural and compositional analyses suggest a glacio-marine environment for the formation of the diamictites.

The Canaglia diamictite deposited in a protected, glacial-influenced, shore. Compositionally it can be defined as ironstone; in the Upper part it hosts a horizon of clast-supported conglomeratic hard ironstone, mostly made of magnetite, which testifies for sub-aerial reworking. The source of the iron is to be related to local, glacio-eustatic driven, emergence of Upper Ordovician alkaline mafic volcanics. These are widespread in the uppermost Ordovician of the Canaglia Unit, possibly linked to the rifting stage that invested the north Gondwana margin, before the uppermost Ordovician–early Silurian sea level rise.

The Argentiera diamictite deposited beyond the iron-rich diamictite in the outer euxinic shelf that was reached by rain out of rafted debris.     

秦岭造山带北缘的斜向碰撞与汇聚因子

秦岭北缘洛南—栾川断裂带是华北板块南缘与秦岭造山带汇聚-拼合带,具有SW→NE向俯冲兼左旋走滑的性质,并构成叠瓦状构造和双重构造的组合样式。秦岭北缘不同性质的构造组成有规律的图案,其展布方位和运动学方式与板块汇聚的动力学特征极为吻合。变形分析结果表明,区内变形岩石主要是中上地壳的产物,岩石有限应变的三轴比为:X∶Y∶Z=8.86∶4.32∶1,应变椭球体为扁椭球状。汇聚因子是:在洛南地区板块汇聚方向为22°,汇聚方向与板块边界的夹角为73°;在栾川地区板块汇聚方向为31°,汇聚方向与板块边界的夹角为82°,显示出秦岭造山带与华北板块南缘的碰撞和拼合具有典型的斜向汇聚特征。     

Late Jurassic terrane collision in the northwestern margin of Gondwana (Cajamarca Complex,eastern flank of the Central Cordillera,Colombia)

Medium-grade metabasites and metapelites from the Cajamarca Complex (Central Cordillera of Colombia) are in fault contact with the Jurassic Ibague batholith and show a penetrative foliation, locally mylonitic, suggesting intense dynamic–thermal metamorphism. The amphibolites are composed of calcic amphibole + epidote + plagioclase + quartz plus rutile + titanite + apatite + carbonate as accessory phases. Chlorite and albite appear as retrograde replacements. The metapelites are mainly composed of phengite + quartz + garnet + chlorite, plus epidote + albite + apatite + titanite + haematite as accessory phases. Bulk geochemistry of the amphibolites indicates basaltic protoliths with a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) signature, although enrichment in the mobile large-ion lithophile elements compared to MORB suggests pre- and/or syn-metamorphic alteration by fluids. Peak pressure–temperature determinations for both types of rocks are similar, ranging 550–580°C and 8 kbar (approximately 26 km depth and an apparent geothermal gradient of 22°C/km). ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar dating of amphibole from two amphibolite samples and one phengitic mica from a pelitic schist yielded plateau ages of 146.5 ± 1.1 Ma and 157.8 ± 0.6 Ma, and 157.5 ± 0.4 Ma, respectively. These Late Jurassic ages contrast with previously published (Permian)Triassic ages of metamorphism in the Cajamarca Complex. Taken together, our data indicate tectonic-driven burial of oceanic supracrustal sequences down to mid-crustal depths during Late Jurassic times and are best explained as the result of terrane collision-related metamorphism and deformation in a fore-arc/volcanic-arc environment of the active western margin of Gondwana rather than as a result of Jurassic thermal–metamorphic resetting of a (Permian)Triassic metamorphic sequence during intrusion of the Jurassic Ibague batholith. Our results represent the first report of Jurassic terrane collision tectonics involving supracrustal oceanic rocks in the northwestern margin of Gondwana in Colombia.     

塔里木板块北缘活动陆缘型侵入岩带的岩石学与地球化学

在塔里木板块北缘,断续出露一条侵入岩带,总长度800多公里。岩石组合是橄榄辉长岩-辉长岩-辉长闪长岩-闪长岩-石英闪长岩-花岗岩。各种类型岩石的化学组成显示了清晰的钙碱性岩浆演化趋势。稀土元素配分曲线均为轻稀土富集型,而且,重稀土元素配分曲线相对平坦。Sr、K、Rb、Ba、Th等大离子亲石元素强烈富集,而Ta、Nb、Zr、Hf、Ti等高场强元素显著贫化。这些岩石学与地球化学特征均证明,该侵入岩带形成于活动大陆边缘。     

The passive margin of northern Gondwana during Early Paleozoic: Evidence from the central Tibet Plateau

The central–south domain of the Tibet Plateau represents an important part of the northern segment of Gondwana during the early Paleozoic. Here we present zircon U–Pb, Lu–Hf isotope, and whole–rock geochemical data from a suite of early Paleozoic magmatic rocks from the central Tibet Plateau, with a view to gain insights into the nature and geotectonic evolution of the northern margin of Gondwana. Zircon grains in four granitic rocks yielded ages of 532−496 Ma with negative ε_Hf(t) values (−13.7 to −0.6). Zircon grains in meta–basalt and mafic gneiss yielded ages of 512 ± 5 Ma and 496 ± 6 Ma, respectively. Geochemically, the granitic rocks belong to high–K calc–alkaline and shoshonitic S–type granite suite, with the protolith derived from the partial melting of ancient crustal components. The mafic gneiss and meta–basalt geochemically resemble OIB (Oceanic Island Basalt) and E–MORB (Enriched Mid–Ocean Ridge Basalt), respectively. They were derived from low degree (∼5–10%) partial melting of an enriched mantle (garnet and spinel lherzolite) that was contaminated by upper crustal components. The parental magmas experienced orthopyroxene–dominated fractional crystallization. Sedimentological features of the Cambrian–Ordovician formations indicate that the depositional cycle transformed from marine regression to transgression leading to the formation of parallel/angular unconformities between the Cambrian and Ordovician strata. The hiatus associated with these unconformities are coupled with the peak of the early Paleozoic magmatism in Tibet Plateau, indicating a tectonic control. We conclude that the Cambrian–Ordovician magmatic suite and sedimentary rocks formed in an extensional setting, and we correlate this with the post–peak stage of the Pan–African orogeny. The post–collision setting associated with delamination, orogenic collapse or lithospheric extension along the northern margin of Gondwana, can account for the Cambrian–Ordovician magmatism and sedimentation, rather than oceanic subduction along the external margin. We thus infer a passive margin setting for the northern Gondwana during the Early Paleozoic.     

Provenance analysis of the Paleozoic sequences of the northern Gondwana margin in NW Iberia: Passive margin to Variscan collision and orocline development

The Cantabrian Zone of NW Iberia preserves a voluminous, almost continuous, sedimentary sequence that ranges from Neoproterozoic to Early Permian in age. Its tectonic setting is controversial and recent hypotheses include (i) passive margin deposition along the northern margin of Gondwana or (ii) an active continental margin or (iii) a drifting ribbon continent. In this paper we present detrital zircon U–Pb laser ablation age data from 13 samples taken in detrital rocks from the Cantabrian Zone sequence ranging from Early Silurian to Early Permian in depositional age. The obtained results, together with previously published detrital zircon ages from Ediacaran–Ordovician strata, allow a comprehensive analysis of changing provenance through time. Collectively, these data indicate that this portion of Iberia was part of the passive margin of Gondwana at least from Ordovician to Late Devonian times. Zircon populations in all samples show strong similarities with the Sahara Craton and with zircons found in Libya, suggesting that NW Iberia occupied a paleoposition close to those regions of present-day northern Africa during this time interval. Changes in provenance in the Late Devonian are attributed to the onset of the collision between Gondwana and Laurussia.Additionally, the Middle Carboniferous to Permian samples record populations consistent with the recycling of older sedimentary sequences and exhumation of the igneous rocks formed before and during the Variscan orogeny. Late-Devonian to Permian samples yield zircon populations that reflect topographic changes produced during the Variscan orogeny and development of the lithospheric scale oroclinal buckling.     

Ordovician sedimentation and bimodal volcanism in the Southern Qiangtang terrane of northern Tibet: Implications for the evolution of the northern Gondwana margin

This article reports our new interpretations of the depositional environment and provenance of the Dawashan Formation in the Longmuco–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang suture zone (LSLSZ), in the Southern Qiangtang terrane of northern Tibet, in order to gain a better understanding of the Ordovician tectonic evolution of the northern margin of Gondwana. The Dawashan Formation is dominated by greywacke and shale, with interlayered bimodal volcanic rocks that were deposited in a bathyal to abyssal marine basin. The detrital zircons in the greywacke of the Dawashan Formation have peak ages of 550, 988, 1640, and 2500 Ma, indicating a northern Gondwana margin provenance. The bimodal metavolcanic rocks from the Dawashan Formation are dominated by metarhyolite with subordinate metabasalt. The results of zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating indicate that the metarhyolite formed between 470 and 455 Ma. The metavolcanic samples are bimodal (SiO₂ = 45.27–55.05 and 66.09–74.59 wt.%). In comparison, the metabasalt has a wide range of MgO concentrations and Mg^# values, contains variable Cr and low Ni concentrations, is depleted in Rb, Ba, and Sr, and is enriched in TiO₂, Th, U, Nb, and Ta. Geochemical diagrams show that the metabasalt erupted in an intra-plate environment. The metarhyolites have high SiO₂, Th, and U concentrations, low concentrations of MgO, P₂O₅, Nb, Sr, and Ti, and negative Eu anomalies. The metarhyolites yield negative zircon ε_Hf(t) values (–2.08 to – 4.50) and T^C_DM model ages of 1436–1567 Ma. The metarhyolites formed from magma derived from the partial melting of old continental crust. These data indicate that the Dawashan Formation records Middle–Upper Ordovician bathyal to abyssal turbidite deposition in a deep-water rift basin at the northern margin of Gondwana.     

Upper Mississippian to lower Pennsylvanian biostratigraphic correlation of the Sahara Platform successions on the northern margin of Gondwana (Morocco,Algeria, Libya)

Revision of several important Carboniferous stratigraphic successions in basins in the Saharan Platform allows us to propose distinct biostratigraphical boundaries for the upper Viséan, lower and upper Serpukhovian and lower Bashkirian, with the latter boundary separating upper Mississippian from lower Pennsylvanian strata. The boundaries are not only defined primarily by foraminifers but also incorporate ammonoid and conodont data. This study shows that the positioning of some boundaries differs significantly from previous studies in the region.For the studied interval, it can be recognized that two well-defined tectonic events were widespread in the entire Sahara Platform: a mostly late Viséan event and a latest Serpukhovian–early Bashkirian event. Both tectonic events show a marked tendency to become younger eastward, and they are compared to the intra-Viséan phase of the Variscan Orogeny and the main phase of this orogeny, respectively.     

Diffusion-controlled development of silica-undersaturated domains in felsic granulites of the Bohemian Massif (Variscan belt of Central Europe)

Plagioclase rims around metastable kyanite crystals appear during decompression of high-pressure felsic granulites from the high-grade internal zone of the Bohemian Massif (Variscan belt of Central Europe). The development of the plagioclase corona is a manifestation of diffusion-driven transfer of CaO and Na₂O from the surrounding matrix and results in isolation of kyanite grains from the quartz- and K-feldspar-bearing matrix. This process establishes Si-undersaturated conditions along the plagioclase–kyanite interface, which allow crystallization of spinel during low-pressure metamorphism. The process of the plagioclase rim development is modeled thermodynamically assuming local equilibrium. The results combined with textural observations enable estimation of equilibration volume and diffusion length for Na and Ca that extends ∼400–450 and ∼450–550 μm, respectively, around each kyanite crystal. Low estimated bulk diffusion coefficients suggest that the diffusion rate of Ca and Na is controlled by low diffusivity of Al across the plagioclase rim.     

东疆中天山北缘大水锰矿带锰矿成因类型及找矿方向探讨

文章根据矿体产出地质部位、形态特征及与围岩的关系,把大水地区锰矿划分为4种成因类型:①近代风化堆积型锰矿,②受构造裂隙控制的风化淋滤型锰矿,③产于细碎屑岩中的沉积型锰矿,④产于地层与岩体接触带内的热接触-变质型锰矿。在对该区矿床成因及成矿条件进行对比分析的基础上,明确该区有望成为一处大型锰资源勘查-开发基地,深部找矿潜力巨大。提出今后找矿方向应以沉积型锰矿为主攻目标,以花坪锰矿为突破口,运用地质、物探相结合的方法在含锰岩系深部进行找矿,通过点上突破来带动整个锰矿带的找矿工作。