Sm-Nd dating of Seve eclogites,Norrbotten, Sweden — Evidence for early Caledonian (505 Ma) subduction

The Seve Nappes consist of long-transported thrust sheets belonging to the Upper Allochthon within the Scandinavian Caledonides. Eclogites from two different megalenses within the Seve Nappe Complex in Norrbotten (northern Sweden) have been dated with the Sm-Nd method. The two eclogite-bearing megalenses have been subjected to different pressure and temperature conditions during the high-pressure metamorphism. Garnet + omphacite + whole-rock from TS2 within the Tsäkkok Lens give an age of 505±18 Ma (2), I=0.512231±0.000024, MSWD=0.10. Garnet and whole-rock from TS5 and whole-rock TS3 also fall on the above isochron. The composite isochron gives an age of 503±18 Ma (2). These results are interpreted to date the peak of the high-pressure metamorphism (500–630° C and 12–15 kbars) for the Tsäkkok Lens. The eclogites in the Vaimok Lens (at Grapesvarre) were subjected to higher pressure and temperature conditions and more extensive reequilibration during the early cooling stages. Retrograde breakdown-reactions accompanied by retrograde zoning of relict garnet seems to be associated with disturbance of the Sm-Nd isotopic systems. In contrast, a sample with unzoned garnet and well preserved high-pressure mineralogy from Grapesvarre gives a Sm-Nd garnet + omphacite age of 503±14 Ma (2), I = 0.512010±0.000038 (2). The ages for the Seve eclogites are significantly older than the Sm-Nd eclogite dates from the Western Gneiss Region of Norway (WGR), suggesting the existence of at least two eclogite-forming events in the Caledonide Orogen. The younger event has been related to the main continent-continent collision stage of the Caledonian Orogeny, while the older event that led to the production of the Norrbotten eclogites must have taken place several hundred kilometres to the north and in a different tectonic setting more oceanward to the WGR. It appears that the older event (ca. 505 Ma) was restricted to the subduction of dyke-intruded sedimentary cover rocks which are thought to represent the rifted edge of the Baltic continent.     

Early Ordovician U–Pb metamorphic ages of the eclogite-bearing Seve Nappes, Northern Scandinavian Caledonides

Eclogite-grade metamorphism of the Seve Nappe Complex (SNC) in Norrbotten, Sweden, records the attempted subduction of the Baltic continental margin during the early Palaeozoic evolution of the Iapetus Ocean. Metamorphic titanite sampled from several calcsilicate gneisses of the SNC in Norrbotten occurs as part of a prograde, eclogite facies metamorphic mineral assemblage and yields concordant to nearly concordant U/Pb ages of 500–475  Ma. Later structural disruption of these rocks occurred during the Siluro-Devonian Scandian phase of the Caledonide orogeny, but the U/Pb systematics show no evidence of a second generation (metamorphic or recrystallized) of titanite, or of post-Early Ordovician disturbance through Pb loss. Hence the U/Pb ages are believed to record the time of prograde mineral growth during eclogite facies metamorphism of the SNC.
These results support earlier Sm/Nd and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar studies indicating an Early Ordovician metamorphic age for the eclogitic Norrbotten SNC, and confirm the Early Ordovician destruction of at least this segment of the Palaeozoic passive margin of Baltica. These results indicate that the SNC in the northern Scandinavian Caledonides was subducted and metamorphosed to high grade some 50–70  Myr prior to the high-grade metamorphism of the SNC in the central Scandinavian Caledonides. This result requires significantly different early Palaeozoic tectonic histories for rocks mapped as SNC in the northern Caledonides and those in the central Caledonides, despite a seemingly similar tectonostratigraphic position and broadly similar high-grade metamorphism.     

Zircon age depth-profiling sheds light on the early Caledonian evolution of the Seve Nappe Complex in west-central Jämtland

The Scandinavian Caledonides comprise nappe stacks of far-travelled allochthons that record closure of the Iapetus Ocean and subsequent continental collision of Baltica and Laurentia. The Seve Nappe Complex (SNC) of the Scandinavian Caledonides includes relics of the outermost Baltoscandian passive margin that were subducted to mantle depths. The earliest of the deep subduction events has been dated to ca. 500–480 Ma. Evidence of this event has been reported from the northern exposures of the SNC. Farther south in the central and southern segments of the SNC, (ultra)high-pressure rocks have yielded younger ages in the range of ca. 470–440 Ma.This study provides the first record of the early Caledonian event in the southern SNC. The evidence has been obtained by depth profiling of zircon grains that were extracted from the Tväråklumparna microdiamond-bearing gneiss. These zircon grains preserve eclogite facies overgrowths that crystallized at 482.6 ± 3.8 Ma. A second, chemically-distinct zircon overgrowth records granulite facies metamorphism at 439.3 ± 3.6 Ma, which corroborates previous geochronological evidence for granulite facies metamorphism at this time. Based on these results, we propose that the entire outer margin of Baltica was subducted in the late Cambrian to early Ordovician, but the record of this event may be almost entirely eradicated in the vast majority of lithologies by pervasive late Ordovician to early Silurian metamorphism.     

西藏冈底斯北缘尼玛地区帮勒村一带寒武纪火山岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄及其地球化学特征

青藏高原南部中国境内是否存在寒武纪地层一直是地质界关注的焦点。研究表明,冈底斯北缘西藏尼玛县控错南帮勒村一带,原划的前震旦纪念青唐古拉岩群为一套浅变质的拉斑系列双峰式火山岩。通过高精度LA-ICP-MS(激光剥蚀等离子体质谱)锆石微区原位U-Pb同位素测年,获得其中变流纹岩206Pb/238U年龄加权平均值为(536.4±3.6)Ma,确定该套火山岩形成于早寒武世。地球化学分析表明,变玄武岩富集LREE、LILE、部分HFSE,Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf等亏损,Zr/Nb比值(2.53~3.61)低;变流纹岩明显富集LREE、LILE、Th、HFSE,具有Eu负异常和Sr、Nb、Ta、Ti负异常。同时,变玄武岩的εNd(t)为负值(-2.80~-4.56),源区为富集地幔端元EMⅡ,反映其源区为岩石圈和软流圈相互作用的产物,并遭受了地壳物质的混染。综合分析认为该套火山岩形成于陆缘裂谷环境,为冈底斯北缘存在寒武纪裂解作用提供了佐证。     

Jadeite–garnet glaucophane schists in the Bizan area,Sambagawa metamorphic belt,eastern Shikoku,Japan: significance and extent of eclogite facies metamorphism

Eclogite facies metamorphic rocks have been discovered from the Bizan area of eastern Shikoku, Sambagawa metamorphic belt. The eclogitic jadeite–garnet glaucophane schists occur as lenticular or sheet‐like bodies in the pelitic schist matrix, with the peak mineral assemblage of garnet + glaucophane + jadeite + phengite + quartz. The jadeitic clinopyroxene (X_Jd 0.46–0.75) is found exclusively as inclusions in porphyroblastic garnet. The eclogite metamorphism is characterized by prograde development from epidote–blueschist to eclogite facies. Metamorphic P–T conditions estimated using pseudosection modelling are 580–600 °C and 18–20 kbar for eclogite facies. Compared with common mafic eclogites, the jadeite–garnet glaucophane schists have low CaO (4.4–4.5 wt%) and MgO (2.1–2.3 wt%) bulk‐rock compositions. The P–T– pseudosections show that low X_Ca bulk‐rock compositions favour the appearance of jadeite instead of omphacite under eclogite facies conditions. This is a unique example of low X_Ca bulk‐rock composition triggered to form jadeite at eclogite facies conditions. Two significant types of eclogitic metamorphism have been distinguished in the Sambagawa metamorphic belt, that is, a low‐T type and subsequent high‐T type eclogitic metamorphic events. The jadeite–garnet glaucophane schists experienced low‐T type eclogite facies metamorphism, and the P–T path is similar to lawsonite‐bearing eclogites recently reported from the Kotsu area in eastern Shikoku. During subduction of the oceanic plate (Izanagi plate), the hangingwall cooled gradually, and the geothermal gradient along the subduction zone progressively decreased and formed low‐T type eclogitic metamorphic rocks. A subsequent warm subduction event associated with an approaching spreading ridge caused the high‐T type eclogitic metamorphism within a single subduction zone.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of Biabanak-Bafq mafic magmatism: Implication for the evolution of central Iranian terrane

Precambrian magmatism in the Biabanak-Bafq district represents an extensive sequence of mafic magmatic rocks. Major, trace and rare earth elements reveal that the low-Ti basement mafic rocks are magnesium tholeiite and low-Ti cover a mafic rock belongs to Fe-tholeiite, whereas, the high-Ti alkaline mafic rocks, as well as dolerites, show much more Fe–Ti enrichment. Primitive mantle normalized trace element patterns show a relative enrichment of LREE and LILE and depletion of HFSE, but have an equally distinct continental signature reflected by marked negative Nb, Sr, P, and Ti anomalies. The composition of the intrusive rocks is consistent with fractional crystallization of olivine ± clinopyroxene ± plagioclase, whereas variations in the Sr and Nd isotope compositions suggest heterogeneous sources and crustal contamination. Low-Ti group samples contain a crustal signature in the form of high La/Yb, Zr/Nb, and negative \(\varepsilon \hbox {Nd}\) values. In contrast, high-Ti mafic magmatic rocks display an increase in La/Yb with a decrease in Proterozoic alkaline rocks recognized across the central Iran. The presence of diverse mafic magmatic rocks probably reflects heterogeneous nature of sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) source. The mafic magmatism largely represents magmatic arc or rift tectonic setting. It is suggested that the SCLM sources were enriched by subduction processes and asthenospheric upwelling.     

Tectonic implications of the immobile trace‐element geochemistry of mafic rocks bounding the Wonaminta Block

The Wonaminta Block is bounded on its eastern and western margins by Lower Cambrian or upper Vendian intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks. The extrusive rocks include pillow lavas. Low‐grade metamorphism has not influenced the distribution of P2O3, Zr, Y, and Nb, but remobilization of Ti has occurred in rocks containing Ti within the oxide phases rather than in the silicate phases. Immobile trace‐element discrimination techniques indicate that the basalts on the western margin of the Wonaminta Block are alkaline whereas those on the eastern margin are tholeiitic. The possibility that these rocks represent petrological variants across an arc system is discussed.     

Petrology of late proterozoic mafic dikes in the Nico Perez region,central Uruguay

Summary Tholeiitic basaltic and basaltic andesite dikes of Brasiliano (or PanAfrican) age ( 600 Ma) intrude the basement of the Nico Perez region, Uruguay. Major and trace element geochemistry of the basalts indicates that they suffered fractionation in shallow magma chambers. The variation in element ratios, which remain virtually unchanged during fractionation (K/Rb, Rb/Ba, Ba/Nb, La/Nb, Zr/Nb and Ti/Zr), indicate that the dikes are not strictly comagmatic. However, they have certain features in common: LILE and LREE enrichment with respect to HFSE and HREE; high Rb/Ba (> 0.9) and Rb/Sr (> 0.08); low K/Rb (< 214); negative Nb and Ti anomalies (La _n /Nb _n > 2; Ba/Nb > 22 Ti/Zr < 60).⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd at 665 Ma are in the range 0.7052 – 0.7119 and 0.51158 – 0.51177, respectively.The lack of correlations between isotope and trace element variations indicate that these characteristics are not controlled by crustal contamination of the melts. They are interpreted as being due to the melting of an enriched mantle (C1) under the influence of a fluid-rich component (C2) which stabilized a Nb-retaining titanate phase in the residuum. Although this process may be related to a subduction environment, it is also possible that it occurred in an ensialic region by the interaction of deep mantle fluids with the lithospheric continental mantle.The parent mantle underlying the early Proterozoic (1.8 Ga) Florida region had isotope and geochemical characteristics which could evolve to the values observed in the adjacent Nico Perez region. It is therefore proposed that mantle enrichment took place in the early Proterozoic and that this mantle melted under the influence of fluids in the late Proterozoic to derive the Nico Perez dikes.

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Petrologie von spätproterozoischen, mafischen Gängen in der Nico Perez-Region, Zentral Uruguay

Zusammenfassung In das Grundgebirge der Nico Perez-Region, Uruguay, intrudierten tholeiitische und basaltandesitische Gange panafrikanischen (Brasiliano) Alters ( 600 Ma). Die Hauptund Spurenelementgeochemie der Basalte zeigt eine Fraktionierung in seichten Magmakammern an. Die Streuung jener Elementverhältnisse, die während der Fraktionierung scheinbar unverändert bleiben (K/Rb, Rb/Ba, Ba/Nb, La/Nb, Zr/Nb und Ti/Zr), weist darauf hin, daß die Gänge nicht streng komagmatisch sind. Sie haben aber dennoch bestimmte Merkmale gemeinsam: Anreicherung von LILE und LREE in Bezug auf HFSE and HREE; hohes Rb/Ba (> 0, 9) and Rb/Sr (> 0, 08); niedriges K/Rb (< 214); negative Anornalien bei Nb and Ti (La _n /Nb _n > 2; Ba/Nb > 22, Ti/Zr < 60). Bei 665 Ma liegen⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr und¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd im Bereich von 0, 7052 bis 0, 7119 beziehungsweise von 0,51158 bis 0,51177.Fehlende Korrelationen zwischen Isotopen- und Spurenelement-Streuungen zeigen, daß these Eigenschaften nicht durch Kontamination der Schmelzen mit Krustenmaterial kontrolliert werden. Sie werden mit der Aufschmelzung von angereichertem Mantel (C1) unter dem Einfluß einer Fluid-reichen Komponente (C2) erklärt. Diese Komponente stabilisierte eine Titanat-Phase im Residuum, die Nb zurückhielt. Obwohl dieser Prozeß einem Subduktions-Milieu zugeordnet werden kann, ist es auch möglich, daß er in einem intrakontinentalen Bereich durch Wechselwirkung von Fluiden aus dem tiefen Mantel mit dem kontinentalen Lithosphärenmantel stattfand.Der Ausgangsmantel, der die frühproterbzoische (1, 8 Ga) Florida-Region unterlagert, weist isotopische and geochemische Merkmale auf, aus denen sich die in der benachbarten Nico Perez-Region beobachteten Werte entwickelt haben könnten. Daher wird angenommen, daß die Anreicherung im Mantel im frühen Proterozoikum stattfand und daß dieser Mantel unter tern Einfluß von Fluiden im späten Proterozoikum Schmelzen bildete, von denen die Gange von Nico Perez abgeleitet werden können.

     

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of eclogites and associated rocks from the Eastern Sesia zone (Western Alps,Italy)

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses have been made of mineral separates from eclogites, glaucophanites and glaucophane schists from the eastern Sesia zone (Italian Western Alps). Regularities in (1) hydrogen isotope compositions, (2) order of ¹⁸O enrichment among coexisting minerals, and (3) ¹⁸O (quartz-rutile) and ¹⁸O (quartz-phengite) imply attainment of a high degree of isotopic equilibrium. However, some scattering of ¹⁸O values of individual minerals indicates that the eclogitic assemblage did not form in the presence of a thoroughly pervasive fluid. Minerals from an eclogitic lens enclosed in marble have ¹⁸O values distinctly different from those measured in the other rocks. The ¹⁸O values are high in comparison with other type C eclogites of the world, and it is proposed that the fluid present during the high pressure metamorphism has to a large extent been inherited from the precursor rocks of amphibolite facies.An average formation temperature of 540 ° C is inferred from the oxygen isotope fractionations between quartz and rutile and between quartz and white mica. This temperature is in accordance with petrologic considerations and implies subduction of the precursor rocks into the upper mantle to achieve the high pressures required.     

Petrology of Serra Geral (Paraná) continental flood basalts,southern Brazil: crustal contamination,source material,and South Atlantic magmatism

The Serra Geral (Paraná) continental flood basalt (SG-CFB) province in Brazil is associated with the Jurassic-Cretaceous breakup of Gondwanaland and the transition of continental to oceanic magmatism during the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. A suite of 24 samples representative of the SG-CFB in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, shows a compositional continuum from basalt (50–53 wt% SiO₂, Mg# 60-45), to basaltic andesite, to andesite, rhyodacite, and rhyolite (73 wt% SiO₂). Certain compositional aspects of the mafic rocks (e.g., TiO₂, K₂O, CaO, Zr/Nb, Zr/Y, Ti/Zr) resemble those of basaltic dikes and flows associated with the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean.Fractionation trends are apparent in MgO variation diagrams and calculations show that basalt-basaltic andesite continuums are largely due to removal of plagioclase and clinopyroxene. These mafic rocks can be categorized as (i) having higher or lower incompatible-element contents (e.g. K₂O 0.6–1.5 wt%; Rb 12–43 ppm; Ba 125–240 ppm) due to incorporation of Brazilian Archean crust or rhyolitic magma by basalt from a particular source material or to partial-melting differences of that source, and (ii) as having higher or lower TiO₂, Sr, Ba, and P contents due to source heterogeneities. Crustal components are obvious in certain basaltic samples, as where K₂O > 1 wt%, SiO₂ > 51%, and TiO₂ 1%, but are insignificant in others (e.g., compositions close to those of South Atlantic basin basalts). Calculations indicate origins for intermediate and silicic rocks by removal of pl, cpx, and Ti-magnetite from basaltic andesite, but crust and magma-mixing affecting basaltic-andesite fractionates were likely also involved. Where contamination is insignificant, Zr, Nb, and Y abundances indicate T-type MORE source material like that for certain S. Atlantic Ocean basalts. Source material was essentially a 91 hybrid of N-type and P-type MORB components. N-type MORB lithosphere followed SG-CFB because decompression due to rifting crust enabled partial melting of uppermost (depleted) mantle.     

Carbonatization and mobility of Ti,Y, and Zr in Ascot Formation metabasalts,SE Quebec

The middle Ordovician Ascot Formation of southeastern Quebec consists of greenschist facies metamorphosed silicic to mafic pyroclastic rocks and lava flows and associated metasediments. Chemical analyses of lavas reveal a preponderance of metarhyolites and metabasalts, together with some porphyritic rocks with intermediate SiO₂ contents. The metabasalts exhibit wide ranges in concentrations of TiO₂ (0.25–2.0 wt.°), Y (9–46 ppm), and Zr (5–135 ppm). The extent of the ranges, and unusual interelement ratios, suggest that the concentrations of these normally immobile elements have been affected by secondary processes.There is a strong correlation between trace-element concentrations and the degree of carbonatization of the metabasalts. Low carbonate rocks are severely depleted in Ti, Y, and Zr whereas high carbonate rocks are depleted in Y and Zr and enriched in Ti. The differing movement of Ti can be explained in terms of variable chemical potential due to the various carbonatization reactions affecting titaniferous phases. Overall mobility of these generally immobile/rd elements is attributed to high CO₂ levels in the fluid phase during metamorphism.Extrapolation of the two alteration trends to a common origin enables one to infer primary concentrations of the trace-elements. Primary inter-element ratios arrived at in this way are compatible with an island-arc origin for the Ascot Formation although TiO₂ concentrations are a little high (1.5 wt/%).     

Paleoproterozoic (1.90–1.86 Ga) arc volcanism in the Flin Flon Belt,Trans-Hudson Orogen,Canada

Geochemical and isotopic (Nd, Sr) data are reported on Paleoproterozoic (1904–1864 Ma), maficintermediate (<63% SiO₂), arc metavolcanic rocks from the Flin Flon greenstone belt, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Major element criteria permit subdivision of the rocks into tholeiitic (TH), calc-alkaline (CA), alkaline, and boninitic (BO) magma series. Subaqueously erupted, TH and related CA basalt-basaltic andesite, and rare high-Ca boninites dominated between 1904 Ma and 1890 Ma. The TH rocks are similar to modern island are tholeiites, having low high-field-strength element (HFSE) and rare earth element (REE) abundances, and chondrite-normalized light REE depletion to slight enrichment. The boninites have even lower HFSE and REE abundances (1–2X chondrites). Along with their extreme ratios of refractory incompatible elements (e.g., high Al/Ti, Ti/Zr, low Ti/V, Zr/Y), these features indicate that the arc mantle source was strongly depleted, probably residual after MORB or back-arc basin basalt extraction. Elevated Th/Yb, Ba/La, La/Nb values, and the spread in Nd isotopic compositions (initial _Nd=–0.4 to +4.8) suggest recycling of small amounts (0–8%) of Archean and possibly older Proterozoic crust via sediment subduction and, locally, intracrustal contamination. Calcalkaline andesite-rhyolite and rare shoshonite and trachyandesite, erupted between 1890 Ma and 1864 Ma, are more strongly light REE enriched and have comparatively higher HFSE abundances, and higher Zr/Y and Nb/Y values. The rocks have strong arc trace element signatures (e.g., high Th/Nb, La/Nb), and initial _Nd values (+2.3 to +4.6) indicate that depleted mantle contributions to the magmas continued to be dominant. The geochemistry and geology of these younger volcanic rocks suggest a mature island arc setting in which the arc lithosphere was thicker than in the previous period, and a more fertile sub-arc mantle source was tapped. The pre-1890 Ma volcanism occurred in one or more separate arcs, probably characterized by rapid subduction of oceanic lithosphere, relatively thin, tholeiitic arc crust, and extensive backarc basin formation. In contrast, post-1890 Ma volcanism is dominantly calc-alkaline to (rarely) alkaline, and is interpreted to reflect crustal thickening due to longterm growth of arc edifice(s) and tectonic thickening associated with intraoceanic arc-arc (>1870 Ma) collision and subsequent intra-arc deformation.     

U–Pb geochronology of two discrete Ordovician high-pressure metamorphic events in the Seve Nappe Complex, Scandinavian Caledonides

U–Pb geochronology for eclogites in two different areas of the Seve Nappe Complex (SNC) in Sweden confirms previous indications of discrete Ordovician high-pressure events affecting various parts of the complex. In Norrbotten, just north of the Arctic circle, eclogites from the Ts?kkok and Vaimok Lenses yield identical metamorphic zircon ages of 482 ± 1 Ma. Titanite in a metagabbro from the Vaimok Lens retains an older age of 607 ± 2 Ma, which may date a protolith coeval with mafic dikes in the overlying Sarek Lens; high-U zircon cores in one of the eclogites also indicate a similar age. Farther south, in J?mtland, the Tjeliken eclogite yields a significantly younger metamorphic age of 446 ± 1 Ma. Although they support the age discrepancy between the Norrbotten and J?mtland eclogites, the U–Pb ages of both eclogite suites are ca. 20 m.y. younger than previously reported Sm–Nd ages. The latter may either represent early prograde growth or be spuriously too old due to isotopic disequilibrium. The SNC has traditionally been taken to represent the outermost margin of Baltica, linking the Early Caledonian eclogite–forming events to subduction of Baltica below an offshore arc. Alternatively, the coincidence of these eclogite-forming events with orogenic phases recorded on the Laurentian margin may point to an origin from other regions of the Iapetus Ocean.     

Extensional collapse of the Gondwana orogen: Evidence from Cambrian mafic magmatism in the Trivandrum Block,southern India

The assembly of Late Neoproterozoice Cambrian supercontinent Gondwana involved prolonged subduction and accretion generating arc magmatic and accretionary complexes, culminating in collision and formation of high grade metamorphic orogens. Here we report evidence for mafic magmatism associated with post-collisional extension from a suite of gabbroic rocks in the Trivandrum Block of southern Indian Gondwana fragment. Our petrological and geochemical data on these gabbroic suite show that they are analogous to high Fe tholeiitic basalts with evolution of the parental melts dominantly controlled by fractional crystallization. They display enrichment of LILE and LREE and depletion of HFSE with negative anomalies at Zre Hf and Ti corresponding to subduction zone magmatic regime. The tectonic affinity of the gabbros coupled with their geochemical features endorse a heterogeneous mantle source with collective melt contributions from sub-slab asthenospheric mantle upwelling through slab break-off and arc-related metasomatized mantle wedge, with magma emplacement in subduction to post-collisional intraplate settings. The high Nb contents and positive Nbe Ta anomalies of the rocks are attributed to inflow of asthenospheric melts containing ancient recycled subducted slab components and/or fusion of subducted slab materials owing to upwelling of hot asthenosphere. Zircon grains from the gabbros show magmatic crystallization texture with low U and Pb content. The LA-ICPMS analyses show ²⁰⁶ Pb/²³⁸ U mean ages in the range of 507-494 Ma suggesting Cambrian mafic magmatism. The post-collisional mafic magmatism identified in our study provides new insights into mantle dynamics during the waning stage of the birth of a supercontinent.     

Crystallization and very rapid exhumation of the youngest Alpine eclogites (Tauern Window,Eastern Alps) from Rb/Sr mineral assemblage analysis

Multimineral Rb/Sr internal isochrons from eclogite facies rocks of the Eclogite Zone (Tauern Window, Eastern Alps) consistently yield an Early Oligocene age of 31.5±0.7 Ma. This age has been obtained both for late-prograde, dehydration-related eclogitic veins, and for rocks variably deformed and recrystallized under eclogite facies conditions (2.0–2.5 GPa, 600°C). Initial Sr-isotopic equilibria among all phases indicate absence of significant post-eclogitic isotope redistribution processes, therefore the ages date eclogite facies assemblage crystallization. Equilibria also prove that no prolonged pre-eclogite facies history is recorded in the rocks. Instead, subduction, prograde mineral reactions, and eclogitization proceeded rapidly. Fast exhumation immediately after eclogitization, with minimum rates >36 mm/a is inferred from a 31.5±0.5 Ma internal mineral isochron age of a post-eclogitic greenschist facies vein assemblage. Such rates equal typical subduction rates. Late Eocene to Early Oligocene subduction of the European continental margin, with subsequent rapid exhumation of high-pressure nappe complexes has previously been recognized only in the Western Alps. The new data signify synchronous continental collision all along the Alpine belt. Our results demonstrate the unique potential of Rb/Sr assemblage system analysis for precise dating of both eclogite facies and post-eclogitic events, thus for precisely constraining exhumation rates of deep-seated rocks, and for straightforward linkage of petrologic evidence with isotopic ages.     

Initial tectonothermal evolution within the Scandinavian Caledonide Accretionary Prism: constraints from 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages within the Seve Nappe Complex, Sarek Mountains, Sweden

In the Caledonide orogen of northern Sweden, the Seve Nappe Complex is dominated by rift facies sedimentary and mafic rocks derived from the Late Proterozoic Baltoscandian miogeocline and offshore-continent–Iapetus transition. Metamorphic breaks and structural inversions characterize the nappe complex. Within the Sarek Mountains, the Sarektjåkkå Nappe is composed of c. 600-Ma-old dolerites with subordinate screens of sedimentary rocks. These lithological elements preserve parageneses which record contact metamorphism at shallow crustal levels. The Sarektjåkkå Nappe is situated between eclogite-bearing nappes (Mikka and Tsäkkok nappes) which underwent high-P metamorphism at c. 500 Ma during westward subduction of the Baltoscandian margin. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar mineral ages of c. 520–500 Ma are recorded by hornblende within variably foliated amphibolite derived from mafic dyke protoliths within the Sarektjåkkå Nappe. Plateau ages of 500 Ma are displayed by muscovite within the basal thrust of the nappe and are consistent with metamorphic evidence which indicates that the nappe escaped crustal depression as a result of detachment at an early stage of subduction. Cooling ages recorded by hornblende from variably retrogressed eclogites in the entire region are in the range of c. 510–490 Ma and suggest that imbrication of the subducting miogeocline was followed by differential exhumation of the various imbricate sheets. Hornblende cooling ages of 470–460 Ma are recorded from massive dyke protoliths within the Sarektjåkkå Nappe. These are similar to ages reported from the Seve Nappe Complex in the central Scandinavian Caledonides. Probably these date imbrication and uplift related to Early Ordovician arrival of outboard terranes (e.g. island-arc sequences represented by structurally lower horizons of the Köli Nappes). Metamorphic contrasts and the distinct grouping of mineral cooling ages suggest that the various Seve structural units are themselves internally imbricated, and were individually tectonically uplifted through argon closure temperatures during assembly of the Seve Nappe Complex. The cooling ages of 520–500 Ma recorded within Seve terranes and along terrane boundaries of the Sarek Mountains provide evidence of significant accretionary activity in the northern Scandinavian Caledonides in the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician.     

延边开山屯花岗闪长岩-石英闪长岩体年代学、地球化学特征及对古太平洋板块俯冲作用时限的制约

近年来古太平洋构造域的构造演化备受学者关注。本文报道的延边开山屯地区花岗闪长岩-石英闪长岩体LAICP-MS U-Pb年龄表明其形成时间为早侏罗世早期(198±1Ma),所采样品可根据Zr/Hf值分为高Zr/Hf值组花岗闪长岩和低Zr/Hf值组石英闪长岩。高Zr/Hf值组花岗闪长岩起源深度浅,富集Rb、Th、U、K等大离子亲石元素(LILEs),贫Nb、Ta、Ti等高场强元素(HFSEs),具壳源岩浆的特点。低Zr/Hf值组为壳源岩浆与来自深部的亏损地幔岩浆混合而成,岩石亏损Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Ti等高场强元素,具有典型的弧型岩浆地球化学特征。岩体中存在细粒闪长质包体,镜下可见针柱状磷灰石。开山屯岩体属钙碱性系列岩石,结合前人资料,认为其与该地区同时代火成岩组成北-东向分布的早侏罗世活动大陆边缘型火成岩带,而位于该带西侧的小兴安岭-张广才岭地区存在同时代弧后拉张带,两者构成典型的大陆弧与弧后拉张带模型,共同揭示了早侏罗世早期古太平洋板块对东北地区的俯冲作用。     

北祁连榴辉岩相变沉积岩的特征及其构造意义

在北祁连造山带中,出露典型的高压/低温变质岩石,前人对其中的低温榴辉岩已做过较多的研究,但对其中的变沉积岩研究涉及很少.本文展示了榴辉岩相变质沉积岩的岩石学、地球化学、锆石U-Pb年代学和Hf同位素方面的一些新的研究结果.变沉积岩含有榴辉岩相的矿物组合,峰期温压条件为t= 450～520℃,p=1.9～2.3 GPa,与相邻榴辉岩的温压条件一致.地球化学显示这些岩石的原岩为不成熟的沉积岩,可能形成于大陆边缘或大陆岛弧环境.变沉积岩中的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄主要集中在1800 Ma左右和540～600 Ma之间,结合锆石Hf同位素特征,表明其原岩的碎屑来源既有周缘陆块的前寒武纪变质基底物质,又有新元古代-早古生代新生洋壳或增生物质.同时,这些数据也表明北祁连早古生代洋壳俯冲过程中发生了活动大陆边缘的构造剥蚀作用,即形成于上盘的沉积物(弧前盆地或增生楔)被构造作用运移到俯冲带中,并俯冲到60～70km深处,遭受榴辉岩相变质作用,然后折返到地表.     

西藏冈底斯北缘尼玛地区帮勒村一带寒武纪火山岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄及其地球化学特征

青藏高原南部中国境内是否存在寒武纪地层一直是地质界关注的焦点。研究表明,冈底斯北缘西藏尼玛县控错南帮勒村一带,原划的前震旦纪念青唐古拉岩群为一套浅变质的拉斑系列双峰式火山岩。通过高精度LA-ICP-MS（激光剥蚀等离子体质谱）锆石微区原位U-Pb同位素测年,获得其中变流纹岩206Pb/238U年龄加权平均值为（536.4±3.6）Ma,确定该套火山岩形成于早寒武世。地球化学分析表明,变玄武岩富集LREE、LILE、部分HFSE,Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf等亏损,Zr/Nb比值（2.53~3.61）低;变流纹岩明显富集LREE、LILE、Th、HFSE,具有Eu负异常和Sr、Nb、Ta、Ti负异常。同时,变玄武岩的εNd（t）为负值（－2.80~－4.56）,源区为富集地幔端元EMⅡ,反映其源区为岩石圈和软流圈相互作用的产物,并遭受了地壳物质的混染。综合分析认为该套火山岩形成于陆缘裂谷环境,为冈底斯北缘存在寒武纪裂解作用提供了佐证。     

大别超高压变质过程中流体作用的微量元素效应及其地球化学意义

对大别地区角闪岩相－麻粒岩相和榴辉岩相岩石进行较系统的地球化学研究,探讨了超高压俯冲变质及折返过程中元素的再分配行为,并就其对变质过程中的部分熔融作用和流体交代作用的指示进行了分析。研究表明,大别榴辉岩原岩在其俯冲过程中发生了部分熔融作用,并在其早期脱水和后期退变质作用过程中与变质流体相之间产生了交换。脱水作用使榴辉岩Ｎｂ／Ｔａ比值升高,但后期的退变质作用使榴辉岩与其寄主围岩间的Ｎｂ／Ｔａ比值相对