Diachronous evolution of systems tracts in a depositional sequence from the middle Pleistocene palaeo-Tokyo Bay, Japan

Palaeo-Tokyo Bay is a relic of the Plio-Pleistocene Kazusa forearc basin in the Boso Peninsula of Japan. The sedimentary infill of palaeo-Tokyo Bay is characterized by shallow marine to paralic sediments of the middle to upper Pleistocene Shimosa Group. Sequence stratigraphical analysis has been used to describe spatial and temporal variations in the depositional systems of the lowest units of the Shimosa Group, deposited during the early stage of development of palaeo-Tokyo Bay. Three different type of depositional systems were recognized: sand ridge to shelf (SRS), shelf to delta (SDL) and shelf to non-deltaic nearshore (SNS) systems. They overlie early transgressive estuarine deposits infilling lowstand valleys incised in the south-eastern margin of palaeo-Tokyo Bay. These systems were developed during late transgressive through highstand stages of a relative sea level cycle, which may have been controlled by a glacio-eustatic sea level change at about 0·4 Ma. Spatial variation in depositional systems is largely identical to that in modern Tokyo Bay; environmental conditions similar to those prevailing at the present day probably characterized the early history of palaeo-Tokyo Bay. The timing of highstand systems tracts within a high frequency depositional sequence was analysed in terms of the effect of sedimentation rate, based on the mapping of a chronostratigraphical surface marked by the Hy4 volcanic ash layer. From spatial variations in sedimentation rate, it was possible to identify the diachronous evolution of highstand systems tracts from the SDL system, through the SNS system, to the SRS system. Time lag is indicated by major bounding surfaces, such as maximum flooding or downlap surfaces associated with a condensed section, which developed immediately above or below the Hy4 volcanic ash layer. The lag may be of the order of a few thousands to tens of thousands of years within a depositional sequence with a total of duration of about 100 000 years.     

Petrological, Geochemical and Isotopic Constraints on the Origin of the Harzburg Intrusion, Germany

We present mineralogical, petrological and geochemical datato constrain the origin of the Harzburg mafic–ultramaficintrusion. The intrusion is composed mainly of mafic rocks rangingfrom gabbronorite to quartz diorite. Ultramafic rocks are veryrare in surface outcrops. Dunite is observed only in deepersections of the Flora I drill core. Microgranitic (fine-grainedquartz-feldspathic) veins found in the mafic and ultramaficrocks result from contamination of the ultramafic magmas bycrustal melts. In ultramafic and mafic compositions cumulatetextures are widespread and filter pressing phenomena are obvious.The order of crystallization is olivine pargasite, phlogopite,spinel plagioclase, orthopyroxene plagioclase, clinopyroxene.Hydrous minerals such as phlogopite and pargasite are essentialconstituents of the ultramafic cumulates. The most primitiveolivine composition is Fo_89·5 with 0·4 wt % NiO,which indicates that the olivine may have been in equilibriumwith primitive mantle melts. Coexisting melt compositions estimatedfrom this olivine have mg-number = 71. The chemical varietyof the rocks constituting the intrusion and the mg-number ofthe most primitive melt allow an estimation of the approximatecomposition of the mantle-derived primary magma. The geochemicalcharacteristics of the estimated magma are similar to thoseof an island-arc tholeiite, characterized by low TiO₂ and alkalisand high Al₂O₃. Geochemical and Pb, Sr and Nd isotope data demonstratethat even the most primitive rocks have assimilated crustalmaterial. The decoupling of Sr from Nd in some samples demonstratesthe influence of a fluid that transported radiogenic Sr. Leadof crustal origin from two isotopically distinct reservoirsdominates the Pb of all samples. The ultramafic rocks and thecumulates best reflect the initial isotopic and geochemicalsignature of the parent magma. Magma that crystallized in theupper part of the chamber was more strongly affected by assimilatedmaterial. Petrographic, geochemical and isotope evidence demonstratesthat during a late stage of crystallization, hybrid rocks formedthrough the mechanical mixing of early cumulates and melts withstrong crustal contamination from the upper levels of the magmachamber. KEY WORDS: Harzburg mafic–ultramafic intrusion; Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes; magma evolution; crustal contamination