Permian bimodal dyke of Tarim Basin, NW China: Geochemical characteristics and tectonic implications

This study reports for the first time the occurrence of bimodal dyke in the Shuigongtuan area of Bachu County, Tarim Basin, NW China. Here, quartz syenite porphyry and diabase dykes occur in direct contact showing bimodal feature. The quartz syenitic porphyry is metaluminous, enriched in K₂O + Na₂O (10–11 wt.%) and total rare earth elements (REE), with low Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios, high LREE/HREE, and negative Eu anomalies. The chemical characteristics and tectonic discriminative diagrams show that the rocks have geochemical affinity with A-type granites. The diabase dyke shows 45–52 wt.% SiO₂ and Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratio in the range of, with high total REE, high LREE/HREE ratios and lack of Eu anomalies, broadly corresponding to tholeiitic composition. Based on low Y/Nb (as low as 0.4, and less than 1.2), enrichment in LILE and HFSE, and uniform Nb-enrichment patterns in spider diagram for the quartz syenitic porphyry, together with the geochemical patterns of the diabases, this biomodal association is interpreted to be derived from a mantle source and formed under typical within-plate environment. The quartz syenitic porphyry and diabase have Daly gap of 46 wt.%–67 wt.% in SiO₂, which is explained through formation under bimodal rifting. The quartz syenitic dyke probably formed during Early Permian (277 Ma) and has geochemical affinity with the Xiaohaizi syenitic body. We propose that magmas sourced from the mantle intruded into middle–upper crust and were emplaced as dykes, which indicate large-scale extension during the Permian in Tarim Basin. The bimodal dyke has genetic affinity with the huge volume of Permian basalts and igneous rocks (248–292 Ma) that occur in the Tarim Basin. The magmatism manifests the culmination of the major thermal event in the Tarim Basin.     

The Late Mesozoic tectonic evolution and magmatic history of west Zhejiang,SE China: implications for regional metallogeny

The granitoids and related polymetallic mineralization in the Zhejiang Province at the southeast margin of the Yangtze Block in China provide an important window to evaluate metallogeny associated with convergent margin magmatism. Here, we present geochronological, geochemical, and isotopic data from the granitic rocks of west Zhejiang, to constrain the timing of transformation of the tectonic setting of this region from volcanic arc to intra-plate during Late Mesozoic and its bearing on regional metallogeny. The granitic rocks in west Zhejiang can be geochemically subdivided into two groups. The first group is characterized by relatively steep rare earth element (REE) patterns with slight Eu anomalies, high Sr, low Yb, and negative Nb–Ta–Ti (NTT) anomalies, indicating a volcanic arc environment with a thickened crust in a convergent setting. The second group is featured by flat REE patterns with prominent negative Eu anomalies, low Sr, high Yb, and weak NTT anomalies, suggesting an intra-plate extensional environment with a thin crust. The geochronology of granitic rocks in west Zhejiang, combined with ages of regional tectonic basins and nappe structures, constrains the timing of the tectonic transformation to be in the range from 150 to 140 Ma. Sr–Nd isotopic data and a positive correlation displayed by oxygen fugacity (fO₂), and La/Sm and Ba/Th ratios (proxies of subducted sediments and slab dehydration fluids) suggest that the high oxygen fugacity is probably related to the melting of subducted sediments and slab dehydration. From 180 to 80 Ma, due to the increasing dip angle of the subducted Izanagi Plate, the volcanic arc belt migrated oceanward, leaving most of the interior of Zhejiang Province under an intra-plate environment where insufficient subducted components and upwelling mantle generated reduced magmas which were not favorable for Cu–Mo mineralization. Our model provides a plausible explanation for the absence of Cu–Mo porphyry deposits in the adjacent region of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui provinces (Zhe-Gan-Wan region) after 140 Ma.     

The Mannapra syenite,Central Kerala,India: Geochemistry,petrogenesis and bearing on anorogenic magmatism

Occurrence of a syenite body near Mannapra, Trichur district, Kerala, is reported. The syenite, emplaced within charnockitic country rocks along the Idamalayar faultlineament, is exposed over an area of 8 km². The rock, classified as quartz alkali feldspar syenite based on Q-A-P proportions, has alkali feldspar as the dominant mineral constituent which shows variation in perthitic texture from crypto- to micro- and patch-perthites. Both ortho- and clino-pyroxenes are present, with the former showing blebs of plagioclase suggesting Al-unmixing. Clinopyroxene shows subsolidus reequilibration with greenish pleochroic grain margins and local conversion to alkali amphibole. The petrochemical characters indicate that the syenite crystallized from a partial melt which equilibrated from K-rich, Rb-depleted source in the upper mantle, in response to crustal distension and mantle degassing prior to the rifting of the continent. Reaction between early formed minerals and the late peralkaline liquid towards the residual phase resulted in subsolidus reequilibration textures. The syenite is envisaged to be yet another example of the manifestation of anorogenic magmatism in this part of the Indian shield.     

Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Felsic Magmatism Along Transcrustal Shear Zones in Southern India: U-Pb Electron Microprobe Ages and Implications for the Amalgamation of the Gondwana Supercontinent

We report U-Pb electron microprobe ages for zircon and monazite from two granitic plutons from southern India, the Vattamalai granite within the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone system and the Pathanapuram granite within the Achankovil Shear Zone. A zircon grain from the Vattamalai granite has a core age of 693±132 Ma and is surrounded by a thick overgrowth with an age of 504±104 Ma. Monazites from the Vattamalai granite show a small range of ages between 500-520 Ma. PbO vs. ThO₂* plots of the monazites define a precise isochron age of 517±6.7 Ma (MSWD = 0.25). The oldest zircons in the Pathanapuram pluton are in the range 961-1149 Ma, with younger overgrowths at ~540-560 Ma. Monazite cores from the granite lie in the range of 526-574 Ma, whereas rims and bright overgrowths range from 506-539 Ma. These monazites define two linear arrays in PbO vs. ThO₂* plots with cores yielding an isochron age of 550±25 Ma (MSWD = 0.58) and the rims defining an age of 515±15 Ma (MSWD = 0.68).The age data from the granite plutons indicate multiple thermal imprints in southern India with the latest orogeny during the Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (Pan-African). The older zircon cores up to 1149 Ma from the Pathanapuram pluton suggest inherited components of late Mesoproterozoic age, caught up within the granite magma. However, the dominant 570-520 Ma ages obtained from both zircons and monazites closely compare with similar ages for magmatism and metamorphism from throughout the East African Orogen. Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian felsic magmatism occurred along both the Palghat-Cauvery Shear System and the Achankovil Shear Zone, indicating that these shears were active at this time and may have served as pathways for the emplacement of magmas generated at depth. The magmatism represents part of the various collisional-extensional episodes that marked the final amalgamation of the Gondwana supercontinent.     

Late Mesozoic magmatism in the East Qinling Orogen,China and its tectonic implications

The Qinling Orogen in Central China records the history of a complex geological evolution and tectonic transition from compression to extension during the Late Mesozoic,with concomitant voluminous granitoids formation.In this study,we present results from petrological,geochemical,zircon U-Pb-Lu-Hf isotopic studies on the Lengshui felsic dykes from Luanchuan region in the East Qinling Orogen.We also compile published geochronological,geochemical,and Hf isotopic data from Luanchuan region and present zircon Hf isotopic contour maps.The newly obtained age data yield two group of ages at～145 Ma and 140 Ma for two granite porphyries from the Lengshui felsic dykes,with the ～145 Ma interpreted as response to the peak of magmatism in the region,and the ～140 Ma as the timing of formation of the felsic dykes.The corresponding Hf isotopic data of the granite porphyries display negativeeHit)values of-16.67 to-4.61,and Hf crustal model ages(T_(DM~C_)of 2255-1490 Ma,indicating magma sourced from the melting of Paleo-to Mesoproterozoic crustal materials.The compiled age data display two major magmatic pulses at 160-130 Ma and 111-108 Ma with magmatic quiescence in between,and the zircon Hf isotopic data display/ε_(Hf)(t)values ranging from-41.9 to 2.1 and T_(DM)~c values of3387-1033 Ma,suggesting mixed crustal and mantle-derived components in the magma source,and correspond to multiple tectonic events during the Late Mesozoic.The Luanchuan granitoids are identified as 1-type granites and most of these are highly fractionated granites,involving magma mixing and mingling and crystal fractionation.The tectonic setting in the region transformed from the Late Jurassic syn-collision setting to Early Cretaceous within-plate setting,with E-W extension in the Early Cretaceous.This extension is correlated with the N-S trending post-collisional extension between the North China Craton and Yangtze Craton as well as the E-W trending back-arc extension triggered by the westward Paleo-Pacific Plate subduction,eventually leading to lithospheric thinning,asthenospheric upwelling,mafic magma underplating,and crustal melting in the East Qinling Orogen.     

Structural geology and tectonics in marine science: Perspectives in the research of deep sea and deep interior

The fields of structural geology and tectonics have witnessed great progress over the last decade and are poised for further expansion in the future. One of the significant breakthroughs is the establishment of the ’Beyond Plate Tectonics Theory’ where a combination of conceptual models and numerical modeling on plume tectonics and plate tectonics has enabled new insights into the structural and tectonic architecture and processes in the deep interior and deep sea. This paper synthesizes developments of structural geology and tectonics from a macroscopic perspective in deep interior and deep sea. Four key techniques are also reviewed: satellite altimetry for surface structures in deep-sea multi-beam sea-floor mapping; tomography for tectonics of the deep interior; diverse modeling approaches and software for unfolding dynamic evolution; and techniques for HT/HP experiments on material rheology and in situ component measurements.     

Lipid and Fatty Acid Compositions of Cod(Gadus morhua),Haddock(Melanogrammus aeglefinus)and Halibut(Hippogiossus hippoglossus)

This study was conducted to compare lipid and fatty acid composition of cod,haddock and halibut.Three groups of cod(276 g±61 g),haddock(538 g±83 g)and halibut(3704 g±221 g)were maintained with commercial feeds mainly based on fish meal and marine fish oil for 12 weeks prior to sampling.The fatty acid compositions of muscle and liver were determined by GC/FID after derivatization of extracted lipids into fatty acid methyl esters(FAME).Lipids were also fractionated into neutral and polar lipids using Waters silica Sep-Pak(R).The phospholipid fraction was further separated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography(HPTLC)and the FAME profile was obtained.Results of the present study showed that cod and haddock were lean fish and their total muscle lipid contents were 0.8% and 0.7%,respectively,with phospholipid constituting 83.6% and 87.5% of the total muscle lipid,respectively.Halibut was a medium-fat fish and its muscle lipid content was 8%,with 84% of the total muscle lipid being neutral lipid.Total liver lipid contents of cod,haddock and halibut were 36.9%,67.2% and 30.7%,respectively,of which the neutral lipids accounted for the major fraction(88.1%-97.1%).Polyunsaturated fatty acids were the most abundant in cod and haddock muscle neutral lipid.Monounsaturated fatty acid level was the highest in halibut muscle neutral lipid.Fatty acid compositions of phospholipid were relatively constant.In summary,the liver of cod and haddock as lean fish was the main lipid reserve organ,and structural phospholipid is the major lipid form in flesh.However,as a medium-fat fish,halibut stored lipid in both their liver and muscle.     

Lipid and fatty acid compositions of cod (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gadus morhua</Emphasis>), haddock (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Melanogrammus aeglefinus</Emphasis>) and halibut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippoglossus hippoglossus</Emphasis>)

This study was conducted to compare lipid and fatty acid composition of cod, haddock and halibut. Three groups of cod (276 g ± 61 g), haddock (538 g ± 83 g) and halibut (3704 g ± 221 g) were maintained with commercial feeds mainly based on fish meal and marine fish oil for 12 weeks prior to sampling. The fatty acid compositions of muscle and liver were determined by GC/FID after derivatization of extracted lipids into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Lipids were also fractionated into neutral and polar lipids using Waters silica Sep-Pak?. The phospholipid fraction was further separated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and the FAME profile was obtained. Results of the present study showed that cod and haddock were lean fish and their total muscle lipid contents were 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively, with phospholipid constituting 83.6% and 87.5% of the total muscle lipid, respectively. Halibut was a medium-fat fish and its muscle lipid content was 8%, with 84% of the total muscle lipid being neutral lipid. Total liver lipid contents of cod, haddock and halibut were 36.9%, 67.2% and 30.7%, respectively, of which the neutral lipids accounted for the major fraction (88.1%–97.1%). Polyunsaturated fatty acids were the most abundant in cod and haddock muscle neutral lipid. Monounsaturated fatty acid level was the highest in halibut muscle neutral lipid. Fatty acid compositions of phospholipid were relatively constant. In summary, the liver of cod and haddock as lean fish was the main lipid reserve organ, and structural phospholipid is the major lipid form in flesh. However, as a medium-fat fish, halibut stored lipid in both their liver and muscle.     

Spatial GR4J conceptualization of the Tamor glaciated alpine catchment in Eastern Nepal: evaluation of GR4JSG against streamflow and MODIS snow extent

Snow and glacial melt processes are an important part of the Himalayan water balance. Correct quantification of melt runoff processes is necessary to understand the region's vulnerability to climate change. This paper describes in detail an application of conceptual GR4J hydrological model in the Tamor catchment in Eastern Nepal using typical elevation band and degree‐day factor approaches to model Himalayan snow and glacial melt processes. The model aims to provide a simple model that meets most water planning applications. The paper contributes a model conceptualization (GR4JSG) that enables coarse evaluation of modelled snow extents against remotely sensed Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer snow extent. Novel aspects include the glacial store in GR4JSG and examination of how the parameters controlling snow and glacial stores correlate with existing parameters of GR4J. The model is calibrated using a Bayesian Monte Carlo Markov Chain method against observed streamflow for one glaciated catchment with reliable data. Evaluation of the modelled streamflow with observed streamflow gave Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency of 0.88 and Percent Bias of <4%. Comparison of the modelled snow extents with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer gave R² of 0.46, with calibration against streamflow only. The contribution of melt runoff to total discharge from the catchment is 14–16% across different experiments. The model is highly sensitive to rainfall and temperature data, which suffer from known problems and biases, for example because of stations being located predominantly in valleys and at lower elevations. Testing of the model in other Himalayan catchments may reveal additional limitations. © 2016 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Early Jurassic intra‐oceanic arc system of the Neotethys Ocean: Constraints from andesites in the Gangdese magmatic belt,south Tibet

The Gangdese magmatic belt is located in the southern margin of the Lhasa terrane, south Tibet. Here zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic data, as well as whole‐rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotopes on andesites from the Bima Formation with a view to evaluating the history of the Gangdese magmatism and the evolution of the Neotethys Ocean. Zircon U–Pb dating yields an age of ca 170 Ma from six samples, representing the eruptive time of these volcanic rocks. Zircon Hf isotopes show highly positive ε_Hf(t) values of +13 to +16 with a mean of +15.2. Whole‐rock geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic results suggest that the magma source of these andesites was controlled by partial melting of a depleted mantle source with addition of continental‐derived sediments, similar to those in the southern arcs of the Lesser Antilles arc belt. In combination with published data, the volcanic rocks of the Bima Formation are proposed to have been generated in an intra‐oceanic arc system, closely associated with northward subduction of the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere.