Geochronological and petrological constraints from the evolution in the Saxon Granulite Massif,Germany, on the Variscan continental collision orogeny

Controversy over the plate tectonic affinity and evolution of the Saxon granulites in a two‐ or multi‐plate setting during inter‐ or intracontinental collision makes the Saxon Granulite Massif a key area for the understanding of the Palaeozoic Variscan orogeny. The massif is a large dome structure in which tectonic slivers of metapelite and metaophiolite units occur along a shear zone separating a diapir‐like body of high‐P granulite below from low‐P metasedimentary rocks above. Each of the upper structural units records a different metamorphic evolution until its assembly with the exhuming granulite body. New age and petrologic data suggest that the metaophiolites developed from early Cambrian protoliths during high‐P amphibolite facies metamorphism in the mid‐ to late‐Devonian and thermal overprinting by the exhuming hot granulite body in the early Carboniferous. A correlation of new Ar–Ar biotite ages with published P–T–t data for the granulites implies that exhumation and cooling of the granulite body occurred at average rates of ~8 mm/year and ~80°C/Ma, with a drop in exhumation rate from ~20 to ~2.5 mm/year and a slight rise in cooling rate between early and late stages of exhumation. A time lag of c. 2 Ma between cooling through the closure temperatures for argon diffusion in hornblende and biotite indicates a cooling rate of 90°C/Ma when all units had assembled into the massif. A two‐plate model of the Variscan orogeny in which the above evolution is related to a short‐lived intra‐Gondwana subduction zone conflicts with the oceanic affinity of the metaophiolites and the timescale of c. 50 Ma for the metamorphism. Alternative models focusing on the internal Variscan belt assume distinctly different material paths through the lower or upper crust for strikingly similar granulite massifs. An earlier proposed model of bilateral subduction below the internal Variscan belt may solve this problem.     

青藏高原片麻岩穹窿与找矿前景

片麻岩穹窿是研究俯冲-折返和碰撞-折返造山过程的重要窗口。已查明的大量青藏高原片麻岩穹窿(群)分布在古特提斯和新特提斯大洋俯冲-折返以及地体碰撞-折返过程中。松潘-甘孜造山带中雅江甲基卡片(麻)岩穹窿的三叠纪变质片岩的含矿伟晶岩脉中发现了超大型锂矿床,揭示片(麻)岩穹窿构造与同构造花岗岩、含矿伟晶岩脉以及大型印支滑脱带在时空和成因上有天然联系,为片麻岩穹窿的找矿前景提供了范例。     

Geological evolution and hydrocarbon potential of the salt-cored Hoodoo Dome,Sverdrup Basin,Arctic Canada

The evaporite-cored Hoodoo Dome on southern Ellef Ringnes Island, Sverdrup Basin, was examined to improve the understanding of its structural geological history in relation to hydrocarbon migration. Data from geological mapping, reflection seismic, thermal maturity and detrital apatite (U–Th)/He cooling ages are presented. Five stages of diapirism are interpreted from Jurassic to Recent times:1. 180 to 163 Ma (pre-Deer Bay Formation; development of a diapir with a circular map pattern).2. 163 to 133 Ma (Deer Bay to lower Isachsen formations; development of salt wings).3. 115 to 94 Ma (Christopher and Hassel formations; ongoing diapirism and development of an oval map pattern)4. 79 Ma (Kanguk Formation; reactivation of the central diapir).5. 42 Ma to 65 Ma (Eurekan Orogeny; tightening of the anticline).During phase1, the Hoodoo diapir was circular. During phase 2, salt wings formed along its margin. During phase 3, the Hoodoo Dome geometry evolved into a much larger, elongate, doubly plunging anticline. Phase 4 is inferred from thermochronology data as indicated by a cluster of cooling ages, but the extent of motion during that time is unknown. During Phase 5 the dome was tightened creating approximately 700 m of structural relief. Denudation since the end of the Eurekan Orogeny is estimated to be about 600 m.A one dimensional burial history model predicts hydrocarbon generation from Middle and Late Triassic source rocks between 140 and 66 Ma, with majority of hydrocarbon expulsion between 117 and 79 Ma. Hydrocarbon generation post-dates salt wing formation, so that this trap could host natural gas expelled from Triassic source rocks.     

Isotope Geochronologic and Geochemical Constraints on the Magmatic Associations of the Collisional Orogenic Zone in the West Kunlun Orogen,China

The Jiajiwaxi pluton in the southern portion of the West Kunlun Range can be divided into two collision–related intrusive rock series, i.e., a gabbro–quartz diorite–granodiorite series that formed at 224±2.0 Ma and a monzonitic granite–syenogranite series that formed at 222±2.0 Ma. The systematic analysis of zircon U-Pb geochronology and bulk geochemistry is used to discuss the magmatic origin(material source and thermal source), tectonic setting, genesis and geotectonic implications of these rocks. The results of this analysis indicate that the parent magma of the first series, representing a transition from I-type to S-type granites, formed from thermally triggered partial melting of deep crustal components in an early island–arc–type igneous complex, similar to an I-type granite, during the continental collision orogenic stage. The parent magma of the second series, corresponding to an S-type granite, formed from the partial melting of forearc accretionary wedge sediments in a subduction zone in the late Palaeozoic–Triassic. During continued collision, the second series magma was emplaced into the first series pluton along a central fault zone in the original island arc region, forming an immiscible puncture-type complex. The deep tectonothermal events associated with the continent–continent collision during the orogenic cycle are constrained by the compositions and origins of the two series. The new information provided by this paper will aid in future research into the dynamic mechanisms affecting magmatic evolution in the West Kunlun orogenic belt.     

U-Pb Zircon and Re-Os Molybdenite Geochronology of theW-Mo Mineralized Region of South Qinling,China, andtheir Tectonic Implications

A W-Mo mineralized region is located along the northern margin of the South Qinling tectonic belt of China. WMo mineralization occurs mainly in Cambrian–Ordovician clastic and carbonate rocks, and the ore bodies are structurally controlled by NW–SE-and NNE–SSW-striking faults. Evidence for magmatism in the area is widespread and is dominated by intermediate–felsic intrusives or apophyses, such as the Dongjiangkou, Yanzhiba, Lanbandeng, and Sihaiping granitic bodies. Quartz-vein-type mineralization and fault-controlled skarn-type mineralization dominate the ore systems, with additional enrichment in residual deposits. At present, there are few or insufficient studies on(1) the age of mineralization,(2) the relationship between intermediate–felsic granite and W-Mo mineralization,(3) the source of ore-forming materials,and(4) the metallogenic and tectonic setting of the mineralized area. In this paper, we present geochronology results for numerous intrusive granitic bodies in the South Qinling tectonic belt. U-Pb zircon geochronology of the Lanbandeng monzogranite and Wangjiaping biotite monzogranite yields ages of 222.7 ± 2.3 and 201.9 ± 1.8 Ma, respectively. In contrast to the Late Triassic age of the Lanbandeng monzogranite, the age of the newly discovered Wangjiaping biotite monzogranite places it at the Triassic–Jurassic boundary. Re-Os molybdenite geochronology on the Qipangou W-Mo deposit yielded a model age of 199.7 ± 3.9 Ma, indicating the deposit formed in the early Yanshanian period of the Early Jurassic. Granitoid intrusions in the mineralized area are characterized by composite granite bodies that crystallized at ca.240–190 Ma. While there were multiple stages of intrusion, most occurred at 210–220 Ma, with waning magmatic activity at 200–190 Ma. The Re-Os age of molybdenite in the region is ca. 200–190 Ma, which may represent a newly discovered period of W-Mo metallogenesis that occurred during the final stages of magmatism. The heat associated with this magmatism drove ore formation and might have provided additional ore-forming components for metallogenesis(represented by the Wangjiaping biotite monzogranite). Ore materials in the mineralized area were derived from mixed crustal and mantle sources. Enrichment of the region occurred during intracontinental orogenesis in the late Indosinian–Yanshanian, subsequent to the main Indosinian collision. At this time, the tectonic environment was dominated by extension and strike-slip motion.     

Cleaved microgranite dykes of the Shap swarm in the Silurian of NW England

Felsite-microgranite dykes, chemically comparable with the Shap swarm and associated with the Shap intrusion, are present in Silurian sediments of the southern Lake District. They were emplaced after the country rocks had undergone Acadian (late Caledonian) folding and cleavage-formation but are themselves weakly cleaved. This confirms a ‘flattened buckle’ model for the Acadian deformation in NW England, which in turn establishes the link between sinistral transpression in this region and the clockwise transection of the folds by cleavage. The evidence also shows that the Acadian cleavage developed episodically, and that the Shap-Skiddaw magmatism occurred during one or more stress-relief episodes. The emplacement age of these intrusions thus constrains the age of the Acadian orogeny in NW England which was late in the Lower Devonian (according to currently available isotopic evidence), significantly later than the Silurian deformation of the Southern Uplands.     

基墨里造山与松潘-甘孜锂矿链成因的探讨

晚三叠世—早侏罗世,基墨里大陆和泛华夏陆块与欧亚大陆的碰撞,形成了4000 km 长的基墨里造山带。位于三大陆之间、现今青藏高原北部的松潘 甘孜地体的造山属性的确定,对于探索松潘 甘孜锂矿链的成因有重要意义。松潘 甘孜地体西部和北部的早侏罗世陆相火山岩、底砾岩和煤系地层(~201 Ma)不整合在晚三叠世褶皱地层及花岗岩体之上,为晚三叠世—早侏罗世的基墨里造山时限提供了直接证据。松潘 甘孜地体中的甲基卡、可尔因、扎乌龙和白龙山 大红柳滩等稀有金属矿集区具有共同特征：赋存在由核部高分异S型花岗岩和幔部中晚三叠世浊积岩组成的片麻岩穹隆构造中、经历了巴罗 巴肯变质作用、含锂伟晶岩脉侵位在花岗岩体上部的伸展空间。通过对松潘 甘孜地体区域地质调查和对矿集区的变质、变形、岩浆和成矿作用及同位素年代学研究,提出该地体经历晚三叠世—早中侏罗世的基墨里造山过程：① 230~220 Ma：地壳缩短和加厚阶段,以盖层大规模强烈褶皱、逆冲带,盖层与基底之间向南的滑脱变形为特征,伴随深熔和巴罗式变质作用;② 220~190 Ma：地壳减压折返阶段,大量花岗岩侵位在中晚三叠世浊积岩中、形成片麻岩穹隆并伴随巴肯式变质作用。由于花岗质岩浆的高度分异及岩浆不混溶作用,导致侵位在片麻岩穹隆顶部伸展空间的伟晶岩稀有金属富集成矿。此外,伟晶岩型锂矿科学钻探(JSD)揭示了甲基卡矿集区多层次穹状花岗岩席控制含锂伟晶岩脉的成矿机制,推测大规模中下地壳基底深熔驱动岩浆上升,岩浆体沿上地壳中的构造面推叠形成岩席。     

Tectonic evolution of the Cape and Karoo basins of South Africa

The Cape and Karoo basins formed within the continental interior of Gondwana. Subsidence resulted from the vertical motion of rigid basement blocks and intervening crustal faults. Each basin episode records a three-stage evolution consisting of crustal uplift, fault-controlled subsidence, and long periods of regional subsidence largely unaccompanied by faulting or erosional truncation. The large-scale episodes of subsidence were probably the result of lithospheric deflection due to subduction-driven mantle flow. The early Paleozoic Cape basin records the combined effects of a north-dipping intra-crustal décollement (a late Neoproterozoic suture) and a right-stepping offset between thick Rio de la Plata craton and Namaqua basement. Following the Saldanian orogeny, a suite of small rift basins and their post-rift drape formed at this releasing stepover. Great thicknesses of quartz sandstone (Ordovician–Silurian) and mudstone (Devonian) accumulation are attributed to subsidence by rheological weakening and mantle flow. In contrast, the Karoo basin is a cratonic cover that mimics the underlying basement blocks. The Permian Ecca and lower Beaufort groups were deposited in a southward-deepening ramp syncline by extensional decoupling on the intra-crustal décollement. Reflection seismic and deep-burial diagenetic studies indicate that the Cape orogeny started in the Early Triassic. Deformation was partitioned into basement-involved strike-slip faults and thin-skinned thrusting. Uplift of the Namaqua basement resulted in erosion of the Beaufort cover. East of the Cape fold belt, contemporaneous subsidence and tilting of the Natal basement created a late Karoo transtensional foreland basin, the Stormberg depocentre. Early Jurassic tectonic resetting and continental flood basalts terminated the Karoo basin.     

Late Pan-African magmatism and crustal development in northeastern Egypt

The voluminous Pan-African calc-alkaline granitic suite of the Ras Gharib crustal segment in northeastern Eygpt provides a typical example of orogenic magmatism. The 552 ± 7 Ma-old granodiorite–adamellite and leucogranite suite is compositionally broad (58 to 77 wt.% SiO₂) and exhibits calc-alkaline geochemical trends and trace-element characteristics typical of the volcanic-arc granites. The rocks contain oligoclase, albite, K-feldspar, calcic amphibole, biotite, titanite, zircon, and magnetite. The suite exhibits typical features characteristic of I-type granites. We contend that the magma was formed by partial melting of a modified oceanic crust at an active continental margin during the late stage of the Pan-African orogeny. The process may have involved assimilation of Early Pan-African dioritic country rocks. The more felsic units were produced by progressive fractionation of that magma. The petrological–geochemical evidence suggest that the Pan-African crust in northeastern Egypt did not develop in an extensional tectonic regime, as proposed recently.     

Low-pressure granulite facies metamorphism in the Larsemann Hills area, East Antarctica; petrology and tectonic implications for the evolution of the Prydz Bay area

ABSTRACT Thermobarometric studies on various granulite facies areas along the Prydz Bay coast, East Antarctica (73°-79°E, 68°-70°S), show that, at around 1100 Ma, during a late Proterozoic orogeny, the rocks of the Larsemann Hills suffered a lower pressure metamorphic peak than the surrounding areas. Along the Prydz Bay coast, the rocks affected by this event include parts of the Vestfold Hills block plus all of the Rauer Group, the Larsemann Hills and the Munro Kerr Mountains. The dykes in the south-west corner of the Vestfold Hills were recrystallized during this event with little deformation at temperatures not quite as high as in the areas further south-west (650°C, 6.5 kbar) (Collerson et al., 1983), the Rauer Group was metamorphosed at 800°C and 7.5 kbar (Harley, 1987a), the Larsemann Hills at 750°C and 4.5 kbar, and the Munro Kerr Mountains probably at around 850°C and 5 kbar. Retrograde equilibration in the different areas occurred during decompression to about 10 km depth in all areas, followed by isobaric cooling at this depth. This paper shows that the peak metamorphism in the Larsemann Hills occurred at a pressure which is too low to have been the consequence of thermal relaxation of overthickened crust with normal mantle heat flow. Although other areas in Prydz Bay were metamorphosed at sufficiently high pressures so that their decompression paths are not inconsistent with a continental collision model, the inferred pre-metamorphic peak histories and the requirement of consistency with the Larsemann Hills, make it unlikely that collision followed by erosion-driven decompression is an appropriate model. We suggest that the thermal regime of the crust in the Larsemann Hills region was controlled by a perturbation in the asthenosphere, with magma invasion of the crust. We suggest that the 500 Ma event, represented in Prydz Bay by granitic outcrops at Landing Bluff and by several K/Ar ages from the Larsemann Hills area, was responsible for the final excavation of the terrane.