Penetration of molten iron alloy into the lower mantle phase

The core–mantle boundary is the only interface where the metallic core and the silicate mantle interact physically and chemically. Many geophysical anomalies such as low shear velocity and high electrical conductivity have been observed at the bottom of the mantle. Perturbations in the Earth's rotation rate at decadal time periods require the existence of a thin conductive layer with a conductance of 10⁸ S. Substantial additions of molten iron from the outer core into the mantle may produce these geophysical anomalies. Although iron enrichment by penetration has only been observed in (Mg,Fe)O, the second dominant mineral in the lower mantle, the penetration process leading to iron enrichment in the silicate mantle has not been experimentally confirmed. In this study, high-pressure and high-temperature experiments were conducted to investigate the penetration of molten iron alloy into lower mantle phases; postspinel, polycrystalline bridgmanite and polycrystalline (Mg,Fe)O. At the interface between (Mg,Fe)O aggregate and molten iron alloy, liquid metal penetrated the (Mg,Fe)O aggregate along grain boundaries and formed a thin layer containing metal-rich blobs. In contrast, no penetration of molten iron alloy was observed at the interface between molten iron alloy and silicate phases. Penetration of liquid iron alloy into the (Mg,Fe)O aggregate is caused by the capillarity phenomenon or Mullins–Sekerka instability. Neither mechanism occurs at the boundary of pure polycrystalline MgO, indicating that the FeO in (Mg,Fe)O plays an essential role in this phenomenon. Infiltration of molten iron alloy along grain boundaries (capillarity phenomenon) is the dominant process and precedes penetration due to the Mullins–Sekerka instability. The capillarity phenomenon is governed by the balance of forces between surface tension and gravity. In the case where the ultralow velocity zone (ULVZ) with a low shear velocity is composed of Fe-rich (Mg,Fe)O, the maximum penetration distance of molten iron alloy by capillary rise is limited to 20 m. The addition of iron-rich melt to the base of the mantle is therefore unlikely to be the main cause of the high conductance of the CMB region predicted from decadal variation of the length of day. Furthermore, the absence of molten iron alloy penetration into silicate phases does not allow an extensive modification of the chemical composition of the mantle by core–mantle interaction.     

On the implications of the coupled evolution of the deep planetary interior and the presence of surface ocean water in hydrous mantle convection

We investigate the influence of the deep mantle water cycle incorporating dehydration reactions with subduction fluxes and degassing events on the thermal evolution of the Earth as a consequence of core–mantle thermal coupling. Since, in our numerical modeling, the mantle can have ocean masses ∼12 times larger than the present-day surface ocean, it seems that more than 13 ocean masses of water are at the maximum required within the planetary system overall to partition one ocean mass at the surface of the present-day Earth. This is caused by effects of water-dependent viscosity, which works at cooling down the mantle temperature significantly so that the water can be absorbed into the mantle transition zone and the uppermost lower mantle. This is a result similar to that without the effects of the thermal evolution of the Earth's core (Nakagawa et al., 2018). For the core's evolution, it seems to be expected for a partially molten state in the deep mantle over 2 billion years. Hence, the metal–silicate partitioning of hydrogen might have occurred at least 2 billion years ago. This suggests that the hydrogen generated from the phase transformation of hydrous-silicate-hosted water may have contributed to the partitioning of hydrogen into the metallic core, but it is still quite uncertain because the partitioning mechanism of hydrogen in metal–silicate partitioning is still controversial. In spite of many uncertainties for water circulation in the deep mantle, through this modeling investigation, it is possible to integrate the co-evolution of the deep planetary interior within that of the surface environment.     

Magmatism and metamorphism at ca. 1.45 Ga in the northern Gawler Craton: The Australian record of rifting within Nuna (Columbia)

U-Pb monazite and zircon geochronology and calculated metamorphic phase diagrams from drill holes in the northern Gawler Craton, southern Australia, reveal the presence of ca. 1.45 Ga magmatism and metamorphism. Magmatism and granulite facies metamorphism of this age has not previously been recognised in the Gawler Craton. The magmatic rocks have steep LREE-enriched patterns and high Ga/Al values, suggesting they are A-type granites. Calculated metamorphic forward models suggest that this event was associated with high apparent thermal gradients and reached pressures of 3.2 -5.4 kbar and temperatures of 775-815℃. The high apparent thermal gradients may reflect pluton-enhanced metamorphism, consistent with the presence of A-type granites. The recognition of ca. 1.45 Ga tectonism in the northern Gawler Craton is added to a compilation of ca. 1.50 -1.40 Ga magmatism, shear zone reactivation, rift basin development and isotope resetting throughout the South and North Australian Cratons that shows that this event was widespread in eastern Proterozoic Australia. This event is stylistically similar to ca. 1.45 Ga A-type magmatism and high thermal gradient metamorphism in Laurentia in this interval and provides further support for a connection between Australia and Laurentia during the Mesoproterozoic. The tectonic setting of the 1.50-1.40 Ga event is unclear but may record rifting within the Nuna(or Columbia) supercontinent, or a period of intracontinental extension within a long-lived convergent setting.     

Source and possible tectonic driver for Jurassic–Cretaceous gold deposits in the West Qinling Orogen,China

The West Qinling Orogen (WQO) in Central China Orogenic Belt contains numerous metasedimentary rock-hosted gold deposits (>2000 t Au), which mainly formed during two pulses: one previously recognized in the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (T3–J1) and one only recently identified in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (J3–K1). Few studies have focused on the origin and geotectonic setting of the J3–K1 gold deposits.Textural relationships, LA-ICP-MS trace element and sulfur isotope compositions of pyrites in hydrothermally altered T3 dykes within the J3–K1 Daqiao deposit were used to constrain relative timing relationships between mineralization and pyrite growth in the dykes, and to characterize the source of ore fluid. These results are integrated with an overview of the regional geodynamic setting, to advance understanding of the tectonic driver for J3–K1 hydrothermal gold systems. Pyrite in breccia- and dyke-hosted gold ores at Daqiao have similar chemical and isotopic compositions and are considered to be representative of J3–K1 gold deposits in WQO. Co/Ni and sulfur isotope ratios suggest that ore fluids were derived from underlying Paleozoic Ni- and Se-rich carbonaceous sedimentary rocks. The geochemical data do not support the involvement of magmatic fluids. However, in the EQO (East Qinling Orogen), J3–K1 deposits are genetically related to magmatism. Gold mineralization in WQO is contemporaneous with magmatic deposits in the EQO and both are mainly controlled by NE- and EW-trending structures produced by changes in plate motion of the Paleo-Pacific plate as it was subducted beneath the Eurasian continent. We therefore infer that the J3–K1 structural regime facilitated the ascent of magma in the EQO and metamorphic fluids in the WQO with consequent differences in the character of contemporaneous ore deposits. If this is correct, then the far-field effects of subduction along the eastern margin of NE Asia extended 1000's of km into the continental interior.     

Tourmaline geochemistry and boron isotopic variations as a guide to fluid evolution in the Qiman Tagh W-Sn belt,East Kunlun,China

The Qiman Tagh W-Sn belt lies in the westernmost section of the East Kunlun Orogen, NW China, and is associated with early Paleozoic monzogranites, tourmaline is present throughout this belt. In this paper we report chemical and boron isotopic compositions of tourmaline from wall rocks, monzogranites, and quartz veins within the belt, for studying the evolution of ore-forming fluids. Tourmaline crystals hosted in the monzogranite and wall rocks belong to the alkali group, while those hosted in quartz veins belong to both the alkali and X-site vacancy groups. Tourmaline in the walk rocks lies within the schorl-dravite series and becomes increasingly schorlitic in the monzogranite and quartz veins. Detrital tourmaline in the wall rocks is commonly both optically and chemically zoned,with cores being enriched in Mg compared with the rims. In the Al-Fe-Mg and Ca-Fe-Mg diagrams,tourmaline from the wall rocks plots in the fields of Al-saturated and Ca-poor metapelite, and extends into the field of Li-poor granites, while those from the monzogranite and quartz veins lie within the field of Li-poor granites. Compositional substitution is best represented by the MgFe_(-1), Al(NaR)_(-1), and AlO(Fe(OH))_(-1) exchange vectors. A wider range of δ~(11)B values from -11.1‰ to -7.1‰ is observed in the wall-rock tourmaline crystals, the B isotopic values combining with elemental diagrams indicate a source of metasediments without marine evaporates for the wall rocks in the Qiman Tagh belt. The δ~(11)B values of monzogranite-hosted tourmaline range from -10.7‰ and-9.2‰, corresponding to the continental crust sediments, and indicate a possible connection between the wall rocks and the monzogranite. The overlap in δ~(11)B values between wall rocks and monzogranite implies that a transfer of δ~(11)B values by anataxis with little isotopic fractionation between tourmaline and melts. Tourmaline crystals from quartz veins have δ~(11)B values between -11.0‰ and-9.6‰, combining with the elemental diagrams and geological features, thus indicating a common granite-derived source for the quartz veins and little B isotopic fractionation occurred. Tourmalinite in the wall rocks was formed by metasomatism by a granite-derived hydrothermal fluid, as confirmed by the compositional and geological features.Therefore, we propose a single B-rich sedimentary source in the Qiman Tagh belt, and little boron isotopic fractionation occurred during systematic fluid evolution from the wall rocks, through monzogranite, to quartz veins and tourmalinite.     

Phanerozoic magmatism in the Proterozoic Cuddapah Basin and its connection with the Pangean supercontinent

Magmatic pulses in intraplate sedimentary basins are windows to understand the tectonomagmatic evolution and paleaoposition of the Basin.The present study reports the U-Pb zircon ages of mafic flows from the Cuddapah Basin and link these magmatic events with the Pangean evolution during late Carboniferous-Triassic/Phanerozoic timeframe.Zircon U-Pb geochronology for the basaltic lava flows from Vempalle Formation,Cuddapah Basin suggests two distinct Phanerozoic magmatic events coinciding with the amalgamation and dispersal stages of Pangea at 300 Ma(Late Carboniferous) and 227 Ma(Triassic).Further,these flows are characterized by analogous geochemical and geochronological signatures with Phanerozoic counterparts from Siberian,Panjal Traps,Emeishan and Tarim LIPs possibly suggesting their coeval and cogenetic nature.During the Phanerozoic Eon,the Indian subcontinent including the Cuddapah Basin was juxtaposed with the Pangean LIPs which led to the emplacement of these pulses of magmatism in the Basin coinciding with the assemblage of Pangea and its subsequent breakup between 400 Ma and 200 Ma.     

Oligocene subduction-related plutonism in the Nodoushan area,Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt: Petrogenetic constraints from U–Pb zircon geochronology and isotope geochemistry

Geochemical data and Sr–Nd isotopes of the host rocks and magmatic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) collected from the Oligocene Nodoushan Plutonic Complex (NPC) in the central part of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Belt (UDMB) were studied in order to better understand the magmatic and geodynamic evolution of the UDMB. New U–Pb zircon ages reveal that the NPC was assembled incrementally over ca. 5 m.y., during two main episodes at 30.52 ± 0.11 Ma and 30.06 ± 0.10 Ma in the early Oligocene (middle Rupelian) for dioritic and granite intrusives, and at 24.994 ± 0.037 Ma and 24.13 ± 0.19 Ma in the late Oligocene (latest Chattian) for granodioritic and diorite porphyry units, respectively. The spherical to ellipsoidal enclaves are composed of diorite to monzodiorite and minor gabbroic diorite (SiO₂ = 47.73–57.36 wt.%; Mg# = 42.15–53.04); the host intrusions are mainly granite, granodiorite and diorite porphyry (SiO₂ = 56.51–72.35 wt.%; Mg# = 26.29–50.86). All the samples used in this study have similar geochemical features, including enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs, e.g. Rb, Ba, Sr) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) relative to high field strength elements (HFSEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). These features, combined with a relative depletion in Nb, Ta, Ti and P, are characteristic of subduction-related magmas. Isotopic data for the host rocks display I_Sr = 0.705045–0.707959, ε_Nd(t) = −3.23 to +3.80, and the Nd model ages (T_DM) vary from 0.58 Ga to 1.37 Ga. Compared with the host rocks, the MMEs are relatively homogeneous in isotopic composition, with I_Sr ranging from 0.705513 to 0.707275 and ε_Nd(t) from −1.46 to 4.62. The MMEs have T_DM ranging from 0.49 Ga to 1.39 Ga. Geochemical and isotopic similarities between the MMEs and their host rocks demonstrate that the enclaves have mixed origins and were most probably formed by interactions between the lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas. Geochemical data, in combination with geodynamic evidence, suggest that a basic magma was derived from an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), presumably triggered by the influx of the hot asthenosphere. This magma then interacted with a crustal melt that originated from the dehydration melting of the mafic lower crust at deep crustal levels. Modeling based on Sr–Nd isotope data indicate that ∼50% to 90% of the lower crust-derived melt and ∼10% to 50% of the mantle-derived mafic magma were involved in the genesis of the early Oligocene magmas. In contrast, ∼45%–65% of the mantle-derived mafic magma were incorporated into the lower crust-derived magma (∼35%–55%) that generated the late Oligocene hybrid granitoid rocks. Early Oligocene granitoid rocks contain a higher proportion of crustal material compared to those that formed in the late Oligocene. It is reasonable to assume that lower crust and mantle interaction processes played a significant role in the genesis of these hybridgranitoid bodies, where melts undergoing fractional crystallization along with minor amounts of crustal assimilation could ascend to shallower crustal levels and generate a variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite.     

激发极化法在甘肃瓜州县辉铜山铜矿外围隐伏铜矿勘查中的应用

通过分析辉铜山铜矿体特征及矿山开采时深部找矿成果,发现矿体具SE向倾伏趋势,地表被大面积第四系覆盖。对测区岩(矿)石进行物性测量,发现区内矿石具高极化中低阻电性特征,与围岩电性差异明显,可用激发极化法进行深部地球信息探测。在1∶1万矿区地质填图基础上,采用激电中梯和激电测深2种方法进行矿产勘查,圈定2处明显的激电异常。结合区内地质特征和钻孔资料,发现高极化中低阻激电异常与推测的隐伏铜矿体具良好的空间对应关系,显示该矿区具良好的深部找矿潜力,为进一步详查工作提供了依据。     

Provenance analyses of early Mesozoic sediments in the Ningwu basin: Implications for the tectonic–palaeogeographic evolution of the northcentral North China Craton

This paper reports results from detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology, Hf isotopic geochemistry, sandstone modal analysis, and palaeocurrent analysis of the early Mesozoic strata within the Ningwu basin, China, with the aims of constraining the depositional ages and sedimentary provenances and shedding new light on the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the northcentral North China Craton (NCC). The zircons from early Mesozoic sandstones are characterized by three major populations: Phanerozoic (late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic), late Palaeoproterozoic (with a peak at approximately 1.8 Ga), and Neoarchaean (with a peak at approximately 2.5 Ga). Notably, three Phanerozoic zircons in the Early Triassic Liujiagou Formation were found to have positive ε_Hf(t) values and characteristics typical of zircons from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Therefore, the CAOB began to represent the provenance of sediment in the sedimentary basins in the northern NCC no later than the Early Triassic (261 Ma), implying that the final amalgamation of the NCC and CAOB occurred before the Early Triassic. The U–Pb geochronologic and Hf isotopic results show that the Lower Middle Triassic sediments were mainly sourced from the Yinshan–Yanshan Orogenic Belt (YYOB), and that a sudden change in provenances occurred, shifting from a mixed YYOB and CAOB source in the Middle Jurassic to a primarily YYOB source in the Late Jurassic. The results of the sandstone modal analysis suggest that the majority of the samples from the Lower Middle Jurassic rocks were derived from either Continental Block or Recycled Orogen sources, whereas all the samples from the Upper Jurassic rocks were derived from Mixed sources. The change in source might be ascribed to the southward subduction and closure of the Okhotsk Ocean and the resulting intense uplift of the YYOB during the Late Jurassic. This uplift likely represents the start of the Yanshan Orogeny.     

Proterozoic VanDieland in Central Victoria: ages,compositions and source depths for late devonian silicic magmas

The Proterozoic to Cambrian VanDieland microcontinent was accreted to mainland Australia at ca 400?Ma, and its northern tip, the Selwyn Block, forms the basement in central Victoria. Here, mainly Late Devonian, silicic magmas were derived from the Selwyn Block and intruded into the shallow crust. We use the phase petrology of Late Devonian, S-type rhyolitic ignimbrites and a xenolith of pelitic migmatite, together with Nd-model ages for the silicic magmatic rocks to constrain the lithological characteristics of the metasedimentary component of the Selwyn Block, to infer minimum depths and temperature conditions here in the Late Devonian, and the likely ages of the source rocks for the S-type magmas. The most abundant source rocks are inferred to be volcaniclastic metagreywackes, with minor metadacites, meta-andesites and metapelites. The metapelitic xenolith cannot have been the source for any of the silicic magmas but constrains the upper amphibolite-facies part of the Selwyn Block to depths around 17?km, where temperatures reached ～775?°C. The older ignimbrite magma was formed by partial melting at perhaps 770?°C and a depth of at least 33?km, while the younger ignimbrite magma formed at ～23?km and 900?°C. These depths suggest source rocks in the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic lower parts of the Selwyn Block. Nd-model ages of the silicic magmatic rocks confirm a dominance of Mesoproterozoic to Paleoproterozoic sources. If the inferred rock types in the Mesoproterozoic formations were as current correlations suggest, the sources for the Late Devonian silicic magmas would have to lie in the undocumented Paleoproterozoic basement of the Selwyn Block. Rock types here must include andesitic to dacitic volcanic components as well as volcaniclastic greywackes and minor pelites, which suggests a continental arc setting. The Late Devonian magmatism in the region may record the progression from amphibolite- to granulite-facies conditions during post-orogenic extension, with heat advected to the crust by mantle-derived mafic magmas. These processes would have resulted in mafitisation of the deep Selwyn Block.