Pan-African Tectonism in the Western Maud Belt: P-T-t Path for High-grade Gneisses in the H.U. Sverdrupfjella, East Antarctica

Extensive high-grade polydeformed metamorphic provinces surroundingArchaean cratonic nuclei in the East Antarctic Shield recordtwo tectono-thermal episodes in late Mesoproterozoic and lateNeoproterozoic–Cambrian times. In Western Dronning MaudLand, the high-grade Mesoproterozoic Maud Belt is juxtaposedagainst the Archaean Grunehogna Province and has traditionallybeen interpreted as a Grenvillian mobile belt that was thermallyoverprinted during the Early Palaeozoic. Integration of newU–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe and conventionalsingle zircon and monazite age data, and Ar–Ar data onhornblende and biotite, with thermobarometric calculations onrocks from the H.U. Sverdrupfjella, northern Maud Belt, resultedin a more complex P–T–t evolution than previouslyassumed. A c. 540 Ma monazite, hosted by an upper ampibolite-faciesmineral assemblage defining a regionally dominant top-to-NWshear fabric, provides strong evidence for the penetrative deformationin the area being of Pan-African age and not of Grenvillianage as previously reported. Relics of an eclogite-facies garnet–omphaciteassemblage within strain-protected mafic boudins indicate thatthe peak metamorphic conditions recorded by most rocks in thearea (T = 687–758°C, P = 9·4–11·3kbar) were attained subsequent to decompression from P >12·9 kbar. By analogy with limited U–Pb singlezircon age data and on circumstantial textural grounds, thisearlier eclogite-facies metamorphism is ascribed to subductionand accretion around 565 Ma. Post-peak metamorphic K-metasomatismunder amphibolite-facies conditions is ascribed to the intrusionof post-orogenic granite at c. 480 Ma. The recognition of extensivePan-African tectonism in the Maud Belt casts doubts on previousRodinia reconstructions, in which this belt takes a pivotalposition between East Antarctica, the Kalahari Craton and Laurentia.Evidence of late Mesoproterozoic high-grade metamorphism duringthe formation of the Maud Belt exists in the form of c. 1035Ma zircon overgrowths that are probably related to relics ofgranulite-facies metamorphism recorded from other parts of theMaud Belt. The polymetamorphic rocks are largely derived froma c. 1140 Ma volcanic arc and 1072 ± 10 Ma granite. KEY WORDS: Maud Belt; Pan-African orogeny; geochronology; P–T–t path, East Antarctica     

Significance of adakites in petrogenesis of early Silurian magmatism at the Yudai copper deposit in the Kalatag district,NW China

Yudai is a newly discovered copper deposit associated with a porphyritic quartz diorite, in the Kalatag district of the eastern Tianshan, China. SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons from the diorite yielded an age of 432 ± 3 Ma. The diorite is peraluminous (ASI = 0.98–1.10), calc-alkaline to tholeiitic with high Al₂O₃ of 16.6–17.7 wt% and Mg^# of 57.4–67.4. Trace element characteristics of the diorite show it is enriched in Ba, K and Sr, and depleted in Nb, Ta, Ti, with a positive Eu anomaly and high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. This diorite has positive ε_Nd(t) values ranging from 6.2 to 8.4 with low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.704336 to 0.704450. These geochemical and isotopic characteristics indicate that the adakite-like diorite, associated with the copper mineralization, was emplaced in an island arc setting and resulted from partial melting of subducted oceanic plate in a mantle wedge.     

Insights into the complexity of crustal differentiation: K2O‐poor leucosomes within metasedimentary migmatites from the Southern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt,South Africa

Differentiation of the continental crust is the result of complex interactions between a large number of processes, which govern partial melting of the deep crust, magma formation and segregation, and magma ascent to significantly higher crustal levels. The anatectic metasedimentary rocks exposed in the Southern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt represent an unusually well‐exposed natural laboratory where the portion of these processes that operate in the deep crust can be directly investigated in the field. The formation of these migmatites occurred via absent incongruent melting reactions involving biotite, which produced cm‐ to m‐scale, K₂O‐poor garnet‐bearing stromatic leucosomes, with high Ca/Na ratios relative to their source rocks. Field investigation combined with geochemical analyses, and phase equilibrium modelling designed to investigate some aspects of disequilibrium partial melting show that the outcrop features and compositions of the leucosomes suggest several steps in their evolution: (1) Melting of a portion of the source, with restricted plagioclase availability due to kinetic controls, to produce a magma (melt + entrained peritectic minerals in variable proportions relative to melt); (2) Segregation of the magma at near peak metamorphic conditions into melt accumulation sites (MAS), also known as future leucosome; (3a) Re‐equilibration of the magma with a portion of the bounding mafic residuum via chemical diffusion (H₂O, K₂O), which triggers the co‐precipitation of quartz and plagioclase in the MAS; (3b) Extraction of melt‐dominated magma to higher crustal levels, leaving peritectic minerals entrained from the site of the melting reaction, and the minerals precipitated in the MASs to form the leucosome in the source. The key mechanism controlling this behaviour is the kinetically induced restriction of the amount of plagioclase available to the melting reaction. This results in elevated melt H₂O and K₂O and chemical potential gradient for these components across the leucosome/mafic residuum contact. The combination of all of these processes accurately explains the composition of the K₂O‐poor leucosomes. These findings have important implications for our understanding of melt segregation in the lower crust and minimum melt residency time which, according to the chemical modelling, is <5 years. We demonstrate that in some migmatitic granulites, the leucosomes constitute a type of felsic refractory residuum, rather than evidence of failed magma extraction. This provides a new insight into the ways that source heterogeneity may control anatexis.     

Late Triassic E-MORB-like basalts associated with porphyry Cu-deposits in the southern Yidun continental arc,eastern Tibet: Evidence of slab-tear during subduction?

It is generally believed that andesite–dacite–rhyolite suites and contemporary porphyry Cu deposits are related to subduction in active continental margin settings. However, it is still unclear which tectonic events result in the generation of porphyry Cu deposits and whether asthenospheric mantle material is involved in this process. Widespread andesitic–dacitic felsic intrusions associated with porphyry Cu deposits and rarer basalts have been identified in the Late Triassic southern Yidun arc (SYA) of eastern Tibet. However, few geochronological and geochemical data are available for these basalts, thereby hampering the development of geodynamic models for this magmatic event and the formation of related porphyry Cu deposits in the region. Here we present the first geochemical and SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) zircon U–Pb data of Xiaxiaoliu basalts in the SYA. The age of the Late Triassic Xiaxiaoliu basalts (216.1 ± 2.8 Ma) is consistent with the timing of emplacement of voluminous porphyritic intrusions and the formation of Cu deposits within the SYA (peaking at 215–217 Ma). The Xiaxiaoliu basalts have E-MORB-like trace element patterns that are free of negative Nb–Ta anomalies, and have high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(t) values, suggesting they were sourced from asthenospheric mantle without any arc-type influence. These observations, combined with the fact that some Late Triassic mineralized porphyritic intrusions within the SYA have adakitic affinities, suggest that the basalts and other igneous rocks and associated porphyry Cu deposits within the SYA were produced by tearing of a westward-dipping slab, triggering the upwelling of asthenospheric mantle material during subduction of the Garze–Litang Ocean crust.     

Structural geometry and controls on basement‐involved deformation in the northern Flinders Ranges,Adelaide Fold Belt,South Australia

In the northern Flinders Ranges, Neoproterozoic and Cambrian sedimentary rocks were deformed and variably metamorphosed during the ca 500 Ma Cambro‐Ordovician Delamerian Orogeny. Balanced and restored structural sections across the northern Flinders Ranges show shortening of about 10–20%. Despite the presence of suitable evaporitic detachment horizons at the basement‐cover interface, the structural style is best interpreted to be thick‐skinned involving basement with only a minor proportion of the overall shortening accommodated along stratigraphically controlled detachments. Much of the contractional deformation was localised by the inversion of former extensional faults such as the Norwest and Paralana Faults, which both controlled the deposition of Neoproterozoic cover successions. As such, both faults represent major, long‐lived structures which effectively define the present boundaries of the northern Flinders Ranges with the Gawler Craton to the west and the Curnamona Craton to the east. The most intense deformation, which resulted in exhumation of the basement along the Paralana Fault to form the Mt Painter and Babbage Inliers, coincides with extremely high heat flows related to extraordinarily high heat‐production rates in the basement rocks. High heat flow in the northern Flinders Ranges suggests that the structural style not only reflects the pre‐Delamerian basin architecture but is also a consequence of the reactivation of thermally perturbed, weakened basement.     

Short-lived polyphase deformation during crustal thickening and exhumation of a collisional orogen (Ribeira Belt,Brazil)

The Ribeira Belt (Brazil) is a Neoproterozoic collisional-related feature that was located in a south-central position in West Gondwana. We present quantitative data on finite strain, flow vorticity and deformation temperatures for the Curitiba Terrane, a major segment of the southern Ribeira Belt. Six deformation phases (D₁-D₆) related with crustal thickening and exhumation were recognized. D₁ and D₂-related microstructures are preserved exclusively within porphyroblasts, in part grown during stages of high-pressure (∼9–12 kbar) isobaric heating after crustal thickening. D₃ phase was active from peak metamorphism attained in contrasting crustal levels (810–400 °C), to the early stage of exhumation (500–400 °C), as indicated by petrological, microstructural and quartz c-axis fabric evidence. Kinematic vorticity results indicate that the SL₃ mylonitic fabric resulted from a simple shear-dominated deformation related with westward thrusting. North-verging overturned D₄ folds with E-W-trending subhorizontal axes derived from a pure shear-dominated deformation. Regional D₅ open folds with subvertical axes and NNE-SSW-trending traces were produced by indentation tectonics. D₆ phase comprises retrograde orogen-parallel transcurrent shear zones related with scape tectonics. Geochronological data indicate that D₃-D₆ phases occurred between 584 and 580 Ma, suggesting a fast exhumation rate of ∼8 mm/year for the deepest rocks from the southern Ribeira Belt.     

Planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils record in the upper Campanian-Maastrichtian pelagic deposits of the Malatya Basin in the Hekimhan area (NW Malatya,eastern Anatolia)

The uppermost Cretaceous (upper Campanian-Maastrichtian) pelagic successions from the Malatya Basin (NW Malatya, eastern Anatolia) were studied by 688 samples, which were collected from five stratigraphic sections in the Hekimhan area. The pelagic deposits conformably overlie rudist bearing shallow-water limestones and are overlain conformably by Maastrichtian dolomites and unconformably by Paleocene-Eocene deposits, respectively.The pelagic successions in the Hekimhan area comprise the Kösehasan Formation at the base and the Zorbehan Formation at the top and reach up to 1100 m in thickness. The Kösehasan Formation rests over the neritic rudist-bearing limestones of the Güzelyurt Formation along a sharp contact and consists mainly of flysch-type sandstone-mudstone alternation with complete and partial Bouma sequences. The carbonate content of abundant planktonic foraminifera and nannoplankton-bearing 980-m-thick succession increases upwards and the formation passes gradually to the clayey limestones and marlstones of the Zorbehan Formation to the top. Occurrences of nannoplankton Lithraphidites quadratus Bramlette and Martini and Micula praemurus (Bukry) in the first beds of the Kösehasan Formation indicate that the age of the Kösehasan Formation and overlying Zorbehan Formation is of late Maasthrichtian. Another late Maastrichtian taxa Cribrosphaerella daniae Perch-Nielsen and Arkhangelskiella maastrichtiana Burnett are observed from the lowermost part of the succession. Maastrichtian planktonic foraminifera such as Contusotruncana walfischensis (Todd) and Globotruncanita pettersi (Gandolfi) were recorded through the successions. Although planktonic foraminifera are diverse and abundant particularly in the Kösehesan Formation, index late Maasthrichtian species were not encountered. Campanian and Santonian-Campanian planktonic foraminifera, e.g. Radotruncana calcarata (Cushman) and Globotruncanita elevata (Brotzen), obtained particularly from the lower part of the succession and calcareous nannofossils such as Broinsonia parca parca Bukry, Reinhardtites anthophorus (Deflanre) and Eiffellithus eximius (Stover) are interpreted as reworked from older strata. Trace fossils are common throughout the succession.Rareness of planktonic foraminifera and nannoplankton in the uppermost part of the succession (Zorbehan Formation) indicates maximum shallowing of the latest Maastrichtian sea in this part of the basin. Rare echinoids, bivalves and ammonites are observed in that part of the sequence.The obtained data indicate that sediment accumulation rate of the pelagic deposits is rather high and about 27.5 cm/ky for this part of the basin. Changes in thickness of the formations along short distances in the five stratigraphic sections analysed in this study should be related to the diachroneity of the depositional and erosional events.     

Paleomagnetism of the Carboniferous Rouchel Block,Tamworth Belt,and pole path revision for the New England Orogen,eastern Australia

Structural, magnetic and gravity trends of the southern New England Orogen (SNEO) indicate four oroclinal structures, none conclusively confirmed paleomagnetically. Curved structures of the Tamworth Belt (TB)—a continental forearc exposed across six tectono-stratigraphic blocks with interlinked Carboniferous stratigraphies and extensive ignimbritic rocks known to retain primary magnetisations despite prevalent overprinting—are prospective to oroclinal testing through comparison of Carboniferous pole paths for individual blocks. Pole paths (a) have been established for the Rocky Creek and Werrie blocks (northwestern/western TB), (b) are described herein for the Rouchel Block (southwestern TB), and (c) are forthcoming for the Gresford and Myall blocks (southern/southeastern TB). The Rouchel path derives from detailed paleomagnetic, rock magnetic and magnetic fabric studies. Thermal, alternating field and liquid nitrogen demagnetisations show a low-temperature overprint, attributed to late Oligocene weathering, and high-temperature (HT) primary and overprint components in both magnetite and hematite carriers, showing slight, systematic, directional differences with hematite providing the better cleaned site poles. Seven primary mean-site poles of Tournaisian and mainly Visean age and three overprint poles show six positive fold tests, five at 95% or higher confidence levels. Two dispersed groupings of intermediate (IT) and HT overprint site poles of Permian and Permo-Triassic age are attributed to early and late phases in oroclinal evolution of the SNEO. HT and IT/HT overprint site poles of mid-Carboniferous age are attributed to Variscan Australia–Asia convergence. Individual pole paths for the Rocky Creek, Werrie and Rouchel blocks show no noticeable rotation between them, indicating primary curvature for the southwestern TB. Their integrated SNEO pole path establishes a reference frame for determining rotations of the southern and southeastern TB.     

东昆仑造山带中地壳存在古洋壳俯冲的深反射地震证据

INDEPTH Ⅳ深反射地震测线横跨可可西里-巴颜喀拉地块和东昆仑-柴达木地块,为揭示青藏高原东昆仑造山带深部构造提供了直接地球物理证据。针对地表和地下"双复杂"地质构造条件,地震数据处理中通过剩余折射波静校正技术、异常振幅噪声衰减技术和CRS优化叠加技术,获得了较高信噪比的地震反射叠加剖面。INDEPTH Ⅳ深反射地震剖面揭示,在东昆仑造山带岩石圈上、下地壳之间存在不连续的古洋壳反射同相轴,该反射界面应属古特提斯域松潘-甘孜洋壳向北俯冲遗迹,不连续特征反映中生代东昆仑-柴达木地块南缘属于被动大陆边缘碰撞带。利用INDEPTH Ⅳ深反射地震单炮、速度和叠加剖面等成果,综合解译数据,提出东昆仑造山带隆升过程的另一种模式,以助于深化东昆仑造山模式认识。     

钦杭Cu- Au- Pb- Zn- W成矿带（东段）主要地质成矿特征及潜力分析

钦杭成矿带(东段)是我国重要的成矿带之一。随着地质大调查的开展,新的找矿进展和预测成果不断涌现,需要对其开展系统的成矿区划和部署研究工作。本文以新的研究成果和找矿突破为基础,结合区域成矿地质背景的综合研究,在区内划分了3个Ⅲ级成矿带及8个Ⅳ级成矿带,并论述了8个Ⅳ级成矿单元的成矿地质特征。钦杭成矿带(东段)的成矿作用具有多期成矿的时间分布特征,主要有晋宁、加里东、海西、燕山等4个成矿期,其中燕山期最为重要。区内矿床类型以斑岩-矽卡岩型、海底火山-热水喷流沉积型铜金多金属矿、石英脉型钨锡多金属、火山热液型铅锌金银多金属矿最为重要,还产出有韧性剪切带型(金山金矿)、石英脉型、构造蚀变岩型金矿,海相沉积型铁锰矿等众多矿床类型。结合区域找矿进展和潜力评价最新成果,认为Cu、Au、Ag、W、Mo、Pb、Zn等矿种资源量潜力优势显著。为下一步勘查部署的主攻矿种,同时在本区划分了9个远景区,对研究区下一步矿产勘查部署工作有一定指导意义。