Magmatic arc metamorphism: petrology and temperature history of metabasic rocks in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile

We investigated the metamorphic cooling history of underplated magmatic rocks at midcrustal depth. Granulites and amphibolites occur within the Jurassic magmatic belt of the Coast Range south of Antofagasta in northern Chile between 23°25' and 24°20' S. The protoliths of the metamorphic rocks are basic intrusions of Early Mesozoic age. They are part of the magmatically formed crust, and the essentially dry magmas were emplaced in an extensional regime. The granulites (clinopyroxene–orthopyroxene–plagioclase) show all stages of fabric development from magmatic to granoblastic fabrics. Pyroxene compositions were reset at temperatures around 800°  C independent of the stage of textural equilibration. The granulites were partially amphibolitized at upper amphibolite facies temperatures of 600–700°  C. Following cooling, a possible reheating to greenschist facies temperatures around 500°  C is indicated by prograde zoning in magnetite–ilmenite pairs. Mineral assemblages are not suitable for barometry, but a conservative estimation of the garnet-in reaction at given whole-rock compositions suggests maximum pressures in the granulite facies of around 5 kbar, and similar pressures are indicated by phengite barometry for the greenschist facies. The P–T  path of granulite–amphibolite metamorphism is one of slow cooling from magmatic temperatures with heterogeneous deformation. The thinning of the pre-Andean (Precambrian–Triassic) crust was apparently compensated by the magmatic underplating and this special tectonomagmatic setting caused the prolonged residence of the accreted rocks at midcrustal levels.     

南极乔治王岛中——新生代岩浆岩Sr—Nd—Pb同位素组成及源区特征

对乔治王岛１１个火山岩和２个侵入岩样品做了Ｓｒ－Ｎｄ－Ｐｂ同位素分析，其中（８７Ｓｒ／８６Ｓｒ）ｉ＝０．７０３２６～０．７０３９２，εＮｄ＝３．０２～６．７２，２０６Ｐｂ／２０４Ｐｂ＝１７．７７６～１８．５１５，２０７Ｐｂ／２０４Ｐｂ＝１５．．５０６～１５．５７１，２０８Ｐｂ／２０４Ｐｂ＝３７．８６８～３８．３０８。根据以上同位素组成及其相互关系并结合岩石学和微量元素特征及火山岩中熔融包裹体成分，得出以下结论：（１）研究的乔治王岛岩浆岩起源于亏损地幔（ＤＭＭ）和地幔流体交代成因的富集地幔ＥＭＩ混合形成的源区；（２）该源区具有广义Ｄｕｐａｌ异常，它正是由于ＥＭＩ组份加入即通过流体交代作用而产生的；（３）流体主要是俯冲深海沉积物脱碳酸盐作用而释放出的富ＣＯ２流体。     

Paleogeographic maps of the Japanese Islands: Plate tectonic synthesis from 750 Ma to the present

Abstract A series of paleogeographic maps of the Japanese Islands, from their birth at ca 750–700 Ma to the present, is newly compiled from the viewpoint of plate tectonics. This series consists of 20 maps that cover all of the major events in the geotectonic evolution of Japan. These include the birth of Japan at the rifted continental margin of the Yangtze craton ( ca 750-700 Ma), the tectonic inversion of the continental margin from passive to active ( ca 500 Ma), the Paleozoic accretionary growth incorporating fragments from seamounts and oceanic plateaux ( ca 480-250 Ma), the collision between Sino-Korea and Yangtze (250–210 Ma), the Mesozoic to Cenozoic accretionary growth (210 Ma-present) including the formation of the Cretaceous paired metamorphic belts (90 Ma), and the Miocene back-arc opening of the Japan Sea that separated Japan as an island arc (25-15 Ma).     

柴达木北缘超高压变质带中的岛弧火山岩

青藏高原北部柴北缘发育一套与超高压变质带并行的早古生代岛弧火山岩带,岛弧火山岩以玄武岩类为主,包括一些中酸性岩类,岩石以普遍遭受绿片岩相蚀变为特征,区别于该地区普遍遭受角闪岩相区域变质的元古代的基性火山岩。该早古生代的岛孤火山岩显示三组地球化学特征:①VTG-Ⅰ,岛弧拉斑玄武岩(IAT);②VTG-Ⅱ,高Al次钙碱性-碱性过渡型玄武岩;③VTG-Ⅲ,较N-MORB更亏损的拉斑玄武岩(异常MORB)。研究认为前两组火山岩是成熟岛弧两个发育阶段的特征性产物:洋壳俯冲到陆壳的初用,由俯冲洋壳和地幔楔的部分熔融形成岛弧拉斑玄武岩(IAT),随着俯冲板块的速度加快和岛弧周围地壳的加厚,则形成钙碱性玄武岩(CA)、高Al玄武岩。第三组火山岩形成于弧间盆地,由亏损的地幔楔高度部分熔融形成比N-MORB亏损的的火山岩(异常MORB)。岛弧火山岩的锆石LA-ICP-MS法U-Pb年龄为514.2±8.5 Ma,说明柴北缘在早古生代发生过洋壳向陆壳的俯冲作用。鉴于该地区代表陆-陆俯冲作用的柴北缘超高压变质岩石也是形成于早古生代(494Ma),认为陆-陆俯冲作用发生在洋-陆俯冲作用之后,二者时间和空间相伴随。     

Observations and simulations of an unsteady island wake in the Firth of Forth, Scotland

Beamer Rock, a 50-m-wide island in the Firth of Forth, produces a distinctive von Kármán vortex street wake, the characteristics of which depend on the speed and direction of the tidal flow. ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler), CTD (conductivity–temperature–depth) and aerial photograph data were collected from the region during flood and ebb tidal flow under neap and spring conditions. Good agreement was found between the observations and the results from a fixed-grid depth-averaged numerical tidal model. The island wake parameter correctly predicted the unsteady nature of the wake, and the Strouhal number (defined in terms of flow past a circular cylinder) was found to give excellent predictions of the wake wavelength when scaled on the island width. Contrary to published results, the study shows that it is possible to accurately simulate an unsteady island wake using a relatively coarse fixed-grid numerical model.Responsible Editor: Jens Kappenberg     

Timing and geochemical characters of the Sanchazi magmatic arc in Mianlüe tectonic zone, South Qinling

The Sanchazi mafic-ultramafic complex in Mianlue tectonic zone, South Qinling can be subdivided into two blocks, i.e. Sanchazi paleo-magmatic arc and Zhuangkegou paleo-oceanic crust fragment (ophiolite). The Sanchazi paleo-magmatic arc is mainly composed of andesite, basaltic and basalt-andesitic gabbro (or diorite), andesitic dyke, plagiogranite and minor ultramafic rocks, which have typical geochemical features of island arc volcanic rocks, such as high field strength element (e.g. Nb, Ti) depletions and lower Cr, Ni contents. The Light rare earth element (LREE) and K enrichments of these rocks and zircon xenocrystals of 900 Ma from plagiogranite suggest that this magmatic arc was developed on the South active continental margin of the South Qinling micro-continent. The U-Pb age of (300 ± 61)Ma for zircons from plagiogranite indicates that the Mianlue paleo-oceanic crust was probably subducted underneath the South Qinling micro-continent in Carboniferous. This is consistent with the formation time (309Ma) of the Huwan eclogite originating from oceanic subduction in Dabie Mountains, suggesting that the Mianlue paleo-ocean probably extended eastward to the Dabie Mountains in Carboniferous. The high-Mg adakitic rocks in Sanchazi paleo-magmatic arc suggest that the subducted oceanic crust was relatively young (＜25Ma) and hot.     

Silica-rich Melts in Quartz Xenoliths from Vulcano Island and their Bearing on Processes of Crustal Anatexis and Crust-Magma Interaction beneath the Aeolian Arc, Southern Italy

Quartz-rich xenoliths in lavas and pyroclastic rocks from VulcanoIsland, part of the Aeolian arc, Italy, contain silicic meltinclusions with high SiO₂ (73–80 wt %) and K₂O (3–6wt %) contents. Two types of inclusions can be distinguishedbased on their time of entrapment and incompatible trace element(ITE) concentrations. One type (late, ITE-enriched inclusions)has trace element characteristics that resemble those of themetamorphic rocks of the Calabro-Peloritano basement of theadjacent mainland. Other inclusions (early, ITE-depleted) havevariable Ba, Rb, Sr and Cs, and low Nb, Zr and rare earth element(REE) contents. Their REE patterns are unfractionated, witha marked positive Eu anomaly. Geochemical modelling suggeststhat the ITE-depleted inclusions cannot be derived from equilibriummelting of Calabro-Peloritano metamorphic rocks. ITE-enrichedinclusions can be modelled by large degrees (>80%) of meltingof basement gneisses and schists, leaving a quartz-rich residuerepresented by the quartz-rich xenoliths. Glass inclusions inquartz-rich xenoliths represent potential contaminants of Aeolianarc magmas. Interaction between calc-alkaline magmas and crustalanatectic melts with a composition similar to the analysed inclusionsmay generate significant enrichment in potassium in the magmas.However, ITE contents of the melt inclusions are comparablewith or lower than those of Vulcano calc-alkaline and potassicrocks. This precludes the possibility that potassic magmas inthe Aeolian arc may originate from calc-alkaline parents throughdifferent degrees of incorporation of crustal melts. KEY WORDS: melt inclusions; crustal anatexis; magma assimilation; xenoliths; Vulcano Island     

Coastal neotectonics in Southern Central Andes: uplift and deformation of marine terraces in Northern Chile (27°S)

Neotectonic observations allow a new interpretation of the recent tectonic behaviour of the outer fore arc in the Caldera area, northern Chile (27°S). Two periods of deformation are distinguished, based on large-scale Neogene to Quaternary features of the westernmost part of the Coastal Cordillera: Late Miocene to Early Pliocene deformations, characterized by a weak NE–SW to E–W extension is followed by uppermost Pliocene NW–SE to E–W compression. The Middle Pleistocene to Recent time is characterized by vertical uplift and NW–SE extension. These deformations provide clear indications of the occurrence of moderate to large earthquakes. Microseismic observations, however, indicate a lack of shallow crustal seismicity in coastal zone. We propose that both long-term brittle deformation and uplift are linked to the subduction seismic cycle.     

Mineral chemistry of spinel peridotite xenoliths from Baengnyeong Island, South Korea, and its implications for the paleogeotherm of the uppermost mantle

Abstract   The mantle-derived xenoliths entrained in the Pliocene basanite from Baengnyeong Island, South Korea, are spinel lherzolites and spinel harzburgites. The overall compositional range of the Baengnyeong xenoliths matches that of the post-Archean xenoliths of lithospheric mantle origin from eastern China, but without any compositional evidence for a refractory Archean mantle root. Mineral compositions of the xenoliths have been used to estimate the equilibrium temperatures and pressures, and to construct a paleogeothermal gradient of the source region. The xenolith-derived paleogeotherm is constrained from about 820°C at 7.3 kbar to 1000°C at 20.6 kbar. Like those from the post-Archean Chinese xenoliths of lithospheric mantle origin, the Baengnyeong geotherm is considerably elevated relative to the conductive models at the depth of the crust–mantle boundary, reflecting a thermal perturbation probably related to lithospheric thinning. There is no significant P / T difference between harzburgite and lherzolite, which suggests that the harzburgites are interlayered with lherzolites within the depth interval beneath Baengnyeong Island.