Petrofabrics and seismic properties of garnet peridotite from the UHP Sulu terrane (China): Implications for olivine deformation mechanism in a cold and dry subducting continental slab

Lattice-preferred orientations (LPO) of olivine, diopside, enstatite and garnet from the Zhimafang garnet peridotite body in the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane (China) were measured using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. The peridotite was captured from a mantle wedge immediately adjacent the subducted Yangtze slab and then experienced the UHP metamorphism at 750–950 °C and 4–7 GPa. The olivine LPO is characterized by the [001] axis close to the stretching lineation and the (100) plane subparallel to the foliation, indicating the prevailing of (100) [001] slip. Enstatite LPO displays the dominance of (100) [001] slip. Diopside developed complex LPO patterns that are difficult to explain using a single slip system of (100) [001]. Garnet is almost randomly oriented due to its low volume fractions, cubic symmetry and the presence of numerous slip systems. Calculated seismic properties of the peridotite yield a maximum P-wave velocity normal to the foliation and a minimum along the foliation, with anisotropy up to 8% in strongly sheared samples. The S-wave velocity pattern is complex but the fast polarization plane generally normal to the foliation. The inferred shear sense from the olivine LPO is top-to-SE, in contrary to exhumation-induced top-to-NW thrusting recorded in the quartz LPO, implying that the olivine LPO formed at early UHP metamorphic conditions. The olivine crystals have relatively low water contents (141–475 H/10⁶ Si), indicating a fluid-deficient environment for the LPO formation. The present study suggests that a combination of low temperature and UHP plays a much more important role than the water content to promote the activation of (100) [001] slip in olivine.     

深俯冲陆壳部分熔融初始熔体的厘定:来自苏鲁超高压地体混合岩中浅色体证据

深俯冲陆壳物质部分熔融产生的熔体,实验岩石学方面已有广泛报道,而天然初始熔体的组分却难以厘定。对此,本文从苏鲁超高压地体荣成混合岩中识别出了深俯冲花岗质陆壳部分熔融产生的天然初始熔体组成。野外露头显示,混合岩中主要矿物组成为钾长石+斜长石+石英的浅色熔体呈不连续的条带状与残余体互层产出,指示了原位或近源区的部分熔融特征。混合岩浅色体锆石CL图像呈明显的核-边结构,继承核部为扬子板块来源的岩浆锆石,形成时代为721±24Ma;新生边部CL图像具震荡环带结构,微量元素上REE呈明显左倾,具有Eu的负异常及Ce的正异常,低的Hf/Y和Th/U比值,具深熔锆石特征,指示形成于花岗质陆壳物质的部分熔融。边部U-Pb谐和年龄为225.9±2Ma,略晚于苏鲁超高压地体超高压峰期变质年龄,表明初始熔融发生在超高压地体折返早期。浅色熔体的全岩地球化学特征表明,主量元素上具有高SiO_2、K_2O及Na_2O含量,低的Fe_2O_3~T、MgO及CaO含量,A/CNK=1.02~1.04,呈弱过铝质亚碱性花岗岩的特征,这与实验岩石学中富硅陆壳物质部分熔融产生的熔体组分极为相近;微量元素上富集大离子亲石元素(如Rb、Ba、Pb等),亏损Nb、Ta、Ti等高场强元素,REE呈较为平坦的配分模式,具弱的Eu负异常并亏损Sr。本文通过上述对天然样品研究,厘定了深俯冲花岗质陆壳部分熔融及其初始熔体的组成,为理解大陆俯冲带壳幔相互作用提供了关键依据。     

准噶尔地块东北缘志留纪碱性玄武岩的发现及其地质意义

在准噶尔地块东北缘莫钦乌拉山发现一套陆相火山岩,其与下伏中-上奥陶统庙尔沟组呈角度不整合接触,粗安岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为434.4±2.2Ma,表明其形成时代为早志留世。火山岩岩石组合为碱玄岩、玄武粗安岩、粗安岩和相应的火山碎屑岩,属于强碱性-碱性火山岩系列。SiO_2含量在45.6%~54.4%之间,富碱(Na_2O+K_2O=6.75%~9.10%),高的TiO_2(0.85%~1.42%)和Al_2O_3(17.75%~20.0%)含量,低Mg#(25.1~55.6),里特曼指数δ为3.63~9.68,玄武岩基质中出现碱性长石和白榴石。岩石轻重稀土分异明显,(La/Yb)N=4.22~6.09,Eu负异常不明显,富集LILE,亏损HFSE,具明显的Nb、Ta、Ti负异常。样品值为0.7033~0.7046,具低正值(+2.13~+4.16)显示了来源于亏损地幔的特征,但在富碱、强烈富集LILE和低值(~0.5122)等方面又显示了源区富集的特征,富集原因可能为地壳再循环或上升过程遭受地壳混染。结合区域地质背景和Zr-Zr/Y、Ti/1000-V图解,推测早志留世碱性玄武岩形成的构造环境为准噶尔微陆块与北部阿尔泰-蒙古微陆块碰撞造山后的板内伸展环境,可能代表了北部卡拉麦里洋盆最初期的陆内拉张阶段,这表明志留纪是准噶尔地块东北缘碰撞挤压到伸展拉张的构造转换时期。     

Effects of melt fractional crystallization on Sr-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systems: a case study of Triassic migmatite in the Sulu UHP terrane

The Weihai migmatite in the Sulu ultra-high-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane, eastern China, underwent partial melting in the Late Triassic during its exhumation. The primary partial melts experienced a decompressional fractional crystallization (DFC) process to produce plagioclase (Pl)-rich leucosome crystallized under eclogite to granulite facies conditions and K-feldspar (Kfs)-rich pegmatitic veins crystallized under amphibolite-facies conditions. In this study, our results demonstrate that the DFC process can cause decoupling between whole-rock Sr and Nd isotopes. The Pl-rich leucosome has ε_Nd(t) values (–10.4 to ?15.0) and initial (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) ratios (0.708173–0.712476) very similar to those of the melanosome, but the Kfs-rich pegmatitic veins have homogeneous ε_Nd(t) values (?14.8 to ?15.2) and significantly high initial (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) ratios (0.713882–0.716284). Our results also suggest that the DFC process can change zircon ¹⁷⁶Yb/¹⁷⁷Hf and ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf isotopic ratios, with no effect on ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios or ε_Hf (t) values. Zircon ¹⁷⁶Yb/¹⁷⁷Hf and ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios increase dramatically from the Pl-rich leucosome to the Kfs-rich pegmatitic veins, but zircon ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios (Pl-rich leucosomes = 0.282330 ± 0.000017; Kfs-rich pegmatitic veins = 0.282321 ± 0.000026) and ε_Hf (t) values (Pl-rich leucosomes = ?10.9 ± 0.6; Kfs-rich pegmatitic veins = ?11.6 ± 0.8) remain almost unchanged. We propose that the isotopic decoupling between the Pl-rich leucosome and Kfs-rich pegmatitic vein might be caused by melt fractional crystallization occurring too rapidly to allow complete equilibrium between them.     

Oldest zircon xenocryst (4.17 Ga) from the North China Craton

Prior to this work, the existence of crustal materials older than 4.0 Ga has not been reported from the North China Craton (NCC) – one of the few global terrains where crustal rocks from ～3.8 Ga have been identified. Here we report the first occurrence of a xenocrystic zircon with a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 4174 ± 48 Ma, from the Anshan–Benxi Archaean supracrustal greenstone belt, based on laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The 4.17 Ga zircon xenocryst is hosted within ～2523 ± 12 Ma massive fine-grained amphibolites which were subsequently metamorphosed at ～2481 ± 19 Ma. The xenocryst age is ca. 350 million years, older than the oldest zircon previously identified in the NCC, and is consistent with prior zircon Lu–Hf isotopic studies. Documentation of 4.17 Ga xenocrystal zircon not only provided a geochronological record of the oldest known crustal materials in the NCC, but also identified the geologic environment for further search for the rocks that formed during Earth’s earliest recorded evolution.     

Palaeomagnetism of late Cretaceous sediments from southern Tibet: Evidence for the consistent palaeolatitudes of the southern margin of Eurasia prior to the collision with India

Twenty sites were drilled in the late Cretaceous Shexing Formation for palaeomagnetic studies in the Lhasa terrane near the locality of Maxiang (29.9°N/90.7°E). The stepwise thermal demagnetizations successfully isolated high unblocking temperature characteristic directions. The tilt-corrected mean direction is D/I = 350.8°/32.1° with α₉₅ = 8.1° and N = 20 sites, corresponding to a paleopole at 75.0°N, 306.7°E with A₉₅ = 6.8°. Positive fold tests indicate a primary origin for the characteristic remanence. Based on previous Cretaceous data mainly from the Takena Formation and Paleocene data from the Linzizong volcanic rocks near the city of Lhasa, the latitude of the southern margin of Asia is located at about 15°N, and yields a stable position of the Lhasa terrane during Cretaceous and Paleocene. Compared with expected paleomagnetic directions from the stable India and Eurasia blocks, the collision palaeolatitude further implies the total latitudinal convergence was accommodated by 1700 ± 800 km (16.2 ± 7.6°) between southern Tibet and stable Eurasia and 1500 ± 830 km (14.4 ± 7.9°) between southern Tibet and stable India since the collision of India and Eurasia. A collision age between c. 54 and 47 Ma was determined using the results for the southern margin of Eurasia according to our new data and the extent of ‘Greater India’.     

Petrogenesis of a Palaeoproterozoic S-type granite,central Wuyishan terrane,SE China: implications for early crustal evolution of the Cathaysia Block

We present zircon U–Pb ages, Hf isotopes, and whole-rock geochemistry of the Xiaochuan gneissic granite intrusion, SE China, to constrain its petrogenesis and provide insights into early crustal evolution of the Cathaysia Block. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of a representative sample yields a weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb age of 1839 ±16 Ma, interpreted as the emplacement age of the Xiaochuan granite. Zircons have ?_Hf(t) values ranging from –8.1 to 2.7 and T _DM2 model ages from 2.23 to 3.03 Ga. The granites are strongly peraluminious (A/CNK = 1.14–1.41), with relatively high FeO^t, TiO₂, and CaO/Na₂O, and low CaO, Al₂O₃/TiO₂, and Rb/Sr values. In addition, they show strongly negative Ba, Sr, Nb, and Ta and positive Th and Pb anomalies in the primitive mantle-normalized spider diagram, similar to other Cathaysia Palaeoproterozoic S-type granites. The geochemical and Hf isotopic signatures suggest that the Xiaochuan gneissic granites were generated by partial melting of Archaean crustal materials in an intraplate extensional setting. Our results, combined with existing geochronological data, further demonstrate that the Wuyishan terrane is underlain by Palaeoproterozoic crystalline basement.     

Interpretation of gravity profiles across the northern Oaxaca terrane,its boundaries and the Tehuacán Valley,southern Mexico

A gravity study was conducted across the northern Oaxaca terrane and its bounding faults: the Caltepec and Oaxaca Faults to the west and east, respectively. These faults juxtapose the Oaxaca terrane against the Mixteca and Juarez terranes, respectively. The Oaxaca Fault also forms the eastern boundary of the Cenozoic Tehuacán depression. On the west, at depth, the Tehuacán valley is limited by the normal buried Tehuacán Fault. This gravity study reveals that the Oaxaca Fault system gives rise to a series of east tilted basamental blocks (Oaxaca Complex). The tectonic depression is filled with Phanerozoic rocks and has a deeper depocenter to the west. The gravity data also indicate that on the west, the Oaxaca Complex, the Caltepec and Santa Lucia faults continue northwestwards beneath Phanerozoic rocks. A major E–W to NE–SW discontinuity is inferred to exist between profiles 1 and 2.     

Zedong terrane revisited: An intra-oceanic arc within Neo-Tethys or a part of the Asian active continental margin?

Precise timing of the India-Asia collision is important to constrain the evolution history of both the Himalayan orogen and the Tibetan Plateau. It has been proposed that the Indian plate first collided with an intra-oceanic arc at ∼55 Ma, and then the composite terrane collided with the Asian continent at ∼35 Ma. The Zedong terrane has been suggested to represent the vestige of such an intra-oceanic arc developed within the Neo-Tethys Ocean, as some volcanic rocks with high K₂O have been classified as shoshonites. In this study, we present detailed geochemical and geochronological data of various types of magmatic rocks (including volcanic, cumulate and granitic rocks) widely exposed in the Zedong terrane to constrain the formation age and tectonic setting of the Zedong terrane. We found that the Zedong volcanic rocks belong to calc-alkaline series rather than shoshonites and high K₂O contents in some volcanic rocks resulted from alteration. The basalts are highly enriched in LREE and LILE, but strongly depleted in HFSE, indicating they were derived from a metasomatized mantle. Presence of hornblende phenocryst in both gabbros and hornblendites indicates that the cumulates were produced from hydrous basalts through crystallization. The granitic rocks have adakite-like compositional characteristics, i.e., high Sr/Y ratios but low Y contents, which were formed by melting of a thickened lower crust. Zircons from six samples, including a volcanic rock (an andesite), three cumulates (a hornblendites, a hornblende-bearing gabbro and a gabbro) and two granitic (a tonalite and a granodiorite) rocks, have been dated to yield identical ages of ∼155–160 Ma. This suggests that the volcanic eruption and plutonic emplacement were coevally developed in the Zedong terrane. Zircons from both the andesite and the cumulates have similar positive ε_Hf(t) values (∼+11.6 to +16.7), indicating they were stemmed from similarly depleted mantle sources. Meanwhile, zircons from the granitic rocks also have positive ε_Hf(t) values of ∼+12.6 to +15.2, implying their derivation from a juvenile lower crust. Therefore, we proposed that the basalts in the Zedong terrane were formed through partial melting of the mantle wedge metasomatized by slab-released fluids/melts. A part of hydrous basalts were underplated in the thickened lower crust beneath the Zedong terrane, which gave rise to the cumulate and granitic rocks. By comparison, magmatic rocks in the Zedong terrane show compositional similarities with the Jurassic rocks exposed in the Gangdese arc. This suggests that the Zedong terrane represents a slice of the active continental margin developed on the southern margin of the Lhasa terrane as a result of the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethys Ocean during the Late Jurassic, rather than the vestige of an intra-oceanic arc.     

松潘—甘孜造山带容须卡岩浆-穹隆地质特征及构造演化

位于松潘—甘孜造山带雅江穹隆群北东部的容须卡岩浆底辟穹隆区,经历了多期构造演化,内部构造极其复杂。为厘清容须卡地区岩浆与穹隆的演化关系,通过野外地质调查及室内综合研究,探讨了容须卡穹隆的地质特征及构造演化。该穹隆中心发育无根或肠状褶皱,及“S”型、“Z”型褶皱和“A”型平卧褶皱; 穹隆外围发育叠加褶皱,反映造山带早期SN向和EW向收缩挤压。该穹隆主要经历了晚三叠世(印支末期)SN向与EW向的“双向挤压”作用; 成穹期岩浆向上侵位时限为(214.4±1.2) Ma; 成穹后经历了挤压推覆和应力松弛阶段; 早中新世(17~10 Ma),由于青藏高原东南缘快速抬升,松潘—甘孜造山带发育NW-SE向鲜水河左旋走滑断裂,使容须卡地区形成一系列NNW向韧脆性和脆性破碎带。