The Xiong'er volcanic belt at the southern margin of the North China Craton: Petrographic and geochemical evidence for its outboard position in the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Columbia Supercontinent

The Xiong'er volcanic belt, covering an area of more than 60,000 km² along the southern margin of the North China Craton, has long been considered an intra-continental rift zone and recently interpreted as part of a large igneous province formed by a mantle plume that led to the breakup of the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Columbia. However, such interpretations cannot be accommodated by lithology, mineralogy, geochemistry and geochronology of the volcanic rocks in the belt. Lithologically, the Xiong'er volcanic belt is dominated by basaltic andesite and andesite, with minor dacite and rhyolite, different from rock associations related to continental rifts or mantle plumes, which are generally bimodal and dominated by mafic components. However, they are remarkably similar to those rock associations in modern continental margin arcs. In some of the basaltic andesites and andesites, amphibole is a common phenocryst phase, suggesting the involvement of H₂O-rich fluids in the petrogenesis of the Xiong'er volcanic rocks. Geochemically, the Xiong'er volcanic rocks fall in the calc-alkaline series, and in most tectono-magmatic discrimination diagrams, the majority of the Xiong'er volcanic rocks show affinities to magmatic arcs. In the primitive mantle normalized trace-element diagrams, the Xiong'er volcanic rocks show enrichments in the LILE and LREE, and negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies, similar to arc-related volcanic rocks produced by the hydrous melting of metasomatized mantle wedge. Nd-isotope compositions of the Xiong'er volcanic rocks suggest that 5–15% older crust has been transferred into the upper lithospheric mantle by subduction-related recycling during Archean to Paleoproterozoic time. Available SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon age data indicate that the Xiong'er volcanic rocks erupted intermittently over a protracted interval from 1.78 Ga, through 1.76–1.75 Ga and 1.65 Ga, to 1.45 Ga, though the major phase of the volcanism occurred at 1.78–1.75 Ga. Such multiple and intermittent volcanism is inconsistent with a mantle plume-driven rifting event, but is not uncommon in ancient and existing continental margin arcs. Taken together, the Xiong'er volcanic belt was most likely a Paleo-Mesoproterozoic continental magmatic arc that formed at the southern margin of the North China Craton. Similar Paleo-Mesoproterozoic continental magmatic arcs were also present at the southern and southeastern margins of Laurentia, the southern margin of Baltica, the northwestern margin of Amonzonia, and the southern and eastern margins of the North Australia Craton, which are considered to represent subduction-related episodic outbuilding on the continental margins of the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Columbia. Therefore, in any configuration of the supercontinent Columbia, the southern margin of the North China Craton could not have been connected to any other continental block as proposed in a recent configuration, but must have faced an open ocean whose lithosphere was subducted beneath the southern margin of the North China Craton.     

扬子地台西南缘古元古代末的裂解事件——来自武定地区辉绿岩锆石U Pb年龄和地球化学证据

云南省武定地区广泛出露元古宙辉绿岩体,本文报道了武定地区海孜辉绿岩的地球化学特征及锆石的LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄,结果为1767±15Ma(MSWD=0.19,n=17),表明本区广泛出露的辉绿岩群侵位时代为古元古代晚期。辉绿岩岩石化学表现为低SiO2、MgO以及高TiO2(3.24%~4.02%)、碱(K2O+Na2O)和P2O5含量(0.32%~0.45%),具有偏碱性的拉斑质玄武岩的岩石化学特征。辉绿岩的大离子半径元素如K、Rb、Ba等富集,高场强元素如Ta、Nb和Zr、Hf没有明显的亏损,其地球化学参数也多与夏威夷碱性洋岛玄武岩相近。辉绿岩的微量、稀土元素的配分模式与典型的OIB和峨眉山高Ti玄武岩具有高度一致性。海孜辉绿岩原始岩浆形成于相对较富集的过渡型地幔的部分熔融,其源区为尖晶石橄榄岩相,演化过程中,有少量下地壳物质的加入。海孜辉绿岩与扬子地台西南缘广泛出露古元古代晚期的岩浆岩一致,形成于全球性Columbia超级大陆裂解的大地构造背景。海孜辉绿岩OIB的地球化学属性,为古元古代晚期全球性Columbia超级大陆裂解的地幔柱活动提供了最重要的地球化学证据。     

滇中易门地区约1.85Ga凝灰岩的厘定及其地质意义

在滇中易门-罗茨断裂带以西前人划分的昆阳群美党组中发现了大量的中酸性凝灰岩。采用锆石激光剥蚀法(LAICP-MS)对易门县铜厂一带的英安质凝灰岩、石英晶屑凝灰岩进行了年龄测定,获得锆石U-Pb年龄加权平均值为1842±26Ma(MSWD=7.6,n=29)和1860±25Ma(MSWD=2.5,n=11)。2件样品的锆石Th/U值为0.2～1.0,且均具清晰的振荡环带结构,为岩浆成因锆石。该套凝灰岩产于一套厚度超过1000m的火山-细碎屑岩组合中,其下发育厚约800m的黑色板岩-碳酸盐岩组合,表明滇中易门地区存在厚度超过2000m的古元古界。此年龄值与全球性的Columbia超大陆事件一致,所以,在进行Columbia超大陆重建时需要充分考虑扬子陆块的位置及意义。     

新元古代岩浆Ni-Cu-(PGE)硫化物矿床地质特征、形成时代及其地球动力学背景

岩浆硫化物矿床已成为矿床学研究的热点之一。罗迪尼亚(Rodinia)超大陆的汇聚与裂解受到国际地学界的广泛关注,通过对中国新元古代岩浆Ni-Cu-(PGE)硫化物矿床的研究,将有助于推动Rodinia研究的深入。最新的SHRIMP锆石U-Pb法和硫化物矿石Re-Os法定年结果表明,宝坛、煎茶岭、冷水箐和金川Ni-Cu-(PGE)硫化物矿床均形成于新元古代早期(1000~800Ma),且从南到北、从东到西,成矿时代依次变新,即从宝坛(982±21)Ma→煎茶岭(878±27)Ma→冷水箐(约800Ma)→金川(833±35)Ma,而矿床规模从宝坛中型Ni-Cu-Co-(PGE)矿床→煎茶岭大型Ni-Co矿床→冷水箐中型Ni-Cu-(PGE)矿床→金川超大型Ni-Cu-Co-(PGE)矿床,这些矿床均处于克拉通边缘,即扬子克拉通南缘、北缘和西缘以及华北克拉通西南缘。中国新元古代岩浆Ni-Cu-(PGE)硫化物矿床按其所处的大地构造位置可划分为桂北、勉略宁、盐芦和龙首山等4个成矿带,且它们的形成均与Rodinia超大陆的拼合与裂解密切相关。     

古太平洋淮南—小达尔生物地理区的初步确认及其意义——重建新元古代Rodinia超大陆的古生物学证据

淮南生物群和小达尔生物群化石分别产于我国华北地台和北美劳伦古陆新元古代地层中。在我国华南地块、前苏联西伯利亚地台、南亚印度古陆、澳大利亚和北欧波罗的海地盾等都有发现。在今天的地理分布上 ,它们或远隔重洋 ,或处于欧亚大陆东西两端 ,然而它们为什么会有如此相同的化石组合和大体相同时代的地层层位呢 ?以前从事前寒武纪地层古生物研究的国内外学者很少探讨这一问题。近年来 ,国内外学者根据各大陆新元古代地层构造资料并参照古地磁学研究成果重建的新元古Rodinia超大陆似乎较好地回答了这一问题。笔者将淮南生物群和小达尔生物群化石在各大陆的分布同新元古超大陆Rodinia各古陆块相对位置对照研究后发现 :淮南—小达尔生物群主要分布在古太平洋海槽南北两侧 ,形成一个以淮南生物群和小达尔生物群为代表的生物地理区系。古太平洋淮南—小达尔生物地理区系的初步识别和确认 ,为重建新元古Rodinia超大陆提供了古生物学上的直接证据 ,具有地层学、大地构造学上的重要意义和实际价值     

塔里木盆地西南部南华纪裂谷体系的发现及意义

通过系统的地震资料解释,首次在塔西南地区发现南华纪裂谷体系。该裂谷平面上呈NW-SE走向的长条状,长约450km,宽约70~110km。剖面上为一箕状盆地,西南边界为一大型正断层,是裂谷沉积的同沉积断层,裂谷沉积向西南逐渐加厚,向东北逐渐减薄,沉积中心靠近裂谷的西南边界,构成一大型半地堑构造。其中,南华系是一套典型的生长地层,是裂谷沉积的主体;震旦系为裂谷晚期-后裂谷期沉积。塔西南南华纪裂谷是罗迪尼亚超大陆裂解过程中形成的,其油气勘探价值非常值得期待。     

燕山地区团山子组层凝灰岩SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

燕辽地区长城群年代学工作一直是华北克拉通中元古代地质学研究的重点之一。由于团山子组与下伏串岭沟组界限年龄不明确, 且此前的年龄都是来自于其中的火山熔岩锆石的年龄, 亟待新的测年工作加以验证和完善。本文作者在北京市密云区、平谷区的团山子组下部发现了层凝灰岩, 并对其开展了系统的SHRIMP锆石U-Pb测年, 获得两个高精度年龄1634±9Ma和1637±8Ma, 进一步精确限定了该组的形成年代。结合前人研究, 燕辽地区团山子组的底界、也即下伏串岭沟组顶界年龄, 可进一步限定为1638Ma。由此可对燕辽地区长城群地层格架进行更准确的年代学厘定, 并进一步确认其整体处于持续拉张的裂谷-被动陆缘背景下的快速沉积特征、以及长城群团山子组-大红峪组与华北克拉通南缘汝阳群洛峪口组等相关沉积更为精确的对比关系。结合其他资料还可推断, 在团山子组-大红峪组及洛峪口组等形成时, 华北克拉通南北两侧都开始被碳酸盐岩浅海覆盖, 且最终还可能在其中部出现了南北联通的碳酸盐岩浅海通道。这显示出华北克拉通与早先所拼合克拉通之间已产生明显的拉张性疏离及新生海洋, 应标志着华北克拉通从哥伦比亚超大陆裂解的新阶段。