Zircon U–Pb ages, Hf and O isotopes constrain the crustal architecture of the ultrahigh-pressure Dabie orogen in China

The crustal structure of the Dabie orogen was reconstructed by a combined study of U–Pb ages, Hf and O isotope compositions of zircons from granitic gneiss from North Dabie, the largest lithotectonic unit in the orogen. The results were deciphered from metamorphic history to protolith origin with respect to continental subduction and exhumation. Zircon U–Pb dating provides consistent ages of 751 ± 7 Ma for protolith crystallization, and two group ages of 213 ± 4 to 245 ± 17 Ma and 126 ± 4 to 131 ± 36 Ma for regional metamorphism. Majority of zircon Hf isotope analyses displays negative ε_Hf(t) values of − 5.1 to − 2.9 with crust Hf model ages of 1.84 to 1.99 Ga, indicating protolith origin from reworking of middle Paleoproterozoic crust. The remaining analyses exhibit positive ε_Hf(t) values of 5.3 to 14.5 with mantle Hf model ages of 0.74 to 1.11 Ga, suggesting prompt reworking of Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic juvenile crust. Zircon O isotope analyses yield δ¹⁸O values of − 3.26 to 2.79‰, indicating differential involvement of meteoric water in protolith magma by remelting of hydrothermally altered low δ¹⁸O rocks. North Dabie shares the same age of Neoproterozoic low δ¹⁸O protolith with Central Dabie experiencing the Triassic UHP metamorphism, but it was significantly reworked at Early Cretaceous in association with contemporaneous magma emplacement. The Rodinia breakup at about 750 Ma would lead to not only the reworking of juvenile crust in an active rift zone for bimodal protolith of Central Dabie, but also reworking of ancient crust in an arc-continent collision zone for the North Dabie protolith. The spatial difference in the metamorphic age (Triassic vs. Cretaceous) between the northern and southern parts of North Dabie suggests intra-crustal detachment during the continental subduction. Furthermore, the Dabie orogen would have a three-layer structure prior to the Early Cretaceous magmatism: Central Dabie in the upper, North Dabie in the middle, and the source region of Cretaceous magmas in the lower.     

Timing of UHP metamorphism in the Hong’an area,western Dabie Mountains,China: evidence from zircon U–Pb age,trace element and Hf isotope composition

The Hong’an area (western Dabie Mountains) is the westernmost terrane in the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogen that preserves UHP eclogites. The ages of the UHP metamorphism have not been well constrained, and thus hinder our understanding of the tectonic evolution of this area. LA-ICPMS U–Pb age, trace element and Hf isotope compositions of zircons of a granitic gneiss and an eclogite from the Xinxian UHP unit in the Hong’an area were analyzed to constrain the age of the UHP metamorphism. Most zircons are unzoned or show sector zoning. They have low trace element concentrations, without significant negative Eu anomalies. These metamorphic zircons can be further subdivided into two groups according to their U–Pb ages, and trace element and Lu–Hf isotope compositions. One group with an average age of 239 ± 2 Ma show relatively high and variable HREE contents (527 ≥ Lu_N ≥ 14) and ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios (0.00008–0.000931), indicating their growth prior to a great deal of garnet growth in the late stage of continental subduction. The other group yields an average age of 227 ± 2 Ma, and shows consistent low HREE contents and ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios, suggesting their growth with concurrent garnet crystallization and/or recrystallization. These two groups of age are taken as recording the time of prograde HP to UHP and retrograde UHP–HP stages, respectively. A few cores have high Th/U ratios, high trace element contents, and a clear negative Eu anomaly. These features support a magmatic origin of these zircon cores. The upper intercept ages of 771 ± 86 and 752 ± 70 Ma for the granitic gneiss and eclogite, respectively, indicate that their protoliths probably formed as a bimodal suite in rifting zones in the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. Young Hf model ages (T _DM1) of magmatic cores indicate juvenile (mantle-derived) materials were involved in their protolith formation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

An experimental study of the grain-scale processes of peridotite melting: implications for major and trace element distribution during equilibrium and disequilibrium melting

The grain-scale processes of peridotite melting were examined at 1,340°C and 1.5 GPa using reaction couples formed by juxtaposing pre-synthesized clinopyroxenite against pre-synthesized orthopyroxenite or harzburgite in graphite and platinum-lined molybdenum capsules. Reaction between the clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene-rich aggregates produces a melt-enriched, orthopyroxene-free, olivine + clinopyroxene reactive boundary layer. Major and trace element abundance in clinopyroxene vary systematically across the reactive boundary layer with compositional trends similar to the published clinopyroxene core-to-rim compositional variations in the bulk lherzolite partial melting studies conducted at similar P–T conditions. The growth of the reactive boundary layer takes place at the expense of the orthopyroxenite or harzburgite and is consistent with grain-scale processes that involve dissolution, precipitation, reprecipitation, and diffusive exchange between the interstitial melt and surrounding crystals. An important consequence of dissolution–reprecipitation during crystal-melt interaction is the dramatic decrease in diffusive reequilibration time between coexisting minerals and melt. This effect is especially important for high charged, slow diffusing cations during peridotite melting and melt-rock reaction. Apparent clinopyroxene-melt partition coefficients for REE, Sr, Y, Ti, and Zr, measured from reprecipitated clinopyroxene and coexisting melt in the reactive boundary layer, approach their equilibrium values reported in the literature. Disequilibrium melting models based on volume diffusion in solid limited mechanism are likely to significantly underestimate the rates at which major and trace elements in residual minerals reequilibrate with their surrounding melt. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Shear strength characterization of municipal solid waste at the Suzhou landfill, China

The current practice of slope stability analysis for a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill usually overlooks the dependence of waste properties on the fill age or embedment depth. Changes in shear strength of MSW as a function of fill age were investigated by performing field and laboratory studies on the Suzhou landfill in China. The field study included sampling from five boreholes advanced to the bottom of the landfill, cone penetration tests and monitoring of pore fluid pressures. Twenty-six borehole samples representative of different fill ages (0 to 13 years) were used to perform drained triaxial compression tests. The field and laboratory study showed that the waste body in the landfill can be sub-divided into several strata corresponding to different ranges of fill age. Each of the waste strata has individual composition and shear strength characteristics. The triaxial test results showed that the MSW samples exhibited a strain-hardening and contractive behavior. As the fill age of the waste increased from 1.7 years to 11 years, the cohesion mobilized at a strain level of 10% was found to decrease from 23.3 kPa to 0 kPa, and the mobilized friction angle at the same strain level increasing from 9.9° to 26°. For a confinement stress level greater than 50 kPa, the shear strength of the recently-placed MSW seemed to be lower than that of the older MSW. This behavior was consistent with the cone penetration test results. The field measurement of pore pressures revealed a perched leachate mound above an intermediate cover of soils and a substantial leachate mound near the bottom of the landfill. The measurements of shear strength properties and pore pressures were utilized to assess the slope stability of the Suzhou landfill.     

塔里木盆地西部吐木休克断裂带的主要特征和构造演化

塔里木盆地西部的吐木休克断裂带是中央隆起(前身是晋宁期碰撞造山带)的次级单元巴楚断隆与北部坳陷的次级单元阿瓦提凹陷之间的分界。本文以大量的地质和地球物理证据,证明它是一条内部结构复杂且切穿地壳的深断裂。结合区域构造演化恢复了断裂发育史,指出它经历过三期重大的冲断活动,分别发生在加里东期、海西期和新近纪。新近纪的冲断与巴楚断隆的南界断裂带有相同的构造样式,可分为两幕:中新世的冲断受制于南天山前陆冲断带的向南扩展,更新世的冲断主要受制于西昆仑前陆冲断带的向北扩展。吐木休克断裂带的东西走向段和北西走向段的构造特征尚有若干差异,前者在加里东期活动较强,反映了构造的继承性;北西走向段则是加里东期出现的新生构造,在海西期进一步发展,更新世时因被卷入西昆仑的前陆冲断作用,表现出强烈而复杂的变形。     

华北克拉通北缘隆化地区S型花岗岩的独居石年龄图谱

位于华北克拉通北缘中段的隆化S型花岗岩由石榴石黑云母花岗岩、石榴石花岗岩以及片麻理化的黑云母花岗岩组成。其主体岩性石榴石黑云母花岗岩SiO_2和Al_2O_3含量分别为64.09%～69.6%以及14.6%～16.13%,K_2O/Na_2O>1.0,A/CNK>1,0,Mg~#在20.76～34.89之间变化,具有明显的Nb、Ta、P、Ti和Sr亏损以及Rb、K和Th富集。石榴石黑云母花岗岩(样品JB6031-1)采用独居石电子探针U-Th-Pb化学法进行测年,获得了2553±120Ma、2180±42Ma和1854±24Ma三个年龄峰值。一颗独居石内部成分分带上6个分析点定年结果构成2553±120Ma的峰值年龄,这一年龄与我们最新获得的2506±7Ma和2541±8Ma(继承锆石年龄)LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb同位素年龄相似,我们将这一独居石年龄解释为继承独居石的年龄,表明在赤城-隆化断裂以北存在太古宙陆块,并且在后期构造-热事件中发生部分熔融形成S型花岗岩。该独居石颗粒幔部成分分带上10个分析点的测年结果揭示的峰值年龄为2181±42Ma,该年龄也是出现频率最高的年龄值,我们建议2181±42Ma为S型花岗岩的结晶年龄,反映了S型花岗岩的侵位时代。独居石颗粒外部成分分带上8个分析点的测年结果构成1854±24Ma的峰值年龄,该年龄与华北克拉通中部带的变质年龄接近,我们将其解释为S型花岗岩的变质年龄,表明华北克拉通北缘的构造演化与中部带的构造演化密切相关。     

新疆北部晚古生代以来中基性岩脉的年代学、岩石学、地球化学研究

新疆北部中基性岩脉K-Ar表观年龄为187～271Ma,岩性以辉长、辉绿岩以及闪长、闪长玢岩为主,属于亚碱性系列.主量元素、稀土元素以及微量元素分析表明,中基性岩脉经历了源区地壳物质的混合以及侵位过程中的分离结晶作用,并在区域分布特点上受部分熔融程度的影响,而且由于结晶分异和部分熔融的不同,还出现了中基性岩脉系列的成分变异.排除上述岩浆作用的干扰,有证据显示岩脉起源于亏损地幔,由于Nd同位素模式年龄tDM集中在363～769Ma,反映源区是一个古生代时期的新生岩石圈地幔,该地幔源区属于大洋岩石圈地幔.新疆北部广泛出露的中基性岩脉在时间和空间上具有多样性,但是在产状、岩性组合和同位素特征上具有相似的特点,指示研究区在古生代以来具有一个相对统一和完整的源区,推测这个源区与北疆地区古生代以来长期存在的残余洋盆及其相关岩石圈有关.     

甘新交界红柳河蛇绿岩形成和侵位年龄的准确限定及大地构造意义

采用锆石SHRIMP U-Pb同位素定年方法,获得新甘交界红柳河蛇绿岩中的堆晶辉长岩年龄为516.2±7.1Ma,代表了红柳河蛇绿岩的形成年龄;侵入到红柳河蛇绿岩中未变形变质的黑云母花岗岩的年龄为404.8±5.2Ma,限定了红柳河蛇绿岩侵位的上限。作为南天山洋壳的残骸,红柳河蛇绿岩新的可靠年龄数据表明,南天山洋在早寒武世已经开始形成,并于早泥盆世埃姆斯阶之前在红柳河地区已经闭合。上述洋盆演化过程对进一步研究东天山的大地构造演化具有重要的意义。     

延边东部五道沟岩群的单颗粒锆石SHRIMP U-Pb 年代学及其地质意义

通过对延边地区东部五道沟岩群黑云阳起石片岩的单颗粒锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄测定.获得21个单点年龄,其中包括7组谐和年龄和1组不谐和年龄.谐和年龄分别为1347.8 Ma、844.8 Ma、340.2～313.7 Ma(平均值为323±23 Ma,N=4,MSWD=0.23,置信度=0.88)、292.9～288.3 Ma(平均值=291±25 Ma,N=3,MSWD=0.031.置信度=0.86)、279.2～266.2 Ma(平均值为279±28 Ma,N=4,MSWD=0.031,置信度=0.86)、127.4～124.2 Ma(206Pb/208U年龄平均值为126.5±3.7 Ma,N=5,MSWD=0.12;置信度=O.97)、116.1～106.3 Ma(平均值为115±39 Ma,N=2,MSWD=1.2置信度=0.27),不谐和年龄的下交点年龄为(451±120)Ma、上交点年龄为(1811±400)Ma(MSWD=7.2);这一结果表明:阳起石片岩的原岩主要是来自中元古代、新元古代和早古生代的碎屑物,指示五道沟群的沉积成岩作用发生在石炭世(323±23 Ma),变质作用发生在晚二叠世(291±25 Ma),之后在279.2～266.2 Ma、126.5～106.3 Ma先后受两次岩浆用和蚀变作用的改造.