Cenozoic rifting and volcanism in eastern China: a mantle dynamic link to the Indo–Asian collision?

The Indo–Asian continental collision is known to have had a great impact on crustal deformation in south-central Asia, but its effects on the sublithospheric mantle remain uncertain. Studies of seismic anisotropy and volcanism have suggested that the collision may have driven significant lateral mantle flow under the Asian continent, similar to the observed lateral extrusion of Asian crustal blocks. Here we present supporting evidence from P-wave travel time seismic tomography and numerical modeling. The tomography shows continuous low-velocity asthenospheric mantle structures extending from the Tibetan plateau to eastern China, consistent with the notion of a collision-driven lateral mantle extrusion. Numerical simulations suggest that, at the presence of a low-viscosity asthenosphere, continued mass injection under the Indo–Asian collision zone over the past 50 My could have driven significant lateral extrusion of the asthenospheric mantle, leading to diffuse asthenospheric upwelling, rifting, and widespread Cenozoic volcanism in eastern China.     

Numerical Modeling of Basin-Range Tectonics Related to Continent-Continent Collision

Continent-continent collision is the most important driving mechanism for the occurrence of various geological processes in the continental lithosphere. How to recognize and determine continent-continent collision,especially its four-dimensional temporal-spatial evolution, is a subject that geological communities have long been concerned about and studied. Continent-continent collision is mainly manifested by strong underthrnsting (subduction) of the underlying block along an intracontinental subduction zone and continuous obduction (thrusting propagation) of the overlying block along the intracontinental subduction zone, the occurrence of a basin-range tectonic framework in a direction perpendicular to the subduction zone and the flexure and disruption of the Moho. On the basis of numerical modeling, the authors discuss in detail the couplings between various amounts and rates of displacement caused by basin subsidence, mountain uplift and Moho updoming and downflexure during obduction (thrusting propagation) and subduction and the migration pattern of basin centers. They are probably indications or criteria for judgment or determination of continent-continent collision.     

苏北榴辉岩Sm-Nd等时线同位素年龄及地质意义

采用Sm-Nd同位素定年方法，测得江苏北部新沂地区踢球山榴辉岩岩体时代为221.6±8.4 Ma,Sm-Nd年龄被看作为踢球山超高压变质之后板块折返过程中的高压榴辉岩相重结晶阶段年龄。中朝板块与扬子板块碰撞时代主要发生在晚三叠世。     

祁连山地区大地构造演化及其性质特征

祁连山地区大地构造演化历经了元古代至早古生代的地槽阶段、晚古生代的地台阶段和中、新生代的地洼阶段。地槽阶段元古代为陆块奠基、成长和扩展时期，早古生代为洋壳化板缘构造活动和陆间碰撞构造作用时期。地台阶段大型沉积盆地发育。地洼阶段以陆内造山－造盆作用和块断推覆构造活动为特征。祁连山地区遭受了三次不同性质的造山作用：元古代未托莱运动的陆块挤压褶皱造山作用、加里东晚期祁连运动的陆间碰撞造山作用和中、新生代的陆内块断造山作用。由上，祁连山及其邻区的构造单位由北至南划分如下：（１）走廊地洼；（２）北祁连地穹；（３）中祁连洼陷；（４）南祁连地穹；（５）柴达木地洼。     

Tectonic Evolution of the Himalayan Collision Belt

This paper discusses the tectonic divisions of the Himalayan collision belt anddeals with the tectonic evolution of the collision belt in the context of crustal accretion in thefront of the collision belt, deep diapirism and thermal-uplift extension and deep material flow-ing of the lithosphere-backflowing. Finally it proposes a model of the tectonic evolution-progressive intracontinental deformation model-of the Himalayan belt.     

Caledonian high-pressure metamorphism in the Strona-Ceneri Zone (Southern Alps of southern Switzerland and northern Italy)

The Strona-Ceneri Zone comprises a succession of polymetamorphic, pre-Alpidic basement rocks including ortho- and paragneisses, metasedimentary schists, amphibolites, and eclogites. The rock pile represents a Late Proterozoic or Palaeozoic subduction accretion complex that was intruded by Ordovician granitoids. Eclogites, which occur as lenses within the ortho-paragneiss succession and as xenoliths within the granitoids record a subduction related high-pressure event (D1) with peak metamorphic conditions of 710 ± 30 °C at 21.0 ± 2.5 kbar. After isothermal uplift, the eclogites experienced a Barrowtype (D2) tectonometamorphic overprint under amphibolite facies conditions (570-630 °C, 7-9 kbar). U-Pb dating on zircon of the eclogites gives a metamorphic age of 457 ± 5 Ma, and syn-eclogite facies rutile gives a ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 443 ± 19 Ma classifying the subduction as a Caledonian event. These data show that the main tectonometamorphic evolution of the Strona-Ceneri Zone most probably took place in a convergent margin scenario, in which accretion, eclogitization of MOR-basalt, polyphase (D1 and D2) deformation, anatexis and magmatism all occurred during the Ordovician. Caledonian high-pressure metamorphism, subsequent magmatism and Barrow-type metamorphism are believed to be related to subduction and collision within the northern margin of Gondwana. Editorial handling: Edwin Gnos     

青藏高原新生代火山作用与构造演化

青藏高原的新生代火山作用是印度-亚洲大陆碰撞的火山响应,它显示了系统的时、空变化。随着印度-亚洲大陆碰撞从~65 Ma的接触-碰撞(即"软碰撞")转变到~45 Ma的全面碰撞(即"硬碰撞"),火山作用也逐渐从钠质+钾质变为钾质-超钾质+埃达克质。65~40 Ma的钾质和钠质熔岩主要分布于藏南的拉萨地块,少量分布于藏中的羌塘地块。从45~26 Ma,在藏中的羌塘地块中广泛发育钾质-超钾质熔岩和少量埃达克岩。随后的碰撞后火山作用向南迁移,在拉萨地块中产生~26~10 Ma间的同时代超钾质和埃达克质熔岩。尔后,从~18 Ma始,钾质和少量埃达克质火山作用重新向北,在西羌塘和松潘-甘孜地块中呈广泛和半连续状分布。此种时-空变异对形成青藏高原的深部地球动力学过程提供了重要约束。该过程包括:已消减的新特提斯大洋板片的回转、断离及随后增厚拉萨岩石圈根的去根作用,及因此而造成的印度岩石圈向北下插。青藏高原的隆升是自南向北穿时发生的。高原南部被创建于渐新世晚期,并保持至今;直到中新世中期,由于下插印度岩石圈的持续向北推挤,西羌塘和松潘-甘孜岩石圈的下部开始塌陷和拆离,高原北部才达到其现今的高度和规模。     

西秦岭关家沟组地层时代、物源及其构造响应

在西秦岭关家沟组贾昌沟砂板岩所夹的硅质岩层中发现晚石炭世和晚二叠世的古生物化石;在关家沟组砾岩中所采的花岗质和火山质砾石,利用氩-氩(40Ar/39Ar)法测年所获得的年龄为晚三叠世。对关家沟组物源及其古水流分析,其古水流方向230°~356°,其物源主要来自南东侧活动大陆边缘的碧口岛弧,且秦岭全面碰撞造山期为早中生代。由此,初步推测关家沟组形成时代可能与秦岭全面碰撞造山为同期——早中生代。     

海南抱伦金矿区辉绿岩脉的成因及其对金成矿的启示

海南抱伦金矿区的金矿脉与大量辉绿岩脉在空间上紧密相关。在详细的野外地质调查基础上,本文对这些辉绿岩脉开展了岩相学和矿相学观察、全岩主量和微量元素分析、Sm-Nd同位素组成分析、金丰度分析以及SHRIMP锆石U-Pb定年,初步探讨了辉绿岩脉的成因、岩浆演化和构造背景以及与金成矿作用的关系。地球化学分析结果表明,辉绿岩脉形成于拉斑玄武质岩浆,主要为左倾型的稀土配分模式;相对N-MORB,富集Sr、K、Rb和Ba等LILE和Th,亏损HFSE,ε_(Nd)(t)为0. 3～5. 6,说明岩浆源区为受到俯冲带含水流体影响和少量地壳混染的亏损地幔。辉绿岩脉的SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄为231. 6±2. 6Ma,与尖峰岭花岗质岩体的年龄(236±3. 5Ma～249±5Ma)相近,产出位置相邻,类似于海南兴隆地区的双峰式侵入岩,表明它们产出于造山后伸展环境。辉绿岩脉对应的岩浆富含CO_2、H_2O、F、K、Rb、Ba和适量的S,为抱伦金矿等单金矿床中Au的合适载体。金丰度分析结果表明,辉绿岩脉中的Au曾被活化迁移。再结合辉绿岩脉成岩年龄与抱伦矿区的成矿年龄在误差范围内一致的特征,认为抱伦金矿的Au可能来源于辉绿岩脉。     

Deep root of a continent-continent collision belt: Evidence from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) deep borehole in the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (HP-UHP) metamorphic terrane, China

The Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) deep borehole, which reached a depth of 5158 m in the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane, provides a new window into the deep root of a continent-continent collision belt, and the tectonic processes by which supracrustal material is recycled into the mantle by subduction and then uplifted to the surface. Major research themes of the CCSD project were to: (1) determine the three-dimensional composition, structure and geophysical character of the deep root of this orogenic belt; (2) investigate the nature and timing of the UHP metamorphism; (3) investigate the processes of crust-mantle interaction involved in the formation and exhumation of the UHP rocks; (4) study the process of fluid circulation and mineralization during subduction and exhumation; (5) study the rheological properties of the various rocks during subduction and exhumation; (6) develop and refine dynamic models for deep subduction and exhumation of crustal rocks, and (7) establish a long-term, natural laboratory for the study of present-day crustal dynamics (e.g., stress, strain, fluid activity). The CCSD has developed precise oriented profiles of the main borehole in terms of lithology, geochemistry, oxygen isotopes, zircon SHRIMP U-Pb ages, ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar ages, deformation, rheology, mineralization, physical properties of the rocks, petrophysical logs, seismic reflections and underground fluids. The present paper summarizes the integrated research results of this project, especially the new findings concerning the deep root of a continent-continent collision.