Interpretation of subhorizontal crustal reflections by metamorphic and rheologic effects in the eastern part of the Pannonian Basin

The geologic origin of subhorizontal reflections, often observed in crustal seismic sections, was investigated by establishing metamorphic facies and strength of rocks in depth, and correlating these properties to seismic reflection sections from eastern Hungary. Estimation of the depths of metamorphic mineral stability zones utilized the principles developed by Fyfe et al. and known geothermal data of the area. The strength versus depth profile was derived by relating local seismic P -wave interval velocities to Meissner et al. 's activation energy. The results show that the series of subhorizontal reflections, observed in the Pannonian Basin, are a consequence of combined metamorphic and rheologic changes in depths. The synthesis of the integrated data set suggests that the retrograde alteration of the pre-Tertiary basement above the percolation threshold was made possible by the softening effect of shear zones and their water-conducting capacity. The subhorizontal reflections of highest energy, of the consolidated crust below the percolation threshold, originate in the depths of greenschist, amphibolite and granulite metamorphic mineral facies, which were formed in geothermal and pressure conditions similar to those existing today. These results imply the overprint of earlier (Variscan) metamorphic sequences of the crust by more recent retrograde metamorphic processes.     

Calculated Phase Relations in the System Na2O-CaO-K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O with Applications to UHP Eclogites and Whiteschists

Pressure–temperature grids in the system Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O and its subsystems have been calculatedin the range 15–45 kbar and 550–900°C, usingan internally consistent thermodynamic dataset and new thermodynamicmodels for amphibole, white mica, and clinopyroxene, with thesoftware THERMOCALC. Minerals considered for the grids includegarnet, omphacite, diopside, jadeite, hornblende, actinolite,glaucophane, zoisite, lawsonite, kyanite, coesite, quartz, talc,muscovite, paragonite, biotite, chlorite, and plagioclase. Compatibilitydiagrams are used to illustrate the phase relationships in thegrids. Coesite-bearing eclogites and a whiteschist from Chinaare used to demonstrate the ability of pseudosections to modelphase relationships in natural ultrahigh-pressure metamorphicrocks. Under water-saturated conditions, chlorite-bearing assemblagesin Mg- and Al-rich eclogites are stable at lower temperaturesthan in Fe-rich eclogites. The relative temperature stabilityof the three amphiboles is hornblende > actinolite > glaucophane(amphibole names used sensu lato). Talc-bearing assemblagesare stable only at low temperature and high pressure in Mg-and Al-rich eclogites. For most eclogite compositions, talccoexists with lawsonite, but not zoisite, in the stability fieldof coesite. Water content contouring of pressure–temperaturepseudosections, along with appropriate geotherms, provides newconstraints concerning dehydration of such rocks in subductingslabs. Chlorite and lawsonite are two important H₂O-carriersin subducting slabs. Depending on bulk composition and pressure–temperaturepath, amphibole may or may not be a major H₂O-carrier to depth.In most cases, dehydration to make ultrahigh-pressure eclogitestakes place gradually, with H₂O content controlled by divariantor higher variance assemblages. Therefore, fluid fluxes in subductionzones are likely to be continuous, with the rate of dehydrationchanging with changing pressure and temperature. Further, eclogitesof different bulk compositions dehydrate differently. Dehydrationof Fe-rich eclogite is nearly complete at relatively shallowdepth, whereas Mg- and Al-rich eclogites dehydrate continuouslydown to greater depth. KEY WORDS: dehydration; eclogites; phase relations; THERMOCALC; UHP metamorphism; whiteschists     

Ca-rich Garnet-Clinopyroxene Rocks at Hujialin in the Su-Lu Terrane (Eastern China): Deeply Subducted Arc Cumulates?

Layers of Ca-rich garnet–clinopyroxene rocks enclosedin a serpentinite body at Hujialin, in the Su–Lu terraneof eastern China, preserve igneous textures, relict spinel ingarnet, and exsolution lamellae of Ca-rich garnet, ilmenite/magnetite,Fe-rich spinel, and also amphibole in clinopyroxene. In termsof their major and trace element compositions, the studied samplesform a trend from arc cumulates towards Fe–Ti gabbros.Reconstructed augite compositions plot on the trend for clinopyroxenein arc cumulates. These data suggest that the rocks crystallizedfrom mantle-derived magmas differentiated to various extentsbeneath an arc. The Ca-rich garnet + diopside assemblage isinferred to have formed by compressing Ca-rich augite, whereasthe relatively Mg-rich cores of garnet porphyroblasts may haveformed at the expense of spinel. The protolith cumulates weresubducted from near the crust–mantle boundary (c. 1 GPa)deep into the upper mantle (4·8 ± 0·6 GPaand 750 ± 50°C). Negatively sloped P–T pathsfor the garnet–clinopyroxene rocks and the corollary ofcorner flow induced subduction of mantle wedge peridotite arenot supported by the available data. Cooling with, or without,decompression of the cumulates after the igneous stage probablyoccurred prior to deep subduction. KEY WORDS: arc cumulates; Ca-rich garnet; garnet–clinopyroxene rocks; Su–Lu terrane; UHP metamorphism     

High-T, low-P metamorphism in the Palaeoproterozoic Halls Creek Orogen, northern Australia: the middle crustal response to a mantle-related transient thermal pulse

High‐T, low‐P metamorphic rocks of the Palaeoproterozoic central Halls Creek Orogen in northern Australia are characterised by low radiogenic heat production, high upper crustal thermal gradients (locally exceeding 40 °C km^?1) sustained for over 30 Myr, and a large number of layered mafic‐ultramafic intrusions with mantle‐related geochemical signatures. In order to account for this combination of geological and thermal characteristics, we model the middle crustal response to a transient mantle‐related heat pulse resulting from a temporary reduction in the thickness of the mantle lithosphere. This mechanism has the potential to raise mid‐crustal temperatures by 150–400 °C within 10–20 Myr following initiation of the mantle temperature anomaly, via conductive dissipation through the crust. The magnitude and timing of maximum temperatures attained depend strongly on the proximity, duration and lateral extent of the thermal anomaly in the mantle lithosphere, and decrease sharply in response to anomalies that are seated deeper than 50–60 km, maintained for <5 Myr in duration and/or have half‐widths <100 km. Maximum temperatures are also intimately linked to the thermal properties of the model crust, primarily due to their influence on the steady‐state (background) thermal gradient. The amplitudes of temperature increases in the crust are principally a function of depth, and are broadly independent of crustal thermal parameters. Mid‐crustal felsic and mafic plutonism is a predictable consequence of perturbed thermal regimes in the mantle and the lowermost crust, and the advection of voluminous magmas has the potential to raise temperatures in the middle crust very quickly. Although pluton‐related thermal signatures significantly dissipate within <10 Myr (even for very large, high‐temperature intrusive bodies), the interaction of pluton‐ and mantle‐related thermal effects has the potential to maintain host rock temperatures in excess of 400–450 °C for up to 30 Myr in some parts of the mid‐crust. The numerical models presented here support the notion that transient mantle‐related heat sources have the capacity to contribute significantly to the thermal budget of metamorphism in high‐T, low‐P metamorphic belts, especially in those characterised by low surface heat flow, very high peak metamorphic geothermal gradients and abundant mafic intrusions.     

Constraints on the application of carbon isotope thermometry in high- to ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic terranes

Nine marble horizons from the granulite facies terrane of southern India were examined in detail for stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in calcite and carbon isotopes in graphite. The marbles in Trivandrum Block show coupled lowering of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values in calcite and heterogeneous single crystal δ¹³C values (? 1 to ? 10‰) for graphite indicating varying carbon isotope fractionation between calcite and graphite, despite the granulite facies regional metamorphic conditions. The stable isotope patterns suggest alteration of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values in marbles by infiltration of low δ¹³C–δ¹⁸O‐bearing fluids, the extent of alteration being a direct function of the fluid‐rock ratio. The carbon isotope zonation preserved in graphite suggests that the graphite crystals precipitated/recrystallized in the presence of an externally derived CO₂‐rich fluid, and that the infiltration had occurred under high temperature and low f_O2 conditions during metamorphism. The onset of graphite precipitation resulted in a depletion of the carbon isotope values of the remaining fluid+calcite carbon reservoir, following a Rayleigh‐type distillation process within fluid‐rich pockets/pathways in marbles resulting in the observed zonation. The results suggest that calcite–graphite thermometry cannot be applied in marbles that are affected by external carbonic fluid infiltration. However, marble horizons in the Madurai Block, where the effect of fluid infiltration is not detected, record clear imprints of ultrahigh temperature metamorphism (800–1000 °C), with fractionations reaching <2‰. Zonation studies on graphite show a nominal rimward lowering δ¹³C on the order of 1 to 2‰. The zonation carries the imprint of fluid deficient/absent UHT metamorphism. Commonly, calculated core temperatures are > 1000 °C and would be consistent with UHT metamorphism.     

Mechanisms of coal metamorphism: case studies from Paleozoic coalfields

Controls on coal metamorphism can be complex. In this paper, we examine four Paleozoic coalfields: the western Kentucky portion of the Illinois Basin, the Pennsylvania anthracite fields, the South Wales Coalfield, and the Bowen Basin. An increase in temperature with depth of burial is certainly a factor in coal metamorphism. In many coalfields, however, including the coalfields reviewed here, it has become apparent that such a simple mechanism does not explain the coal rank patterns observed. The flow of hydrothermal fluids through the coals has been proposed as a cause of coal metamorphism. Evidence includes inverted rank gradients, elevated CFL as an indicator of brine fluids, isotopic evidence for hydrothermal fluids, and vein and cleat mineral assemblages. In any case, multiple hypotheses must often be evaluated in the examination of any coalfield since the simple paradigm of coal rank increases with a simple increase in temperature with increasing depth does not fit the evidence observed in many cases.     

南向行星际磁场事件与磁暴关系的研究

利用172-182年IMP-8飞船的太阳风观测资料和相应地磁活动性指数Dst和AE,研究了43个南向行星际磁场事件期间太阳风和磁层的耦合问题. 与这43个事件对应的地磁暴是中等的和强的磁暴(Dst＜-50nT). 结果表明:(1) 在43个事件中有11个(约占25.6髎)紧随激波之后,18个处于激波下游流场中(占42髎),其余14个(占33髎)和激波没有关连. 绝大多数事件都伴有太阳风动压和总磁场强度的增加;(2) 当行星际晨昏向电场强度EI＞-4mV/m时,只引起磁亚暴,对Dst指数没有明显影响. 仅当EI＜-5mV/m时,磁亚暴和磁暴才会同时出现;(3) 太阳风动压的增加会增强能量向环电流的输入,但不是密度和速度单独起作用,而是以PK=ρV2的组合形式影响能量的输入;(4) 虽然行星际磁场(IMF)南向分量BZ对太阳风和磁层的耦合起着关键作用,但IMF的BX和BY分量相对于BZ的大小对太阳风向磁层的能量传输也有一定影响. 当BX、BY相对BZ较大时能量耦合加强.     

庐山星子群变质岩的变质作用P-T条件研究

对分布于扬子块体南缘古元古代星子群变质宏的变质作用研究表明，它们普遍经历了角闪岩相的变质，其变质温度为480℃-580℃，压力在300MPa-500MPa之间。这与扬子块体南缘其他元古代地层仅经历了轻微变质的事实截然不同，表明星子群变质岩具有独特的构造演化历史。越来越多的研究发现，星子群变质岩是由地壳伸展作用引发的、来源于下地壳的前寒武纪变质基底，它并不是来源于华夏块体的“飞来峰”。     

吉林延边开山屯地区蓝片岩相变质作用——来自硬绿泥石＋纤锰柱石＋多硅白云母组合的证据

吉林延边开山屯低级变质作用发育于兴凯地块西南晚古生代活动大陆边缘，这里产出二叠纪末的消减增生杂岩。低级变质作用矿物除冻蓝闪石、阳起石、玉髓、黝帘石、多硅白云母、绿泥石、钠长石外，还在灰黑色变泥质岩中发现硬绿泥石 纤锰柱石 多硅白云母组合。这是国内首次报道的以泥质岩为原岩并具有硬绿泥石 纤锰柱石标志矿物组合的蓝片岩相岩石。研究表明，该组合的形成温度290．14(或370．8)℃，具明显的低温特征。