Ionprobe U-Pb zircon ages from the high-pressure/low-temperature mélange of Syros, Greece: age diversity and the importance of pre-Eocene subduction

The Cycladic blueschist belt in the central Aegean Sea has experienced high‐pressure (HP) metamorphism during collisional processes between the Apulian microplate and Eurasia. The general geological and tectonometamorphic framework is well documented, but one aspect which is yet not sufficiently explored is the importance of HP mélanges which occur within volcano‐sedimentary successions. Unresolved issues concern the range in magmatic and metamorphic ages recorded by mélange blocks and the significance of eventual pre‐Eocene HP metamorphism. These aspects are here addressed in a U‐Pb zircon study focusing on the block–matrix association exposed on the island of Syros. Two gneisses from a tectonic slab of this mélange, consisting of an interlayered felsic gneiss‐glaucophanite sequence, yielded zircon ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 240.1 ± 4.1 and 245.3 ± 4.9 Ma, respectively, similar to Triassic ages determined on zircon in meta‐volcanic rocks from structurally coherent sequences elsewhere in the Cyclades. This strongly suggests that parts of these successions have been incorporated in the mélanges and provides the first geochronological evidence that the provenance of mélange blocks/slabs is neither restricted to a single source nor confined to fragments of oceanic lithosphere. Zircon from a jadeitite and associated alteration zones (omphacitite, glaucophanite and chlorite‐actinolite rock) all yielded identical ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of c. 80 Ma. Similar Cretaceous U‐Pb zircon ages previously reported for mélange blocks have been interpreted by different authors to reflect magmatic or metamorphic ages. The present study adds a further argument in favour of the view that zircon formed newly in some rock types at c. 80 Ma, due to hydrothermal or metasomatic processes in a subduction zone environment, and supports the interpretation that the Cycladic blueschist belt records both Cretaceous and Eocene HP episodes and not only a single Tertiary HP event.     

40Ar/39Ar and oxygen isotope studies of polymetamorphism from Tinos Island, Cycladic blueschist belt, Greece

Abstract Petrological, oxygen isotope and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar studies were used to constrain the Tertiary metamorphic evolution of the lower tectonic unit of the Cyclades on Tinos. Polyphase high-pressure metamorphism reached pressures in excess of 15 kbar, based on measurements of the Si content in potassic white mica. Temperatures of 450–500° C at the thermal peak of high-pressure metamorphism were estimated from critical metamorphic assemblages, the validity of which is confirmed by a quartz–magnetite oxygen isotope temperature of 470° C. Some ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar spectra of white mica give plateau ages of 44–40 Ma that are considered to represent dynamic recrystallization under peak or slightly post-peak high-pressure metamorphic conditions. Early stages in the prograde high-pressure evolution may be documented by older apparent ages in the high-temperature steps of some spectra. Eclogite to epidote blueschist facies mineralogies were partially or totally replaced by retrograde greenschist facies assemblages during exhumation. Oxygen isotope thermometry of four quartz–magnetite pairs from greenschist samples gives temperatures of 440–470° C which cannot be distinguished from those deduced for the high-pressure event. The exhumation and overprint is documented by decreasing ages of 32–28 Ma in some greenschists and late-stage blueschist rocks, and ages of 30–20 Ma in the lower temperature steps of the Ar release patterns of blueschist micas. Almost flat parts of Ar–Ar release spectra of some greenschist micas gave ages of 23–21 Ma which are assumed to represent incomplete resetting caused by a renewed prograde phase of greenschist metamorphism. Oxygen isotope compositions of blueschist and greenschist facies minerals show no evidence for the infiltration of a δ¹⁸O-enriched fluid. Rather, the compositions indicate that fluid to rock ratios were very low, the isotopic compositions being primarily controlled by those of the protolith rocks. We assume that the fundamental control catalysing the transformation of blueschists into greenschists and the associated resetting of their isotopic systems was the selective infiltration of metamorphic fluid. A quartz–magnetite sample from a contact metamorphic skarn, taken near the Miocene monzogranite of Tinos, gave an oxygen isotope temperature of 555° C and calculated water composition of 9.1%. The value of δ¹⁸O obtained from this water is consistent with a primary magmatic fluid, but is lower than that of fluids associated with the greenschist overprint, which indicates that the latter event cannot be directly related to the monozogranite intrusion.     

Zr-in-rutile thermometry in blueschists from Sifnos, Greece

Zr-in-rutile thermometry on samples of blueschist from Sifnos, Greece, yields temperatures that reflect progressive crystallization of rutile from ca. 445 to 505°C with an analytical precision of + 18/−27 and ± 10°C using the electron microprobe and ± 1.5–3.5°C using the ion microprobe. Individual grains are generally homogeneous within analytical uncertainty. Different grains within a single sample record temperature differences as large 55°, although in most samples the range of temperatures is on the order of 25°. In several samples, Zr-in-rutile temperatures from grains within garnet are lower than temperatures from matrix grains, reflecting growth of rutile with increasing temperature of metamorphism. Although the specific rutile-producing reactions have not been identified, it is inferred that rutile grows from either continuous reaction involving the breakdown of lower grade phases (possibly ilmenite), or from pseudomorph reactions involving the breakdown of relic igneous precursors at blueschist-facies conditions. No systematic variation in rutile temperatures was observed across the blueschist belt of northern Sifnos, consistent with the belt having behaved as a coherent block during subduction.     

The influence of marine inflows on the chemical composition of groundwater in small islands: the example of the Cyclades (Greece)

 Marine contamination of groundwater may be caused by seawater intrusion and by salt spray. The role of both processes was studied in the Cyclades archipelago on four small islands (45–195 km²) whose aquifers consist essentially of fractured, weathered metamorphic rocks. Annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 650 mm and precipitation has high total dissolved solids contents of 45–223 mg l^–1. The chemical characteristics of the groundwater, whose salinity is from 0.4 to 22 g l^–1, are strongly influenced by seawater intrusion. However, the effect of atmospheric input is shown in certain water sampling locations on high ground elevation where the dissolved chloride contents may attain 200 mg l^–1. Received: 14 November 1995 · Accepted: 9 September 1996     

Zircon in amphibolites from Naxos,Aegean Sea,Greece: origin,significance and tectonic setting

We report U–Pb zircon ages of c. 700–550 Ma, 262–220 Ma, 47–38 Ma and 15–14 Ma from amphibolites on Naxos Island in the Aegean extensional province of Greece. The zircon has complex internal structures. Based on cathodoluminescence response, zoning and crosscutting relationships a minimum of four zircon growth stages are identified: inherited core, magmatic core, inner metamorphic (?) rim and an outer metamorphic rim. Trace element compositions of the amphibolites suggest igneous differentiation and crustal assimilation. Zircon solubility as a function of saturation temperatures, Zr content and melt composition indicates that the zircon did not originally crystallize in the mafic bodies but was inherited from felsic precursor rocks, and subsequently assimilated into the mafic intrusives during emplacement. Zircon inheritance is corroborated by the complex, xenocrystic nature of the zircon in one sample. Ages of c. 700–550 Ma and 262–220 Ma are assigned to inherited zircon. Available geochemical data suggest that the 15–14 Ma metamorphic rims grew in situ in the amphibolites, corresponding to a high‐grade metamorphic event at this time. However, the geochemical data cannot conclusively establish if the c. 40 Ma zircon rims also grew in situ, or whether they were inherited along with the xenocrystic cores. Two scenarios for emplacement of the mafic intrusives are discussed: (i) Intrusion during late‐Triassic to Jurassic ocean basin development of the Aegean realm, in which case the 40 Ma zircon rims would have grown in situ, and (ii) emplacement in the Miocene as a result mafic underplating during large‐scale extension. In this case, only the 15–14 Ma metamorphic outer rims would have formed in situ in the amphibolitic host rocks.     

主流海表风场资料在舟山群岛近海的性能评估

再分析风场资料已广泛应用于我国舟山群岛海域可再生能源评估、海洋灾害预防决策以及港口运维和船舶运输等涉海发展领域,然而不同业务机构所提供的再分析数据在舟山近海的性能表现不一,严重阻碍了此类数据的有效应用。基于2018年全年单点浮标观测资料,综合评价了舟山群岛近海面(10 m)风场的长期变化趋势,并利用误差分析和风玫瑰图等统计工具对6种主流海表风场再分析资料,包括:ECMWF第五代全球大气再分析数据(the 5th generation ECMWF atmospheric reanalysis,ERA5)、NECP第二版全球高分辨率再分析数据(climate forecast system version 2,CFSv2)、美国宇航局物理海洋学分布存档中心的多卫星融合资料(cross-calibrated multi-platform,CCMP)、日本55年再分析数据(Japanese 55-year reanalysis,JRA-55)、第二版现代研究与应用回顾性分析数据(modern-era retrospective analysis for research and applications version 2,MERRA-2)和ECMWF哥白尼大气监测服务再分析数据(the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service,CAMS)在时间变化特征上进行了对比与评估。研究表明:在综合性能方面,ERA5对风场的再现能力最优,其次为JRA-55;在要素可信度方面,ERA5对风速的再现情况相对较优,而CFSv2的风向再现情况较好;风场产品在不同季节的模拟能力有所差异;不同风场产品在不同风速区间的重构能力也有所不同;在全年风向分布方面,各再分析资料都存在显著的东向偏差。研究结果为不同应用场景下风场资料的选取提供评估依据,并为进一步开发适用于舟山群岛近海的高精度长周期风场数据产品奠定基础。     

藏北龙木错—双湖—澜沧江板块缝合带发现晚石炭世—早二叠世洋岛型岩石组合

天泉群岛出露于龙木错—双湖—澜沧江板块缝合带的中西段,也是目前该缝合带上所发现的第一套洋岛型岩石组合。通过野外踏勘、剖面测制等对天泉群岛进行了较为详细的研究,结果显示,天泉群岛由9个孤立、岩石组合不同的洋岛组成,其中独泉沟洋岛、屏风岭洋岛的洋岛组分齐全,见玄武岩、灰岩、砾岩、硅质岩等,其他洋岛的洋岛组分不全。天泉群岛与展金组复理石沉积为整合接触,表明其形成时代为晚石炭世—早二叠世。天泉群岛的厘定,说明龙木错—双湖—澜沧江大洋在晚石炭世—早二叠世仍具有成熟的洋壳。该项研究进一步丰富了龙木错—双湖—澜沧江板块缝合带的演化内容,为反演区域地质演化历史提供了依据。     

Consumption,growth and survival of the endemic stream shredder Limnephilus atlanticus (Trichoptera,Limnephilidae) fed with distinct leaf species

Oceanic freshwater communities tend to be species poor but rich in endemism due to their physical isolation. The ecology of endemic freshwater species is, however, poorly known. This study assessed allometric relationships, feeding preferences, growth and survival of larvae of the endemic stream insect Limnephilus atlanticus (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) exposed to four leaf species differing in their physical and chemical characteristics (Ilex perado, Morella faya, Alnus glutinosa and Clethra arborea), in laboratory trials. All regression models used to estimate L. atlanticus dry mass from body and case dimensions and wet mass were significant, but wet mass and body length were the best predictors. Limnephilus atlanticus consumed all the four leaf species offered, but when given a choice, shredders significantly preferred A. glutinosa over the other three leaf species. Relative larval growth rate was significantly higher when L. atlanticus fed on A. glutinosa and I. perado leaves in comparison with the other leaf species. Survival of 95% was found when individuals fed on A. glutinosa leaves while it decreased to 75% when they fed on the other leaf species. Our results suggest that L. atlanticus can be an active shredder and that it exhibits the same basic patterns of food exploitation as its continental counterparts. The lack of an effect of shredders on litter decomposition in Azorean streams revealed by previous studies may thus be due to low densities or to a preference for food resources other than the low quality native litter species.     

Geochemical evidence concerning sources and petrologic evolution of Faial Island,Central Azores

Volcanic rocks that make up Faial Island, Central Azores, consist of four volcano-stratigraphic units, with ages between 730 ka and the present. Lavas range from alkali basalts to trachyandesites and belong to the alkaline-sodic series. The oldest unit is the Ribeirinha Volcanic Complex, generally characterized by low MgO contents. The Cedros Volcanic Complex is composed of basalts to benmoreites with low MgO contents. The Almoxarife Formation represents fissure flows, containing MgO contents similar to to slightly higher than those of the underlying Cedros Volcanic Complex. The youngest unit, the Capelo Formation, consists of mafic rocks with MgO values higher than those of the other units. Bulk-rock major and trace element trends suggest that differentiation of the three earliest units were dominated by fractional crystallization of plagioclase ± clinopyroxene ± olivine ± titanomagnetite. Capelo bulk-rock compositions are the most primitive, and are related to a period when volcanic activity was fed by deep magmatic chambers, and melts ascended more rapidly. Comparison among geochemical patterns of the trace elements suggests a strong similarity between the lavas from Faial and Pico islands. Corvo Island volcanism contrasts with the geochemistry of Faial and Pico lavas, reflecting its strong K and Rb depletion, and Th, U, Ta, Nb, La, and Ce enrichment. Absence of the Daly gap in the Faial volcanics is attributed to early crystallization of Ti-Fe oxides. The probable source of the Faial magma coincides with the MORB-FOZO array, which implies the presence of ancient recycled oceanic crust in the mantle source. Ratios of incompatible trace elements suggest the similarity of Corvo volcanic rocks with magmas derived from HIMU sources, whereas the Faial and Pico volcanic rocks could have been produced from sources very close to EMII-type OIB.     

Holocene volcanic activity in Anjouan Island (Comoros archipelago) revealed by new Cassignol-Gillot groundmass K–Ar and 14C ages

The Comoros archipelago has attracted renewed attention since 2018 due to the submarine volcano growing east of the island of Mayotte and the associated ongoing seismic crisis. However, the origin of Comorian magmatism remains controversial, as it is either interpreted as related to a hotspot trail, to a fracture zone, or to a plate boundary. Lying in the central part of the archipelago, Anjouan is a key island to better understand the relationship between volcanism and geodynamics. Together with a careful selection of published whole-rock K–Ar ages, our new set of 13 groundmass K–Ar ages on lava flows and one radiocarbon age on a charcoal from a strombolian deposit, allow us to reassess the volcano-tectonic evolution of Anjouan Island. New groundmass K–Ar ages lie within the last 1 Ma, i.e. from 899 ± 14 to 11 ± 1 ka. They suggest that most of the subaerial volcanism in Anjouan is much younger than previously inferred, and occurred as pulses at 900–750 ka, perhaps 530 ka, 230–290 ka, and since 60 ka, with erosional periods in between. Among our new data, one ¹⁴C age of 7513–7089 yrs calBCE (9.3 ± 0.2 ka) and five K–Ar ages younger than 60 ka show that recent volcanism occurred in Anjouan. Moreover, the concentration of eruptive vents along a N150° alignment, parallel to the maximum horizontal stress, suggests a strong link between regional tectonics and volcanism. Considering the presence of active volcanoes on both the western and eastern extremities of the Comoros archipelago, our discovery of Holocene activity on Anjouan provides strong arguments against a chronological progression of volcanism along the archipelago, and therefore contradicts the hotspot hypothesis for the origin of volcanism.Finally, this study provides a robust geochronological timeframe of the different volcanic stages of Anjouan. It demonstrates that Anjouan is an active island and suggests that volcanism and tectonics can both resume at any time.