Evolution of the Mesozoic Granites in the Xiong''ershan-Waifangshan Region,Western Henan Province,China,and Its Tectonic Implications

Based on the new data of isotopic ages and geochemical analyses, three types of Mesozoic granites have been identified for the Xiong'ershan-Waifangshan region in western Henan Province: high-Ba-SrⅠ-type granite emplaced in the early stage (～160 Ma),Ⅰ-type granite in the middle stage (～130 Ma) and anorogenic A-type granite in the late stage (～115 Ma). Geochemical characteristics of the high-Ba-SrⅠ-type granite suggest that it may have been generated from the thickened lower crust by partial melting with primary residues of amphibole and garnet. Gradual increase of negative Eu anomaly and Sr content variations reflect progressive shallowing of the source regions of these granites from the early to late stage. New 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of the early-stage Wuzhangshan granite (156.0±1.1 Ma, amphibole) and middle-stage Heyu granite (131.8±0.7 Ma, biotite) are indistinguishable from their SHRIMP U-Pb ages previous published, indicating a rapid uplift and erosion in this region. The representative anorogenic A-type granite, Taishanmiao pluton, was emplaced at～115 Ma. The evolution of the granites in this region reveals a tectonic regime change from post-collisional to anorogenic between～160 Ma and～115 Ma. The genesis of the early- and middle-stageⅠ-type granites could be linked to delamination of subducted lithosphere of the Qiniing orogenic belt, while the late-stage A-type granites represent the onset of extension and the end of orogenic process. In fact, along the Qiniing -Dabie-Sulu belt, the Mesozoic granitoids in western Henan, Dabieshan and Jiaodong regions are comparable on the basis of these temporal evolutionary stages and their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, which may suggest a similar geodynamic process related to the collision between the North China and Yangtze cratons.     

Soil and landscape studies in Western Aaustralia

The nature of the valley forms, and associated superficial deposits and soils of the South‐West Drainage Division of Western Australia are described. All the major rivers tap interior palaeo‐drainage lines associated with chains of salt lakes; thereafter, downstream, there is a succession of valley forms which are progressively more sharply incised and of steeper gradient. It is shown that this succession is repeated in all major rivers. The main palaeo‐drainage systems are named for the first time, and their catchments delineated. The changes in valley form which occur downstream of the palaeo‐drainage lines are interpreted as stages in rejuvenation of drainage of the epeiro‐genically uplifted Old Plateau of Western Australia. The relationship between the valley forms and patterns of distribution of soils, deeply weathered profiles and superficial deposits is described, and its agricultural, geochemical and hydrological significance briefly discussed.     

Fluid Transfer in High-grade Metamorphic Terrains Intruded by Anorogenic Granites: The Thor Range, Antarctica

A composite intrusive igneous complex in the central mountainrange of Queen Maud Land (Thor Range), Antarctica, displayscharacteristic features of anorogenic granites. A suite of massiveintrusives and various sets of dykes and satellite intrusionsare ferroan, alkalic to alkali–calcic, and weakly peraluminous.An early set of plutons consists of charnockitic alkali-granites;a later group of plutons comprises fayalite Qtz-syenites. Coarsemesoperthite is the dominant mineral in all rocks, quartz isabundant and plagioclase is a minor mineral. Olivine (fayalite)is the characteristic mafic mineral, but subcalcic augite andoccasionally pigeonite or orthopyroxene are present. In mostsamples, amphibole is the dominant mafic mineral and its compositionis close to end-member hastingsite. It contains high concentrationsof F and Cl. Some samples contain igneous fluorite. Thermobarometrysuggests a temperature of 900 ± 25°C and a pressureof 0·4 ± 0·1 GPa for the crystallizationconditions of the pyroxene–olivine assemblages. The solidustemperature of 800–850°C for both suites of plutonicrocks is typical of water-deficient granitic melts. The estimatedlow water activity of 0·3–0·5 at solidusconditions is consistent with the high halogen content of thebulk-rocks and their constituent minerals. In the absence ofan aqueous fluid, the halogens remained in the minerals at thesolidus. Oxygen fugacity stayed below QFM in all igneous rocksabove solidus. This is typical of melts derived from partialmelting of mafic source rocks. The igneous rocks were locallyaffected by at least three distinct episodes of hydration. Asthe melt approached solidus conditions, fayalite and pyroxenewere locally transformed into hastingsite as a result of increasingfugacity of volatile components. Fayalite-free and fayalite-bearingigneous rocks are arranged in banded structures. Subsolidushydration locally modified the igneous rocks and transformedpyroxene- and fayalite-bearing granites into biotite-granitesand hornblende-granites in which all evidence of former high-Thistory was erased. This local hydration of igneous rocks occurredin response to uptake of H₂O that had been given off by gneissicxenoliths as a result of progressing, continuous, dehydrationreactions. The reactions in the gneiss xenoliths were drivenby contact metamorphism. This exchange of H₂O between igneousand metamorphic rocks occurred in a fluid-absent regime at temperaturesof about 750°C. Late reaction veins formed by hydraulicfracturing of the plutonic rocks and indicate the presence ofa low-density fluid phase at amphibolite facies conditions. KEY WORDS: anorogenic granite; fayalite; hastingsite; fluid recycling; Antarctica     

Petrology and geochemistry of the ultramafic–mafic Mawpyut complex,Meghalaya: a Sylhet trap differentiation centre in northeastern India

The present article describes, for the first time, petrological and geochemical details of the Mawpyut differentiated complex which is related to the Sylhet trap located at Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, northeastern India. The Mawpyut complex occurs as an arcuate body that intrudes into the surrounding Shillong Group rocks. The complex in general contains ‘ultramafic’ and ‘mafic’ rocks, as well as minor syenitic veins that postdate the main units. The lithotypes correspond to cumulate and noncumulate units. The cumulate unit is represented by olivine clinopyroxenite, clinopyroxenite, plagioclase‐bearing ultramafic, olivine gabbronorite, mela‐gabbronorite, melagabbro, orthopyroxene gabbro, and gabbro, all with a pronounced cumulus texture. The noncumulate unit is marked by gabbro, monzonite, monzodiorite, and quartzsyenite. The use of several major and trace element variation diagrams suggests that magmatic differentiation led to the formation of cumulate and noncumulate units. In chondrite‐normalized REE diagrams the cumulate rocks show flat LREE and MREE patterns and a moderate positive Eu anomaly (in plagioclase‐bearing ultramafics) due to plagioclase cumulation. The rocks of the noncumulate unit show a strongly fractionated REE pattern and no Eu anomaly. The noncumulate mafic rocks are geochemically comparable to high‐phosphorous/high‐titanium basalts (HPT) indicative of low pressure fractional crystallization. In a primitive mantle‐normalized multielement diagram some of the cumulate rocks show pronounced negative anomalies for K and P, indicating anorogenic mafic magmatism in a within‐plate setting. The rocks of the noncumulate unit show a slight negative anomaly for Yb and a Nb–Ta trough, indicating a subduction‐related signature that perhaps is inherited from subducted sedimentary rocks incorporated during crustal contamination of the derived magma (left after crystal cumulation) with country rocks. Various trace element ratios for the cumulate mafic rocks indicate parent EMI/EMII/HIMU sources with a very limited crustal signature. The noncumulate mafic rocks (corresponding to the derived evolved magma) indicate EMI/EMII/HIMU sources with a pronounced crustal contamination. The Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of the Mawpyut samples typically plot in the continental flood basalt field, with an affinity to the EMII source. The isotopic compositions of the noncumulate rocks also clearly indicate crustal contamination. We suggest that partial melting (involving garnet in the residue) of the enriched mantle source EMI/EMII/HIMU could have derived the parental melt; this melt, in turn, underwent assimilation and fractional crystallization to produce the variety of cumulate‐noncumulate lithologies of the Mawpyut complex. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeogeography and crustal evolution of the Ossa–Morena Zone,southwest Iberia,and the North Gondwana margin during the Cambro-Ordovician: a review of isotopic evidence

Cambro-Ordovician palaeogeography and fragmentation of the North Gondwana margin is still not very well understood. Here we address this question using isotopic data to consider the crustal evolution and palaeogeographic position of the, North Gondwana, Iberian Massif Ossa–Morena Zone (OMZ). The OMZ preserves a complex tectonomagmatic history: late Neoproterozoic Cadomian orogenesis (ca. 650–550 Ma); Cambro-Ordovician rifting (ca. 540–450 Ma); and Variscan orogenesis (ca. 390–305 Ma). We place this evolution in the context of recent North Gondwana Cambro-Ordovician palaeogeographic reconstructions that suggest more easterly positions, adjacent to the Sahara Metacraton, for other Iberian Massif zones. To do this we compiled an extensive new database of published late Proterozoic–Palaeozoic Nd model ages and detrital and magmatic zircon age data for (i) the Iberian Massif and (ii) North Gondwana Anti-Atlas West African Craton, Tuareg Shield, and Sahara Metacraton. The Nd model ages of OMZ Cambro-Ordovician crustal-derived magmatism and Ediacaran-Ordovician sedimentary rocks range from ca. 1.9 to 1.6 Ga, with a mode ca. 1.7 Ga. They show the greatest affinity with the Tuareg Shield, with limited contribution of more juvenile material from the Anti-Atlas West African Craton. This association is supported by detrital zircons that have Archaean, Palaeoproterozic, and Neoproterozoic radiometric ages similar to the aforementioned Iberian Massif zones. However, an OMZ Mesoproterozoic gap, with no ca. 1.0 Ga cluster, is different from other zones but, once more, similar to the westerly Tuareg Shield distribution. This places the OMZ in a more easterly position than previously thought but still further west than other Iberian zones. It has been proposed that in the Cambro-Ordovician the North Gondwana margin rifted as the Rheic Ocean opened diachronously from west to east. Thus, the more extensive rift-related magmatism in the westerly OMZ than in other, more easterly, Iberian Massif zones fits our new proposed palaeogeographic reconstruction.     

内蒙古东北部阿龙山地区早白垩世A型花岗岩特征及其意义

内蒙古东北部阿龙山地区的早白垩世花岗岩岩体就位于火山喷发形成的塌陷破火山口中央或火山断裂中,岩石类型有石英二长（斑）岩、晶洞正长花岗岩、文象碱长石英正长岩等。岩石普遍具文象结构、晶洞构造,但未见碱性暗色矿物;岩石化学上具高硅、富碱和富铝、低钛镁等特征,且岩石中富集高场强元素（HFSE）,在微量元素蛛网图中出现Sr、Ba相对亏损,稀土配分曲线呈轻稀土富集的不对称右倾“海鸥”型,δEu亏损中等,岩石具较低的εNd（t）值（-3．00）和低的86Sr／87Sr初始值（0．708734）。以上岩体的岩石学、主微量元素及同位素特征表明,岩体具有铝质A1型花岗岩的特征,其成因与陆内巨量火山喷发造成的伸展、崩塌机制有关,反映了非造山板内拉张的构造环境。     

Granulite facies metamorphism, palaeo-isotherms and disturbance of the U-Pb systematics of zircon in anorogenic plutonic rocks from the Adirondack Highlands

Abstract In the Adirondack Highlands of New York State, the effect of granulite facies metamorphism on the physical and isotopic characteristics of zircon from anorogenic plutonic rocks has a distinct geographical pattern. The location of zircon populations which appear to have been altered describes a roughly circular area where metamorphic palaeotemperatures have been determined to be in excess of 750° C. Zircons from anorogenic plutonic rocks outside this area were undisturbed during metamorphism and yield well constrained ages. Granitic, charnockitic and mangeritic anorogenic plutonic rocks peripheral to the Marcy anorthosite massif have large, euhedral, prismatic zircons that display fine, internal, magmatic growth zonations and abundant, randomly orientated, mineral inclusions. Co-genetic zircon fractions yield linear discordant arrays and well constrained upper intercepts of 1125–1157 Ma. Metamorphic zircon is limited to sporadically developed and volumetrically insignificant, clear, low-U overgrowths or protuberances. In marked contrast, zircons from petrographically and geochemically identical rocks adjacent to, or within, the Marcy anorthosite massif are typically large, limpid, anhedral to subhedral crystals or crystal fragments lacking internal features except for tubular cavities and CO-₂-rich inclusions. Co-genetic zircon fractions yield nearly concordant, non-linear clusters with ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb minimum ages of 1073–1095 Ma. Metamorphic overgrowths cannot be readily identified by optical or cathodoluminscence techniques; however, many grains show complex and unusual external boundaries suggestive of post-crystallization modification. These data indicate that temperatures as low as 750° C, in combination with other factors, may have been sufficient to facilitate recrystallization, and diffusion of radiogenic Pb from the zircon crystal structure, during the complex, protracted metamorphism of the Adirondack Highlands.     

Evolution of the Mesozoic Granites in the Xiong''''ershan-Waifangshan Region,Western Henan Province,China,and Its Tectonic Implications

Based on the new data of isotopic ages and geochemical analyses, three types of Mesozoic granites have been identified for the Xiong'ershan-Waifangshan region in western Henan Province: high-Ba-SrⅠ-type granite emplaced in the early stage (～160 Ma),Ⅰ-type granite in the middle stage (～130 Ma) and anorogenic A-type granite in the late stage (～115 Ma). Geochemical characteristics of the high-Ba-SrⅠ-type granite suggest that it may have been generated from the thickened lower crust by partial melting with primary residues of amphibole and garnet. Gradual increase of negative Eu anomaly and Sr content variations reflect progressive shallowing of the source regions of these granites from the early to late stage. New 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of the early-stage Wuzhangshan granite (156.0±1.1 Ma, amphibole) and middle-stage Heyu granite (131.8±0.7 Ma, biotite) are indistinguishable from their SHRIMP U-Pb ages previous published, indicating a rapid uplift and erosion in this region. The representative anorogenic A-type granite, Taishanmiao pluton, was emplaced at～115 Ma. The evolution of the granites in this region reveals a tectonic regime change from post-collisional to anorogenic between～160 Ma and～115 Ma. The genesis of the early- and middle-stageⅠ-type granites could be linked to delamination of subducted lithosphere of the Qiniing orogenic belt, while the late-stage A-type granites represent the onset of extension and the end of orogenic process. In fact, along the Qiniing -Dabie-Sulu belt, the Mesozoic granitoids in western Henan, Dabieshan and Jiaodong regions are comparable on the basis of these temporal evolutionary stages and their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, which may suggest a similar geodynamic process related to the collision between the North China and Yangtze cratons.     

Evolution of the Mesozoic Granites in the Xiong＇ershan-Waifangshan Region, Western Henan Province, China, and Its Tectonic Implications

Based on the new data of isotopic ages and geochemical analyses, three types of Mesozoic granites have been identified for the Xiong'ershan-Waifangshan region in western Henan Province: high-Ba-Sr I-type granite emplaced in the early stage (～160 Ma), I-type granite in the middle stage (～130 Ma) and anorogenic A-type granite in the late stage (～115 Ma).Geochemical characteristics of the high-Ba-Sr I-type granite suggest that it may have been generated from the thickened lower crust by partial melting with primary residues of amphibole and garnet. Gradual increase of negative Eu anomaly and Sr content variations reflect progressive shallowing of the source regions of these granites from the early to late stage. New 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of the early-stage Wuzhangshan granite (156.0±1.1 Ma, amphibole) and middle-stage Heyu granite (131.8±0.7 Ma, biotite) are indistinguishable from their SHRIMP U-Pb ages previous published, indicating a rapid uplift and erosion in this region. The representative anorogenic A-type granite, Taishanmiao pluton, was emplaced at ～115 Ma. The evolution of the granites in this region reveals a tectonic regime change from post-collisional to anorogenic between ～160 Ma and ～115 Ma. The genesis of the early- and middle-stage I-type granites could be linked to delamination of subducted lithosphere of the Qinling orogenic belt, while the late-stage A-type granites represent the onset of extension and the end of orogenic process. In fact, along the Qinling -Dabie-Sulu belt, the Mesozoic granitoids in western Henan, Dabieshan and Jiaodong regions are comparable on the basis of these temporal evolutionary stages and their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios,which may suggest a similar geodynamic process related to the collision between the North China and Yangtze cratons.     

内蒙古东乌旗碱性侵入岩的时代、成因及地质意义

内蒙古东乌旗西部的碱性侵入岩为碱性花岗岩和石英正长岩组合,含钠铁闪石.采用LA-MC-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb法对2件碱性花岗岩样品进行年代学研究.定年结果分别为272.3±0.7 Ma和271.7±0.7 Ma,属早二叠世晚期.13件样品的地球化学数据显示:碱性花岗岩具高SiO2(72.62％～78.46％),富碱(K2O+Na2O=7.54％～9.80％),贫CaO(0.66％～0.91％)、MgO(0.07％～0.31％)的特征,铝饱和指数A/CNK为0.87～0.99,碱性指数NK/A为0.91～1.04,属准铝质-过碱质碱性岩系列;稀土总量中等(∑REE=146.4×10-6～389.0×10-6),轻重稀土分馏均较弱-(La/Yb)N 3.74～6.83],强烈的负Eu异常(δEu为0.12～0.36);贫Ba、Sr、P、Ti,富Rb、Th、U、Hf等元素,显示“A1”型花岗岩的特征.石英正长岩与碱性花岗岩相比较,Ba的含量(554×10-6～1230×10-6)显著高于后者(Ba=74×10-6～207×10-6),Eu负异常缺失(δEu=0.94～1.24),可能由岩浆源区深度的差异造成的.二者均具非常低Sr(27.20×10-6～157.00×10-6,2个样品大于100×10-6)和高Yb(2.08×10-6～7.26×10-6,除P24-11-1为1.36×10-6)的特征,与板内花岗岩特征一致.综上,我们认为东乌旗碱性侵入岩可能为造山后-非造山伸展体制岩浆作用的产物,标志着大约在272Ma兴蒙造山带部分造山演化可能处于造山后向非造山构造转换阶段.