Continental crust and lithospheric mantle interaction beneath North China: isotopic evidence from granulite xenoliths in Hannuoba, Sino-Korean craton

Mafic granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from Cenozoic alkaline basalts at Hannuoba, Hebei Province, North China have been selected for a systematic geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic study, which provides a unique opportunity to explore nature of the lower crust and the interaction between the continental crust and lithospheric mantle beneath an Archean craton. The major, compatible and incompatible elements and radiogenic isotopes of these xenoliths suggest great chemical heterogeneity of the lower crust beneath the Hannuoba region. Petrological and geochemical evidences indicate a clear cumulate origin, and most likely, they are related to basaltic underplating in different geological episodes. However, the Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the xenoliths reveal a profound enriched source signature (EM I) with some influence of EM II, which implies that some portion of pre-existing, old metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle could have played an important role in their genesis. It is suggested that the interaction between continental crust and subcontinental mantle as manifested by basaltic underplating would be closely related to regional tectonic episodes and geodynamic processes in the deep part of subcontinental lithospheric mantle.     

Crustal structure of the continental margin of Korea in the East Sea (Japan Sea) from deep seismic sounding data: evidence for rifting affected by the hotter than normal mantle

Despite the various opening models of the southwestern part of the East Sea (Japan Sea) between the Korean Peninsula and the Japan Arc, the continental margin of the Korean Peninsula remains unknown in crustal structure. As a result, continental rifting and subsequent seafloor spreading processes to explain the opening of the East Sea have not been adequately addressed. We investigated crustal and sedimentary velocity structures across the Korean margin into the adjacent Ulleung Basin from multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection and ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) data. The Ulleung Basin shows crustal velocity structure typical of oceanic although its crustal thickness of about 10 km is greater than normal. The continental margin documents rapid transition from continental to oceanic crust, exhibiting a remarkable decrease in crustal thickness accompanied by shallowing of Moho over a distance of about 50 km. The crustal model of the margin is characterized by a high-velocity (up to 7.4 km/s) lower crustal (HVLC) layer that is thicker than 10 km under the slope base and pinches out seawards. The HVLC layer is interpreted as magmatic underplating emplaced during continental rifting in response to high upper mantle temperature. The acoustic basement of the slope base shows an igneous stratigraphy developed by massive volcanic eruption. These features suggest that the evolution of the Korean margin can be explained by the processes occurring at volcanic rifted margins. Global earthquake tomography supports our interpretation by defining the abnormally hot upper mantle across the Korean margin and in the Ulleung Basin.     

Crustal Growth by Magmatic Accretion Constrained by Metamorphic P-T Paths and Thermal Models of the Kohistan Arc, NW Himalayas

Magmatic accretion is potentially an important mechanism inthe growth of the continental crust and the formation of granulites.In this study, the thermal evolution of a magmatic arc in responseto magmatic accretion is modeled using numerical solutions ofthe one-dimensional heat conduction equation. The initial andboundary conditions used in the model are constrained by geologicalobservations made in the Kohistan area, NW Himalayas. Takingconsideration of the preferred intrusion locations for basalticmagmas, we consider two plausible modes of magmatic accretion:the first involves the repeated intrusion of basalt at mid-crustaldepths (‘intraplate model’), and the second evaluatesthe simultaneous intrusion of basalt and picrite at mid-crustaldepths and the base of the crust respectively (‘double-platemodel’). The results of the double-plate model accountfor both the inferred metamorphic P–T paths of the Kohistanmafic granulites and the continental geotherm determined frompeak P–T conditions observed for granulite terranes. Thedouble-plate model may be applicable as a key growth processfor the production of thick mafic lower crust in magmatic arcs. KEY WORDS: thermal model; magmatic underplating; P–T path; granulite; lower crust     

华北克拉通的组成及其变质演化

华北克拉通早前寒武纪变质基底主要由五套不同类型的变质岩系组成。克拉通在形成过程中经历了多期构造活动、多期岩浆侵位、多期变质作用以及不同程度的混合岩化和深熔作用,岩石已遭受多次不同地质作用的叠加改造,因此华北克拉通具有复杂的演化历史。从太古宙到古元古代末的克拉通形成,华北克拉通主要经历了五期区域变质作用。鞍山地区的古—中太古代经历了角闪岩相变质作用改造,尚未获得变质年龄数据。但在TTG岩系中已获得3 560 Ma和3 000~3 300 Ma早期的变质年龄。河南鲁山太华杂岩的中太古代斜长角闪岩中获得2 776~2 792 Ma和2 671~2 651 Ma两期变质作用年龄信息,代表了新太古代早期的变质作用。新太古代麻粒岩-TTG岩系和新太古代花岗-绿岩系都经历了新太古代晚期—古元古代初的变质作用改造。在古元古代阶段,在华北克拉通北缘在1 965~1 900 Ma期间发生了中低压/高压麻粒岩相变质,局部发生超高温变质,这期变质作用与陆块间的俯冲碰撞及其后的地幔上涌有关。在古元古代晚期(1 890~1 800 Ma)在华北克拉通的中部及东部的胶—辽—吉带发生了高压麻粒岩相-角闪岩相的区域变质,代表了陆块间的碰撞拼合过程。不同变质岩系类型经历的变质作用反映了不同的构造背景。太古宙晚期大量的TTG岩系及呈面状分布的中/低压麻粒岩主要出露在华北克拉通的中北部,普遍具有逆时针的p-T轨迹,反映了地幔柱底板垫托的构造环境。新太古代的花岗-绿岩系在新太古代晚期—古元古代早期经历的变质作用多为顺时针的p-T演化轨迹,反映其发生可能与弧后+地幔柱联合作用的构造背景。古元古代晚期的两期变质作用多表现为高压麻粒岩相的顺时针p-T演化轨迹,反映了不同陆块(地块)之间碰撞拼合的过程,意味着类似显生宙的板块构造体制已经出现。     

Tectonic evolution of lower crustal rocks in an exposed magmatic arc section in the Hidaka metamorphic belt, Hokkaido, northern Japan

Abstract : The Hidaka metamorphic belt consists of an island-arc assembly of lower to upper crustal rocks formed during early to middle Paleogene time and exhumed during middle Paleogene to Miocene time. The tectonic evolution of the belt is divided into four stages, D₀rs, D₁, D₂rs, and D₃, based on their characteristic deformation, metamorphism, and igneous activity. The premetamorphic and igneous stage (D₀) involves tectonic thickening of an uppermost Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary accretionary complex, including oceanic materials in the lower part of the complex. D₁ is the stage of prograde metamorphism with increasing temperatures at a constant pressure during an early phase, and with a slight decrease of pressure at the peak metamorphic phase, accompanying flattening of metamorphic rocks and intrusions of mafic to intermediate igneous rocks. At the peak, incipient partial melting of pelitic and psammitic gneisses took place in the amphibolite–granulite facies transition zone, the melt and residuals cutting the foliations formed by flattening. In the deep crust, large amounts of S-type tonalite magma formed by crustal anatexis, intruded into the granulite facies gneiss zone and also into the upper levels of the metamorphic sequence during the subsequent stage. During D₁ stage, mafic and intermediate magmas supplied and transported heat to form the arc-type crust and at the same time, the magmatic underplating caused extensional doming of the crust, giving rise to flattening and vertical uplifting of the crustal rocks. D₂ stage is characterized by subhorizontal top-to-the-south displacement and thrusting of lower to upper crustal rocks, forming a basal detachment surface (décollement) and duplex structures associated with intrusions of S-type tonalite. Deformation structures and textures of high-temperature mylonites formed along the décollement, as well as the duplex structures, show that the D₂ stage movement occurred under a N-S trending compressional tectonic regime. The depth of intra-crustal décollement in the Hidaka belt was defined by the effect of multiplication of two factors, the fraction of partial melt which increases downward, and the fluid flux which decreases downward. The crustal décollement, however, might have extended to the crust-mantle boundary and/or to the lithosphere and asthenosphere boundary. The subhorizontal movement was transitional to a dextral-reverse-slip (dextral transpression) movement accompanied by low-temperature mylonitization with retrograde metamorphism, the stage defined as D₃. The crustal rocks from the basal décollement to the upper were tilted eastward on the N–S axis and exhumed during the D₃ stage. During D₂ and D₃ stages, the intrusion of crustal acidic magmas enhanced the crustal deformation and exhumation in the compressional and subsequent transpressional tectonic regime.     

青藏高原北缘深部地壳结构特征及其形成机制探讨

柴达木盆地－祁连山地区位于青藏高原北缘，同青藏高原主体一样，该区具有多层地壳结构特征，并普遍出现壳内低速层，地壳厚度是华北及华南地区的2倍以上。其形成可能与地壳的横向挤压缩短及幔源物质的底侵作用有关。随着底侵作用增强，地壳厚度加大，岩石圈厚度则越趋于减薄，地壳上部表现为拉张，下部发生壳幔深熔及幔源流体的交代作用，从而导致了地壳低速层，地热和浅源地震的发育。同时，这也是青藏高原出现热壳冷幔的原因之一。