Transformation of the Sub-Continental Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the North China Craton (NCC): Constraints from the Geochemical Characteristics of Olivine Websterite Xenoliths and Their Minerals in the Cenozoic Basalts from Hannuoba

Abstract

The sub-continental mantle beneath North China Craton (NCC) has attracted extensive attention in the past decades because of its dramatic transformation from an old, cold, thick, and refractory mantle to a juvenile, hot, thinner, and fertile mantle. However, the transformation mechanism remains largely controversial. The mantle xenoliths entrapped in basalts, as petrogenetic indicators, can provide an important window to reveal the evolution of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. In this study, we present a systematical study on the geochemical characteristics of the olivine websterite xenoliths and their minerals in the Cenozoic basalts in the Hannuoba region located at the central orogenic belt of the NCC. The results, compared with the geochemical data of Paleozoic and Meosozic peridotites, the Cenozoic composite pyroxenites as well as the global cumulate pyroxenites, demonstrate that: (1) The source of the websterite is probably the lithospheric mantle, which is mainly newly accreted, but with small amounts of ancient mantle residues. The source may be contaminated by different degrees of crustal materials. The high Nb/Ta ratios (11.36–20.57) of the websterite indicate that the Ti-bearing minerals (such as rutile) are probably involved in the source; (2) The websterite is more likely to be produced as a result of interaction of mantle peridotite with the silica-rich melts that are mainly derived from the asthenospheric mantle and also contributed by the crustal materials; (3) The metasomatic crustal melts might be derived from the subducted Paleo-Pacific plate. These melts interacted with the lithospheric mantle can significantly transform the chemical composition of the lithospheric mantle, and consequently play an important role in the destruction of the NCC. An important implication for the destruction of the NCC is further discussed.