Blueschist Facies Metamorphism Research Articles

2.13 Ga Lawsonite/Barroisite-Bearing E-Morb Signature Metagabbro Associated with Spinel Metaperidotite from Itaguara (São Francisco Craton, Brazil): Oldest Blueschist-Facies Fragment of Oceanic Moho?

In close association with Paleoproterozoic retroeclogite and accretionary prism-related mica-quartz schist, a 2.13 Ga (metamorphic titanite U-Pb age) lawsonite/barroisite-bearing E-MORB signature metagabbro associated with spinel metaperidotite is found in the Itaguara Sequence from southern São Francisco craton, Brazil. Petrography and pressure-temperature equilibrium phase diagrams suggest that the metagabbro experienced blueschist-facies metamorphism, attaining peak metamorphic conditions at ~16 kbar and ~450 °C during subduction. The retrograde metamorphic path crossed epidote amphibolite-facies, in which the mineral assemblage found in metaperidotite (olivine, clinopyroxene, spinel, serpentine, chlorite, talc, and tremolite) was stable during a ca. 2.1 Ga continental collision-related exhumation that occurred between the Archean Campo Belo/Bonfim and Divinópolis complexes. This geological framework suggests that the metagabbro and adjacent spinel metaperidotite represent a subducted and exhumed blueschist-facies fragment of a Paleoproterozoic oceanic Mohorovičić (Moho) discontinuity, thus establishing the Itaguara metagabbro as the oldest-known occurrence of retrogressed blueschist and providing evidence for the activity of the modern-style plate tectonics more than 2 Gyr ago.

Location and polarity of Variscan sutures based on petrological and seismological data from the Bohemian Massif and the implications for the European Variscides

The high- to ultrahigh-pressure ((U)HP) metamorphic rocks are present within the European Variscan belt between the Bohemian and Iberian massifs (the Galicia-Moldanubian zone) and they are partly incorporated into the Alpine orogenic system. Due to their involvement in various allochthonous units, the affiliation of the (U)HP rocks to the suture zones that were the sites of their initial exhumation, is not always clear. The Bohemian Massif preserves the best evidence of Variscan sutures with clear relationships to the exposed (U)HP rocks. They are the Moldanubian and the Saxo-Thuringian sutures bounding the Teplá-Barrandian block from the SSE and NNE, respectively. The distribution of (U)HP rocks coincides with the boundaries of mantle lithosphere domains, delimited from large-scale seismic anisotropy, and reveals the NW-ward inclination of the Moldanubian mantle lithosphere domain beneath the Teplá-Barrandian block and thus a subduction polarity to the NW. The eastern margin of the Teplá-Barrandian block contains a magmatic arc, which is in direct contact with the Moldanubian orogenic wedge, and both are penetrated by lamprophyre dykes (∼340 Ma), which dates the cessation of the collision-related shortening and crustal consolidation. The overall crustal geometry of the Saxo-Thuringian suture implies the SE-ward polarity of subduction during its formation. However, based on seismic tomography and anisotropy model, the suture at mantle depths appears as a sub-vertical boundary between the Saxo-Thuringian and the Teplá-Barrandian lithosphere domains. The Saxo-Thuringian zone bears evidence of blueschist facies metamorphism in the (para)autochthonous units, which are strongly retrogressed. Compared to the Moldanubian zone, (U)HP rocks are less common in the Saxo-Thuringian zone and occur as nappes and klippes, some of which are exposed near the Moldanubian suture. The similarities of the Saxo-Thuringian (U)HP rocks to those in the Moldanubian zone and their allochthonous positions favour formation of some of the (U)HP rocks along the Moldanubian suture and their subsequent emplacement into the Saxothuringian zone. The Moldanubian suture appears to control the distribution of most of the (U)HP rocks exposed along the European Variscan Belt. They all show similarities regarding lithology, mainly fragments of mantle rocks included in felsic materials, and their granulite-amphibolite facies thermal overprint.

In situ white mica Rb/Sr geochronology of the Leszczyniec metaigneous complex, West Sudetes: evidence of upper plate deformation at the onset of Variscan collision

The Karkonosze-Izera Massif in the West Sudetes preserves evidence of subduction of the Saxothuringian Ocean beneath the Teplá-Barrandian Domain. Within the massif, the Leszczyniec metaigneous complex (LMC) is identified as the upper allochthon. It exhibits a unique structural history in comparison to the underlying allochthons, suggesting that the LMC records a distinctive tectonic history. To investigate the timing of this history, two orthogneisses were studied from a single outcrop of the LMC for in situ white mica Rb/Sr geochronology. The outcrop bears a southeast-dipping foliation (S1) and a north/northeast plunging stretching lineation (L1), defined by white mica and quartz. Quartz recrystallization textures, white mica chemistry (celadonite content of 0.23–0.47), preservation of igneous plagioclase phenocrysts, and the metamorphic mineral assemblage, all indicate maximum epidote–amphibolite facies conditions. Single-spot Rb/Sr dates were calculated from white mica using initial 87Sr/86Sr values obtained by titanite and epidote. Results are similar for both rocks, providing weighted averages of 352.4 ± 4.1 Ma (MSWD: 0.6; n: 24) and 349.3 ± 2.5 Ma (MSWD: 0.4; n: 31). The rocks are interpreted to have the same structural and metamorphic history; thus, a pooled weighted average of 350.1 ± 5.3 Ma (2σ) is reported as the timing of white mica (re)crystallization during S1 and L1 development in epidote–amphibolite facies conditions. This event is bracketed by the timing of blueschist-facies metamorphism for the subjacent middle (c. 364 Ma) and lower (c. 345–341 Ma) allochthons, associated with an east/southeast-plunging L1. Considering the different structural and metamorphic histories of the LMC compared to the subjacent allochthons, it is likely that the complex was extracted from the Teplá-Barrandian upper plate due to subduction erosion prior to collective exhumation and stacking of the Karkonosze-Izera Massif.Graphical abstract

Reinitiation of modern-style plate tectonics in the Early Neoproterozoic: Evidence from a ∼930 Ma blueschist-facies terrane in South China

When and how plate tectonics operated throughout Earth’s history remain a matter of debate. The absence of low-temperature/high-pressure metamorphic rocks during Earth’s middle age (∼1.8–0.8 Ga) leads to some arguing for a temporary shutdown or change of modern-style plate tectonics throughout the Mesoproterozoic and Early Neoproterozoic. Here we report the first discovery of ∼930 Ma blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks (Tianli Schist) from the Jiangnan Orogen, South China. Peak pressure–temperature conditions of ∼425–475 ℃ and ∼0.8–1.1 GPa recorded by these units represent an average geothermal gradient of ∼14 ℃/km, characteristic of cold subduction zones. Available geologic and geochronologic constraints indicate that the Tianli Schist protolith was deposited in the southeast margin of the Yangtze Block and subsequently experienced blueschist-facies metamorphism during ocean closure at ∼930 Ma. Combined with the global metamorphic record, our results suggest that modern-style plate tectonics did not operate continuously since initiation in the Early Paleoproterozoic, but was inhibited in the Mesoproterozoic and restarted again at the end of Earth’s middle age.

Pressure–temperature evolution of the basement and cover sequences on Ios, Greece: Evidence for subduction of the Hercynian basement

AbstractHigh‐pressure rocks from the island of Ios in the Greek Cyclades were examined to resolve the P–T conditions reached during subduction of the two distinct lithotectonic units that are separated by the South Cycladic Shear Zone (SCSZ)—the footwall complex composed of Hercynian basement gneisses, schists and amphibolites, and the hangingwall complex composed of blueschists and eclogites. A combination of elastic tensor quartz inclusion in garnet (QuiG) barometry and Zr‐in‐rutile (ZiR) trace element thermometry was used to constrain minimum garnet growth conditions. Garnet from the hangingwall (blueschist) unit record formation pressures that range from 1.5 to 1.9 GPa and garnet from the footwall basement complex record garnet formation pressures of 1.65–2.05 GPa. ZiR thermometry on rutile inclusions within garnet establishes the minimum temperature for garnet formation to be ~480–500°C. That is, there is no evidence in the QuiG and ZiR results that the rocks of the blueschist hangingwall and basement experienced different metamorphic histories during subduction. This is the first reported observation of blueschist facies metamorphism in the Hercynian basement complex. A model is proposed in which initial subduction occurred along a relatively shallow P–T trajectory of ~11°C/km and then transitioned to a steeper, nearly isothermal trajectory at a depth of ~45 km reaching similar peak metamorphic conditions of ~500–525°C at 2.0 GPa for all samples. Such a change in the subduction path could be accomplished by either an increase in the rate of subduction or an increase in the angle of the subduction zone. The present juxtaposition of samples with contrasting mineral assemblages and garnet growth histories is interpreted to have arisen from differences in bulk compositions and variations in the preservation of high‐pressure prograde mineral assemblages during exhumation. The existence of similar P–T conditions and prograde paths in the two units does not require that the rocks were all metamorphosed at the same time and that the SCSZ experienced little movement. Rather, it is suggested that the two units experienced prograde and peak metamorphism at different times and were subsequently juxtaposed along the SCSZ.

Pressure–temperature paths of tectonic blocks in mélange: Recording thermal evolution of a subduction channel at an initial stage of subduction

AbstractWe investigated the tectonic evolution of amphibolite and blueschist tectonic blocks in the serpentinite‐ or pelite‐matrix mélange, which are distributed at the highest structural level of the high‐P/T type Kamuikotan metamorphic rocks in northern Japan. The tectonic blocks in this study area are divided into six rock types: garnet‐epidote amphibolite, epidote amphibolite, amphibolite, plagioclase‐poor amphibolite, epidote blueschist and glaucophane‐bearing quartz schist. Based on phase equilibrium modelling, garnet‐epidote amphibolite and epidote amphibolite experienced peak metamorphism at pressure and temperature conditions of 1.1–1.25 GPa and 550–590°C, and 0.8–1.3 GPa and 475–550°C, respectively, (at an apparent thermal gradient ranging between 13 to 17°C/km). By contrast, although the peak‐metamorphic conditions for each one of amphibolite, plagioclase‐poor amphibolite, and glaucophane‐bearing quartz schist are not well constrained, they may have been originally metamorphosed at amphibolite to epidote‐amphibolite facies at thermal gradients exceeding 20°C/km, inferred from the core composition of amphibole (edenite/magnesiohornblende/barroisite). The epidote blueschist experienced peak metamorphism at pressure and temperature conditions of 0.8–1.6 GPa and 360–520°C (most probably 0.8–0.85 GPa and 360–480°C). Although different types of tectonic blocks experienced a variety of peak metamorphism under different P/T conditions, all of them underwent epidote blueschist facies metamorphism at the peak or retrograde stage (as shown by the glaucophane rims of amphibole with different core compositions). The overall P–T paths appear counter‐clockwise, which could be interpreted to reflect the cooling history of the subduction channel from the beginning to the steady state of subduction. The geothermal gradient could have changed from 15–17° to ~10°C/km over ~20–25 Myr, as estimated by previously reported radiometric ages. The protoliths to the tectonic blocks could have begun to subduct into the subduction channel at different times (where the thermal structure evolved with time), acquiring different prograde P–T paths. Subsequently, these tectonic blocks were juxtaposed at a certain depth and incorporated into the overlying serpentinite during the subduction stage. Finally, the serpentinite‐ or pelite‐matrix mélange, including these tectonic blocks, were exhumed together with the coherent accretionary units as the former was emplaced over the latter.

A rutile and titanite record of subduction fluids: Integrated oxygen isotope and trace element analyses in Franciscan high‐pressure rocks

AbstractIn situ oxygen analysis of garnet in eclogite and related rocks is increasingly being used to probe the composition of subduction fluids. However, in many cases, these samples contain textural signs of both fluid flow and retrograde metamorphism, some of which may take place outside the garnet stability field. In order to test the connection between polymetamorphism and fluid infiltration, rutile rimmed by titanite from high‐grade tectonic blocks of the Franciscan Formation (California, USA) was analysed for oxygen isotope ratios and trace element concentrations. Zirconium concentrations in rutile yield temperatures of ~600°C for eclogite and hornblende eclogite from three well‐studied localities (Junction School, Tiburon and Ward Creek). Rutile trace element concentrations are generally low and consistent with a mafic protolith. Titanite surrounding rutile has inherited much of its trace element content from rutile, and Zr‐in‐titanite temperatures are spuriously high. Titanite in rutile‐free samples (blueschist and eclogite from Jenner beach) have similar compositions suggesting that they were formed at the expense of rutile as well. Oxygen isotope ratios from rutile and titanite in the same sample are fortuitously similar, indicating disequilibrium between these minerals, which formed at different times and temperatures but in equilibrium with the same oxygen reservoir. Rutile in blocks with garnets zoned in oxygen isotopes are generally in equilibrium with the rims rather than the cores. Slow oxygen diffusion in rutile and the low temperatures of formation require that rutile recrystallized after fluid interaction and before blueschist facies metamorphism. External fluid interaction of Franciscan eclogites took place near the peak of metamorphism.

Newly recognized blueschist-facies metamorphism (glaucophane-omphacite-garnet), Belvidere Mountain Complex, northern Appalachians

Abstract An occurrence of blueschistfacies metamorphism in the Appalachian orogen is newly recognized in northwestern New England, United States. Inclusions of glaucophane and omphacite occur in a relict garnet core from a retrogressed garnetbarroisite amphibolite of the Belvidere Mountain Complex in Vermont. Pressuretemperature pseudosection and mineral composition isopleth calculations demonstrate that the Belvidere Mountain Complex blueschistfacies mineral assemblage of glaucophane–magnesio-hornblende–omphacite–chlorite–rutile–quartz–clinozoisite–garnet was stable at ~1.65–2.0 GPa and ~450–480 °C. Garnetabsent amphibolite with barroisite and chlorite inclusions in clinozoisite records highpressure epidote-amphibolite–facies metamorphism at ~1.0–1.4 GPa and ~515–550 °C. These new findings quantify deep subduction of the Belvidere Mountain Complex during the Cambrian to Ordovician Taconic orogenic cycle and suggest that more blueschistfacies mineral assemblages could be revealed in the Appalachians with detailed analysis of retrogressed rocks.

Forming and preserving aragonite in shear zones: First report of blueschist facies metamorphism in the Jabal Akhdar Dome, Oman Mountains

Abstract We report the first occurrence of high-pressure metamorphic aragonite in Precambrian carbonates of the Jabal Akhdar Dome in the Oman Mountains (northern Oman). We propose a model for both its formation at blueschist facies conditions and its subsequent preservation to the surface within the tectonic framework of the Late Cretaceous obduction of the Semail Ophiolite. Aragonite formed at temperature ~350 °C and pressure ≥0.9 GPa and is preserved within mylonitic shear zones and in stretched-fiber dilational veins where the necessary conditions for its formation and preservation, such as plastic strain accommodation, fluid-enhanced mineralogical reactions, and an anisotropic permeability structure, were preferentially met with respect to the surrounding rock. High-strain structural domains are ideal sites to look for and study prograde and retrograde high-pressure metamorphic histories in deeply subducted and exhumed terrains.

Constraints on the thermal evolution of metamorphic core complexes from the timing of high-pressure metamorphism on Naxos, Greece

Metamorphic core complexes are classically interpreted to have formed during crustal extension, although many also occur in compressional environments. New U−(Th)−Pb allanite and xenotime geochronologic data from the structurally highest Zas Unit (Cycladic Blueschist Unit) of the Naxos metamorphic core complex, Greece, integrated with pressure−temperature−time (P−T−t) histories, are incorporated into a thermal model to test the role of crustal thickening and extension in forming metamorphic core complexes. Metamorphism on Naxos is diachronous, with peak metamorphic conditions propagating down structural section over a ∼30−35 m.y. period, from ca. 50 Ma to 15 Ma. At the highest structural level, the Zas Unit records blueschist-facies metamorphism (∼14.5−19 kbar, 470−570 °C) at ca. 50 Ma, during northeast-directed subduction of the Adriatic continental margin. The Zas Unit was subsequently extruded toward the SW and thrust over more proximal continental margin and basement rocks (Koronos and Core units). This contractional episode resulted in crustal thickening and Barrovian metamorphism from ca. 40 Ma and reached peak kyanite-sillimanite−grade conditions of ∼10−5 kbar and 600−730 °C at 20−15 Ma. Model P−T−t paths, assuming conductive relaxation of isotherms following overthrusting, are consistent with the clockwise P−T−t evolution. In contrast, extension results in exhumation and cooling of the crust, which is inconsistent with key components of the thermal evolution. Barrovian metamorphism on Naxos is therefore interpreted to have resulted from crustal thickening over a ∼30−35 m.y. time period prior to extension, normal faulting, and rapid exhumation after a thermal climax at ca. 15 Ma.

Genetic linkage between carbonaceous materials and Triassic gold deposits in the Liaodong Peninsula, northeastern North China Craton: Insights from Raman spectroscopy and C[sbnd]O isotope analysis

The Qingchengzi gold ore-concentration district, in the Liaodong Peninsula, northeastern North China Craton, is dominated by altered rock-type gold deposits and hosted within metamorphic rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Liaohe Group. The deposits are mainly controlled by a low-angle, north-dipping thrust structural system, containing numerous carbonaceous materials (CMs) and syn-deformational ore-bearing quartz veins and adjacent clastic rocks. Raman spectroscopy and CO isotope analysis were performed on CM samples from the fault zone to decipher their possible origins and potential genetic links with gold mineralization. Raman spectra analysis distinguishes three types of CM with low (CML), medium (CMM) and high (CMH) crystallinity and maturity. The estimated Raman-derived temperatures of CML range from 308 °C to 401 °C corresponding to greenschist- to blueschist-facies metamorphism. Large temperature variations of 363–678 °C for CMM and 442–664 °C for CMH suggest higher metamorphic grades from low blueschist to amphibolite-facies. The organic carbon isotopic valuess (δ13Corg = -20.9 ‰ – –23.1 ‰) suggest an organic carbon source, mixing with carbonate wall rocks characterized by the δ13Ccarb of −1.92 ‰ to −6.22 ‰. Combined with the Raman spectrum, the CMs are formed by the demethanation of the organic matter during the greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism. The disseminated CML coexists with Au-bearing quartz veins and is inferred to have facilitated the migration of Au in the fault zone as a solid lubricant and the precipitation of Au from hydrothermal fluids as a reductant. CMM and CMH are recognized in medium- to high-grade metamorphism with higher temperatures and occur with fewer Au-bearing pyrite or quartz veins, and thus they are unrelated to gold mineralization. In summary, the disseminated CML with low crystallinity contributes to the formation of the Triassic gold deposits and serves as a potential indicator for further prospecting.

Meta-bauxite deposit in the Tavşanlı Zone, NW Turkey: A new locality for gem-quality diaspore formation

The tectonic units of Sakarya Zone (Pontides) and Tavşanlı Zone (Anatolides) are exposed in the Mihalıççık area of central Anatolia. A Cretaceous accretionary complex that forms the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone separates the units. Within this region, the Tavşanlı Zone is made up of a coherent series and tectonically overlying late Cretaceous mélange, which has undergone blueschist facies metamorphism. Coherent series consist of strongly retrogressed schists and conformably overlying platform-type thick marbles, known as the İnönü marbles.The İnönü marbles contain meta-bauxite lenses in the lower levels, which can be classified as karstic bauxites deposited in the karst holes within the original limestone. Considering the general stratigraphy of the Tavşanlı Zone, a middle Jurassic age can be envisaged for the bauxite formation. Geochemical data suggest that the bauxites were largely derived from redeposited argillic sediments, with minor and variable inputs from the weathering of intermediate to acidic rock. The mineral assemblage of the meta-bauxite consists of diaspore, chloritoid, muscovite, paragonite, Al-spinel (hercynite), magnetite, hematite and ilmenite. In addition, apatite, rutile, monazite, xenotime and zircon occur as accessory minerals. Limonite, goethite, akaganeite and kaolinite also formed during the latest stage of alteration. P-T conditions for the meta-bauxites are estimated as 20–27 kbar and 330–470 °C that are indicative of formation under high-P / low-T blueschist facies conditions.The meta-bauxites are cut by veins of diaspore, muscovite-paragonite, goethite, calcite and ankerite, and include gem-quality diaspore crystals up to 6 cm long. Textural evidence indicates that the diaspore formation is related to the extraction of aluminium from the meta-bauxite body and migration of Al-rich fluids into the shear zones during the last stage of the high-P metamorphism. During exhumation of the Tavşanlı Zone, these veins were brecciated by brittle deformation and the fractured minerals were cemented by granoblastic calcite and ankerite during the latest stage of the vein formation.

The timing of blueschist-facies metamorphism in the Makrotantalon Unit on Andros Island, Greece: Cretaceous and Eocene high-pressure/low-temperature events?

AbstractThis study corroborates interpretations suggesting that the Makrotantalon Unit on Andros represents a tectonic slice with Pelagonian affinity in the nappe stack of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit. Previously reported Cretaceous 40Ar–39Ar dates of a garnet-glaucophane schist from the Makrotantalon Unit could not be reproduced by Rb–Sr geochronology, but this is not an indication of contamination with excess Ar. Instead, the newly dated samples record disturbance of the Rb–Sr isotope system by partial recrystallization. Subsets of these phengite populations, representing the smaller grain-size fractions, yielded low-precision dates ranging from c. 21 to c. 15 Ma that document deformation-related resetting and recrystallization of a presumably Cretaceous white mica population. Although these Miocene dates cannot be linked with blueschist-facies metamorphism, they provide time constraints on the formation of shear zones that overprinted the original thrust contact during exhumation. The geological relevance of a Cretaceous high-pressure event is confirmed by a Rb–Sr date of c. 121 Ma for an epidote-glaucophane schist collected further away from the tectonic contact. The occurrence of a second blueschist-facies event in the Eocene is verified by Rb–Sr dates of two epidote-glaucophane schists (c. 40 Ma and c. 44 Ma) that can unambiguously be assigned to the Makrotantalon Unit.

Shallow Depth, Substantial Change: Fluid-Metasomatism Causes Major Compositional Modifications of Subducted Volcanics (Mariana Forearc)

Mass transfer at shallow subduction levels and its ramifications for deeper processes remain incompletely constrained. New insights are provided by ocean island basalt (OIB) clasts from the Mariana forearc that experienced subduction to up to ∼25–30 km depth and up to blueschist-facies metamorphism; thereafter, the clasts were recycled to the forearc seafloor via serpentinite mud volcanism. We demonstrate that the rocks were, in addition, strongly metasomatized: they exhibit K2O contents (median = 4.6 wt%) and loss on ignition (median = 5.3 wt%, as a proxy for H2O) much higher than OIB situated on the Pacific Plate, implying that these were added during subduction. This interpretation is consistent with abundant phengite in the samples. Mass balance calculations further reveal variable gains in SiO2 for all samples, and increased MgO and Na2O at one but losses of MgO and Fe2O3* at the other study site. Elevated Cs and Rb concentrations suggest an uptake whereas low Ba and Sr contents indicate the removal of trace elements throughout all clasts. The metasomatism was likely induced by the OIBs’ interaction with K-rich fluids in the subduction channel. Our thermodynamic models imply that such fluids are released from subducted sediments and altered igneous crust at 5 kbar and even below 200°C. Equilibrium assemblage diagrams show that the stability field of phengite significantly increases with the metasomatism and that, relative to not-metasomatized OIB, up to four times as much phengite may form in the metasomatized rocks. Phengite in turn is considered as an important carrier for K2O, H2O, and fluid-mobile elements to sub-arc depths. These findings demonstrate that mass transfer from the subducting lithosphere starts at low P/T conditions. The liberation of solute-rich fluids can evoke far-reaching compositional and mineralogical changes in rocks that interact with these fluids. Processes at shallow depths (<30 km) thereby contribute to controlling which components as well as in which state (i.e., bound in which minerals) these components ultimately reach greater depths where they may or may not contribute to arc magmatism. For a holistic understanding of deep geochemical cycling, metasomatism and rock transformation need to be acknowledged from shallow depths on.

Dating blueschist-facies metamorphism within the Naga ophiolite, Northeast India, using sheared carbonate veins

ABSTRACT The tectonic significance of blueschist-facies rocks associated with the Indo-Myanmar ophiolite belt is uncertain, given the lack of detailed petrological study and the paucity of reliable age data for different stages in their geological evolution. Here, we present new integrated petrological and geochronological data for samples from the Nagaland complex of the Indo-Myanmar ophiolite belt, northeastern India, which constrains the pressure–temperature conditions and absolute ages of peak and retrograde metamorphism. Several samples of blueschist were collected from the region, which have been variably deformed and subjected to shear recrystallization. Based on microstructural constraints and mineral geochemistry, garnet, omphacite, barroisite, chlorite and muscovite are interpreted to represent a high-pressure prograde-to-peak metamorphic assemblage, and omphacite, actinolite, hornblende and albite represent a lower-pressure retrograde metamorphic assemblage that formed during shear-related exhumation. Petrological modelling and thermobarometry indicates that unsheared samples equilibrated at ~1.9 GPa and ~480–520°C at peak metamorphism, indicating subduction to ~60 km depth, whereas sheared and recrystallised samples re-equilibrated at ~0.6 GPa and ~470°C during retrograde metamorphism associated with obduction of the Naga ophiolite onto the Indian foreland. U–Pb in-situ analysis of carbonate grains (aragonite–calcite) and associated silicate phases (epidote, prehnite, amphibole, etc.) at different microstructural positions, including within dynamically recrystallised shear bands that cross-cut older metamorphic fabrics and cogenetic silicate phases, constrains the age of peak metamorphism to be c. 95 Ma and retrograde metamorphism to be c. 90 Ma. Based on the overall progression of ages in the sheared and unsheared samples, we interpret that the area experienced exhumation at a time-averaged rate of ~1 cm/year in the order of Phanerozoic period plate tectonic rate, which is in the order of rates of plate tectonic processes on the Phanerozoic Earth

Provenance and metamorphic records of forearc sediments from the Heilongjiang Complex, NE China: Implications for subduction erosion associated with the Mudanjiang Ocean

Subduction erosion is widely thought to play a significant role in crustal recycling at modern convergent plate margins. However, identifying subduction erosion in fossil accretionary margins is difficult due to multiple episodes of tectonic superimposition and an absence of direct geophysical evidence. By assessing provenance and metamorphic records in this study, we are the first to document the record of subduction erosion in Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic meta-sedimentary rocks from the Luobei Heilongjiang Complex, NE China. Most detrital zircons from four meta-sedimentary samples have typical core-rim textures. Approximately 90% of the detrital zircon cores yielded Phanerozoic ages with εHf(t) values of +12.8 to −17.6. Geochronological and isotopic comparisons indicate that the meta-sedimentary rocks have a provenance in the eastern Songnen Block and were deposited in a forearc basin. The youngest ages of detrital zircon cores span from 229 to 176 Ma, while the metamorphic ages obtained from detrital zircon rims range from 209 to 185 Ma. Combined with the 186−165 Ma phengite 40Ar-39Ar ages of the meta-sedimentary rocks, this suggests that their protoliths were deposited during the Late Triassic−Middle Jurassic. Mineral inclusions define peak blueschist-facies metamorphism at pressure-temperature conditions of 0.9−1.0 GPa and 359−365 °C; this indicates that forearc sediment from the overriding plate was abraded into the subduction channel and underwent high-pressure metamorphism. Metamorphic ages (209−165 Ma) obtained from phengite and detrital zircon rims suggest that a period of subduction erosion occurred during slab subduction. These results reveal rapid progression from early forearc sedimentation (229−165 Ma) to subduction erosion (209−165 Ma) during westward subduction of the Mudanjiang Ocean.

Boninitic blueschists record subduction initiation and subsequent accretion of an arc–forearc in the northeast Proto-Tethys Ocean

Abstract Subduction of oceanic lithosphere is a diagnostic characteristic of plate tectonics. However, the geodynamic processes from initiation to termination of subduction zones remain enigmatic mainly due to the scarcity of appropriate rock records. We report the first discovery of early Paleozoic boninitic blueschists and associated greenschists from the eastern Proto-Tethyan North Qilian orogenic belt, northeastern Tibet, which have geochemical affinities that are typical of forearc boninites and island arc basalts, respectively. The boninitic protoliths of the blueschists record intra-oceanic subduction initiation at ca. 492–488 Ma in the eastern North Qilian arc/forearc–backarc system, whereas peak blueschist facies metamorphism reflects subsequent subduction of the arc/forearc complex to high pressure at ca. 455 Ma. These relations therefore record the life circle of an intra-oceanic subduction zone within the northeastern Proto-Tethys Ocean. The geodynamic evolution provides an early Paleozoic analogue of the early development of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana arc and its later subduction beneath the extant Japanese arc margin. This finding highlights the important role of subduction of former upper plate island arc/forearcs in reducing the likelihood of preservation of initial subduction-related rock records in ancient orogenic belts.

Stability conditions and compositional variations of deerite in high-pressure meta-ironstone during subduction–exhumation processes (SW Tianshan, China)

Index minerals in metamorphic rocks, such as coesite, glaucophane, or lawsonite, are of great importance to understand high-pressure (HP) to ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism, the thermal gradient, and the geodynamics of subduction zones. Deerite is thought to be diagnostic for blueschist-facies metamorphism in cold subduction environments and a sensitive indicator of the oxygen fugacity (fO2) in Fe-rich rocks. However, little is known concerning its stability and compositional variation during subduction and exhumation cycles. In this study, we provide the first detailed investigation of deerite in eclogite-facies meta‑ironstones (deerite–garnet riebeckitite) from the Southwestern Tianshan (U)HP metamorphic belt. Petrological observation and textural evidence suggest that the meta‑ironstones –enclosing eclogite blocks– form part of an initially coherent volcano-sedimentary sequence that underwent a common tectono-metamorphic evolution, including HP metamorphism and subsequent exhumation. Two types of deerite, which display a different texture (inclusion vs. matrix) and composition (TiO2 content), occur in the deerite–garnet riebeckitite. Dee_1 and aegirine–augite appear exclusively as fine-grained inclusions in garnet, and together with garnet, riebeckite, quartz and magnetite form the peak metamorphic mineral assemblages at P–T conditions of ~510 °C and 2.6 GPa. Matrix deerite (Dee_2), on the other hand, mainly occurs as coarse-grained rods and acicular needle-like grains in quartz, and rarely as inclusions in riebeckite and garnet intimately in the riebeckitite, representing the blueschist-facies retrogression of the meta‑ironstones during exhumation. The garnet–clinopyroxene oxybarometer and thermodynamic calculations show that the fO2 of the deerite–garnet riebeckitite increases from ΔFMQ–0.64 at the peak eclogite-facies stage to ΔFMQ+1.5 at the blueschist-facies retrogression. This fO2 variation corresponds to the chemical variation of deerite, whereby the TiO2 content increases gradually from <0.1 wt% in the Dee_1 in garnet to about 5 wt% in the matrix Dee_2. Our study reveals the detailed metamorphic P–T–fO2 evolution of the prograde eclogite- and retrograde blueschist-facies deerite-bearing meta‑ironstones during subduction–exhumation processes. This study further emphasizes the potential of deerite to reveal the P–T–fO2 evolution of subduction-related high-pressure rocks.

Early Neoproterozoic crustal growth and microcontinent formation of the north–central Central Asian Orogenic Belt: New geological, geochronological, and Nd–Hf isotopic data on the Mélange Zone within the Zavkhan terrane, western Mongolia

In this study, new geological, geochronological, geochemical, and Nd–Hf isotopic data are presented for the Mélange Zone within the Zavkhan terrane, Mongolia, and the terrane structure, early Neoproterozoic continental crust growth, and microcontinent formation in the north–central part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) are discussed. The Mélange Zone separates high-grade complexes of the northwestern part of the Zavkhan terrane and unmetamorphosed Neoproterozoic Zavkhan Formation covered by Cryogenian–Cambrian shelf deposits of the southwestern part. Zone consist of a lower-grade association of basalts, basaltic andesites, rarely felsic volcanic rocks, trondhjemites of the Kharuul Massif and variably metamorphosed from greenschist- to upper amphibolite-facies, and high-grade metamorphic rocks including quartzite–gneisses, hornblende schists, and amphibolites with relics of eclogite and blueschist-facies metamorphism assemblages. Emplacement of trondhjemites and gabbro dykes of the Kharuul Massif occurred at about 960–930 Ma. Geochemical, Nd whole-rock, and Hf-in-zircon isotopic data indicate an oceanic island arc setting for the lower-grade association. LA-ICP-MS dating and Hf-in-zircon data for detrital zircons from the quartzite–gneisses of the Mélange Zone indicate that the sources comprise Palaeoproterozoic (ca. 2.02 and 2.48 Ga), Neoarchean (ca. 2.59 and 2.67 Ga), and Mesoarchean (ca. 2.8 and 3.0 Ga) magmatic and metamorphic crustal rocks as well as 2.6–2.5 Ga juvenile complexes. High-grade amphibolites show geochemical similarity to continental arc and within-plate basalts, and were formed from enriched mantle sources. Obtained combined with published data demonstrate that the Zavkhan terrane represents composite terrane composed of ca. 960–930 Ma island arc complex, and ca. 860–800 Ma active continental margin complexes in the north and reworked at ca. 800–720 Ma early Precambrian continental crust in the south, which are separated by a Mélange Zone. We speculate that formation of the latest Mesoproterozoic–early Neoproterozoic island arc and active continental margin complexes in the north–central CAOB could be related to the assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent at ca. 1.1–1.0 Ga, which initiated subduction in Mirovian Ocean and led to the development of accretionary orogens around supercontinent margins.

Early–Middle Permian plutons in the Langshan area, western Inner Mongolia, China, and their tectonic implications

Whether the southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) beneath the northern North China Craton (NCC) was still on-going during Permian is a key issue for understanding the tectonic evolution of the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt), and the voluminous Permian plutons distributed along the northern margin of the NCC can provide important insights into this controversy. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages from 4 basic, 6 intermediate and 11 acidic plutons in the Langshan area in northwestern NCC indicate that the plutons were formed during the Early–Middle Permian (290–265 Ma). Four basic diorites show affinities with continental basalts and probably crystallized from mantle-derived melts, whereas the intermediate and most acidic plutons are calc-alkaline I-type granitoids and four acidic plutons have the features of aluminous A2-type granites, and all of them probably originated from partial melting of various crustal materials. The Early–Middle Permian plutons and coeval bimodal volcanic rocks and continental basaltic intrusions occur together in both the northern NCC and adjacent Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt, implying a uniform extensional setting at that time. In addition to the intense magmatism, the regional extension also resulted in the development of a Red Sea-like limited oceanic basin within the Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt, and its subsequent closure may have created the Solonker suture. Such a tectonic scenario is in agreement with the Late Permian–Early Triassic blueschist-facies metamorphism induced by warm subduction of young oceanic slabs, Permian stratigraphic and paleontological data, and paleomagnetic record.