Convergent Plate Margins Research Articles

Megathrust shear force controls mountain height at convergent plate margins

The shear force along convergent plate boundary faults (megathrusts) determines the height of mountain ranges that can be mechanically sustained1-4. However, whether the true height of mountain ranges corresponds to this tectonically supported elevation is debated4-7. In particular, climate-dependent erosional processes are often assumed to exert a first-order control on mountain height5-12, although this assumption has remained difficult to validate12. Here we constrain the shear force along active megathrusts using their rheological properties and then determine the tectonically supported elevation using a force balance model. We show that the height of mountain ranges around the globe matches this elevation, irrespective of climatic conditions and the rate of erosion. This finding indicates that mountain ranges are close to force equilibrium and that their height is primarily controlled by the megathrust shear force. We conclude that temporal variations in mountain height reflect long-term changes in the force balance but are not indicative of a direct climate control on mountain elevation.

Mesoarchean accretionary mélange and tectonic erosion in the Archean Dharwar Craton, southern India: Plate tectonics in the early Earth

Accretionary orogens are hallmarks of subduction tectonics along convergent plate margins. Here we report a sequence of low-grade metasediments carrying exhumed blocks of ultramafic, mafic and felsic rocks from Sargur in the Western Dharwar Craton in India. These rocks occur along the southern domain of the Chitradurga Suture Zone, which marks the boundary between the Western and Central Dharwar Cratons and thus provide a window to explore Archean convergent margin processes. We present zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf data from Sargur metasediments including quartz mica schist, fine-grained quartzite, and pelitic schist, as well as from blocks/layers of trondhjemite, garnet amphibolite, and chromite-bearing serpentinite occurring within the metasedimentary accretionary belt. The detrital zircon grains from the metasediments show multiple age groups, with the oldest age as 3482 Ma and an age peak at 2862 Ma. Magmatic zircons in trondhjemite show 207Pb/206Pb weighted mean age of ca. 2972 Ma, whereas those in the chromite-bearing serpentinite display multiple age populations of ca. 2896, 2750, 2648, 2566 and 2463 Ma, tracing zircon crystallization in an evolving mantle wedge adjacent to a subducting oceanic plate. Metamorphism is dated as ca. 2444 Ma from zircon grains in the garnet amphibolite. Zircon εHf(t) in the mafic-ultramafic rocks and trondhjemite are mostly positive, suggesting a juvenile (depleted mantle) source. The detrital zircon Lu-Hf data suggest that the sediment source involved Paleoarchean juvenile and reworked components. Based on our findings, we propose that the Sargur sequence represents an accretionary mélange which forms part of a major Mesoarchean accretionary orogen that witnessed multiple stages of tectonic erosion at least during three periods at ca. 3200–3000 Ma, 3000–2800 Ma and 2800–2500 Ma removing a large part of the accretionary prism along the convergent margin. We correlate the processes with prolonged subduction-accretion cycle culminating in the final collision between the Western and Central Dharwar cratonic blocks.

Paired metamorphism in the Neoarchean: A record of accretionary-to-collisional orogenesis in the North China Craton

Paired metamorphism is the hallmark of asymmetric subduction at Phanerozoic convergent plate margins, yet spatially and temporally linked paired metamorphic belts have rarely been documented in the Archean rock record. Here, we investigate the Neoarchean Dengfeng Complex, a typical granite–greenstone belt in the southern part of the North China Craton (NCC). Using petrography, geochronology, and phase equilibrium constraints on rocks from different lithostructural units, we suggest the ca. 2.54–2.50-Ga Dengfeng Complex represents a remnant of a spatially and temporally linked Neoarchean paired metamorphic belt. In the western part of the complex, a garnet amphibolite from a dominantly metabasic unit (MBU) records near peak P–T conditions of 6.3–10 kbar and ∼675–750°C, corresponding to a high thermobaric ratio (T/P) of ∼720–1200°C/GPa. Tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) gneisses preserve evidence for partial melting, also consistent with relatively high T/P (∼875–1400°C/GPa). In the eastern part of the Dengfeng Complex, two garnet amphibolites and three garnet quartz–mica schists from a dominantly metasedimentary unit (MSU) record peak P–T conditions of >9.8 kbar and ∼525–655°C, corresponding to intermediate thermobaric ratios of ∼425–600°C/GPa. Zircon and titanite U–Pb dating, coupled with existing ages of post-kinematic intrusions, constrain the metamorphic age to ca. 2.52–2.50 Ga. The metamorphic P–T data indicate that the MSU was buried to >30 km then exhumed to the near-surface by the early Paleoproterozoic. Our metamorphic results, when combined with recent structural and geochemical data, suggest the Dengfeng Complex records Neoarchean paired metamorphism, in which the higher thermal gradients reflect the arc–forearc region and the lower thermal gradients correspond to the accretionary complex. Our data indicate that the southern NCC experienced accretionary-to-collisional orogenesis with intra-oceanic subduction, forearc accretion (ca. 2.54–2.50 Ga), and subsequent arc–continent collision (ca. 2.50–2.47 Ga). The recognition of paired metamorphism in the NCC is consistent with widespread subduction and the operation of a plate tectonic regime in the late Archean.

Composition of Pancarli Magmatic Ni-Cu±(PGE) Sulfide Deposit in the Cadomian-Avalonian Belt, Eastern Turkey

Pancarli Ni-Cu±(PGE) sulfide deposit occurs in the Neoproterozoic basement complex of the Bitlis massif, which is one of the Andean-type active continental margin fragments with arc-type assemblages represented by the Cadomian orogenic belt. Pancarli sulfides are associated with quartzo-feldspathic gneisses (country rock) and mafic intrusions (host rock). Composed of only semi-massive ore, the Ni-Cu±(PGE) sulfide deposit is a small-scale deposit, and it does not contain net-textured and disseminated ore. The mineral assemblage comprises pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite. The semi-massive ore samples contain 2.2 wt.%-2.9 wt.% Ni, 0.8 wt.%-2.2 wt.% Cu (Cu/(Cu+Ni)=0.2-0.5) and 0.13 wt.%-0.17 wt.% Co. The Cu/Ni ratios (average 0.57) are consistent with the segregation of sulfides from a basaltic magma. Low Pt+Pd100%S values of 0.08 ppm-0.89 ppm, relatively low Pt/Pd ratios of 0.2-1.4, and Pd/Ir ratios of 4.5-39 have also been revealed. These values demonstrate that the magma reached S saturation before its emplacement and the mineralization with high Cu/Pd ratios formed by sulfides segregated from a PGE-depleted magma. δ34S isotope values (average -3.1‰) of Pancarli sulfides are lower than mantle source. Negative δ34S value indicates contamination from surrounding rocks. Concerning the composition, remobilization style and magma type, the Pancarli Ni-Cu±(PGE) sulfide deposit is similar to the deposits associated with Andean-type magmatic arcs located in the convergent plate margin settings.

Trace Elements and Li Isotope Compositions Across the Kamchatka Arc: Constraints on Slab‐Derived Fluid Sources

AbstractChalcophile elements and lithium (Li) isotopes were measured on lavas from a 220‐km transect across the Kamchatka arc in order to investigate the fluid variations below arc volcanoes and to trace the geochemical behaviour of Li in convergent plate margins. From the Eastern Volcanic Front (EVF), through the Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD), into the Sredinny Range (SR) volcanic zones, chalcophile element ratios (e.g., As/Ce and Sb/Ce) show clear across‐arc variations, decreasing (e.g., As/Ce: 0.20 to 0.03 and Sb/Ce: 0.013 to 0.002) with increasing depth above the slab (110 to 400 km). This clearly indicates a gradually decreasing influx of slab‐derived fluids added to the mantle wedge as the slab subducts below Kamchatka. In addition, the anomalously high U/Th, La/Sm, and B/Nb ratios in the CKD lavas suggest lawsonite breakdown reaction dominates the fluid release in this area. However, Li/Y (0.07 to 1.78) and δ7Li (+1.8 to +5.4‰, with an exception of +8.6‰ in CKD) show limited variations and values similar to the MORB mantle. A dehydration model suggests that slab‐derived fluids, which are characterized by high Li concentration and high δ7Li, do not control the Li budget in Kamchatka arc lavas. Therefore, the isotopic heavy Li from slab‐derived fluids likely equilibrates in the sub‐arc mantle, which acts as a buffer for Li systematics. In addition, based on the Li isotopic signatures of Klyuchevskoy volcano, our study demonstrates insignificant Li isotopic fractionation during mantle melting and subsequent differentiation.

Controls on Continental Strain Partitioning Above an Oblique Subduction Zone, Northern Andes

AbstractStrain partitioning onto margin‐parallel thrust and strike‐slip faults is a common process at obliquely convergent plate margins, leading to the formation and migration of crustal slivers. The degree of strain partitioning and rate of sliver migration can be linked to several factors including the angle of convergence obliquity, the dip angle of subduction, frictional coupling between the plates and the strength of the upper plate, among others. Although these factors are known to be important, their relative influence on strain partitioning is unclear, particularly at natural margins where the factors often vary along strike. Here we use a 3‐D mechanical finite‐element model to investigate the relationship between continental crustal strength, the convergence obliquity angle, the subduction angle, and strain partitioning in the Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ) of the Andes (5°N–3°S). In the NVZ the subduction dip and obliquity angles both vary along strike, weaknesses in the continental crust may be present in suture zones or regions of arc volcanism, and strain partitioning is only observed in some regions. Thus, it is an ideal location to gain insight in which of the factors have the largest influence on deformation and sliver formation in the upper plate. Our numerical experiments confirm that a moderately high obliquity angle is needed for partitioning and that a continental crustal weakness is also required for movement of a coherent continental sliver at rates similar to geodetic observations from the NVZ. In contrast, the subduction dip angle is only of secondary importance in controlling strain partitioning behavior.

Granitic magmas with enriched isotopic compositions, from enriched mantle source: Implications for continental generation

Granitoids with depleted isotopic compositions are generally considered beneficial to continental generation. However, most granitoids exhibit enriched isotopic characteristics (high initial Sr isotopic ratios, negative ƐNd and ƐHf values) and their role in continental generation is scantly explored. In this contribution, we report petrological and geochemical data of the Permian (ca. 270 Ma) Yabulai granites and hornblende gabbros in the Alxa Block of western North China Craton. Compared to initial mantle-derived basalts, the hornblende gabbros show low MgO (3.74 to 5.68 wt%), Cr (34.9 to 66.2 ppm), Ni (16.6 to 45.6 ppm) contents and Mg# (0.46 to 0.54), with zircon ƐHf values of +3.5 to +6.6 and −8.4 to −4.8. Relative to heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), the hornblende gabbros are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) with the absence of Eu anomalies. In primitive mantle-normalized spidergrams, the hornblende gabbros exhibit notably negative NbTa and positive Pb anomalies. Elemental and isotopic data indicate that they might have originated from a shallow and heterogeneous lithospheric mantle source modified by subducted materials. The granites are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous and can be classified as high-K calc-alkaline I-type, with negative zircon ƐHf values of −8.3 to −5.3. These granitic rocks were likely to be derived from a newly underplated mafic crustal source. Using our data and published data from the granitic rocks in the Alxa Block, we suggest that a Permian crustal generation event has occurred in the Nuru-Langshan belt of the Alxa Block. Our current results reveal that the crustal generation rates at the convergent plate margins might have been underestimated due to the unintended omission of the mantle contribution to the granitoids with enriched isotopic compositions.

A numerical application of the Eshelby theory for geobarometry of non-ideal host-inclusion systems

In the complex geodynamic processes occurring at convergent plate margins, rocks can be subducted at depth into the Earth experiencing metamorphism. A mineral inhomogeneity entrapped into another mineral, after exhumation to the Earth surface, will exhibit stress and strain fields different from those of the host because of the different thermoelastic properties. In the present paper, we propose a finite-element-based approach to determine the Eshelby and the relaxations tensors for any morphology of the inhomogeneity and for any crystallographic symmetry of the host. The proposed procedure can be directly applied in the framework of elastic geobarometry to estimate, on the basis of the Eshelby theory, the entrapment conditions (pressure and temperature) from the residual strain field measured in the inhomogeneity. This aspect represents a step forward to currently available models for geobarometry allowing the investigation of complex morphologies of the inhomogeneity in systems with general material anisotropy. We validate the proposed approach versus Eshelby analytical solutions available for spherical and ellipsoidal inclusions and we show the application to a real geological case of high pressure metamorphic rocks.

Subduction erosion associated with Paleo-Tethys closure: Deep subduction of sediments and high pressure metamorphism in the SE Tibetan Plateau

Subduction erosion along active convergent plate margins involves arc subduction, tectonic erosion and sediment subduction. Here we investigate the metasedimentary rocks enclosing blueschists and eclogites in the Changning–Menglian orogenic belt (CMOB) of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau which marks the main suture associated with the closure of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean between the Baoshan–Tengchong and Lanping–Simao blocks. We present an integrated study of petrology, mineral chemistry, whole-rock geochemistry, zircon U–Pb geochronology, and phengite 40Ar/39Ar isotopes. These rocks consist mainly of Ph-Qz schist, Ab-Qz-Ph schist, Grt-Ph schist, St-Ky-bearing Grt-Ms schist, and Cld-Pg-Ph schist. They display compositions similar to arkose and subarkose with trace element patterns overlapping those of the upper continental crust, and suggest immature and weak to moderate chemical weathering. The detrital zircon age spectra are dominated by two major age groups of 600–450 Ma with a peak at 550 Ma, and 1150–850 Ma with a peak at 950 Ma, suggesting that the metasedimentary rocks were sourced from a mixture of Precambrian sediments in the Lanping–Simao Block and Pan-African Orogeny-related magmatic rocks with minor Early Paleozoic Proto-Tethyan subduction- and volcanic rocks related to the onset of oceanic spreading of Paleo-Tethys. Combined with the maximum depositional age of ~428 Ma based on the youngest detrital age peaks, we infer that the Lancang Group could be the Early Paleozoic sedimentary sequence of the Lanping–Simao Block and was deposited in a foreland setting. The metasedimentary rocks display high-pressure (HP) mineral assemblages involving Ph + Ab + Qz, Grt + Ph + Qz, Grt + Ky + Ph, and Cld + Pg + Ph, and record blueschist facies to eclogite facies peak P–T conditions of 18.8–21.6 kbar at 392–553 °C (Grt-Ph schists) and 20–24.2 kbar at 592–654 °C (St-Ky-bearing Grt-Ms schists). Metamorphic zircon U–Pb and phengite 40Ar/39Ar isotopic analyses from these rocks yield consistent peak HP ages of 238–235 and 237–231 Ma, respectively, whereas 40Ar/39Ar dating for the Grt-Ph schist with low Si contents in phengite yields the post-peak age at 226.2 ± 1.3 Ma. We propose that a significant volume of sediments in Lancang Group at the western margin of the Lanping–Simao Block were off scraped by the downgoing oceanic lithosphere associated with the Paleo Tethyan ocean closure, and subducted to depths of ~60–80 km during Middle Triassic. These were subsequently rapidly exhumated at a rate of ~5.7–6.5 km/myr in the Late Triassic. The subduction erosion model proposed in our study has important implications for reconstructing the evolutionary history of the Paleo-Tethys as well as the architecture variation of the paleosubduction zone.

Earth’s earliest granitoids are crystal-rich magma reservoirs tapped by silicic eruptions

Granitoids of the tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) series dominate Earth’s earliest continental crust. The geochemical diversity of TTGs is ascribed to several possible geodynamic settings of magma formation, from low-pressure differentiation of oceanic plateaus to high-pressure melting of mafic crust at convergent plate margins. These interpretations implicitly assume that the bulk-rock compositions of TTGs did not change from magma generation in the source to complete crystallization. However, crystal–liquid segregation influences the geochemistry of felsic magmas, as shown by the textural and chemical complementarity between coeval plutons and silicic volcanic rocks in the Phanerozoic Eon. We demonstrate here that Paleoarchean (ca. 3,456 million years old) TTG plutons from South Africa do not represent liquids but fossil, crystal-rich magma reservoirs left behind by the eruption of silicic volcanic rocks, being possibly coeval at the million-year scale as constrained by high-precision uranium–lead geochronology. The chemical signature of the dominant trondhjemites, conventionally interpreted as melts generated by high-pressure melting of basalts, reflects the combined accumulation of plagioclase phenocrysts and loss of interstitial liquid that erupted as silicic volcanic rocks. Our results indicate that the entire compositional diversity of TTGs could derive from the upper crustal differentiation of a single, tonalitic magma formed by basalt melting and/or crystallization at <40 km depth. These results call for a unifying model of Hadean–Archean continent nucleation by intracrustal production of TTG magmas. The chemical diversity of Earth’s early continental building blocks can be explained by differentiation of a single melt, without complex geodynamic settings, according to petrological and geochemical analysis of samples from South Africa.

Subduction-related hybridization of the lithospheric mantle revealed by trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data in composite xenoliths from Tallante (Betic Cordillera, Spain)

Ultramafic xenoliths are rarely found at convergent plate margins. A notable exception is in the Betic Cordillera of southern Spain, where the eruption of xenolith-bearing alkaline basalts during the Pliocene post-dated the Cenozoic phase of plate convergence and subduction-related magmatism. Mantle xenoliths of the monogenetic volcano of Tallante display extreme compositional heterogeneities, plausibly related to multiple tectono-magmatic episodes that affected the area. This study focuses on two peculiar composite mantle xenolith samples from Tallante, where mantle peridotite is crosscut by felsic veins of different size and mineralogy, including quartz, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase. The veins are separated from the peridotite matrix by an orthopyroxene-rich reaction zone, indicating that the causative agents were alkali-rich hydrous silica-oversaturated melts, which were likely related to recycling of subducted continental crust components. The present study reports new and detailed major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Pb analyses of the minerals in the composite Tallante xenoliths that confirm the continental crust derivation of the metasomatic melts, and clarifies the mode in which subduction-related components are transferred to the mantle wedge in orogenic areas. The particular REE patterns of the studied minerals, as well as the variation of the isotopic ratios between the different zones of the composite xenoliths, reveal a complex metasomatic process. The distribution of the different elements, and their isotope ratios, in the studied xenoliths are controlled by the mineral phases stabilised by the interaction between the percolating melts and the peridotitic country rock. The persistence of marked isotopic heterogeneities and the lack of re-equilibration suggest that metasomatism of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle occurred shortly before the xenolith exhumation. In this scenario, the studied xenoliths and the metasomatic processes that affected them may be representative of the mantle sources of mafic potassic to ultrapotassic magmas occurring in post-collisional tectonic settings.

Forearc strike-slip displacement as an alternative to subduction erosion, with examples from Mexico and California (sinistral Nacimiento fault)

Slip on the Nacimiento fault of the central Coast Ranges of California has been variably interpreted as dextral, sinistral, or reverse. The currently prevailing interpretation is that the Nacimiento fault represents subduction erosion, by which the central to eastern part of the Cretaceous California batholith was thrust over the western part of the batholith and forearc basin, resulting in juxtaposition of the Salinian batholithic block against the Franciscan Complex, concurrently with Laramide flat-slab subduction (75–55 Ma) and underplating of the Pelona-Orocopia-Rand schist. No modern convergent plate margin includes such overthrusting. The closest modern analog to the likely configuration of the Salinian continental margin near the end of the Laramide deformation is southern Mexico, where arc plutons are exposed near the trench. Although commonly considered an example of subduction erosion, this margin is “missing” parts of the plutonic arc and forearc because they have been displaced to the southeast by sinistral slip. By analogy, the Nacimiento forearc was modified as a trench-trench-transform triple junction migrated southeastward along the continental margin during flat-slab subduction. This model makes testable predictions involving northwest-to-southeast younging of deep-marine deposits on batholithic crust underlain by contemporaneous schist. Correct restoration of later Cenozoic primarily dextral slip and Maastrichtian – Early Eocene primarily sinistral slip must result in realignment of north–south-trending belts of the Sierra Nevada – Salinia – Peninsular Ranges batholith, Great Valley forearc, and Franciscan Complex. These modern and ancient examples suggest that several “erosional” subduction zones are more plausibly explained by strike-slip truncation of forearcs.

Accretion of the Anuy Zone, Tectonic Zonation, and Evolution of the Samarka Accretionary Complex: Details of Evolutionary Scenario of the Sikhote-Alin Segment of the East Asian Continental Margin

The Sikhote-Alin Orogen in the southeast of Russia is a collage of geological terranes of various age and tectonic origin, which formed along the East Asian continental margin as a result of the Jurassic–Early Cretaceous subduction of the Pacific oceanic plates. The Jurassic Samarka accretionary complex (AC) and the Early Cretaceous Zhuravlevka turbidite basin in the southern part of the orogen are considered indicators of subduction continental margin and transform plate boundary regimes, respectively. The regime conversion was assumed at the end of the Jurassic, when subduction stopped. Our biostratigraphic study of radiolarians from siliceous and fine-clastic sedimentary rocks has revealed the latest oceanic deposits and the youngest, Early Cretaceous fragment of the Samarka AC in its less studied northeastern part, which is ascribed to the Anuy tectono-stratigraphic element. The well-preserved radiolarians allow accurate dating of cherts, siliceous mudstone, and mudstone. This and other available biostratigraphic data allow the reinterpretation of the stratigraphy of the accreted oceanic sedimentary rocks. The refined stratigraphy is interpreted as a subsequent change in depositional settings on an oceanic plate, which moves to the convergent plate margin. Cherts accumulated in an oceanic pelagic zone from the Middle Triassic to the Late Jurassic (Early Oxfordian). Siliceous mudstone were deposited in a hemipelagic zone in the early Oxfordian–middle Tithonian. Mudstone and siltstones deposited on an external slope of a deep trench in the late Tithonian–Berriasian. The sandy deposits were deposited in an axial part of the trench in the early Valangian, which best corresponds to the timing of accretion. Thus recognized early Valanginian accretion episode shows that subduction underneath the continental margin lasted longer than previously suggested. The onset of the transform continental boundary regime occurred later, probably, in the late Valanginian. This further details the Mesozoic evolutionary scenario, which was previously proposed for the Sikhote-Alin segment of the East Asian continental margin. We also refine the tectonic zonation and evolution of the Samarka AC.

Identification of the Neoarchean Jianping pyroxenite-mélange in the Central Orogenic Belt, North China Craton: A fore-arc accretional assemblage

Mélanges are widespread in accretionary and collisional orogens at convergent plate margins. We document a Neoarchean mélange belt exposed in the Jianping Complex, North China Craton (NCC). The mélange belt contains a structurally chaotic tectonic mixture of paragneiss, metapelites mixed with exotic tectonic blocks of mafic and ultramafic rocks including pyroxenites, metagabbros, metadiabases, metabasalts, and TTG gneisses. The blocks have formation ages of ca. 2.53–2.51 Ga and all units in the mélange have been intruded by undeformed pegmatite dykes (ca. 2.49 Ga). Geochemical studies show that the pyroxenites in the mélange have high contents of MgO (15.84–20.87%), Mg# (68–80), Ni (211–446 ppm) and Cr (963–2491 ppm). They are characterized by slightly negative Eu anomalies, enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) and pronounced negative high field strength elements (HFSE) anomalies on chondrite- and primitive mantle- normalized diagrams. We suggest that the pyroxenites are cumulates derived from an arc-related lithospheric mantle source. The pyroxenites in the mélange are suggested to have formed in a subduction-related fore-arc environment whose mantle source was metasomatized by fluids derived from the subducted slab. The recognition of the Neoarchean Jianping pyroxenite-mélange and regional tectonic analysis of the NCC indicate that the mélange belt in the Jianping Complex is one segment of a 2.5 Ga suture zone that crosses the NCC, stitching a forearc segment of an oceanic arc terrane in the Central Orogenic Belt (COB) with the Eastern Block. The Jianping pyroxenite-mélange is therefore correlative with the Zunhua, Zanhuang, and Dengfeng mélanges in more southern segments of the Central Orogenic Belt, defining a Neoarchean suture that extends for approximately 1600 km across the craton. The geochemistry of the arc-derived magmas, and the tectonic association with a subduction-related mélange is similar in petrology, chemistry, structural style, and size to modern-day forearc settings, negating any calls for non-plate tectonic settings for arc-like magmas in the Archean.

Turbidite record of a middle Neoproterozoic active continental margin in the West Cathaysia terrane, South China: Implications for the relationships between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks and their positions in Rodinia

South China is the largest block of Rodinia in southeastern Asia. It consists of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks, separated by the Jiangshan-Shaoxing-Pingxiang Fault. Most studies suggest that the two blocks were amalgamated in the early Neoproterozoic, and the middle Neoproterozoic vocano-sedimentary sequences on both blocks were deposited in a post-collisional rift basin (the Nanhua rift basin). Here, we conducted a geochemical and geochronological study of a turbidite sequence at the western margin of the Cathaysia Block that was previously considered to have been deposited in the Nanhua rift basin. The sedimentary rocks are characterized by bathypelagic to bathyal facies. They are composed of siliciclastic sedimentary rocks interlayered with tuffaceous materials and have geochemical compositions between felsic to intermediate arc igneous rocks. Abundant euhedral detrital zircons define a major age peak at ca. 790–770 Ma, indicating that the detrital grains were derived mostly from locally distributed syn-sedimentary middle Neoproterozoic arc igneous rocks. Predominance of zircons with ages close to the time of deposition and the whole-rock trace element compositions of the turbidite sequence also imply a convergent plate margin setting for the turbidite. The Hf isotopic compositions of the Neoproterozoic detrital zircons suggest that their provenance consisted of largely reworked crustal materials, inconsistent with a potential interpretation that similarly aged igneous rocks in the Jiangnan Orogen were the provenance. These lines of evidence, combined with other available data, suggest that the western margin of the Cathaysia Block (the West Cathaysia terrane) bears more similarities to the western and northern margins of the Yangtze Block and northern India and formed part of a Neoproterozoic subduction-accretion system located along the margin of Rodinia. We suggest that early Paleozoic strike-slip movement along the Jiangshan-Shaoxing-Pingxiang Fault played a significant role in shaping the current tectonic framework of South China by bringing the West Cathaysia terrane to its present position with respect to the Yangtze Block.

Metamorphism and the evolution of plate tectonics.

Earth's mantle convection, which facilitates planetary heat loss, is manifested at the surface as present-day plate tectonics1. When plate tectonics emerged and how it has evolved through time are two of the most fundamental and challenging questions in Earth science1-4. Metamorphic rocks-rocks that have experienced solid-state mineral transformations due to changes in pressure (P) and temperature (T)-record periods of burial, heating, exhumation and cooling that reflect the tectonic environments in which they formed5,6. Changes in the global distribution of metamorphic (P, T) conditions in the continental crust through time might therefore reflect the secular evolution of Earth's tectonic processes. On modern Earth, convergent plate margins are characterized by metamorphic rocks that show a bimodal distribution of apparent thermal gradients (temperature change with depth; parameterized here as metamorphic T/P) in the form of paired metamorphic belts5, which is attributed to metamorphism near (low T/P) and away from (high T/P) subduction zones5,6. Here we show that Earth's modern plate tectonic regime has developed gradually with secular cooling of the mantle since the Neoarchaean era, 2.5 billion years ago. We evaluate the emergence of bimodal metamorphism (as a proxy for secular change in plate tectonics) using a statistical evaluation of the distributions of metamorphic T/P through time. We find that the distribution of metamorphic T/P has gradually become wider and more distinctly bimodal from the Neoarchaean era to the present day, and the average metamorphic T/P has decreased since the Palaeoproterozoic era. Our results contrast with studies that inferred an abrupt transition in tectonic style in the Neoproterozoic era (about 0.7 billion years ago1,7,8) or that suggested that modern plate tectonics has operated since the Palaeoproterozoic era (about two billion years ago9-12) at the latest.

Nd-Hf-O isotopic evidence for subduction-induced crustal replacement in NE China

Convergent plate margins represent an ideal setting to understand the formation and evolution of the Earth's crust. Nevertheless, the geodynamic processes involved in crustal evolution remains highly debatable. Based on a large geochemical dataset of Permian-Cretaceous granitic rocks from the Yanbian area in NE China, we propose a new geodynamic model involving crustal replacement to decipher crustal evolution during a superimposed, multi-stage, subduction system. These Phanerozoic granitic rocks, from two adjacent zones, show contrasting HfNd isotopic variation trends. With decreasing age of magmatism, whole-rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t) decrease gradually in the North Granite Zone (NGZ) but show the opposite trends in the South Granite Zone (SGZ). Zircon δ18O shows a slight rise in the NGZ, but it initially increases from Permian to Jurassic and then decreases to Cretaceous in the SGZ. The Nd-Hf-O isotopic compositions of the Cretaceous granitic rocks in both zones converge. Four crustal components are identified in the source of granites across the Yanbian area, including (1) “juvenile” crust, (2) subduction-accretionary complex, (3) new arc crust, and (4) Precambrian crust.The contributions made to the bulk crustal melting source of granites by the “juvenile” crust component in the NGZ and by the Precambrian crust in the SGZ were both gradually decreased, whereas the proportion of the new arc crust increased in both zones. Pre-existing crustal components were extensively eroded, destructed, diluted and replaced by the new arc crust formed during paleo-Pacific slab subduction. Considering the prevalence of these two Nd-Hf-O isotopic variation trends in many orogenic belts, subduction-induced crustal replacement represents an important mechanism for crustal evolution in convergent plate margins.

Jurassic igneous rocks of the central Sanandaj–Sirjan zone (Iran) mark a propagating continental rift, not a magmatic arc

AbstractJurassic igneous bodies of the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone (SaSZ) in SW Iran are generally considered as a magmatic arc but critical evaluation of modern geochronology, geochemistry and radiogenic isotopes challenges this conclusion. There is no evidence for sustained igneous activity along the ~1,200 km long SaSZ, as expected for a convergent plate margin; instead activity was brief at most sites and propagated NW at ~20 mm/a. Jurassic igneous rocks define a bimodal suite of gabbro‐diorite and granite. Chemical and isotopic compositions of mafic rocks indicate subcontinental lithospheric mantle sources that mostly lacked subduction‐related modifications. The arc‐like features of S‐type granites reflect massive involvement of Cadomian crust and younger sediments to generate felsic melts in response to mafic intrusions. We conclude that Jurassic SaSZ igneous activity occurred in a continental rift, not an arc. SaSZ igneous rocks do not indicate that subduction along the SW margin of Eurasia began in Jurassic time.

Differentiating continental and oceanic arc systems and retro-arc basins in the Jiangnan orogenic belt, South China

AbstractThe Neoproterozoic Jiangnan orogenic belt records the accretion and collision between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks in South China. The orogen is divisible into three units: a northeastern domain (also referred to as the Huaiyu or Shuangxiwu domain), a central domain (Jiuling domain) and an undifferentiated southwestern domain. Detrital zircons from the oldest sequences (Shuangqiaoshan, Lengjiaxi, Fanjingshan and Sibao groups) in the central and southwest domains yield similar age spectra with major age populations at c. 875–820 Ma, along with minor Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic and Archaean ages. The dominance of detrital ages close to the deposition ages of the units, along with juvenile zircon Hf isotopic compositions and arc-like whole-rock compositional data, indicate the sedimentary units accumulated adjacent to a convergent plate margin magmatic arc. The presence of Mesoproterozoic and older zircons, both as detritus in the units and as xenocrysts within igneous rocks displaying a subduction-related signature, along with the compositional data, place the magmatic arc along a continental margin. In the northeastern domain, the oldest coeval sequence (Shuangxiwu and Qigong groups) and arc igneous suites are dated at c. 970–850 Ma, and lack older detritus and xenocrysts, indicating they represent an accreted oceanic arc system.

Sub‐mantle δ18O Zircons in Malani rhyolites: Clues for a Rodinia Linkage between South China and NW India

AbstractThe Malani Igneous Suite (MIS) in NW India represents one of the largest and well‐preserved Precambrian felsic igneous provinces, with minor mafic volcanics and dykes. The SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric) zircon U‐Pb geochronology yielded 776.8 ± 4.5 to 758.5 ± 6.9 Ma ages for rhyolites from Jodhpur region and Sindreth Basin while dacite sample from Punagarh Basin was dated to 760.5 ± 10 Ma. Zircons from rhyolitic and dacitic lavas have oxygen isotopic compositions that can be grouped into low δ18OV‐SMOW (4.12 to ‐1.11‰) and high (δ18O = 8.23‐5.12‰) categoroes, respectively. The low δ18O zircons have highly radiogenic Hf isotopic compositions (εHf(t)= +13.0 to +3.6) suggesting high temperature bulk cannibalization of upper level juvenile crust as the essential process for magma generation. Older than 800 Ma xenocrystic zircons in dacite have high δ18O values whereas 795 Ma ones have mantle‐like Hf‐O isotopic compositions, reflecting a significant shift in tectono‐thermal regime in NW India during 800‐780 Ma. A synchronous transition in the South China Block and Madagascar suggests a spatially and temporally linked geodynamic system. Geochemical data in combination with the new isotopic results point towards an overall convergent plate margin setting undergoing localized lithospheric extension. The NW India and South China blocks together with Madagascar and the Seychelles lay either along the periphery of Rodinia or off the supercontinent with the age of convergent plate margin magmatism coinciding with breakup of the supercontinent.