Cratonic Blocks Research Articles

The Bastar Craton of Central India: Tectonostratigraphic evolution and implications in global correlations

The Bastar Craton occupies a key position in the Peninsular India, being located between three cratonic nuclei of India, the Dharwar Craton in the southwest, the Singhbhum Craton in the northeast, and the Bundelkhand Craton in the northwest. The southeastern and the northern margins of the craton are bordered by the Proterozoic orogenic belts constituting the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt and the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (the Satpura Mobile Belt), respectively. Analysis of the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the craton indicates the formation of the craton during Paleoarchean Era (~3582 Ma). The Archean evolution of the craton is marked by the development of granite-greenstone belts containing chemogenic sediments (Banded Iron Formations) and gold mineralisation . High-grade gneisses and granulites were developed during three orogenic episodes in the terrane (~2700 Ma Bailadila orogeny , ~2900 Ma Bengpal orogeny and ~3400 Ma Sukma orogeny). The Paleoproterozoic evolution of the craton is gleaned from the record of siliciclastic, volcaniclastics and chemogenic precipitates (carbonates, Banded Manganese Formation, and Banded Iron Formation) on the northern margin of the craton, which were deposited during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE; 2500–2300 Ma) and Paleoproterozoic glaciation (2400–2300 Ma) as well as immediately after the GOE (2050–1850 Ma). Effects of orogenic activities in the adjacent mobile belts are marked by the metamorphic and magmatic activities affecting the rocks at the margin of the craton. The Satpura orogenic event on the northern margin of the craton led to the amalgamation of the Bastar Craton with the Bundelkhand Craton at ~2250 and ~2100 Ma, forming the major part of the Peninsular India. Orogenic collapse (extension) developed basins transverse to the orogenic trend, where clastic, volcaniclastic and chemogenic sediments (Khairagarh and Chilpi Groups) were deposited. The southeastern margin of the craton has records of migmatisation and granite emplacement during the Eastern Ghats orogeny at ~1700 Ma. A number of sedimentary basins , aligned along a line parallel to the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt, were developed during the orogenic collapse of the Eastern Ghats. Later orogenic activities along the Eastern Ghats were responsible for the development of depositional hiatus/unconformity within these sedimentary basins of the craton. Mafic dykes of different generations (2400 Ma, 2100 Ma and 1890 Ma) cutting across the Archean basement complex provide suitable markers for paleomagnetic reconstructions of the craton. The Archean and early Paleoproterozoic rock assemblages and mineralisation patterns in the craton show a broad similarity with the Western Australian Craton, indicating near-neighbourhood positions of the two ancient cratonic blocks. Paleomagnetic studies have shown the separation of these two blocks at ~2000 Ma, with the development of a paleo-ocean which closed subsequently during the amalgamation of the Bastar Craton with the East Antarctic Shield to form the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt in three phases at ~1700–1600 Ma, ~1050–950 Ma and ~500 Ma, with extensional phase between 1450 and 1100 Ma. The Bastar Craton preserves important clues regarding the evolution of the ocean and atmospheric conditions in the early Earth. • The Bastar and Yilgarn Cratons were juxtaposed at ~2400 Ma. • Bundelkhand-Pilbara Cratons collided with Bastar-Yilgarn Cratons at ~2000 Ma. • Satpura-Singhbhum-Capricorn Orogen developed at ~2000 Ma. • No collision/accretion took place along the CITZ after ~1800 Ma. • New tectonic model for 1950–1000 Ma is proposed for Bastar-Yilgarn Cratons.

The Congo Basin: Subsurface structure interpreted using potential field data and constrained by seismic data

The Congo Basin (CB) occupies a large part of the Congo Craton, which formed from the amalgamation of different cratonic blocks of Archean age. It records the history of deposition of up to 1 Gyr of sediments, one of the longest geological records on Earth above a crystalline basement. It is considered as a typical intracratonic basin, with its slow and long-lived subsidence history and the largely unknown formation mechanisms. In this study, we analyze the gravity field in the central area of the CB, applying two different methodologies to investigate the depth of the crystalline rock basement and crustal structures. The crustal contribution to the gravity observations is determined in one case by a data driven approach, while in the other using an isostatic compensation model that includes the effect of the rigidity of the lithosphere. Both methods are constrained by density measurements from rock samples/boreholes and interpretations of the reflection seismic profiles, crossing the CB. The results obtained are quite consistent with the aeromagnetic anomalies, showing structural highs and lows, NW-SE trending, matching the axial magnetic zone. The maximum basement depth is between 10 and 18 km, depending on the gravity method and assumptions used. Furthermore, we could identify several small basins that from the interpolation of seismic profiles are not clearly resolved, such as Busira (7–9 km deep), Lokoro (10.5–12 km deep), and Salonga basins (10–11.5 km deep), in the northwestern, southeastern, and central sector of the CB, respectively. The analysis of the gravity anomalies mainly related to the crystalline crust supposes the presence of high-density bodies located in the southern part of the CB that we interpreted as related to the extensional phases that initiated the subsidence of the basin.

Tectonic switches recorded in a Paleoproterozoic accretionary orogen in the Alta Floresta Mineral Province, southern Amazonian Craton

The Alta Floresta Mineral Province (AFMP), southern Amazonian Craton, experienced extensive magmatic activity from ca. 2.03 to 1.75 Ga in an uncertain geodynamic setting. New and pre-existing geological, petrographic, geochemical, and zircon geochronological data show that magmatic rocks in the eastern AFMP comprise three magmatic sequences: 2.03–1.93, 1.90–1.85, and 1.83–1.75 Ga. Earlier magmas had garnet-bearing sources, whereas younger ones were derived from shallow, garnet-free sources. We propose a new, four-stage geological framework, comprising five domains, and featuring an accretionary orogen with tectonic switching that alternates between flat subduction and slab-rollback. During flat subduction and crustal thickening in stages A (2.03–1.97 Ga) and C (1.90–1.81 Ga), calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic I-type magmatism was produced, whereas alkali-calcic to alkalic A-type magmatism, and localized I-type granites, were generated during slab-rollback and crustal extension in stages B (1.96–1.94 Ga) and D (1.83–1.75 Ga). The last stage is associated with precious- and base metal porphyry- and epithermal-style systems. We interpret the eastern AFMP as a remaining cratonic block of the eastward Tapajós Domain within the ca. 1.95–1.80 Ga Ventuari-Tapajós Province, and recording 1.85–1.74 Ga magmatism of the Western Amazonia Igneous Belt within the ca. 1.80–1.55 Ga Rio Negro-Juruena Province. Similarities between the AFMP and the Svecofennian orogen (Fennoscandian Shield) suggest that parts of the Columbia supercontinent margins might have operated in similar fashion to Andean-type accretionary orogens.

Sn wave tomography of the uppermost mantle beneath the Indian shield and its adjacent regions

We present a high-resolution Sn velocity image beneath the Indian shield and its adjoining regions by inverting 11,243 Sn arrivals. The average apparent Sn velocity is 4.60 km/s with a velocity perturbation of ±0.2 km/s. High velocities are found under some parts of the Indian cratons, the Tarim Basin, the North-west part of the Indian plate and the Bay of Bengal, whereas the Burmese arc, Hindu-Kush, Tibetan Plateau and eastern parts of the Indian shield are dominated by low Sn velocities. The uppermost mantle shear wave velocity beneath the Indian shield is hitherto not known. Our Sn image clearly shows the heterogeneous character of the Indian lithosphere. The cratonic blocks of Singhbhum, Bastar and Aravalli show low Sn. The intracratonic Cuddapah Basin and north of Southern Granulitic Province also exhibit higher uppermost mantle shear velocity. We also observe a localized high beneath the exotic Coorg microcontinent located in the south of the western Dharwar Craton. The intriguing feature is the central Indian highs, which we interpreted as the basaltic lava pillows concomitant to the Deccan volcanism. Along the Himalayan arc, we observe higher Sn velocity which supports the idea of subduction of the Indian lithosphere into the mantle. Interestingly, the uppermost mantle beneath the Bay of Bengal shows faster and slower Sn in the western and the eastern regions respectively implying their distinct compositions. The Sn velocity distribution is discussed in conjunction with the Pn tomography results obtained previously. Low-velocity anomaly is conspicuous all along the Andaman-Nicobar island arc.

The enigmatic continental crust of North-Central Africa: Saharan Metacraton or Central Sahara Shield?

AbstractThe continental crust of North-Central Africa between the Tuareg and Arabian-Nubian shields and south to the Central African Orogenic Belt is enigmatic due to the few bedrock exposures especially within the central region. The current understanding, based on a review of geochronology and isotope geochemistry, is that the central Sahara region is a large, coherent craton that was ‘highly remobilized’ during the Late Neoproterozoic amalgamation of Gondwana and referred to as the Saharan Metacraton. However, new data from the Guéra, Ouaddaï, and Mayo Kebbi massifs and the Lake Fitri inlier of Chad suggest that it may be a composite terrane of older cratonic blocks or microcontinents with intervening Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic domains and referred to as the ‘Central Sahara Shield’. It is postulated that the older crust and juvenile crust were sutured together along a Pan-Gondwana collisional belt (Central Sahara Belt) that bisects the central Sahara region. The ‘Central Sahara Shield’ hypothesis suggests the Chad Lineament, a narrow arcuate gravity anomaly within central Chad, could be a collisional belt suture zone and that it may explain the existence of the relatively juvenile crust that typifies southern and eastern Chad. The new data improves upon the existing knowledge and challenges the lithotectonic paradigm of the Saharan Metacraton. Further investigations are required to fully characterize the crust of the central Sahara region and to test the contrasting hypotheses.

Late Ediacaran post-collisional magmatism in the Guéra Massif, South-Central Chad

ABSTRACT The Guéra Massif of South-Central Chad is composed of collisional and post-collisional intrusive rocks related to the Central African Orogenic Belt. Collisional granites were emplaced at 595–590 Ma but there are a series of post-collisional intrusions that were emplaced at 570–560 Ma. The older granites have zircon U-Pb weighted-mean ages of 569 ± 6 Ma, 568 ± 7 Ma, and 568 ± 6 Ma, whereas the younger granites are 556 ± 7 Ma and 561 ± 6 Ma but all ages are within their maximum uncertainty. Both groups of post-collisional granites are peraluminous, ferroan, and alkali calcic to calc-alkalic but dioritic microgranular enclaves were observed within the older granites. The chemical variability of each group can be explained by fractional crystallization and it is likely that their parental magmas were derived by partial melting of the lower crust. The Nd isotopes of the older rocks (εNd(t) = −9.5 to −1.2) are slightly less enriched than the younger rocks (εNd(t) = −13.1 and −9.1). Moreover, the Nd isotopic compositions appear to indicate the existence of two isotopically distinct regions of the Guéra Massif with one centred on the Mongo (west) region and the other near the El Hidjer to Zan (east) region. The older group was emplaced during a period of crustal thinning after oblique collision and shearing related to the final suturing of the Congo-Saõ Francisco Craton and the Saharan Metacraton. The younger group was likely emplaced after a period of regional WNW-ESE directed crustal shortening. The punctuated nature of deformation/crustal relaxation cycles in the southern Saharan Metacraton suggests that there may have been many small terranes rather than larger cratonic blocks involved in the lithotectonic evolution of the Central African Orogenic Belt north of the Congo-Saõ Francisco Craton.

Plume-driven recratonization of deep continental lithospheric mantle.

Cratons are Earth's ancient continental land masses that remain stable for billions of years. The mantle roots of cratons are renowned as being long-lived, stable features of Earth's continents, but there is also evidence of their disruption in the recent1-6 and more distant7-9 past. Despite periods of lithospheric thinning during the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic eons, the lithosphere beneath many cratons seems to always 'heal', returning to a thickness of 150 to 200 kilometres10-12; similar lithospheric thicknesses are thought to have existed since Archaean times3,13-15. Although numerous studies have focused on the mechanism for lithospheric destruction2,5,13,16-19, the mechanisms that recratonize the lithosphere beneath cratons and thus sustain them are not well understood. Here we study kimberlite-borne mantle xenoliths and seismology across a transect of the cratonic lithosphere of Arctic Canada, which includes a region affected by the Mackenzie plume event 1.27 billion years ago20. We demonstrate the important role of plume upwelling in the destruction and recratonization of roughly 200-kilometre-thick cratonic lithospheric mantle in the northern portion of the Slave craton. Using numerical modelling, we show how new, buoyant melt residues produced by the Mackenzie plume event are captured in a region of thinned lithosphere between two thick cratonic blocks. Our results identify a process by which cratons heal and return to their original lithospheric thickness after substantial disruption of their roots. This process may be widespread in the history of cratons and may contribute to how cratonic mantle becomes a patchwork of mantle peridotites of different age and origin.

Archean–Ediacaran evolution of the Campos Gerais Domain — A reworked margin of the São Francisco paleocontinent (SE Brazil): Constraints from metamafic–ultramafic rocks

The Campos Gerais Domain (CGD) in southeastern Brazil is an approximately 180 km × 35 km area of Archean–Proterozoic rocks located southwest of the São Francisco Craton (SFC). The Archean–Paleoproterozoic evolution of the CGD — alongside its potential correlation with the SFC or other cratonic blocks in the region — is currently poorly-constrained. We present the results of systematic petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry, mineral chemistry and geochronology for a suite of scarcely studied mafic–ultramafic rocks from the CGD. We also provide a compilation of previously reported bulk-rock geochemical and spinel group mineral chemical data for mafic–ultramafic rocks throughout the CGD, and geochronological information for various lithotypes in the region. The CGD records a protracted Mesoarchean to Statherian (3.1–1.7 Ga) crustal evolution, which we interpret to share a common history with the southern SFC and their related reworked segments, suggesting that it is a westward extension of this cratonic terrain. The metavolcano-sedimentary rocks of the Fortaleza de Minas and Alpinópolis segments represent a Mesoarchean greenstone belt that is stratigraphically and chemically comparable to Archean greenstone belts worldwide, and that is broadly coeval with a local suite of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses and migmatites. U-Pb SHRIMP zircon data from a subalkaline metagabbro yielded a concordia age of ca. 2.96 Ga, revealing a previously unrecognized phase of Archean magmatism in the CGD that can be chrono-correlated with metakomatiite and TTG generation elsewhere in the São Francisco paleocontinent. Our data contradict a hypothesis whereby the metavolcano-sedimentary rocks of the Jacuí-Bom Jesus da Penha and Petúnia segments represent an ophiolite, as previously suggested, instead presenting features that point to formation in association with a continental arc. Coupled with a U-Pb (SHRIMP) crystallization age of ca. 2.13 Ga recorded by zircon grains from a metaultramafic rock, these data highlight that a magmatic event was chrono-correlated with the main accretionary phase of the Minas Orogeny, and with the Pouso Alegre/Amparo and São Vicente complexes. Finally, a U-Pb (SHRIMP) concordia age of ca. 590 Ma — obtained from metamorphic-textured zircon grains from a metaultramafic rock — points to a late metamorphic overprint related to upper amphibolite conditions, brittle fault activation and the juxtaposition of crustal blocks in association with the latest stages of western Gondwana’s assembly in the southern SFC, with later retrogression to greenschist-facies.

Lithospheric architecture and geodynamics of the Archean Dharwar craton and surrounding terranes: New insights from satellite gravity investigation

The construction and destruction of continents, cratons and supercontinents on the globe involved multiple events of plume, rifting, subduction-accretion, and collision through the long history of evolution of our planet. Archean cratons preserve the records of continent building in the Early Earth and understanding their lithospheric architecture is fundamental to building geodynamic models. The Dharwar craton in southern India is among the major cratons on the globe. Recent geological and geochronological studies indicate that the craton formed through the assembly of a number of micro-blocks, although the terrane boundaries and lithospheric structure have not been well-defined. Here, we analyze satellite gravity data, covering the entire Dharwar craton and its surrounding regions, with a view to understand the regional lithospheric architecture and the geodynamic evolution. Our results on the residual gravity field, based on finite element approach, can clearly demarcate the boundaries of the major geotectonic units in the Dharwar craton and surrounding regions. We identify the presence of a conspicuous residual gravity low (−55 mGal) that runs north–south for about 700 km, paralleling the western margin of the Dharwar craton. This gravity low passes through the Chitradurga schist belt and covers the Koyna seismogenic region in the north to Coimbatore in the south. The gravity patterns observed over this region, might suggest a deep-seated paleo- rift zone, which we term as ‘Koyna-Coimbatore rift’. The prominent gravity low associated with this rift structure, can be explained by the presence of a 70 km thick low velocity/low density zone (LVZ) in subcrustal lithospheric mantle, suggesting asthenospheric flow into the upper mantle. The Western Dharwar Craton (WDC) might extend further north encompassing the Koyna-Warna seismic zone. Another major finding from this study is delineation of the Central Dharwar Cratonic (CDC) block between the Chitradurga shear zone and the Kolar greenstone belt, which is characterized by a prominent residual gravity high zone (+20 mGal), coinciding with the exposures of the Closepet granitoids and their equivalents, possibly marking a collisional suture between two microblocks. The 2½D residual gravity modeling across an E-W profile, which cuts all the major geotectonic features of WDC, CDC and Eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC), reveals popping-up of the CDC terrane, below which Moho has upwarped to a depth of 36 km and the lithosphere is considerably thinner at about 120 km, compared to 48 km and 175 km respectively in the WDC. This feature corresponds to lithospheric destruction of almost 100–120 km below the Dharwar craton, with magma underplating. On the eastern side of the craton, the positive residual gravity contours that correspond to the Eastern Ghats Belt rocks, take a sharp turn into the adjacent offshore region northeast of Ongole, and continue further south, until the granulite terrane north of Chennai, indicating the absence of the Eastern Ghats Belt rocks east of Cuddapah Basin. Our gravity model is able to demarcate three collisional boundaries between (i) WDC and CDC, (ii) CDC and Cuddapah Basin, and (iii) Nellore Schist Belt and adjoining east coast terrane. The extensive lithospheric destruction with removal of nearly 100 km of the cratonic root is correlated to prolonged subduction during Paleo-Neoproterozoic, together with mantle plumes at different times playing a subordinate role, thus indicating combined mechanical, thermal and chemical erosion.

Perovskite U-Pb age and petrogenesis of the P-12 kimberlite from the Eastern Dharwar craton, southern India: Implications for a possible linkage to the 1110 Ma large igneous province

Petrology, bulk-rock geochemistry, and perovskite U-Pb age for the P-12 kimberlite pipe from the Wajrakarur kimberlite field, Eastern Dharwar craton (EDC) of southern India is reported. Perovskites yielded a high-precision U-Pb age of 1122 ± 7.7 Ma, taken to be an emplacement age of the host P-12 kimberlite pipe. The groundmass of coherent facies P-12 kimberlite contains monticellite, clinopyroxene, andradite, atoll spinel with titanomagnetite trend, and perovskite with an elevated REE contents. Phlogopite shows restricted Al2O3 and TiO2 contents. Furthermore, olivines with a wider and higher range of core compositions (i.e. Mg# = 84–94) and multi-granular nodules are the hallmark features of the P-12 pipe. This assorted primary mineral content and its composition indicates the transitional nature of the P-12 towards the Kaapvaal lamproites. However, concentrations of bulk-rock major and trace elements in the P-12 and other Wajrakarur kimberlites are similar to the global hypabyssal magmatic kimberlites. Large ion lithophile and high field strength elements (e.g. Ba and Nb) and their ratios (e.g. La/Nb and Th/Nb) suggest the presence of a heterogeneous and lithosphere influenced mantle source region which have been severely overprinted by metasomatizing fluids/melts emanating from the deep sourced upwelling mantle. The presence of such mixed and metasomatized mantle source regions likely to be an important factor for the transitional nature of the P-12 and other Mesoproterozoic kimberlites. Based on the availability of the newest emplacement ages, we propose a geodynamic model for the origin of kimberlites in the Indian subcontinent. The U-Pb age of 1122 ± 7.7 Ma for the P-12 pipe shows its close temporal association to the emplacement of the recently proposed 1110 Ma Large Igneous Province (LIP), with plume center beneath the NW part of the Kalahari craton. Emplacement of the P-12 and other contemporaneous Indian kimberlites, therefore, marks the impingement of mantle plume which contributed heat and triggered partial melting of metasomatized lithospheric mantle without melt input. The eruption phase of ~ 100 million years (i.e. 1050–1153 Ma), for the kimberlites and related rocks in the Indian shield, does not appear to be continuous and can be separated into several short-durational magmatic events. For this reason, small-volume, volatile-rich magmatism during the Mesoproterozoic time in India is linked to the presence of a number of LIPs and associated mantle plumes during Columbia to Rodinia supercontinent transition and assembly of cratonic blocks of the latter.

Decratonization by rifting enables orogenic reworking and transcurrent dispersal of old terranes in NE Brazil

Dispersion and deformation of cratonic fragments within orogens require weakening of the craton margins in a process of decratonization. The orogenic Borborema Province, in NE Brazil, is one of several Brasiliano/Pan-African late Neoproterozoic orogens that led to the amalgamation of Gondwana. A common feature of these orogens is that a period of extension and opening of narrow oceans preceded inversion and collision. For the case of the Borborema Province, the São Francisco Craton was pulled away from its other half, the Benino-Nigerian Shield, during an intermittent extension event between 1.0–0.92 and 0.9–0.82 Ga. This was followed by inversion of an embryonic and confined oceanic basin at ca. 0.60 Ga and transpressional orogeny from ca. 0.59 Ga onwards. Here we investigate the boundary region between the north São Francisco Craton and the Borborema Province and demonstrate how cratonic blocks became physically involved in the orogeny. We combine these results with a wide compilation of U–Pb and Nd-isotopic model ages to show that the Borborema Province consists of up to 65% of strongly sheared ancient rocks affiliated with the São Francisco/Benino-Nigerian Craton, separated by major transcurrent shear zones, with only ≈ 15% addition of juvenile material during the Neoproterozoic orogeny. This evolution is repeated across a number of Brasiliano/Pan-African orogens, with significant local variations, and indicate that extension weakened cratonic regions in a process of decratonization that prepared them for involvement in the orogenies, that led to the amalgamation of Gondwana.

ЗЕМНАЯ КОРА И ВЕРХНЯЯ МАНТИЯ В ОБЛАСТИ СОЧЛЕНЕНИЯ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНО-АЗИАТСКОГО И ТИХООКЕАНСКОГО СКЛАДЧАТЫХ ПОЯСОВ

Spatial distributions of gravity sources and density contrast of geological media, which is reflected by the values of parameter μz , into the crust and upper mantle of Northeast China are analyzed. Features of rheological layering of the tectonosphere and deep spatial relationships of tectonic structures (cratonic blocks, marginal terranes, and sedimentary basins) are defined. In the density contrast distributions the formal signs of Paleozoic subduction of the North-China Craton and Mesozoic subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Amurian Plate were revealed. Crustal deformations are in sharp contrast with upper mantle deformations in structural planes resulting from different directions of tectonic stresses in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. Thrusting of marginal terranes (Jamusi, Khanka) over the Amurian Plate lithosphere is revealed. Rheology and deep structure of North East China bear many similarities to other regions of the Pacific western margin in Asia and Australia.

Vp/Vs ratios in the Parnaíba Basin from joint active-passive seismic analysis – Implications for continental amalgamation and basin formation

The Phanerozoic intracontinental Parnaíba Basin in northeast Brazil lies atop crust composed of Archaean to Mesoproterozoic cratonic blocks and Neoproterozoic mobile belts. Recently, active and passive source geophysical surveys characterised the crustal structure beneath the basin. We use information from published active-source seismic and new, coincident receiver function (RF) data to obtain Vp/Vs ratios for sedimentary and crustal structure and make inferences about crustal compositions and tectonic evolution. In our approach, sedimentary and crustal Vp/Vs ratios are adjusted to match common conversion point (CCP) images of RFs and known Moho and basement geometry. We use a P-wave model from published wide-angle reflection/refraction (WARR) seismics, and structural features from a deep seismic reflection (DSR) profile. CCP images of the primary RF conversions were used to model the crust, whilst conversions of multiples were used for the sediment-basement interface. The maximum uncertainties in Vp/Vs are estimated to be 0.15 for the basin and 0.03 for the crust. Vp/Vs ratios in the basin were estimated between 1.7 and 2.2. Lower values correlate with the exposure of older units primarily in the east of the basin, whilst higher values coincide with exposed younger units of the Parnaíba Basin. The obtained crustal Vp/Vs ratios between 1.73 and 1.81 support the previously published segmentation of the crust. In particular, we identified three regions of elevated Vp/Vs ratios, which can be related to proposed Neoproterozoic suture zones underlying the Parnaíba Basin, as well as high velocity lower crust beneath. The high Vp/Vs ratios can be explained by mafic compositions, for example metamorphosed or intruded crust, or fluids and sedimentary rocks entrained into highly deformed crust, typical for modifications related to suture zones. These new deep geophysical models provide important and complementary evidence for crustal amalgamation and the formation of the Parnaíba Basin.

Pre-orogenic connection of the foreland domains of the Kaoko–Dom Feliciano–Gariep orogenic system

Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the foreland domains of the Kaoko–Dom Feliciano–Gariep orogenic system record sedimentation from the breakup of Rodinia to the amalgamation of Gondwana, and thus provide ideal subjects for investigation of the mutual pre-orogenic positions of rifted margins of the African and South American cratonic blocks. U–Pb isotopic dating of zircon in the Brusque Complex of the northern Dom Feliciano Belt, Brazil, provides new constraints on the timing and sources of Neoproterozoic sedimentation along the eastern margin of the Luis Alves Craton. The minimum age of sedimentation is constrained by a U–Pb zircon age of 811 ± 6 Ma from a dyke cross-cutting the Brusque Complex. U–Pb detrital zircon analysis reveals two distinct groups: one with ages ca. 2.2–2.0 Ga consistent with erosion of the adjacent Luis Alves Craton, and another with ages ca. 2.1–1.8 and 1.6–1.0 Ga consistent with erosion of Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic igneous provinces and/or supracrustal sequences at the edge of the Congo Craton. The age distributions match with analogous rocks of the central Dom Feliciano Belt and the Kaoko Belt, and show similarities with the Gariep Belt, suggesting deposition in a system of coeval and spatially related paleobasins around the time of Rodinia breakup. The absence of Neoproterozoic detrital zircon close to the age of sedimentation suggests deposition in an intracontinental rift or passive margin. A third group contains a significant proportion of Neoproterozoic ca. 670–560 Ma zircon, suggesting similarities with the adjacent Itajaí Basin syn-orogenic foreland sedimentary rocks. This indicates that foreland basin sediments were partly tectonically interleaved with the pre-orogenic metasediments of the Brusque Complex during late-stage orogenic deformation. The findings support an intracontinental rifting model for the formation of the Kaoko–Dom Feliciano–Gariep basin system. The data further indicate that the Luis Alves Craton was in close proximity to the Congo Craton, and likely with the Nico Pérez Terrane and the Kalahari Craton, at the onset of Tonian rifting and the breakup of Rodinia.

A new growth model of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau from high-resolution seismic imaging by improved double-difference tomography

High-resolution 3-D P and S wave velocity (Vp and Vs) models of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the northeastern (NE) Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding areas were obtained by applying an improved double-difference seismic tomography method on abundant body wave travel-time data of local and regional earthquakes collected from 1985 to 2018. The improved method not only increases constraints from observed Moho depth information but also incorporates the later-arriving Pg and Sg phases to improve the ray coverage in the middle-lower crust and uppermost mantle. The results show significant low-velocity anomalies in the crust beneath the NE Tibetan Plateau and high-velocity features beneath the surrounding stable Alxa and Ordos blocks. The areas near the boundaries of the cratonic blocks show high velocity in the upper crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Hexi Corridor, and high velocity in the upper crust beneath the Liupan Shan belt. Both of those regions have significant low-velocity anomalies in the middle-lower crust similar to the Tibetan Plateau, which suggests they probably were parts of the Alxa and Ordos blocks respectively, and were cut off from the two cratonic blocks during the lateral expansion of the Tibetan Plateau because of middle-lower crustal ductile deformation and asthenospheric flow. We propose a new tectonic model controlled by middle-lower crustal ductile deformation and asthenospheric flow to illuminate the tectonic evolution and growth mechanism of the NE Tibetan Plateau.

Crustal-scale wedge tectonics at the narrow boundary between the Tibetan Plateau and Ordos block

The Tibetan plateau is bounded in part by cratonic blocks, and in part by tectonothermally younger and weaker crust. How the Tibetan plateau interacts with bordering non-cratonic crust is a continuing debate, whether the plateau is currently enlarging its area, and if so, whether by thrusting or by lower-crustal flow, or both. The gently sloping northeastern margin of Tibet has been inferred to incorporate a lower-crustal channel flow outward towards the Ordos block that is a part of the North China Craton. We calculated receiver functions using teleseismic waveforms recorded by a dense nodal seismic array crossing from the Longxi basin of northeastern Tibet across a transition zone marked by the Liupan Shan (mountains) into the Ordos block. Our image shows the Longxi upper crust overthrusts onto the Ordos block building the Liupan Shan, and the Longxi lower crust underthrusts beneath the Ordos forming a 10-km thick crustal root. The Ordos crust forms a crustal-scale wedge inserted into the Longxi crust, and deformation is limited to a narrow zone of <50 km either side of the Liupan Shan. Convergence between the Longxi Basin and Ordos block is producing a narrow mountain range rather than broadening the plateau. The larger-scale gentle topography is likely an expression of negligible crustal deformation of the Longxi basin. Even if the Longxi basin of NE Tibet, between the Qaidam and Sichuan basins, is underlain by a weak lower crust, tunneling channel flow does not extend beyond the Liupan Shan, and the Tibetan Plateau has not grown outward beneath the Ordos block.

The Relationship Between Crustal Architecture, Deformation, and Magmatism in the Coompana Province, Australia

AbstractThe Coompana Province, located between the three cratonic blocks of Australia, is significant for understanding the Proterozoic assembly of the continent. However, the basement rocks are completely covered and poorly understood, and as a result reconstructions are poorly constrained. Recent collection of detailed geophysical data sets and a stratigraphic drilling campaign in the eastern Coompana Province is used to understand the crustal architecture and tectonomagmatic history of the region. A north to northeast trending grain represents a series of amalgamated 1618–1526 Ma tectonic belts between the Western and South Australian cratons. These belts are cut by a northeast trending, shear‐bounded corridor of thinned crust, intruded by voluminous circa 1150–1140 Ma granite plutons. The new data indicate two main stages of deformation between circa 1200 and 1140 Ma. Circa 1200–1170 Ma east‐west extension was pervasive, causing widespread partial melting, shallowly dipping layering, recumbent folding, and minor shoshonitic magmatism. Circa 1160–1140 Ma deformation was partitioned into the northeast trending corridor, which focused transfer and emplacement of voluminous A‐type magmas. The two stages represent a switch from pervasive to localized deformation, with accompanying changes in magmatic style. Early pervasive extension caused progressive melt extraction, producing small sheets. Subsequent shearing locally promoted melt reorganization in the lower and middle crust. This caused local changes in rock strength with the continued partitioning of deformation into the oblique corridor. The crustal‐scale structures disrupted the lower crustal MASH zones, mobilizing and focusing the voluminous magmatism.

The geodynamic evolution of the Famatinian orogen from the paleomagnetic record of El Hongo trondhjemite (Early Paleozoic, Sierras Pampeanas de Córdoba, Argentina)

The Pampia cratonic block is juxtaposed to the Paleoproterozoic Río de la Plata craton through the Córdoba fault, an extension of the Transbrasiliano lineament. As a fragment of hyperextended crust, it was the locus of several magmatic belts during the Paleozoic. The Ordovician Famatinian orogen, for example, developed on its western margin as a consequence of subduction, which would lead to the accretion of Cuyania at ~460 Ma. The El Hongo trondhjemite is a small Famatinian pluton emplaced at ~ 500 Ma, close to the eastern margin of Pampia, controlled by shear belts in the foreland setting. New Ar–Ar ages verified that the cooling lasted at least until 430 Ma. Protracted cooling of this intrusion recorded magnetic remanence comprising several magnetic components, all of them carried mainly by hematite, and subordinately by magnetite. Hematite is present as a product either of exsolution from ilmeno-hematitess, or of low-temperature oxidation of magnetite (martite). The remanence is interpreted to have been acquired thermochemically during repeated pulses of fluid migration and deuteric oxidation. The A and B directions are predominant and have an arcuate distribution identifying clockwise rotation during acquisition. Other two directional groups, C and D are less represented, restricted to narrow patches; they seem to be acquired later, and coincide roughly with the ill-defined Silurian-Devonian Gondwana apparent polar wander path for the Early Paleozoic, implying that rotations had finished by then. An emplacement along dextral strike-slip fault systems is envisaged for El Hongo trondhjemite, where faulting occurred through shear belts in the weakened back-arc and foreland of the Famatinian belt, in response to the oblique subduction that would have accompanied the clockwise rotation of Laurentia around Gondwana during the Early Paleozoic. Strike-slip and rotations would have finished at ~460 Ma, coinciding with the final docking of Cuyania.

Hybrid local and teleseismic P-wave tomography in North Tanzania: role of inherited structures and magmatism on continental rifting

SUMMARY While local earthquake tomography is typically used to image the crust, this technique has restricted depth penetration due to short receiver-source distances. Regional tomography however aims to image the upper mantle from teleseismic events but suffers from poor resolution from 0 down to 40 km depth. We present here a hybrid method that combines the two approaches taking advantage of the short-wavelength resolution within the crust to better constrain the ray path at depth, and thus to improve the lithospheric imaging. Using this new method enhances the continuity or disruption of mantle anomalies towards the surface. Such hybrid tomographic images of crust-to-upper mantle structures are then critical to understand the relation and interplay between the thermal and mechanical lithospheric processes and the role in the localization of the deformation at the surface. We apply our approach to the North Tanzanian Divergence (NTD), where those processes interact with a cold cratonic lithosphere. Our new tomographic images clearly demonstrate the impact of deep-seated processes on surface features. First, strong lateral velocity anomalies and clustered seismicity in the crust are consistent with the surface geology of the NTD (rifted basins, volcanoes and border faults). Then, at a lithospheric scale, the velocity distribution highlights the major role of inherited structures in guiding the rift opening. In particular, our study suggests a strong influence of the Masai cratonic block, south of the NTD, in the rift evolution. The transition from the north–south axial valley into three diverging rift arms (Eyasi, Natron-Manyara and Pangani) is likely due to the change in rheology and to the presence of magma along inherited sutures between the craton and the mobile belts.

TIMS Pb-Pb geochronology of sulfides in the Fazenda Coqueiro VHMS deposit, São Francisco Craton, NE Brazil: timing and genesis constraints on the Zn-Pb mineralization

TIMS Pb-Pb geochronological data allow determination of the timing and genesis of the Fazenda Coqueiro volcanic‑hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) Zn-Pb deposit hosted in the Neoarchean Mundo Novo greenstone belt (MNGB), NE São Francisco Craton. The deposit is inserted in the Rhyacian-Orosirian Contendas-Jacobina lineament between Archean cratonic blocks. The basement of the deposit is composed of Paleoarchean metagranite and metarhyolite nuclei tectonically emplaced within the supracrustal rocks. The volcanic-sedimentary rocks comprise the ocean floor western metabasalt, calcsilicate rock, aluminous schist, metachert, banded iron formation, and tremolitite of the middle sequence and metasedimentary siliciclastic rocks of the uppermost sequence of the MNGB. The western metabasalt is hydrothermally altered, which resulted in the formation of two alteration zones. They consist of carbonate zone, proximal, hosting massive sulfides composed mainly of sphalerite and galena with minor chalcopyrite; and sericite-chlorite zone, distal, hosting mainly disseminated chalcopyrite. Pb-Pb galena, chalcopyrite and sphalerite data from the massive and disseminated zones in the Fazenda Coqueiro deposit yielded model ages of 2,804 ± 11.15, 2,794 ± 11.2, and 2,767 ± 11.1 Ma, respectively, with the Pb sourced from the upper crust, based on the uranogenic and thorogenic diagrams. The Pb-Pb isochron mineralization age of 2,747 ± 16 Ma obtained from chalcopyrite and sphalerite samples from the massive and disseminated zones suggests that the sulfides were coeval and do not record later metamorphic-hydrothermal events. Therefore, the Fazenda Coqueiro deposit would have formed from Neoarchean ocean floor volcanic-exhalative processes. The Rhyacian-Orosirian tectonic event compressed the deposit between Archean blocks along the Contendas-Jacobina lineament, preserving the sulfides from remobilization processes.