Crustal Slices Research Articles

Tectonic architecture of the northern Dora-Maira Massif (Western Alps, Italy): field and geochronological data

High-pressure and ultra-high-pressure metamorphic terrains display an internal architecture consisting of a pile (or stack) of several coherent tectonic thrust sheets or units. Their identification is fundamental for understanding the scale and mechanisms active during subduction and exhumation of these crustal slices. This study investigates the geometry of the northern Dora-Maira Massif and the kinematics of the major tectonic boundaries, combining field and geochronological data. The tectonic stack of the northern Dora-Maira Massif comprises the following units. The lowermost unit (the Pinerolo Unit) is mainly characterized by Upper Carboniferous fluvio-lacustrine (meta-)sediments. The Pinerolo unit is overthrust by a pre-Carboniferous basement. The latter is subdivided in two tectonic units (the Chasteiran and Muret Units) with different Alpine metamorphism (ultra-high-pressure and high-pressure, respectively). The pre-Carboniferous basement of the Muret Unit is thicker than previously thought for two main reasons. Firstly, some paragneisses, traditionally assumed to be Carboniferous and/or Permian in age, display detrital zircon ages indicating a main source at about 600 Ma. Secondly, three samples of the Granero Orthogneiss, previously assumed to be a Permian intrusive body, have provided zircon U–Pb ages of 447 ± 1 Ma, 456 ± 2 Ma and 440 ± 2 Ma, indicating a late Ordovician or early Silurian age for the protoliths. The uppermost unit (the Serre Unit) comprises porphyritic (meta-) volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks dated to the Permian (271 ± 2 Ma), on top of which remnants of the Mesozoic cover is preserved. Detailed mapping of an area about 140 km2 shows that (i) the ultra-high pressure Chasteiran Unit is localized at the boundary between the Pinerolo and Muret Units, (ii) the Granero Orthogneiss may be considered as the mylonitic sole of the Muret Unit, characterized by a top-to-W sense of shear, and (iii) the contact between the Muret and Serre Units displays ductile-to brittle structures (La Fracho Shear Zone), indicating a top-to-the-NW displacement of the hangingwall with respect to the footwall. A final episode of brittle faulting, cutting across the nappe stack (the Trossieri Fault), indicates an extensional stage in the core of the Alpine belt, as previously documented in more external zones. This work provides a necessary and robust basis before an accurate discussion of processes acting during continental subduction of the Dora-Maira Massif may be understood.

Sanbagawa Subduction: What Went in, How Deep, and How Hot did it Get?

The Sanbagawa belt is a “coherent” oceanic subduction-type metamorphic region representing a rock package predominantly derived from oceanic crust and accreted at depths of 20–80 km (300–700 °C). The thermal structure and lithological layers are complexly deformed but semi-continuous, in contrast to more commonly reported subduction-related domains dominated by mélange. The coeval Shimanto accretionary complex records accretion at depths <15 km and the rocks are primarily terrigenous sediments. The Sanbagawa belt has a greater proportion of mafic rocks than the Shimanto complex, implying progressive peeling-off of oceanic plate stratigraphy with more basaltic oceanic crust slices accreted at deeper levels. Tectonic exhumation can be explained by three separate phases dominated by buoyancy-driven upflow, ductile thinning, and normal faulting.

The onset of Neo-Tethys subduction in the Early Jurassic: evidence from the eclogites of the North Shahrekord Metamorphic Complex (Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, W Iran)

AbstractGeodynamic models implying subduction of continental crust either consider this process happening during collision, when the continental margin of the lower plate attempts subduction, or in pre-collisional stages, when tectonic erosion of the upper plate or subduction of continental extensional allochthons drag continental crust in the subduction channel. In the Zagros orogen (W Iran), high-pressure rocks are known only from the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, NE of the Main Zagros Thrust. Here, eclogites of the North Shahrekord Metamorphic Complex suggest subduction of continental crust slices derived from the upper plate (Central Iran) during the onset of the Neo-Tethys subduction along the southern margin of Iran. Eclogites record a clockwise pressure-temperature-time path, with pre-eclogitic epidote-amphibolites-facies phase assemblages preserved in garnet cores, a high-pressure stage, and a subsequent retrogression at amphibolite-facies conditions. By means of forward thermodynamic modelling and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, the peak metamorphism has been constrained at 1.9-2.1 GPa and 550-600 °C, in the 191-194 Ma time span. The following retrogression during exhumation lasted at least until 144 Ma. Our data suggest that the onset of the Neo-Tethys subduction traces back prior to 190 Ma, involving together with the Neo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere also slices of the upper plate continental crust scraped off by means of tectonic erosion processes.

Architecture of ophiolitic mélanges in the Junggar region, NW China

Ophiolitic mélanges, units that contain components of an ophiolite suite, provide crucial information on earth history and orogenic evolution. In this paper, four ophiolitic mélanges are characterized, including the Baijiantan-Yeyagou, Hebukesair, Zhaheba and Hongguleleng mélanges in the Junggar region (NW China), southern Altaids. Detailed geological mapping, structural, geochronological, and geochemical analyses constrain ages, geochemical affinities and relationships of magmatic with clastic rocks. MORB-/OIB-type (meta)gabbros and plagiogranite are the oldest mélange components, slightly older or coeval with associated chert and MORB-/OIB-type basalt; these rocks collectively constitute an ophiolite suite. Ophiolitic rocks predate associated clastic sedimentary rocks (conglomerate and turbidite) by ∼90-25 My, and associated SSZ-type hornblende gabbro, basaltic andesite, diabase, diorite and rhyolite by ∼78-37 My, except in the Hongguleleng mélange, where ophiolitic rocks predate latter units by ∼9-25 My. The ophiolitics are repeated by imbricate thrusts and duplexes, and folded. Ophiolitic blocks in mélanges locally preserve similar structures. Such blocks commonly have MORB and/or OIB geochemical affinities. Significantly older ages of MORB/OIB igneous rocks compared to ages of associated clastic sedimentary/SSZ-type igneous rocks shows that the former rocks formed as part of the crust of a large ocean, far from a convergent margin. The far-traveled oceanic crustal slices were imbricated and disrupted into block-in-matrix structures during accretion and incorporation into a subduction complex. SSZ-type magmatic rocks locally intrude into and extrude onto clastic rocks, demonstrating that a mélange contains multi-stage magmatic rocks. Folds, tilted structures and shear band cleavages are locally cross-cut by dikes, and these rocks are themselves have been dismembered into blocks. An intruded conglomerate in the Hongguleleng mélange contains pebbles of gabbro and basaltic andesite, the latter of which overlies sandstone. Superimposed folds in clastic rocks and chert record the polydeformation of the mélanges. Determination of the complex relationships of multi-stage magmatism and deformation illuminates the tectonic history of ophiolitic mélanges in the Junggar region. This history includes formation and subduction-accretion of the crust of a large ocean and post-subduction intracontinental deformation.

Buoyancy-driven exhumation deformation: Evidence from the Sulu orogen, eastern China

Whether deformation of exhumed crust in a collisional orogen is driven by buoyancy or tectonic stress remains uncertain. The Sulu orogen in eastern China contains slowly subducted and exhumed high-pressure (HP)−ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terranes, which provide a good opportunity to understand whether the exhumation deformation was driven by buoyancy. We used field and microscopic observations as well as quartz c-axis fabrics to determine the deformation kinematics, temperatures, and evolution of the exhumed crustal slices. Deformed and undeformed dikes were dated by using the zircon U-Pb laser ablation−inductively coupled plasma−mass spectrometry method to constrain the timing of deformation. Our data demonstrate that each crustal slice was involved in pervasive top-to-the-NW (hinterland) or top-to-the-SE (foreland) ductile deformation during Late Triassic exhumation, and that the base of each slice records deformation that was superimposed during the subsequent exhumation of the underlying slice. The crustal exhumation of the southern Sulu orogen is consistent with the multistage ductile extrusion model. The kinematics of exhumation deformation within each crustal slice conform to an upward asymmetric flow. The flow velocity and corresponding shear sense were affected by temperature variations in each HP slice, whereas they were sensitive to migmatization within the UHP slices. The southern Sulu orogen examples show that crustal flow deformation during exhumation was driven by buoyancy and controlled by viscosity. Unlike the consistent kinematics of tectonics-driven deformation, the kinematics of buoyancy-driven deformation are characterized by variations in the senses of shear within a single crustal slice, and this can therefore be used to distinguish the two types of deformation.

The effects of source composition and melting conditions on the composition of syn-exhumation granites in collisional orogen

Partial melting of the deeply subducted continental crust during exhumation has been widely recognized recently in collisional orogens. However, it is little known about the effects of source composition and melting conditions on the composition of syn -exhumation granitic rocks. This is investigated by studying zircon and titanite U Pb geochronology and whole-rock geochemistry for syn -exhumation granites from the Weihai area in the Sulu orogen. The U Pb dating of relict zircon cores yields concordant Neoproterozoic and Late Triassic ages, respectively, for the meta-igneous protolith and granulite-facies metamorphism. Magmatic zircon rims give U Pb ages of 207 ± 1 to 214 ± 2 Ma for the formation of Weihai granites, in agreement with magmatic titanite ages of 209 ± 6 to 217 ± 5 Ma in the Late Triassic. The compositional zonation of titanite shows decreases of Nb/Ta and (La/Yb) N from core to rim, indicating the geochemical changes during granitic magmatism. In general, these granites show arc-like trace element distribution patterns and enriched Sr–Nd–Hf isotope compositions with an affinity to deeply subducted crustal slices from the South China Block. Compared with previously reported syn -exhumation granites from Lanshan in the southern Sulu orogen, the Weihai granites in the northeastern Sulu orogen exhibit different Sr-Nd-O isotope compositions. The Weihai granites have relatively low SiO 2 and Na 2 O contents but high Al 2 O 3 and K 2 O contents with high A/CNK and K/Na ratios. They contain high Ba and Sr but low Y with high Sr/Y and (La/Yb) N ratios. Both zircon and whole-rock of the Weihai granites exhibit no significant negative Eu anomalies. Based on the differences in geochemical features and the spatial-temporal distributions, it is inferred that the syn -exhumation granites in the Weihai area are derived from decompressional melting of the lower crustal slice at greater depth, whereas those in the Lanshan area are derived from decompressional melting of the upper crustal slice at relatively shallower depth. These differences indicate that both source compositions and melting conditions have exerted significant influences on the geochemical composition of syn -exhumation granites in the collisional orogen. This has bearing on the crust-mantle interaction in continental subduction channel through metasomatic reaction of the mantle wedge with these granitic melts produced during the exhumation. • The Weihai granites in the northern Sulu orogen indicate syn -exhumation magmatism. • The Weihai granites are characterized by relatively high Sr/Y and (La/Yb) N ratios. • Syn-exhumation granites in the Sulu orogen are distinct from south to north. • Differences in source compositions and melting conditions caused the compositional diversity of granites.

Early Mesoproterozoic inliers in the Chiapas Massif Complex of southern Mexico: Implications on Oaxaquia-Amazonia-Baltica configuration

In this contribution, zircon U-Pb geochronology by LA-ICPMS and Sm-Nd isotope systematics by TIMS are reported on metaigneous rocks from the central Chiapas Massif Complex (CMC), southern Mexico. The data reveal the existence of a Paleo- to early Mesoproterozoic crust that differs significantly from surrounding units and from typical Precambrian basement of Oaxaquia. On the basis of Sm-Nd depleted mantle model ages (TDM(Nd)) between 2.0 and 1.8 Ga a distinct crustal slice within the CMC is defined and named the Catarina Unit. It comprises banded felsic and mafic orthogneiss (amphibolite) yielding Calymmian U-Pb zircon ages, corresponding to igneous protolith crystallization between ∼1.58 and ∼1.50 Ga. Inherited zircon cores with 207Pb/206Pb apparent ages between ∼1.85 and ∼1.70 Ga and whole rock ɛNd(1.55Ga) values between + 1.2 and − 0.7 in granitic protoliths further suggest reworking of an older crustal component. Similarly, amphibolite has initial ɛNd(1.50Ga) ranging from + 2.8 to − 0.5, indicating only minor depleted mantle additions during the formation the mafic protoliths. Zircon overgrowths document a major Tonian thermotectonic event at ∼0.96–0.94 Ga that caused anatexis of Calymmian protoliths and intrusion of granitic melts (now biotite-amphibole quartz-feldspathic gneiss). Finally, all rocks underwent Permian-Triassic metamorphism and ductile deformation, commonly observed in the CMC. These results are interpreted in terms of an accretionary active margin established along the border of Amazonia in Calymmian times, where Catarina Unit protoliths formed by mixing of mantle-derived magmas with reworked cratonic crust. In Stenian times (1.2–1.1 Ga), the juvenile Oaxaquia arc accreted to the cratonic margin, followed by the collision between Amazonia and Baltica during final Rodinia amalgamation at ∼0.99 Ga. Subsequently, the newly formed orogen entered into a period of uplift, gravitational collapse, and relaxation similar to the Dalane phase in Baltica, leading to mantle upwelling and anatexis of the Catarina Unit at 0.96–0.94 Ga.

Subduction erosion and basal accretion in the Central Chile subduction wedge inferred from local earthquake tomography

We analyze records of ambient seismicity from Central Chile to investigate mechanisms of tectonic erosion and accretion in an Andean margin. The seismograms were recorded by a temporary network of 39 stations deployed between 32.5°S and 34.0°S from April to November 2017. We employ an automatic earthquake catalogue generator to estimate 8463 P-wave and 5482 S-wave arrival times from 924 hypocenters, which were then used to jointly determine hypocenters and 3D models of Vp and Vp/Vs. Previous investigations of the nearby Illapel region suggest that the Coastal Cordillera acts as a subduction wedge, at the bottom of which are accreted crustal slices detached from the overriding plate by tectonic erosion. These slices may be subducted beyond the downdip frictional limit in a way that differs from a traditional orogenic wedge (type A-subduction). Our results reveal a wedge geometry with: (1) body wavespeed anomalies near the interplate contact below 30 km depth, which we interpret as accretionary complexes formed by basal accretion of crustal slices, and (2) latitudinal differences of those anomalies, which we attribute to eroded material from both plates that changes the basalt-eclogite transition depth in the subducted Nazca plate. Based on these, we infer that the development of this basal accretionary complex by subduction erosion could be responsible for the uplift of Coastal Cordillera in Central Chile, and that the retroshear zone of the subduction wedge is controlled by local conditions inside the mantle wedge. Moreover, we suggest that the accretionary complex beneath the Central Chile subduction wedge behaves as seismic barrier that can explain the 1985 Mw 8.0 Valparaíso earthquake slip distribution and the southeastward migration of aftershocks of 2017 Mw 6.9 Valparaíso earthquake. Finally, we suggest that the subduction wedge influences continental structures on a scale of millions of years.

Eocene pre- and syn-obduction tectonics in New Caledonia (Southwest Pacific), a case for oblique subduction, transcurrent tectonics and oroclinal bending; structural and paleomagnetic evidence

The structural analysis of the metamorphic belt and allochthonous terranes, which represent the lower and upper plates of the Eocene subduction/obduction complex of New Caledonia respectively, unravels a multi-step evolution. At subduction inception, the originally N-S trending northern Norfolk/New Caledonia Ridge was moving northward as recorded by sheared lower Eocene dykes of the Peridotite Nappe. Fast exhumation of the fore-arc mantle in transtensional conditions was recorded by the injection of fore-arc magmas through fast-cooling peridotites, followed by the occurrence of antigorite- and tremolite-bearing crack seals in small-scale transcurrent or oblique-slip faults. Meanwhile, slices of the oceanic crust of the lower plate were scrapped off and accumulated in the fore-arc region while some elements were dragged down into the subduction zone and contributed to the formation of eclogite facies mélange. When the tip of the New Caledonia Ridge reached the trench, it progressively jammed the subduction. Meanwhile, the oblique slip and coeval rotation of the arc due to the opening of the north Loyalty back-arc basin provoked the dextral transcurrent folding of already accreted ocean crust slices and metamorphic units on the course of exhumation. Bulk counterclockwise rotation of 56° ± 5° was recorded in the foreland basin by paleomagnetic data of sediments from the 45–35 Ma time interval. The final obduction of fore-arc peridotites occurred with top-to-the-SW kinematics when the island had already reached its present orientation.

Petrogenesis of a late-stage calc-alkaline granite in a giant S-type batholith: geochronology and Sr\u2013Nd\u2013Pb isotopes from the Nomatsaus granite (Donkerhoek batholith), Namibia

The late-tectonic 511.4 ± 0.6 Ma-old Nomatsaus intrusion (Donkerhoek batholith, Damara orogen, Namibia) consists of moderately peraluminous, magnesian, calc-alkalic to calcic granites similar to I-type granites worldwide. Major and trace-element variations and LREE and HREE concentrations in evolved rocks imply that the fractionated mineral assemblage includes biotite, Fe–Ti oxides, zircon, plagioclase and monazite. Increasing K2O abundance with increasing SiO2 suggests accumulation of K-feldspar; compatible with a small positive Eu anomaly in the most evolved rocks. In comparison with experimental data, the Nomatsaus granite was likely generated from meta-igneous sources of possibly dacitic composition that melted under water-undersaturated conditions (X H2O: 0.25–0.50) and at temperatures between 800 and 850 °C, compatible with the zircon and monazite saturation temperatures of 812 and 852 °C, respectively. The Nomatsaus granite has moderately radiogenic initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7067–0.7082), relatively radiogenic initial εNd values (− 2.9 to − 4.8) and moderately evolved Pb isotope ratios. Although initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the granite do not vary with SiO2 or MgO contents, fSm/Nd and initial εNd values are negatively correlated indicating limited assimilation of crustal components during monazite-dominated fractional crystallization. The preferred petrogenetic model for the generation of the Nomatsaus granite involves a continent–continent collisional setting with stacking of crustal slices that in combination with high radioactive heat production rates heated the thickened crust, leading to the medium-P/high-T environment characteristic of the southern Central Zone of the Damara orogen. Such a setting promoted partial melting of metasedimentary sources during the initial stages of crustal heating, followed by the partial melting of meta-igneous rocks at mid-crustal levels at higher P–T conditions and relatively late in the orogenic evolution.

Indenter tectonics in the Canadian Shield: A case study for Paleoproterozoic lower crust exhumation, orocline development, and lateral extrusion

There are lingering questions about how far back in geologic time plate tectonic processes began. In the Paleoproterozoic of eastern Laurentia, accretion of intra-oceanic juvenile terranes along the leading edge of the Superior craton apex (Ungava indenter) during the interval 1.87–1.83 Ga was followed by collision with the Churchill plate at ca. 1.83–1.79 Ga. Orthogonal shortening along the indenter led to early obduction of the juvenile terranes including the ca. 2.0 Ga Watts Group ophiolite, followed by out-of-sequence thrusting at ca. 1.83 Ga of granulite-facies crystalline basement of the Sugluk block (Churchill plate) along the Sugluk suture. Exhumation and erosion of the Sugluk block led to deposition of a foreland/delta fan sequence in the Hudson Bay re-entrant (Omarolluk and Loaf formations of the Belcher Group), with detritus sourced exclusively from the Sugluk block. Continued collision led to critical wedge development and orocline formation in the Hudson Bay re-entrant, forming a strongly arcuate fold-thrust belt. On the other (eastern) side of the indenter, material flow during crustal shortening was accommodated by lateral extrusion of microplates towards a then open ocean basin, in a manner similar to present-day extrusion of Indochina as a response to India – South China craton convergence. In the Churchill plate hinterland W-NW of the indenter, propagating strike-slip faults resulted in the far-field extrusion and oblique exhumation of Archean crustal slices of the Rae crustal block. The 1.83–1.79 Ga Superior-Churchill collision accommodated a minimum of 500 km of continent–continent convergence, with resulting style and mechanisms of orogenic growth and material flow similar to those observed in the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic system.

Ubiquitous post‐peak zircon in an eclogite from the Kumdy‐Kol, Kokchetav UHP‐HP Massif (Kazakhstan): Significance of exhumation‐related zircon growth and modification in continental‐subduction settings

AbstractU–Pb geochronological, trace‐element and Lu–Hf isotopic studies have been made on zircons from ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) mafic eclogite from the Kumdy‐Kol area, one of the diamond‐facies domains of the Kokchetav Massif (northern Kazakhstan). The peak eclogitic assemblage equilibrated at > 900 °C, whereas the bulk sample composition displays light rare‐earth element (LREE) and Th depletion evident of partial melting. Zircons from the eclogite are represented by exclusively newly formed metamorphic grains and have U–Pb age spread over 533–459 Ma, thus ranging from the time of peak subduction burial to that of the late post‐orogenic collapse. The major zircon group with concordant age estimates have a concordia age of 508.1 ±4.4 Ma, which corresponds to exhumation of the eclogite‐bearing UHP crustal slice to granulite‐ or amphibolite‐facies depths. This may indicate potentially incoherent exhumation of different crustal blocks within a single Kumdy‐Kol UHP domain. Model Hf isotopic characteristics of zircons (εHf(t) +1.5 to +7.8, Neoproterozoic model Hf ages of 1.02–0.79 Ga) closely resemble the whole‐rock values of the Kumdy‐Kol eclogites and likely reflect in situ derivation of HFSE source for newly formed grains. The ages coupled with geochemical systematics of zircons confirm that predominantly late zircon growth occurred in Th–LREE‐depleted eclogitic assemblage, that experienced incipient melting and monazite dissolution in melt at granulite‐facies depths, followed by amphibolite‐facies rehydration during late‐stage exhumation‐related retrogression.

Exhumation of eclogitic ophiolitic nappes in the W. Alps: New age data and implications for crustal wedge dynamics

The W. Alps high pressure ophiolitic terranes (Monviso and Rocciavre areas) are a natural laboratory to study processes such as nappe-stacking and crustal exhumation in the deep regions of subduction margins. We sampled each of the main shear zones, representing thrust contacts later reactivated as detachments, for petrological and Rb-Sr multi-mineral geochronological analyses. Three generations of white mica are commonly found in mylonitized metasediments with crystal cores formed during the high pressure event, a broad rim formed during decompression in the epidote blueschist facies and texturally late muscovite flakes locally lining the main foliation. Semi-brittle discrete shear zones commonly crosscut previous structures witnessing deformation at temperatures lower than 300°C during exhumation. In spite of this apparent structural heterogeneity, homogeneous deformation ages mostly ranging between 38 and 35 Ma were obtained for all the shear zones bounding these major ophiolitic bodies. Pseudosection modeling confirms that the bulk of the shearing occurred in the epidote blueschist facies around 400–450°C and 1.0–1.5 GPa. These findings suggest that the shear zones between high pressure ophiolitic nappes were being actively mylonitized during exhumation in the lower epidote blueschist facies (25–40 km depth) between 38 and 35 Ma while some of the units forming the internal crystalline massifs (e.g. the Dora Maira Ultra High-Pressure unit) were still buried at more than 100 km depth (3–4 GPa and 36-34 Ma, according to most recent peak burial estimates). The growth of a crustal-scale duplex in the W. Alps is seen here as a consequence of basal accretion events that followed the exhumation of eclogitized coherent crustal slices in a serpentinized subduction channel. We conclude that in the study area (i) the buoyancy-driven exhumation of subducted continental crust has not been the only and decisive trigger for the exhumation of eclogitized oceanic lithosphere and (ii) continental subduction imprint on crustal wedge dynamics may have not been as instrumental as previously thought.

Integrated garnet and zircon–titanite geochronology constrains the evolution of ultra‐high–pressure terranes: An example from the Sulu orogen

AbstractDating ultra‐high–pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks provides important timing constraints on deep subduction zone processes. Eclogites, deeply subducted rocks now exposed at the surface, undergo a wide range of metamorphic conditions (i.e. deep subduction and exhumation) and their mineralogy can preserve a detailed record of chronologic information of these dynamic processes. Here, we present an approach that integrates multiple radiogenic isotope systems in the same sample to provide a more complete timeline for the subduction–collision–exhumation processes, based on eclogites from the Dabie–Sulu orogenic belt in eastern China, one of the largest UHP terranes on Earth. In this study, we integrate garnet Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd ages with zircon and titanite U–Pb ages for three eclogite samples from the Sulu UHP terrane. We combine this age information with Zr‐in‐rutile temperature estimates, and relate these multiple chronometers to different P–T conditions. Two types of rutile, one present as inclusions in garnet and the other in the matrix, record the temperatures of UHP conditions and a hotter stage, subsequent to the peak pressure (‘hot exhumation') respectively. Garnet Lu–Hf ages (c. 238–235 Ma) record the initial prograde growth of garnet, while coupled Sm–Nd ages (c. 219–213 Ma) reflect cooling following hot exhumation. The maximum duration of UHP conditions is constrained by the age difference of these two systems in garnet (c. 235–220 Ma). Complementary zircon and titanite U–Pb ages of c. 235–230 Ma and c. 216–206 Ma provide further constraints on the timing of prograde metamorphism and the ‘cold exhumation' respectively. We demonstrate that timing of various metamorphic stages can thus be determined by employing complementary chronometers from the same samples. These age results, combined with published data from adjacent areas, show lateral diachroneity in the Dabie–Sulu orogeny. Three sub‐blocks are thus defined by progressively younger garnet ages: western Dabie (243–238 Ma), eastern Dabie–northern Sulu (238–235 Ma) and southern Sulu terranes (225–220 Ma), which possibly correlate to different crustal slices in the recently proposed subduction channel model. These observed lateral chronologic variations in a large UHP terrane can possibly be extended to other suture zones.

The Pocologan metamorphic suite of southern New Brunswick, Canada: New constraints on age and conditions of medium- to high-pressure metamorphism on the Ganderian margin of the Rheic Ocean

Geologically diverse fault-bounded crustal slices form the present-day southern margin of Ganderia in southern New Brunswick. One such slice, the Pocologan metamorphic suite (PMS), was previously shown to contain high-pressure metamorphic rocks and interpreted as part of the forearc of the adjacent Silurian Kingston arc terrane. In this study, the protolith age of metasedimentary rocks in the PMS has been constrained by U-Pb dating of detrital zircon to less than about 470 Ma. The age spectrum is dominated by 500 to 600 Ma ages and sparse older ages, typical of other Lower Paleozoic sedimentary components of Ganderia. An orthogneiss sample yielded a U-Pb concordia age of 433.5 ± 0.7 (2σ) Ma, interpreted as the igneous crystallization age and further supporting a link to the Kingston arc. Electron-microprobe dating of monazite from mica-schist samples yielded a mean age of 388.3 ± 2.8 (2σ) Ma, an older population at about 417 Ma, and older detrital grains at 450 Ma. Pseudosection modeling and quartz-in-garnet barometry showed that garnet cores in these mica-schist samples formed at 7 kbar and 550 °C; similar modeling combined with phengite geobarometry showed a second event at similar pressure but higher temperature. This event was followed by pressure decrease to 5 kbar and slight cooling, when biotite and staurolite porphyroblasts formed. Mylonitization started at the peak of the second metamorphic event and ended during early exhumation. The P-T and monazite age data suggest that the PMS was metamorphosed in the Early Devonian by burial to middle-lower crustal levels during the collision of Avalonia with Ganderia and metamorphosed again about 30 million years later, also at middle-lower crustal levels, during dominantly transcurrent tectonic activity. During this time different crustal slices were juxtaposed to form the PMS and probably the entire fault-bounded Ganderian and Avalonian terrane assembly in southern New Brunswick.

Metamorphic P-T Path Differences between the Two UHP Terranes of Sulu Orogen, Eastern China: Petrologic Comparison between Eclogites from Donghai and Rongcheng

The Sulu Orogen constitutes the eastern part of the Sulu-Dabie Orogen formed by Triassic collision between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze plates. An HP Slice I and two UHP slices II and III with contrasting subduction and exhumation histories within the Sulu Orogen were postulated. This study presents the metamorphic P-T paths of eclogites from the two UHP belts constructed by petrography, mineral chemistry and Perple_X P-T pseudosection modeling in the MnC(K)NFMASHO system. Eclogites from Slice III mainly consist of omphacite, garnet and quartz, with minor rutile, ilmenite, amphibole and phengite. Eclogites from Slice II show a porphyroblastic texture with epidote porphyroblasts and garnet, omphacite, phengite, quartz and rutile in matrix. Pseudosection modeling reveals that eclogites from Slice II witness a peak metamorphism of eclogite-facies under conditions of 3.1–3.3 GPa and 660–690 oC, and a retrograde cooling decompression process. The eclogites from Slice III record a heating decompressive P-T path with a peak-P stage of 3.2 GPa and 840 oC and a peak-T stage of 2.4 GPa and 950 oC, suggesting an apparent granulite-facies metamorphism overprint during exhumation. Both eclogites recorded clockwise P-T paths with peak P-T conditions suggesting a subduction beneath the Sino-Korean Plate to ~100–105 km depth. Combined with tectonic scenarios from previous studies, it is concluded that the two UHP crustal slices in the Sulu terrane have a similar geodynamic evolution, but the UHP rocks in Slice II exhumed after the eclogitic peak-pressure conditions earlier than that of Slice III. The existence of Slice II diminished the buoyancy force on Slice III, resulting in a granulite-facies overprint on Slice III. The Sulu orogenic belt is made up of different crustal slices that underwent different subduction and exhumation histories, rather than a single unit.

Metamorphic evolution of a newly identified Mesoproterozoic oceanic slice in the Yuka terrane and its implications for a multi‐cyclic orogenic history of the North Qaidam UHPM belt

AbstractThe North Qaidam Orogenic Belt (NQOB), lying at the northern margin of the Tibet Plateau, records two orogenic cycles: A Proterozoic cycle related to the amalgamation and breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia, and an Early Palaeozoic cycle including oceanic subduction and continental deep subduction. At present, the only information about the Proterozoic cycle is the concurrent c. 1,000–900 Ma magmatic and metamorphic events, which limited the understanding of the Proterozoic evolution of NQOB and the relationship between the Qaidam Block and other Rodinia fragments. In this study, a kyanite‐bearing eclogite was identified in Yuka terrane. It has positive‐slope chondrite‐normalized rare earth element distribution patterns, similar to present‐day N‐MORB. LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating obtained a protolith age of 1,273 Ma and an eclogite facies metamorphic age of 437 Ma, which is similar to the continental deep subduction age of the Yuka terrane. Zircon Lu–Hf analysis show that the magmatic zircon cores have high εHf(t) of 8.36–15.98 and TDM1 of 1,450–1,131 Ma (M = 1,303 ± 55 Ma, consistent with its protolith age within error), indicating a juvenile crust protolith of the eclogite. The MORB‐like whole‐rock composition and zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf analysis indicate that the protolith of the kyanite‐bearing eclogite was a Mesoproterozoic oceanic slice. P–T pseudosection analysis shows that the kyanite‐bearing eclogite experienced four metamorphic stages: (1) a prograde stage with the assemblage garnet+omphacite+talc+lawsonite+phengite+quartz at 22.4–23.2 kbar and 585°C; (2) a peak stage with the assemblage garnet+omphacite+lawsonite+phengite+coesite at 32.5 kbar and 670°C; (3) an early retrograde stage with the assemblage garnet+omphacite+kyanite+phengite+coesite/quartz±lawsonite at 27.1–30.0 kbar and 670–690°C; and (4) a late retrograde stage with the assemblage garnet+omphacite+epidote+hornblende+phengite+quartz at <18.0 kbar. The established clockwise P–T path is similar with other continental‐type eclogites in this area. On the basis of the geochemical and geochronological data, as well as the P–T path, we suggest that the protolith of the kyanite‐bearing eclogite was emplaced in the active margin of the Qaidam Block during the assembly of Rodinia and underwent continental deep subduction in the Early Palaeozoic. We conclude that (1) the Qaidam Block participated in the assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent. It was situated at or proximal to the margin of the supercontinent and probably close to India, east Antarctica and Tarim; and (2) both Mesoproterozoic and Early Palaeozoic oceanic crust slices occur in the NQOB. Thus, special caution is needed when using the metamorphic ages of oceanic affinity eclogites without protolith ages to constrain the evolution history of the North Qaidam UHPM belt.

Geology and tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the Himalayan metamorphic core: insights from the Mugu Karnali transect, Western Nepal (Central Himalaya)

AbstractNew structural and tectono‐metamorphic data are presented from a geological transect along the Mugu Karnali valley, in Western Nepal (Central Himalaya), where an almost continuous cross‐section from the Lesser Himalaya Sequence to the Everest Series through the medium‐high‐grade Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) is exposed. Detailed meso‐ and micro‐structural analyses were carried out along the transect. Pressure (P)–temperature (T) conditions and P–T–deformation paths for samples from different structural units were derived by calculating pseudosections in the MnNKCFMASHT system. Systematic increase of P–T conditions, from ~0.75 GPa to 560 °C up to ≥1.0 GPa–750 °C, has been detected starting from the garnet zone up to the K‐feldspar + aluminosilicate zone. Our investigation reveals how these units are characterized by different P–T evolutions and well‐developed tectonic boundaries. Integrating our meso‐ and micro‐structural data with those of metamorphism and geochronology, a diachronism in deformation and metamorphism can be highlighted along the transect, where different crustal slices were underthrust, metamorphosed and exhumed at different times. The GHS is not a single tectonic unit, but it is composed of (at least) three different crustal slices, in agreement with a model of in‐sequence shearing by accretion of material from the Indian plate, where coeval activity of basal thrusting at the bottom with normal shearing at the top of the GHS is not strictly required for its exhumation.

Petrology and Geochemistry of the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite in Yuka terrane, North Qaidam UHPM belt: An eclogite facies metamorphosed oceanic slice

Although lawsonite eclogite is predicted to be common at depth of ~45–300km in subduction zones, it is rarely exposed at Earth's surface. In this study, we identified a lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite in Yuka terrane, North Qaidam UHPM belt. It is mainly composed of garnet, amphibole, clinozoisite, quartz and rutile with minor omphacite relics and talc. Petrographic investigation identified abundant rectangular- or rhombic- shaped mineral aggregates composed of polycrystalline clinozoisite or polyphase clinozoisite+paragonite±phengite±quartz and clinozoisite+amphibole±quartz±Na-rich plagioclase occurring in garnet porphyroblasts. The peculiar shape, mineral assemblages and reconstructed compositions of these aggregates show that they are pseudomorphs after lawsonite. Phase equilibrium modeling predicts that the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite experienced a clockwise P–T evolution with a peak stage at 570°C, 27kbar, near the quartz–coesite transition boundary. Geochemical data show that the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite has a MORB-like affinity with flat Chondrite–normalized rare earth element (REE) distribution patterns. Zircons from this sample have similar δ18O values (5.38±0.10‰) with the normal mantle (5.3±0.3‰), indicating that the protolith of the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite is derived directly from mantle rock without continental crust contamination. The MORB-like character and zircon O isotopic composition of the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite indicate that its protolith is likely to be an oceanic crustal slice. SIMS and LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating yielded a 436–438Ma eclogite-facies metamorphic age for the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite, similar to the continental subduction age of the North Qaidam UHPM belt, but did not obtain its protolith age. These data indicate that the protolith of the lawsonite (pseudomorph)-bearing eclogite may be either a piece of Proterozoic ocean that was emplaced in the active continental margin of the Qaidam block during the amalgamation of the Rodinia supercontinent, or the early Paleozoic oceanic crust in the transition zone between the Qilian Ocean and the Qaidam block.

Geochemistry and petrology of the lower Miocene bimodal volcanic units in the Tunçbilek–Domaniç basin, western Anatolia

ABSTRACTThe lower Miocene (~22–19 Ma) volcanic units in the NE–SW-trending Tunçbilek–Domaniç basin, located in the northeastern-most part of the Neogene successions in western Anatolia, are composed of (1) high-K, calc-alkaline dacitic to rhyolitic volcanic rocks of the Oklukdağı volcanics; (2) calc-alkaline low-MgO (evolved) basalts; and (3) high-MgO mildly alkaline basalts of the Karaköy volcanics. Sr isotopic ratios of the volcanic units increase from high-MgO (~0.7055–0.7057) to low-MgO basaltic rocks (~0.7066–0.7072) and then to dacitic-rhyolitic rocks (0.7081–0.7086). Geochemical features of the volcanic rocks reveal that the calc-alkaline evolved basalts were formed by mixing of basic and acidic magmas.Geochemical studies in the last decade show that the Miocene mafic volcanic rocks in western Anatolia are mainly composed of high-MgO shoshonitic-ultrapotassic rocks (SHO-UK), of which mantle sources were variably, but also intensely metasomatized with crustally derived materials during collisional processes in the region. However, geochemical comparison of the high-MgO basalts of the Karaköy volcanics with the SHO-UK rocks in this region reveal that that the former has too low 87Sr/86Sr(i) and high 143Nd/144Nd(i) ratios, with lower LILE and LREE abundances, which are firstly described here. These features are interpreted to be derived from more slightly enriched lithospheric mantle sources than that of the SHO-UK. Accepting the SHO-UK rocks in the region were derived from mantle sources that had been metasomatized by northward subduction of crustal slices during Alpine collisional processes, it is proposed that the imbrication and direct subduction of crustal slices were not reached to, and were limited in the mantle domains beneath the basin. The dacites of the Oklukdağı volcanics might be formed either by high-degree melting of the same sources with the SHO-UK, or by melting of the lower crustal mafic sources as previously proposed, and then evolved into the rhyolites via fractional crystallization with limited crustal contribution.