Extensional Tectonic Setting Research Articles

Source‐to‐sink analysis in an active extensional setting: Holocene erosion and deposition in the Sperchios rift, central Greece

AbstractWe present a source‐to‐sink analysis to explain sediment supply variations and depositional patterns over the Holocene within an active rift setting. We integrate a range of modelling approaches and data types with field observations from the Sperchios rift basin, Central Greece that allow us to analyse and quantify (1) the size and characteristics of sediment source areas, (2) the dynamics of the sediment routing system from upstream fluvial processes to downstream deposition at the coastline, and (3) the depositional architecture and volumes of the Holocene basin fill. We demonstrate that the Sperchios rift comprises a ‘closed’ system over the Holocene and that erosional and depositional volumes are thus balanced. Furthermore, we evaluate key controls in the development of this source‐to‐sink system, including the role of pre‐existing topography, bedrock erodibility and lateral variations in the rate of tectonic uplift/subsidence. We show that tectonic subsidence alone can explain the observed grain size fining along the rift axis resulting in the downstream transition from a braided channel to an extensive meander belt (>15 km long) that feeds the fine‐grained Sperchios delta. Additionally, we quantify the ratios of sediment storage to bypass for the two main footwall‐sourced alluvial fan systems and relate the fan characteristics to the pattern and rates of fault slip. Finally, we show that ≥40% of the sediment that builds the Sperchios delta is supplied by ≤22% of the entire source area and that this can be primarily attributed to a longer‐term (~106 years) transient landscape response to fault segment linkage. Our multidisciplinary approach allows us to quantify the relative importance of multiple factors that control a complex source‐to‐sink system and thus improve our understanding of landscape evolution and stratigraphic development in active extensional tectonic settings.

Geomorphology, lithofacies, and block characteristics to determine the origin, and mobility, of a debris avalanche deposit at Apacheta-Aguilucho Volcanic Complex (AAVC), northern Chile

Understanding the evolution of a volcanic edifice is important in establishing its associated geological hazards. Apacheta and Aguilucho volcanoes, northern Chile, formed a volcanic complex with known fumaroles and geothermal potential. Among the products resulting from the evolution of the Apacheta-Aguilucho Volcanic Complex (AAVC), a new volcanoclastic deposit has been recognized towards the eastern flank of the volcanic complex. This deposit is constituted by fragments of andesitic-to-dacitic lava and hydrothermally altered lava blocks. These fragments, which reach up to 5m in diameter, form geomorphological structures such as hummocks, levées and ridges. Using these geomorphological characteristics, the distribution of the main lithological facies (or lithofacies), and fragment features (jigsaw cracks and impact marks), we proposed that this deposit was generated by a debris avalanche. This debris avalanche was triggered by partial collapse of an ancestral volcanic edifice occurred between 100 and 700ka. The collapse of the AAVC ancestral edifice was influenced by hydrothermal alteration and the extensional tectonic setting that characterize the Cerro Pabellon Dome area. The mobility of the avalanche, and the genesis of the main geomorphological features associated with the deposit, are related to fragmentation of material during avalanche genesis and movement.

Origin of heavy Fe isotope compositions in high-silica igneous rocks: A rhyolite perspective

The origin of heavy Fe isotope compositions in high-silica (>70wt% SiO2) igneous rocks remains a highly controversial topic. Considering that fluid exsolution in eruptive rocks is more straight-forward to constrain than in plutonic rocks, this study addresses the problem of Fe isotope fractionation in high-silica igneous rocks by measuring Fe isotope compositions of representative rhyolitic samples from the Neoproterozoic volcanic-sedimentary basins in southern China and the Triassic Tu Le Basin in northern Vietnam. The samples show remarkably varied δ56FeIRMM014 values ranging from 0.05±0.05‰ to 0.55±0.05‰, which is among the highest values reported from felsic rocks. The extensional tectonic setting and short melt residence time in magma chambers for the studied rhyolites rule out Soret diffusion and thermal migration processes as causes of the high δ56Fe values. Effects of volcanic degassing and fluid exsolution on bulk rock δ56Fe values for the rhyolites are also assessed using bulk rock geochemical indicators and Rayleigh fractionation models, and these processes are found to be insufficient to produce resolvable changes in Fe isotope compositions of the residual melt. The most probable mechanism accounting for heavy Fe isotope compositions in the high-silica rhyolites is narrowed down to fractional crystallization processes in the magma before rhyolite eruption. Removal of isotopically light Fe-bearing minerals (i.e. ulvöspinel-rich titanomagnetite, ilmenite and biotite) is proposed as the main cause of Fe isotope variation in silicic melts during magmatic evolution. This study implies that crystal fractionation is the dominant mechanism that controls Fe isotope fractionation in eruptive rocks and Fe isotopes could be used to study magmatic differentiation of high-silica magmas.

The space geodesy revolution for plate tectonics and earthquake studies

Even if plate tectonics was a truly significant unifying theory that began to give sense to a series of different geological observations, plate motions were considered scattered. The advent of space geodesy confirmed and greatly refined the models of plate kinematics, allowing also to study the motion of the lithosphere with respect to the inner layers of the Earth. Switching from the no net rotation to the hotspot reference frames, plate motion assumes coherence with a mean global westward drift of the lithosphere with respect to the mantle. However, the driving forces of plate tectonics are still under investigation and space geodesy may provide fundamental tools to develop comprehensive models which can take into account the contributes of mantle density gradients and astronomical forces, as Earth’s rotation and tides. This paper is dedicated to Prof. Michele Caputo who was a pioneer in measuring the misalignment of the tidal bulge with respect to the Earth–Moon gravitational alignment. The misplaced mass in excess may account for the westerly directed torque of the lithosphere relative to the mantle. Local GPS networks and satellite observations are providing new insights on plate boundary tectonics and allow unravelling the evolution of the interplay between the shallow brittle upper crust and the underlying visco-plastic lower crust, which is deforming in a steady state regime without releasing relevant seismic waves. Along active tectonic areas, zones marked by low strain rates are suitable to store larger energy, subsequently dissipated during the coseismic stage. GPS and InSAR observations have widely increased the capability to monitor the spatial and temporal variations of deformation. The coseismic deformation pattern suggests a different mechanism of energy store and release, mainly gravitational in extensional tectonic settings and essentially elastic in strike-slip and contractional tectonic settings. The increasing details provided by future dense and low-cost geodetic networks will allow to detect reliable deformation transients and new insight on seismic precursors.

Geochronological and sedimentological evidences of Panyangshan foreland basin for tectonic control on the Late Paleozoic plate marginal orogenic belt along the northern margin of the North China Craton

There is a wide support that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift on the northern margin of the North China Craton has undergone an uplifting history. However, when and how did the uplift occurred keeps controversial. Extensive field-based structural, metamorphic, geochemical, geochronological and geophysical investigations on the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift, which suggested that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift was an uplifted region since the Early Precambrian or range from Late Carboniferous–Early Jurassic. The geochemical characteristics of the Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic intrusive rocks indicated that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift was an Andean-type continental margin that is the extensional tectonic setting. To address the spatial and temporal development of the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift, we have carried out provenance analysis of Permian sedimentary rocks which collected from the Panyangshan basin along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The QFL diagram revealed a dissected arc-recycled orogenic tectonic setting. Moreover, the framework grains are abundant with feldspar (36–50%), indicating the short transport distance and unstable tectonic setting. Detrital zircon U–Pb analysis ascertained possible provenance information: the Precambrian basement (~2490 and ~1840 Ma) and continental arc magmatic action (~279 and ~295 Ma) along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The projection in rose diagrams of the mean palaeocurrent direction, revealing the SSW and SSE palaeoflow direction, also shows the provenance of the Panyangshan basin sources mainly from the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift. The andesite overlying the Naobaogou Formation has yielded U–Pb age of 277.3 ± 1.4 Ma. The additional dioritic porphyry dike intruded the Naobaogou and Laowopu Formations, which has an emplacement age of 236 ± 1 Ma. The above data identify that the basin formed ranges from Early Permian to Middle Triassic (277–236 Ma). Accordingly, the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift also was developed in the Early Permian to Middle Triassic (277–236 Ma), related to the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Furthermore, we advocate that the tectonic setting of Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift probably belonged to the plate marginal orogenic belt during Early Permian–Middle Triassic.

Geochemical and zircon isotopic evidence for extensive high level crustal contamination in Miocene to mid-Pleistocene intra-plate volcanic rocks from the Tengchong field, western Yunnan, China

SHRIMP zircon Pb/U dating of Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the Tengchong area, western Yunnan Province, China, shows that the dacite and andesitic breccia lavas from Qushi village were intruded at 480±10ka and 800±40ka, respectively. Moreover, Pb/U dating of trachyandesite from Tuantian village and olivine basalt from Wuhe village give weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 2.82±0.08Ma and 12.28±0.30Ma. Corrections for initial 230Th disequilibrium of zircon were used for the former two younger ages.The Tengchong volcanic rocks have a large range of SiO2 (48.6–66.9wt.%) and mostly belong to a high-K calc-alkaline series. The lavas originated from heterogeneous sources and were modified by subsequent fractional crystallization. The REE and other trace element patterns of the Tengchong volcanic rocks resemble magmas having a large component of continental crust. All have similar degrees of LREE and HREE fractionation and are enriched in LILE, La, Ce and Pb, with depletions in Nb, Ta, Ti, Sr and P relative to primitive mantle. Zircon δ18O values of 6.96±0.17 and 7.01±0.24‰ and highly varied negative εHf(t) values of −1.5 to −11.0 and −10.3 to −13.7, as well as the presence of inherited zircon grains in the studied samples, indicate that the magmas contain crustal material on a large scale.The Tengchong volcanic rocks have HFSE ratios (e.g., Nb/Ta, La/Nb, Zr/Y) similar to continental flood basalts, indicative of an intra-plate extensional tectonic setting. Widespread distributed faults might have facilitated upwelling of mantle-derived melts and eruptions from shallow crustal magma chambers to form the large volcanic field.

Geochemistry of Permian to Triassic igneous rocks from northern Chile (28º-30º15’S): Implications on the dynamics of the proto-Andean margin.

Permian to Triassic igneous rocks cropping out in the Coastal and Frontal cordilleras in northern Chile between 28º00’S and 30º15’S have long been interpreted to represent products of magmatism related to an extensional tectonic setting, either as the result of crustal anatexis or asthenospheric mantle decompression melting, in a passive continental margin. Eighty-six samples of plutonic (61) and volcanic (25) rocks from this region are characterized petrographically and geochemically. They are Permian to Early Jurassic in age, but the majority of the studied rocks correspond to the Lower to Middle Triassic Chollay Plutonic Complex, the volumetrically most important unit in the area. The rock samples have features typical of magmas derived from flux-induced melting of a depleted mantle such as: broad range of petrographic composition with predominance of intermediate to acid members, highly porphyrytic volcanic rocks, magnetite as the Fe-Ti oxide mineral phase, enrichment in LILE over HFSE, marked depletion in Nb, Ta, Ti, and P and moderate to no negative Eu anomalies. Few of the studied rock samples (<10%) have alkaline signature and trace element contents representative of anorogenic magmatism. In this work, we propose that subduction of an oceanic plate beneath the South American continent is responsible for the evolution of the margin from the Permian to Early Jurassic, at the studied latitudes. A preliminary interpretation of the margin architecture of the Andean margin from the Permian to the Triassic would be that the Chanchoquin and Chollay plutonic complexes represent the roots of a magmatic arc developed from the Permian to the Middle or early Late Triassic, whereas the Guanaco Sonso and Pastos Blancos formations would be the shallower parts of such arc. The La Totora Formation and some volumetrically minor Upper Triassic intrusive units represent magmatic products with alkaline signatures, which developed immediately before the establishment of the magmatic arc in the present-day Coastal Cordillera (during the Rhaetian to Early Jurassic).

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of early Devonian mafic dike–granite association in the northern West Junggar, NW China

ABSTRACTMafic dike–granite associations are common in extensional tectonic settings and important and pivotal in reconstructing crust–mantle geodynamic processes. We report results of zircon U–Pb and hornblende 40Ar-39Ar ages and major-element and trace-element data for mafic dike–granite association from the northern West Junggar, in order to constrain their ages, petrogenesis, and geodynamic process. The mafic dike–granite association was emplaced in the early Devonian. The Xiemisitai monzogranites have high SiO2 contents and low MgO, Cr, and Ni concentrations, suggesting that they were mainly derived from crustal sources and were probably generated by partial melt of the juvenile mid-lower crust. The mafic dikes have low Mg# and Cr and Ni abundances, suggesting that they have experienced significant fractional crystallization. The Xiemisitai mafic dikes contain hornblende and biotite and display negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies, enrichment of LREEs and LILEs, and depletion of HREEs and HFSEs, consistent with an origin from a lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted slab-derived fluids. In addition, the Xiemisitai mafic dikes are plotted within melting trends with little to no garnet (Cpx: Grt = 6:1) in their source. The La/Yb versus Tb/Yb plot also indicates the presence of less than 1% residual garnet in the source region for the Xiemisitai mafic dikes. Therefore, it can be inferred that the Xiemisitai mafic dikes were generated at a correspondingly shallow depth, mostly within the spinel stability field. The Xiemisitai mafic dikes were most probably generated by the partial melting of the metasomatized lithospheric mantle at relatively shallow depths (<80 km). The Xiemisitai mafic dike–granite association could have been triggered by asthenospheric upwelling as a result of the rollback of the subducted Irtysh–Zaysan oceanic lithosphere.

Geochronology and Petrogenesis of Mesozoic Granitoids in the Geological Corridor of Western Liaoning Province, China

Geochronology and Petrogenesis of Mesozoic Granitoids in the Geological Corridor of Western Liaoning Province, China

Numerical modeling of tidal notch sequences on rocky coasts of the Mediterranean Basin

AbstractTidal notches have had the potential to form at sea level from ~6.5 kyr B.P. in the Mediterranean Basin and preserve a symmetrical shape comparable to a quadric polynomial. Continuous erosion, predominantly by biological agents, affects a limestone cliff face from low‐ to high‐tide level at &lt;1 mm/yr. Statically determined, the roots of a quadric polynomial are defined by the tidal range representing the limits of effective erosion. However, gradual variations of eustatic sea level rise (slow) and coseismic uplift/subsidence (fast) in tectonically active regions contribute to vertical shifts in the erosional base at coastlines. As a consequence, the cliff morphology gets modified through time resulting in widening, deepening, and separation of notches and possible overprinting of older features. In order to investigate successive modifications of coastal cliff morphology, we developed a numerical model that considers the erosion rate, the erosion zone relative to sea level, the regional sea level curve, and tectonic motion. The results show how slow and rapid sea level changes bias the modern cliff face and highlight that the present‐day notch sequence from top descending to sea level is not inevitably of decreasing age. Furthermore, the initiation of notch formation is not necessarily linked to the date of a certain seismic event. Especially in extensional tectonic settings where coseismic uplift is low and coastal morphological marks are not as distinct, knowledge about coastal evolution is beneficial for paleoseismological research.

Lithofacies paleogeography and sedimentary model of Sinian Dengying Fm in the Sichuan Basin

For predicting the distribution of favorable reservoir facies belts of the super-large ancient Anyue carbonate gas field in the Sichuan Basin, through an analysis of structure and lithofacies paleogeography, the lithofacies paleogeography and sedimentary model of the Sinian Dengying Fm was reconstructed based on the field outcrop, drilling and seismic data. As a result, achievements are made in four aspects. First, the basin and its periphery resided in an extensional tectonic setting in the Sinian. Intense extension led to the formation of the Deyang–Anyue intra-platform rift. The Sichuan Basin was divided into the palaeo-geographic pattern of “two uplifts and four sags”. The “two uplifts” evolved into the platform, and the “four sags” evolved into the slope-basin environment. Second, in the depositional stage of the Deng 2 Member, some favorable reservoir belts developed, such as bioherm-shoal at the continental margin, bioherm-shoal at the rift margin, and bioherm-shoal in the platform. The bioherm-shoal at rift margin developed along both sides of the Deyang–Anyue rift, in a U-shape, with a width of about 5–40 km and a length of about 500 km. It connected with the platform margin belt at the continental margin to the west in the Shifang area, and to the north near Guangyuan area. Third, in the depositional stage of the Deng 4 Member, when the lithofacies paleogeographic features in the Deng 2 Member remained, the platform margin belt at the rift margin evolved into two parts in the east and the west as a result of the continuous southward extensional faulting of the Deyang–Anyue rift until it finally crossed the basin from north to south. The eastern platform margin belt was located in the Guangyuan–Yanting–Anyue–Luzhou area, showing NS distribution with a length of about 450 km and a width of about 4–50 km. The western platform margin belt mainly developed in the Dujiangyan–Chengdu–Weiyuan–Yibin–Mabian area, showing an eastward arc distribution with a length of about 300 km and a width of 4–30 km. And fourth, the sedimentary model of rimmed platform with double platform margins in the Dengying Fm was established, providing a guidance for predicting the distribution of favorable reservoir facies belts.

Thermochronological record of Middle–Late Jurassic magmatic reheating to Eocene rift-related rapid cooling in the SE South China Block

We investigate the Mesozoic–Cenozoic thermal history of the Daxi region (central SE South China Block) to evaluate the influence of the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate beneath the SE South China Block along the block's southeast margin on the tectonothermal evolution of the upper plate. We apply a multi-chronological approach that includes U-Pb geochronology on zircon, 40Ar/39Ar dating on muscovite and biotite from granitic rocks as well as fission-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He analyses on zircon and apatite from granitic and sedimentary rocks. The Heping granite, located in the Daxi region, has a magmatic age of ca. 441Ma. The biotite 40Ar/39Ar ages of ca. 193Ma for the Early Jurassic Shibei granite and ca. 160Ma for the Late Jurassic Fogang granite, respectively, reflect magmatic cooling. The Triassic Longyuanba granite yielded a muscovite 40Ar/39Ar age of ca. 167Ma, recording heating to ≥350°C induced by nearby intrusion of Middle Jurassic granites. Zircon fission-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He ages from Lower Carboniferous–Lower Jurassic sandstones (140–70Ma) record continuous cooling during the Cretaceous that followed extensive Middle–Late Jurassic magmatism in the Daxi region. Cretaceous cooling is related to exhumation in an extensional tectonic setting, consistent with lithospheric rebound due to foundering and rollback of the subducted Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate. Apatite fission-track (53–42Ma) and (U-Th-Sm)/He ages (43–36Ma), and thermal modelling document rapid cooling in the Paleocene–Eocene, which temporally coincides with continental rifting in the SE South China Block in the leadup to the opening of the South China Sea.

Age, tectonic setting, and metallogenic implication of Phanerozoic granitic magmatism at the eastern margin of the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt, NE China

The eastern margin of the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt is characterised by widespread Phanerozoic granitic magmatism, some of which is closely related to significant ore mineralisation. This paper presents new geochronological, petrogenetic, and tectonic data for selected intrusions. Zircon U–Pb geochronology for five granitoid plutons indicates they were emplaced during the middle–late Permian (264–255Ma) and Cretaceous (106–94Ma), and thus granitic magmatism occurred throughout the Phanerozoic, Permian (268–252Ma), Early–Middle Triassic (248–240Ma), Early Jurassic (183Ma), and Cretaceous (112–94Ma). The Permian granitoids consist of monzogranite, granodiorite, tonalite, and quartz diorite, characterised by enrichment in Na2O (3.60–4.72wt.%), depletion in K2O (0.97–2.66wt.%), and a negative correlation between P2O5 and SiO2. Together with the presence of hornblende, these geochemical features are indicative of an I-type affinity. The Permian granitic magmatism is associated with quartz-vein-type tungsten deposits (252Ma; unpublished Sm–Nd isochron age), which formed in an active continental margin setting related to subduction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean. The Cretaceous quartz diorites have an adakitic affinity, having relatively high Sr (374–502ppm), low Yb (0.51–0.67ppm) and Y (8.7–10.7ppm), and high Sr/Y (39.4–46.8) and (La/Yb)N values (16.2–34.7), suggesting that they were related to the partial melting of subducted oceanic crust. In addition, they are associated with porphyry Au–Cu deposits. We conclude that the Cretaceous granitic rocks and associated porphyry Au–Cu mineralisation occurred in an extensional tectonic setting related to the subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. In addition, the large-scale Early–Middle Triassic syn-collisional granite belt at the eastern margin of the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt extends from the middle of Jilin Province to the Wangqing–Hunchun region, constraining the timing of the final collision between the North China Craton and the Jiamusi–Khanka Massif, and suggesting that the Xra Moron River–Changchun Suture likely extends eastward into the eastern Hunchun region. This collision caused the Middle Triassic mesothermal lode gold mineralisation.

The 144-140 Ma Mafic Dykes in North China and Northeast China Indicating Regional Extensional Tectonic Setting

The 144-140 Ma Mafic Dykes in North China and Northeast China Indicating Regional Extensional Tectonic Setting

Innovative tidal notch detection using TLS and fuzzy logic: Implications for palaeo-shorelines from compressional (Crete) and extensional (Gulf of Corinth) tectonic settings

Tidal notches are a generally accepted sea-level marker and maintain particular interest for palaeoseismic studies since coastal seismic activity potentially displaces them from their genetic position. The result of subsequent seismic events is a notch sequence reflecting the cumulative coastal uplift. In order to evaluate preserved notch sequences, an innovative and interdisciplinary workflow is presented that accurately highlights evidence for palaeo-sea-level markers. The workflow uses data from terrestrial laser scanning and iteratively combines high-resolution curvature analysis, high performance edge detection, and feature extraction. Based on the assumptions that remnants, such as the roof of tidal notches, form convex patterns, edge detection is performed on principal curvature images. In addition, a standard algorithm is compared to edge detection results from a custom Fuzzy logic approach. The results pass through a Hough transform in order to extract continuous line features of an almost horizontal orientation. The workflow was initially developed on a single, distinct, and sheltered exposure in southern Crete and afterwards successfully tested on laser scans of different coastal cliffs from the Perachora Peninsula. This approach allows a detailed examination of otherwise inaccessible locations and the evaluation of lateral and 3D geometries, thus evidence for previously unrecognised sea-level markers can be identified even when poorly developed. High resolution laser scans of entire cliff exposures allow local variations to be quantified. Edge detection aims to reduce information on the surface curvature and Hough transform limits the results towards orientation and continuity. Thus, the presented objective methodology enhances the recognition of tidal notches and supports palaeoseismic studies by contributing spatial information and accurate measurements of horizontal movements, beyond that recognised during traditional surveys. This is especially useful for the identification of palaeo-shorelines in extensional tectonic environments where coseismic footwall uplift (only 1/2 to 1/4 of net slip per event) is unlikely to raise an entire notch above the tidal range.

Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous paleoenvironmental evolution of the Transbaikal basins (SE Siberia): implications for the Mongol-Okhotsk orogeny

The Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous tectonic evolution of SE Siberia was marked by the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk ocean. While this geodynamic event led to compressive deformation and denudation in a wide area encompassing the North-Altay, Sayan and Baikal Patom ranges, it was contemporaneous to widespread extension from the Transbaikal region situated immediately north of the suture zone to the Pacific plate, affecting eastern Mongolia and northeastern China. In this study we review the paleontological and sedimentological data available in the Russian literature and provide new macro-floral and palynological data from the Mesozoic sediments of three Transbaikal basins. These data are used to describe the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic evolution of the Transbaikal area in order to assess the topographic evolution of the region in relation with the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk ocean. We establish that the Transbaikal basins evolved in a continuously extensional tectonic setting from at least the Early-Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. The associated sedimentary environments are characterized by retrogradation from alluvial fan–braided river dominated systems prevailing during the Early to Middle Jurassic initial opening of the basins to meandering river– lacustrine systems that developed during the Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous interval. No evidence of high relief topography was found and we conclude that, while compression and denudation occurred in the North Altai, Sayan and Patom ranges, in the Transbaikal region, the docking of the Mongolia-North China continent to Siberia was a “soft collision” event, possibly involving a major strike-slip displacement that did not lead to an orogenic event implying strong compressive deformation, crustal thickening and topography building.

Petrogenesis of Neoarchean metavolcanic rocks in Changyukou, Northwestern Hebei: Implications for the transition stage from a compressional to an extensional regime for the North China Craton

The 2.5Ga metavolcanic rocks in Changyukou, Northwestern Hebei, can be classified into three groups based on major and trace elements: high-Mg basalts, tholeiitic basalts, and the calc-alkaline series (basaltic andesites-andesites and dacites-rhyolites).Both high-Mg basalts and tholeiitic basalts have negative anomalies of Nb, Zr, Ti and Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) as well as enrichments of Sr, K, Pb, Ba and Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) and show typical subduction zone affinities. The petrogenesis of high-Mg basalts can be ascribed to high-degree partial melting of an enriched mantle source in the spinel stability field that was previously enriched in Large Ion Lithophile Elements (LILE) and LREE by slab-derived hydrous fluids/melts/supercritical fluids, as well as the subsequent magma mixing processes of different sources at different source depths, with little or no influence of polybaric fractional crystallization. The flat HREE of tholeiitic basalts indicates they may also originate from the spinel stability field, but from obviously shallower depths than the source of high-Mg basalts. They may form at a later stage of the subduction process when rapid slab rollback leads to extension and seafloor spreading in the upper plate.We obtain the compositions of the Archean lower crust of the North China Craton based on the Archean Wutai-Jining section by compiling the average tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) components, average mafic granulite components, and average sedimentary rock components. The modeling results show that the generation of high-Al basalts, basaltic andesites and andesites can be attributed to assimilation by high-Mg basalts (primary basalts) of relatively high-Al2O3 thickened lower crust and the subsequent crystallization of prevailing mafic mineral phases, while Al2O3-rich plagioclase crystallization is suppressed under high-pressure and nearly water-saturated conditions. Dacites and rhyolites may be the result of further fractional crystallization of basaltic andesites (high-Al basalts) and andesites. Mixing of magmas at various stages along the fractionation course of basaltic andesites (high-Al basalts) toward rhyolites promotes the trend of the calc-alkaline series.To reconcile the 2.55 to 2.5Ga TTGs derived from overthickened crust, the 2.51 to 2.50Ga calc-alkaline volcanic rocks derived from thickened crust, tholeiitic basalts representing low pressure and an extensional tectonic setting, 2493Ma leucosyenogranites derived from overthickened crust, 2437Ma biotite-monzogranites derived from slightly thinner crust than leucosyenogranites but still thickened, as well as the clockwise hybrid ITD and IBC P–T paths of the HP granulites and widespread extension and rifting setting within the NCC from 2300Ma, we propose a model of an evolving subduction process. Among them, the composition of the 2.5Ga Changyukou volcanic rocks and potassic granites as well as the clockwise hybrid ITD and IBC P–T paths of the HP granulites may reveal that the tectonic setting in Northwest Hebei was in a transition stage from a subduction-related compressional regime to an extensional regime related to plate rollback.

Geochemistry, geochronology, and tectonic setting of Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks in the northern segment of the Tan–Lu Fault region, northeast China

We present new geochemical and geochronological data for volcanic and related rocks in the regions of the Jia–Yi and Dun–Mi faults, in order to constrain the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the northern segment of the Tan–Lu Fault. Zircon U–Pb dating shows that rhyolite and intermediate–mafic rocks along the southern part of the Jia–Yi Fault formed at 124 and 113Ma, respectively, whereas the volcanic rocks along the northern parts of the Jia–Yi and Dun–Mi faults formed at 100Ma. The rhyolite has an A-type granitoid affinity, with high alkalis, low MgO, Ti, and P contents, high rare earth element (REE) contents and Ga/Al ratios, enrichments in large-ion lithophile (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Th, and U) and high-field-strength element (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, and Y), and marked negative Eu anomalies. These features indicate that the rhyolites were derived from partial melting of crustal material in an extensional environment. The basaltic rocks are enriched in light REEs and LILEs (e.g., Rb, K, Th, and U), and depleted in heavy REEs, HFSEs (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti, and P), and Sr. These geochemical characteristics indicate that these rocks are calc-alkaline basalts that formed in an intraplate extensional tectonic setting. The dacite is a medium- to high-K, calc-alkaline, I-type granite that was derived from a mixed source involving both crustal and mantle components in a magmatic arc. Therefore, the volcanic rocks along the Jia–Yi and Dun–Mi faults were formed in an extensional regime at 124–100Ma (Early Cretaceous), and these faults were extensional strike-slip faults at this time.

Isotopic (C–O–S) geochemistry and Re–Os geochronology of the Haobugao Zn–Fe deposit in Inner Mongolia, NE China

The Haobugao Zn–Fe deposit is a typical skarn deposit located in the southern part of the Great Xing’an Range that hosts polymetallic mineralization over a large region. The main ore minerals at the deposit include sphalerite, magnetite, galena, chalcopyrite and pyrite, and the main gangue minerals include andradite, grossular garnet, hedenbergite, diopside, ilvaite, calcite and quartz. There are broadly two mineralizing periods represented by the relatively older skarn and younger quartz–sulfide veins. In detail, there are five metallogenic stages consisting of an early skarn, late skarn, oxide, early quartz–sulfide, and late quartz–sulfide–calcite stages. Electron microprobe analyses show that the garnet at the deposit varies in composition from And97.95Gro0.41Pyr1.64 to And30.69Gro66.69Pyr2.63, and pyroxene is compositionally in the diopside–hedenbergite range (i.e. Di90.63Hd8.00Jo1.37–Hd88.98Di4.53Jo6.49). Petrographic observations and electron microprobe analyses indicate that the sphalerite has three generations ([Zn0.93Fe0.08]S–[Zn0.75Fe0.24]S). The Zn associated with the first generation sphalerite replaced Cu and Fe of early xenomorphic granular chalcopyrite (i.e. [Cu1.01Fe1.03]S2–[Cu0.99Fe0.99]S2), and part of the first generation sphalerite is coeval with late chalcopyrite (i.e. [Cu0.96Fe0.99Zn0.03]S2–[Cu1.00Fe1.03Zn0.01]S2). Magnetite has a noticeable negative Ce anomaly (δCe=∼0.17 to 0.54), which might be a result of the oxidized ore-fluid. Thirty δ34SV-PDB analyses of sulfides from the ore range from −2.3 to −0.1‰ in value, which are indicative of a magmatic source. The δ13C‰ and δ18O‰ values for calcite from the ore formed at quartz–sulfide–calcite stage vary from −9.9 to −5.5‰ and from −4.2 to 1.1‰, respectively, contrasting with δ13C‰ (2.9–4.8‰) and δ18O‰ (9.8–13.9‰) values for calcite from marble. It is suggested that the ore-forming fluid associated with late stage of mineralization was predominantly magmatic in origin with some input of local meteoric water.Molybdenite from the Haobugao deposit defines an isochron age of 142±1Ma, which is interpreted as the mineralization age being synchronous, within error, with the zircon U–Pb ages of 140±1, 141±2, and 141±1Ma for granite at the deposit. These data and characteristics of lithology and mineralization further show that the Zn–Fe mineralization is temporally and spatially related to the emplacement of granite in an extensional tectonic setting during the Mesozoic.

Regional Geologic and Petrologic Framework for Iron Oxide ± Apatite ± Rare Earth Element and Iron Oxide Copper-Gold Deposits of the Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains Terrane, Southeast Missouri, USA

This paper provides an overview on the genesis of Mesoproterozoic igneous rocks and associated iron oxide ± apatite (IOA) ± rare earth element, iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG), and iron-rich sedimentary deposits in the St. Francois Mountains terrane of southeast Missouri, USA. The St. Francois Mountains terrane lies along the southeastern margin of Laurentia as part of the eastern granite-rhyolite province. The province formed during two major pulses of igneous activity: (1) an older early Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1.50–1.44 Ga) episode of volcanism and granite plutonism, and (2) a younger middle Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1.33–1.30 Ga) episode of bimodal gabbro and granite plutonism. The volcanic rocks are predominantly high-silica rhyolite pyroclastic flows, volcanogenic breccias, and associated volcanogenic sediments with lesser amounts of basaltic to andesitic volcanic and associated subvolcanic intrusive rocks. The iron oxide deposits are all hosted in the early Mesoproterozoic volcanic and volcaniclastic sequences. Previous studies have characterized the St. Francois Mountains terrane as a classic, A-type within-plate granitic terrane. However, our new whole-rock geochemical data indicate that the felsic volcanic rocks are effusive derivatives from multicomponent source types, having compositional similarities to A-type within-plate granites as well as to S- and I-type granites generated in an arc setting. In addition, the volcanic-hosted IOA and IOCG deposits occur within bimodal volcanic sequences, some of which have volcanic arc geochemical affinities, suggesting an extensional tectonic setting during volcanism prior to emplacement of the ore-forming systems. The Missouri iron orebodies are magmatic-related hydrothermal deposits that, when considered in aggregate, display a vertical zonation from high-temperature, magmatic ± hydrothermal IOA deposits emplaced at moderate depths (~1–2 km), to magnetite-dominant IOA veins and IOCG deposits emplaced at shallow subvolcanic depths. The shallowest parts of these systems include near-surface, iron oxide-only replacement deposits, surficial epithermal sediment-hosted replacement deposits, synsedimentary ironstone deposits, and Mn-rich exhalite deposits. Alteration associated with the IOA and IOCG mineralizing systems of the host volcanic rocks dominantly produced potassic with lesser amounts of calcic- and sodic-rich mineral assemblages. No deposits are known to be hosted in granite, implying that the mineralizing systems were operative during a relatively short, postvolcanic period yet prior to intrusion of the granitoids. Companion studies in this special issue on mineral chemistry, stable isotopes, and iron isotopes suggest that the magnetite within the IOA deposits formed from high-temperature fluids of magmatic or magmatic-hydrothermal origin. However, the data do not discriminate between a magmatic-hydrothermal source fluid exsolved from an Fe-rich immiscible liquid or an Fe-rich silicate magma. Mineral chemical, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope data from these new studies record the effects of metasomatic fluids that interacted with crustal reservoirs such as volcanic rocks or seawater.