Intraplate Volcanism Research Articles

Age of the subducting Pacific slab beneath East Asia and its geodynamic implications

We study the age of the subducting Pacific slab beneath East Asia using a high-resolution model of P-wave tomography and paleo-age data of ancient seafloor. Our results show that the lithosphere age of the subducting slab becomes younger from the Japan Trench (∼130 Ma) to the slab's western edge (∼90 Ma) beneath East China, and the flat (stagnant) slab in the mantle transition zone (MTZ) is the subducted Pacific plate rather than the proposed Izanagi plate which should have already collapsed into the lower mantle. The flat Pacific slab has been in the MTZ for no more than ∼10–20 million years, considerably less than the age of the big mantle wedge beneath East Asia (>110 million years). Hence, the present flat Pacific slab in the MTZ has contributed to the Cenozoic destruction of the East Asian continental lithosphere with extensive intraplate volcanism and back-arc spreading, whereas the destruction of the North China Craton during the Early Cretaceous (∼140–110 Ma) was caused by the subduction of the Izanagi (or the Paleo-Pacific) plate.

Mesozoic felsic volcanic rocks from the North China craton: Intraplate magmatism associated with craton destruction

The North China craton preserves the history of crustal growth and craton formation during the early Precambrian, followed by extensive lithospheric thinning in the Mesozoic associated with large-scale magmatism and metallogeny. The timing and petrogenesis of the voluminous Mesozoic magmatic rocks are important in understanding the mechanism of craton destruction. Here, we investigate a suite of volcanic rocks including basalt and trachybasalt, basaltic andesite and andesite, dacite and trachydacite, and rhyolite from the Yanshan belt in the northern part of the North China craton and provide evidence for intraplate magmatism along a paleosuture. We present bulk chemistry, zircon U-Pb geochronology and rare earth element data, and Lu-Hf isotopes from the volcanic suite and attempt to constrain the timing of magmatism and source characteristics. The zircon U-Pb data show two age peaks at 175−165 Ma and 155−145 Ma. Geochemically, the rocks are calc-alkaline with arc-related features. The andesites show adakitic affinities with high Sr contents (up to 1140 ppm), high Sr/Y (up to 76.2) and La N /Yb N ratios (up to 21.7), lack of a negative Eu anomaly, extreme depletion in Y and Yb, and relatively low MgO contents (1.3−4.4 wt%), indicating that they were likely derived from the partial melting of thickened lower continental crust. The Zr/Ba ratios indicate interaction between lower crust and primitive magma, possibly through magma underplating at the crust-mantle boundary. However, there was no arc-related tectonic setting in the study area during the Jurassic, which indicates that the elemental and isotopic compositions are possibly inherited from the basement rocks generated during the Paleoproterozoic subduction-accretion-collision process in the North China craton, subsequent to the 2.5 Ga cratonization event. Our zircon Hf isotope data also confirm the incorporation of Paleoproterozoic reworked material. The magmatism and craton destruction along a paleosuture were induced by mantle upwelling through far-field tectonics of the Pacific plate subduction. Our study presents a case where source components have strongly influenced the geochemical imprint of the magmas, with intraplate volcanics preserving a continental arc magmatic signature.

Holocene-Neogene volcanism in northeastern Australia: Chronology and eruption history

Quaternary and late Neogene volcanism is widespread in northeastern Australia, producing at least 397 eruptions covering more than 20,000 km2, including at least 20 flows over 50 km long. Despite this abundance of young volcanism, before this study numerous eruptions had tentative ages or were undated, and the area requires a comprehensive evaluation of eruption patterns through time. To help address these issues we applied multi-collector ARGUS-V 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to determine the age of four of the younger extensive flows: Undara (160 km long, 189 ± 4/4 ka; 2σ, with full analytical/external uncertainties), Murronga (40 km long, 153 ± 5/5 ka), Toomba (120 km long, 21 ± 3/3 ka), and Kinrara (55 km long, 7 ± 2/2 ka). Verbal traditions of the Gugu Badhun Aboriginal people contain features that may potentially describe the eruption of Kinrara. If the traditions do record this eruption, they would have been passed down for 230 ± 70 generations – a period of time exceeding the earliest written historical records. To further examine north Queensland volcanism through time we compiled a database of 337 ages, including 179 previously unpublished K-Ar and radiocarbon results. The compiled ages demonstrate that volcanic activity has occurred without major time breaks since at least 9 Ma. The greatest frequency of eruptions occurred in the last 2 Ma, with an average recurrence interval of <10–22 ka between eruptions. Activity was at times likely more frequent than these calculations indicate, as the geochronologic dataset is incomplete, with undated eruptions, and intraplate volcanism is often episodic. The duration, frequency, and youthfulness of activity indicate that north Queensland volcanism should be considered as potentially still active, and there are now two confirmed areas of Holocene volcanism in eastern Australia – one at each end of the continent. More broadly, our data provides another example of 40Ar/39Ar geochronology applied to Holocene and latest Pleistocene mafic eruptions, further demonstrating that this method has the ability to examine eruptions and hazards at the youngest volcanoes on Earth.

Mantle transition zone, stagnant slab and intraplate volcanism in Northeast Asia

3-D P- and S-wave velocity structures of the mantle down to a depth of 800 km beneath NE Asia are investigated using similar to 981 000 high-quality arrival-time data of local earthquakes and teleseismic events recorded at 2388 stations of permanent and portable seismic networks deployed in NE China, Japan and South Korea. Our results do not support the existence of a gap (or a hole) in the stagnant slab under the Changbai volcano, which was proposed by a previous study of teleseismic tomography. In this work we conducted joint inversions of both local-earthquake arrival times and teleseismic relative traveltime residuals, leading to a robust tomography of the upper mantle and the mantle transition zone (MTZ) beneath NE Asia. Our joint inversion results reveal clearly the subducting Pacific slab beneath the Japan Islands and the Japan Sea, as well as the stagnant slab in the MTZ beneath the Korean Peninsula and NE China. A big mantle wedge (BMW) has formed in the upper mantle and the upper part of the MTZ above the stagnant slab. Localized low-velocity anomalies are revealed clearly in the crust and the BMW directly beneath the active Changbai and Ulleung volcanoes, indicating that the intraplate volcanism is caused by hot and wet upwelling in the BMW associated with corner flows in the BMW and deep slab dehydration as well.

Lithospheric Thinning by Mantle Plumes

Thermo-mechanical thinning of the lithosphere by mantle plumes is essential for intra-plate volcanism, the initiation of rifting, the evolution of Earth’s lower continental crust and the genesis of metals, diamonds and hydrocarbons. To develop a new understanding of how a mantle plume thins the overlying lithosphere beneath moving plates, we use 2-D and 3-D numerical models based on a finite-element discretization on anisotropic adaptive meshes. Our models include Earth-like material properties for the upper mantle (e.g. temperature and viscosity contrasts, non-Newtonian rheology) discretised at a local mesh resolution that has previously been considered intractable. In our simulations, a plume is injected at the base of the model (670 km depth) with a prescribed mass flux that is consistent with surface observations of topographic swells: from 0.5 (e.g. Louisville, Bermuda, Darfur) to 7 Mg/s (Hawaii). We undertake a systematic numerical study, across a wide parameter space, to investigate the effect of plume buoyancy flux, plate velocity, rheology law and Rayleigh number on processes leading to a reduction of the depth of the Lithosphere Asthenosphere boundary (LAB), such as small-scale convection (SSC) (‘dripping’), or delamination of the lower lithosphere.

Controls on volcanism at intraplate basaltic volcanic fields

A broad range of controlling mechanisms is described for intraplate basaltic volcanic fields (IBVFs) in the literature. These correspond with those relating to shallow tectonic processes and to deep mantle plumes. Accurate measurement of the physical parameters of intraplate volcanism is fundamental to gain an understanding of the controlling factors that influence the scale and location of a specific IBVF. Detailed volume and geochronology data are required for this; however, these are not available for many IBVFs. In this study the primary controls on magma genesis and transportation are established for the Pliocene–Recent Newer Volcanics Province (NVP) of south-eastern Australia as a case-study for one of such IBVF. The NVP is a large and spatio-temporally complex IBVF that has been described as either being related to a deep mantle plume, or upper mantle and crustal processes. We use innovative high resolution aeromagnetic and 3D modelling analysis, constrained by well-log data, to calculate its dimensions, volume and long-term eruptive flux. Our estimates suggest volcanic deposits cover an area of 23,100 ± 530 km2 and have a preserved dense rock equivalent of erupted volcanics of least 680 km3, and may have been as large as 900 km3. The long-term mean eruptive flux of the NVP is estimated between 0.15 and 0.20 km3/ka, which is relatively high compared with other IBVFs. Our comparison with other IBVFs shows eruptive fluxes vary up to two orders of magnitude within individual fields. Most examples where a range of eruptive flux is available for an IBVF show a correlation between eruptive flux and the rate of local tectonic processes, suggesting tectonic control. Limited age dating of the NVP has been used to suggest there were pulses in its eruptive flux, which are not resolvable using current data. These changes in eruptive flux are not directly relatable to the rate of any interpreted tectonic driver such as edge-driven convection. However, the NVP and other IBVFs used for comparison have long-term eruptive fluxes that are considerably less than definitive plume-related volcanic systems. Along with their spatio-temporal patterns and other analysis it is suggested that the NVP and the vast majority of low- and high-flux IBVFs appear to be the result of tectonic processes without requiring additional thermal input from a deep mantle source. Considering a control on volcanism by tectonic processes, the range of eruptive flux of IBVFs is related to variations in the rate of the effecting tectonic process, mantle composition, and the size of the mantle source zone where melt generation and accumulation is taking place.

Shear velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle of Madagascar derived from surface wave tomography

The crust and upper mantle of the Madagascar continental fragment remained largely unexplored until a series of recent broadband seismic experiments. An island-wide deployment of broadband seismic instruments has allowed the first study of phase velocity variations, derived from surface waves, across the entire island. Late Cenozoic alkaline intraplate volcanism has occurred in three separate regions of Madagascar (north, central and southwest), with the north and central volcanism active until <1 Ma, but the sources of which remains uncertain. Combined analysis of three complementary surface wave methods (ambient noise, Rayleigh wave cross-correlations, and two-plane-wave) illuminate the upper mantle down to depths of 150 km. The phase-velocity measurements from the three methods for periods of 8–182 s are combined at each node and interpolated to generate the first 3-D shear-velocity model for sub-Madagascar velocity structure. Shallow (upper 10 km) low-shear-velocity regions correlate well with sedimentary basins along the west coast. Upper mantle low-shear-velocity zones that extend to at least 150 km deep underlie the north and central regions of recent alkali magmatism. These anomalies appear distinct at depths <100 km, suggesting that any connection between the zones lies at depths greater than the resolution of surface-wave tomography. An additional low-shear velocity anomaly is also identified at depths 50–150 km beneath the southwest region of intraplate volcanism. We interpret these three low-velocity regions as upwelling asthenosphere beneath the island, producing high-elevation topography and relatively low-volume magmatism.

Origin of intraplate volcanism in northeast China from Love wave constraints

AbstractThe tectonic source for widespread volcanism in northeast China has not been completely understood. We develop a 3‐D SH velocity model in NE China that provides new constraints to the origin of the volcanism. The 3‐D model is constructed from fundamental mode Love waves at the periods of 20–125 s recorded at 269 broadband seismic stations. The Changbai Mountain is characterized by a significant low velocity in the lower crust and uppermost mantle, which probably results from mantle upwelling due to the subduction of the Pacific plate. A fast and thin mantle lid of ~75 km is present beneath the Songliao Basin, indicating lithosphere extension from back‐arc rifting. The slow velocity in the middle and fast velocities in the south and north at 75–115 km depths in the Songliao Basin suggest complex mantle flow with upwelling and downwelling. Unlike the other volcanic fields (Changbaishan volcano, Jingpohu volcano, and Abaga volcano), the Halaha volcano has high velocity in the lower crust and upper mantle, implying a limited melt supply from mantle source recently. The subduction‐induced upwelling leads to complicated small‐scale mantle convection, which is responsible for the intraplate magmatism in northeast China.

Constraints on the sources of post-collisional K-rich magmatism: The roles of continental clastic sediments and terrigenous blueschists

The possible role of continental sediments in the generation of potassium-enriched lavas of the Alpine-Himalayan belt depends on their melting behaviour either during subduction or during post-collisional relaxation. Although usually classed as orogenic lavas, these volcanic rocks may result from re-melting of newly formed mantle lithosphere 30–40millionyears after collision ends, and can thus be considered as the first stage of intraplate volcanism. The potassic component in these volcanics is characterized by a high Th/La signature for which there are two competing explanations: melting of subducted continental clastic sediments, and the involvement of lawsonite blueschists in the protoliths to the melting assemblages. Here, we report on a series of high-pressure experiments at 1–3GPa and 900 to 975°C on the melting behaviour of natural phyllite from Serbia, which serves as a proxy for Balkan upper continental crust. Hydrous granitic melts are present in all runs (68wt% SiO2, ~4–5wt% K2O, Mg#<54 and ~5wt% H2O). Garnet, quartz/coesite, plagioclase, K-feldspar, biotite/phengite, clinopyroxene and sillimanite/kyanite, and accessory phases including zircon, rutile, ilmenite, apatite and monazite occur in the charges. LA-ICP-MS analyses establish that the melts are extremely enriched in LILE (except for Sr), Th and U, but depleted in Nb and Zr, with LREE higher than HREE. Accessory phases accommodate several trace elements, especially HFSE and REE. Partition coefficients for some trace elements between residue and crustal melts are close to 1, contrasting strongly with melts of peridotite. Our dataset indicates that the direct melting of upper continental crust alone would generate siliceous, high-K magmas with enriched LILE, Th and U, but cannot explain the high Th/La fingerprint of K-rich lavas of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. We demonstrate that the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic volcanics attribute their unusual trace element geochemistry to the involvement of lawsonite blueschists that are imbricated together with extremely depleted fore-arc peridotites to form new lithosphere in the source region. There is no need or evidence for deep subduction in which a succession of additional reactions would only serve to modify and dilute the high Th/La signature.

Spatio-temporal Geochemical Evolution of the SE Australian Upper Mantle Deciphered from the Sr, Nd and Pb Isotope Compositions of Cenozoic Intraplate Volcanic Rocks

Intraplate basaltic volcanic rocks ranging in age from Late Cretaceous to Holocene are distributed across southeastern Australia in Victoria and eastern South Australia. They comprise four prov- inces differentiated on the basis of age and spatial distribution. The youngest of these (<4􏱭6 Ma) is the Newer Volcanic Province (NVP), which incorporates lava flows, scoria cones and maars, distrib- uted across western and central Victoria into South Australia. The oldest eruptive rocks belong to the 95–19 Ma Older Volcanic Province, which comprises basaltic lava flows and shallow intrusions distributed across eastern and central Victoria. When examined within the broader framework of geochemical data available for Cretaceous to Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in southeastern Australia, new major, minor and trace element and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope analyses of volcanic rocks from the NVP suggest that their parental magmas originated from a distinctively different mantle source compared with that of the Older Volcanics. We propose that the magmas repre- sented by the Older Volcanics originated from low degrees of partial melting of a mixed source of Indian mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-source mantle and calcio-carbonatite metasomatized sub- continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), followed by up to 20% fractional crystallization. The mag- mas of the youngest (<500 ka) suite of the NVP (the Newer Cones) were generated by up to 13% partial melting of a garnet-rich source, followed by similar degrees of fractional crystallization. We also suggest that the temporally intermediate Euroa Volcanics (􏰂7 Ma) reflect chemical evolution from the source of the Older Volcanics to that of the Newer Cones. Furthermore, energy- constrained recharge, assimilation and fractional crystallization (EC-RAxFC) modelling suggests that the Sr isotope signature of the 􏰂4􏱭6–1Ma Newer Plains component of the NVP can be ex- plained by up to 5% upper crustal assimilation. On the basis of these results and data from the lit- erature for mantle xenoliths, we propose a geodynamic model involving decompression melting of metasomatized veins at the base of the SCLM generating the Older Volcanics and modifying the ambient asthenosphere of Indian MORB isotope character. This was followed by thermal erosion and entrainment of the resulting depleted SCLM into the modified Indian MORB-source astheno- spheric mantle, generating the Newer Cones. Such a model is in agreement with recent geophys- ical observations in the area suggesting edge-driven convection with shear-driven upwelling as a potential geodynamic model resulting in temporal upwelling in the region.

Mesozoic and Cenozoic evolution of the Central European lithosphere

The upper crust of central Europe preserves a mosaic of tectonic blocks brought together by the Caledonian and Variscan Orogenies. The lower crust, in contrast, appears to have undergone extensive reworking: the flat Moho across broad areas and the absence of contrasts in seismic properties across tectonic boundaries suggest that the Moho and lower crust are, effectively, younger than the upper crust. The evolution of the mantle lithosphere below the Moho has been particularly difficult to constrain. In this paper, we use seismic, geological and geochemical evidence to show that central Europe's mantle lithosphere has evolved continuously throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras, with episodes of lithospheric thinning causing surface uplift and volcanism and lithospheric thickening – subsidence and sedimentation. High-resolution surface wave tomography reveals a strong spatial correlation between locations of recent basaltic volcanism and currently thin lithosphere. We infer that intraplate volcanism further back in the geological past is also an indication of lithospheric thinning at the time. The north-central Europe's lithosphere was, thus, thinned at the time of the Permian volcanism, with its subsequent, Post-Permian cooling and thickening causing the subsidence and sedimentation in the North German and neighboring basins. This explains the presence of Permian volcanics atop presently thickened lithosphere. South of these basins, lithospheric thinning (evidenced by seismic data) is associated with the volcanism of the Central European Cenozoic Igneous Province and surface uplift. Thin lithosphere here also correlates spatially with high melting rates, high silica contents, high temperatures and shallow magma generation. This synthesis highlights the dynamic nature of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath central Europe and, more generally, Phanerozoic continents. The boundary's depth varies in time; its deepening (lithospheric cooling and thickening) causes subsidence and sedimentation; its shallowing (lithospheric thinning by thermal erosion or delamination) is marked with uplift and intraplate volcanism.

Intraplate volcanism controlled by back‐arc and continental structures in NE Asia inferred from transdimensional Bayesian ambient noise tomography

AbstractIntraplate volcanism adjacent to active continental margins is not simply explained by plate tectonics or plume interaction. Recent volcanoes in northeast (NE) Asia, including NE China and the Korean Peninsula, are characterized by heterogeneous tectonic structures and geochemical compositions. Here we apply a transdimensional Bayesian tomography to estimate high‐resolution images of group and phase velocity variations (with periods between 8 and 70 s). The method provides robust estimations of velocity maps, and the reliability of results is tested through carefully designed synthetic recovery experiments. Our maps reveal two sublithospheric low‐velocity anomalies that connect back‐arc regions (in Japan and Ryukyu Trench) with current margins of continental lithosphere where the volcanoes are distributed. Combined with evidences from previous geochemical and geophysical studies, we argue that the volcanoes are related to the low‐velocity structures associated with back‐arc processes and preexisting continental lithosphere.

Mantle heterogeneities beneath the Northeast Indian Ocean as sampled by intra-plate volcanism at Christmas Island

The intra-plate region of the Northeast Indian Ocean, located between the Ninetyeast Ridge and the North West Shelf of Australia, contains numerous submerged seamounts and two sub-aerially exposed volcanic island groups. While the Cocos (Keeling) Archipelago is a coral atoll, Christmas Island is the only sub-aerially exposed volcanic island and contains Late Cretaceous, Eocene and Pliocene lavas. The lavas are predominantly basaltic in composition, except for one sampled flow that is trachytic. Although the evolution of the western margin of Australia, and the seismicity in the intra-plate region, has received considerable attention, the origin of the seamount province in the Northeast Indian Ocean is still a matter of debate. In order to constrain the origin of volcanism on Christmas Island and the associated Seamount Province we analysed 14 Christmas Island samples for major and trace element abundances and 12 of these for Nd, Hf and Pb isotope compositions. The trace element patterns of the lavas are similar to many ocean island basalts, while high 208Pb/204Pb and 207Pb/204Pb at a given 206Pb/204Pb suggest affiliation with the DUPAL anomaly. The reconstructed position of Christmas Island during the Eocene (44–37Ma) places the island in close proximity to the (present-day) upper mantle low-seismic velocity anomalies. Moreover, an enriched mantle (EM-2) type component in addition to the DUPAL anomaly is observed in the Eocene volcanic phase. The younger Pliocene (~4Ma) sequences at Christmas Island are inferred to be the product of partial melting of existing material induced by lithospheric flexure.

Petrogenesis of Middle Triassic volcaniclastic rocks from Balochistan, Pakistan: Implications for the break-up of Gondwanaland

Basaltic volcanic conglomerates near the Wulgai village in Balochistan occur in the undivided sedimentary rock unit of the Bagh complex which is the melange zone beneath the Muslim Bagh ophiolite. The presence of Middle Triassic grey radiolarian chert within the upper and lower horizon of the conglomerates suggests that the lavas, from which these conglomerates were principally derived, were eroded and re-deposited in the Middle Triassic. The Wulgai conglomerate contains several textural and mineralogical varieties of volcanic rocks, such as porphyritic, glomerophyric, intersertal and vitrophyric basalts. The main minerals identified in these samples are augite, olivine, plagioclase (An35-78) leucite and nosean, with apatite ilmenite, magnetite and hematite occurring as accessory minerals. These rocks are mildly to strongly-alkaline with low Mg# and low Cr, Ni and Co contents suggesting that their parent magma had undergone considerable fractionation prior to eruption. Trace element-enriched mantle-normalized patterns with marked positive Nb anomalies are consistent with 10%-15% melting of an enriched mantle source in a within-plate tectonic setting. It is proposed that this Middle Triassic intra-plate volcanism may represent mantle plume-derived melts related to the Late Triassic rifting of micro-continental blocks (including Afghan, Iran, Karakorum and Lhasa) from the northern margin of Gondwana.

Origin of Late Cenozoic Abaga–Dalinuoer basalts, eastern China: Implications for a mixed pyroxenite–peridotite source related with deep subduction of the Pacific slab

Continental intraplate basalts (15.42–0.16Ma) from Abaga–Dalinuoer volcanic field (ADVF) in central Inner Mongolia of eastern China, as a part of Cenozoic volcanic province along eastern margin of the Eurasian continent, provide a good opportunity to explore potential links between deep subduction of the Pacific slab and continental intraplate volcanism. In this study, we report an integrated dataset of whole-rock K–Ar ages, major and trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes, and olivine major and minor elements for the Abaga–Dalinuoer basalts (ADBs), and propose that mantle source lithology of the ADB magmas may consist of both pyroxenite and peridotite. The ADBs display low SiO2 (42.3–50.2wt.%), high MgO (7.3–11.4wt.%) and moderate K2O+Na2O (3.8–6.4wt.%), and can be subdivided into basanites, alkali basalts and tholeiitic basalts that are all characterized by ocean island basalt (OIB)-like rare earth elements (REE) and enrichment in both large ion lithosphile elements (LILE) and high field strength elements (HFSE). Olivine phenocrysts have higher Ni and Fe/Mn and lower Mn, Ca and Ca/Fe relative to those from peridotite melts, but exhibit clearly lower Ni contents (<2500ppm) compared with expected Ni range (>3000ppm) for olivines crystallized from olivine-free pyroxenite melts. Estimated compositions of the ADB primary magmas, together with olivine compositions, suggest an iron-rich mantle source related with silica-deficient pyroxenite that is most likely derived from deeply subducted Pacific oceanic crust. Additionally, peridotite and recent subducted sediments are also required to account for high Ni and MgO in primary magmas together with their trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope systematics. We suggest that a mixed pyroxenite–peridotite source lithology can better match observed whole-rock and olivine signatures in the ADB, compared with either peridotite only or olivine-free pyroxenite only source lithology. In our model, pyroxenite melts would either react with or mechanically mix with peridotite, and the proportion of pyroxenite melts may range from 30% to 45% for mechanical mixing scenario. A continuous spectrum from tholeiitic to alkali melts revealed by melt-peridotite reaction experiment can explain formation of primary magmas of basanites, alkali basalts and tholeiitic basalts by increasing melting degree of a similar mantle source. Relatively higher 206Pb/204Pb of the ADB may suggest more significant role of recent (<0.5Ga) subducted Pacific oceanic materials, in contrast to other Cenozoic basalts in eastern China (e.g., Changbai basalts) that exhibit varying contributions from ancient (>1.5Ga) subducted continental sediments. We emphasize that coupled geochemical and geodynamic links (i.e., subduction polarity) between deeply subducted Pacific slab and continental intraplate volcanism in eastern China may exist, which directly support the involvement of deeply subducted Pacific materials in petrogenesis of the ADB. From the perspective of plate motion kinetics, decompression partial melting of upwelling fragmented Pacific slab (silica-deficient pyroxenite+recent subducted sediments) may be triggered by rollback of deeply subducted Pacific slab during Late Cenozoic times. Continental intraplate volcanism in the ADVF generally started with termination of opening of the Japan Sea, suggesting that deep subduction of the Pacific slab may have been an important geodynamic mechanism responsible for tectono-magmatic evolution of northeastern Asia. We suggest that the ADBs have the potential to shed light on genetic links between continental intraplate volcanism and deep subduction of the Pacific slab in geochemical and geodynamic processes.

Crustal structure of the Newer Volcanics Province, SE Australia, from ambient noise tomography

Intraplate volcanism is a widespread phenomenon, and is generally regarded to be independent of plate tectonics. The Newer Volcanics Province (NVP) of SE Australia represents the most recent (and arguably still active) intraplate volcanism on the Australian continent, and has been postulated to originate from the combined effect of localized shear flow and edge-driven convection. In this study, we adopt ambient noise tomography and Monte-Carlo inversion methods to construct the first local-scale 3D crustal Vs model of the NVP region with a resolution of ~35km. The model displays distinct crustal velocity features near the eastern and western margins of the NVP, which may point to the existence of a lithosphere-scale plumbing system for the migration of melt associated with the boundary between the Delamerian Orogen and the Lachlan Orogen, which underlies the NVP. In particular, exceptionally high velocities are observed in the middle crust of the Delamerian Orogen, and are best explained by buried magmatic arcs. This interpretation is consistent with a subduction-accretion origin for the Delamerian Orogen. Trans-lithospheric faults might have developed during the accretion processes, providing possible pathways for the migration of NVP magmas to the crust and surface. Our 3D model also images small localized velocity reductions in the lower crust at the region where the two distinct lithospheric units meet. The low velocity zone is spatially correlated with the top of a prominent lithosphere-scale low-resistivity zone (10–30Ωm), which we interpret to represent intruded magmatic sills with small proportions of melt remaining.

Role of crustal assimilation and basement compositions in the petrogenesis of differentiated intraplate volcanic rocks: a case study from the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field, Germany

The Siebengebirge Volcanic Field (SVF) in western Germany is part of the Cenozoic Central European Volcanic Province. Amongst these volcanic fields, the relatively small SVF comprises the entire range from silica-undersaturated mafic lavas to both silica-undersaturated and silica-saturated differentiated lavas. Owing to this circumstance, the SVF represents a valuable study area representative of intraplate volcanism in Europe. Compositions of the felsic lavas can shed some new light on differentiation of intraplate magmas and on the extent and composition of potential crustal assimilation processes. In this study, we provide detailed petrographic and geochemical data for various differentiated SVF lavas, including major and trace element concentrations as well as Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotope compositions. Samples include tephriphonolites, latites, and trachytes with SiO2 contents ranging between 53 and 66 wt%. If compared to previously published compositions of mafic SVF lavas, relatively unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf coupled with radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr and 207Pb/204Pb lead to the interpretation that the differentiated volcanic rocks have assimilated significant amounts of lower crustal mafic granulites like the ones found as xenoliths in the nearby Eifel volcanic field. These crustal contaminants should possess unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf, radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr, and highly radiogenic 207Pb/204Pb compositions requiring the presence of ancient components in the central European lower crust that are not sampled on the surface. Using energy-constrained assimilation–fractional crystallisation (EC-AFC) model calculations, differentiation of the SVF lithologies can be modelled by approximately 39–47 % fractional crystallisation and 6–15 % crustal assimilation. Notably, the transition from silica-undersaturated to silica-saturated compositions of many felsic lavas in the SVF that is difficult to account for in closed-system models is also well explained by such amounts of crustal assimilation.

Teleseismic imaging of the mantle beneath southernmost China: New insights into the Hainan plume

Intraplate volcanism during the Late Cenozoic in the Leiqiong area of southernmost China, with basaltic lava flows covering a total of more than 7000km2, has been attributed to an underlying Hainan plume. To clarify detailed features of the Hainan plume, such as the morphology of its magmatic conduits, the depth of its magmatic pool in the upper mantle and the pattern of mantle upwelling, we determined tomographic images of the mantle down to a depth of 1100km beneath southern China using 18,503 high-quality arrival-time data of 392 distant earthquakes recorded by a dense seismic array. Our results show a mushroom-like continuous low-velocity anomaly characterized by a columnar tail with a diameter of 200–300km extending down to the lower mantle beneath north of the Hainan hotspot and a head spreading laterally in and around the mantle transition zone, indicating a magmatic pool in the upper mantle. Further upward, the plume head is decomposed into smaller patches, and when reaching the base of the lithosphere, a pancake-like anomaly has formed to feed the Hainan hotspot. This result challenges the classical model of a fixed thermal plume that rises vertically to the surface. Hence we propose a new layering-style model for the magmatic upwelling of the Hainan plume. Our results indicate spatial complexities and variations of mantle plumes probably due to heterogeneous compositions and thermochemical structures of the deep mantle.

Control of slab width on subduction‐induced upper mantle flow and associated upwellings: Insights from analog models

AbstractThe impact of slab width W (i.e., trench‐parallel extent) on subduction‐induced upper mantle flow remains uncertain. We present a series of free subduction analog models where W was systematically varied to upscaled values of 250–3600 km to investigate its effect on subducting plate kinematics and upper mantle return flow around the lateral slab edges. We particularly focused on the upwelling component of mantle flow, which might promote decompression melting and could thereby produce intraplate volcanism. The models show that W has a strong control on trench curvature and on the trench retreat, subducting plate, and subduction velocities, generally in good agreement with previous modeling studies. Upper mantle flow velocity maps produced by means of a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry technique indicate that the magnitude of the subduction‐induced mantle flow around the lateral slab edges correlates positively with the product of W and trench retreat velocity. For all models an important upwelling component is always produced close to the lateral slab edges, with higher magnitudes for wider slabs. The trench‐parallel lateral extent of this upwelling component is the same irrespective of W, but its maximum magnitude gets located closer to the subducting plate in the trench‐normal direction and it is more focused when W increases. For W ≤ 2000 km the upwelling occurs laterally (in the trench‐parallel direction) next to the subslab domain and the mantle wedge domain, while for W ≥ 2000 km it is located only next to the subslab domain and focuses closer to the trench tip, because of stronger poloidal flow in the mantle wedge extending laterally.

Relationship between observed upper mantle structures and recent tectonic activity across the Southeastern United States

AbstractThe lithospheric structure of the Southeastern United States is a product of earlier episodes of continental collision and breakup. The region is located in the interior of the North American Plate, away from active plate margins. However, there is ongoing tectonism in the region with multiple zones of seismicity, uplifting arches, and Cenozoic intraplate volcanism. The mechanisms controlling this activity and the state of stress remain enigmatic. Two important factors are plate strength and preexisting, inherited structures. Here we present new tomographic images of the upper mantle beneath the Southeastern United States, revealing large‐scale structural variations in the upper mantle. Examples include the relatively thick lithospheric mantle of stable North America that abruptly thins beneath the Paleozoic Appalachian orogeny, and the slow upper mantle of the Proterozoic Reelfoot rift. Our results also indicate fast seismic velocity patterns that can be interpreted as ongoing lithospheric foundering. This provides a viable explanation for seismicity, uplifting, and young intraplate volcanism. We postulate that not only tectonic inheritance but also continuing lithospheric foundering may control the ongoing activity of the region long after it became a passive margin. Based on distinct variations in the geometry and thickness of the lithospheric mantle and foundered lithosphere, we propose that piecemeal delamination has occurred beneath the region throughout the Cenozoic, removing a significant amount of reworked/deformed mantle lithosphere. Ongoing lithospheric foundering beneath the eastern margin of stable North America explains significant variations in thickness of lithospheric mantle across the former Grenville deformation front.