Magmatic Zone Research Articles

Crustal evolution in the Gyeongsang Arc, southeastern Korea: Geochronological, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic constraints from granitoid rocks

A loosely assembled patchwork of Cretaceous to Paleogene granitoid plutons comprise the platform of the Gyeongsang Arc in southeastern Korea and represent a high-flux pulse of magmatism in Northeast Asia. The present study uses new and published zircon U-Pb ages, whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data, and zircon Hf isotopic data of the plutons to decipher the crustal evolution in the Gyeongsang Arc and compare it with adjacent accretionary terranes. The ion microprobe zircon U-Pb ages range from 91 to 27 Ma, revealing the selective occurrence of Paleogene plutons in the eastern coastal area, to the east of the NNE-trending Yangsan fault system. Paleoproterozoic to Paleogene xenocrystic cores are occasionally observed in the zircon grains. The plutons are composed of dominantly magnesian, high- to medium-K calc-alkaline granites-granodiorites exhibiting typical geochemical characteristics of subduction zone magma, and less abundant ferroan alkaline granites. Their trace element patterns require residual amphibole and feldspar, but not garnet in the source. The whole-rock Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions of the granitoids (initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7043 to 0.7069; eNd(t) = –4.8 to +2.9; eHf(t) = –5.0 to +19.7) are distinctly more primitive than those of inland granitoids distributed outside of the Gyeongsang backarc basin. An important role of relatively young, most likely Paleozoic juvenile crust in the formation of the Late Cretaceous granitoids is suggested by the time-eHf trend of high-eHf zircons that converges toward data points of the Late Permian Yeongdeok adakite composing the arc basement. The asthenospheric mantle input is highlighted by significantly high (>+17) eHf(t) values of some zircons from the early Eocene alkaline plutons. Subsequent reworking of the rejuvenated crust yielded granitoid plutons possessing slightly but recognizably higher eNd(t) and eHf(t) values than the older plutons. These isotopic features demonstrate that the Cretaceous-Paleogene calc-alkaline granitoids in the Gyeongsang Arc are not “juvenile” (sensu stricto) despite their mostly positive epsilon Nd and Hf values, but are basically a product of crustal reworking. The Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of Late Cretaceous granitoids in the Gyeongsang Arc are comparatively more primitive than those in adjacent accretionary terranes such as Southwest Japan and Fujian province in southeastern China, reflecting differences in the formation age of the basement on which the arc system was built.

Petrology and Geochemical Properties of the Granitoid Complex of Chahar-Gonbad, Southeast Iran

The Chargonbad batholite is located in Sirjan and southeast of magmatic zone of Urumieh-Dokhtar. The main volume of this rocks consisted of Granodiorite and Monzogranite, but it’s also consists of Quartzdiorite, Tonalite and Syenogranite. They have allotrimorphic granular texture with subordinate porphyritic texture. Their enclaves consist of: xenoliths enclaves, microgranular mafic enclaves (Diorite to Quartzdiorite in composition) and autolite enclaves (Tonalite, granodiorite and monzogranite in composition). The Chargonbad batholite rocks are also cut by different types of dykes which are mainly consisted of dykes and veins of pegmatic stage, microgranular dykes (andesit and andesit basaltic in composition) and microgranular dykes that are similar to mafic enclaves. Evidence shows that regional examples represent properties of granitoids type I. As well as, Granite of Granitoid body of this area has magnesium nature and shows the cordellarian granites features. Based on the tectonomagmatic environment determination diagrams, all samples from the Chahargonbad study area located in the arc island setting due to subduction and show the characteristic of active continental margin setting.

Systematic variations in magmatic sulphide chemistry from mid-ocean ridges, back-arc basins and island arcs

Immiscible sulphide liquids preserved as magmatic sulphide globules are hosted in igneous rocks of highly variable composition formed during magmatic processes at different tectonic settings. Here we report on compositional in situ data of magmatic sulphides from mid-ocean ridge, back-arc and island arc magmatic systems. Iron-Ni-rich monosulphide solid solutions (mss) that mainly consist of pyrrhotite and pentlandite are the dominant phases in magmatic sulphide globules. In subduction-related magmas mss are most abundant in relatively evolved melts and characterised by low Ni and high Fe contents, as well as low Ni/Cu ratios (<1). In contrast, mss from mid-ocean ridges and back-arcs without subduction input occur in mafic rocks and have high Ni/Cu ratios (>1). Thus, mss chemistry varies systematically in lavas from the different tectonic settings in terms of their Fe-Ni distribution and Ni/Cu ratio. The observed mineralogical and chemical variations between mss from the different settings reflect early S saturation accompanied by olivine fractionation along mid-ocean ridges compared to later stage S saturation in arc systems associated with Fe-Ti oxide fractionation. These systematics are probably related to the relatively oxidised character of subduction zone magmas opposed to more reduced mid-ocean ridge melts. Large Ni/Cu variations in mss from the same locality and in individual samples suggest that S saturation is a multistage or continuous process leading to inclusions of magmatic sulphides that represent different fractionation stages in the ascending magma.

Supra-subduction zone magmatism of the Koçali ophiolite, SE Turkey

The Late Cretaceous Koçali ophiolite is an important element within the southeastern Anatolian ophiolite belt and contains all components of a complete ophiolite, including mantle peridotites (harzburgites, and subordinate dunite) gabbros, sheeted dyke complexes, lower volcanic unit (pillowed basalts), and upper volcanic unit (andesite and andesitic pyroclastics) plagiogranite and ultramafic rocks intruded into the gabbros. All components of the Koçali ophiolites show strong suprasubduction-zone affinities, from harzburgitic mantle to basaltic lavas. The radiolarian faunas and geochronological data indicate that there are two different volcanic units: Tarasa volcanics and volcanics of the Koçali ophiolite. While the Tarasa volcanics are of Carnian to Rhaetian age, the Koçali ophiolite is of the Late Cretaceous age. The geochemical features indicate an E-MORB source for the Tarasa volcanics, and a forearc source for the Koçali ophiolite.

A Calcium-in-Olivine Geohygrometer and its Application to Subduction Zone Magmatism

High-precision electron microprobe analyses were obtained on olivine grains from Klyuchevskoy, Shiveluch and Gorely volcanoes in the Kamchatka Arc; Irazú, Platanar and Barva volcanoes of the Central American Arc; and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) from the Siqueiros Transform. Calcium contents of these subduction zone olivines are lower than those for olivines from modern MORB, Archean komatiite and Hawaii. A role for magmatic H2O is likely for subduction zone olivines, and we have explored the suggestion of earlier workers that it has affected the partitioning of CaO between olivine and silicate melt. We provide a provisional calibration of DCaOOl/L as a function of magmatic MgO and H2O, based on nominally anhydrous experiments and minimally degassed H2O contents of olivine-hosted melt inclusions. Application of our geohygrometer typically yields 3–4 wt % magmatic H2O at the Kamchatka and Central American arcs for olivines having ∼1000 ppm Ca, which agrees with H2O maxima from melt inclusion studies; Cerro Negro and Shiveluch volcanoes are exceptions, with about 6% H2O. High-precision electron microprobe analyses with 10–20 μm spatial resolution on some olivine grains from Klyuchevskoy and Shiveluch show a decrease in Ca content from the core centers to the rim contacts, and a sharp increase in Ca in olivine rims. We suggest that the zoning of Ca in olivine from subduction zone lavas may provide the first petrological record of temporal changes that occur during hydration of the mantle wedge and dehydration during ascent, and we predict olivine H2O contents that can be tested by secondary ionization mass spectrometry analysis.

Tectonomagmatic Evolution of the Southern Great Bear Magmatic Zone (Northwest Territories, Canada): Implications for the Genesis of Iron Oxide-Alkali–Altered Hydrothermal Systems

The Great Bear magmatic zone in northwestern Canada is a Paleoproterozoic volcano-plutonic belt of high K, calc-alkaline to shoshonitic affinity interpreted as a continental arc that formed between 1.87 and 1.85 Ga following the short-lived Calderian orogeny. Tectonomagmatic evolution of this magmatic zone favored the formation of multiple iron oxide and alkali alteration systems within a time frame of 10 m.y., as constrained geochronologically within error between 1875 and 1865 Ma. This illustrates a temporal and genetic relationship between shoshonitic to high K, calc-alkaline continental arc magmatism and the formation of iron oxide-rich deposits and alkali alteration associated with iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineralization. Early rhyolitic magmatism formed the basal sequence of the Lou assemblage under a compressive (or transpressive) tectonic regime. Between 1872 and 1867 Ma, an apparent higher magmatic production is linked to a marked change in composition of the volcanic and plutonic rocks, from rhyolite to intermediate/felsic and locally mafic. Compositional homogeneity of the intrusive and volcanic rocks of the Mazenod and Bea assemblages, termination of ductile to brittle-ductile deformation along the main deformation zones, and transition to widespread brittle fracturing and breccia formation are interpreted to reflect a change in the regional stress regime, from compressional/transpressional to extensional/transtensional. This change in stress regimes is associated with iron oxide-rich mineralization that initially formed the NICO Au-Bi-Co deposit, followed by IOCG mineralization in the NICO and Sue-Dianne deposits as well as albitite-hosted U mineralization in the Southern Breccia.

Alteration Facies Linkages Among Iron Oxide Copper-Gold, Iron Oxide-Apatite, and Affiliated Deposits in the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, Northwest Territories, Canada

High-temperature metasomatism driven by ascent of voluminous, saline fluid columns in the upper crust plays a major role in the genesis of iron oxide-alkali alteration ore systems but fundamental questions remain on genetic linkages among iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG), iron oxide-apatite (IOA), albitite-hosted uranium, and skarn deposits that they produce. Excellent surface exposures of such systems in the Great Bear magmatic zone of northernwestern Canada record the depth to paleosurface, prograde evolution of iron oxide-alkali alteration facies, and mineralization. Across the belt, albitite corridors that are tens of kilometers in length record the earliest reactions between highly saline fluids and host rocks along fault zones and subvolcanic intrusions. Pervasive albitization partitioned metals from the host rocks into the ascending fluid column, leaving behind structurally weakened corridors of porous albitite. These corridors were cut, replaced, and overprinted by amphibole- and magnetite-bearing, calcic-iron alteration assemblages. In extreme cases, the discharge of calcium, iron, and specialized metals formed iron oxide-apatite deposits (±vanadium ± rare earth elements) while recharging the outgoing fluids in sodium, potassium, and base and precious metals. As temperatures declined and fluid chemistry evolved through fluid-rock reactions, the formation of potassic-iron alteration assemblages, breccias, and sulfides resulted in magnetite- and hematite-group IOCG mineralization. Within carbonate units, skarns formed prior to, are replaced by, and evolved to calcic-iron alteration facies. Skarns can locally host base metal mineralization. Tectonically uplifted albitite breccias replaced by potassic-iron alteration assemblages became a preferential host for uranium mineralization. The results of this study also illustrate that permutations and cyclical build-up of alteration products can arise from a combination of faulting, differential uplift, and renewed magmatism. Framed within an alteration-facies deposit model, alteration zones and mineral occurrences play a pivotal role in predicting the mineral potential of iron oxide and alkali-altered systems at district to deposit scales.

Metasomatic Alteration Control of Petrophysical Properties in the Great Bear Magmatic Zone (Northwest Territories, Canada)

The Great Bear magmatic zone in the Northwest Territories of Canada contains large iron-oxide alkali alteration systems noted for having high potential for iron oxide-apatite, iron oxide-copper-gold, and affiliated ore deposits. Physical properties (density, magnetic, and electrical) were measured on 824 rocks samples selected to represent the range of metasomatic alteration types in the region. Mineralogical and geochemical classification of the prograde iron oxide and alkali alteration facies reveals large variations in physical properties through the evolution of the metasomatic systems. In particular, deep and early sodic alteration produced rocks having low densities and low magnetic susceptibilities. During calcium and iron precipitation, rocks gain extremely high density and susceptibility, due to crystallization of amphibole and especially magnetite. Subsequent hightemperature, potassic- and iron-altered rocks are marked by cocrystallization of magnetite with K-feldspar or biotite, and as the transition from magnetite to hematite takes place, K-feldspar crystallizes instead of iron oxides leading ultimately to potassic felsites having low densities and susceptibilities. Subsequent cooler, shallower, and more oxidized potassic-iron alteration produced high densities but moderate susceptibilities owing to crystallization of hematite. Understanding these major variations in physical properties of rocks enables detailed geophysical mapping of alteration zones, which builds and improves the regional context for integrated mineral exploration vectors to potential ore deposits.

On the Relationship Between Alteration Facies and Metal Endowment of Iron Oxide-Alkali-Altered Systems, Southern Great Bear Magmatic Zone (Canada)

The Great Bear magmatic zone in northern Canada hosts large iron oxide and alkali-altered systems that developed within a 10-m.y. period during the Paleoproterozoic. In the Eastern Treasure Lake and Duke sectors, and at the NICO deposit, early albitization associated with magmatism was followed by tungsten mineralization that was spatially associated with extensive skarn and Fe skarn alteration. Subsequent fluid-rock reactions led to substantial iron enrichment that culminated in iron oxide-apatite mineralization. At the transition from compressional/transpressional to extensional/transtensional stress regimes, changes in magma composition increased the metal budget of exsolved magmatic-hydrothermal fluids and played a key role in the formation of Au-Co-Bi mineralization at the NICO deposit and its satellite showings in the Duke zone. This process happened as the systems regionally transitioned to magnetite-bearing, potassic-iron alteration. The continued evolution of magmatism and fluid chemistry then contributed to the formation of iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) and variant mineralized zones in the Sue-Dianne and NICO deposits and other showings, and albite-hosted uranium mineralized zones elsewhere. The Great Bear magmatic zone illustrates that the evolution of magmatically derived fluids during a transition between different stress regimes can play a significant role in metal endowment and the ability of metasomatic systems to form skarn, iron oxide-apatite, IOCG, and albitite-hosted uranium mineralization.

A Special Issue Devoted to Proterozoic Iron Oxide-Apatite (±REE) and Iron Oxide Copper-Gold and Affiliated Deposits of Southeast Missouri, USA, and the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, Northwest Territories, Canada: Preface

This special issue is focused on the geology and mineral deposits in the Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains terrane of southeast Missouri, United States, and in the Paleoproterozoic Great Bear magmatic zone of Northwest Territories, Canada. Contributions in this special issue emphasize iron oxide-apatite (IOA) ± rare earth element (REE) and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) and affiliated deposits (e.g., Hitzman, 2000; Barton, 2014). The volume includes results of studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), derived from research done for the USGS Mineral Resources Program, and from GSC research completed under auspices of the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals and Targeted Geoscience Initiative programs. These studies took advantage of extensive historic drilling at and near IOA and IOCG deposits in Missouri, and of exceptional field exposures in the Great Bear magmatic zone. Collectively, results of this cumulative body of work provide new insights into the geological, geochemical, geophysical, and temporal characteristics of IOA ± REE, IOCG, and affiliated deposits, leading to enhanced understanding of diverse magmatic-hydrothermal systems, and refining of genetic models and exploration strategies for such deposits, within these terranes and elsewhere in the world. Both North American terranes contain iron oxide-alkali alteration zones that formed during predominantly I-type, calc-alkaline (including S-type and shoshonitic in the Great Bear zone) volcano-plutonic magmatism. Later magmatism in both terranes was mainly of A-type affinity. Locally, the IOA deposits are spatially associated with high REE concentrations. The IOCG and affiliated deposits include Co- and Birich variants. Skarns, polymetallic veins, and albitite-hosted U deposits are also present within the footprints of the regional iron oxide-alkali alteration systems. Mineralization occurred contemporaneously with mafic to felsic volcanism and local volcanogenic sedimentation, including within or marginal to large ash-flow calderas. Proterozoic rocks in both the St. Francois Mountains terrane and the Great …

Paleoproterozoic arc basalt-boninite-high magnesian andesite-Nb enriched basalt association from the Malangtoli volcanic suite, Singhbhum Craton, eastern India: Geochemical record for subduction initiation to arc maturation continuum

The Singhbhum Craton of eastern India preserves distinct signatures of ultramafic-mafic-intermediate-felsic magmatism of diverse geodynamic affiliations spanning from Paleo-Mesoarchean to Proterozoic. Here we investigate the 2.25Ga Malangtoli volcanic rocks that are predominantly clinopyroxene- and plagioclase-phyric, calc-alkaline in nature, display basalt-basaltic andesite compositions, and preserve geochemical signatures of subduction zone magmatism. Major, trace and rare earth element characteristics classify the Malangtoli volcanic rocks as arc basalts, boninites, high magnesian andesites (HMA) and Nb enriched basalts (NEB). The typical LILE enriched-HFSE depleted geochemical attributes of the arc basalts corroborate a subduction-related origin. The boninitic rocks have high Mg# (0.8), MgO (>25wt.%), Ni and Cr contents, high Al2O3/TiO2 (>20), Zr/Hf and (La/Sm)N (>1) ratios with low (Gd/Yb)N (<1) ratio, TiO2, and Zr concentrations. The HMA samples are marked by moderate SiO2 (>54wt.%), MgO (>6wt.%), Mg# (0.47) with elevated Cr, Co, Ni and Th contents, depleted (Nb/Th)N, (Nb/La)N, high (Th/La)N and La/Yb (<9) ratio, moderate depletion in HREE and Y with low Sr/Y. The NEBs have higher Nb contents (6.3–24ppm), lower magnitude of negative Nb anomalies with high (Nb/Th)pm=0.28–0.59 and (Nb/La)pm=0.40–0.69 and Nb/U=2.8–34.4 compared to normal arc basalts [Nb=<2ppm; (Nb/Th)pm=0.10–1.19; (Nb/La)pm 0.17–0.99 and Nb/U=2.2–44 respectively] and HMA. Arc basalts and boninites are interpreted to be the products of juvenile subduction processes involving shallow level partial melting of mantle wedge under hydrous conditions triggered by slab-dehydrated fluid flux. The HMA resulted through partial melting of mantle wedge metasomatized by slab-dehydrated fluids and sediments during the intermediate stage of subduction. Slab-melting and mantle wedge hybridization processes at matured stages of subduction account for the generation of NEB. Thus, the arc basalt-boninite-HMA-NEB association from Malangtoli volcanic suite in Singhbhum Craton preserves the signature of a complete spectrum of Paleoproterozoic active convergent margin processes spanning from subduction initiation to arc maturation.

Mineralogical and geochemical patterns of mantle xenoliths from the Jixia region (Fujian Province, southeastern China)

The paper discusses the results of mineralogical and petrographic studies of spinel lherzolite xenoliths and clinopyroxene megacrysts in basalt from the Jixia region related to the central zone of Cenozoic basaltic magmatism of southeastern China. Spinel lherzolite is predominantly composed of olivine (Fo89.6–90.4), orthopyroxene (Mg# = 90.6–92.7), clinopyroxene (Mg# = 90.3–91.9), and chrome spinel (Cr# = 6.59–14.0). According to the geochemical characteristics, basalt of the Jixia region is similar to OIB with asthenospheric material as a source. The following equilibrium temperatures and pressures were obtained for spinel peridotite: 890–1269°C and 10.4–14.8 kbar. Mg# of olivine and Cr# of chrome spinel are close to the values in rocks of the enriched mantle. It is evident from analysis of the textural peculiarities of spinel lherzolite that basaltic melt interacted with mantle rocks at the xenolith capture stage. Based on an analysis of the P–T conditions of the formation of spinel peridotite and clinopyroxene megacrysts, we show that mantle xenoliths were captured in the course of basaltic magma intrusion at a significantly lower depth than the area of partial melting. However, capture of mantle xenoliths was preceded by low-degree partial melting at an earlier stage.

Quantification of the intrusion process at Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i

The characteristic size of two types of intrusions identified beneath Kīlauea's East Rift zone are uniquely estimated by combining time constraints from fractional crystallization and the rates of magma solidification during cooling. Some intrusions were rapidly emplaced as dikes, but stalled before reaching the surface, and cooled and crystallized to feed later fractionated eruptions. More specifically, using the observed time interval between initial emplacement and eruption of fractionated lava, whose degree of fractionation is estimated from petrologic mixing calculations, the extent of solidification or cooling needed to produce this amount of fractionation can be directly inferred. And from the known erupted volumes the spatial extent or size of this fractionated volume can be analytically related to the full size of the source body itself. Two examples yield dike widths of 82 and 68m. Other intrusions remain close to the east rift magma transport path and are observed to last for decades or longer as viable magma bodies that may participate in feeding later eruptions. The thickness of semi-permanent reservoirs near the East Rift Zone magma transport path can be estimated by assuming a resupply rate that is sufficiently frequent to restrict cooling to <10°C. It is inferred that both types of intrusions likely began as dike offshoots from the East Rift Zone magma transport path, but the frequently resupplied bodies may have later been converted to sills or laccoliths of heights estimated at 43–62m. Our modeled intrusions contrast with models of rapidly emplaced thinner dikes feeding shallow intrusions, which are accompanied by intense rift earthquake swarms and are often associated with eruptions.These calculations show that long-term heating of the wallrock of the magma transport paths serves to slow conduit cooling, which may be partly responsible for sustaining long East Rift Zone eruptions. Adjacent to the vertical transport path beneath Kīlauea's summit, the combined effects of heating and ever-increasing magma supply rate may have forced a commensurate enlarging of the conduit, perhaps explaining the occurrence of a temporary burst of deep (5–15km) long-period earthquake swarms between 1987 and 1992.

Silica-enriched mantle sources of subalkaline picrite-boninite-andesite island arc magmas

Primary arc melts may form through fluxed or adiabatic decompression melting in the mantle wedge, or via a combination of both processes. Major limitations to our understanding of the formation of primary arc melts stem from the fact that most arc lavas are aggregated blends of individual magma batches, further modified by differentiation processes in the sub-arc mantle lithosphere and overlying crust. Primary melt generation is thus masked by these types of second-stage processes. Magma-hosted peridotites sampled as xenoliths in subduction zone magmas are possible remnants of sub-arc mantle and magma generation processes, but are rarely sampled in active arcs. Published studies have emphasised the predominantly harzburgitic lithologies with particularly high modal orthopyroxene in these xenoliths; the former characteristic reflects the refractory nature of these materials consequent to extensive melt depletion of a lherzolitic protolith whereas the latter feature requires additional explanation.Here we present major and minor element data for pristine, mantle-derived, lava-hosted spinel-bearing harzburgite and dunite xenoliths and associated primitive melts from the active Kamchatka and Bismarck arcs. We show that these peridotite suites, and other mantle xenoliths sampled in circum-Pacific arcs, are a distinctive peridotite type not found in other tectonic settings, and are melting residues from hydrous melting of silica-enriched mantle sources. We explore the ability of experimental studies allied with mantle melting parameterisations (pMELTS, Petrolog3) to reproduce the compositions of these arc peridotites, and present a protolith (‘hybrid mantle wedge’) composition that satisfies the available constraints. The composition of peridotite xenoliths recovered from erupted arc magmas plausibly requires their formation initially via interaction of slab-derived components with refractory mantle prior to or during the formation of primary arc melts. The liquid compositions extracted from these hybrid sources are higher in normative quartz and hypersthene (i.e., they have a more silica-saturated character) in comparison with basalts derived from prior melt-depleted asthenospheric mantle beneath ridges. These primary arc melts range from silica-rich picrite to boninite and high-Mg basaltic andesite along a residual spinel harzburgite cotectic. Silica enrichment in the mantle sources of arc-related, subalkaline picrite-boninite-andesite suites coupled with the amount of water and depth of melting, are important for the formation of medium-Fe (‘calc-alkaline’) andesite-dacite-rhyolite suites, key lithologies forming the continental crust.

A Paleoproterozoic Andean-type iron oxide copper-gold environment, the Great Bear magmatic zone, Northwest Canada

Iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) and associated iron-oxide apatite (IOA) styles of metallic mineralization are recognized throughout the Paleoproterozoic Great Bear magmatic zone of the northwest Canadian Shield. The Great Bear magmatic zone was constructed between ca. 1876 and 1855Ma on top of the older Hottah terrane, which preserves continental arc magmatism that began around ca. 2.0 to 1.97Ga and continued between ca. 1.93 and 1.89Ga. The Great Bear represents the final stages of ca. 150 million years of intermittent and pulsed magmatism related to an evolving continental orogenic belt. The preserved geology supports a dramatic geodynamic change in the subduction zone process at ca. 1875Ma, a key driving mechanism for magma and metal mobilization, and was rapidly followed by a large-scale introduction of felsic-intermediate plutons. The overall tectonic setting is partially constrained from new and previously published geochemical data that show that the volcanic and plutonic rocks are high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic in nature (e.g., high K2O, Th/Yb, and Ce/P205). They also have suprasubduction-zone geochemical signatures, including primitive mantle normalized positive Th and negative Nb, P, and Ti anomalies. The data support the primary melts were derived from a GLOSS-modified mantle wedge. Three-dimensional rendering of geophysical datasets suggest that two (of four) preserved surfaces within the upper mantle lithosphere, at 70 to 120km depths, represent frozen, subducted oceanic slabs, and likely were the drivers for the bulk of Hottah and Great Bear arc magmatism. The older slab is northwest-striking and dips 12° to 15° northeast, whereas the younger is deeper and north-striking, dipping 13° east. The geometry of the surfaces are comparable with 4D modeling, where a subduction zone is temporarily shut down due to plateau collision, and then steps oceanward and re-initiates; there is no need for polarity reversal of the subduction system. This new geometry and the related inferences about process should be the focus of future research in the region, but for the time-being it can be stated that these subduction and collisional processes were the first order control on lithospheric evolution, and therefore metallic mineralization. Overall, the Great Bear magmatic zone IOCG and related mineralization is not comparable to other Proterozoic IOCG belts, such as those in Australia. However, the complexity of mineralization styles, the spatial-temporal relationship between IOA and IOCG mineralization, the suprasubduction zone environment, and a major change in tectonic regime are features similar to Andean-type IOCG mineralization, as well as Cordilleran alkali porphyry Cu-Au deposits. This further establishes the linkages between subduction zone processes and IOCG formation, as well as relationships in the IOCG-porphyry deposit continuum model.

Origin of Permian extremely high Ti/Y mafic lavas and dykes from Western Guangxi, SW China: Implications for the Emeishan mantle plume magmatism

Late Permian mafic flows and dikes are prominent features in and around the Western Guangxi region in southern China. Based on petrographic, geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data, the western Guangxi mafic rocks are geochemically akin to the Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) high-Ti basalts, except that they possess extremely elevated Ti/Y ratios (750–2000). The Dy/Yb and Ti/Y vs. Dy/Dy∗ covariations of the mafic rocks indicate a garnet-controlled magmatic differentiation of a mafic melt at relatively great depth. The limited εNd(t) range from +0.41 to +1.81 also suggests minimal crustal contamination of such a melt. Geochemical modeling using TiO2/Yb vs. Nb/Yb and Zr/Y vs. Nb/Y projections indicate that the parental melts of the western Guangxi mafic rocks formed at a low degree (<5%) of partial melting at or over 3.5GPa, consistent with a deep mantle plume source under a thick continental lithosphere. Thus, the Guangxi extremely high Ti/Y mafic rocks most likely represent a part of outer zone of the ELIP plume magmatism. Results of this study reinforce the previously proposed temporal and spatial distribution of the ELIP.

Composition, sources, and mechanisms of origin of rare-metal granitoids in the Late Paleozoic Eastern Sayan zone of alkaline magmatism: A case study of the Ulaan Tolgoi massif

The Ulaan Tolgoi massif of rare-metal (Ta, Nb, and Zr) granites was formed at approximately 300Ma in the Eastern Sayan zone of rare-metal alkaline magmatism. The massif consists of alkaline salic rocks of various composition (listed in chronologic order of their emplacement): alkaline syenite → alkaline syenite pegmatite → pantellerite → alkaline granite, including ore-bearing alkaline granite, whose Ta and Nb concentrations reach significant values. The evolution of the massif ended with the emplacement of trachybasaltic andesite. The rocks of the massif show systematic enrichment in incompatible elements in the final differentiation products of the alkaline salic magmas. The differentiation processes during the early evolution of the massif occurred in an open system, with influx of melts that contained various proportions of incompatible elements. The magma system was closed during the origin of the ore-bearing granites. Rare-metal granitoids in the Eastern Sayan zone were produced by magmas formed by interaction between mantle melts (which formed the mafic dikes) with crustal material. The mantle melts likely affected the lower parts of the crust and either induced its melting, with later mixing the anatectic and mantle magmas, or assimilated crustal material and generated melts with crustal–mantle characteristics. The origin of the Eastern Sayan zone of rare-metal alkaline magmatism was related to rifting, which was triggered by interaction between the Tarim and Barguzin mantle plumes. The Eastern Sayan zone was formed in the marginal part of the Barguzin magmatic province, and rare-metal magmas in it were likely generated in relation with the activity of the Barguzin plume.

Composition, sources, and geodynamic nature of giant batholiths in Central Asia: Evidence from the geochemistry and Nd isotopic characteristics of granitoids in the Khangai zonal magmatic area

Data on the composition, inner structure, and magma sources of giant batholith in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt are analyzed with reference to the Khangai batholith. The Khangai batholith was emplaced in the Late Permian–Early Triassic (270–240 Ma) and is the largest accumulations (>150000 km2) of granite plutons in central Mongolia. The plutons are dominated by granites of normal alkalinity and contain subalkaline granites and more rare alkaline granites. The batholith is hosted in the Khangai zonal magmatic area, which consists of the batholith itself and surrounding rift zones. The zones are made up of bimodal basalt–trachyte–comendite (pantellerite) or basalt-dominated (alkaline basalt) volcanic associations, whose intrusive rocks are dominated by syenite and granite, granosyenite, and leucogranite. Both the batholith and the rift zones were produced within the time span of 270–240 Ma. Although the rocks composing the batholith and its rift surroundings are different, they are related through a broad spectrum of transitional varieties, which suggests that that the mantle and crustal melts could interact at various scale when the magmatic area was produced. A model is suggested to explain how the geological structure of the magmatic area and the composition of the magmatic associations that make up its various zones were controlled by the interaction between a mantle plume and the lithospheric folded area. The mantle melts emplaced into the lower crust are thought to not only have been heat sources and thus induced melting but also have predetermined the variable geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the granitoids. In the marginal portions of the zonal area, the activity of the mantle plume triggered rifting associated with bimodal and alkaline granite magmatism. The formation of giant batholiths was typical of the evolution of the active continental margin of the Siberian paleocontinent in the Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic: the Khangai, Angara–Vitim, and Khentei batholiths were formed in this area within a relatively brief time span between 300 and 190Ma. The batholiths share certain features: they consist of granitoids of a broad compositional range, from tonalite and plagiogranite to granosyenite and rare-metal granites; and the batholiths were produced in relation to rifting processes that also formed rift magmatic zones in the surroundings of the batholiths. The large-scale and unusual batholith-forming processes are thought to have occurred when the active continental margin of the Late Paleozoic Siberian continent overlapped a number of hotspots in the Paleo- Asian Ocean. This resulted in the origin of a giant anorogenic magmatic province, which included batholiths, flood-basalt areas in Tarim and Junggar, and the Central Asian Rift System. The batholiths are structural elements of the latter and components of the zonal magmatic areas.

Fluid flow and water–rock interaction across the active Nankai Trough subduction zone forearc revealed by boron isotope geochemistry

Compositional changes, dehydration reactions and fluid flow in subducted sediments influence seismogenesis and arc magmatism in subduction zones. To identify fluid flow and water–rock interaction processes in the western Nankai Trough subduction zone (SW Japan) we analyzed boron concentration and boron isotope composition (δ11B) of pore fluids sampled across the subduction zone forearc from depths of up to ∼922m below seafloor during four Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expeditions. The major structural regimes that were sampled by coring include: (1) sedimentary inputs, (2) the frontal thrust zone, (3) the megasplay fault zone, and (4) the forearc basin. From mass balance consideration we find that consumption of boron (B) by ash alteration and desorption of B from the solid phase, mediated by organic matter degradation, produces a net decrease in B concentrations with depth down to ∼120μM and variable δ11B values in the range of ∼+20‰ and +49‰. Interstitial water in sediments on the incoming oceanic plate are influenced by more efficient mobilization of exchangeable B from the solid phase due to higher temperatures and alteration of the oceanic crust that acts as a sink for 10B. At the tip of the megasplay fault zone, elevated B concentration and B isotopic composition suggest that underthrust coarse-grained slope sediments provide a pathway for fluids out of the upper (<2km) accretionary prism. Silt and sand layers in the underthrust section of the downgoing plate favor fluid escape in seaward direction from depths equivalent to the temperature range of 60–150°C. At both locations the δ11B signature evolves during updip migration through re-adsorption. Mass balance considerations suggest a shallower fluid source depth compared to pore fluids sampled previously near the décollement zone along the central portion of the Nankai margin.

Zircon U-Pb age and geochemical constraints on the origin and tectonic implication of Cadomian (Ediacaran-Early Cambrian) magmatism in SE Turkey

The Bitlis-Pütürge Massifs and Derik volcanics that crop out in the Southeast Anatolian Belt are parts of the Cadomian domain in Anatolia where relicts of the oldest continental crust of Turkey are exposed. The Bitlis-Pütürge Massifs contain a Neoproterozoic basement, with overlying Phanerozoic rocks that were imbricated, metamorphosed and thrust over the edge of Arabia during the Alpine orogeny. The basement consists mainly of granitic to tonalitic augen gneisses and metagranites, associated with schists, amphibolites and paragneisses. Based on whole-rock geochemical data, the augen gneisses are interpreted to have protoliths crystallized from subduction zone magmas. This study conducted the first zircon dating on two augen gneisses that gave 206Pb/238U dates of 551±6 and 544±4Ma, interpreted as the formation ages of the Pütürge Massif, broadly coeval to those of the Bitlis metagranites and the Derik volcanics that occurred from ca. 581 to 529Ma (the Ediacaran-early Cambrian). The ɛHf(t) values (+1.2 to −5.3) of the dated zircons, with crustal model ages (TDMC) from 1.4 to 1.8Ga, indicate that formation of the Pütürge Massif involves an older, most likely the Mesoproterozoic, continental crust component. Similar to the Bitlis-Pütürge gneisses, coeval basement rocks are widespread in the Tauride-Anatolide platform (e.g., the Menderes Massif). All these dispersed Cadomian basement rocks are interpreted as fragments of the Ediacaran-Early Cambrian continental arcs bordering the active margin of northern Gondwana.