Removal Of Lithospheric Mantle Research Articles

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau driven by mantle delamination from the overriding plate

AbstractThe geodynamic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau remains highly debated. Any model of its evolution must explain the plateau’s growth as constrained by palaeo-altitude studies, the spatio-temporal distribution of magmatic activity, and the lithospheric mantle removal inferred from seismic velocity anomalies in the underlying mantle. Several conflicting models have been proposed, but none of these explains the first-order topographic, magmatic and seismic features self-consistently. Here we propose and test numerically an evolutionary model of the plateau that involves gradual peeling of the lithospheric mantle from the overriding plate and consequent mantle and crustal melting and uplift. We show that this model successfully reproduces the successive surface uplift of the plateau to more than 4 km above sea level and is consistent with the observed migration of magmatism and geometry of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary resulting from subduction of the Indian plate and delamination of the mantle lithosphere of the Eurasian plate. These comparisons indicate that mantle delamination from the overriding plate is the driving force behind the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and, potentially, orogenic plateaus more generally.

Revised chronology of the middle−upper Cenozoic succession in the Tuotuohe Basin, central-northern Tibetan Plateau, and its paleoelevation implications

Currently, the climatic implications associated with the Cenozoic tectonic history and growth mechanisms of the Tibetan Plateau lack consensus and remain controversial. This is due in part to chronological uncertainties and few paleoelevation records distributed in the central to northern Tibetan Plateau, which we address here with the development of a robust chronology (using magnetostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, detrital zircons, and regional radiochronologic dating) and a paleoelevation reconstruction for the Tuotuohe Basin (central-northern Tibet). We refined the age of the Tuotuohe Formation (37−33 Ma), Yaxicuo Formation (33−23.6 Ma), and Wudaoliang Formation (23.6−19.7 Ma). We estimated early Oligocene (ca. 29 Ma) paleotemperatures of the Tuotuohe Basin from 11 °C to 16.1 °C, which correspond to paleoelevations of 2.9 km (±0.4 km) when the relative humidity is 64% and 2.5 km (±0.5 km) when this value is 75%, using various methods including ostracod assemblages, gastropods, charophytes, branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether analysis, regional empirical formulas, and climate model simulation. Paleoelevation data and existing geological evidence in the vicinity indicate that late Eocene to late Oligocene uplift was associated with upper-crustal shortening. Since the middle Miocene, uplift has been associated with convective removal of lithospheric mantle and/or lower-crustal flow beneath the Hoh Xil Basin.

Lithospheric Structure of the Red Sea Based on 3D Density Modeling: A Contrasting Rift Architecture

AbstractThe Red Sea is an ideal location for studying rifting processes, offering a young and active intra‐continental rift at the final stages of breakup. We explore the 3D lithospheric structure of the Red Sea by analyzing the gravity response of four end‐member models of rift architecture, including two end‐member types margin architecture Type I—narrow margins and exhumed lithospheric mantle, and Type II—(ultra)wide margins and removal of lithospheric mantle. Additionally, we test two options for the distribution of the oceanic crust (a) limited, that is, confined only to regions of magnetic stripes, and (b) extended, that is, available in vast areas within the basin. South of latitude 23°N, our results suggest the presence of ultrawide margins and limited oceanic crust. North of this latitude, the model of exhumed mantle and limited oceanic crust has minimized residuals compared to the observed gravity field, and agrees with a previously published regional tomographic model. Additionally, we find evidence for the presence of a high‐density body along the southern Arabian coast, probably associated with magmatic underplating. We discuss the lithospheric structure of the Red Sea with respect to the nearby Afar plume, agreeing that the close proximity of the central‐southern regions to the plume promoted a reduction in the strength of the lithosphere, and led to the development of ultrawide margins in these areas.

Strong Variability in the Thermal Structure of Tibetan Lithosphere

AbstractWe present a model of thermal lithospheric thickness (the depth where the geotherm reaches a temperature of 1300°C) and surface heat flow in Tibet and adjacent regions based on a new thermal‐isostasy method. The method accounts for crustal density heterogeneity, is free from any assumption of a steady‐state lithosphere thermal regime, and assumes that deviations from crustal Airy‐type isostasy are caused by lithosphere thermal heterogeneity. We observe a highly variable lithospheric thermal structure which we interpret as representing longitudinal variations in the northern extent of the subducting Indian plate, southward subduction of the Asian plate beneath central Tibet, and possible preservation of fragmented Tethyan paleo‐slabs. Cratonic‐type cold and thick lithosphere (200–240 km) with a predicted surface heat flow of 40–50 mW/m2 typifies the Tarim Craton, the northwest Yangtze Craton, and most of the Lhasa Block that is likely refrigerated by underthrusting Indian lithosphere. We identify a “North Tibet anomaly” with thin (<80 km) lithosphere and high surface heat flow (>80–100 mW/m2). We interpret this anomaly as the result of removal of lithospheric mantle and asthenospheric upwelling at the junction of the Indian and Asian slabs with opposite subduction polarities. Other parts of Tibet typically have intermediate lithosphere thickness of 120–160 km and a surface heat flow of 45–60 mW/m2, with patchy anomalies in eastern Tibet. While different uplift mechanisms for Tibet predict different lithospheric thermal regimes, our results in terms of a highly variable thermal structure beneath Tibet suggest that topographic uplift is caused by an interplay of several mechanisms.

Magmatism at Passive Margins: Effects of Depth‐Dependent Wide Rifting and Lithospheric Counterflow

AbstractRifted passive margins exhibit a large variety in the timing, distribution, and amount of magmatism. The factors controlling magmatism during rifted margin formation, remain, however, incompletely understood, partly owing to the complex rifting styles. In this study, we use 2‐Dimensional numerical models to investigate the effects of depth‐dependent wide rifting and lithospheric counterflow on magmatism during rifted margin formation. Results show that a strong crust promotes narrow margins with a sharp transition to normal thickness oceanic crust whereas a weak crust promotes depth‐dependent wide rifting, with preferential removal of mantle lithosphere, leading to formation of wide margins with over‐thickened (>18 km) igneous crust in the distal margin. Counterflow of depleted lithospheric mantle, in contrast, may delay syn‐rift magmatism, and result in exhumed a‐magmatic continental mantle at narrow margins. The combination of wide rifting and lithospheric counterflow results in magma‐poor wide margins, with in some cases a transition to excess magmatic activity at breakup. Our models provide an explanation for the contrasting magmatic productivity at narrow and wide rifted margins, such as observed in the Lofoten‐Vesterålen, Newfoundland, Kwanza Basin, and Orange Basin margins.

Pulsed rise and growth of the Tibetan Plateau to its northern margin since ca. 30 Ma

The onset of mountain building along margins of the Tibetan Plateau provides a key constraint on the processes by which the high topography in Eurasia formed. Although progressive expansion of thickened crust underpins most models, several studies suggest that the northern extent of the plateau was established early, soon after the collision between India and Eurasia at ca. 50 Ma. This inference relies heavily on the age and provenance of Cenozoic sediments preserved in the Qaidam basin. Here, we present evidence in the northern plateau for a considerably younger inception and evolution of the Qaidam basin, based on magnetostratigraphies combined with detrital apatite fission-track ages that date the basin fills to be from ca. 30 to 4.8 Ma. Detrital zircon-provenance analyses coupled with paleocurrents reveal that two-stage growth of the Qilian Shan in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau began at ca. 30 and at 10 Ma, respectively. Evidence for ca. 30 and 10 to 15 Ma widespread synchronous deformation throughout the Tibetan Plateau and its margins suggests that these two stages of outward growth may have resulted from the removal of mantle lithosphere beneath different portions of the Tibetan Plateau.

Early Cretaceous uplift of the Jiaobei Terrane: Evidence from the detrital zircon and sediment compositions of sandstones in the Jiaodong Peninsula, China

In this study, we conducted sandstone petrography analyses and determined detrital zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopes for sandstones collected at different stratigraphic levels of the lowest strata of the Laiyang Group. All results nearly point to an evolutionary trend for the source regions of the strata. The detrital zircon U–Pb results reveal multiple age groups at 140–123 Ma, 810–700 Ma, and 2,500–1,750 Ma, but variable age proportions for two sandstones (19LY‐01Z and ‐05Z) collected at lowermost and middle levels of strata, respectively, but only one unimodal age mode at ca. 1,850 Ma for the uppermost sandstone 19LY‐09Z. Provenance analysis illustrates that the lower strata likely include two source regions, including the Jiaobei Terrane and the Sulu orogen, whereas the upper strata appeared to have one dominant source region (i.e., Jiaobei Terrane). Framework modes of sandstones display that lower samples contain more metamorphic lithic fragments, which corresponds to the recycled orogenic field in the Q‐F‐L diagram, while middle‐upper samples are enriched in feldspars but deficient in lithics and plot in the basement uplift field of the Q‐F‐L diagram. This compositional variation reflects an evolution of the source regions from the Sulu Orogen to the Jiaobei Terrane, completely consistent with the observation of an increase in the amount of detrital zircons sourced from the Jiaobei Terrane, but decreasing detrital zircons from the Sulu Orogen in an upward order. This shift in the provenance of sediments reflects two tectonic events including exhumation of the Sulu Orogen to the surface before sedimentation of the Laiyang Group, and a rapid uplift of the Jiaobei Terrane after ca. 125 Ma following removal of lithospheric mantle.

Early Oligocene Surface Uplift in Southwestern Montana During the North American Cordilleran Extension

AbstractThe topographic history of the North American Cordillera holds the key to understanding the tectonic and geodynamic processes of orogenesis and post‐orogenic collapse. In southwestern Montana and its adjacent regions, previous studies have suggested that the early middle Eocene rollback of the Farallon flat‐slab caused the latest topographic growth, after which regional mean elevations were progressively lowered due to extensional collapse. In this study, we report 60 new Eocene‐Miocene stable hydrogen isotopic values (δD) of hydrated volcanic glass from southwestern Montana to examine regional topographic history during the extension. The δD values show a two‐stage negative shift of ∼35‰ during the late Paleogene, the timing of which is further refined by published ages and new zircon U‐Pb ages. About 19‰ of the negative shift occurred during the late Eocene‐earliest Oligocene (∼40–32 Ma) when global and regional climate experienced cooling, and the shift can be mostly accounted for by climate change. The remaining 16‰ negative shift occurred during the early Oligocene (∼32–30 Ma), which can be best explained by regional surface uplift of 0.9 ± 0.5 km. This inferred surface uplift occurred more than 17 Myr after the initiation of the Cordilleran extension in this region, and thus challenges the traditional assumption of progressive topographic lowering during the post‐orogenic collapse. This surface uplift, if occurred, may reflect lower mantle lithosphere removal in southwestern Montana.

Late Eocene post-collisional magmatic rocks from the southern Qiangtang terrane record the melting of pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle

Abstract Diverse rock types and contrasting geochemical compositions of post-collisional mafic rocks across the Tibetan Plateau indicate that the underlying enriched lithospheric mantle is heterogeneous; however, how these enriched mantle sources were formed is still debated. The accreted terranes within the Tibetan Plateau experienced multiple stages of evolution. To track the geochemical characteristics of their associated lithospheric mantle through time, we can use mantle-derived magmas to constrain the mechanism of mantle enrichment. We report zircon U-Pb ages, major and trace element contents, and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions for Early Cretaceous and late Eocene mafic rocks in the southern Qiangtang terrane. The Early Cretaceous Baishagang basalts (107.3 Ma) are characterized by low K2O/Na2O (<1.0) ratios, arc-like trace element patterns, and uniform Sr-Nd isotopic compositions [(87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7067–0.7073, εNd(t) = −0.4 to −0.2]. We suggest that the Baishagang basalts were derived from partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by subducted Bangong–Nujiang oceanic material. We establish the geochemistry of the pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle under the southern Qiangtang terrane by combining our data with those from other Early Cretaceous mafic rocks in the region. The late Eocene (ca. 35 Ma) post-collisional rocks in the southern Qiangtang terrane have low K2O/Na2O (<1.0) ratios, and their major element, trace element, and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions [(87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7042–0.7072, εNd(t) = −4.5 to +1.5] are similar to those of the Early Cretaceous mafic rocks. Based on the distribution, melting depths, and whole-rock geochemical compositions of the Early Cretaceous and late Eocene mafic rocks, we argue that the primitive late Eocene post-collisional rocks were derived from pre-collisional enriched lithospheric mantle, and the evolved samples were produced by assimilation and fractional crystallization of primary basaltic magma. Asthenosphere upwelling in response to the removal of lithospheric mantle induced the partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle at ca. 35 Ma.

Petrogenesis of mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) in the oligocene-miocene granitoid plutons from northwest Anatolia, Turkey

Mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) in host granitoids can provide important constraints on the deep magmatic processes. The Oligocene-Miocene granitoid plutons of the NW Anatolia contain abundant MMEs. This paper presents new hornblende Ar-Ar ages and whole-rock chemical and Sr-Nd isotope data of the MMEs from these granitic rocks. Petrographically, the MMEs are finer-grained than their host granites and contain the same minerals as their host rocks (amphibole + plagioclase + biotite + quartz + K-feldspar), but in different proportions. The Ar-Ar ages of the MMEs range from 27.9 ± 0.09 Ma to 19.3 ± 0.01 Ma and are within error of their respective host granitoids. The MMEs are metaluminous and calc-alkaline, similar to I-type granites. The Sr-Nd isotopes of MMEs are 0.7057 to 0.7101 for 87Sr/86Sr and 0.5123 to 0.5125 for 143Nd/144Nd, and are similar to their respective host granitoids. These lithological, petrochemical and isotopic characteristics suggest that the MMEs in this present study represent chilled early formed cogenetic hydrous magmas produced during a period of post-collisional lithospheric extension in NW Anatolia. The parental magma for MMEs and host granitoids might be derived from partial melting of underplated mafic materials in a normally thickened lower crust in a post-collisional extensional environment beneath the NW Anatolia. Delamination or convective removal of lithospheric mantle generated asthenospheric upwelling, providing heat and magma to induce hydrous re-melting of underplated mafic materials in the lower crust.

Locally Thin Crust and High Crustal VP/VS Ratio Beneath the Armenian Volcanic Highland of the Lesser Caucasus: A Case for Recent Delamination

AbstractThe Arabia‐Eurasia continental collision created the Caucasus Mountains and the Anatolian and Iranian plateaus. Between the two plateaus, the Armenian Highland features young Holocene‐aged volcanoes. In this study, the P‐wave receiver functions from a new seismic array reveal a thick crust (up to ~52 km thick) beneath the Central Greater Caucasus and an unusually thin crust (32–35 km thick) beneath the northwestern part of Armenia near the Aragats stratovolcano and Gegham volcanic ridge formed by Pleistocene to Holocene monogenetic cinder cones. The average crustal VP/VS ratio in the Armenian Highland is anomalously high (≥1.9), with the highest value approaching 2.1 under the Gegham Ridge. Such high VP/VS ratios cannot be explained by an overall mafic crustal composition. Instead, the presence of partial melts is inferred in the lower crust based on the depth of the low‐velocity structure obtained by inversion of receiver function waveforms. Our study suggests that the postcollisional volcanism was potentially facilitated by the small‐scale removal of lithospheric mantle, resulting in a localized thinner crust balanced by thermal buoyancy and dynamic flow in the uppermost mantle beneath the Armenian Highland.

Burial and exhumation of the Hoh Xil Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints from detrital (U‐Th)/He ages

AbstractThe uplift and associated exhumation of the Tibetan Plateau has been widely considered a key control of Cenozoic global cooling. The south‐central parts of this plateau experienced rapid exhumation during the Cretaceous–Palaeocene periods. When and how the northern part was exhumed, however, remains controversial. The Hoh Xil Basin (HXB) is the largest late Cretaceous–Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the northern part, and it preserves the archives of the exhumation history. We present detrital apatite and zircon (U‐Th)/He data from late Cretaceous–Cenozoic sedimentary rocks of the western and eastern HXB. These data, combined with regional geological constraints and interpreted with inverse and forward model of sediment deposition and burial reheating, suggest that the occurrence of ca. 4–2.7 km and ca. 4–2.3 km of vertical exhumation initiated at ca. 30–25 Ma and 40–35 Ma in the eastern and western HXB respectively. The initial differential exhumation of the eastern HXB and the western HXB might be controlled by the oblique subduction of the Qaidam block beneath the HXB. The initial exhumation timing in the northern Tibetan Plateau is younger than that in the south‐central parts. This reveals an episodic exhumation of the Tibetan Plateau compared to models of synchronous Miocene exhumation of the entire plateau and the early Eocene exhumation of the northern Tibetan Plateau shortly after the India–Asia collision. One possible mechanism to account for outward growth is crustal shortening. A simple model of uplift and exhumation would predict a maximum of 0.8 km of surface uplift after upper crustal shortening during 30–27 Ma, which is insufficient to explain the high elevations currently observed. One way to increase elevation without changing exhumation rates and to decouple uplift from upper crustal shortening is through the combined effects of continental subduction, mantle lithosphere removal and magmatic inflation.

Lithospheric SH Wave Velocity Structure Beneath the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau From Love Wave Tomography

AbstractThe northeastern (NE) Tibetan plateau has been a prime site to understand the dynamic processes responsible for the rise and lateral growth of the Tibetan plateau. Here we construct a high‐resolution lithospheric scale isotropic SH wave velocity model (down to the depth of 130 km) for the NE Tibetan plateau and its adjacent regions based on the measurements of fundamental‐mode Love wave dispersions (20–100 s) with seismic data recorded by ChinArray II and China Digital Seismic Array using two‐plane wave method. Prominent slow SH wave velocity (VSH) is observed in the midlower crust of the NE Tibetan plateau, specifically in the Qilian Orogenic Belt and the Songpan‐Ganzi Terrane regions, coincident with previously indicated significantly slow SV wave velocity (VSV), probably implying the existence of partial melts in the midlower crust. This low SH wave velocity anomaly could be traced down to the uppermost mantle, indicating a weak and warm lithosphere, which we interpret as a consequence of asthenosphere upwelling after lithospheric mantle removal in the NE Tibetan plateau. The asthenosphere upwelling and associated deep‐seated thermal buoyancy could explain the occurrence of partial melting in the mid‐lower crust and account for parts of high elevations in the NE Tibetan plateau. The western Qinling orogenic belt is characterized with a high velocity anomaly in most of lithosphere, which is inconsistent with the existence of channel flow within the lithosphere along the Qinling orogenic belt from the Tibetan plateau.

Lithosphere Destabilization by Melt Weakening and Crust‐Mantle Interactions: Implications for Generation of Granite‐Migmatite Belts

AbstractOrogenic crustal anatexis is a still poorly understood process due to the complexity of the thermal and geodynamical interaction between mantle and crustal processes during and after continental collision. Here we present a novel conceptual model for the formation of granite‐migmatite belts: we propose that convective thinning of the lithosphere results in minor amounts of partial melts within the lowermost crust that trigger further instabilities. This will lead to positive feedback effects between melt weakening, mantle upwelling, and wholesale mantle lithosphere removal, causing a strong pulse of mantle and crustal melting. We test this model numerically, and results show that this process, taking between 20 and 50 Myr in total, can explain the temporal evolution of melting in granite‐migmatite zones and associated mantle‐derived mafic rocks and provides a heat source for crustal melting without the need for other processes, such as slab break‐off or increased radiogenic heating. Furthermore, the generation of a refractory residue after mantle and crustal melting is also shown to control the progress of the lithospheric mantle removal, providing another feedback mechanism between melting and lithospheric reequilibration.

Rapid late Miocene surface uplift of the Central Anatolian Plateau margin

The Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP), Turkey, is bordered to its south by a steep mountain belt that emerged ∼8–7 Ma ago from the Mediterranean Sea. Knowledge of the onset, duration and rate of surface uplift and orographic barrier formation along the plateau margin is crucial for understanding the geodynamic drivers of plateau uplift. We present a new comprehensive data set that includes 12 40Ar/39Ar ages and lacustrine carbonate δ18O data (n=637) from 13 sections in upper Oligocene to Pliocene continental basins of the CAP interior. We aim at documenting the development of a rain shadow and therefore the surface uplift history of the CAP and its southern margin (Tauride Mts.).In the rain shadow of the Tauride Mts. we observe a gradual 3.9‰ decrease of δ18O values of lacustrine carbonate between ∼11 and 5 Ma that we interpret to originate from a similar change in δ18O values of precipitation owing to the late Miocene development of an orographic barrier. Our stable isotope paleoaltimetry data show that by 5 Ma the southern CAP margin had reached similar-to-present elevations of ∼2 km. Surface uplift was coeval with ignimbritic magmatism, forearc shortening and distributed compression. We suggest that the removal of lithospheric mantle below Anatolia led to surface uplift of the CAP interior, which was followed by surface uplift of the southern CAP margin due to crustal thickening as a result of northward subduction of the African plate below central Anatolia.

Petrogenesis of ore-bearing porphyry in non-subduction setting: a case study of the Eocene potassic intrusions in the western Yangtze Block

In the western Yangtze Block, abundant Eocene (similar to 38-34 Ma) potassic adakite-like intrusions and associated porphyry copper deposits are exposed in non-subduction setting, including Machangjing, Beiya, Binchuan, Habo and Tongchang intrusions. All these ore-bearing porphyries share many geochemical characteristics of adakite such as depletion in heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), enrichment in Sr and Ba, absence of negative Eu anomalies, high SiO2, Al2O3, Sr/Y, La/Yb and low Y, Yb contents. They also exhibit affinities of potassic rocks, e.g., alkali-rich, high K2O/Na2O ratios and enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs). Their Sr-Nd isotopic ratios are similar to coeval shoshonitic lamprophyres. Geochemical data indicate that they were probably produced by partial melting of newly underplated potassic rocks sourced from a modified and enriched lithospheric mantle. These underplated rocks have elevated oxygen fugacity, water and copper contents, with high metallogenic potential. We propose that all the studied potassic rocks were emplaced in a post-collisional setting, associated with the local removal of lithospheric mantle.

Constraining lithospheric removal and asthenospheric input to melts in Central Asia: A geochemical study of Triassic to Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the Gobi Altai (Mongolia)

Throughout northeast China, eastern and southern Mongolia, and eastern Russia there is widespread Mesozoic intracontinental magmatism. Extensive studies on the Chinese magmatic rocks have suggested lithospheric mantle removal was a driver of the magmatism. The timing, distribution and potential diachroneity of such lithospheric mantle removal remains poorly constrained. Here, we examine successions of Mesozoic lavas and shallow intrusive volcanic plugs from the Gobi Altai in southern Mongolia that appear to be unrelated to regional, relatively small-scale deformation; at the time of magmatism, the area was ~200km from any active margin, or, after its Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous closure, from the suture of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. 40Ar/39Ar radiometric age data place magmatic events in the Gobi Altai between ~220 to 99.2Ma. This succession overlaps Chinese successions and therefore provides an opportunity to constrain whether Mesozoic lithosphere removal may provide an explanation for the magmatism here too, and if so, when.We show that Triassic to Lower Cretaceous lavas in the Gobi Altai (from Dulaan Bogd, Noyon Uul, Bulgantiin Uul, Jaran Bogd and Tsagaan Tsav) are all light rare-earth element (LREE) and large-ion lithophile element (LILE)-enriched, with negative Nb and Ta anomalies (NbLa and TaLa≤1). Geochemical data suggest that these lavas formed by low degrees of partial melting of a metasomatised lithospheric mantle that may have been modified by melts derived from recycled rutile-bearing eclogite. A gradual reduction in the involvement of garnet in the source of these lavas points towards a shallowing of the depth of melting after ~125Ma.By contrast, geochemical and isotope data from the youngest magmatic rocks in the area — 107-99Ma old volcanic plugs from Tsost Magmatic Field — have OIB-like trace element patterns and are interpreted to have formed by low degrees of partial melting of a garnet-bearing lherzolite mantle source. These rocks did not undergo significant crustal contamination, and were derived from asthenospheric mantle. The evidence of a gradual shallowing of melting in the Gobi lava provinces, culminating in an asthenospheric source signature in the youngest magmatic rocks is similar to examples from neighboring China, emphasising the wide-scale effect of a regional Mesozoic magmatic event during similar time periods. We suggest that Mongolia underwent lithospheric thinning/delamination during the Mesozoic (between ~125 and ~107Ma) with patchy areas thinning sufficiently to enable the generation of relatively small-scale asthenospheric-derived magmatism to predominate in the late Cretaceous.

Crustal fluid flow in hot continental extension: tectonic framework of geothermal areas and mineral deposits in western Anatolia

Abstract Lithospheric thinning and crustal extension have shaped the Alpine orogen in western Anatolia since the late Oligocene, resulting in the denudation of one of Earth's largest metamorphic core complexes, the Menderes Massif. We review locations and characteristics of geothermal fields and of Miocene mineral deposits in the context of crustal structure and geodynamic processes. Thermal spring locations show a close spatial association with active fault zones; the largest geothermal areas are located in the widest graben and at fault intersections, but show little relation to volcanic activity. During the first stage of tectonic denudation in the Miocene, epithermal, porphyry-type gold and structurally controlled base-metal deposits formed synchronously with K-rich volcanic and plutonic complexes in the northern Menderes Massif. Depositional environments favoured the formation of lignite, sedimentary uranium and borate deposits. Throughout this phase of extension in a hot continental setting, secondary porosity caused by brittle faulting of metamorphic basement rocks provided the key pathways for fluids and magmas. Although the Menderes Massif has remained in a similar position relative to active plate boundaries from the Miocene to the present, three significant changes in subcontinental mantle dynamics affected the nature of hydrothermal flow. First, the partial removal of lithospheric mantle changed the primary source component of magmatic rocks and metals from metasomatized lithosphere mantle to asthenospheric mantle. Secondly, surface uplift and progressive crustal extension led to segmentation of the Miocene land surface along NNE–SSW- and east–west-orientated fault zones, which changed the overall structural control on crustal permeability. Finally, hydrothermal flow changed from locally magmatic driven, to focused flow of topographically and thermally driven fluids in the crust, with high background heat flow caused by regional upwelling of the asthenosphere. The Menderes Massif is a continental tectonic domain that has experienced rapid thinning of lithospheric mantle and crustal extension in an overall convergent plate tectonic setting. The tectonic and geodynamic framework for evolving hydrothermal activity in western Anatolia may be applicable to other ore-forming systems in hot, extending continental crust in Earth's history.

Ambient noise surface wave tomography of marginal seas in east Asia

We conducted ambient noise tomography in east Asia, including the Chinese coastal provinces, Korea Peninsular, Japan, Taiwan Island, and marginal seas in between. We retrieved Rayleigh Green’s functions from inter-station correlations of 12 months of continuous waveform data at 573 broadband stations in the region. We obtained group and phase velocity dispersion curves and dispersion maps for periods from 10 to 70 s and inverted for 3D Vs model of the crust and uppermost mantle. Moho and lithosphere thickness were derived from the 3D model. We observed three prominent low velocity zones in the upper mantle, two in the accretionary wedges above the Pacific and Philippine subduction slabs and one beneath the Changbai Mountain region. The crust and lithosphere are generally thin in the region. The velocity anomalies, crustal thickness, and lithosphere thickness all show a similar trend in NNE-SSW direction. The lithosphere shows a striking sausage”-type structure with alternating thickness. The crust thickness and lithosphere thickness both decrease progressively from NW to SE direction, which coincides with the distribution of episodic magmatism in SE China. We propose that the subduction of paleo-Pacific slab and its rollback were mainly responsible for the crustal and lithosphere extension and the mantle lithosphere removal in east Asia.

Sediment provenance and dispersal of Neogene–Quaternary strata of the southeastern San Joaquin Basin and its transition into the southern Sierra Nevada, California

We have studied detrital-zircon U-Pb age spectra and conglomerate clast populations from Neogene–Quaternary siliciclastic and volcaniclastic strata of the southeastern San Joaquin Basin, as well as a fault-controlled Neogene basin that formed across the southernmost Sierra Nevada; we call this basin the Walker graben. The age spectra of the detrital-zircon populations are compared to a large basement zircon age data set that is organized into age populations based on major drainage basin geometry of the southern Sierra Nevada and adjacent ranges. We find a direct sediment provenance and dispersal link for much of the Neogene between the Walker graben and the southeastern San Joaquin Basin. In early to middle Miocene time, this link was accented by the delivery of volcaniclastic materials into the southeastern Basin margin from the Cache Peak volcanic center that was nested within the Walker graben. In late middle Miocene through early Pleistocene time, this linkage was maintained by a major fluvial system that we call the Caliente River, whose lower trunk was structurally controlled by growth faults along the Edison graben, which breached the western wall of the Walker graben. The Caliente River redistributed into the southeastern San Joaquin Basin much of the ∼2 km of volcaniclastic and siliciclastic strata that filled the Walker graben. This sediment redistribution was forced by a regional topographic gradient that developed in response to uplift along the eastern Sierra escarpment system. The Caliente River built a fluvial-deltaic fan system that prograded northwestward across the lower trunk of the Kern River and thereby deflected the Kern drainage flux of sediment into the Basin edge northward. In mainly late Miocene time, turbidites generated primarily off the Caliente River delta front built the Stevens submarine fan system of the southeastern and central areas of the San Joaquin Basin. In late Quaternary time, 1–1.8 km of Caliente River–built strata were eroded as an epeirogenic uplift that we call the Kern arch emerged along the southeastern Basin margin, in response to underlying mantle lithosphere removal. The sediment that was eroded off the arch was redistributed mainly into the Maricopa and Tulare sub-basins that are located to the southwest and northwest, respectively, of the arch.