Non-arc Settings Research Articles

Copper skarn mineralization related to reduced monzodioritic magma at the Huanren deposit, northeastern China

Most known copper (Cu) skarns are associated with oxidized intrusions. In this contribution, we report a Cu skarn associated with a reduced monzodioritic intrusion at Huanren, northeastern China, which contains 0.41 Mt of Cu accompanied by economic concentrations of Zn, Pb, Fe, Mo, and Ag. Copper-polymetallic mineralization in the Huanren deposit is concentrated in skarns located between the contacts of the monzodiorite (SiO2 = 52−55 wt%) and the Cambrian carbonate rocks, with minor molybdenite-bearing veinlets/veins and dissimilated chalcopyrite mineralization hosted within the monzodiorite. Laser ablation−inductively coupled plasma−mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb zircon geochronology indicates the monzodiorite crystallized at 125.4 ± 0.6 Ma (2σ). Isotope dilution (ID)-ICP-MS Re-Os molybdenite geochronology indicates mineralization at Huanren occurred at 125.3 ± 0.8 Ma (2σ). Whole-rock major- and trace-element and zircon Hf isotopic compositions suggest enriched (subduction metasomatized) lithospheric mantle−derived sources for the parental magma of the monzodiorite without significant crustal assimilation. Zircon trace-element and magmatic apatite major-element compositions indicate the reduced nature of the monzodiorite, as evidenced by low magmatic oxygen fugacity (fayalite-magnetite-quartz [FMQ] buffer = −1.09 ± 0.19) and negligible apatite SO3 contents (<0.05 wt%). A reduced magmatic-hydrothermal system at Huanren is also supported by the predominance of magmatic ilmenite over magnetite in the monzodiorite and by the presence of pyrrhotite and the absence of anhydrite and hematite in the ore. Chalcopyrite from the Huanren deposit has an average δ34S value of 4.34‰ ± 0.88‰ (1σ), which is clearly higher than values from most porphyry-skarn Cu ± Mo ± Au deposits. Accordingly, we suggest that interaction between (1) external oxidized fluids equilibrated with evaporites and (2) reduced Cl-bearing magmas and related exsolved fluids may have played a critical role in the formation of the Huanren Cu skarn by increasing the ability of fluids to scavenge Cu from the reduced magma and subsequently precipitate Cu in the carbonate rocks. This study defines a new type of Cu skarn and thereby opens new potential for Cu skarn exploration proximal to intrusive units previously deemed too reduced to be Cu fertile, especially in non-arc settings. Moreover, we conclude that the availability of Cl and S in magmatic-hydrothermal systems may be as critical as fO2 in facilitating the actual ore-forming event in Cu skarn systems.

Review of temporal trend in Archean granitoid chemistry- implications for Eoarchean (3.7–3.9 Ga) transition in geodynamic regime of crust formation

In this study, we review changes in Archean granitoid chemistry using stacked probability density estimation and statistical change-point analyses. A significant change in Archean sodic granitoid composition occurs in the 3.9–3.75 Ga period, marked by a shift of SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O, V, Cr, Sr, Sr/Y to higher, and TiO2, FeOT, MnO, P2O5, A/NK, A/CNK, Sc, Ba, Ta, Nb, Hf, Y, and rare earth elements to lower values, which reflects different formation P-T regime and petrogenetic processes. Using phase equilibria and trace element modelling, we demonstrate that the pre-3.9 Ga Acasta Tonalite Gneiss (ATG)-like granitoids formed at shallow depths (∼3 km) but are chemically distinct from impactites of all known large impact craters with basaltic/mixed target rocks. Impact melting produces MgO-rich melts at relatively greater “apparent” depths, reflecting target rock chemistry and contribution from the upwelling mantle, and is unlikely to have produced the shallow-seated ATG rocks. The ATG trace element chemistry is similar to many modern-day non-arc settings felsic rocks, which suggests that the melting regime in these extensional settings also existed before 3.9 Ga and ATG formed in a mantle plume-driven extensional tectonic regime involving melting of long-lived mafic proto-crust at shallow crustal depths above mantle upwelling. In contrast, the 3.9–3.75 Ga transitional and post-3.75 Ga TTGs formed by deep-seated (25–50 km) melting in equilibrium with garnet-bearing amphibolite. When considered together with Ti isotopic evidence of shift from tholeiitic to calc-alkaline magmatism in the 4.0–3.75 Ga period, the evidence for a transition from a regime dominated by crustal reworking to one of significant juvenile input at 3.60–3.85 Ga, noted in trace element/Hf-isotope composition of detrital zircon from several cratons and the reported ultra-high pressure metamorphism/interleaving arc-plume sequence, require a greater depth of melting. We interpret this transition to mark a gradual shift from stagnant-lid to intermittent mobile-lid-type plate tectonics involving deeper subduction of oceanic lithosphere. However, from the single occurrence of pre-3.9 Ga ATG rocks and their similarity with some Archean Fe-rich silica-saturated rocks chemistry, it is unknown whether plume magmatism was the only active mechanism or operated in conjunction with mobile-lid tectonics on early Earth, like in Archean.

Zircon age distributions and implied tectonic settings of early Cambrian to Early Devonian sedimentation in western and central Victoria

Age distributions among the detrital zircon populations in western and central Victorian Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks suggest that most were deposited in Andean-type back-arc environments, with variable proportions of arc and continental sediment sources. Notable exceptions are the upper Cambrian Knowsley East Shale and the Silurian(?) sample of ‘Glen Creek Lithic Sandstone’, which both contain unimodal zircon populations. In the case of the Knowsley East Shale, this age is very close to the inferred depositional age, implying a possible forearc environment, with sediment derived directly from the contemporary volcanic arc. On the other hand, the implied trench environment for the ‘Glen Creek Lithic Sandstone’ is most likely inherited from its very local sediment source in the fault-bounded and mainly Cambrian Glen Creek erosional window. The only analysed rock units that may have been deposited in non-arc settings are the middle Silurian Humevale Siltstone and the Lower Devonian Norton Gully Sandstone. The zircon populations in these units carry strong continental signals, and they may have been deposited in an extensional marine basin bounded by continental blocks. The upper Silurian Grampians Group may have been deposited in a similar rift setting, but the zircon age histogram for this unit suggests that it was more proximal to an arc terrane. These assignments of depositional/tectonic environment should be regarded as indicative only, particularly since the method provides only subtle distinctions between some extensional and convergent settings. However, if the assignments are correct, there are some important implications for the geological history of this part of the Lachlan Orogen. For example, contrary to present perceptions, the Stawell Zone rocks may not have been prominently uplifted during the Ordovician, and the basin in the Bendigo Zone may have been receiving sediment input from further west in the Grampians–Stavely Zone.

Mobilization of Cu in the continental lower crust: A perspective from Cu isotopes

Recent studies have shown that Cu-rich sulfide accumulates in the lower continental crust and serves as a critical reservoir to balance Cu depletion in the upper crust. Recycling of Cu in the lower crust is also assumed to be a major metal source for non-arc setting porphyry Cu deposits. To test this hypothesis and further explore the behavior of Cu in the lower crust, we analyzed the elemental and Cu isotopic compositions of lower crustal rocks from different geological domains. The collected samples include hornblendites from the Kohistan arc, granulite xenoliths and hornblendites from the Gangdese arc, hornblendites and gabbros from the Laiyuan complex in the North China Craton, and hornblendite xenoliths from the western margin of the Yangtze Craton. These lower crustal rocks have experienced varying degrees of primary or secondary sulfide accumulation, with significantly varied Cu contents (11.2 to 145 ppm) and δ65Cu (−1.05‰ to 1.40‰). Petrography and geochemistry reveal varying degrees of metasomatism and fluid interaction in these rocks, and based on this, they can be further divided into three groups: Group I includes the Gangdese granulites and Yunnan hornblendites, which perhaps experienced significant metasomatism. This suite of rocks shows enrichment of 65Cu (δ65Cu = 0.01‰ to 1.40‰), positively correlated with metasomatism (δ65Cu vs. Ce/Pb). We suggest the secondary sulfides which transformed from sulfates during the interaction between lower crust and arc magma are dominant in these rocks, so the feature of heavy isotope enrichment is inherited. Group II includes Laiyuan hornblendites and gabbros, derived from the same parental magma and emplaced at different depths (hornblendites, 23.3 – 28.1 km; gabbros 8.4 – 11.1 km). The Cu isotopic compositions are strongly fractionated between these two kinds of rocks, with low δ65Cu in the hornblendites (0.00‰ to 0.28‰) and highly polarized δ65Cu in the gabbros (−1.05‰ to 0.81‰). Geochemical indicators and mineral assemblages reveal that fluid interaction is most likely responsible for this feature. Primary sulfides were decomposed by fluids and reprecipitated at shallower depths. Since this process involves multiple redox reactions, the Cu isotopic composition in the shallowed emplaced gabbros was large fractionated. Group III includes the Gangdese hornblendites and Kohistan hornblendites which show negligible impacts of subduction-like metasomatism and fluid interaction. The Gangdese hornblendites show a homogeneous and unfractionated Cu isotopic composition (−0.09‰ to 0.18‰) and Cu content (83.4 to 128 ppm), suggesting insignificant Cu migration and isotope fractionation. In contrast, the Cu isotopic composition of the Kohistan hornblendites is strongly fractionated (−0.36‰ to 1.27‰). Geochemistry and modeling results suggest partial melting plays a role in the Cu isotope fractionation. The light Cu isotopes are preferentially distributed into sulfide melts and removed from the source region during partial melting of the lower crust, resulting in a decrease in Cu content and enrichment of heavy Cu isotopes in residues. Results suggest that partial melting and fluid interaction are two efficient mechanisms that encourage Cu migration in the lower crust.

Petrogenesis of the Middle Jurassic andesitic dikes in the giant Dexing porphyry copper ore field, South China: Implications for mineralization

The giant Dexing porphyry copper ore field, containing 9.7 Mt copper, is the largest porphyry copper system in South China. The petrogenesis of andesitic dikes in the Dexing ore field and their genetic link with porphyry mineralization remain unclear. This paper presents LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating, elemental and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data of the andesitic dikes in the Dexing porphyry copper ore field. The Dexing andesitic dikes were emplaced during the Middle Jurassic at ca. 166 Ma. The Dexing andesitic dikes have relative high MgO contents and Mg# ratios but low TiO2 contents. They also have obvious Nb, Ta and Ti depletion in the primitive mantle normalized spider diagrams. The geochemical affinity of arc magma and low Ti contents indicate that the magma source is probably lithosphere mantle modified by subduction process. A non-arc setting during the Middle Jurassic is inferred due to the absence of typical arc rocks and the presence of rifting-related magmatic rocks in the interior of South China. The non-arc setting implies that the Neoproterozoic Jiangnan Orogen was likely responsible for the arc geochemical features. The concentration of copper in the andesitic dikes is not high, supporting that remelting of the metal-rich Neoproterozoic juvenile lower continental crust instead of the mantle is the critical factor for the giant porphyry style mineralization. The mantle derived mafic magma may play a key role for providing significant heat for remelting of the metal-rich lower continental crust via underplating into the crust-mantle boundary.

Origin of the Eocene porphyries and mafic microgranular enclaves from the Beiya porphyry Au polymetallic deposit, western Yunnan, China: Implications for magma mixing/mingling and mineralization

The origin of magmas with high H2O, S and metals that are linked to porphyry economic mineralization in continental collisional belts is controversial. In this paper, we studied the host porphyries and associated microgranular enclaves (MMEs) including gabbroic enclaves and dioritic enclaves from the large Beiya porphyry Au deposit in Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan mineralization belt, which provide first hand evidence of crust–mantle hybridization in the formation of fertile magma for porphyry deposit. Zircon LA-ICPMS U–Pb ages indicate coeval formation for the MMEs and the felsic porphyries in Eocene time (~36Ma). The MMEs show spheroidal shapes, acicular apatites, and oscillatory zoning with repeated resorption surfaces in plagioclases, which suggest that the MMEs are globules of a more mafic magma that was injected into and mingled with the host felsic magma. One gabbroic enclave sample exhibits high MgO (5.6wt.%), high TiO2 (1.7wt.%), enriched in large-ion lithophile element (LILE) and depleted in high field strength element (HFSE), with negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies. This indicates that the gabbroic enclave is similar to those of the coeval potassic mafic rocks in the Western Yunnan, which originated from the enriched mantle metasomatized by the slab-derived fluids. The dioritic enclave exhibit both potassic and adakitic-like features, and are characterized by high contents of MgO (4.4–4.9wt.%), K2O (6.4–7.4wt.%), and compatible trace elements (e.g. Ni: 115–142ppm; Cr: 214–291ppm), as well as by high Sr/Y ratios. The dioritic enclave samples yield εHf (t) values (−1.9 to +3.6) similar to those of the host porphyries. Petrographic, elemental, and isotopic evidence suggests that the Beiya dioritic enclave were formed by mixing between potassic mafic and adakitc-like melts, derived from metasomatized lithospheric mantle and lower crust, respectively. In contrast, the Beiya host porphyries are characterized by high SiO2 (66.9–71.9wt.%) and Al2O3 (13.8–15.9wt.%) contents, high Sr/Y ratios (35–79), low compatible element contents (e.g. Ni=0.9–7.2ppm; Cr =1.0–8.2ppm), low Mg# values (0.19–0.35), positive LILE anomalies, marked negative high HFSE anomalies, negative εNd(t) values (−6 to −2), and high (87Sr/86Sr)i values (0.7071–0.7081). These features indicate that the host porphyries were mainly formed by partial melting of subduction-modified lower crust with a certain assimilation of mafic melts represented by MMEs. MMEs hosted in the Beiya porphyries, formed from a hydrous, mafic magma although they formed in a non-arc setting. High magmatic water content is probably related to an enriched mantle metasomatized by fluids from a Proterozoic subducted oceanic slab. High Cu (341–626ppm) and Au contents of the MMEs suggest they crystallized from a metal-rich mafic melt. Complex assemblages of pyrite–chalcopyrite–apatite–rutile with hornblende are observed in the least altered MME. We suggest that the mafic melt probably supplied part of water, and metal to the Beiya porphyry Au system.

The conjunction of factors that lead to formation of giant gold provinces and deposits in non-arc settings

It is quite evident that it is not anomalous metal transport, nor unique depositional conditions, nor any single factor at the deposit scale, that dictates whether a mineral deposit becomes a giant or not. A hierarchical approach thus is required to progressively examine controlling parameters at successively decreasing scales in the total mineral system to understand the location of giant gold deposits in non-arc environments. For giant orogenic, intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) and Carlin-type gold deposits and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits, there are common factors among all of these at the lithospheric to crustal scale. All are sited in giant gold provinces controlled by complex fundamental fault or shear zones that follow craton margins or, in the case of most Phanerozoic orogenic giants, define the primary suture zones between tectonic terranes. Giant provinces of IRGS, IOCG, and Carlin-type deposits require melting of metasomatized lithosphere beneath craton margins with ascent of hybrid lamprophyric to granitic magmas and associated heat flux to generate the giant province. The IRGS and IOCG deposits require direct exsolution of volatile-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids, whereas the association of such melts with Carlin-type ores is more indirect and enigmatic. Giant orogenic gold provinces show no direct relationship to such magmatism, forming from metamorphic fluids, but show an indirect relationship to lamprophyres that reflect the mantle connectivity of controlling first-order structures.In contrast to their province scale similarities, the different giant gold deposit styles show contrasting critical controls at the district to deposit scale. For orogenic gold deposits, the giants appear to have formed by conjunction of a greater number of parameters to those that control smaller deposits, with resultant geometrical and lithostratigraphic complexity as a guide to their location. There are few giant IRGS due to their inferior fluid-flux systems relative to orogenic gold deposits, and those few giants are essentially preservational exceptions. Many Carlin-type deposits are giants due to the exceptional conjunction of both structural and lithological parameters that caused reactive and permeable rocks, enriched in syngenetic gold, to be located below an impermeable cap along antiformal “trends”. Hydrocarbons probably played an important role in concentrating metal. The supergiant Post-Betze deposit has additional ore zones in strain heterogeneities surrounding the pre-gold Goldstrike stock. All unequivocal IOCG deposits are giant or near-giant deposits in terms of gold-equivalent resources, partly due to economic factors for this relatively poorly understood, low Cu-Au grade deposit type. The supergiant Olympic Dam deposit, the most shallowly formed deposit among the larger IOCGs, probably owes its origin to eruption of volatile-rich hybrid magma at surface, with formation of a large maar and intense and widespread brecciation, alteration and Cu-Au-U deposition in a huge rock volume.

The link between subduction-modified lithosphere and the giant Dexing porphyry copper deposit, South China: Constraints from high-Mg adakitic rocks

The giant Dexing porphyry copper deposit is one of the largest porphyry copper deposits in South China. This paper presents new LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating, element and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data for the ore-related porphyries in the Dexing porphyry deposit. The Dexing ore-related porphyries were emplaced during the Middle Jurassic (ca. 170Ma), and were characterized by high-Mg adakitic geochemical features, including high MgO and Sr contents and high Mg#, Sr/Y and LaN/YbN ratios, low Y and Yb contents, and lacking a negative Eu anomaly, which suggest that they were probably derived from the delaminated thickened lithosphere. A non-arc setting in the Middle Jurassic is indicated by the absence of arc rocks and the presence of rifting-related igneous rock associations in the interior of South China. The non-arc setting suggests that the copper-rich lithosphere in the Dexing area was enriched by an ancient subduction event prior to the Late Mesozoic. The regional geological history and the Neoproterozoic two-stage Nd–Hf isotope model ages imply that the ancient subduction event occurred in the Neoproterozoic in response to the Jiangnan Orogen between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks. Thus, we infer that the giant Dexing porphyry copper deposit was formed in the Middle Jurassic by remelting of the copper-rich Neoproterozoic subduction-modified lithosphere. Previous studies of the low-Mg ore-related porphyries in the adjacent Yinshan copper polymetallic deposit proposed a copper-rich juvenile crust as their magma source. In this study, the high Mg contents of the Dexing ore-related porphyries stress the significant contribution of the subduction-modified lithospheric mantle or a higher melting temperature.

Systematics of water isotopic composition and chlorine content in arc-volcanic gases

Abstract In this review paper a set of chemical (H 2 O, CO 2 , S, HCl, HF) and water isotopic (δD, δ 18 O) data is compiled for 26 subduction zone volcanoes and 3 volcanoes of other tectonic settings. To the arc-volcano dataset we added new data on high-temperature gas vents from three Kamchatkan volcanoes (Gorely, Bezymianny and Tolbachik) and also published data on the chemical composition of volcanic plumes obtained by remote instrumental techniques (Open-Path Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (OP-FTIR), Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) MultiGas) for volcanoes of different tectonic settings. Three typical cases of the persistent volcanic degassing in terms of δD, δ 18 O of the volcanic vapour and its HCl content are discussed in detail: (1) Kudryavy type with a clear two-end-member mixing behaviour; (2) degassing of active or cooling lava domes with fractionation of both water isotopes and Cl content; and (3) degassing of small volcanic islands with a complex admixing of meteorics and seawater. We show that independently of the complexity of the shallow processes which affect volcano degassing, the highest temperature volcanic gases are characterized by δD values and HCl concentrations close to −25‰ V-SMOW and 0.5–1.0 mol%, respectively. These values are the same for any volcanic arc (except maybe Mediterranean volcanoes) and are the result of seawater recycling at subduction zones on the global scale. In contrast to volcanic fluids of non-arc settings, the arc-magmatic fluid has uniformity not only in water isotopic composition and Cl content but also in the total composition (H–C–O–S–Cl–F).

Magma mixing origin for the Aolunhua porphyry related to Mo–Cu mineralization, eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Many Cu–Mo–Au deposits are considered to be related to adakitic porphyries formed in non-arc settings, e.g., in collisional orogenic zones and intra-plate environments, but their genesis is still under discussion. The Aolunhua porphyry complex and its related Mo–Cu deposit from the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) provide important insights into this issue. The porphyries are characterized by high Sr (496–705ppm) and Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios similar to those of typical adakitic rocks, and low ISr ratios (0.7049–0.7052) and positive εNd(t) (+0.5 to +1.4) and εHf(t) (+3.5 to +9.8) values. These features, along with the occurrence of mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs), compositional and textural disequilibrium of plagioclase phenocrysts and relatively high Mg# values (45–52), indicate that they were derived from mixing of felsic magma from partial melting of a juvenile arc-type lower crust and mafic magma from a lithospheric mantle previously metasomatized by subduction zone fluids/melts. High Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios are indicative of contribution from enriched mantle-derived materials (with high LILEs; e.g., Sr, La), which were strengthened by subsequent fractionation of ferromagnesian phases such as pyroxene and hornblende. MMEs hosted by the ore-bearing porphyry have zircon U–Pb ages of ca. 132Ma, similar to those of the host rocks. The enclaves have elevated Mg# (56–63), LILEs (e.g., Sr=660–891ppm), LREE (LaN=68–150, (La/Sm)N=3.0–4.0, (La/Yb)N=12.0–19.6) and ratios of radiogenic isotopes of Nd- and Hf (εNd=+0.7 to +1.6; εHf=+3.3 to +10.9), suggesting that their parental magmas were derived from the metasomatized mantle source. The Mo–Cu mineralization was probably related to the high water content, high oxygen and sulfur fugacity of hybrid magma. Formation of the adakitic porphyries and related Mo–Cu deposits of the eastern CAOB could be related to the Early Cretaceous lithospheric extension, caused by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate and its induced reactivation of juvenile arc-type lower crust.

Petrogenesis of the Middle Jurassic Yinshan volcanic-intrusive complex, SE China: Implications for tectonic evolution and Cu-Au mineralization

Volcanic–subvolcanic rocks and associated Cu-Au deposits in Yinshan are located in the eastern part of the Neoproterozoic Jiangnan orogenic belt between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks, constituting a large metallogenic district in southeastern China. This paper presents new laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U–Pb dating, element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data for Yinshan igneous rocks in the Dexing region. Our results show that the Yinshan igneous rocks were produced during the Middle Jurassic (ca. 176–166Ma). Geochemically, the Yinshan igneous rocks are characterized by calc-alkaline and show some adakitic affinities with high Sr contents (up to 903ppm), Sr/Y (up to 93.2) and LaN/YbN ratios (12.4 to 65.1) and low Y (2.53 to 15.8ppm) and Yb contents (0.22 to 1.39ppm). The absence of a negative Eu anomaly, extreme depletion in Y and Yb, relatively low MgO contents (0.2 to 2.9wt.%), and relatively high 207Pb/204Pb ratio (15.555–15.575), indicate that Yinshan igneous rocks were likely derived from the partial melting of thickened lower continental crust. In addition, the Yinshan igneous rocks show similar element characteristics to arc-derived igneous rocks with bulk Earth-like εNd (t) values (−1.1 to +1.8) and initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7036–0.7090), relatively depleted εHf (t) values (−1.5 to +5.8), and Hf model ages of 0.8–1.2Ga. However, there is no arc-related evidence in the study area in the Middle Jurassic, which indicates that these arc-related elemental and isotopic compositions are possibly inherited from Meso- to Neo-Proterozoic juvenile continental crust formed by the Neoproterozoic oceanic crust subduction along the Jiangnan Orogen. The geodynamic environment responsible for the development of the Middle Jurassic Yinshan igneous rocks is probably a localized intra-continental extensional environment along the NE Jiangxi Deep Fault, as a tectonic response to far-field stress at the margins of South China Plate during the early stage of the paleo-Pacific plate subduction. Regarding the Cu-Au mineralization, we infer that Cu-Au were released from subducted oceanic slab and reserved in the juvenile crust during Neoproterozoic subduction along the eastern Jiangnan Orogen. Partial melting of Cu-Au rich Neoproterozoic juvenile crust during the Middle Jurassic time in the Yinshan area caused the formation of adakitic rocks and large-scale Cu-Au deposits. Our model provides a new insight into genesis of adakitic rocks and related Cu-Au deposits in a non-arc setting.

Formation of cratonic lithosphere: An integrated thermal and petrological model

The formation of cratonic mantle peridotite of Archean age is examined within the time frame of Earth's thermal history, and how it was expressed by temporal variations in magma and residue petrology. Peridotite residues that occupy the lithospheric mantle are rare owing to the effects of melt-rock reaction, metasomatism, and refertilization. Where they are identified, they are very similar to the predicted harzburgite residues of primary magmas of the dominant basalts in greenstone belts, which formed in a non-arc setting (referred to here as “non-arc basalts”). The compositions of these basalts indicate high temperatures of formation that are well-described by the thermal history model of Korenaga. In this model, peridotite residues of extensive ambient mantle melting had the highest Mg-numbers, lowest FeO contents, and lowest densities at ~2.5–3.5Ga. These results are in good agreement with Re–Os ages of kimberlite-hosted cratonic mantle xenoliths and enclosed sulfides, and provide support for the hypothesis of Jordan that low densities of cratonic mantle are a measure of their high preservation potential. Cratonization of the Earth reached its zenith at ~2.5–3.5Ga when ambient mantle was hot and extensive melting produced oceanic crust 30–45km thick. However, there is a mass imbalance exhibited by the craton-wide distribution of harzburgite residues and the paucity of their complementary magmas that had compositions like the non-arc basalts. We suggest that the problem of the missing basaltic oceanic crust can be resolved by its hydration, cooling and partial transformation to eclogite, which caused foundering of the entire lithosphere. Some of the oceanic crust partially melted during foundering to produce continental crust composed of tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG). The remaining lithosphere gravitationally separated into 1) residual eclogite that continued its descent, and 2) buoyant harzburgite diapirs that rose to underplate cratonic nuclei composed of non-arc basalts and TTG. Finally, assembly of cratonic nuclei into cratons at convergent boundaries substantially modified harzburgite residues by melt-rock reaction.

Porphyry Cu (–Mo–Au) deposits related to melting of thickened mafic lower crust: Examples from the eastern Tethyan metallogenic domain

Most porphyry Cu deposits in the world occur in magmatic arc settings and are formed in association with calc-alkaline arc magmas related to subduction of oceanic lithosphere. This contribution reviews a number of significant porphyry Cu deposits in the eastern Tethyan metallogenic domain. They widely occur in a variety of non-arc settings, varying from post (late)-collisional transpressional and extensional environments to intracontinental extensional environments related to orogenic and anorogenic processes. Their spatial–temporal localization is controlled by strike–slip faults, orogen-transverse normal faults, lineaments and their intersections in these non-arc settings. These deposits are dominated by porphyry Cu–Mo deposits with minor porphyry Cu–Au and epithermal Au deposits, and exhibit a broad similarity with those in magmatic arcs. The associated magmas are generally hydrous, relatively high fO 2, high-K calc-alkaline and shoshonitic, and show geochemical affinity with adakites. They are distinguished from arc magmas and/or oceanic-slab derived adakites, by their occurrence as isolated complexes, high K 2O contents (1.2–8.5%), and much wider range of ε Nd(t) values(− 10 to + 3) and positive ε Hf(t) values (+ 4.6 to + 6.9). These potassic magmas are most likely formed by partial melting of thickened juvenile mafic lower-crust or delaminated lower crust, but also involving various amounts of asthenospheric mantle components. Key factors that generate hydrous fertile magmas are most likely crust/mantle interaction processes at the base of thickened lower-crust in non-arc settings, rather than oceanic-slab dehydration (as in arc settings). Breakdown of amphibole in thickened lower crust (e.g., amphibole eclogite and garnet amphibolite) during melting is considered to release fluids into the fertile magmas, leading to an elevated oxidation state and higher H 2O content necessary for development of porphyry Cu–Mo–Au systems. Copper and Au in hydrous magmas are likely derived from mantle-derived components and/or melts, which either previously underplated and infiltrated at the base of the thickened lower crust, or were input into the primitive magmas by melt/mantle interaction. In contrast, Mo and (part of the) S in the fertile magmas are probably supplied by old crust during melting and subsequent ascent.

上野玄武岩類 非島弧的火成活動の産物

The Ueno basaltic rocks are studied through extensive microprobe analysis of the phenocrysts and a literature survey on the whole-rock analyses. They are olivine tholeiitic to calc-alcalic basalts and andesites erupted at 2.0 ± 0.7 Ma in the East Japan Volcanic Zone in central Japan. Despite their distribution in an island arc system, their magmatic affinity is unlike the arc type: chemical compositions of the phenocrysts (olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene) are characteristic to non-arc settings; and the whole-rock analyses do not show marked depletion of Ta, Hf and Ti relative to Th, Ce and Sm. The Ueno basaltic rocks formed probably from the same source as the Neogene alkalic volcanic rocks in west Japan, bearing a within-plate alkalic basalt affinity. The Ueno magmas could be generated by greater degrees of melting of the source at shallower depths. A model is proposed for the genesis of the Ueno basaltic rocks: a small batch of mantle material, potentially a source of the Neogene alkalic volcanic rocks in west Japan, was drifted to the uppermost mantle beneath central Japan. It is probable that a change in motion of the Philippine Sea plate at 4-2 Ma caused the drift of the non-arc type magma source.