Orogenic Core Research Articles

Deformation correlations, stress field switches and evolution of an orogenic intersection: The Pan-African Kaoko-Damara orogenic junction, Namibia

Age calibrated deformation histories established by detailed mapping and dating of key magmatic time markers are correlated across all tectono-metamorphic provinces in the Damara Orogenic System. Correlations across structural belts result in an internally consistent deformation framework with evidence of stress field rotations with similar timing, and switches between different deformation events. Horizontal principle compressive stress rotated clockwise ∼180° in total during Kaoko Belt evolution, and ∼135° during Damara Belt evolution. At most stages, stress field variation is progressive and can be attributed to events within the Damara Orogenic System, caused by changes in relative trajectories of the interacting Rio De La Plata, Congo, and Kalahari Cratons. Kaokoan orogenesis occurred earliest and evolved from collision and obduction at ∼590 Ma, involving E–W directed shortening, progressing through different transpressional states with ∼45° rotation of the stress field to strike-slip shear under NW–SE shortening at ∼550–530 Ma. Damaran orogenesis evolved from collision at ∼555–550 Ma with NW–SE directed shortening in common with the Kaoko Belt, and subsequently evolved through ∼90° rotation of the stress field to NE–SW shortening at ∼512–508 Ma. Both Kaoko and Damara orogenic fronts were operating at the same time, with all three cratons being coaxially convergent during the 550–530 Ma period; Rio De La Plata directed SE against the Congo Craton margin, and both together over-riding the Kalahari Craton margin also towards the SE. Progressive stress field rotation was punctuated by rapid and significant switches at ∼530–525 Ma, ∼508 Ma and ∼505 Ma. These three events included: (1) Culmination of main phase orogenesis in the Damara Belt, coinciding with maximum burial and peak metamorphism at 530–525 Ma. This occurred at the same time as termination of transpression and initiation of transtensional reactivation of shear zones in the Kaoko Belt. Principle compressive stress switched from NW–SE to NNW–SSE shortening in both Kaoko and Damara Belts at this time. This marks the start of Congo-Kalahari stress field overwhelming the waning Rio De La Plata-Congo stress field, and from this time forward contraction across the Damara Belt generated the stress field governing subsequent low-strain events in the Kaoko Belt. (2) A sudden switch to E–W directed shortening at ∼508 Ma is interpreted as a far-field effect imposed on the Damara Orogenic System, most plausibly from arc obduction along the orogenic margin of Gondwana (Ross-Delamerian Orogen). (3) This imposed stress field established a N–S extension direction exploited by decompression melts, switch to vertical shortening, and triggered gravitational collapse and extension of the thermally weakened hot orogen core at ∼505 Ma, producing an extensional metamorphic core complex across the Central Zone.

Spatial and temporal characterization of progressive deformation during orogenic growth: Example from the Fuegian Andes, southern Argentina

Superposed structural fabrics in the easternmost Fuegian Andes reveal two distinct, non-coaxial deformation phases across the transition from the orogenic core to the thrust-fold belt. Each phase is characterized by different metamorphic conditions and consistently different orientations, which allow the structural correlation between the orogenic core and the internal thrust-fold belt. The first deformation phase was coeval with regional metamorphism reaching upper greenschist facies, and featured simple shear deformation of the basement (Paleozoic and Jurassic) and cover (Cretaceous) in the top of the underthrusting South American plate. The second phase developed during collision of the orogenic wedge with the Río Chico Arch, a promontory in the underthrusting plate; this phase was characterized by thrust sheet emplacement and formation of a crustal duplex, with rock uplift and consequent low to very-low grade metamorphism. Buttressing against the Río Chico Arch is responsible for the change in shortening orientation that distinguishes both phases.

Restoration of Late Neoarchean–Early Cambrian tectonics in the Rengali orogen and its environs (eastern India): The Antarctic connection

Geological mapping and P–T path reconstructions are combined with monazite chemical age and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric (SIMS) U–Pb zircon age determinations to identify crustal domains with distinctive evolutionary histories in the Rengali orogen sandwiched between two Grenvillian-age metamorphic belts, i.e. the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt (EGGB) in the south, and the amphibolite facies Gangpur Schist Belt (GSB) in the north, which in turn forms a collar along the NW/W margins of the Paleo/Mesoarchean Singhbhum Craton (SC) north of the Rengali orogen. Anatectic gneisses in the orogen core exhibit multi-phase Neoarchean/Paleoproterozoic deformation, metamorphic P–T histories and juvenile magma emplacement events. The high-grade belt is inferred to be a septum of the Bastar Craton (BC). The flanking supracrustal belt in the orogen — dominated by quartz-muscovite schists (±staurolite, kyanite, garnet pyrophyllite), inter-bedded with poorly-sorted and polymict meta-conglomerate, and meta-ultramafic/amphibolite bands — evolved along P–T paths characterized by sub-greenschist to amphibolite facies peak P–T conditions in closely-spaced samples. The supracrustal rocks and the anatectic gneisses of contrasting metamorphic P–T histories experienced D1, D2 and D3 fabric-forming events, but the high-angle obliquity between the steeply-plunging D3 folds in the anatectic gneisses and the gently-plunging D3 folds in the supracrustal unit suggests the two lithodemic units were tectonically accreted post-S2. The supracrustal belt is inferred to be a tectonic mélange formed in an accretionary wedge at the tri-junction of the Bastar Craton, the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt and the Singhbhum Craton; the basin closure synchronous with the assembly of EGGB and the Singhbhum Craton–Gangpur Schist belt composite occurred between 510 and 610Ma. Based on the available evidence across the facing coastlines of the Greater India landmass and the Australo–Antarctic blocks at ~500Ma, it is suggested that the EGGB welded with the Greater India landmass during the Pan African along an accretion zone, of which the Rengali orogen is a part, synchronous with the final assembly of the Gondwanaland.

First‐order control of syntectonic sedimentation on crustal‐scale structure of mountain belts

AbstractThe first‐order characteristics of collisional mountain belts and the potential feedback with surface processes are predicted by critical taper theory. While the feedback between erosion and mountain belt structure has been fairly extensively studied, less attention has been given to the potential role of synorogenic deposition. For thin‐skinned fold‐and‐thrust belts, recent studies indicate a strong control of syntectonic deposition on structure, as sedimentation tends to stabilize the thin‐skinned wedge. However, the factors controlling basement deformation below fold‐and‐thrust belts, as evident, for example, in the Zagros Mountains or in the Swiss Alps, remain largely unknown. Previous work has suggested that such variations in orogenic structure may be explained by the thermotectonic “age” of the deforming lithosphere and hence its rheology. Here we demonstrate that sediment loading of the foreland basin area provides an additional control and may explain the variable basement involvement in orogenic belts. When examining the role of sedimentation, we identify two end‐members: (1) sediment‐starved orogenic systems with thick‐skinned basement deformation in an axial orogenic core and thin‐skinned deformation in the bordering forelands and (2) sediment‐loaded orogens with thick packages of synorogenic deposits, derived from the axial basement zone, deposited on the surrounding foreland fold‐and‐thrust belts, and characterized by basement deformation below the foreland. Using high‐resolution thermomechanical models, we demonstrate a strong feedback between deposition and crustal‐scale thick‐skinned deformation. Our results show that the loading effects of syntectonic sediments lead to long crustal‐scale thrust sheets beneath the orogenic foreland and explain the contrasting characteristics of sediment‐starved and sediment‐loaded orogens, showing for the first time how both thin‐ and thick‐skinned crustal deformations are linked to sediment deposition in these orogenic systems. We show that the observed model behavior is consistent with observations from a number of natural orogenic systems.

The Hesperides basin: a continental‐scale upper Palaeozoic to Triassic basin in southern Gondwana

AbstractThe late Palaeozoic to Triassic sedimentary record of the central Argentinean offshore was analysed through the integration of data from exploratory wells and 2D seismic lines. Our interpretations were combined with existing ones in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and South Africa for their analysis in the late Palaeozoic south‐western Gondwana context. The mapped upper Palaeozoic‐Lower Triassic stratigraphic record offshore Argentina bears a thickness of +7000 m south of the Colorado basin and encompasses the time span between Pennsylvanian and Lower Triassic; this means that it triples that of the Sierras de la Ventana of Argentina and involves a far larger time span. On the basis of seismic stratigraphic interpretations in localities near the coast, we interpret that a strong denudation process removed a great portion of the stratigraphic record in the Sierras de la Ventana, the surrounding plains and the Tandilia system of Buenos Aires. The seismic stratigraphic configuration of the late Palaeozoic succession shows continuous and parallel reflections in a wide sediment wedge extending for more than 1000 km between the Gondwanides orogen core to the south and offshore Uruguay to the north. Two salient aspects of this sedimentary wedge are that no flexural depocentre was observed at the Ventania fold belt front, and that deformation in the orogenic front is post‐Lower Triassic. The original westwards extent of the basin is interpreted to have encompassed the whole of Buenos Aires province in continuity with the Chacoparaná basin; to the east continuity and a straightforward correlation with the Karoo basin was interpreted. The name of Hespérides Basin is proposed herein to refer to a Pennsylvanian to Lower Triassic basin mainly controlled by dynamic subsidence that encompasses and exceeds the area of the Sauce Grande and Colorado basins and the Claromecó fore‐deep in Argentina. The Hespérides basin is interpreted to have been in lateral continuity with the Kalahari, Karoo and Chacoparaná basins of Africa and South America forming a +3 000 000 sq. km depocentre.

Origin of Silurian gabbros and I-type granites in central Fujian, SE China: Implications for the evolution of the early Paleozoic orogen of South China

The early Paleozoic orogen of South China is possibly one of the few examples of intraplate orogeny in the world. It is characterized by an angular unconformity between post-Silurian cover and pre-Devonian strata and by the intensive and extensive early Paleozoic granitic plutonism. However, synchronous mafic–ultramafic rocks have not been well-studied, but they are crucial for understanding the nature and evolution of the orogen. In this paper, we present the first detailed LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating, major and trace element geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data for a Silurian gabbroic pluton (Dakang) and a coeval granitic pluton (Guiyang), that have recently been identified in central Fujian, in the southeastern part of the orogen. We assess the origin of these mafic and granitic rocks and their relationship to the evolution of the early Paleozoic orogen in South China. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating shows that the Dakang and Guiyang plutons were emplaced at 441–438Ma and 431Ma, respectively. The Dakang pluton consists of gabbros and minor intermediate rocks (diorite, monzodiorite and monzonite). These rocks are all metaluminous and potassic, and are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSE). They have initial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7066–0.7098, εNd (T) of −7.0 to −3.3 and εHf (T) (in-situ zircon) of −5.2 to −4.4. Geochemical data suggest that the Dakang gabbroic magmas were derived by partial melting of previously subduction-modified lithospheric mantle in the spinel–garnet transition zone at a high temperature (~1300°C). These primary magmas underwent fractionation crystallization of clinopyroxene and amphibole, forming the evolved gabbros and intermediate rocks. The Guiyang pluton consists of weakly peraluminous granites, which show low Ga/Al ratios (10,000*Ga/Al<2.6) and so can be classed as I-type granites. They have initial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7095–0.7113, εNd (T) of −6.7 to −5.9 and εHf (T) (in-situ zircon) of −7.7 to −0.8. Geochemical data suggest that the Guiyang granites were generated by partial melting of a mixed source of Paleoproterozoic metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks in the lower crust. Our new data, together with published data, confirm that lithospheric delamination occurred along the metamorphic core of the early Paleozoic orogen of South China during the Silurian (442–420Ma), and that this represents a post-orogenic tectonic regime in the orogen core.

Anatectic record and contrasting P–T paths of aluminous gneisses from the central Grenville Province

AbstractAnatectic aluminous gneisses, some derived from sedimentary rocks of broadly pelitic composition and others from hydrothermally altered felsic volcanic rocks, are exposed in the mid‐P and high‐P segments of the hinterland in the central Grenville Province. These gneisses consist dominantly of garnet, biotite, K‐feldspar, plagioclase and quartz, with sillimanite or kyanite, and display microstructural evidence of anatexis by fluid‐absent reactions consuming muscovite and/or biotite. Melt‐related microstructures, such as inter‐granular films and/or interstitial quartz or feldspar enclosing relict phases, are most abundant in the metasedimentary samples. Despite anatexis at granulite facies conditions, the hydrothermally altered rocks preserve earlier features attributed to the circulation of hydrothermal fluids, such as sillimanite seams, dismembered quartz veins and garnet‐rich aluminous nodules in a K‐feldspar‐dominated matrix. Microstructural and mineral chemical data, integrated with P–T pseudosections calculated with thermocalc for the metasedimentary rocks, permit qualitative constraints on the P–T paths. Data from a high‐P kyanite‐bearing sample are consistent with a steep prograde P–T path up to ~14.5 kbar and 860–900 °C, followed by decompression with minor cooling to the solidus at ~11 kbar and 870 °C. This pressure‐dominated P–T path is similar to those inferred in other parts of the high‐P segment in the central Grenville Province. In contrast, the P–T path predicted from a mid‐P sillimanite‐bearing paragneiss has a strong temperature gradient with P–T of ~9.5 kbar and 850 °C at the thermal peak, and a retrograde portion down to ~8 kbar and 820 °C. In a broad sense, these two contrasting P–T patterns are consistent with predictions of thermo‐mechanical modelling of large hot orogens in which P–T paths with strong pressure gradients exhume deeper rocks in the orogenic flanks, whereas P–T paths with strong temperature gradients in the orogenic core reflect protracted lateral transport of ductile crust beneath a plateau.

The Zagros hinterland fold-and-thrust belt in-sequence thrusting, Iran

The collision of the Iranian microcontinent with the Afro-Arabian continent resulted in the deformation of the Zagros orogenic belt. The foreland of this belt in the Persian Gulf and Arabian platform has been investigated for its petroleum and gas resource potentials, but the Zagros hinterland is poorly investigated and our knowledge about its deformation is much less than other parts of this orogen. Therefore, this work presents a new geological map, stratigraphic column and two detailed geological cross sections. This study indicates the presence of a hinterland fold-and-thrust belt on northeastern side of the Zagros orogenic core that consists of in-sequence thrusting and basement involvement in this important part of the Zagros hinterland. The in-sequence thrusting resulted in first- and second-order duplex systems, Mode I fault-bend folding, fault-propagation folding and asymmetric detachment folding which indicate close relationships between folding and thrusting. Study of fault-bend folds shows that layer-parallel simple shear has the same role in the southeastern and northwestern parts of the study area (αe=23.4±9.1°). A major lateral ramp in the basement beneath the Talaee plain with about one kilometer of vertical offset formed parallel to the SW movement direction and perpendicular to the major folding and thrusting.

Paleo- to Mesoarchean polymetamorphism in the Barberton Granite-Greenstone Belt, South Africa: Constraints from U-Pb monazite and Lu-Hf garnet geochronology on the tectonic processes that shaped the belt

The Barberton Granite-Greenstone Belt (BGGB) of South Africa is an exceptionally well preserved Meso-Paleoarchean metamorphic supracrustal belt, one of only a few in the world. Studies of metamorphism in the BGGB have considerable potential to advance our understanding of tectonic processes in the Archean crust. Two current hypotheses persist to explain the origin of amphibolite-facies metamorphism in the southern BGGB. The first interprets these rocks to be the consequence of accretionary tectonics, while the second proposes a “dome-and-keel” vertical tectonic process driven by sinking of greenstone layers and the doming of the underlying granitoid crust. In this study, metamorphic pressure-temperature ( P-T ) analysis has been combined with garnet Lu-Hf and monazite U-Pb geochronology to directly date the amphibolite-facies metamorphism within the Stolzburg terrane of the BGGB. A garnet-biotite-chlorite–bearing sample yields a Lu-Hf garnet age of 3233 ± 17 Ma and a garnet-staurolite-kyanite–bearing sample produces a U-Pb monazite age of 3191 ± 9 Ma, whereas an andalusite-kyanite–bearing sample produces a U-Pb monazite age of 3436 ± 18 Ma. Phase diagrams and garnet compositional modeling produce a clockwise P-T evolution, with rocks reaching peak P-T conditions of 8.5 kbar and 640 °C for the ca. 3200 Ma event and minimum peak P-T conditions of ∼4.5 kbar and 550 °C for the ca. 3435 Ma event. The duration of metamorphism for the ca. 3200 Ma event is estimated to be ∼50–20 m.y. based on differences in age between U-Pb and Lu-Hf systems and durations needed to fit models of diffusionally modified garnet chemical zoning. Similarly shaped P-T paths over the Stolzburg terrane indicate that the metamorphism occurred in response to crustal thickening due to an accretionary tectonic process. Thus, the Stolzburg terrane constitutes an orogenic core, exhumed along the Komati fault.

Episodic gravitational collapse and migration of the mountain chain during orogenic roll‐on in the Himalayas

AbstractAn ∼W–E belt of maximum bulk horizontal shortening (the orogen core) moved North relative to the overlying crust to form the Himalayan Syntaxes due to roll‐on of this portion of the Indian plate. This displacement occurred below a lengthy succession of gently dipping decollements that formed episodically at a depth of ∼30 km along the orogen core due to numerous periods of gravitational collapse and spreading of the overlying ductile crust. Successively developed basal decollements were deformed when continued bulk horizontal shortening of the orogen core below reasserted dominance over the effects of gravitational collapse above causing refolding about steeply dipping axial planes. This resulted in northwards migration of the orogen core above depths of ∼30 km causing rocks metamorphosing at depths of ∼22 km on the north side of the orogen core to be moved to its south side with no change in depth as roll‐on progressed. Garnet porphyroblasts record this lengthy history of lateral migration across the orogen within their inclusion trails. The ∼6.4 kbar average pressures accompanying it were obtained from the Mn, Fe and Ca contents of successive garnet cores. Garnet grew at depths of ∼22 km until movement towards the surface initiated on successively developed decollements that accommodated the volume constraints of gravitational collapse and spreading on both sides of the orogen. The speed of extrusional displacement increased the further the rocks migrated from the orogen core developing mylonitic schists around the porphyroblasts. This truncated inclusion trails against all matrix foliations as the porphyroblasts were carried towards the surface. Indeed, these rocks were multiply deformed during at least four distinct periods of deformation after mylonitization began and prior to exposure above the Main Central Thrust (MCT). Three or more sub‐vertical and sub‐horizontal foliations were formed during each of the five changes in FIA trend (foliation inflection/intersection axes in porphyroblasts) preserved in these rocks. The inclusion trail asymmetries and P‐T of garnet core growth accompanying each FIA reveal that the first four changes in FIA trend, which define periods of tectonism about one direction of horizontal bulk shortening (relative plate motion), occurred on the north side of the orogen core. The fifth occurred on the south side of the orogen core and the switch in shear sense on gently dipping foliation planes that resulted from this shift to the south eventually led to the development of the MCT. When magnetic anomaly 22 that formed in the Southern Indian Ocean Ridge is taken into account, these five changes in FIA trend correlate markedly with changes in the motion of India relative to a constant Eurasia from 50 to c. 25 Ma. They reveal that Eurasia moved NNW during FIAs 1, 3 and 4 and SSE during FIA 5 when the shear sense on gently dipping foliations switched to top to the S. They suggest collision of India with Eurasia took place at 50 Ma, immediately prior to the development of FIA 1.

太平洋型造山帯

Pacific-type orogeny (PTO) has long been recognized as a contrasting accretionary alternative to continent-continent collisional orogeny. However, since the original concept was proposed, there have many new developments, which make it timely to produce a new re-evaluated model, in which we emphasize the following new aspects. First, substantial growth of Tonarite–Trondhjemite–Granite (TTG) crust, and second the reductive effect of tectonic erosion. The modern analog of a Pacific-type orogen developed through six stages of growth exemplified by specific regions; initial stage 1: the southern end of the Andes; stage 2: exhumation to the mid-crustal level at Indonesia outer arc; stage 3: the Barrovian hydration stage at Kii Peninsula, SW Japan; stage 4: the initial stage of surface exposure of the high-P/T regional metamorphic belt at Olympic Peninsula, south of Seattle, USA; stage 5: exposure of the orogenic core at the surface at the Shimanto metamorphic belt, SW Japan; and stage 6: post-orogenic processes including tectonic erosion at the Mariana and Japan trench and the Nankai trough. The fundamental framework of a Pacific-type orogen is an accretionary complex, which includes limited ocean floor material, much terrigenous trench sediment, plus island arc, oceanic plateau, and intra-oceanic basaltic material from the ocean. The classic concept of a PTO stresses the importance of the addition within accreted rocks of new subduction-generated arcs and TTGs, which were added along the continental margins particularly during the Cretaceous. Besides the above additional or positive aspects of a PTO, here we emphasize the negative effects of previously little-considered tectonic erosion caused by subduction over time. The evaluation of such extensive tectonic erosion leads a prospect of the presence of huge quantities of TTG material in the lower transition zone, where many subducted slabs have ponded, as illustrated by mantle tomography. This is confirmed by density profiles of the mantle, which show that TTGs are abundant only along the bottom of the upper mantle accompanied by slab peridotite, lherzolite, and MORB. The major velocity anomaly in the lower transition zone is best explained by the predominance of SiO2 phases, hence TTG, and not by MORB or ultramafic rocks. Reasonable calculations indicate that at a depth range of 520-660 km TTG material amounts to 6-7 times more than the total mass of the surface continental crust. The traditional view is that the Japanese islands evolved since 520 Ma through five Pacific-type orogenies, which grew oceanward, thus creating a continuous accretionary complex ca. 400-500 km wide, with TTG growth at the continental side of each orogen. However, the subducting oceanic lithosphere has produced five times more TTG crust compared with the present TTG crust in the Japan islands. This is explained by the fact that over time tectonic erosion has dominated the increasing arc-TTG crust. Accordingly, Japan has lost four arc-TTG crusts to tectonic erosion. TTG material, such as trench sediment, arc crust, and continental margin crust, was fragmented by tectonic erosion and transported into the bottom of the upper mantle at depths of 520-660 km. Worldwide data suggest that tectonic erosion destroyed and fragmented most of the Pacific-type orogens.(View PDF for the rest of the abstract.)

Coeval thrusting and extension during lower crustal ductile flow – implications for exhumation of high‐grade metamorphic rocks

AbstractNumerical models of tectonic processes in large hot orogens offer insight into the styles, controls and consequences of ductile flow of middle and lower orogenic crust. We present results from crustal‐scale thermal‐mechanical models illustrating contrasting styles of syn‐ and post‐convergent ductile flow. Crustal viscosity in the models is controlled by temperature‐dependent flow laws, scaled to represent lithological strength variations. An additional viscosity decrease at high temperature can be imposed to represent weakening during incipient partial melting. Two end‐member tectonic styles, in which lower crustal flow is driven either by gravity or tectonics, develop in response to the initial properties and evolving strength of the model crust. Homogeneous channel flow, driven by the gravitational potential energy difference between a plateau and its foreland, is characteristic of Himalayan–Tibetan (HT‐series) models with relatively weak, laterally homogeneous crust and moderately high heat production. In contrast, Grenville Orogen (GO‐series) models with relatively strong, laterally heterogeneous crust do not reach the low effective viscosity (ηeff≤1019 Pa.s) required for gravity‐driven channel flow. Instead, tectonically driven lateral flow and explusion of lower crust is triggered by underthrusting of a strong indentor. The dominant structures are ductile fold nappes that may be transported hundreds of kilometres towards the foreland. When tectonic convergence is turned off, the model orogens undergo gravitational spreading, in which ductile middle and lower crust flow laterally from the plateau towards the foreland, driving thrusting on the orogenic flanks and ductile thinning in the orogenic core. The resulting geometry can resemble that produced by syn‐convergent ductile flow, except for the development of regional‐scale normal‐sense shear zones in the post‐convergent stage. Model feasibility is tested against data from the western Grenville Orogen in Ontario. The comparison suggests that high‐grade metamorphic rocks in the orogenic core record the effects of protracted syn‐ and post‐convergent ductile flow, whereas those on the flanks record mainly post‐convergent thrusting and extension. The models suggest a number of ways to distinguish among different styles of syn‐ and post‐convergent ductile flow; metamorphic P–T–t paths alone are not diagnostic of tectonic process without additional information on crustal‐scale structure and timing. In combination with erosion, both types of flow may contribute to exhumation of regionally extensive high‐grade gneiss terranes.

The anatomy of a deep intracontinental orogen

[1] The crustal architecture of central Australia has been profoundly affected by protracted periods of intracontinental deformation. In the northwestern Musgrave Block, the Ediacaran–Cambrian (600–530 Ma) Petermann Orogeny resulted in pervasive mylonitic reworking of Mesoproterozoic granites and granitic gneisses at deep crustal levels (P = 10–14 kbar and T = 700–800°C). SHRIMP and LA-ICPMS dating of zircon indicate that peak metamorphic conditions were attained at circa 570 Ma, followed by slow cooling to ∼600–660°C at circa 540 Ma driven by exhumation along the Woodroffe Thrust. Strong links between regional kinematic partitioning, pervasive high shear strains and partial melting in the orogenic core, and an anomalous lobate thrust trace geometry suggest that north vergent shortening was accompanied by the gravitational collapse and lateral escape of a broad thrust sheet. Like the present-day Himalayan-Tibetan system, the macroscopic structural, metamorphic, and kinematic architecture of the Petermann Orogen appears to be dominantly shaped by large-scale ductile flow of lower crustal material. We thus argue that the anatomy of this deep intracontinental orogen is comparable to collisional orogens, suggesting that the deformational response of continental crust is remarkably similar in different tectonic settings.

Transposition of structures in the Neoproterozoic Kaoko Belt (NW Namibia) and their absolute timing

Three structural profiles across the Coastal Terrane, the Boundary Igneous Complex and the Orogen Core have been studied in the Kaoko Belt of northwestern Namibia. The oldest known Si fabric is inherited from an older tectono-metamorphic event. It occurs in the Coastal Terrane only and the extent of its reworking increases from south to north. The S1 foliation reactivates or folds Si fabric in the Coastal Terrane and appears as an early planar fabric in granitoids of the Boundary Igneous Complex and migmatites of the Orogen Core domain. Superimposed subvertical S2 fabric corresponds to axial plane cleavage of upright close to isoclinal folds and the extent of its development also increases from south to north. Active migration of partial melt during S2 development in the Orogen Core dates the onset of this deformation at ~550 Ma. Distribution of F2 fold axes and L2 stretching lineations suggests pure shear–dominated deformation associated with development of N–S trending S2 cleavage preserved in the central profile, followed by sinistral simple shear–dominated deformation on newly developed NW–SE trending pervasive cleavage in the northern part of the area. Such spatial variation in the deformation record is attributed to the irregular shape of the Congo Craton indenter that is reflected by heterogeneous development of the S2 cleavage front in the Coastal Terrane and the Boundary Igneous Complex. Common orientation of L1 and L2 stretching lineations and solid-state reworking on both S1 and S2 planes suggest single event of sinistral transpression since 550 Ma with strain partitioning into domains of oblique thrusting (reactivated S1) and transcurrent sinistral shearing (S2 and S3). Such succession of deformation structures suggests that major subvertical shear zones in the Kaoko Belt do not correspond to early crustal discontinuities, but rather reflect late strain localization during cooling.

Exhumation at orogenic indentor corners under long-term glacial conditions: Example of the St. Elias orogen, Southern Alaska

Syntaxial bends in convergent plate boundaries, or indentor corners, display some of the most intriguing deformation patterns on Earth and are type localities for “aneurysms” of coupled erosion, thermal weakening, and strain. The St. Elias orogen in Alaska is a small, young convergent system that has been dominated by a glacial climate for much of its history and exhibits two prominent indentor corners that are not well understood. We have added 40 new apatite (U–Th)/He ages to the already extensive dataset for the low-temperature cooling history of this orogen to constrain the pattern of exhumation in these indentor corners. Ages from the western syntaxis show minor variation across the structural hinge, suggesting that the bend has little effect on the pattern of exhumation and that structures, including the Bagley fault, connect smoothly from the orogen core to the subduction zone to the southwest. Rock uplift on the north flank of the range appears to increase steadily towards the eastern syntaxis, which represents the apex in the right-angle bend between a transform fault in the south and the collision zone in the west. Based on age–elevation relationships, zones of relative rock uplift can be defined in which the Mt. Logan massif, or the area just north of the eastern syntaxis, experienced ∼ 4.8 km greater rock uplift than background levels northwest of the western syntaxis. A bulge in relative rock uplift is symmetric about the hinge in the eastern indentor corner. However, rates of denudation in this bulge are not as rapid as the core of the fold and thrust belt and are lower than those implied by detrital cooling ages from beneath the Seward Glacier. This implies that a large bull's eye of ultra-rapid (∼ 5 mm/yr) exhumation does not occur and that the subpopulation of young detrital ages may be sourced from a narrow transpressional zone along the Fairweather fault. Unlike the Himalayan syntaxes, it thus appears that an aneurysm of coupled erosion–strain has not developed in either indentor corner of the St. Elias orogen. This may indicate a limit to the degree to which glacial erosion can partition strain in convergent orogens. Similarly, the likely existence of a through-going dextral fault, the Totschunda fault, through the eastern syntaxis implies that tectonics, rather than surface processes, exerts the main control on strain partitioning in these corners.

The Central India Tectonic Zone: A geophysical perspective on continental amalgamation along a Mesoproterozoic suture

The Central India Tectonic Zone (CITZ) is a prominent divide and a major suture zone between the North Indian and South Indian crustal blocks. The resistive upper crust as modeled in the magnetotelluric data from CITZ suggests a dominant tonalite–trdondhjemite–granodiorite composition associated with an accretionary complex characterized by mainly felsic rock components. The highly conductive bodies in this zone might represent mafic/ultramafic-layered intrusives derived from a deeper reservoir of underplated basaltic magma related to the formation of the Cretaceous Deccan flood basalts. The uniformly thick mafic lower crust below the cratons on both sides of the suture is interpreted as the accreted remnants of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic subducted slabs. We redefine the nature of deep faults traversing the CITZ, which were described as steep and penetrating the Moho by previous workers, and classify them as listric faults with gentle dips at depth. Seismic reflection data from the eastern side of the suture suggest a northwestward subduction of the Bhandara Craton. Reflection data from the central part of the CITZ show northerly dip in the southern part suggesting northward subduction of the Dharwar Craton. However, an opposite trend is observed in the northern part of the suture with a southward dip of the Bundelkhand craton. Based on these features, and in conjunction with existing magnetotelluric models, we propose a double-sided subduction history along the CITZ. This would be similar to the ongoing subduction–accretion process in the western Pacific region, which possibly led to the development of paired collision-type and Pacific-type orogens. One important feature is the domal structure along the central part of the suture with a thick felsic crust occurring between mafic and intermediate crust. The high resistivity felsic domain suggests underplated sediments/felsic crust that would have caused the doming. Our model also accounts for the extrusion of regional metamorphic belts at the orogenic core, and the occurrence of high pressure–ultrahigh-temperature paired metamorphic belts within the suture.

Characteristics of collisional orogens with low topographic build-up: an example from the Carpathians

Sequence stratigraphy in the hinterland, kinematic analysis of thin-skinned thrusting in the foreland and thermochronological tracking of exhumation in the orogenic core are combined to quantify the mechanics of an orogen with low topographic build-up. The Carpathian system demonstrates that collisional deformation can couple and thicken the lower orogenic plate along reverse faults that dip more steeply than the subduction zone, defining a foreland-coupling type of collision. Near the surface, this is expressed by wide antiforms in the upper plate and the thin-skinned orogenic wedge. A sequence stratigraphic analysis of the back-arc Transylvanian Basin demonstrates that the sedimentary architecture records orogenic uplift pulses with both short and long wavelengths. These correspond to the activation of individual thrust sheets in the thin-skinned wedge and to lower-plate coupling events respectively.

Influence of the mechanical behaviour of brittle–ductile fold–thrust belts on the development of foreland basins

ABSTRACTA two‐dimensional mathematical model considering coupling between a deforming elasto‐visco‐plastic fold–thrust belt, flexural subsidence and diffusional surface processes is solved using the Finite Element Method to investigate how the mechanical behaviour of brittle–ductile wedges influences the development of foreland basins. Results show that, depending mainly on the strength of the basal décollement, two end‐member types of foreland basin are possible. When the basal detachment is relatively strong, the foreland basin system is characterised by: (1) Highly asymmetrical orogen formed by thrusts concentrated in the incoming pro‐wedge. (2) Sedimentation on retro‐side takes place in one major foredeep basin which grows throughout orogen evolution. (3) Deposition on the pro‐side occurs initially in the foredeep, and continues in the wedge‐top before isolated basins are advected towards the orogen core where they become uplifted and exhumed. (4) Most pro‐wedge basins show an upward progression from low altitude, foredeep deposits at the base to high altitude, wedge‐top deposits near the surface. In contrast, when the basal detachment behaves weakly due to the presence of low viscosity material such as salt, the foreland basin system is characterised by (1) Broad, low relief orogen showing little preferential vergence and predominance of folding relative to faulting. (2) Deposition mainly in wedge‐top basins showing growth strata. (3) Many basins are initiated contemporaneously but form discontinuously due to the locus of active deformation jumping back and forth between different structures. Model results successfully reproduce first order observations of deforming brittle–ductile wedges and foreland basins. Moreover, the results support and provide a framework for understanding the existence of two main end‐member foreland basin types, simple and complex, associated with fold–thrust belts whose detachments are relatively strong and weak, respectively.

Orogens in the evolving Earth: from surface continents to ‘lost continents’ at the core–mantle boundary

Abstract Orogens and their posthumous traces are the basic elements that can be used to understand the material circulation within the Earth. Although information preserved in the rocks on the surface ranging in age from 4.4 Ga to the present has been used to characterize orogens, it is important to understand orogens on a whole-Earth scale to evaluate global material circulation through time. In this paper, we synthesize the general concepts and characteristics of orogens and orogenic belts. The collision type and accretionary type constitute the two end-member types of orogens, both sharing similar structural features of subhorizontal disposition, bounded above and below by paired faults. Their exhumation generally occurs in two steps: first by wedge extrusion to form a sandwich structure with subhorizontal boundaries, which is followed by domal uplift of all the units. In the accretionary type, oceanic lithosphere subducts under the continental margin, and in the collision type, buoyant continents collide with each other. Of the various types of subduction and collision processes, arc–arc collision orogeny may have been widespread in the Archaean, although most of the intra-oceanic arc crust must have been destroyed and dragged down to the Archaean core–mantle boundary (CMB). Here we propose a broad two-fold classification of orogens and their subducted remnants, based on (1) their thermal history and (2) temporal constraints. Based on their thermal history, orogens are grouped into three types: cold orogens, hot orogens and ultra-hot orogens. Two extreme situations, which are anomalous and unlikely to occur on Earth, termed here super-cold and super-hot orogens, are also proposed. We discuss the characteristics of each of these subtypes. Based on temporal constraints, we group orogens into Modern and Ancient, where in both cases regional metamorphic belts occupy the orogenic core. In both groups, the overlying and underlying units of the regional metamorphic belts are weakly metamorphosed or unmetamorphosed, and are either accretionary complex in origin (Pacific type) or continental basement and cover (collision type). Major structures are subhorizontal with oceanward vergence of deformation, for both types. Orogens in the Modern Earth are grouped into four sub-categories: (1) deeply subducted orogens that are taken down to mantle depths and never return to the surface, termed here ‘ghost orogens’; (2) those that are subducted to deep crustal levels, undergo melting and are recycled back to the surface, forming resurrected and temporarily ‘arrested orogens’; (3) ‘extant orogens’, which are partly returned to the surface after deep subduction; (4) ‘concealed orogens’, which have been deeply subducted and only the traces of which are represented on the surface by mantle xenoliths carried by younger magmas. The preservation of orogens on the surface of the Earth occurred through an unusual return process from their natural course of total destruction, a phenomenon that operated more efficiently in the Phanerozoic through exhumation from ultra-deep domains against the slab-pull force of the plate, aided by fluids derived by dehydration of subducted lithosphere. Orogens at present represented on the surface of the Earth constitute only a fraction of the total volume formed in Earth history. Traces of the deeply subducted ‘lost orogens’ are sometimes returned to the surface in the form of melt or mantle xenoliths through combined processes of plume and plate tectonics. From a synthesis of the processes associated with the various categories of orogens proposed in this study, we trace the time-dependent transformations of orogens in relation to the history of the evolving Earth.

Overview of a Special Issue on &amp;ldquo;Geotectonic Evolution of the Japanese Islands under New Paradigms of the Next Generation (Part I-III)&amp;rdquo;

This article provides an overview of papers collected in the special issue titled “Geotectonic Evolution of the Japanese Islands under New Paradigms of the Next Generation (Part I-III)” for international readers. Research on the geologic evolution of the Japanese Islands started from the geotectonic subdivision with definitions of elements and boundaries in the late 19th century. Traditionally, some remarkable faults, such as Median Tectonic Line (MTL), Fossa magna, and Tanakura Tectonic Line (TTL), were regarded as the most important; however, these apparent features were in fact formed during the Miocene opening of the Japan Sea, whereas the major structures of Japan were made by the Pacific-type orogenies throughout the Phanerozoic after the initiation of subduction at 520 Ma (the Cambrian). Marine geophysicists have realized that the formation of accretionary complex (AC) along modern active subduction zones is rather exceptional; instead, tectonic erosion takes place dominantly. The estimated addition rate of juvenile arc crust (composed of tonalite–tronjemite–granodiorite suite; TTG) is negative at present for the entire globe, i.e., the total volume of the continental crust is currently decreasing. This indicates that tectonic erosion must also have occurred effectively in the past, and that its geological remnants need to be investigated carefully. A possible proxy geologic body for ancient tectonic erosion is a serpentinite melange, which often includes calc-alkaline volcanics and coeval high-P/T blueschists within serpentinite matrices as shown in the geology of Japan. The large-scale shortening of a fore-arc crust can occur solely due to tectonic erosion, which may involve more than 150 km-wide areas of missing rocks between volcanic arc and trench. The sporadic occurrence of tectonic blocks of older (520-150 Ma)TTG rocks in serpentinite melange indicates that four arc crusts, out of the five made by Pacific-type orogeny in Japan during the past 500 million years, have already been consumed. The Pacific-type orogeny was revisited after recent critical discoveries of; (1) orogenic core of high-P/T regional metamorphic belt as a thin (< 2 km) solid high-T intrusion, bounded on the top and bottom by a paired fault; (2) rapid increase of 200-300 km-wide TTG belt formed by slab-melting; (3) these culminated with an approaching mid-oceanic ridge, associated with large-scale tectonic erosion; and (4) formation of an AC after ridge subduction and doming up of a sandwiched set of high-P belt and accretionary belt below and above. The Pacific-type orogeny has been ignored since the “terrane plague”; however, Pacific-type orogeny dominated to increase the TTG crust leading to the births of continents and supercontinent by 1.8 Ga. The extensive tectonic erosion and arc subduction through time, suggesting 10 times more TTG materials, enriched with radiogenic elements, floated at the bottom of the mantle transition zone, which generated heat to warm up the mantle up to 200 K within 100 million years in the Archean, and to 100 K in the Phanerozoic. Subducted TTG and presence of second continents in the mid-mantle may explain more general aspects of mantle dynamics, and the concept may become a frontier of solid Earth science in the 21st century. From the viewpoint of the history of science, the previous geological studies in Japan since the Meiji Era are also summarized briefly, with special reference to the orogeny, tectonics, and geotectonic subdivision of the Japanese Islands.