Break-off Of Subducted Slab Research Articles

Late Triassic syn-exhumation magmatism in central Qiangtang, Tibet: Evidence from the Sangehu adakitic rocks

The geodynamic setting of Late Triassic magmatic activity along the Longmu Co–Shuanghu suture zone (LSSZ) in central Qiangtang, Tibet is a matter of debate. This paper presents zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb ages, zircon Hf isotopic compositions, and whole-rock geochemical data for the Sangehu (SGH) granitic intrusion in central Qiangtang, and addresses the petrogenesis of Late Triassic magmatism, and the history of collision between the northern and southern Qiangtang terranes. The SGH pluton consists mainly of biotite adamellite with mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs), and small amounts of K-feldspar granite. The biotite adamellite, MMEs, and K-feldspar granite give ages of 207.8±3.0Ma, 212.4±31Ma, and 211.6±3.8Ma, respectively. The MMEs show magmatic textures and acicular apatite, and are coeval with the host biotite adamellite, suggesting they were produced by magma mixing. All samples from the SGH pluton show high Sr and low Y contents, and positive Eu anomalies, similar to adakitic rocks. The high K2O contents and low Mg#, Cr, and Ni contents, and enriched Hf isotopic characteristics of the zircons indicate that these magmas were derived from the partial melting of thickened crust. However, the whole-rock geochemical data and zircon Hf isotopic compositions also reveal heterogeneity at the source. The combined magmatic and metamorphic records suggest that Triassic magmatic activity in central Qiangtang was closely related to the collision of the northern and southern Qiangtang terranes. The large-scale Late Triassic (225–200Ma) magmatic event in central Qiangtang may have resulted from the breakoff of the Longmu Co–Shuanghu Tethys Ocean lithospheric slab in the early Late Triassic (236–230Ma). The Late Triassic magmatic rocks, including adakitic rocks, are coeval with retrograde high-pressure (HP) to ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks in central Qiangtang, and show characteristics of syn-exhumation magmatism. The early adakitic rocks (>220Ma) were generated by melting of the edge of the slab, which was heated by upwelling asthenospheric mantle after subduction slab breakoff, and the late adakitic rocks (<220Ma) were generated by partial melting of the thickened crust.

A review on the numerical geodynamic modeling of continental subduction, collision and exhumation

Continental subduction and collision normally follows oceanic subduction, with the remarkable event of formation and exhumation of high-to ultra-high-pressure (HP-UHP) metamorphic rocks. Based on the summary of numerical geodynamic models, six modes of continental convergence have been identified: pure shear thickening, folding and buckling, one-sided steep subduction, flat subduction, two-sided subduction, and subducting slab break-off. In addition, the exhumation of HP-UHP rocks can be formulated into eight modes: thrust fault exhumation, buckling exhumation, material circulation, overpressure model, exhumation of a coherent crustal slice, episodic ductile extrusion, slab break-off induced eduction, and exhumation through fractured overriding lithosphere. During the transition from subduction to exhumation, the weakening and detachment of subducted continental crust are prerequisites. However, the dominant weakening mechanisms and their roles in the subduction channel are poorly constrained. To a first degree approximation, the mechanism of continental subduction and exhumation can be treated as a subduction channel flow model, which incorporates the competing effects of downward Couette (subduction) flow and upward Poiseuille (exhumation) flow in the subduction channel. However, the (de-)hydration effect plays significant roles in the deformation of subduction channel and overriding lithosphere, which thereby result in very different modes from the simple subduction channel flow. Three-dimensionality is another important issue with highlighting the along-strike differential modes of continental subduction, collision and exhumation in the same continental convergence belt.

Subduction and slab breakoff controls on Asian indentation tectonics and Himalayan western syntaxis formation

We test the link between large‐scale Asian continent deformations and Indian slab subduction and breakoff during convergence by means of three‐dimensional numerical models of the subducting‐upper plates system. We find that the subduction of the buoyant continent results in the reduction of convergence velocity comparable to that observed in the Indian motions, yet the upper plate deformation remains accommodated in a narrow belt along a straight margin. Comparable rates are measured when the subducting slab breakoff is modeled, although the convergent margin deforms and curves markedly, with large underplating contiguous to ongoing subduction, similar to what observed along the Himalayan range. The models support the interpretation of the Himalayan Western Syntaxis evolution, the progressive curvature of the Indian margin and the underthrusting as a consequence of the Indian slab breakoff. The modeled slab detachment is followed by short‐lived large stresses in the upper plate interiors, propagating at large distance from the margin with a trend similar to several major Asian lithospheric faults. Such localized stress has likely provided the conditions for the formation of the Central Asian intracontinental faulting, the Bangong‐Red River and the Altyn Tagh faults, that followed successive Indian slab breakoff episodes. Continent subduction and breakoff during India‐Asia convergence offer an explanation for the different deformation mechanisms as the long‐lived understhrusting and the episodic lithospheric faulting in the Asian continent and their link to deep processes.

Constraints on Variscan and Cimmerian magmatism and metamorphism in the Pontides (Yusufeli–Artvin area), NE Turkey from U–Pb dating and granite geochemistry

Abstract Metamorphic and igneous rocks exposed in NW-vergent thrust sheets and their autocthonous basement in the NE Pontides were dated by the U–Pb method using zircons, supported by geochemical data for granitic rocks. Two meta-sedimentary units (Narlık schist and Karadağ paragneiss) yielded detrital zircon populations of 0.50–0.65 and 0.9–1.1 Ga, suggesting an affinity with NE Africa (part of Gondwana). The youngest concordant zircon age is Ediacaran for the schist but Devonian for the paragneiss, bracketing the paragneiss depositional age as Mid-Devonian to Early Carboniferous. Metamorphic rims of zircon cores in the paragneiss gave Carboniferous ages (345–310 Ma). The zircon rim data indicate two Variscan metamorphic events (334 and 314 Ma) separated by a hiatus (320–325 Ma). Granite emplacement took place during early Carboniferous, Early Jurassic and Late Jurassic phases. The crystallization age of the early Carboniferous granites ( c. 325 Ma) corresponds to a hiatus in the zircon age data that could reflect subduction slab break-off. The Variscan granitic rocks intruded a Gondwana-derived continental terrane that was loosely accreted to Eurasia during early–late Carboniferous time but remained isolated from Eurasian-derived terrigenous sediment. In contrast, the Jurassic granitic magmatism relates to later back-arc extension along the southern margin of Eurasia. Supplementary material: Full isotope data (8 tables) are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18558