Tectonic and magmatic evolution of the Aqishan-Yamansu belt: A Paleozoic arc-related basin in the Eastern Tianshan (NW China)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuanliang Zhang ◽  
Huayong Chen ◽  
Pete Hollings ◽  
Liandang Zhao ◽  
Lin Gong
Keyword(s):  
Partial Melting ◽  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Early Carboniferous ◽  
Late Carboniferous ◽  
Igneous Rocks ◽  
Calc Alkaline ◽  
Eastern Tianshan ◽  
Depleted Mantle ◽  
T Values

The Aqishan-Yamansu belt in the Chinese Eastern Tianshan represents a Paleozoic arc-related basin generally accompanied by accretionary magmatism and Fe-Cu mineralization. To characterize the tectonic evolution of such an arc-related basin and related magmatism and metallogenesis, we present a systematic study of the geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotopes of igneous rocks from the belt. New zircon U-Pb ages, in combination with published data, reveal three phases of igneous activity in the Aqishan-Yamansu belt: early Carboniferous felsic igneous rocks (ca. 350−330 Ma), late Carboniferous intermediate to felsic igneous rocks (ca. 320−305 Ma), and Permian quartz diorite and diorite porphyry dikes (ca. 280−265 Ma). The early Carboniferous felsic rocks are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and depleted in Nb, Ta, and Ti, showing arc-related magma affinities. Their positive εNd(t) values (3.3−5.9) and corresponding depleted mantle model ages (TDM) of 0.83−0.61 Ga, as well as high MgO contents, Mg# values, and Nb/Ta ratios, suggest that they were derived from lower crust with involvement of mantle-derived magmas. The late Carboniferous intermediate igneous rocks show calc-alkaline affinities, exhibiting LILE enrichment and high field strength element (HFSE) depletion, with negative Nb and Ta anomalies. They have high MgO contents and Mg# values with positive εNd(t) values (3.9−7.9), and high Ba/La and Th/Yb ratios, implying a depleted mantle source metasomatized by slab-derived fluids and sediment or sediment-derived melts. The late Carboniferous felsic igneous rocks are metaluminous to peraluminous with characteristics of medium-K calc-alkaline I-type granites. Given the positive εNd(t) values (6.3−6.6) and TDM ages (0.56−0.53 Ga), we suggest the late Carboniferous felsic igneous rocks were produced by partial melting of a juvenile lower crust. The Permian dikes show characteristics of adakite rocks. They have relatively high MgO contents and Mg# values, and positive εNd(t) values (7.2−8.5), which suggest an origin from partial melting of a residual basaltic oceanic crust. We propose that the Aqishan-Yamansu belt was an extensional arc−related basin from ca. 350 to 330 Ma; this was followed by a relatively stable carbonate formation stage at ca. 330−320 Ma, when the Kangguer oceanic slab subducted beneath the Central Tianshan block. As the subduction continued, the Aqishan-Yamansu basin closed due to slab breakoff and rebound during ca. 320−305 Ma, which resulted in basin inversion and the emplacement of granitoids with contemporary Fe-Cu mineralization. During the Permian, the Aqishan-Yamansu belt was in postcollision extension stage, with Permian adakitic dikes formed by partial melting of a residual oceanic crust.

Petrogenesis of the Ulungur Intrusive Complex, NW China, and Implications for Crustal Generation and Reworking in Accretionary Orogens

2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gong-Jian Tang ◽  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Derek A Wyman ◽  
Wei Dan ◽  
Lin Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Mineral Chemistry ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Intrusive Complex ◽  
Calc Alkaline ◽  
Depleted Mantle ◽  
Heavy Rare Earth Elements ◽  
Pressure Crystallization

Abstract Accretionary orogens are characterized by voluminous juvenile components (recently derived from the mantle) and knowing the origin(s) of such components is vital for understanding crustal generation. Here we present field and petrological observations, along with mineral chemistry, zircon U–Pb age and Hf–O isotope data, and whole rock geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic data for the c.320 Ma Ulungur intrusive complex from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The complex consists of two different magmatic series: one is characterized by medium- to high-K calc-alkaline gabbro to monzogranite; the other is defined by peralkaline aegirine–arfvedsonite granitoids. The calc-alkaline and peralkaline series granitoids have similar depleted mantle-like Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions, but they have different zircon δ18O values: the calc-alkaline series have mantle-like δ18O values with mean compositions ranging from 5·2 ± 0·5‰ to 6·0 ± 0·9‰ (2SD), and the peralkaline granitoids have low δ18O values ranging from 3·3 ± 0·5‰ to 3·9 ± 0·4‰ (2SD). The calc-alkaline series were derived from a hydrous sub-arc mantle wedge, based on the isotope and geochemical compositions, under garnet peridotite facies conditions. This study suggests that the magmas underwent substantial differentiation, ranging from high pressure crystallization of ultramafic cumulates in the lower crust to lower pressure crystallization dominated by amphibole, plagioclase and minor biotite in the upper crust. The peralkaline series rocks are characterized by δ18O values lower than the mantle and enrichment of high field strength elements (HFSEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). They likely originated from melting of preexisting hydrothermally altered residual oceanic crust in the lower crust of the Junggar intra-oceanic arc. Early crystallization of clinopyroxene and amphibole was inhibited owing to their low melting temperature, leading to HFSEs and HREEs enrichment in residual peralkaline melts during crystallization of a feldspar-dominated mineral assemblage. Thus, the calc-alkaline and peralkaline series represent episodes of crust generation and reworking, respectively, demonstrating that the juvenile isotopic signature in accretionary orogens can be derived from diverse source rocks. Our results show that reworking of residual oceanic crust also plays an important role in continental crust formation for accretionary orogens, which has not previously been widely recognized.

Petrogenesis of the Ulungur Intrusive Complex, NW China, and Implications for Crustal Generation and Reworking in Accretionary Orogens

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gong-Jian Tang ◽  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Derek Wyman ◽  
Wei Dan ◽  
Lin Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Mineral Chemistry ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Intrusive Complex ◽  
Calc Alkaline ◽  
Depleted Mantle ◽  
Heavy Rare Earth Elements ◽  
Pressure Crystallization

<p>Accretionary orogens are characterized by voluminous juvenile components (recently derived from the mantle) and knowing the origin(s) of such components is vital for understanding crustal generation. Here we present field and petrological observations, along with mineral chemistry, zircon U–Pb age and Hf-O isotope data, and whole rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data for the c. 320 Ma Ulungur intrusive complex from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The complex consists of two different magmatic series: one is characterized by medium-K to high-K calc-alkaline gabbro to monzogranite; the other is defined by peralkaline aegirine-arfvedsonite granitoids. The calc-alkaline and peralkaline series granitoids have similar depleted mantle-like Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions, but they have different zircon δ<sup>18</sup>O values: the calc-alkaline series have mantle-like δ<sup>18</sup>O values with mean compositions ranging from 5.2 ± 0.5‰ to 6.0 ± 0.9‰ (2SD), and the peralkaline granitoids have low δ<sup>18</sup>O values ranging from 3.3 ± 0.5‰ to 3.9 ± 0.4‰ (2SD). The calc-alkaline series were derived from a hydrous sub-arc mantle wedge, based on the isotope and geochemical compositions, under garnet peridotite facies conditions. This study suggests that the magmas underwent substantial differentiation, ranging from high pressure crystallization of ultramafic cumulates in the lower crust to lower pressure crystallization dominated by amphibole, plagioclase and minor biotite in the upper crust. The peralkaline series rocks are characterized by δ<sup>18</sup>O values lower than the mantle and enrichment of high field strength elements (HFSEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). They likely originated from melting of preexisting hydrothermally altered residual oceanic crust in the lower crust of the Junggar intra-oceanic arc. Early crystallization of clinopyroxene and amphibole was inhibited owing to their low melting temperature, leading to HFSEs and HREEs enrichment in residual peralkaline melts during crystallization of a feldspar-dominated mineral assemblage. Thus, the calc-alkaline and peralkaline series represent episodes of crust generation and reworking, respectively, demonstrating that the juvenile isotopic signature in accretionary orogens can be derived from diverse source rocks. Our results show that reworking of residual oceanic crust also plays an important role in continental crust formation for accretionary orogens, which has not previously been widely recognized.</p>

Origin of syn-collisional granitoids in the Gangdese orogen: Reworking of the juvenile arc crust and the ancient continental crust

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Tang ◽  
Long Chen ◽  
Zi-Fu Zhao ◽  
Yong-Fei Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Partial Melting ◽  
Continental Crust ◽  
Continental Collision ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Igneous Rocks ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Southern Tibet ◽  
Crustal Rocks ◽  
Mafic Magmas ◽  
T Values

Granitoids at convergent plate boundaries can be produced either by partial melting of crustal rocks (either continental or oceanic) or by fractional crystallization of mantle-derived mafic magmas. Whereas granitoid formation through partial melting of the continental crust results in reworking of the pre-existing continental crust, granitoid formation through either partial melting of the oceanic crust or fractional crystallization of the mafic magmas leads to growth of the continental crust. This category is primarily based on the radiogenic Nd isotope compositions of crustal rocks; positive εNd(t) values indicate juvenile crust whereas negative εNd(t) values indicate ancient crust. Positive εNd(t) values are common for syn-collisional granitoids in southern Tibet, which leads to the hypothesis that continental collision zones are important sites for the net growth of continental crust. This hypothesis is examined through an integrated study of in situ zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes, whole-rock major trace elements, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes as well as mineral O isotopes for felsic igneous rocks of Eocene ages from the Gangdese orogen in southern Tibet. The results show that these rocks can be divided into two groups according to their emplacement ages and geochemical features. The first group is less granitic with lower SiO2 contents of 59.82−64.41 wt%, and it was emplaced at 50−48 Ma in the early Eocene. The second group is more granitic with higher SiO2 contents of 63.93−68.81 wt%, and it was emplaced at 42 Ma in the late Eocene. The early Eocene granitoids exhibit relatively depleted whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions with low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.7044−0.7048, positive εNd(t) values of 0.6−3.9, εHf(t) values of 6.5−10.5, zircon εHf(t) values of 1.6−12.1, and zircon δ18O values of 5.28−6.26‰. These isotopic characteristics are quite similar to those of Late Cretaceous mafic arc igneous rocks in the Gangdese orogen, which indicates their derivation from partial melting of the juvenile mafic arc crust. In comparison, the late Eocene granitoids have relatively lower MgO, Fe2O3, Al2O3, and heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents but higher K2O, Rb, Sr, Th, U, Pb contents, Sr/Y, and (La/Yb)N ratios. They also exhibit more enriched whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions with high (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.7070−0.7085, negative εNd(t) values of −5.2 to −3.9 and neutral εHf(t) values of 0.9−2.3, and relatively lower zircon εHf(t) values of −2.8−8.0 and slightly higher zircon δ18O values of 6.25−6.68‰. An integrated interpretation of these geochemical features is that both the juvenile arc crust and the ancient continental crust partially melted to produce the late Eocene granitoids. In this regard, the compositional evolution of syn-collisional granitoids from the early to late Eocene indicates a temporal change of their magma sources from the complete juvenile arc crust to a mixture of the juvenile and ancient crust. In either case, the syn-collisional granitoids in the Gangdese orogen are the reworking products of the pre-existing continental crust. Therefore, they do not contribute to crustal growth in the continental collision zone.

scholarly journals Structure of oceanic crust in back-arc basins modulated by mantle source heterogeneity

Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Grevemeyer ◽  
Shuichi Kodaira ◽  
Gou Fujie ◽  
Narumi Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Mantle Source ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Subduction Zones ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Spreading Ridge ◽  
Volcanic Arc ◽  
Depleted Mantle ◽  
Back Arc

Subduction zones may develop submarine spreading centers that occur on the overriding plate behind the volcanic arc. In these back-arc settings, the subducting slab controls the pattern of mantle advection and may entrain hydrous melts from the volcanic arc or slab into the melting region of the spreading ridge. We recorded seismic data across the Western Mariana Ridge (WMR, northwestern Pacific Ocean), a remnant island arc with back-arc basins on either side. Its margins and both basins show distinctly different crustal structure. Crust to the west of the WMR, in the Parece Vela Basin, is 4–5 km thick, and the lower crust indicates seismic P-wave velocities of 6.5–6.8 km/s. To the east of the WMR, in the Mariana Trough Basin, the crust is ~7 km thick, and the lower crust supports seismic velocities of 7.2–7.4 km/s. This structural diversity is corroborated by seismic data from other back-arc basins, arguing that a chemically diverse and heterogeneous mantle, which may differ from a normal mid-ocean-ridge–type mantle source, controls the amount of melting in back-arc basins. Mantle heterogeneity might not be solely controlled by entrainment of hydrous melt, but also by cold or depleted mantle invading the back-arc while a subduction zone reconfigures. Crust formed in back-arc basins may therefore differ in thickness and velocity structure from normal oceanic crust.

Early Cenozoic partial melting of meta-sedimentary rocks of the eastern Gangdese arc, southern Tibet, and its contribution to syn-collisional magmatism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-Yuan Jiang ◽  
Ze-Ming Zhang ◽  
Richard M. Palin ◽  
Hui-Xia Ding ◽  
Xuan-Xue Mo
Keyword(s):  
Partial Melting ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Late Carboniferous ◽  
Southern Tibet ◽  
Magmatic Arc ◽  
Magmatic Rocks ◽  
Deep Crust ◽  
Juvenile Crust ◽  
Early Cenozoic

Continental magmatic arcs are characterized by the accretion of voluminous mantle-derived magmatic rocks and the growth of juvenile crust. However, significant volumes of meta-sedimentary rocks occur in the middle and lower arc crust, and the contributions of these rocks to the evolution of arc crust remain unclear. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of petrology, geochronology, and geochemistry of migmatitic paragneisses from the eastern Gangdese magmatic arc, southern Tibet. The results show that the paragneisses were derived from late Carboniferous greywacke, and underwent an early Cenozoic (69−41 Ma) upper amphibolite-facies metamorphism and partial melting at pressure-temperature conditions of ∼11 kbar and ∼740 °C, and generated granitic melts with enriched Hf isotopic compositions (anatectic zircon εHf(t) = −10.57 to +0.78). Combined with the existing results, we conclude that the widely distributed meta-sedimentary rocks in the eastern Gangdese arc deep crust have the same protolith ages of late Carboniferous, and record northwestward-decreasing metamorphic conditions. We consider that the deeply buried sedimentary rocks resulted in the compositional change of juvenile lower crust from mafic to felsic and the formation of syn-collisional S-type granitoids. The mixing of melts derived from mantle, juvenile lower crust, and ancient crustal materials resulted in the isotopic enrichment of the syn-collisional arc-type magmatic rocks of the Gangdese arc. We suggest that crustal shortening and underthrusting, and the accretion of mantle-derived magma during the Indo-Asian collision transported the supracrustal rocks to the deep crust of the Gangdese arc.

Partial melting of subducted oceanic crust and isolation of its residual eclogitic lithology

1991 ◽  
Vol 335 (1638) ◽  
pp. 407-418 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Partial Melting ◽  
Continental Crust ◽  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Rutile Phase ◽  
Island Arc ◽  
Plate Boundaries ◽  
Water Release ◽  
Depleted Mantle

Oceanic lithosphere is produced at mid-ocean ridges and reinjected into the mantle at convergent plate boundaries. During subduction, this lithosphere goes through a series of progressive dehydration and melting events. Initial dehydration of the slab occurs during low pressure metamorphism of the oceanic crust and involves significant dewatering and loss of labile elements. At depths of 80-120 km water release by the slab is believed to lead to partial melting of the oceanic crust. These melts, enriched in incompatible elements (excepting Nb, Ta and Ti), fertilize the overlying mantle wedge and produce the enriched peridotitic sources of island arc basalts. Retention of Nb, Ta and Ti by a residual mineral (e.g. in a rutile phase) in a refractory eclogitic lithology within the sinking slab are considered to cause their characteristic depletions in island arc basalts. These refractory eclogitic lithologies, enriched in Nb, Ta and Ti, accumulate at depth in the mantle. The continued isolation of this eclogitic residuum in the deep mantle over Earth ’s history produces a reservoir which contains a significant proportion of the Earth’s Ti, Nb and Ta budget. Both the continental crust and depleted mantle have subchondritic Nb /La and Ti/Zr ratios and thus they cannot be viewed strictly as complementary geochemical reservoirs. This lack of complementarity between the continental crust and depleted mantle can be balanced by a refractory eclogitic reservoir deep in the mantle, which is enriched in Nb, Ta and Ti. A refractory eclogitic reservoir amounting to ca . 2% of the mass of the silicate Earth would also contain significant amounts of Ca and Al and may explain the superchondritic Ca/Al value of the depleted mantle.

How feasible was subduction in the Archean?

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Partial Melting ◽  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Flexural Rigidity ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Asthenospheric Mantle ◽  
Depleted Mantle ◽  
Oceanic Plates

As the asthenospheric mantle rises at oceanic spreading centres, it undergoes partial melting, producing oceanic crust and depleted mantle, both of which have lower intrinsic density than the asthenospheric mantle from which they were derived. With a warmer asthenosphere in the Archean, these effects are enhanced, leading to the possibility that subduction was no longer feasible. I investigate the density of the oceanic crust and underlying mantle for a mantle with temperatures 200 °C higher than today, using models of the chemistry of melting and the mineralogy of the ensuing rocks. For the melting model used, crustal thicknesses are 21 km and the depth to which the mantle is partially melted is 114 km, compared with 7 and 54 km for a comparable model of modern Earth. Two thermal-evolution models for Archean oceanic lithosphere are examined. One assumes twice the heat flow into the base of the plates, which severely restricts the depths to which the plates can cool with age. A second assumes the plates can cool to the depth to which the asthenosphere undergoes partial melting, resulting in heat flow into the base of the plates only 1.3 times as large as today. With the first model, oceanic plates do not become denser than an equivalent column of asthenosphere. With the second, they do after ∼50 Ma of cooling. In both cases, however, the cooling is sufficient to provide a significant driving force for the initiation of subduction because the sole requirement for a subduction-initiation drive is that the cooled lithosphere be denser than the column of differentiated asthenosphere that would replace it. This, combined with the low flexural rigidity of Archean plates, makes the initiation of subduction probably slightly easier than it is today. The relatively low density of oceanic plates results in lower slab pull, but this effect is counterbalanced both by the likelihood that some of the low-density crust may have been delaminated, and by the effect of passage of the thicker crust through the eclogite transition. Given our present knowledge of Archean thermal conditions, there does not appear to be a compelling theoretical argument against efficient subduction processes at that time.

A model involving amphibolite lower crust melting and subsequent melt extraction for leucogranite generation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liqiang Wang ◽  
Wenbin Cheng ◽  
Teng Gao ◽  
Yong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Rare Earth ◽  
Partial Melting ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Melt Extraction ◽  
Southern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Himalayan Orogenic Belt ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Charge And Radius ◽  
T Values ◽  
Light Rare Earth Elements

In the southern Tibetan Plateau, leucogranites are dominantly distributed in the Himalayan orogenic belt with minor occurrences in the southern Lhasa subterrane. In this paper, we report the first Miocene Anglonggangri leucogranites in the northern Lhasa subterrane. This finding provides important constraints on both leucogranite petrogenesis and the tectono-magmatic evolution of the Lhasa terrane. The Anglonggangri leucogranites include biotite-muscovite granite and slightly younger garnet-muscovite granite and pegmatite. Zircon U-Pb and muscovite 40Ar-39Ar dating of these leucogranites yields Miocene ages of 11.1−10.2 Ma. The biotite-muscovite and garnet-muscovite granites are characterized by high SiO2 (72.3−74.4 wt%) and Al2O3 contents (14.4−15.4 wt%) and are peraluminous. The biotite-muscovite granite displays geochemical signatures with high Sr/Y (29.2−81.0) and (La/Yb)N (37.5−98.9) ratios, low Y (4.30−7.22 ppm) and Yb contents (0.26−0.47 ppm), low to moderate initial (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios (0.7085−0.7192), and moderate εNd(t) values (−10.17 to −6.94). Furthermore, they also exhibit radiogenic Pb isotope and variable zircon εHf(t) values (−9.6 to +4.4) with Proterozoic Nd (1.1−1.4 Ga) and Hf model ages (0.8−1.7 Ga). By comparison, the garnet-muscovite granite has lower CaO, MgO, TiO2, and total FeO contents and is enriched in Rb (380−466 ppm) and depleted in Sr (24.1−38.5 ppm) and Ba (30.7−58.6 ppm) and further characterized by a significant rare earth element (REE) tetrad effect and non-charge and radius-controlled (CHARAC) trace element behaviors. The garnet-muscovite granite shows a negative Eu anomaly and positive correlations among Sr and Eu, Sr and Ba, and Th and light rare earth elements (LREEs). Pegmatite comprising Nb-Ta oxides and cassiterite occurs in the garnet-muscovite granite. Geochronological and geochemical characteristics of the Anglonggangri leucogranites indicate that the magma of the biotite-muscovite granite was derived from partial melting of amphibolite lower crust contaminated with Proterozoic-Archean upper crustal materials. The garnet-muscovite granite was generated through melt extraction from the biotite-muscovite granite crystal mush. These results confirm that partial melting of the amphibolite lower crust not only occurred in the southern and central Lhasa subterranes but also in the northern Lhasa subterrane.

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