Origin of alkali olivine basalts and hawaiites in the western Mexican arc: Evidence of rapid phenocryst growth and magma mixing during ascent along fractures

A detailed petrological study is presented to constrain the origin of a suite of alkali olivine basalt and hawaiite (>5 wt% MgO) lavas that were erupted in a rift zone within the western Mexican arc (Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt), adjacent to the Sangangüey andesitic stratovolcano, together with more evolved lavas (mugearites and benmoreites; <5 wt% MgO). As previously documented in the literature, the Sangangüey mafic lavas are devoid of any arc geochemical signature, despite their location within an arc. In this study, a new olivine-melt thermometer/hygrometer, based on the partition­ing behavior of Ni2+ and Mg2+, was applied to the Sangangüey basalts (SB). The results show that the high-MgO (>9 wt%) SB crystallized at higher temperatures and lower melt-water contents (0–1.3 wt%) compared to high-MgO arc basalts (≤5.7 wt% H2O) erupted in the west-central Mexican arc. The Sangangüey lavas with 5–8 wt% MgO display evidence of mixing between high-MgO alkali olivine basalts and low-MgO mugearites. It is proposed that the unique composition of the mugearites (i.e., low SiO2 contents and elevated FeO and TiO2 contents) is the result of partial melting of mafic lower crust driven by the influx of high-MgO intraplate basalts under relatively hot, dry, and reduced conditions. On the basis of crystal textures and compositional zoning patterns, it is shown that both phenocryst growth and magma mixing occurred rapidly, most likely during ascent along fractures, and not slowly during prolonged storage in a crustal magma chamber.

No mafic layer in 80 km thick Tibetan crust

All models of the magmatic and plate tectonic processes that create continental crust predict the presence of a mafic lower crust. Earlier proposed crustal doubling in Tibet and the Himalayas by underthrusting of the Indian plate requires the presence of a mafic layer with high seismic P-wave velocity (Vp > 7.0 km/s) above the Moho. Our new seismic data demonstrates that some of the thickest crust on Earth in the middle Lhasa Terrane has exceptionally low velocity (Vp < 6.7 km/s) throughout the whole 80 km thick crust. Observed deep crustal earthquakes throughout the crustal column and thick lithosphere from seismic tomography imply low temperature crust. Therefore, the whole crust must consist of felsic rocks as any mafic layer would have high velocity unless the temperature of the crust were high. Our results form basis for alternative models for the formation of extremely thick juvenile crust with predominantly felsic composition in continental collision zones.

Preliminary result for crustal properties derivation related to tectonics for hazard mitigation in Eastern Indonesia using Teleseismic P Coda

Eastern Indonesia is tectonically complex, formed by different plates and microplates interactions from different origins. This complexity gives geoscientists a challenge to solve the ’jigsaw’ of the complex interactions. The understanding of tectonic processes can lead to a breakthrough in both resource exploration and disaster risk reduction. We utilize teleseismic P wave coda for random coda from scattering and deterministic coda originated from the crust-mantle boundary (Moho) to derive the crustal properties, including thickness, Vp/Vs, and qualitative scattering characteristics. For the scattering properties, we apply Iterative Cross-Correlation and Stacking (ICCS) to align the waveform. At the same time, for the crust characteristic, we employ the Receiver Functions (RF) method alongside H-k stacking. The crustal thickness recovered from the RF and H-k stacking has a good correlation with the crustal origin, where the thickness in older and stable crust originated from Sundaland and Gondwana is thicker than a younger plate of the crust arc and subduction origin. The Vp/Vs is high in a region that is interpreted to be dominated by mafic lower crust originated from oceanic-oceanic subduction during Eocene, anisotropy, or by a magmatic anomaly. The P coda also correlated well with the subsurface magmatic anomaly by providing a unique pattern.

Petrogenesis of the Early Cretaceous Aolunhua Adakitic Monzogranite Porphyries, Southern Great Xing’an Range, NE China: Implication for Geodynamic Setting of Mo Mineralization

This paper reports on whole-rock major- and trace-elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of the Aolunhua adakitic monzogranite porphyries from the Xilamulun district in the southern Great Xing’an Range, Northeast (NE) China. The high-K calc-alkaline Aolunhua monzogranite porphyries are characterized by high Sr/Y ratios (34.59–91.02), Sr (362–809 ppm), and low Y contents (7.66–10.5 ppm), respectively. These rocks also show slightly enriched Sr and Nd isotopes ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7051–0.7058; εNd(t) = −2.98–0.92), with young two-stage model ages (T2DM = 0.84–1.16 Ga). Such a signature indicates that these rocks were most likely formed by partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust. Based on equilibrium melting and batch-melting equations, we performed incompatible trace elements modeling. Low FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) values indirectly reflect these adakitic rocks were derived from an oxidizing source related to magnesian granitoids. The decreasing content of TiO2, Fe2O3, Nb/Ta ratio, and moderately negative Eu anomalies suggest that minimal fractionation of Fe–Ti oxides and plagioclase may have occurred in their evolutionary history. The result shows that the Aolunhua adakitic porphyries and coeval adakitic intrusive rocks in this area had not experienced extensive fractional crystallization and were derived from 20%–40% partial melting of lower continental crust, which was composed of ~25%–40% and 5%–20% garnet-bearing amphibolite, respectively. Integrating with rock assemblages and regional tectonic evolutionary history in this regime, high (Sm/Yb)SN (SN—source normalized data, normalized to mafic lower continental crust with Yb = 1.5 ppm and Sm/Yb = 1.87 for continental adakite) and low YbSN ratios suggest that these rocks were generated in an extensional environment related to lithospheric delamination without crustal thickening. The collision between North China and Siberian cratons around 160 Ma blocked the westward movement of the lithosphere as a result of the subduction of Pacific plate, which then led to lithospheric delamination induced by asthenospheric upwelling and underplating. Subsequently, partial melting of mafic lower crust caused by mantle upwelling resulted in the Early Cretaceous magmatic activities of adakitic rocks and associated Mo mineralization in the southern Great Xing’an Range.

Foreland thrusting and slab formation in the Pamir

&lt;p&gt;The western and northern sectors of the northward convex Pamir arc are underlain by a steep Benioff zone dipping east to south, traced by earthquakes to depths of 250 km in the southwest and 150 km in the northeast. This slab has been interpreted to indicate intracontinental subduction. However, the convergence accommodated in thrust belts around the western and northern Pamir margins seems to fall short of the values required to produce the observed slab lengths. Delamination models in which the slab only consists of Asian mantle lithosphere avoid that problem but predict shallow asthenosphere beneath the Pamir, conflicting with geophysical evidence. This contradiction is resolved in a forced delamination scenario (Kufner et al. 2016) where indenting/underplating Indian lithosphere forces down and immediately replaces the delaminating Asian lithosphere. In this scenario the formation of the slab would be largely accommodated by south-directed thrust imbrication at crustal level, unrelated to substantial north-vergent thrusting in the Pamir.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Based on published and our own analyses of foreland thrusting we propose that the formation of the slab does to some extent reflect shortening in the Pamir thrust belts. Thin-skinned shortening in the Tajik basin and the External Pamir further north and east decreases northeastward from 150 to 75 and 30(?) km. The slab lengths show a similar trend. Interpreted mimimum shortening values correspond to 60-50 (20?) percent of the slab length on the same transect. With crustal and lithospheric thicknesses taken from seismological data, 70 km of shortening on a translithospheric thrust fault are sufficient to subduct mafic lower crust to asthenospheric depth and probably induce eclogite formation. Rather than the comparison with slab lengths alone, which may be biased by low estimates of shortening, geometrical relations call for additional slab delamination and rollback towards the foreland. The sedimentary cover stacked in the thin-skinned belts restores to at least tens of km of across-strike (N-S) width, underlain by a subhorizontal to gently dipping basal d&amp;#233;collement. Basement-involving faults on the internal borders of the thin-skinned belts such as the Darvaz fault and Main Pamir thrust (MPT) must merge with or flatten into this d&amp;#233;collement and thus cannot directly connect to the present-day updip end of the slab via a steeply dipping fault. We hypothesize that the Pamir slab was initiated by a translithospheric thrust fault (MPT and equivalents) around 20 Ma and owes at least half of its length to displacement on these faults and imbrication of the sedimentary cover in their footwalls. Delamination and rollback lengthened the slab and displaced it north- and westward. Mantle lithosphere, not necessarily of Indian affinity, contemporaneously moved in from the southeast, preventing the opening of a lithospheric gap and upwelling of asthenosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reference:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kufner, S. K. et al. (2016). Deep India meets deep Asia: Lithospheric indentation, delamination and break-off under Pamir and Hindu Kush (Central Asia). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 435, 171-184.&lt;/p&gt;

Miocene adakites in south Tibet: Partial melting of the thickened Lhasa juvenile mafic lower crust with the involvement of ancient Indian continental crust compositions

Although postcollisional adakitic rocks are widely distributed in the southern Lhasa subterrane, their petrogenesis remains controversial. Complex petrogenesis models, mainly including partial melting of subducted oceanic crust, partial melting of the Indian lower continental crust, and magma mixing, are pivotal in reconstruction of the postcollisional dynamic processes in south Tibet. In order to constrain the geodynamic processes, we present systemic geochronological and geochemical data for newly discovered adakitic dikes in the Xigaze area, southern Lhasa subterrane. Based on the K2O and Na2O contents, the Xigaze dikes can be divided into K-rich and Na-rich dikes. Zircon U-Pb dating for the Xigaze K- and Na-rich dikes yielded ages of ca. 10.31 Ma and 14.78–12.75 Ma, respectively. The K-rich dikes show porphyritic texture and are characterized by high SiO2 (68.91–69.59 wt%) and K2O (5.53–5.68 wt%) contents and low Na2O/K2O (0.48–0.60) ratios, with Al2O3/(CaO + Na2O + K2O) (=A/CNK) ratios of 1.07–1.23. They have lower MgO (0.63–0.64 wt%), Mg# (37–39), and Cr (18.56–26.62 ppm) and Ni (4.37–4.62) contents. In addition, the K-rich dikes display enriched ([La/Yb]N = 65–68) light rare earth elements (LREEs), low concentrations of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) and Y (e.g., Yb = 0.83–0.86 ppm; Y = 10.56–11.55 ppm), and high Sr (841–923 ppm), with high Sr/Y (74–84) ratios, indicating geochemical characteristics of typical adakitic rocks. Compared with the K-rich dikes, the Na-rich dikes also display porphyritic texture, but they have lower SiO2 (59.14–64.87 wt%) and K2O (1.98–3.25 wt%) contents, and higher Na2O (4.43–5.64 wt%) and MgO (1.40–3.08 wt%) contents, Mg# (46–59), and Cr (22.62–82.93 ppm) and Ni (8.91–39.76 ppm) contents. The HREE abundances (e.g., Yb = 0.36–0.81 ppm; Y = 5.30–10.56 ppm) of the Na-rich dikes are generally lower than the K-rich dikes. These Na-rich dikes are also characterized by adakitic geochemical features with high Sr/Y (60–223) but low (La/Yb)N (15–40) ratios. Both the K-rich and Na-rich dikes display distinct whole-rock-element geochemistry and Sr-Nd isotopic composition, with (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7121, εNd(t) = –8.62 to –8.11 and (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7054–0.7086, εNd(t) = –7.55 to –1.23 for K-rich and Na-rich dikes, respectively, which indicate different magma sources for the two types of dikes. The K-rich dikes were most likely derived from partial melts of Lhasa juvenile mafic lower crust with significant involvement of Indian continental crust compositions, whereas the Na-rich dikes were generated in the same way with less input of Indian continental crust compositions. Moreover, the postcollisional adakites in the southern Lhasa subterrane display distinctive spatial variations in geochemistry along the strike of this subterrane, indicating that the magma sources were heterogeneous. In combination with previously published data, we therefore suggest that all these late Oligocene to Miocene adakitic rocks were most likely generated dominantly by partial melting of the Lhasa mafic lower crust with involvement of Indian continental crust components, which was probably triggered by the tearing of the subducting Indian plate.