Ophiolites of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Geochemical and petrological characterization and tectonic settings

We present a compilation of published data(field,petrography,ages and geochemistry)from 73 ophiolitic complexes of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.The ophiolitic complexes,ranging in age from Neoproterozoic to Triassic.have been geochemically classified as subduction-related and subductionunrelated categories applying recent,well-established discrimination diagrams.The subductionunrelated category is further subdivided into Mid-Ocean Ridge type(MOR),a common rift-drift stage and Plume type,and the subduction-related category is subdivided into Backarc(BA),Forearc(FA).Backarc to Forearc(BA-FA)and Volcanic Arc(VA)types.The four subduction-related types define highly different geochemical features,with the BA and FA types defining end members showing subduction influence of 10%-100%and 90%-100%subduction influence,respectively,and the two other types(BAFA and VA)define values between the two end members.The subduction-related category comprises79%of the examined ophiolites,of which the BA type ophiolites is by far the dominant group,followed by the BA-FA type,and with FA and VA types as subordinate groups.The Neoproterozoic and Ordovician complexes exhibit the highest,whereas those of Silurian age exhibit the lowest subduction-influence.Of the remaining 21%subduction-unrelated ophiolites,the MOR type dominates.Both the subductionrelated and subduction-unrelated types,in particular the latter,are commonly associated with alkaline basalts taken to represent ocean island magmatism.Harzburgite,dunite,gabbro and basalt are the common lithologies in all ophiolite types,whereas the BA-FA,FA and VA types generally contain intermediate to felsic rocks,and in the FA type boninites occur.The subduction-related ophiolites types generally show low metamorphic grade,whereas greenschist.amphibolite and blueschist grades occur in the subduction-unrelated and BA types.The highly different subduction contribution(from 0 to 100%in the MOR and FA,respectively),attest to variable dips of the subducting slab,as well as variable flux of subduction-related elements into the mantle above subducting slabs,from where the ophiolite magmas got their geochemical fingerprints.As most MOR ophiolites get subducted to the deep mantle,the subduction-related ophiolites have become a dominant ophiolitic type on Earth’s surface through all times supporting the idea about the early start of Plate Tectonics.

Triggers and sources of volatile-bearing plumes in the mantle transition zone

The paper discusses generation of volatile-bearing plumes in the mantle transition zone(MTZ) in terms of mineral-fluid petrology and their related formation of numerous localities of intra-plate bimodal volcanic series in Central and East Asia.The plume generation in the MTZ can be triggered by the tectonic erosion of continental crust at Pacific-type convergent margins and by the presence of water and carbon dioxide in the mantle.Most probable sources of volatiles are the hyclrated/carbonated sediments and basalts and serpentinite of oceanic slabs,which can be subducted down to the deep mantle.Tectonic erosion of continental crust supplies crustal material enriched in uranium and thorium into the mantle,which can serve source of heat in the MTZ.The heating in the MTZ induces melting of subducted slabs and continental crust and mantle upwelling,to produce OIB-type mafic and felsic melts,respectively.

Mud volcano origin of the Mottled Zone,South Levant

The Mottled Zone（MZ） or Hatrurim Formation,which occurs near the Levantine Transform in the South Levant,has been studied during the last 150 years but its origin remains debatable.Mottled Zone Complex/Complexes（MZC/MZCs） consist of brecciated carbonate and low-temperature calcium-hydro-silicate rocks,which include unusual high- and ultra-high-temperature low-pressure（HT-LP） meta-morphic mineral assemblages.The MZ has been regarded as a product of combustion of bituminous chalks of the Ghareb Fm.of Cretaceous（Maastrichtian） age.In this paper we present detailed geographic, geomorphologic,structural and geological data from the MZCs of the South Levant,which show that the MZCs cannot be stratigraphically correlated with the Ghareb Fm.,because MZC late Oligocene-late Pleistocene deposits occur within or unconformable i.e.,with stratigraphic hiatus,overlap both the late Cretaceous and,in places,Neogene stratigraphic units.We propose an alternative model for the formation of MZCs by tectonically induced mud volcanism during late Oligocene-late Pleistocene time. This model explains（i） the presence of dikes and tube-like bodies,which consist of brecciated exotic clastic material derived from stratigraphically and hypsometrically lower horizons;（ii） mineral assemblages of sanidinite facies metamorphism;（iii） multi-stage character of HT-LP pyrometamorphism;and （iv） multi-stage low-temperature hydrothermal alteration.High temperatures（up to 1500℃） mineral assemblages resulted from combustion of hydrocarbon gases of mud volcanoes.Mud volcanism was spatially and structurally related to neotectonic folds and deformation zones formed in response to opening of the Red Sea rift and propagation of the Levantine Transform Fault.Our model may significantly change the prospects for oil-and-gas deposits in the region.

The Russian-Kazakh Altai orogen:An overview and main debatable issues

The paper reviews previous and recently obtained geological, stratigraphic and geochronological data on the Russian-Kazakh Altai orogen, which is located in the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt （CAOB）, between the Kazakhstan and Siberian continental blocks. The Russian-Kazakh Altai is a typical Pacific-type orogen, which represents a collage of oceanic, accretionary, fore-arc, island-arc and continental margin terranes of different ages separated by strike-slip faults and thrusts. Evidence for this comes from key indicative rock associations, such as boninite- and turbidite （graywacke）-bearing volcanogenic-sedimentary units, accreted pelagic chert, oceanic islands and plateaus, MORB-OIB-protolith blueschists. The three major tectonic domains of the Russian-Kazakh Altai are： （1） Altai-Mongolian terrane （AMT）; （2） subduction-accretionary （Rudny Altai, Gorny Altai） and collisional （Kalba-Narym） terranes; （3） Kurai, Charysh-Terekta, North-East, Irtysh and Char suture-shear zones （SSZ）. The evolution of this orogen proceeded in five major stages： （i） late Neoproterozoic-early Paleozoic subduction-accretion in the Paleo-Asian Ocean; （ii） Ordovician-Silurian passive margin; （iii） Devonian-Carboniferous active margin and collision of AMT with the Siberian conti- nent; （iv） late Paleozoic closure of the PAO and coeval collisional magmatism; （v） Mesozoic post-collisional deformation and anarogenic magmatism, which created the modern structural collage of the Russian- Kazakh Altai orogen. The major still unsolved problem of Altai geology is origin of the Altai-Mongolian terrane （continental versus active margin）, age of Altai basement, proportion of juvenile and recycled crust and origin of the middle Paleozoic units of the Gorny Altai and Rudny Altai terranes.

Devonian continental arc magmatism in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Evidence from the Dunhuang Block,NW China

Reconstruction of periods and sources of continental arc magmatism provides critical insights for deciphering the thermal evolution and geodynamics of the continental lithosphere and unveiling subduction-related episodes of accretion and orogeny.The Dunhuang Block,located in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt,is built upon a Precambrian metamorphic crystalline basement that is intruded by numerous Paleozoic granitoids.In this paper,we present new zircon U-Pb ages,wholerock geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes from the Hanxiakouzi and Shuangta granodiorite plutons outcropped in the central and northern Dunhuang Block,respectively.The U-Pb zircon dating indicate that the Hanxiakouzi and Shuangta granodiorites were emplaced at ca.366–363 Ma,i.e.,in the late Devonian.Geochemically,the Hanxiakouzi granodiorites are medium-to high-K,I-type granites possessing high Sr and Sr/Y,i.e.,similar to adakites.The Hanxiakouzi granodiorites show negativeε_(Nd)(t)values(-8.2 to-6.6),significant positive eHf(t)values(+0.7 to+8.1),and evolved Pb isotope features suggesting their derivation by melting of subducted terrigenous sediments,interaction of melts with mantle peridotite,and assimilation of ancient crust during magma ascent.The Shuangta granodiorites belong to high-K calc-alkaline I-type granites with medium Sr and low Sr/Y.The Shuangta granodiorites yield negativeε_(Nd)(t)values(-2.9 to-3.1)and negative to positive zircon eHf(t)values(-1.8 to+3.6),suggesting their formation by partial melting of ancient mafic crust with addition of minor mantle-derived melt and subducted terrigenous sediments.In general,Hf-in-zircon isotopes characteristics of the late Paleozoic granitic rocks in the Dunhuang Block indicate that the southern Dunhuang area carries more ancient crust materials than the central and northern Dunhuang areas,indicating a lateral heterogeneity of the middle Paleozoic crust.Conclusively,the middle Paleozoic granitoids of the Dunhuang Block were emplaced at an active continental margin of the southern Paleo-Asian Ocean.