In situ U-Pb dating and trace elements of magmatic rutile from Mujicun Cu-Mo deposit,North China Craton:Insights into porphyry mineralization

Porphyry Cu(Mo-Au)deposit is one of the most important types of copper deposit and usually formed under magmatic arc-related settings,whilst the Mujicun porphyry Cu-Mo deposit in North China Craton uncommonly generated within intra-continental settings.Although previous studies have focused on the age,origin and ore genesis of the Mujicun deposit,the ore-forming age,magma source and tectonic evolution remain controversial.Here,this study targeted rutile(TiO_(2))in the ore-hosting diorite porphyry from the Mujicun Cu-Mo deposit to conduct in situ U-Pb dating and trace element composition studies,with major views to determine the timing and magma evolution and to provide new insights into porphyry Cu-Mo metallogeny.Rutile trace element data show flat-like REE patterns characterized by relatively enrichment LREEs and depleted HREEs,which could be identified as magmatic rutile.Rutile U-Pb dating yields lower intercept ages of 139.3–138.4 Ma,interpreted as post magmatic cooling timing below about 500℃,which are consistent or slightly postdate with the published zircon U-Pb ages of diorite porphyry(144.1–141.7 Ma)and skarn(146.2 Ma;139.9 Ma)as well as the molybdenite Re-Os ages of molybdenum ores(144.8–140.0 Ma).Given that the overlap between the closure temperature of rutile U-Pb system and ore-forming temperature of the Mujicun deposit,this study suggests that the ore-forming ages of the Mujicun deposit can be constrained at 139.3–138.4 Ma,with temporal links to the late large-scale granitic magmatism at 138–126 Ma in the Taihang Orogen.Based on the Mg and Al contents in rutile,the magma of ore-hosting diorite porphyry was suggested to be derived from crust-mantle mixing components.In conjunction with previous studies in Taihang Orogen,this study proposes that the far-field effect and the rollback of the subducting Paleo-Pacific slab triggered lithospheric extension,asthenosphere upwelling,crust-mantle interaction and thermo-mechanical erosion,which jointly facilitated the formation of dioritic magmas during the Early Cretaceous.Subsequently,the dioritic magmas carrying crust-mantle mixing metallic materials were emplaced and precipitated at shallow positions along NNE-trending ore-controlling faults,eventually resulting in the formation of the Mujicun Cu-Mo deposit within an intracontinental extensional setting.

Seismic Evidence for Plume and Subducting Slab in West Yunnan,Southwestern China

Western Yunnan is located within a gigantic Tethys orogenic zone between Gondwana and Laurasia.Magmatic activity records of the associated Wilson orogenic cycle show that the causes of plate spreading in the region might have been related to sub-mantle plume.Tectonics,geophysics, sedimentary strata,tectonic evolution of the lithosphere and other research results indicate that there is geological evidence for mantle plume magmatic activities in West Yunnan.Tomography also supports the idea that there is a subducting slab near the Red River fault and an upwelling mantle plume in West Yunnan.Here our research presents seismic evidence for upwelling mantle plume,which is a main cause leading to subducting slab in West Yunnan.The analysis is based on compressional-to-shear（P-to -S）converted seismic phases,recorded on seismograph stations in the Sichuan-Yunnan seismic network,and made a study on 410-km and 660-km discontinuities,as well as on three sections of CCP stacking.

Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications of Early Cretaceous(~130 Ma)Magmatism in the Baingoin Batholith,Central Tibet:Products of Subducting Slab Rollback

The Baingoin batholith is one of the largest granitic plutons in the North Lhasa terrane.Its petrogenesis and tectonic setting have been studied for decades,but remain controversial.Here we report data on geochronology,geochemistry and isotopes of Early Cretaceous granitoids within the Baingoin batholith,which provide more evidence to uncover its petrogenesis and regional geodynamic processes.The Early Cretaceous magmatism yields ages of 134.4–132.0 Ma and can be divided into I-type,S-type and highly fractionated granites.The I-and S-type granites exhibit medium SiO2,high K_(2)O/Na_(2)O with negativeεNd(t)andεHf(t)values,whereas,the albite granites have very high SiO_(2)(79.04%–80.40%),very low K_(2)O/N_(2)O,negativeεNd(t)and a large variation inεHf(t).Our new data indicate that these granitoids are derived from unbalanced melting in a heterogeneous source area.The granodiorites involved had a hybrid origin from partial melting of basalt-derived and Al-rich rocks in the crust,the porphyritic monzogranites being derived from partial melting of pelitic rocks.The albite granites crystallized from residual melt separated from K-rich magma within the‘mush’process and underwent fractionation of K-feldspar.We believe that the Early Cretaceous magmatism formed in an extensional setting produced by the initial and continuous rollback of a northward-subducting slab of the NTO.

Subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath Eurasian continent: Mesozoic-Paleogene magmatic records in Northeast Asia

This paper presents a review on the rock associations, geochemistry, and spatial distribution of Mesozoic-Paleogene igneous rocks in Northeast Asia. The record of magmatism is used to evaluate the spatial-temporal extent and influence of multiple tectonic regimes during the Mesozoic, as well as the onset and history of Paleo-Pacific slab subduction beneath Eurasian continent. Mesozoic-Paleogene magmatism at the continental margin of Northeast Asia can be subdivided into nine stages that took place in the Early-Middle Triassic, Late Triassic, Early Jurassic, Middle Jurassic, Late Jurassic, early Early Cretaceous, late Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous, and Paleogene, respectively. The Triassic magmatism is mainly composed of adakitic rocks,bimodal rocks, alkaline igneous rocks, and A-type granites and rhyolites that formed in syn-collisional to post-collisional extensional settings related to the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. However, Triassic calc-alkaline igneous rocks in the Erguna-Xing'an massifs were associated with the southward subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic slab. A passive continental margin setting existed in Northeast Asia during the Triassic. Early Jurassic calc-alkaline igneous rocks have a geochemical affinity to arc-like magmatism, whereas coeval intracontinental magmatism is composed of bimodal igneous rocks and A-type granites. Spatial variations in the potassium contents of Early Jurassic igneous rocks from the continental margin to intracontinental region, together with the presence of an Early Jurassic accretionary complex, reveal that the onset of the PaleoPacific slab subduction beneath Eurasian continent occurred in the Early Jurassic. Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous magmatism did not take place at the continental margin of Northeast Asia. This observation, combined with the occurrence of low-altitude biological assemblages and the age population of detrital zircons in an Early Cretaceous accretionary complex,indicates that a strike-slip tectonic regime existed between the continental margin and Paleo-Pacific slab during the Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous. The widespread occurrence of late Early Cretaceous calc-alkaline igneous rocks, I-type granites, and adakitic rocks suggests low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath Eurasian continent at this time. The eastward narrowing of the distribution of igneous rocks from the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene, and the change from an intracontinental to continental margin setting, suggest the eastward movement of Eurasian continent and rollback of the PaleoPacific slab at this time.

Origin of ULVZs near the African LLSVP: Implications from their distribution and characteristics

Ultra-low velocity zones(ULVZs)provide important information on the composition and dynamics of the core-mantle boundary(CMB).However,their global distribution and characteristics are not well constrained,especially near African large low-shear velocity provinces(LLSVPs).Here,we used ScS precursor(SdS)and postcursor(ScscS)phases recorded by various seismic networks in Africa and South America to investigate the ULVZ characteristics underlying the South Atlantic Ocean.We found no evidence of ULVZs near the SE boundary of South America,but an ULVZ was found within the SW boundary of the African LLSVP,with thicknesses ranging from 11–18 km and reductions in S-wave velocities of 18%–34%.Our results,combined with the global distribution of ULVZs,suggest that thermal activity may be essential to ULVZ formation.Moreover,subducted slab and mantle flow may also play a key role,depending on the location of the ULVZs.

Deep structure and origin of active volcanoes in China

We synthesize significant recent results on the deep structure and origin of the active volcanoes in China's Mainland. Magmatism in the western Pacific arc and back-arc areas is caused by dehydration of the subducting slab and by corner flow in the mantle wedge, whereas the intraplate magmatism in China has different origins. The active volcanoes in Northeast China （such as the Changbai and Wudalianchi） are caused by hot upwelling in the big mantle wedge （BMW） above the stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone and deep slab dehydration as well. The Tengchong volcano in Southwest China is caused by a similar process in the BMW above the subducting Burma microplate （or Indian plate）. The Hainan volcano in southernmost China is a hotspot fed by a lower-mantle plume which may be associated with the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs＇ deep subduction in the east and the Indian slab＇s deep subduction in the west down to the lower mantle. The stagnant slab finally collapses down to the bottom of the mantle, which can trigger the upwelling of hot mantle materials from the lower mantle to the shallow mantle beneath the subducting slabs and may cause the slab-plume interactions.

Geochemical and Petrological Studies on the Early Carboniferous Sidingheishan Mafic-Ultramafic Iintrusion in the Southern Margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt,NW China

The Sidingheishan mafic-ultramafic intrusion is located in the eastern part of the Northern Tianshan Mountain, along the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt in northern Xinjiang autonomous region of China. The Sidingheishan intrusion is mainly composed of wehrlite, olivine websterite, olivine gabbro, gabbro and hornblende gabbro. At least two pulses of magma were involved in the formation of the intrusion. The first pulse of magma produced an olivine-free unit and the second pulse produced an olivine-bearing unit. The magmas intruded the Devonian granites and granodiorites.An age of 351.4±5.8 Ma(Early Carboniferous) for the Sidingheishan intrusion has been determined by U-Pb SHRIMP analysis of zircon grains separated from the olivine gabbro unit. A U-Pb age of 359.2±6.4 Ma from the gabbro unit has been obtained by LA-ICP-MS. Olivine of the Sidingheishan intrusion reaches 82.52 mole% Fo and 1414 ppm Ni. On the basis of olivine-liquid equilibria, it has been calculated that the MgO and FeO included in the parental magma of a wehrlite sample were approximately10.43 wt% and 13.14 wt%, respectively. The Sidingheishan intrusive rocks are characterized by moderate enrichments in Th and Sm, slight enrichments in light REE, and depletions in Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf. The εNd(t) values in the rock units vary from +6.70 to +9.64, and initial87Sr/86Sr ratios range between 0.7035 and0.7042. Initial206Pb/204Pb,207Pb/204Pb and208Pb/204Pb values fall in the ranges of 17.23-17.91,15.45-15.54 and 37.54-38.09 respectively. These characteristics are collectively similar to the Heishan intrusion and the Early Carboniferous subduction related volcanic rocks in the Santanghu Basin, North Tianshan and Beishan area. The low(La/Gd)PMvalues between 0.26 and 1.77 indicate that the magma of the Sidingheishan intrusion was most likely derived from a depleted spinel-peridotite mantle.(Th/Nb)PMratios from 0.59 to 20.25 indicate contamination of the parental magma in the upper crust.Crystallization modeling methods suggest that the parental magma of the Sidingheishan intrusion was generated by flush melting of the asthenosphere and subsequently there was about 10 vol%contamination from a granitic melt. This was followed by about 5 vol% assimilation of upper crustal rocks. Thus, the high-Mg basaltic parental magma of Sidingheishan intrusion is interpreted to have formed from partial melting of the asthenosphere during the break-off of a subducted slab.

Regionalized difference of the 660 km discontinuity beneath Izu-Bonin

Digital waveform data recorded by the vertical component short period stations at the American networks of SCSN, NCSN and PNSN and three components broadband stations at the Germany and Swiss networks and arrays of GRFN, GRSN and SDSNet for the events between 1981 and 2000 under Izu-Bonin are used as data sets. The N-th root slant stack method was used to pick up the SdP phase converted at the velocity interface beneath source and the regionalized difference of the 660 km discontinuity beneath Izu-Bonin is studied. It is found that while the dip angles of the subducting slab and the maximal depths of sources increase gradually from 35N to 26N, the 660 km discontinuity appears regionalized differences. The discontinuity exists at 660 km while there is no effect from subducting slab, but it is depressed to the depth of 720 km while there are obvious effects. The dispersion of converted points is still an unsolved problem which maybe result from the complex structure of the discontinuity, converted phases which were misjudged, or the assumption of one dimensional spherical earth model.

Recycling process and proto-kimberlite melt metasomatism in the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the Amazonian Craton recorded by garnet xenocrysts and mantle xenoliths from the Carolina kimberlite

Here we present new data on the major and trace element compositions of silicate and oxide minerals from mantle xenoliths brought to the surface by the Carolina kimberlite,Pimenta Bueno Kimberlitic Field,which is located on the southwestern border of the Amazonian Craton.We also present Sr-Nd isotopic data of garnet xenocrysts and whole-rocks from the Carolina kimberlite.Mantle xenoliths are mainly clinopyroxenites and garnetites.Some of the clinopyroxenites were classified as GPP–PP–PKP(garnet-phlogopite peridotite,phlogopite-peridotite,phlogopite-K-richterite peridotite)suites,and two clinopyroxenites(eclogites)and two garnetites are relicts of an ancient subducted slab.Temperature and pressure estimates yield 855–1102℃ and 3.6–7.0 GPa,respectively.Clinopyroxenes are enriched in light rare earth elements(LREE)(La_(N)/Yb_(N)=5–62;Ce_(N)/Sm_(N)=1–3;where N=primitive mantle normalized values),they have high Ca/Al ratios(10–410),low to medium Ti/Eu ratios(742–2840),and low Zr/Hf ratios(13–26),which suggest they were formed by metasomatic reactions with CO_(2)-rich silicate melts.Phlogopite with high TiO_(2)(>2.0 wt.%),Al_(2)O_(3)(>12.0 wt.%),and FeOt(5.0–13.0 wt.%)resemble those found in the groundmass of kimberlites,lamproites and lamprophyres.Conversely,phlogopite with low TiO_(2)(<1.0 wt.%)and lower Al_(2)O_(3)(<12.0 wt.%)are similar to those present in GPP-PP-PKP,and in MARID(mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside)and PIC(phlogopite-ilmenite-clinopyorxene)xenoliths.The GPP-PP-PKP suite of xenoliths,together with the clinopyroxene and phlogopite major and trace element signatures suggests that an intense proto-kimberlite melt metasomatism occurred in the deep cratonic lithosphere beneath the Amazonian Craton.The Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of pyrope xenocrysts(G3,G9 and G11)from the Carolina kimberlite are characterized by high ^(143)Nd/^(144)Nd(0.51287–0.51371)and eNd(+4.55 to+20.85)accompanied with enriched ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr(0.70405–0.71098).These results suggest interaction with a proto-kimberlite melt compositionally similar with worldwide kimberlites.Based on Sr-Nd whole-rock compositions,the Carolina kimberlite has affinity with Group 1 kimberlites.The Sm-Nd isochron age calculated with selected eclogitic garnets yielded an age of 291.9±5.4 Ma(2σ),which represents the cooling age after the proto-kimberlite melt metasomatism.Therefore,we propose that the lithospheric mantle beneath the Amazonian Craton records the Paleozoic subduction with the attachment of an eclogitic slab into the cratonic mantle(garnetites and eclogites);with a later metasomatic event caused by proto-kimberlite melts shortly before the Carolina kimberlite erupted.

Subduction and retreating of the western Pacific plate resulted in lithospheric mantle replacement and coupled basin-mountain respond in the North China Craton

The North China Craton(NCC) witnessed Mesozoic vigorous tectono-thermal activities and transition in the nature of deep lithosphere. These processes took place in three periods:(1) Late Paleozoic to Early Jurassic(~170 Ma);(2) Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous(160-140 Ma);(3) Early Cretaceous to Cenozoic(140 Ma to present). The last two stages saw the lithospheric mantle replacement and coupled basin-mountain response within the North China Craton due to subduction and retreating of the Paleo-Pacific plate, and is the emphasis in this paper. In the first period,the subduction and closure of the PaleoAsian Ocean triggered the back-arc extension, syn-collisional compression and then post-collisional extension accompanied by ubiquitous magmatism along the northern margin of the NCC. Similar processes happened in the southern margin of the craton as the subduction of the Paleo-Tethys ocean and collision with the South China Block. These processes had caused the chemical modification and mechanical destruction of the cratonic margins. The margins could serve as conduits for the asthenosphere upwelling and had the priority for magmatism and deformation. The second period saw the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk ocean and the shear deformation and magmatism induced by the drifting of the Paleo-Pacific slab. The former led to two pulse of N-S trending compression(Episodes A and B of the Yanshan Movement) and thus the pre-existing continental marginal basins were disintegrated into sporadically basin and range pro vince by the Mesozoic magmatic plutons and NE-SW trending faults.With the anticlockwise rotation of the Paleo-Pacific moving direction, the subduction-related magmatism migrated into the inner part of the craton and the Tanlu fault became normal fault from a sinistral one. The NCC thus turned into a back-arc extension setting at the end of this period. In the third period, the refractory subcontinental lithospheric mantle(SCLM) was firstly remarkably eroded and thinned by the subduction-induced asthenospheric upwelling, especially those beneath the weakzones(i.e.,cratonic margins and the lithospheric Tanlu fault zone). Then a slightly lithospheric thickening occurred when the upwelled asthenosphere got cool and transformed to be lithospheric mantle accreted(~125 Ma) beneath the thinned SCLM. Besides, the magmatism continuously moved southeastward and the extensional deformations preferentially developed in weak zones, which include the Early Cenozoic normal fault transformed from the Jurassic thrust in the Trans-North Orogenic Belt, the crustal detachment and the subsidence of Bohai basin caused by the continuous normal strike slip of the Tanlu fault, the Cenozoic graben basins originated from the fault depression in the Trans-North Orogenic Belt, the Bohai Basin and the Sulu Orogenic belt. With small block size, inner lithospheric weak zones and the surrounding subductions/collisions, the Mesozoic NCC was characterized by(1) lithospheric thinning and crustal detachment triggered by the subduction-induced asthenospheric upwelling.Local crustal contraction and orogenesis appeared in the Trans-North Orogenic Belt coupled with the crustal detachment;(2)then upwelled asthenosphere got cool to be newly-accreted lithospheric mantle and crustal grabens and basin subsidence happened, as a result of the subduction zone retreating. Therefore, the subduction and retreating of the western Pacific plate is the outside dynamics which resulted in mantle replacement and coupled basin-mountain respond within the North China Craton. We consider that the Mesozoic decratonization of the North China Craton,or the Yanshan Movement, is a comprehensive consequence of complex geological processes proceeding surrounding and within craton, involving both the deep lithospheric mantle and shallow continental crust.

Proto-South China Sea Plate Tectonics Using Subducted Slab Constraints from Tomography

The past size and location of the hypothesized proto-South China Sea vanished ocean basin has important plate-tectonic implications for Southeast Asia since the Mesozoic. Here we present new details on proto-South China Sea paleogeography using mapped and unfolded slabs from tomography. Mapped slabs included： the Eurasia-South China Sea slab subducting at the Manila trench; the northern Philippine Sea Plate slab subducting at the Ryukyu trench; and, a swath of detached, subhorizontal, slab-like tomographic anomalies directly under the South China Sea at 450 to 700 km depths that we show is subducted ‘northern proto-South China Sea’ lithosphere. Slab unfolding revealed that the South China Sea lay directly above the ‘northern Proto-South China Sea’ with both extending 400 to 500 km to the east of the present Manila trench prior to subduction. Our slab-based plate reconstruction indicated the proto-South China Sea was consumed by double-sided subduction, as follows：（1） The ‘northern proto-South China Sea’ subducted in the Oligo–Miocene under the Dangerous Grounds and southward expanding South China Sea by in-place ‘self subduction’ similar to the western Mediterranean basins;（2） limited southward subduction of the proto-South China Sea under Borneo occurred pre-Oligocene, represented by the 800–900 km deep ‘southern proto-South China Sea’ slab.

Searching for the remains of subducted continental slabs

On the basis of oceanic geological and geophysical observations the global plate tectonics theory wasput forward in the late 1960s. It inherited the essence of mobilism of continental drift and sea-floorspreading, caused a revolution of earth sciences in the twentieth century. But plate tectonics cannotsatisfactorily explain the complicated geological phenomena of continents, it fails in elucidating

Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China:Implications for thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere

The North China Craton(NCC) has been thinned from >200 km to <100 km in its eastern part. The ancient subcontinental lithospheric mantle(SCLM) has been replaced by the juvenile SCLM in the Meoszoic. During this period, the NCC was destructed as indicated by extensive magmatism in the Early Cretaceous. While there is a consensus on the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China, it has been hotly debated about the mechanism of cartonic destruction.This study attempts to provide a resolution to current debates in the view of Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China. We made a compilation of geochemical data available for Mesozoic mafic igneous rocks in the NCC. The results indicate that these mafic igneous rocks can be categorized into two series,manifesting a dramatic change in the nature of mantle sources at ~121 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks emplaced at this age start to show both oceanic island basalts(OIB)-like trace element distribution patterns and depleted to weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. In contrast,mafic igneous rocks emplaced before and after this age exhibit both island arc basalts(IAB)-like trace element distribution patterrs and enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions.This difference indicates a geochemical mutation in the SCLM of North China at^121 Ma. Although mafic magmatism also took place in the Late Triassic, it was related to exhumation of the deeply subducted South China continental crust because the subduction of Paleo-Pacific slab was not operated at that time. Paleo-Pacific slab started to subduct beneath the eastern margin of Eruasian continent since the Jurrasic. The subducting slab and its overlying SCLM wedge were coupled in the Jurassic, and slab dehydration resulted in hydration and weakening of the cratonic mantle. The mantle sources of ancient IAB-like mafic igneous rocks are a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the cratonic mantle wedge peridotite notonly with aqueous solutions derived from dehydration of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust in the Jurassic but also with hydrous melts derived from partial melting of the subducting South China continental crust in the Triassic. On the other hand, the mantle sources of juvenile OIB-like mafic igneous rocks are also a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the asthenospheric mantle underneath the North China lithosphere with hydrous felsic melts derived from partial melting of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust. The subducting Paleo-Pacific slab became rollback at^144 Ma. Afterwards the SCLM base was heated by laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, leading to thinning of the hydrated and weakened cratonic mantle. There was extensive bimodal magmatism at 130 to 120 Ma, marking intensive destruction of the cratonic lithosphere. Not only the ultramafic metasomatites in the lower part of the cratonic mantle wedge underwent partial melting to produce mafic igneous rocks showing negative ε_(Nd)(t) values, depletion in Nb and Ta but enrichment in Pb, but also the lower continent crust overlying the cratonic mantle wedge was heated for extensive felsic magmatism. At the same time, the rollback slab surface was heated by the laterally filled astheno spheric mantle, resulting in partial melting of the previously dehydrated rocks beyond rutile stability on the slab surface. This produce still hydrous felsic melts, which metasomatized the overlying astheno spheric mantle peridotite to generate the ultramafic metasomatites that show positive ε_(Nd)(t) values, no depletion or even enrichment in Nb and Ta but depletion in Pb. Partial melting of such metasomatites started at^121 Ma, giving rise to the mafic igneous rocks with juvenile OIB-like geochemical signatures. In this context, the age of ~121 Ma may terminate replacement of the ancient SCLM by the juvenile SCLM in North China. Paleo-Pacific slab was not subducted to the mantle transition zone in the Mesozoic as revealed by moder seismic tomography, and it was subducted at a low angle since the Jurassic, like the subduction of Nazca Plate beneath American continent. This flat subduction would not only chemically metasomatize the cratonic mantle but also physically erode the cratonic mantle. Therefore, the interaction between Paleo-Pacific slab and the cratonic mantle is the first-order geodynamic mechanism for the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China.

Late Mesozoic rifting and its deep dynamic mechanisms in the central Sulu orogenic belt: Records from Lingshan Island

The Lingshan Island scientific drill confirms that two episodes(Laiyang period and Qingshan period) of rifting developed in the central Sulu orogenic belt(SOB) in Late Mesozoic. With a set of methods including fieldwork, drilling, core logging, zircon U-Pb dating and whole rock geochemistry applied, the age, the depositional sequence and the deep dynamic mechanisms of rift evolution were unraveled. The stratigraphic sequence of the Laiyang-Qingshan Groups on Lingshan Island was composed of two different rifting sequences:(1) Laiyang Group(147–125 Ma), which consists of deep-water gravity flow deposits with interlayers of intermediate volcanic rocks;and(2) Lower Qingshan Group(125–119 Ma), which unconformably overlies the former sequence and contains subaerial volcanic deposits and terrestrial deposits. The tectonic environment changed during the evolution of these two episodes of rifting: the rift was in a NNW-SSE extensional environment in the Laiyang period and showed the typical passive rifting character that “lithospheric extension and rifting preceded volcanism”. The passive rifting period was ended by a short WNW-ESE compression at about 125 Ma. After that, the tectonic environment transferred to a strong NW-SE extensional environment and the rifting evolved into a volcanic arc basin in the Qingshan period. The igneous rocks are shoshonitic to high-K calc-alkaline trachyandesites to trachytes with a few intercalated lamprophyres and a rhyolite.The geochemical characteristics of the igneous rocks indicate that they are mantle-derived melts with a metasomatized mantle source and/or crustal contamination. In addition, an increased thinning of the lithosphere happened during the rifting episodes.The low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate in the Jurassic weakened the thickened SOB lithospheric mantle. The rollback of the subducting plate started in late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, and the SOB lithospheric mantle was delaminated synchronously because of the gravity collapse. Thus, this caused passive rifting in the Laiyang period. Thereafter, the rollback and trench retreat of the high-angle subducting Paleo-Pacific plate would have achieved its climax, resulting in the strong regional extension. Passive rifting was ended by the crustal uplift caused by asthenospheric upwelling beneath the rift. The lower crust was heated by the upwelling asthenosphere and partially melted to form felsic melts, which were emplaced upwards and erupted explosively. The rift evolved into a volcanic arc basin in the Qingshan period and showed some characteristics of active rifting. Above all, a passive rifting in the Laiyang period and a volcanic arc basin in the Qingshan period developed successively in the Lingshan Island area(the central SOB). This records the transfer of the study area from the Paleo-Tethys tectonic domain to the circum-Pacific tectonic domain. The delamination of SOB lithospheric mantle and the upwelling of asthenospheric material were the deep dynamic mechanisms driving the development and evolution of two rift episodes. Additionally, the rift development was controlled remotely by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate.

Hydration Effect on Equations of State for Minerals in the Peridotite System:Implication for Geotherms in the Mantle

Water in the deep Earth’s interior has important and profound impacts on the geodynamical properties at high-temperature(T)and high-pressure(P)conditions.A series of dense hydrous Mg-silicate(DHMS)phases are generated from dehydration of serpentines in subduction slabs below the lithosphere,including phase A,chondrodite,clinohumite,phase E,superhydrous phase B and phase D.On the other hand,olivine and its high-P polymorphs of wadsleyite and ringwoodite are dominant nominally anhydrous minerals(NAMs)in the upper mantle and transition zone,which could contain significant amount of water in the forms of hydroxyl group(OH-)defects.The water solubilities in wadsleyite and ringwoodite are up to about 3 weight percent(wt.%),making the transition zone a most important layer for water storage in the mantle.Hydration can significantly affect the pressure-volumetemperature equations of state(P-V-T EOSs)for the DHMS and NAM phases,including the thermal expansivities and isothermal bulk moduli.In this work,we collected the reported datasets for the DHMS and NAM phases,and reconstruct internally consistent EOSs.Next,we further evaluated the thermodynamic Grüneisen parameters,which are fundamental for constraining the temperature distribution in an isentropic process,such as mantle convection.The adiabatic temperature profiles are computed for these minerals in the geological settings of normal mantle and subduction zone,and our calculation indicates that temperature is the dominant factor in determining the gradient of a geotherm,rather than the mineralogical composition.