Chemostratigraphy of Flood Basalts in the Garze-Litang Region and Zongza Block: Implications for Western Extension of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China

The Late Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) is commonly regarded as being located in the western part of the Yangtze craton, SW China, with an asymmetrical shape and a small area. This area, however, is just a maximum estimation because some parts of the ELIP were not recognized or dismembered and destroyed during the Triassic to Cenozoic tectonism. In this paper, the chemostratigraphical data of the Zongza block, the Garze-Litang belt and the Songpan-Garze block suggest that the Late Permian basalts in these areas have remarkable similarities to the ELIP basalts in petrography and geochemistry. Flood basalts in the Sanjiangkou area are composed of the lower part of the low-Ti (LT) tholeiite and the upper part of the high-Ti (HT) tholeiite, which is the same as the flood basalts on the western margin of the Yangtze craton. Flood basalts in the Zongza and Songpan-Garze areas, which are far from the Yangtze craton, consist of HT tholeiite only. This is the same as the flood basalts within the Yangtze craton. Therefore we argue that these contemporary basalts all originated from the Emeishan mantle plume, and the ELIP could have a significant westward extension with an outcropped area of over 500,000 km2. This new scenario shows that the LT tholeiite occurs on the western margin of the Yangtze craton, while the HT tholeiite overlying the LT basalts occupies the whole area of the ELIP.

Eruption of the Continental Flood Basalts at -259 Ma in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China: Evidence from Laser Microprobe ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar Dating

A suite of continental flood basalts sampled over a vast exposure and stratigraphic thickness in the Emeishan large igneous province （LIP）, SW China was investigated for laser microprobe ^40Ar/^39Ar dating. There are two ^40Ar/^39Ar age groups for these basalts, corresponding to 259-246 Ma and 177-137 Ma, respectively. A well-defined isochron gives an eruption age of huge quantities of mafic magmas at 258.9±3.4 Ma, which is identical to previous dating and paleontological data. Much younger ^40Ar/^39Ar ages for some basalts with Iow-greenschist metamorphic facies probably recorded a late thermo-tectonic event caused by collision between the Yangtze and Qiangtang continental blocks during the Mesozoic, which resulted in the reset of argon isotope system. The ^40Ar/^39Ar age data, we present here, combined with previous dating and paleontological data, suggest relatively short duration （about 3 Ma） of mafic volcanism, which have important implication on mantle plume genesis of the Emeishan continental flood basalts in the LIP.

Petrology, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Emeishan Continental Flood Basalts, SW China: Evidence for Activity of Mantle Plumes

Electronic microprobe analyses for olivine, clinopyroxene and Cr-spinel in picrites, which we have discovered recently in the Emeishan continental flood basalt province (ECFBP), show that the olivine is rich in Mg, and that Cr-spinel is rich in Cr. Based on the olivine-melt equilibrium, the primary parental melt compositions are calculated. The high-Mg olivine-hosted picrite can be regarded as parental melt. Thus, the melting temperature and pressure are estimated: T=1600℃ and P=4.5 GPa. It suggests that the picrites are connected with the activity of mantle plumes. Their major element composition is comparable to many other CFBs by their high Fe8, (CaO/Al2O3)8 and low Na8, indicating a high pressure. All rocks display a similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns, i.e., enrichment of LREE, relative depletion of HFSE and absence of negative Nb and Ta but depletion in P and K. Some incompatible element ratios, such as La/Ta, La/ Sm, (La/Nb)PM, (Th/Ta)PM, are in a limited range, show that they were derived from the mantle plume, and there was no or little crustal contamination during magma ascent en route to the surface. They were generated by 7% partial melting of garnet peridotite. The axis of the plume might be located beneath Lijiang Town, Yunnan province.

The Early Permian Woniusi Flood Basalts from the Baoshan Terrane, SW China: Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications

The Woniusi flood basalts from the Baoshan terrane,SW China,represent a significant eruption of volcanic rocks which were linked to the Late Paleozoic rifting of the Cimmeria from the northern margin of East Gondwana.However,the precise mechanism for the formation and propagation of the rifting is still in debate.Here we report 40 Ar/39 Ar dating,whole-rock geochemistry,and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes for the Woniusi basalts from the Baoshan terrane of SW China,with the aim of assessing if a mantle plume was related to the formation of the continent Cimmeria.40 Ar/39 Ar dating of the Woniusi basalts yielded ages of 279.3±1.1 Ma and 273.9±1.5 Ma,indicating they were emplaced during the Early Permian.Whole-rock geochemistry shows that these basalts have subalkaline tholeiitic affinity,low Ti O2(1.2-2.2 wt%),and fractionated chondrite-normalized LREE and nearly flat HREE patterns[(La/Yb)N=2.86-5.77;(Dy/Yb)N=1.21-1.49]with noticeable negative Nb and Ta anomalies on the primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagram.Theε(Nd)(t)values(-4.76 to+0.92)and high(206 Pb/204 Pb)i(18.40-18.66)along with partial melt modeling indicates that the basalts were likely derived from a sub-continental lithospheric mantle(SCLM)source metasomatized by subduction-related processes.On the basis of a similar emplacement age to the Panjal basalts and Qiangtang mafic dykes and flood basalts in the Himalayas,combined with a tectonic reconstruction of Gondwana in the Early Permian,we propose that the large-scale eruption of these basalts and dykes was related to an Early Permian mantle plume that possibly initiated the rifting on the northern margin of East Gondwana.

Geochemical and Petrological Insights into the Neoproterozoic Moumba Metabasites: Implications for Crustal Processes in the West Congo Belt (Republic of Congo)

The West Congo Belt contains in its rocks of Neoproterozoic age from Nemba complex outcropping in the Moumba River. This West Congo belt is made up of a crustal segment of the Arcuaï-West Congo orogen which extends from southwest Gabon to the northeast of Angola. This study aims to constrain the geochemical signature Nemba complex of West Congo belt from the petrograhic and geochemical study on the whole rock. The petrographic data from this study show the Moumba metabasites are made up of amphibolites, metagabbros, epidotites and greenschists interstratified in the Eburnean metasediments and affected by mesozonal to epizonal metamorphism characterized by the retromorphosis of intermediate amphibolite facies minerals into greenschist facies. Whole-rock geochemical data indicate that these metabasites are continental flood basalts (CFB) of basic nature and transitional affinity emplaced in intraplate context. These continental flood basalts are generated from magma originating from a significantly enriched shallow mantle plume and this magma then contaminated by the continental crust during their ascent. The reconstruction of tectonic signature suggests that West Congo belt would result from closure of an ocean basin with subduction phenomena. This collision would be marked by the establishment of ophiolite complex. We show that this model is incompatible with the CFB nature of metabasites and the orogenic evolution of Neoproterozoic. It does not seem that we can evoke a genetic link with a subduction of oceanic crust, because the paleogeography of Neoproterozoic (Rodinia) is marked by intracontinental rifts linked to opening of Rodinia. We therefore suggest the non-existence of ophiolitic complex in western Congo belt and reject the collisional model published by certain authors. We confirm the currently available intracontinental orogen model.

Flood basalt hosted palaeosols:Potential palaeoclimatic indicators of global climate change

Since continental sediments （in addition to the marine geological record） offer important means of deciphering environmental changes, the sediments hosted by the successive flows of the continental flood basalt provinces of the world should be treasure houses in gathering the palaeoclimatic data. Palaeosols developed on top of basalt flows are potentially ideal for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions because it is easy to determine their protolith geochemistry and also they define a definite time interval. The present paper summarizes the nature of the basalt-hosted palaeosols formed on the flood basalts provinces from different parts of the ~lobe havin~ different ages.

3-D Seismic Imaging and Morpho-tectonical Interpretation of Saucerlike Dykes of the Tarim Flood Basalt Province, NW China

The detailed structures of the plumbing system of the early Permian Tarim flood basalt were investigated by 3-D seismic imaging.The images show that the Tarim flood basalt mainly erupted from central volcanoes distributed

The Emeishan large igneous province:A synthesis

The late Permian Emeishan large igneous province （EL1P） covers -0.3× 10-6 kmL of the western margin of the Yangtze Block and Tibetan Plateau with displaced, correlative units in northern Vietnam （Song Da zone）. The ELIP is of particular interest because it contains numerous world-class base metal deposits and is contemporaneous with the late Capitanian （-260 Ma） mass extinction. The flood basalts are the signature feature of the ELIP but there are also ultramafic and silicic volcanic rocks and layered mafic- ultramafic and silicic plutonic rocks exposed. The EL1P is divided into three nearly concentric zones （i.e. inner, middle and outer） which correspond to progressively thicker crust from the inner to the outer zone. The eruptive age of the ELIP is constrained by geological, paleomagnetic and geochronological evidence to an interval of 〈3 Ma. The presence of picritic rocks and thick piles of flood basalts testifies to high temperature thermal regime however there is uncertainty as to whether these magmas were derived from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle or sub-lithospheric mantle （i.e. asthenosphere or mantle plume） sources or both. The range of Sr （Isr ≈ 0.7040-0.7132）, Nd （ENd（t） ≈ -14 tO ＋8）, Pb （206-pb/204-pb1 ≈ 17.9-20.6） and Os （Yos ≈ -5 to ＋11） isotope values of the ultramafic and mafic rocks does not permit a conclusive answer to ultimate source origin of the primitive rocks but it is clear that some rocks were affected by crustal contamination and the presence of near-depleted isotope compo- sitions suggests that there is a sub-lithospheric mantle component in the system. The silicic rocks are derived by basaltic magmas/rocks through fractional crystallization or partial melting, crustal melting or by interactions between mafic and crustal melts. The formation of the Fe-Ti-V oxide-ore deposits is probably due to a combination of fractional crystallization of Ti-rich basalt and fluxing of C02-rich fluids whereas the Ni-Cu-（PGE） deposits are related to crystallization and crustal contamination of mafic or ultramafic magmas with subsequent segregation of a sulphide-rich portion. The ELIP is considered to be a mantle plume-derived LIP however the primary evidence for such a model is less convincing （e.g. uplift and geochemistry） and is far more complicated than previously suggested but is likely to be derived from a relatively short-lived, plume-like upwelling of mantle-derived magmas. The emplacement of the ELIP may have adversely affected the short-term environmental conditions and contributed to the decline in biota durin~ the late Caoitanian.

Carbon Isotopic Evolution Characteristics and the Geological Significance of the Permian Carbonate Stratotype Section in the Northern Upper-Yangtze Region, Southern China

The Permian global mass extinction events and the eruption of the Emeishan flood basalts in the Upper Yangtze region should display certain responses during the evolution of carbon isotope. In this paper, the Permian carbon isotopic evolution in the Upper Yangtze region is examined through systematic stratotype section sampling and determination of 13 C in the northern Upper-Yangtze regions and Southern China. Additionally, the carbon isotopic evolution response characteristics of the geological events in the region are evaluated, comparing the sea-level changes in the Upper Yangtze region and the global sea-level change curves. Results of this study indicated that the carbon isotopic curves of the Permian in the Upper Yangtze region are characterized by higher background carbonisotope baseline values, with three distinct negative excursions, which are located at the Middle–Late Permian boundary and the late period and end of the Late Permian. The three distinct negative excursions provide an insightful record of the global Permian mass extinction events and the eruption of the Emeishan flood basalts in the Upper Yangtze region. The first negative excursion at the Middle–Late Permian boundary reflected the eruption of the Emeishan flood basalts, a decrease in sea level, and biological extinction events of different genera in varying degrees. The second negative excursion in the Late Permian included a decrease in sea level and large-scale biological replacement events. The third negative excursion of the carbon isotope at the end of the Permian corresponded unusually to a rise rather than a decrease in sea level, and it revealed the largest biological mass extinction event in history.

An Andean tectonic cycle:From crustal thickening to extension in a thin crust(34°-37°SL)

Several orogenic cycles of mountain building and subsequent collapse associated with periods of shal- lowing and steepening of subduction zones have been recognized in recent years in the Andes. Most of them are characterized by widespread crustal delamination expressed by large calderas and rhyolitic flare-up produced by the injection of hot asthenosphere in the subduction wedge. These processes are related to the increase of the subduction angle during trench roll-back. The Payenia paleoflat-slab, in the southern Central Andes of Argentina and Chile （34° -37°S） recorded a complete cycle from crustal thickening and mountain uplift to extensional collapse and normal faulting, which are related to changes in the subduction geometry. The early stages are associated with magmatic expansion and migration, subsequent deformation and broken foreland. New ages and geochemical data show the middle to late Miocene expansion and migration of arc volcanism towards the foreland region was associated with important deformation in the Andean foothills. However, the main difference of this orogenic cycle with the previously described cycles is that the steepening of the oceanic subducted slab is linked to basaltic flooding of large areas in the retroarc under an extensional setting. Crustal delamination is concentrated only in a narrow central belt along the cordilleran axis. The striking differences between the two types of cycles are interpreted to be related to the crustal thickness when steepening the subducting slab, The crustal thickness of the Altiplano is over 60-80 km, whereas Payenia is less than 42 km in the axial part, and near 30 km in the retroarc foothills. The final extensional regime associated with the slab steepening favors the basaltic flooding of more than 8400 km3 in an area larger than 40,000 km2, through 800 central vents and large fissures. These characteristics are unique in the entire present-day Andes.

Mantle plume,large igneous province and continental breakup——Additionally discussing the Cenozoic and Mesozoic mantle plume problems in East China

Based on the former workers' study results such as numerical simulation of fluid mechanics, seismic tomography of the whole earth and igneous rocks, the basie characteristics of mantle plumes are summarized in detail, namely the mantle plume, from the D" layer near the core-mantle boundary (CMB) of 2900 km deep, is characterized by the shape of large head and thin narrow conduit, by the physical property of high temperature and low viscosity. The LIP (large igneous province) is the best exhibition when the mantle plume ascends to the surface. According to the basie characteristics of the mantle plumes and the LIP, as well as the temporal-spatial relationships between the mantle plume and Continental breakup, the detailed research on petrology, geochemistry, temporal-spatial distribution, tectonic background of the Cenozoic-Mesozoic igneous rocks and gravity anomaly distribution in East China has been done. As a result, the Mesozoic igneous rocks in Southeast China should not be regarded as an example of typical LIP related to mantle plumes, for their related characteristics are not consistent with those of the typical LIPs related to mantle plumes. The Cenozoic igneous rocks in Northeast China have no the typical characteristics of mantle plumes and hotspots, so the Cenozoic volcanism in Northeast China might have no the direct relationships with the activity of mantle plumes.

Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of the Tertiary Choke Shield Basalt and Continental Flood Basalt from the Central Ethiopian Plateau

The voluminous Choke Shield basalts and flood basalts are distributed in the central Ethiopian Plateau.They are tholeiitic in composition and have OIB-like geochemical features.The ca.23 Ma Choke Shield basalts have SiO_(2)(47.1 wt.%-59.6 wt.%),MgO(1.01 wt.%-7.8 wt.%),Na_(2)O+K_(2)O(2.7 wt.%-8.4 wt.%),and display right inclined REE patterns((La/Yb)N=21.4-24.2) with enrichment of Nb,Ta,Zr,Hf and Pb in the primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagrams.They show low initial ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.703 47-0.703 77) and high ε_(Nd)(t) values(+4.4 to+5.0).In comparison,the 24Ma high-Ti(HT1) flood basalts have SiO_(2)(38.9 wt.%-50.8 wt.%),MgO(3.9 wt.%-11.4 wt.%),Na_(2)O+K_(2)O(1.6 wt.%-5.8 wt.%), and display right inclined REE patterns((La/Yb)N=24-130.3) with enrichment of Nb,Ta,Zr,Hf,and Pb.They also show low initial ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.703 30-0.704 44) and highε_(Nd)(t) values(+2.2 to+5.3).Both types of basalts were contaminated by minor crustal materials and underwent fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene,plagioclase,olivine,and minor Fe-Ti oxide.The Choke Shield basalts were generated by 1%-5% melting of garnet-spinel to phlogopite-bearing spinel lherzolite in a shallow zone of the mantle plume,while the flood basalts were formed by <20% melting of amphibole-bearing garnet to garnet-spinel lherzolite in a deeper zone of the same mantle plume.The mantle source beneath the central Ethiopian Plateau was significantly heterogeneous during the Tertiary.It was characterized by EMI and EMII end-members that were formed by the metasomatism of the different components.

The Hawaiian Volcanic Hotspot in View of Globally Active Geological, Meteorological and Cosmic Processes

Some volcanic events including flood basalt eruptions and hotspots on earth may strongly be related to (chaotic) Asteroid impacts and (more periodic) near solar system Supernovae explosions. Impacts may define some of the eruption sites and Supernovae, their intensity. The accompanied heat event can lead to a sedimentary basin on top, where a metamorphic process in the lower crust provides a depression at the surface of the earth due to rock volume reduction by water release. The definitely alternating heat event may generally be fixed to the original geographically defined impact site and can certainly last hundreds of Million years. Plate tectonics distribute the relicts of the (tornado like spiraling upwards?) volcanism across the globe. The Hawaiian volcanic hotspot and its possible origin in Northern Australia beginning with the eruptions of Cambrian Antrim flood basalts and a speculative initiating earlier Asteroid impact may act as a further example. Similar to the footprints of astronomical events on climate and life on earth geological processes like volcanism, metamorphism within the earth’s crust and subsequent sedimentary basin development may also be marks of some cosmic influence.