NORTH QAIDAM ULTRAHIGH PRESSURE METAMORPHIC (UHPM) BELT ON THE NORTHEASTERN QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU AND ITS EASTWARD EXTENSION

Eclogite was firstly discovered at the Da Qaidam region (Yang,et al., 1998), and then in the Xitieshan and Dulan regions in 1999, constituting an over 350km long high\|pressure metamorphic belt in the northeastern Qinghai—Tibet plateau. Eclogites occur as pods in the garnet\|muscovite gneiss of the Dakendaban Group (or called Shaliuhe Group in Dulan) of Upper Proterozoic age. In general, the pods of eclogite vary in size; most of them are less than 20m×10m, some large ones up to about 100m×50m. The eclogite\|hosted gneiss is pale\|gray in color, consisting mainly plagioclase and quartz, and minor muscovite (5%～10% in vol.) and garnet (1%～2%). Some of the country rocks of eclogite are mica\|quartz\|(feldspar) schist, quartzite, and ultramafic rocks, the latter also occur in blocks.Over 50 pods were found in a belt of 10km×3km in the Da Qaidam region (No.1 location). Only a few pods of eclogite were found in the Xitieshan region in 1999 field expedition (No.2 location). Eclogite in Dulan occurs in the Proterozoic strata of Shaliuhe Group (same as the Dakendaban Group but with a different name). The eclogites in the Dulan region (No.3 location) expose about 10km wide in SN and an unknown length in EW, and can be subdivided into two belts, the North Eclogite Belt of Dulan (NEBD) and the South Eclogite Belt of Dulan (SEBD).

Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Anomalies of the Sulu Ultrahigh-Pressure(UHP) Metamorphic Belt,Eastern China

The Sulu ultra-high pressure(UHP)metamorphic belt in Eastern China is well known as the eastern extension of the Qingling-Dabie orogenic belt formed by subduction and collision between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons.The main hole of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling(CCSD)project is located at the southern segment of the Sulu UHP metamorphic belt(34°25′N/118°40′E),about 17 km southwest of Donghai County.Integrated geophysical investigations using gravity,magnetic,deep

Application of pre-alloyed powders for diamond tools by ultrahigh pressure water atomization

Copper, iron and cobalt based pre-alloyed powders for diamond tools were prepared by ultrahigh pressure water atomization（UPWA） process. Pre-alloyed powders prepared by different processes including UPWA, conventional water atomization （CWA） and elemental metal mechanical mixing （EMMM） were sintered to segments and then compared in mechanical properties, holding force between matrix and diamond, fracture morphology of blank and sintering diamond section containing matrix. The results showed that the pre-alloyed powder prepared by UPWA exhibits the best mechanical properties including the relative density, the hardness and the bending strength of matrix sinteredsegment. Sintered segments fractography of UPWA pre-alloyed powder indicatesmechanical mosaic strength and chemical bonding force between the pre-alloyed powder and the diamond, leading to the great increase in the holding force between matrix and diamond. The mechanical performance andthe service life of diamond tools were greatly improved by UPWA pre-alloyed powders.

Extensional Tectonic Framework of Post High and Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphism in Dabieshan,China

The most prominent feature of the extensional tectonic framework of post high pressure (HP) and ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphism in Dabieshan is the development of the multi layered extension detachment zones surrounding the core of the Luotian dome, and the separation of the UHP, HP and epidote blueschist units by the detachment zones, which form the vertically stacking sheet like slices of the HP and UHP metamorphic rocks. From the core outwards, exist the HP and UHP rock barren Dabie complex, UHP unit, HP unit and epidote blueschist unit. The extension tectonics of post HP and UHP metamorphic event constrain the distribution and present configuration of the HP and UHP metamorphic rocks, and the extensional tectonic framework bears some similarities to the Cordillera metamorphic core complex. It is suggested that partial melting happened in the Dabie gneiss complex (DGC) and UHP unit contemporaneously with the extrusion of UHP metamorphic rocks into the lower-middle crust. The formation and emplacement of the migmatite and granites are the response to the change in thermal state, facilitating the transfer from the compressive regime to extensional regime in the crust. The large scale crustal extension and uplift and the accompanying anatexis in Dabieshan are probably related to the delamination and magmatic underplating in the mantle and the lower crust.

The Lanshantou Kyanite-bearing Eclogite with Coesite Inclusions in the Sulu Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Belt and Its PTt Path

Coesite inclusions are found in kyanite from the Lanshantou eclogite in the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt. This discovery extends the stable region of kyanite to over 2.4 GPa. As an important UHP metamorphic belt in China, the Sulu eclogite belt is the product of A-subduction induced by strong compression of the Yellow Sea terrane to the Jiaodong-northereastern Jiangsu terrane during the interaction of the Eurasian plate and Palaeo-Pacific plate in the Indosinian. It stretches about 350 km and contains over 1000 eclogite bodies. Most eclogites in this belt belong to Groups B and C in the classification of Coleman et al., and commonly contain kyanite, while the Lanshantou eclogite belongs to Group A and contains coesite. The MgO, CaO and FeO contents in garnet and pyroxene show regular variation from the core to the rim, which reveals the PTt paths of progressive metamorphism during the Early Mesozoic (240-200 Ma) and retrogressive metamorphism during the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic exhumation.

Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphism and Tectonic Evolution of Southwestern Tianshan Orogenic Belt, China: A Comprehensive Review

Recently, a huge ultrahigh-pressure(UHP) metamorphic belt of oceanic-type has been recognized in southwestern(SW) Tianshan, China. Petrological studies show that the UHP metamorphic rocks of SW Tianshan orogenic belt include mafic eclogites and blueschists, pelitic garnet phengite schists, marbles and serpentinites. The well-preserved coesite inclusions were commonly found in eclogites, garnet phengite schists and marbles. Ti-clinohumite and Ti-chondrodite have been identified in UHP metamorphic serpentinites. Based on the PT pseudosection calculation and combined U-Pb zircon dating, the P-T-t path has been outlined as four stages: cold subduction to UHP conditions before^320 Ma whose peak ultrahigh pressure is about 30 kbar at 500 ℃, heating decompression from the Pmax to the Tmax stage before 305 Ma whose peak temperature is about 600 ℃ at 22 kbar, then the early cold exhumation from amphibolite eclogite facies to epidote-amphibolite facies metamorphism before 220 Ma and the last tectonic exhumation from epidote amphibolite facies to greenschist facies metamorphism. Combining with the syn-subduction arc-like 333-326 Ma granitic rocks and 280-260 Ma S-type granites in the coeval low-pressure and high-temperature(LP-HT) metamorphic belt, the tectonic evolution of Tianshan UHP metamorphic belt during late Cambrian to early Triassic has been proposed in this paper.

High- and Ultrahigh-pressure Metamorphism and Retrogressive Textures of Gneiss in the Donghai Area——Evidence from gneisses in drillhole ZK2304

In the gneisses from the drillhole ZK2304 of the Donghai area, there have been preserved high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic mineral assemblages, a series of complicated retrogressive textures and relevant metamorphic reactions. In addition to garnet, jadeititic-clinopyroxene and rutile, other peak stage (M2) minerals in some gneisses include phengite, aragonite and coesite or quartz pseudomorphs after coesite. The typical peak-stage mineral assemblages in gneisses are characterized by garnet + jadeitic-clinopyroxene + rutile + coesite, garnet + jadeitic-clinopyroxene + phengite + rutile ± coesite and garnet + jadeitic-clinopyroxene + aragonite + rutile ± coesite. The grossular content (Gro) in garnet is high and may reach 50. 1 mol%. The SiO2 content of phengite ranges from 54.37% to 54.84% with 3.54-3.57 p.f.u. Quartz pseudomorphs after coesite occur as inclusions in garnet.The gneisses of the Donghai area have been subjected to multistage recrystallization and exhibit a closewise P-T evolutional path characterized by the near-isothermal decompression. The inclusion assemblage (Hb+Ep+Bi+Pl+Qz) within garnet and other minerals has recorded a pre-peak stage (Mi) epidote amphibole fades metamorphic event. High- and ultrahigh-pressure peak metamorphism (M2) took place at T=750-860℃ and P>2.7 GPa. The symplectitic assemblages after garnet, jadeitic-clinopyroxene and rutile imply a near-isothermal decompression metamorphism (M3, M4) during the rapid exhumation. Several lines of evidence of petrography and metamorphic reactions indicate that both gneisses and eclogites have experienced ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the Donghai area. This research may be of great significance for an in-depth study of the metamorphism and tectonic evolution in the Su-Lu ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt.

Elastic and Seismic Properties of Dabie-Sulu Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphic Rocks

Lame modulus （λ） and shear modulus （μ） are among the most important, intrinsic, elastic constants of rocks. Using 7. and μ could be much more advantageous than using P- and S-wave velocities （Vp and Vs）. Here we quantified these equivalent isotropic elastic moduli for 115 representative rocks from the ultrahigh pressure （UHP） metamorphic terrane of the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt （China） and their variations with pressure （P）, temperature （T）, density （p）, Vp, Vs and mineralogical composition. Both moduli increase nonlinearly and linearly with increasing pressure at low （〈200-300 MPa） and high （〉200-300 MPa） pressures, respectively. In the regime of high pressures, 7. and IX decrease quasi-linearly with increasing temperature with temperature derivatives dλ/dT and dμ/dT generally in the range of -10×10-3 to -1×10-3 GPa/℃. Dehydration of water-bearing minerals such as serpentine in peridotites and chlorite in retrograde eciogites results in an abrupt drop in 7. while μ remains almost unchanged. In Z-p, μ-p and 7.-IX plots, the main categories of UHP rocks can be characterized. Serpentinization leads to significant decreases in μ and 7. as serpentine has extremely low values of Z, μ and p. Eclogites, common mafic rocks （mafic gneiss, metagabbro and amphibolite）, and felsic rocks （orthogneiss and paragneiss） have high, moderate and low μ and λ values, respectively. For pyroxenes and olivines, λ increases but μ decreases with increasing Fe/Mg ratios. For plagioclase feldspars, both Z and μ exhibit a significant positive correlation with anorthite content. SiO2-rich felsic rocks and quartzites are deviated remarkably from the general trend lines of the acid-intermediate-mafic rocks in Vs-p, μ-p, λ-Vp,λ-Vs and μ-λ diagrams because quartz has extremely low λ （-8.1 GPa） and p （2.65 g/cm3） but moderate μ （44.4 GPa） values. Increasing the contents of garnet, rutile, ilmenite and magnetite results in a significant increase in the λ and μ values of the UHP metamorphic rocks. However, either λ or μ is insensitive to the compositional variations for pyralspite （pyrope-almandine-spessartine） solution series. The results provide potentially improved constraints on characterization of crustal composition based on the elastic properties of rocks and in situ seismic data from deep continental roots.

Partial Melting Processes During Exhumation of Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks in Dabieshan, China

Study practice has proved that the ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks iu Dabieshan must have exPerienced botk the retrograde metumorphism and partial melting under decompression and amphibolite-facies conditions during their exhumation from mantel depth to lower-middle crust.The retrometamorphism and partial melting of the ultrahigh pressure rocks in association with thermal state changing in the middle-lower crust, under amphibolite-facies conditions, are important physical and chemical processes. It would result in a great detrease in the integrated yield strength, and the enhancement of the de formabilitY or the rocks, promoting the transition from contractional (collision) to extensional defoemational regime. The statement of tbe retrometamorphism and partial melting of the ultrahigh pressure rocks has proved the in-site model for the ultrahigh pressure rocks in Dabieshan. It not only clarifies the evolutiou from the UHP eclogite to the surrounding gneissic rock (so called UHP gueiss) and to the garnet-beariug roliated granites (non-UHP country rocks), but also provides scientific arguments for the establiskment of the dynamic model of the exhumation of UHP metamorphic rocks in Dabiesban. In general, Purely conductive heat transfer from the crust itself is probably insurficient to produce temperature conditions for partial melting, and additional heat sources must have been present during partial melting. We infer that the partial melting and extensional flow are probably driveu by delamination and magmatic underplating of thickeued lithospkeric mantle following the continental oblique collision.

^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar Dating of Deformation Events and Reconstruction of Exhumation of Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks in Donghai, East China

Recent investigations reveal that the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHPM) rocks in the Donghai region of East China underwent ductile and transitional ductile-brittle structural events during their exhumation. The earlier ductile deformation took place under the condition of amphibolite facies and the later transitional ductile-brittle deformation under the condition of greenschist facies. The hanging walls moved southeastward during both of these two events. The 40Ar/39Ar dating of muscovites from muscovite-plagioclase schists in the Haizhou phosphorous mine, which are structurally overlain by UHPM rocks, yields a plateau age of 218.0±2.9 Ma and isochron age of 219.8Ma, indicating that the earlier event of the ampibolite-facies deformation probably took place about 220 Ma ago. The 40Ar/39Ar dating of oriented amphiboles parallel to the movement direction of the hanging wall on a decollement plane yields a plateau age of 213.1±0.3 Ma and isochron age of 213.4±4.1 Ma, probably representing the age of the later event. The dating of pegmatitic biotites and K-feldspars near the decollement plane from the eastern Fangshan area yield plateau ages of 203.4±0.3 Ma, 203.6±0.4 Ma and 204.8±2.2 Ma, and isochron ages of 204.0±2.0 Ma, 200.6±3.1 Ma and 204.0±5.0 Ma, respectively, implying that the rocks in the studied area had not been cooled down to closing temperature of the dated biotites and K-feldspars until the beginning of the Jurassic (about 204 Ma). The integration of these data with previous chronological ages on the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism lead to a new inference on the exhumation of the UHPM rocks. The UHPM rocks in the area were exhumed at the rate of 3-4 km/Ma from the mantle (about 80-100 km below the earth's surface at about 240 Ma) to the lower crust (at the depth of about 20-30km at 220 Ma), and at the rate of 1-2 km/Ma to the middle crust (at the depth of about 15 km at 213 Ma), and then at the rate of less than 1 km/Ma to the upper crust about 10 km deep at about 204 Ma.

Partial melting of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks at convergent continental margins: Evidences, melt compositions and physical effects

Ultrahigh-pressure（UHP） metamorphic rocks are distinctive products of crustal deep subduction,and are mainly exposed in continental subduction-collision terranes. UHP slices of continental crust are usually involved in multistage exhumation and partial melting, which has obvious influence on the rheological features of the rocks, and thus significantly affect the dynamic behavior of subducted slices. Moreover,partial melting of UHP rocks have significant influence on element mobility and related isotope behavior within continental subduction zones, which is in turn crucial to chemical differentiation of the continental crust and to crust-mantle interaction.Partial melting can occur before, during or after the peak metamorphism of UHP rocks. Post-peak decompression melting has been better constrained by remelting experiments; however, because of multiple stages of decompression, retrogression and deformation, evidence of former melts in UHP rocks is often erased. Field evidence is among the most reliable criteria to infer partial melting. Glass and nanogranitoid inclusions are generally considered conclusive petrographic evidence. The residual assemblages after melt extraction are also significant to indicate partial melting in some cases. Besides field and petrographic evidence, bulk-rock and zircon trace-element geochemical features are also effective tools for recognizing partial melting of UHP rocks. Phase equilibrium modeling is an important petrological tool that is becoming more and more popular in P-T estimation of the evolution of metamorphic rocks; by taking into account the activity model of silicate melt, it can predict when partial melting occurred if the P-T path of a given rock is provided.UHP silicate melt is commonly leucogranitic and peraluminous in composition with high SiO_2,low MgO, FeO, MnO, TiO_2 and CaO, and variable K_2 O and Na_2 O contents. Mineralogy of nanogranites found in UHP rocks mainly consists of plagioclase ＋ K-feldspar ＋ quartz, plagioclase being commonly albite-rich.Trace element pattern of the melt is characterized by significant enrichment of large ion lithophile elements（LILE）, depletion of heavy rare earth elements（HREE） and high field strength elements（HFSE）,indicating garnet and rutile stability in the residual assemblage. In eclogites, significant Mg-isotope fractionation occurs between garnet and phengite; therefore, Mg isotopes may become an effective indicator for partial melting of eclogites.

On Continent-Continent Point-Collision and Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphism

Up to now it is known that almost all ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism of non-impact origin occurred in continent-continent collisional orogenic belt, as has been evidenced by many outcrops in the eastern hemisphere. UHP metamorphic rocks are represented by coesite- and diamond-bearing eclogites and eclogite facies metamorphic rocks formed at 650-800℃ and 2.6-3.5 GPa, and most of the protoliths of UHP rocks are volcanic-sedimentary sequences of continental crust. From these it may be deduced that deep subduction of continental crust may have occurred. However, UHP rocks are exposed on the surface or occur near the surface now, which implies that they have been exhumed from great depths. The mechanism of deep subduction of continental crust and subsequent exhumation has been a hot topic of the research on continental dynamics, but there are divergent views. The focus of the dispute is how deep continental crust is subducted so that UHP rocks can be formed and what mechanism causes it to be subducted to great depths and again exhumed to the shallow surface. Through an analysis of the continental process and mechanical boundary conditions of the Dabie collisional belt-an UHP metamorphic belt where the largest area of UHP rocks in the world is exposed, this paper discusses the variations of viscous stresses and average pressure in the viscous fluid caused by tectonism with rock physical properties and the contribution of the tectonic stresses to production of UHP. Calculation indicates that the anomalous stress state on the irregular boundary of a continental block may give rise to stress concentration and accumulation at local places (where the compressional stress may be 5-9 times higher than those in their surroundings). The tectonic stresses may account for 20-35% of the total UHP. So we may infer that the HP (nigh-pressure)-UHP rocks in the Dabie Mountains were formed at depths of 60-80 km. Thus the authors propose a new genetic model of UHP rocks-the point-collision model. This model conforms to the basic principles of the mechanics and also to the geologic records and process in the Dabie orogenic belt. It can explain why UHP rocks do nol exist along the entire length of the collisional orogen but occur in some particular positions. The authors also propose that the eastern and western corners of the Himalaya collision zone are typical point-collision areas and that almost all UHP metamorphism of continental crustal rocks occurred in the two particular positions.

The Metamorphic Evolution and Tectonic Significance of the Sumdo High and Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphic Terrane, Central-South Lhasa Block, Tibet

Asthemaintectoniccomponentofthe Himalayan–Tibetan orogen,the Lhasa terrane has received much attention as it records the entire history of the orogeny.The occurrence of high pressure eclogite in the Sumdo complex in central Lhasa terrane has a significant importance on the understanding of the Paleo-Tethys subduction and plate itineration processes in this area.The petrological,geochemical and geochronological data of eclogite and associated blueschist and garnet-bearing mica schist from Sumdo,Jilang and Bailang area have been briefly reviewed to explore the origin and metamorphic evolution of this suture.Eclogites from the Sumdo complex have experienced low temperature,high pressure to ultrahigh pressure metamorphism,revealing a fastsubduction and exhumation process in a typical oceanic subduction zone.The large P-T range between different eclogites in the literature may be affected by the big error of unappropriated using geothermobarometry and may also because of slices of subducted blocks derived from different depths juxtapose together during exhumation.By summarizing the U-Pb,Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd ages of eclogites,the eclogite facies metamorphism is likely to occur in early Triassic during 245-225 Ma,but not the previously accepted late Permian at ca.260 Ma by the reinterpretation of the former geochronological data from literature.The opening of Paleo-Tethys Ocean between the Lhasa terrane initiate prior to ca.280 Ma and ultimate closure to integrate the Lhasa terrane was no earlier than225 Ma and may triggered by the initial subduction of Bangong-Nujiang Tethys Ocean in the north.

Geobarmal Gradient in Orogenic Belt and Metamorphism Caused by Ultrahigh Pressure

The components and structures of lithosphere, inhomogeneous, are changing incessantly in different periods. Therefore, the state of load, called the pressure, in lithosphere is also incessantly changing. When the lithosphere volume remains the same, namely on the premise of isovolumes, the geobarmal gradient is: (d p /d h) v =( p / h) v +( p / T) v (d T /d h) v . If β =(d p /d h) v /( p / h) v is supposed, then β =1+ rg -1 C v (d T /d h) v . When the geothermal degree in (d T /d h) v is zero, then the pressure grade of lithosphere is equal to the lithostatic grade, which is the minimum value in the pressure grade of lithosphere. Suppose that the lithosphere is made only up of quartz, C v ≌ C p =0.782+5.718×10 -4 T -1.883×10 4 T -2 (J· g -1 · K -1 ) is obtained, which is the minimum one in lithospheric rock, and then the geothermal grade value of 20 ℃/km is calculated according to the geophysical transection data of Qinling Mountain orogeny. The results show that the high pressure and ultrahigh pressure eclogites in Jiangsu Province and Huangzhen, Dabie may, on the condition of incompletely isovolumes, occur in the depths of 17-40 km with the increase in geothermal temperature, whose values of β do not correspond to the theoretic value of 3.08.

High-Pressure and Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Belt in Tongbai-Dabie Mountains,Central China

There are four units of high - pressure to ultrahigh - pressure metamorphism extending from south to north across the Tongbai - Dabie Mountains : the epidote- blueschist - fades unit , the low - temperature eclogite facies unit , the ultrahigh - pressure eclogite facies unit and the medium-temperature eclogite facies unit . The later two units were formed during the Caledonian subduction between the Tongbai - Dabie microplate and the North China plate ;the former two units are the products of Indosinian continental - continental subduction and collision between the Yangtze and the North China plates.

Retrogressive Microstructures: A Key to Post-Collisional Uplift and Extension Tectonics of Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks from Dabie Orogenic Belt, China

A wealth of retrogressive microstructures have been discovered from the UHP metamorphic rocks in Dabie orogenic belt, namely, the ultrahigh-pressure (URP) eclogites, jadeite quartzites and kyanite-zoisite-quartz vein. The most important are pseudomorphic replacements of UHP minerals like coesite, the corona reaction textures iuduced by solid-solid reactions as well as the corona and symplectites induced by reactions involving fluid. According to the textural relationships the sequence of mineral Paragenesis and the metamorphic stages in the UHP eclogites can be delineated; the mineral geobarothermometry of the various stages of retrograde metamorphism is studied and a clockwise, nearly isothermal decompressive metamorphic PT-trajectory for the UHP eclogites can be reconstructed. In terms of the PT-trajectory the two stage post collision uplirt and exhumation processes are reflected. When the UHP metumorphic rocks extruded to the lower-middle crust partial melting happened which bad in turn caused tke crustal extension and the further exhumation or the UHP metomorphic rocks. Based on the field strain analysis combined with geochronological data a scenario or post collision uplift aud exhumation model is presented.

Mechanical Analysis for Two-layered Ultrahigh Pressure Apparatus with Interlayer Pressure

To improve the bearing pressure capacity of ultrahigh pressure apparatus,the internal autofrettaged cylinder with interlayer pressure(ACCIP)is introduced,and the analytical model for the ACCIP structure and its derivation are presented as well.Calculation showed that the ACCIP method enhance bearing pressure of the apparatus obviously;optimization results revealed that under the working pressure pw=1.07σs and different radius ratios,the ACCIP method can keep the apparatus in deformed-elastically state;And when the pw=1.07σs,the minimum radius ratio was approximate 3.29,in this case,no yielding happened.The above results demonstrate that the ACCIP method is a promising technique to improve the bearing pressure of ultrahigh pressure apparatus,and the analytical model for the ACCIP method is also reasonable.In addition,the minimum radius ratio ro/ri under randomly specified workload can be Fig.d out by the analytical model proposed in this work.

The Minimum Stable Pressure and Geological Significants of Supersilic Garnet in Continental Felsic Rocks: Constraints from HT-HP Experiments

A lot of previous experimental studies on ultramafic rocks(SiO2 unsaturated system)(Ringwood and Major, 1971;Irifune et al., 1986;Gasparik, 1989;Ono and Yasuda, 1996) have demonstrated that characteristics of Si-rich and Al-deficient in garnet are resulted from coupled substitution of SiⅥ+MⅥ=AlⅥ+AlⅥ and SiⅥ+NaⅧ=AlⅥ+MⅧ(M=Mg, Fe, Ca) at ultrahigh pressures(UHP)(>5 GPa). The degree of substitution will be enhanced by increasing pressure which has a positive correlation with the content of SiⅥ, but a negative correlation with the content of AlⅥ in supersilic garnet. These experimental results established a theoretical foundation for further understanding the formation mechanism of the exsolution of pyroxene in garnet observed in deep mantle xenoliths and some ultrahigh pressure rocks, and also for estimating the pressure conditions of the formation of supersilic garnet before exsolution(Haggerty and Sautter, 1990;Sautter et al., 1991;van Roermund et al., 1998;Ye et al., 2000). Although some experimental studies on SiO2 saturated system have been reported(Irifune et al., 1994;Ono., 1998;Dobrazhinetskya and Green.,2007;Wu et al., 2009), the stability conditions of supersilic garnet are still lack of unified understanding. Therefore, HP-HT experiments were carried out on felsic rocks under conditions of 6–12 GPa and 1000℃–1400℃. Combined with previous experimental data, we try to figure out the minimum stable pressure and geological significants of supersilic garnet in SiO2 saturated system. Our experimental results from SiO2 saturated system show the minimum stable pressure of supersilic garnet should be ≥10 GP of stishovite stability field. These results are similar as that from experiments using starting composition similar to average upper continental crust reported by Irifune et al(1994) who yielded that garnet gradually became supersilic and Al-deficient as pressures increased above 10 GPa, especially in a pressure interval between 13 and 18 GPa. Moreover, experiments with different starting materials(Ono, 1998;Dobrazhinetskya and Green, 2007;Wu et al. 2009) also indicate the stable pressure condition of supersilic garnet is mainly ≥9 –10 GPa in SiO2 saturated system if data of small-size grains at low temperature are ignored due to measuring errors. Thus, it can be concluded that the minimum stable pressure of supersilic garnet in SiO2 saturated system is distinctly different from that in SiO2 unsaturated ultramafic rock system. The minimum pressure of the former is ≥9–10 GPa of stishovite stability field, while that of the latter is >5 GPa. Therefore, whether independent SiO2 phase exist or rock system is SiO2 saturated must be taken into considered when estimating the peak pressure of exsolutions in supersilic garnet in UHP rocks. Furthermore, pressure of >5 GPa directly estimated by supersilic garnet based on conclusion from SiO2 unsaturation system rather than SiO2 saturation in previous sdudies may have been underestimated and need to be re-estimated. Supersilic garnets have been recognized by interior exsolutions of clinopyroxene in garnet pyroxene from Yinggelisayi South Altyn(Liu et al., 2005), and exsolutions of rodlike quartz+rutile in felsic gneiss from Songshugou North Qinling(Liu et al., 2003). According to the experimental results from SiO2 unsaturated system, the peak metamorphic pressure of the both SiO2 saturated rocks have been estimated to be >7 Gpa and >5 Gpa, respectively. However, combined with the new experimental results above, we re-estimated that the peak metamorphic pressure of these SiO2 saturated rocks should be≥9–10 GPa at least, implying an ultra-deep subduction to mantle depth of stishovite stability field. This research, together with previous findings(Liu et al., 2007, 2018), shows that continental subduction to mantle depth(300 km) of stishovite stability field and then exhumation to the surface is obviously more common than previously thought, and the rock types are also diverse. At the same time, it provides a new indicator and thought for recognizing the subduction to the mantle depth of stishovite stability field in UHP metamorphic belt.

PRESSURE GRADIENT FROM THE CONTRIBUTION OF BOTH GEOTHERMAL AND GRAVITY IN THE LITHOSPHERE

The pressure gradient of the lithosphere is a key to explaining various geological processes, and varies also in time and space similar to the geothermal gradient. In this paper a correlation formula of geothermal gradients and pressure gradients was built with the thermocomprestion coefficients. Based on this formula, the article has studied the relation between the pressure gradients and the geothermal gradients in the lithosphere, and the results indicate that the pressure gradient in the lithosphere is nonlinear, and its minimum value is the lithostatic gradient, and that the pressure gradient of the lithosphere will increase obviously with the contribution of both geothermal and gravity, and could be twice times more than the lithostatic gradient.

High-pressure Raman study of solid hydrogen up to 300 GPa

The high-pressure behavior of solid hydrogen has been investigated by in situ Raman spectroscopy upon compression to 300 GPa at ambient temperature. The hydrogen vibron frequency begins to decrease after it initially increases with pressure up to 38 GPa. This softening behavior suggests the weakening of the intramolecular bond and the increased intermolecular interactions. Above 237 GPa, the vibron frequency softens very rapidly with pressure at a much higher rate than that of phase HI, corresponding to transformation from phase III into phase IV. The phase transition sequence has been confirmed from phase I to phase III and then to phase IV at 208 and 237 GPa, respectively. Previous theoretical calculations lead to the proposal of an energetically favorable monoclinic C2/c structure for phase HI and orthorhombic Pbcn structure for phase IV. Up to 304 GPa, solid hydrogen is not yet an alkali metal since the sample is still transparent.