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.

Mineral Chemistry and Geothermometry of Amphibole and Plagioclase in the Metabasites, Located at the Tanbour Metamorphic Complex in Southern Iran

Metabasite refers to metamorphosed basalts and other mafic igneous rocks (rich in iron and magnesium). When a mafic igneous rock is subjected to new pressure and temperature conditions during metamorphism, these chemical components will rearrange themselves to form new minerals. Metabasites can be found in many metamorphic belts including Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt of Iran. The study area is a Tanbour metamorphic complex in Eastern of Sirjan city, which is geologically located at the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt in Southern Iran. Metabasite in this complex consists of greenschist, epidote amphibolite and amphibolite. Amphibole and plagioclase are the main minerals in the greenschist and amphibolite, and the a secondary mineral in some micaschist seen in the study area. The electron microprobe analysis was done on this mineralization in greenschist, epidote amphibolite and amphibolite, which showed that the amphiboles in greenschist was a member of the calcic group and Actinolite type, and the amphiboles in epidote amphibolite was a member of the calcic group and these amphiboles were tschermakite up to Ferro-Tschermakite + Ferro-Hornblende type. The amphibole in amphibolite is a member of the calcic group and this amphibole is Magnesio-Hornblende type. The plagioclases in the greenschist is pure albite (An 3.29 - 3.6), and in the epidote amphibolite is oligoclase (An 19.5 - 24.2), while in the amphibolites is oligoclase (An 16.9 - 26.6). The estimated P–T conditions are in favor of their metamorphism under epidote amphibolite (550°C and 8 kbar) and amphibolite (611°C - 652° Cand 10.5 kbar) facies.

Adakitic Rocks Resulting from Partial Melting of Metabasite at High-Pressure Granulite-Facies Condition during Continental Collision

Objective Previous studies on adakitic rocks with high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios have established that such rocks may form in a variety of tectonic settings through different petrogenetic processes including： （1） partial melting of subducted young （〈25 Ma）, hot and hydrated oceanic slab; （2） partial melting of thickened lower crust; （3） assimilation and fractional crystallization processes involving basaltic magma; （4） partial melting of delaminated lower crust; and （5） partial melting of hydrous garnet peridotite. The various origins for adakites provide important constraints on crustal growth and evolution throughout the Earth＇s history.

Metamorphism of the Basement of the Qilian Fold Belt in the Minhe-Ledu Area, Qinghai Province, NW China

The basement of the central Qilian fold belt exposed along the Minhe-Ledu highway consists of psammitic schists, metabasitic rocks, and crystalline limestone. Migmatitic rocks occur sporadically among psammitic schist and metabasitic rocks. The mineral assemblage of psammitic schist is muscovite + biotite + feldspar + quartz ± tourmaline ± titanite ± sillimanite and that of metabasitic rocks is amphibole + plagioclase + biotite ± apatite ± magnetite ± pyroxene ± garnet ± quartz. The migmatitic rock consists of leucosome and restite of various volume proportions; the former consists of muscovite + alkaline feldspar + quartz ± garnet ± plagioclase while the latter is either fragments of psammitic schist or those of metabasitic rock. The crystalline limestone consists of calcite that has been partly replaced by olivine. The olivine was subsequently altered to serpentine. Weak deformations as indicated by cleavages and fractures were imposed prominently on the psammitic schists, occasionally on metabasitic rocks, but not on migmatitic rocks. The basement experienced metamorphism up to temperature 606-778± and pressure 4.8-6.1 kbar (0.48-0.61 GPa), equivalent to amphibolite-granulite facies. The peak of the metamorphism is marked by a migmatization which occurred at several localities along the studied route 587-535 Ma ago. The basement also recorded a retrograde metamorphism of greenschist facies, during which biotite, garnet, amphibole, and pyroxene were partly altered to chlorite.

The fragment of Paleo-Tethys ophiolite from central Qiangtang, Tibet:Geochemical evidence of meta-basites in Guoganjianian

N-MORB-type metabasites are discovered in the Guoganjianian area, central Qiangtang, Tibet, which are mainly metagabbro with cumulate structure and metabasalt. The rocks are distributed nearly from west to east unconformably underlying the Wanghuling Group of upper Triassic. On the basis of geo- chemical analysis, we find that the content of SiO2 is 43.03%―53.42%, and TiO2 1%―2.67%, Al2O3 16.75%―21.52%, CaO 7.03%―11.13%, K2O 0.05%―0.38%; the REE pattern is slight depletion or flat, and the trace spider diagram is like that of N-MORB, so we consider that the metabasite was formed under the setting of mid-ocean ridge or adult back-arc basin, and it is the fragment of Paleo-Tethys ophiolite.