Coseismic Coulomb stress changes induced by a 2020-2021 M_(W)>7.0 Alaska earthquake sequence in and around the Shumagin gap and its influence on the Alaska-Aleutian subduction interface

Three M_(W)>7.0 earthquakes in 2020-2021 occurred in the Shumagin seismic gap and its adjacent area of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone,including the Mw7.8 Simeonof thrust earthquake on July 22,2020,the M_(W)7.6 Sand Point strike-slip earthquake on October 19,2020,and the M_(W)8.2 Chignik thrust earthquake on July 29,2021.The spatial and temporal proximity of these three earthquakes prompts us to probe stress-triggering effects among them.Here we examine the coseismic Coulomb stress change imparted by the three earthquakes and their influence on the subduction interface.Our results show that:(1)The Simeonof earthquake has strong loading effects on the subsequent Sand Point and Chignik earthquakes,with the Coulomb stress changes of 3.95 bars and 2.89 bars,respectively.The Coulomb stress change caused by the Sand Point earthquake at the hypocenter of the Chignik earthquake is merely around 0.01 bars,suggesting the negligible triggering effect on the latter earthquake;(2)The triggering effects of the Simeonof,Sand Point,and Chignik earthquakes on aftershocks within three months are not well pronounced because of the triggering rates of 38%,14%,and 43%respectively.Other factors may have played an important role in promoting the occurrence of these aftershocks,such as the roughness of the subduction interface,the complicated velocity structure of the lithosphere,and the heterogeneous prestress therein;(3)The three earthquakes caused remarkable coseismic Coulomb stress changes at the subduction interface nearby these mainshocks,with an average Coulomb stress change of 3.2 bars in the shallow region directly inwards the trench.

Topography of the 660-km discontinuity within the Izu-Bonin subduction zone and evidence of slab penetration near the Bonin Super Deep Earthquake(~680 km)

The Izu-Bonin subduction zone in the Northwest Pacific is an ideal location for understanding mantle dynamics such as cold lithosphere subduction. The slab produces a lateral thermal anomaly, inducing local topographic changes at the boundary of a post-spinel phase transformation, considered to be the origin of the ‘660-km discontinuity.’ In this study, the short-period(1–2 Hz) S-to-P conversion phase S660P was used to obtain the fine-scale structure of the discontinuity. More than 100 earthquakes that occurred from the 1980s to the 2020s and were recorded by high-quality seismic arrays in the United States and Europe were analyzed. A discontinuity in the ambient mantle with an average depth of ~670 km was found beneath the 300–400-km event zone in the northern Bonin region near 33°N. Meanwhile, the ‘660-km discontinuity’ has been pushed upward, away from the slab, possibly because of a hot upwelling mantle plume. In the central part of the subduction zone, the 660-km discontinuity is depressed to an average depth of(690 ± 5) km within the slab at approximately 150 km below the coldest slab core, indicating a(300 ± 100) ℃ cold anomaly estimated using a post-spinel transformation Clapeyron slope of(-2.0 ± 1.0) MPa/K. In southern Bonin near 28°N, the discontinuity was found to be further depressed at an average depth of(695 ± 5) km below the deepest event and with a focal depth of ~550 km. The discontinuity is located where the slab bends abruptly to become sub-horizontal toward the west-southwest. Near the zone of the isolated Bonin Super Deep Earthquake, which occurred at ~680 km on May 30,2015, the discontinuity is depressed to ~700 km, suggesting a near-vertical penetrating slab and an S-to-P conversion in the coldest slab core, where a large low-temperature anomaly should exist.

Density Structure of the Papua New Guinea-Solomon Arc Subduction System

The Papua New Guinea-Solomon(PN-SL)arc is one of the regions with active crustal motions and strong geological actions.Thus,its complex subduction system makes it an ideal laboratory for studying the initiation mechanism of plate subduction.However,the PN-SL subduction system has not yet been sufficiently studied,and its density structure has yet to be revealed.In this paper,we used the free-air gravity data,Parker-Oldenburg density surface inversion method,and the genetic algorithm density inversion method to obtain the density structure of an approximately 1000-km-long northwest-southeast line crossing the PN-SL subduction system under the constraints of the CRUST1.0 global crustal model,onshore seismic data,and the LLNL-G3Dv3 global P-wave velocity model.The density structure shows that density differences between the plates on the two sides of the trench could play a significant role in plate subduction.

Characterization of subduction initiation

Compression is required for all kinds of subduction initiations,which may cause either subsidence or uplift,depending on the ages of the oceanic plates.Subduction initiations associated with the old oceanic crust tend to amplify preexisting subsidence by compression,whereas those associated with young oceanic plates may result in uplift.

An assessment of the subduction rate in the CMIP6 historical experiment

Subduction process is a dynamical bridge for the exchanges of heat between the atmosphere and subsurface ocean water,which is regarded as a central proxy for the ocean climate studies.Given its key indicator in climate signals,it is of importance to examine the ability of a model to simulate the global subduction rate before investigating the climate dynamics.In this paper,we evaluated the ability of 21 climate models from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6(CMIP6)in simulating the subduction rate.In general,the simulation ability of the models to the subduction climatology is better than that to the long-term variation trend.Based on the comprehensive analysis of climatology distribution and long-term trend of the subduction rate,GISS-E2-1-G performs better in reproducing the subduction rate climatology and IPSL-CM6A-LR can simulate positive long-term trend for both the global mean subduction rate and the lateral induction term in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC)region.However,it is still challenging to capture both the distribution characteristics of the subduction climatology and the long-term temporal trend for the 21 CMIP6 models.In addition,the model results demonstrate that,the ACC area is the major region contributing to the long-term trend of the global mean subduction rate.The analysis in this paper indicates that the poor simulation ability of reproducing the long-term trend of global mean subduction rate might be attributed to the ocean dynamics,for example,the zonal velocity at the bottom mixed layer and zonal gradient of mixed layer depth.

Magmatism-Related Thermal Simulation of Volcanic Arcs in the Molucca Sea Bidirectional Subduction System

The bidirectional subduction system,island arc magmatic activities,and thermal structure of the forearc basin in the Molucca Sea are taken into consideration in this study.The active volcanic arcs on both sides of the bidirectional subduction zone in the Molucca Sea are undergoing arc-arc collisions.We applied a finite element thermal simulation method to reconstruct the thermal evolution history of the Molucca Sea Plate based on geophysical data.Then,we analyzed the thermodynamic characteristics of island arc volcanism on both sides of the bidirectional subduction zone.The results showed that at 10Myr,the oceanic ridge of the Molucca Sea Plate was asymmetrically biased to the west,causing this bidirectional subduction to be deeper in the west than in the east.Furthermore,the oceanic ridge subducted under the Sangihe arc at 5.5Myr,causing intermittent cessation of volcanic activities.Due to the convergence of bidirectional subduction,the geothermal gradient in the top 3km depth of the forearc area between the Sangihe and Halmahera arcs decreased from about 60℃km^(−1) at 4Myr to about 38℃km^(−1) today.Finally,within the 45–100 km depth range of the sliding surface of the subduction,anomalously high-temperature zones formed due to shear friction during the bidirectional subduction.

Coupling between the Cenozoic west Pacific subduction initiation and decreases of atmospheric carbon dioxides

At the beginning of the Cenozoic,the atmospheric CO_(2)concentration increased rapidly from~2000 ppmv at 60 Ma to~4600 ppmv at 51 Ma,which is 5–10 times higher than the present value,and then continuous declined from~51 to 34 Ma.The cause of this phenomenon is still not well understood.In this study,we demonstrate that the initiation of Cenozoic west Pacific plate subduction,triggered by the hard collision in the Tibetan Plateau,occurred at approximately 51 Ma,coinciding with the tipping point.The water depths of the Pacific subduction zones are mostly below the carbonate compensation depths,while those of the Neo-Tethys were much shallower before the collision and caused far more carbonate subducting.Additionally,more volcanic ashes erupted from the west Pacific subduction zones,which consume CO_(2).The average annual west Pacific volvano eruption is 1.11 km~3,which is higher than previous estimations.The amount of annual CO_(2)absorbed by chemical weathering of additional west Pacific volcanic ashes could be comparable to the silicate weathering by the global river.We propose that the initiation of the western Pacific subduction controlled the long-term reduction of atmospheric CO_(2)concentration.

Aseismic ridge subduction and flat subduction:Insights from three-dimensional numerical models

Flat subduction can significantly influence the distribution of volcanism,stress state,and surface topography of the overriding plate.However,the mechanisms for inducing flat subduction remain controversial.Previous two-dimensional(2-D)numerical models and laboratory analogue models suggested that a buoyant impactor(aseismic ridge,oceanic plateau,or the like)may induce flat subduction.However,three-dimensional(3-D)systematic studies on the relationship between flat subduction and buoyant blocks are still lacking.Here,we use a 3-D numerical model to investigate the influence of the aseismic ridge,especially its width(which is difficult to consider in 2-D numerical models),on the formation of flat subduction.Our model results suggest that the aseismic ridge needs to be wide and thick enough to induce flat subduction,a condition that is difficult to satisfy on the Earth.We also find that the subduction of an aseismic ridge parallel to the trench or a double aseismic ridge normal to the trench has a similar effect on super-wide aseismic ridge subduction in terms of causing flat subduction,which can explain the flat subduction observed beneath regions such as Chile and Peru.

Carbonatite Occurrence in Ambaji-Sendra Belt of NW Indian Shield: Evidence of Carbonatitic Magmatism in the Subduction Setting

The paper represents a new discovery of a late Mesoproterozoic lenticular and discontinuous, carbonatitic body exposed at Basantgarh, Sendra and near the Abu-road area of the Ambaji-Sendra belt of the South Delhi Fold Belt. It is medium to coarse-grained and light to dark coloured compact rock. The common associates of the carbonatitic rock are felsic rocks, rich in alkalies. Carbonatite contains more than 50% carbonate minerals, the majority of which are calcite, dolomite, ankerite, augite-aegirine augite and plagioclase. It is classified as calcite carbonatite of the sövite variety due to its coarse-grained character, chemically as calico-carbonatite and magnesio-carbonatite and even as silico-carbonatites for having more than 20% SiO2. The ∑REE contents of calico-carbonatite samples are nearly 100 times greater than magnesio-carbonatite. Chondrite normalised REE profiles of calcio-carbonatites are LREE enriched with nearly flat HREEs whereas the magnesio-carbonatite is characterised by flat REE patterns. The mantle-normalized incompatible trace element spidergram of Ambaji-Sendra belt carbonatites shows distinct negative anomalies of Ba, Nb, Ta, P, Sm, Eu, Ti and Y and positive at U and Pb by calcio-carbonatite whereas the magnesio-carbonatite displays negative kinks at K, Zr, Nb, Ta and Ti and positive at Th, Pb and Sr. The variable and/or contrasting enrichment/depletion in various elements in the two types of Ambaji-Sendra belt carbonatite is attributed either to significant differences in the type and modal proportion of different accessory mineral species or selective incorporation of metasomatic fluids during the subduction process. The chemical attributes of Ambaji-Sendra belt carbonatite suggest its emplacement in subduction settings.

Subduction of the primordial crust into the deep mantle

The primordial crust on the Earth formed from the crystallization of the surface magma ocean during the Hadean.However,geological surveys have found no evidence of rocks dating back to more than 4 Ga on the Earth's surface,suggesting the Hadean crust was lost due to some processes.We investigated the subduction of one of the possible candidates for the primordial crust,anorthosite and KREEP crust similar to the Moon,which is also considered to have formed from the crystallization of the magma ocean.Similar to the present Earth,the subduction of primordial crust by subduction erosion is expected to be an effective way of eliminating primordial crust from the surface.In this study,the subduction rate of the primordial crust via subduction channels is evaluated by numerical simulations.The subduction channels are located between the subducting slab and the mantle wedge and are comprised of primordial crust materials supplied mainly by subduction erosion.We have found that primordial anorthosite and KREEP crust of up to ~ 50 km thick at the Earth's surface was able to be conveyed to the deep mantle within 0.1-2 Gy by that mechanism.

Petrology and metamorphism of glaucophane eclogites in Changning-Menglian suture zone, Bangbing area, southeast Tibetan Plateau: An evidence for Paleo-Tethyan subduction

High/ultrahigh-pressure(HP/UHP)metamorphic complexes,such as eclogite and blueschist,are generally regarded as significant signature of paleo-subduction zones and paleo-suture zones.Glaucophane eclogites have been recently identified within the Lancang Group characterized by accretionary mélange in the Changning-Menglian suture zone,at Bangbing in the Shuangjiang area of southeastern Tibetan Plateau.The authors report the result of petrological,mineralogical and metamorphism investigations of these rocks,and discuss their tectonic implications.The eclogites are located within the Suyi blueschist belt and occur as tectonic lenses in coarse-grained garnet muscovite schists.The major mineral assemblage of the eclogites includes garnet,omphacite,glaucophane,phengite,clinozoisite and rutile.Eclogitic garnet contains numerous inclusions,such as omphacite,glaucophane,rutile,and quartz with radial cracks around.Glaucophane and clinozoisite in the matrix have apparent optical and compositional zonation.Four stages of metamorphic evolution can be determined:The prograde blueschist facies(M_(1)),the peak eclogite facies(M_(2)),the decompression blueschist facies(M_(3))and retrograde greenschist facies(M_(4)).Using the Grt-Omp-Phn geothermobarometer,a peak eclogite facies metamorphic P-T condition of 3000–3270 MPa and 617–658℃ was determined,which is typical of low-temperature ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism.The comparison of the geological characteristics of the Bangbing glaucophane eclogites and the Mengku lawsonite-bearing retrograde eclogites indicates that two suites of eclogites may have formed from significantly different depths or localities to create the tectonic mélange in a subduction channel during subduction of the Triassic Changning-Menglian Ocean.The discovery of the Bangbing glaucophane eclogites may represent a new oceanic HP/UHP metamorphic belt in the Changning-Menglian suture zone.

Enlightenment of the Mariana Fore-arc Sedimentary Basin Evolution to the Subduction Process

The Mariana subduction structure is a hot topic in ocean-ocean subduction zone research,and its subduction mechanism has attracted wide attention from experts and scholars in China and abroad.Based on the multi-channel seismic data of survey line MGL1204 in the Mariana fore-arc and DSDP ocean drilling data,this paper studies the development and evolution characteristics of the structure and strata in the Cenozoic Mariana fore-arc sedimentary basin.The Cenozoic strata are divided into six seismic sequences,with the possible era of each seismic sequence discerned,and the relationship between fault development and earthquakes analyzed.The episodic activity of the volcanic chain of the Mariana island arc is thought to control the tectonic and stratigraphic development pattern of the Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the fore-arc.Between 16°N-19°N and 146°E-151°E,the maximum thickness of the sedimentary center of the Cenozoic fore-arc sedimentary basin in Mariana is about 2360 m.Normal faults are developed in the area and some broke to the seabed,indicating that the Mariana island arc is still in the post-arc expansion stage.The application of multi-channel seismic sections in structural and stratigraphic evolution study is an important means to elucidating the Mariana subduction mechanism.

Tectono-magmatic evolution of Tethyan oceanic lithosphere in supra subduction zone fore arc regime:Geochemical fingerprints from crust-mantle sections of Naga Hills Ophiolite

The Naga Hills Ophiolite(NHO)belt in the Indo-Myanmar range(IMR)represents a segment of Tethyan oceanic crust and upper mantle that was involved in an eastward convergence and collision of the Indian Plate with the Burmese Plate during the Late Cretaceous-Eocene.Here,we present a detailed petrological and geochemical account for the mantle and crustal sections of NHO,northeastern India to address(i)the mantle processes and tectonic regimes involved in their genesis and(ii)their coherence in terms of the thermo-tectonic evolution of Tethyan oceanic crust and upper mantle.The NHO suite comprises well preserved crustal and mantle sections discretely exposed at Moki,Ziphu,Molen,Washelo and Lacham areas.The ultramafic-mafic lithologies of NHO are mineralogically composed of variable proportions of olivine,orthopyroxene,clinopyroxene and plagioclase.The primary igneous textures for the mantle peridotites have been overprinted by extensive serpentinisation whereas the crustal section rocks reflect crystal cumulation in a magma chamber.Chondrite normalised REE profiles for the cumulate peridotite-olivine gabbro-gabbro assemblage constituting the crustal section of NHO show flat to depleted LREE patterns consistent with their generation from depleted MORB-type precursor melt in an extensional tectonic setting,while the mantle peridotites depict U-shaped REE patterns marked by relative enrichment of LREE and HREE over MREE.These features collectively imply a dual role of depleted MORB-type and enriched arc-type mantle components for their genesis with imprints of melt-rock and fluid-rock interactions.Tectonically,studied lithologies from NHO correspond to a boninitic to slab-proximal Island Arc Tholeiite affinity thereby conforming to an intraoceanic supra subduction zone(SSZ)fore-arc regime coherent with the subduction initiation process.The geochemical attributes for the crustal and mantle sections of NHO as mirrored by Zr/Hf,Zr/Sm,Nb/Ta,Zr/Nb,Nb/U,Ba/Nb,Ba/Th,Ba/La and Nd/Hf ratios propound a two-stage petrogenetic process:(i)a depleted fore arc basalt(FAB)type tholeiitic melt parental to the crustal lithologies was extracted from the upwelling asthenospheric mantle at SSZ fore-arc extensional regime thereby rendering a refractory residual upper mantle;(ii)the crust and upper mantle of the SSZ fore arc were progressively refertilised by boninitic melts generated in response to subduction initiation and slab-dehydration.The vestiges of Tethyan oceanic lithosphere preserved in NHO represent an accreted intra-oceanic fore arc crust and upper mantle section which records a transitional geodynamic evolution in a SSZ regime marked by subduction initiation,fore arc extension and arc-continent accretion.

Subduction zone geochemistry

Crustal recycling at convergent plate boundaries is essential to mantle heterogeneity.However,crustal signatures in the mantle source of basaltic rocks above subduction zones were primarily incorporated in the form of liquid rather than solid phases.The physicochemical property of liquid phases is determined by the dehydration behavior of crustal rocks at the slab-mantle interface in subduction channels.Because of the significant fractionation in incompatible trace elements but the full inheritance in radiogenic isotopes relative to their crustal sources,the production of liquid phases is crucial to the geochemical transfer from the subducting crust into the mantle.In this process,the stability of specific minerals in subducting crustal rocks exerts a primary control on the enrichment of given trace elements in the liquid phases.For this reason,geochemically enriched oceanic basalts can be categorized into two types in terms of their trace element distribution patterns in the primitive mantle-normalized diagram.One is island arc basalts(IAB),showing enrichment in LILE,Pb and LREE but depletion in HFSE such as Nb and Ta relative to HREE,The other is ocean island basalts(OIB),exhibiting enrichment in LILE and LREE,enrichment or non-depletion in HFSE but depletion in Pb relative to HREE.In either types,these basalts show the enhanced enrichment of LILE and LREE with increasing their incompatibility relative to normal mid-ocean ridge basalts(MORB).The thermal regime of subduction zones can be categorized into two stages in both time and space,The first stage is characterized by compressional tectonism at low thermal gradients.As a consequence,metamorphic dehydration of the subducting crust prevails at forearc to subarc depths due to the breakdown of hydrous minerals such as mica and amphibole in the stability field of garnet and rutile,resulting in the liberation of aqueous solutions with the trace element composition that is considerably enriched in LILE,Pb and LREE but depleted in HFSE and HREE relative to normal MORB.This provides the crustal signature for the mantle sources of IAB.The second stage is indicated by extensional tectonism at high thermal gradients,leading to the partial melting of metamorphically dehydrated crustal rocks at subarc to postarc depths.This involves not only the breakdown of hydrous minerals such as amphibole,phengite and allanite in the stability field of garnet but also the dissolution of rutile into hydrous melts.As such,the hydrous melts can acquire the trace element composition that is significantly enriched in LILE,HFSE and LREE but depleted in Pb and HREE relative to normal MORB,providing the crustal signature for the mantle sources of OIB.In either case,these liquid phases would metasomatize the overlying mantle wedge peridotite at different depths,generating ultramafic metasomatites such as serpentinized and chloritized peridotites,and olivine-poor pyroxenites and hornblendites.As a consequence,the crustal signatures are transferred by the liquid phases from the subducting slab into the mantle.

Plate subduction, oxygen fugacity, and mineralization

Plate subduction is the largest natural factory that processes elements,which controls recycling and mineralization of a variety of elements.There are three major ore deposit belts in the world:the circumPacific,the centralAsian,and the Tethys belts.All the three belts are closely associated with plate subductions,the mechanism remains obscure.We approached this problem from systematic studies on the behaviours of elements during geologic processes.This contribution summaries the recent progress of our research group.Our results suggest that porphyry Cu deposits form through partial melting of subducted young oceanic crust under oxygen fugacities higher than AFMQ^+1.5,which is promoted after the elevation of atmospheric oxygen at ca.550 Ma.Tin deposits are associated with reducing magmatic rocks formed as a consequence of slab rollback.The Neo-Tethys tectonic regime hosts more than 60%of the world's total Sn reserves.This is due to the reducing environment formed during the subduction of organic rich sediments.For the same reason,porphyry Cu deposits formed in the late stages during the closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean.Tungsten deposits are also controlled by slab rollback,but is not so sensitive to oxygen fugacity.Subduction related W/Sn deposits are mostly accompanied by abundant accessory fluorites due to the breakdown of phengite and apatite.Decomposition of phengite is also significant for hard rock lithium deposits,whereas orogenic belt resulted from plate subduction promote the formation of Li brine deposits.Cretaceous red bed basins near the Nanling region are favorable for Li brines.Both Mo and Re are enriched in the oxidationreduction cycle during surface processes,and may get further enriched once Mo-,Re-enriched sediments are subducted and involved in magmatism.During plate subduction,Mo and Re fractionate from each other.Molybdenum is mainly hosted in porphyry Mo deposits and to a less extent,porphyry Cu-Mo deposits,whereas Re is predominantly hosted in porphyry Cu-Mo deposits and sedimentary sulfide deposits.

Global kinematics of tectonic plates and subduction zones since the late Paleozoic Era

Detailed global plate motion models that provide a continuous description of plate boundaries through time are an effective tool for exploring processes both at and below the Earth's surface. A new generation of numerical models of mantle dynamics pre-and post-Pangea timeframes requires global kinematic descriptions with full plate reconstructions extending into the Paleozoic(410 Ma). Current plate models that cover Paleozoic times are characterised by large plate speeds and trench migration rates because they assume that lowermost mantle structures are rigid and fixed through time. When used as a surface boundary constraint in geodynamic models, these plate reconstructions do not accurately reproduce the present-day structure of the lowermost mantle. Building upon previous work, we present a global plate motion model with continuously closing plate boundaries ranging from the early Devonian at 410 Ma to present day.We analyse the model in terms of surface kinematics and predicted lower mantle structure. The magnitude of global plate speeds has been greatly reduced in our reconstruction by modifying the evolution of the synthetic Panthalassa oceanic plates, implementing a Paleozoic reference frame independent of any geodynamic assumptions, and implementing revised models for the Paleozoic evolution of North and South China and the closure of the Rheic Ocean. Paleozoic(410-250 Ma) RMS plate speeds are on average ～8 cm/yr, which is comparable to Mesozoic-Cenozoic rates of ～6 cm/yr on average.Paleozoic global median values of trench migration trend from higher speeds(～2.5 cm/yr) in the late Devonian to rates closer to 0 cm/yr at the end of the Permian(～250 Ma), and during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic(250-0 Ma) generally cluster tightly around ～1.1 cm/yr. Plate motions are best constrained over the past 130 Myr and calculations of global trench convergence rates over this period indicate median rates range between 3.2 cm/yr and 12.4 cm/yr with a present day median rate estimated at～5 cm/yr. For Paleozoic times(410-251 Ma) our model results in median convergence rates largely～5 cm/yr. Globally,～90% of subduction zones modelled in our reconstruction are determined to be in a convergent regime for the period of 120-0 Ma. Over the full span of the model, from 410 Ma to 0 Ma,～93% of subduction zones are calculated to be convergent, and at least 85% of subduction zones are converging for 97% of modelled times. Our changes improve global plate and trench kinematics since the late Paleozoic and our reconstructions of the lowermost mantle structure challenge the proposed fixity of lower mantle structures, suggesting that the eastern margin of the African LLSVP margin has moved by as much as ～1450 km since late Permian times(260 Ma). The model of the plate-mantle system we present suggests that during the Permian Period, South China was proximal to the eastern margin of the African LLSVP and not the western margin of the Pacific LLSVP as previous thought.

Relationship between Mesozoic Magmatism and Subduction in the Da Hinggan-Yanshan Area

High-resolution tomographic images of the belt crossing the Japan Trench-Changbai Mountains-Dong Ujimqin Qi are represented in this paper, revealing the shape of a subducted slab in the western Pacific region and characteristics of the lithospheric structures under the Changbai Mountains and the Da Hinggan Mountains. Studies of the spatial distribution, subduction time and the time-lag between the subduction and magmatism, combined with petrology and isotope geochemistry of the Late Mesozoic volcano-plutonic rocks from the Da Hinggan Mountains-Yanshan Mountains have further proved the independence of magmatic activities from the subduction of the Pacific plate. The Mesozoic tectono-thermal evolutionary history and structural characteristics of the lithosphere in the Da Hinggan Mountains and North China suggest that the formation and evolution of magma have probably a close relationship with the delamination and thinning of the continental lithosphere and the underplating resulting from the consequent upwelling of the asthenosphere. On the other hand, the large-scale strike-slip fault system, resulting from sinistral shearing of the Pacific plate relative to the Asian continent in the Mesozoic, is responsible for the formation and emplacement of magma on the continental margin. It was the intense crust-mantle interaction, together with structural deformation at the shallower levels that led to the large tectono-magmatic belt in the East Asian continental margin.

Reproducing past subduction and mantle flow using high-resolution global convection models

Plate subduction drives both the internal convection and the surface geology of the solid Earth.Despite the rapid increase of computational power,it remains challenging for geodynamic models to reproduce the history of Earth-like subduction and associated mantle flow.Here,based on an adaptive approach of sequential data assimilation,we present a high-resolution global model since the mid-Mesozoic.This model incorporates the thermal structure and surface kinematics of tectonic plates based on a recent plate reconstruction to reproduce the observed subduction configuration and Earth-like convection.Introduction of temperature-and composition-dependent rheology allows for incorporation of many natural complexities,such as initiation of subduction zones,reversal of subduction polarity,and detailed plate-boundary dynamics.The resultant present-day slab geometry well matches Benioff zones and seismic tomography at depths < 1500 km,making it possible to hindcast past subduction dynamics and mantle flow.For example,the model produces a flat Farallon slab beneath North America during the Late Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic,a feature that has been geodynamically challenging to reproduce.This high-resolution model can also capture details of the 4-D evolution of slabs and the ambient mantle,such as temporally and spatially varying mantle flow associated with evolving slab geometry and buoyancy flux,as well as the formation of shallow slab tears due to subduction of young seafloors and the resulting complex mantle deformation.Such a geodynamic framework serves to further constrain uncertain plate reconstruction in the geological past,and to better understand the origin of enigmatic mantle seismic features.

Geochemical cycling during subduction initiation:Evidence from serpentinized mantle wedge peridotite in the south Andaman ophiolite suite

The ophiolite suite from south Andaman Islands forms part of the Tethyan Ophiolite Belt and preserves the remnants of an ideal ophiolite sequence comprising a basal serpentinized and tectonised mantle peridotite followed by ultramafic and mafic cumulate units, basaltic dykes and spilitic pillow basalts interlayered with arkosic wacke. Here, we present new major, trace, rare earth(REE) and platinum group(PGE) element data for serpentinized and metasomatized peridotites(dunites) exposed in south Andaman representing the tectonized mantle section of the ophiolite suite. Geochemical features of the studied rocks, marked by Al_2 O_3/TiO_2 > 23, LILE-LREE enrichment, HFSE depletion, and U-shaped chondrite-normalized REE patterns with(La/Sm)N > 1 and(Gd/Yb)N <1, suggest contributions from boninitic mantle melts. These observations substantiate a subduction initiation process ensued by rapid slab roll-back with extension and seafloor spreading in an intraoceanic fore-arc regime. The boninitic composition of the serpentinized peridotites corroborate fluid and melt interaction with mantle manifested in terms of(i) hydration, metasomatism and serpentinization of depleted, MORB-type, sub-arc wedge mantle residual after repeated melt extraction; and(ii) refertilization of refractory mantle peridotite by boninitic melts derived at the initial stage of intraoceanic subduction. Serpentinized and metasomatized mantle dunites in this study record both MOR and intraoceanic arc signatures collectively suggesting suprasubduction zone affinity. The elevated abundances of Pd(4.4-12.2 ppb) with highΣPPGE/∑IPGE(2-3) and Pd/Ir(2-5.5) ratios are in accordance with extensive melt-rock interaction through percolation of boninitic melts enriched in fluid-fluxed LILE-LREE into the depleted mantle after multiple episodes of melt extraction. The high Pd contents with relatively lower Ir concentrations of the samples are analogous to characteristic PGE signatures of boninitic magmas and might have resulted by the infiltration of boninitic melts into the depleted and residual mantle wedge peridotite during fore-arc extension at the initial stage of intraoceanic subduction. The PGE patterns with high Os + Ir(2-8.6 ppb)and Ru(2.8-8.4 ppb) also suggest mantle rejuvenation by infiltration of melts derived by high degree of mantle melting. The trace, REE and PGE data presented in our study collectively reflect heterogeneous mantle compositions and provide insights into ocean-crust-mantle interaction and associated geochemical cycling within a suprasubduction zone regime.

On the Response of Subduction in the South Pacific to an Intensification of Westerlies and Heat Flux in an Eddy Permitting Ocean Model

Based on an eddy permitting ocean general circulation model, the response of water masses to two distinct climate scenarios in the South Pacific is assessed in this paper. Under annually repeating atmospheric forcing that is characterized by different westerlies and associated heat flux, the response of Subantarctic Mode Water(SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water(AAIW) is quantitatively estimated. Both SAMW and AAIW are found to be warmer, saltier and denser under intensified westerlies and increased heat loss. The increase in the subduction volume of SAMW and AAIW is about 19.8 Sv(1 Sv =10~6m^3s^(-1)). The lateral induction term plays a dominant role in the changes in the subduction volume due to the deepening of the mixed layer depth(MLD). Furthermore, analysis of the buoyancy budget is used to quantitatively diagnose the reason for the changes in the MLD. The deepening of the MLD is found to be primarily caused by the strengthening of heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere in the formation region of SAMW and AAIW.