Munabulake ophiolitic mélange:Implication for the evolution history of the north branch of the Proto-Tethys ocean

One of the ophiolites that record the Proto-Tethys Ocean’s episodic closure is the Munabulake ophiolitic mélange,which is situated in the middle of the Kunlun-Qaidam and Altun-Qilian blocks.Detailed field mapping revealed that the Munabulake ophiolitic mélange comprises local(ultramafic rocks,basalts,andesites,gabbros,diorites,and plagiogranites)and exotic(marble,gneiss,schist,and amphibolite)blocks,many of which are in the schist matrix(Qimantage Group).Based on geochronological,geochemical,and petrological observations,the mafic rocks in the Munabulake ophiolitic mélange can be categorized into three categories:498-Ma OIB-like gabbros,468-Ma Hawaiian alkaline basalt-like dolerite and pillow basaltic slices,and 428 Ma massive SSZ-like ultramafic rocks.The 501-452 Ma I-type granites exhibit arc affinities due to the oceanic crust subduction.These findings,along with spatial relationships,suggest that the Early Paleozoic ophiolite complex,island arc rocks,and accretionary complex generated as an intra-oceanic arc system as a result of obduction of the south Altun Ocean’s onto the Central Altun block within a north-directed subduction event.A dextral strike-slip was evident throughout the Early Paleozoic oceanic crust subduction based on the whole set of planar and linear structural data,and the subduction polarity was likely to the north.According to the ophiolitic mélange’s youngest rocks and the existence of 413 Ma granite dykes that are widely exposed in the Munabulake ophiolitic mélange,the Munabulake ophiolitic mélange was most likely emplaced during the Middle Silurian.This Munabulake ophiolitic mélange is similar in age and petrochemical characteristics to the other ophiolites in the South Altun subduction-collision belt,indicating that the Manabulak ophiolite mélange is a westward extension of the Apa-Mangya subduction-collision belt,which formed during the northward subduction of the South Altun Ocean slab during the Early Paleozoic.Thus,the final closing time of the South Altun Ocean is between 413 and 428 Ma.

Zircon Ages of Metasedimentary Rocks in the Wuwamen Ophiolitic Mélange,Chinese South Tianshan:Implications for the Paleozoic Subduction-Accretion in the Southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

High-temperature and high-pressure(high-grade)metamorphic complexes of variable ages are common in the Central Asian orogenic belt(CAOB),and their precise geochronology and origin are essential to unravel the orogenic architecture and crust-production rate of the CAOB.Hereby it is essential to differentiate between pre-orogenic Precambrian basement and Paleozoic arc-accretionary complexes.This study provides precise in situ zircon U-Pb ages for the metasedimentary rocks in the Wuwamen ophiolitic mélange,which is traditionally thought to represent the pre-orogenic basement of the southwestern CAOB.A meta-sandstone from the meta-flysch sequence revealed a widespread ca.1.8 Ga high-grade metamorphic overprint similar to that of the underlying orthogneisses and,thus,was interpreted to represent pre-orogenic basement fragments that occur as tectonic blocks in the Paleozoic ophiolitic mélange.In contrast,a schist from the mélange matrix is characterized by a ca.333 Ma high-grade metamorphic overprint,indicating that the northward subduction of the South Tianshan Ocean was still active at this time.The thrust-imbricated high-grade metamorphic rocks of contrasting origins in an accretionary complex have important implications for the understanding the accretionary history and crustal growth of the CAOB.Furthermore,the strongly deformed ophiolitic mélange was intruded by an undeformed granite dyke with an emplacement age younger than ca.294 Ma,thus providing a minimum age limit for the final closure of the South Tianshan Ocean.

The study of subduction channels:Progress,controversies,and challenges

The subduction channel is defined as a relatively thin and weak zone with coherent kinematics between the descending and overriding plates during subduction.The materials in the channel,showing the characteristics of mélange,consist of low-density,low-viscosity,highly sheared metasediments and/or serpentinite-rich matrix with relatively rigid blocks.The channel materials flow downwards and upwards,forming a kind of channel convection.Based on geophysical and geological observations on active oceanic subduction zones,combined with numerical simulations,the subduction channel model was initially set to shallow depths<30 km.With the development of numerical simulation technology and fossil subduction zone investigations,the subduction channel model was extended to depths of 80-100 km to describe deeper geodynamic environments of oceanic subduction zones and explore the exhumation of high to ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks.It is also extended to continental subduction zones in order to explain the exhumation of metamorphic rocks in different grades as well as fluid activity and crust-mantle interaction during continental subduction.Although there are a series of differences in material composition and slab/mantle interface property between the upper and lower plates,continental subduction channels exhibit many similarities in structure and dynamics to oceanic subduction channels.Existing studies have provided a fundamental understanding of the structural and dynamic characteristics of subduction channels,but many problems still need to be solved and clarified.In particular,the fundamental characteristics of subduction channels obtained by numerical simulation need to be confirmed and modified through geological investigations of fossil subduction channels.