Ophiolites from the Mianlüe Suture in the Southern Qinling and Their Relationship with the Eastern Paleotethys Evolution

The Mianlue suture extends from Derni-Nanping-Pipasi-Kangxian to the Lueyang-Mianxian area, then traverses the Bashan arcuate structure eastward to the Huashan region, and finally to the Qingshuihe area of the southern Dabie Mountains. From east to west, with a length of over 1500 km, the ophiolitic melange associations are distributed discontinuously along the suture. The rock assemblages include ophiolite, island-arc and oceanic island rock series, indicating that there existed a suture zone and a vanished paleo-ocean basin. The Mianliie paleo-ocean basin experienced its main expansion and formation process during the Carboniferous-Permian and closed totally in the Triassic. It belongs to the northern branch of the eastern paleotethys, separated from the northern margin of the Yangtze block under the paleotethys mantle dynamic system.

Origin of the Zedang and Luobusa Ophiolites, Tibet

The Zedang and Luobusa ophiolites are located in the eastern section of the Yalung Zangbo ophiolite belt,and they share similar geological tectonic setting and age.Thus,an understanding of their origins is very important for discussion of the evolution of the Eastern Tethys Ocean.There is no complete ophiolite assemblage in the Zedang ophiolite.The Zedang ophiolite is mainly composed of mantle peridotite and a suite of volcanic rocks as well as siliceous rocks,with some blocks of olivinepyroxenite.The mantle peridotite mainly consists of Cpx-harzburgite,harzburgite,some lherzolite,and some dunite.A suite of volcanic rocks is mainly composed of caic-aikaline pyroclastic rocks and secondly of tholeiitic pillow lavas,basaltic andesites,and some boninitic rocks with a lower TiO2 content （TiO2 ＜ 0.6％）.The pyroclastic rocks have a LREE-enriched REE pattern and a LILE-enriched （compared to HFSE） spider diagram,demonstrating an island-arc origin.The tholeiitic volcanic rock has a LREE-depleted REE pattern and a LILE-depleted （compared to HFSE） spider diagram,indicative of an origin from MORB.The boninitic rock was generated from fore-arc extension.The Luobusa ophiolite consists of mantle peridotite and mafic-ultramaflc cumulate units,without dike swarms and volcanic rocks.The mantle peridotite mainly consists of dunite,harzburgite with low-Opx （Opx ＜ 25％）,and harzburgite （Opx ＞ 25％）,which can be divided into two facies belts.The upper is a dunite-harzburgite （Opx ＜ 25％） belt,containing many dunite lenses and a large-scale chromite deposit with high Cr203; the lower is a harzburgite （Opx ＞25％） belt with small amounts of dunite and lherzolite.The Luobusa mantle peridotite exhibits a distinctive vertical zonation of partial melting with high melting in the upper unit and low melting in the lower.Many mantle peridotites are highly depleted,with a characteristic U-shaped REE pattern peculiar to fore-arc peridotite.The Luobusa cumulates are composed of wehrlite and olivine-pyroxenite,of the P-P-G ophiolite series.This study indicates that the Luobusa ophiolite was formed in a fore-arc basin environment on the basis of the occurrence of highly depleted mantle peridotite,a high-Cr2O3 chromite deposit,and cumulates of the P-P-G ophiolite series.We conclude that the evolution of the Eastern Tethys Ocean involved three stages：the initial ocean stage （formation of MORB volcanic rock and dikes）,the forearc extension stage （formation of high-Cr203 chromite deposits and P-P-G cumulates）,and the islandarc stage （formation of caic-alkaline pyroclastic rocks）.

Study on the Tectonic Setting for the Ophiolites in Xigaze, Tibet

The Xigaze ophiolite is located in the middle section of the Yarlung Zangbo River ophiolite belt and includes a well-preserved sequence section of seven ophiolite blocks. The relatively complete ophiolitic sequence sections are represented by Jiding, Dejixiang, Baigang, and Dazhuqu ophiolites and consist of three-four units. The complete ophiolite sequence in order from the bottom to top consists of mantle peridotite, cumulates, sheeted sill dike swarms, and basic lavas±radiolarian chert. These cumulates are absent in the remaining blocks of Dejixiang and Luqu. The age of radiolaria in the radiolarian chert is Late Jurassic-Cretaceous. The basalt and ultramafic rock of the ophiolite also are overlaid by Tertiary Liuqu conglomerate, which contains numerous pebble components of ophiolite, indicating that the Tethys Ocean began to close at the end of Cretaceous Period. The isotopic data of gabbro, diabase, and albite granite in the Xigaze ophiolite are approximately 126-139 Ma, which indicates that the ophiolite formed in the Early Cretaceous. The K-Ar age of amphibole in garnet amphibolite in the ophiolite melange is 81 Ma, indicating that tectonic ophiolite emplacement occurred at the end of Late Cretaceous. Research in petrology, petrological chemistry, mineralogy, and geochemistry of volcanic rocks and dikes of the Xigaze ophiolite indicate the following characteristics： （1） They are mainly composed of basalt, basaltic andesite, dolerite, and diabase and are characterized by high TiO2 （0.7-1.47%）, low MgO （mostly less than 8%）, and low SiO2 （mostly less than 53%）. （2） The volcanic rocks and dikes of the Xigaze ophiolite show light rare earth element （LREE）-depleted rare earth element （REE） patterns. （3） The spider diagrams of the volcanic rocks and dikes of the Xigaze ophiolite exhibit LILE depletion relative to high-field-strength element （HFSE） patterns with left oblique features. （4） No protogenetic olivine and clinoenstatite was detected. （5） Some dikes show low TiO2 and high MgO, in which a few of Cr-enriched spinels and a very few pseudomorphs of olivine, orthopyroxene can be seen. They show more distinctive affinity as boninitic rock and canbe classified to boninite series rock. The previously mentioned features of the volcanic rocks and dikes in the Xigaze ophiolite implies that these ophiolites formed in a mid-ocean ridge （MOR） in the earlier stage and than forearc extension of subduction initiation occurred once at the later stage of the evolution of the Xigaze ophiolite. The forearc extention caused further melting of the residue-depleted mantle, resulting in the formation of melts with lower TiO2 and higher MgO. These melts formed as dikes and intruded into the oceanic crust formed in the earlier stage, resulting in a close association of mid-ocean ridge basalt and the boninite rock of the Xigaze ophiolite.

Early Permian Sunidyouqi suprasubduction-zone ophiolites in the central Solonker suture zone(Inner Mongolia, China)

Different final closing ages have been proposed for the evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean(PAO),including Late Silurian, pre-Late Devonian, Early Permian, Late-Permian and Late Permian-Early Triassic.Ophiolites represent fragments of ancient oceanic crust and play an important role in identifying the suture zone and unveiling the evolutionary history of fossil oceans. Our detailed geological, geochemical and geochronological investigations argue for the existence of Early Permian(297 Ma) SSZ type ophiolites in the Sunidyouqi area of central Inner Mongolia, China. The gabbros and basalts show LREE depleted REE patterns and left-leaning primitive mantle-normalized spider diagrams with variable negative Nb-Ta anomalies(Nb~*= 0.24-1.28 and 0.29-0.55, respectively). The Sunidyouqi ophiolites were generated in a mature back-arc basin. The Sunidyouqi ophiolites share the same petrological,geochemical and geochronological characteristics with the other ophiolites along the Solonker suture zone, delineating a Late Paleozoic ocean and arc-trench system. This Late Paleozoic ocean and arc-trench system coincides with a Permian paleobiogeographical boundary, i.e. the boundary between the northern cold climate(Boreal faunal-Angaraland floral realm), and a southern warm climate(Tethys faunal-Cathaysian floral realm). A tectonic scenario was proposed at last for the closure of the SE PAO involving(1) Late Ordovician to Middle Permian continuous southward subduction beneath the northern margin of North China;(2) Carboniferous to Middle Permian continuous northward subduction the forming the Northern Accretionary Orogen;(3) Late Permian final closure of the SE PAO.

YARLUNG ZANGBO OPHIOLITES,SOUTHERN TIBET REVISITED

Field work conducted in September 1998 and Summer 1999 aimed to reassess the ophiolitic segment of the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone (YZS) and shed new light on the preserved fragments of Neo\|Tethys ocean\|floor. This eastern ophiolitic segment was partly surveyed during the 1980 Sino\|French Cooperative Investigation of Himalayas, but little work has been done since that time. Progress in ophiolite research field and new developments in modern ocean crust guided us in the recent field work investigation. Mantle peridotites and associated minor crustal units are assumed Early Cretaceous in age, while diabase interbedded with phyllites and radiolarian sediments of presumed seamount origin are attributed to Late Jurassic—Early Cretaceous age. Six different massifs were visited that are from west to east: Jiding, Qunrang, Beimarang, Dazhuqu, Luobusa, and Zedang. Each massif presents specific characteristics summarized below. The Jiding massif is made of partly to totally serpentinized granular upper mantle harzburgites with orthopyroxenite banding, a transitional Moho zone, a thick diabase sill\|dike complex intruded into heterogeneous gabbro, and pillow lavas.. High\|temperature plastic foliation, although generally oriented NW—SE, and lineation show folding. Numerous gabbroic and diabasic intrusions are observed in peridotites. The orientations of the mafic rocks foliation and lineation do not fit the structure of the host peridotites. The 350m thick transition zone is a syntectonically intrusive sequence of mantle peridotites cut by abundant different types of gabbro and diabase. In one case intrusion of gabbro postdates serpentinization of peridotites and the outer margin of the xenolith enclosed in fine\|grained gabbro has reacted to form pegmatitic hornblende gabbro. The crustal unit is made of gabbro intruded by multiple fine\|grained dikes. Hydrothermal circulation was locally intense and Cu mineralization and epidosite are observed close to shear zones.The Qunrang massif shows no transition zone overlying upper mantle unit, no significant gabbroic crustal unit and thick diabase and volcanic units. The foliation and lineation in granular lherzolite, harzburgite, and dunite show extremely wide variations and affected by late tectonics. The orientation of the structures is similar to the Jiding massif.

Cold plumes trigger contamination of oceanic mantle wedges with continental crust-derived sediments:Evidence from chromitite zircon grains of eastern Cuban ophiolites

The origin of zircon grains, and other exotic minerals of typical crustal origin, in mantle-hosted ophiolitic chromitites are hotly debated. We report a population of zircon grains with ages ranging from Cretaceous(99 Ma) to Neoarchean(2750 Ma), separated from massive chromitite bodies hosted in the mantle section of the supra-subduction(SSZ)-type Mayari-Baracoa Ophiolitic Belt in eastern Cuba. Most analyzed zircon grains(n = 20, 287 ± 3 Ma to 2750 ± 60 Ma) are older than the early Cretaceous age of the ophiolite body, show negativeε_(Hf)(t)(-26 to-0.6) and occasional inclusions of quartz, K-feldspar,biotite, and apatite that indicate derivation from a granitic continental crust. In contrast, 5 mainly rounded zircon grains(297±5 Ma to 2126±27 Ma) show positive εHf(t)(+0.7 to +13.5) and occasional apatite inclusions, suggesting their possible crystallization from melts derived from juvenile(mantle)sources. Interestingly, younger zircon grains are mainly euhedral to subhedral crystals, whereas older zircon grains are predominantly rounded grains. A comparison of the ages and Hf isotopic compositions of the zircon grains with those of nearby exposed crustal terranes suggest that chromitite zircon grains are similar to those reported from terranes of Mexico and northern South America. Hence, chromitite zircon grains are interpreted as sedimentary-derived xenocrystic grains that were delivered into the mantle wedge beneath the Greater Antilles intra-oceanic volcanic arc by metasomatic fluids/melts during subduction processes. Thus, continental crust recycling by subduction could explain all populations of old xenocrystic zircon in Cretaceous mantle-hosted chromitites from eastern Cuba ophiolite.We integrate the results of this study with petrological-thermomechanical modeling and existing geodynamic models to propose that ancient zircon xenocrysts, with a wide spectrum of ages and Hf isotopic compositions, can be transferred to the mantle wedge above subducting slabs by cold plumes.

The Intra-Pontide ophiolites in Northern Turkey revisited:From birth to death of a Neotethyan oceanic domain

The Anatolian peninsula is a key location to study the central portion of the Neotethys Ocean(s)and to understand how its western and eastern branches were connected.One of the lesser known branches of the Mesozoic ocean(s)is preserved in the northern ophiolite suture zone exposed in Turkey,namely,the Intra-Pontide suture zone.It is located between the Sakarya terrane and the Eurasian margin(i.e.,Istanbul-Zonguldak terrane)and consists of several metamorphic and non-metamorphic units containing ophiolites produced in supra-subduction settings from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous.Ophiolites preserved in the metamorphic units recorded pervasive deformations and peak metamorphic conditions ranging from blueschist to eclogite facies.In the nonmetamorphic units,the complete oceanic crust sequence is preserved in tectonic units or as olistoliths in sedimentary melanges.Geochemical,structural,metamorphic and geochronological investigations performed on ophiolite-bearing units allowed the formulation of a new geodynamic model of the entire"life"of the IntraPontide oceanic basin(s).The reconstruction starts with the opening of the Intra-Pontide oceanic basins during the Late Triassic between the Sakarya and Istanbul-Zonguldak continental microplates and ends with its closure caused by two different subductions events that occurred during the upper Early Jurassic and Middle Jurassic.The continental collision between the Sakarya continental microplate and the Eurasian margin developed from the upper Early Cretaceous to the Palaeocene.The presented reconstruction is an alternative model to explain the complex and articulate geodynamic evolution that characterizes the southern margin of Eurasia during the Mesozoic era.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of the Babu Ophiolites in Southeast Yunnan,China and Constrains of Plate Subduction Time

Objective The Babu ophiolite in Malipo County of southeastern Yunnan is interpreted as remanant ocean crust and represents a possible branch of Paleo-Tethyan Ocean in South China. It consists mainly of mafic and ultramafic rocks. These rocks are very important to understand the evolution of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean. However, the Babu ophiolite is still disputed and the mafic and ultramafic rocks have been inferred to be part of the Emeishan large igneous province （LIP） by some researchers. In this paper, we present zircon U-Pb data on the metabasalts in Malipo to reveal the formation time of mafic and ultramafic rocks and their tectonic nature.

Geochemistry and Geochronology of the Jinghong Ophiolites:Implications for the Tectonic Evolution of the Eastern Paleo-Tethys

The Jinghong mafic-ultramafic complex,exposed in the eastern margin of the Lancangjiang tectonic belt,is related to the subduction of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean.Its petrogenesis plays a key role in constraining the tectonic evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys Ocean in southwestern China.In this study,we present petrological,geochemical and geochronological results of the Jinghong complex rocks,in order to decipher their origin and tectonic significance.The Jinghong mafic-ultramafic complex was composed of peridotite,gabbro,basalt and minor plagiogranite.Whole-rock geochemical data of the mafic rocks indicate that they have both MORB and IAB affinities and plot in the back-arc basin basalt(BABB)field in the FeO^(*)/MgO vs.TiO_(2) diagram.Combined with their trace element characteristics,it can be concluded that the Jinghong mafic-ultramafic complex represents an ophiolite suite that was formed in a back-arc ocean basin.Precise LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating yielded weighted mean ^(206)Pb/^(238)U ages of 298.4±1.7 Ma,294.3±1.6 Ma,and 292.8±2.0 Ma for gabbroic rocks from this complex,which indicates that the Jinghong ophiolites were formed during the early Permian(298-293 Ma).We propose that during subduction of the main Paleo-Tethys Ocean,a back-arc ocean basin was formed at the east of the Lancangjiang tectonic belt.

Geological Occurrence of Diamond-bearing Ophiolites

Diamonds and other ultrahigh-pressure（UHP）minerals exist in ophiolitic mantle peridotites and podiform chromitites from different orogenic belts.Most ophiolitehosted diamonds are small（;00-500μm across）,and

The Significance of Sheeted Dike Complexes in Ophiolites

The modern‘Penrose’definition of ophiolites is based largely on the Troodos complex of Cyprus,which contains a spectacular and well-exposed sheeted dike complex in which dike intrudes dike without intermediate screens of

Sheeted Dike Complexes in Contemporary Oceanic Crust: Implications for Spreading Processes and the Interpretation of Ophiolites

As anticipated from studies of ophiolite complexes,direct investigations of the oceanic crust confirm that basaltic dikes are an integral part of the upper 2 km of the oceanic crust.Currently available information suggests

PLATINUM-GROUP ELEMENTS MINERALIZATION IN THE OPHIOLITES OF INDUS SUTURE ZONE, EASTERN LADAKH,THE HIMALAYA

Platinum\|Group Elements (PGE) along with other highly siderophile elements (HSE) are quantitatively fractionated into the core and mantle,leaving the crust strongly depleted during the formation of the earth.However,the transfer of PGE and other HSE from the mantle may occur by tectonic emplacement of mantle material into the crust or by crystallization of the mantle derived magma in the crust.The formation and emplacement of ophiolites,is therefore,a suitable transfer mechanism in the enrichment of PGE and other metallic mineral deposits.Because of this,in recent years,a great deal of attention is being paid in studying the ophiolites in order to better understand the core\|mantle interaction,chemical evolution of the upper mantle and to explore their noble metal potential.The ophiolites along the Indus Suture Zone (ISZ) in the Himalayas are tectonically related to India\|Eurasia collision.But their detailed geochemical evolution history and economic potentiality (chromite,PGE,gold and Ni\|sulfides) is not evaluated so far.Nidar ophiolite of the eastern Ladakh is one of the ophiolitic suites along the ISZ.The general geology of the area was presented in several research papers.This paper presents the geology,mineralogy and geochemistry of the chromitites and reports on the first platinum\|group elements mineralization to have been discovered.

OCCURRENCE OF HIGH-PRESSURE RODINGITES IN THE OPHIOLITES OF INDUS SUTURE ZONE, EASTERN LADAKH,THE HIMALAYA:TECTONIC AND METALLOGENIC SIGNIFICANCE

Recently,considerable attention is being paid in studying the high\|pressure (rodingites and eclogites etc)crustal segments for understanding the architecture and evolution of collision orogens.This paper presents the geology,mineralogy and geochemistry of the rodingites,the first reported occurrence in eastern Ladakh,the Himalaya.Nidar ophiolite is one of the well exposed,nearly a complete ophiolite of the Indus Suture Zone present in the eastern Ladakh.Field studies across the Nidar ophiolite in the Nidar—Kyun Tso section unraveled the occurrence of relatively strongly developed rodingites.Rodingites are very hard and dense.They occur as layers and also as boudins within and at the contacts of the serpentinites.The rodingites are fine to medium grained.Grossular is the dominant rodingite mineral and occurs as well developed crystals.At places grossular has coronitic texture.Diopside,clinozosite,rutile and opaques are the other main Ca\|rich minerals present in rodingites.The matrix of the rodingite minerals is highly birefringent.The rodingite mineral assemblage indicates the development of rodingite in the pressure and temperature range of 18～25 kbar and 700 to 800℃,respectively.Rodingites have high abundances (mass fraction) of CaO (10%～12%) and Al\-2O\-3 (12%) contents and generally low in SiO\-2 (46%) and MgO (7%～8%) contents.They have chondrite\|normalized Rare Earth Element (REE) abundances of 25 to 40× on the LREE and 37 to 50× on the MREE and 15 to 24× on the HREE.Overall the REE patterns tend to be concave\|upwards,or relatively light\|REE depleted with almost no Eu\|anomaly.The geologic occurrence,the mineralogy and geochemical (major,trace and REE) data of the rodingites indicate that they were initially gabbros/basalt that have undergone Ca\|metasomatism during serpentinization,followed by high\|pressure recrystallization to rodingites.

MAPPING OF OPHIOLITES IN THE INDUS-SUTURE ZONE OF NORTHWESTERN HIMALAYA, USING SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING DATA

Ophiolites, which have been tectonically emplaced along continental margins and island arcs, are significant to the understanding of mountain belt evolution. In the Himalayas, the ophiolitic suite of rocks occur along the Indussuture zone from Hanle in the southeast to Dras\|Kargil sector in the northwest and it represents the remnant of the compressed uplifted wedge of the oceanic crust between the two colliding continental masses, the Indian and the Asian plates.. These ophiolites are temporally and spatially correlated with the culminating phase of the Himalayan orogeny. The Indus River flows to its north separating the ophiolite from the Trans Himalayan litho\|units. Geological mapping in the hostile and inaccessible mountainous terrains of the Himalaya has always posed a great challenge to geologists. Nevertheless, a number of geologists have undertaken such arduous mapping expeditions in the past and prepared fairly good geological maps of these terrains .However there always existed disputes on the accuracy of lithological boundaries and structural details in these maps because many of these boundaries and structural features were completed through extrapolations and/or interpolations as the ruggedness and inaccessibility of a large part of the terrain forbid physical examination of every outcrop. It is in this context the potential of remote sensing, especially of satellite images, is to be appreciated.

Comparison of Redox States between the Ultramafic Bodies of Xigaze and Luobusha Ophiolites, Tibet, China

The tectonic setting of podiform chromitite formation still remains highly debated. There is a close correlation between tectonic settings and oxygen fugacity(fO2)(e.g., Ballhaus, 1993;Dare et al., 2009;Parkinson and Arculus, 1999). Here we present results of fO2 of chromites determined by M?ssbauer spectroscopy from both the Luobusha and Dazhuqu areas along Yarlung Zangbo suture zone, Southern Tibet. The fO2 values(-1.02~0.04 log units against the FMQ buffer) and Cr#(22~54%) in chromites from lherzolites and harzburgites of both areas are similar to those of abyssal peridotites, indicating that they may be residues after partial melting at spreading centers. However, both dunite envelopes and chromitites from Luobusha have high fO2 values(0.04~2.25 log units) and Cr#(73~84%), showing an affinity to boninitic melts, and thus form in a suprasubduction zone. Dazhuqu dunites show diverse fO2 values(-0.22~2.19 log units) and Cr#(22~82%), indicating that they form in distinct settings. Chromitites and chromite dunites from Dazhuqu have low fO2 values(-0.3~0.71 log units) and Cr#(16~63%), both of which are similar to those of MORB-like basalts, inferring that they form in an extensional setting. Both high-Cr and high-Al chromitites from other typical podiform chromite ore deposits, such as Kempirsai, Oman, and Albania ophiolites, also show high fO2 values(e.g., Chashchukhin and Votyakov, 2009;Melcher et al., 1997;Quintiliani et al., 2006;Rollinson and Adetunji, 2015), while the distribution-limited small chromitites and chromite dunites from Dazhuqu exhibit low fO2 values. The phenomenon infers that the suprasubduction zone is more beneficial to the formation of podiform chromitites.

Neotethyan Ophiolites and Their Geodynamic Evolution During the Mesozoic: A Global Overview

Neotethyan ophiolites evolved in multiple seaways separated by Gondwana–derived ribbon continents within an eastward widening, latitudinal oceanic realm(Neotethys) throughout the Mesozoic. Opening and closure of these seaways were diachronous events, resulting in E–W variations in the timing of oceanic crust production and ophiolite emplacement. The Neotethyan ophiolites are highly diverse in their crustal–mantle structures and compositions, isotopic fingerprints, and sedimentary cover types, pointing to major differences in their mantle melt sources and tectonic and paleogeographic settings of magmatic construction(Dilek and Furnes, 2019). The Jurassic Western Alpine and Ligurian ophiolites in Europe and their counterparts in southern and northern Iberia formed in a narrow basin(Western Tethys) that developed between Europe and North Africa–Adria–Iberia. Their peridotites represent exhumed, continental lithospheric mantle, and the ophiolites display a Hess–type oceanic crustal architecture with MORB geochemical signatures(Dilek and Furnes, 2011). All these ophiolites were incorporated into continental margins from the downgoing oceanic lithosphere of the Western Tethys. Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous ophiolites east of Adria formed in different Neotethyan seaways(Dilek et al., 1990), and their rift–drift, seafloor spreading and suprasubduction zone(SSZ) magmatic construction involved multiple episodes of melting, depletion and refertilization of previously or actively subduction metasomatized mantle sources. Deep mantle recycling processes through subduction zone tectonics and/or plume activities played a major role in their melt evolution, and in the incorporation of mantle transition zone(MTZ) materials into their peridotites(Fig. 1;Dilek and Yang, 2018;Xiong et al., 2019). Tectonic mélanges structurally beneath these ophiolites include Permo–Triassic, OIB–type extrusive rocks, indicating that the initial dismantling of the Pangea supercontinent that led to the opening of the Triassic and Jurassic ocean basins within the Neotethyan realm was associated with plume magmatism(Dilek, 2003 a;Yang and Dilek, 2015). This plume signature is absent in the Permo–Triassic magmatic record of the Western Tethys to the west. The Cretaceous ophiolites around the Arabia(Dilek et al., 1990;Dilek and Delaloye, 1992;Dilek and Eddy,1992) and India sub-continents(Fareeduddin and Dilek, 2015) occur discontinuously along a ~9000-km-long belt from SW Anatolia to SE Tibet and Indo-China. The majority of these ophiolites have a Penrose–type oceanic crustal architecture(Dilek, 2003 b) and display SSZ geochemical affinities, complete with a MORB–IAT–BON progression of their chemo-stratigraphy(Fig. 1;Dilek and Thy, 1998;Dilek et al., 1999;Dilek and Furnes, 2014;Saccani et al., 2018). They evolved above a N–dipping, Trans–Tethyan subduction–accretion system that was situated in sub-tropical latitudes within the Neotethyan realm. The Trans–Tethyan subduction–accretion system was segmented into two major domains(Western and Eastern domains) by the NNE–SSW–oriented, sinistral Chaman–Omach–Nal transform fault plate boundary. This Cretaceous intraoceanic arc–trench system was analogous to the modern Izu–Bonin–Mariana(IBM) and Tonga arc–trench systems in the western Pacific in terms of its size. Diachronous collisions of the Arabia and India sub-continents with this segmented Trans-Tethyan arc–trench system resulted in the southward emplacement of the SSZ Neotethyan ophiolites onto their passive margins in the latest Mesozoic(Dilek and Furnes, 2019). A separate N–dipping subduction system, dipping beneath Eurasia to the north during much of the Jurassic and Cretaceous, was consuming the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere and was responsible for the construction of a composite magmatic arc belt extending discontinuously from Southern Tibet to Northern Iran. Slab rollback along this northern subduction system produced locally developed forearc–backarc oceanic lithosphere that was subsequently collapsed into the southern margin of Eurasia. The existence of these two contemporaneous, Ndipping subduction systems within Neotethys led to its rapid contraction and the fast convergence of India towards Eurasia during the late Mesozoic–early Cenozoic(Dilek and Furnes, 2019). It was the collision with Eurasia of the India sub-continent with the accreted ophiolites around its periphery in the Late Paleogene that produced the Himalayan orogeny.

Composition and Seismic Properties of the Oceanic Lithosphere: A Synthesis of Ophiolites and Core Samples of the IODP

Our knowledge of the oceanic lithosphere largely comes from analogy with ophiolite complexes and the direct scientific drilling of the present-day oceanic crust(e.g.,Christensen and Salisbury,1975,1989;Smith and Vine,1989;Dilek and Furnes,2011,2014).In this study,we summarized previous experimental results on seismic properties of oceanic lower crust and upper mantle according to different tectonic settings.The results are used to highlight the compositional heterogeneity and the nature of the oceanic Moho.Observation in different ophiolites reveal an ideal oceanic lithosphere profile with ideal petrologic units and seismic units(Dilek and Furnes,2011,2014).The lithospheric mantle beneath ocean basins is composed of tectonized peridotites,which include layered lherzolites and harzburgites and lenses of dunites with chromitites and nearly correspond to the seismic Layer 4.The overlying layered gabbros and mafic sheeted dike complex equal to the seismic Layer 3,as a result of crystallization from a magma chamber.The transitional unit between the former two petrologic units consists of layered ultramafic and mafic rocks,corresponds to the petrological Moho.The seismic Layer 2 and 1 are well defined by pillow lavas and massive flows,and the overlying abyssal sediments,respectively.Compared these results with the refraction seismic profiles,the oceanic crust and upper mantle show different composition and structure.The Pwave velocities of the Layer 3 gabbros varies from 6.7 to 7.0 km s-1 and have low velocity gradients of<0.1 km s-1.Although the gradual increase of P-and S-wave velocities with depth can be attributed to the increasing proportion of mafic minerals from the top to the bottom,prehnite-pumpellyite facies alteration of basalts,greenschist-faces metamorphism to epidote-amphibolite facies metamorphism of gabbros will decrease the velocities of the Layer 2 and Layer 3(Christensen and Salisbury,1975,1989),because the P-wave velocities of chlorite and hornblende are 6.00 and 7.00 km s-1,respectively,lower than those of plagioclase and pyroxene,respectively(Carlson,2004).In addition,local velocity anomalies near the petrologic Moho can be related serpentinization of ultramafic rocks(Salisbury and Christensen,1978;Carlson et al.,2009).In the Layer 4,the characteristic P-wave velocities of the upper mantle should fall in the range of 7.8 to 8.2 km s-1.Poisson’s ratios of chrysotile and lizardite,which are stable in oceanic crustal environments according to the phase diagram,is 0.267 and 0.359,respectively,higher than those of olivine and pyroxene(Wang et al.,2013).Serpentinization will significantly decreased velocities and densities of peridotites and is the main reason for the variation of the Moho reflectivity beneath oceans.

PGE and isotopic characteristics of Shergol and Suru Valley Ophiolites,Western Ladakh:Implications for supra-subduction tectonics along Indus Suture Zone

Present study reports the PGE-geochemistry of mantle peridotites and Nd-isotope geochemistry of arc related mafic rocks from the Indus Suture Zone(ISZ),western Ladakh.The total PGE concentration of the Shergol and Suru Valley peridotites(∑PGE=96-180 ppb)is much higher than that of the primitive mantle and global ophiolitic mantle peridotites.The studied peridotites show concave upward PGE-distribution patterns with higher palladium-group PGE/Iridium-group PGE ratios(i.e.,0.8-2.9)suggesting that the partial melting is not the sole factor responsible for the evolution of these peridotites.The observed PGE-distribution patterns are distinct from residual/refractory mantle peridotites,which have concave downward or flat PGE-distribution patterns.Relative enrichment of palladium-group PGE as well as other whole-rock incompatible elements(e.g.,LILE and LREE)and higher Pd/Ir ratio(1.1-5.9)reflects that these peridotites have experienced fluid/melt interaction in a supra-subduction zone(SSZ)tectonic setting.Also,the Shergol mafic intrusives and Dras mafic volcanics,associated with the studied peridotites,have high^(143)Nd/^(144)Nd ratios(i.e.,0.512908-0.513078 and 0.512901-0.512977,respectively)and positiveε_(Nd)(t)(calculated for t=140 Ma)values(i.e.,+5.3 to+8.6 and+5.1 to+6.6,respectively),indicating derivation from depleted mantle sources within an intra-oceanic arc setting,similar to Spongtang and Nidar ophiolites from other parts of Ladakh Himalaya.The transition from SSZ-type Shergol and Suru Valley peridotites to Early Cretaceous tholeiitic Shergol mafic intrusives followed by tholeiitic to calc-alkaline Dras mafic volcanics within the Neo-Tethys Ocean exhibit characteristics of subduction initiation mechanism analogous to the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc system within western Pacific.

Geological and Geochemical Features of the Neoproterozoic Ophiolites Along the Folded Siberian Platform Margin

The data of the last decade investigations of ophiolites in western m argin of Siberian platform were summarized. The study of geology, geoche mistry and geochronology show that the interrupted ophiolitic belt of Neoprotero zoic age is 2000 km long, from the Taimir Peninsula to the Northern Transbaikali a Region through the Yeniseyski Khryazh and the Sayanskii Range. These studies i ndicated that the major differences of the Neoproterozoic ophiolites from younge r Phanerozoic ophiolite complexes are as follows: 1) occurrence of komatiite and picritie-like, high-magnesium rocks among the ophiolite volcanics; 2) ophioli te volcanics with both MOR and island-arc tholeiites; 3) ophiolite sequence where sheeted dikes and layered complex ("low gabbro") are usually absent. These pecu larities indicate that the Neoproterozoic ophiolites of Eastern Siberia were gen erated at suprasubduction environment and the Neoproterozoic oceanic crust was n ot as thick as Phanerozoic one.