Tectonic Nature of the Northern Segment of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt:A Rift or Continental Collision Belt?

Objective The tectonic characteristics and evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji belt have been extensively studied in recent decades(Fig.1 a).Two main models have been proposed for the formation of this belt:a continental-or arc-continent collisional belt,and the opening and closure of an intra-continental rift.The main reasons for these ongoing debates are own to the complex composition,including metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary rocks,multiple pulses of granitic magmatism,meta-mafic intrusions,and tectonometamorphic history.In addition,earlier work focused on the geochronology and metamorphic evolution,whereas

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

The Himalayan Collisional Orogeny:A Metamorphic Perspective

This paper introduces how crustal thickening controls the growth of the Himalaya by summarizing the P-T-t evolution of the Himalayan metamorphic core.The Himalayan orogeny was divided into three stages.Stage 60–40 Ma:The Himalayan crust thickened to~40 km through Barrovian-type metamorphism(15–25°C/km),and the Himalaya rose from<0 to~1000 m.Stage 40–16 Ma:The crust gradually thickened to 60–70 km,resulting in abundant high-grade metamorphism and anatexis(peak-P,15–25°C/km;peak-T,>30°C/km).The three sub-sheets in the Himalayan metamorphic core extruded southward sequentially through imbricate thrusts of the Eo-Himalayan thrust,High Himalayan thrust,and Main Central thrust,and the Himalaya rose to≥5,000 m.Stage 16–0 Ma:the mountain roots underwent localized delamination,causing asthenospheric upwelling and overprinting of the lower crust by ultra-high-temperature metamorphism(30–50°C/km),and the Himalaya reached the present elevation of~6,000 m.Underplating and imbricate thrusting dominated the Himalaya’growth and topographic rise,conforming to the critical taper wedge model.Localized delamination of mountain roots facilitated further topographic rise.Future Himalayan metamorphic studies should focus on extreme metamorphism and major collisional events,contact metamorphism and rare metal mineralization,metamorphic decarbonation and the carbon cycle in collisional belts.

Focal depth estimates of earthquakes in the Himalayan-Tibetan region from teleseismic waveform modeling

We estimate the focal depths and fault plane solutions of 46 moderate earthquakes in the Himalayan- Tibetan region by modeling the broadband waveforms of teleseismic P waves. The depths of 38 of these earth-quakes range between 0-40 km, with a peak at ～5 km. One earthquake is located within the lower crust of the Indian shield. The remaining eight earthquakes occurred between depths of 80-120 km and are all located in the Pamir-Hindu Kush and the Indo-Myanmar deep seismic zones. None of the earthquakes outside these deep seismic zones are located in the mantle. Global centroid moment tensor (CMT) solutions indicate that most earthquakes in northern Tibet and northern India had thrust-faulting mechanisms and that normal and strike-slip faulting earthquakes occurred primarily in central Tibet. These mechanisms are consistent with the predominantly NNW-SSE compression in the direction of current Himalayan-Tibetan continental collision.

Multiple Episodes of Zircon Growth during Anatectic Metamorphism of Metasedimentary Rocks in Collisional Orogens:Constraints from Felsic Granulites in the Bohemian Massif

Zircon is a key accessary mineral for metamorphic geochronology and geochemical tracing,but it has been a challenge to interpret its complex chemical zoning and age record acquired during multiple episodes of anatectic metamorphism in collisional orogens.This is illustrated by a combined study of petrography,phase equilibrium modeling and metamorphic P-T-t determination for granulites from the Bohemian Massif in the Variscan Orogen.These rocks record multiple episodes of zircon growth during anatectic metamorphism.They started from the compressional heating for prograde metamorphism to high-pressure(HP)to ultrahigh-pressure(UHP)eclogite facies with low degrees of partial melting.Afterwards,they underwent a decompressional stage from UHP eclogite facies to HP granulite facies for dehydration melting.These were followed by a further decompressional stage either to kyanite granulite facies or to sillimanite granulite facies at ultrahigh-temperature(UHT)conditions.Episodes of zircon growth are linked to specific metamorphic conditions for peritectic reactions on the basis of zoning patterns,trace element signatures,index mineral inclusions in dated domains and textural relationships to coexisting minerals.The results indicate that relict zircon domains are preserved even at UHT granulite facies conditions.A few zircon domains in the kyanite granulite grew during the prograde to peak UHP metamorphism,possibly corresponding to consumption of biotite and plagioclase but growth of garnet.During the decompressional exhumation to the HP granulite-facies,relict or prograde zircon domains were mostly dissolved into anatectic melts produced by muscovite breakdown.Most zircon grains grew during this transition to the HP granulite-facies in the kyanite granulite and are chemically related to continuous growth of garnet,whereas abundant zircon grains grew subsequently at the UHT granulite facies in the sillimanite granulite and are chemically related to garnet breakdown reactions.Another peak of zircon growth occurred at the final crystallization of anatectic melts in the sillimanite granulite rather than in the kyanite granulite,and these zircon grains mostly show oscillatory zoning,low HREE+Y contents and significantly negative Eu anomalies.In terms of the inference for protolith nature,it appears that zircon in metasedimentary rocks can grow at a short timescale in different stages of anatectic metamorphism,and its dissolution and growth are mainly dictated by anatectic conditions and extent,the property of peritectic reactions,and the stability of Ti-rich minerals.

Plate tectonics in the twenty-first century

Plate tectonics was originally established as a kinematic theory of global tectonics,in which the Earth’s rigid outer layer,the lithosphere,consists of different size plates that move relative to each other along divergent,convergent or transform boundaries overlying the ductile asthenosphere.It comprises three elements:rigid lithosphere plates,ductile asthenosphere,and coupled movement systems.It operates through the interlinked processes of continental drift,seafloor spreading and lithospheric subduction,resulting in the generation,modification and demise of lithospheres throughout geological time.The system of lithospheric plates in horizontal and vertical movements forms the spatiotemporal linkages of matter and energy between the surface and interior of Earth,advancing the kinematic theory with a dynamic explanation.While top-down tectonics through lithospheric subduction plays a key role in the operation of plate tectonics,it is balanced for the conservation of both mass and momentum on the spherical Earth by bottom-up tectonics through asthenospheric upwelling to yield seafloor spreading after continental breakup.The gravity-driven subduction of cool lithosphere proceeds through convergence between two plates on one side,and rollback of the subducting slab makes the vacancy for upwelling of the hotter asthenosphere to form active rifting in backarc sites.Plate convergence is coupled with plate divergence between two plates along mid-ocean ridges on the other side,inducing passive rifting for seafloor spreading as a remote effect.Thus,plate tectonics is recognizable in rock records produced by tectonic processes along divergent and convergent plate margins.Although the asthenospheric upwelling along fossil suture zones may result in continental breakup,seafloor spreading is only induced by gravitational pull of the subducting oceanic slab on the remote side.Therefore,the onset and operation of plate tectonics are associated with a series of plate divergent-convergent coupling systems,and they are critically dependent on whether both construction and destruction of plates would have achieved and maintained the conservation of both mass and momentum on the spherical Earth.Plate margins experience different types of deformation,metamorphism and magmatism during their divergence,convergence or strike-slip,leaving various geological records in the interior of continental plates.After plate convergence,the thickened lithosphere along fossil suture zones in intracontinental regions may be thinned by foundering.This causes the asthenospheric upwelling to reactivate the thinned lithosphere,resulting in superimposition and modification of the geological record at previous plate margins.The operation of plate tectonics,likely since the Eoarchean,has led to heat loss at plate margins and secular cooling of the mantle,resulting in the decrease of geothermal gradients and the increase of rheological strength at convergent plate margins.Modern plate tectonics is characterized by the predominance of rigid plate margins for cold subduction,and it has prevailed through the Phanerozoic.In contrast,ancient plate tectonics,that prevailed in the Archean and Proterozoic,is dominated by relatively ductile plate margins for collisional thickening at forearc depths and then warm subduction to subarc depths.In either period,the plate divergence after lithospheric breakup must be coupled with the plate convergence in both time and space,otherwise it is impossible for the operation of plate tectonics.In this context,the creation and maintenance of plate divergent-convergent coupling systems are responsible for the onset and operation of plate tectonics,respectively.Although a global network of mobile belts is common between major plates on modern Earth,it is difficult to find its geological record on early Earth if microplates would prevail at that time.In either case,it is important to identify different types of the geological record on Earth in order to discriminate between the different styles of plate tectonics in different periods of geological history.

Key geodynamic processes and driving forces of Tethyan evolution

Tethys tectonic system has experienced a long-term evolution history,including multiple Wilson cycles;thus,it is an ideal target for analyzing plate tectonics and geodynamics.Tethyan evolution is typically characterized by a series of continental blocks that separated from the Gondwana in the Southern Hemisphere,drifted northward,and collided and accreted with Laurasia in the Northern Hemisphere.During this process,the successive opening and closing of multistage Tethys oceans(e.g.,Proto-Tethys,Paleo-Tethys,and Neo-Tethys)are considered core parts of the Tethyan evolution.Herein,focusing on the life cycle of an oceanic plate,four key geodynamic processes during the Tethyan evolution,namely,continental margin breakup,subduction initiation(SI),Mid-Ocean Ridge(MOR)subduction,and continental collision,were highlighted and dynamically analyzed to gather the following insights.(1)Breakup of the narrow continental margin terranes from the northern Gondwana is probably controlled by plate subduction,particularly the subduction-induced far-field stretching.The breakup of the Indian continent and the subsequent spreading of the Indian Ocean can be attributed to the interactions between multiple mantle plumes and slab drag-induced far-field stretching.(2)Continental margin terrane collision-induced subduction transference/jump is a key factor in progressive Tethyan evolution,which is driven by the combined forces of collision-induced reverse push,far-field ridge push,and mantle flow traction.Moreover,lithospheric weakening plays an important role in the occurrence of SI.(3)MOR subduction is generally accompanied by slab break-off.In case of the considerably reduced or temporary absence of slab pull,mantle flow traction may contribute to the progression of plate subduction.MOR subduction can dynamically influence the overriding and downgoing plates by producing important and diagnostic geological records.(4)The large gravitational potential energy of the Tibetan Plateau indicates that the long-lasting India-Asia continental collision requires other driving forces beyond the far-field ridge push.Further,the mantle flow traction is a good candidate that may considerably contribute to the continuous collision.The possible future SI in the northern Indian Ocean will release the sustained convergent force and cause the collapse of the Tibetan Plateau.Based on the integration of these four geodynamic processes and their driving forces,a“multienginedriving”model is proposed for the dynamics of Tethyan evolution,indicating that the multiple stages of Tethys oceanic subduction provide the main driving force for the northward drifting of continental margin terranes.However,the subducting slab pull may be considerably reduced or even lost during tectonic transitional processes,such as terrane collision or MOR subduction.In such stages,the far-field ridge push and mantle flow traction will induce the initiation of new subduction zones,driving the continuous northward convergence of the Tethys tectonic system.

大陆俯冲板片的持续断离正在终结喜马拉雅造山作用

俯冲的大陆岩石圈在大陆碰撞后仍然对地表板块施加拖拽作用,使造山作用得以维持.但是大陆碰撞作用最终为何减弱乃至停止,目前存在多种解释.本文利用覆盖青藏高原的流动地震观测数据,进行地震层析成像研究,在地慢过渡带中识别出多个高地震波速度异常,认为它们是俯冲印度大陆岩石圈断离形成的碎片.俯冲板片会不断沿大陆岩石圈内部的先存薄弱带断离,该过程将持续减小俯冲岩石圈的板片拖曳力,进而导致中新世印度-欧亚板块汇聚速率降低.据此推断,俯冲大陆板片持续断离将导致印欧大陆碰撞和喜马拉雅造山作用最终结束.

Movement History of the Microcontinents from the Tibetan Plateau Based on Paleomagnetic Results with Sufficient Sampling Units

Paleomagnetic results cannot be applied in global and regional tectonic reconstructions unless the paleosecular variation has been adequately averaged.However,how many sampling sites and samples are enough to calculate a reliable paleopole remains debated.Based on the relation among the sampling sites N,the precision parameter k,the virtual geomagnetic pole scatter s,and the confidence limit A_(95) of the paleopole,we find that 20 sites(samples)or more are required to yield a paleopole with an A_(95)≈5°based on a review of available paleomagnetic results from the Lhasa,Qiangtang and Tethyan Himalaya.Random samplings of Jurassic virtual geomagnetic poles from the Sangri area show that the Fisher mean pole with neglectable angle deviation can be obtained when sampling sites increase to 20.High-quality paleomagnetic results,with sites/samples number N/n≥~20–30,show that the Qiangtang,Lhasa,and Tethyan Himalaya moved northward in the Late Permian–Middle Triassic,Jurassic,and Cretaceous,respectively,and then accreted to Asia in the Late Triassic,Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous and Paleocene–Early Eocene,respectively.