Ophiolites as Archives of Recycled Crustal Material Residing in the Deep Mantle

Deeply subducted lithospheric slabs may reach to the mantle transition zone(MTZ,410-660 km depth)or even to the core–mantle boundary(CMB)at depths of^2900km.Our knowledge of the fate of subducted surface material at the MTZ or near the CMB is poor and based mainly on the tomography data and laboratory experiments through indirect methods.Limited data come from the samples of deep mantle diamonds and their mineral inclusions obtained from kimberlites and associated rock assemblages in old cratons.We report in this presentation new data and observations from diamonds and other UHP minerals recovered from ophiolites that we consider as a new window into the life cycle of deeply subducted oceanic and continental crust.Ophiolites are fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere tectonically accreted into continental margins,and many contain significant podiform chromitites.Our research team has investigated over the last 10 years ultrahigh-pressure and super-reducing mineral groups discovered in peridotites and/or chromitites of ophiolites around the world,including the Luobusa(Tibet),Ray-Iz(Polar Urals-Russia),and 12 other ophiolites from 8orogenic belts in 5 different countries(Albania,China,Myanmar,Russia,and Turkey).High-pressure minerals include diamond,coesite,pseudomorphic stishovite,qingsongite(BN)and Ca-Si perovskite,and the most important native and highly reduced minerals recovered to date include moissanite(Si C),Ni-Mn-Co alloys,Fe-Si and Fe-C phases.These mineral groups collectively confirm extremely high?pressures(300 km to≥660 km)and super-reducing conditions in their environment of formation in the mantle.All of the analyzed diamonds have unusually light carbon isotope compositions(δ13C=-28.7 to-18.3‰)and variable trace element contents that*d i stinguish them from most kimberlitic and UHPmetamorphic varieties.The presence of exsolution lamellae of diopside and coesite in some chromite grains suggests chromite crystallization depths around>380 km,near the mantle transition zone.The carbon isotopes and other features of the high-pressure and super-reduced mineral groups point to previously subducted surface material as their source of origin.Recycling of subducted crust in the deep mantle may proceed in three stages:Stage 1–Carbon-bearing fluids and melts may have been formed in the MTZ,in the lower mantle or even near the CMB.Stage 2–Fluids or melts may rise along with deep plumes through the lower mantle and reach the MTZ.Some minerals,such as diamond,stishovite,qingsongite and Ca-silicate perovskite can precipitate from these fluids or melts in the lower mantle during their ascent.Material transported to the MTZ would be mixed with highly reduced and UHP phases,presumably derived from zones with extremely low f O2,as required for the formation of moissanite and other native elements.Stage 3–Continued ascent above the transition of peridotites containing chromite and ultrahigh-pressure minerals transports them to shallow mantle depths,where they participate in decompressional partial melting and oceanic lithosphere formation.The widespread occurrence of ophiolite-hosted diamonds and associated UHP mineral groups suggests that they may be a common feature of in-situ oceanic mantle.Because mid-ocean ridge spreading environments are plate boundaries widely distributed around the globe,and because the magmatic accretion of oceanic plates occurs mainly along these ridges,the on-land remnants of ancient oceanic lithosphere produced at former mid-ocean ridges provide an important window into the Earth’s recycling system and a great opportunity to probe the nature of deeply recycled crustal material residing in the deep mantle

Investigation on Mechanical Properties and Anodic Film of Pb-Sb-Ce Alloy

The mechanical properties of Pb-Sb-Ce alloy and traditional Pb-Sb alloy were studied, and the anodic corrosion layers formed on two alloys at 0.9 V for 2 h in 4.5 mol·L -1 sulfuric acid solution were investigated using A.C impedance. The results show that the strength of Pb-Sb-Ce alloy slightly decreases, while the tenacity behavior increases rapidly, which is helpful for the succeeding manufacture process for grid. The anodic corrosion layer of Pb-Sb-Ce alloy has better conductivity than that of traditional Pb-Sb alloy. It is shown that rare earth element can inhibit the development of Pb(Ⅱ), and then can compensate for the effect of premature capacity loss for the low Sb content.

Formation time of the big mantle wedge beneath eastern China and a new lithospheric thinning mechanism of the North China craton—Geodynamic effects of deep recycled carbon

High-resolution P wave tomography shows that the subducting Pacific slab is stagnant in the mantle transition zone and forms a big mantle wedge beneath eastern China. The Mg isotopic investigation of large numbers of mantle-derived volcanic rocks from eastern China has revealed that carbonates carried by the subducted slab have been recycled into the upper mantle and formed carbonated peridotite overlying the mantle transition zone, which becomes the sources of various basalts. These basalts display light Mg isotopic compositions(δ26 Mg = –0.60‰ to –0.30‰) and relatively low87 Sr/86 Sr ratios(0.70314–0.70564) with ages ranging from 106 Ma to Quaternary, suggesting that their mantle source had been hybridized by recycled magnesite with minor dolomite and their initial melting occurred at 300-360 km in depth. Therefore, the carbonate metasomatism of their mantle source should have occurred at the depth larger than 360 km, which means that the subducted slab should be stagnant in the mantle transition zone forming the big mantle wedge before 106 Ma. This timing supports the rollback model of subducting slab to form the big mantle wedge. Based on high P-T experiment results, when carbonated silicate melts produced by partial melting of carbonated peridotite was raising and reached the bottom(180–120 km in depth) of cratonic lithosphere in North China, the carbonated silicate melts should have 25–18 wt% CO2 contents, with lower Si O2 and Al2 O3 contents, and higher Ca O/Al2 O3 values, similar to those of nephelinites and basanites, and have higher εNdvalues(2 to 6). The carbonatited silicate melts migrated upward and metasomatized the overlying lithospheric mantle, resulting in carbonated peridotite in the bottom of continental lithosphere beneath eastern China. As the craton lithospheric geotherm intersects the solidus of carbonated peridotite at 130 km in depth, the carbonated peridotite in the bottom of cratonic lithosphere should be partially melted, thus its physical characters are similar to the asthenosphere and it could be easily replaced by convective mantle. The newly formed carbonated silicate melts will migrate upward and metasomatize the overlying lithospheric mantle. Similarly, such metasomatism and partial melting processes repeat, and as a result the cratonic lithosphere in North China would be thinning and the carbonated silicate partial melts will be transformed to high-Si O2 alkali basalts with lower εNdvalues(to-2). As the lithospheric thinning goes on,initial melting depth of carbonated peridotite must decrease from 130 km to close 70 km, because the craton geotherm changed to approach oceanic lithosphere geotherm along with lithospheric thinning of the North China craton. Consequently, the interaction between carbonated silicate melt and cratonic lithosphere is a possible mechanism for lithosphere thinning of the North China craton during the late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Based on the age statistics of low δ26 Mg basalts in eastern China, the lithospheric thinning processes caused by carbonated metasomatism and partial melting in eastern China are limited in a timespan from 106 to25 Ma, but increased quickly after 25 Ma. Therefore, there are two peak times for the lithospheric thinning of the North China craton: the first peak in 135-115 Ma simultaneously with the cratonic destruction, and the second peak caused by interaction between carbonated silicate melt and lithosphere mainly after 25 Ma. The later decreased the lithospheric thickness to about70 km in the eastern part of North China craton.