A group of radiolarian fossils with a complete morphological gradient of increasing polarization are reported from upper Devonian successions in southwestern Tianshan, China. Specifically, the important transitional m...A group of radiolarian fossils with a complete morphological gradient of increasing polarization are reported from upper Devonian successions in southwestern Tianshan, China. Specifically, the important transitional mophotypes, Pylentonema transitorum sp. nov., Archocyrtium medium sp. nov. and Quadrapesus transitivus sp. nov, were found. Based on the fact that the new transitional radiolarian fossils resemble more closely to pylentonemids （cyrtoid nassellarians） than to entactinids （spumellarians） in morphology, they are assigned to pylentonemids. Pylentonemids share characters of both the Nassellaria （e.g., horned cephalis, basal opening with pylome） and Spumellaria （e.g., system of trabecular spicules）, and they are thus of evolutionary significance. The evolutionary trend from spumellarians to nassellarians is characterized by （1） internal spicule： from simple trabecular spicules to complicate components （A;Ir,II;D;V;Lr,Li;MB）; （2） polarization of the radiolarian tests due to rearrangment of spine, from radial to an axial symmetry; （3） the gradual formation of a basal opening （aperture, pylome, or podome）; and the transition from a pseudopylome, a primative pylome with a narrow margin on the outer shell, to a true pylome rimmed with a narrow, elevated impermite wall.展开更多
In the southwestern Tianshan,the geologic ages of many strata and their depositional environments are still poorly constrained because of complex structures.The Mada＇er area is located in the Kuokesaleling belt,South...In the southwestern Tianshan,the geologic ages of many strata and their depositional environments are still poorly constrained because of complex structures.The Mada＇er area is located in the Kuokesaleling belt,Southwestern Tianshan.The cherts from the former Wupata＇erkan Group contain abundant radiolarian fossils,including 10 species which are identified as late Devonian to early Carboniferous in age.Eleven chert samples have SiO_2 contents ranging from 88.80 wt%to 93.28 wt%, and 2.02 wt%to 3.72 wt%for Al_2O_3.The SiO_2/Al_2O_3 ratios of all samples vary from 23.84 to 46.11, much lower than those of the pure cherts（80-1400）.These values suggest that the cherts contain high ratios of terrigenous materials.The Al_2O_3/（Al_2O_3＋Fe_2O_3）ratios vary between 0.64 and 0.77,whereas V and Cu concentrations range from 10.92 ppm to 26.7 ppm and from 2.15 ppm to 34.1 ppm respectively. The Ti/V ratios vary from 25.53 to 44.93.The total REE concentrations of the cherts are between 30.78 ppm and 59.26 ppm,averaging 45.46 ppm.The（La/Ce）_N ratios range from 0.81 to 1.12,and 0.88-1.33 for（La/Yb）_N,averaging 1.09,which suggests a continental margin environment.Consequently,it is inferred that the cherts formed in a residual sea environment during the late Devonian to early Carboniferous time,which suggests that the collision between the Karakum-Tarim and Kazakhstan-Junggar plates did not occur at the time.In addition,the regional geological information indicates that the study area experienced a post-collision stage during the early Permian,and thus it is likely that the collision between the two plates took place in the late Carboniferous.展开更多
Ultra-high pressure(UHP)eclogites that derive from subducted oceanic crust are rarely found at the Earth’s surface because they need to be enclosed in a buoyant host rock such as serpentinites that facilitate exhumation
Ultra-high pressure（UHP）eclogites that derive from subducted oceanic crust are rarely found at the Earth’s surface because they need to be enclosed in a buoyant host rock such as serpentinites that facilitate exhum...Ultra-high pressure（UHP）eclogites that derive from subducted oceanic crust are rarely found at the Earth’s surface because they need to be enclosed in a buoyant host rock such as serpentinites that facilitate exhumation（Hermann et al.,2000;Guillot et al.,2001）.Under normal subduction geotherms,serpentinites break down just before UHP conditions are reached and therefore most of the exhumed eclogites representing subducted oceanic crust formed under fore-arc conditions.We investigated eclogite blocks enclosed into serpentinites that occur in the southwestern Tianshan oceanic subduction,China.A previous study proved that the serpentinites derive from altered oceanic crust and experienced UHP metamorphism at low temperatures of 510-530°C（Shen et al.,2015）.Three relatively fresh eclogite samples were studied in detail.Sample 129-7 shows the retrograde mineral assemblage of amphibole+biotite+albite+chlorite+minor titanite and peak metamorphic relics of omphacite+garnet±chlorite.Sample C107-23 is mainly composed of amphibole+albite+chlorite+zoisite+muscovite+minor titanite as a retrograde assemblage and garnet+phengite as the peak metamorphic relics with omphacite only found as inclusions in garnet.Similar to sample C107-23,sample C11066 preserves large-grained euhedral to subhedral garnet relics with omphacite inclusions,and epidote,diopside,amphibole,muscovite,chlorite,albite and biotite are in the matrix belong to the retrograde assemblage.These three retrograde eclogite samples were modelled using thermodynamic calculations in the Mn NCKFMSHO（Mn O-Na;O-Ca O-K;O-FeO-Mg O-Al;O;-SiO;-H;O-Fe;O;）system.Based on the peak assemblage of omphacite+garnet and the crossing of the grossular and pyrope isopleths in garnet,peak P-T conditions of;60-470oC,28-29 kbar（129-7）,450-500oC,28-35 kbar（C107-23）,;75-505oC,26-29 kbar（C11066）were calculated.The retrograde assemblages indicate near isothermal decompression resulting in a clockwise P-T evolution of these eclogites.The peak metamorphic pressures at 500°C are well within UHP conditions（coesite stability field）and are within error the same as peak conditions of the host serpentinites（Shen et al.,2015）.This provides evidence that eclogites and serpentinites shared the same evolution.We infer that the subducted low-density serpentinites were assembled with the high-density eclogites during subdution and helped the latter to exhume back to the surface.The studied eclogites thus represent rare examples of relics of oceanic crust that was subducted to sub-arc depth.展开更多
Recent progress in the study of the UHP metamorphic belt in southwestern Tianshan,China,is summarized in this paper.This about 80-km-long and over 10-km-wide UHP belt has been recognized by the discovery of coesite,co...Recent progress in the study of the UHP metamorphic belt in southwestern Tianshan,China,is summarized in this paper.This about 80-km-long and over 10-km-wide UHP belt has been recognized by the discovery of coesite,coesite pseudomorphs and other UHP minerals.It is the largest oceanic-type UHP metamorphic belt reported so far.It has formed due to northward subduction of the Tianshan Paleo-Ocean.U-Pb dating of metamorphic rims of zircons from a coesite-bearing garnet-phengite schist yields a peak UHP metamorphic ages of 320±3.7 Ma.Combined with ages of 233–226 Ma obtained from rims of zircons from retrograded eclogites,a long retrograde metamorphic evolution(>70 Ma)has been revealed.According to phase equilibria modeling,the P-T paths of both coesite-bearing eclogites and garnet-phengite schists are characterized by thermal relaxation,i.e.,the metamorphic temperature peak lags behind the pressure peak,indicating that the UHP rocks experienced slow and long heating and decompression during exhumation in the subduction channel.On the basis of the field observation that a small amount of eclogite lenses is wrapped in large volumes of metapelites,and the similar P-T paths of both rock types,we propose that the exhumation of the UHP eclogites from southwestern Tianshan,China,may have resulted from the exhumation of large volumes of low-density metapelites,which carried the denser eclogites to the Earth’s surface.展开更多
In Tuoyun area of southwestern Tianshan, mantle and lower crust xenoliths are present In the volcanic rocks with ages of 101-123 Ma. Mantle xenoliths include mineral megacrysts such as kaersutite and pargasite, feldsp...In Tuoyun area of southwestern Tianshan, mantle and lower crust xenoliths are present In the volcanic rocks with ages of 101-123 Ma. Mantle xenoliths include mineral megacrysts such as kaersutite and pargasite, feldspar, biotite, and rare pyroxene and rock fragments such as perodotite, pyroxenite, amphibolite, and rare glimmerite. Lower crust xenoliths are mainly banded and massive granulite. The volcanic rocks were produced by within-plate magmatism. Occurrence of hydrous and volatile mineral megacrysts, amphibolite, and some pyroxenite containing hydrous and volatile minerals indicates that mantle metasomatism was intense. Undoubtedly, this discovery is very important to understanding of the crust-mantle structure and geodynamic background in depth in southwestern Tianshan and geological correlation with adjacent regions.展开更多
Coesite is an indicator mineral of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism. Since coesite was reported in the Habutengsu Valley, we have also found it in eclogite and schist from the Atantayi Valley in the southwestern Tians...Coesite is an indicator mineral of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism. Since coesite was reported in the Habutengsu Valley, we have also found it in eclogite and schist from the Atantayi Valley in the southwestern Tianshan, China. Petrographic and micro-Raman analyses were carried out for the Atantayi metamorphic rocks and coesite was recognized in the predominant rock types, i.e. schist and eclogite, from three sections. The coesite-bearing schist consists mainly of garnet, Na-Ca amphibole, quartz, white mica and albite; the coesite-bearing eclogite is mainly composed of omphacite, garnet, glaucophane and zoisite. The coesite occurs as various mineral inclusions within porphyroblastic garnet. Findings of coesite in eclogite and associated schist indicate not only the regional in situ formation of the Atantayi ultra-high-pressure eclogite, but also the large areal extent of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism in southwestern Tianshan, extending up to 10 km north-south and 60-80 km east-west.展开更多
The granulitic xenoliths discovered in the late Cretaceous basaltic rocks from Tuoyun basin, western Xinjiang Province contain the assemblage of Opx + Cpx + Pl ± Grt ± Qtz ± Kfs. Mineral chemistry, petr...The granulitic xenoliths discovered in the late Cretaceous basaltic rocks from Tuoyun basin, western Xinjiang Province contain the assemblage of Opx + Cpx + Pl ± Grt ± Qtz ± Kfs. Mineral chemistry, petrochemistry and zircon U-Pb ages from the xenoliths have been reported in the paper. Petrogenesis, the lower crustal nature and the mantle-crust interaction reflected by the granulites are discussed as well. Tuoyun granulites are mainly mafic with few intermediate components, and represent the magmatic products underwent granulite-facies metamorphism in lower crustal condition. Equilibrium temperature and the maximum pressure estimates of the granulites are 910 ± 35℃ and 13.5 × 108 Pa respectively, indicating that the crust beneath southwestern Tianshan had the thickness of less than 44 km and high geotherm (e.g. > 80 mW/m2) when the host magma erupted. During their formation, the fractional crystallization of olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase and ilmenite, plagioclase accumulation and the contamination of felsic components or fluid metasomatism processes had happened. Metamorphic zircon U-Pb age of 253 Ma may record the crust-mantle interaction caused by the orogenic root delamination beneath the southwestern Tianshan.展开更多
Identification of the coral and Schwagerina in the ore-hosted strata of Sawaya’erdun gold deposit shows that the fossil age ranges from the late Carboniferous to the early Permian. By combining this with the Rb-Sr is...Identification of the coral and Schwagerina in the ore-hosted strata of Sawaya’erdun gold deposit shows that the fossil age ranges from the late Carboniferous to the early Permian. By combining this with the Rb-Sr isochron age, it is concluded that the ore-hosted strata age is possibly the late Carboniferous rather than the Silurian and Devonian, even impossibly the Pre-cambrian.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(No.40232019).
文摘A group of radiolarian fossils with a complete morphological gradient of increasing polarization are reported from upper Devonian successions in southwestern Tianshan, China. Specifically, the important transitional mophotypes, Pylentonema transitorum sp. nov., Archocyrtium medium sp. nov. and Quadrapesus transitivus sp. nov, were found. Based on the fact that the new transitional radiolarian fossils resemble more closely to pylentonemids （cyrtoid nassellarians） than to entactinids （spumellarians） in morphology, they are assigned to pylentonemids. Pylentonemids share characters of both the Nassellaria （e.g., horned cephalis, basal opening with pylome） and Spumellaria （e.g., system of trabecular spicules）, and they are thus of evolutionary significance. The evolutionary trend from spumellarians to nassellarians is characterized by （1） internal spicule： from simple trabecular spicules to complicate components （A;Ir,II;D;V;Lr,Li;MB）; （2） polarization of the radiolarian tests due to rearrangment of spine, from radial to an axial symmetry; （3） the gradual formation of a basal opening （aperture, pylome, or podome）; and the transition from a pseudopylome, a primative pylome with a narrow margin on the outer shell, to a true pylome rimmed with a narrow, elevated impermite wall.
基金supported by National 305 Project(2007BAB25B05,2011BAB06B02- 04)NSFC grant(40925006,40772045,40572047)111 Project(B07011)
文摘In the southwestern Tianshan,the geologic ages of many strata and their depositional environments are still poorly constrained because of complex structures.The Mada＇er area is located in the Kuokesaleling belt,Southwestern Tianshan.The cherts from the former Wupata＇erkan Group contain abundant radiolarian fossils,including 10 species which are identified as late Devonian to early Carboniferous in age.Eleven chert samples have SiO_2 contents ranging from 88.80 wt%to 93.28 wt%, and 2.02 wt%to 3.72 wt%for Al_2O_3.The SiO_2/Al_2O_3 ratios of all samples vary from 23.84 to 46.11, much lower than those of the pure cherts（80-1400）.These values suggest that the cherts contain high ratios of terrigenous materials.The Al_2O_3/（Al_2O_3＋Fe_2O_3）ratios vary between 0.64 and 0.77,whereas V and Cu concentrations range from 10.92 ppm to 26.7 ppm and from 2.15 ppm to 34.1 ppm respectively. The Ti/V ratios vary from 25.53 to 44.93.The total REE concentrations of the cherts are between 30.78 ppm and 59.26 ppm,averaging 45.46 ppm.The（La/Ce）_N ratios range from 0.81 to 1.12,and 0.88-1.33 for（La/Yb）_N,averaging 1.09,which suggests a continental margin environment.Consequently,it is inferred that the cherts formed in a residual sea environment during the late Devonian to early Carboniferous time,which suggests that the collision between the Karakum-Tarim and Kazakhstan-Junggar plates did not occur at the time.In addition,the regional geological information indicates that the study area experienced a post-collision stage during the early Permian,and thus it is likely that the collision between the two plates took place in the late Carboniferous.
文摘Ultra-high pressure(UHP)eclogites that derive from subducted oceanic crust are rarely found at the Earth’s surface because they need to be enclosed in a buoyant host rock such as serpentinites that facilitate exhumation
文摘Ultra-high pressure（UHP）eclogites that derive from subducted oceanic crust are rarely found at the Earth’s surface because they need to be enclosed in a buoyant host rock such as serpentinites that facilitate exhumation（Hermann et al.,2000;Guillot et al.,2001）.Under normal subduction geotherms,serpentinites break down just before UHP conditions are reached and therefore most of the exhumed eclogites representing subducted oceanic crust formed under fore-arc conditions.We investigated eclogite blocks enclosed into serpentinites that occur in the southwestern Tianshan oceanic subduction,China.A previous study proved that the serpentinites derive from altered oceanic crust and experienced UHP metamorphism at low temperatures of 510-530°C（Shen et al.,2015）.Three relatively fresh eclogite samples were studied in detail.Sample 129-7 shows the retrograde mineral assemblage of amphibole+biotite+albite+chlorite+minor titanite and peak metamorphic relics of omphacite+garnet±chlorite.Sample C107-23 is mainly composed of amphibole+albite+chlorite+zoisite+muscovite+minor titanite as a retrograde assemblage and garnet+phengite as the peak metamorphic relics with omphacite only found as inclusions in garnet.Similar to sample C107-23,sample C11066 preserves large-grained euhedral to subhedral garnet relics with omphacite inclusions,and epidote,diopside,amphibole,muscovite,chlorite,albite and biotite are in the matrix belong to the retrograde assemblage.These three retrograde eclogite samples were modelled using thermodynamic calculations in the Mn NCKFMSHO（Mn O-Na;O-Ca O-K;O-FeO-Mg O-Al;O;-SiO;-H;O-Fe;O;）system.Based on the peak assemblage of omphacite+garnet and the crossing of the grossular and pyrope isopleths in garnet,peak P-T conditions of;60-470oC,28-29 kbar（129-7）,450-500oC,28-35 kbar（C107-23）,;75-505oC,26-29 kbar（C11066）were calculated.The retrograde assemblages indicate near isothermal decompression resulting in a clockwise P-T evolution of these eclogites.The peak metamorphic pressures at 500°C are well within UHP conditions（coesite stability field）and are within error the same as peak conditions of the host serpentinites（Shen et al.,2015）.This provides evidence that eclogites and serpentinites shared the same evolution.We infer that the subducted low-density serpentinites were assembled with the high-density eclogites during subdution and helped the latter to exhume back to the surface.The studied eclogites thus represent rare examples of relics of oceanic crust that was subducted to sub-arc depth.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2009CB825007)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41121062 and41272069)
文摘Recent progress in the study of the UHP metamorphic belt in southwestern Tianshan,China,is summarized in this paper.This about 80-km-long and over 10-km-wide UHP belt has been recognized by the discovery of coesite,coesite pseudomorphs and other UHP minerals.It is the largest oceanic-type UHP metamorphic belt reported so far.It has formed due to northward subduction of the Tianshan Paleo-Ocean.U-Pb dating of metamorphic rims of zircons from a coesite-bearing garnet-phengite schist yields a peak UHP metamorphic ages of 320±3.7 Ma.Combined with ages of 233–226 Ma obtained from rims of zircons from retrograded eclogites,a long retrograde metamorphic evolution(>70 Ma)has been revealed.According to phase equilibria modeling,the P-T paths of both coesite-bearing eclogites and garnet-phengite schists are characterized by thermal relaxation,i.e.,the metamorphic temperature peak lags behind the pressure peak,indicating that the UHP rocks experienced slow and long heating and decompression during exhumation in the subduction channel.On the basis of the field observation that a small amount of eclogite lenses is wrapped in large volumes of metapelites,and the similar P-T paths of both rock types,we propose that the exhumation of the UHP eclogites from southwestern Tianshan,China,may have resulted from the exhumation of large volumes of low-density metapelites,which carried the denser eclogites to the Earth’s surface.
文摘In Tuoyun area of southwestern Tianshan, mantle and lower crust xenoliths are present In the volcanic rocks with ages of 101-123 Ma. Mantle xenoliths include mineral megacrysts such as kaersutite and pargasite, feldspar, biotite, and rare pyroxene and rock fragments such as perodotite, pyroxenite, amphibolite, and rare glimmerite. Lower crust xenoliths are mainly banded and massive granulite. The volcanic rocks were produced by within-plate magmatism. Occurrence of hydrous and volatile mineral megacrysts, amphibolite, and some pyroxenite containing hydrous and volatile minerals indicates that mantle metasomatism was intense. Undoubtedly, this discovery is very important to understanding of the crust-mantle structure and geodynamic background in depth in southwestern Tianshan and geological correlation with adjacent regions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40730314, 41002019, and 40821002)the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB825007)the National Science Foundation for Postdoctoral Scientists of China
文摘Coesite is an indicator mineral of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism. Since coesite was reported in the Habutengsu Valley, we have also found it in eclogite and schist from the Atantayi Valley in the southwestern Tianshan, China. Petrographic and micro-Raman analyses were carried out for the Atantayi metamorphic rocks and coesite was recognized in the predominant rock types, i.e. schist and eclogite, from three sections. The coesite-bearing schist consists mainly of garnet, Na-Ca amphibole, quartz, white mica and albite; the coesite-bearing eclogite is mainly composed of omphacite, garnet, glaucophane and zoisite. The coesite occurs as various mineral inclusions within porphyroblastic garnet. Findings of coesite in eclogite and associated schist indicate not only the regional in situ formation of the Atantayi ultra-high-pressure eclogite, but also the large areal extent of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism in southwestern Tianshan, extending up to 10 km north-south and 60-80 km east-west.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40273001,40425002)the EYTP(Grant No.2003-119).
文摘The granulitic xenoliths discovered in the late Cretaceous basaltic rocks from Tuoyun basin, western Xinjiang Province contain the assemblage of Opx + Cpx + Pl ± Grt ± Qtz ± Kfs. Mineral chemistry, petrochemistry and zircon U-Pb ages from the xenoliths have been reported in the paper. Petrogenesis, the lower crustal nature and the mantle-crust interaction reflected by the granulites are discussed as well. Tuoyun granulites are mainly mafic with few intermediate components, and represent the magmatic products underwent granulite-facies metamorphism in lower crustal condition. Equilibrium temperature and the maximum pressure estimates of the granulites are 910 ± 35℃ and 13.5 × 108 Pa respectively, indicating that the crust beneath southwestern Tianshan had the thickness of less than 44 km and high geotherm (e.g. > 80 mW/m2) when the host magma erupted. During their formation, the fractional crystallization of olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase and ilmenite, plagioclase accumulation and the contamination of felsic components or fluid metasomatism processes had happened. Metamorphic zircon U-Pb age of 253 Ma may record the crust-mantle interaction caused by the orogenic root delamination beneath the southwestern Tianshan.
文摘Identification of the coral and Schwagerina in the ore-hosted strata of Sawaya’erdun gold deposit shows that the fossil age ranges from the late Carboniferous to the early Permian. By combining this with the Rb-Sr isochron age, it is concluded that the ore-hosted strata age is possibly the late Carboniferous rather than the Silurian and Devonian, even impossibly the Pre-cambrian.
