Search

The Tampanchi Ultramafic–Mafic Complex (TUMC), located in the central segment of the Cordillera Real (Ecuador), is an oval-shaped intrusive body of approximately 18 km2 emplaced within a Cretaceous metavolcano-sedimentary sequence. Field investigations, zircon geochronology, mineral and whole-rock elemental and isotopic compositions constrain the nature of the parental magma as well as the physical conditions of emplacement, age of crystallization and tectonic setting of formation of the TUMC. The Complex consist of wehrlite and olivine-hornblende clinopyroxenite crosscut by hornblende gabbros and minor dikes/veins of diorite and granite. Hornblendites formed mainly at the contact between the olivine-hornblende clinopyroxenite and the intrusive hornblende gabbros by reaction-replacement processes. Geochemical data for both the wehrlites and pyroxenites define a trend with dominantly olivine and clinopyroxene accumulation, whereas a second trend is formed by hornblende gabbros that differentiated to leucocratic rocks, with amphibole as the dominant fractionating mafic phase. The trace elements show enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, depletion in high field strength elements (Nb, Zr, Ti) and P, and enrichment in Pb, Sr and Ba relative to primitive mantle, indicating subduction-related parental liquids. The Nd and Sr isotopic composition suggests a uniform mantle source metasomatized by subducted crustal components. Thermobarometric estimations constrain emplacement and crystallization at intermediate to shallow continental crust levels (∼12.5 km depth) of hydrated basaltic melt under oxygen fugacity conditions above the nickel-nickel oxide buffer (ΔNNO = 0 to 2). Zircon SHRIMP U-Th-Pb age data constrain crystallization at 75.1–76.0 Ma, with scarce inherited zircons that record limited recycling of the Cordillera Real basement. These results confirm magmatic arc activity at the continental margin of South America during the late Cretaceous as a result of an E-dipping subduction zone prior to the accretion of the Ecuadorian-Colombian-Caribbean oceanic plateau, and support simultaneous double subduction at the northwest margin of South America during the Cretaceous. This work was funded in the frame of the project “Proyecto Junior PIJ-16-04 (VIPS-EPN)” of the Escuela Politécnica Nacional to F. Villares. J.A.Proenza and A. Garcia-Casco appreciate financial support from Spanish MICINN project PID2019-105625RB-C21. This is the IBERSIMS publication N° 86.

Terranes are passengers within drifting oceanic plate, and ride with the plate to subduction plate boundaries. Although oceanic lithosphere readily subducts into the mantle at the plate boundary, terranes may resist sinking or not, depending on a variety of controlling factors that are not very well understood. Further, the tectonic development of terranes prior to their arrival at a subduction zone is not well documented. We performed numerical experiments to explore these unknowns of terrane geodynamics during the whole pre- to post-collisional period. Our analyses reveal that terranes can undergo considerable extension prior to their arrival to subduction plate boundaries owing to the pull force exerted by sinking oceanic slabs. Increasing terrane crustal thickness, decreasing terrane width or imposed convergence velocity, and an intra-oceanic subduction setting aggrandizes the pre-collisional terrane extension. The numerical models identify increasing terrane crustal thickness and width, and decreasing imposed convergence velocity as factors that promote terrane accretion. Additionally, having a continental overriding plate at the subduction boundary increases the propensity for terrane accretion. Some intra-oceanic subduction experiments demonstrate ablative subduction and subduction polarity reversal events in connection with terrane collisions/subduction. We compare our models to the evolution of a controversial Tethyan terrane, the Nilufer oceanic plateau. Our models suggest that the Nilufer terrane may have undergone pre-collisional extension owing to the pull of the sinking Tethys Ocean plate. Further, uninterrupted subduction of the Tethys Ocean, despite the accretion of the Nilufer terrane, is illustrated by our results which have implications on other regions along the Tethyan orogenic belt.

The latest multichannel seismic data from the Yap subduction zone is presented to investigate the Caroline Ridge fault system, developed by faulting and bending processes within the incoming oceanic plateau. We reveal that horst and graben structures exist along the entire incoming Caroline Ridge adjacent to the trench and that pervasive bending-related faults trending ~N30°E have developed subparallel to the trench. However, the widths of the horst and graben structures decrease gradually from north to south. The two-stage ancient abyssal hill fabrics overlap the incoming Caroline Ridge. Abyssal hill faults trending ~N65°W present large trench-ridge angles (85–90°); in the southern segment, abyssal hill faults trending ~N70°E have relatively low trench-ridge angles (~35–40°). From the Caroline Ridge to the horst and graben structures, the topography decreases, and slump bodies with deformed internal reflections have developed above an irregular reflector. Little stable pelagic sediment with horizontal reflectors accumulates on the horst and graben structures, suggesting that the faulting and bending processes involve long and intense tectonic processes that affect the sedimentary environment. The sedimentary strata and fault distributions differ between the North and South Caroline Ridge, which is primarily attributable to the different rifting processes. Furthermore, we propose that N65°W-trending ancient faults sufficiently decrease the yield strength of the incoming Caroline Ridge to facilitate the bending-related faulting. During subduction, the incoming North Caroline Ridge that has a large degree of rifting and the Sorol Trough, which has a thin crust, may resist less flexural bending and generate the wide horst and graben structures. The ancient faults and rifting model of incoming oceanic plateaus play a significant role in bending-related faulting

The Mikabu Unit (Mikabu greenstones) was an oceanic plateau that was in the Mesozoic Paleo-Pacific Ocean. Large-igneous-province (LIP) activity has been proposed as the origin of the oceanic plateau of the Mikabu Unit. This study aims to reveal LIP activity in the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. We present geochemical and geochronological data for the Mikabu Unit and the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Chichibu accretionary complex (i.e., the Kashiwagi and Kamiyoshida units), both of which underwent the same high-pressure low-temperature metamorphism as the Mikabu Unit, in the Kanto Mountains, central Japan. The Mikabu Unit contains oceanic plateau basalts characterized by incompatible element depletion and high chondrite normalized Gd/Yb ratios. These basalts are interpreted to have erupted in the age of 157.0 ± 0.9 Ma (Late Jurassic), based on zircon U–Pb dating of anorthosite. The basalt geochemistry indicates that oceanic plateau basalts occur in the Kashiwagi Unit. Although basalts in the Mikabu Unit were thought to have formed at the Pacific–Izanagi–Farallon triple junction in the previous studies, we propose they formed on older oceanic crust of the Izanagi Plate during the Late Jurassic, which was located several thousand kilometers from the triple junction. The Kashiwagi and Mikabu units were accreted to Asia during the Early Cretaceous.

The accretion of oceanic plateaus has played a significant role in continental growth during Earth's history, which is evidenced by the presence of oceanic island basalts (OIB) and plume-type ophiolites in many modern orogens. However, oceanic plateaus can also be subducted into the deeper mantle, as revealed by seismic tomography. The controlling factors of accretion versus subduction of oceanic plateaus remain unclear. Here, we investigate the dynamics of oceanic plateau accretion at active continental margins using a thermo-mechanical numerical model. Three major factors for the accretion of oceanic plateaus are studied: (1) a thinned continental margin of the overriding plate, (2) “weak” layers in the oceanic lithosphere, and (3) a young oceanic plateau. For a large oceanic plateau, the modes of oceanic plateau accretion can be classified into one-sided and two-sided subduction–collisional regimes, which mainly depend on the geometry of the continental margin (normal or thinned). For smaller-sized seamounts, accretion occurs only if all three factors are satisfied, of which a thinned continental margin is the most critical. Possible geological analogues for the two-sided subduction–collisional mode include the Taiwan orogenic belt and subduction of the Ontong Java Plateau. The accretion model for small oceanic plateaus applies to the Nadanhada Terrane in Northeast China.

The Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateaus are becoming conspicuous as giant units on the oceanic floor and have played important roles in both continental marginal orogenesis and Tethys oceanic evolution. In this study, we present mineralogical, geochronological, geochemical and Sm–Nd isotopic data for basaltic lavas from the Namco ophiolite and a high-Mg pillow lava–dyke–gabbro association from the Pengco ophiolite in central Tibet. Zircon U–Pb and Ar–Ar dating reveals that the Namco lavas erupted at ∼181 Ma while the Pengco boninitic association formed at ∼164 Ma. The Namco lavas display nearly flat rare-earth element (REE) patterns with no Nb–Ta depletions as well as high eNd values, characteristic of oceanic plateau lava. In contrast, the Pengco high-Mg rocks exhibit low REE concentrations below the normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB), ubiquitous Nb–Ta depletions and low eNd values, and the dykes and gabbros are characterized by U-shape REE patterns, indicating that they could have derived from a depleted mantle source that was contaminated by sedimentary flux and marking a mid-Jurassic initial intra-oceanic arc magmatism erupted on the Early Jurassic Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateau represented by the Namco ophiolite. Our Pengco boninitic rocks, along with the literature data, indicate a 167–160 Ma boninitic-like initial intra-oceanic arc within the Bangong Meso-Tethys, running from the Shiquanhe area to the Naqu area with a length of ∼1000 km, which was uniformly built on the Early Jurassic Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateau. Our literature investigation also indicates a ∼175 Ma accretionary orogeny with distinct signature of the oceanic plateau involvements along the southern Qiangtang continental margin, which is manifested by regional metamorphic, magmatic and depositional records. We thus suggest that the accretion of the Early Jurassic Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateau onto the southern Qiangtang continental margin resulted in the extensive orogeny along the continental margin, jammed the subduction zone at ∼175 Ma and induced intra-oceanic subduction initiation as well as the intra-oceanic infant arc magmatism in the Meso-Tethys at ∼164 Ma.

The “subduction initiation rule” (SIR) (Whattam and Stern, 2011) advocates that proto-arc and forearc complexes preserved in ophiolites and forearcs follow a predictable chemotemporal and/or chemostratigraphic vertical progression. This chemotemporal evolution is defined by a progression from bottom to top, from less to more depleted and slab-metasomatized sources. This progression has been recently documented for other igneous suites associated with subduction initiation. The Sona-Azuero forearc complex of southern Panama represents the earliest magmatic arc activity at the Central American Volcanic Arc system. Comparison of new and existing geochemical data for the circa 82-40 Ma Sona-Azuero Proto-Arc/Arc, its underlying 89-85 Ma “oceanic plateau” of SW Panama and the 72-69 Ma Golfito Proto-Arc of southern Costa Rica with the 70-39 Ma Chagres-Bayano Arc of eastern Panama exhibits a chemotemporal progression as described above and which follows the SIR. Sona-Azuero lavas are predominantly MORB-like, whereas those of the younger Chagres-Bayano complex are mostly VAB-like; lavas of the Golfito Proto-Arc typically show characteristics intermediate to that of the Sona-Azuero and Chagres-Bayano proto-arc/arc complexes. On the basis of isotope evidence as shown in other studies, lava types of all three complexes are clearly derived from a source contaminated by the Caribbean Large Igneous Province plume; we term these “plume-contaminated” forearc basalts and volcanic arc basalts, respectively. Apart from a plume-induced subduction initiation origin for the Panamanian forearc, these insights suggest otherwise similar petrogenetic origins and tectonic setting to lavas comprising earliest-formed forearc crust, and most ophiolites, which follow the SIR.

The Palaeozoic to Mesozoic accretionary complexes of southwest Japan include various types of melange. Most melanges are polygenetic in origin, being sedimentary or diapiric melanges that were overprinted by tectonic deformation during subduction. Sedimentary melanges, without a tectonic overprint, are present in the Permian accretionary complexes of the Akiyoshi and Kurosegawa belts and in the Early Cretaceous accretionary complex of the Chichibu Belt. These melanges are characterized by dominant basalt and limestone clasts, within a mudstone matrix. The basalt and limestone clasts within the sedimentary melanges were derived from ancient seamounts. Subduction of a seamount results in deformation of the pre-existing accretionary wedge, and it is difficult to incorporate a seamount into an accretionary wedge; therefore, preservation of seamount fragments requires a special tectonic setting. Oceanic plateau accretion might play an important role in interrupting the processes of subduction and accretion during the formation of accretionary complexes. Especially the Mikabu oceanic plateau might have caused the cessation of accretion during the Early Cretaceous. The subduction and accretion of volcanic arcs and oceanic plateaux helps to preserve sedimentary melanges from tectonic overprinting by preventing further subduction.

This study focuses on the mafic-ultramafic lavas of the Early Carboniferous outcrop in Mangxin, southwestern Yunnan, China. Picrites with 26–32 wt% MgO and a quenched texture are the most significant components of this rock association. This article divides the Mangxin picrites into two types. The mantle potential temperature (Tp) of these picrites is higher than the Tp range of mid-ocean ridges and reaches that of mantle plumes. According to their geochemical characteristics, type-1 picrites probably formed from the melting of the mantle plume head and were contaminated by the ambient depleted mantle, whereas type-2 picrites formed from the melting of mantle plume tails. These plume-related mafic-ultramafic rocks in Mangxin and the ocean island basalt (OIB)-carbonate rock associations in many areas of the Changning–Menglian belt provide significant evidence for the improvement of previous models of the Palaeotethyan oceanic plateau.

Seismically detectable discontinuities at mid-depths of some cratonic lithospheric mantle define mid-lithosphere discontinuities (MLD), demonstrating that the lithospheric mantle is layered. The genesis and strength of the MLD are still in debate, most proposed models suggest the MLD is likely not weaker than the normal lithosphere, whereas other proposed models suggest that some metasomatised MLD rocks are weaker than the normal lithospheric mantle rocks. Thus, the weak MLD is likely a weakly-coupled layer at mid-depths in some cratonic lithosphere blocks, possibly influencing their stabilities. We assess the geodynamic significance of the MLD using geodynamic modeling. We propose that a weak MLD, with lower effective viscosity, can be connected to thinned cratonic margins during the evolution of some cratons and form continuously connected weak zones from cratonic margins to craton interiors, which can lead to lithospheric thinning or removal by extension, basal drag, delamination, thermochemical erosion, and other actions. Through analyzing different scenarios, we propose that some samples of weak MLDs can be found in a composite ophiolite profile formed on the Precambrian Karelian continental margin, with both continental and oceanic lithosphere, which is supported by chronological, petrological, and structural architectures of the profile. This creates new opportunities to directly study the properties of the MLD, which could help understand and settle the controversies on the origin of the MLD and its physical, chemical, and geophysical properties.

Olivine-free metasomatic mantle-derived xenoliths, frequently recovered from kimberlite and lamprophyre intrusions on the continents, are seldom described from oceanic settings. We report the mineralogy, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Os isotopic compositions of a unique K-rich, hydrous mantle nodule sourced from a 34 Ma ultramafic lamprophyre (alnoite) pipe on the island of Malaita, Ontong Java Plateau, SW Pacific. The Ontong Java Plateau, the most voluminous oceanic large igeous province, has a >100 km thick lithospheric root reminiscent of thick lithospheres that characterize cratonic settings. The phlogopite, amphibole, clinopyroxene and ilmenite-rich nature of the Malaita metasomatic nodule bears striking similarity to cratonic mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside (MARID) suite xenoliths, and it provides a tangible example of heavily overprinted oceanic mantle lithosphere. The nodule phlogopite 40Ar/39Ar age of 44.7 ± 1.8 Ma (95% confidence level) predates the 34 Ma alnoites, but is contemporaneous with 44 Ma alkali basalts on Malaita. Geodynamic reconstructions of the Ontong Java Plateau position within the Pacific realm demonstrate that alnoite magma and K-rich metasomatic nodule formation occurred within a strictly oceanic environment during the Eocene, away from subduction zones. The elevated incompatible trace element concentrations coupled with low highly siderophile element contents suggest that the K-rich metasomatic nodule formed by olivine-absent crystallisation from low-volume mantle-derived melt comparable to alnoite, but not the Malaita alkali basalts. A genetic link between the Malaita metasomatic nodule and alnoite is further suggested by overlapping Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr45Ma = 0.70419–0.70423; eNd45Ma = +3.5; eHf45Ma = +5.3; 206Pb/204Pb45Ma = 18.66–18.71; 207Pb/204Pb45Ma = 15.61). These isotopic compositions are generally more enriched than those of mantle-derived peridotites and 122 Ma plateau-building basalts at Ontong Java, but share similarities with pyroxenite xenoliths from Malaita previously interpreted to represent ancient recycled crustal material. Mixing models between melts derived from fertile mantle and the more enriched pyroxenite, as well as recycled sedimentary material, can account for the composition of the K-rich metasomatic nodule. Extremely low contents of highly siderophile elements and high 187Os/188Os45Ma (0.1824–0.1997) can also be reconciled with the involvement of recycled crustal components in the complex origin of the K-rich hydrous nodule. K-rich hydrous metasomatized mantle lithosphere could represent an enriched source component that is required for the formation of many oceanic intraplate basaltic provinces. As such, strongly metasomatized oceanic lithosphere provides an alternative to recycled crust components within the convecting mantle to explain enriched mantle signatures observed in oceanic basalts worldwide. However, constraining the volumetric abundance of strongly metasomatized oceanic lithosphere, possibly revealed by seismic mid-lithospheric discontinuities, is required before its importance can be established. The existence of K-rich metasomatic components within oceanic plateau lithosphere may also have implications for Archean continental crust formation models. The K-rich mantle component required to explain sanukitoid magma formation associated with continental crust building TTG magmatism may not be restricted to a subduction channel environment, but it can equally reside within overthickened oceanic lithosphere. Thus, oceanic plateaus away from subduction zones could have served as nucleation points for growth of continental crust during the Archean.

The tectonic setting and geodynamic processes of the large-scale Early Cretaceous volcanism in the Great Xing’an Range (GXAR) remain subjects of great debate. The aim of this review is to clarify these issues on the base of a study of previously published geochemical and isotopic data for this region. The compiled data show that the Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks were erupted from 145 to 106 Ma, with the main eruptive stage occurring from 130 to 122 Ma. The eruptions in the NE GXAR were generally later than those in the NW GXAR. The compiled geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for the intermediate-basic volcanic rocks indicate a source in a mantle wedge that had been extensively metasomatized by fluids derived from an oceanic slab, whereas the acid rhyolitic rocks suggest multiple sources in a heterogeneous lower crust. Following our discussion of the possible geodynamic setting of this volcanism, we conclude that the large-scale Early Cretaceous volcanic event in the GXAR was dominated by the tectonic regime of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic plate, which broadly controlled the tectonic evolution of eastern Asia during the Mesozoic. We suggest that the rapid closure of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous resulted in the thickened continental lithosphere overriding at high velocity the cold subducting oceanic slab. These geological conditions, combined with the possible involvement of an oceanic plateau, might have resulted in the flat-slab subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate beneath the Great Xing’an Range between ca. 150 and 140 Ma. Subsequent heating and dehydration of the oceanic slab, and its transition to the eclogite facies, led to the large-scale sinking of the slab and upwelling of the asthenosphere. This model not only explains the development of a broad (˜900-km-wide and ˜1700-km-long) intracontinental volcanic belt that erupted mainly between 130 and 122 Ma but also accounts for the chain of events that followed: a short and significant regional uplift between ca. 150 and 140 Ma, the contemporaneous foreland folding and thrusting, the basin-and-range-type extensional setting of NE China, and a magmatic gap in the northeastern part of the arc during the Early Cretaceous.

The Cretaceous units exposed in the northwestern segment of the Colombian Andes preserve the record of extensional and compressional tectonics prior to the collision with Caribbean oceanic terranes. We integrated field, stratigraphic, sedimentary provenance, whole rock geochemistry, Nd isotopes and U-Pb zircon data to understand the Cretaceous tectonostratigraphic and magmatic record of the Colombian Andes. The results suggest that several sedimentary successions including the Abejorral Fm. were deposited on top of the continental basement in an Early Cretaceous backarc basin (150-100 Ma). Between 120 and 100 Ma, the appearance of basaltic and andesitic magmatism (similar to 115-100 Ma), basin deepening, and seafloor spreading were the result of advanced stages of backarc extension. A change to compressional tectonics took place during the Late Cretaceous (100-80 Ma). During this compressional phase, the extended blocks were reincorporated into the margin, closing the former Early Cretaceous backarc basin. Subsequently, a Late Cretaceous volcanic arc was built on the continental margin: as a result, the volcanic rocks of the Quebradagrande Complex were unconformably deposited on top of the faulted and folded rocks of the Abejorral Fm. Between the Late Cretaceous and the Paleocene (80-60 Ma), an arc-continent collision between the Caribbean oceanic plateau and the South-American continental margin deformed the rocks of the Quebradagrande Complex and shut-down the active volcanic arc. Our results suggest an Early Cretaceous extensional event followed by compressional tectonics prior to the collision with the Caribbean oceanic plateau. (C) 2019 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Mikabu greenstones form accreted fragments of an ancient oceanic plateau, which are currently incorporated within the Cretaceous high P/T-type Sanbagawa metamorphic belt in SW Japan. Previous geological and petrological studies indicate that protoliths of the Mikabu greenstones were mafic/ultramafic volcano-plutonic rocks of oceanic plateau and/or islands. Despite their rock assemblage and metamorphic nature, their protolith age has been poorly constrained. By measuring U-Pb age of igneous zircon grains using LA-ICPMS, this study identified for the first time a Late Jurassic age for the protoliths of the Mikabu greenstones in the eastern Kii Peninsula (the Shurei complex). With an overlap within 2-sigma error, measured U-Pb ages of zircon grains have a weighted mean age of 154.6 ± 1.6 Ma (the Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic), which is slightly younger than the radiolarian ages (Middle Jurassic) of deep-sea pelagic cherts associated with the Mikabu greenstones. This age difference indicates that mafic magmas intruded pelagic deep-sea sediments to form a volcanic edifice onto the pre-existing oceanic lithosphere. New measurements of trace element composition of the dated zircon grains further confirmed that the dated zircon grains are more similar to those in oceanic crusts rather than in continental crusts. In addition, the trace element composition suggests that the host mafic magma of the zircon grains was derived from depleted mantle similar to the mid-oceanic ridge-type source, rather than fertile mantle source like Hawaii and Iceland. On the basis of the common occurrence of similar mafic rocks from the Shatsky Rise in the modern NW Pacific Ocean, we conclude that the protoliths of the Mikabu greenstones had formed a part of an oceanic plateau/island, which was generated by the Late Jurassic intra-plate mafic magmatism in ancient mid-Pacific, probably together with the Shatzky Rise.

We present an integrated study of ophiolite complexes and island arc rocks from the Tianshui-Wushan Accretionary Belt, West Qinling Orogen. The West Qinling Orogen is important because it links the Qinling orogen to the east and the Qilian and Kunlun orogens to the west. The link between these orogens is commonly assumed, but has little study in detail. Zircon U-Pb analyses from ophiolitic rocks indicate the oceanic lithosphere formed in the Cambrian (530–500 Ma). Pillow lavas in the ophiolite complex show geochemical signatures of enriched MORB, suggesting they represent remnants of an oceanic plateau or seamounts. The island arc rocks include a volcanic complex with basalt-andesite and boninite of Late Ordovician age (460–440 Ma), and a serpentinized peridotite massif. The serpentinized peridotite most likely represent a highly refractory mantle residue with subsequent melt-rock interaction at ~450 Ma, suggesting that it formed in a forearc setting. The co-occurrence of ophiolite complexes and island arc rocks indicates that Tianshui-Wushan Accretionary Belt is an oceanic suture zone caused by oceanic subduction in the Early Paleozoic. The island arc rocks most likely represent the early product of an Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM)-type intra-oceanic arc, developed in response to a collision between an oceanic plateau and a continental margin. Our study permits a tectonic correlation between the Tianshui-Wushan Accretionary Belt in the West Qinling Orogen and the South Qilian Accretionary Belt in the Qilian Orogen, thereby establishing the continuity between the Early Paleozoic orogenic belts along the southern margin of the North China Craton.

The northern Andes of Colombia comprise two non-cogenetic Paleogene arcs formed in contrasting geodynamic settings including continental and oceanic domains. New whole-rock geochemistry and isotopic constraints, together with a review of 332 geochemical, 76 isotopic and 204 geochronological data from Paleocene to Eocene volcanic and plutonic rocks exposed in central and western Colombia and Panama, are used to evaluate cause-effect relations between regional plate kinematics and the spatio-temporal distribution of the circum-Caribbean magmatic arcs. Short-lived, ~60–45 Ma arc-like magmatism in the Central Cordillera of Colombia was emplaced in a thickened continental crust due to the oblique subduction of the Caribbean oceanic plate underneath South America, as suggested by the high Sr/Y ratios. Conversely, the Panama Arc, and its poorly explored extension in the northwestern segment of the Western Cordillera of Colombia document a major phase of tholeiitic to calc-alkaline arc magmatism between ~71 Ma and ~34 Ma, mostly derived from a hydrated mantle wedge, and emplaced in an oceanic plateau crust. This arc record a major phase of magmatic activity between 40 Ma and 50 Ma that can be associated to changes in the convergence direction and subduction rates of the Farallon plate. Farther to the south, in the Pacific region of Colombia, Eocene arc-related rocks from the Timbiqui Complex show a geochemical signature that suggests a magmatic origin from melting of both a subduction-modified mantle and lower tectonically thickened crust. A possible interpretation for the Pacific and Western Colombia-Panama Arc systems, and its analogous in Ecuador, recall an Aleutian-type convergent margin in which the continental arc laterally switches to a purely oceanic system along the trailing edge of the Caribbean plate as consequence of eastward subduction of the Farallon plate.

Many oceanic plateaus have been emplaced at or adjacent to mid-ocean ridges. To explain plateau volume and thickened crust compared to normal oceanic crust, hotspot–ridge interaction is commonly assumed, but the manner of interaction remains unclear. The Shatsky Rise oceanic plateau is a large volcanic mountain that formed at a triple junction during Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous time. Recent drilling and seismic investigations suggest that the intermediate edifice in the rise, Ori Massif, is a central volcano. Paradoxically, magnetic lineations were traced across parts of Ori Massif, implying formation at a spreading ridge. In this study, we examined magnetic anomalies over and around Ori Massif to obtain insights about the formation of this volcanic edifice. Magnetic data from 21 cruises were corrected, combined, and gridded to construct a magnetic anomaly map. Forward and inverse magnetic modeling was done to investigate the magnetic structure of Ori Massif. The results imply that this large volcanic edifice is predominantly characterized by linear magnetic anomalies resulting from alternating normal and reversed polarity magnetization blocks, analogous to magnetic anomalies recorded by spreading-ridges. This magnetic structure is not expected for a central volcano that was built by long runout lava flows, implying that Ori Massif eruptions must have been constrained near the ridge axis. Magnetic bights on the north and south boundaries of Ori Massif imply that it was bracketed by triple junctions, indicating complex ridge tectonics during the formation of Shatsky Rise. The surprising finding that Ori Massif is traversed by coherent linear magnetic anomalies indicates that oceanic plateaus can record seafloor spreading magnetic anomalies despite large crustal thickness. Other oceanic plateaus also record linear magnetic anomalies, implying a link between divergent plate boundaries and oceanic plateau volcanism.

The oceanic plateau subduction and resulted terrane accretion have played significant roles in the continental crustal growth; however, the modes and dynamics of plateau accretion during subduction remains poorly understood. The oceanic subduction can be driven by the combined effects of slab pull, ridge push, as well as the possible overriding plate push. The latter one has been rarely studied, but can be the case during the multiple Tethyan slabs subduction and terranes accretion for the formation of Tibetan lithosphere in the Mesozoic. Using 2-D petrological-thermo-mechanical models, we systematically investigated the modes and dynamics of terrane accretion during the dominant seaward continental drifting and oceanic plateau subduction. The model results show that the plateau with continental crustal affinity favors accretion to the overriding plate during the subduction process. Three distinct terrane accretion modes are identified: frontal accretion, bottom accretion, and a transitional mode with both the frontal and bottom accretion. In contrast, the plateau with oceanic crustal affinity generally favors subduction and recycling into the deeper mantle, rather than accretion, which is mainly due to the higher density and possible eclogitization of the oceanic crustal materials during subduction. The numerical simulations further reveal that the controlling factor for the subduction style, i.e. flat versus steep subduction, is the age of the oceanic slab and the seaward overriding plate motion. The rheological properties and the convergence rate play minor roles in affecting the subducting slab angle. The model results are further compared with the Jurassic magmatic rock distribution and geochemical characteristics of the Lhasa Terrane in Tibet, which reveals (1) the transition from flat to steep subduction of the southward Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan slab; and (2) the mechanism of Jurassic crustal growth in the central Lhasa subterrane which may be strongly correlated with the bottom accretion of the subducted oceanic plateau.

Western Junggar in NW China, located to the southeast of the Boshchekul-Chingiz (BC) Range and to the north of the Chu-Balkhash-Yili microcontinent (CBY), played a key role in the architectural development of the western Altaids. However, the mutual tectonic relationships have been poorly constrained. In this paper, we present detailed mapping, field structural geology, and geochemical data from the Barleik-Mayile-Tangbale Complex (BMTC) in Western Junggar. The Complex is divisible into Zones I, II and III, which are mainly composed of Cambrian-Silurian rocks. Zone I contains pillow lava, siliceous shale, chert, coral-bearing limestone, sandstone and purple mudstone. Zone II consists of basaltic lava, siliceous shale, chert, sandstone and mudstone. Zone III is characterized by basalt, chert, sandstone and mudstone. These rocks represent imbricated ocean plate stratigraphy, which have been either tectonically juxtaposed by thrusting or form a melange with a block-in-matrix structure. All these relationships suggest that the BMTC is an Early-Middle Paleozoic accretionary complex in the eastern extension of the BC Range. These Early Paleozoic oceanic rocks were thrust onto Silurian sediments forming imbricate thrust stacks that are unconformably overlain by Devonian limestone, conglomerate and sandstone containing fossils of brachiopoda, crinoidea, bryozoa, and plant stems and leaves. The tectonic vergence of overturned folds in cherts, drag-related curved cleavages and σ-type structures on the main thrust surface suggests top-to-the-NW transport. Moreover, the positive eNd(t) values of volcanic rocks from the Tacan-1 drill-core, and the positive eHf(t) values and post-Cambrian ages of detrital zircons from Silurian and Devonian strata to the south of the Tacheng block indicate that its basement is a depleted and juvenile lithosphere. And there was a radial outward transition from coral-bearing shallow marine (shelf) to deep ocean (pelagic) environments, and from OIB/E-MORB to N-MORB lava geochemistry away from the Tacheng block. Comparisons with published data suggest that these positive isotopic values, stratigraphic, structural and geochemical relationships can be best understood as an analogue of the relationships between the Ontong Java oceanic plateau and the Pacific oceanic crust. Therefore we propose that the basement of the Tacheng block was an Early Paleozoic oceanic plateau. The southern part of the Tacheng block was an accretionary complex and the northern part was an oceanic basin in the Early Paleozoic, the configuration of which is similar to that of the present Ontong Java oceanic plateau situated on the Pacific oceanic crust, and its accretion into the Solomon accretionary complex. The presence of Ordovician SSZ-type ophiolites, early Paleozoic blueschist and Silurian SSZ-type intrusions in the BMTC, and Early-Middle Paleozoic continental arc-related intrusive rocks in the northern margin of the CBY provide further corroboration of a former subduction zone between the southern West Junggar and the northern margin of the CBY. Furthermore, consideration of the fact that the Kokchetav-North Tianshan range was collaged to the southern margin of the CBY in the Ordovician-Devonian indicates that both ranges were amalgamated synchronously with the CBY constructing the Early-Middle Paleozoic architecture of western Altaids.

Extensional episodes in Precambrian orogens are often difficult to decipher because of subsequent orogenesis and intracontinental reworking. Here, we use geochemical and geochronological constraints of a suite of preserved mafic–ultramafic rocks in the Paleoproterozoic Capricorn Orogen of Western Australia to reveal ophiolites, continental ribbons and aborted rifts. The Capricorn Orogen separates the Archean Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons and includes mafic–ultramafic rocks of the fault-bounded Trillbar Complex and Bryah Sub-basin. The Trillbar Complex is situated within a fault wedge between the Yilgarn Craton and a reworked portion of the craton to the north (Yarlarweelor Gneiss Complex), and has been variously interpreted as an obducted ophiolite, oceanic plateau or continental rift-related magmatic suite. In this study, a new U–Pb zircon age of 2069 ± 9 Ma from the Trillbar Complex indicates that it is at least 40 Myr older than the mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Bryah Sub-basin, with which it has previously been linked. The Trillbar Complex is characterised by E-MORB-like signatures, hydrous crystallization and a lack of crustal contamination, and probably formed in a mid-ocean ridge or, alternatively, an oceanic intraplate setting. Conversely, the 2030–1990 Ma mafic and ultramafic rocks in the Bryah Sub-basin show evidence of crustal contamination and are interpreted to have formed in a continental rift setting. Moreover, there is no evidence for boninites in the Bryah Sub-basin and, therefore, no justification for invoking a fore-arc setting. Thus, these pieces of evidence reveal a different tectonic and geodynamic origin for the Trillbar Complex compared to the Bryah Sub-basin rocks. The tectonic setting for the Trillbar Complex requires oceanic crust to have existed between the Yilgarn Craton and the Yarlarweelor Gneiss Complex. However, almost identical Archean histories of these crustal blocks support a proximal origin for the Yarlarweelor Gneiss Complex and a likely origin as a microcontinental ribbon. Farther east (in present-day coordinates), the Bryah Sub-basin and other sedimentary basins record punctuated rifting that never led to the formation of oceanic crust. Therefore, rigorous evaluation of high quality geochemical data coupled to geochronology from mafic–ultramafic rocks is able to provide valuable constraints on extensional episodes, where other evidence has since been erased from the rock record.

The Mesozoic Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateaus could have played important roles in both Tibetan continental marginal orogenesis and Tethyan oceanic evolution. However, little has been known whether fragments of these tremendous oceanic highs underplated beneath the active southern Qiangtang margin and impinged on the later magmatic and/or tectonic evolution. The Anduo volcanic rocks of this study in the southern Qiangtang, erupted at 79.6 ± 0.8 Ma, comprise predominantly high-K trachyte and trachyandesite, including 5 adakites with high Sr and low Y and Yb contents and high La/Yb normalized to chondrite ratios (> 20). These high-K calc-alkaline and shoshonitic rocks, classified according to immobile trace elements, have enriched isotope compositions with (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7073–0.7079, eNd(t) = −1.78 to −3.90 and zircon eHf(t) = −1.3 to 1.4. Geochemical modeling reveals that the Late Cretaceous Anduo high-silica adakites were most likely derived from the melting of the mixed material of 80–90% of the subducted Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateau metabasalt with 10–20% of the subducted sediments. Variable negative Eu and Sr anomalies, relatively large range of Mg#, increases of the eNd(t) values with increasing Mg# and decreasing SiO2, and increases of (87Sr/86Sr)i with decreasing Mg# and increasing SiO2 between adakites and non-adakites indicate the latter might have derived from lithospheric mantle assimilation and mineral fractional crystallization of the adakite parent magmas. It is thus concluded that the Meso-Tethyan oceanic plateaus could not only directly lead to the initial uplift of the Tibetan plateau through obduction and accretion onto the continental margin, but also contributed to the continental growth through relamination of the subducted oceanic plateaus.

LIP printing is a term adapted from forensic science to describe the use of geochemical proxies for tectonic and petrogenetic fingerprinting of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). Here, we investigate in detail the LIP printing of basic lavas, sills and dykes using two immobile element proxies: Th/Nb, a crustal input proxy, to monitor subduction-metasomatism and crustal assimilation and Ti/Yb, a residual garnet proxy, to monitor depth and degree of melting. The LIP printing diagram, a plot of Th/Nb against Ti/Yb for intraplate, plume-derived magmas, is characterised by two distinct arrays: a subduction-modified lithospheric mantle (SZLM) array and a MORB-OIB-OPB (plume) array (where OPB = oceanic plateau basalt). LIP basalt suites divide into three categories on this diagram: Type I plots entirely within the MORB-OIB-OPB array indicative of a significant plume source; Type II plots entirely within the SZLM array indicative of a significant sub-continental lithospheric mantle source, and Type III plots on a variety of trends between the two arrays indicative of significant plume-lithosphere interactions. Modelling demonstrates how the three LIP types, and the observed trends within and between individual LIPs, can be explained by differences in the compositions and relative contributions of lithospheric and asthenospheric (plume) mantle, in temperature and depth of melting and in the extent and nature of magma-crust interactions. This large genetic, and hence compositional, variability within and between LIPs relates to differences in geological and geodynamic setting and supports the forensic concept that ‘no two LIP prints are alike’. The potential applications of the LIP printing diagram are demonstrated here using four types of examples that highlight temporal and spatial LIP print diversity: flood basalt terranes related to Atlantic breakup (NAIP, Parana-Etendeka and CAMP); giant dyke swarms (Superior Craton Late Archean to Early Proterozoic dyke swarms and the Mackenzie dyke swarm); mineralization-related LIP terranes (Bushveld and Noril’sk); and early (c. 3.5 Ga) Earth and extraterrestrial lavas (terrrestrial Paleoarchean basalts and komatiites, lunar mare basalts and Martian shergottites).

The spatio-temporal, compositional and deformational record of magmatic arcs are sensible markers of the long-term evolution of convergent margins including collisional events. In this contribution, field relations, U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon geochronology from magmatic and sedimentary rocks, and whole-rock geochemistry from volcanic and plutonic rocks are used to reconstruct the Cretaceous arc growth and collision in the awakening of the Northern Andean orogeny in northwestern Colombia. The Quebradagrande Complex that includes a sequence of volcanic rocks intercalated with quartz-rich sediments is a tholeiitic arc characterized by an enrichment in LREE and Nb-Ti anomalies that document crustal thickening in an arc system that was already active by ca. 93 Ma. This arc was built associated with thin continental and newly formed oceanic crust, as suggested by the presence of Triassic and older detrital zircons in the associated sandstones. This fringing arc subsequently experienced deformation and a major switch to and enriched calc-alkaline high-k plutonism between 70 and 73 Ma. The deformation record and changes in composition are related to an opposite double-vergence Molucca-sea type arc-arc collision that ended with the accretion to the continental margin of an allochthonous island arc built on an oceanic plateau associated with the Caribbean plate. The new time-framework suggest that the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene collisional tectonics include various stages before the switching to a subduction-dominated regime in most of the Cenozoic.

Continental intraplate magmas with isotopic affinities similar to HIMU are identified worldwide. Involvement of an asthenospheric HIMU or HIMU-like source is contested because the characteristic radiogenic Pb compositions coupled with unradiogenic Sr and intermediate Nd and Hf compositions can also result from in-situ ingrowth in metasomatised lithospheric mantle. Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic compositions of late Cretaceous lamprophyre dikes from Westland, New Zealand, provide new insights into the formation of a HIMU-like alkaline intraplate magmatic province under the Zealandia continent. The oldest (102–100 Ma) calc-alkaline lamprophyres are compositionally similar to the preceding arc-magmatism (206Pb/204Pb(i) = 18.6, 207Pb/204Pb(i) = 15.62, 208Pb/204Pb(i) = 38.6, 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.7063–0.7074, eNd(i) = −2.1 − +0.1 and eHf(i) = −0.2 − +2.3) and are interpreted as melts originating from subduction-modified lithosphere. Alkaline dikes erupted on the inboard Gondwana margin shortly after cessation of subduction (92–84 Ma) have heterogeneous isotopic properties: 206Pb/204Pb(i) = 18.7 to 19.4, 207Pb/204Pb(i) = 15.60 to 15.65, 208Pb/204Pb(i) = 38.6 to 39.4, 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.7031 to 0.7068, eNd(i) = +4.5 to +8.0 and eHf(i) = +5.1 to +8.0. Melt compositions point to an amphibole-bearing spinel facies lithospheric mantle source enriched by metasomatism that introduced, amongst many elements, U + Th which lead to rapid ingrowth to HIMU-like compositions. Importantly, this HIMU-like source enrichment appears to have completely originated from the complex local subduction history. A coeval episode of alkaline magmatism (mainly 98–82 Ma) occurred outboard of Gondwana's former active margin and on the Hikurangi oceanic plateau (accreted to Zealandia in the Early Cretaceous) with compositions closer to true HIMU (206Pb/204Pb(i) ≈ 20.5, 207Pb/204Pb(i) ≈ 15.7, 208Pb/204Pb(i) ≈ 40.0, eNd(i) ≈ 4.5 and eHf(i) ≈ 4.0). In contrast to the inboard HIMU-like magmas, the radiogenic 207Pb/204Pb and relatively unradiogenic Nd and Hf require an ancient enriched source component. This magmatism is interpreted to represent melting of a fossilised HIMU source that resided under the Hikurangi Plateau. These genetically distinct but isotopically similar intraplate reservoirs were separated by the down-going slab under Gondwana's former active margin. Ancient HIMU magmatism was locally replaced by the young HIMU-like type which became dominant across Zealandia during the Late Cretaceous. Our research suggests that the sources for alkaline intraplate magmas with compositions similar to ocean island basalts can be formed either with or without the involvement of a plume-derived component.

Limestone, a major part of the global sedimentary succession, susceptible to post-depositional diagenesis. Studies of limestone geochemistry are essential in the discrimination of tectonic settings of basins in which the limestones were deposited. Six Late Mesozoic and one Tertiary limestone successions of Tibet, western China, that were deposited in oceanic plateau, passive continental margin, active continental margin (fore-arc basin, back-arc basin and foreland basin) and continental inland freshwater basins were analyzed for their major, trace and rare earth element (REE) composition. This geochemical dataset, in combination with the Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program (DSDP and ODP) literature geochemical data regarding limestones deposited in open ocean environments, permitted delineation of the geochemical characteristics of limestones accumulated in these various plate tectonic settings. Major elements (e.g., Fe2O3 and MnO, except for CaO) of these limestone successions show large variations but are positively correlated with Al2O3. The REE and trace element abundances for the inland and margin limestones show a distinct positive correlation with Al2O3 whereas REEs and trace elements of the open ocean limestones are positively correlated with MnO. There is a systematic increase in the magnitude of Ce anomalies of open ocean floor limestones away from spreading ridges to open ocean highs, to passive margins, and to active margins and inland freshwater basins. Open ocean limestones display a narrow range of (La/Sm)n (0.46–0.96), (Sm/Yb)n (0.25–1.96), and (La/Yb)n (0.23–1.38) but high (La/Ce)n (> 1.5) whereas the inland + margins limestones display a much larger range ((La/Sm)n (0.43–2.18), (Sm/Yb)n (0.6–2.98) and (La/Yb)n (0.7–2.25) but low (La/Ce)n (

Intraplate strain generally focuses in discrete zones, but despite the profound impact of this partitioning on global tectonics, geodynamics, and seismic hazard, the processes by which deformation becomes localized are not well understood. Such heterogeneous intraplate strain is exemplified in central Asia, where the Indo-Eurasian collision has caused widespread deformation while the Tarim block has experienced minimal Cenozoic shortening. The apparent stability of Tarim may arise either because strain is dominantly accommodated by pre-existing faults in the continental suture zones that bound it—essentially discretizing Eurasia into microplates—or because the lithospheric-scale strength (i.e., viscosity) of the Tarim block is greater than its surroundings. Here, we jointly analyze seismic velocity, gravity, topography, and temperature to develop a 3-D density model of the crust and upper mantle in this region. The Tarim crust is characterized by high density, v s , v p , and v p / v s , consistent with a dominantly mafic composition and with the presence of an oceanic plateau beneath Tarim. Low-density but high-velocity mantle lithosphere beneath southern (southwestern) Tarim underlies a suite of Permian plume-related mafic intrusions and A-type granites sourced in previously depleted mantle lithosphere; we posit that this region was further depleted, dehydrated, and strengthened by Permian plume magmatism. The actively deforming western and southern margins of Tarim—the Tien Shan, Kunlun Shan, and Altyn Tagh fault—are underlain by buoyant upper mantle with low velocity; we hypothesize that this material has been hydrated by mantle-derived fluids that have preferentially migrated along Paleozoic continental sutures. Such hydrous material should be weak, and herein strain focuses there because of lithospheric-scale variations in rheology rather than the pre-existence of faults in the brittle crust. Thus this world-class example of strain partitioning arises not simply from the pre-existence of brittle faults but from the thermo-chemical and therefore rheological variations inherited from prior tectonism.

Construction histories of Archean cratons remain poorly understood; their destruction is even less clear because of its rarity, but metasomatic weakening is an essential precursor. By assembling geophysical and geochemical data in 3-D lithosphere models, a clearer understanding of the geometry of major structures within the Rae, Slave and Wyoming cratons of central North America is now possible. Little evidence exists of subducted slab-like geometries similar to modern oceanic lithosphere in these construction histories. Underthrusting and wedging of proto-continental lithosphere is inferred from multiple dipping discontinuities, emphasizing the role of lateral accretion. Archean continental building blocks may resemble the modern lithosphere of oceanic plateau, but they better match the sort of refractory crust expected to have formed at Archean ocean spreading centres. Radiometric dating of mantle xenoliths provides estimates of rock types and ages at depth beneath sparse kimberlite occurrences, and these ages can be correlated to surface rocks. The 3.6–2.6 Ga Rae, Slave and Wyoming cratons stabilized during a granitic bloom at 2.61–2.55 Ga. This stabilization probably represents the final differentiation of early crust into a relatively homogeneous, uniformly thin (35–42 km), tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite crust with pyroxenite layers near the Moho atop depleted lithospheric mantle. Peak thermo-tectonic events at 1.86–1.7 Ga broadly metasomatized, mineralized and recrystallized mantle and lower crustal rocks, apparently making mantle peridotite more ‘fertile’ and more conductive by introducing or concentrating sulfides or graphite at 80–120 km depths. This metasomatism may have also weakened the lithosphere or made it more susceptible to tectonic or chemical erosion. Late Cretaceous flattening of Farallon lithosphere that included the Shatsky Rise conjugate appears to have weakened, eroded and displaced the base of the Wyoming craton below 140–160 km. This process replaced the old re-fertilized continental mantle with relatively young depleted oceanic mantle.

The events and processes associated with the meeting of oceanic plateaus and subduction zones have significant implications for our understanding of lithospheric strength, structure, and Earth's tectonic history. A powerful approach towards understanding crustal structure, geochemical composition and rheological behaviour of oceanic plateaus is to combine field studies, oceanic drilling, magmatic evolution and numerical modeling. We review the current state of this field and discuss types of oceanic plateau subduction by combining and comparing natural observations and numerical models. Three modes of oceanic plateau subduction can be identified in both nature and models. These are a) complete oceanic plateau subduction, b) partial oceanic plateau subduction, and c) complete oceanic plateau accretion. We discuss factors affecting the subduction and accretion of oceanic plateaus such as lithospheric buoyancy, rheology, the age of the oceanic lithosphere, the thickness of the continental margin and weak layers. Several issues such as quantitative correlations between the factors controlling whether plateaus are accreted or subducted remain unclear. Further work combining observations and 3D numerical simulations is needed in order to fully understand the implications of the structures and processes involved.

Rocks of tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioritic (TTG) composition preserved in Archaean terranes represent fragments of the Earth’s earliest-formed continental crust, and are thought to have formed via partial melting of hydrated metabasalt. The geodynamic environments in which such high-grade metamorphism and anatexis may have occurred in the early Earth is strongly debated. Constraining the pressure ( P ) and temperature ( T ) conditions at which melts of appropriate composition can be derived from protoliths containing plausible mineral assemblages is central to addressing this question. Phase equilibrium modelling has been undertaken for an enriched Archaean tholeiite bulk composition—a suggested protolith for early-Earth TTG magmas—using newly parameterised thermodynamic models that were specifically developed to evaluate the anatectic behaviour of metabasalt. Assuming minimal H 2 O saturation at the wet solidus, the potential fertility of the studied metabasalt is greatest if the solidus is crossed at a pressure of ∼11 kbar, where the solidus temperature reaches a minimum of ∼610 °C. Major-element compositions and proportions of calculated partial melts show the best correlation with those of natural Archaean TTGs when in the P – T range ∼800–950 °C and ∼10–18 kbar, which we suggest are optimal conditions for their petrogenesis. Normative geochemistry suggests that these melts would crystallise to broadly trondhjemitic or tonalitic lithologies. Calculated modal proportions of garnet, plagioclase, amphibole, and rutile in the residuum, which control diagnostic trace-element signatures in the melt, also show the best agreement with natural and experimental data at these conditions. Importantly, although partial melts calculated outside of this P – T range still produce TTG-like major-element compositions and normative mineralogies, they would poorly match the diagnostic trace-element signatures of natural Archaean examples owing to the absences of key minerals in the residuum. This optimal P – T range of 800–950 °C and 10–18 kbar defined herein is most likely to characterise metamorphism of hydrated basalt at the base of a 40-km-thick Archaean oceanic plateau/overthickened crust, or else tectonic underplating via shallow subduction, which we therefore suggest are the most likely tectonic settings for the formation of the first voluminous continental crust on the early Earth.

We present overview for geological studies of the terranes of the Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt in the Russian Far East. The belt is formed by accretionary prisms with alternating tectonic packets of thrust-like slices which consist of complexly deformed marine (pelagic and hemipelagic deposits, as well as oceanic plateau and paleo-guyot fragments), marginal oceanic turbidites and chaotic (subduction melange) formations. We reconstruct a stepwise history of accretion of paleo-oceanic crustal fragments of different ages, based on detailed lithological-biostratigraphic and structural analysis. We propose geodynamic model for evolution of the eastern margin of the paleo-Asian continent during the Mesozoic time by combining geological observations for the region with geological data for others terranes of the Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt. We recognize several principal Mesozoic geological processes that have led to formation of the continental crust at the eastern margin of Asia: (i) accretion of paleo-oceanic fragments to the continent margin during the subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate along the convergent margins, (ii) subsequent intense deformation of rocks of the accretionary prisms of the transform margin including folding and multiple thrusting which led to a multifold increase in thickness of sediments, (iii) formation of granitic–metamorphic complexes due to intrusion of the orogenic granites into the accretionary prisms.

There is a Mid–Late Mesozoic (Jurassic–Cretaceous) arc magmatic belt in southern Qiangtang subterrane associated with the north-dipping subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean. Early Mesozoic (Triassic) magmatism, tectonic evolution of the southern Qiangtang subterrane, and the mechanism of its crustal growth, however, remain unclear. This paper reports zircon U–Pb age, whole-rock major, trace elemental, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic components for the Mesozoic Tanggula Pass rhyolites in southern Qiangtang subterrane. Our new data reveal a significant, previously unrecognized stage of magmatism in southern Qiangtang subterrane. The Tanggula Pass rhyolites are moderately-strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.09–1.54), highly fractionated (SiO2 > 73%) and ultrapotassic (K2O/Na2O > 44%). Zircon U–Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS yields a concordant age with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 235.9 ± 0.86 Ma (n = 18, MSWD = 0.25). The large variations of major and trace element concentrations are mainly attributed to fractional crystallization of plagioclase, hornblende, Fe-Ti oxides, and accessory minerals such as apatite, allanite, monazite, and zircon in the shallow level. K-feldspar mainly occurs as cumulated mineral, resulting in high K2O contents and K2O/Na2O ratios. The rhyolites were derived by partial melting of mixed source rocks including older sedimentary rocks in the upper crust and juvenile materials, triggered by north-dipping subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. The eruption age of Middle Triassic suggests that the initiation of northward subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan ocean took place earlier than is currently assumed. Whole-rock Nd (ca. 1.55 to 2.34 Ga) and zircon Hf (ca. 1.77 to 2.33 Ga) data reflect the presence of the Proterozoic basement in the southern Qiangtang subterrane. Basaltic magma underplating and accretion of intra-oceanic arc complexes and oceanic plateau contributed to vertical crustal growth and lateral crustal growth, respectively.

Crust forming processes on the early Earth have long been debated and relatively few rock and mineral samples exist with which to evaluate many hotly contested themes. The Acasta Gneiss Complex contains rock units with crystallization ages exceeding 4.0 Ga, making them the oldest known evolved rock units in the world. However, the AGC has experienced a long and complex history with multiple periods of igneous intrusion, deformation and metamorphism. Indeed, previous workers have demonstrated that orthogneisses within the AGC have igneous ages ranging from ∼4.03 to ∼3.4 Ga. This large range in crystallization ages gives us the opportunity to investigate the evolution of Earth’s earliest known continental crust through a period of greater than 1 billion years. Here we present an updated geologic map of key areas within the Acasta Gneiss Complex in which we delineate units based upon age as well as composition. Whole-rock geochemistry, zircon LA-ICPMS U–Pb geochronology and SIMS O-isotope analyses from a large suite of samples indicate a significant change in mode of crust formation over 400 million years. These data document a gradual change from shallow crustal processes generating basaltic to andesitic compositions at 4.02 Ga to deep-seated partial melting of hydrated basalt, represented by voluminous Archean TTG-like intrusions at 3.6 Ga. We find no evidence that classic Archean TTG-like rock units are present within the AGC prior to 3.6 Ga, suggesting a significantly different tectonic process at work prior to this time. We invoke an oceanic plateau-like model to describe the evolving nature of crust formation within the AGC, which forms a buoyant, evolved nucleus. This nucleus then initiates deep-seated partial melting of mafic crust forming voluminous TTG-like units at ∼3.6 Ga. This ultimately serves to stabilize the crust and forms a nucleus for later formation of the Slave craton.

Shatsky Rise in the Northwest Pacific is the best example so far of an oceanic plateau with two potential hotspot tracks emanating from it: the linear Papanin volcanic ridge and the seamounts comprising Ojin Rise. Arguably, these hotspot tracks also project toward the direction of Hess Rise, located ∼1200 km away, leading to speculations that the two plateaus are connected. Dredging was conducted on the massifs and seamounts around Shatsky Rise in an effort to understand the relationship between these plateaus and associated seamounts. Here, we present new 40Ar/39Ar ages and trace element and Nd, Pb, and Hf isotopic data for the recovered dredged rocks and new trace elements and isotopic data for a few drill core samples from Hess Rise. Chemically, the samples can be subdivided into plateau basalt-like tholeiites and trachytic to alkalic ocean-island basalt compositions, indicating at least two types of volcanic activity. Tholeiites from the northern Hess Rise (DSDP Site 464) and the trachytes from Toronto Ridge on Shatsky’s TAMU massif have isotopic compositions that overlap with those of the drilled Shatsky Rise plateau basalts, suggesting that both Rises formed from the same mantle source. In contrast, trachytes from the southern Hess Rise (DSDP Site 465A) have more radiogenic Pb isotopic ratios that are shifted toward a high time-integrated U/Pb (HIMU-type mantle) composition. The compositions of the dredged seamount samples show two trends relative to Shatsky Rise data: one toward lower 143Nd/144Nd but similar 206Pb/204Pb ratios, the other toward similar 143Nd/144Nd but more radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb ratios. These trends can be attributed to lower degrees of melting either from lower mantle material during hotspot-related transition to plume tail or from less refractory shallow mantle components tapped during intermittent deformation-related volcanism induced by local tectonic extension between and after the main volcanic-edifice building episodes on Shatsky Rise. The ocean-island-basalt-like chemistry and isotopic composition of the Shatsky and Hess rise seamounts contrast with those formed by purely deformation-related shallow mantle-derived volcanism, favoring the role of a long-lived mantle anomaly in their origin. Finally, new 40Ar/39Ar evidence indicates that Shatsky Rise edifices may have been formed in multiple-stages and over a longer duration than previously believed.

In this contribution we use VMS mineral systems in the Bryah rift-basin to constrain the tectonic setting of the widespread mafic and ultramafic magmatism that characterises the rift-basin in question. Two distinct, but temporally closely associated, lithostratigraphic sequences, Narracoota and Karalundi Formations, are discussed. The Karalundi Formation is the main host of VMS mineral systems in the region. The Karalundi Formation consists of turbiditic and immature clastic sediments, which are locally intercalated with basaltic hyaloclastites, dolerites and banded jaspilites. We propose that the basaltic hyaloclastites, dolerites and clastics and jaspilites rocks, form a distinct unit of the Karalundi Formation, named Noonyereena Member. The VMS mineral systems occur near the north-east trending Jenkin Fault and comprise the giant and world-class DeGrussa and the Red Bore deposits. The nature of these deposits and their intimate association with terrigenous clastic rocks and dominantly marine mafic volcanic and subvolcanic rocks, as well as the common development of peperitic margins, are considered indicative of a Besshi-type environment, similar to that of present-day Gulf of California. Our Re-Os age data from a primary pyrite yielded a mean model age of 2012 ± 48 Ma, which coincides (within error) with recent published Re-Os data (Hawke et al., 2015) and confirms the timing of the proposed geodynamic evolution. We propose a geodynamic model that attempts to explain the presence of the Narracoota and Karalundi Formations as the result of mantle plume activity, which began with early uplift of continental crust with intraplate volcanism, followed by early stages of rifting with the deposition of the Karalundi Formation (and Noonyereena Member), which led to the formation of Besshi-type VMS deposits. With on-going mantle plume activity and early stages of continental separation, an oceanic plateau was formed and is now represented by mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Narracoota Formation.

Phanerozoic growth of continental crust has widely been considered as an important geological phenomenon and mainly occurs in an arc setting. However, the crustal growth models (mantle-derived basalt underplating or accretion of island or intra-oceanic arc complexes or oceanic plateau) have been disputed. Here we present new zircon LA–ICPMS U–Pb age, whole-rock major and trace element, Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic data for Late Mesozoic intermediate–felsic intrusive rocks in the Rena Co area in southern Qiangtang, central Tibet. LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating for two granodiorite and three diorite samples and one granodiorite porphyry sample gives ages of ca. 150 Ma, ca. 112 Ma, respectively, indicating they were generated in the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. All rocks are sub-alkaline in composition and belong to the high-K cal-alkaline series. The ~ 150 Ma diorites (SiO2 = 57.9–61.2 wt.%) exhibit relatively high MgO (3.13–3.88 wt.%) and Cr (52.4–282 ppm) contents and Mg# (47–51) values, similar to magnesian diorites. They are geochemically characterized by uniformly low eNd(t) (− 5.5 to − 5.2), high (87Sr/86Sr)i (0.7071 to 0.7078) and Th/La (0.22–0.32), and variable zircon eHf(t) (− 8.7 to + 4.8) values. They were probably generated by melting of oceanic sediment diapirs, followed by interaction with the surrounding mantle during the northward subduction of Bangong–Nujiang Oceanic lithosphere. The ~ 150 Ma granodiorites and ~ 112 Ma granodiorite porphyries are characterized by low MgO ( 15% wt.%) and Sr (> 400 ppm) and low Y (

The Laramide orogeny (~ 80–50 Ma) was an anomalous period of mountain-building in the western United States that occurred more than 1000 km inboard of the Farallon Plate subduction margin. It is widely believed that this orogeny is coincident with a period of flat (subhorizontal) subduction. However, the factors that caused the Farallon Plate to evolve from a normal (steep) geometry to flat subduction are not well understood. Three proposed factors are: (1) a westward (trenchward) increase in North America motion, (2) an increased slab suction force owing to the presence of thick Colorado Plateau lithosphere, and (3) subduction of a low-density oceanic plateau. This study uses 2D upper mantle scale numerical models to investigate these factors. The models show that trenchward continental motion is the primary control on subduction geometry, with decreasing slab dip as velocity increases. However, this can only create low-angle subduction, as the Farallon Plate was old (> 100 Myr) and denser than the mantle. A transition to flat subduction requires: (1) subduction of a buoyant oceanic plateau that includes an 18-km-thick crust that does not undergo metamorphic densification and an underlying depleted harzburgite layer, and (2) a slab break-off at the landward side of the plateau. The break-off removes the dense frontal slab, and flat subduction develops as the buoyant plateau deflects the slab upward. The slab suction force has only a minor effect on slab flattening, but the thickness of the Colorado Plateau lithosphere controls the depth of the flat slab. With a continental velocity of 4 cm/yr and a 400-km-wide oceanic plateau, flat subduction develops within 15 Ma after plateau subduction. The flat slab underthrusts the continent at ~ 200 km depth, eventually extending > 1500 km inboard of the trench.

The tectono-magmatic evolution of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean (BNO) plays a crucial role in understanding the Tibetan Plateau accretion before the Cenozoic India-Asia collision. The microcontinents and oceanic plateau recognized recently within the BNO provide important clues for constructing the subduction process between BNO and the Qiangtang terrane. In this contribution, we provide a comprehensive overview of the multidisciplinary information from magmatism, metamorphism, stratigraphy, geochronology, geochemistry, Hf isotopic data, ophiolite suites, and paleomagnetism to gain insights into the spatially and temporally related geodynamic processes of the BNO. A compilation of geochronological data indicates that the emplacement of the diverse igneous suites occurred mainly during three stages: stage 1 (190–150 Ma), stage 2 (130–110 Ma), and stage 3 (110–70 Ma). The igneous suites, including granitoids, mafic intrusions and volcanic rocks, formed two arcuate E–W trending belts that parallel the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone and are correlated to the double sided subduction of the BNO. We infer that the BNO initially opened at ~270Ma between the Lhasa terrane and Qiangtang terrane, although the relationship between the BNO and Longmu Tso-Shuanghu paleo-Tethyan ocean is still unclear. Age data related to metamorphism, arc magmatism, supra-subduction zoneophiolites, and sedimentary strata indicate that the northward subduction of the BNO started at ~190 Ma, followed by the subduction of microcontinents beneath the Qiangtang terrane at 195 Ma. In contrast, the subsequent southward subduction of the BNO started at ~170 Ma, resulting in the opening of the Shiquanhe-Namuco ocean. As indicated by the high Mg volcanic suite, intra-ocean subduction within the BNO also occurred during 170-145Ma, possibly related to the resistance from subduction of ocean plateau and slab retreat. Based on evidence from petrology, isotope geochronology, and isotopic geochemistry, we also infer that the magmatic lull during 145-130Ma is related to the slab subduction of ocean plateau beneath the southern Qiangtang subterrane. The closure of the BNO was most likely diachronous, which started as early as Late Jurassic and continued to the late Early Cretaceous (120-110Ma).

Many groups or chains of seamounts border, or are associated with, oceanic plateaus but their origin and relationship with plateau volcanism are debated. An example is Ojin Rise Seamounts, a group of ~80 seamounts located northeast of the 147–134 Ma Shatsky Rise, an oceanic plateau that was formed along the trace of a triple junction in the northwest Pacific Ocean. A notable topographic feature of Ojin Rise Seamounts is that they are distributed in such a way that they appear to be connected to another oceanic plateau in the east, the ~100 Ma Hess Rise. Many seamounts are arranged in a NW–SE direction (almost in the same absolute plate motion direction) and some are organized into seamount chains consisting of several volcanic cones connected by a common platform, reflecting a complex volcanic history. Here we report petrography as well as major and trace element, Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf isotope, and 40Ar-39Ar age data for basalts dredged from five seamounts in the western part of Ojin Rise Seamounts. We found that the 40Ar-39Ar ages of the cones (123.7–120.7 Ma) are distinctly younger than the magnetic lineation age (M9-M7; 134–132 Ma) around the chain. The younger age suggests either a protracted development for the seamount chain, previously proposed to have formed near-ridge, or age difference between the platform and cones. The morphological and age differences are supported by petrography and geochemistry: platform basalts are aphyric, whereas cone basalts are slightly to highly plagioclase-phyric (up to 48 vol%); platform basalts are depleted in trace element and isotope composition, but cone basalts are enriched with high Nb/Ti and 87Sr/86Sr, and low 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf ratios. The depleted signature of the platform basalts is similar to that of the abundant normal type basalts of Shatsky Rise with an isotope composition that overlaps with that of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB), whereas trace elements are enriched (e.g., higher Nb/Zr and Nb/Ti than N-MORB). However, slight geochemical differences between the Ojin platform basalts and Shatsky normal type basalts exist and are expressed in higher 208Pb/204Pb isotope ratios of the former. The depleted signature implies shallow mantle dilution of the (enriched) Shatsky plume tail near a ridge. In contrast, the enriched signature of the cone basalts indicates little contribution from N-MORB source mantle as (enriched) plume volcanism moved away from the ridge. The enriched features (Nb/Zr and 176Hf/177Hf) of the Ojin Rise cone basalts increase with increasing distance from Shatsky Rise and conform with a geochemical evolution model that involves increasing contribution from a highly enriched Hess Rise source component with time.

The Yap Arc was considered to have derived from the proto-Yap-Izu Bonin-Mariana arc system. It is a rare example of subduction of an oceanic plateau with short arc–trench distance and consists mainly of metamorphic rocks, which are distinct from the Izu Bonin-Mariana arc system. However, it is not known on the origin and formation time of the basement rocks of the Yap Arc. For the first time, in this study we provide the results of radiometric age-dating and whole-rock major element, trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope analyses for the metamorphic basement rocks (amphibolites) of the Yap Arc. These rock samples can be classified into three groups based on their major and trace element compositions. Group 1 samples have strong depletion of LREEs and a Dupal-type isotopic signature, and they represent forearc basalts (FABs) of the nascent Yap forearc. Group 2 samples have an alkali basalt-like geochemistry and oceanic island basalts (OIBs) type trace element patterns, and they represent the basalts of the Caroline Plateau. Group 3 samples have island-arc-type negative anomalies of Nb–Ta–Zr–Hf, and they may represent the volcanic rocks of the proto-Yap Arc. These amphibolites were formed at 21 Ma according to 40Ar/39Ar amphibole dating and in situ SIMS U Pb titanite dating, and they record the timing of the collisional event between the Caroline Plateau and the proto-Yap Arc. We propose that the Yap arc has been evolving distinctly from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc since this collision time. These rocks were metamorphosed and brought onto the present Yap Arc as a result of the collision between the proto-Yap Arc and the Caroline Plateau. Based on the new results of age-dating and geochemistry of this study, we propose three stages of tectonic evolution for the Yap Arc as a result of collision from the Caroline plateau: an early stage (proto-Yap Arc) of subduction of the Caroline Plate, collision of the proto-Yap Arc with the in-coming young Caroline Plateau, and rejuvenated plate subduction at the Yap Trench with limited volcanism.

Shi et al. (2020) commented on our recent work (Li et al. 2019), which reconstructed the Wilson cycle of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean. They questioned our preferred latest Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Lhasa-Qiangtang initial collision model, and argued that the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean did not close until the Late Cretaceous, based on the existence of Mid-Cretaceous OIB-type mafic rocks, arc-type magmatism and marine sedimentation as well as paleomagnetic data. Here we respond to all these pieces of evidence separately and eventually conclude that the observations and data they provided are not proof supporting the persistence of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean into the Late Cretaceous. Our preferred latest Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Lhasa-Qiangtang initial collision model thereby still holds.

The Western Cordillera of Colombia is interpreted as an igneous province derived from the Colombian-Caribbean Oceanic Plateau (CCOP) and assumed that contained no high-grade metamorphic rocks. The Mistrato Quartz-diorite and Sabanalarga Batholith however, as part of the CCOP, contain some rocks that evidence granulite facies metamorphism. Here we define the Mistrato Granulite as a different unit from the Mistrato Quartz-diorite and correlated with the Pantanillo Granulite, which has been previously defined as a different unit from the Sabanalarga Batholith. We use field relationships, petrography, mineral chemistry and whole rock chemistry analyses to evidence the metamorphism. The Mistrato Granulite, which outcrops into the inner regions of the Colombian Western Cordillera, hosts a Ca-richer recrystallized assemblage, which consists of plagioclase + clinopyroxene + ortopyroxene + quartz + ilmenite, and a Ca-poorer relict assemblage, which consists of plagioclase + clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene + ilmenite + actinolite, this latter mineral interpreted as retrogression of clinopyroxene. The anhydrous nature and polygonal granoblastic texture of the recrystallized assemblage supports the metamorphism of a gabbroic protolith that reached granulitic conditions, determined by thermodynamic calculations to be of 900 ± 50 °C and below 1.1 GPa. Geochemical analyses reveal that these rocks may have formed in an island arc linked to the evolution of the CCOP during the Late Cretaceous. We have found that the geochemistry of the Mistrato and Pantanillo granulites, together with their regional settings, are comparable, suggesting that both units could have derived from similar mafic oceanic rocks and underwent a similar tectonic evolution. This interpretation differs from previous ideas that explain the Pantanillo Granulite as a result of the interaction between the Central and Western Cordilleras.

A model that places development of IOCG (and porphyry-epithermal) mineralization at ca. 1.60–1.575 Ga in eastern Proterozoic Australia into the context of a modern-day suprasubduction zone is presented here. This model depicts a change from a rollback subduction geometry in which extensional basins were developing in the overriding plate from ca. 1.67–1.604 Ga to a flat-slab subduction environment where ca. 1.65–1.604 Ga arc-magmatism was shut off and hot, extensional basins were inverted under high-temperature/low-pressure metamorphic conditions. The change in subduction architecture was induced by the arrival of a buoyant oceanic plateau at the site of subduction at ca. 1.604 Ga. Subduction was associated with the development of F-rich, S-poor metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) as the result of slab melting within the rollback and/or the flat-slab subduction geodynamic setting. Eclogitisation and densification of the frontal oceanic slab resulted in slab steepening, a sudden upwelling of hot asthenosphere under the present-day Olympic Dam area and transient upper crustal uplift. The sudden heat input triggered slab melting and partial melting in the mantle to produce anhydrous, F-rich, S-poor melts that interacted with the metasomatized SCLM. Fractionation of resultant mafic melts with minimal to no crustal input resulted in generation of the dominantly A-type older Hiltaba Suite granites that were emplaced at upper crustal levels and an ignimbrite flare-up that is now recognised as the Gawler Range Volcanics. Highly fractionated magma that stalled in the upper crust exsolved volatile-rich and metalliferous fluids that mixed with meteoric and basinal brines to produce IOCG mineralization through the Olympic Domain including the supergiant Olympic Dam deposit. Further slab steepening and retreat of the posterior buoyant oceanic plateau resulting in additional upwelling of the asthenosphere and progressive development of an asthenospheric wedge in a normal subduction geometry. Slab retreat can be tracked by the progressive younging of Hiltaba Suite granites in a present-day approximately westerly to southwesterly direction. Heat introduced through progressive development of the asthenospheric wedge resulted in dehydration of the buoyant oceanic lithosphere to produce S-rich fluids that interacted with the asthenosphere to produce oxidised, S-rich partial melts. These melts interacted with the metasomatized SCLM resulting in generation of dominantly I-type magmas and porphyry-epithermal systems in the southwestern Gawler Craton (Central Gawler Gold Province). The location of IOCG and porphyry-epithermal deposits is also dictated by the location of lithospheric-scale structures that acted as conduits for fluids and melts associated with mineralization. The suprasubduction zone environment of mineralization is informed by modern analogues of the Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene Laramide Orogeny in the western United States, present-day slab geometries in the Andes of South America, and by the formation of Cretaceous IOCG and Cu-porphyry deposits in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The North China Craton (NCC) is fundamentally characterized by Mesozoic intraplate deformation controlled by preexisting basement fabrics and far-field stress fields. In this study, a structural analysis of typical outcrops and representative sections was conducted to investigate the Mesozoic deformation in the central NCC. Our analysis indicates that this Mesozoic deformation is a typical example of thick-skinned tectonics and that the central NCC experienced two stages of deformation during this period. The first stage was driven by nearly east-west maximum compressional stress during the Late Jurassic, which led to the development of north-south-trending structures in the central NCC, such as the Luliangshan range and Qinshui Basin. The second stage involved NNW-SSE maximum compressional stress during the Late Cretaceous, which resulted in the development of east-west-trending structures and the activation of large sinistral strike-slip faults, such as the Huoshan-Fushan fault. The key mechanism for the deformation during the Late Jurassic was the low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the NCC, which also laid the foundation for the later destruction of the craton during the Cretaceous. Moreover, a Late Cretaceous collision between the southeastern Eurasian continent and an unknown block or oceanic plateau may have resulted in the subsequent deformation of the NCC.

The genesis of an oceanic plateau provides important information on the composition and melting dynamics of the deep mantle. The Caroline Rise, consisting of the West and the East Caroline Ridges, has played an important role in the evolution of the subduction system of the western Pacific; however, the nature and origin of the Caroline Rise are poorly known. Here, on the basis of seafloor sampling, we confirm for the first time that the Caroline Rise represents an oceanic plateau (the Caroline Plateau) that formed as a large igneous province. The Caroline Plateau is connected with the Caroline Seamount Chain to the east, and the seamount chain formed above a deep-rooted hotspot. To investigate the nature of the mantle source of the Caroline Plateau and its genetic relationship with the Caroline Seamount/Island Chain, we age-dated basalt samples from the Caroline Plateau and analyzed their major and trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopes. The samples can be classified as alkali or tholeiitic basalt. The tholeiitic basalts (15.62 ± 3.16 to 19.26 ± 0.35 Ma) are older than the alkali basalts (8.13 ± 0.81 Ma) and the volcanics of the Caroline Seamounts/Islands to the east. The tholeiitic basalts have trace element patterns similar to those of basalts of the Ontong Java Plateau. We suggest that the tholeiitic basalts represent the main stage of volcanism on the Caroline Plateau and the alkali basalts the late stage. The alkali basalts of the plateau have isotopic compositions similar to those of the basalts of the Caroline Islands, indicating an origin from the same enriched mantle end-member. The tholeiitic basalts with a MORB-like depleted geochemistry indicate the involvement of depleted components in their mantle source, and the Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope compositions of the tholeiitic basalts can be reproduced by mixing alkali basalt with a depleted MORB mantle component. Based on the relatively low Sm/Yb ratios of the two groups of basalts, the Caroline Plateau is inferred to have formed on a young Caroline Plate with a thin lithosphere. We suggest that the geochemistry and ages of formation of volcanic rocks in the Caroline Plateau/Seamount system can be explained by the activities of the Caroline hotspot. The volcanic rocks of the Caroline Plateau and Islands show increasing alkalinity and Sm/Yb ratios with time, which reflect thickening of the lithosphere and decreasing activity of the Caroline mantle plume.

Early Jurassic igneous rocks are abundant in the Nanling Range, southeastern China. They are closely related with economically significant deposits, but the tectonic-magmatic controls on their formation are still controversial. This paper reports zircon U–Pb–Hf–O isotopes for the rhyolites, and whole-rock major–trace element and Sr Nd isotope compositions for the rhyolites and andesites/dacites in the Changpu and Dongkeng basins located in the southern part of Jiangxi Province. The Changpu and Dongkeng rhyolites have high K2O contents (4.1–7.6 wt%) and K2O/Na2O ratios (> 1). Both groups are enriched in HFSE, LREE and show pronounced Nb–Ta–Eu–Sr–P–Ti negative anomalies. Geochemically, they can be classified as A-type and are similar to A2-type granitoids globally. Their highly evolved whole-rock Sr Nd isotopes and elevated zircon δ18O (Changpu rhyolites: (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7140 to 0.7156, eNd(t) = −7.2 to −8.7, δ18O = 8.76 to 9.93‰; Dongkeng rhyolites: (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7149 to 0.7162, eNd(t) = −6.4 to −7.9, δ18O = 7.04 to 9.78‰) are consistent with their generation dominated by remelting of exisiting crustal materials in an extensional environment. The slightly more radiogenic zircon Hf isotopes of the Dongkeng rhyolites, eHf(t) = −2.1 to −7.1 as compared with −6.1 to −8.3 of Changpu rhyolites, likely signify some mantle contribution. The Changpu high-Mg andesites–dacites are geochemically similar to high-Mg andesites (HMAs) of the Setouchi arc volcanic belt in Japan and the Piip Volcanos in the western Aleutian Arc. They have very low eNd(t) from −7.8 to −11.3 and highly radiogenic (87Sr/86Sr)i values from 0.7143 to 0.7154. Similar to HMAs in Setouchi, we suggest that they may be derived from melting of subducted sediments and followed by melt-mantle interaction. SIMS zircon U Pb dating yielded extrusive ages of ~190 Ma for both Changpu and Dongkeng rhyolites. The new dating results constrain the minimum age of extrusion of rhyolites and andesites-dacites from the same volcanic sequence to be the earliest Jurassic period. Igneous rocks of this age have very limited distribution in south China. While those found in the coastal regions show features similar to arc rocks, these in the hinterland are rift related. We propose that formation of the Early Jurassic A-type rhyolites and high-Mg andesites–dacites may provide evidence for foundering/delamination of a previously subducted oceanic plateau beneath southeastern China.

North America (NA) experienced pronounced changes in continental-scale drainage characterized by a reversal for much of the continental interior from north into the Canadian arctic to south into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) from the Mid-Cretaceous to the Paleocene. However, the driving mechanism for these profound drainage reorganizations remain unexplained. Here, we investigate the role of mantle flow on landscape evolution, by coupling dynamic topography with surface processes. This approach enables us to simulate catchment dynamics and the rearrangement of sediment transport in response to mantle flow. We show that a west-to-east drainage reversal can be induced by the NA overriding the subducted Farallon plate. Moreover, augmented dynamic subsidence caused by a basalt-to-eclogite transformation of an oceanic plateau within the Farallon slab, depressed the GoM region and expanded the integrated drainage to the GoM since the Early Paleocene. For the first time, we show that dynamic topography can explain the north-to-south continental-scale drainage reorganization in North America.

The Ordos Basin in China has about 10 km of Neoarchean to Quaternary sediments covering an enigmatic basement of uncertain origin. The basement is tectonically stable, has a thick mantle root, low heat flow, few earthquakes, and has been slowly subsiding for billions of years. The basement has geophysical signatures that indicate it is dominantly intermediate to mafic in composition, and is similar to some other cratons world-wide, and also to several major oceanic plateaus. It was accreted to the amalgamated Eastern Block and Central Orogenic belt of the North China Craton (NCC) in the Paleoproterozoic, then involved in several Proterozoic tectonic events including being over-thrust by an accretionary orogen, and intruded by Andean arc-related magmas, and then involved in a continent-continent collision during amalgamation with the Columbia Supercontinent. Thus, the basement rocks are deformed, metamorphosed to granulite facies, and determining their initial origin is difficult. We suggest that the data is consistent with an origin as an oceanic plateau that accreted to the NCC and, later experienced different episodes of differentiation associated with later subduction and collisions. Formation of cratonic lithosphere by accretion of oceanic plateaus may be one mechanism to create stable cratons. Other cratons that apparently formed by partial melting of underplated and imbricated oceanic slabs are stable in some cases, but also re-activated and “de-cratonized” in some cases in Asia, where they have been affected by younger subduction, hydration, slab roll-back, and melt-peridotite reactions. This suggests that the initial mode of craton formation may be a factor in the preservation of stable cratons, and de-cratonization is not only influenced by younger tectonic activity.

Continental crust formed billions of years ago but cannot be explained by a simple evolution of primary mantle magmas. A multi-step process is required that likely includes re-melting of wet metamorphosed basalt at high pressures. Such a process could occur at depth in oceanic crust that has been thickened by a large magmatic event. In Central America, variations in geologically inferred, pre-existing oceanic crustal thickness beneath the arc provides an excellent opportunity to study its effect on magma storage, re-melting of meta-basalts, and the potential for creating continental crust. We use surface waves derived from ambient noise tomography to image 6% radially anisotropic structures in the thickened oceanic plateau crust of Costa Rica that likely represent deep crustal melt sills. In Nicaragua, where the arc is forming on thinner oceanic crust, we do not image these deep crustal melt sills. The presence of these deep sills correlates with more felsic arc outputs from the Costa Rican Arc suggesting pre-existing thickened crust accelerates processing of primary basalts to continental compositions. In the Archean, reprocessing thickened oceanic crust by subsequent hydrated hotspot volcanism or subduction zone volcanism may have similarly enhanced formation of early continental crust. This mechanism may have been particularly important if subduction did not initiate until 3 Ga.

Plateau related rocks accreted to the Caribbean plate margins provide insights into the understanding of the intra-oceanic evolution of the Caribbean plate and its interaction with the continental margins of the Americas. Petrologic, geochemical and isotope (Sr and Nd) data were obtained in rocks from the Santa Fe Gabbro-Tonalite and Buritica Tonalite in the Western Cordillera of Colombia. Field relations and whole rock–mineral geochemistry combined with juvenile isotope signatures of the different rocks present in the area, suggest that initial melts, represented by the Buritica Tonalite, formed due to asthenospheric upwelling at ∼100 Ma, which intrude the Colombian-Caribbean Oceanic Plateau (CCOP) basalts, and subsequent migration of the Caribbean plate towards the northeast resulted in subduction initiation and the formation of the Santa Fe tonalitic units at ∼90 Ma on the CCOP. The relation of the Santa Fe Batholith with other units from the Caribbean, such as Aruba and the Buga Batholiths suggests the existence of an immature arc constructed on the Caribbean Plateau, which partially accreted onto a continental margin of South American in pre-Eocene times, or migrated to the present day position in the Lesser Antilles.