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We performed geological, geochronological, geochemical, and isotope-geochemical studies of igneous rocks of the Ust'- Ignok gabbrodiorite massif in the Urik-Iya graben of the Siberian craton and summarized the obtained and published data on early Proterozoic mafic igneous rocks in the South Siberian postcollisional magmatic belt. It has been established that the Ust'-Ignok massif is composed of rocks of the continuous series from biotite gabbro via gabbrodiorites and diorites to quartz diorites. U-Pb zircon dating of quartz diorites of the Ust'-Ignok massif yielded an age of 1836 ± 10 Ma, i.e., the massif rocks might have originated at the final stage of the formation of the South Siberian postcollisional magmatic belt. The rocks of the Ust'-Ignok massif are of normal and medium alkalinity. All igneous rocks from gabbro to quartz diorites show distinct negative anomalies of Nb-Ta and Ti in their multielement patterns, and their eNd(T) values vary from +0.3 to -0.9. The geochemical indicator ratios in the gabbroids point to insignificant contamination of their source with continental-crust material and to their formation through the melting of an enriched lithospheric-mantle source. Gabbrodiorites-quartz diorites of the Ust'-Ignok massif resulted, most likely, from the fractional crystallization of gabbroids. Analysis of the geochemical and isotope characteristics of mafic igneous rocks of the South Siberian postcollisional magmatic belt shows that most of them resulted from the melting of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle with suprasubductional geochemical features. This mantle might have formed during subduction processes preceding the formation of the Siberian craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study Late Jurassic thrusting of the Archean craton basement over Jurassic sediments in Siberia, with the Khamar-Daban terrane as a rigid indenter. The study focuses on deformation and secondary mineralization in Archean and Mesozoic rocks along the thrusting front and the large-scale paleotectonic thrust structure. The pioneering results include the inference that the Angara, Posol'skaya, and Tataurovo thrusts are elements of the Angara-Selenga imbricate fan thrust system and a 3D model of its Angara branch. The history of the Angara-Selenga thrust system consists of three main stages: (I) detachment and folding of the basement under the Jurassic basin and low-angle synclinal and anticlinal folding in the sediments in a setting of weak compression; (II) brecciation and mylonization under increasing shear stress that split the Sharyzhalgai basement inlier into several blocks moving in different directions; formation of an imbricate fan system of thrust sheets that shaped up the thrusting front geometry, with a greater amount of thrusting in the front because of the counter-clockwise rotation of the Sharyzhalgai uplift; (III) strike-slip and normal faulting associated with the origin and evolution of the Baikal rift system, which complicated the morphology of the thrust system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of study of sulfide ore occurrence in highly metamorphosed (granulite facies) Archean rocks of the Siberian craton basement. The host rocks and ore minerals are briefly described, and new data on the multiple sulfur isotope (δ33S, δ34S, Δ33S) composition of sulfides are presented. Application of high-resolution analytical methods enabling the assessment of the sulfur isotope behavior in situ made it possible to reveal mass-independent fractionation of sulfur isotopes in the rock samples. The isotopic composition of sulfur in the sulfides indicates its inflow from several sources, including the ancient Archean atmosphere, where primary sulfur has passed through a cycle of fractionation. Despite the high-gradient metamorphism, the subsequent ultrametamorphic and post-ultrametamorphic transformations accompanied by a change in the primary mineral composition of rocks and by chemogenic fractionation of sulfur, the signature of the sedimentary source of sulfur in sulfide ores has been well preserved. Analysis of the chemical composition of rocks and ore minerals and of sulfur isotopes has led to the conclusion that the studied rocks are metamorphosed Late Archean analogs of black shales and the sulfide mineralization is of stratiform pyrite type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geological, geochronological, and geochemical isotope studies are carried out for metamorphosed volcanic rocks and dolerites of the Maltsevka sequence of the Elash Group in the Biryusa block of the Siberian craton. It is found that mafic igneous rocks (dolerites and basaltic andesites) are close in composition to intraplate basalts. Flat or slightly fractionated REE patterns ((La/Yb)n = 1.3-2.3) and positive εNd(T) values of +3.7 and +4.1 are observed. It is assumed that the depleted asthenospheric mantle and, possibly, plume mantle were the sources of these rocks, while the lithospheric mantle had no significant effect. Meta-andesites of the Maltsevka sequence belong to the tholeiitic series and have high La, Th, and U contents. Pronounced negative Nb and Ti anomalies are observed in the multielement patterns of these rocks, along with negative εNd(T) values of -4.6. It is assumed that meta-andesites were resulted from the late Archean crustal melting with the participation of the mantle material. Metarhyolites prevalent in the Maltsevka sequence are divided into two groups similar in REE composition to A-type and I-type granites. A-type metarhyolites show high contents of Zr, Y, Nb, Th, and REE (except for Eu) and positive εNd(T) values of +2.2 and might have resulted from the melting of the source with geochemical isotope parameters close to those of mafic igneous rocks of the Maltsevka sequence. I-type metarhyolites have low contents of Y, Yb, Zr, and Nb but high contents of Th and show negative εNd(T) values of -3.7. They might have resulted from the melting of lower crustal diorite-tonalite rocks with addition of juvenile mantle material to the magma generation area. U-Pb zircon dating of metarhyolites of the Maltsevka sequence corresponding to A- and I-type granites showed that they are close in age, 1872 ± 10 and 1874 ± 10 Ma, respectively, which agrees with the age estimated earlier for granitoids of the Sayan complex of the Biryusa block. The similar ages and structural positions, along with the localization within the same structure, made it possible to unite volcanic rocks of the Elash Group and granitoids of the Sayan complex of the Biryusa block into a Paleoproterozoic volcanoplutonic association. The rocks of the association form the Sayan-Biryusa volcanoplutonic belt stretching for about 300 km along the zone of junction of the Biryusa block of the Angara fold belt and the Archean Tunguska superterrane of the Siberian craton. The belt is part of the large Paleoproterozoic South Siberian postcollisional magmatic belt formed at the final formation stage of the Siberian craton, when it was possibly part of the Paleoproterozoic Columbia supercontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Geological, geochronological, and isotope-geochemical studies of the metadolerites of the Angaul complex, widespread in the Urik-Iya graben of the southern Siberian craton, were carried out. The metadolerites forming separate conformal bodies (sills) among the metasandstones of the Ingash Formation were studied in detail. U-Pb zircon (SHRIMP) dating of metadolerites yielded an age of 1913 ± 24 Ma, and U-Pb baddeleyite (ID-TIMS) dating of these rocks yielded an age of 1914.0 ± 1.7 Ma. Thus, the date of 1914 ± 2 Ma can be taken as the most precise age estimate for the studied rocks. The metadolerites of the Angaul complex correspond in chemical composition to the normal-alkaline tholeiitic basalts. Metadolerites are differentiated rocks with mg# of 36 to 58. They show fractionated REE patterns: (La/Yb) n = 1.2-3.5. All metadolerites, independently of their mg# value, have low contents of Nb (1.6-10.2 ppm) and show well-pronounced negative Nb-Ta anomalies in multielement patterns (Nb/Nb* = 0.19-0.54). The metadolerites are characterized by positive ε Nd (T) values ranging from 0.4 to 5.2, which correlate well with their SiO 2 content and mg# value. The isotope-geochemical parameters of the metadolerites of the Angaul complex indicate that fractional crystallization, along with the assimilation of the host rocks (AFC), might have been the main process during the formation of the most differentiated metadolerites. The geochemical characteristics of metadolerites with the maximum mg# values of 57-58 and ε Nd (T) = 5.2 suggest that the parental mantle source of the metadolerites resulted from mixing of predominant depleted mantle material with the subcontinental-lithosphere material. Intrusion of the dolerites of the Angaul complex, as well as the deposition of the sedimentary strata of the Ingash Group, took place at the Paleoproterozoic stage of intracontinental extension caused by the collapse of the orogen resulted from the collision of the Biryusa block with the Tunguska superterrane in the southern Siberian craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Several thousand clinopyroxene, garnet, and phlogopite inclusions of mantle rocks from Jurassic and Triassic kimberlites in the northeastern Siberian craton have been analyzed and compared with their counterparts from Paleozoic kimberlites, including those rich in diamond. The new and published mineral chemistry data make a basis for an updated classification of kimberlite-hosted clinopyroxenes according to peridotitic and mafic (eclogite and pyroxenite) parageneses. The obtained results place constraints on the stability field of high-Na lherzolitic clinopyroxenes, which affect the coexisting garnet and decrease its Ca contents. As follows from analyses of the mantle minerals from Mesozoic kimberlites, the cratonic lithosphere contained more pyroxenite and eclogite in the Mesozoic than in the Paleozoic. It virtually lacked ultradepleted harzburgite-dunite lithologies and contained scarce eclogitic diamonds. On the other hand, both inclusions in diamond and individual eclogitic minerals from Mesozoic kimberlites differ from eclogitic inclusions in diamond from Triassic sediments in the northeastern Siberian craton. Xenocrystic phlogopites from the D'yanga pipe have 40Ar/39Ar ages of 384.6, 432.4, and 563.4 Ma, which record several stages of metasomatic impact on the lithosphere. These phlogopites are younger than most of Paleozoic phlogopites from the central part of the craton (Udachnaya kimberlite). Therefore, hydrous mantle metasomatism acted much later on the craton periphery than in the center. Monomineral clinopyroxene thermobarometry shows that Jurassic kimberlites from the northeastern craton part trapped lithospheric material from different maximum depths (170 km in the D'yanga pipe and mostly < 130 km in other pipes). The inferred thermal thickness of cratonic lithosphere decreased progressively from ~ 260 km in the Devonian-Carboniferous to ~ 225 km in the Triassic and to ~ 200 km in the Jurassic, while the heat flux (Hasterok-Chapman model) was 34.9, 36.7, and 39.0 mW/m2, respectively. Dissimilar PT patterns of samples from closely spaced coeval kimberlites suggest different emplacement scenarios, which influenced both the PT variations across the lithosphere and the diamond potential of kimberlites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive study of 26 mafic mantle xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe was carried out. The contents of major and trace elements, equilibrium temperature parameters, and water content in the rock-forming minerals were determined. The temperatures of formation of the studied rocks are estimated at 800–1300 °C. According to IR spectroscopy data, the water content in clinopyroxenes from the studied eclogites varies from values below the detection limit to 99 ppm. The IR spectra of garnets lack bands of water. The water content in clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene from garnet websterite is 72 and 8 ppm, respectively. The water content in the average rock, calculated from the ratio of the rock-forming minerals, varies from a few to 55 ppm. No relationship among the water content, equilibrium temperatures, and rock composition is established. The low water contents in the eclogites are close to the earlier determined water contents in peridotites from the same pipe and are, most likely, due to the re-equilibration of the eclogites with the rocks of the peridotitic lithospheric mantle. The dehydration of the protolith during its subduction and the partial melting of eclogites before their removal by kimberlitic magma to the surface might be an additional cause of the low water contents in the mantle eclogite xenoliths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with geological and geochemical studies of granitoids of the Olenek complex in the Olenek uplift of the basement of the northern Siberian craton. The age of these granitoids was earlier estimated at 2036 ± 11 Ma. The granitoids of the Olenek complex correspond in composition to high-alumina quartz diorites, granites, and leucogranites of the normal petrochemical series. According to geochemical and mineralogical characteristics, the quartz diorites can be assigned to granites of the transitional I-S type, and the granites and leucogranites, to S-type granites. The 8 N d(T values in the granites of the Olenek complex vary from -0.2 to + 1.4, and the Nd model age is 2.4-2.5 Ga. The quartz diorite is characterized by 8 Nd (T) = + 3.0 and a Nd model age T(DM) = 2.2 Ga. The geochemical characteristics of the granites and leucogranites indicate their formation through the melting of a source of graywacke composition, whereas the quartz diorites resulted, most likely, from the mixing of granitic and basaltic melts. The fact that the granitoids of the Olenek complex intruded the folded rocks of the Eekit Formation but stay virtually undeformed massive bodies suggests that they formed at the postdeformation stage of the regional evolution after the completion of the Paleoproterozoic orogenic events. The intrusion of granitoids marks the completion of the formation of the Early Proterozoic Eekit fold belt on the western (in the recent coordinates) margin of the Birekta terrane of the Olenek superterraine and the final formation of the superterrane structure. At the next stage of magmatism (1.98-1.96 Ga), best pronounced in the uplifts of the basement of the northern Siberian craton, all terranes forming the Anabar and Olenek superterranes assembled into a single structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on new geological, structural, mineralogical, geochemical, and isotope (Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and U-Th-Pb) data for igneous intrusions and metamorphic rocks of the Zimoveinyi massif, an adakite-gabbroid association was identified for the first time in the Yenisei Ridge (southwestern framing of the Siberian craton). This study demonstrates that the adakites (quartz diorites, tonalites, and plagiogranites) and associating gabbro-anorthosites of this massif formed in the interval 576-546 Ma (U-Th-Pb zircon SHRIMP-II analysis) at the final Neoproterozoic evolution stage of the active continental margin of the Siberian craton. Our results point to a genetic relationship between the adakites and the host Nb-enriched metabasites of the Zimoveinyi massif. The studied late Neoproterozoic adakites might have formed in the setting of transform strike-slip of lithospheric plates during a halt in subduction from both crustal and mantle-crustal source, similarly to Cenozoic igneous complexes of the transform margin in the eastern framing of Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the Mesoproterozoic (1473 ± 24 Ma) dolerites of the Olenek uplift of the Siberian craton basement has shown their petrologic and geochemical similarity to typical OIB produced with participation of a mantle plume. The dolerites are characterized by variations in the geochemical composition explained by different degrees of melting of the same source. A conclusion is drawn that the parental melts of the rocks were slightly modified by crustal contamination, as evidenced from their Nd isotope composition (£ N d(T) = + 0.6 to − 0.8) and the presence of inherited zircons of four ages (2564, 2111, 2053, and 1865 Ma). Since the Siberian craton in the structure of the Nuna supercontinent (Columbia) was located relatively close to the Baltic continent and the Congo and Sao Francisco cratons, we assume that the Early Mesoproterozoic mafic intrusions (1500–1470 Ma) of all these cratons belong to the same large igneous province (LIP). The province formation was related to the activity of superplume (or mantle hot field), which supplied mantle matter to the lithosphere basement. The superplume core was probably located beneath the northern part of the Siberian craton, where basites are compositionally most similar to the primary mantle source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the violent eruption of the Siberian Traps at ~ 250 Ma, the Siberian craton has an extremely low heat flow (18–25 mW/m 2 ) and a very thick lithosphere (300–350 km), which makes it an ideal place to study the influence of mantle plumes on the long-term stability of cratons. Compared with seismic velocities of rocks, the lower crust of the Siberian craton is composed mainly of mafic granulites and could be rather heterogeneous in composition. The very high V p (> 7.2 km/s) in the lowermost crust can be fit by a mixture of garnet granulites, two-pyroxene granulites, and garnet gabbro due to magma underplating. The high-velocity anomaly in the upper mantle (V p = 8.3-8.6 km/s) can be interpreted by a mixture of eclogites and garnet peridotites. Combined with the study of lower crustal and mantle xenoliths, we recognized multistage magma underplating at the crust-mantle boundary beneath the Siberian craton, including the Neoarchean growth and Paleoproterozoic assembly of the Siberian craton beneath the Markha terrane, the Proterozoic collision along the Sayan-Taimyr suture zone, and the Triassic Siberian Trap event beneath the central Tunguska basin. The Moho becomes a metamorphism boundary of mafic rocks between granulite facies and eclogite facies rather than a chemical boundary that separates the mafic lower crust from the ultramafic upper mantle. Therefore, multistage magma underplating since the Neoarchean will result in a seismic Moho shallower than the petrologic Moho. Such magmatism-induced compositional change and dehydration will increase viscosity of the lithospheric mantle, and finally trigger lithospheric thickening after mantle plume activity. Hence, mantle plumes are not the key factor for craton destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are continuing issues concerning the formation and reconstruction of the geographic position of the Neoproterozoic Yenisei Ridge—a key element of the western framing of the Siberian craton and the Central Asian orogenic belt. This study focuses on the inner structure, composition, and boundaries of the Central Angara terrane, which is the largest in the Transangarian segment of the Yenisei Ridge. We propose a scheme of fault deformation of the region and demonstrate that the fault tectonics of the Central Angara terrane is distinct from that of adjacent terranes. We study in detail the Yeruda pluton granitoids of the Teya complex, which indicate accretionary-collisional magmatic events in this terrane prior to its collision with Siberia. New geochemistry and SHRIMP U–Th–Pb zircon geochronology of the granites indicate that they formed at 880–860 Ma in a collisional setting. Integrated petromagnetic and paleomagnetic investigations yield a paleomagnetic pole that is significantly different from the corresponding Neoproterozoic interval of the apparent polar wander path (APWP) for Siberia. The difference in paleolatitudes between the Central Angara terrane and the Siberian craton at the time of the Teya granites formation was at least 8.6 degrees, which equals a latitudinal separation of at least 1000 km. We consider various possible positions for the terrane relative to the Siberian craton. These results demonstrate that the 880–860 Ma magmatic events in the Central Angara terrane are not related to events in the western margin of the Siberian craton. Therefore, they do not indicate the existence of a Grenville-age orogenic belt in this location, as proposed by some authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new data on geochemistry, isotopic geochemistry, and geochronology of the Early Cambrian igneous rocks of the northeastern Siberian Craton (Kharaulakh anticlinorium, contact between the Siberian Platform and the West Verkhoyansk sector of the Verkhoyansk fold-and-thrust belt united into an Early Cambrian bimodal complex. This complex comprises trachyrhyolites forming pebbles in conglomerates near the base of the Cambrian succession, overlying trachybasalts, and mafic sills and dikes cutting Neoproterozoic strata. According to chemical composition, the felsic rocks are high-alkali rhyolites and correspond to A -type granites. The high contents of Ta, Nb, Hf, Tb, and Zr in these rocks suggest the presence of enriched mantle material in their magmatic sources. The mafic volcanics are high-Ti trachybasalts and trachydolerites with similar geochemical characteristics corresponding to alkali basalts or OIB. The high (Tb/Yb) PM ratios in these volcanics evidence that their magmatic source was the garnet peridotite mantle located at depths more than 90 km and characterized by a low degree of melting. However, the rhyolites, trachybasalts, and trachydolerites show high positive ε Nd ( T ) values (4.2–4.7, 7.5–8.9, and 7.2–8.2, respectively) indicating a depleted mantle source and no crustal contamination. The high (Nb/Yb) PM ratio points to the mixing of magmas from enriched and depleted mantle sources. Mafic magmas might have been generated from a heterogeneous source or interacted with the depleted mantle before intrusion. Both the felsic and the mafic rocks formed in within-plate environments. U–Pb zircon dating yielded concordant ages of 525.6 ± 3.9 and 537.0 ± 4.2 Ma, corresponding to the Early Cambrian age of the rhyolites. The date of 546.0 ± 7.7 Ma obtained for one sample points (with regard to the error) to the Late Vendian–Early Cambrian age. Thus, at the Vendian–Early Cambrian boundary, the northeastern Siberian Platform was subjected to continental rifting accompanied by bimodal magmatism of antidrome evolution. According to paleotectonic reconstructions, this part of the Siberian Craton might have been connected with the eastern margin of Laurentia in the Late Neoproterozoic (Late Riphean–Late Vendian), and continental rifting that started at the Vendian–Cambrian boundary led to their separation. The obtained isotope-geochronological data suggest that the studied bimodal complex began to form at the Vendian–Cambrian boundary and this process terminated no earlier than the end of the Terreneuvian (Tommotian), i.e., the complex formed during rifting for about 20 Myr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated lenses of diamictites laying discordantly over the Late Riphean (Cryogenian) Kirgitei Formation were found in the immediate vicinity of the Vendian Taseeva Group stratotype in the Taseeva River valley and assigned to the Shishina Member a few meters in visible thickness. The Shishina diamictites are, likely, of glacial origin as they (i) lie at the base of the Vendian section, (ii) consist of unsorted dolomitic clasts from fine gravel to more than 0.5 m boulders suspended in a mud matrix, and (iii) show glacial striation on clasts. The glacial origin is further supported by the morphology of stones, which resemble a smoothing iron or a bullet, with a swelly top, a flat bottom, and a steeply cut rear and form clusters produced by disintegration of larger boulders. The stones bear signatures of cleavage, cracks, grooves, and striation on the faces, while the matrix looks undeformed. The Shishina Member has no genetic relation with the underlying Kirgitei Formation but rather correlates sedimentologically with the Ulyakha Member tillites at the base of the Vendian Marnya Formation (Oselok Group) in the Sayan foothills. The Shishina Member stones may derive from the Late Riphean (Cryogenian) Dzhura Formation exposed 4 km downstream of the site along the Taseeva. They occur near the base of the Aleshinsky Formation (lowermost unit of the Taseeva Group) of cross-bedded glaciofluvial sandstone, gravelstone, conglomerate, and sandy gravel mixtite transported from east to west (from the Siberian Craton interior to its margins) and deposited in channel bars or as gravel lags. The lower member of the Aleshinsky Formation comprises two associations of clasts: (i) coarse quartzose sand and gravel and (ii) fine and medium quartz and lithoclastic sand. Rocks in the former are well rounded, with traces of wind erosion, while the latter association is composed of mechanically eroded angular material transported to short distances from a metamorphic and metasedimentary source on the Craton margin. The Aleshinsky clastics have their composition and grain size patterns similar to those of the glaciofluvial Plity, Nersya, and Kedrovy members of the Marnya Formation in the Sayan area. According to sedimentological evidence, the Shishina diamictites are tillites identical to the Ulyakha moraine at the base of the Sayan Oselok Group and may be a missing link in the Taseeva Group stratigraphy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of gneisses from the Yenisei regional shear zone (YRSZ) provide the first evidence for Mesoproterozoic tectonic events in the geologic history of the South Yenisei Ridge and allowed the recognition of several stages of deformation and metamorphism spanning from Late Paleoproterozoic to Vendian. The first stage (~ 1.73 Ga), corresponding to the period of granulite-amphibolite metamorphism at P = 5.9 kbar and T = 635 °C, marks the final amalgamation of the Siberian craton to the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Nuna supercontinent. During the second stage, corresponding to a hypothesized breakup of Nuna as a result of crustal extension, these rocks underwent Mesoproterozoic dynamic metamorphism (P = 7.4 kbar and T = 660 °C) with three peaks at 1.54, 1.38, and 1.25 Ga and the formation of high-pressure blastomylonite rocks in shear zones. Late-stage deformations during the Mesoproterozoic tectonic activity in the region, related to the Grenville-age collision processes and assembly of Rodinia, took place at 1.17-1.03 Ga. The latest pulse of dynamic metamorphism (615–600 Ma) marks the final stage of the Neoproterozoic evolution of the Yenisei Ridge, which is associated with the accretion of island-arc terranes to the western margin of the Siberian craton. The overall duration of identified tectonothermal processes within the South Yenisei Ridge during the Riphean (~ 650 Ma) is correlated with the duration of geodynamic cycles in the supercontinent evolution. A similar succession and style of tectonothermal events in the history of both the southern and the northern parts of the Yenisei Ridge suggest that they evolved synchronously within a single structure over a prolonged time span (1385–600 Ma). New data on coeavl events identified on the western margin of the Siberian craton contradict the hypothesis of a mantle activity lull (from 1.75 to 0.7 Ga) on the southwestern margins of the Siberian craton during the Precambrian. The synchronous sequence and similar style of tectonic events on the periphery of the large Precambrian Laurentia, Baltica, and Siberia cratons suggest their spatial proximity over a prolonged time span (1550–600 Ma). The above conclusion is consistent with the results of modern paleomagnetic reconstructions suggesting that these cratons represented the cores of Nuna and Rodinia within the above time interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dovyren intrusive complex includes the ore-bearing (Cu–Ni–PGE) Yoko–Dovyren layered pluton (728 Ma, up to 3.4 km in thickness), underlying ultramafic sills, and comagmatic leuconorite and gabbro-diabase dikes. Studies of Sr–Nd–Pb isotope systems were carried out for 24 intrusive rocks and five associated low- and high-Ti basalts. The high-Ti basalts show 0.7028 ≤ ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) T ≤ 0.7048 and 4.6 ≤ ε Nd ( T ) ≤ 5.8, similar to the values in MORB. The intrusive basic and ultrabasic rocks are geochemically similar to the low-Ti formation, making a compact cluster of compositions with extremely high ratios of radiogenic Sr and Pb isotopes and low ε Nd values. The maximum enrichment in radiogenic Sr is shown by the rocks near the pluton bottom (( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) T = 0.71387 ± 0.00010 (2 σ ); ε Nd ( T ) = –16.09 ± 0.06), which are the products of crystallization of the most primitive high-Mg magmas. The above-located dunites, troctolites, and gabbro show lower enrichment, probably because of the contamination of the host rocks during the filling of the magma chamber and/or because of the slight heterogeneity of the source. Calculations of the proportions of mixing of the parental melt with carbonate terrigenous material have shown that the variations in the Sr and Nd isotope ratios are due to the incredibly high contamination of the sediments, up to 40–50%. This contradicts the succession of the main rock types in the Yoko–Dovyren pluton in accordance with the crystallization of picrite-basaltic magma. The contribution of 5–10% high-Ti component seems more likely and suggests interaction between two isotopically contrasting magmas in this province in the Late Riphean. In general, the minor variations in ε Nd ( T ) of the intrusive rocks and metavolcanics (–14.3 ± 1.1) testify to the isotopically anomalous source of the low-Ti magmas. The time variation trend of ε Nd and geochemical features of the Dovyren rocks indicate that the products of melting of 2.7–2.8 Ga suprasubduction mantle might have been the massif protolith. Thus, the Dovyren parental magmas formed from a much older (sub)lithospheric source in the Late Riphean. The source was initially enriched in a mafic component with a low Sm/Nd ratio and was isolated from the convecting mantle and mantle melting processes for ~ 2 Gyr. The existence of such a long-living and at least twice reactivated lithospheric substratum is confirmed by the fact that the Nd isotope evolution trend of the initially nonanomalous mantle protolith includes not only the Dovyren rocks but also the Paleoproterozoic gabbro of the Chinei pluton and the Archean enderbites of the Baikal region. © 2015, V.S. Sobolev IGM, Siberian Branch of the RAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of isotope-geochemical studies of Late Paleoproterozoic basites from intrusions located in different parts of a dike swarm traceable for more than 200 km within the Baikal marginal salient of the Siberian craton basement (northern Baikal area). The basites of the southern (Khibelen site) and northern (Chaya site) parts of the dike swarm show both similarity and difference in their sources and formation conditions. For example, the Khibelen basites correspond in chemical composition to basalts and trachybasalts, and the Chaya basites, to basalts and andesite-basalts. Based on petrographic and petrochemical data, the basites of both sites can be referred to as medium-alkali (subalkalic) series. All analyzed basites show distinct negative Nb–Ta and Ti anomalies on element spidergrams, negative ε Nd ( t ) values, and indicative geochemical ratios Th/Nb pm , La/Nb pm , and La/Sm n > 1. All this points to the formation of basites of both sites from mantle sources contaminated with continental crust. Contamination might have occurred in intermediate magma chambers localized in crust. Differentiated basic varieties of both sites resulted from fractionation of clinopyroxene. For the Khibelen basites, the mantle source (probably, with geochemical parameters close to those of IAB) might have been initially contaminated with middle-crust rocks and then, with lower/upper-crust material. The source of the Chaya basites was probably produced during the interaction of mantle components similar in composition to IAB and N-MORB with a crustal component. The performed studies testify to the heterogeneous composition of the upper mantle beneath different sites of the Siberian craton basement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The position of lithospheric magnetic anomalies, detected in total magnetic intensity and the vertical component of the magnetic field, has been determined for Siberia using data from the CHAMP satellite. The paper describes the technique for the satellite data processing and the ways of recognition of regional lithospheric magnetic anomalies from satellite-measured values of the total geomagnetic field, which are obtained from several sources (external and internal with respect to the Earth's surface). Maps of magnetic-field anomalies of different scales have been constructed for several regions of Siberia depending on the method of areal averaging. The possible geologic and physical nature of the magnetic anomalies and their relationship with deep-seated crustal structures are considered. Preliminary interpretation of the magnetic-field maps shows that the anomalies are connected with the present-day large geologic and geophysical elements of the basement. The features of the lithospheric magnetic field, as a parameter reflecting the present position of tectonic structures and their physical properties, can be used for their contouring in combination with other geological and geophysical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling of the seismic, thermal, and density structure of the Siberian craton lithospheric mantle at depths of 100-300km has been performed along the superlong Meteorite and Rift seismic profiles. The 2D velocity sections reflect the specific features of the internal structure of the craton: lateral inhomogeneities, seismic-boundary relief at depths of ~100, 150, 240, and 300km, velocities of 8.3-8.7km/s, and the lack of low-velocity zone in the lower lithosphere. Mapping of the thermal state along the Meteorite and Rift profiles shows a significant temperature decrease in the cratonic mantle as compared with the average temperatures of the surrounding Phanerozoic mantle (>300°C) estimated from the global reference model AK135. Lateral temperature variations, reflecting the thermal anomalies in the cratonic keel, are observed at depths of <200km (with some decrease in temperature in the central part of the craton), whereas at depths of >200km, temperature variations are negligible. This suggests the preservation of residual thermal perturbations at the base of the lithosphere, which must lead to the temperature equalization in the transition zone between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. Variations in chemical composition have a negligible effect on the thermal state but affect strongly the density structure of the mantle. The results of modeling admit a significant fertilization of matter at depths more than 180-200km and stratification of the cratonic mantle by chemical composition. The thicknesses of chemical (petrologic) and thermal boundary layers beneath the Siberian craton are estimated. The petrologic lithosphere is localized at depths of ~200km. The bottom of the thermal boundary layer is close to the 1450°C isotherm and is localized at a depth of 300km, which agrees with heat flow and seismic-tomography data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive geochemical and geochronological studies were carried out for two-mica granites of the Biryusa block of the Siberian craton basement. U-Pb zircon dating of the granites yielded an age of 1874 ± 14 Ma. The rocks of the Biryusa massif correspond in chemical composition to normally alkaline and moderately alkaline high-alumina leucogranites. By mineral and petrogeochemical compositions, they are assigned to S-type granites. The low CaO/Na2O ratios (<0.3), K2O - 5 wt.%, CaO < 1 wt.%, and high Rb/Ba (0.7-1.9) and Rb/Sr (3.9-6.8) ratios indicate that the two-mica granites resulted from the melting of a metapelitic source (possibly, the Archean metasedimentary rocks of the Biryusa block, similar to the granites in £Nd(t) value) in the absence of an additional fluid phase. The granite formation proceeded at 740-800 °C (zircon saturation temperature). The age of the S-type two-mica granites agrees with the estimated ages of I- and A-type granitoids present in the Biryusa block. Altogether, these granitoids form a magmatic belt stretching along the zone of junction of the Biryusa block with the Paleoproterozoic Urik-Iya terrane and Tunguska superterrane. The granitoids are high-temperature rocks, which evidences that they formed within a high-temperature collision structure. It is admitted that the intrusion of granitoids took place within the thickened crust in collision setting at the stage of postcollisional extension in the Paleoproterozoic. This geodynamic setting was the result of the unification of the Neoarchean Biryusa continental block, Paleoproterozoic Urik-Iya terrane, and Archean Tunguska superterrane into the Siberian craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two metamorphic complexes of the Yenisei Ridge with contrasting composition are analyzed to unravel their tectonothermal evolution and geodynamic processes during the Riphean geologic history of the area. The structural, mineralogical, petrological, geochemical and geochronological data are used to distinguish two stages of the evolution with different ages, thermodynamic regimes, and metamorphic field gradients. Reaction textures, chemical zoning in minerals, shapes of the P-T paths, and isotope dates provide convincing evidence for a poly metamorphic history of the region. The first stage is marked by the formation of the ~ 970 Ma low-pressure zoned And-Sil rocks (P = 3.9-5.1 kbar, T = 510–640 °C) of the Teya aureole and a high metamorphic field gradient with dT/dH = 25–35 °C/km typical of many orogenic belts. At the second stage, these rocks experienced Late Riphean (853–849 Ma) collisional medium-pressure metamorphism of the kyanite-sillimanite type (P = 5.7-7.2 kbar, T = 660–700 °C) and a low metamorphic field gradient with dT/dH < 12 °C/km. This metamorphic event was almost coeval with the Late Riphean (862 Ma) contact metamorphism in the vicinity of the granitic plutons, which was accompanied by a high metamorphic field gradient with dT/dH > 100 °C/km. At the first stage, the deepest blocks of the Garevka complex in the vicinity of the Yenisei regional shear zone underwent high-pressure amphibolite-facies metamorphism within a narrow range of P = 7.1-8.7 kbar and T = 580–630 °C, suggesting the burial of rocks to mid-crustal depths at a metamorphic field gradient with dT/dH ~ 20–25 °C/km. At the second stage, these rocks experienced the Late Riphean (900–850 Ma) syn-exhumation dynamometamorphism under epidote-amphibolte facies conditions (P = 3.9-4.9 kbar, T = 460–550 °C) and a low gradient with dT/dH < 10 °C/km accompanied by the formation of blastomylonitic complexes in shear zones. All these deformation and metamorphic events identified on the western margin of the Siberian craton are correlated with the final episodes of the Late Grenville orogeny and provide supporting evidence for a close spatial connection between Siberia and Laurentia during early Neoproterozoic time, which is in good agreement with recent paleomagnetic reconstuctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A Middle Paleozoic tectonothermal event in the eastern Siberian craton was especially active in the area of the Vilyui rift, where it produced a system of rift basins filled with Devonian–Early Carboniferous volcanics and sediments, as well as long swarms of mafic dikes on the rift shoulders. Basalts occur mostly among Middle Devonian sediments and are much less spread in Early Carboniferous formations. The dolerite dikes of the Vilyui–Markha swarm in the northwestern rift border coexist with the Mirnyi and Nakyn fields of diamond-bearing kimberlites. The voluminous dikes and sills intruded before the emplacement of kimberlites. The Mir kimberlite crosscuts a dolerite sill and a dike in the Mirnyi field, while a complex dolerite dike (monzonite porphyry) cuts through the Nyurba kimberlite in the Nakyn field. Thus, the kimberlites correspond to a longer span of Middle Paleozoic basaltic magmatism. The basalts in Middle Paleozoic sediments have faunal age constraints, but the age of dolerite dikes remains uncertain. The monzonite porphyry dike in the Nyurba kimberlite has been dated by the 40Ar/39Ar method, and the obtained age must be the upper bound of the dike emplacement. The space and time relations between basaltic and kimberlitic magmatism were controlled by Devonian plume–lithosphere interaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Geological observations and petrological and geochemical criteria are used to detect hybrid rocks at the endocontact of a dolerite dike. The hybrid rocks were produced when the material of a mafic intrusion mixed with a felsic melt. The latter was produced by the melting of the metamorphic rocks making up the Goloustnaya basement inlier of the Siberian craton, under the thermal effect of the intruded dike. Two age groups of zircon have been identified in the hybrid rock by SHRIMP analysis. The Paleoproterozoic age of inherited zircon (1902, 1864, 1859, and 1855 Ma) reflects the contribution of ancient sources to the hybrid-rock composition. The young, primary-magmatic, zircon grains, produced by melting at the endocontact of the mafic intrusion (494 ± 5 Ma), are coeval with the hybrid rocks, and their age indicates when the mafic rocks intruded the metamorphic framework. Dikes of close age, with similar geochemical characteristics, are present on the vast southern margin of the Siberian craton—from Goloustnaya to Biryusa salients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Geochemical and isotopic (Sm–Nd and Sr) studies of deposits of the Baikal and Oselok Groups in the southern Siberian Craton and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating of detrital zircons show that they accumulated in passive continental-margin settings in the Vendian. The time limits of sedimentation were assessed on the basis of Sr chemostratigraphy of carbonate deposits of the Baikal Group and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating of detrital zircons in first-cycle terrigenous deposits of the Oselok Group. The main provenances for rocks of these groups were constant. These were rocks of the cover and basement of the Siberian Craton. Tuffite horizons in upper portions of the groups are the only sign of Late Vendian activation of this block, which is reflected in changes of geochemical indices of terrigenous rocks and their younger Sm–Nd model ages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present U–Pb (LA-ICP-MS) data on detrital zircon from the Late Precambrian terrigenous rocks of the Baikal Group and Ushakovka Formation, western Cisbaikalia (southern flank of the Siberian craton). The sources of clastic material for the studied sediments are interpreted. The youngest group of detrital zircon grains from the upper Baikal Group and Ushakovka Formation permits assigning these sediments to the Vendian. The lack of Mesoproterozoic detrital zircon in most of the analyzed samples confirms the hypothesis of a global (~1 Gyr) break in endogenic activity within the southern flank of the Siberian craton through the Precambrian. The abundance of Neoproterozoic zircon in sandstones from the upper horizons of the Baikal Group and the Ushakovka Formation might be due to the shrinkage of the ocean basin as a result of the convergence of the craton with the microcontinents and island arcs within the Paleoasian ocean. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The interplay of geodynamic and sedimentation processes in the Central Asian orogen and the Siberian craton is discussed in several aspects: (i) general tectonics of the Central Asian orogen, (ii) correlation of deposition and collision events, (iii) deposition history and sediment sources on the northern and eastern margins of the Siberian craton, compared, and (iv) history of the Central Asian orogen (Altaids) and formation of Early Mesozoic sedimentary basins. Chemical and isotope compositions and geochronology of Neoproterozoic–Paleozoic sedimentary sequences indicate deposition synchronicity in basins of different types, within both the craton and the orogen. Thus geodynamic models of deposition in separate basins provide reliable evidence of the history of orogens flanking the Siberian craton. The study has confirmed the existence of the Vendian–Early Paleozoic Charysh–Terekta–Ulagan–Sayan–Olkhon strike-slip suture between the continental-margin complexes of Siberia and Kazakhstan, with the crust of juvenile and mixed types, respectively. Late Paleozoic large-scale strike-slip faulting deformed the previous tectonic framework and caused tectonic mixing of the older structures on different margins. This superposed deformation makes it difficult to decipher the paleogeography, paleotectonics, and paleogeodynamics of the Central Asian orogen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The upper-mantle structure was studied from first-arrival data along the Meteorite profile, run using underground nuclear explosions. Unlike the layered, slightly inhomogeneous models in the previous works, emphasis was laid on lateral inhomogeneity at the minimum possible number of abrupt seismic boundaries. We used forward ray tracing of the traveltimes of refracted and overcritical reflected waves. The model obtained is characterized by considerable velocity variations, from 7.7 km/s in the Baikal Rift Zone to 8.0–8.45 km/s beneath the Tunguska syneclise. A layer of increased velocity (up to 8.5–8.6 km/s), 30–80 km thick, is distinguished at the base of seismic lithosphere. The depth of the layer top varies from 120 km in the northern Siberian craton to 210 km in its southeastern framing. It has been shown that, with crustal density anomalies excluded, the reduced gravity field is consistent with the upper-mantle velocity model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Geological and geophysical interpretation of TEM data has revealed changes to the subsurface from the “Kraton-3” peaceful underground nuclear explosion (PUNE). The explosion was conducted on 24 August 1978 at a depth of 577 m in Middle Cambrian limestone on the eastern periphery of the Tunguska basin (Western Yakutia). The site is located in an area of 100 to 300 m thick permafrost and pressurized aquifers with Na-Ca-Cl brines (up to 400 g/l TDS) and cryopegs. The “Kraton-3” epicenter is only 160 m away from a fault emerging along the Markha River. TEM responses collected at 22 stations along three profiles image a layered-earth background resistivity pattern. The highly resistive uppermost layer, ~150–200 m thick, consists of perennially frozen ice-rich rocks. Dry permafrost on watersheds of the Markha right side reaches 1200 ohm⋅m, while the hypsometrically lower frozen ground along the fault is 10 to 40 times less resistive. That is exactly the place of the PUNE epicenter, and the resistivity lows may record permafrost degradation and taliks (unfrozen layers). The layers below are conductive and correspond to Upper Cambrian and Middle Cambrian (I) aquifers with brines. The top of the Upper Cambrian aquifer along the central profile is highly variable in depth, especially along the fault on the river left bank. The data indicate a local groundwater anomaly above the explosion: the Middle Cambrian I brines, which show up as a conductor in the resistivity pattern, become ~300 m shallower, most likely rising along the rubble chimney above the UNE containment cavity; the lateral extent of the anomaly reaches 400 m. There may exist paths for mass and heat transport maintained by pressurized brines in the system “containment cavity–rubble chimney–fault zone–ground surface”. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Detailed geochemical, isotope, and geochronological studies were carried out for the granitoids of the Chuya and Kutima complexes in the Baikal marginal salient of the Siberian craton basement. The obtained results indicate that the granitoids of both complexes are confined to the same tectonic structure (Akitkan fold belt) and are of similar absolute age. U–Pb zircon dating of the Kutima granites yielded an age of 2019±16 Ma, which nearly coincides with the age of 2020±12 Ma obtained earlier for the granitoids of the Chuya complex. Despite the close ages, the granitoids of these complexes differ considerably in geochemical characteristics. The granitoids of the Chuya complex correspond in composition to calcic and calc-alkalic peraluminous trondhjemites, and the granites of the Kutima complex, to calc-alkalic and alkali-calcic peraluminous granites. The granites of the Chuya complex are similar to rocks of the tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) series and are close in CaO, Sr, and Ba contents to I-type granites. The granites of the Kutima complex are similar in contents of major oxides to oxidized A-type granites. Study of the Nd isotope composition of the Chuya and Kutima granitoids showed their close positive values of εNd(T) (+1.9 to +3.5), which indicates that both rocks formed from sources with a short crustal history. Based on petrogeochemical data, it has been established that the Chuya granitoids might have been formed through the melting of a metabasitic source, whereas the Kutima granites, through the melting of a crustal source of quartz–feldspathic composition. Estimation of the PT-conditions of granitoid melt crystallization shows that the Chuya granitoids formed at 735–776 °C (zircon saturation temperature) and >10 kbar and the Kutima granites, at 819–920 °C and >10 kbar. It is assumed that the granitoids of both complexes formed in thickened continental crust within an accretionary orogen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Remote-sensing, cosmogeological, tectonic, geophysical, structural, compositional, isotopic, and geochronological criteria permit identifying the Kotuikan ring structure in the northern Siberian Platform as a Paleoproterozoic large astrobleme, close in age to the Vredefort and Sudbury impact structures. Also, indirect evidence for two more large impact structures was obtained here. This confirms widely hypothesized massive bombardment of the early Earth by asteroids and a possible effect of large impact events on the Earth''s mantle dynamics and rotation regime, that is, the tectonic evolution of our planet, including plate tectonics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The petrography, major element, and trace element (TE) compositions of minerals from two types of modal metasomatites (metasomatized peridotites and pyroxenites) from kimberlite pipes Udachnaya and Komsomol''skaya-Magnitnaya, Yakutia, have been studied. It is shown that texturally and chemically equilibrated metasomatites A consist of a set of superimposed minerals: phlogopite + diopside ± ilmenite ± apatite ± sulfides ± graphite. Their major and trace element compositions have specific features. The contents of TEs in garnet and clinopyroxene from these metasomatites are close to those in garnet and clinopyroxene from low-temperature coarse-grained peridotites richest in TEs. The distribution of a significant portion of TEs between garnet and clinopyroxene from A-type metasomatites and from coarse-grained lherzolites rich in TEs is close to experimental values reported for minerals coexisting with carbonatitic and basaltic fluids. We assume that this metasomatic process was nearly synchronous with the global metamorphism and cratonization of the mantle lithosphere and that high-density silicate–carbonate fluidmelts were metasomatizing agents. Another large mantle metasomatism process in the lithosphere of the Siberian craton was associated with the Middle Paleozoic kimberlite magmatic event, induced by the Yakutian thermochemical plume. Metasomatic minerals (Mg phlogopite + Cr diopside + chromite ± sulfides ± graphite) intensely replaced the minerals of the primary paragenesis, particularly, garnet. These reaction metasomatites show a sine-shaped REE pattern in garnet and disequilibrium between garnet and clinopyroxene. It is supposed that the reaction metasomatism in the mantle lithosphere of the Siberian craton was associated with ingress of reduced asthenospheric fluids at early stages of the kimberlite formation cycle. Metasomatic graphite formed in metasomatites of both types, and this fact evidences for two diamond formation epochs in the history of the mantle lithosphere of the Siberian craton. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper presents data on high-grade silicate–carbonate rocks (calciphyres) from the Irkut block (Sharyzhalgai uplift, southwestern Siberian craton). Their origin and age were determined from the rock characteristics, U–Pb dating, REE content, and Hf isotope composition of zircon. The calciphyres occur both as independent section fragments and as interbeds within Paleoproterozoic garnet-bearing and high-alumina (cordierite- and sillimanite-bearing) gneisses. They were produced by metamorphism of terrigenous-carbonate sediments. The terrigenous sediments range in maturity from arenites and wackes to argillaceous rocks; this is consistent with the reconstruction of the sedimentary protoliths of paragneisses, which are predominant in the metasedimentary rocks. The petrogeochemical features of the calciphyres, their LREE enrichment relative to “pure” carbonate rocks, and a distinct Eu anomaly were inherited from the terrigenous component of calc-silicate sediments. The Nd model age (2.4–2.7 Ga) of the calciphyres and the value THf(DM-2st) = 2.5–3.0 Ga for zircon from these rocks indicate that carbonate accumulation was accompanied by the supply of terrigenous material, which formed during the erosion of Archean and Paleoproterozoic crust. Zircon from the calciphyres is similar to metamorphic zircon in REE patterns and Th/U ratios. It might have been of detrital origin and then recrystallized during high-temperature metamorphism. Terrigenous-silicate rocks were metamorphosed at ca. 1.87 Ga. This is close to the previous age estimates for the terrigenous rocks metamorphism (1.85–1.86 Ga) and the age of baddeleyite from apocarbonate metasomatic rocks (1.86 Ga). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present new paleomagnetic data for continental flood basalts (Siberian traps) obtained from cores of two boreholes in the northwestern Noril''sk area, within the Kharaelakh and Vologochan basins. Paleomagnetic measurements of lava and tuff samples from KhS-59 and SSV-19 boreholes allowed reconstructing and correlating the polarity patterns. Thus multiple paleomagnetic anomalies (PMA) have been discovered as brief polarity changes in narrow intervals of the magnetostratigraphic section above the principle reversal at the boundary between the Ivakin and Syverma Formations. The most prominent anomalies are observed at the bases of the Morongo and Mokulai Formations. The samples from the anomalous intervals differ from those of other intervals neither in rock magnetic properties, nor in mineralogy and magnetic grain sizes. Therefore, the revealed PMA record excursions of the geomagnetic field. Comparison of the results with the Meishan Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Permian–Triassic boundary implies a revision to the P–T position in the trap basalt succession of the Noril''sk area. Judging by the EMF behavior, basalts in this part of the trap province erupted for at least 500 kyr during an interval of stable normal polarity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: On the basis of available sedimentological, isotope-geochemical, and geophysical data, we have refined the intrabasinal correlation and thestructure of Mesoproterozoic deposits of the Baikit anteclise. A pre-Vendian section was stripped within the Baikit anteclise, which can becorrelated with the section of the Mesoproterozoic Teya and Sukhoi Pit (pre-Pogoryui) Groups of the Yenisei Ridge. Most of the overlyingdeposits of the Tungusik Group were destroyed during the tectonic events in the Early Neoproterozoic (~860 Ma) and in pre-Vendian time.Using the results obtained, we have refined the variations in the sedimentation environments of Mesoproterozoic deposits in the Baikit antecliseand Yenisei Ridge and constructed paleogeographic schemes for particular time intervals in the modern frame of references. The predominanceof peritidal complexes and numerous signs of subaerial exposition indicate that the carbonate accumulation was periodically interrupted. Inthe periods (sometimes, long) when this process stopped, fine silicoclastic material transited from the shelf edge into a deep basin localizedsouthwest of the Baikit anteclise. The longest transition periods were in Early Yurubchen, Dolgokta, and Late Vingol’da time, though themain flow supplying silicoclastic material to the Yenisei Ridge passed south of the Baikit carbonate shelf. In the Mesoproterozoic, the basinwith predominantly carbonate sedimentation occupied a vast area in the western Siberian Platform, extending to the western margin of theAnabar Shield, where the Mesoproterozoic deposits were similar in structure and isotope-geochronological and isotope-geochemicalcharacteristics to the pre-Vendian deposits of the Baikit anteclise. Most part of the area with carbonate sedimentation in the Baikit anteclisewas remote from the shelf edge. The Mesoproterozoic shelf was much wider than its fragments in the recent structure on the western marginof the Siberian craton. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report CMP reflection profiling data acquired by Eniseigeofizika OJSC in the southwestern Siberian craton. The collected reference and regional profiles of a total length of ~5000 km, run in W–E and N–S directions and traverse all major structural units of the craton. The data were processed to obtain important evidence of the sediment structure as a basis for further exploration. The synthesis of the results allowed mapping the Riphean surface, with sedimentary sequences and basement highs. The thicknesses and deformation patterns of rocks were used to distinguish ten zones which differ in their structure and composition, as well as in the position with respect to major units of the overlying Vendian–Paleozoic sequence. The distinguished zones have been ranked in terms of exploration and licensing priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: U-Pb dating (SHRIMP-II) and study of the internal structure and composition were carried out for zircon from hypersthene gneiss from the Irkut granulite-gneiss block (Sharyzhalgai uplift in the southwestern Siberian craton). Three generations of zircon have been revealed in the hypersthene gneiss, which differ in zoning pattern, U and Th concentrations, and REE distribution. Zircon cores with growth zoning relics show a REE pattern typical of magmatic zircon: with a high (Lu/Gd) n value (11–36) and a distinct Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce* = 15–81). They belong to early magmatic generation with an age of ≥3.16 Ga. Multifaced soccerball crystals, rims, and unzoned cores of zircon belong to metamorphic generation; they are depleted in REE and show a lower (Lu/Gd) n value (1.1–9.2) than the magmatic cores. This zircon generation formed as a result of the Mesoarchean high-temperature metamorphism at ~3.04 Ga. The latest zircon generation includes thin outer rims with low (Lu/Gd) n (11–12.4) and Th/U (0.02–0.05) values and long-prismatic crystals with an oscillatory zoning, which resulted from the Paleoproterozoic (~1.85 Ga) granulite metamorphism and partial melting. The different ages of high-temperature metamorphism in the granulite-gneiss (~3.04 and 2.55–2.6 Ga) and granite-greenstone (~3.2 Ga) blocks of the Sharyzhalgai uplift reflect the independent tectonothermal and geodynamic evolution of crust in these structures, up to the final amalgamation in the Paleoproterozoic (1.88–1.85 Ga). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Phanerozoic history of mafic magmatism in the southern Siberian craton included three major events. The earliest event (∼500 Ma) recorded in dolerite dikes occurred during accretion and collision at the early stage of the Central Asian orogen. Injection of mafic melts into the upper crust was possible in zones of diffuse extension within the southern Siberian craton which acted as an indenter. The Late Paleozoic event (∼275 Ma) produced dikes that intruded in a setting of subduction-related extension at the back of the active continental margin of Siberia during closure of the Mongolia–Okhotsk ocean, as well as slightly older volcanics (290 Ma) in the Transbaikalian segment of the Central Asian orogen. Early Mesozoic magmatism in the southern Siberian craton resulted in numerous 240–250 Ma mafic intrusions in the Angara–Taseeva basin. The intrusions (Siberian traps) appeared as the subducting slab of the Mongolia–Okhotsk ocean interacted with a lower mantle plume. The post-Late Paleozoic ages of flood basalts (290–275 Ma) correspond to progressive northwestward (in present coordinates) motion of the slab beneath the southern craton margin which likely ceased after the slab had reached the zone of the Siberian superplume. Since its consolidation after the Early Mesozoic activity, the crust in the area has no longer experienced extension favorable for intrusion of basaltic magma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigate the upper mantle velocity structure through processing first arrival data from peaceful nuclear explosions. The reported 2D model has been obtained by ray tracing for a spherical Earth, unlike the classical plane-approximation approach with subsequent spherical symmetry corrections, which is not always applicable to a laterally heterogeneous subsurface. The upper mantle velocity highs and lows imaged to 200–220 km depths show obvious correlation with major structures of the craton basement. Namely, low-velocity zones are observed beneath basins, the largest (to 8.0–8.1 km/s) under the Vendian–Early Cambrian Sayan–Yenisei syneclise. A discontinuous high-velocity layer (8.6–8.7 km/s) at depths between 150 and 240 km is underlain by a zone of lower velocity (8.50–8.55 km/s) down to the 410 km discontinuity, where the velocity at the top of the transition zone is 9.4–9.5 km/s. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We summarize the results of paleomagnetic and sedimentological studies of the Neoproterozoic rhythmic terrigenous-carbonate rock unit in the Karagas Supergroup, which were carried out in the middle reaches of the Biryusa and Uda Rivers. The paleomagnetic data are presented along with a detailed description of the studied sections and the specific sedimentological characteristics of the studied deposits. The new data refine the position of Late Precambrian paleomagnetic poles in Siberia and mark the paleogeographic and facies features of the rock unit formation. They also show that the rock unit was deposited much more rapidly than it was supposed earlier, in the environment of shallow-water sea basin on the margin of the Siberian continent. The origin and evolution of the Karagas sedimentary basin was governed by both global and regional tectonic factors. We suppose that the onset of the basin can be linked to a tectonic event, namely, the opening of ocean in southern Siberia during the break-up of Rodinia. Regional tectonic processes controlled the position of the Karagas sedimentary basin and its evolution. The position of the mean paleomagnetic pole (Plat = 3.9°, Plong = 292.3°, A95 = 7.1°) confirms the corresponding interval of the Neoproterozoic trend of APWP in Siberia and proves the near-equatorial position of the continent in Karagas time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Examples of the geological and geomorphic framework of river valleys in the Tunka rift basin (Baikal rift system) and in the Irkutsk amphitheater (Siberian craton) have been used to show that horizontal and vertical motions of tectonic units in southern East Siberia are superposed with periodic movements. In the latter, the waves of slow uplift are attendant with erosional incision events, whereas during the subsidence cycles the incised valleys become filled with mainly alluvial sediments. The latest incision events in the area occurred in the past 70 kyr. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The oldest igneous rocks in the Paleoproterozoic (~1.88–1.85 Ga) North Baikal postcollisional volcanoplutonic belt of the Siberian craton are the basaltoids of the Malaya Kosa Formation (Akitkan Group). The youngest are the composite (dolerite–rhyolite) and doleritic dikes cutting the granitoids of the Irel’ complex and the felsic volcanic rocks of the Khibelen Formation (Akitkan Group). The position of Malaya Kosa basaltoids in the Akitkan Group section and published geochronological data on the felsic volcanic rocks overlying Malaya Kosa rocks suggest that their age is ~1878 Ma. The rhyolites from the center of a composite dike were dated by the U–Pb zircon method at 1844 ± 11 Ma, and the dolerites in the dikes are assumed to be coeval with them. Malaya Kosa basaltoids correspond to high-Mg tholeiites and calc-alkaline andesites, whereas the dolerites in the dikes correspond to high-Fe tholeiites. Geochemically, these basaltoids and dolerites are both similar and different. As compared with the dolerites, the basaltoids are poorer in TiO2 (an average of 0.89 vs. 1.94 wt.%), Fe2O3 ∗ (9.54 vs. 14.71 wt.%), and P2O5 (0.25 vs. 0.41 wt.%). However, these rocks are both poor in Nb but rich in Th and LREE, εNd(T) being negative. According to petrographic and geochemical data, they derived from compositionally different sources. It is assumed that the basaltoids originated from subduction-enriched lithospheric mantle, whereas the dolerites originated from refractory lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subduction fluids. The isotopic and geochemical features of mafic rocks in the North Baikal belt are well explained by their formation during crustal extension which followed subduction and collision in the region. The early stages of postcollisional extension evidenced the melting of subduction-enriched lithospheric mantle with the formation of parent melts for Malaya Kosa basaltoids. At the final stages of the formation of the North Baikal belt, during the maximum crustal extension, Fe-enriched melts rose to the surface and generated the dolerites of the dikes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report data from the Khadarta, Khoboi, and Orso metamorphic complexes of the Olkhon terrane in the western Baikal region. High-grade rocks in the three complexes may have been derived from active continental margin rocks (island arc–backarc basin system). The backarc basin history possibly began at 840–800 Ma, according to SHRIMP-II U-Pb zircon ages of the Orso gneiss. Many tectonic units in the Olkhon terrane belonged to the active margin of the Barguzin microcontinent which rifted off the Aldan province of the Siberian craton in the early Neoproterozoic. The accretion of the microcontinent to the craton was accompanied by high-grade metamorphism recorded in the Khadarta and Khoboi granulites. The 507 ± 8 Ma and 498 ± 7 Ma SHRIMP-II U-Pb zircon ages of the latter complexes, respectively, may refer to the earliest evolution stage of the Olkhon metamorphic terrane. New data for the Olkhon terrane agree well with the ages of other high-grade complexes along the southern Siberian craton (Slyudyanka, Kitoikin, Derba) and correspond to the initiation of the Central Asian orogen. With these data, the Olkhon metamorphic terrane has been interpreted as an Early Paleozoic collisional collage of fragments of the microcontinent’s Neoproterozoic active margin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rock complexes in Mongolia experienced two remagnetization events. Almost all secondary remanence components of normal polarity were acquired apparently in the Cenozoic, after major deformation events, and those of reverse polarity were associated with intrusion of bimodal magmas during the Late Carboniferous–Permian reverse superchron. Active continental-margin sequences in some areas of Mongolia were folded prior to the Late Carboniferous–Permian magnetic event. The primary origin of magnetization in Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks has been inferred to different degrees of reliability. According to paleolatitudes derived from most reliable paleomagnetic data, the analyzed rocks were located far north of the North China block throughout the Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic. Mongolia, as well as Siberia, moved from the south to the north in the Paleozoic, back from the north to the south between the latest Triassic and the latest Jurassic, and remained almost within the same latitudes in Cretaceous and Cenozoic time. These paleolatitudes show no statistical difference from those for the Siberian craton at least since the latest Permian (275–250 Ma). Older Mongolian complexes (with ages of 290, 316, and 330 Ma) likewise may have formed within the Siberian continent, which makes their paleomagnetic determinations applicable to calculate the polar wander path for Siberia. The paleolatitudes of Early Carboniferous sediments in Mongolia differ significantly from those of Siberia, either because of overprints from the reverse superchron or because they were deposited away from the Siberian margin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report results of transect radon surveys on twenty six large and small faults of different geometries in the western Baikal and southern Angara (southern Siberian craton) areas. The studied faults show up in the radon field as broad zones of high radon activity concentration, with their widths 1.4 times the widths of faulting-related deformation zones. Other things being equal, radon emanation depends on the size and slip geometry of faults and on their activity in the Cenozoic. Relative radon activity is higher in rift faults than in cratonic ones, in normal relative to strike-slip faults, and in larger and more active faults, the latter factor being the basic geodynamic control of radon emanation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The formation of the western margin of the Siberian craton in the Neoproterozoic is considered, with a focus on its transformation from a passive continental margin into an active one, accretion and collision processes, formation of island arcs and ophiolites, orogeny, and continent-marginal rifting. The evolution and correlation of sedimentary basins within fold-thrust belts of the Siberian Platform framing are considered. New structural and kinematic data on the Yenisei fault zone are discussed. On the basis of paleomagnetic data obtained for the structures in the zone of junction of the Siberian Platform and the West Siberian Plate, new models are proposed for the location of the Siberian craton relative to other paleocontinents and microcontinents in the Neoproterzoic. All these data provide a consistent evolution scheme for the western margin of the Siberian paleocontinent in the Neoproterozoic and constrain the position of the Siberian craton margin in Late Neoproterozoic (pre-Vendian) time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report a new paleomagnetic determination of Paleoproterozoic rocks from the Siberian craton which showed a positive baked contact test and a stable age of the high-temperature NRM component. The mean paleomagnetic pole of Siberia for ∼1730 Ma located at 42.9° S, 109.6° E (α95 = 5.3°) is compatible with the pole positions obtained recently for the middle and late Early Proterozoic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the northwestern part of the Sharyzhalgai uplift of the Siberian craton (Bulun block), the earliest sialic crust (grey-gneiss complex) is composed of plagiogneisses, their migmatized varieties, and subordinate plagiogranitoids. The petrochemical, trace-element, and Sm-Nd isotope compositions of rocks were studied, and U-Pb dating of zircons (SHRIMP II) was performed. Plagiogneisses and plagiogranitoids of trondhjemite and, more seldom, tonalite compositions are predominant; their compositions are typical of rocks of Archean tonalite-trondhjemitegranodiorite (TTG) complexes (Al2O3 ≥ 15%, Mg# = 28–38, (La/Yb) n = 23–66, Sr/Y = 27–135, Eu/Eu⁎ = 0.7–1.1). Plagiogneisses of meta-andesite-rhyodacite association are subordinate (SiO2 = 59–69%, (La/Yb) n = 7–32, Sr/Y = 11–24, Eu/Eu⁎ = 0.5–0.7). Cathodoluminescent study of zircons revealed “magmatic cores” and metamorphic rims; most of the rims differ from the cores in U and Th contents and low or greatly varying Th/U ratios. In migmatized plagiogneisses of trondhjemite composition, two zircon generations of different morphologies have been recognized. The protoliths of the grey-gneiss complex rocks formed in the Paleoarchean as a result of two discrete magmatic events, at ∼3.3 and 3.25 Ga, and their metamorphism and migmatization took place at ∼3.2 Ga. The isotopic and geochemical features of rocks evidence that the primary melts were produced mainly through the melting of metabasic sources at different depths of the thickened crust. Plagiogneisses of trondhjemite composition apparently resulted from magma generation involving ancient sialic material. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the western Baikal area, the structural position, composition, and age of volcanic rocks in the section of the Riphean margin of the Siberian craton were studied. The age of these rocks, earlier assigned to the Khotskaya Formation, is estimated at 274±3 Ma (concordia constructed over 11 zircon grains, SHRIMP-II). The geochemical and isotope compositions of volcanics evidence that they resulted from the melting of mantle source of EM-I type contaminated by crustal material. The intrusion of volcanics into the upper crustal horizons might have been caused by the evolution of the Permian active margin of the Siberian continent, which took place on the background of the closure of the Mongolo-Okhotsk ocean. Based on the results of studies, a new subvolcanic complex of Early Permian age has been recognized in the region, which includes the above-mentioned volcanics and earlier described porphyrite dikes of close age in the Sharyzhalgai uplift. The data obtained disprove the concept that the studied volcanics are of Riphean age; therefore, the available stratigraphic charts of the Siberian Precambrian must be revised. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We discuss historical evidence for seismicity on the southern margin of the Siberian craton collected from old local newspapers. The reported earthquakes vary in magnitude from M = 2.5 to 4.5, and their macroseismic locations agree well with the regional tectonic framework. The new data prove seismic activity in the area and can be used in seismic risk assessment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Yenisei Range and the adjacent territories in the east are subdivided into (1) the Mid-Angara intracratonic depression; (2) the Yenisei pericratonic trough; and 3) a marginal oceanic block, the Isakovka-Predivinsk area. The lower part of the Riphean succession is subdivided into two principally different sedimentary complexes — the Lower Sukhoi Pit Subgroup and the Upper Sukhoi Pit Subgroup (the Pogoryui-Alad''in interval of the succession). The fundamental nature of the events that separate these two complexes and the characteristic, rhythmically bedded structure of the Upper Sukhoi Pit Subgroup allow the latter to be ranked a separate straton, the Bol''shoi Pit Group. Its lower boundary is associated with the Grenvillian events commencing with the emplacement of the Teya granite-gneiss domes and other intrusive complexes dated at 1100–1000 Ma. In the sedimentation record these events are manifested as a sudden change from the slate complex, for which we keep the name Sukhoi Pit Group, to the rhythmically bedded succession of the Bol''shoi Pit Group. The latter is interpreted as a product of uproofing of an elevated hinterland to the west. Insofar as the amplitude of this elevated area decreases progressively toward the Mid-Angara trough, the Bol''shoi Pit erosional unconformity and the associated interval of nondeposition are absent from the area. In the west of the Yenisei Range, in contrast, there is a major stratigraphic gap in the sequence, which is associated with the aforementioned events. The hypothesis on intensive events separating the deposition of the Bol''shoi Pit Group of the Kerpylian Horizon and the Tungusik Group of the Lakhandinian Horizon is not supported by the new data. The change from carbonate facies into siliciclastics in the west was misinterpreted as an erosional unconformity, with basal deposits corresponding to the lower boundary of the Tungusik Group. The occurrence of the Upper Tungusik deposits overlying much older rocks is a result of the pre-Bol''shoi Pit erosion and the gradual expansion of the Tungusik transgression. Thus, there are no grounds to argue for significant pre-Lakhandinian events in the region. Hence, the Kerpylian and Lakhandinian in the Yenisei Range, as well as in other parts of the Siberian Craton, constitute two parts of a larger supraregional straton, which corresponds to the lower half of the Upper Riphean and is designated here the Mayanian. The fundamentally different nature of the events associated with the next, Baikalian stage of the development allows its tripartite subdivision in the region. Deposition of the Lower Baikalian (the Oslyanka Group) was preceded by the crustal extension at the junction between the continental and oceanic blocks and, possibly, the formation of one of the Yenisei Range ophiolite complexes, followed by the emplacement of the Tatarka-Ayakhta batholiths at around 850 Ma. Fragments of both complexes are found as clasts in the basal conglomerates of the Middle Baikalian Chingasan Horizon. The specific character of the pre-Baikalian events determines their apparently poor expression in the sedimentation (weaker metamorphism of the Oslyanka deposits compared with the Tungusik Group). Even the activity leading to the formation of the Tatarka-Ayakhta granites cannot be regarded as a full-scale orogenic process. Collisional events separating the Lower and Middle Baikalian are manifested as the erosional unconformity at the base of the Chingasan Group and the emplacement of the Glushikha granites (760–730 Ma). The Middle Baikalian age of the Chingasan deposits is constrained by the data from paleontology, historical geology, and geochronology. Furthermore, the presence of glacial deposits renders this straton as a global stratigraphic marker. Further expansion of transgression in the Upper Baikalian is linked to another important event, but additional paleontological and geochronological information is needed to date the Upper Baikalian (Chapa Group) more accurately. The Baikalian events synchronously manifested themselves in all structural-facies zones of the Yenisei Range and are coeval to structural complexes from adjacent areas of the Siberian Craton. The tripartite Baikalian, therefore, has a potential for being included into the General Scale of the upper Upper Riphean. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]