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During the differentiation of arc magmas, fractionating liquids follow a series of cotectics, where the co-crystallization of multiple minerals control the melt compositional trajectories, commonly referred to as liquid lines of descent (LLD). These cotectics are sensitive to intensive properties, including fractionation pressure and melt H2O concentration, and changes in these variables produce systematic differences in the LLDs of arc lavas. Based on a compilation of experimental studies, we develop two major element proxies that exploit differences in LLDs to constrain the fractionation conditions of arc magmas. Near-primary fractionating magmas evolve along the olivine-clinopyroxene cotectic, which is pressure-sensitive. We use this sensitivity to develop a proxy for early fractionation pressure based on the normative mineral compositions of melts with 8 ± 1 wt.% MgO. Fractionation in more evolved magmas is controlled by the clinopyroxene-plagioclase cotectic, which is strongly sensitive to magmatic H2O contents. We use this relationship to develop an H2O proxy that is calibrated to the normative mineral components of melts with 2–4 wt.% MgO. These two proxies provide new tools for estimating the variations in pressure and temperature between magmatic systems. We applied these proxies to compiled major element data and phenocryst assemblages from modern volcanic arcs and show that in island arcs early fractionation is relatively shallow and magmas are dominantly H2O-poor, while continental arcs are characterized by more hydrous and deeper early fractionation. These differences likely reflect variations in the relative contributions of decompression and flux melting in combination with distinct upper plate controls on arc melt generation., Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 24 (5), ISSN:1525-2027

Antarctica has traditionally been considered continental inside the coastline of ice and bedrock. In our recent study (Artemieva and Thybo, 2020) we reconsider the conventional extent of this continent and demonstrate that 1/3 of Antarctica is not a continent. Here we present a brief summary of our results.

The Emeishan large igneous province (LIP) consists of Permian flood basalts and coeval intrusive rocks with compositions varying from mafic-ultramafic rocks to syenites and granites. The volatiles in the Emeishan LIP are dominated by H2O with high H-2, indicating that the plume-derived magma was generated under a reduced condition. Picrite has minor contents of H2S without detectable SO2, and the basalt samples show no detectable H2S and SO2, indicating that the basaltic magma may have undergone sulphur-saturation during magma evolution. The delta C-13 values of CO2 and CH4 in picrites and basalts are between the values of mantle and crustal organic carbon. This, together with the distribution patterns among CH4 homologue, indicates contribution of recycled sediments to the Emeishan mantle-derived magma. The He-3/He-4 ratios of volatiles extracted from olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts of picrites vary from 01 to 0.66 Ra, and those from pyroxene separates of olivine websterite samples in the Zhubu intrusion vary from 0.92 to 15 Ra. The low He-3/He-4 ratios of the picrites from Emeishan LIP are lower than those from the Siberian LIP, but within the values of continental crust and oceanic crust. The positive correlation between He-4/(40)Arc and He-4 contents in Emeishan picrite suggests that the isotopic ratios were dramatically affected by crustal contamination rather than degassing. The He and Ar isotopes indicate that Emeishan picrite experienced addition of subducted oceanic crustal materials, and the Zhubu magma was contaminated by continental crustal materials.

[Abstract The combined effects of post‐rift magma emplacement and tectonic inversion on the hyper‐extended West Iberian Margin are unravelled in detail using multichannel 2D/3D seismic data. The Estremadura Spur, acting as an uplifted crustal block bounded by two first‐order transfer zones, shows evidence of four post‐rift tectonic events each with a distinctive seismic‐stratigraphic response that can be used to demonstrate the tectono‐magmatic interplay, namely: (a) the Campanian onset of magmatism (including the Fontanelas Volcano, the widespread evidence of multiple sill complexes and the detailed description of a >20 km long laccolith, the Estremadura Spur Intrusion; (b) the Campanian‐Maastrichtian NE‐SW event pervasively affecting the area, resulting in regional uplift, reverse faulting and folding; (c) the Paleocene‐mid Eocene inversion that resulted in widespread erosion and; (d) the Oligocene‐mid Miocene evidence of rejuvenated NW‐SE inversion marked by crestal faulting and forced‐fault folding establishing the final geometry of the area. The distinct deformation styles within each tectonic phase document a case of decoupled deformation between Late Cretaceous and Tertiary units, in response to the predominant stress field evolution, revealing that the magnitude of Late Cretaceous inversion is far more significant than the one affecting the latter units. A detailed analysis of the laccolith and its overburden demonstrate the distinct deformation patterns associated both with magma ascent (including extensional faulting, forced‐folding and concentric reverse faulting) and its interference as a rigid intrusive body during subsequent transpressive inversion. This reinforces the role that the combined tectono‐magmatic events played on the margin. Also analysed is the wider impact of post‐rift magmatism and the associate emplacement of sub‐lithospheric magma on the rheology of a thinned continental crust. This takes into account the simultaneous tectonic inversion of the margin, the implied alternative views on characteristic heat flow, and on how these can be incorporated in source rock organic maturity modelling., The combined effects of multiphase margin inversion and Late Cretaceous magmatism on the Central West Iberian Margin reveals that deformation is decoupled between Cretaceous and Tertiary strata, with a laccolith accommodating significant shortening and acting as a rigid body. ]

The Tibetan Plateau is characterized by the largest crustal thickness on Earth, although the timing of formation of the plateau remains debated. In this study, we present in situ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopes, and whole-rock geochemical data on porphyritic granitoids of Sebuta in the central Lhasa block. Our zircon U–Pb data indicate that these rocks emplaced at ca. 89 Ma, in the early Late Cretaceous. Geochemically, the Sebuta biotite granite porphyry can be broadly divided into two subtypes, namely metaluminous porphyry and peraluminous porphyry. The metaluminous porphyry has high SiO2, Al2O3, Sr, low Y and Yb contents, and high Sr/Y and LaN/YbN ratios, showing adakitic features. These rocks have high K2O and Th contents, low Ti/Eu and Nd/Sm ratios, indicative of a continental crust affinity. Positive zircon eHf(t) values, along with high Mg#, Cr and Ni, imply that the Sebuta adakitic porphyry was most likely derived from partial melting of a delaminated thickened juvenile lower crust, and that the initial melts interacted with mantle peridotite during ascent. The field features, petrographic characteristics, formation age, ore-bearing potential, and Hf isotope of the peraluminous porphyry are similar to those of the Sebuta adakitic porphyry, indicating that the peraluminous porphyry was likely formed by contamination with ancient crustal material and fractional crystallization from the same primary adakitic magmas which generated the Sebuta adakitic porphyry. Residual phases of amphibole + plagioclase + garnet + rutile in the source region, together with previous studies, suggest that the crust beneath the central northern Lhasa block experienced thickening during the early Late Cretaceous, and had already been thickened to more than 50 km by the Late Cretaceous (ca. 89 Ma).

The Kolyvan-Tomsk folded zone (KTFZ) represents part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The KTFZ is mainly composed of detrital Late Palaeozoic sedimentary deposits, with minor intrusions. Detrital zircon geochronology on the Upper Devonian to Lower Permian sedimentary sequences of the KTFZ and the associated Gorlovo foreland basin yields four age peaks, reflecting the magmatic events in the source terranes. These events consist of (a) a minor Neoproterozoic peak (0.9-0.7 Ga), (b) a significant Early Palaeozoic peak (550-460 Ma), with a maximum at 500 Ma, and two well-defined Late Palaeozoic peaks during (c) the Middle-Late Devonian (385-360 Ma) and (d) the Carboniferous-Early Permian (360-280 Ma), with a maximum at 320 Ma. Older zircons (>1 Ga) are quite rare in the sampled sedimentary sequences. Slightly negative epsilon Nd values and associated relatively young Nd model ages were obtained (epsilon Nd(T) = -0.78, T (DM) ~1.1 Ga for Upper Devonian sandstones, epsilon Nd(T) = -1.1, T (DM) ~1.1 Ga for Lower Permian sandstones), suggesting only minor contribution of ancient continental crust to the main sedimentary units of the KTFZ. All intrusive and volcaniclastic rocks on the contrary are characterized by high positive epsilon Nd(T) values in the range of 3.78-6.86 and a Late Precambrian model age (T (DM) = 581-916 Ma), which corroborates its juvenile nature and an important depleted mantle component in their source. The oldest unit of the KTFZ, the Bugotak volcanic complex formed at the Givetian-Early Frasnian transition, at about 380 Ma. Upper Devonian detrital deposits of the KTFZ were formed in the Early Palaeozoic accretion belt of the Siberian continent and specifically in a passive continental margin environment. Deposits of the Gorlovo foreland basin, adjoining the KTFZ, were accumulated as a result of erosion of the Carboniferous-Early Permian volcanic rocks, which are now buried under the Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary cover of the West Siberian Basin. The magmatic events, recorded in the KTFZ zircon data, correspond to the most significant magmatic stages that affected the western part of the CAOB as a whole.

The study examines the Egyptian Red Sea shelf and throws more light on the structural set‐up and tectonics controlling the general framework of the area and nature of the crust. Herein, an integrated study using gravity and magnetic data with the available seismic reflection lines and wells information was carried out along the offshore area. The Bouguer and reduced‐to‐pole aeromagnetic maps were processed and reinterpreted in terms of rifting and plate tectonics. The qualitative interpretation shows that the offshore area is characterized by positive gravity everywhere that extremely increases towards the centre of the graben, supporting the presence of an intrusive zone below the axial/main trough. The gravity data were confirmed by the presence of high magnetic amplitudes, magnetic linearity and several dipoles concentrated along the rift axis for at least 250 km. The lineament analysis indicates widespread of the Erythrean (Red Sea) trend that was offset/cut by transform faults in the NE direction (Aqaba). The tectonic model suggests the presence of one tensional (N65°E) and two compressional (N15°W, N30°W) phases of tectonism, resulted in six cycles of deformations, classified into three left lateral (N35°E, N15°E and N–S) and three right lateral (N85°W, N45°W and N60°W). The basement relief map reveals a rough basement surface that varies in depth between 1 and 5.6 km. It outlines several offshore basins, separated from each other by ridges. The models show that the basement consists of tilted fault blocks, which vary greatly in depth and composition and slopes generally to the west. They indicate that the coastal plain is underlain by acidic basement blocks (continental crust) with no igneous activity while suggesting elevated basic materials (oceanic crust) below the rift axis. The study suggests that northern Red Sea forms an early stage of seafloor spreading or at least moved past the late stage of continental rifting.

The Mesoarchean Kalva Rangan Durga Formation of the Shimoga greenstone belt in the western Dharwar Craton consists of orthoquartzite, ferruginous phyllite, banded ferruginous chert, and conglomerates. Thick beds of orthoquartzites of this formation are well exposed in Kalva Rangan Durga ridge, trending northeast to southwest for about 9 km, in the southwest part of the Honnali Dome. Quartzites are fine-grained in nature and mostly composed of quartz grains and fuchsite mica. In the present study, we have collected quartzite samples and carried out geochemical, Sr, and Nd isotope analyses to decipher their paleo-weathering conditions, provenance characteristics, and possible tectonic setting of deposition. Geochemical data indicate they are arkose to subarkose in nature. Moderate to intense chemical weathering of the source rocks of these quartzites during the Mesoarchean is suggested based on various weathering indices and ternary plots. Enriched LREE and flat to variably fractionated HREE patterns with negative Eu anomalies of quartzites indicate that they were mainly derived by weathering of tonalities, trondhjemite, and granodiorites (TTG) gneisses and granites. The relatively high concentration of Cr with variable Th/Sc and high Cr/Th ratios indicate both felsic and mafic sources for quartzites. Initial εNd values (t = 3.0 Ga) of quartzites range from −3.04 to +1.24 which further support their derivation from both older evolved continental crustal and juvenile sources. The presence of symmetrical ripple marks on the surface of quartzite indicates a shallow marine environment.

As the sole habitat for terrestrial life, the Earth's critical zone (CZ) refers to the upper, porous layer of the continental crust that is interacting with the circulating meteoric waters. Conceptually, water is central to the intriguing co‐evolution of both the hydrologic behaviour and the structure of the CZ. On one hand, the path and rate of water circulating through the CZ are shaped by the CZ physical structure itself, such as the distribution of material porosity and permeability. On the other hand, and at longer time scales, the circulating water shapes the CZ structure through physical and chemical alterations of porosity and permeability and through being an agent of denudation, thereby reshaping the surface of the CZ and shifting its hydraulic boundaries. It is possible to alternate between thinking of the CZ as a storage container for water or thinking of water as an agent shaping CZ architecture, in much the same way that it is possible either to see a vase or to see profiles of two faces in the classic Rubin's vase illusion (Figure 1). This perspective shifting duality of the water–CZ relationship is further modulated by biological forces such as plants and soil organisms, as well as anthropogenic actions that both alter the flow and chemistry of the water in the CZ. How the modern‐day CZ structure shapes current hydrologic processes, how vegetation and humans alter the hydrology and biogeochemistry of the CZ, and how the hydrology and CZ structure co‐evolve via feedbacks arising from this duality of the water–CZ relationship are the three broad categories of questions that motivated this collection of 20 papers comprising the Special Issue of Hydrological Processes on Water in the Critical Zone. A brief introduction to the contributions organized by these overarching questions follows.

The univariate statistics of potassium (K) and thorium (Th) concentrations in the oceanic and continental crust of the Earth has been recently investigated from geochemical databases and airborne r...

Combing geochemical and seismological results constrains the composition of the middle and lower continental crust better than either field can achieve alone. The inaccessible nature of the deep cr...

The Himalayan–Tibetan orogen is the world's largest active orogen with the thickest continental crust on Earth. However, the timing of crustal thickening of this orogen remains controversial. In recent years, magmatic rocks with adakitic affinities have been widely used to constrain the crustal thickness. Here, we present zircon U–Pb ages, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic data for the Dala two‐mica granites (eastern Tethyan Himalaya) that may shed light on this issue. Zircon U–Pb dating shows that the Dala two‐mica granites were emplaced at ca. 43 Ma. The granites display adakitic signatures, including high SiO2, Al2O3 and Sr contents, low Y and Yb contents with high Sr/Y (27−67) and La/Yb (35−99) ratios. High K2O and Th contents, low Nb/U, Ce/Pb, Ti/Eu and Nd/Sm ratios and low MgO, Mg#, Cr and Ni contents suggest that the Dala two‐mica granites were derived from partial melting of a thickened lower crust. Low negative zircon eHf(t) values (−10.4 to −0.5) with old two‐stage Hf model ages (1.1–1.8 Ga), high (87Sr/86Sr)i (0.715861–0.717665) with low eNd(t) (−12.5 to −11.3) and high Pb isotopes [(206Pb/204Pb)i=18.783–18.861, (207Pb/204Pb)i=18.783–18.861 and (208Pb/204Pb)i=39.052–39.285], together with previous literature data, indicate that the magma source for the Eocene granites in the Yardoi area was composed of ancient lower crust consisting mainly of garnet‐amphibolite and probably subordinate metapelites of the High Himalayan Crystalline Sequence. The residual mineral assemblage of garnet + rutile + plagioclase ± amphibole in the source region demonstrates that the crust beneath the Himalaya could have been thickened to ﹥50 km in the Eocene. Combining with previous studies, we propose that the Eocene magmatic rocks in the Tethyan Himalaya (e.g. ca. 43 Ma old Dala two‐mica granites) can be best interpreted as the consequence of breakoff of the Neo‐Tethyan oceanic slab.

International audience; The inherited localization model for shear zone development suggests that ductile deformation in the middle and lower continental crust is localized on mechanical anisotropies, like fractures, referred to as shear zone brittle precursors. In the Neves area (Western Tauern Window, Eastern Alps), although the structural control of these brittle precursors on ductile strain localization is well established, the relative timing of the brittle deformation and associated localized fluid flow with respect to ductile deformation remains in most cases a matter of debate. The present petrological study, carried out on a brittle precursor of a shear zone affecting the Neves metagranodiorite, aims to determine whether brittle and ductile deformations are concomitant and therefore relate to the same tectonic event. The brittle precursor consists of a 100–500 µm wide recrystallized zone with a host mineral‐controlled stable mineral assemblage composed of plagioclase–garnet–quartz–biotite–zoisite±white mica±pyrite. Plagioclase and garnet preserve an internal compositional zoning interpreted as the fingerprint of Alpine metamorphism and fluid–rock interactions concomitant with the brittle deformation. Phase equilibrium modelling of this garnet‐bearing brittle precursor shows that metamorphic garnet and plagioclase both nucleated at 0.6 ± 0.05 GPa, 500 ± 20°C and then grew along a prograde path to 0.75 ± 0.05 GPa, 530 ± 20°C. These amphibolite facies conditions are similar to those inferred from ductile shear zones from the same area, suggesting that both brittle and ductile deformation were active in the ductile realm above 500°C for a depth range between 17 and 21 km. We speculate that the Neves area fulfils most of the required conditions to have hosted slow earthquakes during Alpine continental collision, that is, coupled frictional and viscous deformation under high‐fluid pressure conditions ~450°C. Further investigation of this potential geological record is required to demonstrate that slow earthquakes may not be restricted to subduction zones but are also very likely to occur in modern continental collision settings.

The Baghu gold deposit, hosted by a granitoid stock as well as volcanic rocks, is located in Northern Iran. The igneous rocks consist of granodiorite and granite as well as volcanic rocks, such as basaltic andesite and andesite, which are cut by dioritic dykes. The igneous rocks have metaluminous, high K calc‐alkaline, and island‐arc signatures, characterized by enrichment in large‐ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and depletion in high‐field‐strength elements (HFSEs). Zircon separates yield U–Pb ages of 47, 43, and 38 Ma for the volcanics, granitoid rocks, and dyke, respectively, indicating that the magmatism associated with gold–copper mineralization occurred during the Eocene. The low Ba/Th, Th/Nb, Ba/La, and Th/Yb ratios in igneous rocks indicate that their mantle source was not likely modified by subduction activity. A comparison of La/Sm against La (ppm), similar Th/Nb and Th/Yb, and average (La/Yb)_n ratios to the crust and lower continental crust (LCC) suggests that the magmatism in the Baghu was likely associated with partial melting of juvenile lower crust, induced by north‐westward subduction of the Neo‐Tethys oceanic lithosphere in an extensional setting.

International audience; In North Africa, the Algerian margin is made of basement blocks that drifted away from the European margin, namely the Kabylia, and docked to the African continental crust in the Early Miocene. This young margin is now inverted, as dated Miocene (17 Ma) granites outcrop alongshore, evidencing kilometre-scale exhumation since their emplacement. Age of inversion is actually unknown, although Pliocene is often considered in the offshore domain. To decipher the exhumation history of the margin between 17 and 5 Ma, we performed a coupled apatite fission track (AFT) and (U-Th-Sm)/He (AHe) study in the Cap Bougaroun Miocene granite. AFT dates range between 7 +/- 1 and 10 +/- 1 Ma, and mean AHe dates between 8 +/- 2 and 10 +/- 1 Ma. These data evidence rapid and multi-kilometre exhumation during Tortonian times. This event cannot be related to slab break-off but instead to the onset of margin inversion that has since developed as an in-sequence north-verging deforming prism.

Felsic continental crust is unique to the Earth in the solar system, but it still remains controversial regarding its formation, accretion and reworking. The plate tectonics theory has been signifi...

The Quanji Block (QB) is a sliver of anomalously old and well-preserved continental crust embedded within the Paleozoic-Mesozoic tectonic collage of the northeastern Tibet Plateau. Ne...

Ultra high pressure (UHP) metamorphism observed in continental terranes implies that continental crust can subduct to ~40 kbar before exhuming to the surface. This process is one of the least understood and widely debated parts of the orogenic cycle. The dominantly felsic composition of UHP continental terranes means that many petrology‐based techniques for determining peak pressures and temperatures are often not possible. In such cases, the detection of UHP conditions depends on the preservation of coesite, a rarely preserved mineral in exhumed UHP terranes as it rapidly transforms to quartz on decompression. Consequently, the qualitative identification of palisade quartz microstructures that form during the retrograde transformation of coesite to quartz is often used to identify UHP terranes. In this study, we conduct electron backscatter diffraction and misorientation analysis of palisade quartz inclusions in the coesite‐bearing pyrope quartzite from the Dora Maira massif in the Alps, and matrix‐scale palisade quartz in the Polokongka La granite from Tso Morari in the Ladakh Himalaya, in order to quantitatively define crystallographic characteristics of quartz after coesite. The repeatability of our observations in two unrelated occurrences of UHP rocks supports our interpretation that the following features provide a systematic and predictable set of criteria to identify the coesite to quartz transition: (1) Quartz crystallographic orientations define spatially and texturally distinct subdomains of palisade quartz grains with ‘single crystal’ orientations defined by distinct c‐axis point maxima. (2) Adjacent subdomains are misorientated with respect to each other by a misorientation angle/axis of 90°/ a . (3) Within each subdomain, palisade quartz grain boundaries commonly have intra‐ and inter‐granular misorientations of 60°/[0001], consistent with the dauphiné twin law. Our observations imply that the coesite‐quartz transformation is crystallographically controlled by the epitaxial nucleation of palisade quartz on the former coesite grain, specifically on potential coesite twin planes such as (–1 01) and (021).

Although ~10% of Earth’s water resides within continents, HO distribution throughout the continental lithosphere and partitioning of HO in nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) remain poorly co...

The inorganic portion of tuffaceous mud and mudstone in an oceanic island arc can be mostly volcanic in origin. Consequently, a large volume of submarine volcaniclastic material is as extremely finegrained as products of subaerial eruptions ( 75% of the mud is volcanic, and that most of it was derived from proximal rear arc volcanic sources. It faithfully preserves integrated igneous geochemical information about arc evolution in much the same way that terrigenous shales track the evolution of continental crust. In addition, their high sedimentation rate enables high resolution study of climate cycles, including the effects of Pleistocene glaciation on the behavior of the Kuroshio Current in the Shikoku Basin south of Japan.

The Wuma magmatic suite is a group of large granite plutons and small diorite stocks in the Erguna Block, northeast China. These intrusions were emplaced along the Mongol–Okhotsk Suture Zone during the late Permian–early Triassic (253–248 Ma). Significant chemical and isotopic diversity within the granites and diorites suggests variable formation conditions and the involvement of multiple magmatic sources. The granitic intrusions are dominantly characterized by moderate to large, uniform light rare earth element enrichments and variable heavy rare earth element depletions. Zircons from the Wuma granites have eHf(t) values of −6.0 to 0.5 and TDM2 ages of 1.6–1.2 Ga, suggesting that these granitic magmas were generated by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic continental crust. The diorites are compositionally similar to Andean plutonic rocks with moderate light rare earth element and heavy rare earth element fractionations and likely formed by partial melting of a sediment-metasomatized mantle. The Wuma intrusions belong to the high-K calc-alkaline series and are characterized by a significant enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, K, and U) and depletion of high-field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti). These geochemical characteristics are typical of subduction-related magmatism, which can be linked to the southward subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate. Combined with data from published studies, our Hf isotopic analyses indicate 4 main periods of crustal growth beneath the Erguna Block: Mesoarchean (3.0–2.8 Ga), Neoarchean–Paleoproterozoic (2.6–1.8 Ga), Meso- to Neoproterozoic (1.6–0.7 Ga), and Phanerozoic (mainly Ordovician and Late Triassic–Early Cretaceous).

Differentiation of the continental crust is the result of complex interactions between a large number of processes, which govern partial melting of the deep crust, magma formation and segregation, and magma ascent to significantly higher crustal levels. The anatectic metasedimentary rocks exposed in the Southern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt represent an unusually well-exposed natural laboratory where the portion of these processes that operate in the deep crust can be directly investigated in the field. The formation of these migmatites occurred via absent incongruent melting reactions involving biotite, which produced cm- to m-scale, K2O-poor garnet-bearing stromatic leucosomes, with high Ca/Na ratios relative to their source rocks. Field investigation combined with geochemical analyses, and phase equilibrium modelling designed to investigate some aspects of disequilibrium partial melting, show that the outcrop features and compositions of the leucosomes suggest several steps in their evolution: (1) Melting of a portion of the source, with restricted plagioclase availability due to kinetic controls, to produce a magma (melt + entrained peritectic minerals in variable proportions relative to melt); (2) Segregation of the magma at near peak metamorphic conditions into melt accumulation sites (MAS), a.k.a. future leucosome; (3a) Reequilibration of the magma with a portion of the bounding mafic residuum via chemical diffusion (H2O, K2O), which triggers the co-precipitation of quartz and plagioclase in the MAS; (3b) Extraction of melt dominated magma to higher crustal levels, leaving peritectic minerals entrained from the site of the melting reaction and the minerals precipitated in the MASs to form the leucosome in the source. The key mechanism controlling this behaviour is the kinetically induced restriction of the amount of plagioclase available to the melting reaction. This results in elevated melt H2O and K2O and chemical potential gradient for these components across the leucosome/mafic residuum contact. The combination of all of these processes accurately explains the composition of the K2O-poor leucosomes. These findings have important implications for our understanding of melt segregation in the lower crust and minimum melt residency time which, according to the chemical modelling is < 5 years. We demonstrate that in some migmatitic granulites, the leucosomes constitute a type of felsic refractory residuum, rather than evidence of failed magma extraction. This provides a new insight into the ways that source heterogeneity may control anatexis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Ladakh Magmatic Arc (LMA) of trans-Himalaya was formed due to subduction of the Tethyan Ocean beneath the Eurasian continental plate. This was followed by the Indo-Eurasian continental collision that gave rise to the Himalayan orogen. In this work, we present results from U–Pb geochronology of zircon of 2 samples from a previously unknown migmatite body within the LMA and one two-mica granite body that lies adjacent to this migmatite and intrudes the LMA. One sample of mesosome from this migmatite gives a crystallization age of 66.9 ± 1.5 Ma (n = 11 zircon) along with a younger population of zircon (n = 24) giving an age of 62.1 ± 1.3 Ma. This sample also shows the presence of a younger cluster of zircon (n = 7) giving a concordant age of 50.0 ± 2.9 Ma. The other sample of one leucosome contains a cluster of inherited zircon (n = 5) giving a concordant age of 72.86 ± 0.83 Ma. However, the majority of the population (n = 10) gives a concordant crystallization age of 55.31 ± 1.5 Ma. Limited Hf isotopic analysis of the leucosome shows positive eHft values ranging from 7 to 15, comparable to that of the LMA. High and positive eHft values and absence of any Palaeozoic xenocrystic zircon help us infer that the Indian continental crust was not involved in the partial melting and leucosome generation process. Therefore, this event of migmatization predates Indo-Eurasian collision. By comparing Th/U ratio versus age for both the mesosome and leucosome and their respective age spectra, we infer that this part of the LMA underwent pronounced partial melting between 55 and 60 Ma and generated leucosome till ~50 Ma. The two-mica granite contains muscovite, indicating its crustal origin. It gives 2 closely spaced age spectra of 38.1 ± 1.1 Ma (n = 7) and 34.31 ± 0.48 Ma (n = 4). This two-mica granite also contains xenocrysts of Palaeozoic ages. By integrating our studies with earlier works, we infer that this migmatization of the LMA indicates its collision with the Indian plate, prior to Indo-Eurasian continental accretion, at 55–50 Ma. The two-mica granite contains xenocrystic material from both the LMA and the Indian continental crust and indicates S-type granite magmatism related to India–Eurasia continental collision at 35–40 Ma.

A significant proportion of shale gas resources occurs in Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in southeast Sichuan Basin, South China, where commercial gas production has been achieved at Fuling Shale Gas Field. This study area is located adjacent to Fuling Jiaoshiba shale play. Elemental geochemistry regarding paleoenvironment aspects of lower Silurian Longmaxi shale gas is poorly understood. However, the samples in this study are representative, revealing the complete elemental geochemical characteristics of Longmaxi Shale. This research has analysed trace and rare earth elements of lower Silurian Longmaxi Shale and investigated the depositional environment, provenance, and tectonic settings when this type of shale formed. Sedimentary structures include horizontal lamination, massive lamination, and deformation structures that are well developed in black shale and grey silty shale of lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation. Gamma ray, total organic carbon, and pyrite contents are relatively higher in the lower part of the shale. The enrichment of sulfophile heavy metal elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Mo, Ni) indicates that a reducing environment is common during the deposition of Longmaxi Formation. The concentration of rare earth elements is generally constant with relatively high concentration of light rare earth elements, stable concentration of heavy rare earth elements, and negative Eu anomalies. The sediments of Longmaxi Formation are derived primarily from the sedimentary rocks and granites in continental crust. The combination of trace and rare earth elements indicates that the tectonic settings of the provenance are continental island arc and active continental margin.

The Heihe–Nenjiang–Hegenshan suture zone has long been accepted as the major tectonic boundary between the Xing'an and Songliao blocks and extends through the Great Xing'an Range in NE China, but its location of the northern segment between the Moguqi and Nenjiang areas and its timing remain unclear. We address these issues by presenting zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb ages, Lu-Hf isotopes, bulk-rock major, and trace elemental data for mylonitized rhyolites collected from the Moergenhe Formation in the Nenjiang area and for gabbros of the Moguqi area, respectively. The mylonitized rhyolites, which display an arc-related geochemical affinity with enrichment in Th and U, and depletion of Nb, Ta, and Ti, and gently right-tilted rare earth element (REE) patterns (light REE [LREE]/heavy REE [HREE] =4.53–7.60), as well as the eHf (t) values (+6.4 to +11.8) of analyzed zircons, indicate an origin by partial melting of potentially young lower continental crust of a subducting slab. The zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb data show the formation age of the mylonitized rhyolites is 352.4 Ma. The analyzed gabbros with an emplacement age of 352.6 Ma have high concentrations of Th and U, slightly enriched LREE patterns and relative low LREE/HREE ratios (4.3 to 4.6). These features, together with their high positive eHf (t) values (+7.7 to +15.2), suggest that they were likely derived from the partial melting of a depleted mantle source that was metasomatized by subduction-related fluids. Combined with the geochemical features of the coeval igneous rocks from the northern Great Xing'an Range, these results reveal that the existence of an early Carboniferous NE-trending magmatic arc (ca. 350–330 Ma), extending along the west of the Heihe–Nenjiang–Hegenshan suture zone, gives more constraints on the amalgamation of the Xing'an and Songliao blocks along the Nenjiang–Moguqi areas and indicates that the amalgamation should have terminated by at least the end of the early Carboniferous.

Metavolcanics and mafic intrusive rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Birimian terrane in the southeastern part of the West African Craton, Ghana, were analyzed for major and trace elements and Nd and Sr isotopic data to constrain the geodynamic evolution of the Birimian Supergroup. The metavolcanic rocks consist of metabasalts, meta-andesites, and amphibolites, whereas the mafic intrusions are mainly gabbros, hornblendites, and dolerites. The rocks are tholeiitic in composition and show the classic features of arc magmatism. The metavolcanics display significant enrichments in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements, relative to high field strength elements (HFSE) and heavy rare earth elements. The multielement patterns of the rocks also show positive Pb, Ba, Th, and Sr and negative Nb, Ta, and Ce anomalies that are typical characteristics of subduction-related magmas. They also have La/Nb ratios

Adakitic rocks and related Cu–Au mineralization are widespread along eastern Jiangnan Orogen in South China. Previous studies have mainly concentrated on those in the Dexing area in northeastern Jiangxi Province, but information is lacking on the genesis and setting of those in northwestern Zhejiang Province. The Jiande copper deposit is located in the suture zone between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks of South China. This paper presents systematic LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating and element and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data of the Jiande granodiorite porphyry. Zircon dating showed that the Jiande granodiorite porphyry was produced during the Middle Jurassic (ca. 161 Ma). The Jiande granodiorite porphyry is characterized by adakitic geochemical affinities with high Sr/Y and LaN/YbN ratios but low Y and Yb contents. The absence of a negative Eu anomaly, extreme depletion in Y and Yb, relatively low MgO contents, and relatively high 207Pb/204Pb ratios, indicated that the Jiande granodiorite porphyry was likely derived from partial melting of the thickened lower continental crust. In addition, the Jiande granodiorite porphyry shows arc magma geochemical features (e.g., Nb, Ta and Ti depletion), with bulk Earth-like eNd (t) values (−2.89 to −1.92), eHf (t) values (−0.6 to +2.8), and initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7078 to 0.7105). However, a non-arc setting in the Middle Jurassic is indicated by the absence of arc rocks and the presence of rifting-related igneous rock associations in the interior of South China. Combined with the regional Neoproterozoic Jiangnan Orogeny, it indicates that these arc magma geochemical features are possibly inherited from the Neoproterozoic juvenile continental crust formed by the ancient oceanic crust subduction along the Jiangnan Orogen. The geodynamic environment that is responsible for the development of the Middle Jurassic Jiande granodiorite porphyry is likely a localized intra-continental extensional environment along the NE-trending Jiangshan-Shaoxing Deep Fault as a tectonic response to far-field stress at the margins of the rigid South China Plate during the early stage of the paleo-Pacific plate subduction. In terms of Cu mineralization, we suggest that the metal Cu was released from the subducted oceanic slab and reserved in the juvenile crust during Neoproterozoic subduction along the eastern Jiangnan Orogen region. Partial melting of the Cu rich Neoproterozoic juvenile crust during the Middle Jurassic time in the Jiande area caused the formation of adakitic rocks and the Cu deposit.

International audience; Conditions of the prograde, peak-pressure and part of the decompressional P–T path of two Precambrian eclogites in the eastern Sveconorwegian orogen have been determined using the pseudosection approach. Cores of garnet from a Fe-Ti-rich eclogite sample record a first prograde and syn-deformational stage along a Barrovian geothermal gradient from ~670 °C and 7 kbar to 710 °C and 8.5 kbar. Garnet rims grew during further burial to 16.5-19 kbar at ~850-900 °C, along a steep dP/dT gradient. The pseudosection model of a kyanite-bearing eclogite sample of more magnesian bulk composition confirms the peak conditions. Matrix reequilibration associated with subsequent near-isothermal decompression and partial exhumation produced plagioclase-bearing symplectites replacing kyanite and clinopyroxene and is estimated at 850-870 °C and 10-11 kbar. The validity of the pseudosections is discussed in detail. It is shown that in pseudosection modelling the fractionation of FeO in accessory sulphides may cause a significant shift of field boundaries (here displaced by up to 1.5 kbar and 70 °C) and must not be neglected. Fast burial, exhumation and subsequent cooling are supported by the steepness of both the prograde and the decompressional P–T paths as well as the preservation of garnet growth zoning and the symplectitic reaction textures. These features are compatible with deep tectonic burial of the eclogite-bearing continental crust as part of the underthrusting plate (Eastern Segment, continent Baltica) in a collisional setting that led to an effectively doubled crustal thickness and subsequent exhumation of the eclogites through tectonic extrusion. Our results are in accordance with regional structural and petrological relationships, which demonstrate foreland-vergent partial exhumation of the eclogite-bearing nappe along a basal thrust zone and support a major collisional stage at c. 1 Ga. We argue that the similarities between Sveconorwegian and Himalayan eclogite occurrences emphasize the modern style of Grenvillian-aged tectonics.

Two types of mafic rocks from the central Sanin district, and their mafic minerals, were studied chemically and microscopically. They are classified into pyroxene-containing gabbroid and hornblende–biotite quartz diorite. The gabbroid had higher color index but lower magnetite content; while the quartz diorite had lower color index, but higher magnetite content. The magnetite contents are also related to the amounts of hydrous mafic silicates. The gabbroic magma having pyroxene–amphibole assemblage, originated in the upper mantle, was considered essentially anhydrous, but became partly hydrous on the way to the site of solidification in the continental crust, and crystallized some magnetites with hypersthene and amphibole. The quartz dioritic magma was formed by partial melting of possibly subducting ocean-floor basalts, once exposed to the sea-floor then altered; thus the magmas became hydrous and oxidized originally, and precipitated abundant magnetite and hydrous mafic silicates from the early crystallization stage onward. Their weathered parts provided the most placer magnetite ores in the history.

The Precambrian greywacke of Ribandar-Chimbel belonging to the Sanvordem Formation of the Goa Group, India, has been studied for petrography and analyzed for major trace elements. The greywacke is characterized by angular to sub-round grains of quartz, feldspar, biotite, chlorite and clay minerals. The abundance of clay in the matrix seems to have influenced the Al2O3 content and the K2O/Al2O3 ratio. The variation diagrams indicate a decreasing trend of TiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and MgO; whereas Na2O and CaO exhibit a scatter which could be a result of the variable presence of feldspar within the sediments. The immobile elements, vanadium (25 to 144 ppm), nickel (up to 107 ppm) and chromium (up to 184 ppm), reflect abundance of clay minerals. The greywacke shows strongly fractionated REE patterns with LaN/YbN = 8 to 26 and with higher total REE abundances (up to 245 ppm). The low REE enrichment and depletion in heavier REE with prominent negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*= 0.54 to 0.79) suggest a derivation of the greywacke from an old upper continental crust composed chiefly of felsic components. Petrological evidence and geochemical data suggest that the deposition of the greywacke largely took place in a deep to shallow basin that progressively changed from that of a continental island arc to an active continental setting.

TTG (Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite) gneisses, a major component of Precambrian continental crust, play a significant role in understanding the process and mechanism of the crustal evolution in the early periods of the Earth. In terms of field occurrence, there are two kinds of Archean TTGs in the NCC (North China Craton): intercalated and non-intercalated TTGs. In this contribution, we make a comprehensive comparison of these two types of TTGs from the typical areas (Lushan and Hengshan) in the NCC with an aim to constrain their petrogenesis. The results suggest that they have similar mineral assemblages of Pl + Qtz + Bt ± Amp ± Kfs but different field appearances and geochemical compositions, thus probably reflecting different source materials and tectonic settings. Differences in the contents of characteristic elements, such as Sr, REE and HFSE, suggest that the non-intercalated TTGs in Hengshan were generated at deeper levels than those of intercalated TTGs in Lushan. Constraints from element contents and geochemical modeling results are consistent with derivation from dual sources involving both garnet amphibolite and rutile-bearing eclogite residues for the non-intercalated TTGs in Hengshan, whereas the compositions of intercalated TTGs in Lushan indicate that they were formed by partial melting with amphibolite to garnet-amphibolite residues. Moreover, accumulation of plagioclase is also required in the petrogenesis of intercalated TTGs in Lushan, at least for part of them. In addition, the non-intercalated TTGs in Hengshan display distinctly higher MgO, Mg#, Cr and Ni values and lower SiO2 average contents compared to the intercalated TTGs in Lushan. These features suggest that the former magma, at least a part, might have interacted with the mantle wedge during ascent. Considering all the above factors and in combination with the whole-rock Nd and zircon Hf isotopic data, it is suggested that the non-intercalated TTGs in Hengshan were produced by partial melting of subducted slab contaminated by the overlying mantle wedge at deeper levels and high pressures, whereas the intercalated TTGs in Lushan were generated by melting of the thickened lower crust at lower pressures and shallower depths. The tectonic settings of the two types of TTGs shed new light on the growth of the NCC.

The occurrence of high-pressure (HP) garnet-bearing metamorphic rocks in the southern Barberton granitoid-greenstone terrane (BGGT), South Africa, has been proposed as a key indicator of the onset of modern plate tectonics at ca. 3.2 Ga. Here, we report new zircon/titanite U-Pb ages of garnet-bearing HP metamorphic rocks and associated granitoids in the BGGT that argue against such an interpretation. The results show that HP metamorphism occurred synchronously with granitoid magmatism in the Stolzburg domain, the supposed subducted plate, during two episodes at 3.4 and 3.2 Ga, and that these two episodes of magmatism occurred on both sides of the assumed suture zone, a feature that cannot easily be explained by the subduction model. In contrast, the coupled magmatism and metamorphism probably resulted from partial convective overturn (PCO), another viable mechanism for production and differentiation of continental crust during early Archean.