Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Francisco E. Apen, John M. Cottle
Summary: Models of uplift, rifting, and heat transfer in the Transantarctic Mountains rely on the thermal evolution of the lower crust. Granulite xenoliths in rift basalts provide insight into the Cenozoic evolution of the TAM. The identification of hot crust beneath the TAM supports models of uplift driven by a thermal anomaly.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Benoit Charette, Antoine Godet, Carl Guilmette, Donald W. Davis, Jeffrey Vervoort, Brian Kendall, Isabelle Lafrance, Daniel Bandyayera, Chris Yakymchuk
Summary: The study investigates the metamorphic history of the lower plate of the Torngat Orogen in Canada using various methods, revealing a wider metamorphic effect than previously thought and showcasing the utility of multi-geochronometer dating for deciphering the metamorphic history of granulitic terranes.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Damaris C. Wyatt, Andrew J. Smye, Joshua M. Garber, Bradley R. Hacker
Summary: Metasediments are important components of the exhumed lower-to-mid-crustal granulite terranes. This study investigates the emplacement of metasediments in the Variscan Ivrea-Verbano Zone using monazite U-Th-Pb petrochronology. The results show that the formation and recrystallization of monazite are influenced by the rock type and geological conditions. By combining detrital zircon U-Pb dates, it is concluded that the deposition, burial, and prograde metamorphism of metasediments occur within a short time duration.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Guo-Chao Sun, You-Shan Xia, Gang Wen, Lei Qin, Qing-Yang Xu, Li-Qun Dai, Zi-Fu Zhao
Summary: Post-collisional alkaline intrusive rocks from the Dabie orogen were studied to understand crust-mantle interaction in the collision zone. The rocks have arc-like trace element and isotopic compositions consistent with subducted South China Block reacting with the lithospheric mantle wedge of the North China Block. Syn-magmatic zircon dating revealed Early Cretaceous ages coeval with post-collisional magmatism. The results provide insights into the nature of their mantle sources and suggest slab-mantle interaction during Triassic continental collision.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ya-Dong Liu, Zixiao Guo, Guohong Qin, Ji-Feng Ying
Summary: Deep-seated crustal xenoliths captured by volcanic rocks provide a rare opportunity to understand the composition and evolution of the lower continental crust. This study investigates the mineral composition, major and trace element geochemistry, isotopic dating and Hf isotopes of granulite and biotite gneiss xenoliths from the Yangyuan county in China. The results reveal the origin and evolution of the lower crust in this area, showing multiple thermal events and highlighting the important role of fractional crystallization in protolith formation. Comparison with other regions suggests a heterogeneous evolution of the lower crust beneath the Trans North China Orogen.
PRECAMBRIAN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Dongya Zou, Hongfu Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the nature and evolution of the lower crust during the Mesozoic in the Western Liaoning of the North China Craton. The results show that most intermediate-silicic granulites represent modified Archean lower crust by underplated magma, while pyroxenite xenoliths originated as cumulates from an asthenospheric magma and were contaminated by the lower crust. These processes led to the transformations of the Archean lower crust beneath the Western Liaoning and the entire North China Craton.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastian Buntin, Irina M. Artemieva, Alireza Malehmir, Hans Thybo, Michal Malinowski, Karin Hoegdahl, Tomasz Janik, Stefan Buske
Summary: The study reveals the presence of lower crustal eclogite in the Paleoproterozoic Fennoscandian Shield, challenging traditional models and impacting the long-term stability of lithosphere evolution and cratonic crust.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Pablo Farias, Roberto F. Weinberg, Alfonso Sola, Melanie Finch
Summary: U-Pb dating of zircon, monazite, and titanite combined with trace element composition is used to characterize the thermal evolution of the migmatitic Agua del Sapo complex. The complex experienced two consecutive early Paleozoic orogenies, associated with subduction and melting at upper-amphibolite facies. The accessory phases of detrital zircon, monazite, and titanite record different growth and dissolution-precipitation events during these orogenies. The prolonged high heat flow until 380 Ma blurs the boundary between the Famatinian and the subsequent Achalian/Chanic orogenies.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Li Liu, Di-Cheng Zhu, Qing Wang, Peter A. Cawood, Daniel F. Stockli, Lisa D. Stockli, Chao Lin, Jin-Jiang Zhang, Liang-Liang Zhang, Zhi-Dan Zhao
Summary: The geological evolution of the Himalayan Orogen is the result of both its generation cycle and inherited features from its basement units. The study of 1,627 Himalayan leucogranite zircons revealed a complex history of melting and deformation, with the age groups of detrital zircons in the Himalaya inconsistent with the inherited cores of leucogranite zircons. The variations in zircon rim thickness correspond to changing Cenozoic orogenic stages, with rims thicker than 4 μm indicating an extensional regime.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Saemundur A. Halldorsson, David R. Hilton, Edward W. Marshall, Eemu Ranta, Andri Ingvason, Subrata Chakraborty, Johann Gunnarsson Robin, Maja B. Rasmussen, Sally A. Gibson, Shuhei Ono, Paolo Scarsi, Tsegeye Abebe, Jens Hopp, Peter H. Barry, Paterno R. Castillo
Summary: This study investigates the role of volatile-rich fluids in the metasomatic enrichment of the East African subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The findings suggest a connection between CO2 enrichment and subduction of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust, as well as the presence of recycled materials in the mantle contributing to the EARS magmas.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Robert B. Emo, Balz S. Kamber, Hilary Downes, David T. Murphy, John T. Caulfield
Summary: This study investigates the mineralogy and geochemistry of mafic granulite xenoliths from eastern Australia and the Kola Peninsula, Russia, and finds that the lower continental crust is composed of refractory material, undifferentiated material, and felsic or metapelitic material. A new estimate for the average composition of the lower continental crust is calculated, taking into account these components.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dongya Zou, Hongfu Zhang
Summary: This study analyzes the U-Pb-Hf-O isotopes of zircons in felsic granulite xenoliths from the Fuxin late Cretaceous basalts in the North China Craton to evaluate the role of magma underplating in modifying the Archean lower crust. The results show that long-lived magma underplating occurred beneath the Fuxin region during the Mesozoic, with underplated magmas originating from the lithospheric mantle and later from the depleted asthenospheric mantle. This study concludes that magma underplating not only provided heat for remelting, but also added exotic material and weakened the lower crust, leading to its destruction.
Article
Geology
Zhensheng Wang, Timothy M. Kusky, Lu Wang
Summary: This study reveals a possible mechanism for the formation of cratonic lithospheric mantle, including the segregation of eclogite components into the asthenosphere through a viscous drainage process. This helps to explain the presence and distribution of eclogites in the cratonic lithospheric mantle.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Benjamin Gruber, Thomas Chacko, D. Graham Pearson, Claire Currie, Andrew Menzies
Summary: By studying lower crustal xenoliths from the Slave craton, it has been determined that the lower crust temperature and heat production elements are important factors affecting overall crustal heat production and temperatures.Combining new data with geothermometry provides insights into the conditions of the lower crust and mantle lithosphere beneath the Slave craton.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xiao Liu, Qiang Wang, Lin Ma, Jin-Hui Yang, Yi-Ming Ma, Tong-Yu Huang
Summary: The study indicates that the South China Block has undergone extensive intracontinental crustal reworking, including partial melting and crustal thickening. The findings also suggest that during the Early Paleozoic and Late Jurassic in the Guangzhou area, the reworking mainly involved middle-lower crustal rocks.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Songjie Wang, Michael Brown, Lu Wang, Tim E. Johnson, Hugo K. H. Olierook, Christopher L. Kirkland, Andrew Kylander-Clark, Noreen J. Evans, Bradley J. McDonald
Summary: The rates and mechanisms of exhumation of deeply subducted continental crust are not well understood, but can be better characterized using multimineral petrochronology. In this study, zircon, titanite, and apatite U-Pb ages were combined with a pressure-temperature (P-T) path to provide quantitative constraints on cooling and exhumation of the Sulu belt in eastern China. The results suggest that the leucogranite formed during exhumation and was likely sourced from deeper levels in the crust. The data also reveal two stages of exhumation, with the first stage accompanied by leucogranite migration along foliation in the gneiss.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Aral I. Okay, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark
Summary: Detrital zircon ages from Upper Cretaceous sandstones in the Pontides and Anatolide-Tauride Block reveal differences in zircon compositions between the two regions. The absence of sediment transport between the two blocks during the latest Cretaceous suggests an earlier deformation event in the Bornova Flysch Zone related to ophiolite obduction. The predominance of Carboniferous detrital zircons highlights the significance of Carboniferous magmatic activity in the Anatolide-Tauride Block.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Maryam Bendokht, Ali Reza Davoudian, Nahid Shabanian, John M. Cottle, Yunpeng Dong, Xiaoming Liu
Summary: Meta-granites in the Tutak metamorphic Complex preserve crucial information about the Late Neo-proterozoic tectonic history of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, Iran. This paper employs comprehensive zircon U-Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon Lu-Hf isotopic data to elucidate the protolith, tectonic setting, and evolutionary history of these rocks. The results suggest that the granitic melts in the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone were produced via partial melting of lower crustal igneous crustal rocks and sedimentary sources, and were formed in a post-collisional setting related to the convergence of peri-Gondwana terranes and Iranian continental fragments.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Heiko Pingel, Anke Deeken, Isabelle Coutand, Ricardo N. Alonso, Ulrich Riller, Edward R. Sobel, John M. Cottle, Manfred R. Strecker
Summary: This study presents new data on the thermochronological and U-Pb zircon ages from the Pastos Chicos Basin in the northern Puna Plateau, Argentina. The findings suggest the presence of early extensive deformation in the Eocene and later spatially distributed and diachronous deformation. These results provide valuable insights into the tectonic history and basin formation in the region.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Amy C. Moser, Alexander D. Lusk, Snir Attia, Joshua M. Garber, Gareth G. E. Seward, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark
Summary: Quantifying the timing and conditions of ductile deformation is crucial for quantitative models of lithospheric deformation. However, it is challenging to directly constrain these variables and observe their changes during a single deformation event.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Aleisha C. Johnson, Zhe J. Zhang, Nicolas Dauphas, Roberta L. Rudnick, John D. Foden, Magali Toc
Summary: The isotopic compositions of titanium and iron in lavas and mineral separates from Rindjani Volcano in Indonesia show lower isotopic fractionations compared to other differentiation suites. This is attributed to the dominance of low-Ti magnetite and clinopyroxene as carriers of titanium in Rindjani lavas. The high Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio in calc-alkaline magmas like Rindjani leads to decreased titanium isotopic fractionation. Similarly, negligible iron isotopic fractionation is observed in Rindjani rocks and minerals due to their oxidized nature and similar Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios. Paired titanium and iron isotopic analyses can be a powerful tool for assessing oxygen fugacity during differentiation.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Geology
Matthew Rioux, Joshua M. Garber, Michael Searle, James L. Crowley, Sally Stevens, Mark Schmitz, Andrew Kylander-Clark, Kayla Leal, Tyler Ambrose, Andrew J. Smye
Summary: High-precision dating of the metamorphic sole of ophiolites reveals insight into the tectonic evolution of ophiolites and subduction zone processes. The study on the metamorphic sole of the Samail ophiolite provides detailed information on the timing and temperature evolution of the metamorphic process.
JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Stefano Tavani, Kei Ogata, Francesco Vinci, Monia Sabbatino, Andrew Kylander-Clark, Giovanni Caterino, Alessandro Buglione, Alessio Cibelli, Augusto Maresca, David Iacopini, Mariano Parente, Alessandro Iannace
Summary: During the Early Cretaceous, Adria experienced an acceleration in subsidence after the Africa-Europe convergence, which has been puzzling due to the lack of faults associated with crustal stretching in the central Mediterranean area. However, a syn-sedimentary extensional fault system in southern Italy has been discovered, indicating the largest exposed extensional system of Adria during the Aptian-Cenomanian period. The extensional tectonics in Adria can be explained by a slab pull mechanism caused by the subducting Neotethys Ocean.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
S. Tavani, L. Smeraglia, S. Fabbi, L. Aldega, M. Sabbatino, G. L. Cardello, A. Maresca, G. Schirripa Spagnolo, A. Kylander-Clark, A. Billi, S. M. Bernasconi, E. Carminati
Summary: We investigate the timing and mode of the Circeo thrust formation and its subsequent extensional reactivation in the central Apennines using a combination of structural analysis, isotopic analysis, seismic interpretation, and other methods. Our results show that the forelandward migration of the foredeep-thrust system occurred at variable velocities, which were synchronous with the opening of back-arc basins and quiescent periods.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Marine Jouvent, Vit Peresty, Petr Jerabek, Ondrej Lexa, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark
Summary: The geochronology of metasediments in orogenic wedges reveals important information about the early evolution of collisional systems. This study focuses on the Variscan processes in the Saxothuringian orogenic wedge, showing the transition from oceanic to continental subduction and collision. By analyzing phyllites and micaschists in the Erzgebirge Crystalline Complex using in situ monazite U-Pb geochronology and Rare Earth Elements (REE) geochemistry, the researchers were able to link the ages and geochemical patterns to specific tectonometamorphic events. The results indicate a phase of accretion and inverted metamorphic field gradient followed by exhumation and final exhumation of the wedge.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pavla Stipska, Vit Peresty, Igor Soejono, Karel Schulmann, R. C. Andrew Kylander-Clark, Carmen Aguilar, Stephen Collett, Martin Racek, Jitka Mikova, Otgonbaatar Dorjsuren, Nikol Novotna
Summary: This study investigates the accretionary orogenic processes occurring at the periphery of the Rodinia supercontinent after its assembly. Metamorphic rocks in the Mongolia collage of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt are studied to fill the knowledge gap. It is found that the tectono-metamorphic evolution was mainly characterized by the late Proterozoic-early Cambrian cycle, but a Tonian age metamorphism is documented in the northern part of the Precambrian Baidrag block.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Stefania Corvo, Matteo Maino, Sandra Piazolo, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark, Andrea Orlando, Silvio Seno, Antonio Langone
Summary: In this study, the reliability of titanite U-Pb dating in determining the age of deformation in mylonitic rocks is explored through the relationships between titanite-hosting microdomains, intragrain chemical variations, microstructure, and fluids. The research is conducted in a post-Variscan shear zone in the mid-low continental crust of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the Southern Alps, Italy. The results indicate that microstructurally and chemically calibrated U-Pb dating of titanite can provide realistic ages of shear zone activity when crystal-plastic processes and local interaction of titanite with small amounts of fluids along grain boundaries predominate.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Nikitha S. Saji, Roberta L. Rudnick, Richard M. Gaschnig, Marc-Alban Millet
Summary: Titanium isotopes in glacial diamictites from the Paleoproterozoic Nuna and the Neoproterozoic Gondwana supercontinents indicate that the upper continental crust became more felsic during the collision of these supercontinents. The collisional mountain-building of Nuna and Gondwana likely increased the supply of nutrients from continents to oceans. This enhanced nutrient supply may have played a role in the development of organismal complexity and ecological expansion during the Neoproterozoic.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Wenshuai Li, Ryoichi Nakada, Yoshio Takahashi, Richard M. Gaschnig, Yongfeng Hu, Mohsen Shakouri, Roberta L. Rudnick, Xiao-Ming Liu
Summary: This study investigates the secular change in the geochemical composition of cerium in the upper continental crust (UCC) for tracing oxidative weathering. The results show that there are no distinguishable secular changes in the cerium anomaly and stable isotope composition of the average UCC. The study emphasizes the importance of utilizing the valence state of cerium as a reliable indicator of redox conditions.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sarah M. Aarons, Nicolas Dauphas, Nicolas D. Greber, Mathieu Roskosz, Julien Bouchez, Tamara Carley, Xiao-Ming Liu, Roberta L. Rudnick, Jerome Gaillardet
Summary: Stable Ti isotopes have been used to reconstruct the composition of Earth's continental crust. This study investigates the influence of provenance, physical, and chemical weathering on the composition of sediments. The results show that chemical weathering and sediment sorting impact Ti isotopic compositions, but the crustal protolith composition and sorting have a stronger effect than chemical weathering.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)