Geology of the Zambales Range, Luzon, Philippine Islands: Ophiolite derived from an island arc-back arc basin pair

Author(s):  
James W. Hawkins ◽  
Cynthia A. Evans
Keyword(s):  
2004 ◽  
Vol 175 (5) ◽  
pp. 443-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo A. Tamayo* ◽  
René C. Maury* ◽  
Graciano P. Yumul ◽  
Mireille Polvé ◽  
Joseph Cotten ◽  
...  

Abstract The basement complexes of the Philippine archipelago include at least 20 ophiolites and ophiolitic complexes. These complexes are characterised by volcanic sequences displaying geochemical compositions similar to those observed in MORB, transitional MORB-island arc tholeiites and arc volcanic rocks originating from modern Pacific-type oceans, back-arc basins and island arcs. Ocean island basalt-like rocks are rarely encountered in the volcanic sequences. The gabbros from the ophiolites contain clinopyroxenes and plagioclases showing a wide range of XMg and An values, respectively. Some of these gabbros exhibit mineral chemistries suggesting their derivation from basaltic liquids formed from mantle sources that underwent either high degrees of partial melting or several partial melting episodes. Moreover, some of the gabbros display a crystallization sequence where orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene appeared before plagioclase. The major element compositions of coexisting orthopyroxenes and olivines from the mantle peridotites are consistent with low to high degrees of partial melting. Accessory spinels in these peridotites display a wide range of XCr values as well with some of them above the empirical upper limit of 0.6 often observed in most modern mid-oceanic ridge (MOR) mantle rocks. Co-existing olivines and spinels from the peridotites also exhibit compositions suggesting that they lastly equilibrated under oxidizing mantle conditions. The juxtaposition of volcanic rocks showing affinities with modern MOR and island arc environments suggests that most of the volcanic sequences in Philippine ophiolites formed in subduction-related geodynamic settings. Similarly, their associated gabbros and peridotites display mineralogical characteristics and mineral chemistries consistent with their derivation from modern supra-subduction zone-like environments. Alternatively, these rocks could have, in part, evolved in a supra-subduction zone even though they originated from a MOR-like setting. A simplified scenario regarding the early geodynamic evolution of the Philippines is proposed on the basis of the geochemical signatures of the ophiolites, their ages of formation and the ages and origins of the oceanic basins actually bounding the archipelago, including basins presumed to be now totally consumed. This scenario envisages the early development of the archipelago to be largely dominated by the opening and closing of oceanic basins. Fragments of these basins provided the substratum on top of which the Cretaceous to Recent volcanic arcs of the Philippines were emplaced.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyuan Zhang ◽  
Zhibin Lei ◽  
Bo Yang ◽  
Qing Liu ◽  
Haijun Zhang ◽  
...  

<p>A 1:50000 regional survey, covering an area of about 2000 km<sup>2</sup>, was carried out in the Shangrimuce area of Qilian Mountain in Northwest China. The results show that during Caledonian, the northern margin of the Central Qilian block experienced collision with mature island arcs and subsequently northward expansion. In the Shangrimuce study area, five geological units have been identified; they are, form south to north, back-arc basin, early Ordovician island arc, inter arc basin, middle Late Ordovician island arc, and fore-arc and oceanic lithosphere amalgamation zone. </p><p>(1) back-arc basin. In the Yangyuchi- Shule River- Cuorigang- Wawusi area, there may be a back-arc spreading basin, and there should be spreading basins in this area. It is speculated that there was a northward reverse subduction in the late Ordovician, accompanied by a syenite body, a broad spectrum dyke swarms and an accretionary wedge zone in the whole area.</p><p>(2) early Ordovician island arc. In the Shangrimuce-Dander area, the Proterozoic basement granitic gneiss, the early Ordovician island arc block and the high-pressure geological body all occur in the form of thrust horses, forming a double metamorphic belt, which reveals the existence of ocean subduction to south in the early Ordovician. </p><p>(3) inter arc basin. On both banks of Tuolai River to the east of Yanglong Township, there are early Middle Ordovician inter-arc basins with oceanic crust. </p><p>(4) middle Late Ordovician island arc. To the north of Tuolai River, there is a middle Late Ordovician island arc belt. Both sides of the island arc zone experienced strong ductile shear deformation, which recorded a complex arc-continent collision. </p><p>(5) fore-arc and oceanic lithosphere amalgamation zone (Fig.1). The Yushigou area has developed a fore-arc and oceanic lithospheric amalgamation zone, with weakly deformed fore-arc flysch basin, strongly deformed siliceous rocks, pillow Basalt, diabase, gabbro, peridotite and other rock assemblages.</p><p>Combined with the characteristics of arc-continent collision zone in the Western Pacific, there are two stages of shear zone series (Fig.2). One is ductile shear zones formed by the South dipping gneissic belt, revealing the existence of oceanic subduction accretion wedge and emplacement of high-pressure rocks. Another superimposed one is north dipping. This indicates that the arc-continent collision caused by back-arc reverse subduction, which ultimately controls the overall geometric and kinematic characteristics of the shear zones in the region.</p><p><img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gepj.8219836ca50067454890161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&app=m&a=0&c=40b3389c641f2d0ca723e1527c32927e&ct=x&pn=gepj.elif&d=1" alt=""></p><p>Figure 1 United sections showing a Caledonian trench-arc system in the Qilian Mountain, NW China.</p><p><img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gepj.8def566da50066084890161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&app=m&a=0&c=e82258ecc235c4e618abd6c035b58232&ct=x&pn=gepj.elif&d=1" alt=""></p><p>Figure 2 Structural analysis at Hongyahuo, indicating two stages of deformation.</p><p>The research has been supported by projects from the Ministry of Land and Resources (No.201211024-04; 1212011121188) and the 2020 undergraduate class construction project from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) (No. HHSKE202003).</p><p> </p>


2008 ◽  
Vol 179 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Monjoie ◽  
Henriette Lapierre ◽  
Artan Tashko ◽  
Georges H. Mascle ◽  
Aline Dechamp ◽  
...  

AbstractTriassic volcanic rocks, stratigraphically associated with pelagic or reef limestones, are tectonically juxtaposed with Mesozoic ophiolites in the Tethyan realm. From the central (Dinarides, Hellenides) and eastern Mediterranean (Antalya, Troodos, Baër Bassit) to the Semail nappes (Oman), they occur either associated to the tectonic sole of the ophiolitic nappes or as a distinct tectonic pile intercalated between the ophiolites and other underthrust units. In the Dinaro-Hellenic belt, the Pelagonian units represent the lower plate, which is underthrust beneath the ophiolites. Middle to Late Triassic volcanic sequences are interpreted as the eastern flank of the Pelagonian platform and are therefore considered as a distal, deep-water part of the Pelagonian margin.The Triassic volcanics from Albania and Othrys are made up of basaltic pillowed and massive flows, associated locally with dolerites and trachytes. New elemental, Nd and Pb isotopic data allow to recognize four types of volcanic suites: (1) intra-oceanic alkaline and tholeiitic basalts, (2) intra-oceanic arc-tholeiites, (3) back-arc basin basalts, (4) calc-alkaline mafic to felsic rocks. Nd and Pb isotopic initial ratios suggest that the within-plate volcanic rocks were derived from an enriched oceanic island basalt type mantle source, devoid of any continental crustal component. The lower εNd value of the trachyte could be due to assimilation of oceanic altered crust or sediments in a shallow magma chamber. Island arc tholeiites and back-arc basin basalts have a similar wide range of εNd. The absence of Nb negative anomalies in the back-arc basin basalts suggests that the basin floored by these basalts was wide and mature. The high Th contents of the island arc tholeiites suggest that the arc volcanoes were located not far away from the continental margin.Albania and Othrys volcanics contrast with the Late Triassic volcanism from eastern Mediterranean (SW Cyprus, SW Turkey), which displays solely features of oceanic within plate suites. The presence of back-arc basin basalts associated with arc-related volcanics in Central Mediterranean indicates that they were close to a still active subduction during the Upper Triassic, while back-arc basins developed, associated with within-plate volcanism, leading to the NeoTethys opening.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Haase ◽  
M. U. Gress ◽  
S. M. Lima ◽  
M. Regelous ◽  
C. Beier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

1992 ◽  
Vol 56 (383) ◽  
pp. 173-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoji Arai

AbstractChromian spinel in volcanic rocks is a potential discriminant for magma chemistry. The TiO2 content of spinel, compared at similar Fe3+/(Cr + Al + Fe3+) ratios, can distinguish island arc basalts from intraplate basalts. MORB spinels are low in this ratio and are intermediate for the TiO2 level at comparable Fe3+ ratios. Spinels from back-arc basin basalts, although similar in TiO2/Fe3+ ratio, are more enriched in Fe3+ than the MORB spinels. Spinels in the oceanic plateau basalts are distinctly lower in TiO2 than other intraplate basalt spinels and even slightly lower in TiO2 than the MORB spinels. The data were successfully applied to estimate the kind of the magma from which spinelbearing cumulates, especially dunites, were formed. Original magma chemistry of altered or metamorphosed volcanics in which spinels survive can also be estimated by the chemistry of relict spinel alone. It is possible to estimate the magma type of source volcanics for detrital spinel particles of volcanic derivation.


Ophiolite belts are found in Tibet along the Zangbo, Banggong and Jinsha River Sutures and in the Anyemaqen mountains, the eastern extension of the Kunlun mountains. Where studied, the Zangbo Suture ophiolites are characterized by: apparently thin crustal sequences (3-3.5 k m ); an abundance of sills and dykes throughout the crustal and uppermost mantle sequences; common intraoceanic melanges and unconformities; and an N-MORB petrological and geochemical composition. The ophiolites probably formed within the main neo-Tethyan ocean and the unusual features may be due to proximity to ridge-transform intersections, rather than to genesis at very slow -spreading ridges as the current consensus suggests. The Banggong Suture ophiolites have a supra-subduction zone petrological and geochemical composition — although at least one locality in the Ado Massif shows MORB characteristics. However, it is also apparent that the dykes and lavas show a regional chemical zonation, from boninites and primitive island arc tholeiites in the south of the ophiolite belt, through normal island arc tholeiites in the central belt to island arc tholeiites transitional to N-MORB in the north. The ophiolites could represent fragments of a fore-arc, island arc, back-arc complex developed above a Jurassic, northward-dipping subduction zone and emplaced in several stages during convergence of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes. The ophiolites of the Jinsha River Suture have a N-MORB composition where analysed, but more information is needed for a proper characterization. The Anyemaqen ophiolites, where studied, have a within-plate tholeiite composition and may have originated at a passive margin: it is not, however, certain whether true oceanic lithosphere, as opposed to strongly attenuated continental lithosphere, existed in this region.


1986 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol J. Pudsey

AbstractThe Northern Suture is a fault separating the Cretaceous Kohistan island arc terrain (northwest Himalayas) from Palaeozoic sediments of the Asian Plate to the north. The Kohistan arc includes volcanic and sedimentary rocks (andesitic lavas, tuffs, volcaniclastics, slates and limestones), metamorphosed to greenschist facies and intruded by the two-phase Kohistan Batholith. Asian continental margin sediments are mainly of shelf type, are variably metamorphosed and intruded by the Karakoram Batholith. The Northern Suture is a zone of melange from 150 m to 4 km wide, and contains blocks of volcanic greenstone, limestone, red shale, conglomerate, quartzite and serpentinite in a slate matrix. It has a strong planar fabric; but in many places bedding is preserved in blocks and matrix, and depositional rather than tectonic contacts are seen between the two. The melange is inferred to be an olistostrome largely derived from the Kohistan arc, formed in a small back-arc basin between Kohistan and Asia. Limestone blocks in the melange are dated as Aptian–Albian; post-tectonic intrusions yield radiometric ages from 111 to 62 Ma. The Northern Suture therefore probably formed in the early Late Cretaceous during closure of the back-arc basin. The Tethys ocean lay south of Kohistan, where the Main Mantle Thrust represents the westward continuation of the Indus–Tsangpo Suture.


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