Role of Avalonia in the development of tectonic paradigms

2018 ◽  
Vol 470 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brendan Murphy ◽  
R. Damian Nance ◽  
J. Duncan Keppie ◽  
Jaroslav Dostal
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
Transform Fault ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
San Andreas ◽  
Iapetus Ocean ◽  
Geological Evolution ◽  
Basin Formation

AbstractThe geological evolution of Avalonia was fundamental to the first application of plate tectonic principles to the pre-Mesozoic world. Four tectonic phases have now been identified. The oldest phase (760–660 Ma) produced a series of oceanic arcs, some possibly underlain by thin slivers of Baltica crust, which accreted to the northern margin of Gondwana between 670 and 650 Ma. Their accretion to Gondwana may be geodynamically related to the break-up of Rodinia. After accretion, subduction zones stepped outboard, producing the main phase (640–570 Ma) of arc-related magmatism and basin formation that was coeval with the amalgamation of Gondwana. Arc magmatism terminated diachronously between 600 and 540 Ma by the propagation of a San Andreas style transform fault, followed by the Early Paleozoic platformal succession used by Wilson to define the eastern flank of the proto-Atlantic (Iapetus) Ocean. This implies the ocean outboard from the northern Gondwanan margin survived into the Cambrian. Avalonia is one of several terranes distributed obliquely with respect to the adjacent cratonic provinces of Gondwana and Baltica, implying that these terranes evolved on different cratonic basements. As a result, their ages and differing isotopic signatures can be used to reconstruct their respective locations along the ancient continental margin.

scholarly journals Pacific subduction control on Asian continental deformation including Tibetan extension and eastward extrusion tectonics

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. P. Schellart ◽  
Z. Chen ◽  
V. Strak ◽  
J. C. Duarte ◽  
F. M. Rosas
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Active Role ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Slab Rollback ◽  
Continental Deformation ◽  
Basin Formation ◽  
Backarc Basins ◽  
East West

Abstract The India-Asia collision has formed the highest mountains on Earth and is thought to account for extensive intraplate deformation in Asia. The prevailing explanation considers the role of the Pacific and Sunda subduction zones as passive during deformation. Here we test the hypothesis that subduction played an active role and present geodynamic experiments of continental deformation that model Indian indentation and active subduction rollback. We show that the synchronous activity and interaction of the collision zone and subduction zones explain Asian deformation, and demonstrate that east-west extension in Tibet, eastward continental extrusion and Asian backarc basin formation are controlled by large-scale Pacific and Sunda slab rollback. The models require 1740 ± 300 km of Indian indentation such that backarc basins form and central East Asian extension conforms estimates. Indentation and rollback produce ~260–360 km of eastward extrusion and large-scale clockwise upper mantle circulation from Tibet towards East Asia and back to India.

Origin and orogenic role of the Chain Lakes massif, Maine and Quebec

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
C C Gerbi ◽  
S E Johnson ◽  
J N Aleinikoff
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Metamorphic Event ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
Middle Ordovician ◽  
Volcanic Sequence ◽  
Iapetus Ocean ◽  
Appalachian Orogen ◽  
New Interpretation

The Chain Lakes massif has long been an enigmatic component of the Appalachian orogen, but new structural, microstructural, and geochronological information provides the basis for the following new interpretation of the massif and its history. In the early Paleozoic, sediments and volcanic rocks from Laurentia or a Laurentian-derived microcontinent were deposited in a fore-arc basin on the western margin of the Iapetus ocean. Following intrusion of arc-related magmas, the sedimentary–volcanic sequence was heated sufficiently to melt in place, resulting in stratigraphic disaggregation and diatexite formation. We dated monazite growth from this metamorphic event at 469 ± 4 Ma. Although some melt may have left the system, much remained, including water dissolved in the melt. Upon crystallization, this water drove thorough retrogression of the massif, causing pervasive pseudomorphism of porphyroblasts. With cooling and crystallization, the Chain Lakes massif became sufficiently rigid that it was not significantly deformed during the Middle Ordovician through Devonian stages of Appalachian orogenesis involving the arrival of several peri-Gondwanan microcontinents.

Petrologic and geochemical role of serpentinite in subduction zones and plate interface domains

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 61-64
Author(s):  
Marco Scambelluri ◽  
Enrico Cannaò ◽  
Mattia Gilio ◽  
Marguerite Godard
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Plate Interface

scholarly journals The role of sulphur on the melting of Ca-poor sediment and on trace element transfer in subduction zones: an experimental investigation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Aziliz Pelleter ◽  
Gaëlle Prouteau ◽  
Bruno Scaillet
Keyword(s):  
Trace Element ◽  
Partial Melting ◽  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Arc Magmas ◽  
Trace Element Contents ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Element Transfer ◽  
High Sediment

Abstract We performed phase equilibrium experiments on a natural Ca-poor pelite at 3 GPa, 750-1000 °C, under moderately oxidizing conditions, simulating the partial melting of such lithologies in subduction zones. Experiments investigated the effect of sulphur addition on phase equilibria and compositions, with S contents of up to ∼ 2.2 wt. %. Run products were characterized for their major and trace element contents, in order to shed light on the role of sulphur on the trace element patterns of melts produced by partial melting of oceanic Ca-poor sediments. Results show that sulphur addition leads to the replacement of phengite by biotite along with the progressive consumption of garnet, which is replaced by an orthopyroxene-kyanite assemblage at the highest sulphur content investigated. All Fe-Mg silicate phases produced with sulphur, including melt, have higher MgO/(MgO+FeO) ratios (relative to S-free/poor conditions), owing to Fe being primarily locked up by sulphide in the investigated redox range. Secular infiltration of the mantle wedge by such MgO and K2O-rich melts may have contributed to the Mg and K-rich character of the modern continental crust. Addition of sulphur does not affect significantly the stability of the main accessory phases controlling the behaviour of trace elements (monazite, rutile and zircon), although our results suggest that monazite solubility is sensitive to S content at the conditions investigated. The low temperature (∼ 800 °C) S-bearing and Ca-poor sediment sourced slab melts show Th and La abundances, Th/La systematics and HFSE signatures in agreement with the characteristics of sediment-rich arc magmas. Because high S contents diminish phengite and garnet stabilities, S-rich and Ca-poor sediment sourced slab melts have higher contents of Rb, B, Li (to a lesser extent), and HREE. The highest ratios of La/Yb are observed in sulphur-poor runs (with a high proportion of garnet, which retains HREE) and beyond the monazite out curve (which retains LREE). Sulphides appear to be relatively Pb-poor and impart high Pb/Ce ratio to coexisting melts, even at high S content. Overall, our results show that Phanerozoic arc magmas from high sediment flux margins owe their geochemical signature to the subduction of terrigenous, sometimes S-rich, sediments. In contrast, subduction of such lithologies during Archean appears unlikely or unrecorded.

scholarly journals Re-Discussion on the Metallogenic Age of the Hadamengou Gold Deposit in Inner Mongolia, China

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Yangyang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Gold Deposit ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
North China ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
The North ◽  
Geological Evolution ◽  
Western Segment ◽  
Mineralization Age ◽  
Extensive Collection ◽  
Metallogenic Age

The Hadamengou gold deposit is located in the western segment of the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). The mineralization age of the Hadamengou gold deposit is a matter of controversy. Based on the extensive collection the results of previous research, we infer that the Hadamengou gold deposit is exposed to prolonged geological evolution. It was formed as early as the Middle Hercynian orogen. The metallization mainly took place in the Early Indosinian epoch.

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