Propagators and ridge jumps in a back-arc basin, the West Philippine Basin

We explore the tectono-magmatic processes in the western West Philippine Basin, Philippine Sea Plate, using bathymetric data acquired in 2003 and 2004. The northwestern part of the basin formed through a series of northwestward propagating rifts. We identify at least five sequences of propagating rifts, probably triggered by mantle flow away from the mantle thermal anomaly that is responsible for the origin of the Benham and Urdenata plateaus. Gravitational forces caused by along-axis topographic gradient and a similar to 30 degrees ridge reorientation appear to also be driving the rift propagations. The along-axis mantle flow appears to be reduced and deflected along the Luzon-Okinawa fracture zone, because the spreading system remained stable west of this major fault zone. North-east of the Benham plateau, a left-lateral fracture zone has turned into a NE-SW-trending spreading axis. As a result, a microplate developed at the triple junction.

化德群和土门群沉积岩碎屑锆石研究：对华北克拉通基底及元古宙盆地演化的指示意义

The Huade Group, consisting of low-grade and un-metamorphosed sedimentary rocks with no volcanic interlayer, is located at the northern margin of the North China craton and adjoining the south part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. It is east to the Paleo- to Meso-Proterozoic Bayan Obo and Zhaertai-Langshan rifts and northwest to the Paleo- to Neo-proterozoic Yanshan aulacogen, in which the typical Changcheng, Jixian and Qingbaikou systems are developed. The Huade Group are mainly composed of pebbly sandstones, sandstones, greywackes，shales，calc-silicate rocks and limestones, partly undergoing low-grade metamorphism and being changed to meta-sandstones, schists, phyllites, slates and crystalline limestones or marbles. The stratigraphic sequences show several cycles of deposition. Each of them developed coarse clastic rocks – interbedded fine clastic rocks and pelites from bottom upward or from coarse clastic rocks to interbedded fine clastic rocks and pelites to carbonate rocks. The Tumen Group outcrop sporadically around or west to the Tanlu faults in western Shandong. They are mainly composed of pebbly sandstones, sandstones, shales and limestones. This thesis deals with the characteristics of petrology, geochemistry and sedimentary of the Huade Group and the Tumen Group, and discusses the LA-ICP-MS and SIMS U-Pb ages, Hf isotope and trace element composition of the detrital zircons from 5 meta-sandstone samples of the Huade Group and 3 sandstone samples of the Tumen Group. The age populations of the detrital zircons from the Huade Group are mainly ~2.5 Ga and ~1.85 Ga, and there are also minor peaks at ~2.0 Ga, ~1.92 Ga and ~1.73 Ga. Most of the detrital zircon grains of 2.47-2.57 Ga and a few of 1.63-2.03 Ga have Hf crust model ages of 2.7-3.0 Ga, and most of the detrital zircon grains of 1.63-2.03 Ga have Hf crust model ages of 2.35-2.7 Ga, with a peak at 2.54 Ga. The main age peaks of the detrital zircons from the Tumen Group are ~2.5 Ga、~1.85 Ga, 1.57 Ga, 1.5 Ga, 1.33 Ga and 1.2 Ga. Different samples from the Tumen Group have distinct Hf isotopic characteristics. Detrital zircon grains of ~2.52 Ga from one sandstone sample have 2.7-3.2 Ga Hf crust model ages, whereas zircon grains of 1.73-2.02 Ga and 2.31-2.68 Ga from another sample have Hf crust model ages of 2.95-3.55 Ga. Detrital zircon grains of Mesoproterozoic ages have Paleoproterozoic (1.7-2.25 Ga) crust model ages. Through detailed analyses of the detrital zircons from the Huade and Tumen Group and comparison with those from the sedimentary rocks of similar sedimentary ages, the thesis mainly reaches the following conclusions: 1. The youngest age peaks of the detrital zircons of 1.73 Ga constrains the sedimentary time of the Huade Group from late Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic. 2. The age peaks of detrital zircons of the Huade Group correspond to the significant Precambrian tectonic-thermal events of the North China craton. The basement of the North China craton is the main provenance of the Huade Group, of which the intermediate to high grade metamorphic sedimentary rocks are dominant and provide mainly 1.85-1.92 Ga sediments. 3. The Huade basin belongs to the North China craton and it is suggested that the northern boundary of the North China craton should be north to the Huade basin. 4. The stratigraphic characteristics indicate the Huade Group formed in a stable shallow-hypabyssal sedimentary basin. The rock association and sedimentary time of the Huade Group are similar to those of the Banyan Obo Group and the Zhaertai Group, and they commonly constitute late Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic continental margin basins along the northern margin of the North China craton. 5. The continental margin basins would have initiated coeval with the Yanshan and Xiong’er aulacogens. 6. The ages of the detrital zircons from the Tumen Group and the Penglai Group at Shandong peninsula and the Yushulazi Group at south Liaoning are similar, so their sedimentary time is suggested to be Neoproterozoic，coeval with the Qingbaikou system. The detrital zircon ages of 1.0-1.2 Ga from the Tumen Group, the Penglai Group and the Yushulazi Group indicate that there have being 1.0-1.2 Ga magmatic activities at the eastern margin of the North China craton. 7. The U-Pb age populations of the detrital zircons from the late Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks suggest that the main Precambrian tectonic-thermal events of the North China craton happened at ~2.5 Ga and ~1.85 Ga. But the events at 2.7 Ga and 1.2 Ga are also of great significance. Hf isotope characteristics indicate that the significant crust growth periods of the North China craton are 2.7-3.0 Ga and ~2.5 Ga.

内蒙古白云鄂博地区元古宙构造-岩浆演化史与超大型REE-Nb-Fe矿床成因

Bayan Obo giant REE-Nb-Fe deposit in the northen margin of the North China Craton (NCC) is well known in the world for its abundant rare earth element resources. There is nearly one hundred year of studying history in substance component, chronology and geochemistry of the ore deposit, since the main ore body was found in 1927. However, there still exist remarkable divergences in genesis, mineralized age and material origin. Especially the REE enrichment mechanism leaves us a secret. Recent research shows that the Bayan Obo ore deposit likely resulted from the carbonatite magma activity, which is a favorable factor for REE accumulation. Based on the analysis of tectonic evolution history of north margin of NCC this thesis mainly discussed the formation background of cratonic margined rifts in Bayan Obo, and presented the analytical results of formation environment, intrusion age and deep origin of Proterozoic carbonatite magma. These research results can provide evidence for ore genesis. LA ICP-MS U-Pb dating on zircon shows that the Neoarchean basement was mainly composed of calc-alkaline TTG gneisses (2588±16Ma). The collision orogeny movement of the northen margin of the NCC between 2.0 Ga to 1.9 Ga brought the swarm of diorite-granodiotite magma (2023±16Ma) and intense regional metamorphism event (1906.3±7.7 Ma to 1892.7±6.7 Ma). In the sequent super continent break up background, intense metamorphic and deformed basement complex was uplifted to the surface suffered denudation, forming Mesoproterozoic Bayan Obo group in the contemporary continental margin rifts. The uplift of basement complex and formation of continental rifts were likely related with mantle plume activity. Evidence from petrological and geochemical data suggests that abundant alkaline-basic magma resulted from enhancement of continental breakup activity, that separated into carbonatite veins and mafic dykes by melt immiscibility mechanism, intruded in Bayan Obo margin rifts at the late stage of extension movement. Carbonatite veins can be divided into three main types by mineral composition: dolomite carbonatite, dolomite-calcite coexistent carbonatite and calcite carbonatite. Intrusion relationship between different types of carbonatite veins show that the calcite carbonatite veins were formed latter than the dolomite type as well as the coexistent type. Moreover, geochemical data also reveals successive and evolutive character between them. The content of REE increases together with the calcite minerals component. That is to say that REE gradually accumulated as the evolution of carbonatite magma. High precision Sm-Nd isochron data shows that the intrusion age of carbonatite veins was at 1319±48Ma. Moreover, the REE mineralization age in calcite carbonatite veins was around 1275±87Ma that is consistent with the intrusion age in error range. According to these data the abundant REE already existed in the carbonatite magma before intrusion and result in the earlier ore mineralization. The average age of mineralized dolomite was at 1353±100Ma, and the mineralization age of apatite in coarse grain dolomite was around 1329±150Ma. These data is consistent with carbonatite. Considering the coincident rare, trace element and isochron composition between them, it is presumed that mineralized dolomite was also the carbonatite intrusion and was the mainly factor for huge REE enrichment.

扬子板块西部大陆地幔地球化学特征及壳幔演化－有关基性岩超基性岩的地球化学研究

The continental mantle geochemical characteristics and crust-mantle evolution in the west of Yangtze Plate was discussed through the study of some within-plate basic-ultrabasic rocks from Lower Proterozoic to Later Paleozoic in this paper. In the Lower Proterozoic, the plate subduction between the pre-Tethys Proterozoic Ocean Plate and paleo-Yangtze Plate induced some basic volcanic formed in the island arc-back arc surrounding, which were represented by Ailaoshan Group-Dibadu Formation-Dahongshan Group, and there existed EM I component in the mantle source. The Middle Proterozoic Caiziyuan peridotite was formed in the epicontinental basin at the ocean-land boundary or within-continent rift basin. Its mantle source could be metasomatized by the dehydration fluid of subducted plate, and much initial radioactive ~(143)Nd was added to the source. In the Later Proterozoic, some rifts at the epicontinent or within-continent was formed due to the pre-Tethys oceanic plate subduction, and within-plate hot-spot Dahongshan diabase came into being. The whole-rock isochronal age of diabase is 1066±110Ma, and its mantle source was enriched Nd isotope and trace element which was related to the primary volatile component from asthenosphere and mantle plume. Its mantle source was included "FOZO" component representing mantle plume. The layer ultramafic rocks located at the Panxi Rift in the Middle-Later Paleozoic were resulted from different period and source. The early ultramafic indicated the incipient action of Panxi Rift, which is residue of continental lithospheric partial melting. Its mantle source involved subducted material and had distinct EM II component. The Emeishan basalt in the Later Paleozoic was typical continental flood basalt and its source also contained EM II component. The subduction of paleo-Tethys Ocean Plate provided essential dynamic condition for the large-scale opening of Panxi Rift, while the mantle plume supplied much material for Emeishan basalt. However, the plume was contaminated by the metasomatized continental mantle lithosphere in its upwelling process, which resulted in the Sr isotopic and incompatible elemental enrichment, and the Nd isotope kept down the weak-depleted character of mantle plume. The magmatic history in the west of Yangtze Plate is the tectonic process between pre-Tethys, paleo-Tethys Oceanic Plate and Yangtze Plate in a long history. Due to the subduction of oceanic plate, the crustal source material took part in the crust-mantle evolution widely. the continental mantle lithosphere in the west of Yangtze Plate was metasomatized by the fluid released by the subducted plate and the primary volatile from deeper mantle, and the mantle source include obvious enriched component.