Trace element concentrations and Li isotope composition in DSDP and ODP sediments from island arcs

We have studied the sedimentary and basaltic inputs of lithium to subduction zones. Various sediments from DSDP and ODP drill cores in front of the Mariana, South Sandwich, Banda, East Sunda and Lesser Antilles island arcs have been analysed and show highly variable Li contents and d7Li values. The sediment piles in front of the Mariana and South Sandwich arcs largely consist of pelagic sediments (clays and oozes). The pelagic clays have high Li contents (up to 57.3 ppm) and Li isotope compositions ranging from +1.3? to +4.1?. The oozes have lower Li contents (7.3-16 ppm) with d7Li values of the diatom oozes from the South Sandwich lower (+2.8? to +3.2?) than those of the radiolarian oozes from the Mariana arc (+8.1? to +14.5?). Mariana sediment also contains a significant portion of volcanogenic material, which is characterised by a moderate Li content (14 ppm) and a relatively heavy isotope composition (+6.4?). Sediments from the Banda and Lesser Antilles contain considerable amounts of continental detritus, and have high Li contents (up to 74.3 ppm) and low d7Li values (around 0?), caused by weathering of continental bedrock. East Sunda sediments largely consist of calcareous oozes. These carbonate sediments display intermediate to high Li contents (2.4-41.9 ppm) and highly variable d7Li values (-1.6? to +12.8?). Basaltic oceanic crust samples from worldwide DSDP and ODP drill cores are characterised by enrichment of Li compared to fresh MORB (6.6-33.1 vs. 3.6-7.5 ppm, respectively), and show a large range in Li isotope compositions (+1.7? to +11.8?). The elemental and isotopic enrichment of Li in altered basalts is due to the uptake of isotopically heavy seawater Li during weathering. However, old oceanic crust samples from Sites 417/418 exhibit lighter Li isotope compositions compared to young basaltic crust samples from Sites 332B and 504B. This lighter Li isotope signature in old crust is unexpected and further research is needed to explore this issue.

Composition of Fe-Mn minerals from island arcs of the West Pacific

This paper presents materials on the chemical and mineralogical composition of Fe-Mn mineralization in island arcs (Kuril, Nampo, Mariana, New Britain, New Hebrides, and Kermadec) in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. The mineralization was proved to be of hydrothermal and/or hydrogenic genesis. The former is produced by hydrothermal Fe and Mn oxi-hydroxides that cement volcanic-terrigenous material in sediments. Some Fe oxyhydroxides can be derived via the halmyrolysis of volcaniclastic material. Crusts of this stage are characterized by fairly low concentrations of trace and rare elements, and their REE composition is inherited from the volcanic-terrigenous material. The minerals of the Mn oxyhydroxides are todorokite and "Ca-birnessite". The Mn/Fe ratio increases away from the discharge sites of the hydrothermal solutions. The hydrogenic Fe-Mn crusts are characterized by high concentrations of trace and minor elements of both the Mn group (Co, Ni, Tl, and Mo) and the Fe group (REE, Y, and Th). The hydrogenic crusts consist of Fe-vernadite and Mn-feroxyhyte. Some of the hydrothermal crusts originally had a hydrothermal genesis. The first data were obtained on crust B30-72-10 from the Macauley Seamount in the Kermadec island arc, which contained anomalously high concentrations of Co (2587 ppm) and other Mn-related trace elements in the absence of hydrogeneous Fe oxyhydroxides.

Composition of Mn-oxide crusts from the south-west Pacific island arc

Hydrothermal deposits of a wide variety of types are being found with increasing frequency on or near actively spreading mid-ocean ridges. However, they also have a potential to occur in other submarine volcanic settings, including island arcs. To follow up indications of mineralization associated with submarine hydrothermal activity in the south-west Pacific island arc, a joint New Zealand Oceanographic Institute/Imperial College research cruise was mounted in May 1981 aboard the RV Tangaroa. During this cruise, over 130 sampling stations were occupied, at one of which were dredged manganese deposits with strong hydrothermal affinities. This is the first report of such deposits from an island arc setting.

(Tables 1-3) Pb and Sr isotopic data for sediments and rocks from DSDP holes in the Mariana island-arc system

Analyses of the isotopic composition of Pb in (1) western Pacific Ocean sediments [Jurassic(?) to Pleistocene in age, including clays and biogenic oozes], (2) Pacific Ocean basaltic rocks, (3) Mariana frontal arc volcanic rocks (Eocene to Miocene), and (4) Mariana active arc volcanic rocks [Pliocene (?) to Holocene] indicate that Pacific Ocean sediments could not have been a significant component of the source material for the Mariana arc volcanic rocks. Calculations involving the average concentrations and isotopic compositions of Pb in oceanic sediments, sea-floor basaltic rocks, and the Mariana arc volcanic rocks suggest that the sediment component must have been less than 1 percent of this source material. The Pb isotopic compositions of the Mariana arc volcanic rocks lie, within experimental error, along the trend of available Pacific Ocean basalt analyses in versus 207Pb/204Pb versus 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb versus 206Pb/204Pb diagrams. Isotopic analyses of Pb in Pacific Ocean sediments do not lie along this trend; they have higher 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb values for comparable 206Pb/204Pb ratios. Clayey sediments generally have higher 208Pb/204Pb and 207Pb/204Pb ratios than biogenic oozes regardless of the age of the sediment. Comparison of combined Sr and Pb isotopic analyses for (1) mantle-derived materials erupted through oceanic crust, (2) altered ocean-floor basaltic rocks, and (3) volcanic rocks from oceanic island arcs suggests that the Mariana arc volcanic rocks were derived, at least in part, from altered Pacific lithosphere subducted beneath the Mariana arc. Unaltered basalts from the Mariana inter-arc basin (Mariana Trough) have Pb and Sr isotopic compositions that are very similar to those reported for some Hawaiian volcanic rocks but distinct from Mariana active and frontal arc compositions. These observations, in addition to existing major-and trace-element data, support a mantle origin for the interarc basin volcanic rocks. Dacites dredged from the Mariana remnant arc (South Honshu Ridge) have Pb isotopic compositions that are within experimental error of the active-arc analyses, consistent with a genetic relation.

Beyond Moa's Ark and Wallace's Line: extralimital distribution of new species of Austronothrus (Acari, Oribatida, Crotoniidae) and the endemicity of the New Zealand oribatid mite fauna

The genus Austronothrus was previously known from three species recorded only from New Zealand. Austronothrus kinabalu sp. nov. is described from Sabah, Borneo and A. rostralis sp. nov. from Norfolk Island, south-west Pacific. A key to Austronothrus is included. These new species extend the distribution of Austronothrus beyond New Zealand and confirms that the subfamily Crotoniinae is not confined to former Gondwanan landmasses. The distribution pattern of Austronothrus spp., combining Oriental and Gondwanan localities, is indicative of a curved, linear track; consistent with the accretion of island arcs and volcanic terranes around the plate margins of the Pacific Ocean, with older taxa persisting on younger island though localised dispersal within island arc metapopulations. Phylogenetic analysis and an area cladogram are consistent with a broad ancestral distribution of Austronothrus in the Oriental region and on Gondwanan terranes, with subsequent divergence and distribution southward from the Sunda region to New Zealand. This pattern is more complex than might be expected if the New Zealand oribatid fauna was derived from dispersal following re-emergence of land after inundation during the Oligocene (25 mya), as well as if the fauna emanated from endemic, relictual taxa following separation of New Zealand from Gondwana during the Cretaceous (80 mya).

Harry Hess and sea-floor spreading

Harry Hess's hypothesis of sea-floor spreading brought together his long-standing interests in island arcs, oceanic topography, and the oceanic crust. The one unique feature of Hess's hypothesis was the origin of the oceanic crust as a hydration rind on the top of the mantle -- an idea that was not well received, even by the early converts to sea-floor spreading. Hess never changed his mind on this issue, and his stubbornness illuminates the logic of his discovery. Published and archival records show that 1) Hess became convinced the oceanic crust was a hydration rind as early as mid 1958, when he was still a fixist, 2) he devised sea-floor spreading in 1960 to reconcile the hydration-rind model with the newly discovered, high heat flow at oceanic ridge crests, and 3) Hess's new mobilist solution did the least amount of violence to his older fixist solution.

Evolution of the tectogene concept, 1930-1965

The tectogene, or crustal downbuckle, was proposed in the early 1930s by F.A. Vening Meinesz to explain the unexpected belts of negative gravity anomalies in island arcs. He attributed the isostatic imbalance to a deep sialic root resulting from the action of subcrustal convection currents. Vening Meinesz's model was initially corroborated experimentally by P.H. Kuenen, but additional experiments by D.T. Griggs and geological analysis by H.H. Hess in the late 1930s led to substantial revision in detail. As modified, the tectogene provided a plausible model for the evolution of island arcs into alpine mountain belts for another two decades. Additional revisions became necessary in the early 1950s to accommodate the unexpected absence of sialic crust in the Caribbean and the marginal seas of the western Pacific. By 1960 the cherished analogy between island arcs and alpine mountain belts had collapsed under the weight of the detailed field investigations by Hess and his students in the Caribbean region. Hess then incorporated a highly modified form of the tectogene into his sea-floor spreading hypothesis. Ironically, this final incarnation of the concept preserved some of the weaker aspects of the 1930s original, such as the ad hoc explanation for the regular geometry of island arcs.

中国东部沙地物源示踪及地质意义

Heavy mineral assemblages, chemical compositions of diagnostic heavy minerals such as garnet and tourmaline, and U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions of zircons are very effective means to determine sediment provenance. An integrated application of the above provides insight on the lithologies, crystallization ages and crustal formation ages of the parent magma of sediment source areas. As a result, the locations and characteristics of potential source areas can be constrained and contributions of different source regions may be evaluated. In addition, the study provides evidence for the magmatic and tectonic history of source areas using a novel approach. The heavy mineral assemblages, and chemical compositions of detrital garnets and tourmalines, U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions of zircons for sand and loess samples deposited since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) from the Hulunbeier, Keerqin and Hunshandake sandlands were analyzed and compared to those of central-southern Mongolia, the central Tarim and surrounding potential source areas, the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and North China Craton (NCC). The following remarks on provenance and tectonic history can be made: 1. The source compositional characteristics of the Hulunbeier, Keerqin and Hunshandake sandlands are similar. They are derived from the CAOB and NCC whose contributions for the Keerqin and Hunshandake sandland are about 50%. For the Hulunbeier sandland it is somewhat less, about 40%. 2. Loesses around of the sandlands have the identical source signiture as the sands, implying that they are sorted by the same wind regime. 3. The source characteristics of the present and LGM sands are the same, providing direct evidence that the present sands originated from the reworking of LGM sands. 4. The provenance characteristics of the three sandlands differ from those of the Tarim. As a result, the possibility that the three eastern sandlands were sourced from the Taklimakan desert can be ruled out. 5. The source compositions of sand samples derived from the CAOB indicate that the occurrence of Archean and Paleoproterozoic metamorphic basement rocks is limited and continuous subduction-accretion events from the Neoproterozoic to the Mesozoic occurred. This implies that the CAOB is a orogenic collage belt similar to the present day southwest-Pacific, and formed by the amalgamation of small forearc and backarc ocean basins occurring between island arcs and microcontinents during continuous collision and accretion. The Hf isotopic signitures of detrital zircons indicate that large amounts of juvenile mantle materials were added to the CAOB crust during the Phanerozoic.

晚中生代松辽盆地形成的大地构造环境及成因机制

Directed by the theory of "Collision Tectonic Facies", the tectonic setting and dynamic mechanism of the formation of Songliao basin in late Mesozoic (J_3-K_1) are studied in the present thesis with the methods of petrology, petrochemistry, geochemistry and isotopic geochronology. The research contents in this paper include as followings. Firstly, the general tectonic frame is made up of different tectonic facies formed from Mid-late Proterozoic to Mesozoic, which are Huabei plate, the Chengde-Siziwangqi melange (Pz_1), the Wenduermiao magmatic arc (Pz_1), the Hegenshan-Chaogenshan melange (Pz_2), the accretion arec (Pz_1-P), the Raohe-Hulin melange (Mz), the magmatic arc (Mz) and the pull-apart basin on the magmatic arc (Mz). Secondly, the volcanic rock assemblages of Songliao basin and its adjacent area in late Mesozoic is the typical calc-alkaline of the magmatic arc. The types of volcanic rocks in the study area include basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites, dacites and rhyolites, and basic-intermediate volcanic rocks have higher alkalinity. The volcanic rock series in this area is the high-K calc-alkaline series. Thirdly, the total REE of volcanic rocks in Songliao basin and its adjacent area is higher than that of the chondrite. The pattern of the REE normalized by the chondrite shows the characteristics similar to that of the typical island arcs or the active continental margins in the earth, that is enrichment of LREE and depletion of Eu. The spider-diagram of the trace element normalized by the primitive mantle also expresses the similar features to that of the typical island arcs or the active continental margins, it has distinctive valleies of Nb, Ta, Sr, P, and Ti, as well as the peaks of La, Ce, Th, U, and K. The incompatible elements show that the high field strength elements, such as Nb, Ta, Ti, and P, are depletion while the low field strength elements, such as K, U, Pb, and Ba, are enrichment. These features are similar to those of orogenic volcanic rocks and imply the formation of the volcanic rocks in this area is related to the subduction. The degrees of both the enrichment of the HFS elements and depletion of the LFS elements become more obvious from basic to acid volcanic rocks, which suggests crustal contamination enhances with the magmatic crystallization and fractionation. The concentration of the compatible elements is W-shape, and anomalies in Cr and Ni suggest there is the contamination during the magmatic crystallization and fractionation. Fourthly, the isotopic age data prove the volcanic activity in the Songliao basin and its adjacent area started in the early-middle Jurassic, and ended in the end of the early Cretaceous-the beginning of the Cretaceous. The volcanism summit was the late Jurassic-the early Cretaceous (100 - 150Ma). Finally, the tectonic setting of volcanism in the late Mesozoic was magmatic arc, which originated the subduction of Raohe-Hulin trench to the northwest Asian plate. The subduction began in the middle Jurassic, and the collision orogenesis between the Sikhote-Alin arc and Asian continent was completed in the end of the early Cretaceous-the beginning of the late Cretaceous. The results of above tectonic processes were finally to format Nadanhada orogenic belt symbolized by the Raohe-Hulin suture or melange belt. The violently oblique movement of the Izanagi plate toward Asian plate in the late Mesozoic was the dynamic mechanism of above tectonic processes. At the same tome, the left-lateral strike-slip shear caused by the oblique movement of the Izanagi plate produced a series of strike-slip faults in east Asian margin, and the large scale displacements of these strike-slip faults then produced the pull-apart basing or grabens on the magmatic arc. Conclusively, the tectonic setting during the formation of the grabens of Songliao basin in the late Mesozoic was magmatic arc, and its dynamic mechanism was the pull-apart. In a word, there was a good coupling relation among the oblique subduction of the oceanic plate, collisional orogene between island arc and continental plate, strike-slip shear of the faults and the formation of the grabens in Songliao basin and its adjacent area in late Mesozoic. These tectonic processes were completed in the unoin dynamic setting and mechanism as above description.

Recent contribution of sediments and fluids to the mantle's volatile budget

Subduction modifies the cycling of Earth's volatile elements. Fluid-rich sediments and hydrated oceanic lithosphere enter the convecting mantle at subduction zones. Some of the sediments and volatile components are released from the subducting slab, promote mantle melting and are returned to the surface by volcanism. The remainder continue into the deeper mantle. Quantification of the fate of these volatiles requires an understanding of both the nature and timing of fluid release and mantle melting(1). Here we analyse the trace element and isotopic geochemistry of fragments of upper mantle rocks that were transported to the surface by volcanic eruptions above the Batan Island subduction zone, Philippines. We find that the mantle fragments exhibit extreme disequilibrium between their U-Th-Ra isotopic ratios, which we interpret to result from the interaction of wet sediment melts and slab-derived fluids with rocks in the overlying mantle wedge. We infer that wet sediments were delivered from the slab to the mantle wedge between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago, whereas aqueous fluids were delivered separately much later. We estimate that about 625 ppm of water is retained in the wedge. A significant volume of water could therefore be delivered to the mantle transition zone at the base of the upper mantle, or even to the deeper mantle.

Depleted arc volcanism in the Alboran Sea and shoshonitic volcanism in Morocco: geochemical and isotopic constraints on Neogene tectonic processes

Samples of volcanic rocks from Alboran Island, the Alboran Sea floor and from the Gourougou volcanic centre in northern Morocco have been analyzed for major and trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopes to test current theories on the tectonic geodynamic evolution of the Alboran Sea. The Alboran Island samples are low-K tholeiitic basaltic andesites whose depleted contents of HFS elements (similar to0.5xN-MORB), especially Nb (similar to0.2xN-MORB), show marked geochemical parallels with volcanics from immature intra-oceanic arcs and back-arc basins. Several of the submarine samples have similar compositions, one showing low-Ca boninite affinity. Nd-143/Nd-144 ratios fall in the same range as many island-arc and back-arc basin samples, whereas Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios (on leached samples) are somewhat more radiogenic. Our data point to active subduction taking place beneath the Alboran region in Miocene times, and imply the presence of an associated back-arc spreading centre. Our sea floor suite includes a few more evolved dacite and rhyolite samples with (Sr-87/Sr-86)(0) up to 0.717 that probably represent varying degrees of crustal melting. The shoshonite and high-K basaltic andesite lavas from Gourougou have comparable normalized incompatible-element enrichment diagrams and Ce/Y ratios to shoshonitic volcanics from oceanic island arcs, though they have less pronounced Nb deficits. They are much less LIL- and LREE-enriched than continental arc analogues and post-collisional shoshonites from Tibet. The magmas probably originated by melting in subcontinental lithospheric mantle that had experienced negligible subduction input. Sr-Nd isotope compositions point to significant crustal contamination which appears to account for the small Nb anomalies. The unmistakable supra-subduction zone (SSZ) signature shown by our Alboran basalts and basaltic andesite samples refutes geodynamic models that attribute all Neogene volcanism in the Alboran domain to decompression melting of upwelling asthenosphere arising from convective thinning of over-thickened lithosphere. Our data support recent models in which subsidence is caused by westward rollback of an eastward-dipping subduction zone beneath the westemmost Mediterranean. Moreover, severance of the lithosphere at the edges of the rolling-back slab provides opportunities for locally melting lithospheric mantle, providing a possible explanation for the shoshonitic volcanism seen in northern Morocco and more sporadically in SE Spain. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GEOCHEMISTRY AND U-PB ZIRCON AGE OF THE INTERNAL OSSA-MORENA ZONE OPHIOLITE SEQUENCES: A REMNANT OF RHEIC OCEAN IN SW IBERIA

The Early Paleozoic geodynamic evolution in SW Iberia is believed to have been dominated by the opening of the Rheic Ocean. The Rheic Ocean is generally accepted to have resulted from the drift of peri-Gondwanan terranes such as Avalonia from the northern margin of Gondwana during Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician times. The closure of the Rheic Ocean was the final result of a continent-continent collision between Gondwana and Laurussia that produced the Variscan orogen. The Ossa-Morena Zone is a peri-Gondwana terrane, which preserves spread fragments of ophiolites - the Internal Ossa-Morena Zones Ophiolite Sequences (IOMZOS). The final patchwork of the IOMZOS shows a complete oceanic lithospheric sequence with geochemical characteristics similar to the ocean-floor basalts, without any orogenic fingerprint and/or crustal contamination. The IOMZOS were obducted and imbricated with high pressure lithologies. Based on structural, petrological and whole-rock geochemical data, the authors argue that the IOMZOS represent fragments of the oceanic lithosphere from the Rheic Ocean. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb geochronological data on metagabbros point to an age of ca. 480 Ma for IOMZOS, providing evidence of a well-developed ocean in SW Iberia during this period, reinforcing the interpretation of the Rheic Ocean as a wide ocean among the peri-Gondwanan terranes during Early Ordovician times.