Water in granulites: implications for the nature and evolution of the lower continental crust

The tower continental crust is one of the most important sphere-layers in the deep earth, and is the direct place where the crust-mantle interactions occur. Granulttes are the dominated rocks in the lower crust, and have critical implications for the knowledge of the composition, nature and evolution of the deep crust; fluids are important mediums influencing many geochemical, geophysical and geodynamical characteristics of the lower crust, and may also play a fundamental role in the petrogenesis of granulites and the formation of the lower crusts. In this paper, we review recent advances involved with the deep continental crust, granulites and fluids, and some longstanding debates. Combined with the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis performed on the mineral assemblages (cpx, opx, plag and grt) in lower crustal granulite xenoliths and terrains (exposed section) from east China, it is suggested that structural water, dominated by OH, in these nominally anhydrous phases may constitute the most important water reservoir in the deep crust. This structual water may help to understand many lower crustal geological processes and phenomena (e.g. seismic activities and electrical conductive anomalies), and influences from these water must be taken into consideration.     

大陆下地壳和岩石圈地幔中的水:基于捕虏体的红外光谱分析

根据对华北克拉通汉诺坝和女山两个捕虏体产地的麻粒岩和橄榄岩的FTIR实验测定,分析讨论了大陆深部岩石圈内水含量和分布上的一些显著特点.结果表明,大陆下地壳和岩石圈内矿物的水含量无论在横向还是垂向分布上都是明显不均一的,造成这些不均一性的机制可能复杂多样.     

The role of fluids in lower-crustal earthquakes near continental rifts

The occurrence of earthquakes in the lower crust near continental rifts has long been puzzling, as the lower crust is generally thought to be too hot for brittle failure to occur. Such anomalous events have usually been explained in terms of the lower crust being cooler than normal. But if the lower crust is indeed cold enough to produce earthquakes, then the uppermost mantle beneath it should also be cold enough, and yet uppermost mantle earthquakes are not observed. Numerous lower-crustal earthquakes occur near the southwestern termination of the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), an active continental rift in New Zealand. Here we present three-dimensional tomographic imaging of seismic velocities and seismic attenuation in this region using data from a dense seismograph deployment. We find that crustal earthquakes accurately relocated with our three-dimensional seismic velocity model form a continuous band along the rift, deepening from mostly less than 10 km in the central TVZ to depths of 30-40 km in the lower crust, 30 km southwest of the termination of the volcanic zone. These earthquakes often occur in swarms, suggesting fluid movement in critically loaded fault zones. Seismic velocities within the band are also consistent with the presence of fluids, and the deepening seismicity parallels the boundary between high seismic attenuation (interpreted as partial melt) within the central TVZ and low seismic attenuation in the crust to the southwest. This linking of upper and lower-crustal seismicity and crustal structure allows us to propose a common explanation for all the seismicity, involving the weakening of faults on the periphery of an otherwise dry, mafic crust by hot fluids, including those exsolved from underlying melt. Such fluids may generally be an important driver of lower-crustal seismicity near continental rifts.     

The role of crustal quartz in controlling Cordilleran deformation

Large-scale deformation of continents remains poorly understood more than 40 years after the plate tectonic revolution. Rock flow strength and mass density variations both contribute to stress, so both are certain to be important, but these depend (somewhat nebulously) on rock type, temperature and whether or not unbound water is present. Hence, it is unclear precisely how Earth material properties translate to continental deformation zones ranging from tens to thousands of kilometres in width, why deforming zones are sometimes interspersed with non-deforming blocks and why large earthquakes occasionally rupture in otherwise stable continental interiors. An important clue comes from observations that mountain belts and rift zones cyclically form at the same locations despite separation across vast gulfs of time (dubbed the Wilson tectonic cycle), accompanied by inversion of extensional basins and reactivation of faults and other structures formed in previous deformation events. Here we show that the abundance of crustal quartz, the weakest mineral in continental rocks, may strongly condition continental temperature and deformation. We use EarthScope seismic receiver functions, gravity and surface heat flow measurements to estimate thickness and seismic velocity ratio, v(P)/v(S), of continental crust in the western United States. The ratio v(P)/v(S) is relatively insensitive to temperature but very sensitive to quartz abundance. Our results demonstrate a surprising correlation of low crustal v(P)/v(S) with both higher lithospheric temperature and deformation of the Cordillera, the mountainous region of the western United States. The most plausible explanation for the relationship to temperature is a robust dynamical feedback, in which ductile strain first localizes in relatively weak, quartz-rich crust, and then initiates processes that promote advective warming, hydration and further weakening. The feedback mechanism proposed here would not only explain stationarity and spatial distributions of deformation, but also lend insight into the timing and distribution of thermal uplift and observations of deep-derived fluids in springs.     

Recent progress of deep seismic experiments and studies of crustal structure in northern South China Sea

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the largest marginal seas in the western Pacific. Its northern part has the features of a passive continental margin. The studies of deep crustal structure in this area are very important for understanding the tectonic nature, evolution history, basin formation of the northern margin, and the origin of the SCS. In the past decades, the deep seismic experiments of crustal studies in the northern SCS have gone through three stages, namely the sonobuoy, two-ship Expanding Spread Profile (ESP), and Ocean Bottom Hydrophone/Seismometer (OBH/OBS). Along the continental slope, the sonobuoy experiments provided useful information about the velocity structure of the upper crust, while the ESP data recorded for the first time the seismic signals from deep crustal structure and Moho interface. And the OBH/OBS profiles revealed the crustal structure in much greater detail. This paper first gives a brief historical review of these deep seismic experiments and studies, then a summary of the latest progress and important research results. The remaining problems and suggestions for further research work are presented as conclusive remarks.     

Composition of plagioclase in Dabie Early Cretaceous granitoids:influence of fractional crystallization on whole-rock Sr–Ca O correlations

Identifying melts of thickened lower continental crust from high Sr/Y rocks is very important to trace deep crustal processes. Recent studies on Dabie Early Cretaceous granitoids have revealed that melts derived from thickened lower continental crust have higher Sr/CaO ratios and define a high Sr evolution trend compared with normal granitoids. Fractional crystallization of plagioclase can significantly change Sr and CaO contents of melts, but its role in controlling the Sr/CaO ratios of the melts is still unclear. This study gives a direct comparison of plagioclase compositions between normal granitoids and low-Mg adakitic rocks. On the basis of Sr-Ca exchange partition coefficient, discussions on effect of plagioclase crystallization on Sr/CaO ratios of melts show that fractional crystallization of abundant plagioclase cannot significantly change Sr/CaO ratios of granitic melts, which are inherited from their individual initial melts. High Sr/CaO ratios indicate the absence of plagioclase in sources of granitic melts. Therefore, high Sr/CaO correlation can be an important indicator to identify melts derived from thickened lower continental crust.     

Developing the plate tectonics from oceanic subduction to continental collision

The studies of continental deep subduction and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism have not only promoted the development of solid earth science in China, but also provided an excellent opportunity to advance the plate tectonics theory. In view of the nature of subducted crust, two types of subduction and collision have been respectively recognized in nature. On one hand, the crustal subduction occurs due to underflow of either oceanic crust （Pacific type） or continental crust （Alpine type）. On the other hand, the continental collision proceeds by arc-continent collision （Himalaya-Tibet type） or continent-continent collision （Dabie-Sulu type）. The key issues in the future study of continental dynamics are the chemical changes and differential exhumation in continental deep subduction zones, and the temporal-spatial transition from oceanic subduction to continental subduction.     

Genesis of granulite in Himalayan lower crust: Evidence from experimental study at high temperature and high pressure

Here we present an insight into the genesis of Himalayan granulitic lower crust based on the experimental studies on the dehydration melting of natural biotite-plagioclase gneiss performed at the temperatures of 770-980℃ and the pressures of 1.0-1.4 GPa. The experiments produce peraluminous granitic melt and residual phase assemblage (Pl+Qz+Gat+Bio+Opx±Cpx+Ilm/Rut±Kfs). The residual mineral assemblage is similar to those of granu-lites observed at the eastern and western Himalayan syntax-ises, and the chemical compositions of characteristic minerals-garnet and pyroxene in the residual phase and the granu-lite are identical. Additionally, the modeled wave velocities of the residual phase assemblage are comparable well with those of the top part of lower crust beneath Himalayas. Hence, we suggest that (1) the top part of lower crust beneath Himalayas is probably made up of garnet-bearing intermediate granulite; (2) the formations of granulite and leucogranites in Himalayas are interrelated as the results of crustal anatexis; and (3) dehydration melting of bio-tite-plagioclase gneiss is an important process to form granulitic lower crust, to reconstitute and adjust the crustal texture. Moreover, experimental results can provide constraints on determining the P-T conditions of Himalayan crustal anatexis.     

Evolution of the continental crust

The continental crust covers nearly a third of the Earth's surface. It is buoyant--being less dense than the crust under the surrounding oceans--and is compositionally evolved, dominating the Earth's budget for those elements that preferentially partition into silicate liquid during mantle melting. Models for the differentiation of the continental crust can provide insights into how and when it was formed, and can be used to show that the composition of the basaltic protolith to the continental crust is similar to that of the average lower crust. From the late Archaean to late Proterozoic eras (some 3-1 billion years ago), much of the continental crust appears to have been generated in pulses of relatively rapid growth. Reconciling the sedimentary and igneous records for crustal evolution indicates that it may take up to one billion years for new crust to dominate the sedimentary record. Combining models for the differentiation of the crust and the residence time of elements in the upper crust indicates that the average rate of crust formation is some 2-3 times higher than most previous estimates.     

恒山高压麻粒岩对其构造环境和出露过程探讨

研究高压麻粒岩对于认识地壳深层次构造作用、陆壳底部物质组成有重要意义。通过研究恒山高压麻粒岩构造环境和出露过程,阐明恒山与五台变质岩区之间的相互关系,探讨华北克拉通新太古代构造格架。恒山高压麻粒岩的 p-T-t 变质作用、构造变形研究表明高压麻粒岩经历陆壳俯冲的升温升压过程后,又经近等温减压过程（ITD）抬升,之后在中部地壳长期近等压冷却（IBC）,最终出露地表。恒山高压麻粒岩形成与“安第斯型”俯冲-碰撞模式有关。恒山和五台变质岩区地质年代学、变质程度以及构造关系的对比研究表明两者在构造热事件存在耦合关系,它们在构造上连续,恒山属岛弧根部,而五台山区代表中浅层次地壳。同位素年龄及构造分析表明东西陆块在2.5Ga发生碰撞,形成中部造山带以及五台前陆盆地,华北在新太古代存在板块运动。     

Deep crustal structure of Baiyun Sag,northern South China Sea revealed from deep seismic reflection profile

This paper discusses deep crustal architecture of the Baiyun Sag of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea based on velocity analysis, time-depth conversion and seismic interpretation of the deep seismic reflection profile DSRP-2002. The profile was acquired and processed to 14 S TWT by the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) in 2002. It extends across the Baiyun Sag of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, from the northern continental shelf of the SCS to the deepwater province. As the first deep seismic reflection profile in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, this profile reveals seismic phases from basement down to upper most mantle. The Moho surface appears in the profile as an undulating layer of varying thickness of 1-3 km. It is not a single reflector interface, but a velocity gradient or interconversion layer. The crust thins stepwisely from the shelf to the continental slope and the abyssal plain (from north to south), and also thins under depocenters. The crustal thickness is only 7 km in the depocenter of the main Baiyun Sag, which corresponds to a Moho upwelling mirroring the basement topography. In the lower slope and the ocean-continental transition zone of the southernmost portion of the profile, three sub-parallel, NW-dipping strong reflectors found at depths around 10--21 km are interpreted as indications of a subducted Mesozoic oceanic crust. Crustal faults exist in the northern and southern boundaries of the Baiyun Sag. The intense and persistent subsidence of the Baiyun Sag might be related to the long-term activity of the crustal faults.     

Detachment within subducted continental crust and multi-slice successive exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks: Evidence from the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt

Although tectonic models were presented for exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure （UHP） metamorphic rocks during the continental collision, there is increasing evidence for the decoupling between crustal slices at various depths within deeply subducted continental crust. This lends support to the multi-slice successive exhumation model of the UHP metamorphic rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogen. The available evidence is summarized as follows： （1） the low-grade metamorphic slices, which have geotectonic affinity to the South China Block and part of them records the Triassic metamorphism, occur in the northern margin of the Dabie-Sulu UHP metamorphic zone, suggesting decoupling of the upper crust from the underlying basement during the initial stages of continental subduction; （2） the Dabie and Sulu HP to UHP metamorphic zones comprise several HP to UHP slices, which have an increased trend of metamorphic grade from south to north but a decreased trend of peak metamorphic ages correspondingly; and （3） the Chinese Continental Science Drilling （CCSD） project at Donghai in the Sulu orogen reveals that the UHP metamorphic zone is composed of several stacked slices, which display distinctive high and low radiogenic Pb from upper to lower parts in the profile, suggesting that these UHP crustal slices were derived from the subducted upper and middle crusts, respectively. Detachment surfaces within the deeply subducted crust may occur either along an ancient fault as a channel of fluid flow, which resulted in weakening of mechanic strength of the rocks adjacent to the fault due to fluid-rock interaction, or along the low-viscosity zones which resulted from variations of geotherms and lithospheric compositions at different depths. The multi-slice successive exhumation model is different from the traditional exhumation model of the UHP metamorphic rocks in that the latter assumes the detachment of the entire subducted continental crust from the underlying mantle lithosphere and its subsequent exhumation as a whol     

Geochemistry and zircon U-Pb ages of granulite xenolith from Tuoyun basalts, Xinjiang： Implications for the petrogenesis and the lower crustal nature beneath the southwestern Tianshan

The continental lithosphere growth mainly includes the horizontal accretion at the plate boundaries and vertical accretion within the plate[1]. Mafic magmatic materials, as the products of crust-mantle interaction[2,3], became more and more important in studying the formation and evolu- tion of the lower crust. The previous geologic researcheson Tianshan, extending nearly 2500 km from east to west, and the neighbor area were mainly focused on the Paleozoic collision structure[4 ― 6], Mesozoi…     

Zircon chronology and REE geochemistry of granulite xenolith at Hannuoba

The lower crustal xenolith of mafic two-pyroxene granulite (the majority) and hypersthene granulite in the Cenozoic basalt at Hannuoba have the characteristics of igneous blastic structure and granulite facies metamorphic recrystallization. Study on the zircon chronology and REE geochemistry of granulite xenolith shows that the underplating of basic magma into the lower crust during late Mesozoic led to the formation of mafic accumulate, which further through metamorphism of granulite facies formed the high-density and high-velocity crustal bottom layer at the lower crust. This suggests that the underplating of mantle magma is the important way for the vertical overgrowth of continental crust since the Phanerozoic and provides new evidence for crust-mantle interaction.     

A mechanism to thin the continental lithosphere at magma-poor margins

Where continental plates break apart, slip along multiple normal faults provides the required space for the Earth's crust to thin and subside. After initial rifting, however, the displacement on normal faults observed at the sea floor seems not to match the inferred extension. Here we show that crustal thinning can be accomplished in such extensional environments by a system of conjugate concave downward faults instead of multiple normal faults. Our model predicts that these concave faults accumulate large amounts of extension and form a very thin crust (< 10 km) by exhumation of mid-crustal and mantle material. This transitional crust is capped by sub-horizontal detachment surfaces over distances exceeding 100 km with little visible deformation. Our rift model is based on numerical experiments constrained by geological and geophysical observations from the Alpine Tethys and Iberia/Newfoundland margins. Furthermore, we suggest that the observed transition from broadly distributed and symmetric extension to localized and asymmetric rifting is directly controlled by the existence of a strong gabbroic lower crust. The presence of such lower crustal gabbros is well constrained for the Alpine Tethys system. Initial decoupling of upper crustal deformation from lower crustal and mantle deformation by progressive weakening of the middle crust is an essential requirement to reproduce the observed rift evolution. This is achieved in our models by the formation of weak ductile shear zones.     

Growth of early continental crust controlled by melting of amphibolite in subduction zones

It is thought that the first continental crust formed by melting of either eclogite or amphibolite, either at subduction zones or on the underside of thick oceanic crust. However, the observed compositions of early crustal rocks and experimental studies have been unable to distinguish between these possibilities. Here we show a clear contrast in trace-element ratios of melts derived from amphibolites and those from eclogites. Partial melting of low-magnesium amphibolite can explain the low niobium/tantalum and high zirconium/samarium ratios in melts, as required for the early continental crust, whereas the melting of eclogite cannot. This indicates that the earliest continental crust formed by melting of amphibolites in subduction-zone environments and not by the melting of eclogite or magnesium-rich amphibolites in the lower part of thick oceanic crust. Moreover, the low niobium/tantalum ratio seen in subduction-zone igneous rocks of all ages is evidence that the melting of rutile-eclogite has never been a volumetrically important process.     

Waning buoyancy in the crustal roots of old mountains

When mountains form through the collision of lithospheric plates, uplift of the Earth's surface is accompanied by thickening of the crust, and the buoyancy of these deep crustal roots (relative to the surrounding mantle) is thought to contribute to the support of mountain topography. Once active tectonism ceases, continuing erosion will progressively wear away surface relief. Here I provide new constraints on how crustal roots respond to erosional unloading over very long timescales. In old collisional mountain belts, ratios of surface relief to the thickness of the underlying crustal root are observed to be smaller than in young mountains. On the basis of gravity data, this trend is best explained by a decrease in the buoyancy of the crustal root with greater age since the most recent mountain-building episode which is consistent with metamorphic reactions produced by long-term cooling. An approximate balance between mountain and root mass anomalies suggests that the continental lithosphere remains weak enough to permit exhumation of crustal roots in response to surface erosion for hundreds of millions of years. The amount of such uplift, however, appears to be significantly reduced by progressive loss of root buoyancy.     

Origin of ore-forming fluid in the Piaotang tungsten deposit in Jiangxi Province: Evidence from helium and argon isotopes

The Piaotang tungsten deposit in Jiangxi Province is one of the most important tungsten deposits in the South China Tungsten Metallogenic Province.In this study,we selected wolframite and chalcopyrite from the main mineralizing stage of the Piaotang tungsten deposit,and analyzed the helium and argon isotopic compositions in fluid inclusions of these minerals.The results show a 3He/4He ratio of 0.17 to 0.86 R/Ra,which fall within the range between continental crust(0.01―0.05 R/Ra) and air-saturated water(1 R...     

Finding of ancient materials in Cathaysia and implication for the formation of Precambrian crust

U-Pb dating for fifty-six detrltsl zircons from a paragneiss in Nanxiong area, northern Guangdong Province, Indicates that the latest Neoproterozoic sediments in Cathaysia hinterland are composed of numerous Grenvillian and Necerchaean clasUc materials, as well as some Mesoproterozolc detritus. Minor Paleoarchaean （3.76 Ga） and Mesoarchaean （3.0-3.2 Ga） zircons, which are the oldest zircons In South China, also are firstly found in the sediments, suggesting that the Cathaysia Block may contsln very old materials. The Hf isotope compositions of thirty-seven zircons reveal that these clastlc materials have different origins. Minor zircons crystslllzed from magma generated from relatively juvenile crust, while the parental magma of most zircons was derived from ancient crust. Integration of U-Pb dating and Hf Isotope analysis of these zircons suggests that the generation of juvenile crust in the Cathaysia block mainly occurred at 2.5-2.6 Ga. Mesoarchaean （3.0-3.3 Ga）, late Paleoproterozolc （-1.8 Ga） and Paleoarchaean （-3.7 Ga） may also be important episodes of crustal growth. Grenvllllan magmatism is extremely Intense, but it mainly involved recycling of ancient crustal components with little formation of Juvenile crust. The marked presence of -2.1 Ga Hf model ages and the absence of the zircons with crystsllizatlon ages at -2.1 Ga suggest that the parental magma of many zircons was probably derived from the mixed source consisting of Neoarchaean and late Paleoproterozoic materlals.     

Recycling lower continental crust in the North China craton

Foundering of mafic lower continental crust into underlying convecting mantle has been proposed as one means to explain the unusually evolved chemical composition of Earth's continental crust, yet direct evidence of this process has been scarce. Here we report that Late Jurassic high-magnesium andesites, dacites and adakites (siliceous lavas with high strontium and low heavy-rare-earth element and yttrium contents) from the North China craton have chemical and petrographic features consistent with their origin as partial melts of eclogite that subsequently interacted with mantle peridotite. Similar features observed in adakites and some Archaean sodium-rich granitoids of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite series have been interpreted to result from interaction of slab melts with the mantle wedge. Unlike their arc-related counterparts, however, the Chinese magmas carry inherited Archaean zircons and have neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions overlapping those of eclogite xenoliths derived from the lower crust of the North China craton. Such features cannot be produced by crustal assimilation of slab melts, given the high Mg#, nickel and chromium contents of the lavas. We infer that the Chinese lavas derive from ancient mafic lower crust that foundered into the convecting mantle and subsequently melted and interacted with peridotite. We suggest that lower crustal foundering occurred within the North China craton during the Late Jurassic, and thus provides constraints on the timing of lithosphere removal beneath the North China craton.