zircon xenocrysts from the kambalda volcanics age constraints and direct evidence for older continental crust below the kambalda norseman greenstones abstract the hangingwall basalt at kambalda western australia contains zircons that have been shown by ion microprobe analyses to have very high u and th contents and a wide variety of crystallization ages nearly all of these zircons certainly are xenocrysts a few might relate to intrusive veinlets the age of the youngest xenocrysts 2693 50ma 2 shows that the eruptive age of the basalt cannot exceed 2743 ma this confirms that the apparent sm nd isochron giving 3200 ma 1 2 for kambalda mafic and ultramafic rocks is a mixing line 2 between unrelated components enriched and depleted in light rare earth elements mixing probably occurred at depth by erosion of 3200 3500 ma old felsic crust from the walls of the hwb conduits the zircon xenocryst ages are the first direct evidence for the presence of very old felsic crust in the eastern yilgarn block the latter implies that the kalgoorlie norseman greenstone sequences were formed in a continental rather than an oceanic environment

granite greenstone crust formation on the archaean earth a consequence of two superimposed processes abstract new u pb zircon age data reveal that volcanism in the greenstones of the eastern part of the yilgarn craton of western australia was coeval with that in the abitibi subprovince of the superior craton of canada and that komatiites in the eastern goldfields and abitibi terranes were erupted synchronously at 2705 ma however major granitoid intrusion and compression episodes in the eastern yilgarn craton post date those in the southern superior craton by at least 15 ma intrusion of late tectonic syenites movement on major shear zones metamorphism and deposition of post tectonic clastic sequences also occurred 25 40 ma later in the eastern yilgarn craton than in the southern superior craton indicating that these cratons occupied different tectonic settings between 2720 and 2620 ma these comparisons and the synchronous eruption of ultramafic magmas in the southern superior pilbara and kaapvaal cratons at 2715 ma provide evidence of global scale magmatic eruption events during the late archaean these considerations indicate that two superimposed processes global scale catastrophic convective overturn of the earth s mantle and plate tectonic processes were in operation during formation of granite greenstone crust in the late archaean

quaternary geology of the buchans area newfoundland implications for mineral exploration mineral exploration for volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits in the buchans area of central newfoundland is hindered by thick and widespread quaternary overburden comprising glacial glaciolacustrine glaciofluvial and resedimented deposits mapping of striations and indicator erratics suggests that the area was affected by four ice flow events i southward ii northeastward and westward to southwestward iii southward and iv northeastward and southwestward vertical and areal distributions of lead copper and zinc indicate that till and glaciolacustrine sediments overlying sulphide deposits can be enriched in mineralized debris near mines at buchans surficial debris flow deposits contain much material derived from the topsails igneous terrane and are generally impoverished in mineralized debris southwest of buchans however they can be enriched mineral exploration in the buchans area must take into account that i sulphide rich debris in till does not reflect only the youngest ice flow even

middle archean continent formation by crustal delamination the processes that created the first large cratonic areas such as the pilbara and the kaapvaal remain poorly understood models based on the uniformitarian extrapolation of present day arc volcanic processes to a hotter early earth have not adequately explained the observations in these terranes here we propose an alternative mechanism for the formation of the earliest continental crust the formation of continental crust may be achieved by delamination of the lower eclogitic part of an oceanic plateau like protocrust such delamination results in uplift extension and the production of tonalite trondhjemite and granodiorite ttg suites as recorded in middle archean cratons the available geologic and geophysical observations in combination with model calculations permit this scenario as an alternative to subduction based hypotheses

geochemical identification of impactor for lonar crater india the only well known terrestrial analogue of impact craters in basaltic crusts of the rocky planets is the lonar crater india for the first time evidence of the impactor that formed the crater has been identified within the impact spherules which are 0 3 to 1 mm in size and of different aerodynamic shapes including spheres teardrops cylinders dumbbells and spindles they were found in ejecta on the rim of the crater the spherules have high magnetic susceptibility from 0 31 to 0 02 si mass and natural remanent magnetization nrm intensity both nrm and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization sirm intensity are 2 am2 kg demagnetization response by the nrm suggests a complicated history of remanence acquisition the spherules show schlieren structure described by chains of tiny dendritic and octahedral shaped magnetite crystals indicating their quenching from liquid droplets microprobe analyses show that relative to the target basalt compositions the spherules have relatively high average fe2o3 by 1 5 wt mgo 1 wt mn 200 ppm cr 200 ppm co 50 ppm ni 1000 ppm and zn 70 ppm and low na2o 1 wt and p2o5 0 2 wt very high ni contents up to 14 times the average content of lonar basalt require the presence of a meteoritic component in these spherules we interpret the high ni cr and co abundances in these spherules to indicate that the impactor of the lonar crater was a chondrite which is present in abundances of 12 to 20 percent by weight in these impact spherules relatively high zn yet low na2o and p2o5 contents of these spherules indicate exchange of volatiles between the quenching spherule droplets and the impact plume

the interrelation of glaciotectonic and glaciodepositional processes within the glacial environment abstract in recent years it has been recognised that ice sediment coupling occurred beneath the quaternary ice sheets that advanced over the soft sediments of lowland areas this paper looks in detail at the effects of this coupling on the sediments which results in glaciotectonic deformation and also discusses the interaction of deformation and deposition within the subglacial environment two types of glaciotectonic deformation are discussed that are produced by the active movement of ice 1 proglacial tectonics at the margin which include compressive fold styles such as listric thrusts and faults and open folding 2 subglacial tectonics formed beneath the glacier which include fold styles resulting from simple shear and represent a soft rock purely dynamic shear zone styles of deformation associated with stagnant ice are also investigated we argue that glaciotectonic deformation is a common phenomenon and an integral part of geological record from continental ice sheets it is suggested that zones of deformation within the sediment are related to similar zones of strain in the ice sheet and complex deformation sequences are produced by the superimposition of these differing styles upon one another as the ice sheet advances and retreats it is also argued that subglacial deposition and deformation are related and that on soft beds underformed till is rare whilst deformed till is very common

styles of subglacial glaciotectonic deformation within the context of the anglian ice sheet a substantial proportion of the glacial sediments of east anglia england are chaotic and highly deformed this has been attributed to a direct glaciotectonic deformation or b slumping of glaciomarine sediments we show that interpretation a leads to a classification of subglacial glaciotectonic deposits into sites of constructional deformation where little or no erosion of the preglacial deposits has occurred and styles of deformation are preserved moving up in the sequence and excavational deformation where substantial erosion of preglacial sediments has occurred and deformational styles are superimposed on each other by using glaciological and geotechnical theory we show that the expression of these deformational styles in east anglia is a natural response to the stress fields imposed by the ice sheet and that in consequence their spatial relationships are explicable the depth of deformation is related to the geotechnical properties of till and substrate the stress and effective stress fields and found to be consistent with observations

the growth reworking and metamorphism of early precambrian crust in the jiaobei terrane the north china craton constraints from u th pb and lu hf isotopic systematics and ree concentrations of zircon from archean granitoid gneisses abstract archean granitoid tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite ttg gneisses are widely distributed in the early precambrian metamorphic basement of the jiaobei terrane the north china craton ncc and record the formation and evolution of the continental crust in the early precambrian in this study zircon cathodoluminescence cl images have assisted in obtaining u th pb and lu hf isotopic systematics and rare earth element ree concentrations from distinct zircon domains of complex zircons and the results have been integrated in order to unravel the growth reworking and metamorphism of the early precambrian crust in the jiaobei terrane zircons from seven representative archean granitoid samples collected from the jiaobei terrane record three groups of magmatic ages of 2 9 2 7 and 2 5 ga and two groups of metamorphic ages of 2 5 and 1 86 ga the 2 5 ga metamorphic event is thought to be linked to underplating of large amounts of mantle derived magma and the 1 86 ga metamorphic event to arc or continent continent collision magmatic zircons have positive hf t values 0 7 to 12 58 average 5 5 and two stage hf model ages cluster at 2 7 2 8 and 2 9 3 0 ga this indicates that the archean granitoid rocks were derived from partial melting of juvenile crust that was formed mainly during 2 7 2 8 and 2 9 3 0 ga which represent two periods of growth of juvenile crust the most significant period of crustal growth is 2 7 2 8 ga whereas 2 5 ga represents a period of reworking of the 2 7 2 8 ga juvenile crust in the jiaobei terrane as well as other areas in the ncc

archaean high k granitoids produced by remelting of earlier tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite ttg in the sangmelima region of the ntem complex of the congo craton southern cameroon we present a geochemical and isotopic study that consistent with observed field relations suggest sangmelima late archaean high k granite was derived by partial melting of older archaean ttg the ttg formations are sodic trondhjemitic showing calcic and calc alkalic trends and are metaluminous to peraluminous high k granites in contrast show a potassic calc alkaline affinity that spans the calcic calc alkalic alkali calcic and alkalic compositions the two rock groups ttg and high k granites on the other hand are both ferroan and magnesian they have a similar degree of fractionation for lree but a different one for hree nd model ages and sr y ratios define mesoarchaean and slab mantle derived magma compositions respectively with nb and ti anomalies indicating a subduction setting for the ttg major and trace element in addition to sr and nd isotopic compositions support field observations that indicate the derivation of the high k granitic group from the partial melting of the older ttg equivalent at depth geochemical characteristics of the high k granitic group are therefore inherited features from the ttg protolith and cannot be used for determining their tectonic setting the heat budget required for ttg partial melting is ascribed to the upwelling of the mantle marked by a doleritic event of identical age as the generated high k granite melts the cause of this upwelling is related to linear delamination along mega shear zones in an intracontinental setting

contribution of mantle plumes crustal thickening and greenstone blanketing to the 2 75 2 65ga global crisis abstract assuming that the period 2 75 2 65 ga corresponds to a single but global geodynamic event we investigate through numerical experiments the mechanisms that could have led to the profound continental reworking that occurred at that time although the extent of the crisis at the earth s surface pledges in favour of the involvement of mantle plumes our numerical experiments suggest that the thermal impact of mantle plumes is unlikely to explain both the amplitude and timing of the thermal anomaly as observed in the superior province canada and the yilgarn craton australia similarly moderate crustal thickening can not lead to significant reworking of the continental crust within the observed time constraint crustal thickening with a factor 1 5 is also unlikely because it is not consistent with the moderate metamorphic grade observed at the surface of many archaean cratons burial of a radiogenic crust under a 10 km thick greenstone cover also falls short of explaining not so much the amplitude and the extent but the timing of the thermal anomaly in contrast the combination of the thermal anomaly related to the greenstone blanketing effect with the heat transfer from a plume head spreading at the top of the thermal boundary layer can adequately explain the amplitude the timing and the extent of the 2 75 2 65 ga crisis our favoured model involves a global rearrangement of convection cells in the deep mantle and formation of multiple mantle plumes the greenstones emplaced at the surface and the plumes that spread in the thermal boundary layer contributed to heat the crust from both above and below this produced massive crustal partial melting that reached its climax ca 40 myr after the emplacement of the plumes and associated greenstone cover rocks this led to gravitational instabilities in the crust as dense greenstone cover rocks began to sink into the thermally softened crust and granite domes rose in response the extraction of heat producing elements toward the upper part of the crust has contributed to the cooling and stabilisation of the cratons this succession of events which is not incompatible with plate tectonic processes may have profoundly changed the nature of the crust exposed at the surface and could explain the contrasting geochemical signatures of archaean and post archaean shales

composite nature of the north china granulite facies belt tectonothermal and geochronological constraints granulite facies rocks are intermittently exposed in a roughly e w trending belt that extends for approximately 2000 km across the north china craton from the helanshan qianlishan wulashan daqingshan guyang and jining complexes in the western block through the huai an hengshan xuanhua and chengde complexes in the trans north china orogen to the jianping western liaoning eastern hebei northern liaoning and southern jilin complexes in the eastern block the belt is generally referred to as the north china granulite facies belt previously interpreted as the lowest part of an obliquely exposed crust of the north china craton recent data indicate that the north china granulite facies belt is not a single terrane instead it represents components of three separate terranes the eastern and western blocks and trans north china orogen each of these units records different metamorphic histories and reflect the complex tectonic evolution of the ncc during the late archean and paleoproterozoic mafic granulites in the eastern block and the yinshan terrane western block underwent medium pressure granulite facies metamorphism at about 2 5 ga with anticlockwise p t paths involving near isobaric cooling following peak metamorphism reflecting an origin related to intrusion and underplating of mantle derived magmas pelitic granulites in the khondalite belt western block underwent medium pressure granulite facies metamorphism at about 2 0 1 9 ga with clockwise p t paths which record the paleoproterozoic amalgamation of the yinshan and ordos terranes to form the western block mafic and pelitic granulites in the trans north china orogen experienced high to medium pressure granulite facies metamorphism at 1 85 ga with clockwise p t paths involving nearly isothermal decompression following peak metamorphism which are in accord with the final collision between the eastern and western blocks to form the north china craton at 1 8 ga the ncgb cannot therefore represent a separate unique terrane instead it reflects the amalgamation of three separate granulite terranes that evolved independently and at different times d 2005 international association for gondwana research published by elsevier b v all rights reserved

channel formation and migration by mass flow processes in the lower carboniferous fluviatile fell sandstone group northeast england small steep sided narrow channels locally developed within the braided fluviatile lower carboniferous fell sandstone of northeast england are attributed to mass flow processes initiated by channel bank slumping the channels have sharp undisturbed margins and are filled with moderately well sorted medium to coarse sandstone identical to the sandstone which they cut most channel fills are structureless but a few show diffuse concentric marginal laminations laminations also occur towards the top of channel fills but they are less regular and show low amplitude trough like undulations channel margin inclinations range from 13 to 55 and channel depths vary between 1 7 m and 2 5 m the channels which are only seen in profile are orientated perpendicular to the local and regional palaeocurrent trend and cut through structureless sandstone and planar cross stratified sandstone characterized by compound and compound complex bar bedforms only one channel has both margins preserved and of the remainder seven only one has its northern margin preserved undercutting and retrogressive slumping of the sandy channel bank is thought to have initiated a subaqueous sediment gravity flow which moved across the main channel along a transverse scour at the base of the slip face of a large composite bar bedform such scours have strong asymmetric profiles with the steeper slope along the base of the active slip face northern side and the lower slope on the downstream southern side of the scour thus the northern channel margin was steeper less stable and more prone to collapse than the southern margin and is almost never preserved flow reconstruction indicates that on entering the channel a hydraulic jump developed at the change in slope and the flow became more turbulent and erosive scoured sand incorporated into the flow increased concentration and shearing along the boundaries reverse shear was also exerted by the overlying current on top of the flow but the central part remained relatively unaffected the presence or absence of marginal laminations is probably related to marginal shearing and flow dilution deposition occurred in response to deceleration and frictional freezing of the sand flow

missing eu anomaly and archean high grade granites granites emplaced in low grade granite greenstone archean terranes typically exhibit negative eu anomalies and such eu anomalies have been transmitted to post archean cratonic sediments by weathering and erosion because average continental crust does not exhibit an eu anomaly a complementary reservoir with a positive eu anomaly must exist to balance the low grade granites neither the upper mantle nor average archean lower crust appears to represent this reservoir archean lower crustal rocks which are dominantly plutonic rocks of tonalitic composition have ree distributions indicative of a mafic parentage however archean high grade granites in southern india exhibit the required positive eu anomalies and may be representative of a widespread positive eu anomaly reservoir in the lower crust geochemical model studies indicate that archean low and high grade granites may represent residual liquid and cumulate respectively from the fractional crystallization of a granite parent magma produced by partial melting of tonalitic rocks in the lower crust such melting may occur at the wave front of a co 2 rich fluid that dehydrates the lower crust and produces granulites

geochemistry of ttg and ttg like gneisses from lushan taihua complex in the southern north china craton implications for late archean crustal accretion the late archean taihua complex mainly composed of amphibolite and ttg and ttg like gneisses is volumetrically most important metamorphic rock suites scattered along the southern margin of the north china craton ncc zircon shrimp u pb dating shows two episodes 2765 13 and 2723 9 ma of archean magmatism in the lushan area with distinct geochemical features the early 2765 13 ma suite ttg like gneisses has low sio2 52 5 66 1 wt high mg 0 47 0 68 low hree ybn 3 0 5 4 and y 8 07 13 9 ppm with low to moderate la yb n 6 7 37 1 and sr y 25 9 119 3 the younger 2723 9 ma suite ttg gneisses has high sio2 63 5 74 3 wt low mg 0 13 0 52 very low ree ybn 1 1 20 2 43 both suites show pronounced negative nb ta and ti anomalies on the primitive mantle normalized spidergram the ttg like gneiss suite has similar bulk rock nd and zircon hf model ages 3 0 ga with end t 0 0 26 1 46 and is interpreted as resulting from melt of mantle interactions with the melts derived from partial melting of subducted ocean crust with a residual assemblage of garnet clinopyroxene rutile amphibole which favors subducted slab model for the late archean ttg the ttg gneiss suite has abundant relic zircons 2 95 2 80 ga with end t 0 1 31 to 0 23 which is best interpreted as derived from partial melting of thickened lower continental crust with a garnet amphibolite residue garnet amphibole rutile significant high pressure fractional crystallization garnet amphibole and accumulation plagioclase are also required in the petrogenesis the lushan amphibolite with nearly flat primitive mantle normalized trace element pattern is interpreted to represent early ocean crust metamorphism these observations suggest a possible model of late archean crustal accretion from ocean crust to continental terrain in the southern north china craton

geochemical and numerical constraints on neoarchean plate tectonics this paper discusses early neoarchean 2 8 2 7 ga plate tectonics by integrating knowledge from new geochemical observations and numerical models based on a geochemical dataset of 295 granitoid samples from the karelian and kola cratons of the fennoscandian shield we divide neoarchean juvenile extracted from oceanic crust or mantle granitoids into three groups 1 low hree heavy rare earth elements ttgs tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite high sio2 low mg low hree higher sr lower ybn and higher nb ta 2 high hree ttgs slightly lower range of sio2 larger range of mgo contents and higher cr and ni contents high hree lower sr higher ybn and lower nb ta and 3 high ba sr sanukitoids medium hree high mg and high k ba sr the main difference between the low and high hree groups lies in their pressure sensitive element contents which indicates high pressure melting conditions for the low hree group and low pressure conditions for the high hree group a possible tectonic scenario for the genesis of the two groups is an incipient hot subduction underneath a thick oceanic plateau protocrust melting in the lower part of thick basaltic oceanic crust could produce ttgs of the low hree type whereas low pressure melting of subducting slab and possible interactions with the mantle wedge at shallow depths would be capable of generating high hree ttgs the third group of archean high ba sr sanukitoids was formed after the ttgs their low sio2 and high mg k ba sr contents suggest an origin by melting in an enriched metasomatized mantle source probably as a result of a slab breakoff following a continental collision or attempted subduction of a thick oceanic plateau ttg protocontinent such hypothesis is supported by numerical modeling results that suggest an increased occurrence of slab breakoff in the archean which locally increased temperatures within the mantle wedge more frequent breakoff resulted because subducting plates were weaker due to rheologically thinner lithosphere and a thicker basaltic crust and tensile stresses within the subducting plate were larger due to a thick crust that transforms from buoyant basalt to dense eclogite

correlations between the eastern block of the north china craton and the south indian block of the indian shield an archaean to palaeoproterozoic link abstract recent tectonometamorphic data reveal that the north china craton formed by amalgamation of an eastern block eb and a western block wb along the trans north china orogen tnco and the indian shield formed by amalgamation of the south indian block sib and the north indian block nib along the central indian tectonic zone citz the eb of the north china craton and the sib of the indian shield share many similar magmatic and sedimentary features the early archaean supracrustal sequences in both the eb and sib consist of 3 6 3 4 ga fuchsite quartzites pelitic gneisses calc silicates marbles banded magnetic quartzites and amphibolites called the caozhuang group in the eb and the older metamorphic group omg in the sib the middle archaean assemblages in both the blocks can be divided into an early 3 4 3 3 ga phase represented by the chentaigou supracrustal rocks and orthogneisses in the eb and the holenarsipur supracrustal rocks and the gorur orthogneisses in the sib and a late 3 1 2 9 ga phase represented by the qianan supracrustal rocks and the yangyashan orthogneiss in the eb and the sargur group and the peninsular gneiss in sib the late archaean taishan group and its equivalents in the eb are stratigraphically similar to the dharwar supergroup in the sib moreover both the eb and sib are characterised by near contemporaneity of late archaean granitoid intrusive and metamorphic events in addition dome and basin structures are dominant in both the eb and sib and anticlockwise p t paths charaterise the metamorphic evolution of the late archaean granulites in the two blocks the palaeoproterozoic sedimentary volcanic rocks in both blocks comprise lower clastic rich middle volcanic rich and upper clastic carbonate sequences the strong resemblance of the archaean to palaeoproterozoic magmatic and sedimentary records suggests that it is possible that the eb and sib are dispersed remnants of what was once a single continent a possible fit is proposed for the reconstruction of the eb and sib where the northern margin of the eb is placed adjacent to the western margin of the sib with the tnco and wb representing the continuations respectively of the citz and nib this fit suggests that the eb sib and the wb nib represent two discrete continental blocks that joined along the tnco citz orogen during a palaeoproterozoic collisional event fragmentation of the eb and sib may have occurred at the beginning of the mesoproterozoic and by 1 4 ga the eb and sib may have separated into two different continental blocks as evidenced by striking differences in the mesoproterozoic sedimentary successions and associated bimodal volcanics in the two blocks

new evidence from seismic imaging for subduction during assembly of the north china craton comment the frozen in information in the crust plays an important role in improving our understanding of cratonic formation and evolution and plate tectonics in the precambrian the trans north china orogen is a continent continent collision belt generated by the assembly of the north china craton the mechanism and modality of the collision are disputed here we present a seismic image of the western block and the trans north china orogen of the north china craton derived using receiver function analysis of the teleseismic records from a dense array a low velocity zone extending from the middle crust to the moho is interpreted as a remnant of upper middle crustal material associated with westward dipping subduction beneath the western block of the north china craton crustal uplift and magmatic underplating resulting from subsequent tectonic events were responsible for modifying the remaining subduction architecture the western boundary of the trans north china orogen is located west of the boundary earlier identified by surface investigation the results combined with previous seismic imaging in the eastern north china craton provide insight into the amalgamation of the eastern and western blocks and the subsequent tectonic deformation of the north china craton

marine debris flows late precambrian tillites of the avalonian cadomian orogenic belt abstract correlative late precambrian strata of the avalonian cadomian orogenic cycle deposited after 670 and before 550 ma are now widely dispersed around the margins of the north atlantic these contain several prominent diamictite horizons long interpreted as tillites within thick turbidite successions associated with volcanic horizons the granville formation of the armorican massif in normandy france contains many pebby mud diamicite beds up to 20 m thick that have been interpreted as glaciogenic regionally the granville formation occurs within the lowest part of the upper brioverian supergroup which consists of several kilometres of turbidites and volcanogenic rocks at granville diamictites can be traced along striked into deformed and intermixed graded conglomerates and mudstones diamictites are identified as debris flows generated on a submarine slope by the emplacement of gravel turbidites on a mud substrate and their mixing during downslope slumping a glacial influence cannot be identified in north america the conception group of the avalon peninsula newfoundland canada contains nearly 4 km of turbidites with a conformable sequence of diamictites the gaskiers formation near its base massive and crudely stratified diamicite beds the diamictite successions of the granville and gaskiers formations provide significant data regarding facies types associations and the geometry of resedimented diamictite sequences in deep marine basins along active plate margins similar deposits at the same tectonic stratigraphic horizon occur in new england and africa this paper emphasizes the difficulty of identifying a direct glacial influence on diamictite sedimentation in such settings and the need for a sedimentological reappraisal of other supposed late precambrian tillites preserved in orogenic belts this is a necessary first step prior to modelling late precambrian paleoclimates

archean crustal evolution in china the taishan complex and evidence for juvenile crustal addition from long term depleted mantle abstract the main framework for crustal evolution of the late archean taishan complex in the shandong province of china is constructed using data from field investigation petrographic examination geochemical analysis and isotopic age determination the history of the complex began with emplacement of basic and tonalitic magmas about 2 7 2 75 ga ago which were metamorphosed designated as metamorphism i to amphibolites and grey gneisses shortly after their emplacement these rocks constitute a metamorphic basement termed the wangfushan gneisses the basement gneisses were later intruded by a plutonic association including 1 alkali and light rare earth element lree enriched dioritic rocks and their differentiates 2 6 ga ago 2 granites and trondhjemites collectively termed the hushan granites also 2 6 ga ago and 3 the aolaishan type granites sensu stricto 2 4 2 5 ga ago the plutonic association in conjunction with the older basement gneisses was later subjected to a second period of deformation and metamorphism metamorphism ii 2 ga ago as inferred from published k ar biotite dates the chronological order of all the above events has been determined by a multichronometric approach and the age results in ma with 2 uncertainties are summarized as follows the relatively low i sr initial 87 sr 86 sr ratio and high positive nd t values for the wangfushan gneisses and the diorite group provides strong evidence for continental growth by addition of juvenile material ultimately separated from long term depleted mantle sources by contrast the sr and nd isotopic data for the aolaishan type granites coherently suggest that they are likely to be derived by anatexis of the basement gneisses at shallow depths crustal evolution of the taishan complex offers an additional example supporting the concept of a continental accretion differentiation superevent that during such a worldwide tectonothermal episode particularly in the archean important differentiation of the upper mantle has contributed to the growth of the continental crust by addition of juvenile material

spatial distribution of 1950 1800 ma metamorphic events in the north china craton implications for tectonic subdivision of the craton abstract great progress has been made in the last twenty years in understanding the unification of the north china craton according to a prevailing model it developed by amalgamation of four sub blocks by three spatially and temporally separate orogenic belts the first at 1950 ma formed the western block the second at 1900 ma created the eastern block and the third at 1850 ma unified the eastern and western blocks however new data show that the 1950 ma orogen was affected by granulite facies reequilibration at 1800 ma and parts of the 1850 ma orogen have evidence of metamorphism at 1950 1900 ma new zircon u pb ages enable the paleoproterozoic metamorphic events to be statistically sub divided into four at 1955 ma m 1 1920 ma m 2 1885 ma m 3 and 1850 ma m 4 the m 1 2 events always appear together mainly in two belt areas including the helanshan qianlishan northern ordos yinshan liangcheng huai an lushan jiaobei and liaodong regions whereas the m 3 4 events are distributed over larger areas and were superimposed on the m 1 2 activities this age distribution is inconsistent with previous models of three separate orogens it should also be noted that the igneous rocks contemporary with the regional ultra high temperature high pressure granulite facies metamorphisms m 1 2 were previously described as arc related series i e the gabbro norites i s type granites and trimodal volcanics based on the spatial distribution of the paleoproterozoic metamorphic events m 1 4 and of the coeval igneous rocks we speculate that the assembly of the ncc was created by one orogen which formed between the eastern and western cratons in two tectonic stages two marginal arcs the korean and xuwujia developed against both eastern sides of the two sub cratons and were both accreted and deformed at 1965 1900 ma m 1 2 subsequently the amalgamation of the two sub cratons resulted in metamorphism on the western side of the eastern craton and in metamorphism that was superimposed on both accreted arcs at 1900 1790 ma m 3 4

a test of airborne side looking synthetic aperture radar in central newfoundland for geological reconnaissance side looking c band synthetic aperture radar sar penetrates cloud and fog and operates day or night to produce pseudo three dimensional terrain images with enhanced topography and surface roughness the images which have a 20 m resolution and cover large areas have been used to map the regional trends patterns of lineaments and terrain types over a 6200 km2 area of complex lithology structure and drift cover four lineament classes are differentiated glacial trends are clear and bedrock structures faults fractures joints foliation and folded bedding with relief expression at the surface show through the drift as lineaments they accurately reproduce most known features when compared with bedrock and quatenary geology maps hitherto unrecognized structural elements are revealed tones and textures reflect minute surface roughness variations useful in terrain classification sar wide swath mode imagery is thus a valuable complement to aerial photography and is superior in revealing hummo

the application of zircon cathodoluminescence imaging th u pb chemistry and u pb ages in interpreting discrete magmatic and high grade metamorphic events in the north china craton at the archean proterozoic boundary abstract two distinct late neoarchean to early paleoproterozoic magmatic events are recognized at the northern margin of the eastern block of the north china craton based on interpretation of zircon structure cathodoluminescence signature th u pb chemistry and age the first event is represented by emplacement of the chaihe trondhjemite and xianjinchang tonalite with magmatic zircon core ages ranging from 2559 2553 7 ma respectively these rocks experienced a subsequent high grade metamorphic event constrained by partial recrystallization of primary magmatic zircon and growth of new zircon rims between 2517 and 2490 ma a second magmatic episode generated by partial melting of crustal rocks during this metamorphic event is represented by the hongshilazi syenogranite with an age of 2502 11 ma the short time interval between initial magmatism and high grade regional metamorphism signifies they were related to the same major tectonothermal event when considered along with evidence of a similar sequence of events at this time 800 km to the south in eastern hebei and the previously established 2500 ma age of granulite facies metamorphism in mafic rocks across the craton it is proposed that a large mantle plume developed beneath the north china craton at the close of the archean

zircon u pb and trace element data from rocks of the huai an complex new insights into the late paleoproterozoic collision between the eastern and western blocks of the north china craton abstract the trans north china orogen tnco is interpreted as a continent continent collisional belt along which the discrete archean eastern and western blocks amalgamated to form the basement of the north china craton the timing of its formation has not been precisely constrained yet six samples including five high grade metamorphic rocks and a pegmatite dike from the huai an complex in the northern segment of the tnco were selected for zircon u pb dating and trace element analysis a tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite ttg gneiss sample and a high pressure hp mafic granulite sample contain magmatic zircon cores yielding protolith formation ages of 2503 17 and 1964 38 ma respectively detrital zircons of magmatic origin in two metasedimentary rocks show concordant or moderately discordant u pb ages of 2683 22 to 1964 13 ma indicating that they were mainly derived from the tnco with some possibly derived from the archean continental rocks of the north china craton metamorphic zircons in the ttg gneiss and two metasedimentary rocks exhibit low hree contents flat hree patterns and negative eu anomalies implying their formation coeval with garnet and feldspar under grannulite facies conditions metamorphic zircons in an hp mafic granulite and a sample of leucosome from a ttg gneiss also have depleted hree contents flat hree patterns but only weak negative eu anomalies which may also indicate formation under granulite facies conditions whereas the weak eu anomalies may be due to the whole rock composition all these metamorphic zircons have formation temperatures of 702 749 c approaching the peak metamorphic temperatures of hp granulite rocks in this area they have identical ages of ca 1845 ma within analytical errors which is the best estimate age for hp granulite facies metamorphism of the huai an complex these results confirm previous models proposing late paleoproterozoic collision between the eastern and western blocks of the north china craton along the tnco on the other hand some metamorphic zircons in the leucosome sample show planar or polygonal zoning high th u contents and high th u ratios high ree contents and steep hree patterns indicating that they crystallized during partial melting with abundant garnet decomposition they yielded a weighted mean age of 1819 13 ma which we interpret to register the time of retrograde metamorphism combined with previously published data there are three age peaks at 1876 6 1849 2 and 1814 4 ma for metamorphic zircons from high grade metamorphic rocks in the tnco these may indicate either a protracted event or at least three peaks of metamorphism a pegmatite dike cutting the foliation of a mafic granulite boudin was dated at 1806 15 ma which signifies termination of collision between the eastern and western blocks in the huai an area

mantle underplating granite tectonics and metamorphic p t t paths arrival of mantle derived magma at the base of the continental crust leads to melting major crustal reworking and overturn these processes can form both counterclockwise and high t clockwise pressure temperature time p t t paths in the same tectonic episode regions with low p high t counterclockwise p t t paths form where the upper crust moves down to compensate for the upward ascent of granite high t shear zones separate these regions from ascending granite plutons and their migmatitic envelopes where mediumto high pressure rocks record rapid uplift along a clockwise p t t path the increase in pressure in counterclockwise p t t paths does not require tectonic thickening of the crust but results from ensialic mantle heat initiated overturn of the continental crust nor does the attenuation of deep crustal rocks denote extension instead it results from lateral migration of low density melts in the source region of the ascending granites as the crustal overturn is gravity driven to create isostatic equilibrium the high t metamorphic paths end in isobaric cooling the mantle derived magma may have its source in a mantle plume impinging beneath continental crust or in a back arc setting may result from slab pull back and replacement by hot asthenosphere

la icp ms u pb zircon ages of the qianlishan complex constrains on the evolution of the khondalite belt in the western block of the north china craton abstract the qianlishan complex is located in the westernmost part of the khondalite belt a continent continent collisional belt along which the yinshan block in the north and the ordos block in the south amalgamated to form the western block which then collided with the eastern block along the trans north china orogen to form the north china craton the complex is dominated by high grade supracrustal rocks and minor s type granites of which the supracrustals consist of graphite bearing sillimanite garnet gneiss garnet quartzite felsic paragneiss calc silicate rock and marble cl images reveal the existence of detrital and metamorphic zircons in major rocks of the qianlishan complex in most cases detrital zircons occur as either single grains with oscillatory zoning or oscillatory zoning cores typical of igneous origin which are surrounded by metamorphic overgrowth rims that are structureless high bright and low in th u ratio detrital zircons from the qianlishan complex yield nearly concordant 207 pb 206 pb ages ranging from 2 3 to 2 0 ga suggesting that the protoliths of the high grade supracrustal rocks in the qianlishan complex were deposited at some time after 2 0 ga metamorphic zircons yield two age populations with one at 1 95 ga and another at 1 92 ga of which the former is interpreted as the timing of the collision between the yinshan and ordos blocks to form the western block whereas the later is considered to be the age of subsequent post orogenic extensional event minor s type granites were emplaced at 1 88 ga as a result of partial melting of supracrustals at the stage of the exhumation of the qianlishan complex these new zircon ages combined with structural and metamorphic considerations enable resolution of the tectonothermal events involving the collision between the yinshan and ordos blocks to form the western block followed by the post collisional extension and subsequent exhumation of the khondalite belt

late archaean 2550 2520 ma juvenile magmatism in the eastern dharwar craton southern india constraints from geochronology nd sr isotopes and whole rock geochemistry the results of field geochronologic geochemical and isotopic studies are presented for the granitoids that occur east of the closepet batholith up to the kolar schist belt ksb field data such as common foliation strong shear deformation occasionally leading to mylonitization together with petrographic data including reduction in grain size with corroded borders show characteristics of the syn kinematic emplacement of the granitoids single zircon evaporation ages define a minimum age of 3127 ma for the tonalitic trondhjemitic granodioritic ttg basement and 2552 2534 ma plateau ages for the emplacement of the granitoids which slightly predate 20 30 ma the emplacement of the 2518 ma closepet batholith major and trace element data together with isotopic data suggest at least four magmatic suites from closepet batholith to the east which have independent magmatic evolution histories the observed data are compatible with magma mixing for the closepet batholith melting of ttg and assimilation fractional crystallization processes for bangalore granites either melting of heterogeneous source or different degree of melting of the same source for the granitoids of hoskote kolar and fractional crystallization for the western margin of the ksb isotopic nd sr and geochemical data lree and lil elements suggest highly enriched mantle and ancient ttg crust for the closepet batholith enriched mantle and ttg crust for the bangalore granites c a chondritic mantle source for the granitoids of hoskote kolar and the quartz monzonites of the western margin of the ksb and slightly depleted mantle for granodiorites of the eastern margin of the ksb we interpret all these geochronologic geochemical and isotopic characteristics of granitoids from the closepet batholith to the east up to the ksb in terms of a plume model the centre of the plume would be an enriched hot spot in the mantle that lies below the present exposure level of the closepet batholith melting of such an enriched mantle hot spot produces high temperature magmas closepet that penetrate overlying ancient crust where they strongly interact and induce partial melting of the surrounding crust these magmas cool very slowly as the hot spot maintains high temperatures for a long time thus they appear younger 2518 ma on the contrary to the east the plume induces melting of c a chondritic or slightly depleted mantle that produces relatively colder and less enriched magmas which show less or no interactions with the surrounding crust and cool rapidly and appear slightly older 2552 2534 ma this plume model can also account for late archaean geodynamic evolution including juvenile magmatism heat source for reworking inverse diapirism and granulite metamorphism in the dharwar craton

massive sandstone facies in the hawkesbury sandstone a triassic fluvial deposit near sydney australia abstract massive sandstone is a common facies in the hawkesbury sandstone a triassic formation attributed to deposition by a large braided river the massive sandstone occurs as sheets and in elongate depressions trending perpendicular to the paleoslope as indicated by the unidirectional mean orientation of abundant cross strata some of the depressions filled with massive sandstone also contain angular mudstone intraclasts up to several meters in length massive sandstone is also associated with deformed cross strata formed by progressive loss of lamination during mass movement down foreset slopes foreset failure is attributed to liquefaction due to falling water level or to collapse of adjacent mud banks the latter mechanism resulted in rapid loading of bedform foresets and introduce large mudclasts into the massive sand sand and mudclasts accumulated in transverse scours at the foot of the foreset slopes but also travelled along the scours or spilled out to form massive sheet sands the abundance of massive sandstone in the hawkesbury sandstone is attributed to deposition in a large river in which flood stage bedforms were probably up to 15 m high because of the size of the bedforms large volumes of liquefied sand were generated when foreset slopes failed

the origin and compositions of mesoarchean oceanic crust evidence from the 3075 ma ivisaartoq greenstone belt sw greenland the mesoarchean ca 3075 ma ivisaartoq greenstone belt contains well preserved primary magmatic structures such as pillow lavas volcanic breccias and clinopyroxene cumulate layers picrites despite the isoclinal folding and amphibolite facies metamorphism the belt also includes variably deformed gabbroic to dioritic dykes and sills actinolite schists and serpentinites the ivisaartoq rocks underwent at least two stages of post magmatic metamorphic alteration including seafloor hydrothermal alteration and syn to post tectonic calc silicate metasomatism between 3075 and 2961 ma these alteration processes resulted in the mobilization of many major and trace elements the trace element characteristics of the least altered rocks are consistent with a supra subduction zone geodynamic setting and shallow mantle sources on the basis of geological similarities between the ivisaartoq greenstone belt and phanerozoic forearc ophiolites and intra oceanic island arcs we suggest that the ivisaartoq greenstone belt represents a relic of dismembered mesoarchean supra subduction zone oceanic crust this crust might originally have been composed of a lower layer of leucogabbros and anorthosites and an upper layer of pillow lavas picritic flows gabbroic to dioritic dykes and sills and dunitic to wehrlitic sills the sm nd and u pb isotope systems have been disturbed in strongly altered actinolite schists in addition the u pb isotope system in pillow basalts appears to have been partially open during seafloor hydrothermal alteration gabbros and diorites have the least disturbed pb isotopic compositions in contrast the sm nd isotope system appears to have remained relatively undisturbed in picrites pillow lavas gabbros and diorites as a group picrites have more depleted initial nd isotopic signatures end 4 23 to 4 97 than pillow lavas gabbros and diorites end 0 30 to 3 04 consistent with a variably depleted heterogeneous mantle source in some areas gabbros include up to 15 cm long white inclusions xenoliths these inclusions are composed primarily 90 of ca rich plagioclase and are interpreted as anorthositic cumulates brought to the surface by upwelling gabbroic magmas the anorthositic cumulates have significantly higher initial end 4 8 to 6 0 values than the surrounding gabbroic matrix 2 3 to 2 8 consistent with different mantle sources for the two rock types

episodic mantle melting crustal reworking in the late neoarchean of the northwestern north china craton zircon ages of magmatic and metamorphic rocks from the yinshan block abstract the yinshan block in the northwestern north china craton comprises late neoarchean greenstones high grade metamorphic rocks granulite charnockite enderbite and amphibole gneiss diorites sanukitoid and mg adakite and granitoids predominantly trondhjemite tonalite a greenstone terrane comprises a volcanic sequence of predominant basalt and dacite with minor andesite zircons from a high mg andesite and an andesite have weighted mean 207pb 206pb ages of 2533 5 ma and 2510 7 ma respectively which reflect the timing of two distinct volcanic episodes these two either predated or postdated a major volcanic episode that formed a basalt dacite bimodal suite during 2515 10 basalt to 2516 10 ma dacite magmatic zircons from the high grade metamorphic rocks yielded weighted mean 207pb 206pb ages of 2544 5 ma for a mafic granulite 2521 6 ma for a garnetiferous gneiss 2535 5 ma for a charnockite and 2526 5 ma for an amphibole gneiss these ages reflect the minimum emplacement time of rocks that make up the protoliths of the high grade metamorphic complex the metamorphic ages of the high grade complex were determined at 2515 18 ma for mafic granulite and 2503 12 ma for garnetiferous gneiss zircons from a high mg diorite i e sanukitoid have a weighted mean age of 2520 6 ma which is significantly younger than the 2556 14 ma age of a magnesian diorite mg adakite from the same diorite massif these ages reflect distinctive magmatic pulses that generated the diorite massif a tonalite has a zircon age of 2516 7 ma indistinguishable from the 2520 9 ma age of a trondhjemite from the same trondhjemite tonalite dominated batholith a granitic compositional layer in the 2516 7 ma tonalite has zircon ages of 2515 6 ma high u zircon domains and 2512 22 ma low u zircon domains which reflect an intracrustal melting event the presence of an older crustal remnant ca 2600 ma prior to the formation of the yinshan block is indicated by a 2594 4 ma leucogranite xenolith in the diorite massif and by the widespread presence of ca 2583 3485 ma mostly ca 2700 ma zircon xenocrysts in a variety of volcanic and plutonic rocks an undeformed pegmatite dike in high mg andesite has an emplacement age of 2508 17 ma zircon an undeformed trondhjemite dike that cuts the supracrustal greenstone sequence yielded a zircon age of 2502 6 ma similar to that of the pegmatite dike and representing the latest archean magmatic event in the yinshan block these ages of undeformed granitoid dikes delimit the termination of thermo tectonic development of the yinshan block based on these new ages and published geological and geochronological data we conclude that the yinshan block is a typical neoarchean cratonic block not a segment of the so called paleoproterozoic inner mongolia north hebei orogen episodic mantle melting and resultant crustal reworking account for the thermo tectonic development of the yinshan block in a brief period ca 2556 2502 ma in the late neoarchean and based on their regional chronological correlations we argue for their craton scale significance

archean magmatism and deformation were not products of plate tectonics abstract the granite and greenstone terrains that dominate upper crust formed from about 3 6 to about 2 6 ga and record magmatic and tectonic processes very different from those of a younger time they indicate heat loss by the archean earth primarily by voluminous magmatism from a mantle much hotter than that of the present plate tectonic processes were not then operating the distinctive array of petrologic structural and stratigraphic features that characterize phanerozoic convergent plate systems ophiolites magmatic arcs accretionary wedges fore arc basins etc have no viable analogues in archean terrains purported archean plate tectonic indicators consist merely of rock types that even superficially resemble actual phanerozoic indicators only when considered in isolation from their association and structure archean ultramafic and mafic volcanic rocks neither resemble ophiolitic rocks in petrology nor occur in ophiolite type successions they often depositionally overlie felsic basement rocks and often overlie and are intercalated with sedimentary and felsic volcanic rocks and they require a mantle about 200 c hotter than now archean graywackes are coherent strata derived from nearby volcanic rocks late in the histories of their regions and they lack the setting and disruption that characterize modern accretionary wedges the lithologic structural and stratigraphic assemblages that typify proterozoic and phanerozoic rifted and reassembled margins also lack archean analogues and no evidence has been found for archean rifting rotation and reassembly of continental plates conversely characteristic archean assemblages lack modern equivalents in any tectonic setting ultramafic lavas erupted at liquidus temperatures are voluminous granite and greenstone terrains have no modern analogues greenstone belts are typically anastomosing networks of upright synforms formed by crowding aside by and sinking between large rising diapiric elliptical composite batholiths the batholiths include both the products of new crustal melts and variably remobilized mid crustal gneisses the greenstone belts are defined by late deformation of regionally semiconcordant volcanic and sedimentary successions and are not relics of successively formed volcanic chains little deformation generally preceded the diapirism and metamorphism was primarily of contact type the regionally uniform areal density and accordant crustal level of the diapiric batholiths their contacts primarily against the oldest strata of the synforms their general age 10 20 million years younger than most of the flanking stratiform rocks and considerations of high archean radiogenic heat productivity all fit the explanation that the batholiths were mobilized by partial melting of hydrous lower crust by radiogenic heating diapirism was accompanied by modest regional orthogonal shortening and extension of the hot upper crust producing the orientations of the batholiths rise of the batholiths greatly increased the petrologic fractionation of the crust and the concentration of radionuclides high in it resulting in cooling of the deeper crust and subjacent mantle and thus cratonization the upper crust containing the granite and greenstone aggregates was decoupled from the gneissic middle crust which underwent flattening and extension subparallel to the elongation of the shallow batholiths this deep deformation may have been driven by flow of dense restites toward delamination loci from which they sank into the mantle the early earth was probably wholly molten the surface of the earth like that of the moon must have been wholly recycled by impacts before 3 9 ga and heavily modified by them until 3 8 ga zircons as old as 4 2 ga have been found as clastic grains in much younger archean quartzites and polycyclic migmatites last partly melted and reconstituted under hydrous conditions only after 3 6 ga contain relict zircons as old as 4 0 ga the lithologies of the early earth protoliths in which these zircons formed have not been established but impact melts and breccias must be represented and magma ocean fractionates may be the nature of the transition in tectonic style into the granite and greenstone mode is unknown plate tectonic rifting and convergence were operating by about 2 0 ga and were in an essentially modern mode by about 0 8 ga the nature of the transition from the granite and greenstone mode at about 2 6 ga to plate mode by about 2 0 ga has yet to be defined the change may have been facilitated by the increasing content of water and carbon dioxide in the mantle as dense but hydrated delaminated archean crust sank into it

the micromorphology of paraglacial and periglacial slope deposits a case study from morfa bychan west wales uk micromorphological analysis of the crudely stratified diamictons exposed in coastal sections at morfa bychan west wales is presented and discussed three major units yellow head blue head and brown head have been recognised and their crudely stratified nature plus clast orientations indicate that they were all subject to mass movement down the flanks of the adjacent coastal hills earlier workers have suggested a periglacial environment for this mass movement but recently it has been proposed that the blue head at least may have accumulated in a paraglacial environment through gravitational redistribution of recently deposited unstable till it is shown here that the yellow head contains occasional dense silt rich coatings on the upper surfaces of sand and gravel grains although other cryogenic micromorphological phenomena were not observed the blue head however contains no clear cryogenic micromorphological features although there is abundant evidence for sediment shearing and grain rotation within the matrix the brown head contains diffuse grain coatings and lenticular aggregates very similar to those observed elsewhere in periglacial solifluction deposits thus it is concluded that accumulation of the blue head was rapid and took place in a paraglacial environment as a result of mudflow the yellow head may represent periglacial solifluction immediately prior to glaciation whereas the brown head accumulated above the blue head as a result of periglacial weathering of the adjacent exposed hill tops and subsequent downslope solifluction of the weathering product 1998 john wiley sons ltd

characterization of pebble fabrics in modern terrestrial glacigenic sediments pebble fabric data are available from several facies of glacigenic sediments deposited by modern glaciers where sedimentary processes can be observed or inferred with relatively little ambiguity over 100 samples from contemporary environments illustrate fabrics characterizing melt out till deformed and undeformed lodgement till sediment flow deposits and ice slope colluvium lodgement till fabric variability is related to the two layer structure of these sediments a structureless friable upper layer with low shear strength and high consolidation coefficient overlying a very compact material of horizontal platy structure fabric strength assessed by eigenvalue analysis is weaker and pebble dip is more dispersed in the upper structureless horizon stronger fabrics in the lower platy horizon may be primary depositional fabrics which are destroyed by subglacial shearing to give weaker fabrics in the upper horizon alternatively upper horizon fabrics may be characteristic of all recently deposited lodgement tills with stronger fabrics developing at depth by dewatering and consolidation there is a general reduction in fabric strength and an increase in particle dip associated with the transition from melt out tills through undeformed and deformed lodgement tills to sediment flow deposits and ice slope colluvium there is however considerable overlap in the fabric strengths characteristic of sediment flow deposits and deformed lodgement tills fabric data from modern glacial sedimentary facies are used to assist in interpreting the mode of deposition of some quaternary glacial sediments relatively strong fabrics characteristic of melt out tills and undeformed lodgement tills are more likely to be diagnostic of genesis than weaker fabrics associated with deformed sediments

melt out till in the edmonton area alberta canada till at two localities in the edmonton area alberta was formed mainly by passive melt out from glacier ice and not by lodgment by active ice or as a result of supraglacially derived flows this interpretation is based on the implications of in situ stratified glacial sediment below and within till and of large unlithified clasts of sediment derived from subtill deposits the interpretation is also supported by more general regional stratigraphic and structural observations such associated properties as subtill deformation a sharply planar till preglacial sediment contact sole marks and fabric support formation by melt out or illustrate local exceptions to this process regionally consistent preferred orientation of clasts is interpreted to represent preferred englacial orientation collective analysis of the principal eigenvectors of individual englacial fabrics and flow or resedimented till fabrics from a modem glacial environment and similar analysis for till at villeneuve near edmonton show the edmonton till to occupy the intermediate position in terms of orientation strength predicted by the melt out hypothesis in places preferred orientation is considered to have been disturbed by flow and diapirism induced by the process of thaw consolidation thus preferred clast orientation in till may show considerable deviation from a regional trend stratigraphy and sedimentology are used to classify the till and to relate individual exposures to regional environments of deposition

assembling north china craton within the columbia supercontinent the role of double sided subduction abstract an evaluation of recent s wave receiver functions s wave velocities and two versions of p wave tomographic images along various transects in the north china craton provides some clues on the subduction collision history of the different crustal blocks and their final amalgamation within the paleoproterozoic columbia supercontinent interpretation of a n s seismic section of the craton suggests thick slab debris sinking to various depths in the mantle the w e seismic corridors show the preservation of a thick 200 km lithospheric root tectosphere beneath the ordos block and its variable and extensive erosion towards the yanliao block eastern block this zone is characterized by layers with marked velocity contrast and suggests repeated stacking of the remnants of underplated and accreted paleoproterozoic oceanic lithosphere the present day lithosphere asthenosphere boundary beneath this region probably marks the erosional plane along which decratonization occurred through subduction erosion from the east and thermal and material erosion by upwelling asthenosphere from below resulting in the partial destruction of the tectosphere and its thinning towards the east within the asthenosphere below the yanliao block younger and thinner slabs predominate in the absence of any prominent thick high velocity layers these younger slabs define a westward polarity and constitute a mega scale duplex formed by underplating through phanerozoic subduction process particularly the pacific plate subduction from the east the lithologic associations within the inner mongolia suture zone dividing the yinshan block to the north and ordos block to the south correspond to an accreted ocean plate stratigraphic sequence with the tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite ttg gneisses charnockites and calc alkaline granites representing a continental arc built up through subduction from the north the seismic transects bring out a contrasting polarity in the subduction regime with an oblique east to southward subduction of the yinshan block and a westward subduction of the yanliao block here i propose a double sided subduction history for the ncc similar to the ongoing subduction process in the western pacific such double sided subduction is considered to promote rapid amalgamation of continental fragments within supercontinents and the subduction polarities and mantle dynamics of ncc are therefore considered to be critical in evaluating the final assembly of the paleoproterozoic supercontinent columbia

the origins of granulites a metamorphic perspective although many recent reviews emphasize a uniformity in granulite pressure temperature p t conditions and paths granulites in reality preserve a spectrum of important petrogenetic features which indicate diversity in their modes of formation a thorough survey of over 90 granulite terranes or occurrences reveals that over 50 of them record p t conditions outside the 7 5 1 kbar and 800 50 c average granulite regime preferred by many authors in particular an increasing number of very high temperature 900 1000 c terranes are being recognized both on the basis of distinctive mineral assemblages and geothermobarometry petrogenetic grid and geothermobarometric approaches to the determination and interpretation of p t histories are both evaluated within the context of reaction textures to demonstrate that the large range in p t conditions is indeed real and that both near isothermal decompression itd and near isobaric cooling ibc p t paths are important amphibolite granulite transitions promoted by the passage of co 2 rich fluids as observed in southern india and sri lanka are exceptional and not representative of fluid related processes in the majority of terranes it is considered on the contrary that fluid absent conditions are typical of most granulites at or near the time of their recorded thermal maxima itd granulites are interpreted to have formed in crust thickened by collision with magmatic additions being an important extra heat source erosion alone is not however considered to be the dominant post collisional thinning process instead the itd paths are generated during more rapid thinning 1 2 mm yr exposure related to tectonic exhumation during moderate rate or waning extension ibc granulites may have formed in a variety of settings those which show anticlockwise p t histories are interpreted to have formed in and beneath areas of voluminous magmatic accretion with or without additional crustal extension ibc granulites at shallow levels very rapid 5 mm yr extensional thinning subsequent to collision it is suggested that the preservation of ibc paths rather than itd paths in many granulites is primarily related to the rate and timescale of extensional thinning of thickened crust and that hybrid itd to ibc paths should also be observed most ibc granulites and probably many itd granulites have not been exposed at the earth s surface as a result of the tectonic episodes which produced them but have resided in the middle and lower crust for long periods of time 100 2000 ma following these events the eventual exhumation of most granulite terranes only occur through their incorporation in later tectonic and magmatic events unrelated to their formation

origin of high magnesian andesites in the setouchi volcanic belt southwest japan i petrographical and chemical characteristics high magnesian andesites of middle miocene age occur in southwest japan forming an obvious volcanic belt these andesites have low feo mgo ratios 0 546 0 931 and are rich in ni 101 312 ppm co 30 0 45 1 ppm and cr 208 756 ppm they are relatively aphyric phenocrysts 10 vol and the phenocrysts of magnesian olivine fo88 are in equilibrium with the host high magnesian andesite magmas on the basis of the fe mg exchange partitioning these features suggest that the high magnesian andesites are not differentiated or accumulative they appear to represent primary andesites generated in the upper mantle these southwest japanese high magnesian andesites are rich in incompatible elements and show light rare earth enrichment relative to boninites suggesting that the former is derived from a less depleted mantle source than the latter

tectonothermal history of the basement rocks in the western zone of the north china craton and its tectonic implications the basement of the north china craton can be divided into the eastern central and western zones based on lithological structural metamorphic and geochronological data the western zone comprises two different petrotectonic units archaean tonalitic trondhjemitic granodioritic ttg grey gneisses and metamorphic mafic rocks and palaeoproterozoic khondalite series the former is characterized by isobaric cooling ibc type anticlockwise p t paths in the north northwestern part of the zone and near isothermal decompression itd type clockwise p t paths in the eastern part adjacent to the central zone on the other hand the tectonothermal evolution of palaeoproterozoic khondalite series rocks is characterized exclusively by nearly isothermal decompression following the peak of metamorphism and then cooling defining clockwise p t paths the archaean ttg gneisses and associated mafic rocks with anticlockwise metamorphic p t paths reflects an origin related to underplating and intrusion of mantle derived magmas which may be derived from mantle plumes they represent a late archaean continental block in the western part of the north china craton the palaeoproterozoic khondalite series rocks represent passive continental margin deposits they were metamorphosed and deformed in the late palaeoproterozoic during the amalgamation of the western continental block with another continental block in the east part of the north china craton the itd type clockwise p t t paths of the palaeoproterozoic khondalite series rocks record the tectonothermal histories of the collision of the western and eastern continental blocks which resulted in the final assembly of the north china craton at c 1800 ma

age and evolution of a late archean to paleoproterozoic upper to lower crustal section in the wutaishan hengshan fuping terrain of northern china abstract the taihangshan wutaishan area forms part of the central north china craton and consists of three main components the hengshan and fuping complexes containing predominantly ductilely deformed late archean to paleoproterozoic high grade granitoid orthogneisses intruded by mafic dykes of gabbroic composition and the low grade late archean wutai greenstone belt developed between the high grade terrains and consisting of bimodal volcanic rocks and metasediments associated with coeval granitoids zircon dating shows that both the hengshan and fuping complexes were intruded by major granitoid bodies between 2 52 and 2 48 ga with rare occurrences of 2 7 ga gneisses wutai granitoids adjacent to the fuping complex also contain 2 7 ga xenocrysts all possibly reflecting the same older basement rare granitic gneisses in the hengshan have emplacement ages of 2 35 ga and show the same structural features as the older rocks indicating that the main deformation occurred after 2 3 ga deposition of supracrustal rocks and emplacement of mafic dykes occurred in the paleoproterozoic together with intrusion of granitic bodies at 2 1 2 0 ga and all underwent regional metamorphism at 1 88 1 85 ga we interpret the hengshan and fuping granitoid gneisses as the lower plutonic part of a late archean to early paleoproterozoic japan type magmatic arc with the upper volcanic part represented by the wutai complex components of this arc may have evolved at a continental margin as indicated by the 2 7 ga zircons virtually all magmatic events are recorded in all three complexes however the 1 85 ga metamorphic event is only recorded in the higher grade portions of the wutai since low grade and presumably high crustal level precluded metamorphic zircon growth shear zones in the hengshan are interpreted as major lower crustal discontinuities post dating the peak of high pressure granulite metamorphism we suggest that they formed during orogenic collapse and uplift of the hengshan complex in the late paleoproterozoic 1800 ma

a two stage model for the formation of the granite greenstone terrains of the kalgoorlie norseman area western australia abstract accurate dating of granites and greenstones from the kalgoorlie norseman area shows that there is considerable overlap in time between the formation of granites and greenstones however within any given area the oldest granites are always younger than the oldest greenstones it is suggested that the long lived 100 ma thermal anomaly in the uppermost asthenosphere that gave rise to the greenstones is also responsible for regional metamorphism and widespread crustal melting leading to the production of granites the time lag between greenstone and granite formation reflects the time taken to conduct heat from the mantle to the lower crust anatexis of the lower crust produces a layer of light granitic magma that may temporarily stop the ascent of basaltic magma where this happens the basaltic magma ponds at the base of the crust supplying additional heat and accelerating the melting process eventually the granitic melt layer becomes unstable and rises within the crust areas intruded by granite become topographic highs with topographic lows forming above areas where light melt has been withdrawn from the lower crust when the topographic highs protrude above sea level they are eroded to shed sediments into the topographic lows which contain the basaltic greenstones thus the change from a basalt dominated lower greenstone succession to a sediment and felsic volcanic dominated upper whitestone sequence seen in many granite greenstone terrains results from the intrusion of granitic magma into the upper crust the crust of the kalgoorlie norseman area formed in two distinct stages separated by a time break of up to 700 ma the first stage involved the formation of primitive crust probably above subduction zones this primitive crust was characterized by low rb sr and high sm nd ratios the second stage resulted from a major change in mantle convection that produced thermal upwellings in the mantle below the continents this led to the eruption of basaltic magmas and to metamorphism and anatexis of the lower crust to produce granitic magmas melting reset the rb sr sm nd and u pb systems giving the impression that the second event which occurred at 2 7 ga was a major crust forming event it was in fact a crustal reworking process although some basalt was added to the crust at this time although the two stage history of the kalgoorlie norseman area is clearly seen in the lead isotopes and in zircons it is not readily discernible from the rb sr and sm nd systematics due to mantle like ratios of those elements in the primitive crust

till geochemical and indicator mineral methods in mineral exploration abstract this paper summarizes advances since 1987 in the application of glacial sediment sampling to mineral exploration drift prospecting in areas affected by continental or alpine glaciation in these exploration programs clastic glacial sediments are tested by geochemical or mineralogical methods to detect dispersal trains of mineral deposit indicators that have been glacially transported from source by mechanical processes in glaciated terrain the key sampling medium till is produced by abrasion crushing and blending of rock debris and recycled sediment followed by down ice dispersal ranging from a few metres to many kilometres as a consequence of the mid 1980s boom in gold exploration the majority of case studies and regional till geochemical surveys published in the past decade deal with this commodity approximately 30 of canada and virtually all of fennoscandia have been covered by regional till geochemical surveys that aid mineral exploration and provide baseline data for environmental agricultural and landuse planning the most profound event in drift prospecting in the last decade however has been the early 1990s explosion in diamond exploration which has dramatically increased the profile of glacial geology and glacial sediment sampling and stimulated changes in sampling and analytical methods

the composite archaean grey gneisses petrological significance and evidence for a non unique tectonic setting for archaean crustal growth abstract the geodynamic context of formation of the archaean continental crust is a matter of debate the crust is largely made of grey gneiss complexes a composite rock assemblage dominated by granitoids that are generally regarded as belonging to the ttg tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite series using a large database of published ttg and grey gneiss compositions it is possible to show that the granitoids forming grey gneiss complexes actually belong to at least four main geochemical groups i a potassic component made of granodiorites and formed by melting of existing crustal lithologies and ii three sodic groups ttg proper that comprise low medium and high pressure groups the geochemistry of the low pressure group is consistent with derivation from a plagioclase and garnet amphibolite the medium pressure group was formed in equilibrium with a garnet rich plagioclase poor amphibolite whereas the high pressure group derived from a rutile bearing eclogite as the temperature of melting of metamafic rocks is largely independent from pressure this corresponds to melting along a range of contrasting geothermal gradients in turn reflecting a range of tectonic sites for the formation of the archaean continental crust

a study of rare earth element ree sio 2 variations in felsic liquids generated by basalt fractionation and amphibolite melting a potential test for discriminating between the two different processes the origin of felsic magmas 63 sio2 in intra oceanic arc settings is still a matter of debate two very different processes are currently invoked to explain their origin these include fractional crystallization of basaltic magma and partial melting of lower crustal amphibolite because both fractionation and melting can lead to similar major element trace element and isotopic characteristics in felsic magmas such lines of evidence have been generally unsuccessful in discriminating between the two processes a commonly under appreciated aspect of rare earth element ree solid liquid partitioning behavior is that d ree for most common igneous minerals especially hornblende increase significantly with increasing liquid sio2 contents for some minerals e g hornblende and augite ree partitioning can change from incomptatible d 1 at high liquid sio2 when this behavior is incorporated into carefully constrained mass balance models for mafic basaltic amphibolite melting intermediate andesitic amphibolite melting lower or mid to upper crustal hornblende present basalt fractionation and mid to upper crustal hornblende absent basalt fractionation the following general predictions emerge for felsic magmas e g 63 to 76 sio2 partial melting of either mafic or intermediate amphibolite should regardless of the type of melting equilibrium fractional accumulated fractional yield ree abundances that remain essentially constant and then decrease or steadily decrease with increasing liquid sio2 content at high liquid sio2 contents lree abundances should be slightly enriched to slightly depleted i e c l c o 2 to 0 2 while hree abundances should be slightly depleted c l c o 1 to 0 2 lower crustal hornblende bearing basalt fractionation should yield roughly constant ree abundances with increasing liquid sio2 and exhibit only slight enrichment c l c o 1 2 mid to upper crustal hornblende bearing basalt fractionation should yield steadily increasing lree abundances but constant and then decreasing hree abundances at high liquid sio2 contents lree abundances may range from non enriched to highly enriched c l c o 1 to 5 while hree abundances are generally non enriched to only slightly enriched c l c o 1 to 2 hornblende absent basalt fractionation should yield steadily increasing ree abundances with increasing liquid sio2 contents at high sio2 contents both lree and hree are highly enriched c l c o 3 to 4 it is proposed that these model predictions constitute a viable test for determining a fractionation or amphibolite melting origin for felsic magmas in intra oceanic arc environments where continental crust is absent

arc generated blocks with crustal sections in the north atlantic craton of west greenland crustal growth in the archean with modern analogues abstract the ca 700 km long archean craton of west greenland consists of six meso neoarchean ca 3000 2720 ma shear zone bounded crustal blocks that display similar cross sections from south to north ivittuut kvanefjord bjornesund sermilik fiskefjord maniitsoq each block has a southerly upper and a northerly lower zone thus each faces upwards to the south upper zones have prograde amphibolite facies mineralogy and have never been in the granulite facies whereas lower zones reached granulite facies and were partly retrogressed to amphibolite facies upper and lower zones consist predominantly of tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite ttg orthogneisses geochemistry suggests generation by slab melting in subduction settings of island arcs and active continental margins the gneisses contain km thick metavolcanic amphibolite layers typically bordered by km thick layers containing anorthosite and leucogabbro most upper zones contain upper greenschist to amphibolite facies metavolcanic belts including volcaniclastic andesitic rocks the two most prominent metavolcanic belts in the fiskefjord block at qussuk andesitic volcaniclastic rocks garde a a 2007 a mid archaean island arc complex in the eastern akia terrane godthabsfjord southern west greenland journal of the geological society london 164 565 579 and ivisaartoq mafic ultramafic rocks and anorthosite leucogabbro from upper and lower parts of a supra subduction zone system polat a frei r appel p w u dilek y fryer b ordonez calderon j c yang z 2008 the origin and compositions of mesoarchean oceanic crust evidence from the 3075 ma ivisaartoq greenstone belt sw greenland lithos 100 293 321 have island arc geochemical signatures the 2 km thick fiskenaesset complex bjornesund block comprises chromite layered anorthosites leucogabbros and gabbros and local pillow bearing roof pendants from overlying metavolcanic amphibolite the style of deformation changes downwards within crustal blocks upper zones are characterised by linear metavolcanic belts deformed by mostly one major phase of isoclinal folding and lower zones by kilometre scale double triple fold interference patterns everywhere ttg protoliths have intruded anorthositic and volcanic rocks typically along ductile shear zones often so extensively that only anorthositic or amphibolitic lenses are preserved the meso neoarchean crust was thickened by a combination of thrusting isoclinal folding and continued ttg injection dissimilarities in the proportions of anorthositic and metavolcanic rocks in the six blocks suggest that they evolved in several different microcontinents but by similar processes these crustal blocks provide an exceptional example of how continents evolved in the meso neoarchean comparable archean examples in kapuskasing and pikwitonei canada and modern analogues in fiordland new zealand kohistan himalayas southern california batholith peruvian andes and hidaka japan demonstrate that processes of continental growth from island arc to continental arc magmatism and by implication to continental collision were broadly similar throughout most of earth history

evolution of the archean continental crust some 20 years of plate tectonic theory combined with new insights into the fine structure of the lithosphere the application of multielement geo chemical and isotopic studies paleomagnetism and geophysical modeling of mantle processes have profoundly influenced present thinking on the origin and evolution of the earth s early continental crust previously our knowledge of the continental crust was based almost exclusively on field geological observations although there is now general agreement on how the earth worked for the last 200 m y because of observable evidence in the oceans and continents e g bird 1980 condie 1982 it has proved difficult to extend this history into more ancient times in view of the lost oceanic record and the ambiguity and complexity of the pre mesozoic rock relationships in the continents dewey 1982 however preserved characteristic rock as semblages uniquely identifying modern type wilson cycle processes i e opening and closure of oceans underlain by oceanic crust have now been recognized in continental terranes as old as 900 m y and these assemblages provide strong evidence for the conclusion that the present global tectonic regime has governed the evolution of the lithosphere at least since the late precambrian kroner 1977 1981a b goodwin 1981 profound disagreement on the older crustal history however prevails to the present day since typical features characterizing phanerozoic accretionary terranes such as obducted ophiolites blueschists and franciscan type melanges have not been found in more ancient regions thus two types of evolutionary models have been developed one type postulates uniformitarian development back to the earliest archean burke

u pb zircon age constraints on the dongwanzi ultramafic mafic body north china confirm it is not an archean ophiolite abstract in science may 11 2001 p 1142 1145 kusky et al reported an ophiolite complex of late archean age in the dongwanzi area of the north china craton which has subsequently been considered a hallmark for archean plate tectonics however this interpretation has been questioned because no convincing pillow lavas or sheeted dikes have been found in the dongwanzi complex and more importantly as a major part of the ophiolite complex the dongwanzi ultramafic mafic body has not previously been dated and it therefore remains unknown whether it is of archean age in this study we carried out detailed field investigations and shrimp u pb zircon dating on the rocks of the dongwanzi ultramafic mafic body as recognized by kusky et al our field observations reveal that in several places along the boundaries of the dongwanzi body mafic dikes emanating from the main body intrude the country rocks of the unmetamorphosed mesoproterozoic sedimentary successions of the changcheng jixian system one of these dikes yielded a shrimp u pb zircon age of 306 6 ma similar to the shrimp u pb zircon age of 308 4 ma obtained from a plagioclase bearing pyroxenite from the dongwanzi ultramafic mafic body four other samples collected from various parts of the ultramafic mafic body gabbro leucogabbro or pyroxenite record similar shrimp u pb zircon ages around 300 ma therefore both field relationships and shrimp u pb zircon dating results unequivocally demonstrate that the dongwanzi ultramafic mafic body is not part of an archean ophiolite

thermal evolution of two textural types of mafic granulites in the north china craton evidence for both mantle plume and collisional tectonics mafic granulites from the north china craton can be divided into two textural types referred to as a and b types a type mafic granulites display garnet quartz symplectic coronas and outcrop in the eastern and western zones of the craton whereas b type mafic granulites exhibit orthopyroxene plagioclase clinopyroxene symplectites or coronas and are mainly exposed in the central zone of the craton most a type mafic granulites preserve the prograde m 1 peak m 2 and post peak near isobaric cooling m 3 assemblages which are represented respectively by inclusions of hornblende plagioclase quartz a peak mineralogy of orthopyroxene clinopyroxene plagio clase quartz garnet and overprinted by garnet quartz symplectic coronas these mineral assem blages and their p t pressure temperature estimates define anticlockwise p t evolutionary paths the b type mafic granulites preserve the peak m 1 post peak near isothermal decompression m 2 and cooling m 3 assemblages which are represented by the peak assemblage of orthopyroxene clinopyroxene plagioclase quartz garnet hornblende post peak orthopyroxene plagioclase clinopyroxene symplectites or coronas and later hornblende plagioclase magnetite symplectites respectively these mineral assemblages and their p t estimates define clockwise p t paths the anticlockwise p t paths of the a type mafic granulites in the eastern and western zones of the north china craton are consistent with a model of underplating and intrusion of mantle derived magmas in combination with lithological structural and geochronological data the eastern and west ern zones of the north china craton are considered to represent two continental blocks that devel oped through the interaction of mantle plumes with the lithosphere from the palaeoarchaean to the neoarchaean era the b type mafic granulites and associated rocks in the central zone represent a magmatic arc that was metamorphosed and deformed during amalgamation of the eastern and west ern continental blocks in the late palaeoproterozoic era the mineral reaction relations and clockwise p t paths of the b type mafic granulites from the central zone record the tectonothermal history of the collision that resulted in the final assembly of the north china craton at c 1800 ma

the precambrian khondalite belt in the daqingshan area north china craton evidence for multiple metamorphic events in the palaeoproterozoic era high grade pelitic metasedimentary rocks khondalites are widely distributed in the northwestern part of the north china craton and were named the khondalite belt prior to the application of zircon geochronology a stratigraphic division of the supracrustal rocks into several groups was established using interpretative field geology we report here shrimp u pb zircon ages and hf isotope data on metamorphosed sedimentary and magmatic rocks at daqingshan a typical area of the khondalite belt the main conclusions are as follows 1 the early precambrian supracrustal rocks belong to three sequences a 2 56 2 51 ga supracrustal unit the previous sanggan group a 2 51 2 45 ga supracrustal unit a portion of the previous upper wulashan group and a 2 0 1 95 ga supracrustal unit including the previous lower wulashan group a portion of original upper wulashan group and the original meidaizhao group the units thus do not represent a true stratigraphy 2 strong tectono thermal events occurred during the late neoarchaean to late palaeoproterozoic with four episodes recognized 2 6 2 5 2 45 2 37 2 3 2 0 and 1 95 1 85 ga with the latest event being consistent with the assembly of the palaeoproterozoic supercontinent columbia 3 during the late neoarchaean to late palaeoproterozoic 2 55 2 5 2 37 and 2 06 ga juvenile mantle derived material was added to the crust

textural characteristics and interpretation of second cycle debris flow dominated alluvial fans devonian of northern scotland abstract devonian conglomerates in northern scotland are interpreted as a product of recycling of pre existing variously reworked gravels and sands and deposition in a form of alluvial fans these second cycle fanglomerates fringe the western margin of the golspie basin marginal sector of the orcadian basin and are dominated by texturally heterogeneous structureless debris flow conglomerates of facies b and b1 the textural heterogeneity of facies b manifested through chaotically arranged bimodal and polymodal textures highly variable amounts of matrix and unremoulded sandy blocks indicates that the cohesive and highly competent debris flows originated through remobilisation of previously reworked sand enriched gravels the debris flows of facies b1 formed as result of resedimentation and remoulding of two texturally and compositionally distinct groups of sediment angular poorly sorted locally derived gravels and fine grained well sorted exotic sands the debris flow deposits are accompanied by texturally homogeneous massive to planar stratified and cross stratified conglomerates and sandstones of facies c and c1 the latter deposits represent turbulent sheetfloods that were less competent than the debris flows and that acquired their sediment load through surficial reworking of the alluvial fan gravels texturally homogeneous and structureless talus deposits of facies a and massive to planar stratified sheetflood conglomerates of facies c2 are locally derived and show first cycle characteristics

an extended episode of early mesoproterozoic metamorphic fluid flow in the reynolds range central australia the products of metamorphic fluid flow are preserved in zones within the marbles and metamorphosed semipelites of the upper calcsilicate unit in the granulite portion of the late palaeoproterozoic reynolds range group northern arunta block central australia the zones of retrogression characterized by minerals such as wollastonite grossular and clinohumite local resetting of oxygen isotopic compositions and local major element metasomatism were channelways for water rich fluids derived from granulite facies metapelites u th pb isotopic ages measured by the shrimp ion microprobe on zircon and monazite from a granulite facies semipelite an early semiconcordant aluminous quartz rich fluid flow segregation and a late discordant quartz rich segregation record some of the extended thermal history of the area zircon cores from the semipelite show its likely protolith to be an igneous rock 1812 11 ma old itself derived from a source containing zircon as old as 2 2 ga low th u overgrowths on the zircon grew during granulite facies metamorphism at 1594 6 ma monazite cooled to its blocking temperature at 1576 8 ma zircon cores from the semiconcordant segregation are dominantly 2 3 ga old indicating that the source of the fluids was not the particular metamorphosed semipelite studied two generations of low th u overgrowths on the zircon give indistinguishable ages for the older and younger of 1589 8 and 1582 8 ma respectively the monazite age is the same 1576 12 ma zircon from the late discordant segregation gave 1568 4 ma fluid flow occurred for at least 18 3 ma and ended 26 3 ma after the peak of metamorphism suggesting a very slow cooling rate of 3 c ma 1 the last regional high grade metamorphism in the reynolds range occurred at 1 6 ga not 1 78 ga as previously thought the high grade event at 1 78 ga is a separate event that affected only the basement to the reynolds range group

lithotectonic elements and geological events in the hengshan wutai fuping belt a synthesis and implications for the evolution of the trans north china orogen the hengshan wutai fuping belt is located in the middle segment of the trans north china orogen a palaeoproterozoic continental collisional belt along which the eastern and western blocks amalgamated to form the north china craton the belt consists of the medium to high grade hengshan and fuping gneiss complexes and the intervening low to medium grade wutai granite greenstone terrane and most igneous rocks in the belt are calc alkaline and have affinities to magmatic arcs previous tectonic models assumed that the hengshan and fuping gneiss assemblages were an older basement to the wutai supracrustal rocks but recent studies indicate that the three complexes constitute a single long lived neoarchaean to palaeoproterozoic magmatic arc where the wutai complex represents an upper crustal domain whereas the hengshan and fuping gneisses represent the lower crustal components forming the root of the arc the earliest arc related magmatism in the belt occurred at 2560 2520 ma marked by the emplacement of the wutai granitoids which was followed by arc volcanism at 2530 2515 ma forming the wutai greenstones extension driven by widespread arc volcanism led to the development of a back arc basin or a marginal sea which divided the belt into the hengshan wutai island arc japan type and the fuping relict arc at 2520 2480 ma subduction beneath the hengshan wutai island arc caused partial melting of the lower crust to form the hengshan tonalitic trondhjemitic granodioritic ttg suites whereas eastward directed subduction of the marginal sea led to the reactivation of the fuping relict arc where the fuping tonalitic trondhjemitic granodioritic suite was emplaced in the period 2360 2000 ma sporadic phases of isolated granitoid magmatism occurred in the hengshan wutai fuping region forming 2360 ma c 2250 ma and 2000 2100 ma granitoids in the hengshan complex the c 2100 ma wangjiahui and dawaliang granites in the wutai complex and the 2100 2000 ma nanying granitoids in the fuping complex atc 1920 ma the hengshan wutai island arc underwent an extensional event possibly due to the subduction of an oceanic ridge leading to the emplacement of pre tectonic gabbroic dykes that were subsequently metamorphosed together with their host rocks to form medium to high pressure granulites at 1880 1820 ma the hengshan wutai fuping arc system was juxtaposed intensely deformed and metamorphosed during a major and regionally extensive orogenic event the l uliang orogeny which generated the trans north china orogen through collision of the eastern and western blocks the hengshan wutai fuping belt was finally stabilized after emplacement of a mafic dyke swarm at 1780 1750 ma

zircon ages and geochemistry of late neoarchean syenogranites in the north china craton a review abstract at the end of the neoarchean continental evolution voluminous syenogranites were emplaced in the north china craton together with other magmatic rocks trondhjemite tonalite granodiorite ttg monzogranite diorite gabbro syenogranites are widely distributed in anshan benxi qinhuangdao and western shandong and also occur in southern jilin northern liaoning northwestern hebei and central henan based on geological relationships degree of metamorphism deformation and magmatic zircon ages two phases of syenogranite magmatism are recognized rocks produced during the first phase show a gneissic texture and were formed between 2 53 and 2 52 ga and locally comprise abundant ttg rocks of the second phase cut late neoarchean ttg and supracrustal rocks display a massive structure and mainly formed between 2 52 and 2 50 ga all syenogranites share the same features in major element compositions being high in sio2 and low in cao total feo mgo tio2 and p2o5 however they are different in trace and ree compositions and can be subdivided into three types 1 type 1 shows a large variation in total ree contents low la yb n ratios strong negative eu eu anomalies and ba depletion 2 type 2 is similar to type 1 but has higher la yb n ratios 3 type 3 shows a large variation in total ree and la yb n ratios and significantly do not show strongly negative eu eu anomalies and ba depletion whole rock sm nd isotopic compositions show large variations in nd t values and tdm nd modal ages ranging from 9 49 to 4 72 and 3 70 to 3 25 ga type 1 0 55 1 03 and 2 77 2 71 ga type 2 and 2 35 to 1 23 and 2 93 2 66 ga type 3 respectively hf isotopic compositions of zircons from three samples have hf t values and tdm1 hf ages of 0 7 7 2 and 2 84 2 56 ga type 1 2 6 7 4 and 2 74 2 56 ga type 2 and 2 1 6 3 and 2 76 2 60 ga type 3 it is concluded that syenogranites were generated by melting of continental crust with different mean crustal residence ages and most of them were emplaced during the second phase 2 52 2 50 ga in an extensional tectonic regime the formation of these voluminous syenogranites marks a tectono magmatic event resulting in stabilization of the north china craton at the end of the neoarchean

precambrian geology of china preface abstract the north china south china and tarim cratons compose the tectonic framework of china in the last decade extensive structural metamorphic geochemical geochronological and geophysical investigations have been carried out on these cratonic blocks producing an abundant amount of new data and competing interpretations which have resulted in refinement of and in some cases significant reinterpretations of the precambrian crustal formation and evolution of china this forms a justification for organizing this special issue in which we invited representative experts working in the north china south china and tarim cratons to present overviews or detailed studies on the formation and tectonic evolution of major precambrian blocks in china twenty four contributions collected in this special issue provide current knowledge of the components and tectonic evolution of major precambrian blocks in china and discuss some key issues based on new data and interpretations which will provide important insights into understanding the precambrian geology of china

nd and sr isotopic compositions of lower crustal xenoliths from north queensland australia implications for nd model ages and crustal growth processes abstract sr and nd isotopic analyses of granulite facies lower crustal xenoliths from northern queensland australia fall on a mixing array on a 87 sr 86 sr vs 143 nd 144 nd diagram at 300 ma this was a time of intense orogeny in northern queensland attended by granitic magmatism in the upper crust and granulite facies metamorphism in the lower crust ion microprobe zircon dating indicates that most of the xenoliths formed at this time the sr and nd isotopic compositions of these rocks are therefore interpreted to have resulted from large scale mixing in the lower crust between mantle derived basaltic melts and isotopically evolved early proterozoic continental crust both end members are represented in the xenolith suite depleted mantle nd model age tdm ages for meta igneous granulite xenoliths having appropriate 147 sm 144 nd i e between 0 12 and 0 15 range from 1 9 to 2 2 ga for mafic melt like xenoliths and 1 2 to 1 4 ga for felsic melt like xenoliths however zircon ages on these same samples show that their protoliths crystallized during the permo triassic orogeny thus the old tdm ages for the mafic xenoliths do not accurately reflect their crustal residence ages possibly due to crustal assimilation or their derivation from an enriched mantle source this is a common feature of mafic granulite xenoliths the world over and highlights the difficulty in determining the age of mafic underplates hence the timing of crustal growth from tdm ages because the felsic melt like xenoliths lie on the mixing array their mid proteozoic tdm ages are likely to have resulted from mixing and therefore represent an average crustal residence age the combined data suggest that significant crustal growth and reworking occurs in the lower crust during phanerozoic crustal orogenies

the paleoproterozoic north hebei orogen north china craton s collisional suture with the columbia supercontinent abstract understanding the geologic history and position of the north china craton in the paleoproterozoic columbia supercontinent has proven elusive paleoproterozoic orogenic episodes 2 00 1 85 ga are temporally associated with ultimate stabilization of the north china craton ncc followed by the development of extensive craton wide rift systems at 1 85 1 80 ga the age difference between the sedimentary cover and the metamorphic basement is up to 500 700 ma suggesting that uplift and doming of cratonic basement occurred in the latest paleoproterozoic mafic dike swarms 1 80 1 77 ga and anorogenic magmatism 1 80 1 70 ga record the extensional breakup and dispersal of the north china craton during this stage the late paleoproterozoic tectonic framework and geological events documented provide important constraints for reconstruction of the ncc within the late paleoproterozoic supercontinent of columbia an east west striking thousand kilometer long belt of khondalites granulite facies metapelites stretches along the northern margin of the north china craton on the cratonward side of the northern hebei orogenic belt this granulite belt includes mg al sapphirine bearing granulites that reached ultrahigh temperature peak metamorphic conditions of 1000 c at 10 kbars at 1927 11 ma following peak ultrahigh temperature conditions the rocks underwent initial isobaric cooling and subsequent isothermal decompression and these trajectories are interpreted to be part of an overall anti clockwise p t evolution indicating that the northern margin of the craton experienced continental collision at 1 93 1 92 ga the position of the khondalite belt south of the northern hebei orogenic belt makes it analogous to tibet a continental collision related plateau characterized by double crustal thicknesses and granulite facies metamorphism at depth we suggest that the tectonic evolution of the ncc during this period was closely related to the assembly and break up of the columbia supercontinent and that the ncc was adjacent to the baltic and amazonian cratons in the period 2 00 1 70 ga craton wide extension occurred within 100 150 ma of collision along the northern margin of the craton at 1 93 1 92 ga it is concluded that mantle upwellings are chiefly responsible for the breakup of the ncc from the paleoproterozoic supercontinent

archean blocks and their boundaries in the north china craton lithological geochemical structural and p t path constraints and tectonic evolution an examination of lithological geochemical geochronological structural and metamorphic p t path data suggests that the basement of the north china craton can be divided into eastern and western blocks separated by major crustal boundaries that roughly correspond with the limits of a 300 km wide zone called the trans north china orogen the eastern block consists predominantly of late archean domiform tonalitic trondhjemitic granodioritic ttg batholiths surrounded by anastomosing networks and linear belts of open to tight synforms of minor volcanic and sedimentary rocks metamorphosed from greenschist to granulite facies at 2 5 ga with anticlockwise p t paths some early to middle archean rocks are locally present in the eastern block but their tectonic history is unclear due to reworking by the 2 5 ga tectonothermal event the western block has a late archean assemblage structural style and metamorphic history similar to that of the eastern block but it differs in the absence of early to middle archean assemblages and in being overlain by and interleaved with paleoproterozoic khondalites which were affected by a 1 8 ga metamorphic event involving clockwise p t paths a mantle plume model is proposed for the formation and evolution of late archean basement rocks in the eastern and western blocks based on a combination of extensive exposure of ttg gneisses affinities of mafic rocks to continental tholeiitic basalts presence of voluminous komatiitic rocks dominant diaprism related domiform structures anticlockwise p t paths and a short time span from the primary emplacement of ttg and ultramafic to mafic rocks until the onset of regional metamorphism between the two blocks is the trans north china orogen which is bounded by two major fault systems and is composed of late archean to paleoproterozoic ttg gneisses and granitoids interleaved with abundant sedimentary and volcanic rocks that are geochemically interpreted as having developed in magmatic arc and intra arc basin environments these rocks underwent multiple phases of compressional deformation and peak high pressure metamorphism followed by rapid exhumation during the late paleoproterozoic at 1 8 ga as a result of collision between the eastern and western blocks resulting in the amalgamation of the north china craton

2 7ga crust growth in the north china craton abstract numerous u pb zircon geochronological data show that rocks of the precambrian basement from the north china craton ncc have two age peaks at 1 8 1 9 and 2 5 ga respectively whether the most prominent peak at 2 5 ga really registered a period of major crustal growth in the ncc thus making it different from the global major crustal growth period of 2 7 ga is uncertain in this paper we carried out in situ u pb and hf isotopes of zircons and whole rock chemical and sr nd isotopic analyses for six precambrian samples from the ncc in order to understand crustal growth and reworking the samples have u pb zircon ages of 1 8 1 9 2 5 and 2 7 ga respectively the two samples with u pb zircon ages of 2 7 ga have zircon hf model ages t hf dm and or whole rock nd model ages t nd dm close to their u pb zircon ages it is clear that they represent juvenile crust generation thus providing direct evidence that 2 7 ga was a period of new crustal addition the samples with u pb zircon ages of 1 8 and 2 5 ga also have t hf dm and or t nd dm similar to those of the 2 7 ga samples indicating that these samples also have a mantle extraction time of 2 7 0 1 ga and their 1 8 and 2 5 ga ages may represent periods of reworking of the 2 7 0 1 ga crust rather than juvenile crust generation the reworking is manifested either as metamorphism or as lower crustal derived magmatism specifically the 2 5 ga tonalitic gneiss sample is thought to be derived by melting of the 2 7 ga lower crust since many 2 5 ga tonalite trondhjemite granodiorites ttgs and calc alkaline granitoids in the ncc contain 2 7 ga xenocrystic and inherited zircons we postulate that they are probably also derived mainly from the 2 7 0 1 ga crust our data imply that the quantity of 2 7 ga continental crust in the ncc is probably greater in extent than that exposed today

a new indicator of glacial dispersal lead isotopes abstract lead isotope ratios from glacigenic sediments have been successfully used as glacial indicators to define dispersal patterns in mineralized areas of the canadian shield and the appalachian orogen sediments adjacent to and down ice from volcanogenic massive sulphide vms deposits have pb isotope ratios that reflect an input of pb from the deposits these ratios are distinctly different from those of the surrounding country rocks vertical sections overlying one of the deposits show that the pb isotope signature is preserved in much of the succession although incursions of pb from other sources are also identified by pb isotope ratios that are much higher than those of the deposit sections away from known deposits have isotopic ratios characteristic of the country rocks pb from some vms deposits can form an ideal glacial indicator the reasons for this are i the deposits can be considered point sources ii the pb in old vms deposits is isotopically different from the country rocks iii the pb abundance in the deposits is significantly enriched relative to average crustal abundances iv the pb isotope ratios are independent of the pb concentration in samples containing low to moderate amounts of pb v isotope ratio measurements can be made on small quantities of material and vi the isotope ratios of till enriched in vms derived pb are not measurably affected by weathering

u pb and hf isotopic study of zircons of the helanshan complex constrains on the evolution of the khondalite belt in the western block of the north china craton abstract the helanshan complex is located at the westernmost segment of the khondalite belt a continent continent collisional belt along which the yinshan block in the north collided with the ordos block in the south to form the western block of the north china craton the complex consists of s type granites and high grade pelitic granulite gneiss felsic paragneiss quartzite calc silicate rock and marble together called the khondalite series rocks la q icp ms u pb geochronology and la mc icp ms lu hf isotopic data of zircons combined with cathodoluminescence cl imaging enable the resolution of magmatic and metamorphic events that can be directed towards understanding the formation and evolution of the khondalite belt in the western block of the north china craton cl images reveal the coexistence of magmatic type detrital zircons and metamorphic zircons in most of the khondalite series rocks of which the metamorphic zircons occur as either single grains or overgrowth rims surrounding and truncating magmatic type detrital zircon cores la q icp ms u pb analyses on magmatic type detrital zircons reveal two distinct age populations with one in the archaean 2 85 2 53 ga and the other in the palaeoproterozoic 2 2 2 0 ga suggesting that the sedimentary protoliths of the khondalite series rocks in the helanshan complex must have been deposited at some time after 2 0 ga the hf analyses show that the archaean detrital zircons possess negative ehf t values from 7 64 to 0 15 with depleted mantle model ages ranging from 3 34 to 3 10 ga this implies the existence of a paleo mesoarchaean 3 34 3 10 ga crust in the western block which underwent a recycling event in the period 2 85 2 53 ga nearly all palaeoproterozoic 2 2 2 0 ga detrital zircons possess positive ehf t values 0 86 9 38 with depleted mantle model ages of 2 45 2 15 ga suggesting a significant crustal growth event in the western block in the palaeoproterozoic metamorphic zircons yield two groups of age with one at 1 95 ga and the other at 1 87 ga of which the former is considered as the timing of the collision between the yinshan and ordos blocks to form the western block whereas the latter is consistent with the age of 1 86 ga from two s type granites which are considered to have formed by the partial melting of pelitic granulites gneisses at the stage of the exhumation of the helanshan complex

zircon geochronology and metamorphic evolution of mafic dykes in the hengshan complex of northern china evidence for late palaeoproterozoic extension and subsequent high pressure metamorphism in the north china craton abstract magmatic and metamorphic zircons have been dated from ductilely deformed gabbroic dykes defining a dyke swarm and signifying crustal extension in the northern part of the hengshan complex of the north china craton these dykes now occur as boudins and deformed sheets within migmatitic tonalitic trondhjemitic granodioritic and granitic gneisses and are conspicuous due to relics of high pressure granulite or even former eclogite facies garnet pyroxene bearing assemblages shrimp ages for magmatic zircons from two dykes reflect the time of dyke emplacement at 1915 ma whereas metamorphic zircons dated by both shrimp and evaporation techniques are consistently in the range 1848 1888 ma the youngest granitoid gneiss yet dated in the hengshan has an emplacement age of 1872 17 ma these results complement recent geochronological studies from the neighbouring wutai and fuping complexes to the se of the hengshan showing that a crustal extension event occurred in the late palaeoproterozoic this preceded a major high pressure collision type metamorphic event in the central part of the north china craton that occurred in the palaeoproterozoic and not in the late archaean as previously thought our data support recent suggestions that the north china craton experienced a major craton wide orogenic event in the late palaeoproterozoic after which it became cratonized and acted as a stable block

tectonic units of the early precambrian basement within the north china craton constraints from gravitational and magnetic anomalies abstract the tectonic divisions of the north china craton ncc basement has always been a hot and yet unresolved topic we collected the latest gravity and magnetic data and then used a two dimensional discrete wavelet transform method to decompose the bouguer gravity anomaly of the ncc into the 1st to 8th approximations and details respectively we then compared the dynamic tectonic division schemes with the gravity and magnetic division schemes for the precambrian basement at the end of the neoarchean and archean our results show that the 2nd order detail field of the bouguer gravity anomalies is well consistent with the paleoproterozoic tectonic divisions of the ncc by zhao et al 2005 for it clearly outlines the 3 unit layout of the eastern and western blocks and the central trans north china orogen with some anomalous zones identically trending with the dike swarms faults and volcanic rocks generally produce magnetic anomalies but the main anomalous zones in the magnetic field are merely distributed around the plate boundaries of the ncc it may indicate that the amalgamation of the ncc was mostly completed in the paleoproterozoic the 5th order detail field of bouguer gravity anomalies of the ncc corresponds well with its tectonic division at the end of the neoarchean for it well reflects the general boundaries and axial trends of the archean units these archean units are mainly separated into three paleoproterozoic tectonic units by paleoproterozoic tectonic boundaries respectively the magnetic anomalies within the western and eastern blocks have separately similarities with the trans north china orogen the 6th order detail fields however match well the boundaries of the 10 continental nucleii of the archean ncc but the anomalous distributions in the 6th order detail are also divided by the paleoproterozoic tectonic borders in view of the gravity and magnetic anomalies it further reveals that the ncc basement may have experienced a dynamic evolutionary process from continental nucleation to micro continental amalgamation and to a final unified crystalline basement

late pleistocene subaerial debris flow facies of the bow valley near banff canadian rocky mountains a thick late pleistocene sequence comprising multiple beds of massive diamict facies resting on outwash gravels occurs along the bow river near banff alberta diamicts have a simple sheet like geometry which dip downvalley at between 5 and 10 with largely conformable bedding contacts the sediments are strongly bimodal in texture consisting of clasts supported by a silty sand matrix prolate clasts show a weak a axis alignment parallel and transverse to the trend of the bow valley with a weak imbrication clasts of soft sediment are common the diamict sequence has a maximum thickness of 30 m infills the valley floor over an area of approximately 12 km2 and buries a channelled topography cut on the surface of underlying outwash gravels abandoned braided channels veneered by windblown sand containing volcanic tephra dated at 6600 yr bp occur on the infill surface diamict facies were emplaced as subaerial debris flows derived by the mixing and remobilization of large volumes of outwash and glaciolacustrine sediment orientation data from clasts and a few basal grooves indicate that debris was derived upvalley and from adjacent valleyside slopes a major episode of debris flow sedimentation may have been triggered by the abrupt drainage of lakes in tributary valleys as the bow valley glacier retreated downslope resedimentation of large volumes of sediment resulted in braided river aggradation downstream along the bow river and can be dated to between 12 000 and 10 000 yr bp similar conditions probably occurred during deglaciation throughout the canadian cordillera and many other alpine areas where poorly sorted late glacial debris flow facies have been mistaken for tills deposited directly by glaciers the late glacial setting identified in this paper provides a basis of comparison with ancient continental glacial facies preserved in areas of active tectonism and high relief

geophysical and geological tests of tectonic models of the north china craton abstract the geometry and timing of amalgamation of the north china craton have been controversial with three main models offering significantly different interpretations of regional structure geochronology and geological relationships one model suggests that the eastern and western blocks of the ncc formed separately in the archean and an active margin was developed on the eastern block between 2 5 and 1 85 ga when the two blocks collided above an east dipping subduction zone a second presumes the eastern block rifted from an unknown larger continent at circa 2 7 ga and experienced a collision with an arc perhaps attached to the western block above a west dipping subduction zone at 2 5 ga and the 1 85 ga metamorphism is related to a collision along the northern margin of the craton when the ncc joined the columbia supercontinent a third model suggests two collisions in the central orogenic belt at 2 1 and 1 88 ga but recognizes an early undated deformation event recent seismic results reveal details of the deep crustal and lithospheric structure that support both the second and third models showing that subduction beneath the central orogenic belt was west directed and that there is a second west dipping paleosubduction zone located to the east of the cob dipping beneath the western block ordos craton the boundaries identified through geophysics do not correlate with the boundaries of the trans north china orogen suggested in the first model and the subduction polarity is opposite that predicted by that model high pressure granulite facies metamorphism at 1 85 ga is not restricted to the tnco as suggested by the first model but is documented across the ncc as predicted by the second model suggesting a major continent continent collision along the north margin of the craton at 1 85 ga further it has recently been shown that in the southern tnco there is no record of metamorphism at circa 1 85 ga but only at 2 7 2 5 ga showing that the tnco as defined as a circa 1 85 ga orogen does not exist this is further confirmed by recent re os isotopic studies which show that the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the southern cob is late archean in age and that a province in the northern ncc is circa 1 8 ga correlating with the proposed collision belt of the ncc with the columbia supercontinent across the entire ncc the cob is an archean convergent belt re worked in the paleoproterozoic and the paleoproterozoic tectonism is widespread across the ncc as predicted by the model whereby the previously amalgamated eastern and western blocks experienced a continental collision with columbia at circa 1 85 ga but uplift exhumation rates are slow necessitating a re evaluation of the tectonic models of the ncc

did the character of subduction change at the end of the archean constraints from convergent margin granitoids large ion lithophile and high field strength element distributions in juvenile upper continental crust are controlled chiefly by the abundance of tonalite trondhjemite granodiorite ttg in the archean shifting to a combination of ttg calc alkaline granitoid and graywacke control thereafter geochemical differences between ttg and high silica adakites do not require production of most ttg magmas in descending slabs changes in the ratio of ttg to calc alkaline granitoids after 2 5 ga indicate that archean subduction zones must have differed from younger subduction zones in two very important ways 1 a deep mafic crust served as a ttg magma source either as thickened crust or in descending slabs and 2 they did not give rise to significant volumes of calc alkaline magma thickened mafic crust in the late archean may have resulted from plate jams in subduction zones caused by thicker oceanic crust and oceanic plateaus produced during late archean mantle thermal events

mantle derived archaean monozodiorites and trachyandesites the 2 680 2 750 myr old1 5 intrusive granite greenstone terranes6 8 in the rainy lake region ontario and in and adjacent to the vermilion district minnesota of the superior province in north america include a wide variety of volcanic and intrusive rocks with initial pb sr and nd isotope ratios close to those for the mantle4 5 9 12 the isotopic constraints require the production of large volumes of silica oversaturated magmas from silica undersaturated mantle within 100 200 myr we present here geochemical data on monzodiorites and trachyandesites from the rainy lake area which are strongly enriched in large ion lithophile elements lile we conclude that they are derived by direct melting of the mantle at depths of 50km in either anhydrous or hydrous conditions their rare earth element ree abundances and initial 143nd 144nd ratios suggest that their mantle sources were enriched in lile shortly before melting the monzodiorites trachyandesites and their granodioritic derivatives may comprise up to 20 of the exposed igneous rocks in the rainy lake region and vermilion district if these rocks are as abundant in other archaean terranes a significant part of the early continental crust could have formed by direct melting of lile enriched mantle

2 7ga juvenile crust formation in the north china craton taishan xintai area western shandong province further evidence of an understated event from u pb dating and hf isotopic composition of zircon abstract the evolution of the north china craton ncc is well known for a marked 2 55 2 50 ga tectonothermal event however supracrustal and intrusive rocks of 2 75 2 70 ga are in fact widely distributed in the western shandong province the most important area of archaean basement in the eastern part of the ncc this paper reports shrimp u pb dating and la icpms hf isotopic composition of zircons from 2 75 2 70 ga supracrustal and trondhjemite tonalite granodiorite ttg rocks in that area three fine grained hornblende biotite gneiss samples known locally as leptynite with meta volcanic or volcanosedimentary rock protoliths and five ttg samples have shrimp zircon u pb ages varying from 2 75 to 2 70 ga and 2 74 to 2 71 ga respectively zircons from most of the samples have high positive hf t values 4 7 to 10 0 and t dm hf ages 2 85 2 60 ga similar to their zircon u pb ages this indicates that the rocks represent largely juvenile crustal additions derived from depleted mantle only a short time before however some granitoids show hf t zircon values of 13 6 to 5 1 and t dm hf of 3 51 2 80 ga therefore the strong 2 75 2 70 ga tectonothermal event in the western shandong province involved not only juvenile addition to the continental crust but also intracrustal recycling of older components combined with craton wide data it is shown that the ncc is similar to many other cratons around the world where tectonothermal events of 2 7 ga are well developed however the main difference is that in the ncc superimposed 2 5 ga tectonothermal events were much stronger than in most other cratons

petrogenesis and geodynamics of late archean magmatism in eastern hebei eastern north china craton geochronological geochemical and nd hf isotopic evidence abstract the eastern part of the north china craton contains large volumes of late archean hornblenditic tonalitic dioritic granodioritic and granitic rocks la icpms zircon u pb dating of three plutons from eastern hebei eastern north china craton record emplacement ages of 2526 2515 ma and metamorphic ages of 2500 2490 ma for the diorite granodiorite and monzogranite and 2440 ma for the k feldspar granite hornblendites have high mgo 8 6 10 6 wt cr 674 1126 ppm ni 125 159 ppm and v 224 315 ppm at low basic silica contents sio2 45 7 49 0 wt they are enriched in light rare earth elements lrees and large ion lithophile elements liles and depleted in high field strength elements hfses with positive nd t values 1 2 to 2 0 indicating they were derived from an enriched mantle source the monzogranites have high sr and ba contents and sr y and la yb ratios low y and hrees abundances and positive nd t and zircon hf t values with nd and hf model ages less than 3 0 ga reflecting that they were derived from partial melting of a juvenile lower crust at high pressure however the k feldspar granites with low sr and ba concentrations and high hree and y contents are considered to have originated from partial melting of juvenile crustal materials at shallow crustal levels the diorites and granodiorites have variable major and trace element concentrations magmatic zircons from these rocks have heterogeneous hf t values but record uniform homogeneous u pb ages indicating they resulted from mixing of mafic and felsic magmas coupled with fractional crystallization because of the widespread distribution of late archean magmatism and evidence for magma mixing possibly related to mafic magma underplating it appears likely that this event in the eastern north china craton may relfect mantle plume activity that resulted in significant growth of continental crust during the late archean

contrasting styles of glacial dispersal in newfoundland and labrador methods and case studies a review of practical approaches to drift exploration is presented it is intended for use by exploration geologists working in drift covered areas there are contrasts in style of glacial dispersal between labrador dominated by the affects of the laurentide ice sheet and newfoundland affected by small coalescing ice caps at the glacial maximum and smaller topographically controlled ice centres during deglaciation the result has been to produce longer ribbon shaped dispersal trains in labrador except in the labrador trough near the centre of the labrador sector of the laurentide ice sheet in newfoundland the glacial dispersal patterns are more diffuse

glacial lake development and marine inundation deer lake area newfoundland canada topographically controlled deglaciation of an interior basin a large interior basin in west central newfoundland covering the area of modern deer lake grand lake sandy lake and birchy lake is connected to the sea by a narrow breach of a coastal mountain range during retreat of late wisconsinan glaciers this basin was occupied by a short lived glacial lake impounded by remnant ice in coastal fjords and drained by a spillway at the western end of the lake evidence for this lake is fragmentary and consists of strandline features that fall on a plane of elevation consistent with the post glacial isostatic tilt following collapse of the ice dams and subsequent lake drainage at some time prior to 12 220 yr bp the deer lake basin was inundated by the sea to an elevation of about 45 m a s l deltas were formed at the basin edges and thick successions of fine grained rhythmites blanketed the basin floor isostatic rebound resulted in falling relative sea levels and following a stillstand marked by a period of deltaic deposition at 33 m a s l isolation of the deer lake basin from marine influence in the early holocene this style of deglaciation differs from previously accepted models for this part of eastern canada which showed progressive retreat from the coast to remnant centres on topographic highs in the model proposed here a large low elevation basin was deglaciated early at a similar time to ice retreat to coastal positions from offshore this pattern of deglaciation may be found in other areas with similar topographic settings

ca 2 5 billion year old coeval ultramafic mafic and syenitic dykes in eastern hebei implications for cratonization of the north china craton abstract a group of extremely rare coeval ultramafic mafic and syenitic dykes was discovered in the eastern hebei region of the north china craton these dykes intrude the 3 8 2 55 ga old caozhuang complex an olivine gabbro dyke and syenite dyke yield respectively shrimp zircon u pb ages of 2516 26 ma and 2504 11 ma interpreted as the magmatic crystallization age their zircons have single stage hf model ages 2677 ma and 2705 ma the olivine gabbros have mg values of 59 63 similar to high magnesian tholeiitic basalt they show relatively lree enriched patterns without eu anomalies la yb n 9 28 9 78 gd yb n 2 8 eu 0 96 1 00 with enrichment in liles and depletion in hfses they also contain high cr and ni and have zr hf and nb ta ratios similar to those of the primitive mantle the syenites are alkaline in composition with 8 67 8 88 wt na 2 o k 2 o and show high total ree contents 543 854 ppm and strong lree enriched patterns with minor eu negative anomalies la yb n 50 101 gd yb n 5 2 5 3 eu 0 80 0 82 trace element diagrams show strong lile enrichment relative to hfse zr hf and nb ta ratios are 47 49 and 26 76 respectively which are much higher than those of primitive mantle and higher than the average nb ta ratio of post archean continental crust the petrological and geochemical features indicate that these dykes were derived from a deep subcontinental lithospheric mantle source which implies that the ncc probably had continental crust of considerable thickness at this time combined with evidence for 2 5 ga granite intrusion and metamorphism in the eastern hebei region and adjacent areas we propose that the ncc has been a present scale craton at the end of archean

geological factors affecting the distribution of trace metals in glacial sediments of central newfoundland in central newfoundland nts 12a 10 15 16 2h 1 as pb and zn concentrations in the clay sized 1000 ppm exceeding levels commonly set for purposes of environmental protection near pb zn mines at buchans geochemical variation with depth reflects the dispersal of detritus from mineralized bedrock and differences in sediment type and provenance there surface sediments are rich in granitic debris derived from the topsails igneous terrane 5 km north of buchans and contain low concentrations of trace metals these sediments are compositionally unrelated to either buchans group volcanic rock or an underlying older till enriched in sulphide minerals and trace metals metal rich till extending up to 10 km southwest of buchans results from combined glacial and debris flow transport related to two distinct geological events trace metals are enriched two to fourfold in the clay sized fraction of till compared to the silt and clay sized and are associated with al and mg bearing minerals that preferentially concentrate in the clay fraction the geochemistry of the silt and clay sized fraction can approximate that of the 2 mm fraction background variations in till illustrate the important role of a geological framework to the interpretation of geochemical surveys and the origins of trace metals in the environment

petrogenesis of mantle derived lile enriched archean monzodiorites and trachyandesites sanukitoids in southwestern superior province reply in southwestern superior province diorite monzodiorite and trachyandesite sanukitoids occurring within syn to post tectonic intrusive complexes and within greenstone belts have the following chemical characteristics 55 60 wt sio2 mgo 6 wt mg 0 60 ni and cr both 100 ppm na2o k2o 6 wt sr and ba both 600 1800 ppm and rare earth element ree patterns that are strongly light rare earth element lree enriched cen 80 250 ybn 4 10 and show no eu anomalies sanukitoids and their granodioritic derivatives constitute at least 5 of the exposed crust in the study area the sanukitoids cannot be derived by melting fractionation or crustal contamination of basalts or lamprophyres that are coeval with the sanukitoids crustal contamination of komatiites fails to explain the high large ion lithophile element lile contents of the sanukitoids rather we suggest that the sanukitoids were derived by hydrous melting of lile enriched mantle peridotite at pressures between 10 and

deformation till in the great lakes region implications for rapid flow along the south central margin of the laurentide ice sheet structural and lithologic data indicate that while deposited under actively moving ice considerable portions of three muddy calcareous subglacial tills in the great lakes region probably experienced some component of ductile deformation viscous till flow and ductile shear are invoked to explain a combination of features such as recumbent isoclinal folds unlithified sediment clasts mixed ostracode shells reversed stone lee ends girdle and transverse fabrics irregular stone pavements fine striae following stone curves and inconsistent stone striae and a axes deforming fine textured subglacial till is considered as a subhorizontal shear zone rheologically layered with associated structures in descending order ductile e g isoclinal folds brittle ductile e g fissility and brittle e g till wedges rheology would be controlled mainly by till pore water content matrix texture and stone content spatial and temporal superposition of rheologies and subglacial processes probably occur