Geological understanding of plate tectonics: Basic concepts, illustrations, examples and new perspectives

In this paper, I have reviewed some basic concepts of the plate tectonics theory in a plain geological language with the aim of encouraging geologists to correctly understand this theory in its applications to geological problems. I emphasized the decisive role of subduction as the ultimate (dominant) driving force of all the plate tectonics phenomena. Hence, my discussion has focused on major issues such as the origin of subduction zones, slab rollback, trench retreat, trench suction and driving mechanism of plate motion (both oceanic and continental) by means of illustration with hypothetical and real examples. As much of the discussion is heavily based on my personal (original) perspectives, some of the concepts, interpretations and hypotheses may not be familiar to many and may not be readily found in the existing literature. Mantle plume hypothesis is not the focus of this paper and is thus only mentioned in passing

Eastern China continental lithosphere thinning is a consequence of paleo-Pacific subduction: A review and new perspectives

Understanding the processes that lead to the lithosphere thinning is a key aspect of continental geology research. In this paper, we present essential observations and summarize our understandings on the lithosphere thinning and accompanying magmatism in eastern continental China since the Mesozoic as a straightforward consequence of plate tectonics. We show that the lithosphere thinning in the Mesozoic resulted from basal hydration weakening with the water coming from dehydration of the paleo-Pacific plate in the mantle transition zone. The weakening effect is to convert the basal lithosphere into asthenosphere by reducing its viscosity, having thus thinned the lithosphere while triggering mantle melting and crustal magmatism marked by the widespread Mesozoic basalts and granitoids in space and time. These observations and logical reasoning require the existence and effect of subducted paleo-Pacific plate in the mantle transition zone, whose active subduction ended at ~ 90 Ma with the suture located off the continental China marked by the arc-shaped southeast coastline. As a result, the thinned lithosphere began a 40-Myr period (i.e., ~ 90 to ~ 50 Ma) of basal accretion manifested by compositional systematics of basalts erupted in this period. The initiation of the present-day western Pacific subduction at ~ 50 Ma and its eastward retreat caused eastward drift of continental China, leaving the older portions of the present-day Pacific slab stagnant in the mantle transition zone with resumed water supply in the form of hydrous melt to maintain the thinned lithosphere, which is the same as creating and maintaining the oceanic-type seismic low velocity zone (LVZ) beneath eastern China, responsible for the Cenozoic alkali basalt volcanism in the region. That is, the present-day lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath eastern China is a petrological boundary, either as an amphibole dehydration solidus or water-saturated solidus. As predicted, the Cenozoic alkali basalts in eastern China demonstrate that lithosphere thickness (i.e., the LAB depth) controls the compositions of mantle melts, i.e., the lid effect. The latter further confirms the LAB beneath eastern China as a solidus, below which decompression melting happens, and above which melt solidifies or ascends rapidly to the surface. Our studies thus lead us to the unavoidable conclusion that the lithosphere thinning in the Mesozoic, the present-day LAB, the seismic LVZ and the widespread Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatism in eastern China are all consequences of plate tectonics in response to paleo-Pacific plate subduction, which is of global significance for understanding intra-continental magmatism at present and in Earth’s histories

Hf isotope systematics of seamounts near the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and geodynamic implications

We report new Hf isotopic data for basaltic glasses from seamounts flanking the East Pacific Rise (EPR) between 5° and 15°N that have been previously analyzed for Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes as well as major and trace elements. The Hf isotopic data offer new perspectives on the petrogenesis of these samples in a broader context on mantle dynamics. The Hf isotope compositions show significant correlations with Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes and with both abundances and ratios of incompatible elements. The seamount lavas are thus best interpreted as products of melting-induced mixing in a two-component mantle. The range in composition of EPR seamount lavas cannot be generated by simple mixing of melt and melting of variably heterogeneous mantle in which enriched and depleted materials contribute equally to melting (source mixing). Instead, the trace element and isotope compositions of seamount lavas can be reproduced by melting models in which more enriched, fertile mantle component are preferentially melted during mantle upwelling. At progressively lower degrees of melting, erupted lavas are thus more enriched in incompatible trace elements, have higher 87Sr/86Sr, 208Pb/204Pb ratios and lower 143Nd/144Nd, 176Hf/177Hf ratios. The “EM1” and “pyroxenite” endmember might be the suitable enriched component. The Hf–Nd isotopic variations on global scale might result from the variations in amounts of residual continental lithospheric mantle that detached into upper mantle during continental rifting. The significant correlations of Rb/Sr vs 87Sr/86Sr, Sm/Nd vs 143Nd/144Nd and Lu/Hf vs 176Hf/177Hf give pseudochron ages of 182 ± 33 Ma, 276 ± 50 Ma and 387 ± 93 Ma, respectively. These different “ages” have no significance, but result from melting-induced mixing with the pseudochron slopes controlled by the compositions of enriched component and depleted end-membe

Timing of closure of the Mesozoic-Tethys Ocean: Constraints from remnants of a 141-135 ocean island within the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, Tibetan Plateau

Knowledge of the timing of the closure of the Meso-Tethys Ocean as represented by the Bangong–Nujiang Suture Zone, i.e., the timing of the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision, is critical for understanding the Mesozoic tectonics of the Tibetan Plateau. But this timing is hotly debated; existing suggestions vary from the Middle Jurassic (ca. 166 Ma) to Late Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma). In this study, we describe the petrology of the Zhonggang igneous–sedimentary rocks in the middle segment of the Bangong–Nujiang Suture Zone and present results of zircon U–Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr–Nd isotope analysis of the Zhonggang igneous rocks. The Zhonggang igneous–sedimentary rocks have a thick basaltic basement (>2 km thick) covered by limestone with interbedded basalt and tuff, trachyandesite, chert, and poorly sorted conglomerate comprising limestone and basalt debris. There is an absence of terrigenous detritus (e.g., quartz) within the sedimentary and pyroclastic rocks. These observations, together with the typical exotic blocks-in-matrix structure between the Zhonggang igneous–sedimentary rocks and the surrounding flysch deposits, lead to the conclusion that the Zhonggang igneous–sedimentary rocks are remnants of an ocean island within the Meso-Tethys Ocean. This conclusion is consistent with the ocean island basalt-type geochemistry of the Zhonggang basalts and trachyandesites, which are enriched in light rare earth elements (LaN/YbN = 4.72–18.1 and 5.61–13.7, respectively) and have positive Nb–Ta anomalies (NbPM/ThPM > 1, TaPM/UPM > 1), low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.703992–0.705428), and positive mantle εNd(t) values (3.88–5.99). Zircon U–Pb dates indicate that the Zhonggang ocean island formed at 141–135 Ma; therefore, closure of the Meso-Tethys Ocean and collision of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes must have happened after ca. 135 Ma

Identifying crystal accumulation in granitoids through amphibole composition and in situ zircon O isotopes in North Qilian Orogen

Granitoids are the main constituents of the continental crust, and an understanding of their petrogenesis is key to the origin and evolution of continents. Whether crystal fractionation is the dominant way to generate evolved magmas has long been debated, mostly because such processes would produce large volumes of complementary cumulates, which remains elusive. Mafic magmatic enclaves (MMEs) are ubiquitous in granitoids and their presence was initially recognized as cumulates. However, because many MMEs lack obvious evidence of accumulation, such as the classic cumulate textures and modal layering, the cumulate origin of MMEs has been abandoned and the model of magma mixing between mafic and felsic magmas has become popular. In this study, we conduct a combined study of amphibole composition and in situ O isotopes in zircons on three suites of orogenic granitoids with MMEs from the North Qilian Orogenic Belt (NQOB). We find that the MMEs and their host granodiorites show overlapping zircon δ18O values, affirming that they share the same parental magmas. The amphibole compositions indicate that amphiboles from the MMEs are not in equilibrium with a melt whose composition was that of the bulk-rock. These new data, together with the published bulk-rock data, suggest that the MMEs in our study have clear cumulate signatures and are thus of cumulate origin. Our study provides evidence for crystal accumulation in granitoids in the NQOB. This new understanding calls for re-examination on the petrogenesis of some intermediate magmatic rocks (granitoid/andesite) in discussing models of continental crustal growth

Reworked Precambrian metamorphic basement of the Lhasa terrane, southern Tibet: Zircons/Titanite U-Pb geochronology, Hf isotope geochemistry

Due to the paucity of exposure, the formation and evolution of the Precambrian basement of the Lhasa terrane remain poorly known. Here we report zircon and titanite in situ U–Pb ages, bulk-rock geochemical and zircon Hf isotopic data on the orthogneisses from the Dongjiu area of the southern Lhasa subterrane (SLT), southern Tibet. Geochemical data suggest that the protoliths of the biotite-amphibole gneiss and biotite gneiss are granodiorite and granite, respectively. Inherited magmatic zircon cores from these orthogneisses give protolith crystalline ages of 1520–1506 Ma, whereas the overgrown zircon rims give metamorphic ages of 605–590 Ma. The Mesoproterozoic granitic rocks have bulk-rock εNd(t) values of −3.6 to +0.1 and zircon core εHf(t) values of −4.5 to +2.6, which give similar TDM2 ages of 2.35–2.05 Ga and 2.54–2.10 Ga respectively, suggesting their derivation from partial melting of Paleoproterozoic crustal material. The granitic rocks are also local provenance for the Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons in the Paleozoic strata in the Lhasa terrane. Titanite in situ U–Pb ages further indicate that the Dongjiu orthogneiss experienced more recent metamorphism at ~26 Ma. The mineral assemblage and thermobarometry calculations indicate that the Oligocene metamorphism occurred under medium-pressure (MP) amphibolite-facies conditions (5.4–7.2 kbar, 691–765 °C). We propose that the Dongjiu gneisses represent the Precambrian metamorphic basement of the Lhasa terrane, but have been intensively reworked by metamorphism in the SLT in response to the continued India-Asia convergence since the collision

Fractional crystallization causes the iron isotope contrast between mid-ocean ridge basalts and abyssal peridotites

The iron isotope contrast between mid-ocean ridge basalts and abyssal peridotites is far greater than can be explained by mantle melting alone. Here we investigate a suite of mid-ocean ridge magma chamber rocks sampled by the Ocean Drilling Project Hole 735B in the Atlantis Bank of the Indian Ocean. We report major and trace element geochemistry from these rocks and measure their iron isotope compositions to investigate the potential role of fractional crystallization during melt evolution. We observe a large range of δ56Fe that defines a significant inverse curvilinear correlation with bulk rock MgO/FeOT. These data confirm that δ56Fe in the melt increases as fractional crystallization proceeds but, contrary to expectation, δ56Fe continues to increase even when oxides begin to crystallize. We conclude that iron isotope fractionation through fractional crystallization during the evolution of mid-ocean ridge basalts from abyssal peridotites reconciles the disparity in isotopic compositions between these two lithologies

Sublithosphere mantle crystallization and immiscible sulphide melt segregation in continental basal magmatism: evidence from clinopyroxene megacrysts in the Cenozoic basalts of eastern China

This study explores the effects of high-pressure crystallization and immiscible sulphide melt segregation under mantle conditions on the compositional variation of basaltic magmas, using clinopyroxene megacrysts in the Cenozoic basalts of eastern China. These clinopyroxene megacrysts are large (up to > 10 cm in size) and homogeneous at the grain scale. They were crystallized from variably evolved parental magmas and then captured by their host basalts. The large and systematic variations of [Sm/Yb]N, Lu/Hf, Fe/Mn, Sc/La, Ni and Cu with Mg# in the clinopyroxene megacrysts suggest their co-precipitation with garnet and with immiscibility between sulphide and silicate melts. This is consistent with the appearance of garnet megacrysts in the host basalts and abundant sulphide globules in the clinopyroxene megacrysts. The covariation between Ni contents of sulphide globules and Mg# of the clinopyroxene megacrysts suggests a genetic relationship between sulphide globules and clinopyroxene megacrysts. High-pressure crystallization of clinopyroxene and garnet results in decrease of Mg# and concentrations of CaO, MnO and heavy rare earth elements (e.g., Yb) and increase of Fe/Mn and [Sm/Yb]N in the residual melts. Therefore, geochemical characteristics of low Mg#, low CaO and MnO contents and high Fe/Mn and [Sm/Yb]N in basalts do not necessarily indicate a pyroxenite mantle source. In addition, caution is needed when applying the olivine addition method to infer the primary compositions of alkali basalts without considering the effects of highpressure crystallization of clinopyroxene and garnet. The calculated P-T conditions of the clinopyroxene megacrysts are close to those of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath eastern China, and the low primitive [Sm/Yb]N (~ 4.0) of melts parental to the clinopyroxene megacrysts suggests final equilibration at relatively low pressures most likely beneath the LAB. Hence, a melt-rich layer is expected close beneath the LAB. Melt pools in this melt-rich layer provide a stable and closed environment for the growth of compositionally homogeneous clinopyroxene megacrysts. As a result, melts in these melt pools are compositionally evolved with low and variable Mg#. Subsequent pulses of melt aggregation/supply from depths with primitive compositions and high Mg# will disturb these melt pools, cause magma mixing and trigger the eruption of magmas carrying clinopyroxene and garnet megacrysts

Petrogenesis of the early Cretaceous intra-plate basalts from the western North China Craton: Implications for the origin of the metasomatized cratonic lithospheric mantle

We present new bulk-rock 40Ar/39Ar age, major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data on the early Cretaceous intra-plate alkali basalts from the Western North China Craton (WNCC) to study the origin of the metasomatized cratonic lithosphere mantle. The age of these basalts is ~116 Ma. These basalts have elevated incompatible element abundance with high [La/Sm]N (2.80–4.56) and enriched Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7062–0.7075, εNd(t) = −6.0 to −13.0 and εHf(t) = −8.3 to −17.4), being similar to the contemporary analogues from the Western North China Craton and Paleozoic kimberlites and mantle xenoliths. The WNCC basalts also show good correlations between ɛNd(t) and ɛHf(t), and high [La/Sm]N. All these geochemical observations are consistent with the interpretation that these basalts originated from partial melting of the lithospheric mantle that experienced melt metasomatism. Two types metasomatism melts are required to explain the geochemical characteristics of these rocks. The obvious negative Nbsingle bondTa (compared with K)-Ti and positive Basingle bondPb anomalies observed in these basalts further constrain that one of the metasomatic melts was derived from the subducted terrigenous sediment. Furthermore, the overall higher P/Nd, Nb/La and Nb/Th and lower Lu/Hf of basalts in the WNCC suggest that there is also contribution of low-F melts from asthenosphere mantle. Collectively, we suggest that the formation of the metasomatized lithosphere mantle beneath the WNCC is the process of metasomatic reaction between mantle peridotite and the melts of different origin to generate metasomatic veins containing amphibole/phlogopite. Partial melting of the metasomatic lithospheric mantle at 106–120 Ma in the WNCC was considered to be induced by thermal perturbation that was ultimately related to the breakoff of the subducted oceanic slab following the closure of the Mongolia-Okhotsk ocean

Testing the mantle plume hypothesis: An IODP effort to drill into the Kamchatka-Okhotsk Sea system

The great mantle plume debate (GPD) has been going on for ∼15 years (Foulger and Natland, 2003; Anderson, 2004; Niu, 2005; Davies, 2005; Foulger, 2005; Campbell, 2005; Campbell and Davies, 2006), centered on whether mantle plumes exist as a result of Earth’s cooling or whether their existence is purely required for convenience in explaining certain Earth phenomena (Niu, 2005). Despite the mounting evidence that many of the so-called plumes may be localized melting anomalies, the debate is likely to continue. We recognize that the slow progress of the debate results from communication difficulties. Many debaters may not truly appreciate (1) what the mantle plume hypothesis actually is, and (2) none of the petrological, geochemical and geophysical methods widely used can actually provide smoking-gun evidence for or against mantle plume hypothesis. In this short paper, we clarify these issues, and elaborate a geologically effective approach to test the hypothesis. According to the mantle plume hypothesis, a thermal mantle plume must originate from the thermal boundary layer at the core-mantle boundary (CMB), and a large mantle plume head is required to carry the material from the deep mantle to the surface. The plume head product in ocean basins is the oceanic plateau, which is a lithospheric terrane that is large (1000’s km across), thick (>200 km), shallow (2–4 km high above the surrounding seafloors), buoyant (∼1% less dense than the surrounding lithosphere), and thus must be preserved in the surface geology (Niu et al., 2003). The Hawaiian volcanism has been considered as the surface expression of a type mantle plume, but it does not seem to have a (known) plume head product. If this is true, the Hawaiian mantle plume in particular and the mantle plume hypothesis in general must be questioned. Therefore, whether there is an oceanic plateau-like product for the Hawaiian volcanism is key to testing the mantle plume hypothesis, and the Kamchatka-Okhotsk Sea basement is the best candidate to find out if it is indeed the Hawaiian mantle plume head product or not (Niu et al., 2003; Niu, 2004)