The debate regarding whether the Yarlung-Zangbo ophiolite(YZO)on the south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,formed in a mid-ocean ridge(MOR)or a supra-subduction zone(SSZ)setting has remained unresolved.Here we present petrological,mineralogical,and geochemical data associated with modeling melting geodynamics of the mantle peridotites from the Purang ophiolite in the western segment of the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone(YZSZ)to explore its tectonic environment.The Purang lherzolites are characterized by the protogranular texture and have abyssal-peridotite-like mineral compositions,including low Cr^(#)(20-30)and TiO_(2) contents(<0.1wt%)in spinel,high Al_(2)O_(3)(2.9wt%-4.4wt%)and CaO(1.9wt%-3.7wt%)contents in orthopyroxene and LREE-depletion in clinopyroxene.Compositions of these lherzolites can be modeled by~11%dynamic melting of the DMM source with a small fraction of melt(~0.5%)entrapped within the source,a similar melting process to typical abyssal peridotites.The Purang harzburgites are characterized by the porphyroclastic texture and exhibit highly refractory mineral compositions such as high spinel Cr^(#)(40-68),low orthopyroxene Al_(2)O_(3)(<2.2wt%)and CaO(<1.1wt%)contents.Clinopyroxenes in these harzburgites are enriched in Sr(up to 6.0 ppm)and LREE[(Ce)N=0.02-0.4],but depleted in Ti(200 ppm,on average)and HREE[(Yb)N<2].Importantly,the more depleted samples tend to have higher clinopyroxene Sr and LREE contents.These observations indicate an open-system hydrous melting with a continuous influx of slab fluid at a subduction zone.The modeled results show that these harzburgites could be formed by 19%-23%hydrous melting with the supply rate of slab fluid at 0.1%-1%.The lower clinopyroxene V/Sc ratios in harzburgites than those in lherzolites suggest a high oxidation stage of the melting system of harzburgites,which is consistent with a hydrous melting environment for these harzburgites.It is therefore concluded that the Purang ophiolite has experienced a transformation of tectonic setting from MOR to SSZ.
In the gneiss terrane on the south side of the Eoarchean Isua supracrustal belt,ultramafic rocks with relict abyssal peridotite mineralogy(Bennett et al.,2002;Friend et al.,2002;Nutman et al.,2007;Rollinson,2007;van de Löcht et al.,2020),layered gabbros with cumulate ultramafic rocks,basalts and associated siliceous sedimentary rocks were tectonically-imbricated,prior to and during intrusion of ca.3800 Ma tonalites.Together with3800 Ma basalts in the Outer Arc Group of the nearby Isua supracrustal belt,the composition of all these mafic rocks(e.g.,Th-Hf-Nb systematics,high Th/Yb,Ba/Nb,Ba/Yb ratios and negative Nb and Ti anomalies)shows affinity with modern suprasubduction rocks whose genesis involved fluid fluxing of the upper mantle.However,the majority of these samples have Ba/Nb and Ba/Yb values less than in modern island arc magmas,but similar to many backarc basin magmas(e.g.,Pearce and Stern,2006).It is unknown whether these ca.3800 Ma mafic rocks are,(i)arc rocks where the Ba/Nb and Ba/Yb signatures reflect lower surficial Ba in Eoarchean oceanic settings,or(ii)in direct comparison with Phanerozoic suites,these signatures reflect a back-arc setting with interplay between fluid fluxing and decompressional melting.The tectonic intercalation of upper mantle with lower and upper crustal rocks,combined with the fluid-fluxing influences seen in chemistry of all the mafic rocks is best accommodated in a compressional Eoarchean convergent plate boundary setting within a mobile-lid regime.Thus stagnant lid scenarios of crust formation,if operative,must have co-existed or alternated with mobile-lid regimes by 3800 Ma.
Modern geodetic technologies such as high-precision ground gravity measurements,satellite gravity measurements,the global navigation satellite system,remote sensing methods,etc.provide rich observation data for monitoring various geodynamic processes of the global Earth and its surface.The 19th International Symposium on Geodynamics and Earth Tides brought together scientific researchers from 26 countries around the world,shared the application of various measurements in different geoscience issues,covering Earth tidal deformation,oceanic and atmospheric loading effects,earthquake cycle,hydrology,Earth rotation changes,etc.,and provided a precious exchange platform for global peers.
Xiaodong ChenHeping SunCarla BraitenbergWei FengXiaoming Cui
The Plio-Quaternary deformation pattern of the northern Aegean and south Balkan regions is interpreted as an effect of the interaction between the Anatolian-Aegean-Pelagonian system (Tethyan belt), undergoing westward extrusion and strong deformation, and the surrounding plates (Nubia, Europe and Adriatic). Since the middle-late Miocene, the collision of the Tethyan belt with the continental Adriatic domain has caused strong E-W shortening in the outer Hellenides and Albanides, also involving the southward extrusion of the Peloponnesus wedge, at the expense of the Ionian oceanic domain. The roughly E-W extension recognized in the western South Balkan zones (Macedonia and eastern Albania) is related to the divergence between the Pelagonian belt (Albanides and Hellenides) and the Rhodope-Moesia domain. Stressed by the westward displacement of the central Anatolian plateau and by the southward bowing of the Cycladic Arc, the northern Aegean zone has contemporaneously undergone E-W compression and N-S extension, which has generated a series of dextral shear faults, delimiting a number of slats. The westward displacement and deformation of such slats can explain the morphological features of the northern Aegean zone. During this phase, the push of the central Anatolian plateau also caused the separation of the Rhodope massif from the Moesian European domain, with the consequent formation of the upper Thrace basin. This hypothesis can explain the Plio-Quaternary compressional deformations recognized in a sector of the North Anatolian fault system, the Ganos-Gelibolu zone. The proposed geodynamic/tectonic interpretation may help to explain some features of the time-space distribution of major earthquakes in the study area.
This volume aims at providing a platform for sharing valuable topics discussed at the 19th International Symposium on Geodynamics and Earth Tides,23-26 June 2021,Wuhan,China.The complete overview of all nineteen Symposia is found in Table 1,where the times and venues are listed.
