Ben-Xun Su

SIMS zircon U-Pb geochronology and Sr-Nd isotopes of Ni-Cu-Bearing Mafic-Ultramafic Intrusions in Eastern Tianshan and Beishan in correlation with flood basalts in Tarim Basin (NW China): Constraints on a ca. 280 Ma mantle PLUME

Zircon SIMS U-Pb dating of the Poshi, Hongshishan, Bijiashan, and Huangshan Ni-Cu-bearing and Xiangshan Ni-Cu-Ti-Fe-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the Eastern Tianshan and Beishan Rift yields a relatively restricted range of 278.6 Ma to 284.0 Ma. The histogram of compiled age data of basalts in the Tarim Basin and mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the Eastern Tianshan and Beishan Rift has a peak of 280 Ma, which probably represents the time of mantle plume activity. The basalts have lower εNd(t) values in the range of −9.2 ∼ −1.7 and Mg# of <50, and higher TiO2 contents (>2 wt.%), indicating that they were generated directly from a peripheral zone of the mantle plume by low degree of melting. The mafic-ultramafic intrusions have higher εNd(t) of −1.3 ∼ 11.2 and Mg# of 33 ∼ 90, and lower TiO2 < 1.8 weight percent, suggesting that their parental magmas were produced from lithospheric mantle source by high degree of melting due to higher temperature of the mantle plume head. A possible mantle plume model beneath lithospheric mantle of the Tarim Basin, Tianshan and Beishan and its spatial framework is suggested.

Occurrence of an Alaskan-type complex in the Middle Tianshan Massif, Central Asian Orogenic Belt: inferences from petrological and mineralogical studies

The Xiadong mafic–ultramafic complex lies in the central part of the Middle Tianshan Massif (MTM), along the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). This complex is composed of dunite, hornblende (Hbl) clinopyroxenite, hornblendite, and Hbl gabbro. These rocks are characterized by adcumulated textures and variable alteration. Orthopyroxene is an extremely rare mineral in all rock units and plagioclase is absent in dunite and Hbl clinopyroxenite. Hbl, Fe-chromite, and Cr-magnetite are common phases. Olivines have forsterite (Fo) contents ranging from 92.3 to 96.6. Clinopyroxenes are Ca-rich, Ti-poor diopsides, and mostly altered to tremolites or actinolites. Chromites display low TiO2 and Al2O3 contents and high Cr# and Fe2+/(Fe2+ + Mg) values. Primary and secondary Hbls show wide compositional variations. These petrological and mineralogical features as well as mineral chemistry are comparable to typical Alaskan-type complexes worldwide, which are widely considered to have formed above subduction zones. The chemistry of clinopyroxene and chromite supports an arc plate-tectonic origin for the Xiadong complex. Its confirmation as an Alaskan-type complex implies that the MTM, with Precambrian basement, was probably a continental arc during oceanic plate underflow and further supports the hypothesis of southward subduction of the Palaeozoic Junggar Ocean.

Geochronologic-petrochemical studies of the Hongshishan mafic-ultramafic intrusion, Beishan area, Xinjiang (NW China): Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

The Hongshishan mafic–ultramafic intrusion (SIMS zircon U–Pb age 286.4 ± 2.8 Ma) consists of dunite, clinopyroxene peridotite, troctolite, and gabbro. Major elements display systematic correlations. Trace elements have identical distribution patterns, including flat rare-earth element (REE) patterns with positive Eu anomalies and enrichments in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) but depletions in Nb and Ta, indicating fractional crystallization as a key factor in magmatic evolution. Petrologic and geochemical variations in drill core samples demonstrate that minor assimilation and progressive magma injections were closely associated with Ni–Cu mineralization. Mass balance estimates and Sr–Nd isotopes reveal that the Hongshishan parental magmas were high-Mg and low-Ti tholeiitic basalts and were derived from a lithospheric mantle source that had been modified by subducted slab metasomatism before partial melting. Southward subduction of the Palaeo-Tianshan–Junggar Ocean is further constrained by a compilation of inferred, subduction-induced modifications of mantle sources in mafic–ultramafic intrusions distributed in the eastern Tianshan–Beishan area. Integrating the regional positive ϵNd(t) granites, high-Mg and low-Ti basaltic magmas (mafic–ultramafic intrusions), and slightly later high-Ti basalts in NW China suggests that their petrogenesis could be attributed to Permian mantle plume activities.

Abnormal lithium isotope composition from the ancient lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton

Lithium elemental and isotopic compositions of olivines in peridotite xenoliths from Hebi in the North China Craton provide direct evidence for the highly variable δ7Li in Archean lithospheric mantle. The δ7Li in the cores of olivines from the Hebi high-Mg# peridotites (Fo > 91) show extreme variation from −27 to +21, in marked deviation from the δ7Li range of fresh MORB (+1.6 to +5.6) although the Li abundances of the olivines are within the range of normal mantle (1–2 ppm). The Li abundances and δ7Li characteristics of the Hebi olivines could not have been produced by recent diffusive-driven isotopic fractionation of Li and therefore the δ7Li in the cores of these olivines record the isotopic signature of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Our data demonstrate that abnormal δ7Li may be preserved in the ancient lithospheric mantle as observed in our study from the central North China Craton, which suggest that the subcontinental lithospheric mantle has experienced modification of fluid/melt derived from recycled oceanic crust.

Olivine Compositional Mapping of Mafic-Ultramafic Complexes in Eastern Xinjiang (NW China): Implications for Cu-Ni Mineralization and Tectonic Dynamics

Early Permian mafic-ultramafic complexes in eastern Xinjiang (新疆) are mainly distributed in the Beishan (北山) area, Mid-Tianshan (天山) massif and Jueluotage (觉罗塔格) belt. Systematic compositional mapping of olivines from these Early Permian mafic-ultramafic complexes demonstrates that an apparently spatial distribution and heterogeneous partial melting in the mantle source exists from the Beishan area, across the Mid-Tianshan massif, to the Jueluotage belt from the south to the north. This is probably consistent with the spatial evolutional differences and tectonic features of these three belts. The decreasing degree of partial melting, as revealed by decreasing Fo contents of olivines, from south to north and from east to west reflects the southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the south location of the indistinct mantle plume in the Permian. Simultaneously, NiO and Fo-mapping in olivine also indicates that sulfide segregation before olivine crystallization played an important role in Ni-Cu mineralization in the mafic-ultramafic complexes. Olivines with the compositional range of Fo (77–86) and NiO (less than 0.22 wt.%) are more favorable for Ni-Cu sulfide mineralization.

Iron and magnesium isotopic constraints on the origin of chemical heterogeneity in podiform chromitite from the Luobusa ophiolite, Tibet

We present high-precision measurements of iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) isotopic compositions of olivine, orthopyroxene, and chromite separates from harzburgites, dunites, and chromitites in the mantle section of the Luobusa ophiolite, southern Tibet, to investigate the origins of podiform chromitite. Two harzburgites in the Zedong ophiolite, southern Tibet, are also reported for comparison. The olivine and orthopyroxene in the Luobusa and Zedong harzburgites have similar Fe and Mg isotopic compositions, with Fe-56 values ranging from 0 to +0.083 in olivine, from -0.034 to +0.081 in orthopyroxene and Mg-26 values ranging from -0.25 parts per thousand to -0.20 parts per thousand in olivine, from -0.29 parts per thousand to -0.26 parts per thousand in orthopyroxene, respectively. The olivines of two dunites from the Luobusa display small Fe and Mg isotopic variations, with Fe-56 values of +0.014 parts per thousand and +0.116 parts per thousand and Mg-26 values of -0.21 parts per thousand and -0.29 parts per thousand. All chromites in the Luobusa chromitites have lighter Fe isotopic compositions than the coexisting olivines, with Fe-56 values ranging from -0.247 parts per thousand to +0.043 parts per thousand in chromite and from -0.146 parts per thousand to +0.215 parts per thousand in olivine (Fe-56(Chr-Ol)=-0.294 to -0.101 parts per thousand). The chromite Mg-26 values span a significant range from -0.41 parts per thousand to +0.14 parts per thousand. Large disequilibrium Fe and Mg isotope fractionation between chromite and olivine, as well as positive correlation of chromite Fe-56 values with their MgO contents, could be attributed to Fe-Mg exchange between chromite and olivine. In the disseminated chromitites, the higher modal abundances of olivine than chromite would result in a more extensive Fe-Mg exchange, whereas chromite in the massive chromitite where olivine is rare could not be affected by this process.

Extremely large fractionation of Li isotopes in a chromitite-bearing mantle sequence

We report Li isotopic compositions of olivine from the mantle sequence of the Luobusa ophiolite, southern Tibet. The olivine in the Luobusa ophiolite has Li concentrations from ~0.1 to 0.9 ppm and a broad range of δ7Li (+14 to −20‰). An inverse correlation of Li concentration and δ7Li in olivine from harzburgite suggests recent diffusive ingress of Li into the rock. Olivine from dunite enveloping podiform chromitites shows positive δ7Li values higher than those of MORB, whereas olivine from the chromitite has negative δ7Li values. Such variations are difficult to reconcile by diffusive fractionation and are thought to record the nature of the magma sources. Our results clearly indicate that the Luobusa chromitites formed from magmas with light Li isotopic compositions and that the dunites are products of melt-rock interaction. The isotopically light magmas originated by partial melting of a subducted slab after high degrees of dehydration and then penetrated the overlying mantle wedge. This study provides evidence for Li isotope heterogeneity in the mantle that resulted from subduction of a recycled oceanic component.

Late Paleozoic metallogenesis and evolution of the East Tianshan Orogenic Belt (NW China, Central Asia Orogenic Belt)

One of the most largest known and important metallogenic provinces in China is East Tianshan, where seven major types of Late Paleozoic metal deposits have been recognized: (1) porphyry-type Cu-Mo-(Au) ore deposits, (2) volcanic Fe-Cu deposits, (3) orogenic lode gold deposits, (4) magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide deposits, (5) epithermal gold deposits, (6) volcanic hydrothermal Cu deposits, and (7) skarn Cu-Ag deposits. Tectonically, the development of these Late Paleozoic metal mineral deposits was closely associated with the subduction and closure of the ancient Tianshan ocean intervening between the Tarim craton and the Junggar-Kazakhstan block. In the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous, the northern margin of the Tarim craton existed as a passive-type continental margin, whereas the ancient Tianshan ocean was subducted beneath the southern margin of the Junggar-Kazakhstan block, resulting in the formation of the Dananhu-Tousuquan magmatic arc and associated porphyry-type Cu-Mo-(Au) deposits. In the Middle Carboniferous, the ancient Tianshan ocean began to subduct beneath the northern margin of the Tarim craton, leading to the formation of the Aqishan-Yamansu magmatic arc and associated volcanic Fe-Cu deposits. In the Late Carboniferous, the ancient Tianshan ocean was closed, and a continent-arc collision occurred, leading to the formation of the Tianshan orogen. Following the collision was an extensional event, which was associated with the emplacement of large amounts of ultramafic-mafic complexes and the formation of a number of large- to medium-scale magmatic copper-nickel ore deposits along the Kangger suture zone. In the Early Permian, East Tianshan entered into a post-collision stage, associated with the widespread emplacement of granitoid bodies and eruption of within-plate volcanism, which led to the formation of volcanic hydrothermal copper deposits, skarn-type Cu-Ag deposits, post-orogenic gold deposits, and epithermal gold deposits in East Tianshan.

Breakdown of orthopyroxene contributing to melt pockets in mantle peridotite xenoliths from the Western Qinling, central China: constraints from in situ LA-ICP-MS mineral analyses

Major and trace element compositions of constituent minerals, partly decomposed rims of orthopyroxenes (DRO), ‘closed’ melt pockets (CMP) and open melt pockets (OMP) in some Western Qinling peridotite xenoliths were obtained by LA-ICP-MS. Systematic core-to-rim compositional variations of garnet, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene demonstrate that these minerals underwent variable degrees of subsolidus breakdown or partial melting. Both DROs and CMPs consist of similar mineral assemblages and are characterized by high TiO2, CaO + Na2O and low MgO contents; they are enriched in LREE and LILE compositions, have positive anomalies in Pb, Sr and particularly Ti, negative Th and U, and variable Zr and Hf anomalies. These chemical features are distinct and reflect reactions involving the orthopyroxenes. Compared to the CMPs, the OMPs, which are composed of a complex assemblage of minerals, display lower FeO and MgO contents, larger ranges in SiO2 and Na2O, higher TiO2, Al2O3, CaO and trace element concentrations, slightly negative Zr and Hf anomalies, and apparently negative Ti anomalies. Modeling calculations of partial fusion of orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes suggest that the CMPs most likely originated from the breakdown of orthopyroxenes with variably minor contribution of external melts from the melting of clinopyroxenes, whereas the OMPs were probably formed from the modification of the CMPs through the interaction with large amount of external melts.

The genesis of mantle-derived sapphirine

Abstract Sapphirine, a typical ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic mineral, is rarely found in mantle xenoliths. Here we report the occurrence and characteristics of sapphirine in a mantle-derived xenolith from the Cenozoic basalts of Hannuoba in the North China Craton. The xenolith consists of a clinopyroxene, spinel, and sapphirine assemblage, with the sapphirine occurring as the reaction rim surrounding spinel. The mineral compositions of this sample are all characterized by high Mg contents, similar to those of minerals from other sapphirine-bearing rocks reported from high-Mg-Al granulites elsewhere in the world. Clinopyroxene is relatively rich in Al and Ca in comparison to pyroxene in peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths in the Hannuoba basalts, as well as in global mafic and felsic granulites in other terranes, a feature that is consistent with the bulk composition. The P-T compilations from both experimental and natural rock data show a restricted stability field for the coexisting clinopyroxene + spinel + sapphirine assemblage of around 8-15 kbar and 800-900 °C. The rare occurrence of sapphirine in a mantle-derived xenolith therefore suggests specific bulk composition, restricted P-T range and possible melt-peridotite interaction. Such conditions are best satisfied in a tectonic setting with basaltic magma underplating and interaction between the infiltrating melts and the wall-rock peridotite.