Kenji Shuto

The relationships between drastic changes in Sr isotope ratios of magma sources beneath the NE Japan arc and the spreading of the Japan Sea back-arc basin

SummaryBased on Sr isotopic data for Tertiary and Quaternary basaltic rocks from the NE Japan arc, relationships are discussed between the temporal variation of magma source characteristics and the opening of the Japan Sea. The basaltic rocks from the trench side and from the transitional zone show initial87Sr/86Sr ratios (Sri ratios) in the range of 0.70411–0.70546 but no temporal variation in Sri ratios. The back-arc side basaltic rocks with ages of 29.8 to ≈ 15 Ma have Sri ratios similar to those of the trench side and the transitional zone, and these values also show no temporal change. In contrast, the basaltic rocks from the back-arc side, with ages younger than ≈ 15 Ma, show significantly lower Sri ratios (0.70396 to 0.70290), which are slightly higher than those of N-type MORB. These Sr isotopic features may imply that at least before ≈ 15 Ma the magma source regions (the sub-continental mantle) beneath the NE Japan arc had an enriched chemical character and that after ≈ 15 Ma, the magma sources for volcanic rocks from the back-arc side show a drastic change in Sr isotopic character, from an enriched nature to a depleted one. The depleted magmas may have been formed as a result of injection of depleted asthenosphere (or of a depleted mantle diapir) into the subcontinental mantle under the back-arc side of the NE Japan arc, during the spreading of the Japan Sea back-arc basin. The middle Miocene basaltic rocks from the back-arc side are characterized by lower contents of LIL elements such as K2O and Rb compared with those from the trench side, suggesting that during the middle Miocene (syn-opening stage of the Japan Sea) the degree of partial melting may have been higher in the back-arc side mantle than in the trench side mantle. High degree of partial melting in the back-arc side mantle can be attributed to an increasing geothermal gradient in the mantle due to the injection of hot asthenosphere. This injection might also have caused the melting of the lower crust from which the voluminous middle Miocene acidic volcanics in the back-arc side and transitional zone may have been produced.ZusammenfassungDie Beziehungen zwischen der zeitlichen Veränderung der Charakteristika von Magmenquellen und der Öffnung des Japanischen Meeres werden anhand von Sr-Isotopendaten tertiärer und quartärer basaltischer Gesteine diskutiert. Basaltische Gesteine von der Grabenseite und aus der Übergangszone ergaben initiale87Sr/86Sr Verhältnisse (Sri-Verhältnisse) von 0.70411–0.70546 und lassen keine zeitabhängige Änderung erkennen. Basaltische Besteine aus dem Back-Arc-Bereich mit Altern zwischen 29.8 und ca. 15 Ma zeigen ähnliche Sri-Verhältnisse und ebenfalls keine zeitliche Veränderung. Im Gegensatz dazu sind basaltische Gesteine aus dem Back-Arc-Bereich, die jünger als ca. 15 Ma sind, signifikant in ihren Sri-Verhältnissen (0.70396–0.70290) erniedrigt. Diese Verhältnisse liegen etwas höher als die von N-MORB. Die Sr-Isotopenergebnisse lassen vermuten, daß zumindest vor ca. 15 Ma der Herkunftsbereich der Magmen (subkontinentaler Mantel) unter dem NE japanischen Vulkanbogen chemisch angereichert war, während die Magmenquellen der jüngeren vulkanischen Gesteine des Back-Arc-Bereiches durch eine drastische Abreicherung charakterisiert sind. Die abgereicherten Magmen könnten, während der Öffnung des japanischen Back-Arc-Beckens, als Folge der Injektion abgereicherter Asthenosphäre (oder eines abgereicherten Manteldiapirs) in subkontinentalen Mantel unterhalb des Back-Arcs des NE japanischen Vulkanbogens, gebildet worden sein. Die miozänen basaltischen Gesteine des Back-Arc-Bereiches sind außerdem durch niedrigere Gehalte an LIL-Elementen, wie z.B. K2O und Rb charakterisiert. Dies wird als Hinweis auf eine erhöhte Aufschmelzungsrate in diesem Bereich im mittleren Miozän (im Zuge der gleichzeitigen Öffnung des japanischen Meeres) verstanden. Die erhöhte Aufschmelzrate im Mantel des Back-Arc-Breiches wird auf einer Erhöhung des geothermischen Gradienten infolge der Injektion von heißer Asthenosphäre zurückgeführt. Diese Injektion von Asthenosphäre könnte auch der Grund für die Aufschmelzung von Unterkruste und für die Produktion weitverbreiteter saurer miozäner Vulkanite im Back-Arc-Bereich und der Übergangszone sein.

Rb-Sr Geochronology, Nd-Sr Isotopes and Whole Rock Geochemistry of Yelagiri and Sevattur Syenites, Tamil Nadu, South India

Abstract Alkaline magmatism during the late Proterozoic is an important event in the northern part of the South Indian granulite terrain. A number of alkaline plutons comprising saturated syenite and ultramafic rocks often associated with carbonatite are found localized along NEHYPHEN;SW trending lineaments, which are considered as deep crustal fractures. Along one such lineament, the alkaline complexes of Yelagiri, Sevattur and Samalpatti have intruded into the country rocks comprising epidote hornblende gneiss. The isotope characteristics and geochemistry of Yelagiri and Sevattur plutons are examined in this paper. Whole rock Rbhyphen;Sr isochron ages of the Yelagiri and Sevattur syenites are 757±32 Ma and 756±11 Ma respectively. The close spatial relationship, similarities in age, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of these plutons strongly suggest their close genetic relationship. The initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios of the Sevattur carbonatites suggest their derivation from an alkali metal and LREE enriched mantle source. However, the silicate rocks of the Yelagiri and Sevattur plutons have distinctly different isotopic characteristics from this enriched mantle source. Combined geochemical and isotopic characteristics of these silicate rocks indicate that silicate rocks of both plutons are derived independently from isotopically different sources from those of carbonatites. Moreover, comparison with the isotopic characteristics of Archean crustal rocks in South India indicates that the source regions of both silicate rocks are lowerhyphen;crustal portions, which are deeper than any other crustal portion exposed in South India, or isotopically metasomatized crustal portions by volatile influx from carbonatite.

Enriched Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle in the Northern Part of the South Indian Granulite Terrain: Evidence from Yelagiri and Sevattur Syenite Plutons, Tamil Nadu, South India

Abstract In the southern part of the Indian Peninsula, there are a number of alkaline plutons of Proterozoic age. In the northern part of the South Indian granulite terrain, the Yelagiri (syenite, pyroxenite) and Sevattur (syenite, pyroxenite, carbonatite) plutons intrude Archaean epidote-hornblende gneisses. Geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the Yelagiri and Sevattur plutons indicate that the syenitic magmas formed from highly differentiated mantle-derived alkali basalts. The Yelagiri and Sevattur syenites are characterized by evolved Sr and Nd isotopic compositions, pronounced enrichment in LILE and large negative Nb anomalies. Trace element and Sr-Nd isotope characteristics of the Yelagiri and Sevattur syenites are similar to those of the subduction-related alkaline rocks. The scarcity of geological evidence for subduction activity at the time of syenite intrusion during Neoproterozoic does not support a link between the alkaline magmatism and subduction. However, our data are consistent with the model of derivation of the Yelagiri and Sevattur syenites from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, which was previously enriched by slab derived component. The geochemical and isotopic signatures of other mantle-derived intrusive rocks in the northern part of the South Indian granulite terrain with ages ranging from ca. 2.5 Ga to 0.75 Ga also support the above idea.

Geochemistry of newly discovered Quaternary Shiribeshi volcano, Northeast Japan Sea

SummaryShiribeshi Seamount is located to the east of the Okushiri Ridge, in the northeast Japan Sea. Whole rock K-Ar age of olivine-augite andesite dredged from the Seamount was determined to be 0.9 ± 0.2 Ma (Tsuchiya et al., 1989), indicating that Shiribeshi Seamount is a Quaternary volcano in the back-arc region off the junction of the Northeast Japan and Kurile arcs. Shiribeshi volcano is composed of basalt to rhyolite, which show a typical island arc calc-alkaline nature on the basis of petrographical characteristics of 95 samples dredged from four sites. Abundances of incompatible elements including K, Rb, Sr, Nb, P, Ti, Y and Zr in 16 representative rocks are discussed, together with those in the Quaternary volcanic rocks from the NE Japan and Kurile arcs in terms of compositional variation across the arcs. The estimated composition of the primary magma of Shiribeshi volcano is characterized by higher incompatible element contents and a higher Zr/Y ratio than primary magmas in the volcanic front side. Based on HFS element concentrations the degree of partial melting for three primary magmas of Oshima-Oshima, Shiribeshi and Rishiri volcanoes in the northeast Japan Sea may decrease gradually with increasing distance from the volcanic front. However, LIL element contents, especially K and Rb are lower in the primary magma of Rishiri volcano located far from the volcanic front than in the remaining two primary magmas, which would imply that LIL/HFS ratios (or degree of contribution of LIL elements originating from the subducted oceanic crust) become minimal at Rishiri volcano. One basalt and three andesites from Shiribeshi volcano have the restricted range of low87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70297–0.70300, which indicates that the magma source for Shiribeshi volcano may be slightly more enriched in Sr isotopic compositions than theN-type MORB source.ZusammenfassungDer Shiribeshi Seamount liegt östlich des Okushiri Rückens im nordöstlichen Japanischen Meer. Gesamtgesteins K-Ar Alter von Olivin-Augit-Andesiten von diesem Seamount ergeben Werte von 0,9 ± 0,2 Ma (Tsuchiya et al., 1989), und weisen darauf hin, daß Shiribeshi ein quartärer Vulkan im back-arc Bereich nahe dem Kreuzungspunkt des nordostjapanischen und des Kurilen-Inselbogens ist. Er besteht aus Gesteinen, deren Zusammensetzung von Basalt bis Rhyolit reicht. Petrographische Daten von 25 Proben, die von vier submarinen Lokationen durch Dredging aufgesammelt wurden, weisen auf eine typische kalk-alkalische Inselbogenzusammensetzung hin. Die Verbreitung von inkompatiblen Elementen, die unter anderem K, Rb, Sr, Nb, P, Ti, Y und Zr umfassen, in 16 representativen Proben wird zusammen mit denen von quartären vulkanischen Gesteinen aus dem nordöstlichen Japanischen und den Kurilen-Inselbogen diskutiert; dabei wird Variationen der Zusammensetzung über die Bögen hinweg besondere Beachtung geschenkt. Die so ermittelte Zusammensetzung des primären Magmas des Shiribeshi Vulkans wird durch höhere inkompatible Elementgehalte und höhere Zr/Y Verhältnisse charakterisiert, wenn man sie mit primären Magmen an der vulkanischen Stirn des Inselbogens vergleicht. HFS Element-Konzentrationen lassen erkennen, daß der Grad teilweiser Aufschmelzung für drei primäre Magmen von Oshima-Oshima, Shiribeshi und Rishiri im nordöstlichen Japanischen Meer graduell mit zunehmender Entfernung von der vulkanischen Stirm abnimmt. Die Gehalte an LIL Elementen und besonders an K und Rb sind in dem primären Magma des Rishiri Vulkans, der weit von der vulkanischen Front entfernt liegt, höher als in den zwei anderen primären Magmen. Dies weist darauf hin, daß LIL/HFS Verhältnisse (oder der Beitrag von LIL Elementen, die aus subduzierter ozeanischer Kruste stammen) am Rishiri Vulkan ein Minimum erreichen. Ein Basalt und drei Andesite von Shiribeshi zeigen87Sr/86Sr Verhältnisse von 0,70297 bis 0,70300; dies läßt erkennen, daß die Quelle des Magmas für Shiribeshi etwas mehr an87Sr angereichert war, als dieN-Typ Quelle.

Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd Geochronology of the Eppawala Metamorphic Rocks and Carbonatite, Wanni Complex, Sri Lanka

Abstract Petrological studies on the surrounding metamorphic rocks of the Eppawala carbonatite body, Wanni complex, Sri Lanka, revealed that these rocks had been metamorphosed under amphibolite to granulite facies conditions. Garnet-sillimanite-biotite gneiss shows lower range of metamorphic temperature (730–770°C) than the migmatite gneiss (750–780°C) and the pressure varies from 6.6–7.8 kbar to 5.6–6.4 kbar respectively. The metamorphic age of the garnet-sillimanite-biotite gneiss and migmatite gneiss dated 607±23 Ma and 626±16 Ma, respectively for mineral — whole rock isochron in Sm-Nd system. These ages are compatible with the ages of regional high-grade metamorphism occurred 610–550 Ma in the three crustal units in Sri Lanka. Rb-Sr system for biotite, apatite and whole-rock fractions suggests 493±5 Ma for the Eppawala carbonatite body. This age indicates the cooling age of the biotite. The presence of non-crystalline carbonatite matrix and large hexagonal apatite crystals suggests a slow cooling history. Further, low closure temperature of biotite in Rb-Sr system suggests that the intrusion age of carbonatite body should be more than 493 Ma, but non-metamorphosed nature provides evidence that the intrusion age of the carbonatite body should be less than the period of regional metamorphism 610–550 Ma. Therefore, Eppawala carbonatite body has a strong possibility to be a late to post magmatic intrusion. The other late to post magmatic intrusions in the Wanni complex and Highland complex are dated between 580–550 Ma. Therefore, the most probable intrusion age of the Eppawala carbonatite body is suggested to be around 550 Ma.