Patterns of platinum-group elements in mantle peridotite, granulite xenoliths and basalt in Hannuoba

Neutron activation analysis after preconcentration of nickel sulfide fire assay was used in measurement of Ru, Ph, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt (i.e. PGE elements) and Au concentrations for basalt, mantle and granulite xenoliths in Hannuoba. The chondrite- and primitive mantle-normalized PGE patterns generally exhibit flat (for Iherzolite), negative slope (for harzburgite), and positive slope (for basic granulite and basalt). In addition, strong Ir negative anomaly occurs in basalt and granulite xenolith, and little negative anomaly also exists in Iherzolite xenolith in Hannuoba.     

Almandine megacrysts from Yingfengling Cenozoic basalt in Leizhou Peninsula and their parental magma origin

The garnet megacrysts from Yingfengling basalts are characterized by high FeO (>20%), CaO (7.02% –8.16%) and low MgO (5.88%–10.87%). Significant composition variations are observed in these megacrysts, of which Ni, V, Sc, Co, and HREE are positively correlated with their Mg^#, and Zr, Hf, Ga, Y, Sr, Nb, Zn and LREE-MREE are negatively correlated with Mg^#. Megacryst parent magma is a highly evolved residual melt with strongl depletion in Ti, Sr, Hf, Nb and HREE. This parental magma was generated by more than 60% of crystallization fractionation of clinopyroxene, garnet, plagioclase and ilmenite from quartz tholeiitic magma. It has not erupted to the surface, but stayed at the upper mantle and formed the megacrystic cumulate. Megacrysts and their host basalt are in disequilibrium.     

Discovery of the granulite xenoliths in Cenozoic volcanic rocks from Hoh Xil,Tibetan plateau

Two-pyroxene granulite and clinopyroxene granulite xenoliths have been recently discovered in the Late Paleogene toNeogene volcanic rocks (with ages in the range of 4.27～44.60 Ma) that outcropped in Hoh Xil, central Tibetan plateau. Based on theelectron microprobe analysis data, the xenoliths provide constraints for the formation equilibrium temperatures of the two-pyroxene gran-ulite being about 783 to 818℃ as determined by two-pyroxene thermometry and the forming pressure of the clinopyroxene granulite beingabout 0.845 to 0.858 GPa that is equivalent to 27.9～28.3 km depth respectively. It indicates that these granulite xenoliths represent thesamples from the middle part of the thickened Tibetan crust. This discovery is important and significant to making further discussion onthe component and thermal regime of the deep crust of the Tibetan plateau.     

Paleoproterozoic lower crust beneath Nushan in Anhui Province： Evidence from zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating on granulite xenoliths in Cenozoic alkali basalt

Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating was carried out for an intermediate granulite xenolith in Cenozoic alkali basalt from Nushan. The results suggest that the lower crust beneath Nushan may have formed at about 2400—2200 Ma, and have been subjected to granulite-facies metamorphism at 1915 27 Ma. The old age of the Nushan lower crust is consistent with the geochemical similarities between Nushan granulite xenoliths and Archean-Paleoproterozoic granulite terrains in the North China craton, but it is not distinguishable from high-grade metamorphic rocks in the Yangtze craton where such old ages were also reported. Significant Pb-loss occurs in the Nushan zircons, implying important influence of widespread Mesozoic to Cenozoic underplating in East China on the lower crust beneath Nushan.     

Garnet Sm-Nd and U-Pb systems: A case study of a granulite from the European Variscan belt

This study presents zircon and garnet ages of a mafic granulite from the high-grade Variscan basement of the Black Forest, Germany and discuss isotope closure temperature of garnet Sm-Nd and U-Pb systems. Zircon grains yield 207Pb/206Pb ages between ～340 and ～414 Ma by the U-Pb and evaporation methods. In contract, garnet dating gives Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb isochron ages of (398±3) Ma and (411±14) Ma, respectively, which are older than most of zircon ages. These data imply that most of zircons lost radiogenic Pb, probably due to metamictization or recrystallisation during the granulite-facies metamorphism (～800℃) at ～340 Ma. Garnet Sm-Nd and U-Pb systems preserve chronological information of pro-grade metamorphism, probably profiting from a fluid-absence metamorphic environment. These results demonstrate that garnet mineral can be a better candidate than zircon mineral to date high-grade metamorphism by the U-Pb and Sm-Nd methods in some cases.     

Carbon isotopic composition of mantle xenoliths in alkali basalt from Damaping, Hebei

The carbon isotopic composition of CO-2, CO and CH-4 extracted by pyrolysis from spinel lherzolite and black pyroxenolite xenoliths in alkali basalt from Damaping has been measured with GC_MS. The results show that, at heating temperatures from 400 to 1 140℃, the δ 13C of CO-2 and CO is -22‰--27‰, and that of CH-4 -30‰--50‰. The data imply that the magma which was generated in the upper mantle by partial melting in the area has experienced the multistage degassing process, and the δ 13C values represent the carbon isotopic composition of CO-2, CO and CH-4 remaining in it, respectively.     

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics of granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from Hannuoba Basalts in five-dimensional space and their geological implications

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics of granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from Han-nuoba Basalts in five-dimensional space are studied. Combined with the distribution of xenoliths, it is suggested that the isotopic relationship between various xenoliths can be well explained by the processes of delamination.     

Mantle xenoliths from Late Cretaceous basalt in eastern Shandong Province： New constraint on the timing of lithospheric thinning in eastern China

Studies of mantle xenoliths hosted in both the Cenozoic alkali basalt and the Early Paleozoic kimberlite suggest that part of the subcontinental lithosphere as thick as more than 100 km has been lost from the Early Paleozoic to Cenozoic[1—8]. Neither the scale and mechanism nor the accurate timing of the lithospheric thinning has been precisely constrained[7-12]. One of the reasons for this is that there are only a few Mesozoic basalts cropped out, especially, few containing mantle-derived …     

Glass melt inclusion in clinopyroxene from Linqu Cenozoic basalt, Shandong Province, China

Melt inclusions or glasses usually occur in spinel- facies peridotitic xenoliths entrained in the global ba- salts[1―4], and olivine phenocrysts and/or xenocrysts carried in the intermediate-mafic volcanic rocks (such as basalts, basaltic andesites and h…     

Sulfide assemblages in granulite xenoliths from Hannuoba Basalt,Hebei Province,China

Granulite xenoliths are important samples for understanding the forming and evolution of the crust. The granulite xenoliths enclosed in Cenozoic basalt of Hannuoba, Hebei Province, China, contain four types of sulfide assemblages: isolate rotundity enclosed sulfides, intergranular sulfides between minerals, secondary sulfide inclusions ranging in linear, and fissure-filling sulfides. Electron microprobe analysis shows that the components of sulfides are Ni-poor pyrrhotite with the molar ratios of (Ni+Co+Cu)/Fe less than 0.2. The molar ratios of (Fe+Cu+Co+Ni)/S are less than 0.875 of normal pyrrhotite, and are less than those of mantle xenoliths, reflecting a sulfur-saturated environment. Pyrrhotite in various occurrences contains some Au and Ag, with the averages of 0.19wt%-0.22wt% Au and 0.01wt%-0.02wt% Ag, showing the gold mineralization related to the granulitization of low crust. Ni, Co and Cu have a normal correlation with S in pyrrhotite, indicating that heavy metal elements have a same source similar to sulfur because of the degasification of upper mantle.     

Fe-Ti oxide and Fe-Cu sulfide exsolution in amphibole cumulate xenoliths from granodiorite in Tongling,Anhui Province

Inpastdecades,sulfide(melt)inclusionswithinmineralmegacrystsandmantlerockxenolithsfromCe-nozoicbasaltshavebeenmuchstudied,andtheoriginandevolutionofsulfide(melt)inclusionswerepreliminaryfocused[1—14].Thereportedsulfidephasesareusuallyrichinnickelandtendtooccurwithinolivineandpyroxeneortheirintergranularholes.However,sulfideexsolutionphasesinmegacrysts(especiallyamphibole)andbasicxenolithsoriginatedfromthelowercrustandhostedbyintermediate-acidplutonsarelessreported,exceptforavarietyofexsolvedN…     

An in situ zircon Hf isotopic,U-Pb age and trace element study of banded granulite xenolith from Hannuoba basalt： Tracking the early evolution of the lower crust in the North China craton

Backscattered electron images, in situ Hf isotopes, U-Pb ages and trace elements of zircons in a banded granulite xenolith from Hannuoba basalt have been studied. The results show that the banded granulite is a sample derived from the early lower crust of the North China craton. It is difficult to explain the petrogenesis of the xenolith with a single process. Abundant information on several processes, however, is contained in the granulite. These processes in-clude the addition of mantle material, crustal remelting, metamorphic differentiation and the delamination of early lower crust. About 80% of zircons studied yield ages of 1842 ±40 Ma, except few ages of 3097-2824 Ma and 2489-2447 Ma. The zircons with ages older than 2447 Ma have high εHf (up to +18.3) and high Hf model age (2.5-2.6 Ga), indicating that the primitive materials of the granulite were derived mainly from a depleted mantle source in late Archean. Most εhf of the zircons with early Proterozoic U-Pb age vary around zero, but two have     

Age of granulite from Huangtuling, Dabie Mountain: Pb-Pb dating of garnet by a stepwise dissolution technique

A new stepwise dissolution scheme, involving acids with different properties, enables the selective recovery of radiogenic and common Pb from a mineral, and makes single-mineral Pb-Pb dating possible. Garnet from a granulite sample from Huangtuling, northern Dabie Mountain yields a Pb-Pb isochron age of (1998 ±35) Ma, which is interpreted as the timing of peak metamorphism of granulite facies.     

Discovery of granulite from the Fuping area in southern Qinling Mountains and its geological significance

Two-pyroxene-bearing granulites were discovered for the first time in the Hercynian-Indosinian metamorphic belt of the southern Qinling Mountains. The granulites occur in the lower part of the Fuping complex and are dominated by intermediate-acidic rocks intercalated with a small amount of bands and lenses of basic granulites. The main metamorphic minerals include orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, biotite, plagioclase and quartz, and orthopyroxenes are often retrogressively transformed into amphiboles. The metamorphic conditions have been estimated to be %T%=720-780℃ and %P%=0.6 GPa. The granulite-bearing Fuping complex probably belongs to early Proterozoic in age. Whether it occurs as the crystalline basement of the southern Qinling Hercynian-Indosinian orogenic belt or as a thrusted slice in the collisional process needs further study.     

Polybaric partial melting in the continental mantle: Evidence from mantle xenoliths from Qilin Guangdong Province

The extremely low Ti content (160–245 μg/g) in clinopyroxene in some spinel peridotites from Qilin, South China is indicative of high degree of partial melting, inconsistent with their relatively high clinopyroxene modes (7.4%–12.4%). These clinopyroxenes show fractionated HREE patterns ((Gd/Yb)_n<0.2), suggesting the involvement of garnet in the melting regime. These REE patterns can be modeled as residues of 22%–23% fractional melting from a primitive mantle, first in garnet stability field (12%) then continuing in spinel stability field (10%–11%) after breakdown of garnet to pyroxenes and spinel. Such a polybaric melting suggests the lithospheric thinning and rapid mantle upwelling in south China during the Cenozoic. This is consistent with the dominant MORB-OIB isotopic signature and high thermal gradient of the lithospheric mantle in this region, and supports the contention that the formation of South China Sea basin is related to southward migration of continental lithosphere extension, rather than passive back-arc basin.     

Fluid/melt inclusions in Cenozoic mantle xenoliths from Linqu,Shandong Province,eastern China: Implications for asthenosphere-lithosphere interactions

Fluid and melt inclusions in mantle xenoliths are thought as direct samples to study mantle liquids. Here we apply Raman mi- crospectroscopy and microthermometry to fluid/melt inclusions in lherzolite xenoliths in Qiaoshan basalts, a Miocene volcano in Linqu, Shandong Province, eastern China. These inclusions include (1) early CO2 fluid inclusions, (2) early carbonate melt inclu-sions, (3) late CO2 fluid inclusions, and (4) late silicate melt inclusions. Among the early CO2 fluid inclusions, most consist of...     

Discovery of dunite and pyroxenite xenoliths in Mesozoic diorite at Jinling,western Shandong and its significance

Abundant deeply-derived xenoUths are discovered in a Mesozoic diorite at Jinling, Zibo, western Shandong, which mainly consist of dunite and pyroxenite. The dunite can be further subdivided into two subtypes. The first type shows tabular texture and high Mg^# values (93—94) in olivines. The second type is characterized by the metamorphic-deformation texture superimposed by later metasomatism and relatively low olivine Mg^# values (86--87). The mineral chemical data indicate that the former could be derived from ancient lithospheric mantle and the latter could have resulted from silica-rich melt metasomatism. The exsolution texture and the high Mg^# value in clinopyroxenes, together with the rather high equilibrium temperature, imply that the pyroxenite xenoliths could be the cumulates of mantle-derived magma in the uppermost mantle or near the crust-mantle boundary in the Mesozoic.     

Precipitation of rutile needles in garnet from sillimanite-bearing pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt,North China Craton

Pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton, is composed of garnet, sillimanite, perthite, biotite and quartz. Oriented rutile needles in gar- net are reported for the first time from the granulite. The rutile needles have been identified by optical microscopy and confirmed by in situ Raman spectroscopy, where they show the characteristic bands at 446-448 and 610 cm-1. Because of their very strong shape preferred orientation in 3-4 easily observable directions, these futile needles are interpreted to have formed by precipitation during exhu- mation and cooling following peak metamorphism. The ternary feldspar geothermometer gives a peak metamorphic temperature of ,- 980 ℃ at 10 kbar. The presence of oriented rutile needles in garnet is suggested to be a valuable indicator of ultrahigh-temperature （UHT） metamorphism in the Khondalite Belt and therefore likely in other UHT terrains.