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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Further considerations of the Ce/Yb vs. Ba/Ce plot in volcanology and tectonics

A plot of Ce/Yb vs. Ba/Ce, for locality averages, effectively separates mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) (Ce/Yb <10, Ba/Ce 1-4.2), oceanic island volcanics (OIV) (Ce/Yb >10, Ba/Ce <6), which are generally hotspot related, and island arc volcanics (IAV) (Ce/Yb <23, Ba/Ce >4.2). The conventional interpretation is that these three types of volcanic environments involve oceanic rift-related, large-volume partial melts (˜20-30%) of a depleted source (MORB), small volume melts (˜5% for alkalic volcanics) of enriched sources related to plumes (OIV), and melts of hydrous-enriched sources during subduction, especially for Ba (IAV). Three OIV sites, however, have average ratios that fall in the MORB field (e.g., Krafla Volcano, Iceland), and these localities also tend to have other geochemical data similar to MORB. Average ratios of Hawaiian tholeiitic shield basalts of Mauna Kea and Koolau volcanoes occupy a restricted field on a plot of Ce/Yb vs. Ba/Ce of 10-18 for Ce/Yb and 2.8-3.1 for Ba/Ce, a field toward which other shield basalts and cone-building volcanics regress. In general, post-shield alkalic rocks have higher values of Ce/Yb than do tholeiites. Peralkalic basalts (basanites, melilitites, and phonolites) have even higher values of Ce/Yb, reflecting smaller degrees of partial melting (perhaps 1-2%) and melting of sources containing phlogopite that were enriched by CO 2 -dominated fluids. The minor post-erosion nephelinitic suites of Hawaii (e.g., the Honolulu Series on Oahu, and the Koloa suite on Kauai) generally have values both greater than IAV for Ce/Yb and greater than other kinds of OIV for Ba/Ce in a part of the plot previously not found to be occupied by data. Alkali basalts of both these nephelinitic series have the lowest and similar ratios (Ce/Yb ˜ 25; Ba/Ce ˜ 10). In the Hawaiian Islands, there are two trends. One (a), where phlogopite has been interpreted to remain in the source, generally has Ba/Ce decrease away from the alkali basalts as Ce/Yb increases. The other (b), where phlogopite has been interpreted to enter the melt, occupies a field that is high in both Ce/Yb (>30) relative to IAV and in Ba/Ce (>8) relative to the OIV field. There are some exceptions, also, for IAV that plot outside the IAV field. The values of Ce/Yb in Mariana Islands samples, for example, are exceptionally low for the IAV (Ce/Yb <5 with many samples <2). Examples of two cross-chain Kasuga Islands, however, have average values of Ce/Yb considerably greater than for any other Mariana Islands data, and individual samples extend from within the IAV field into the OIV field, which may indicate a mixture of IAV and OIV sources (rather than involvement of a hotspot, these island volcanics have been interpreted as magma of OIV entrapped "plums" in an IAV "pudding" by Stern et al., 1993). Not surprisingly, continental arc volcanics (CAV) are generally similar to IAV, but with somewhat greater dispersion in Ce/Yb, perhaps representing a larger contribution of continental materials to the volcanics. Continental rift volcanics (CRV) are complex. The Antarctic rift data fall in the OIV field, and clearly define a hotspot origin for the rift with little contamination in the continental lithosphere, but most CRV data fall in the IAV field (Rio Grande rift tholeiites, Yellowstone Plateau basalts, Columbia River basalts, East African rift basalts). The Yellowstone basalt samples judged to be least crustally contaminated from other considerations (e.g., through Pb and Sr isotopes) approach closest to the OIV or hotspot field in the Ce/Yb vs. Ba/Ce plot, compatible with a hotspot origin with variable continental lithosphere interactions. The data from the Rio Grande rift have no such trend in Ce/Yb vs. Ba/Ce. Other trace element and isotopic data are suggestive of a different kind of origin, perhaps melting in the continental lithosphere from pressure release or other causes as suggested in the literature. Carbonatites, kimberlites, and ultrapotassic rocks form extreme end members for the peralkalic rocks on the continents with Ce/Yb values in the hundreds and even exceeding 1,000 in natrocarbonatite. Carbonatites and kimberlite type I, however, have Ba/Ce <8 with few exceptions. Ultrapo tassic rocks and kimberlite type II also have Ce/Yb values in the hundreds but with Ba/Ce >9. These rocks, although rare in the ocean basins (e.g., carbonatite on São Vicente Island in the Cape Verdes archipelago, Indian Ocean) plot similarly to their continental cousins. For Hawaii, the nephelinitic suites of both the Honolulu and Koloa series trend from alkali and alkali olivine basalt ratios toward higher signatures for Ce/Yb for other rock types. The Honolulu series, however, progresses towards smaller values of Ba/Ce for nephelinite-melilitite (Ce/Yb ˜ 85; Ba/Ce ˜ 5-7) near the low end of Ce/Yb found in carbonatite/kimberlite type I, whereas the Koloa series progresses toward higher Ba/Ce (Ce/Yb ˜ 65; Ba/Ce ˜ 14-15) for nephelinite-melilitite with Ce/Yb values near the lower end of kimberlite type II/ultrapotassic rocks. Carbonated phlogopitic sources have been proposed for peralkalic rocks of both oceans and continents. Carbonatites and/or kimberlites are suggested to possibly be present at depth under the Hawaiian nephelinitic series and in other OIV environments containing peralkalic suites.

International Geology Review↗
USGS1988

Descriptive and grade-tonnage models of volcanogenic manganese deposits in oceanic environments; a modification

Four types of volcanogenic manganese deposits, distinguished on the basis of geologic, geochemical, and geophysical characteristics, appear to result from a combination of volcanic and hydrothermal processes related to hot-spring activity in oceanic environments. We compare these four desposit types, here called the Franciscan, Cuban, Olympic Peninsula, and Cyprus, with respect to host rocks, associated rocks, minerals, deposit shape, dimensions, volume, tonnage, grade, and mineral-deposit density (number of deposits per unit area). Franciscan-type deposits occur in obducted oceanic ridge and backarc marginal-basin environments, are associated with chert, shale, and graywacke aroun the margins of mafic volcanic centers, and have a median tonnage of 450 t and median grades of 36 weight percent Mn and less than 5.1 weight percent Fe. Cuban-type deposits occur in island-arc environments, are associated with tuff and limestone around domal structures or intrusions inferred to be volcanic centers, and have a median tonnage of 6,400 t and median grades of 39 weight percent Mn and less than 4.4 weight percent Fe. Olympic Peninsula-type deposits occur in obducted oceanic midplate settings, are associated with argillaceous limestone, argillite, and graywacke around mafic volcanic centers (seamounts or islands), and have a median tonnage of 340 t and median grades of 35 weight percent Mn and less than 6.5 weight percent Fe. Cyprus-type deposits occur in the same tectonic environments as Franciscan type but are associated with basalt, marl, chalk, silt, and chert off the ridge-axis position and have a median tonnage of 41,000 t and median grades of 33 weight percent Fe and 8 weight percent Mn. All these deposits are thin ellipsoids, concordant to the host rocks, but Cyprus-and Cuban-type deposits are larger than Franciscan- and Olympic Peninsula-type deposits. Except for Cyprus-type deposits, which are manganiferous iron (umber) deposits composed of hydrated iron and manganese oxides, all volcanogenic manganese deposits contain manganese oxides, silicates, and carbonates. Mineral-deposit densities, along with grade and tonnage information, are useful for estimating the number, size, andgrades of these deposits in resource assessments.

Bulletin↗
USGS2012

Seismic hazard assessment for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands

We present the results of a new probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The Mariana island arc has formed in response to northwestward subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the Philippine Sea plate, and this process controls seismic activity in the region. Historical seismicity, the Mariana megathrust, and two crustal faults on Guam were modeled as seismic sources, and ground motions were estimated by using published relations for a firm-rock site condition. Maps of peak ground acceleration, 0.2-second spectral acceleration for 5 percent critical damping, and 1.0-second spectral acceleration for 5 percent critical damping were computed for exceedance probabilities of 2 percent and 10 percent in 50 years. For 2 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years, probabilistic peak ground acceleration is 0.94 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.57 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, 0.2-second spectral acceleration is 2.86 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 1.75 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, and 1.0-second spectral acceleration is 0.61 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.37 gravitational acceleration at Saipan. For 10 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years, probabilistic peak ground acceleration is 0.49 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.29 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, 0.2-second spectral acceleration is 1.43 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.83 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, and 1.0-second spectral acceleration is 0.30 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.18 gravitational acceleration at Saipan. The dominant hazard source at the islands is upper Benioff-zone seismicity (depth 40&ndash;160 kilometers). The large probabilistic ground motions reflect the strong concentrations of this activity below the arc, especially near Guam.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1999

Chapter 2: Geological and tectonic setting of Santorini

Santorini lies in an area of complex extensional and subduction-related tectonics in a continental environment (Jackson 1994). The region has had a long geological history with large changes occurring during the Alpine orogeny and in the Late Tertiary as a consequence of post-collisional extension and major re-adjustments of the plate boundaries. The Aegean region is thought to be moving towards the southwest where the Aegean microplate overrides the Eastern Mediterranean sea floor. The collision has created the Hellenic trench to the south of Crete where the eastern Mediterranean sea floor is subducting beneath the Aegean Sea at 5-6 cm a-1. Santorini is one of several Quaternary volcanoes that define the present day active volcanic arc related to this subduction zone (Fig. 2.1). We here provide a synopsis of the broader geological and tectonic context of Santorini within the Aegean area. The geology, isotope geochemistry and geochronology of the crystalline basement of the southern Aegean is of particular relevance as it is likely that the Santorini magmas have interacted extensively with the continental crust. Geochemical evidence presented in Chapters 6 and 7 confirms this prediction. We also give a synopsis of the Quaternary Aegean Island Arc, of which Santorini is the most active centre.

Santorini↗
USGS2009

The 2006-2007 Kuril Islands great earthquake sequence

[1] The southwestern half of a ∼500 km long seismic gap in the central Kuril Island arc subduction zone experienced two great earthquakes with extensive preshock and aftershock sequences in late 2006 to early 2007. The nature of seismic coupling in the gap had been uncertain due to the limited historical record of prior large events and the presence of distinctive upper plate, trench and outer rise structures relative to adjacent regions along the arc that have experienced repeated great interplate earthquakes in the last few centuries. The intraplate region seaward of the seismic gap had several shallow compressional events during the preceding decades (notably an M S 7.2 event on 16 March 1963), leading to speculation that the interplate fault was seismically coupled. This issue was partly resolved by failure of the shallow portion of the interplate megathrust in an M W = 8.3 thrust event on 15 November 2006. This event ruptured ∼250 km along the seismic gap, just northeast of the great 1963 Kuril Island (M w = 8.5) earthquake rupture zone. Within minutes of the thrust event, intense earthquake activity commenced beneath the outer wall of the trench seaward of the interplate rupture, with the larger events having normal-faulting mechanisms. An unusual double band of interplate and intraplate aftershocks developed. On 13 January 2007, an M W = 8.1 extensional earthquake ruptured within the Pacific plate beneath the seaward edge of the Kuril trench. This event is the third largest normal-faulting earthquake seaward of a subduction zone on record, and its rupture zone extended to at least 33 km depth and paralleled most of the length of the 2006 rupture. The 13 January 2007 event produced stronger shaking in Japan than the larger thrust event, as a consequence of higher short-period energy radiation from the source. The great event aftershock sequences were dominated by the expected faulting geometries; thrust faulting for the 2006 rupture zone, and normal faulting for the 2007 rupture zone. A large intraplate compressional event occurred on 15 January 2009 (M w = 7.4) near 45 km depth, below the rupture zone of the 2007 event and in the vicinity of the 16 March 1963 compressional event. The fault geometry, rupture process and slip distributions of the two great events are estimated using very broadband teleseismic body and surface wave observations. The occurrence of the thrust event in the shallowest portion of the interplate fault in a region with a paucity of large thrust events at greater depths suggests that the event removed most of the slip deficit on this portion of the interplate fault. This great earthquake doublet demonstrates the heightened seismic hazard posed by induced intraplate faulting following large interplate thrust events. Future seismic failure of the remainder of the seismic gap appears viable, with the northeastern region that has also experienced compressional activity seaward of the megathrust warranting particular attention.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS1989

The Macon Complex; An ancient accretionary complex in the southern Appalachians

The Macon Complex, which extends from eastern Alabama to northern North Carolina, is a late Precambrian–Middle Cambrian accretionary complex comparable in size to the Franciscan Complex of California and Oregon. Much of the complex is tectonic, sedimentary, and metamorphic chaos, properly termed mélange, where well-rounded to angular fragments, blocks, and slabs of contrasting metamorphic grades, different igneous parentages, drastically different sedimentary facies, and different degrees of deformation “float” in highly imbricated and tectonized matrices, the whole having been intruded by Devonian mafic plutons and associated syenites, and by Carboniferous granitic plutons. We have divided the complex into three mélanges that probably reflect different structural regimes within the accretionary wedge: (1) the Juliette mélange, with two tectonostratigraphic lithofacies, the clastic-rich, partly olistostromal Potato Creek facies and the Gladesville facies, rich in mafic and ultramaflc fragments, blocks, and slabs; (2) the Po Biddy mélange, characterized by metamorphosed manganiferous sediments, metavolcaniclastic rocks, graphitic schists, and locally by metamorphosed thinly bedded pyritiferous limestones, and a wide variety of mineral deposits; and (3) the Falls Lake mélange, which is quite similar to the Juliette mélange and probably represents the same tectonostratigraphic horizon in the accretionary prism. The matrices of the mélanges contain a wide variety of metaigneous and metasedimentary exotic clasts, including mafic and ultramaflc rocks. The Macon Complex is structurally overlain by the late Precambrian–Middle Cambrian Little River Complex, made up of thick piles of mostly felsic calc-alkaline metavolcanic rocks, and lesser amounts of metaplutonic rocks, that originated in a continental-margin volcanic arc (Little River arc). Trilobites from near the top of one of the youngest sections are restricted to the upper two-thirds of the Middle Cambrian and are characteristic of the Atlantic faunal province. The Little River Complex is overlain, beneath the Atlantic Coastal Plain, by the African cratonic Northern Florida platform sequence; the Macon and Little River complexes and the Northern Florida platform sequence make up the Little River thrust stack. The magmas of the Devonian plutons that have intruded the Macon Complex probably formed when the Little River stack was thrust upon the underlying Georgiabama thrust stack, which was itself still being thrust toward the North American craton. The Macon Complex is interpreted to have formed between a trench and the Little River island arc at the oceanward edge of what was either a microcontinent off the African continent or the core of the present African continent. Many mafic and all ultramaflc bodies in the mélange are probably pieces of Iapetus Ocean crust and mantle offscraped from the downgoing slab and imbricated into the accretionary wedge. Rocks of the Macon Complex have previously been assigned to the “Charlotte,” “Kiokee,” “Kings Mountain,” and “Lowndesville” belts and to parts of the “Uchee,” “Raleigh,” “Pine Mountain,” and “Inner Piedmont” “belts.”

Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina↗
USGS2008

The metallogeny of Late Triassic rifting of the Alexander terrane in southeastern Alaska and northwestern British Columbia

A belt of unusual volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) occurrences is located along the eastern margin of the Alexander terrane throughout southeastern Alaska and northwestern British Columbia and exhibits a range of characteristics consistent with a variety of syngenetic to epigenetic deposit types. Deposits within this belt include Greens Creek and Windy Craggy, the economically most significant VMS deposit in Alaska and the largest in North America, respectively. The occurrences are hosted by a discontinuously exposed, 800-km-long belt of rocks that consist of a 200- to 800-m-thick sequence of conglomerate, limestone, marine elastic sedimentary rocks, and tuff intercalated with and overlain by a distinctive unit of mafic pyroclastic rocks and pillowed flows. Faunal data bracket the age of the host rocks between Anisian (Middle Triassic) and late Norian (late Late Triassic). This metallogenic belt is herein referred to as the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt. The VMS occurrences show systematic differences in degree of structural control, chemistry, and stratigraphic setting along the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt that suggest important spatial or temporal changes in the tectonic environment of formation. At the southern end of the belt, felsic volcanic rocks overlain by shallow-water limestones characterize the lower part of the sequence. In the southern and middle portion of the belt, a distinctive pebble conglomerate marks the base of the section and is indicative of high-energy deposition in a near slope or basin margin setting. At the northern end of the belt the conglomerates, limestones, and felsic volcanic rocks are absent and the belt is composed of deep-water sedimentary and mafic volcanic rocks. This northward change in depositional environment and lithofacies is accompanied by a northward transition from epithermal-like structurally controlled, discontinuous, vein- and pod-shaped, Pb-Zn-Ag-Ba-(Cu) occurrences with relatively simple mineralogy, to sulfosalt-enriched VMS occurrences exhibiting characteristics of vein, diagenetic replacement, and exhalative styles of mineralization, and finally to Cu-Zn-(Co-Au) occurrences with larger and more clearly stratiform orebody morphologies. Occurrences in the middle of the belt are transitional in nature between structurally controlled types of mineralization that formed in a shallow-water, near-arc setting, to those having a more stratiform appearance, formed in a deeper water, rift-basin setting. The geologic setting in the south is consistent with shallow subaqueous emplacement on the flanks of the Alexander terrane. Northward, the setting changes to an increasingly deeper back- or intra-arc rift basin. Igneous activity in the Alexander Triassic metallogenic belt is characterized by a bimodal suite of volcanic rocks and a previously unrecognized association with mafic-ultramafic hypabyssal intrusions. Immobile trace and rare earth element (BEE) geochemical data indicate that felsic rocks in the southern portion of the belt are typical calc-alkaline rhyolites, which give way in the middle of the belt to peralkaline rhyolites. Rhyolites are largely absent in the northern part of the belt. Throughout the belt, the capping basaltic rocks have transitional geochemical signatures. Radiogenic isotope data for these rocks are also transitional (basalts and gabbros: ??-Nd = 4-9 and 87Sr/86Sr initial at 215 Ma = 0.7037-0.7074). Together these data are interpreted to reflect variable assimilation of mature island-arc crust by more primitive melts having the characteristics of either mid-ocean ridge (MORB) or intraplate (within-plate) basalts (WPB). The ore and host-rock geochemistry and the sulfosalt-rich mineralogy of the deposits are strikingly similar to recent descriptions of active sea-floor hydrothermal (white smoker) systems in back arcs of the southwest Pacific Ocean. These data, in concert with existing faunal ages, record the formation of a belt of VMS deposits

Conference Paper↗
USGS2017

Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies

Soils on uplifted Quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, ???125,000 to ???700,000 yr old, form a climo-chronosequence and show changes in physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties with terrace age. Parent materials are dust derived from the Sahara, volcanic ash from the Lesser Antilles island arc, and detrital carbonate from the underlying reef limestone. Although some terrace soils are probably eroded, soils or their remnants are redder and more clay-rich with increasing terrace age. Profile-average Al2O3 and Fe2O3 content increases with terrace age, which partially reflects the increasing clay content, but dithionite-extractable Fe also increases with terrace age. Profile-average K2O/TiO2, Na2O/TiO2, and P2O5/TiO2 values decrease with terrace age, reflecting the depletion of primary minerals. Average SiO2/Al2O3 values also decrease with terrace age and reflect not only loss of primary minerals but also evolution of secondary clay minerals. Although they are not present in any of the parent materials, the youngest terrace soils are dominated by smectite and interstratified kaolinite-smectite, which gradually alter to relatively pure kaolinite over ???700,000 yr. Comparisons with other tropical islands, where precipitation is higher and rates of dust fall may be lower, show that Barbados soils are less weathered than soils of comparable age. It is concluded that many soil properties in tropical regions can be potentially useful relative-age indicators in Quaternary stratigraphic studies, even when soils are eroded or changes in soil morphology are not dramatic. ?? 2001 University of Washington.

Quaternary Research↗
USGS1973

Alaska-Aleutian range batholith: Geochronology, chemistry, and relation to circum-Pacific plutonism

Potassium-argon mineral ages and reconnaissance mapping of approximately 65,000 sq km in south-central Alaska indicate that the Mesozoic and Cenozoic plutonic rocks in the region were emplaced during three discrete intrusive epochs. Most of the plutonic rocks are part of the Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith; the remainder appear as outcrops in isolated plutons northeast of the main batholith. Maximum and minimum concordant mineral ages on coexisting biotite and hornblende are used to mark the beginning and ending, respectively, of each intrusive epoch. The oldest intrusive epoch, Early and Middle Jurassic, contains plutonic rocks emplaced between about 176 and 154 m.y. ago. Jurassic plutonism occurred along a magmatic arc at least 1,300 km long, extending from about 480 km southwest of Becharof Lake northeast to the Talkeetna Mountains. Aeromagnetic data suggest that the magmatic arc, which represents the roots of the arc portion of an early Mesozoic arc-trench system, also continues southwest into the Bering Shelf. The associated trench is thought to be represented by an imbricated mélange of ophiolite and submarine lava with associated chert and argillite that occupies a belt 140 km southeast of the magmatic arc. Clastic sediments more than 4.5 km thick occupy the 140-km-wide arc-trench gap. Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutonic rocks, emplaced between about 83 and 58 m.y. ago, are found mainly in the northern part of the batholith and in isolated plutons to the northeast toward Mount McKinley. Middle Tertiary plutonic rocks ranging in age from 38 to 26 m.y. occur in two areas within the batholith and also in the Mount McKinley area. Although some of the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary plutons are associated with extrusive rocks, these plutons are largely post-tectonic, and magma was generated beneath both stable platform areas as well as beneath former eugeosynclinal regions in which deformation had essentially ceased. Magma for the Jurassic plutonic rocks appears to have been generated along or above an early Mesozoic subduction zone. The region southeast of the zone is considered to represent a classic example of continental accretion of eugeosynclinal sediments caused by under-thrusting of oceanic crust beneath an island arc. Magma generation for the Cretaceous and Tertiary plutons in the northern part of the batholith does not appear related to the early Mesozoic subduction zone, for it would require that the zone shift inland, or toward the continent, from its position during the Jurassic and then shift away from the continent once again to its present position.

GSA Bulletin↗
USGS1986

Isotope geochemistry of recent magmatism in the Aegean arc: Sr, Nd, Hf, and O isotopic ratios in the lavas of Milos and Santorini-geodynamic implications

In this comparative study of variations in the isotopic compositions (Sr, Nd, O and Hf) of the calc-alkaline magmas of the largest two volcanoes, Milos and Santorini, of the Aegean arc (eastern Mediterranean) we demonstrate the complexity of the processes governing the evolution of the magmas on the scale both of the arc and of each volcano. On Santorini, the crustal contamination processes have been limited, effecting the magma gradually during its differentiation. The most differentiated lavas (rhyodacite and pumice) are also the most contaminated. On Milos, by contrast, these processes are very extensive. They are expressed in the 143 Nd/ 144 Nd vs. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr diagram as a continuous mixing curve between a mantle and a crustal end member pole defined by schists and metavolcanic rocks outcropping on these volcanoes. In contrast with Santorini, the least differentiated lavas on Milos are the most contaminated. These isotopic singularities can be correlated with the geodynamic evolution of the Aegean subduction zone, consisting of alternating tectonic phases of distension and compression. The genesis of rhyolitic magmas can be linked to the two phases of distension, and the contamination of the calc-alkaline mantle-derived magmas with the intermediate compressive phase. The isotopic characteristics of uncontaminated calc-alkaline primitive magmas of Milos and Santorini are directly comparable to those of magmas generated in subduction zones for which a contribution of subducted sediments to partial melts from the mantle is suggested, such as in the Aleutian, Sunda, and lesser Antilles island arcs. However, in spite of the importance of the sediment pile in the eastern Mediterranen oceanic crust (6–10 km), the contribution of the subducted terrigenous materials remains of limited amplitude.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS2014

Pb-Sr-Nd-O isotopic characterization of Mesozoic rocks throughout the northern end of the Peninsular Ranges batholith: Isotopic evidence for the magmatic evolution of oceanic arc–continental margin accretion during the Late Cretaceous of southern California

Within the duration of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)–based Southern California Areal Mapping Project (SCAMP), many samples from the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith were studied for their whole-rock radioisotopic systematics (rubidium-strontium [Rb-Sr], uranium-thorium-lead [U-Th-Pb], and samarium-neodymium [Sm-Nd]), as well as oxygen (O), a stable isotope. The results of three main studies are presented separately, but here we combine them (>400 analyses) to produce a very complete Pb-Sr-Nd-O isotopic profile of an arc-continent collisional zone—perhaps the most complete in the world. In addition, because many of these samples have U-Pb zircon as well as argon mineral age determinations, we have good control of the timing for Pb-Sr-Nd-O isotopic variations. The ages and isotopic variations help to delineate at least four zones across the batholith from west to east—an older western zone (126–108 Ma), a transitional zone (111–93 Ma), an eastern zone (94–91 Ma), and a much younger allochthonous thrust sheet (ca. 84 Ma), which is the upper plate of the Eastern Peninsular Ranges mylonite zone. Average initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (Sr i ), initial 206 Pb/ 204 Pb ( 206 Pb i ), initial 208 Pb/ 204 Pb (average 208 Pb i ), initial epsilon Nd (average ε Ndi ), and δ 18 O signatures range from 0.704, 18.787, 38.445, +3.1, and 4.0‰–9.0‰, respectively, in the westernmost zone, to 0.7071, 19.199, 38.777, −5, and 9‰–12‰, respectively, in the easternmost zone. The older western zone is therefore the more chemically and isotopically juvenile, characterized mostly by values that are slightly displaced from a mantle array at ca. 115 Ma, and similar to some modern island-arc signatures. In contrast, the isotopic signatures in the eastern zones indicate significant amounts of crustal involvement in the magmatic plumbing of those plutons. These isotopic signatures confirm previously published results that interpreted the Peninsular Ranges batholith as a progressively contaminated magmatic arc. The Peninsular Ranges batholith magmatic arc was initially an oceanic arc built on Panthalassan lithosphere that eventually evolved into a continental margin magmatic arc collision zone, eventually overriding North American cratonic lithosphere. Our Pb-Sr-Nd data further suggest that the western arc rocks represent a nearshore or inboard oceanic arc, as they exhibit isotopic signatures that are more enriched than typical mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB). Isotopic signatures from the central zone are transitional and indicate that enriched crustal magma sources were becoming involved in the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith magmatic plumbing. As the oceanic arc–continental margin collision progressed, a mixture of oceanic mantle and continental magmatic sources transpired. Magmatic production in the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith moved eastward and continued to tap enriched crustal magmatic sources. Similar modeling has been previously proposed for two other western margin magmatic arcs, the Sierra Nevada batholith of central California and the Idaho batholith. Calculated initial Nd signatures at ca. 100 Ma for Permian–Jurassic and Proterozoic basement rocks from the nearby San Gabriel Mountains and possible source areas along the southwestern Laurentian margin of southern California, southwestern Arizona, and northern Sonora strongly suggest their involvement with deep crustal magma mixing beneath the eastern zones of the Peninsular Ranges batholith, as well as farther east in continental lithospheric zones. Last, several samples from the allochthonous, easternmost upper-plate zone, which are considerably younger (ca. 84 Ma) than any of the rocks from the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith proper, have even more enriched average Sr i , 206 Pb i , 208 Pb i , and ε Ndi signatures of 0.7079, 19.344, 38.881, and −6.6, respectively, indicative of the most-evolved magma sources in the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith and similar to radioisotopic values for rocks from the nearby Transverse Ranges, suggesting a genetic connection between the two.

Book chapter↗
USGS1990

Petrology of the Rainy Lake area, Minnesota, USA-implications for petrotectonic setting of the archean southern Wabigoon subprovince of the Canadian Shield

The Rainy Lake area in northern Minnesota and southwestern, Ontario is a Late Archean (2.7 Ga) granite-greenstone belt within the Wabigoon subprovince of the Canadian Shield. In Minnesota the rocks include mafic and felsic volcanic rocks, volcaniclastic, chemical sedimentary rocks, and graywacke that are intrucded by coeval gabbro, tonalite, and granodiorite. New data presented here focus on the geochemistry and petrology of the Minnesota part of the Rainy Lake area. Igneous rocks in the area are bimodal. The mafic rocks are made up of three distinct suites: (1) low-TiO2 tholeiite and gabbro that have slightly evolved Mg-numbers (63-49) and relatively flat rare-earth element (REE) patterns that range from 20-8 x chondrites (Ce/YbN=0.8-1.5); (2) high-TiO2 tholeiite with evolved Mg-numbers (46-29) and high total REE abundances that range from 70-40 x chondrites (Ce/YbN=1.8-3.3), and (3) calc-alkaline basaltic andesite and geochemically similar monzodiorite and lamprophyre with primitive Mg-numbers (79-63), enriched light rare-earth elements (LREE) and depleted heavy rare-earth elements (HREE). These three suites are not related by partial melting of a similar source or by fractional crystallization of a common parental magma; they resulted from melting of heterogeneous Archean mantle. The felsic rocks are made up of two distinct suites: (1)low-Al2O3 tholeiitic rhyolite, and (2) high-Al2O3 calc-alkaline dacite and rhyolite and consanguineous tonalite. The tholeiitic felsic rocks are high in Y, Zr, Nb, and total REE that are unfractionated and have pronounced negative Eu anomalies. The calcalkaline felsic rocks are depleted in Y, Zr, and Nb, and the REE that are highly fractionated with high LREE and depleted HREE, and display moderate negative Eu anomalies. Both suites of felsic rocks were generated by partial melting of crustal material. The most reasonable modern analog for the paleotectonic setting is an immature island arc. The bimodal volcanic rocks are intercalated with sedimentary rocks and have been intruded by pre- and syntectonic granitoid rocks. However, the geochemistry of the mafic rocks does not correlate fully with that of mafic rocks in modern are evvironments. The low-TiO2 tholeiite is similar to both N-type mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB) and low-K tholeiite from immature marginal basins. The calc-alkaline basaltic andesite is like that of low-K calc-alkaline mafic volcanic rocks from oceanic volcanic arcs; however, the high-TiO2 tholeiite is most similar to modern E-type MORB, which occurs in oceanic rifts. The conundrum may be explained by: (1) rifting of a pre-existing immature arc system to produce the bimodal volcanic rocks and high-TiO2 tholeiite; (2) variable enrichment of a previously depleted Archean mantle, to produce both the low- and high-TiO2 tholeiite and the calc-alkaline basaltic andesite, and/or (3) enrichment of the parental rocks of the high-TiO2 tholeiite by crustal contamination. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗
USGS2025

A time-space model of graphite mineral systems

Increasing demand for graphite in energy storage systems warrants review of graphite ore genesis in a mineral systems framework. Orogenic graphite encompasses the metamorphic and orogenic mineral systems that produce flake graphite and hydrothermal vein (lump and chip) graphite deposits, respectively. A common feature of orogenic graphite deposits is an association with upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies metasedimentary rocks in continent-continent or continent-island arc collisional orogens. Orogenic flake graphite deposits form primarily through graphitization of organic carbon during regional metamorphism, but strain localization and partial melting of pelitic protoliths are likely important processes for graphite grade and quality enrichment. Orogenic vein graphite deposits precipitate from hydrothermal fluids, possibly derived from metamorphism or anatexis at depth. Decarbonation reactions in mixed calcareous-carbonaceous metasedimentary sequences are the most likely carbon sources for the veins. In contrast, intrusion-related graphite includes magmatic-hydrothermal and metamorphic mineral systems that form primarily in continental arc settings via the interaction of magmas with carbonaceous sedimentary packages. Magmatic-hydrothermal flake graphite deposits are hosted in plutonic and volcanic rocks, and result from the exsolution of CO 2 -CH 4 -rich fluids from melts contaminated by such packages. Contact metamorphism of carbonaceous sedimentary rocks by plutons produces some microcrystalline (amorphous) graphite deposits, including many in China. Compilation of geologic data from known graphite deposits globally suggests that pulses of carbon deposition in the Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic provided source carbon material. Subsequent supercontinent orogenesis at ca. 2,100 to 1,700 Ma (Columbia), ca. 1,300 to 1,000 Ma (Rodinia), and ca. 650 to 500 Ma (Gondwana) resulted in the genesis of orogenic flake and vein graphite deposits, where favorable geologic components overlapped with organic ± carbonate carbon-rich strata. Cryogenian deposition of graphite protoliths and Cryogenian – Cambrian metamorphic mineralization account for nearly 75% of all known resources globally and coincide with profound carbon isotope excursions and climate variability, implying a link with the global carbon budget. Comparatively few graphite deposits are associated with Pangea-forming orogens, attributed to less exhumation and/or denudation. High-temperature metasedimentary belts containing organic carbon-rich protoliths are most favorable for hosting orogenic flake graphite deposits, whereas sequences that also contain carbonate protoliths are favorable for orogenic graphite veins. Continent-scale orogenic belts may host both deposit types along with vanadium deposits. Use of a time-space mineral systems framework for graphite deposits can improve exploration models needed to ensure future supply of this critical mineral and provide insights into Earth’s long-term carbon cycle.

Mineralium Deposita↗
USGS1997

Subsidence of ash-flow calderas: Relation to caldera size and magma-chamber geometry

Diverse subsidence geometries and collapse processes for ash-flow calderas are inferred to reflect varying sizes, roof geometries, and depths of the source magma chambers, in combination with prior volcanic and regional tectonic influences. Based largely on a review of features at eroded pre-Quaternary calderas, a continuum of geometries and subsidence styles is inferred to exist, in both island-arc and continental settings, between small funnel calderas and larger plate (piston) subsidences bounded by arcuate faults. Within most ring-fault calderas, the subsided block is variably disrupted, due to differential movement during ash-flow eruptions and postcollapse magmatism, but highly chaotic piecemeal subsidence appears to be uncommon for large-diameter calderas. Small-scale downsag structures and accompanying extensional fractures develop along margins of most calderas during early stages of subsidence, but downsag is dominant only at calderas that have not subsided deeply. Calderas that are loci for multicyclic ash-flow eruption and subsidence cycles have the most complex internal structures. Large calderas have flared inner topographic walls due to landsliding of unstable slopes, and the resulting slide debris can constitute large proportions of caldera fill. Because the slide debris is concentrated near caldera walls, models from geophysical data can suggest a funnel geometry, even for large plate-subsidence calderas bounded by ring faults. Simple geometric models indicate that many large calderas have subsided 3-5 km, greater than the depth of most naturally exposed sections of intracaldera deposits. Many ring-fault platesubsidence calderas and intrusive ring complexes have been recognized in the western U.S., Japan, and elsewhere, but no well-documented examples of exposed eroded calderas have large-scale funnel geometry or chaotically disrupted caldera floors. Reported ignimbrite "shields" in the central Andes, where large-volume ash-flows are inferred to have erupted without caldera collapse, seem alternatively interpretable as more conventional calderas that were filled to overflow by younger lavas and tuffs. Some exposed subcaldera intrusions provide insights concerning subsidence processes, but such intrusions may continue to evolve in volume, roof geometry, depth, and composition after formation of associated calderas.

Bulletin of Volcanology↗
USGS1982

Unroofing history of a suture zone in the Himalaya of Pakistan by means of fission-track annealing ages

The uplift history of the Swat Valley and Hazara region of northwestern Pakistan has been established using 22 fission-track dates on apatite, zircon and sphene. A major fault, the Main Mantle Thrust (MMT) strikes east-west across the Swat Valley, separates regions of markedly differing fission-track age regimesm, and may be a suture zone separating an extinct island arc terrane on the north from the Indian plate to the south. Fission-track ages ranging from about 55 to 58 m.y. for sphene, 18 to 53 m.y. for zircon, and 9 to 17 m.y. for apatite were obtained from the region north of the MMT. To the south the fission-track age ranges are 20 to 25 m.y. for sphene, 17 to 26 m.y. for zircon, and 16 to 23 m.y. for apatite. Disparate zircon and sphene ages on each side of the MMT imply different cooling histories for each side of the fault prior to 15 m.y. Similar apatite ages on both sides of the fault imply similar cooling histories during the past 15 m.y. This may indicate that faulting ceased by 15 m.y. Mean uplift rates have been derived from the fission-track data using mainly the mineral-pair method. Uplift rates in the region north of the MMT increased from 0.07 to 0.20 mm/yr during the period 55 to 15 m.y. South of the fault, uplift rates averaged in excess of 0.70 mm/yr for the period 25 to 15 m.y. During the past 15 m.y. uplift across the MMT in the Swat Valley showsno discontinuities, ranging from 0.16 mm/yr in the south to 0.39 mm/yr in the north. A plausible interpretation for the fission-track uplift data has the MMT verging to the south with overthrusting taking place at a depth between 3.5 and 6.0 km, juxtaposing two terranes that were originally separated by a substantial, but unknown distance. In this model, regional uplift followed cessation of faulting just prior to 15 m.y.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS1984

Oxygen isotope evidence for submarine hydrothermal alteration of the Del Puerto ophiolite, California

The oxygen isotope compositions and metamorphic mineral assemblages of hydrothermally altered rocks from the Del Puerto ophiolite and overlying volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks at the base of the Great Valley sequence indicate that their alteration occurred in a submarine hydrothermal system. Whole rock δ 18 O compositions decrease progressively down section (with increasing metamorphic grade): +22.4‰ (SMOW) to +13.8 for zeolite-bearing volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks overlying the ophiolite; +19.6 to +11.6 for pumpellyite-bearing metavolcanic rocks in the upper part of the ophiolite's volcanic member; +12.3 to +8.1 for epidote-bearing metavolcanic rocks in the lower part of the volcanic member; +8.5 to +5.7 for greenschist facies rocks from the ophiolite's plutonic member; +7.6 to +5.8 for amphibolite facies or unmetamorphosed rocks from the plutonic member. Modelling of fluid-rock interaction in the Del Puerto ophiolite indicates that the observed pattern of upward enrichment in whole rock δ 18 O can be best explained by isotopic exchange with discharging 18 O-shifted seawater at fluid/rock mass ratios near 2 and temperatures below 500°C. 18 O-depleted plutonic rocks necessarily produced during hydrothermal circulation were later removed as a result of tectonism. Submarine weathering and later burial metamorphism at the base of the Great Valley sequence cannot by itself have produced the zonation of hydrothermal minerals and the corresponding variations in oxygen isotope compositions. The pervasive zeolite and prehnite-pumpellyite facies mineral assemblages found in the Del Puerto ophiolite may reflect its origin near an island arc rather than deep ocean spreading center.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS1984

Uplift and submarine formation of some Melanesian porphyry copper deposits: Stable isotope evidence

Hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyses of sericites and kaolinites from four young porphyry copper deposits (Ok Tedi (1.2 Ma) and Yandera (6.5 Ma), Papua New Guinea; Koloula (1.5 Ma), Solomon Islands; and Waisoi (<5 Ma), Fiji) indicate that the fluids from which these minerals precipitated were of mixed magmatic and non-magmatic sources. The non-magmatic component of the fluid from the island arc deposits (Koloula, Waisoi) was ocean water. For Ok Tedi, the non-magmatic component was a meteoric water with an isotopic composition different from that of the present meteoric water in the region. The isotopic signature of the former meteoric water is consistent with a surface elevation of 200 m a.s.l. or less at the time of mineralization. The deposit was later exposed and supergene kaolinitization commenced at approximately 1200 m a.s.l. Uplift and erosion has continued to the present at which time the elevation of the exposed deposit is 1800 m a.s.l. This rate of uplift is consistent with that known from other geological evidence. If the rate of uplift were approximately constant during the last 1.2 Ma, the age of supergene enrichment can be dated at approximately 0.4 Ma B.P. Similarly, influx of meteoric water at Yandera occurred when the ground surface above the deposit was at an elevation of approximately 600 m a.s.l. The deposit's present elevation is 1600 m a.s.l. In this case a total uplift of approximately 2.2 km is indicated, with removal of 1.2 km of overburden by erosion.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS1989

Cryptic tectonic domains of the Klamath Mountains, California and Oregon

Numerous fragments of oceanic crust and island arcs make up the Klamath Mountains province. These fragments were joined together (amalgamated) in an oceanic setting during Paleozoic and Mesozoic collisional events and were accreted to North America as a composite unit during latest Jurassic or earliest Cretaceous time. The roughly arcuate and concentric distribution of the terranes of the Klamath Mountains does not now seem to be a result of simple oroclinal bending as earlier believed. Although commonly described as a west-facing arcuate structure, the province is cut diagonally by a vaguely defined NW-trending zone of discontinuity, or hinge line, that divides the province into NE and SW tectonic domains. The zone of discontinuity is marked by a number of lithic and structural anomalies, and particularly by the distribution of a remarkable series of belts of plutonic rocks. The terranes, regional structures, and plutonic belts of the NE domain trend NE and are generally wider and more coherent than the narrow NW-trending terranes and plutonic belts of the SW domain. Most plutonic belts of the NE domain do not have equivalents in the SW domain. Paleomagnetic evidence suggests that all the plutonic belts, except possibly the youngest (the earliest Cretaceous Shasta Bally belt), were emplaced before the Klamath Mountains terranes finally accreted to North America.

California, Oregon↗