Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : In this study, I examine the strain modes of the forearc, arc and back-arc domains in arc-continent collisional settings leading to arc material subduction, delamination and/or accretion. The study focusses on two well-documented colliding island arcs: the Izu–Bonin–Mariana (IBM) arc in Japan and the Luzon arc in Taiwan, both carried by the Philippine Sea plate. Firstly, there is a body of evidence that both the IBM and the Luzon arcs were built on the same Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous “proto-Philippine Sea Plate” crust. Their internal structure is thus more heterogeneous than expected from Paleogene or Neogene supposedly “intra-oceanic” island arcs. Secondly, those arc systems and proximal “back-arcs” have similar seismic characteristics attesting either for the presence of a middle crust with continental velocities and/or serpentinized uppermost mantle that facilitate crustal shortening/slivering and subsequent decoupling from the rest of the subducting plate. It is shown that the proximal back-arc domain (called “rear-arc” in case of paleoarc activity), overlying the mantle wedge and the subducting slab, may lose its strength if slab-derived hydration occur. Decoupling then occurs below the Moho. Arc delamination likely occurs in mid-crustal levels because middle-crust, heated by nearby magmatism, becomes weak. Accretion of arc material onto the upper plate depends on the characteristics of the arc itself and the geodynamic configuration. Most of the accreted material is probably underplated rather than frontally accreted.
ISSN: 0743-9547

hal-01243080
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243080
DOI : 10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.07.043

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Taylor & Francis
Résumé : New structural data and P-T estimates of syn-deformational assemblages within the Beni Bousera peridotites and their crustal envelope are used to explain their Alpine exhumation. The Beni Bousera peridotites occur as thin sheets within high grade crustal units of the lower Sebtides (inner Rif, Morocco) and are composed of weakly deformed spinel lherzolite in the core of the massif and garnet-spinel mylonite at the rim. The main foliation trajectories in both the peridotites and overlying crustal units show systematic rotation towards their mutual contact, indicating a kilometer-scale top to the NW shearing with a dextral component along this crust/mantle contact. Widespread top to the NW shear criteria within the crustal units overlying the peridotite support this feature. Available ages constrain the development of the main foliation in both the peridotites and crustal rocks between 25 and 20 Ma. New P-T data from the peridotites show that deformation occurs during decompression from approximate to 22 kbar, 1050 degrees C to approximate to 9-15 kbar, 800 degrees C. As a consequence, exhumation of the Beni Bousera peridotites takes place during the Oligo-Miocene lithosphere thinning in the footwall of a lithospheric extensional shear zone. The exceptional preservation of garnet within the mylonitic peridotites results from rapid cooling of the border of the massif due to the juxtaposition with colder crustal rocks along this shear zone. Uplifting of the hot mantle rocks simultaneously induces high temperature metamorphism in the overlying crustal units. These new findings allow us to reconstruct the deformation history of the Beni Bousera region and the Alboran domain in the framework of the western Mediterranean geodynamics during the last 40 Myrs.. (C) 2011 Lavoisier SAS. All rights reserved
ISSN: 0985-3111

hal-00767654
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00767654
DOI : 10.3166/ga.24.49-60

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
The mantle above a subducting slab is the site of complex interactions between deformation, partial melting, fluid migration and magma transport. To constrain these interactions and their effects on olivine deformation, we analyze microstructures, crystal preferred orientations, and water contents of peridotite xenoliths entrained by andesites of the Avacha volcano, southern Kamchatka arc. These xenoliths are refractory spinel harzburgites that have coarse-grained microstructures with widely spaced subgrain boundaries and sinuous grain boundaries in olivine, consistent with deformation by dislocation creep under low deviatoric stress (< 13 MPa) and with a significant contribution from diffusional processes. Analysis of crystal preferred orientations (CPO) indicates dominant activation of high-temperature, low-stress {0kl}[100] slip systems in olivine and of(100)[001] in orthopyroxene. In most samples, coarse opx crystals, elongated parallel to the lineation, enclose small olivine grains in crystallographic continuity with neighbouring crystals, indicating crystallization of orthopyroxene at the expense of olivine as a result of reactive percolation of Si-rich fluids coeval with the high-temperature deformation. Secondary crystallization of interstitial orthopyroxene led locally to development of opx-rich lenses parallel to the foliation, characterized by a decrease in olivine grain size and dispersion of the olivine CPO without changing the dominant slip systems. Half of the samples also show acicular orthopyroxene aggregates with which is associated a fine-grained matrix composed of rounded strain-free olivine, orthopyroxene, spinel, and rare amphibole crystals. This matrix occurs pervasively along grain boundaries or forms millimeter-scale irregular lenses and anastomosing veinlets that crosscut the coarse crystals and their ductile deformation structures. Both acicular orthopyroxene and the fine-grained matrix are interpreted as resulting from reactive transport of H2O-rich fluids under static conditions, probably in the lithospheric mantle. Infrared analyses show that olivine contains 1-8 center dot 6 ppm by weight of water. These low water contents are similar to those observed in spinel peridotites from other subduction zones and probably record both the low solubility of water in olivine at low pressure and dehydration during exhumation of the xenoliths. Water contents in orthopyroxene are highly variable (25-506 ppm H2O), probably recording spatially heterogeneous interaction with fluids or melts and compositional disequilibrium in the studied samples. Change in the dominant percolation mechanism from porous flow to fracturing suggests cooling, consistent with the low temperatures estimated from pyroxene thermometry (< 800-900 degrees C). The Avacha xenoliths therefore record pervasive deformation of a region of the mantle under asthenospheric conditions, followed by its accretion to the base of the lithosphere, probably as a result of cooling of the mantle wedge. Percolation of Si-rich fluids or hydrous melts is recorded at all stages; this probably enhanced diffusion and lowered deviatoric stresses during ductile deformation, but did not change the dominant slip direction in olivine from [100] to [001].
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00456053
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456053
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egp085

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Kekem shoshonitic gabbro-norite association is part of the high-K calc-alkaline (HKCA) post-collisional magmatism, a major feature of the Pan-African Belt in Cameroon. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon analyses provide an age of 576 ± 4 Ma for the Kekem complex. This age is interpreted as dating the emplacement of the massif during the waning stage of the Pan-African orogeny. The latter is related to dextral movements along the Central Cameroon Shear Zone (CCSZ). The REE patterns display enriched LREE (LaN/YbN = 14.2-23.5) while HREE present a nearly flat profile (DyN/YbN = 1.3-1.7), and the La/Sm and Sm/Yb ratios led to propose that the Kekem gabbro-norites have been derived from the partial melting of a garnet-spinel lherzolite mantle source. The negative Nb-Ta and Ti anomalies and the positive Pb anomalies indicate that this mantle source was modified by contribution of a subduction-related material. The low Ce/Pb (2.6-10.4) and Th/Yb ratios associated to high Ba/La ratios, indicate that source enrichment could be related to slab derived fluids. As a whole, the Kekem geochemical features suggest that primary gabbro-noritic magmas derived from a subduction-modified mantle source (metasomatised lithospheric mantle). Moderately high 86Sr/87Sr initial ratios (0.7068-0.7082), low εNd (−5 to −9) and old Nd TDM model ages (1.6-1.8 Ga) are interpreted to result from contamination of Neoproterozoic mantle by the Paleoproterozoic crust. The ca. 576 Ma movements along the CCSZ are related to a Neoproterozoic metacratonization of the northern margin of the Congo craton during the Pan-African orogeny. This metacratonization led to vertical planar lithospheric delamination along lithospheric transcurrent faults, asthenospheric uprise and partial melting of the Paleoproterozoic lithospheric mantle.
ISSN: 0899-5362

hal-00903665
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00903665
DOI : 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2013.03.010

Éditeur(s) : American Geophysical Union
Résumé : We use seismic reflection and rock sample data to propose that the first-order physiography of New Caledonia Trough and Norfolk Ridge formed in Eocene and Oligocene time and was associated with the onset of subduction and back-arc spreading at the Australia-Pacific plate boundary. Our tectonic model involves an initial Cretaceous rift that is strongly modified by Cenozoic subduction initiation. Hence, we are able to explain (1) complex sedimentary basins of inferred Mesozoic age; (2) a prominent unconformity and onlap surface of middle Eocene to early Miocene age at the base of flat-lying sediments beneath the axis of New Caledonia Trough; (3) gently dipping, variable thickness, and locally deformed Late Cretaceous strata along the margins of the trough; (4) platform morphology and unconformities on either side of the trough that indicate a phase of late Eocene to early Miocene uplift to near sea level, followed by rapid Oligocene and Miocene subsidence of similar to 1100-1800 m; and (5) seismic reflection facies tied to boreholes that suggest absolute tectonic subsidence at the southern end of New Caledonia Trough by 1800-2200 m since Eocene time. The Cenozoic part of the model involves delamination and subduction initiation followed by rapid foundering and rollback of the slab. This created a deep (>2 km) enclosed oceanic trough, similar to 2000 km long and 200-300 km across, in Eocene and Oligocene time as the lower crust detached, with simultaneous uplift and local land development along basin flanks. Disruption of Late Cretaceous and Paleogene strata was minimal during this Cenozoic phase and involved only subtle tilting and local reverse faulting or folding. Basin formation was possible through the action of at least one detachment fault that allowed the lower crust to either be subducted into the mantle or exhumed eastward into Norfolk Basin. We suggest that delamination of the lithosphere, with possible mixing of the lower crust back into the mantle, is more widespread than previously thought and may be commonly associated with subduction initiation, such as Cenozoic events in the Mediterranean and western Pacific.
Tectonics (0278-7407) (American Geophysical Union), 2010-03 , Vol. 29 , N. TC2004 , P. 1-16

Droits : Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00001/11271/9283.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2009TC002476
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00001/11271/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We report chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F) abundances in minerals, interstitial glasses, and melt inclusions in 12 andesite-hosted, spinel harzburgite xenoliths and crosscutting pyroxenite veins exhumed from the sub-arc lithospheric mantle beneath Avacha volcano in the Kamchatka Arc (NE Russia). The data are used to calculate equilibrium mineral-melt partition coefficients (Dmineral/meltDmineral/melt) for Cl and F relevant to subduction-zone processes and unravel the history of volatile depletion and enrichment mechanisms in an arc setting.Chlorine is ∼100 times more incompatible in pyroxenes (View the MathML sourceDClmineral/melt = 0.005–0.008 [±0.002–0.003]) than F (View the MathML sourceDFmineral/melt = 0.50–0.57 [±0.21–0.24]), which indicates that partial melting of mantle sources leads to strong depletions in Cl relative to F in the residues. The data set in this study suggests a strong control of melt composition on View the MathML sourceDCl,Fpyroxene/melt, in particular H2O contents and Al/(Al + Si), which is in line with recent experiments. Fluorine is compatible in Ca-amphibole in the ‘wet’ sub-arc mantle (View the MathML sourceDFamphibole/melt = 3.5–3.7 [±1.5]) but not Cl (View the MathML sourceDClamphibole/melt = 0.03–0.05 [±0.01–0.03]), indicating that amphibole may fractionate F from Cl in the mantle wedge. The inter-mineral partition coefficients for Cl and F in this study are consistent amongst different harzburgite samples, whether they contain glass or not. In particular, disseminated amphibole hosts much of the Cl and F bulk rock budgets of spinel harzburgites (View the MathML sourceDClamphibole/pyroxene up to 14 and View the MathML sourceDFamphibole/pyroxene up to 40). Chlorine and fluorine are variably enriched (up to 1500 ppm Cl and 750 ppm F) in the parental arc picrite and boninite melts of primitive pyroxenite veins (and related melt inclusions) crosscutting spinel harzburgites.Based on the data in this study, the main inferences on the behaviour of Cl and F during melting and metasomatic processes in the sub-arc mantle are as follow:(i) Melting models show that most depleted mantle protoliths of intra-oceanic arc sources can have extremely low Cl/F (0.002–0.007) before being overprinted by subduction-derived components.(ii) Chlorine has a higher percolation distance in the mantle than F. Even for small fluid or melt volumes, Cl and F signatures of partial melting are overprinted by those of pervasive percolation, which increases Cl/F in percolating agents and bulk peridotites during chromatographic interaction and/or amphibole-forming metasomatic reactions. These processes ultimately control the bulk Cl and F compositions of the residual mantle lithosphere beneath arcs, and likely in other tectonic settings.(iii) Fluxed melting models suggest that Cl enrichment in arc picrite and boninite melts in this study, and in many arc melt inclusions reported in the literature, could be related to the infiltration of high Cl/F fluids derived from subducted serpentinite or altered crust in mantle wedge sources. However, these high Cl/F signatures should be re-evaluated with new models in light of the possible overprint of pervasive percolation effects in the mantle. The breakdown of amphibole (and/or mica) in the deep metasomatised mantle at higher pressure and temperature conditions than in the slab may explain, at least in part, the positive correlations between F abundances and Cl/F in primitive arc melt inclusions and slab depth.
ISSN: 0016-7037

hal-01553610
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01553610
DOI : 10.1016/j.gca.2016.10.035

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : We present whole-rock major- and trace-element and Nd–Sr–Pb radiogenic isotope data for Cretaceous igneous suites from eastern Cuba. These rocks are related to the Greater Antilles paleo-island arc magmatism and have three different igneous styles. Group 1 consists of tholeiitic basalts and rare basaltic andesites that have normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)-like compositions similar to those found in back-arc basin basalts (TiO2 = 1·2–2·9 wt%; La/Yb(N) = 0·7–0·9, Th/Nb = 0·06–0·08, and initial 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37·65–37·74). Group 2 comprises basaltic and rare basaltic andesitic subvolcanic dykes with major- and trace-element and isotopic compositions similar to those of island arc tholeiites (TiO2 = 0·7–1·4 wt%; La/Yb(N) = 0·6–0·9, Th/Nb = 0·06–0·68, and initial 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37·74–38·25). Group 3 is composed of low-Ti (TiO2 = 0·3–0·9 wt%) calcalkaline igneous rocks that have an unambiguous subduction-related character (La/Yb(N) = 1·1–5·0, Th/Nb = 0·35–1·55, and initial 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37·94–38·39). The parental magmas of the three groups formed by variable melting degrees (< 5–25%) of spinel lherzolite, with more depleted mantle sources for Groups 2 and 3 than Group 1. The trace-element and radiogenic isotope compositions of primitive Group 3 samples are strongly bimodal. One subgroup of samples is characterized by low Ta/Yb (0·02–0·03) and Th/La (0·10–0·13), slightly subchondritic Nb/Ta (13·3–17·3), and relatively high initial 206Pb/204Pb (18·57–18·62) and {varepsilon}Nd (7·6–9·4). The remaining primitive Group 3 samples have higher Ta/Yb (0·06–0·11) and Th/La (0·24–0·32), and highly subchondritic Nb/Ta (7·6–9·1), coupled with lower initial 206Pb/204Pb (18·24–18·29) and {varepsilon}Nd (3·4–5·5). These signatures were induced by two distinct slab components that mainly reflect the contributions of Cretaceous Atlantic marine and North American continental sediments, respectively. Nb/Ta in the first subgroup was influenced by melting of rutile-bearing subducted crust, whereas in the second it was inherited from recycled continental sediments. The involvement of Atlantic and North American sediments in Cuban Cretaceous magmatism indicates that the Proto-Caribbean (North American-Proto Atlantic) lithosphere subducted beneath the Greater Antilles arc during the Late Cretaceous (pre-Campanian), consistent with geotectonic models involving onset of SW-dipping subduction beneath the Greater Antilles paleo-arc during the Aptian. The variable mantle source depletion and magnitude of the subduction component probably reflect different settings across the arc, from the arc front to a back-arc spreading ridge.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00406373
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00406373
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egm040

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Tectonic mixing of slab- and mantle-derived materials at the interface between converging plates highly enhances fluid-mediated mass transfer from the slab to the overlying mantle. Subduction mélanges can provide information about the interaction among different slices accreted at plate interface domains, with implications on the tectonic and geochemical evolution of the plate-interface itself. At Cima di Gagnone, pelitic schists and gneiss enclose chlorite harzburgite and garnet peridotite lenses, like in subduction mélanges located in-between downgoing slabs and overlying mantle. These peridotites host MORB-type eclogite and metarodingite, and derive from dehydration of serpentinized mantle protoliths. Their enrichment in fluid-mobile B, As, Sb, U, Th is the result of an early-stage oceanic serpentinization, followed by interaction with host metasediments during subduction burial. Here we define the element exchange process in the Gagnone mélange by means of the B, Sr and Pb isotope analysis of its main lithologies (ultramafic, mafic rocks and paragneiss). The 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios of ultramafic rocks (0.7090–0.7124 and 18.292–18.837, respectively) show enrichments in radiogenic Sr and Pb after exchange with the host paraschist (up to 0.7287 87Sr/86Sr; 18.751 206Pb/204Pb). The δ11B values of peridotites (down to −10‰) point to a combined effect of (1) 11B release to deserpentinization fluids (serpentinized protoliths likely had positive δ11B and lower radiogenic Sr, Pb), and of (2) exchange with fluids from the surrounding metasediments. The whole Gagnone rock-suite is finally overprinted by retrograde fluids that essentially bring to an increase in radiogenic Pb (about 19.0 206Pb/204Pb) and to values of 0.710 87Sr/86Sr and of −10‰ δ11B. The recognition of different stages of interaction between mantle rocks and sedimentary/crustal reservoirs allows us to define the geochemical effects related to the early coupling of such rocks along the plate-interface. Our study shows that ultramafic rocks involved in subduction-zone metamorphism and serpentinization uptake radiogenic Pb and Sr released by associated sedimentary reservoirs. The exchange process envisioned here is not only representative of subduction mélanges: it can also be a proxy of mass transfer between slab and serpentinized supra-subduction mantle, as occurs in forearcs. Dehydration of the Gagnone-type serpentinized mantle releases crust-derived components to arcs, without direct involvement of metasediment dehydration and/or melting in subarc environments. The retention of appreciable amounts of fluid-mobile elements, radiogenic Pb and Sr in dehydrated Gagnone peridotites has implications on element recycling in the deep Earth’s mantle.
ISSN: 0016-7037

hal-01174137
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174137
DOI : 10.1016/j.gca.2015.04.024

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : The uppermost mantle in back arc regions is the site of complex interactions between partial melting, melt percolation, and fluid migration. To constrain these interactions and evaluate their consequences on geochemical cycles, we carried out an in situ trace element and water study of a suite of spinel peridotite xenoliths from two regions of the Japan back arc system, Ichinomegata (NE Japan) and Oki-Dogo (SW Japan), using LA-ICPMS and FTIR spectrometry, respectively. This study provides the first full dataset of trace element and hydrogen compositions in peridotites including analyses of all their main constitutive silicate minerals: olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The Ichinomegata peridotites sample a LREE-depleted refractory mantle (Mg# olivine = 0.90; Cr# spinel = 0.07–0.23; Yb clinopyroxene = 7.8–13.3 × C1-chondrite, and La/Yb clinopyroxene = 0.003–0.086 × C1-chondrite), characterized by Th-U positive anomalies and constant values of Nb/Ta. The composition of the studied Ichinomegata samples is consistent with that of an oceanic mantle lithosphere affected by cryptic metasomatic interactions with hydrous/aqueous fluids (crypto-hydrous metasomatism). In contrast, the Oki-Dogo peridotites have low Mg# olivine (0.86–0.93) and a broad range of compositions with clinopyroxene showing “spoon-shaped” to flat, and LREE-enriched patterns. They are also characterized by their homogeneous compositions in the most incompatible LILE (e.g., Rb clinopyroxene = 0.01–0.05 × primitive mantle) and HFSE (e.g., Nb clinopyroxene = 0.01–2.16 × primitive mantle). This characteristic is interpreted as resulting from various degrees of melting and extensive melt-rock interactions. FTIR spectroscopy shows that olivine in both Ichinomegata and Oki-Dogo samples has low water contents ranging from 2 to 7 ppm wt. H2O. In contrast, the water contents of pyroxenes from Ichinomegata peridotites (113–271 ppm wt. H2O for orthopyroxene, and 292–347 ppm wt. H2O for clinopyroxene) are significantly higher than in Oki-Dogo peridotites (9–35 ppm wt. H2O for orthopyroxene, and 15–98 ppm wt. H2O for clinopyroxene). This indicates a relationship between melt-rock interaction and water concentrations in pyroxenes. Our study suggests that the water content of the Japan mantle wedge is controlled by the late melt/fluid/rock interactions evidenced by trace element geochemistry: a mechanism triggered by magma-rock interactions may have acted as an efficient dehydrating process in the Oki-Dogo region while the Ichinomegata mantle water content is controlled by slab-derived crypto-hydrous metasomatism.
ISSN: 0016-7037

hal-01553105
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01553105
DOI : 10.1016/j.gca.2017.03.042

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Subduction infancy corresponds to the first few million years following subduction initiation, when slabs start their descent into the mantle. It coincides with the transient (yet systematic) transfer of material from the top of the slab to the upper plate, as witnessed by metamorphic soles welded beneath obducted ophiolites. Combining structure–lithology–pressure–temperature–time data from metamorphic soles with flow laws derived from experimental rock mechanics, this study highlights two main successive rheological switches across the subduction interface (mantle wedge vs. basalts, then mantle wedge vs. sediments; at ∼800 °C and ∼600 °C, respectively), during which interplate mechanical coupling is maximized by the existence of transiently similar rheologies across the plate contact. We propose that these rheological switches hinder slab penetration and are responsible for slicing the top of the slab and welding crustal pieces (high- then low-temperature metamorphic soles) to the base of the mantle wedge during subduction infancy. This mechanism has implications for the rheological properties of the crust and mantle (and for transient episodes of accretion/exhumation of HP-LT rocks in mature subduction systems) and highlights the role of fluids in enabling subduction to overcome the early resistance to slab penetration.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01383368
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01383368
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01383368/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01383368/file/Agard_2016_Plate_interface.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.06.054

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Despite decades of petrological and geochemical studies, the nature and setting of obducted ophiolites remain controversial: the influence of supra-subduction zone environments on pre-existing oceanic lithosphere is yet to assess, and the processes leading to subduction/obduction initiation are still poorly constrained. Our study documents successive influx of slab-derived fluids and progressive strain localization within the upper mantle in a supra-subduction environment during the first few My of the subduction history. We focus on strongly sheared mafic amphibolites intruding peridotites near the mantle–crust transition of the New Caledonia obducted ophiolite and ~ 50 to 100 m above the basal thrust contact of the ophiolite. These m- to hm-long and several m-thick shear bands are interpreted as inherited small-scale intrusions of mafic melts, probably dikes or sills, which were derived from a moderately refractory mantle source refertilized by supra-subduction zone fluids. 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on pargasite at ca. 90 Ma suggest that they could be inherited from the former Pacific west-dipping subduction.Secondary deformation of these mafic intrusions is intimately associated to three major stages of fluid infiltration: (1) the first stage of deformation and metasomatism is marked by syn-kinematic growth of Ca-amphibole (at 700–800 °C and 3–5 kbar) with a distinctive supra-subduction zone signature, and controlled later channelization of aqueous fluids. 40Ar/39Ar dating on magnesio-hornblende indicates that this deformation episode occurred at ca. 55 Ma, coincident with east-dipping subduction initiation; (2) the main metasomatic stage, characterized by the development of a phlogopite-rich matrix wrapping peridotites and amphibolite boudins, points to the percolation of alkali-rich aqueous fluids at still high temperature (650–750 °C); (3) the last, low temperature (< 600 °C) metasomatic stage results in the formation of deformed veinlets containing talc, chlorite and serpentine.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-01306664
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306664
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306664/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306664/file/Soret_2016_Strain_localization.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2015.11.022

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
We present the results of dynamic modeling of the western Mediterranean that accounts for observed global positioning system (GPS) surface deformation of the Alboran Sea and surrounding Rif and Betic Mountains as the result of the combined effects of relative motion of the Eurasian and Nubian plates, low strength in the Alboran Sea region and sub-lithospheric processes occurring beneath the External Rif domain. Assuming that the lithosphere behaves elastically over the short time period of the GPS observations, an elastic plate model is considered in our study, including an area of weak lithosphere (factor of 10) centered on the Alboran Sea and in which lateral boundary conditions consist of the Nubia-Eurasia oblique convergence. Sub-crustal processes are modeled by application of a horizontal traction on a small area (patch) at the base of the elastic plate. Our modeling studies demonstrate the need for sub-crustal or sub-lithospheric, southwestward-directed forcing to account for observed southwestward motion of the Rif and Betic domains. Based on the location, orientation, and small area of the traction patch, we hypothesize that forcing is associated with delamination and rollback of the subducted African continental lithospheric mantle beneath the External Rif zone, due to the pull of the oceanic part of the Western Mediterranean slab, a dynamic process that may be similar to that where the over-riding plate is driven toward the subduction zone during slab rollback.
ISSN: 0091-7613

hal-00524546
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00524546
DOI : 10.1130/G30963.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We report gabbroic dikes in the plagioclase tectonite domains of the Ojén and Ronda massifs (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain), which record crystallization at low-pressure syn-, or slightly postkinematic to the late ductile history of the Betic Peridotite in the westernmost Mediterranean. We present mineral major and trace element compositional data of discordant gabbroic dikes in the Ojén massif and gabbroic patches in the Ronda massif, complemented by the whole rock and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) data of the Ojén occurrence. In the Ojén massif, gabbro occurs as 1–3 centimeter wide discordant dikes that crosscut the plagioclase tectonite foliation at high angle. These dikes are composed of cm-scale igneous plagioclase and clinopyroxene crystals that show shape preferred orientations subparallel to the lineation of the host peridotite and oblique to the trend of the dike. Intrusion of Ojén gabbro dikes is coherent with the stress field that formed the high temperature, ductile plagioclase tectonite foliation and then attests for a mantle igneous event prior to the intracrustal emplacement of the massif. In the Ronda massif, gabbroic rocks crystallized in subcentimeter wide anastomozing veins, or as interstitial patches in the host dunite. They are mostly composed of plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Plagioclase composition is bytownitic in the Ojén, and andesinic in the Ronda massif. Clinopyroxene in both places shows identical, light Rare-Earth Element (LREE) depleted trace element patterns. The calculated trace element composition of melts in exchange equilibrium with the studied igneous clinopyroxenes reflects LREE-enriched character coupled with negative Eu anomaly, and indicates that gabbro-forming melts in Ronda and Ojén share a common melt source with an island arc tholeiitic affinity. Geothermobarometric data and liquidus mineralogy indicate that gabbro crystallization occurred at shallow depths (0.2–0.5 GPa) in a 7–16 km thick lithospheric section. These data suggest that gabbro-forming melts in the Betic Peridotite record a mantle igneous event at very shallow depths and provide evidence for the hyperextension of the continental lithosphere compatible with extreme backarc basin extension induced by the slab rollback of the Cenozoic subduction system in the westernmost Mediterranean.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01172246
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01172246
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.03.011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Paleozoic-early Mesozoic geology of Tibet was controlled by the rift-drift, seafloor spreading and subduction zone tectonics of a Paleo-Tethyan realm, which evolved between the West Cathaysides (WC) and the East Cimmerides (EC). Different suture zones with ophiolites and ophiolitic mélanges, high-pressure metamorphic belts, magmatic arcs and accretionary prism complexes separating different terranes mark multiple subduction-accretion systems within this Paleo-Tethyan domain, reminiscent of the modern Western Pacific Ocean. Discrete basins separated by different continental blocks and magmatic arcs constituted a complex paleogeography of Paleo-Tethys, and these oceanic strands were closed as a result of subduction with different polarities during the late Paleozoic-Triassic. The Longmu Tso Shuanghu-Changning Menglian Suture zone (LS-CMS) in Tibet represents the main tectonic boundary between the WC and EC that developed in the Devonian. The East Kunlun-A’nyemaqen oceanic slab was subducted northward beneath the East Kunlun terrane in northern Tibet, whereas the Sumdo oceanic slab was subducted northward beneath the South Qiangtang-North Lhasa terrane in southern Tibet. The Longmu Tso Shuanghu-Changning Menglian and Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan-Song Ma ophiolites were developed and emplaced in subduction-accretion systems with opposite polarities (westward and eastward) beneath the North Qiangtang-Qamdo-Simao-Indochina terrane in central Tibet. The Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan-Song Ma oceanic slab was subducted westward beneath the North Qiangtang-Simao-Indochina terrane along the Jinshajiang and Ailaoshan-Song Ma trenches in a trench-ridge-trench triple junction plate configuration. The Emeishan mantle plume produced a large Permian basaltic terrane, developed on the western passive margin of the South China block. The final closure of the Paleo-Tethyan oceanic branches resulted in continental collisions and development of a vast Indosinian orogenic collage in the latest Triassic-Jurassic.
ISSN: 0743-9547

insu-01119604
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01119604
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01119604/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01119604/file/Xu-JAES-2015.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.jseaes.2015.01.021

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Understanding subduction rheology in both space and time has been a challenge since the advent of plate tectonics. We herein focus on "subduction infancy", that is the first ~1-5 My immediately following subduction nucleation, when a newly born slab penetrates into the upper plate mantle and heats up. The only remnants of this critical yet elusive geodynamic step are thin metamorphic soles, commonly found beneath pristine, 100-1000 km long portions of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on continents (i.e., ophiolites).Through the (i) worldwide compilation of pressure-temperature conditions of metamorphic sole formation augmented by pseudosection thermodynamic modeling, (ii) calculations of the viscosity of materials along the plate interface and (iii) generic numerical thermal models, we provide a conceptual model of dynamic plate interface processes during subduction infancy (and initiation s.l.).We show in particular how major rheological switches across the subduction interface control slab penetration, and the formation of metamorphic soles. Due to the downward progression of hydration and weakening of the mantle wedge with cooling, the lower plate (basalt, sediment) and the upper plate (mantle wedge) rheologies equalize and switch over a restricted temperature-time-depth interval (e.g., at ~800°C and ~1 GPa, during 0.1-2 My, for high-temperature metamorphic sole formation). These switches result in episodes of maximum interplate mechanical coupling, thereby slicing the top of the slab and welding pieces (basalt, sediment) to the base of the mantle wedge. Similar mechanical processes likely apply for the later, deeper accretion and exhumation of high-temperature oceanic eclogites in serpentinite mélanges, or for the accretion of larger tectonic slices.This model provides constraints on the effective rheologies of the crust and mantle and general understanding, at both rock and plate scale, for accretion processes and early slab dynamics.
AGU Fall Meeting 2015
San Francisco, United States

insu-01242103
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01242103

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Two opposing visions of the Aegean backarc tectonics implicitly contain contrasting images of the rheological behaviour of the lihosphere, supported by different sets of observations. The propagation of the NAF and extension in the Corinth Rift suggest a strongly localising rheology whereas the formation of MCC in the Cyclades and the Rhodope suggests instead a more viscous behaviour. This paradox was the seminal question addressed by the ANR-EGEO programme (2007-2010) that leads to the following conclusions: (1) The exhumation of the Cycladic MCC's is accommodated by the N-dipping North Cycladic Detachment System (NCDS) that partly reworks the Vardar suture and at the base by a series of thrusts, including the basal contact of the Cycladic Blueschists (CBS) over the Cycladic Basement (CB). The activity of LANF is due to the reactivation of pre-existing discontinuities such as thrusts or earlier detachments and much less to the interaction with granitic plutons. (2) Exhumation in the Cyclades has proceeded in two stages: (a) Eocene syn-orogenic exhumation within the subduction lower/upperplate interface while the post-orogenic Rhodope MCC formed further north, (b) Oligo-Miocene post-orogenic extension in an MCC mode coeval with syn-orogenic exhumation in Crete and the Peloponnese. (3) Both stages were associated with slab retreat, as early as the Eocene with an acceleration at 30-35 Ma. (4) The localisation of the presently active steeply-dipping normal faults on the southern margin of the Corinth Rift may have been preceded by a partial reworking of thrusts and syn-orogenic detachments by shallow-dipping decollements. (5) The localisation of the NAF in the Marmara Sea region and the Northern Aegean Sea is now accurately dated between 5.3 and 5 Ma Ma using the erosion and deposition surfaces that mark the Messinian salinity Crisis and nannofossils ages. (6) The formation of MCCs in the Cyclades resulted in the draining of the low viscosity lower crust from the northern Aegean Sea and led to an easier coupling between upper mantle and upper crust, easing the localisation and propagation of the NAF. (7) A comparison between crustal and mantle finite strain suggests that mantle flow due to slab retreat controls the stretching of the crust. Our model involves progressive slab retreat and mantle flow below the overriding plate inducing the observed succession of tectonic episodes with a progressive localisation of extension due to several slab tearing events. There is no paradox in the tectonic history and rheological behaviour of the Aegean lithosphere but an evolution of the kinematic boundary conditions due to slab deformation at depth.
American Geophysical Union
San Francisco, United States

insu-00860518
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00860518
BIBCODE : 2010AGUFM.T13G..04J

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : The ultramafic–mafic complexes located at the base of obducted paleo-island arcs are commonly interpreted as evidence for intra-crustal fractionation of primitive (high-Mg#) mantle melts. The present study, realized on the Jijal mafic–ultramafic basal section of the Cretaceous Kohistan oceanic arc (N Pakistan), discards a crystal fractionation model from a single parental magma to take into account the geochemical and isotope variations observed between the plutonic crust and the underlying ultramafic section. The basal ultramafic rocks, i.e. dunites, wehrlites and clinopyroxenites, show high Mg#, extremely depleted REE patterns, no marked HFSE anomalies and high LILE enrichment. Cpx and leached whole rocks from this unit yield restricted εNd values (+ 5.5 to + 6.8), a large εSr range (− 5.9 to + 8.8) and mainly radiogenic 207Pb/204Pb ratios. The overlying mafic section, i.e. gabbroic rocks, displays low Mg# (46 < Mg# < 54), enriched REE patterns and marked HFSE anomalies. These plutonic rocks have also very homogeneous Sr and Pb isotopic compositions defining a restricted domain, which does not overlap that of the ultramafic samples. Moreover, Cpx from the basal ultramafics yield an Sm–Nd isochron at 117 ± 7 Ma interpreted as dating crystallization of the ultramafic section. Together, these results indicate that the mafic rocks on one hand and the ultramafic rocks on the other hand, originate from separate sources with specific emplacement underneath the subduction zone. A lherzolite lens, collected from the top of the mafic section, plots on the early Cretaceous Sm–Nd isochron and therefore yields the same 143Nd/144Nd initial ratio. This suggests that the ultramafic part of the lower Kohistan arc complex sampled the initiation stages of the subduction with production of magmas with boninite-like features. At this stage, the mantle wedge has been already modified by percolation of the first slab-derived fluids. On such a scenario the lherzolite lens would correspond to the lithospheric mantle underneath the arc before its initiation. A multi-stage history is proposed for the evolution for the Kohistan arc through not, vert, similar 30 Ma. Stage #1 reflects the spontaneous initiation of subduction associated with extensive boninitic affinity magmatism, stages #2 and #3 are related to arc building by tholeiitic melts and, a fourth step (stage #4) corresponds to the intra-crustal differentiation.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00407206
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407206
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2007.06.026

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We provide results of a detailed study of the first peridotite xenoliths of proven mantle origin reported from Bezymyanny volcano in the Klyuchevskoy Group, northern Kamchatka arc. The xenoliths are coarse spinel harzburgites made up mainly of Mg-rich olivine as well as subhedral orthopyroxene (opx) and Cr-rich spinel, and also contain fine-grained interstitial pyroxenes, amphibole and feldspar. The samples are unique in preserving the evidence for both initial arc mantle substrate produced by high-degree melt extraction and subsequent enrichment events. We show that the textures, modal and major oxide compositions of the Bezymyanny xenoliths are generally similar to those of spinel harzburgite xenoliths from Avacha volcano in southern Kamchatka. However, coarse opx from the Bezymyanny harzburgites has higher abundances of light and medium rare earth elements and other highly incompatible elements than coarse opx from the Avacha harzburgites. We infer that (1) the sub-arc lithospheric mantle beneath both Avacha and Bezymyanny (and possibly between these volcanoes) consists predominantly of harzburgitic melting residues, which experienced metasomatism by slab-related fluids or low-fraction, fluid-rich melts and (2) the degrees of metasomatism are higher beneath Bezymyanny. By contrast, xenolith suites from Shiveluch and Kharchinsky volcanoes 50-100 km north of the Klyuchevskoy Group include abundant cumulates and products of reaction of mantle rocks with silicate melts at high melt/rock ratios. The high melt flux through the lithospheric mantle beneath Shiveluch and Kharchinsky may be related to the asthenospheric flow around the northern edge of the sinking Pacific plate; lateral propagation of fluids in the mantle wedge south of the plate edge may contribute to metasomatism in the mantle lithosphere beneath the Klyuchevskoy Group volcanoes.
ISSN: 0377-0273

hal-00941258
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00941258
DOI : 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.12.022

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer
Résumé : International audience
We present here a synthesis of the evolution of rifted continental margin systems in the Gulf of Aden. These margins are volcanic to the west of the Gulf of Aden, where they are influenced by the Afar hotspot, and non-volcanic east of longitude 46° E. The combined use of magnetics, gravity, seismic reflection, field observations (tectonic, stratigraphic and sedimentological) and oil well data allowed us to obtain better constraints on the timing of continental rifting and seafloor spreading. From the Permo-Triassic to the Oligocene, the Arabian-African plate was subject to distributed extension, probably due, at least from the Cretaceous, to tensile stresses related to the subduction of the Tethysian slab in the north. In Late Eocene-Early Oligocene, 34-33 Ma ago, rifting started to localise along the future area of continental breakup. Initially guided by the inherited basins, continental rifting then occurred synchronously over the entire gulf before becoming localised on the northern and southern borders of the inherited grabens, in the direction of the Afar hotspot. In the areas with non-volcanic margins (in the east), the faults marking the end of rifting trend parallel to the inherited grabens. Only the transfer faults cross-cut the inherited grabens, and some of these faults later developed into transform faults. The most important of these transform faults follow a Precambrian trend. Volcanic margins were formed in the west of the Gulf, up to the Guban graben in the southeast and as far as the southern boundary of the Bahlaf graben in the northeast. Seaward dipping reflectors can be observed on many oil industry seismic profiles. The influence of the hotspot during rifting was concentrated on the western part of the gulf. Therefore, it seems that the western domain was uplifted and eroded at the onset of rifting, while the eastern domain was characterised by more continuous sedimentation. The phase of distributed deformation was followed by a phase of strain localisation during the final rifting stage, just before formation of the Ocean-Continent Transition (OCT), in the most distal graben (DIM graben). About 20 Ma ago, at the time of the continental break-up, the emplacement of the OCT started in the east with exhumation of the subcontinental mantle. Farther west, the system was heated up by the strong influence of the Afar hotspot, which led to breakup with much less extension. In the Gulf of Aden (s.str), up to the Shukra El Sheik fracture zone, oceanic spreading started 17.6 Ma ago. West of this fracture zone, oceanic accretion started 10 Ma ago, and 2 Ma ago in the Gulf of Tadjoura. Post-rift deformation of the eastern margins of the Gulf of Aden can be seen in the distal and proximal domains. Indeed, the substantial post-rift uplift of these margins could be associated with either the continental break-up, or activity of the Afar hotspot and related volcanic/magmatic activity. Uplift of the northern proximal margin was still active (e.g. stepped beach rocks exposed at 60 m of 2 Ma; 30 m of 35,200 years; 10 and 2 m) and active volcanoes can be inferred at depths of between 70 and 200 km beneath the margin (at 5-10 km distance from the coast). On the distal margin, heat flow measurements show a high value that is associated with post-rift volcanic activity and the development of a volcano (with flows and sills) shortly after the formation of the OCT. The Afar hotspot is therefore important for several reasons. It allows the localisation of deformation along the Red Sea/Aden system and the rapid opening of the Gulf after the continental break-up; its influence also seems to persist during the post-rift period.
ISSN: 1866-7411

hal-01053089
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01053089
DOI : 10.1007/s12517-011-0475-4

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Serpentinites form by hydration of mantle peridotite and constitute the largest potential reservoir of fluid-mobile elements entering subduction zones. Isotope ratios of one such element, boron, distinguish fluid contributions from crustal versus serpentinite sources. Despite 85% of boron hosted within abyssal peridotite being lost at the onset of subduction at the lizardite-to-antigorite transition, a sufficient cargo of boron to account for the composition of island arc magma is retained (c. 7 μg g− 1, with a δ11B of + 22‰) until the down-going slab reaches the antigorite-out isograd. At this point a 11B-rich fluid, capable of providing the distinctive δ11B signature of island arc basalts, is released. Beyond the uniquely preserved antigorite-out isograd in serpentinites from Cerro del Almirez, Betic Cordillera, Spain, the prograde lithologies (antigorite–chlorite–orthopyroxene–olivine serpentinite, granofels-texture chlorite-harzburgite and spinifex-texture chlorite-harzburgite) have very different boron isotope signatures (δ11B = − 3 to + 6‰), but with no significant difference in boron concentration compared to the antigorite-serpentinite on the low P–T side of the isograd. 11B-rich fluid, which at least partly equilibrated with pelagic sediments, is implicated in the composition of these prograde lithologies, which dehydrated under open-system conditions. Serpentinite-hosted boron lost during the early stages of dehydration is readily incorporated into forearc peridotite. This, in turn, may be dragged to sub-arc depths as a result of subduction erosion and incorporated in a mélange comprising forearc serpentinite, altered oceanic crust and pelagic sediment. At the antigorite-out isograd it dehydrates, thus potentially providing an additional source of 11B-rich fluids.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-01172276
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01172276
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.03.015