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Journal ArticleDOI

Archean continental crust formed by magma hybridization and voluminous partial melting.

04 Mar 2021-Scientific Reports (Springer Science and Business Media LLC)-Vol. 11, Iss: 1, pp 5263-5263
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown via petrological modeling that hydrous Archean mafic crust metamorphosed in a non-plate tectonic regime produces individual pulses of magma with major-, minor-, and trace-element signatures resembling-but not always matching-natural Archean TTGs.
Abstract: Archean (4.0-2.5 Ga) tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) terranes represent fragments of Earth's first continents that formed via high-grade metamorphism and partial melting of hydrated basaltic crust. While a range of geodynamic regimes can explain the production of TTG magmas, the processes by which they separated from their source and acquired distinctive geochemical signatures remain uncertain. This limits our understanding of how the continental crust internally differentiates, which in turn controls its potential for long-term stabilization as cratonic nuclei. Here, we show via petrological modeling that hydrous Archean mafic crust metamorphosed in a non-plate tectonic regime produces individual pulses of magma with major-, minor-, and trace-element signatures resembling-but not always matching-natural Archean TTGs. Critically, magma hybridization due to co-mingling and accumulation of multiple melt fractions during ascent through the overlying crust eliminates geochemical discrepancies identified when assuming that TTGs formed via crystallization of discrete melt pulses. We posit that much Archean continental crust is made of hybrid magmas that represent up to ~ 40 vol% of partial melts produced along thermal gradients of 50-100 °C/kbar, characteristic of overthickened mafic Archean crust at the head of a mantle plume, crustal overturns, or lithospheric peels.

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the diversity in chemical composition in granitoids of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suite (TTG) is primarily the product of crystal fractionation, specifically plagioclase and hornblende fractionation.

13 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , the authors integrated geochronological, isotopic and geochemical data on Archean granitoids from an Archean basement inlier related to the Southern São Francisco Craton (SSFC).
Abstract: The Archean Eon was a time of geodynamic changes. Direct evidence of these transitions come from igneous/metaigneous rocks, which dominate cratonic segments worldwide. New data for granitoids from an Archean basement inlier related to the Southern São Francisco Craton (SSFC), are integrated with geochronological, isotopic and geochemical data on Archean granitoids from the SSFC. The rocks are divided into three main geochemical groups with different ages: (1) TTG (3.02–2.77 Ga); (2) medium- to high-K granitoids (2.85–2.72 Ga); and (3) A-type granites (2.7–2.6 Ga). The juvenile to chondritic (Hf-Nd isotopes) TTG were divided into two sub-groups, TTG 1 (low-HREE) and 2 (high-HREE), derived from partial melting of metamafic rocks similar to those from adjacent greenstone belts. The compositional diversity within the TTG is attributed to different pressures during partial melting, supported by a positive correlation of Dy/Yb and Sr/Zr, and batch melting calculations. The proposed TTG sources are geochemically similar to basaltic rocks from modern island-arcs, indicating the presence of subduction processes concomitant with TTG emplacement. From ∼2.85 Ga to 2.70 Ga, the dominant rocks were K-rich granitoids. These are modeled as crustal melts of TTG, during regional metamorphism indicative of crustal thickening. Their compositional diversity is linked to: (i) differences in source composition; (ii) distinct melt fractions during partial melting; and (iii) different residual mineralogies reflecting varying P–T conditions. Post-collisional (∼2.7–2.6 Ga) A-type granites reflect rifting in that they were closely followed by extension-related dyke swarms, and they are interpreted as differentiation or partial melting products of magmas derived from subduction-modified mantle. The sequence of granitoid emplacement indicates subduction-related magmatism was followed by crustal thickening, regional metamorphism and crustal melting, and post-collisional extension, similar to that seen in younger Wilson Cycles. It is compelling evidence that plate tectonics was active in this segment of Brazil from ∼3 Ga.

7 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia was related to Neoarchaean magmatic episodes that stabilised an Archaean continent as discussed by the authors , and the latter events triggered cratonwide crustal anatexis and episodic granitic magmatism.

6 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , thermodynamic phase equilibrium and trace element modelling of mafic magmatic underplating and solid-liquid interaction in the lower continental crust (LCC) in intraplate settings is presented.

3 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The list of the most common and useful rock-forming minerals likely numbers in the several hundreds as discussed by the authors, and an expansion to the list initiated by Kretz (1983) was proposed by Spear.
Abstract: Nearly 30 years have elapsed since Kretz (1983) provided the mineralogical community with a systematized list of abbreviations for rock-forming minerals and mineral components. Its logic and simplicity have led to broad acceptance among authors and editors who were eager to adopt a widely recognized set of mineral symbols to save space in text, tables, and figures. Few of the nearly 5000 known mineral species occur in nature with a frequency sufficient to earn repeated mention in the geoscience literature and thus qualify for the designation “rock-forming mineral,” but a reasonable selection of the most common and useful rock-forming minerals likely numbers in the several hundreds. The original list by Kretz (1983) contained abbreviations for 193 of these. We propose an expansion to the list initiated by Kretz (1983) (see next page). Modest expansions and revisions were made by Spear …

4,524 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the Tait equation of state (TEOS) was used to model the temperature dependence of both the thermal expansion and bulk modulus in a consistent way, which has led to improved fitting of the phase equilibrium experiments.
Abstract: The thermodynamic properties of 254 end-members, including 210 mineral end-members, 18 silicate liquid end-members and 26 aqueous fluid species are presented in a revised and updated internally consistent thermodynamic data set. The PVT properties of the data set phases are now based on a modified Tait equation of state (EOS) for the solids and the Pitzer & Sterner (1995) equation for gaseous components. Thermal expansion and compressibility are linked within the modified Tait EOS (TEOS) by a thermal pressure formulation using an Einstein temperature to model the temperature dependence of both the thermal expansion and bulk modulus in a consistent way. The new EOS has led to improved fitting of the phase equilibrium experiments. Many new end-members have been added, including several deep mantle phases and, for the first time, sulphur-bearing minerals. Silicate liquid end-members are in good agreement with both phase equilibrium experiments and measured heat of melting. The new dataset considerably enhances the capabilities for thermodynamic calculation on rocks, melts and aqueous fluids under crustal to deep mantle conditions. Implementations are already available in thermocalc to take advantage of the new data set and its methodologies, as illustrated by example calculations on sapphirine-bearing equilibria, sulphur-bearing equilibria and calculations to 300 kbar and 2000 °C to extend to lower mantle conditions.

1,651 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The asymmetric formalism (ASF) as discussed by the authors is an extension to the symmetric formalisms that allows asymmetric energies to be accommodated via a simple extension, which turns it into a macroscopic van Laar formulation.
Abstract: For petrological calculations, including geothermobarometry and the calculation of phase diagrams (for example, P–T petrogenetic grids and pseudosections), it is necessary to be able to express the activity–composition (a–x) relations of minerals, melt and fluid in multicomponent systems Although the symmetric formalism—a macroscopic regular model approach to a–x relations—is an easy-to-formulate, general way of doing this, the energetic relationships are a symmetric function of composition We allow asymmetric energetics to be accommodated via a simple extension to the symmetric formalism which turns it into a macroscopic van Laar formulation We term this the asymmetric formalism (ASF) In the symmetric formalism, the a–x relations are specified by an interaction energy for each of the constituent binaries amongst the independent set of end members used to represent the phase In the asymmetric formalism, there is additionally a "size parameter" for each of the end members in the independent set, with size parameter differences between end members accounting for asymmetry In the case of fluid mixtures, for example, H2O–CO2, the volumes of the end members as a function of pressure and temperature serve as the size parameters, providing an excellent fit to the a–x relations In the case of minerals and silicate liquid, the size parameters are empirical parameters to be determined along with the interaction energies as part of the calibration of the a–x relations In this way, we determine the a–x relations for feldspars in the systems KAlSi3O8–NaAlSi3O8 and KAlSi3O8–NaAlSi3O8–CaAl2Si2O8, for carbonates in the system CaCO3–MgCO3, for melt in the melting relationships involving forsterite, protoenstatite and cristobalite in the system Mg2SiO4–SiO2, as well as for fluids in the system H2O–CO2 In each case the a–x relations allow the corresponding, experimentally determined phase diagrams to be reproduced faithfully The asymmetric formalism provides a powerful and flexible way of handling a–x relations of complex phases in multicomponent systems for petrological calculations

1,144 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used thermocalc and its internally consistent thermodynamic dataset to constrain the effect of TiO2 and Fe2O3 on greenschist and amphibolite facies mineral equilibria.
Abstract: Mineral equilibria calculations in the system K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2–Fe2O3 (KFMASHTO) using thermocalc and its internally consistent thermodynamic dataset constrain the effect of TiO2 and Fe2O3 on greenschist and amphibolite facies mineral equilibria in metapelites. The end-member data and activity–composition relationships for biotite and chloritoid, calibrated with natural rock data, and activity–composition data for garnet, calibrated using experimental data, provide new constraints on the effects of TiO2 and Fe2O3 on the stability of these minerals. Thermodynamic models for ilmenite–hematite and magnetite–ulvospinel solid solutions accounting for order–disorder in these phases allow the distribution of TiO2 and Fe2O3 between oxide minerals and silicate minerals to be calculated. The calculations indicate that small to moderate amounts of TiO2 and Fe2O3 in typical metapelitic bulk compositions have little effect on silicate mineral equilibria in metapelites at greenschist to amphibolite facies, compared with those calculated in KFMASH. The addition of large amounts of TiO2 to typical pelitic bulk compositions has little effect on the stability of silicate assemblages; in contrast, rocks rich in Fe2O3 develop a markedly different metamorphic succession from that of common Barrovian sequences. In particular, Fe2O3-rich metapelites show a marked reduction in the stability fields of staurolite and garnet to higher pressures, in comparison to those predicted by KFMASH grids.

954 citations

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How the continental crust was formed?

The paper discusses that the Archean continental crust was formed through high-grade metamorphism and partial melting of hydrated basaltic crust. It also suggests that the continental crust is made of hybrid magmas produced along thermal gradients of overthickened mafic Archean crust.