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Abstract New whole‐rock major and trace element geochemistry from the Leka Ophiolite Complex in Norway is presented and compared to the geochemical evolution and proposed tectonomagmatic processes recorded in the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana system. These data demonstrate that the Leka Ophiolite Complex formed as forearc lithosphere during subduction initiation. A new high‐precision zircon U‐Pb date on forearc basalt constrains the timing of subduction initiation in the “Leka sector” of the Iapetus Ocean to 491.36 ± 0.17 Ma. The tectonomagmatic record of the Leka Ophiolite Complex captures only the earliest stages of subduction initiation and is thereby distinct from some other Appalachian–Caledonian ophiolites of similar age. The diversity of Appalachian–Caledonian ophiolite records may represent differing preservation and exposure of a variable forearc lithosphere.
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A c. 1900 Ma Tethyan-type ophiolite in the Penokean Orogen, Pembine, Wisconsin (USA): Insights from the volcanic stratigraphy
Orogenic ophiolites are a hallmark of Phanerozoic plate tectonics, containing igneous lithologies that provide constraints on fundamental tectono-magmatic processes. The c. 1900Ma Pembine Ophiolite (Wisconsin, USA) is associated with the Penokean Orogen and represents a rare example of a proposed Paleoproterozoic ophiolite. The Penokean Orogen shares broad characteristics with Phanerozoic (<541 Ma) orogens, but the origin of the Pembine Ophiolite remains unclear, with the mafic volcanic rocks interpreted as representing either an intra-oceanic arc or continental back arc setting. To test these hypotheses, we present the results of petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry and mineral chemistry for a suite of 34 Pembine rocks, as well as U-Pb zircon geochronology for two samples. Based on trace elements established as immobile in the studied rocks, we demonstrate that mafic volcanism progressed (up-stratigraphic-section) from mid-ocean ridge-like to boninitic. The chemical evolution is identical to that observed in < 250 Ma ophiolites in the Himalayan–Alpine Orogen, which record forearc spreading during the nascent stages of subduction in the Tethys Ocean. We interpret the Pembine Ophiolite as forearc lithosphere formed during subduction initiation and obducted to the margin of the Superior Craton during the Penokean Orogeny. The processes responsible for forming (and preserving) this example of a Paleoproterozoic ophiolite may not have been dissimilar to those operating on the Phanerozoic Earth.
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- PAR ID:
- 10501130
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Precambrian Research
- Volume:
- 399
- ISSN:
- 0301-9268
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 107223
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Boninite Plate tectonics Secular change Suprasubduction zone SSZ ophiolite
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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null (Ed.)Suprasubduction zone (SSZ) ophiolites of the northern Appalachians (eastern North America) have provided key constraints on the fundamental tectonic processes responsible for the evolution of the Appalachian orogen. The central and southern Appalachians, which extend from southern New York to Alabama (USA), also contain numerous ultra- mafic-mafic bodies that have been interpreted as ophiolite fragments; however, this interpretation is a matter of debate, with the origin(s) of such occurrences also attributed to layered intrusions. These disparate proposed origins, alongside the range of possible magmatic affinities, have varied potential implications for the magmatic and tectonic evolution of the central and southern Appalachian orogen and its relationship with the northern Appalachian orogen. We present the results of field observations, petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry, and spinel mineral chemistry for ultramafic portions of the Baltimore Mafic Complex, which refers to a series of ultramafic-mafic bodies that are discontinuously exposed in Maryland and southern Pennsylvania (USA). Our data indicate that the Baltimore Mafic Complex comprises SSZ ophiolite fragments. The Soldiers Delight Ultramafite displays geochemical characteristics—including highly depleted bulk-rock trace element patterns and high Cr# of spinel—characteristic of subduction-related mantle peridotites and serpentinites. The Hollofield Ultramafite likely represents the “layered ultramafics” that form the Moho. Interpretation of the Baltimore Mafic Complex as an Iapetus Ocean–derived SSZ ophiolite in the central Appalachian orogen raises the possibility that a broadly coeval suite of ophiolites is preserved along thousands of kilometers of orogenic strike.more » « less
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- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107223
