The exhumation mechanism of eclogites in continental orogenic belts: Metamorphic petrology and geophysical constraints

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2021.12.37

Abstract

Abstract:

The deep subduction of the continental lithosphere is a frontier hotspot in the field of earth science, and the exhumation mechanism of eclogite is a key scientific issue in plate tectonics and continental dynamics. The p-T paths of eclogites from the world-famous continental orogenic belts show differential exhumation characteristics. To explore the exhumation mechanism in this study, metamorphic petrology and geophysical investigations were conducted on eclogites from three typical continental orogenic belts-Mesozoic-Cenozoic Alps, Mesozoic Sulu-Dabie, and Cenozoic Himalayas. The geophysical investigation found that, in the Alpine orogenic belt, subduction of the European plate resulted in large variations in lithospheric thickness beneath the Adria area. At the same time, the exhumation histories of eclogites are not the same in the Doria Maria and Pohorje areas of the Alpine orogenic belt versus in the greater Pohorje area, which, then, is probably due to the differential oblique extrusion of thrusting nappes from different periods after the break-off of the Adriatic ocean lithosphere. In the Sulu-Dabie orogenic belt, rapid exhumation of eclogites is likely be caused by the delamination or break-off of the lithosphere after the collision of the South and North China blocks. In the Himalayan orogenic belt, there are differences in the exhumation histories of eclogites in the middle Himalayas, and so are the differences in the p-T path and exhumation rate of eclogites from Naran versus from the Upper Kaghan Valley in the Western Himalayan Syntaxis. The differential exhumation, according to both metamorphic petrology and geophysical studies, is likely related to the tectonic extrusion and the break-off of the Indian continental lithosphere during the collision of the Indian and European plates. The Himalayan Orogen is a young and ongoing orogeny, thus it is more suitable for comprehensive metamorphic petrology and geophysical studies compared to the ancient Sulu-Dabie Orogen. Therefore, the exhumation mechanism of (ultra)-high-pressure eclogites in the Western Himalayan Syntaxis, i.e., tectonic compression and the break-off of subducting plate, can be applied to global orogenic belts.

Key words: orogenic belt, UP/UHP, eclogite, exhumation, geophysics, metamorphic petrology

CLC Number:

ZHANG Dingding, ZHANG Heng. The exhumation mechanism of eclogites in continental orogenic belts: Metamorphic petrology and geophysical constraints[J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2022, 29(1): 303-315.

Figures/Tables 7

Fig.1 Distribution of global continental and oceanic HP/UHP metamorphic rocks. Modified from [4,5].

Fig.2 Comparison of the p-T paths of eclogites from the Alps orogenic belt. Modified after [12-15]. P: prehnite-pumpellyite facies; Z: laumontite facies; GS: greenschist facies; A: amphibolite facies; EA: epidote-amphibolite facies; B: blueschist facies; EC:eclogite facies; EC-HPG: eclogite-high-pressure granulite; G: granulite-facies; UHP: ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism; UHT: ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism.

Fig.3 Schematic diagram showing the crust-mantle structure beneath the Alps. Modified after [16-17].

Fig.4 Comparison of the p-T paths of eclogites from the Dabie orogenic belt. Modified after [29]. P: prehnite-pumpellyite facies; Z: laumontite facies; GS: greenschist facies; A: amphibolite facies; EA: epidote-amphibolite facies;B: blueschist facies; EC: eclogite facies; EC-HPG: eclogite-high-pressure granulite; G: granulite-facies;UHP: ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism; UHT: ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism.

Fig.5 Exhumation model for eclogites from the Eastern Dabie orogenic belt. Modified after [32].

Fig.6 Comparison of the p-T paths of eclogites from the Western Himalaya Syntaxis and central Himalaya. Modified after [52,55,59-60,62]. P: prehnite-pumpellyite facies; Z: laumontite facies; GS: greenschist facies; A: amphibolite facies; EA: epidote-amphibolite facies;B: blueschist facies; EC:eclogite facies; EC-HPG: eclogite-high-pressure granulite; G: granulite-facies;UHP: ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism; UHT: ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism.

Fig.7 Schematic diagram showing the crust-mantle structure beneath the Western Himalayan Syntaxis. Modified after [63,68].

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