Abstract
Intraplate continental magmatism represents a fundamental mechanism in Earth's magmatic, thermal, chemical and environmental evolution. It is a process intimately linked with crustal development, large-igneous provinces, metallogeny and major global environmental catastrophes. As a result, understanding the interactions of continental magmas through time is vital in understanding their effect on the planet. The interaction of mantle plumes with the lithosphere has been shown to significantly affect the location and form of continental magmatism, but only at modern mantle conditions. In this study, we perform numerical modelling for Late Archean (1600. °C), Paleoproterozoic (1550. °C), Meso-Neoproteroic (1500. °C) and Phanerozoic (1450. °C) mantle potential temperatures (Tp) to assess the time-space magmatic effects of ambient-mantle- and plume- lithosphere interaction over Earth's thermal history. Within these experiments, we impinge a mantle plume, with a time-appropriate Tp, onto a 'step-like' lithosphere, to evaluate the effect of craton margins on continental magmatism through time. The results of this modelling demonstrate that lithospheric architecture controls the volume and location of continental magmatism throughout Earth history, irrespective of ambient mantle or plume Tp. In all plume models, mantle starting plumes (diameter 300. km) impinge on the base of the lithosphere, and spread laterally over >. 1600. km, flowing into the shallowest mantle, and producing the highest volume magmas. In ambient-mantle only models, Archean and Paleoproterozoic Tp values yield significant sub-lithospheric melt volumes, resulting in 'passive' geodynamic emplacement of basaltic magmatic provinces, whereas no melts are extracted at >. 100. km for Meso-Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic Tp. This indicates a major transition in non-subduction related continental magmatism from plume and ambient mantle to a plume-dominated source around the Mesoproterozoic. While the experiments presented here show the variation in plume-lithosphere interaction through time, the consistency in melt localisation indicates the lithosphere has been a first-order control on continental magmatism since its establishment in the Mesoarchean.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 678-694 |
| Journal | Tectonophysics |
| Volume | 746 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2018 |
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Plume-lithosphere interaction at craton margins throughout Earth history. / Gorczyk, W.; Mole, D. R.; Barnes, S. J.
In: Tectonophysics, Vol. 746, 10.2018, p. 678-694.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Plume-lithosphere interaction at craton margins throughout Earth history
AU - Gorczyk, W.
AU - Mole, D. R.
AU - Barnes, S. J.
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - Intraplate continental magmatism represents a fundamental mechanism in Earth's magmatic, thermal, chemical and environmental evolution. It is a process intimately linked with crustal development, large-igneous provinces, metallogeny and major global environmental catastrophes. As a result, understanding the interactions of continental magmas through time is vital in understanding their effect on the planet. The interaction of mantle plumes with the lithosphere has been shown to significantly affect the location and form of continental magmatism, but only at modern mantle conditions. In this study, we perform numerical modelling for Late Archean (1600. °C), Paleoproterozoic (1550. °C), Meso-Neoproteroic (1500. °C) and Phanerozoic (1450. °C) mantle potential temperatures (Tp) to assess the time-space magmatic effects of ambient-mantle- and plume- lithosphere interaction over Earth's thermal history. Within these experiments, we impinge a mantle plume, with a time-appropriate Tp, onto a 'step-like' lithosphere, to evaluate the effect of craton margins on continental magmatism through time. The results of this modelling demonstrate that lithospheric architecture controls the volume and location of continental magmatism throughout Earth history, irrespective of ambient mantle or plume Tp. In all plume models, mantle starting plumes (diameter 300. km) impinge on the base of the lithosphere, and spread laterally over >. 1600. km, flowing into the shallowest mantle, and producing the highest volume magmas. In ambient-mantle only models, Archean and Paleoproterozoic Tp values yield significant sub-lithospheric melt volumes, resulting in 'passive' geodynamic emplacement of basaltic magmatic provinces, whereas no melts are extracted at >. 100. km for Meso-Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic Tp. This indicates a major transition in non-subduction related continental magmatism from plume and ambient mantle to a plume-dominated source around the Mesoproterozoic. While the experiments presented here show the variation in plume-lithosphere interaction through time, the consistency in melt localisation indicates the lithosphere has been a first-order control on continental magmatism since its establishment in the Mesoarchean.
AB - Intraplate continental magmatism represents a fundamental mechanism in Earth's magmatic, thermal, chemical and environmental evolution. It is a process intimately linked with crustal development, large-igneous provinces, metallogeny and major global environmental catastrophes. As a result, understanding the interactions of continental magmas through time is vital in understanding their effect on the planet. The interaction of mantle plumes with the lithosphere has been shown to significantly affect the location and form of continental magmatism, but only at modern mantle conditions. In this study, we perform numerical modelling for Late Archean (1600. °C), Paleoproterozoic (1550. °C), Meso-Neoproteroic (1500. °C) and Phanerozoic (1450. °C) mantle potential temperatures (Tp) to assess the time-space magmatic effects of ambient-mantle- and plume- lithosphere interaction over Earth's thermal history. Within these experiments, we impinge a mantle plume, with a time-appropriate Tp, onto a 'step-like' lithosphere, to evaluate the effect of craton margins on continental magmatism through time. The results of this modelling demonstrate that lithospheric architecture controls the volume and location of continental magmatism throughout Earth history, irrespective of ambient mantle or plume Tp. In all plume models, mantle starting plumes (diameter 300. km) impinge on the base of the lithosphere, and spread laterally over >. 1600. km, flowing into the shallowest mantle, and producing the highest volume magmas. In ambient-mantle only models, Archean and Paleoproterozoic Tp values yield significant sub-lithospheric melt volumes, resulting in 'passive' geodynamic emplacement of basaltic magmatic provinces, whereas no melts are extracted at >. 100. km for Meso-Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic Tp. This indicates a major transition in non-subduction related continental magmatism from plume and ambient mantle to a plume-dominated source around the Mesoproterozoic. While the experiments presented here show the variation in plume-lithosphere interaction through time, the consistency in melt localisation indicates the lithosphere has been a first-order control on continental magmatism since its establishment in the Mesoarchean.
KW - Continental magmatism
KW - Craton-margins
KW - Large igneous provinces
KW - Lithosphere
KW - Mantle plume
KW - Plume-lithosphere interaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85017521406&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tecto.2017.04.002
DO - 10.1016/j.tecto.2017.04.002
M3 - Article
VL - 746
SP - 678
EP - 694
JO - Tectonophysics
JF - Tectonophysics
SN - 0040-1951
ER -