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The Xigaze ophiolite: fossil ultraslow-spreading ocean lithosphere in the Tibetan Plateau

View ORCID ProfileTong Liu, Chuan-Zhou Liu, Fu-Yuan Wu, View ORCID ProfileHenry J. B. Dick, View ORCID ProfileWen-Bin Ji, View ORCID ProfileChang Zhang, View ORCID ProfileWei-Qi Zhang, Zhen-Yu Zhang and Yang Xu
Journal of the Geological Society, 19 January 2021, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2020-208
Tong Liu
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Conceptualization (Lead)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for Tong Liu
  • For correspondence: liutong@mail.iggcas.ac.cn chzliu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn
Chuan-Zhou Liu
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
2CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
4Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, , China
Roles: [Conceptualization (Lead)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • For correspondence: liutong@mail.iggcas.ac.cn chzliu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn
Fu-Yuan Wu
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Conceptualization (Equal)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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Henry J. B. Dick
5Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, , , USA
Roles: [Supervision (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Lead)]
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  • ORCID record for Henry J. B. Dick
Wen-Bin Ji
6Department of Geology, Northwest University, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
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  • ORCID record for Wen-Bin Ji
Chang Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Chang Zhang
Wei-Qi Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • ORCID record for Wei-Qi Zhang
Zhen-Yu Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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Yang Xu
4Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
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Abstract

The crust and mantle both in ophiolites (fossil ocean lithosphere) and in modern oceans are enormously diverse. Along-axis morphology and lower crustal accretion at ultraslow-spreading ocean ridges are fundamentally different from those at faster-spreading ridges, and are critical to understanding how crustal accretion varies with spreading rate and magma supply. Ultraslow-spreading ridges provide analogues for ophiolites, to identify those that may have formed under similar conditions. Parallel studies of modern ocean lithosphere and ophiolites therefore can uniquely inform the origin and genesis of both. Here we report the results of structural and petrological studies on the Xigaze ophiolite in the Tibetan Plateau, and compare it with the morphology and deep drilling results at the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge. The Xigaze ophiolite has a complete but laterally discontinuous crust, with discrete diabase dykes and sills cutting both mantle and lower crust. The gabbro units are thin (c. 350 m) and show upward cyclic chemical variations, supporting for an episodic and intermittent magma supply. These features are comparable with the highly focused magmatism and low magma budget at modern ultraslow-spreading ridges. Thus we suggest that the Xigaze ophiolite represents an on-land analogue of ultraslow-spreading ocean lithosphere.

Supplementary material: Single-spot analysis and average compositions for mineral major element compositions (wt.%) of the Jiding gabbro section, Xigaze ophiolite are available at https://doi.org/10.17632/dtzpmwkscp.1

  • © 2021 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved
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The Xigaze ophiolite: fossil ultraslow-spreading ocean lithosphere in the Tibetan Plateau

Tong Liu, Chuan-Zhou Liu, Fu-Yuan Wu, Henry J. B. Dick, Wen-Bin Ji, Chang Zhang, Wei-Qi Zhang, Zhen-Yu Zhang and Yang Xu
Journal of the Geological Society, 19 January 2021, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2020-208
Tong Liu
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Conceptualization (Lead)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Tong Liu
  • For correspondence: liutong@mail.iggcas.ac.cn chzliu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn
Chuan-Zhou Liu
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
2CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
4Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, , China
Roles: [Conceptualization (Lead)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: liutong@mail.iggcas.ac.cn chzliu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn
Fu-Yuan Wu
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Conceptualization (Equal)], [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Henry J. B. Dick
5Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, , , USA
Roles: [Supervision (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Lead)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Henry J. B. Dick
Wen-Bin Ji
6Department of Geology, Northwest University, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Wen-Bin Ji
Chang Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Chang Zhang
Wei-Qi Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Wei-Qi Zhang
Zhen-Yu Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yang Xu
4Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, , China
Roles: [Investigation (Supporting)], [Writing – review & editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site

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The Xigaze ophiolite: fossil ultraslow-spreading ocean lithosphere in the Tibetan Plateau

Tong Liu, Chuan-Zhou Liu, Fu-Yuan Wu, Henry J. B. Dick, Wen-Bin Ji, Chang Zhang, Wei-Qi Zhang, Zhen-Yu Zhang and Yang Xu
Journal of the Geological Society, 19 January 2021, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2020-208
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