Craton formation in Late Archean subduction zones revealed by first Greenland eclogites

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2011 Craton formation in Late Archean subduction zones revealed by first Greenland eclogites Sebastian Tappe; Sebastian Tappe * 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada *Current address: Institut für Mineralogie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Corrensstrasse 24, 48149 Münster, Germany; E-mail: [e-mail]. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Katie A. Smart; Katie A. Smart 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar D. Graham Pearson; D. Graham Pearson 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Agnete Steenfelt; Agnete Steenfelt 2Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Antonio Simonetti Antonio Simonetti 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Sebastian Tappe * 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Katie A. Smart 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada D. Graham Pearson 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada Agnete Steenfelt 2Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark Antonio Simonetti 1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada *Current address: Institut für Mineralogie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Corrensstrasse 24, 48149 Münster, Germany; E-mail: [e-mail]. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 12 Apr 2011 Revision Received: 14 Jun 2011 Accepted: 27 Jun 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (12): 1103–1106. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32348.1 Article history Received: 12 Apr 2011 Revision Received: 14 Jun 2011 Accepted: 27 Jun 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Sebastian Tappe, Katie A. Smart, D. Graham Pearson, Agnete Steenfelt, Antonio Simonetti; Craton formation in Late Archean subduction zones revealed by first Greenland eclogites. Geology 2011;; 39 (12): 1103–1106. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32348.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract It is now well established that the early continental crust was formed by melting of basaltic lithologies such as amphibolite and eclogite. However, considerable uncertainty surrounds the geologic environment in which melting took place. Commonly invoked options range between melting at the underside of oceanic plateaus above mantle plumes or melting of oceanic lithosphere during shallow subduction. Distinguishing between these scenarios has important implications for the early evolution of continents. We use the first eclogites discovered from the North Atlantic craton (NAC) to constrain the formation of the deep root to this continent. Late Archean eclogite xenoliths (2.7 ± 0.3 Ga) from a kimberlite in West Greenland are broadly coeval with a major regional episode of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) magmatism. Major and trace element systematics of the eclogites reveal a highly refractory character that is mirrored by NAC peridotites. Moreover, the refractory eclogites define a complementary relationship to the Late Archean TTG granitoids from the NAC, and their elevated garnet δ18O values along with negative Eu anomalies suggest seafloor-altered oceanic crust as the most viable eclogite protolith. These results from Greenland provide strong support for a model in which early continental crust grew by melting of basaltic slabs in subduction zones, where tectonic stacking of down-going oceanic lithosphere provided the mechanism that coupled formation of cratonic crust and mantle. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.