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Crustal melting in orogenic belts revealed by eclogite thermal properties

Author

Listed:
  • Baohua Zhang

    (School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University)

  • Hongzhan Fei

    (University of Bayreuth)

  • Jianhua Ge

    (Guizhou Light Industry Technical College
    Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Lingsen Zeng

    (Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences)

  • Qunke Xia

    (School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University)

Abstract

Partial melting in the continental crust may play a critical role on the behavior of continents during collision. However, the occurrence of partial melt in orogenic continental crust is not well understood. Since the temperature of the orogen is controlled by the thermal properties of constituent rocks, we measured the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of eclogite, the most important ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks, as a function of pressure, temperature, composition, and water content, and simulated the thermal structure of the Sulu and Himalaya-Tibet orogens in eastern and southwestern China, respectively. Our results show that the temperature at ~30-km depth beneath the orogens reaches the solidus of wet granite and phengite (~940 K), therefore, the partial melting in the orogenic continental crust is well explained. The melt may facilitate the exhumation of subducted crust, produce the low seismic-velocity zone, and cause the high-conductivity anomaly in the shallow depth of orogenic belts.

Suggested Citation

  • Baohua Zhang & Hongzhan Fei & Jianhua Ge & Lingsen Zeng & Qunke Xia, 2022. "Crustal melting in orogenic belts revealed by eclogite thermal properties," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-32484-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32484-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lu Wang & Timothy M. Kusky & Ali Polat & Songjie Wang & Xingfu Jiang & Keqing Zong & Junpeng Wang & Hao Deng & Jianmin Fu, 2014. "Partial melting of deeply subducted eclogite from the Sulu orogen in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. M. J. Unsworth & A. G. Jones & W. Wei & G. Marquis & S. G. Gokarn & J. E. Spratt, 2005. "Crustal rheology of the Himalaya and Southern Tibet inferred from magnetotelluric data," Nature, Nature, vol. 438(7064), pages 78-81, November.
    3. Bjørn Jamtveit & Yehuda Ben-Zion & François Renard & Håkon Austrheim, 2018. "Earthquake-induced transformation of the lower crust," Nature, Nature, vol. 556(7702), pages 487-491, April.
    4. Thomas J. Owens & George Zandt, 1997. "Implications of crustal property variations for models of Tibetan plateau evolution," Nature, Nature, vol. 387(6628), pages 37-43, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Guiling & Liu, Yanguang & Duan, Hexiao & Liu, Zhiyan & Hu, Jing & Bian, Kai & Xing, Linxiao, 2023. "Crust-mantle differentiation and thermal accumulation mechanisms in the north China plain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 63-74.

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