Crustal redistribution, crust–mantle recycling and Phanerozoic evolution of the continental crust

Clift, Peter D.; Vannucchi, Paola; Morgan, Jason Phipps

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.10.003

Cited by 199 publications

(171 citation statements)

References 229 publications

(231 reference statements)

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“…However, more recent (Paleozoic) tectonic growth of continents is believed to be from felsic island arcs or modified post-accretion oceanic plateaus (Clift et al, 2009b, a;Stern and Scholl, 2010).) There is observational evidence for modern day subduction of oceanic plateaus and submarine ridges: the Hikurangi oceanic plateau subducting seemingly intact to approximately 65 km depth under New Zealand (Reyners et al, 2006), the Ontong Java Plateau subducting under the Solomon Islands (Mann and Taira, 2004), and the Nazca Ridge under Peru (Hampel et al, 2004).…”

Section: Fat Similarities and Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Terrane accretion is considered to be one of the main contributors to the growth of continental crust (Stern and Scholl, 2010;Clift et al, 2009b;Cawood et al, 2009). Although continental crust is lost by erosion and/or recycled into the mantle at subduction zones, crust is also added to continents at subduction zones by accretion and magmatic events.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Future accreted terranes: a compilation of island arcs, oceanic plateaus, submarine ridges, seamounts, and continental fragments

Tetreault

Buiter

2014

Solid Earth

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Abstract. Allochthonous accreted terranes are exotic geologic units that originated from anomalous crustal regions on a subducting oceanic plate and were transferred to the overriding plate by accretionary processes during subduction. The geographical regions that eventually become accreted allochthonous terranes include island arcs, oceanic plateaus, submarine ridges, seamounts, continental fragments, and microcontinents. These future allochthonous terranes (FATs) contribute to continental crustal growth, subduction dynamics, and crustal recycling in the mantle. We present a review of modern FATs and their accreted counterparts based on available geological, seismic, and gravity studies and discuss their crustal structure, geological origin, and bulk crustal density. Island arcs have an average crustal thickness of 26 km, average bulk crustal density of 2.79 g cm −3 , and three distinct crustal units overlying a crust-mantle transition zone. Oceanic plateaus and submarine ridges have an average crustal thickness of 21 km and average bulk crustal density of 2.84 g cm −3 . Continental fragments presently on the ocean floor have an average crustal thickness of 25 km and bulk crustal density of 2.81 g cm −3 . Accreted allochthonous terranes can be compared to these crustal compilations to better understand which units of crust are accreted or subducted. In general, most accreted terranes are thin crustal units sheared off of FATs and added onto the accretionary prism, with thicknesses on the order of hundreds of meters to a few kilometers. However, many island arcs, oceanic plateaus, and submarine ridges were sheared off in the subduction interface and underplated onto the overlying continent. Other times we find evidence of terrane-continent collision leaving behind accreted terranes 25-40 km thick. We posit that rheologically weak crustal layers or shear zones that were formed when the FATs were produced can be activated as detachments during subduction, allowing parts of the FAT crust to accrete and others to subduct. In many modern FATs on the ocean floor, a sub-crustal layer of high seismic velocities, interpreted as ultramafic material, could serve as a detachment or delaminate during subduction.

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Section: Fat Similarities and Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future accreted terranes: a compilation of island arcs, oceanic plateaus, submarine ridges, seamounts, and continental fragments

Tetreault

Buiter

2014

Solid Earth

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“…Paradoxically, convergent plate margins are the locus of the vast majority of continental crust growth (e.g. Clift et al 2009;Scholl & von Huene 2009). Scholl & von Huene (2009) hypothesize that currently the ratio of crustal formation and destruction is nearly one-to-one, resulting in a zero net gain of continental crustal volume.…”

Section: Preservation Of the Geological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although continental crust is the only long lasting repository of Earth history, it is vulnerable to the destructive processes associated with subduction erosion (Scholl et al 1980;Stern 1991;von Huene & Scholl 1993;Clift et al 2009;Stern 2011) and lower crustal delamination (Bird 1979;Houseman et al 1981;Kay & Mahlburg Kay 1993;Houseman & Molnar 1997;Schott & Schmeling 1998;DeCelles et al 2009). The locus of crustal recycling is primarily at convergent plate margins, where the subducting oceanic slab both removes ocean floor sediments and volcanic material, as well as tectonically eroding crustal material from the overriding plate into the mantle.…”

Section: Preservation Of the Geological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

The zircon archive of continent formation through time

Roberts¹,

Spencer²

2014

200

136

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The strong resilience of the mineral zircon and its ability to host a wealth of isotopic information make it the best deep-time archive of Earth's continental crust. Zircon is found in most felsic igneous rocks, can be precisely dated and can fingerprint magmatic sources; thus, it has been widely used to document the formation and evolution of continental crust, from pluton-to global-scale. Here, we present a review of major contributions that zircon studies have made in terms of understanding key questions involving the formation of the continents. These include the conditions of continent formation on early Earth, the onset of plate tectonics and subduction, the rate of crustal growth through time and the governing balance of continental addition v. continental loss, and the role of preservation bias in the zircon record.

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“…R TER∕BCC can be calculated from the average modern subducted sediment flux. Global subducted sediment flux has been estimated by various methods, including O and Nd isotopes, and sedimentary records from deep sea drilling projects (41,(46)(47)(48)(49)(50), and varies from 1.1 × 10 12 to 4.4 × 10 12 kg∕y, assuming the average density of the subducted sediments is 2.65 g∕cm 3 (46). Thus, R TER∕BCC ¼ 0.33, assuming that the average subducted sediment flux is constant through time at 2.1 × 10 12 kg∕y and continental crust formed since 3.5 Ga, approximately the start of the geologic record (see (37), and references therein).…”

Section: Table 1 Variables Used and Their Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constraints on continental crustal mass loss via chemical weathering using lithium and its isotopes

Liu

Rudnick

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Chemical weathering, as well as physical erosion, changes the composition and shapes the surface of the continental crust. However, the amount of continental material that has been lost over Earth’s history due to chemical weathering is poorly constrained. Using a mass balance model for lithium inputs and outputs from the continental crust, we find that the mass of continental crust that has been lost due to chemical weathering is at least 15% of the original mass of the juvenile continental crust, and may be as high as 60%, with a best estimate of approximately 45%. Our results suggest that chemical weathering and subsequent subduction of soluble elements have major impacts on both the mass and the compositional evolution of the continental crust.

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Crustal redistribution, crust–mantle recycling and Phanerozoic evolution of the continental crust

Cited by 199 publications

References 229 publications

Future accreted terranes: a compilation of island arcs, oceanic plateaus, submarine ridges, seamounts, and continental fragments

Future accreted terranes: a compilation of island arcs, oceanic plateaus, submarine ridges, seamounts, and continental fragments

The zircon archive of continent formation through time

Constraints on continental crustal mass loss via chemical weathering using lithium and its isotopes

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