Initiation and evolution of the South China Sea: an overview

Sun, Weidong

doi:10.1007/s11631-016-0110-x

Cited by 102 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems sea. Although the opening dynamics of the South China Sea is still unclear (Briais et al, 1993;Flower et al, 1998;Hall, 1996;Hilde et al, 1977;Holloway, 1982;Morley, 2002;Sun et al, 2006Sun et al, , 2016Tapponnier et al, 1990;Taylor & Hayes, 1983;Yao, 1997;Zhang et al, 2018;Zhou et al, 2002), we considered that the SCS could be a marginal sea of back-arc origin based on geochemical evidence from ETO basalt. The first is that the mélange represents a subduction complex that developed in the former Manila Trench during subduction of South China Sea oceanic lithosphere before arc-continent collision (Biq, 1971;Chai, 1972;Ho, 1977;Hsu, 1988;Karig, 1973).…”

Section: 1029/2018gc007902mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical and Geochronological Constraints on the Origin and Emplacement of the East Taiwan Ophiolite

Lin

Harris

Sun

et al. 2019

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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The East Taiwan Ophiolite (ETO) occurs as blocks and thrust sheets associated with the Lichi Mélange in the Coastal Range of eastern Taiwan. The blocks consist of serpentinized harzburgite, serpentinite breccia, gabbro, dikes of dolerite and plagiogranite, pillow basalts, and red clay within a mud‐ and serpentinite‐rich mélange matrix. New U‐Pb zircon dating of a pegmatite gabbro yields a weighted mean age of 16.65 ± 0.20 Ma. This age is earlier than the North Luzon Arc but overlaps with the late‐stage spreading of the South China Sea. ETO glassy basalt has low K2O, MgO and high CaO contents, similar to MORB. REE and trace element patterns show both N‐MORB patterns with LREE depletion and E‐MORB patterns with slight LREE enrichment. A few samples show slight depletion in Nb‐Ta and Ti and enrichment in Rb, Ba, U and Sr, indicating a hint of subduction influence. Most ETO basalt plots within the overlapping fields of N‐MORB and BABB on Ti‐V, Cr‐Y, Nb/Yb‐Th/Yb, and Hf/3‐Th‐Ta discrimination diagrams. These geochemical compositions are emblematic of mid‐ocean ridge or back‐arc lava, like South China Sea basalt. We interpret ETO basalt and gabbro as fragments of the subducted South China Sea basement that were scrapped off and accreted to the Luzon forearc during the process of subduction initiation along the Manila Trench. Blocks of mantle material in the mélange may originate from the upper plate of the arc‐continent collision and were mixed with lower plate crustal material in a subduction channel now represented by the Lichi Mélange.

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Section: 1029/2018gc007902mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical and Geochronological Constraints on the Origin and Emplacement of the East Taiwan Ophiolite

Lin

Harris

Sun

et al. 2019

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…The South China Sea is considered to have been formed by seafloor spreading after rifting of the Euro‐Asia continent between 33 and 15.5 Ma (e.g., Briais et al, ; Li et al, ). The opening dynamics of the South China Sea remain debated (Briais et al, ; Flower et al, ; Hilde et al, ; Holloway, ; Karig, ; Sun, ; Tapponnier et al, ; Taylor & Hayes, ; Zhang et al, ). Basalt formed by the seafloor spreading bears important information on the mantle melting dynamics during the opening of the South China Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mantle Source and Magmatic Evolution of the Dying Spreading Ridge in the South China Sea

Zhang

Sun

Seward

2018

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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The genesis of seamount chains along fossil spreading ridges reflects the mantle melting dynamics of dying spreading center. The South China Sea developed a seamount chain along its fossil ridge shortly after cessation of spreading. International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 has recovered three volcanic layers, a shallow volcanic breccia layer and two deeper (upper and lower sections) basalt layers, at Site U1431 near the fossil ridge of the South China Sea. Despite the mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB)‐like geochemistry of the lower and upper section basalts, they show distinct geochemical differences that indicate a change of mantle source and a transition from spreading to intraplate volcanism. While the lower section basalts could reflect the last stage volcanism before the cessation of ridge spreading, the upper section basalts with whole‐rock MgO up to ~20 wt.% were formed by intraplate volcanism with significant olivine accumulation once the spreading center had become inactive. The MORB type basalts at Site U1431 have Hawaii‐like high olivine Ni and Fe/Mn and low olivine Ca and Mn and bulk‐rock low CaO that are distinctly different from normal global MORBs, suggesting an anomalous mantle source in lithology. We suggest that an eclogite‐/pyroxenite‐rich component, possibly sourced from the Hainan hot spot, played a fundamental role in the transition from spreading to intraplate volcanism of the dying spreading ridge of the South China Sea.

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“…The influence of the Neo-Tethys on the South China Block has received much less attention (Sun 2016) because its current trench is located to the south of the South China Sea, which is far away from the present position of the South China Block (Fig. 12).…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Neo-Tethys Plate started to subduct northward at *125 Ma (Sun 2016). With normal plate subduction of the Neo-Tethys, however, it is difficult to not only reach Shilu but to get partial melting as well because it was still several hundred kilometers away from Shilu and would have been cold.…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adakitic rocks associated with the Shilu copper–molybdenum deposit in the Yangchun Basin, South China, and their tectonic implications

Zhang

Liang

et al. 2017

Acta Geochim

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Initiation and evolution of the South China Sea: an overview

Cited by 102 publications

References 63 publications

Geochemical and Geochronological Constraints on the Origin and Emplacement of the East Taiwan Ophiolite

Geochemical and Geochronological Constraints on the Origin and Emplacement of the East Taiwan Ophiolite

Mantle Source and Magmatic Evolution of the Dying Spreading Ridge in the South China Sea

Adakitic rocks associated with the Shilu copper–molybdenum deposit in the Yangchun Basin, South China, and their tectonic implications

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