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Peridotites, chromitites and diamonds in ophiolites

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From Nature Reviews Earth & Environment

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Abstract

Ophiolites, which represent segments of oceanic lithosphere obducted onto the continental crust, provide an important window into processes such as continental rifting, mantle melting, asthenospheric upwelling and cooling of oceanic lithosphere. Traditionally, research has focused on crustal sections of ophiolites. However, there is a growing recognition that mantle sections contain important information on ophiolite formation and crustal recycling. In this Review, we outline the importance of chromium spinel and associated mineral inclusions for recording the tectonic setting and past histories of ophiolitic mantle sections, with a focus on the insights they provide into deep crustal recycling. In particular, the presence of ultra-high-pressure mineral inclusions, such as microdiamonds, metal alloys, Mn silicates and coesites, in podiform chromitites and other ophiolitic mantle rocks offer evidence of deep and reduced formation conditions. The composition of ultra-high-pressure minerals, and especially the light carbon isotope composition of ophiolite-hosted diamonds, indicates a contribution of recycled crustal material to the mantle portions of ophiolites. The details of crustal material transport through the mantle remain a subject of debate and ongoing research. A global investigation of high-pressure minerals in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites should be a target of future research to help clarify understanding of deep crustal recycling.

Key points

  • Mantle rocks and minerals in ophiolite sequences can provide insights into the tectonic setting of ophiolite formation and preserve details of a far more complex geological history than previously thought from crustal sections alone.

  • The increasing reports of diamonds found in various ophiolites worldwide imply their common occurrence in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites.

  • Exotic ultra-high-pressure minerals, such as diamond, moissanite and coesite, and crustal components, such as zircon inclusions, in ophiolitic peridotite and chromitite indicate the incorporation of deep-recycled crustal material.

  • Ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites are an exciting window for probing deep crustal recycling and deep mantle dynamics.

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Fig. 1: A typical ophiolite sequence.
Fig. 2: Global distribution of ophiolite belts and diamond-bearing ophiolites.
Fig. 3: Tectonic discrimination diagrams for peridotites.
Fig. 4: In situ diamonds and their mineral inclusions found in ophiolites.
Fig. 5: Carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of ophiolite-hosted diamonds.
Fig. 6: The formation of diamond and chromitite in Earth’s mantle.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Julian Pearce and Paul T. Robinson for their valuable discussions and edits, which have significantly improved this manuscript. The authors thank Shengbiao Yang for his contribution in the data collection and figure preparation. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41720104009, 41802055, 41802034, 91955203), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20180349), the fund from the Key Laboratory of Deep-Earth Dynamics of Ministry of Natural Resources (J1901-16), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (XJ2020003001) and IGCP-649 (IUGS-UNESCO).

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  1. State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nan**g University, Nan**g, China

    **gsui Yang, Weiwei Wu & Dongyang Lian

  2. Center for Advanced Research on Mantle (CARMA), Key Laboratory of Deep-Earth Dynamics of Ministry of Natural Resources, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), Bei**g, China

    **gsui Yang, Weiwei Wu & Dongyang Lian

  3. School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

    Huichao Rui

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J.Y., W.W. and D.L. substantially contributed to the discussion of content. All authors wrote, reviewed and edited the article before submission.

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Glossary

Peridotites

A group of ultramafic rocks composed of more than 40 vol.% olivine with variable amounts of other minerals; includes lherzolite, harzburgite, dunite and wehrlite.

Suprasubduction zone

Where new oceanic crust is formed in the forearc, interarc or backarc basin of a subduction zone setting.

Podiform chromitites

Lenticular, pod-like, layered or banded chromite-rich autoliths in harzburgites and/or dunites of ophiolite complexes.

Abyssal peridotites

Ultramafic rocks collected from the modern mid-ocean ridges by dredging or drilling the ocean floor.

Forearc peridotites

Ultramafic rocks collected by dredging or drilling the forearc of modern subduction zones.

Monogenetic

Resulting from one process of formation, derived from one source or developed at one place and time.

Polygenetic

Resulting from more than one process of formation, derived from more than one source or developed at various places and times.

Boninitic

High-MgO and high-SiO2 melts believed to react with host harzburgite to form high-Cr-type (Cr# > 60) podiform chromitites in suprasubduction zones.

Tholeiitic

High-Al2O3–low-SiO2 melts believed to react with host harzburgite to form high-Al-type (Cr# < 60) podiform chromitites in oceanic spreading centres.

Subduction zone initiation

When the oceanic lithosphere descends into the mantle beneath another tectonic plate to form a new subduction zone.

Harzburgite

A variety of peridotite consisting of olivine (40–90 vol.%), orthopyroxene (>5 vol.%) and clinopyroxene (<5 vol.%), and commonly contains minor spinel as an accessory mineral.

Lherzolite

A variety of peridotite composed of olivine (40–90 vol.%), orthopyroxene (>5 vol.%), clinopyroxene (>5 vol.%) and accessory minerals (such as plagioclase, spinel and garnet).

Dunite

A variety of peridotite consisting mostly of olivine (>90 vol.%), with minor amounts of other minerals, such as pyroxene and chromite.

Mantle transition zone

The layer between the two mantle discontinuities observed from seismic wave speeds that lie at depths of approximately 410 km and 660 km.

Coesite

A high-pressure polymorph of silicon dioxide (SiO2), which can be found in meteorite impact craters or in ultra-high-pressure metamorphic rocks.

Crystallographic preferred orientation

The alignment of crystallographic axes of crystals in a deformed rock body, where the c-axis of most grains are parallel to a particular direction or to a limited range of directions.

Orogenic belts

Tectonic expression of convergent margins and plate boundaries, usually involved in the formation of mountains.

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Yang, J., Wu, W., Lian, D. et al. Peridotites, chromitites and diamonds in ophiolites. Nat Rev Earth Environ 2, 198–212 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-00138-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-00138-4

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