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Two contrasting Phanerozoic orogenic systems revealed by hafnium isotope data

Nature Geoscience volume 4, pages 333–337 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Two fundamentally different orogenic systems have existed on Earth throughout the Phanerozoic. Circum-Pacific accretionary orogens are the external orogenic system formed around the Pacific rim, where oceanic lithosphere semicontinuously subducts beneath continental lithosphere. In contrast, the internal orogenic system is found in Europe and Asia as the collage of collisional mountain belts, formed during the collision between continental crustal fragments. External orogenic systems form at the boundary of large underlying mantle convection cells, whereas internal orogens form within one supercell. Here we present a compilation of hafnium isotope data from zircon minerals collected from orogens worldwide. We find that the range of hafnium isotope signatures for the external orogenic system narrows and trends towards more radiogenic compositions since 550 Myr ago. By contrast, the range of signatures from the internal orogenic system broadens since 550 Myr ago. We suggest that for the external system, the lower crust and lithospheric mantle beneath the overriding continent is removed during subduction and replaced by newly formed crust, which generates the radiogenic hafnium signature when remelted. For the internal orogenic system, the lower crust and lithospheric mantle is instead eventually replaced by more continental lithosphere from a collided continental fragment. Our suggested model provides a simple basis for unravelling the global geodynamic evolution of the ancient Earth.

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Figure 1: Location of Phanerozoic internal versus external orogenic systems, based on a Jurassic reconstruction39.
Figure 2: Contrasting hafnium isotopic signature for Phanerozoic orogenic systems: external (a) and internal (b).
Figure 3: Contrasting geodynamic evolution of internal and external orogenic systems.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by Australian Research Council Grant (DP0559256) and NSERC Canada. Ross Stevenson helped provide clarity. This is contribution no. 725 from the ARC National Key Centre for the Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC).

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Author notes

  1. William J. Collins

    Present address: Present address: School of Environmental & Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia

    William J. Collins & Anthony I. S. Kemp

  2. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, GEMOC, ARC Centre of Excellence, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia

    Elena A. Belousova

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, PO Box 5000, B2G 2W5, Canada

    J. Brendan Murphy

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Contributions

E.A.B. tabulated all datasets, undertook calculations and presented Fig. 2. W.J.C. wrote the paper and drew Figs 1 and 3. All authors were involved in concept development and refinement of the final presentation.

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Correspondence to William J. Collins.

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Collins, W., Belousova, E., Kemp, A. et al. Two contrasting Phanerozoic orogenic systems revealed by hafnium isotope data. Nature Geosci 4, 333–337 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1127

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