Vice Professor TANG Yanjie and his team summarize and analyze critical evidence for refertilization of cratonic and circum-cratonic lithospheric mantle worldwide by integrating the existing data, including major and trace element, Sr, Nd and Os isotopic compositions of mantle peridotite xenoliths and orogenic massif peridotites.

North China Craton is selected to represent the typical region for the destruction of its Archean keel and the critical evidence for refertilization of the SCLM beneath the craton is analyzed in detail. advances in petrology and geochemistry of mantle peridotites from other cratonic and circum-cratonic regions worldwide (Africa, America, Siberia, Australia and Europe) is reviewed and comprehensively compared with those of North China Craton.

The integrated results suggest that refertilization of ancient SCLM is widespread and that the original character of Archean cratonic mantle has been transformed by varying degrees of refertilization, leading to the rejuvenation and erosion of ancient mantle.

Fig. 1. Distributions of global Archean cratons, garnet peridotite xenoliths and orogenic garnet peridotites. (Image by TANG)

Tang et al. Widespread refertilization of cratonic and circum-cratonic lithospheric mantle. Earth-Science Reviews, 2013, 118: 45-68 (Download Here)