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Research Interests
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The destruction of the North China Craton, when, how and why.
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The destruction of the North China Craton, when, how and why. Cratonic mantle lithosphere in the world is commonly stable after its formation. However, this is not the case for the North China Craton, where the composition and physical properties of the mantle have changed dramatically since the Mesozoic, and a lithosphereic root more than 100 km thick was lost. Deep-seated xenoliths and xenocrysts entrapped in igneous rocks of different ages play a key role in understanding the lithospheric evolution, our current work involves geochronological, mineralogical, petrological and geochemical studies of these deep-seated xenoliths, and on the basis of these studies we can reveal the compositions of the lower crust and lithospheric mantle, the evolutional features and the mechanisms of the destruction of the North China Craton. We also make comparisons between North China Craton and other cratons elsewhere in the world with aims of understanding the intrinsic factors that affect the evolution of the continental lithosphere. |
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Application of non-traditional stable isotopes to studies of lithospheric evolution and crust-mantle interactions.
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The non-traditional stable isotopes are emerging tracers in geochemistry and commonly used in lower temperture systems such as surface processes and biogeochemical processes. In recent years, the non-traditional stable isotopes have been successfully applied to the studies of mantle peridotites by our group and considerable progress have been made in constraining the chemical compositions of melts and their orgin. For instance, the results of Li, Fe and Mg isotopic analyses of the mantle xenoliths revealed that the melts derived from both subducted slabs and asthenosphere played a key role in the episodic modification of the mantle lithophere underneath the North China Craton. |
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Petrogenesis of igenous rocks and Phanerozoic continental growth.
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In order to understand the Phanerozoic continental growth of the north margin of the North China Craton, we made systematic investigation on the igneous rocks occuring in the north part of the north china, which recorded the transformation from the Paleo-Asian ocean tectonic regime to the Pacific tectonic regime. We have delineated multi-episodic magmatic events from the Paleozoic to the Early Mesozoic, revealed the typical magmatic formation that faithfully recorded the continental growth processes, and also recognized which magmatic suites are responding outcomes of the formation and destruction of the craton, respectively. |
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Head of Group
Prof. Ying JifengDivision of Lithosphere Evolution Tel：86 010 82998532
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