Continental Crust Evolution in Collisional and Accretionary Orogens: Petrological, Tectonic and Metallogenic Implications

Dear Colleagues,

Collisional and accretionary orogens are the most spectacular records of the tectono-magmatic evolution of continental crust. Accretionary orogens form at ocean–continent convergent plate margins. Here, ongoing subduction creates wide accretionary wedges and supra-subduction magmatism. This process is accompanied by the accretion and deformation of diversely originated terranes. Collisional orogens, formed by continent–continent collision during the terminal stage of the Wilson cycle, usually result in crustal thickening that extends into the plates’ interior. They also produce ribbon-shaped high-pressure metamorphism and significant topographic uplifting. Both types of orogenic events can cause extensive crustal deformation, high-flux magmatism, and significant mineralization. The alignment of such phenomena would facilitate fluid migration and exert effective control on the formation and localization of ore deposits, both in the orogenic belt and the hinterland of the continental block. For decades, the formation mechanism of collisional and accretionary orogens has been a focal topic for the geoscience community. Nevertheless, the formation and evolution of the continental crust during collisional and accretionary orogeny remain enigmatic. In addition, comparative studies of continental crustal evolution between collisional and accretionary orogenic belts have become a new research advancement in reconstructing multistage processes of crustal evolution. In this context, this Special Issue welcomes submissions focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:

1. Investigating continental growth at accretionary orogens via high-precision geochemical and geochronological approaches.
2. Determining the multiphase structural evolution of the continental crust at accretionary orogens and how the pre-existing crustal architecture affects the collisional orogeny.
3. Comparative analysis of the tectono-magmatic activity in accretionary vs. collisional orogenic belts, including the igneous rock assemblages in the orogens, their magma AFC (assimilation and fractional crystallization) processes, and the underlying geodynamic controls.
4. Deciphering the formation and localization of the ore deposits in the accretionary or collisional orogenic belts, with special attention paid to the tectonic-magmatic backgrounds.
5. Discussing the far-field effect of collisional orogeny on ancient accretionary/collisional orogens.

Dr. Linglin Zhong
Prof. Dr. Kanghui Zhong
Guest Editors

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