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

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 907

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Interests: tectonics; structural geology; igneous petrology; metallogeny

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Interests: ore deposits; structural geology; tectonics

Special Issue Information

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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Keywords

  • accretionary orogen
  • collisional orogen
  • continental growth
  • crustal deformation
  • tectonic evolution
  • ore deposits

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 13921 KB  
Article
Petrogenesis of the Early Cretaceous Volcanic Rocks in the North Himalayan Longzi Area, Southern Tibet
by Jiacong Wu, Dian Luo, Yubin Li, Duo Ji, Hairui Yang, Suiliang Dong, Wei Li and Khin Ei Thu
Minerals 2026, 16(5), 510; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16050510 - 12 May 2026
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Abstract
Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks are widely developed in the Longzi area, southern Tibet. Their petrogenesis and tectonic setting are important for understanding the initial breakup of eastern Gondwana and its deep geodynamic mechanisms. This study integrates field observations, petrography, zircon U-Pb geochronology and [...] Read more.
Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks are widely developed in the Longzi area, southern Tibet. Their petrogenesis and tectonic setting are important for understanding the initial breakup of eastern Gondwana and its deep geodynamic mechanisms. This study integrates field observations, petrography, zircon U-Pb geochronology and trace elements, whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes to investigate the origin and tectonic significance of these rocks. The analyzed suite comprises diabase and rhyolite, with no intermediate compositions in the studied samples, thus defining a mafic–felsic volcanic association. Zircon U-Pb ages indicate Early Cretaceous magmatism at 132–138 Ma for the diabase and 132–134 Ma for the rhyolite. Geochemically, the mafic rocks are enriched in LREEs and HFSEs and display OIB-like trace-element characteristics, with εNd(t) values ranging from −0.2 to +4.4, indicating derivation from low-degree partial melting of a spinel–garnet lherzolite source modified by limited interaction with the lithospheric mantle. The felsic rocks show pronounced negative Eu anomalies, A-type granite affinities, and εNd(t) values ranging from −12.2 to −11.9, indicating derivation mainly from partial melting of upper-crustal materials. The marked geochemical and isotopic contrast between the mafic and felsic rocks argues against simple fractional crystallization from a common parental magma. Combined with regional geological data, these results indicate that the Longzi mafic–felsic volcanic association formed in an intraplate extensional setting related to Kerguelen-plume thermal input during the initial breakup of eastern Gondwana. Full article
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21 pages, 13555 KB  
Article
Petrogenesis and Geological Significance of the Miocene Monzogranite Porphyry in the Chunzhe Area, Middle Gangdese Belt
by Wei Li, Linglin Zhong, Suiliang Dong, Xianglong Yu, Yubin Li, Jiacong Wu, Khin Ei Thu and Xin Sun
Minerals 2026, 16(5), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16050454 - 27 Apr 2026
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Abstract
The Oligocene–Miocene magmatic rocks extensively developed in the Gangdese magmatic belt are key records of the post-collisional tectono-magmatic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, petrological, zircon U-Pb geochronological, zircon Hf isotopic and whole-rock geochemical investigations were carried out on two granitic [...] Read more.
The Oligocene–Miocene magmatic rocks extensively developed in the Gangdese magmatic belt are key records of the post-collisional tectono-magmatic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, petrological, zircon U-Pb geochronological, zircon Hf isotopic and whole-rock geochemical investigations were carried out on two granitic porphyry stocks exposed in the Chunzhe area of the middle Gangdese belt. LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb dating, cathodoluminescence (CL) images and trace element characteristics indicate that the granitic porphyries were emplaced at 11.8 ± 0.2 Ma (MSWD = 1.1) and 11.5 ± 0.1 Ma (MSWD = 1.2), with a small number of zircon grains yielding 206Pb/238U ages of 51.1~59.5 Ma, 29.8 Ma and 19.4~12.2 Ma, which are interpreted as inherited or captured zircon components. The analyzed samples are monzogranite porphyries composed mainly of quartz, plagioclase and alkali feldspar, with variable secondary white mica/sericite. In whole-rock composition, they display high-K calc-alkaline and weakly peraluminous characteristics. These rocks are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) such as Ba, Sr and Rb, and relatively depleted in Nb-Ta-Ti as well as Cr and Ni. They show light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment and heavy rare earth element (HREE) depletion, with distinctly high chondrite-normalized La/Yb ratios (31.05~71.25) and Sr/Y ratios (35.90~49.07), and a positive correlation between the LREE/HREE ratio and La content, indicating robust adakite-like trace element characteristics. Zircon εHf(t) values of the Miocene magmatic rocks range from −4.44 to 2.41, corresponding to two-stage Hf model ages of 1380~944 Ma, suggesting that the magmas were mainly derived from juvenile continental crust materials with the addition of a small amount of ancient continental crust materials. Combined with the regional geological setting, the Chunzhe Miocene granitic porphyries were most likely generated by partial melting of the thickened lower crust in the Gangdese belt during the late stage of Oligocene–Miocene post-collisional magmatism; local lower-crustal delamination may also have contributed, although this is not uniquely constrained by the present dataset. Full article
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