[1] Many orogenic belts experience alternations in shortening and extension (tectonic mode switches) during continuous plate convergence. The geodynamics of such alternations are not well understood. We present a record of Late Cretaceous to Eocene alternations of shortening and extension from the interior of the retroarc Sevier-Laramide orogen of the western United States. We integrate new Lu-Hf garnet geochronometry with revised PT paths utilizing differential thermobarometry combined with isochemical G-minimization plots, and monazite Th-Pb inclusion geochronometry to produce a well-constrained "M" shaped PTt path. Two burial events (86 and 65 Ma) are separated by $3 kbar of decompression. The first burial episode is Late Cretaceous, records a 2 kbar pressure increase at $515-550°C and is dated by a Lu-Hf garnet isochron age of 85.5 AE 1.9 Ma (2s); the second burial episode records $1 kbar of pressure increase at $585-615°C, and is dated by radially decreasing Th-Pb ages of monazite inclusions in garnet between $65 and 45 Ma. We propose a synconvergent lithospheric delamination cycle, superimposed on a dynamic orogenic wedge, as a viable mechanism. Wedge tapers may evolve from critical to subcritical (amplification), to supercritical (separation), and back to subcritical (re-equilibration) owing to elevation changes resulting from isostatic adjustments during the amplification and separation of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, and post-separation thermal and rheological re-equilibration. For the Sevier-Laramide hinterland, the sequence of Late Cretaceous delamination, low-angle subduction, and slab rollback/foundering during continued plate convergence explains the burial-exhumation-burial-exhumation record and the "M-shaped" PTt path.

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doi: 10.7185/geochemlet.2011 Oxygen fugacity ( fO 2 ) is a controlling factor of the physics of Earth's mantle; however, the mechanisms driving spatial and secular changes in fO 2 associated with convergent margins are highly debated. We present new thermodynamic models and petrographic observations to predict that oxidised sulfur species are produced during the subduction of altered oceanic crust. Sulfur loss from the subducting slab is a function of the protolith Fe 3+ /ΣFe ratio and subduction zone thermal structure, with elevated sulfur fluxes predicted for oxidised slabs in cold subduction zones. We also predict bi-modal release of sulfur-bearing fluids, with a low volume shallow flux of reduced sulfur followed by an enhanced deep flux of sulfate and sulfite species, consistent with oxidised arc magmas and associated copper porphyry deposits. The variable SO x release predicted by our models both across and among active margins may introduce fO 2 heterogeneity to the upper mantle.

Subduction is a key component of Earth's long‐term sulfur cycle; however, the mechanisms that drive sulfur from subducting slabs remain elusive. Isotopes are a sensitive indicator of the speciation of sulfur in fluids, sulfide dissolution‐precipitation reactions, and inferring fluid sources. To investigate these processes, we report δ34S values determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy in sulfides from a global suite of exhumed high‐pressure rocks. Sulfides are classified into two petrogenetic groups: (1) metamorphic, which represent closed‐system (re)crystallization from protolith‐inherited sulfur, and (2) metasomatic, which formed during open system processes, such as an influx of oxidized sulfur. The δ34S values for metamorphic sulfides tend to reflect their precursor compositions: −4.3 ‰ to +13.5 ‰ for metabasic rocks, and −32.4 ‰ to −11.0 ‰ for metasediments. Metasomatic sulfides exhibit a range of δ34S from −21.7 ‰ to +13.9 ‰. We suggest that sluggish sulfur self‐diffusion prevents isotopic fractionation during sulfide breakdown and that slab fluids inherit the isotopic composition of their source. We estimate a composition of −11 ‰ to +8 ‰ for slab fluids, a significantly smaller range than observed for metasomatic sulfides. Large fractionations during metasomatic sulfide precipitation from sulfate‐bearing fluids, and an evolving fluid composition during reactive transport may account for the entire ~36 ‰ range of metasomatic sulfide compositions. Thus, we suggest that sulfates are likely the dominant sulfur species in slab‐derived fluids.

Titanite is a potentially powerful U–Pb petrochronometer that may record metamorphism, metasomatism, and deformation. Titanite may also incorporate significant inherited Pb, which may lead to inaccurate and geologically ambiguous U–Pb dates if a proper correction is not or cannot be applied. Here, we present laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS)‐derived titanite U–Pb dates and trace element concentrations for two banded calcsilicate gneisses from south‐central Maine, USA (SSP18‐1A and SSP18‐1B). Single spot common Pb‐corrected dates range from 400 to 280 Ma with ±12–20 Ma propagated 2SE. Titanite grains in sample SSP18‐1B exhibit regular core‐to‐rim variations in texture, composition, and date. We identify four titanite populations: (1) 397 ± 5 Ma (95% CL) low Y + HREE cores and mottled grains, (2) 370 ± 7 Ma high Y + REE mantles and cores, (3) 342 ± 6 Ma cores with high Y + REE and no Eu anomaly, and (4) 295 ± 6 Ma LREE‐depleted rims. We interpret the increase in titanite Y + HREE between ca. 397 and ca. 370 Ma to constrain the timing of diopside fracturing and recrystallization and amphibole breakdown. Apparent Zr‐in‐titanite temperatures (803 ± 36°C at 0.5 ± 0.2 GPa) and increased XDi suggest a thermal maximum at ca. 370 Ma. Population 3 domains dated to ca. 342 Ma exhibit no Eu anomaly and are observed only in compositional bands dominated by diopside (>80 vol%), suggesting limited equilibrium between titanite and plagioclase. Finally, low LREE and high U/Th in Population 4 titanite dates the formation of hydrous phases, such as allanite, during high XH2O fluid infiltration at ca. 295 Ma. In contrast to the well‐defined date–composition–texture relationships observed for titanite from SSP18‐1B, titanite grains from sample SSP18‐1A exhibit complex zoning patterns and little correlation between texture, composition, and date. We hypothesize that the incorporation of variable amounts of radiogenic Pb from dissolved titanite into recrystallized domains resulted in mixed dates spanning 380–330 Ma. Although titanite may reliably record multiple phases of metamorphism, these data highlight the importance of considering U–Pb data along with chemical and textural data to screen for inherited radiogenic Pb.

A large volcanic sulfate increase observed in ice core records around 1450 C.E. has been attributed in previous studies to a volcanic eruption from the submarine Kuwae caldera in Vanuatu. Both EPMA–WDS (electron microprobe analysis using a wavelength dispersive spectrometer) and SEM–EDS (scanning electron microscopy analysis using an energy dispersive spectrometer) analyses of five microscopic volcanic ash (cryptotephra) particles extracted from the ice interval associated with a rise in sulfate ca. 1458 C.E. in the South Pole ice core (SPICEcore) indicate that the tephra deposits are chemically distinct from those erupted from the Kuwae caldera. Recognizing that the sulfate peak is not associated with the Kuwae volcano, and likely not a large stratospheric tropical eruption, requires revision of the stratospheric sulfate injection mass that is used for parameterization of paleoclimate models. Future work is needed to confirm that a volcanic eruption from Mt. Reclus is one of the possible sources of the 1458 C.E. sulfate anomaly in Antarctic ice cores.

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Major element, trace element and Lu-Hf geochronological data from amphibolite facies pelitic schist in the Raft River and Albion Mountains of northwest Utah and southern Idaho indicate that garnet grew during increasing pressure, interpreted to be the result of tectonic burial and crustal thickening during Sevier orogenesis. Garnet growth was interrupted by hiatuses interpreted from discontinuities in major element zonation. Pressure-temperature paths were determined from the pre-hiatus portions of the garnet chemical zoning profiles and indicate an increase of~2 kbar and~50°C in the western Raft River Mountains. Garnet Lu-Hf dates of 150 AE 1 Ma in the western Raft River Mountains and 138.7 AE 0.7 Ma and 132 AE 5 Ma in the southern Albion Mountains indicate the timing of garnet growth. Lutetium garnet zoning profiles indicate that the Lu-Hf ages are biased towards the posthiatus or outer pre-hiatus segments, indicating that the determined ages likely post-date the recorded P-T path history or date the tail end of the paths. Crustal thickening associated with Sevier orogenesis in the western Raft River Mountains thus began slightly before 150 AE 1 Ma, in the Late Jurassic. This study shows that integrating P-T paths determined from garnet growth zoning with Lu-Hf garnet geochronology and in situ garnet trace element analyses is an effective approach for interpreting and dating deformation events in orogenic belts.