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The melting relations of the CaCO3 MgCO3 system are investigated and trace element partition coefficient of Li, Na, K, Mn, Fe, Sr, Ba, Pb, Nb, Y and rare earth elements (REEs) between carbonates (Mg-calcite, Ca-magnesite) and dolomitic melt are established from high pressure (6 and 9 GPa) and temperature (1300 1800 ℃) experiments utilizing a rocking multi anvil press. We show that Ca Mg carbonates are stable within the subducting slab beyond ~300 km (9 GPa) but will (partial) melt beneath mid ocean ridges and in upwelling plumes. In contrast to previous studies, we report incongruent melting of carbonates producing a carbonate melt and periclase between 4 and 9 GPa. Partial melting of carbonates produces dolomitic melts whereby the trace element signature largely depends on the Ca/Mg-ratio of the bulk system. For instance, REE will be fractionated by two orders or magnitude between Ca magnesite and dolomitic melt. In contrast, melting of Ca rich carbonates will not lead to a significant REE fractionation. The here published data set includes all chemical analysis (major and trace elment composition) of run products and starting materials. From this data set we obtained the melting relations and partition coefficients reported in Sieber et al. (2020); Sieber et al. (under review).

This data set is the source of my doctoral thesis and of three resulting publications. Through whole rock geochemistry of selected samples and microprobe and geochronological analyses of key minerals, formerly selected by extensive microscopical studies, standard geothermobarometry and modelling was applied. It has been shown that metamorphic rocks, in particular, the eclogites of the northern Kaghan Valley, Pakistan, were buried to depths of 140-100 km (36-30 kbar) at 790-640°C. Subsequently, cooling during decompression (exhumation) towards 40-35 km (17-10 kbar) and 630-580°C has been superseded by a phase of reheating to about 720-650°C at roughly the same depth before final exhumation has taken place. In the southern-most part of the Kaghan Valley, amphibolite facies assemblages with formation conditions similar to the deduced reheating phase indicate a juxtaposition of both areas after the eclogite facies stage and thus a stacking of Indian Plate units. Radiometric dating of zircon, titanite and rutile by U-Pb and amphibole and micas by Ar-Ar reveal peak pressure conditions at 47-48 Ma. With a maximum exhumation rate of 14 cm/a these rocks reached the crust-mantle boundary at 40-35 km within 1 Ma. Subsequent exhumation (46-41 Ma, 40-35 km) decelerated to ca. 1 mm/a at the base of the continental crust but rose again to about 2 mm/a in the period of 41-31 Ma, equivalent to 35-20 km. Apatite fission track (AFT) and (U-Th)/He ages from eclogites, amphibolites, micaschists and gneisses yielded moderate Oligocene to Miocene cooling rates of about 10°C/Ma in the high altitude northern parts of the Kaghan Valley using the mineral-pair method. AFT ages are of 24.5±3.8 to 15.6±2.1 Ma whereas apatite (U-Th)/He analyses yielded ages between 21.0±0.6 and 5.3±0.2 Ma. The southern-most part of the Valley is dominated by younger late Miocene to Pliocene apatite fission track ages of 7.6±2.1 and 4.0±0.5 Ma that support earlier tectonically and petrologically findings of a juxtaposition and stack of Indian Plate units. As this nappe is tectonically lowermost, a later distinct exhumation and uplift driven by thrusting along the Main Boundary Thrust is inferred. Out of this geochemical, petrological, isotope-geochemical and low temperature thermochronology investigations it was concluded that the exhumation was buoyancy driven and caused an initial rapid exhumation: exhumation as fast as recent normal plate movements (ca. 10 cm/a). As the exhuming units reached the crust-mantle boundary the process slowed down due to changes in buoyancy. Most likely, this exhumation pause has initiated the reheating event that is petrologically evident (e.g. glaucophane rimmed by hornblende, ilmenite overgrowth of rutile). Late stage processes involved widespread thrusting and folding with accompanied regional greenschist facies metamorphism, whereby contemporaneous thrusting on the Batal Thrust (seen sometimes equivalent to the MCT) and back sliding of the Kohistan Arc along the inverse reactivated Main Mantle Thrust caused final exposure of these rocks. Similar circumstances have been seen at Tso Morari, Ladakh, India, 200 km further east where comparable rock assemblages occur. In conclusion, as exhumation was already done well before the initiation of the monsoonal system, climate dependent effects (erosion) appear negligible in comparison to far-field tectonic effects. Thus, the channel flow model is not applicable for this part of the Himalayas.

Core samples have been taken for complementary laboratory seismic measurements and mineralogical analyses on whole rock core from the COSC-1 borehole, Sweden (UTM 63.3124, 13.5259). These samples were used to provide and characterize the seismic properties (i.e., seismic velocities and anisotropy) of the drilled rocks from the highly metamorphosed and deformed Seve Nappe Complex, an orogenic thrust zone in the Scandinavian Caledonides, in central Sweden. The laboratory seismic and mineralogical analysis in general comprises three distinct measurements (i.e., data sets), which will be described in detail in the following subsections: (1) P- and S-wave laboratory seismic measurements on three perpendicular core plugs, under different confining (hydrostatic) pressure conditions (10 + 6 samples), (2) Bulk mineralogy of core plugs using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and mineral chemical composition measurements using an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA, here microprobe), on 10 thin sections and (3) Microstructural investigations based on electron-backscatter diffraction analyses on 5 thin sections. The laboratory seismic measurements were initially conducted on 6 samples by Wenning et al. (2016) and extended by another 10 samples by Kästner et al. (2020). Despite these authors were using the same sensor setup, the provided data files may differ due to individual acquisition parameters. Where different acquisition, processing, or calibration parameters are used this is indicated in the text using the abbreviations FK and QW referring to each examiner and their related sample measurements. International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSN) are provided for each core sample in the complete sample data table.

The Central Rift in Kenya (CRK) comprises the lakes Naivasha, Elementaita and Nakuru and the Longonot, Eburru and Menengai volcanos. The alkaline magmas, produced by the volcanoes within the CRK, lead to solid rocks likes trachytes, phonolites, and fewer basalts and accompanied soft rocks like ashes, tuffs, pumices and ignimbrites (e.g. Macdonald et al., 1987; Macdonald, 2014). Lacustrine sediments and beds of diatoms are remnants of former lake level variations caused by climate variability and topographic changes (e.g. Stoof-Leichsenring et al., 2011). The samples have been taken within the frame of a VW-Foundation funded project that tries to detect, map and monitor groundwater pollution from anthropogenic and natural sources. For a previous VW-Foundation funded project (grant 85465), also the groundwater fluoride enrichment in the CRK have been studied (Olaka et al., 2016).