Petrogenesis of Ordovician granitoids in Western Kunlun, NW Tibetan Plateau: Insights into the evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean

Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Guochun Zhao ◽  
Yigui Han ◽  
Qian Liu ◽  
Jinlong Yao ◽  
...  

Granitoid rocks are universal in continental crust and are of special significance in understanding tectonic settings. This paper presents detailed zircon U-Pb dating, Hf isotope, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope analyses, and mineralogy of two Ordovician granitoid intrusions and one quartz diorite intrusion in Western Kunlun, NW Tibetan Plateau. The Yutian Complex is composed of diverse rock suites, including monzogabbros, quartz monzodiorites, monzogranites, and monzodioritic enclaves. These suites have similar rock formation ages (447−440 Ma) and minerals, e.g., amphibole grains from different suites belonging to pargasite. Moreover, they exhibit geochemical similarities, such as broadly parallel trace-element patterns characterized by enrichments in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements, and depletions in high field strength elements, which are typical features of arc rocks. Furthermore, the studied samples display homogeneous zircon Hf values, e.g., εHf(t) = −1 to −3, and whole-rock isotopic compositions, e.g., εNd(t) = −4 to −6. Thus, they were most likely derived from a mantle wedge enriched by subducted sediments and fluids, which then evolved into different suites through fractional crystallization of hornblende and plagioclase. The ca. 440 Ma North Yutian quartz diorite intrusion, with an average of εHf(t) value of −6, was a product of the partial melting of mafic lower crust through slightly fractional crystallization of hornblende. In contrast, the ca. 470 Ma Aqiang granodiorite intrusion has εHf(t) values varying from −5 and −2, but it has heterogeneous petrological and geochemical features. It is considered to be a product of the partial melting of the overriding mantle wedge modified by fluids derived from the subducted Proto-Tethys slab and some mixed crustal materials. The Aqiang samples belong to the slightly fractionated I-type series, but they have variable alumina saturation index (ASI = molar Al2O3/[CaO − 3.33 × P2O5 + Na2O + K2O]) values (0.74−1.03) due to variable peraluminous biotite contents. The different suites in the Yutian Complex display low ASI values (<1) controlled by sources and fractional crystallization. The Yutian Complex and the North Yutian intrusion were emplaced during the southward subduction of the Proto-Tethys oceanic lithosphere, and the Aqiang intrusion was emplaced in response to the northward subduction.

Minerals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aikaterini Rogkala ◽  
Petros Petrounias ◽  
Basilios Tsikouras ◽  
Panagiota Giannakopoulou ◽  
Konstantin Hatzipanagiotou

The Edessa ophiolite complex of northern Greece consists of remnants of oceanic lithosphere emplaced during the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous onto the Palaeozoic-Mesozoic continental margin of Eurasia. This study presents new data on mineral compositions of mantle peridotites from this ophiolite, especially serpentinised harzburgite and minor lherzolite. Lherzolite formed by low to moderate degrees of partial melting and subsequent melt-rock reaction in an oceanic spreading setting. On the other hand, refractory harzburgite formed by high degrees of partial melting in a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) setting. These SSZ mantle peridotites contain Cr-rich spinel residual after partial melting of more fertile (abyssal) lherzolite with Al-rich spinel. Chromite with Cr# > 60 in harzburgite resulted from chemical modification of residual Cr-spinel and, along with the presence of euhedral chromite, is indicative of late melt-peridotite interaction in the mantle wedge. Mineral compositions suggest that the Edessa oceanic mantle evolved from a typical mid-ocean ridge (MOR) oceanic basin to the mantle wedge of a SSZ. This scenario explains the higher degrees of partial melting recorded in harzburgite, as well as the overprint of primary mineralogical characteristics in the Edessa peridotites.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Bin Liu ◽  
You-Jun Tang ◽  
Lü-Ya Xing ◽  
Yu Xu ◽  
Shao-Qing Zhao ◽  
...  

Abstract Primitive lamprophyres in orogenic belts can provide crucial insights into the nature of the subcontinental lithosphere and the relevant deep crust–mantle interactions. This paper reports a suite of relatively primitive lamprophyre dykes from the North Qiangtang, central Tibetan Plateau. Zircon U–Pb ages of the lamprophyre dykes range from 214 Ma to 218 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 216 ± 1 Ma. Most of the lamprophyre samples are similar in geochemical compositions to typical primitive magmas (e.g. high MgO contents, Mg no. values and Cr, with low FeOt/MgO ratios), although they might have experienced a slightly low degree of olivine crystallization, and they show arc-like trace-element patterns and enriched Sr–Nd isotopic composition ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.70538–0.70540, ϵNd(t) = −2.96 to −1.65). Those geochemical and isotopic variations indicate that the lamprophyre dykes originated from partial melting of a phlogopite- and spinel-bearing peridotite mantle modified by subduction-related aqueous fluids. Combining with the other regional studies, we propose that slab subduction might have occurred during Late Triassic time, and the rollback of the oceanic lithosphere induced the lamprophyre magmatism in the central Tibetan Plateau.


Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 515
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saleem Mughal ◽  
Chengjun Zhang ◽  
Amjad Hussain ◽  
Hafiz Ur Rehman ◽  
Dingding Du ◽  
...  

The precise timing, petrogenesis, and geodynamic significance of three granitoid bodies (Beidao granite, Caochuanpu granite, Yuanlongzhen granite, and the Roche type rock) of the Tianshui area in the Western Qinling Orogen, central China, are poorly constrained. We performed an integrated study of petrology, geochemistry, and zircon U-Pb dating to constrain their genesis and tectonic implication. Petrographic investigation of the granites shows that the rocks are mainly monzogranites. The Al saturation index (A/CNK versus SiO2) of the granitoid samples indicates meta-aluminous to peraluminous I-type granites. Their magmas were likely generated by the partial melting of igneous protoliths during the syn-collisional tectonic regime. Rare-earth-elements data further support their origin from a magma that was formed by the partial melting of lower continental crust. The Beidao, Caochuanpu, and Yuanlongzhen granites yielded U-Pb zircon weighted mean ages of 417 ± 5 Ma, 216 ± 3 Ma, and 219 ± 3 Ma, respectively. This study shows that the Beidao granite possibly formed in syn- to post-collision tectonic settings due to the subduction of the Proto-Tethys under the North China Block, and can be linked to the generally reported Caledonian orogeny (440–400 Ma) in the western segment of the North Qinling belt, whereas Yuanlongzhen and Caochuanpu granites can be linked to the widely known Indosinian orogeny (255–210 Ma). These granitoids formed due to the subduction of the oceanic lithospheres of the Proto-Tethyan Qinling and Paleo-Tethyan Qinling. The Roche type rock, tourmaline-rich, was possibly formed from the hydrothermal fluids as indicated by the higher concentrations of boron leftover during the late-stages of magmatic crystallization of the granites.


The location and sequence of metamorphic devolatilization and partial melting reactions in subduction zones may be constrained by integrating fluid and rock pressure-temperature-time ( P-T-t ) paths predicted by numerical heat-transfer models with phase diagrams constructed for metasedimentary, metabasaltic, and ultramafic bulk compositions. Numerical experiments conducted using a two-dimensional heat transfer model demonstrate that the primary controls on subduction zone P-T-t paths are: (1) the initial thermal structure; (2) the amount of previously subducted lithosphere; (3) the location of the rock in the subduction zone; and (4) the vigour of mantle wedge convection induced by the subducting slab. Typical vertical fluid fluxes out of the subducting slab range from less than 0.1 to 1 (kg fluid) m -2 a -1 for a convergence rate of 3 cm a -1 . Partial melting of the subducting, amphibole-bearing oceanic crust is predicted to only occur during the early stages of subduction initiated in young (less than 50 Ma) oceanic lithosphere. In contrast, partial melting of the overlying mantle wedge occurs in many subduction zone experiments as a result of the infiltration of fluids derived from slab devolatilization reactions. Partial melting in the mantle wedge may occur by a twostage process in which amphibole is first formed by H 2 O infiltration and subsequently destroyed as the rock is dragged downward across the fluid-absent ‘hornblende-out’ partial melting reaction.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 402
Author(s):  
Guolin Guo ◽  
Christophe Bonnetti ◽  
Zhanshi Zhang ◽  
Guanglai Li ◽  
Zhaobin Yan ◽  
...  

Pegmatite-type uranium mineralization occurs in the Shangdan domain of the North Qinling Orogenic Belt, representing a significant uraniferous province. The Guangshigou deposit is the largest U deposit of the district. Within the North Qinling area, a series of Caledonian granitic igneous rocks intruded the Proterozoic metamorphic rocks of the Qinling Group in two magmatic stages: (i) the Early Silurian Huichizi granite that was derived from a low degree of partial melting of thickened lower basaltic crust combined with mantle-derived materials following the subduction of the Shangdan Ocean; and (ii) the Late Silurian–Early Devonian Damaogou granite and associated pegmatites derived from the same source but emplaced in a late tectonic post-collisional extension environment. In the Guangshigou deposit, the U mineralization mainly occurs as uraninite disseminated in U-rich granitic biotite pegmatites, which formed by assimilation-fractional crystallization magmatic processes. Petrographic observations showed evidence for coeval crystallization of uraninite and other rock-forming minerals of the host pegmatite including quartz, feldspar, biotite, zircon, monazite, apatite, and xenotime. In addition, the low U/Th ratios (~19) and Th, REE, and Y enrichments characterized a magmatic origin for uraninite, which was likely derived from fractionated high-K calc-alkaline pegmatitic magma that experienced various degrees of crustal material contamination. In situ U-Pb isotopic dating performed by Secondary-Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) on uraninite from the Guangshigou deposit yielded a crystallization age of 412 ± 3 Ma, which is concomitant (within errors) with the emplacement age of the host pegmatite (415 ± 2 Ma) and constrained the U ore genesis to the Early Devonian, which corresponds to the late Caledonian post-collisional extension in the North Qinling area. Uraninite then experienced various degrees of metamictization and/or post-Caledonian hydrothermal alteration characterized by an alteration rim associated with coffinite, chlorite and limonite. Finally, the characteristics of the pegmatite-related Guangshigou deposit exhibiting Th-rich uraninite which was the product of assimilation-fractional crystallization of pegmatitic magma defined a model significantly different than the one established for the world-class Rössing deposit characterized by Th-poor uraninite hosted in alaskite dykes formed by low degree of partial melting of U-rich metasediments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-126
Author(s):  
Blestmond A. Brako ◽  
Gordon Foli ◽  
Kofi Adomako- Ansah ◽  
Derrick Aikins ◽  
Solomon Dery ◽  
...  

This study investigates basin-type granitoid samples from the north-eastern margin of the Kumasi Basin in Ghana to establish their source and geodynamic setting. Petrographic analysis, TAS and A/NK-A/CNK plots classify the granitoids as metaluminous quartz diorite, metaluminous granodiorite, and peraluminous monzogranite; and exhibiting I-type signatures. These rocks are formed by magma differentiation and/or partial melting at various stages. Distribution patterns of incompatible elements and the positive Eu/Eu* anomalies of 1.15 and 1.47 exhibited by quartz diorite and granodiorite, respectively, the values suggest the rocks crystallized from melts formed in a water-saturated environment. The negative Eu/Eu* anomaly exhibited by monzogranite indicate fractionation of plagioclase in the final stages of the magma evolution. The water-rich environment is probably due to dewatering of the basin’s foreland volcaniclastic sediments during regional subsidence, burial and metamorphism. K2O enrichments and wide variations suggest that the granodiorite and monzogranite are formed from fractional crystallization and/or crustal assimilation of the continental crust by under-plating dioritic magma. The higher Al2O3/TiO2 enrichment and the shift from metaluminous to peraluminous in the monzogranite suggest a longer residence time within the continental crust, during which fractional crystallization and the assimilation of pre-existing crustal components into the dioritic magma that resulted in the formation of the monzogranite. The study requires replication at other areas within the basin to generate enough data to enhance metallogenic studies in the terrain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-376
Author(s):  
Cheng-long Zhou ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Wen Huo ◽  
Ali Mamtimin ◽  
Xing-hua Yang

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 764-790
Author(s):  
Amin Allah Kamali ◽  
Mohsen Moayyed ◽  
Nasir Amel ◽  
Fadaeian Mohammad ◽  
Marco Brenna ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Sungun copper–molybdenum porphyry deposit is located in the north of Varzaghan, northwestern Iran. The Sungun quartz-monzonite is the oldest mineralized intrusive body in the region and was emplaced during the Early Miocene. Eight categories of the late and unmineralized dykes, which include quartz diorite, gabbrodiorite, diorite, dacite, microdiorite and lamprophyre (LAM), intrude the ore deposit. The main mineral phases in the dykes include plagioclase, amphibole and biotite, with minor quartz and apatite and secondary chlorite, epidote, muscovite and sericite. The composition of plagioclase in the quartz diorite dykes (DK1a, DK1b and DK1c) varies from albite-oligoclase to andesine and oligoclase to andesine; in the diorite, it varies from andesine to labradorite; in the LAM, from albite to oligoclase; and in the microdiorite (MDI), it occurs as albite. Amphibole compositions are consistent with classification as hornblende or calcic amphibole. Based on their AlIV value (less than 1.5), amphibole compositions are consistent with an active continental margin affinity. The average percentage of pistacite (Ps) in epidotes formed from alteration of plagioclase and ferromagnesian minerals is 27–23% and 25–30%, respectively. Thermobarometric studies based on amphibole and biotite indicate approximate dyke crystallization temperature of 850–750℃, pressure of 231–336 MPa and high fO2 (>nickel-nickel-oxide buffer). The range of mineral compositions in the postmineralization dyke suite is consistent with a genetic relationship with the subduction of the Neotethys oceanic crust beneath the continental crust of the northwest part of the Central Iranian Structural Zone. Despite the change from calc-alkaline to alkaline magmatism, the dykes are likely related to the late stages of magmatic activity in the subduction system that also generated the porphyry deposit.


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