Geochronology and Genetic Model for Early Cretaceous Volcanic Rocks from the Southern Qiangtang Terrane, Northern Tibet, China: Constraints from U-Pb Zircon Dating, Whole-Rock Geochemical and Sr-Nd Isotopic Data
Corresponding Author
Shen LIU
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCaixia FENG
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorM. Santosh
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 Beijing, China
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorGuangying FENG
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100037 Beijing China
Search for more papers by this authorMengjing XU
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorIan M. COULSON
Solid Earth Studies Laboratory, Department of Geology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorXiaolei GUO
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorZhuang GUO
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorYan FAN
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Shen LIU
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorCaixia FENG
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorM. Santosh
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 Beijing, China
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorGuangying FENG
Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100037 Beijing China
Search for more papers by this authorMengjing XU
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorIan M. COULSON
Solid Earth Studies Laboratory, Department of Geology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2 Canada
Search for more papers by this authorXiaolei GUO
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorZhuang GUO
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorYan FAN
State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069 China
Search for more papers by this authorAbout the first author: LIU Shen, male; born in 194 in Xi'an Sity, Shaanxi Province; PhD; graduated from Jilin Unviersity; professor of Northwest University. He is now interested in the study on the North China Craton and the Qinghai–Tibet plateau, lithospheric extension, destruction of the North China Craton and uplifting of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Email: [email protected]; [email protected].
Abstract
Post-collisional volcanic rocks of Mesozoic age occur in the regions adjacent to Gerze, part of the southern Qiangtang Terrane of northern Tibet, China. Geochronological, geochemical, and whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopic analyses were performed on the volcanic rocks to better characterize their emplacement age and models for their origin. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb zircon analyses yielded consistent ages ranging from 123.1±0.94 Ma to 124.5±0.89 Ma for six volcanic rocks from the study area. The intermediate volcanic rocks belong to the alkaline and sub-alkaline magma series in terms of K2O+Na2O contents (5.9%–9.0%), and to the shoshonitic and calc-alkaline series on the basis of their high K2O contents (1.4%–3.3%). The Gerze volcanic rocks are characterized by the enrichment of light rare earth elements [(La/Yb)N=34.9–49.5] and large–ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, Th, U, K, Pb, and Sr), slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*=0.19–0.24), and negative anomalies in high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, Hf and Ti), relative to primitive mantle. The samples show slightly elevated (87Sr/86Sr)i values that range from 0.7049 to 0.7057, and low ∊Nd(t) values from –0.89 to –2.89. These results suggest that the volcanic rocks studied derived from a compositionally heterogeneous mantle source and that their parent magmas were basaltic. The more mafic, parental magmas to the Gerze volcanic rocks likely underwent fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene, hornblende, biotite, and potassium feldspar, during ascent, with little to no crustal contamination, prior to their eruption/emplacement. While these volcanic rocks exhibit geochemical signatures typical of magmas formed in a destructive plate-margin setting, it is plausible that their mantle source might also have acquired such characteristics in an earlier episode of subduction.
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