1. Early Paleozoic subduction in the Indochina interior: Revealed by Ordo-Silurian mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in South Laos.
- Author
-
Wang, Yuejun, Wang, Yukun, Qian, Xin, Zhang, Yuzhi, Gan, Chengshi, Senebouttalath, Vongpaseuth, and Wang, Yang
- Subjects
- *
IGNEOUS rocks , *SUBDUCTION , *ISOTOPIC analysis , *GEOLOGY , *ZIRCON , *OROGENY - Abstract
The early Paleozoic tectonic nature and subsequent orogenic process remain poorly known in the Indochina interior. This study introduces the general geology of South Laos and presents a set of new zircon U Pb and Hf O isotopic analyses, and whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for the mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in South Laos. The representative samples from the previously-mapped Ordo-Silurian strata in the southern Truong Son zone give the formation ages of 434–438 Ma. Five samples from the Tam Ky-Phuoc Son tectonic zone yield zircon U Pb ages of 447–485 Ma. The corresponding zircon ε Hf (t), δ18O and T DM values are in range of +1.6~ −6.5, 6.1–8.6‰, and 1.02–1.79 Ga, respectively. Forty-five mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in South Laos with mg-number = 42–69 have SiO 2 = 53.04–61.66 wt%, Al 2 O 3 = 12.13–20.92 wt% and MgO = 2.73–9.55 wt%, and are characterized by enrichment in LILEs and depletion in HFSEs with Nb Ta negative anomalies. Their (87Sr/86Sr) i ratios range from 0.7044 to 0.7109 and ε Nd (t) values from −6.2 to −2.6, with (206Pb/204Pb) i = 18.08–18.68, (207Pb/204Pb) i = 15.50–15.77, and (208Pb/204Pb) i = 38.04–38.97. Ten gabbroic samples, with mg-number = 77–79, show similar incompatible elemental ratios and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-O isotopic compositions with the other mafic-intermediate igneous rocks, but have lower SiO 2 and higher MgO, Cr, Ni and V contents, reflective of a primary mafic magma. Such characteristics suggest a newly-modified wedge source by recycled sediment-derived components. In combination with other geological observations in Central Vietnam, we propose a northerly-younging early Paleozoic igneous event in response to the on-growing accretionary orogenesis in the Indochina interior. The southward consumption of the early Paleozoic Tam Ky-Phuoc Son Ocean in the Indochina interior continued until at least ~430 Ma and the assemblage of the Northern Indochina with the Kontum terrane likely terminated at the early Devonian. • The Ordo-Silurian mafic-intermediate igneous rocks are identified in South Laos. • The lower Paleozoic sequence in the Truong Son zone is mainly of Silurian origin. • They were derived from the recycled sediment-modified wedge source. • An oceanic consumption might continue until ~430 Ma in the Indochina interior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF