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Determining the age and petrogenesis of the Mesozoic magmatic rocks may provide crucial evidence regarding the tectonic setting and evolution of the North China Craton (NCC). In this paper, we present new zircon U–Pb ages and geochemical data for bimodal volcanic rocks from Zhuozi area in the eastern Yinshan belt, NCC, to discuss their petrogenesis and tectonic implications. The volcanic rock suite consists of basalts, rhyolites, and trachytes. According to the results of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), the rhyolitic and trachytic rocks have zircon U–Pb ages of 136.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 134.0 ± 1.7 Ma, respectively, representing their eruption ages. The basalts are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE; Ba, Rb, Sr, and Th) and light rare-earth elements (LREE), and are relatively depleted in high field strength elements (HFSE; Nb, Ta, and Ti). In addition, the basalts are characterized by high fractionations of rare-earth elements (REE), with (La/Yb)N = 24.87–42.85. These features suggest that they were derived from low-degree partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subduction-related components. The rhyolitic rocks have low mean Al2O3 (12.26 wt%) and TiO2 (0.14 wt%) contents and Mg# (14.92) values, with relatively low total REE abundances. They have high alkali and Zr, Ce, Y, and Nb contents and high Ga/Al ratios, with notably positive Pb and negative Sr, Ba, and Eu anomalies observed in the primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagram. These features indicate that the rocks exhibit characteristics of A1-type granite and likely derived from the partial melting of a crustal source. The trachytic rocks are show moderate trace elements and SiO2, MgO, Fe2O3T, and TiO2 contents. They were possibly generated by fractional crystallization of the underplating basaltic magmas and assimilated minor crustal materials. The geochemical characteristics, in combination with the regional geology, suggest that the bimodal volcanic rocks formed in an intraplate extensional setting likely associated with the retreat of the subducted Paleo-Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 40Ar–39Ar step-heating experiments on eleven mineral separates have been conducted on eight volcanic rocks and a granite-porphyry dike from the Yangying and Wuyu basins in the middle Gangdese Belt, southern Tibet. New radiometric ages for sanidine and biotite separates in four volcanic rock samples from Yangying ranges from 10.32±0.07 to 11.40±0.11Ma, whereas plagioclase and biotite separates from a stratigraphic section of the Gaza Cun Formation in the Wuyu basin give ages from 12.57±0.08 to 13.2±0.2Ma. A granite-porphyry which cuts the lower part of the Gaza Cun Formation gives an age of 11.09±0.07Ma, and a dacite from the margin of Wuyu basin gives an age of 15.48±0.11Ma. These age data, in conjunction with geochemical data, suggest that the mid-Miocene post-collisional volcanic rocks from these two basins have both similarities and difference in their petrogenesis. The high [Sm/Yb]N (>7) ratio and high Sr concentration (423–1065ppm) in both suites are consistent with their parental melts derived from partial melting of eclogitized lower crust. However, the Yangying samples are more evolved than the Wuyu samples as manifested by lower MgO, Sr/Sr∗, Eu/Eu∗, and normative plagioclase. It is likely that the source material for the Yangying suite is likely more enriched in K2O than that of the Wuyu suite, perhaps has a greater contribution from metasomatized lithospheric mantle. It is apparent that the post-collisional volcanism in southern Tibet occurred spatially scattered and temporally within a short period in each volcanic basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Linzizong volcanic succession (~65–45 Ma) and the coeval batholiths (~60−40 Ma) of andesitic to rhyolitic composition represent a magmatic response to the India–Asia continental collision that began at ~70–65 Ma and ended at ~45–40 Ma with convergence continuing to present. These syncollisional felsic magmatic rocks are widely distributed along much of the >1500 km long Gangdese Belt immediately north of the India–Asia suture (Yarlung–Zangbo) in southern Tibet. Our study of the Linzizong volcanic rocks from the Linzhou Basin (near Lhasa) suggests that syncollisional felsic magmatism may in fact account for much of the net contribution to continental crust growth. These volcanic rocks show a first-order temporal change from the andesitic lower Dianzhong Formation (64.4–60.6 Ma), to the dacitic middle Nianbo Formation (~54 Ma), and to the rhyolitic upper Pana Formation (48.7–43.9 Ma). The three formations show no systematic but overlapping Nd–Sr isotope variations. The isotopically depleted samples with ε Nd(t) >0 indicate that their primary sources are of mantle origin. The best source candidate in the broad context of Tethyan ocean closing and India–Asia collision is the remaining part of the Tethyan ocean crust. This ocean crust melts when reaching its hydrous solidus during and soon after the collision in the amphibolite facies, producing andesitic melts parental to the Linzizong volcanic succession (and the coeval batholiths) with inherited mantle isotopic signatures. Ilmenite as a residual phase (plus the effect of residual amphibole) of amphibolite melting accounts for the depletion of Nb, Ta and Ti in the melt. The effect of ocean crust alteration plus involvement of mature crustal materials (e.g., recycled terrigeneous sediments) enhances the abundances of Ba, Rb, Th, U, K and Pb in the melt, thus giving the rocks an “arc-like” geochemical signature. Residual amphibole that possesses super-chondritic Nb/Ta ratio explains the sub-chondritic Nb/Ta ratio in the melt; residual plagioclase explains the slightly depleted, not enriched, Sr (and Eu) in the melt, typical of continental crust. These observations and reasoning plus the remarkable compositional similarity between the andesitic lower Dianzhong Formation and the model bulk continental crust corroborates our proposal that continental collision zones may be sites of net crustal growth (juvenile crust) through process of syncollisional felsic magmatism. While these interpretations are reasonable in terms of straightforward petrology, geochemistry and tectonics, they require further testing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

40Ar/39Ar ages were determined for 6 phlogopite samples from a kamafugite pipe occurring in western Qinling, yielding a time span of 22 to 23 Ma for kamafugite eruption. Together with known geochronological data for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and its peripheral regions, it is concluded that these Cenozoic potassic-ultrapotassic volcanic rocks are products of post-collisional volcanism. The age of the Cenozoic volcanic rocks in western Qinling partly overlaps that of potassic volcanics from the Gandise belt, reflecting the northward migration of the post-collisional volcanism in QTP. The age data not only confirm the temporal and spatial migration of post-collisional volcanism in QTP, but also provide geochronological constraints on the geodynamic setting at depth and the regimes of the tectonic evolution since Neogene in western Qinling regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrology and SHRIMP U-Pb zircon chronology are reported for the dacite of the Sangxiu Formation in the central segment of Tethyan Himalaya to the southeast of Yangzuoyong Co. Twenty-one measured zircon grains from a dacite sample of the Sangxiu Formation can be divided into two groups, which include long columnar magmatic zircons of 133±3.0 Ma, representing the age of volcanism in the Sangxiu Formation, and inherited zircons consisting of core and overgrowth rim, in which ages of the three cores are 2244±16, 1153±33 and 492±25 Ma respectively; and the age of one overgrowth rim is 132.7±5.2 Ma. These ages are considered to represent the remelting of accretionary crust at different periods resulting from the volcanism of Sangxiu Formation. These volcanic rocks in the Sangxiu Formation, for which age is close to that of Bunbury basalt in southwestern margin of Australia, and older than that of Rajmahal basalt in northeastern India, maybe considered as the products of early activity of the hotspot represented by the Rajmahal basalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-rock and mineral separate Ar-Ar dating was carried out for the Linzizong volcanic rocks at Linzhou Basin in Tibet to constrain the time span of volcanism and the corresponding stratigraphic sequence. Sampling was based on detailed geologic mapping and stratigraphic sequence of Dianzhong, Nianbo, Pana Formations, systematically from the bottom to near the top. The results indicate that the Linzizong volcanic rocks erupted from Paleocene to middle of Eocene (64.43-43.93 Ma). Among them, the Pana Formation formed from ca. 48.73 to 43.9 Ma, the Nianbo Formation around 54 Ma and the Dianzhong Formation from 64.4 to 60.6 Ma. In combination with evidence from the geochemical characteristics of the volcanic rocks, and from straligraphy in southern Tibet, it is postulated that the age of the lowest member in the Dianzhong Formation of the Linzizong volcanic rock, which overlies unconformably the Late Cretaceous Shexing Formation, likely corresponds to the inception of the collision between Indian and Asian continents in southern Tibet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that described the element geochemical subdivision of the middle segment of the Sanjiang River region in China. Aim and principle of element geochemical division; Geochemical division of the strata and volcanic rocks and geochemical characteristics of the various zones; Indicative significance of geochemical division for the distribution of mineral resources and metallogenic rules in the region studied.

Abstract: The ∼133Ma volcanic rocks of Sangxiu Formation are distributed in the eastern part of the central Tethyan Himalaya and belong paleogeographically to the northeastern margin of Greater India. These volcanic rocks include alkaline basalts and felsic volcanic rocks. Major and trace element abundances and whole-rock isotopic data for selected samples of these volcanic rocks are used to infer their petrogenesis. Geochemically, the Sangxiu basalts are closely similar to the Emeishan high-Ti basalts. Major and trace element data and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions suggest that the Sangxiu basalts may have been derived from an OIB-type mantle source, with discernable contributions from subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The basaltic magmas may have formed as a result of the infiltration of plume-derived melts into the base of the lithosphere in a continental rift setting. The Sangxiu felsic volcanic rocks share most of the geochemical features of A-type granite, and have Sr–Nd isotopic compositions which differ considerably from the Sangxiu basalts, suggesting that they originated from the anatexis of ensialic continental crust. The Sangxiu volcanic rocks may be considered as the consequence of an interaction between the Kerguelen hotspot and the lithosphere of the northeastern margin of Greater India at ∼133Ma, and may represent the initial stage of the separation of Greater India from southwestern Australia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • The Sandaowanzi volcanic rocks were originated from delaminated lower crust. • The early Cretaceous paleo-Pacific slab rollback caused lithospheric delamination. • The geochemical characteristics of magmatic zircons can imply the magma fertility. The complex and diversified geodynamic mechanism brought massive magmatic activity and gold mineralization in the early Cretaceous in the Great Xing'an Range. The Sandaowanzi gold deposit has a close temporal-spatial correlation with the early Cretaceous magmatism. However, the genetic relationship between the Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks and Sandaowanzi gold mineralization is not well constrained. In addition, the metallogenic geodynamic background of the Sandaowanzi gold deposit remains controversial. Here, the zircon U-Pb geochronology, zircon trace elements, in-situ zircon Hf isotopes, and whole-rock geochemistry of the Sandaowanzi ore-hosting volcanic rocks are reported. The Sandaowanzi volcanic rocks, including andesite and dacite, show variable contents of MgO, Cr, Ni, and adakitic affinity, and are proposed to originate from delaminated lower crust that interacted with lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subduction-related sediments. Besides, it may have experienced fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, and amphibole during the early stage of magmatic evolution. Their petrogenesis, combined with other geological evidence, indicates that the Sandaowanzi volcanic rocks were formed during the slab rollback process of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean. Finally, the elemental and isotopic signatures of zircons in the Sandaowanzi magmatic rocks imply that magmas with high water content, high oxygen fugacity, and a high proportion of mantle material contribution produced during 121–123 Ma have the highest mineralization potential, which is consistent with the Rb-Sr isochron ages of ore minerals. The geochemical characteristics of zircons from magmatic rocks in ore deposits provide effective indices for constraining the magma fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the geological history of the Lhasa Terrane prior to the India–Asia collision (~ 55 ± 10 Ma) is essential for improved models of syn-collisional and post-collisional processes in the southern Lhasa Terrane. The Miocene (~ 18–10 Ma) adakitic magmatism with economically significant porphyry-type mineralization has been interpreted as resulting from partial melting of the Jurassic juvenile crust, but how this juvenile crust was accreted remains poorly known. For this reason, we carried out a detailed study on the volcanic rocks of the Yeba Formation (YF) with the results offering insights into the ways in which the juvenile crust may be accreted in the southern Lhasa Terrane in the Jurassic. The YF volcanic rocks are compositionally bimodal, comprising basalt/basaltic andesite and dacite/rhyolite dated at 183–174 Ma. All these rocks have an arc-like signature with enriched large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Ba and U) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depleted high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti). They also have depleted whole-rock Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions, pointing to significant mantle isotopic contributions. Modeling results of trace elements and isotopes are most consistent with the basalts being derived from a mantle source metasomatized by varying enrichment of subduction components. The silicic volcanic rocks show the characteristics of transitional I–S type granites, and are best interpreted as resulting from re-melting of a mixed source of juvenile amphibole-rich lower crust with reworked crustal materials resembling metagraywackes. Importantly, our results indicate northward Neo-Tethyan seafloor subduction beneath the Lhasa Terrane with the YF volcanism being caused by the initiation of back-arc rifting. The back-arc setting is a likely site for juvenile crustal accretion in the southern Lhasa Terrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude of crustal contamination in intra-continental OIB-like basalts is commonly difficult to assess in terms of major, trace-element and Pb–Sr–Nd isotopes. However, the Re–Os isotope system is a very sensitive tracer of the crustal component during formation of basaltic rocks. Here we report new Sr–Nd–Pb–Os geochemical and isotopic data from the Cretaceous Duofutun Volcanic Rocks (DVRs) of West Qinling, central China. The DVRs exhibit low Os abundances (4.46–42.02 ppt) with Re abundances ranging from 45.58 to 812.98 ppt, variably high Re/Os (3–126), and high initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios (0.2112–0.6784). We propose that the degree of partial melting is responsible for the first-order control on the variation of Os concentrations. Even the least radiogenic sample still possesses a higher initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratio than the primitive upper mantle, implying a non-negligible contribution from high Re/Os and 187 Os/ 188 Os reservoir(s). Both the crust and pyroxenite-rich mantle are reliable candidates, but the latter cannot be reconciled with the Os mass balance between pyroxenite and ambient peridotite. Hence, we contend that these rocks were contaminated by crustal materials en route to the surface. Assimilation/fractional crystallization modeling manifests the observed isotopic variations can be produced by minor assimilation of the Proterozoic mafic lower crust. In addition, the intra-continental OIB-like basalts show a relatively wider range of 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios in comparison with MORB and OIB, confirming the continental crust can have a higher concentration of radioactive Os, which is induced by time-integrated growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]