Search

A large mafic dike swarm is radially distributed in southern Qiangtang. Three typical samples were selected for geochronology, geochemistry, and Hf isotopic analysis. Zircon U–Pb dating indicates that the three dikes formed at 291 ± 2, 292 ± 3, and 300 ± 2 Ma. Whole-rock compositions show that the southern Qiangtang mafic dikes are alkaline, Fe + Ti rich, and exhibit relative enrichment in light rare-earth elements. The ratios of incompatible elements are similar to those of oceanic island and Emeishan basalts. Geochemical diagrams show that the dikes erupted in an intraplate environment. Zircon Hf isotopic data suggest that magma that produced the mafic dikes was derived from a depleted mantle source. The geochemical characteristics of the dikes approximate that of eruption products of a brief period of mantle plume activity (300–280 Ma). According to eight geologic maps of Qiangtang, the mafic dikes crop out over an area of 150 km from north to south and 500 km from east to west, radiating outward from Mayigangri. We conclude that the mafic dikes in southern Qiangtang are related to the combined effect of Permian plate motions and mantle plume activity, and the Mayigangri area overlies the hot spot. Furthermore, the mantle plume in southern Qiangtang may have propelled the closing of the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study suggests that the central Qiangtang is a key locality to investigate the evolution of the opening and closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean. Basalts are commonly associated with supercontinent fragmentation, and they have the potential to indicate the tectonic environment into which they were erupted. In this study, laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) U–Pb zircon dating, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon Hf isotope analysis were used to study newly discovered basalts in the southern Gangma Co area of central Qiangtang. Dating of magmatic zircons from three basalt samples indicates that the basalts erupted in the Late Devonian to early Carboniferous (early Tournaisian) at 360–350 Ma. The basalts are geochemically similar to within-plate basalts and formed from a depleted mantle source. We suggest that the basalts may have been a product of the breakup of the northern margin of Gondwana in the Late Devonian to early Carboniferous (360–350 Ma), which may be linked to the initial rifting and opening of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the Qiangtang area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]