Early Paleozoic batholiths in the northern part of the Kuznetsk Alatau: Composition,age, and sources

The paper reports geological, chemical, and geochronological data on the Early Paleozoic granitoid and gabbro-granite associations, which compose the Kozhukhovskii and Dudetskii batholiths in the northern part of the Kuznetsk Alatau. The Kozhukhovskii batholith located in the Alatau volcanoplutonic belt is made up of tholeiitic, calc-alkaline, and subalkaline rocks that were formed in two stages. The first stage corresponded to the formation of granitoids of the Tylinskii quartz diorite-tonalite-plagiogranite complex (～530 Ma, Tylinskii Massif, tholeiitic type) in an island arc setting. The second stage (～500 Ma) produced the Martaiga quartz diorite-tonalite-plagiogranite complex (Kozhukhovskii Massif, calc-alkaline type) and the Krasnokamenskii monzodiorite-syenite-granosyenite complex (Krasnokamenskii Massif, subalkaline type) in an accretionary-collisional setting. The Dudetskii batholith is situated in the Altai-Kuznetsk volcanoplutonic belt and contains widespread subalkaline intrusive rocks (Malodudetskii monzogabbro-monzodiorite-syenite and Karnayul’skii granosyenite-leucogranite complexes) and less abundant alkaline rocks (Verkhnepetropavlovskii carbonatite-bearing alkaline-gabbroid complex), which were formed within the age range of 500–485 Ma. Our Nd isotopic studies suggest mainly a subduction source of the rocks of the Kozhukhovskii batholith (ε_Nd from + 4.8 to + 4.2). Subalkaline rocks of the Dudetskii batholith exhibit wide isotopic variations. The Nd isotopic composition of monzodiorites and monzogabbro of the Malodudetskii Complex (ε_Nd = + 6.6), in association with the elevated alkalinity and high Nb and Ta contents of these rocks, testifies to the predominant contribution of an enriched mantle source at the participation of a depleted mantle source. The lower ε_Nd (from + 3.2 to + 1.9) in its syenites possibly indicates their generation through melting of metabasic rocks derived from enriched mantle protolith. The rocks of the Karnayul’skii Complex have lower Nb and Ta contents at similar ε_Nd (+3.6), which suggests some crustal contribution to their formation.