The Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf Isotopic Composition of Late Paleozoic Granitoids in Central Chukotka

Doklady Earth Sciences - The results of Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope analysis of Late Paleozoic granitoids of Central Chukotka, which are exemplified by the Kibera and Kuekvun plutons, are...     

内蒙古北山造山带花岗岩地球化学、锆石U-Pb年龄和Hf同位素特征及地质意义

砾石滩地区位于内蒙古额济纳旗西部,晚古生代花岗岩出露广泛,是研究北山造山带晚古生代地质演化的关键地区.锆石LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb测年结果显示,该地区的花岗岩形成于晚石炭世,其中英云闪长岩年龄为310.8±1.4 Ma,花岗闪长岩年龄为310.3±1.4 Ma和306.0±1.2 Ma,二长花岗岩年龄为308.7±1.4 Ma.岩石学及化学成分显示其为准铝质-弱过铝质、中钾钙碱性系列岩石;稀土配分曲线呈现轻稀土元素相对富集的右倾分布特征,弱负铕异常（δEu为0.7~0.9）;岩石富集大离子亲石元素Rb、K等,具有负的Nb、Ta和Ti异常;英云闪长岩、花岗闪长岩具有不均一的ε_Hf（t）值（3.8~14.8）、（7.3~14.0）,二阶段Hf同位素模式年龄t_DMC分别为378~1 083 Ma、433~868 Ma.北山造山带北部晚石炭世英云闪长岩、花岗闪长岩、二长花岗岩的形成与壳幔混合有关,产生于大洋岩石圈俯冲过程中,形成于陆缘弧环境,该过程诱发了地幔对流,因而产生了幔源岩浆底侵,并将元古宙基底岩石熔融,壳幔混合之后形成晚石炭世大规模花岗岩类.      

Geochronology and geochemistry of Late Triassic bimodal igneous rocks at the eastern margin of the Songnen–Zhangguangcai Range Massif,Northeast China: petrogenesis and tectonic implications

Abstract

New zircon laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and secondary ion mass spectroscopy U–Pb ages, and Hf isotope and whole-rock geochemical data are reported for Mesozoic igneous rocks from the eastern margin of the Songnen–Zhangguangcai Range Massif, Northeast China, in order to document the petrogenesis of the igneous rocks and reconstruct the early Mesozoic tectonic setting of the region. Zircons from five representative igneous rocks are euhedral–subhedral and display oscillatory growth zoning or striped absorption in cathodoluminescence images, suggesting a magmatic origin. The dating results indicate that granite, gabbro, and rhyolite from the eastern Songnen–Zhangguangcai Range Massif formed during Late Triassic (204–211 Ma). The Late Triassic granitoids and rhyolites have an affinity to A-type granites or rhyolites. Their zircon ε_Hf(t) values and Hf two-stage model ages range from –3.8 to +3.8 and from 999 to 1485 Ma, respectively, indicating that their primary melts were derived from the partial melting of the Meso-Proterozoic crust. The geochemistry of coeval gabbros, which reflects primary magma composition, shows a significant large ion lithophile element (e.g. Ba and Sr) enrichment and high field strength element (i.e. Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, and Ti) depletion. Based on zircon ε_Hf(t) values (–4.2 to +2.8) and Hf single-stage model ages (746–1031 Ma), we conclude that the mafic magma is the product of partial melting of lithospheric mantle that was metasomatically enriched by fluids derived from the subducted oceanic crust. The Late Triassic magmatism along the eastern margin of the Eurasian continent has bimodal magma compositions, indicating an extensional setting after the final closure of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean rather than being related to subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent. The occurrence of Late Triassic igneous rocks on the eastern side of the Mudanjiang Fault suggests that this fault does not represent the suture zone between the Songnen–Zhangguangcai Range and Jiamusi massifs.     

佳木斯地块东缘晚古生代大陆边缘构造演化

佳木斯地块位于中国东北微陆块群的最东缘,其东缘地区晚古生代的岩浆和沉积演变进程为欧亚大陆东缘由被动陆缘向活动陆缘构造环境的转化提供了关键证据。年代学和地球化学研究表明,佳木斯地块东缘中泥盆世黑台组砂岩,形成于被动陆缘的构造环境,黑台组上覆的老秃顶子组流纹岩也形成于被动陆缘的构造环境;晚石炭世珍子山组砂岩,形成于活动陆缘的构造环境;早二叠世的二龙山组安山岩以及相邻地区早二叠世的其它火成岩形成于活动陆缘的构造环境。同时,佳木斯地块东缘泥盆-二叠纪的沉积地层也呈现出由浅海相到陆相地层转化的特征。因此,佳木斯地块东缘由被动陆缘向活动陆缘的转化应该发生在中泥盆世到晚石炭世,而该构造环境的转化也为晚古生代时期蒙古-鄂霍茨克洋向欧亚大陆之下俯冲过程的研究提供了关键信息。     

Geochronology and geochemistry of early Mesozoic magmatism in the northeastern North China Craton: Implications for tectonic evolution

This paper reports geochronological, geochemical, zircon U–Pb and Hf–O isotopic data of the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic intrusive rocks in the northeastern North China Craton (NCC), with the aim of reconstructing the tectonic evolution and constraining the spatial–temporal extent of multiple tectonic regimes during the early Mesozoic. Zircon U–Pb ages indicate that the early Mesozoic magmatism in the northeastern NCC can be subdivided into two stages: Late Triassic (221–219 Ma) and Early Jurassic (180–177 Ma). Late Triassic magmatism produced mainly granodiorite and monzogranite, which occur as a NE–SW-trending belt parallel to the Sulu–Jingji Belt. Geochemically, they are classified as high-K calc-alkaline and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous granitoids, and are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs), and depleted in high-field-strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti, and P) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), indicating an affinity to adakite. Combined with their ε_Hf(t) values (−17.9 to −3.2) and two-stage model ages (2387–1459 Ma), we conclude that the Late Triassic granitoid magma in the northeastern NCC was derived from partial melting of the thickened lower crust of the NCC and was related to deep subduction and collision between the NCC and the Yangtze Craton (YC). The Early Jurassic magmatism is composed mainly of monzogranites, which are classified as metaluminous, high-K calc-alkaline, and I-type granite. Their ε_Hf(t) values and two-stage model ages are −16.7 to −4.2 and 2282–1491 Ma, respectively. Compared with the Late Triassic granitoids, the Early Jurassic granitoids have relatively high HREE contents, similar to calc-alkaline igneous rocks in an active continental margin setting. These Early Jurassic granitoids, together with the coeval calc-alkaline volcanic rocks and gabbro–diorite–granodiorite association in the northeastern (NE) Asian continental margin, comprise a NNE–SSW-trending belt parallel to the NE Asian continental margin, indicative of the onset of Paleo-Pacific Plate subduction beneath Eurasia.     

Synkinematic granitoid magmatism of Western Sangilen,South-East Tuva

The problems of tectonic control of composition, size, and morphology of synkinematic crustal granitoids are discussed by the example of the Western Sangilen granites (South-East Tuva). Comparative analysis was performed for felsic bodies and massifs spatially confined to tectonic zone (Erzin shear zone): Erzin migmatite–granite complex (510–490 Ma), Matut granitoid massif (510–490 Ma), Bayankol polyphase gabbro-monzodiorite–granodiorite–granite massif (490–480 Ma), and the Nizhneulor Massif (480–470 Ma). It is shown that synkinematic felsic melts during the transition from collisional compression to transpression were formed at different crustal levels. An increase of shear component provided favorable conditions for the migration of felsic melts, increase of size and morphology of intrusive bodies from vein type to harploith (likely, loppoliths and laccoliths) and further to stocks. All kinematic granitoids of the Erzin tectonic zone are ascribed to the crustal S-type granites. Dispersion and average chemical composition of the synkinematic granites strongly depend on the degree of their “isolation” from protolith. From auto- and paraautochthonous granitoids to allochthonous granites, the compositional dispersion decreases and the chemical composition is displaced toward I-type magmatic rocks.     

Magmatic and tectonic history of Jurassic ophiolites and associated granitoids from the South Apuseni Mountains (Romania)

The Jurassic ophiolites in the South Apuseni Mountains represent remnants of the Neotethys Ocean and belong to the East Vardar ophiolites that contain ophiolite fragments as well as granitoids and volcanics with island-arc affinity. New U–Pb zircon ages, and Sr and Nd isotope ratios give insights into their tectono-magmatic history. The ophiolite lithologies show tholeiitic MOR-type affinities, but are occasionally slightly enriched in Th and U, and depleted in Nb, which indicates that they probably formed in a marginal or back-arc basin. These ophiolites are associated with calc-alkaline granitoids and volcanics, which show trace element signatures characteristic for subduction-enrichment (high LILE, low HFSE). Low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.703836–0.704550) and high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios (0.512599–0.512616) of the calc-alkaline series overlap with the ratios measured in the ophiolitic rocks (0.703863–0.704303 and 0.512496–0.512673), and hence show no contamination with continental crust. This excludes a collisional to post-collisional origin of the granitoids and is consistent with the previously proposed intra-oceanic island arc setting. The new U–Pb ages of the ophiolite lithologies (158.9–155.9 Ma, Oxfordian to Early Kimmeridgian) and granitoids (158.6–152.9 Ma, latest Oxfordian to Late Kimmeridgian) indicate that the two distinct magmatic series evolved within a narrow time range. It is proposed that the ophiolites and island arc granitoids formed above a long-lived NE-dipping subduction zone. A sudden flip in subduction polarity led to collision between island arc and continental margin, immediately followed by obduction of the ophiolites and granitoids on top of the continental margin of the Dacia Mega-Unit. Since the granitoids lack crustal input, they must have intruded the Apuseni ophiolites before both magmatic sequences were obducted onto the continental margin. The age of the youngest granitoid (~153 Ma, Late Kimmeridgian) yields an estimate for the maximum age of emplacement of the South Apuseni ophiolites and associated granitoids onto the Dacia Mega-Unit.     

The age of young intrusions of Tsana Complex (Greater Caucasus) and isotope-geochemical evidence for their origin from hybrid magmas

This paper presents isotope-geochronological and petrological study of granitoids of the potentially ore-bearing (Au–As–Sb–Sn–Mo) Early Pliocene Tsana Complex, which are confined to the Main Caucasus fault zone (upthrow fault) in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Range. The Tsurungal and Karobi groups of magmatic bodies are distinguished based on spatial criterion. The Tsurungal group includes three small granite—granodiorite massifs (Tsurungal, Chorokhi, and Toteldash) and numerous acid and intermediate dikes in the upper reaches of the Tskhenistsqali River (Kvemo Svaneti, Georgia). The Karobi group comprises three subvolcanic rhyodacite bodies located in the upper reaches of the Chashuri River (Zemo Racha, Georgia) and numerous N–S-trending trachyandesite dikes near the axial zone of the Main Caucasus Range. The K-Ar and Rb-Sr isotope dating shows that the granitoid massifs and dike bodies of the Tsana Complex were formed in two different-age pulses of the Pliocene magmatism: phase I at 4.80 ± 0.15 and phase II at 4.15 ± 0.10 Ma. All hypabyssal rocks of the Karobi group, unlike those of the Tsurungal Group, were formed during the first pulse. Petrographic studies in combination with geochemical data indicate that most of the granitoids of the Tsana Complex are hybrid rocks (I-type post-collisional granites) and were derived through mixing of deep-seated mantle magmas with acid melts obtained by the upper crustal anatectic melting in the Main Caucasus fault zone. The granitoids of the Tsurungal Group define basic to acid evolution (diorite–granodiorite–granite–two-mica granite) possibly caused by both crystallization differentiation and increasing role of crustal contamination in the petrogenesis of the parental magmas of these rocks. This conclusion is also confirmed by the differences in the Sr isotope composition between granitoids of the early (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7053) and late (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7071) phases of the Tsana Complex. Main trends in spatiotemporal migration of magmatic activity in the central part of the Greater Caucasus in the Pliocene–Quaternary time were established using obtained and earlier published isotope-geochronological data.     

Composition,Age, and Origin of Cretaceous Granitic Magmatism on the Eastern Chukchi Peninsula

New geochronological and isotopic geochemical data are given, which make it possible to recognize two types of granitic rocks on the eastern Chukchi Peninsula. Early Cretaceous Tkachen and Dolina granitic plutons with zircon ages (U–Pb SIMS) of 119–122 and 131–136 Ma are related to the first type. They cut through Devonian–Lower Carboniferous basement rocks and are overlain by the Aptian–Albian Etelkuyum Formation. Basal units of the latter contain fragments of granitic rocks. Late Cretaceous Provideniya and Rumilet granitic plutons, which contain zircons with ages of 94 and 85 Ma (U–Pb SIMS), respectively, belong to the second type. They cut through volcanic–sedimentary rocks of the Etelkuyum and Leurvaam formations pertaining to the Okhotsk–Chukotka Volcanic Belt. In petrographic and geochemical features, the Early Cretaceous granitic rocks of the Tkachen Pluton are commensurable with I-type granites, while Late Cretaceous granite of the Rumilet Pluton is comparable to A₂-type granite. The Sr–Nd isotopic data provide evidence that from the Early Cretaceous Tkachen and Dolina plutons to the Late Cretaceous Provideniya and Rumilet plutons, the degree of crustal assimilation of suprasubduction mantle-derived melts increases up to partial melting of heterogeneous continental crust enriched in rubidium. An unconformity and various degrees of secondary alteration of volcanic–sedimentary rocks have been established in the Okhotsk–Chukotka Volcanic Belt, and this was apparently caused by transition of the tectonic setting from suprasubduction to a transform margin with local extension.     

额尔古纳地块基底地质构造

额尔古纳地块是额尔古纳-马门-加格达奇拼合地块中的典型代表.研究表明,其基底由前中元古代绿岩及与之伴生的花岗质杂岩组成,它们具有地壳早期演化的地质构造特征.绿岩带为典型的变质基性-酸性火山岩及部分变质沉积岩系构成的火山-沉积建造,火山岩以拉斑玄武岩为主,向上过渡为钙碱性火山岩系列,表现为双峰态型特点.花岗岩类为TTG岩系及石英二长岩-花岗岩组合.花岗岩-绿岩地体内各岩石类型的岩石地球化学特征与国外太古宙及我国华北陆台花岗岩-绿岩带内同类岩石极为相似.双峰态型火山岩及绿岩建造组合,以及类似于TH2、FII型的变质基性火山岩和长英质火山岩特征,结合高铝型英云闪长岩-奥长花岗岩组合,指示了研究区绿岩带的形成环境类似于大陆边缘弧后裂谷型火山-沉积盆地.     

Granitoids of the Pozdnestanovoy Complex of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoy Superterrane,Central Asia Fold Belt: Age,Tectonic Setting,and Sources

The geochemistry, geochronology, and isotope geochemical systematics (Nd, Sr, Hf, and Pb) of the granitoids of the Pozdnestanovoy complex of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoy superterrane of the Central Asia fold belt were investigated. It was shown that their age is Mesozoic (142–138 Ma) rather than Early Precambrian, as was previously supposed. The main sources of parental melts for these granitoids were the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic rocks of the lower continental crust of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoy superterrane and the rocks of the Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic continental crust of the Amur microplate. They were formed at depths of >40 km and temperatures of 700–800°C, most likely through the melting of mafic feldspar granulites under the conditions of aqueous fluid infiltration without any significant contribution from a juvenile heat source. The granitoids of the Pozdnestanovoy complex were emplaced during the closure of the eastern segment of the Mongolia–Okhotsk Ocean owing to the collision of the Siberian and Sino-Korean continents.     

Early Precambrian granitoids of the Batomga inlier of the southeastern Siberian Platform basement: Age and geodynamic formation settings

New data on the age, composition, sources, and formation conditions of the Early Precambrian granitoids of the Batomga inlier of the southeastern Siberian Platform basement are discussed. Geochronological SRHIMP II U–Pb study of the zircons reveals that the calc-alkaline granitoids of the Khoyunda Complex are 2056–2057 Ma in age and their formation was related to the Early Proterozoic stage in the development of the Batomga granite–greenstone domain. It is established that the primary melts for these rocks formed in subduction settings through melting of the depleted mantle source with some contribution of ancient crustal material. In terms of temperature, partial melting followed by crystallization of the granitoids under peak metamorphic conditions corresponds to the transition between amphibolite and granulite facies at elevated pressure; high temperature and high-grade metamorphism are subduction-related phenomena reflected in the back-arc settings of the active continental margin. The protoliths of calc-alkaline metavolcanics of the Batomga Group are found to be chronologically and compositionally analogous to the subduction granitoids of the Khoyunda and Dzhagdakan complexes; i.e., these granitoids are coeval with the Batomga island arc. The lower age limit of the Batomga Group is estimated at 2.2 Ga and its upper age limit is defined by the age of the intruded Khoyunda granitoids. The formation of the rocks of the Batomga Group and associated granitoids of the Khoyunda and Dzhagdakan complexes reflects the formation of the continental crust at the Early Paleoproterozoic stage of the evolution of the Batomga lithosphere block (2.2–2.0 Ga ago).     

Nd and Pb Isotopic Composition of Granitoids in the Khangai Batholith as an Indicator of Crust-Forming Processes in the Terranes of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The Khangai batholith is one of the largest groups of granitoid plutons produced in Central Asia in the Late Permian–Early Triassic, at 270–240 Ma. The batholith occurs in the Khangai collage of Precambrian terranes, which include Early Precambrian crustal blocks (Dzabkhan and Tarbagatai) and Early to Late Neoproterozoic structures of the Songino block in their surroundings. The axial zone of this collage is overprinted by a basin filled with Devonian volcanic–siliceous rocks and Early to Middle Carboniferous terrigenous rocks. The isotopic parameters (Nd and Pb) of granitoids in the Khangai batholith indicate that the melts were derived from compositionally contrasting crustal sources and a single mantle one. The massifs hosted in the Precambrian blocks were produced with the involvement of lower crustal material, with various ages of the origin of the crust and its differentiation into upper and lower ones. The crust of the Tarbagatai and Dzabkhan blocks was produced in the Early Archean and was differentiated at the Archean–Proterozoic boundary. The crust of the Songino block was formed in the Paleoproterozoic and differentiated in the Early Neoproterozoic. According to the Pb and Nd isotopic parameters of granitoids in the Khangai Basin, the regional continental crust was close to the juvenile one, i.e., the continental crust of the Khangai Basin had still not been differentiated by the time when the Khangai batholith was produced. A single mantle source was involved in the origin of the melts of granitoids of the Khangai batholith in various tectonic blocks. The evolution of the Pb isotopic composition of this sources is consistent with the Stacey–Kramers model at µ = 9.5. This source can be identified with the enriched mantle, which has a higher U/Pb ratio than the depleted mantle and lower ε_Nd(T) of 0 to +2.     

Paleozoic Granitoids of the Southern Part of the Voznesenka Terrane (Southern Primorye): Age,Composition, Melt Sources,and Tectonic Settings

This paper presents data on the geological position, geochemistry, age, and isotopic characteristics of the granitoids of the southern part of the Voznesenka terrane, Southern Primorye (Muraviev–Amursky Peninsula and its vicinities). All of the studied granitoids were formed in three stages: the Ordovician, Silurian, and Permian. The Silurian and Permian ages of the granitoid intrusions have been previously determined (Ostrovorussky Massif, 432–422 Ma, and 250 ± 4 Ma, early and late associations, respectively; Sedanka massif, 261 ± 3 Ma). The granites of the Artem and Nadezhdinsky massifs define an U–Pb zircon age of 481 ± 6 and 452 ± 4 Ma, respectively. The geochemical and isotope data show mainly the crustal nature of the granitoids. Their formation was related to melting of relatively immature rocks of the continental crust (mafic–intermediate volcanic rocks). The Nd isotope composition of the granitods (TNd(DM–2) = 1.3 Ga) indicates the absence of the mature ancient crust at the basement of the southern Voznesenka terrane. The maximum contribution of mantle sources to the granite formation is recorded in the Permian associations. A comparison of the peaks of intrusive magmatism in the southern part of the Voznesenka terrane and adjacent territories suggests that the formation of the granitoids of the Muraviev–Amursky Peninsula and its vicinities was caused by the interaction of continental blocks with two oceanic basins: the Paleoasian (and its fragments) and Paleopacific ones.     

Radioactive elements in collisional and within-plate Sodic-Potassic Granitoids: Accumulation levels and metallogenic significance

New data are reported on the content of radioactive elements in the Precambrian Na-K granitoids from the southwestern margin of the Siberian Craton, Aldan and Ukrainian shields, and Kursk-Voronezh Massif. Analytical data on other regions were generalized for comparison. Two global epochs of Na-K granitoid magmatism bearing elevated contents of radioactive elements (U, Th, K) were distinguished in the Early Precambrian (in Ga): Neoarchean (2.8-2.6) and Late Paleoproterozoic (1.9-1.75). Mesoarchean (3.1-2.8 Ga) epoch of Na-K granite formation has been additionally distinguished at the Australian, South African, and Canadian shields. These epochs of granitization provided high maturity of the crust: geochemical differentiation of the oldest continental blocks and their geochemical and metallogenic specialization for trace elements and RAE. In the southern margin of the Siberian Craton, the most intense granite formation occurred in the Late Paleoproterozoic. The extended South Siberian belt of collisional and within-plate Na-K granitoids is characterized by intense influx of RAE and other trace elements in the upper crustal shell. The southwestern margin of the craton (Yenisei Range) was spanned by repeated Late Neoproterozoic Na-K granite formation, with wide development of collisional and within-plate Na-K granites having elevated Th content and [Th]/[U] ratio. The higher RAE concentrations are typical of within-plate Paleo and Neoproterozoic granitoids. The highest uranium content was found in the postcollisional and within-plate Na-K granites and subalkaline leucogranites. Uranium ore concentrations were formed at the riftogenic stages of evolution of these crustal blocks, when within-plate subalkaline acid magmatism and accompanying hydrothermal metamorphism overprinted granitized crystalline massifs, including high-U sedimentary and volcanic complexes. Areas with the most favorable geological-geochemical environments for the formation of uranium mineralization were distinguished in the southern margin of the Siberian Craton and its nearest folded framing.     

准噶尔盆地东缘晚石炭世花岗岩岩石地球化学特征及铀成矿潜力分析

准噶尔盆地东缘将军庙北部花岗岩岩石地球化学特征、稀土元素、微量元素及Sr-Nd-Pb同位素特征显示,该花岗岩形成于碰撞后期板内裂谷环境,其源区主要为软流圈地幔,同时有上地壳物质的混染。初步判定准噶尔盆地东部将军庙地区晚古生代构造环境为成熟岛弧环境,略高于准噶尔盆地平均水平。该地区不同构造单元的古生代大地构造背景及其地壳成熟度存在较大的差异,地壳成熟度整体较低,在一定程度上制约了该区砂岩型铀成矿作用的发育规模。     

Crust-forming processes in the Hercynides of the Central Asian Foldbelt

The paper reports data on the evolutionary history of magmatism, its conditions, and sources in the process of the development of the Southern Mongolian Hercynides during the pre-accretion, continental-margin, and rifting stages within the time span from the Silurian to Early Permian. The Hercynian continental crust in the southern Mongolian segment of the Central Asian Foldbelt (CAFB) was determined to have grown in the environment of ensimatic island arcs, backarc basins, spreading centers, and oceanic islands or plateaus, with material coming from the depleted and, perhaps, also enriched mantle sources in the open ocean that surrounded the Siberian paleocontinent on the side of the Caledonian margin. This made it possible to recognize the Early-Middle Paleozoic epoch of juvenile crustal growth in CAFB and the corresponding isotopic crustal province with a total area of more than 200 thousand km². The principal differences between the composition and structure of the blocks surrounding the Hercynian regions (Caledonides in the Gobi Altai and Grenwillides in the South Gobi microcontinent) testify that the southern margin of the Caledonian Siberian continent and the Grenvillides of the South Gobi microcontinent had different geological histories and were spatially separated. The structural complex of the Paleoasian ocean, including the terranes of the South Gobi microcontinent, were transformed into a continental block in the latest Devonian-earliest Carboniferous, in relation with accretion processes, folding, metamorphism, and tectonic delamination along the boundaries of structurally heterogeneous domains. The subsequent recycling of the crust by magmatic processes was related to the development of an active continental margin (ACM). The development of an ACM in the Hercynides resulted from and was a continuation of the motions of the continental and oceanic lithospheric plates, i.e., processes that brought about the Hercynian accretion. The evolution history of the ACM was subdivided into two stages: early (a continental-margin stage proper) and late (rifting stage). The rocks of the early stage were produced at 350–330 Ma and compose a differentiated basalt-andesite-rhyodacite complex and related massifs of the granodiorite-plagiogranite and banatite (diorite-monzonite-granodiorite) associations. During the rifting stage at 320–290 Ma, a bimodal basalt-comendite-trachyrhyolite association was formed, along with accompanying alkali granite massifs. In the southern Mongolian segment of the Hercynides, the rocks of the rifting stage compose two subparallel rift zones: Gobi-Tien Shan, which extends along the boundaries of the South Gobi microcontinent, and the Main Mongolian lineament, which marks the boundaries between the Hercynides and Caledonides in the CAFB. The rift structures are made up of alkali granitoids and normal-alkalinity granitoids, which are atypical of rift zones. Their genesis is thought to have been related to crustal anatexis, a process that was triggered by rift-related magmas at an unusual combination of rifting and ACM tectonic setting. The basic rocks of the rift associations have geochemical signatures atypical of continental rifting. They show Ta and Nb minima and K and Pb maxima, as is typical of rocks generated at convergent plate boundaries. Nevertheless, the broad variations in the concentrations and ratios of some major and incompatible trace elements and in the Sr, Nd, and O isotopic composition of the rift basaltoids allowed us to distinguish their high-and low-Ti varieties, which were produced with the participation of three mantle sources: depleted mantle similar to the source of basalts in midoceanic ridges, enriched mantle like the source of basalts in oceanic islands, and the mantle material of the metasomatized mantle wedge. The origin of andesites in the rift zones is explained by the contamination of mantle basaltoid melts with sialic (predominantly sedimentary) material of the continental crust or the assimilation of anatectic partial granite melts.     

Late Paleozoic anorogenic magmatism in Southern Mongolia: Evolutionary stages and structural control

Geochronological studies of anorogenic magmatic complexes in the South Mongolian Hercinide have been carried out. Series of the massifs composed of alkaline and subalkaline granitoids with some monzonite formed during the interval of 318–316 Ma have been found. Taking into account previously obtained data, two groups of Late Paleozoic A-type granitoids different in age have been identified in the region: Late Carboniferous and Early Permian. These two occupy different structural positions. The location the early magmatic massifs is controlled by the extended Trans–Altai fault zone of northwest strike: the massifs cluster in areas of the fault intersection with boundaries of structural blocks formed by the pull-apart mechanism. The later Early Permian igneous complexes are associated with the Gobi–Tienshan rift zone of sublatitudinal strike.     

东天山大南湖岛弧带石炭纪岩石地层与构造演化

详细的地质解剖工作表明,东天山地区大南湖岛弧带石炭纪出露4套岩石地层组合,即早石炭世小热泉子组火山岩、晚石炭世底坎儿组碎屑岩和碳酸盐岩、晚石炭世企鹅山组火山岩、晚石炭世脐山组碎屑岩夹碳酸盐岩。根据其岩石组合、岩石地球化学、生物化石、同位素资料以及彼此的产出关系,认为这4套岩石地层组合的沉积环境分别为岛弧、残余海盆、岛弧和弧后盆地。结合区域资料重塑了大南湖岛弧带晚古生代的构造格架及演化模式。早、晚石炭世的4套岩石地层组合并置体现了东天山的复杂增生过程。     

Composition,sources, and geodynamic nature of giant batholiths in Central Asia: Evidence from the geochemistry and Nd isotopic characteristics of granitoids in the Khangai zonal magmatic area

Data on the composition, inner structure, and magma sources of giant batholith in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt are analyzed with reference to the Khangai batholith. The Khangai batholith was emplaced in the Late Permian–Early Triassic (270–240 Ma) and is the largest accumulations (>150000 km²) of granite plutons in central Mongolia. The plutons are dominated by granites of normal alkalinity and contain subalkaline granites and more rare alkaline granites. The batholith is hosted in the Khangai zonal magmatic area, which consists of the batholith itself and surrounding rift zones. The zones are made up of bimodal basalt–trachyte–comendite (pantellerite) or basalt-dominated (alkaline basalt) volcanic associations, whose intrusive rocks are dominated by syenite and granite, granosyenite, and leucogranite. Both the batholith and the rift zones were produced within the time span of 270–240 Ma. Although the rocks composing the batholith and its rift surroundings are different, they are related through a broad spectrum of transitional varieties, which suggests that that the mantle and crustal melts could interact at various scale when the magmatic area was produced. A model is suggested to explain how the geological structure of the magmatic area and the composition of the magmatic associations that make up its various zones were controlled by the interaction between a mantle plume and the lithospheric folded area. The mantle melts emplaced into the lower crust are thought to not only have been heat sources and thus induced melting but also have predetermined the variable geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the granitoids. In the marginal portions of the zonal area, the activity of the mantle plume triggered rifting associated with bimodal and alkaline granite magmatism. The formation of giant batholiths was typical of the evolution of the active continental margin of the Siberian paleocontinent in the Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic: the Khangai, Angara–Vitim, and Khentei batholiths were formed in this area within a relatively brief time span between 300 and 190Ma. The batholiths share certain features: they consist of granitoids of a broad compositional range, from tonalite and plagiogranite to granosyenite and rare-metal granites; and the batholiths were produced in relation to rifting processes that also formed rift magmatic zones in the surroundings of the batholiths. The large-scale and unusual batholith-forming processes are thought to have occurred when the active continental margin of the Late Paleozoic Siberian continent overlapped a number of hotspots in the Paleo- Asian Ocean. This resulted in the origin of a giant anorogenic magmatic province, which included batholiths, flood-basalt areas in Tarim and Junggar, and the Central Asian Rift System. The batholiths are structural elements of the latter and components of the zonal magmatic areas.