The petrogenesis of leucogranitic dykes intruding the northern Semail ophiolite, United Arab Emirates: field relationships, geochemistry and Sr/Nd isotope systematics

The Khawr Fakkan block of the Semail ophiolite (United Arab Emirates) exhibits a suite of 10–100 m scale metaluminous to peraluminous granitic intrusions, ranging from cordierite-andalusite-biotite monzogranites to garnet-tourmaline leucogranites, which intrude mantle sequence harzburgites and lower crustal sequence cumulate gabbros. Structural constraints suggest that the subduction of continental sedimentary material beneath the hot proto-ophiolite in an intra-oceanic arc environment led to granulite facies metamorphism at the subduction front and the generation of granitic melts which were emplaced up to the level of the ophiolite Moho. Compositions indicate the analysed granitoids were largely minimum melts that crystallised at variable a _H2O and pressures of 3 to 5 kbar. The LILE (Sr, Rb and Ba) covariation modelling suggests that the granitoids formed largely by the dehydration melting of muscovite rich metasediments. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of analysed dykes vary between 0.710 and 0.706 at initial ɛ_Nd values of between −6.3 and −0.5. Cogenetic units of a composite sill from Ra's Dadnah yield a Sm-Nd isochron age of 98.8 ± 9.5 Ma (MSWD = 1.18). Geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the analysed granitic intrusions indicate that the subducted continental material was derived from oceanic trench fill (Haybi complex) sediments, preserved as greenschist (Asimah area) to granulite facies (Bani Hamid area) ophiolitic metamorphic sole terranes. The Sr-Nd isotope systematics suggest that hybrid granitic melts were derived from pre-magmatic mixing of two contrasting subduction zone sources. Received: 17 December 1998 / Accepted: 19 July 1999