Petrogenesis and Solidification Depth of the Jurassic Daebo and Cretaceous Bulguksa Granitic Rocks in South Korea

We investigated the Jurassic Daebo and Cretaceous Bulguksa granitic rocks in South Korea. The former are distributed mainly in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs and the latter are present in the Gyeongsan basin and Ogcheon belt. The Daebo granitic rocks generally are of ilmenite series and I to S type. These rocks are associated with Au–Ag hydrothermal deposits, whereas the Bulguksa granitic rocks are of magnetite series and I type, and are associated with Pb–Zn, Cu and Mo–W hydrothermal deposits, as well as Au–Ag hydrothermal deposits. The Daebo granitic rocks show adakitic signatures in their chemical compositions. They are considered to have been derived from partial melting of the thick lower continental crust. Conversely, the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Gyeongsan basin are non‐adakitic and are considered to have been derived from partial melting of a mantle wedge. Magmas of the Daebo granitic rocks formed at relatively shallow levels, but solidified at deep levels compared with those of the Bulguksa granitic rocks. The Bulguksa granitic rocks in the central to western Ogcheon belt are considered to have been formed by fractionation of magmas derived from partial melting of continental crust. The total Al contents of biotite and hornblende in the granitic rocks increased, with the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Gyeongsan basin < the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Ogcheon belt and Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs and the Daebo granitic rocks in the Ogcheon belt < the Daebo granitic rocks in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs. This order corresponds to an increase in solidification depth.