Temporal, Spatial and Geochemical Discriminations of Granitoids in South Korea

Abstract: Five groups of the Phanerozoic granitoids in South Korea can be deduced from their temporal and spatial distributions: (1) Jurassic granitoids in the Gyeonggi massif, (2) Permo-Jurassic granitoids in the Ogcheon belt, (3) Permo-Jurassic granitoids in the Yeongnam massif, (4) Cretaceous granitoids in the Ogcheon belt, and (5) Cretaceous granitoids in the Gyeongsang basin. Though the granitoids of each group generally show calc-alkaline and orogenic natures, the petrological, geochemical and genetical features are different with each other. The Permo-Jurassic granitoids in the Ogcheon belt have lower contents of Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CaO, P₂O₅, but higher of FeO, FeOT, MgO, K₂O than those in the Yeongnam massif. From higher feature of K₂O, Na₂O+K₂O and K₂O/Na₂O, the Ogcheon belt seems to have been located at closer continent side relative to the Yeongnam massif during Permo-Jurassic time. From lower values of Fe₂O₃/FeO and magnetic susceptibility the granitoids of the Ogcheon belt had been solidified under more reducing environment than those of the Yeongnam massif. The Cretaceous granitoids in the Ogcheon belt have lower contents of TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, FeO, FeOT, CaO and P₂O₅, but higher of MgO, K₂O, Na₂O+K₂O and K₂O/Na₂O than those in the Gyeongsang basin. This feature indicates that the Ogcheon belt would correspond to the continental environment of magma genesis during Cretaceous time. Higher values of Fe₂O₃/FeO and magnetic susceptibility in the Cretaceous granitoids in the Gyeongsang basin suggest that the granitoids had been solidified under highly oxidizing environment. From the particular chemical features of K₂O, Na₂O+K₂O and K₂O/Na₂O, the Permo-Jurassic granitoids in the Ogcheon belt, the Yeongnam massif as well as the Cretaceous ones in the Gyeongsang basin can be categorized to the continental margin type granite. The Jurassic granitoids in the Gyeonggi massif are possibly of collision type, and the Cretaceous granitoids in the Ogcheon belt of post–orogenic, intra–conti–nent type. The Jurassic granitoids in the Gyeonggi massif had been possibly generated by crustal melting during the collision of Gyeonggi massif to the northern Pyeongnam basin block. The Cretaceous granitoids in the Ogcheon belt had been emplaced at the hinterland of the continental margin during post-orogenic stage of the Honam Shear Zone. The Cretaceous granitoids in the Gyeongsang basin are often compared with Japanese Cretaceous?Paleogene granitoids in their geochemical and genetical natures. For the granitoid composition, the granitoids in the Gyeongsang basin are higher in Fe₂O₃, Fe₂O₃/FeO, Na₂O, K₂O, Na₂O+K₂O and K₂O/Na₂O, but lower in Al₂O₃, FeO, MnO, CaO and P₂O₅ than the Japanese granitoids. The contents of TiO₂, FeOT and MgO are similar in both granitoids. This geochemical contrast would imply that the Cretaceous granitoid magmas in the Gyeongsang basin had been originated at closer place to the continent side under more tensional field, and solidified under more oxidizing environment than the coeval Japanese granitoid magmas.