Geology and Genesis of Peraluminous Granites in East Tianshan Upper Paleozoic Island Arc Belt

Geology and genesis of peraluminous granites in East Tianshan Upper Paleozoic island arc belt

A peraluminous granite belt occurs along the connecting zone between the Turpan-Hami Precambrian block and the Upper Paleozoic island arc belt. Muscovite granite and twomica granite are the essential lithological components of that belt. All the potassium feldspars in these granites are microcline. Heavy minerals are dominated by magnetite. SiO₂ contents of these granites are greater than 73% with most of the A/NKC values greater than 1.1, normative corundum values greater than 1. Plots of CIPW norms in the (Al-K-Na)-Ca-(Fe²⁺+ Mg) diagram are mostly situated in the plagioclase-cordierite-muscovite region. The rocks are characterized by very low contents of minor elements and ΣREE with strong Eu depletion, δ¹⁸O values between 6.6‰ and 7.0‰, Rb-Sr isochron age of 260.2 ± 6.2 Ma and an initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio of 0.7052. These granites might have been produced by partial melting of moderately acidic volcanites and low-maturity sediments in the basement sequences and could be genetically connected with the southward A-type subduction of the Turpan-Hami block following the closure of the Middle Carboniferous back-arc basin.