The Cenozoic Basaltic Rocks of Eastern China: Petrology and Chemical Composition

The Cenozoic volcanicity of eastern China is entirely basalticand occurred as relatively small eruptions widely dispersedin space and time, closely associated with graben basins andtheir regional bounding faults. Samples (157) from over 30 sitesin eastern China have been studied. They are predominantly alkalinebasalts, but vary in composition from olivine nephelinites andleucitites to quartz tholeiites. The majority are aphyric butsome contain olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts. Whole-rockanalyses (X-ray fluorescence) of all samples for the major and13 trace elements are used, as are the compositions of all themajor mineral phases determined by electron microprobe. It is argued that the most primitive basanites, alkali olivinebasalts, and olivine tholeiites represent primary or near-primarymagmas which were formed by different degrees of partial meltingof the upper mantle at different depths. The olivine tholeiitesrepresent larger degrees of partial melting (8–9%) ofa spinel peridotite at depths of <66 km. The alkalic basaltscarry xenoliths of spinel and garnet peridotite and appear tohave been derived by 1–7% partial melting of a garnetlherzolite (50% ol, 25% opx, 15% cpx, 10% garnet) at depths> 79 km. The olivine nephelinite may have formed by evensmaller degrees of partial melting. Most flows are not primary; the variations in their compositionsare consistent with fractional crystallization from the spectrumof primary parents created by varying degrees of partial meltingof a mineralogically heterogeneous source. The tholeiites havefractionated by the removal of clinopyroxene and some olivine;the alkali basalts by the removal of clinopyroxene with a smallerproportion of olivine. The incompatible behavior of Sr impliesthe absence of plagioclase from any of the fractionating assemblagesand, together with the high Al content of the pyroxene phenocrysts,suggests that much of the fractionation occurred at mantle depthsand pressures. The Cenozoic magmatism of eastern China is seen as a typicalexample of volcanism associated with continental extension.That is, small volumes of predominantly alkalic basalts andolivine tholeiites erupted over a prolonged period and associatedwith extensional basins and their bounding faults. As such,the province is distinct from continental flood basalt provinces.