Coexistence of two types of Late Paleocene adakitic granitoid, Soursat complex, NW Iran

Abstract

Late Neoproterozoic basement of the Soursat complex to the southeast of Shahin-Dej, NW Iran, spans an area wider than 100 km2 and is cut by Paleogene monzonite and granodiorite bodies. Zircon U-Pb dating yields monzonite and granodiorite crystallization ages of 54.7 ± 3.8 Ma and 57.7 ± 2.9 Ma, respectively. The monzonite group has relatively high MgO (2.40–7.01 wt%), Cr (37.5–233 ppm) and Ni (30.6–177 ppm), and high Sr/Y (103−132) and La/Yb (68.0–102) similar to low silica-adakites (LSA). The granodiorite group has low MgO (<1 wt%), Ni (<10 ppm) and Cr (<33 ppm), and high Sr/Y (192–361) and La/Yb (37.3–156) ratios, and are consistent as high silica-adakites (HSA). The monzonite and granodiorite have 87Sr/86Sr(i) values of 0.7045 to 0.7047 and 0.7053 to 0.7058, and εNd(t) values of +1.1 to +1.8 and − 1.9 to −0.8, respectively. The differing chemical compositions and Sr-Nd isotope ratios of these two groups of coeval adakites suggest different sources. Upon consideration of the geodynamic evolution of NW-Iran during the Cenozoic, we infer a two-stage melting process. LSA melts were first produced due to partial melting of delaminated lithosphere and then modified by fractional crystallization in the lower crust. Subsequently, HSA melts were generated during partial melting of lower crustal mafic segments in the hot root zone.