Crust–mantle interaction during Early Jurassic subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab: Evidence from the Dongga gabbro–granite complex in the southern Lhasa subterrane, Tibet

Abstract

Gabbro–granite complexes that form in active continental margins provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the genetic relationships between acid and basic magmas and offer important insights into crust–mantle interaction. In this paper, we present detailed petrographic, mineralogical, whole-rock geochemical, Sr–Nd isotopic, zircon U–Pb, and Hf isotopic data for the Dongga gabbro–granite complex of the southern Lhasa subterrane, with the aim of elucidating the petrogenesis of these rocks and gaining insights into the processes of crust–mantle interaction associated with the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab. The Dongga complex consists predominantly of tonalite and granodiorite with abundant mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) and lesser amounts of hornblende gabbro. LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating yields crystallization ages of 178.0±1.5Ma and 192.3±1.5Ma for the hornblende gabbros, and 178.1±1.7Ma and 178.8±1.8Ma for the tonalites and MMEs, respectively. Geochemically, the gabbroic rocks have low SiO2 and Na2O+K2O concentrations and high Mg# values. These gabbroic rocks are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g., Ba, K, Pb, and Sr) and light rare earth elements (LREEs), and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, P, Zr, and Hf). The tonalites are subalkaline and metaluminous and are also characterized by an enrichment of LILEs and LREEs and a depletion of HFSEs. The MMEs are silica poor and alkali rich and have broadly similar trace element signatures to those of the host tonalites. The gabbroic rocks, tonalites, and MMEs have similar initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (ISr) of 0.7035–0.7036 and positive εNd(t) values of +5.3 to +6.8. However, zircon εHf(t) values from the hornblende gabbros (+14.0 to +18.2) are somewhat higher than those of the tonalites (+11.4 to +15.0) but are similar to the MMEs (+14.4 to +18.2). The combined petrological, geochemical, and isotopic features of the Dongga gabbro–granite complex suggest that the southern Lhasa subterrane was located in an active continental margin setting during the Early Jurassic. The gabbroic rocks were generated by the hydrous partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge metasomatized by aqueous fluids released from the subducted Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab. The tonalites and MMEs were produced by the mixing of mafic magmas related to the gabbroic rocks and felsic magmas derived from the remelting of the newly formed juvenile lower crust. The underplating of mantle-derived magmas and the resulting crustal melting and magma mixing occurred during the Early Jurassic subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab. The mantle-derived magmas not only provided substantial heat to melt the lower crust but also mixed with the crust-derived magmas to form granitoids and MMEs.