Determination of properties of Proterozoic continental flood basalts of western part from North Qilian Mountains

Abstract

Proterozoic volcanic rocks of the western part from the North Qilian Mountains are the products of continental rift volcanism, belonging to continental flood basalts, the petrogeochemistry of which apears to suggest that they are derived from sub-lithospheric mantle plume sources, but that they also show evidence of continental lithosphere components involvement. Their formation is the consequences of plume-lithosphere interactions and is precursive to the opening of the North Qilian Early-Paleozoic ocean basin.