Early to late Yanshanian I-type granites in Fujian Province, SE China: Implications for the tectonic setting and Mo mineralization

Abstract

The Cathaysia Block is the southeastern part of the South China Block in Southeast (SE) China, and it hosts voluminous late Mesozoic I-, S-, and A-type granitoids, as well as minor highly fractionated granites. We present here zircon U–Pb age data and Nd–Hf isotopic data for the Dayang and Juzhou granites, together with new petrological and geochemical analyses. The Dayang pluton consists of fine-grained two-mica monzonitic granites in which the plagioclases exhibit zoning and poikilitic textures. In contrast, the Juzhou pluton consists of medium- to coarse-grained biotite K-feldspar granites that lack zoning and poikilitic textures. The emplacement ages are 143±2.3Ma for the Dayang pluton and 133±2.1Ma for the Juzhou pluton according to zircon U–Pb isotope analyses. The Dayang and Juzhou granites are both metaluminous and belong to the shoshonitic series. The Dayang granite exhibits very flat REE patterns, showing the tetrad effect, and the spidergrams show striking negative Ba, Sr, Nb, and Ti anomalies and a positive Ta anomaly. In contrast, the Juzhou granite has sloping REE patterns, but like the Dayang granite it also has striking negative Ba, Sr, Nb, Ta, and Ti anomalies. Petrographic and geochemical evidence indicates that the Dayang granite is a highly fractionated I-type granite and that the Juzhou granite is a typical I-type granite. The tetrad effect in the Dayang granite can be interpreted in terms of melt–rock interactions at a late stage of magma evolution, whereas the main mechanism during the evolution of the Juzhou magma was fractionation of plagioclase, biotite, hornblende, apatite, zircon, and allanite. Nd–Hf isotope data suggest that the Dayang and Juzhou granites were both formed partial melting of Paleoproterozoic basement rock and juvenile material (underplating basalts or Mayuan Group amphibolites), with the Juzhou granite having a greater contribution from juvenile material than the Dayang granite. Our new data, together with existing data, suggest that the tectonic setting of the early Yanshanian (∼143Ma) highly fractionated I-type Dayang granite was a back-arc that formed in response to the westward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate, and that the late Yanshanian (∼133Ma) Juzhou granite formed in a continental arc setting in response to rollback of the Paleo-Pacific Plate toward the coastline. The Mo mineralization in the Makeng ore area was probably the result of the exsolution of Mo-bearing fluids from the Dayang granitic magmas due to extensive fractional crystallization.