Geochemical and geochronological characteristics of Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene granitoids in the Tengchong Block, Southwestern China: Implications for crustal anatexis and thickness variations along the eastern Neo-Tethys subduction zone

Abstract

The Tengchong Block of Southwestern China is key to tracing the eastward subduction of Neo-Tethys and collision between Indian and Asian continents. The block contains a magmatic belt that represents the southeastward continuation of the Gangdese belt, produced by the eastward subduction of eastern Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. In this paper we present geochemical and geochronological data of Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene (~64Ma) granitic rocks of the Guyong and Husa batholiths in the Tengchong Block. These can be subdivided into high-silica peraluminous granites and low-silica metaluminous granodiorites, and all belong to the high-K calc-alkaline series, are enriched in LILE, and depleted in HFSE. The Guyong granitoids have high initial Sr ratios of 0.706511–0.711753, negative εNd(t) values of −9.2 to −11.6, two-stage model ages of 1.39–1.55Ga, and Pb isotopic compositions that indicate a crustal affinity. The Husa granodiorites also have high initial Sr ratios of 0.716496, negative εNd(t) value of −16.5, two-stage model age of 1.89Ga, variable εHf(t) values of 3.4 to −18.1 and Pb isotopic compositions similar to lower crustal values. These geochemical and isotopic data indicate that the Guyong granitoids were likely derived from partial melting of ancient crustal metapelite or mixed pelite-greywacke sources, while the Husa granodiorites were derived from the partial melting of lower crustal mixed sources involving metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks. To understand the thermal state and architecture of the Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene magmatic arc crust, the crust-derived intermediate to acidic igneous rocks of the southern-central Lhasa and Tengchong blocks and eastern Himalayan syntaxis are compared. We infer that partial melting of crust occurred at great depth in the southern Lhasa Block, intermediate depths in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, and shallow depths in the central Lhasa and Tengchong Block. Sr/Y ratios indicate that the Tengchong Block was characterized by thin crust, while the eastern Himalayan syntaxis and northernmost part of southern Lhasa Block contained crust of normal thickness, and the southernmost part of the southern Lhasa Block contained thickened crust.