Geochemistry and geodynamic significance of the dike series of the Aluchin ophiolite complex, Verkhoyansk-Chukotka fold zone, Northeast Russia

Abstract

The Aluchin ophiolites represent a tectonomagmatic complex, the upper crustal part of which is made up of two dike series. One series includes diabases and gabbrodiabases, which are exposed in the Late Triassic Atamanov Massif (226 Ma) and subdivided into low-potassium, low and moderate-titanium varieties. In terms of rare-earth element (REE) distribution pattern, these rocks correspond to the mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB). At the same time, trace element composition of some samples indicates the enrichment in subduction component (Ba, Th), as well as variable depletion in Ta, Nb and other high-field strength elements (HFSE), which leads us to conclude that these rocks were formed from melts similar to back-arc basin basalts (BABB) at a sufficiently mature stage of back-arc spreading. The diabases of other series form separate dike bodies (dike swarms) that cut across a mantle ultrabasic body in the northern part of the Aluchin Massif. The most part of these rocks reveal prominent island-arc signatures, primarily, REE and trace-element distribution patterns. At the same time, they are characterized by slightly elevated contents of titanium, nickel, and chromium, and low content of aluminum. On the basis of these data, the diabases of the Aluchin Massif can be regarded as BABB basalts with distinct island-arc characteristics, which are usually termed as arc-like member. The joint geochemical evolution of the two diabase series is well consistent with that of the rocks from different structures of the Mariana trough, which, together with compositional data, indicate that the studied dike series mark the initial and mature stages of the opening of the Late Triassic suprasubduction basin.