Geochemistry of primary-carbonate bearing K-rich igneous rocks in the Awulale Mountains, western Tianshan: Implications for carbon-recycling in subduction zone

Abstract

Arc magmatism plays an important role in the recycling of subducted carbon and returning it to the surface. However, the transfer mechanisms of carbon are poorly understood. In this study, the contribution of subducted carbonate-rich sediments to the genesis of the carbonate-bearing K-rich igneous rocks from western Tianshan was investigated. Four key triggers are involved, including sediments subduction, slab decarbonation, partial melting and magma segregation. The globular carbonate ocelli show C–O isotope signatures intermediate between oceanic sediments and mantle, suggesting that the carbon of the primary carbonate ocelli was derived from recycled subducted sediments in the mantle. Decarbonation of the subducted slab is regarded as the primary agent to carbonize the mantle wedge. Geochemical features indicate that the carbonate ocelli are primary, and that the parental K- and carbon-rich mafic alkaline magma was derived from partial melting of carbonated mantle wedge veined with phlogopite. Major and trace element compositions indicate that globular carbonate ocelli hosted in the Bugula K-rich igneous rocks are calcio-carbonate and formed primarily by segregation of the differentiated CO2-rich alkaline magma after crystallization fractionation. The K-rich alkaline magma, which formed from partial melting of metasomatized (i.e., phlogopite bearing) mantle wedge in the sub-arc region, is a favorable agent to transport subducted carbon back to the Earth’s surface during carbon recycling in subduction zones, because of the high CO2 solubility in alkaline mafic magma. We therefore propose a model for the petrogenesis of the carbonate-bearing K-rich igneous rocks in western Tianshan, which are significant for revealing the mechanism of carbon recycling in subduction zones.