Geochronological and geochemical constraints on the origin of the 304 ± 5 Ma Karamay A-type granites from West Junggar, Northwest China: implications for understanding the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Abstract

U–Pb zircon geochronological, geochemical, and whole-rock Sr–Nd isotopic analyses are reported for a suite of Karamay A-type granites from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) in the western Junggar region of northern Xinjiang, Northwest China, with the aim of investigating the sources and petrogenesis of A-type granites. The Karamay pluton includes monzogranite and syenogranite. Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U–Pb dating yielded a concordant weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 304 ± 5 Ma (n = 11), defining a late Carboniferous magmatic event. Geochemically, the rock suite is characterized by high SiO2, FeOt/MgO, total alkalies (K2O + Na2O), Zr, Nb, Y, Ta, Ga/Al, and rare earth elements (REEs) (except for Eu), and low contents of MgO, CaO, and P2O5, with negative Ba, Sr, P, Eu, and Ti anomalies. These features indicate an A-type affinity for the Karamay granitic intrusions. Isotopically, they display consistently depleted Sr–Nd isotopic compositions (initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7014–0.7022, ϵNd(t) = +5.6–+7.0). Geochronological, geochemical, and isotopic data suggest that the Karamay A-type granites were derived from remelting juvenile lower crust, followed by fractional crystallization. The Karamay A-type granites as well as widespread late Carboniferous magmatism in the western Junggar region of the southwestern CAOB may have been related to ridge subduction and a resultant slab window. This further demonstrates the importance of the late Palaeozoic granitic magmatism in terms of vertical crustal growth in northern Xinjiang.