Geochronology and petrogenesis of granitic rocks in Gangdese batholith, southern Tibet

Abstract

Based on petrological and geochemical characteristics such as rock assemblage, petrogeochemistry, Sr-Nd isotope, zircon U-Pb age, and Hf isotope, we studied geochronological framework, magma types, source characters, and petrogenesis of different stages of magmatism of the granitic rocks from the Gangdese batholith in southern Tibet. The magmatic activities of the Gangdese batholith can be divided into three stages. The Mesozoic magmatism, induced by northern subduction of Neotethyan slab, was continuously developed, with two peak periods of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. The Paleocene-Eocene magmatism was the most intensive, and resulted from a complex progress of Neotethyan oceanic slab, including subduction, rollback, and subsequent breakoff. And the Oligocene-Miocene magmatism was attributed to the convective removal of thickened lithosphere in an east-west extension setting after India-Asia collision. Isotopically, zircons from these granitic rocks are characterized by positive ɛ Hf(t) values, suggesting that the magmatic source of the Gangdese batholith might be an arc terrane, which was accreted to the southern margin of Asia during Late Paleozoic. Therefore, the chronological framework and Hf isotopic characteristics of the Gangdese batholith are distinct from the granitic rocks in adjacent areas, which can be served as a powerful tracer in studying source-to-sink relation of sediments during the uplift and erosion of Tibetan Plateau.