Initiation of the North China Craton destruction: Constraints from the diamond-bearing alkaline basalts from Lan'gan, China

Abstract

The North China Craton (NCC) is an atypical ancient landmass that suffered lithospheric destruction. Previous studies suggest that the eastern part of the lithospheric mantle of the NCC has been thinned and modified in the Mesozoic. However, the initiation time and mechanism of the destruction remain controversial. Mafic magmatism could provide a unique window into deciphering the lithospheric mantle composition and its evolution. Here we present geochemical and geochronological data of the diamond-bearing alkaline basalts from Lan'gan, located in the southeastern margin of the NCC. Zircon U-Pb dating yielded an average age of 174 ± 14 Ma, representing the first reported Jurassic basalts in the eastern NCC. The Lan'gan basalts are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) and large ion lithosphile elements (LILE). Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr(t) = 0.70646–0.70925, εNd(t) = −2.1 to −4.9, 206Pb/204Pb(t) = 17.14–18.12, 207Pb/204Pb(t) = 15.28–15.61, 208Pb/204Pb(t) = 37.82–38.67, and zircon εHf(t) = −17 to −21) are enriched compared to depleted mantle. The presence of primary amphibole indicates that the magma source of the basalts was water enriched. These observations suggest that, the lithospheric mantle of the eastern NCC were significantly refertilized, likely by slab derived fluids/melts from the Paleo-Pacific subduction. Owing to the Paleo-Pacific subduction, the lithospheric mantle of the eastern NCC were reduced in viscosity and intensity, and finally promoted partial melting in a limited scale to generate the investigated alkaline basalts. Hence, the discovery of diamond in the Lan'gan basalts demonstrates that the lithosphere of the NCC remained thick, and that large-scale destruction had not initiated in the early Jurassic beneath this region.