Magmatic evolution of the Tuwu–Yandong porphyry Cu belt, NW China: Constraints from geochronology, geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes

Abstract

The Tuwu–Yandong porphyry Cu belt is located in the Eastern Tianshan mountains in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Petrochemical and geochronological data for intrusive and volcanic rocks from the Tuwu and Yandong deposits are combined with previous studies to provide constraints on their petrogenesis and tectonic affinity. New LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb ages of 348.3±6.0Ma, 339.3±2.2Ma, 323.6±2.5Ma and 324.1±2.3Ma have been attained from intrusive units associated with the deposits, including diorite, plagiogranite porphyry, quartz albite porphyry and quartz porphyry, respectively. The basalt and andesite, which host part of the Cu mineralization, are tholeiitic with high Al2O3, Cr, Ni and low TiO2 contents, enriched LREEs and negative HFSE (Nb, Ta, Zr, Ti) anomalies consistent with arc magmas. Diorites are characterized by low SiO2 content but high MgO, Cr and Ni contents, similar to those of high-Mg andesites. The parental magma of the basalt, andesite and diorite is interpreted to have been derived from partial melting of mantle-wedge peridotite that was previously metasomatized by slab melts. The ore-bearing plagiogranite porphyry is characterized by high Na2O, Sr, Cr and Ni contents, low Y and Yb contents, low Na2O/K2O ratios and high Sr/Y ratios and high Mg#, suggesting an adakitic affinity. The high εNd(t) (5.02–9.16), low ISr (0.703219–0.704281) and high εHf(t) (8.55–12.99) of the plagiogranite porphyry suggest they were derived by a partial melting of the subducted oceanic crust followed by adakitic melt-mantle peridotite interaction. The quartz albite porphyry and quartz porphyry are characterized by similar Sr–Nd–Hf isotope but lower Mg# and whole-rock (La/Yb)N ratios to the plagiogranite porphyry, suggesting they were derived from juvenile lower crust, and negative Eu anomalies suggest fractionation of plagioclase. We propose that a flat subduction that started ca. 340Ma and resulted in formation of the adakitic plagiogranite porphyry after a period of “steady” subduction, and experienced slab rollback at around 323Ma.