Origin of lamprophyres from the northern margin of the North China Craton: implications for mantle metasomatism

Abstract

Abundant lamprophyre dykes occur near the northern margin of the North China Craton and offer a unique opportunity to study the nature of the mantle source. The dykes are minettes composed of phlogopite, sanidine and calcite. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating yields ages of 234 ± 2 and 222 ± 6 Ma. The lamprophyres are near-primary, mantle-derived ultrapotassic melts, having low SiO 2 (31.0 – 41.5 wt%) and high K 2 O (4.40 – 7.12 wt%) contents, high Mg# (62 – 84) and high contents of compatible elements. They are characterized by fractionated rare earth element patterns, radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd isotope compositions ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i = 0.7070 – 0.7075; e Nd ( t ) = −12.8 to −9.2). A small amount of mafic crustal rocks ( 187 Os/ 188 Os i ratios of 0.4548 – 0.8068. These data suggest that the lamprophyres originated from a low degree of partial melting of an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle source with abundant phlogopite, clinopyroxene and carbonate. The source has been metasomatized by carbonate- and potassium-rich fluids derived from carbonated sediments recycled via subduction of Palaeo-Mongolian oceanic slab beneath the North China Craton. Supplementary material: Microprobe analyses of biotite, feldspar and carbonate, 40 Ar– 39 Ar analytical data, and 36 Ar/ 40 Ar v. 39 Ar/ 40 Ar inverse isochron diagrams for phlogopite phenocrysts and groundmass from the Datong lamprophyres are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3574265.