Petrogenesis of late Paleozoic-to-early Mesozoic granitoids and metagabbroic rocks of the Tengchong Block, SW China: implications for the evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys

Abstract

This paper presents precise zircon U–Pb, bulk-rock geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data for metagabbro, quartz diorite, and granite units within the Tengchong Block of SW China, which forms the southeastern extension of the Himalayan orogeny and the southwestern section of the Sanjiang orogenic belt, a key region for furthering our understanding of the evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys. These data reveal four groups of zircon U–Pb ages that range from the late Paleozoic to the early Mesozoic, including a 263.6 ± 3.6 Ma quartz diorite, a 218.5 ± 5.4 Ma two-mica granite, a 205.7 ± 3.1 Ma metagabbroic unit, and a 195.5 ± 2.2 Ma biotite granite. The quartz diorite in this area contains low concentrations of SiO2 (60.71–64.32 wt%), is sodium-rich, and is metaluminous, indicating formation from magmas generated by a mixed source of metamafic rocks with a significant metapelitic sedimentary material within lower arc crust. The two-mica granites contain high concentrations of SiO2 (73.2–74.3 wt%), are strongly peraluminous, and have evolved Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions, all of which are indicative of a crustal source, most probably from the partial melting of felsic pelite and metagreywacke/psammite material. The metagabbros contain low concentrations of SiO2 (50.17–50.96 wt%), are sodium-rich, contain high concentrations of Fe2O3T (9.79–10.06 wt%) and CaO (6.88–7.12 wt%), and are significantly enriched in the Sr (869–894 ppm) and LREE (198.14–464.60 ppm), indicative of derivation from magmas generated by a metasomatized mantle wedge modified by the sedimentary-derived component. The biotite granites are weakly peraluminous and formed from magmas generated by melting of metasedimentary sources dominated by metagreywacke/psammite material. Combining the petrology and geochemistry of these units with the regional geology of the Indosinian orogenic belt provides evidence for two stages of magmatism: an initial stage that generated magmas during partial melting of mantle-derived material associated with late Permian-to-Early Triassic subduction of the Paleo-Tethys, and a second stage that generated granitoid magmas by the partial melting of crustal-derived sources during the Late Triassic collision between the Lhasa and Tengchong blocks and the northern margin of the Australian continent. These rocks, therefore, provide evidence of a systematic late Permian-to-Late Triassic transition from a pre-collision/volcanic arc setting through a collisional setting to a final within-plate phase of magmatism. The previous research involving bulk-rock Sr–Nd analyses of units from the southern Sanjiang orogenic belt and zircon Hf isotopic analyses of units from the Tengchong Block suggests that these areas may record similar magmatic evolutionary trends from mantle- to crustal-derived sources during the evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys.