Petrogenesis of the Zheduoshan Cenozoic granites in the eastern margin of Tibet: Constraints on the initial activity of the Xianshuihe Fault

Abstract

The Zheduoshan Miocene granitic pluton is exposed at the eastern margin of Tibet and along the strike-slip Xianshuihe Fault, and is the product of syn-tectonic magmatism closely related to this fault. This paper is focused on the petrogenesis of different granitic lithological units in the Zheduoshan composite intrusion, and the results of geochronology and lithology show that the Zheduoshan Miocene granitic pluton is incremental assembly by three stages of granitic magma influx and growth, represented by fine-grain biotite granite at 18.0 Ma, corase-grain and porphyraceous biotite monzogranite at 16.0 Ma and medium-grain two-mica monzogranite at 14.0 Ma. Combining with the geochemical signatures, these granitic rocks have high intial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, enriched Nd and Hf isotopic compositions, revealing that the sources of these granitic rocks are metabasatic rocks for fine-grain biotite granite, greywackes for coarse-grain biotite monzogranite and medium-grain monzogranite. These granites have high Sr/Y ratios, revealing that these granitic magma form at high pressure condition. The Sr/Y ratios and calculated crystallization pressure gradually decreased, implying the pressure gradually decreasing with the formation of these three stages of granites, which is probably caused by the tectonic mechanism transition from compression to strike-slip extension during the generation of these granites at 18.0–14.4 Ma. This tectonic mechanism change implied the initial activity of Xianshuihe Fault at least before 14.4 Ma.