Petrology and geochemistry of shoshonitic plutons from the western Kunlun orogenic belt, Xinjiang, northwestern China: implications for granitoid geneses

Abstract

A series of granitoids from Proterozoic to Cenozoic age occurred in the western Kunlun orogenic belt, Xinjiang, northwestern China. Several intrusions such as the West Datong (Middle Caledonian age), North Kuda (Late Caledonian age) and Kuzigan, Karibasheng, Zankan (Himalayan age) plutons have shoshonitic affinity. Their rock assemblages include (quartz) monzodiorite–(quartz) monzonite–quartz syenite (Middle Caledonian) or monzonitic granite–granite (Late Caledonian) or biotite (monzonitic) granite–diopside granite–diopside syenite (Himalayan). Generally, biotite is iron–phlogopite, with some eastonite and high Mg/(Mg+FeT) and Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio. Amphibole is mainly edenitic hornblende and magnesian hastingsitic hornblende, with some edenite and higher Mg/(Mg+FeT) and Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio. The rocks show SiO2 contents of 52.77–71.85% and high K2O+Na2O (mostly >8%, average 9.14%), K2O/Na2O (mostly >1, average 1.50) and Fe2O3/FeO (0.85–1.51, average 1.01) and low TiO2 contents (0.15–1.12%, average 0.57%). Al2O3 contents (13.01–19.20%) are high but variable. The granitoids are prominently enriched in LILE, LREE and volatiles such as F. However, the studied shoshonitic granitoids among the three intrusive periods also show differences in isotopic compositions and trace element concentrations, suggesting their different geneses: the origin of the West Datong pluton is probably related to the involvement of subducted oceanic crust sediments into the mantle source; the North Kuda and Himalayan plutons could have been generated by partial melting of subducted oceanic crust sediments or metasediments of thickened continental lower crust in the process of late-orogenic slab break-off or lithospheric thinning.