Singularity analysis of igneous zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotopic record in the Zhongdian arc, northwest Yunnan, China: Implications for Indosinian magmatic flare-up and the formation of porphyry copper deposits

Abstract

Situated in the southern part of Yidun arc in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, the Zhongdian arc records magmatic activity that ranges from approximately 270 to 190 Ma, which is likely attributable to subduction of the Garze-Litang slab and involved steady low-volume magmatic lulls punctuated by short-lived high-volume flare-ups. Many porphyry copper deposits have been found in these magmatic rocks, but the temporal-spatial relationships among magmatism, porphyry copper deposits, and subduction processes around the Zhongdian arc have long been debated. Frequency distributions calculated from igneous zircon U-Pb ages are commonly utilized to interpret the duration of magmatic events. Recently, a new concept of fractal density and a local singularity analysis (LSA) method have been applied to analyze the geometric properties of zircon U-Pb age peak anomalies, which are linked to deeply rooted avalanches associated with short spurts of convection during the formation of supercontinents and continental crust growth. In this paper, the igneous zircon U-Pb dating data collected from the Zhongdian arc are analyzed by the LSA method from the perspective of fractal density to interpret the causational relationship between age peak and subduction process of the Garze-Litang oceanic crust. The results show that the age density around the age peak of 215 Ma can be well fitted and described by power law functions, and the strong singularity (k > 0.8) indicates the occurrence of extreme geological events. Meanwhile, systematic changes in the hafnium isotopic composition of igneous zircons with time reflect the upwelling of asthenospheric mantle materials, characterized by a rapid increase in εHf(t) values that reach the highest around the 215 Ma peak. Moreover, the log–log plot that shows the cumulative number-age distribution reveals another transitional age of 235 Ma. By comparison of the magmatic intensity between the western and eastern belts of the Zhongdian arc, it is indicated that the eastward magmatic migration might have begun at ca. 235 Ma. Combined with the previous work, we propose that the Indosinian magmatic flare-up in the Zhongdian arc might have been caused by superimposition of slab subduction, steepening of slab dip, and slab breakoff. This long-term magmatic hydrothermal evolution system and extreme singularity events also provide indispensable conditions for the formation of large-scale and high-grade porphyry copper deposits in the region. Our findings provide new insights into the subduction process of the Garze-Litang oceanic crust and Indosinian magmatic framework around the Zhongdian arc. It is believed that the LSA method has potential applications in depicting the variation of magmatic activity and predicting mineral resources.