Subduction and retreat of Permian oceanic plates in the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt: evidence from mafic-ultramafic intrusive rocks

Abstract

ABSTRACT The East Kunlun Orogenic Belt, an important part of the Central Orogenic Belt in China, preserved wealthy geological information for the tectonic evolution of the Proto- and Paleo-Tethys Ocean. Several Permian mafic-ultramafic rocks were identified in the Qimantagh area, EKOB, and zircon U-Pb dating, zircon Hf isotope, geochemistry and whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopes were studied in this paper. The results suggest that the formation age of the Xiyingzhaogou intrusion is 280 ± 4 Ma. The rocks show the characteristics of continental-arc calc-alkaline basalt. The whole-rock εNd(t) value of gabbro in Xiyingzhaogou intrusion is −4.2~-2.6 and the εHf(t) value of zircon is 2.77 ~ 5.82, indicating the characteristics of enriched or weakly depleted mantle; The formation age of Yingzhaogou intrusion is 263 ± 4 Ma. The geochemical characteristics of the Yinzhaogou rocks are consistent with those of continental-arc tholeiite. The whole-rock εNd(t) value of gabbro in Yingzhaogou intrusion is 0.73 ~ 0.92, and the εHf(t) value of zircon is 8.33 ~ 13.50, indicating the characteristics of depleted mantle. We believe that the Xiyingzhaogou intrusion was formed in the Early Permian and originated from the mantle wedge metasomatized by subduction fluid. The Yingzhaogou intrusion was formed in an extensional continental-arc environment caused by the retreat of the subduction plate. Asthenospheric mantle and fluid metasomatic lithospheric mantle were jointly involved in the mantle source. This study confirmed that the subduction of the Paleo-Tethys oceanic slab should had started before the Early Permian and a wide magma arc formed due to flat subduction. The retreat of the subduction plate led to the extension of the East Kunlun region, resulting in the significant enhancement of magmatism in the Middle Permian.