Tectonic environment of mesozoic volcanic rocks in the coastal areas of SE China

Abstract

Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the coastal areas of SE China consist predominantly of rhyolites and pyroclastic rocks, obviously distinct from island-arc volcanic rocks which consist mainly of andesitic rocks. Volcanic rocks in these areas mostly belong to the cale-alkaline series, and their geochemical characteristics are dissimilar to those of island-arc rocks. For example, the SiO2 content varies greatly from 47 to 81 percent, Fe2O3+FeO/MgO>2, K2O/Na2O>0.8, the contents of Rb, Sr, Ba, Th, U, and Zr are higher than those of island-arc calc-alkaline rocks, and K/Rb <400. Andesite in the coastal areas of SE China, for the most part, belongs to the alkali-calcic series (CaO<Na2O+K2O), typical of a continental tectonic environment. Geotectonic studies have shown that the ancient Eurasian continental margin in Mesozoic times was located to the east of the line linking Japan and Taiwan, and the present location of Mesozoic rocks is not an island-arc. area. In the light of their characteristically high alkalinity, the Mesozoic volcanic rocks are considered to have been formed in a continental environment rather in an island-arc environment. Their formation was controlled by a compresso-shear tranform fault system.