The thermal history of the miarolitic granite at Xincun, Fujian Province, China

Abstract

The thermal history of the late Mesozoic miarolitic granite has been studied based on zircon U-Pb dating, whole rock Rb-Sr dating and K-Ar dating of muscovite, biotite and K-feldspar from the same rock sample. From the beginning of zircon crystallization to the closure of K-Ar system of biotite, the granite body had a slow cooling rate (11.0°C/Ma) and an ascending rate (0.07 mm/a). From the end of this stage to the closure of K-Ar system of K-feldspar, the granite body increased its cooling rate (45°C/Ma) and ascending rate (0.36 mm/a). The thermal history of the Xincun granite with a slow cooling rate at the early stage and a fast cooling rate at the late stage may have been related to the fact that the Fujian coastal area had very high geothermal gradient in the late Mesozoic and evident decrease in geothermal gradient in the early Cenozoic.