U–Pb geochronology and zircon composition of late Variscan S- and I-type granitoids from the Spanish Central System batholith

Abstract

The Spanish Central System (SCS) batholith, located in the Central Iberian Zone, is one of the largest masses of granite in the European Variscan Belt. This batholith is a composite unit of late- and post-kinematic granitoids dominated by S- and I-type series granite, with subordinate leucogranite and granodiorite. Zircon trace element contents, from two representative S-type and three I-type granitoids from the eastern portion of the SCS batholith, indicate a heterogeneous composition due to magma differentiation and co-crystallisation of other trace element-rich accessory phases. In situ, U–Pb dating of these zircons by SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS shows 479–462-Ma inherited zircon ages in the I-type intrusions, indicating the involvement of an Ordovician metaigneous protolith, while the S-type intrusions exclusively contain Cadomian and older zircon ages. The zircon crystallisation ages show that these granites have been emplaced at ca. 300 Ma with a time span between 303 ± 3 Ma and 298 ± 3 Ma. Precise dating by CA-ID-TIMS reveals a pulse at 305.7 ± 0.4 Ma and confirms the major pulse at 300.7 ± 0.6 Ma. These ages match the Permo-Carboniferous age for granulite-facies metamorphism of the lower crust under the SCS batholith and coincide with a widespread granitic event throughout the Southern Variscides. Ti-in zircon thermometry indicates temperatures between 844 and 784°C for both the S- and I-type granites, reinforcing the hypothesis that these granites are derived from deep crustal sources.