Subduction Of Neo-Tethyan Oceanic Lithosphere Research Articles

THE ARABIA – EURASIA COLLISION ZONE IN IRAN: TECTONOSTRATIGRAPHIC AND STRUCTURAL SYNTHESIS

The Arabia – Eurasia collision zone in the central part of the Alpine – Himalayan orogenic system has had a complex deformation history since the Palaeozoic. In Iran, the collision zone consists of the Alborz‐Talesh, Kopeh Dagh and Zagros foldbelts and the intervening Central Iran area. In this review paper, we summarize the structural architecture and tectonostratigraphic characteristics of these domains and attempt to correlate regional deformation events between them. The results show that six regional‐scale deformation phases can be recognized and correlated in Iran over a time interval extending from the Late Palaeozoic to the Late Cenozoic.Late Palaeozoic rifting in northern Gondwana and subsequent oceanic spreading resulted in the separation of the Central and North Iran blocks from the Arabian Platform. These blocks later converged and collided with the southern margin of Eurasia due to the subduction of the intervening PalaeoTethys lithosphere (“Cimmerian orogeny”: Late Triassic). The convergent setting resulted in the initial development of the Alborz‐Talesh foldbelt in present‐day northern Iran, while extensional basins developed in the forebulge area in Central Iran. Continuing northward subduction of NeoTethyan oceanic lithosphere at the southern Eurasia margin produced Early Cretaceous back‐arc extension and associated volcanism in Central Iran and the Alborz‐Talesh area to the north. A phase of compressional deformation in the Late Cretaceous was related to the collision of a series of microcontinents derived from Northern Gondwana, including the Ercinjan and Bitlis massifs, with the Central Iran block, and is recorded in the Alborz‐Talesh foldbelt and in Central Iran. Further back‐arc extension in the late Paleocene – Eocene was accompanied by pervasive volcanism and volcaniclastic sedimentation throughout northern and Central Iran. The final closure of NeoTethys and convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian Plates evolved through phases of early Oligocene “soft” collision and middle Miocene “hard” collision. This was accompanied by thrusting in the internal parts of the Zagros foldbelt and by folding and subordinate thrusting in the more external parts, with related development of the flexural Mesopotamian Basin in the foreland to the SW.

Record of an oceanic island in the Neo-Tethys Ocean (lowermost Cretaceous Xiazha Formation, Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone, South Tibet)

The Xiazha Formation recently identified in the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone of southern Tibet has been considered as crucial evidence for early (pre-Cretaceous) subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. In this study, we carried out an integrated stratigraphic, petrographic, and geochemical study of the Xiazha Formation, which consists of abyssal chert, siliceous mudrocks, and calcareous turbidites deposited onto basaltic basement. Basalt geochemistry indicates alkali to tholeiitic magmas generated in a within-plate oceanic setting. The siliciclastic fraction contained in calcareous turbidites consists of plagioclase and mafic-rock fragments derived from the underlying basalts, and includes Cr-spinel grains with relatively high TiO2 and moderate Al2O3 concentrations pointing to an OIB source. Based on these data, and virtual lack of detritus of continental origin, we infer that the Xiazha Formation was deposited in oceanic island/plateau within the Neo-Tethyan domain. Its stratigraphy records an evolution from basaltic eruptions to the development of a carbonate platform surrounding the basaltic island, and finally to drowning of the atoll. The Xiazha Formation was not deposited in a subduction-related basin and, therefore, cannot be used as evidence for pre-Cretaceous initiation of the Yarlung subduction zone.

Late Cretaceous tectonothermal events of the Gangdese belt, southern Tibet

Abstract The Gangdese belt of the southern Lhasa terrane (southern Tibet) records a Chileantype accretionary orogeny driven by subduction of Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere, prior to Indo-Asian collision and formation of the Tibetan Plateau. We present detailed structural analysis of outcrops and a drill core in the Jiama copper ore district along with 40Ar-39Ar cooling ages from white mica, plagioclase, and potassium feldspar and zircon U-Pb geochronology of granitoids and sandstone. These data add new constraints to the formation of a major angular unconformity, deformation along and within the footwall of the Gangdese décollement, and the coupling between deformation and magmatism. Structural analysis indicates that top- to- the- south motion along the décollement produced southvergent folding and thrusting of Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous strata in the Gangdese back-arc basin. A synthesis of new and compiled age data reveals that the décollement and associated south-vergent deformation occurred between ca. 90 and 65 Ma, contemporaneous with the formation of a major ca. 85–69 Ma angular unconformity between the overlying Paleocene–Eocene Linzizong Formation and the underlying Upper Cretaceous Shexing Formation. We posit that this deformation in the Gangdese belt resulted from flat-slab subduction of the Neotethyan oceanic slab beneath the southern margin of the Asian continent. A flat-slab subduction geometry is consistent with previously documented synchronous thrusting in the forearc and back-arc basins as well as the observed arc magmatic lull of the Gangdese belt between ca. 80 and 65 Ma.

Late Cretaceous post-orogenic delamination in the western Gangdese arc: Evidence from geochronology, petrology, geochemistry, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes of intermediate–acidic igneous rocks

Late Mesozoic uplift of the Gangdese arc occurred prior to the India–Asia collision and was important in the evolution of the Tibetan plateau, but the geodynamic mechanisms that drove this process are unclear. In this paper, we report geochronological, petrological, geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data for intermediate–acidic igneous rocks from the western Gangdese arc. These igneous rocks were emplaced at 87–67 Ma and are characterized by enrichments in light rare earth and large-ion lithophile elements, depletions in high-field-strength elements, high ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i ratios (0.7074–0.7116), and low ε Nd (t) (−7.5 to −4.1) and ε Hf (t) values (−16 to 0.8). These magmas were most likely derived by high-temperature (960–1200 °C) partial melting of the thickened crustal materials, with minor mantle input, related to post-orogenic lithospheric delamination. The increasing ε Nd (t) and ε Hf (t) values and decreasing initial Sr isotope ratios from the ca. 87 Ma diorites to ca. 67 Ma diorites and rhyolites indicate an increasing mantle contribution as delamination proceeded. Estimated pressure conditions for the high-Sr/Y gabbroic diorites indicates the magmas were derived from crust at pressures of up to 19 kbar (i.e., a depth of ~66 km). Therefore, the western Gangdese arc had been thickened during the Late Cretaceous, possibly due to the flat-slab subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere and coeval collision of the Qiangtang–Lhasa terranes. • Intermediate–acidic rocks in the western Gangdese arc emplaced from 87 to 67 Ma. • Geochemical indices show they formed dominantly by melting of crustal material. • They formed at 960–1200 °C by melting of thickened crust with minor mantle input. • Nd-Hf-Sr isotopes indicate more mantle involvement following ongoing delamination. • Western Gangdese arc has been thickened during the Late Cretaceous.

Late Mesozoic diorites of the middle Gangdese magmatic belt of southern Tibet: New insights from SHRIMP U-Pb dating and Sr-Nd-Hf-O isotopes

The Gangdese magmatic belt, which formed by Mesozoic northward subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere and Early Mesozoic India-Asia collision, is an excellent natural laboratory for study of subducting slabs, crustal growth, the reworking of convergent continental margins and interaction of crust-mantle in general. Although many studies have examined this belt, the petrogenesis of arc magmas and the geodynamic architecture of the subducting slab are still contentious. Discoveries of igneous rock exposures are important in reconstructing the tectonic regime and evolution of southern Tibet, and provide new constraints on unresolved issues. Here we report two newly identified intermediate rocks, shedding new light on both the formation of arc-type magmas, and the tectonic evolution of the Neo-Tethys during the Late Mesozoic. Zircon SHRIMP II U-Pb dating indicates that a Late Cretaceous gabbro diorite pluton formed at 90.3 ± 1.4 Ma, and a Late Jurassic diorite porphyry pluton crystallized at 157.9 ± 2.3 Ma. The former has positive zircon εHf(t) values of 8.03–10.86 and whole-rock εNd(t) values of 4.11–4.37, with δ18Ozircon values of 5.84‰–6.70‰, slightly above the values of mantle zircon (5.3‰ ± 0.6‰). The latter also has positive zircon εHf(t) (10.29–12.77) and whole-rock εNd(t) (5.54–5.78) values, with normal mantle-like zircon δ18O values of 5.19‰ to 6.00‰. All samples of both plutons display arc-type signatures characterized by enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs) (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti and P). Based on multiple isotopic (Sr–Nd–Hf–O) and whole-rock geochemical characteristics, we conclude that the Late Cretaceous gabbro diorite was derived from partial melting of depleted mantle that had been metasomatized by subducted-sediment-derived melts (~5 vol%). The Late Jurassic diorite porphyry is inferred to be a product of fractional crystallization of primary andesitic magmas with limited contents of Fe-Ti oxide and amphibole, and minor plagioclase accumulation. Pelagic sediments and enriched materials were a negligible component of the precursor magmas of the diorite porphyry, relative to the gabbro diorite pluton. Considering the temporospatial distribution of igneous rocks over the whole Gangdese magmatic belt, we suggest that Late Jurassic magmatism was related to normal angle subduction of the Yarlung Tsangpo Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere, and early Late Cretaceous magmatism was triggered by rollback of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab.

Subduction initiation causes broad upper plate extension: The Late Cretaceous Iran example

Subduction initiation (SI) requires the sinking of one plate beneath another and this exerts extensional stress on the overlying plate. How broad a region is affected by SI-related extension is unclear because most of the clearest SI examples– such as Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc– are deep under the ocean. A major SI event is recorded in the Late Cretaceous forearc ophiolites of Iran, related to the subduction of Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath Eurasia. This caused extreme extension of the Iranian plate, up to ~1000 km away from the proto-trench and generated a series of back-arc oceanic basins, sedimentary basins, and core complexes and exhumed high-P rocks. The Late Cretaceous Iran example shows that SI can cause strong extension over a much wider region of the overriding plate than heretofore imagined and offers an accessible natural laboratory for studying SI processes. This understanding also provides an attractive new explanation for the origin of the South Caspian Sea.

Petrogenesis and U-Pb zircon geochronology of migmatitzation during Neo-Tethyan Jurassic magmatic arc extension: The Boroujerd example, western Iran

The migmatites in the Boroujerd region, Western Iran are spatially associated with felsic and mafic magmatism. However, the genetic relationship between partial melting and magmatism in the region is unclear. Four metapelite migmatite samples (two melanosome and two leucosome) were selected for U-Pb zircon geochronology to determine the timing of anatexis. Major and trace element compositions of leucosome in the migmatites are consistent with being derived from biotite-breakdown partial melting of metapelites and not from the injection of granites associated with the Boroujerd igneous complex. Cores of zircon from metapelitic migmatite are inferred to be detrital in origin and yield ages of 320–250 Ma. The age of the detrital zircons is compatible with the timing of Paleozoic and Mesozoic magmatism in the Central Iranian micro-plate. The pelitic protolith of the migmatites in the Boroujerd region were probably originated from the Mesozoic continental margin of the Central Iranian microplate. Zircon rims and neoblastic grains yield ages of 220–210 Ma and 170–160 Ma. The geological significance of the older age population is unclear, but the younger population is similar to that of mafic and felsic intrusions in the area and is interpreted to record the general timing of high-temperature–low-pressure contact metamorphism and partial melting. We infer that the Middle Jurassic mafic and felsic magmatism was the principal heat source for the metamorphism and partial melting of the Boroujerd migmatites in response to the subduction of Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere.

Amphibole as a witness of chromitite formation and fluid metasomatism in ophiolites

Abstract Here we present new occurrences of amphibole in a suite of chromitites, dunites, and harzburgites from the mantle sequence of the Lycian ophiolite in the Tauride Belt, southwest Turkey. The amphibole occurs both as interstitial grains among the major constituent minerals and as inclusions in chromite grains. The interstitial amphibole shows generally decreasing trends in Na2O and Al2O3 contents from the chromitites (0.14–1.54 wt% and 0.04–6.67 wt%, respectively) and the dunites (0.09–2.37 wt%; 0.12–11.9 wt%) to the host harzburgites (<0.61 wt%; 0.02–5.41 wt%). Amphibole inclusions in chromite of the amphibole-bearing harzburgites are poorer in Al2O3 (1.12–8.86 wt%), CaO (8.47–13.2 wt%), and Na2O (b.d.l.–1.38 wt%) than their counterparts in the amphibole-bearing chromitites (Al2O3 = 6.13–10.0 wt%; CaO = 12.1–12.9 wt%; Na2O = 1.11–1.91 wt%). Estimated crystallization temperatures for the interstitial amphibole grains and amphibole inclusions range from 706 to 974 °C, with the higher values in the latter. A comparison of amphibole inclusions in chromite with interstitial grains provides direct evidence for the involvement of water in chromitite formation and the presence of hydrous melt/fluid metasomatism in the peridotites during initial subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. The hydrous melts/fluids were released from the chromitites after being collected on chromite surfaces during crystallization. Different fluid/wall rock ratios are thought to have controlled the crystallization and composition of the Lycian amphibole and the extent of modification of the chromite and pyroxene grains in the peridotites. Considering the wide distribution of podiform chromitites in this ophiolite, the link between chromitite formation and melt/fluid metasomatism defined in our study may be applicable to other ophiolites worldwide.

Paleogene magmatic flex and flux in the Ladakh Arc, NW Himalaya: Chronostratigraphy of the Khardung Formation

The Ladakh Arc was formed by subduction of Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere along the southern Eurasian margin before magmatic activity ceased upon the continental collision between India and Eurasia. The onset of arc magmatism is critical in terms of understanding when this subduction began. Termination of arc activity is associated with continental collision; thus, the youngest arc magmatism provides a maximum age for this collision. Intra-arc volcaniclastic sequences provide a stratigraphic record of arc magmatism, but also information on input from older basement rocks. We provide detailed U–Pb detrital zircon chronostratigraphy for the Khardung Formation, which represents the volcanic equivalent of the Ladakh Batholith. The lower section of the Khardung Formation is mafic to andesitic and has a maximum depositional age of c. 60 Ma and the oldest inherited zircon age population from this lowermost section is c. 69 Ma. A switch to felsic volcanism occurred soon after and continued until at least c. 52 Ma. The youngest portion of the sequence has been removed by erosion or faulting along the Miocene dextral Karakoram Fault. However, detrital zircon data from the post-collisional Indus Group indicate that magmatism within the Ladakh Arc continued until c. 41 Ma. A compilation of U–Pb zircon data for the Ladakh Batholith paired with our new data from the volcaniclastic sequence, reveal an inverse relationship between alternating pulses of volcanic and plutonic activity within the arc. We suggest, this magmatic pattern may relate to alternating episodes of extension (volcanism) and compression (plutonism) imposed on the arc.

Cenozoic retrogression and exhumation of the amphibolites in the eastern Gangdese Belt, SW China

Abstract The collision between India and Asia is marked by the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone, which can be traced from Tibet into northwest Yunnan. The suture zone provides a record of the subduction of Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the Lhasa Block, creating the Gangdese magmatic belt, prior to the India–Asia collision. This paper reports petrological, zircon U–Pb, and whole-rock elemental and isotope data for amphibolite from the extension of the Gangdese belt in northwestern Yunnan. Two metamorphic stages are identified in relict amphibolite-facies rocks preserved in granitic gneisses from the belt. They are early amphibolite-facies metamorphism (M1) and late amphibolite-facies retrograde metamorphism (M2). The assemblage of M1 comprises garnet, amphibole, and plagioclase that formed at 0.89–0.97 GPa and 658–700 °C. Dating of syn-metamorphic zircons assigns this event to the middle Eocene (44–38 Ma). Symplectites (corona) of amphibole, plagioclase, and quartz surrounding garnet formed during retrograde stage M2, at 30–29 Ma, under P–T conditions of 0.41–0.68 GPa and 549–716 °C. The amphibolites display geochemical characteristics similar to those of mid-ocean ridge basalt, with eNd(t) values of +1.8 to +8.9, and are inferred to have formed in a back-arc-basin setting, suggesting that they constitute part of the lithospheric mantle of the Tengchong terrane that lies to the east. The amphibolite-facies metamorphism was related to underplating of the Indian plate during the India–Asia collision, which led to clockwise rotation of eastern Tibet during the middle Eocene, generating amphibolite recrystallization and, subsequently, with ongoing convergence of the two plates, exhumation of the region during the middle Oligocene.

From extension to tectonic inversion: Mid-Cretaceous onset of Andean-type orogeny in the Lhasa block and early topographic growth of Tibet

AbstractRecent studies have indicated that an Andean-type orogen (Lhasaplano) developed on the Lhasa block in the Cretaceous during northward subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. When and how uplift of the Lhasaplano began, however, has remained controversial. This article integrates stratigraphic, sedimentological, tectonic, and provenance data from the latest marine to nonmarine strata in the Linzhou Basin to pinpoint the early topographic growth in southern Tibet. The Takena Formation mainly consists of lagoonal carbonates and mudstones yielding foraminiferal assemblages of Early Aptian age (ca. 123–119.5 Ma). The conformably overlying lower member of the Shexing Formation, mainly deposited in fluvial environments, was fed by volcanic and sedimentary rock fragments from the north Lhasa terrane. Clasts of the Gangdese arc to the south firstly appeared in the middle member and became dominant in the upper member of the Shexing Formation. By contrast, coarse grained, braided river facies occur in the uppermost part of the Shexing Formation, where detritus was mostly recycled from Paleozoic strata of north Lhasa, with minor volcaniclastic contribution from the Gangdese arc. Basin analysis indicates accelerating subsidence and sedimentation rates during deposition of Takena to middle Shexing strata (ca. 125–108 Ma), followed by steady subsidence during deposition of upper Shexing strata (ca. 108–96 Ma). Given this regional tectonic and sedimentary evidence, such an evolution is interpreted to reflect tectonic extension followed by thermal subsidence. Basin inversion and regional compression initiated during deposition of the uppermost Shexing strata (ca. 96 Ma), as indicated by active thrust faults and widespread accumulation of syntectonic conglomerates in the western part of the Lhasa block. This event marked the beginning of the Andean-type orogeny in southern Tibet. Such a paleotectonic evolution, from extension to tectonic inversion, is also documented in the Andes mountain range. It may be typical of the early stage growth of Andean-type active continental margins.

The lower crust of the Gangdese magmatic arc, southern Tibet, implication for the growth of continental crust

Magmatic arcs are thought to be the primary sites of modern-day continental crustal growth, and arc crustal sections provide an exceptional opportunity to directly observe the geological processes that occur there, yet few deeply exposed arc sections are available for direct study. The Gangdese magmatic arc, southern Tibet, formed during the Mesozoic subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere and Cenozoic collision between the Indian and Asian continents, and represent juvenile continental crust. However, the petrological components and compositions of the lower crust of the Gangdese arc remain unknown. Based on detailed geological mapping, we conducted a systemic geochemical, geochronological and zircon Hf isotopic study of well-exposed high-grade metamorphic and migmatitic rocks from the lower crust of the eastern Gangdese arc. The results obtained show that Late Cretaceous garnet amphibolites, dioritic and granitic gneisses, and Paleocene–Eocene garnet amphibolites and granitic gneisses are the main components of the Gangdese lower arc crust. These meta-intrusive rocks witnessed a long period of magmatic, and metamorphic and anatectic processes from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Eocene, and have chemical compositions that range from ultramafic to felsic, with an average SiO2 content of 57.61 wt% and Mg# value of 0.49. These new data indicate firstly that the Gangdese lower arc crust has an overall intermediate composition and typical feature of juvenile crusts, and therefore supports the recent proposition that continental lower crusts are relatively felsic in composition, instead of mafic. We consider that the downward transport of felsic intrusives and associated sedimentary rocks into the deep crustal levels and subsequent partial melting resulted in componential and compositional changes of the Gangdese arc lower crust over time. This is a potential key mechanism in transforming primary lower arc crust to mature continental lower crust for the magmatic arcs with a complete growth history.

The bio-lithoclastic carbonate facies analysis: Şahinkaya Member Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) skeletal carbonate deposit, Sakarya Zone, NE Turkey

The eastern Sakarya Zone is consensually known as a back-arc setting during the Late Cretaceous period. The region has records, which are in accordance with the environments unstable and carbonate sedimentation formed into different stages of subduction-related conditions. The Tonya Formation that outcropped in the area represents the uppermost part of the Mesozoic sequence in the eastern Sakarya Zone. The Tonya Formation is mainly composed of calciclastic turbidites, including thin grey–red pelagic limestone. The Tonya Formation was subdivided into the Şahinkaya Member basing on its sedimentological properties and fauna contents. The Şahinkaya Member is interpreted as a thick carbonate succession of the Maastrichtian in the study area. To decipher the facies and depositional environment of the Şahinkaya Member, two measured sections were studied in the Cayirbagi-Calkoy area in terms of microfacies analyses. Here, six microfacies types were distinguished based on their depositional texture, petrographic characteristics, and fauna content. Bio-lithoclastic rudstones, grainstones, and packstones are common texture in the carbonates. For the first time, the conglomerate levels have been defined within the member and correspond to an unconformity surface or hiatus together with angular differences in the layers, which have developed due to regional tectonic events such as erosion/uplift and magmatic intrusions. The facies characteristics of the carbonates and the fossil fauna findings included in the Şahinkaya Member of the Tonya Formation point to the development of a slope/toe of slope environment. All the sedimentological properties, combined with the regional data, suggest that the member was deposited at the shore of the back-arc Black Sea basin during the northward subduction of Neotethyan Oceanic Lithosphere and affected by the outcrop of the subduction-related magmatic products.

Upper Cretaceous trench deposits of the Neo-Tethyan subduction zone: Jiachala Formation from Yarlung Zangbo suture zone in Tibet, China

The history of convergence between the India and the Asia plates, and of their subsequent collision which triggered the Himalayan orogeny is recorded in the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone. Exposed along the southern side of the suture, turbidites of the the Jiachala Formation fed largely from the Gangdese arc have long been considered as post-collisional foreland-basin deposits based on the reported occurrence of Paleocene-early Eocene dinoflagellate cysts and pollen assemblages. Because magmatic activity in the Gangdese arc continued through the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene, this scenario is incompatible with U-Pb ages of detrital zircons invariably older than the latest Cretaceous. To solve this conundrum, we carried out detailed stratigraphic, sedimentological, paleontological, and provenance analyses in the Gyangze and Sajia areas of southern Tibet, China. The Jiachala Formation consists of submarine fan deposits that lie in fault contact with the Zongzhuo Formation. Sandstone petrography together with U-Pb ages and Hf isotope ratios of detrital zircons indicate provenance from the Gangdese arc and central Lhasa terrane. Well preserved pollen or dinoflagellate cysts microfossils were not found in spite of careful research, and the youngest age obtained from zircon grain was ~ 84 Ma. Based on sedimentary facies, provenance analysis and tectonic position, we suggest that the Jiachala Formation was deposited during the Late Cretaceous (~88–84 Ma) in the trench formed along the southern edge of Asia during subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere.

Petrogenesis of Eocene granitoids and microgranular enclaves in the western Tengchong Block: Constraints on eastward subduction of the Neo-Tethys

Eocene granitic and related igneous rocks in the western Tengchong Block are considered to be the result of eastward subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the Tengchong Block. In this paper we show that the granitic and mafic rocks in the western Tengchong Block exhibit a systematic compositional variation from west to east, with Na-rich granodiorites in the Nabang area (west) that differ from coeval high-K calc-alkaline granodiorites in the Bangwan area (east), and with tholeiitic mafic rocks in the Nabang area that differ from shoshonitic mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) in granodiorites of the Bangwan area. In addition, high-silica biotite granites were intruded into the granodiorites in the Bangwan area. The host granodiorites, MMEs, and biotite granites in the Bangwan area yield zircon U–Pb ages of ca. 50Ma. The MMEs have relatively low SiO2 contents (53.1–64.95wt%) and Mg# values (37–45), and high K2O (4.14–5.02wt%) and ∑REE contents (331–509ppm); the MMEs contain acicular apatites that indicate quenching. The host granodiorites also have high K2O (4.48–5.95wt%) and ∑REE compositions (320–459ppm), and together with the MMEs they are enriched in Th but depleted in Nb and Ti. The Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the host granodiorites and the MMEs are similar, with εHf(t) values of −1.0 to −10.8 and 3.3 to −11.1, respectively. The geochemical data and igneous textures suggest that the MMEs represent a mafic magma that was derived from the partial melting of mantle pyroxenite, with the melting induced by the influx of fluids/melts from the recycling of sediments in the subducted slab. The mafic melts then caused the partial melting of lower crustal tonalitic rocks to produce granodioritic magma that was subsequently mixed with mafic magma. The biotite granites have relatively high SiO2 contents and low Mg# values that indicate a purely crustal origin and derivation from the partial melting of upper crustal metagraywacke. The similar isotopic compositions of the biotite granites and the granodiorites can be interpreted to reflect the influence of fluids released during crystallization of the granodiorites. A comparison of contemporaneous Eocene granitic and mafic rocks in Nabang, Tongbiguan, Longchuan, and Bangwan in the Tengchong Block reveals that the mafic rocks vary from tholeiitic through high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic in composition from west to east, while the granitic rocks vary from Na- to K-rich. These systematic compositional variations indicate that the arc magmatism in the western Tengchong Block was the result of the eastward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. Fluids or/and melts from the subducted slab (including sediments) are likely to have played an important role in producing these compositional variations.

Petrogenesis of Middle–Late Triassic volcanic rocks from the Gangdese belt, southern Lhasa terrane: Implications for early subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere

The Gangdese belt is dominantly composed of igneous rocks that formed during the northward subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the Lhasa terrane and has played a crucial role in understanding the pre-collisional evolution of southern Tibet. This paper presents new geochronological and geochemical (whole-rock major and trace element and Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotope) data for recently identified volcanic rocks exposed in Changguo area, southernmost part of the Lhasa terrane. Zircon U–Pb dating from six samples yields consistent ages of 237.1±1.1Ma to 211.7±1.5Ma for magma emplacement through volcanic eruption, showing the Middle–Late Triassic magmatic activity in the southernmost Gangdese Belt. The Changguo volcanic rocks are mainly composed of basaltic and andesitic rocks and exhibit LILE enrichment and HFSE depletion. They also exhibit relatively uniform Nd–Hf isotopic compositions (εNd(t)=+5.20 to +7.74 and εHf(t)zircon=+10.2 to +15.9). The basaltic magmas were likely sourced from partial melting of sub-arc mantle wedge that was metasomatized by not only the aqueous fluid derived from subducting altered oceanic crust but also hydrous melt derived from subducting seafloor sediments, and subsequently experienced fractional crystallization and juvenile crustal contamination during ascent. The andesitic magmas were generated by partial melting of mafic–ultramafic metasomes through melt/fluid–peridotite reaction at slab–mantle interface. Taking into account the temporal and spatial distribution of the Early Mesozoic magmatic rocks and regional detrital zircon data, we further propose that the northward subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the Lhasa terrane commenced by Middle Triassic.

Panafrican basement and Mesozoic gabbro in the Zagros orogenic belt in the Dorud–Azna region (NW Iran): Laser-ablation ICP–MS zircon ages and geochemistry

The Dorud–Azna region of the Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic zone (SSMZ) in NW Iran is part of the Zagros orogenic belt and exposes an amphibolite-grade metamorphic succession of mixed continental (e.g., the granitic Galeh–Doz orthogneiss) and oceanic or rift (e.g., various amphibolites) origin, which is intruded by the Darijune gabbro. Laser-ablation ICP–MS U–Pb zircon ages of 608±18Ma and 588±41Ma of the granitic Galeh–Doz orthogneiss indicate a Panafrican basement similar to that of the Yazd block of Central Iran. We therefore interpret this part of the SSMZ to represent a previously subducted part of the Panafrican basement of the Iranian microcontinent. Based on geochemistry, amphibolites and metagabbros from the Amphibolite unit representially potentially the cover on the Panafrican Galeh–Doz orthogneiss are interpreted to have their origin in a likely Upper Paleozoic to Mesozoic rift or E-MORB ophiolite succession. One of the metagabbros, here termed Dare-Hedavand metagabbro yield a 206Pb/238U mean age of 314.6±3.7Ma. Talc-bearing greenschists to epidote amphibolites of the Triassic June complex formed in a similar, but younger environment. Furthermore, the metamorphic complex is intruded by the Darijune gabbro, which yields a mean ICP–MS U–Pb zircon age of 170.2±3.1Ma. The final stage of likely Jurassic greenschist facies-grade metamorphism postdates the gabbro intrusion. We interpret the Darijune gabbro to have resulted from the initial subduction of Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere in a continental arc setting. The new data combined with data from literature indicate that the SSMZ represents a tectonic element of a mixed continental and oceanic origin, likely accreted to Central Iran during a Jurassic tectonic process. The new data also constrains thick-skinned nappe stacking within the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone.

Tectonostratigraphy and provenance of an accretionary complex within the Yarlung–Zangpo suture zone, southern Tibet: Insights into subduction–accretion processes in the Neo-Tethys

Accretionary complexes record critical information about the history of subduction and accretion along the southern margin of Asia prior to the India–Asia collision. This paper presents detailed field mapping, petrographic and detrital zircon U–Pb data from an accretionary complex within the Yalung–Zangpo suture zone, southern Tibet. From structurally higher to lower levels, the accretionary complex consists of a serpentinite mélange, the chert-matrix Tangga mélange, the mud-matrix Pomunong mélange, and the coherent Rongmawa Formation. The Tangga mélange consists of Late Triassic–Early Cretaceous abyssal chert and siliceous shale with blocks of chert and mafic to ultra-mafic rocks. The Tangga mélange was accreted beneath ophiolitic rocks during the Aptian. The Pomunong mélange consists of a Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous hemipelagic siliceous shale and chert matrix with blocks from Early Permian seamounts and from Late Cretaceous trench-fill sandstones; it was accreted beneath the Tangga mélange after the Aptian but prior to 71Ma. Structurally beneath these mélanges to the south, the uppermost Cretaceous Rongmawa Formation consists of turbiditic sandstone, pelagic chert, and siliceous shale and records a transition in depositional setting from lower abyssal plain to upper trench. Detrital zircons from sandstone blocks of the Pomunong mélange and the coherent Rongmawa Formation display similar U–Pb age spectra and are dominated by peaks at 71–231Ma, 481–693Ma, and 701–1372Ma. These age peaks overlap with igneous crystallization ages and detrital zircon ages from sedimentary strata in the Lhasa terrane. Our data indicate that the serpentinite mélange, Tangga mélange, Pomunong mélange and Rongmawa Formation comprise a southward-younging accretionary complex that developed during the northward subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the south margin of the Lhasa terrane and that all exposed ophiolitic and accretionary complex assemblages were accreted to the Asian margin prior to the India–Asia continental collision.