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Early Permian to Late Triassic tectonics of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt: geochronological and geochemical constraints from gabbros and granites in the northern Alxa area, NW China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2020

Run-Wu Li Open the ORCID record for Run-Wu Li [Opens in a new window] ,
Xin Zhang ,
Qiang Shi ,
Wan-Feng Chen ,
Yi An ,
Yao-Shen Huang ,
Yi-Xin Liu  and
Jin-Rong Wang
Run-Wu Li
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, PR China
Xin Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Resources & Environmental Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan750021, PR China
Qiang Shi
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, PR China
Wan-Feng Chen
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, PR China
Yi An
Affiliation:
Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou510640, PR China
Yao-Shen Huang
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, PR China
Yi-Xin Liu
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, PR China
Jin-Rong Wang*
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, PR China
*
Author for correspondence: Jin-Rong Wang, Email: jrwang@lzu.edu.cn
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Abstract

Situated between the North China Craton to the east and the Tarim Craton to the west, the northern Alxa area in westernmost Inner Mongolia in China occupies a key location for interpreting the late-stage tectonic evolution of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating results reveal 282.2 ± 3.9 Ma gabbros and 216.3 ± 3.2 Ma granites from the Yagan metamorphic core complex in northern Alxa, NW China. The gabbros are characterized by low contents of Si, Na, K, Ti and P and high contents of Mg, Ca, Al and Fe. These gabbros have arc geochemical signatures with relative enrichments in large ion lithophile elements and depletions in high field strength elements, as well as negative εNd(t) (−0.91 to −0.54) and positive εHf(t) (2.59 to 6.37) values. These features indicate that a depleted mantle magma source metasomatized by subduction fluids/melts and contaminated by crustal materials was involved in the processes of magma migration and emplacement. The granites show high-K calc-alkaline and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous affinities, similar to A-type granites. They have positive εNd(t) (1.55 to 1.99) and εHf(t) (5.03 to 7.64) values. These features suggest that the granites were derived from the mixing of mantle and crustal sources and formed in a postcollisional tectonic setting. Considering previous studies, we infer that the final closure of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean in the central part of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt occurred in late Permian to Early–Middle Triassic times.

Keywords

Alxa areaCentral Asian Orogenic Beltgabbros and granitestectonicslate Permian to Early–Middle Triassic
Type
Original Article
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 157 , Issue 12 , December 2020 , pp. 2089 - 2105
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2020

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