Geochemistry and Geochronology of the Cenozoic Zhalaga Granitoids of the Yulong Alkali-rich Porphyry Belt in Eastern Tibet(Xizang), SW China: Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications

Large-scale Cenozoic magmatic rocks from the interplay between the Indian and Eurasian plate are exposed in the Yulong porphyry copper belt in the northern Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan domain.Alkali-rich magmas along the Yulong porphyry copper belt can reveal the tectono-magmatic processes in the Sanjiang region.In this study,we present new zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopes and whole rock geochemistry of Cenozoic granitoids from the Zhalaga area in the northern Yulong porphyry copper belt.The Zircon U-Pb dating results show that the Zhalaga granitic porphyry crystallized at ca.42-38 Ma.These porphyry deposits are depleted in Nb,Ta,Sr,and Ti enriched in alkaline and rare earth elements(REEs),and exhibit high zircon saturation temperatures,that strongly indicate A-type affinity.These data and the generally positiveεHf(t)values(2.0-4.5)suggest the magmas originated from a hybrid of partial melting of subduction-modified lithospheric mantle,possibly triggered by upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle.Geochronological and geochemical data of the current and previous studies distinguish three magmatic phases during the Cenozoic in the Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan region:(1)ca.62-48 Ma;(2)ca.44-30 Ma;and(3)ca.28-16 Ma.The strong collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates produced relatively fast convergence rates during the first episode(ca.62-48 Ma),whereas the subsequent right-lateral strike-slip faulting in the Jinshajiang fault zone initiated at ca.43 Ma is associated with the relatively low India-Eurasia convergence rates during ca.44-30 Ma.These significantly impacted the nature and spatial distribution of the magmatism and the large-scale metallogeny during the Cenozoic in the Sanjiang region.We suggest that the Zhalaga alkali-rich magmas occurred in a transition period from involving soft to hard collisional settings.This remarkable example demonstrates that alkali-rich magmas with A-type affinity are also generated in an orogenic tectonic setting.