Zircon U–Pb dating,geochemical,and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic constraints on the age and origin of intermediate to felsic igneous rocks at South Altyn,Xinjiang,China

As a part of a giant trending fault system in the Asian continent and one where a strong zone of left strikeslip fault is present,the Altyn Orogenic belt(AOB)has become an important focus for research.Magmatic rocks are widely distributed across the AOB.However,many investigations have focused primarily on Paleozoic igneous rocks;discussion of Mesozoic related igneous activity is often ignored.Here we present the result of studies of representative diorite and granite rocks outcropping in the AOB,within the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,South Altyn,China.We present new zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age,geochemical,and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic data for these sample suites,identifying them as typical igneous rocks formed between 238±1.5 and 238.8±1.1 Ma.The rocks that we studied fall into the alkaline series,also enriched in light rare earth elements(LREE),some large ion lithophile elements(LILE;e.g.,Rb,Ba,Sr,and K),Pb,Th and U,and depleted in heavy rare earth elements(HREE),Nb,Ta,Hf,and Ti.The granite and diorite have high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios(0.7062-0.7114),negativeεNd(t)values(-8.8 to-11.3),εHf(t)values(-8.7 to-18.7),and relatively constant Pb isotopic ratios((206-Pb/204Pb)i=6.74-17.884,(207Pb/204Pb)i=15.51-15.58,and(208Pb/204Pb)i=35.36-38.04),respectively.This suggests that the magmas parental to these rocks were generated from the partial melting of the ancient crust.The parental magmas to these rocks experienced a degree of fractionation of plagioclase,K-feldspar,and hornblende,possibly during rapid magma ascent.Based on these studies,we propose a reasonable model for the origin of the investigated rocks from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of South Altyn,which involves crustal thickening,lithospheric extension,and asthenosphere upwelling,that induced crustal melting.

Geochemistry, Zircon U–Pb Dating and Hf Isotopic Characteristics of Neoproterozoic Granitoids in the Yaganbuyang Area, Altyn Tagh, NW China

The South Altyn continental block is an important geological unit of the Altyn Tagh orogenic belt, in which numerous Neoproterozoic granitoids crop out. Granitoids are mainly located in the Paxialayidang-Yaganbuyang area and can provide indispensable information on the dynamics of Rodinia supercontinent aggregation during the Neoproterozoic. Therefore, the study of granitoids can help us understand the formation and evolutionary history of the Altyn Tagh orogenic belt. In this work, we investigated the Yaganbuyang granitic pluton through petrography, geochemistry, zircon U-Pb chronology, and Hf isotope approaches. We obtained the following conclusions： （1） Yaganbuyang granitoids mainly consist of two-mica granite and granodiorite. Geochemical data suggested that these granitoids are peraluminous calc-alkaline or high-K calc-alkaline granite types. Zircon U-Pb data yielded ages of 939~7.1 Ma for granodiorite and ~954 Ma for granitoids, respectively. （2） The ~Hf（t） values of two--mica granite and granodiorite are in the range of-3.93 to ＋5.30 and -8.64 to ＋5.19, respectively. The Hf model ages （TDM2） of two-mica granite and granodiorite range from 1.59-.05 Ga and 1.62-2.35 Ga, respectively, indicating that the parental magma of these materials is derived from ancient crust with a portion of juvenUe crust. （3） Granitoids formed in a collisional orogen setting, which may be a response to Rodinia supercontinent convergence during the Neoproterozoic.