Middle Devonian Picrites of the Southern Margin of Altay Orogenic Belt and Implications for the Tectonic Setting and Petrogenesis

The Altay orogenic belt of Xinjiang in NW China represents one of the important sites of juvenile crustal growth during the Phanerozoic. However, some important issues, e.g., tectonic evolution and petrogenesis, still remain controversial. The picrites in the south margin of the Altay orogenic belt were discovered in the lower part of marine volcanic-sedimentary sequences of the northwest-striking Middle Devonian Beitashan Formation (Fm.), which consists chiefly of intermediate-basic volcanic rocks intercalated minor carbonate, siltstone and siliceous rocks. The picrites are usually highly porphyritic, and contain abundant forsteritic olivine phenocrysts with minor clinopyroxene distributed in the groundmass, which consist of olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase with minor Fe-Ti oxides. The MgO contents of the picrites range from 14 wt% to 22 wt% with Mg# (atomic Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratio) of 0.75-0.80. They are characterized by slightly negative Ti anomalies, remarkably negative Nb and Ta anomalies and slightly positive P and Sm anomalies with the similar abundances of HFSE as MORB on the MORB-normalized trace element patterns, all of which characterize typical island arc magmas. In combing with the southwestward migration of the magmas of the Beitashan Fm., we propose that the magmas may result from the southwestward subduction of Junggar ocean plate. The Zr/Nb ratios (23-66) of both picrites and basalts resemble the MORB (10-66), suggesting that they were derived from the MORB-like sources. However, the basalts and picrites display some distinguishable element ratios and REE patterns, e.g., Ti/V (23-35) and Zr/Sm (18-23) ratios of basalts are higher than those of picrites (14-17 and 14-15 respectively), and the basalts display flat-type REE-chondrite patterns whereas the picrites are characterized by lower total REE concentrations ((26-34)×10^-6) and slight enrichment of light REE. These distinguished geochemical characteristics could be interpreted by different partial melting degrees and mantle sources, i.e., the basalts were generated by lower partial melting of amphibole-bearing spinel peridotite which was metasomatized by fluids released from subducted oceanic crust, and the picrites were resulted from the higher degree of partial melting of metasomatized garnet peridotite under high temperature. In contrast, the andesite with significant LREE and LILE enrichment may be resulted from the partial melting of eclogites.

Discovery and Genetic Mechanism of Basic Granulite in the Altay Orogenic Belt, Xinjiang, NW China

Altay granulite (AG), which represents the product of high-grade metamorphism in the lower crust, was newly found in the Wuqiagou area, Fuyun County in the Altay orogenic belt, Northwest China. It is composed mainly of hypersthene, augite, basic plagioclase, amphibole and brown biotite. Its mineral compositions of amphibole and biotite are rich in Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) and Ti. Geochemically, the AG is enriched in Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) and A12O3, and poor in CaO, with depletion of U, Th, K and Rb contents. Furthermore, geochemical data reflect that the protolith of the AG is igneous-genetic calc-alkaline basalt formed under an island arc environment. The AG has ZREE of 92.38-96.58 ppm and enriched LREE model with weak positive Eu anomaly of 1.09-1.15. In the MORB normalized spider diagram, the AG shows tri-doming pattern with a strong negative Nb anomaly and medium negative P and Ti anomalies, reflecting that the AG has tectonic relation with subduction or subduction-related materials. The P-T conditions of peak metamorphism of the AG are 750-780℃ and >0.6-0.7 GPa. Retrograde metamorphism implies that the protolith of the Altay granulite might undergo a metamorphic process along a clockwise P-T trajectory. Therefore, the formation and evolution of the AG may have a genetic association with continental collision/orogeny and the AG was taken into the Late Paleozoic meta-strata by way of tectonic emplacement.

Science Letters:Discovery of ultrahigh-T spinel-garnet granulite with pure CO_2 fluid inclusions from the Altay erogenic belt, NW China

We first report discovery of the spinel-garnet-orthopyroxene granulite with pure CO2 fluid inclusions from the Fuyun region of the late Paleozoic Altay orogenic belt in Central Asia, NW China. The rock is characterized by an assemblage of garnet, orthopyroxene, spinel, cordierite, biotite, plagioclase and quartz. Symplectites of orthopyroxene and spinel, and orthopyroxene and cordierite indicate decompression under UHT conditions. Mineral chemistry shows that the or-thopyroxenes have high XMg and A12O3 contents (up to 9.23 wt%). Biotites are enriched in TiO2 and XMg and are stable under granulite facies conditions. The garnet and quartz from the rock carry monophase fluid inclusions which show peak melting temperatures of around -56.7℃, indicating a pure CO2 species being presented during the ultrahigh-T metamorphism in the Altay orogenic belt. The inclusions homogenize into a liquid phase at temperatures around 15.3-23.8℃ translating into CO2 densities of the order of 0.86-0.88 g/cm3. Based on preliminary mineral paragenesis, reaction textures and petrogenetic grid considerations, we infer that the rock was subjected to UHT conditions. The CO2-rich fluids were trapped during exhumation along a clockwise P-T path following isothermal decompression under UHT conditions.

Petrology, geochemistry and geodynamics of basic granulite from the Altay area, North Xinjiang, China

The basic granulite of the Altay orogenic belt occurs as tectonic lens in the Devonian medium- to lower-grade metamorphic beds through fault contact. The Altay granulite (AG) is an amphibole plagioclase two-pyroxene granulite and is mainly composed of two pyroxenes, plagioclase, amphibole and biotite. Its melano-minerals are rich in Mg/(Mg+Fe2+), and its amphibole and biotite are rich in TiO2. The AG is rich in Mg/(Mg+Fe2+), Al2O3 and depletion of U, Th and Rb contents. The AG has moderate ∑REE and LREE-enriched with weak positive Eu anomaly. The AG shows island-arc pattern with negative Nb, P and Ti anomalies, reflecting that formation of the AG may be associated with subduction. Geochemical and mineral composition data reflect that the protolith of the AG is calc-alkaline basalt and formed by granulite facies metamorphism having peak P-T conditions of 750 °C?780 °C and 0.6?0.7 Gpa. The AG formation underwent two stages was suggested. In the early stage of oceanic crustal subduction, calc-alkaline basalt with island-arc environment underwent granulite facies metamorphism to form the AG in deep crust, and in the late stage, the AG was thrust into the upper crust.