Geochronological and geochemical constraints on the Cuonadong leucogranite, eastern Himalaya

First comprehensive investigations of the Cuonadong leucogranite exposed in North Himalayan gneiss dome of southern Tibet are presented in this study.The SIMS U–Pb ages of oscillatory zircon rims scatter in a wide range from 34.1 to 16.0 Ma, and the Cuonadong leucogranite probably emplaced at 16.0 Ma. High-precision ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar dating on a muscovite sample yields an essentially flat age spectrum with consistent plateau and isochron ages, indicating that the Cuonadong leucogranite cooled below 450 °C at 14 Ma. Based on the youngest zircon U–Pb age and muscovite^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar age, the Cuonadong leucogranite experienced rapid cooling with a rate of 119 °C/Myr from 16 to 14 Ma. The geochronological data of this undeformed leucogranite also suggest that the ductile extension of the South Tibetan Detachment System in the eastern Himalaya ceased by ca. 14 Ma. Furthermore,the initial Sr–Nd isotopic compositions and Nd model ages demonstrate that the leucogranite was derived from metapelitic source within the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex. The distinct Ba depletion with high Rb/Sr ratios and negative Eu anomalies make it clear that the leucogranite melts were generated by breakdown of muscovite under fluid-absent conditions.

Genesis and Uranium Sources of Leucogranite-hosted Uranium Deposits in the Gaudeanmus Area, Central Damara Belt, Namibia: Study of Element and Nd Isotope Geochemistry

This paper presents a systematic study of major and trace elements and Sm-Nd isotopes in leucogranites closely related to uranium mineralization in the Gaudeanmus area, Namibia. The results illustrate that the uraniferous leucogranites possess high SiO2 （68.8wt%-76.0wt%, average 73.1wt%） and K （4.05wt%-7.78wt%, average 5.94wt%） contents, and are sub-alkaline and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, as reflected by A/CNK values of 0.96-1.07 with an average of 1.01. The leucogranites are rich in light rare earth elements （LREE/HREE = 2.53-7.71; （La/Yb）s = 2.14-10.40）, have moderate Eu depletion and high Rb/Sr ratios （2.03-5.50 with an average of 4.36）; meanwhile, they are enriched in Rb, K, Th, U and Pb, and depleted in Ba, Nb, Ta, and Sr. The tNd（t） values of uraninites range from -14.8 to -16.5, and the two-stage Nd model ages are 2.43-2.56 Ga. Detailed elemental and Sm-Nd isotopic geochemical characteristics suggest that the leucogranites were formed in a post- orogenic extensional environment. The U-rich pre-Damara basement was the main source of uranium during the primary mineralization event, which is disseminated in leucogranites, whereas the uranium mineralization in veins possibly resulted from remobilization of the primary uranium minerals.

Identifying the leucogranites in the Ailaoshan-Red River shear zone:Constraints on the timing of the southeastward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau

The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau significantly affected the global climate system.However,the timing of its uplift and the formation of its vast expanse are poorly understood.The occurrence of two types of leucogranites(the two-mica leucogranites and garnet-bearing leucogranites) identified in the Ailaoshan-Red River(ASRR) shear zone suggests an extension event in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.The age of these leucogranites could be used to constrain the timing of uplift and southeastward expansion of the plateau.Petrography,geochronology and geochemistry investigations,including Sr-Nd isotope analysis,were conducted on the two-mica leucogranites and garnet-bearing leucogranites from the ASRR shear zone.LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating indicates that these rocks were emplaced at ~27 Ma,implying that the Tibetan Plateau had already achieved maximum uplift prior to the late Oligocene.It subsequently started to expand southeastward as a result of crustal flow.Compared to classic metapelite-derived leucogranites from Himalaya,the two-mica leucogranites show high K_2 O/Na_2 O(1.31-1.92),low Rb/Sr,CaO,lower ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.7089-0.7164) and higher ε_(Nd)(t)(-8.83 to-3.10).This whole-rock geochemical characteristics likely indicates a mixing source origin,composed predominantly of amphibolite with subordinated metapelite,which is also evidenced by ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr vs.ε_(Nd)(t) diagram.However,The garnetbearing leucogranites with high SiO_2 contents(72.25-74.12 wt.%) have high initial ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.7332-0.7535) and low ε_(Nd)(t)(-16.36 to 18.98),indicating that they are derived from the source comprised of metapelite and results of fluexed muscovite melting under lower crustal level,which is also evidenced by the Rb-Sr-Ba systematics.These leucogranites formed from partial melting of the thickened lower crust,which resulted in the formation of granitic melt that weakened the crust.The weakened crust aided the left-lateral strikeslip movement of the ASRR shear zone,triggering the escape of the Indochina terrane in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during the late Oligocene.

C-H-O Stable Isotope, Elements and Fluid Geochemistry of Uraniferous Leucogranites in Gaudeanmus Area, Southern Central Zone, Damara Orogen, Namibia

This paper focuses on the effect of the later hydrotherm on uraniferous leucogranites and the stages of uranium mineralization. Here, we review C-H-O stable isotope, elements and fluid geochemistry of uraniferous leucogranites in Gaudeanmus, Namibia. The results show that there is significant increasing amount of rare earth element from non-mineralized to uraniferous leucogra-nites, indicating the synchronization of REE enrichment and uranium mineralization. Uranium enrichment may have close relations with Pb, Th, Co, Ni, REE in this region, so REE and U evidently exist homology. There are at least two stages of uranium mineralization by later hydrothermal alteration: firstly, due to magnatic residual high temperature and low salinity fluid, the temperature of main metallogenetic epoch ranges from 470°C to 530°C, salinity ranges from 3.55% to 9.60% NaCleq, and C, H, O stable isotope is -23‰ - -13.6‰, -53.3‰ - -46.4‰, 7.71‰ - 8.81‰, respectively. Secondly, due to superim-posed hydrothermal fluid, the temperature, salinity, and C, H, O stable isotope is 150°C - 220°C, 4.65% - 19.05% NaCleq, -20.3‰ -?-3.7‰, -64.7‰ - -53.6‰, 1.49‰ - 1.99‰, respectively. The fluid for reformation is derived from postmagmatic fluid, mixed with a number of meteoric water.

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MIOCENE LEUCOGRANITE IN THE ARUN VALLEY—EVEREST—MAKALU AREA:FIELD RELATIONS, PETROLOGY AND ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY

Large plutons and dyke networks of Miocene leucogranite, magnificently exposed in Makalu, Nuptse and Cho Oyu, occur in the Cho—Oyu—Everest—Makalu Range at the top of the Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC) nappe and along the South Tibetan Detachment (STD). In the Kharta\|Dzakar Chu area, in the western limb of the Arun transverse anticline, discordant leucogranite dykes were found in the Precambrian—Cambrian (?) sediments of the Tibetan Series just above the STD (North Col Formation), throughout the HHC nappe, in the thrust sheets of the MCT zone (Main Central Thrust II sensu Arita, 1983) and in the underlying granite gneisses of the Lesser Himalayan Crystallines (LHC) which crop out in the Ama Drime —Nyonno Ri Range. While Miocene leucogranites in the HHC and in the Tibetan Series are known from end to end of the Himalaya, Miocene leucogranites in the MCT zone and in the Lesser Himalaya have not been frequently described.

Zircon U-Pb Dating of Leucogranite in Lhozag and Its Geological Significance

The Himalayan leucograite, which is typical production of continent-continent collision orogenic belt, has become a research hotspot of the Tibetan Plateau. The research on the leucogranite would help to verify and improve the continent-continent collision orogenic theory. （Huang et al., 2017; Fig. la）. Previous studies show the Himalayan leucogranite was mainly melted from crust materials （Guo and Wilson, 2012）. But it remains controversial for the formation model as to whether it formed from gathering of dikes or diaper of deep magma chambers.

From source to emplacement:The origin of leucogranites from the Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalayas,India

Himalayan leucogranites are important for understanding the tectonic evolution of collision zones in general and the causes of crustal melting in the Himalayan orogen in particular.This paper aims to understand the melt source and emplacement age of the leucogranites from Sikkim in order to decipher the deep geodynamic processes of the eastern Himalayas.Zircon U-Pb analysis of the Higher Himalayan Sequence(HHS)metamorphic core reveals a prolonged period of crustal melting between>33 Ma and ca.14 Ma.Major and trace element abundances are presented for 27 leucogranites from North Sikkim that are classified into two-mica and tourmaline leucogranite types.They are peraluminous in composition,characterized by high SiO2(70.91-74.9 wt.%),Al2O3(13.69-15.82 wt.%),and low MgO(0.13-0.74 wt.%).Elemental abundances suggest that Sikkim Himalayan leucogranites are derived from crustal melts.The two-mica leucogranites are derived from a metagreywacke source,whereas the tourmaline leucogranites are sourced from metapelitic sources,with inherited zircons indicating an HHS origin for both types.U-Pb zircon geochronology of the two mica leucogranites indicates ages of ca.19-15 Ma,consistent with crustal melting recorded in HHS gneisses from Darjeeling.Monazites from both the two-mica and tourmaline leucogranites yield a crystallization age of ca.15-14 Ma,coeval with movement on the Main Central Thrust and South Tibetan Detachment System which further provides constraints on the timing and mechanism of petrogenesis of leucogranites in the Sikkim Himalayas.

Leucogranite mapping via convolutional recurrent neural networks and geochemical survey data in the Himalayan orogen

Geochemical survey data analysis is recognized as an implemented and feasible way for lithological mapping to assist mineral exploration.With respect to available approaches,recent methodological advances have focused on deep learning algorithms which provide access to learn and extract information directly from geochemical survey data through multi-level networks and outputting end-to-end classification.Accordingly,this study developed a lithological mapping framework with the joint application of a convolutional neural network(CNN)and a long short-term memory(LSTM).The CNN-LSTM model is dominant in correlation extraction from CNN layers and coupling interaction learning from LSTM layers.This hybrid approach was demonstrated by mapping leucogranites in the Himalayan orogen based on stream sediment geochemical survey data,where the targeted leucogranite was expected to be potential resources of rare metals such as Li,Be,and W mineralization.Three comparative case studies were carried out from both visual and quantitative perspectives to illustrate the superiority of the proposed model.A guided spatial distribution map of leucogranites in the Himalayan orogen,divided into high-,moderate-,and low-potential areas,was delineated by the success rate curve,which further improves the efficiency for identifying unmapped leucogranites through geological mapping.In light of these results,this study provides an alternative solution for lithologic mapping using geochemical survey data at a regional scale and reduces the risk for decision making associated with mineral exploration.

Cesium-rubidium mineralization in Himalayan leucogranites

This paper presents a study of a newly discovered pollucite-lepidolite-albite granite(PLAG)in the Himalayan leucogranite belt,which marks the first occurrence of pollucite,a major cesium silicate mineral,in the Himalayan orogenic belt(China).The rock appears at the northern part of the Gyirong pluton,coexisting with the tourmaline-bearing two-mica granite(TMG).Primary rare-metal minerals include lepidolite(Li),spodumene(Li),pollucite(Cs),cassiterite(Sn),and microlite(Ta).Micas,mainly lithian muscovite to lepidolite,contain 4.07 wt.%Li_2O and 0.76 wt.%Rb_2O on average.The average Li_2O content of the spodumene is 7.95 wt.%.Pollucite not only has an average Cs_2O content of 34 wt.%,but also has an elevated Rb_2O content of about 0.16 wt.%.Notably,this granite attains industrial grades for rare metals,specifically with Li_2O,Rb_2O,and Cs_2O contents of 0.49–1.19 wt.%,0.12–0.24 wt.%,and 0.69–2.33 wt.%,respectively.Dating results of magmatic accessory cassiterite and monazite indicated that the PLAG was formed at 19–18 Ma,slightly later than the TMG(22–20 Ma)of the Gyirong pluton.Thus,these two types of granites may form within the same magmatic system considering their pulsating intrusive contact,formation ages,and whole-rock and mineral chemical compositions.Furthermore,the abundant presence of pollucite suggests that the PLAG experienced high degrees of magmatic fractionation.In comparison to the Pusila spodumene pegmatite in the Himalaya and the Yashan topaz-lepidolite granite in Jiangxi,South China,the Gyirong PLAG exhibits different whole-rock and mineral compositions,resulting from differences in source materials and fractionation processes.Notably,the difference in fluorine(F)content may determine the degree of rare-metal element enrichment.The discovery of Gyirong PLAG highlights multiple stages and types of rare-metal mineralization in the Himalayan leucogranite belt,which is controlled by the South Tibetan Detachment System.The Cs-bearing geyserite deposit exposed along the Yarlung-Zangbo River,together with Himalayan leucogranites,constitutes two systems of rare-metal elements migration and enrichment.These two systems reflect the interaction among Earth systems across time and space,emphasizing how the Himalayan orogeny controls mineralization.As a result,the Himalayan leucogranite belt has considerable prospecting potential for cesium and rubidium resources and may be a crucial area for future exploration and resource utilization.

Barium isotope evidence for the role of magmatic fluids in the origin of Himalayan leucogranites

As an important post-collisional magmatic product in the orogenic belt, the Himalayan leucogranites are the critical host rocks for a number of rare-metal mineralization(such as Li, Be, Cs, Rb, Nb, Ta, and Sn).However, there is still a lack of good understanding on the formation and evolution of the leucogranites.Particularly, the role of the magmatic fluids in transporting and enriching the rare elements is not clear.Here we measure Ba isotope compositions for leucogranites from the Kampa Dome of the Himalayan belt to understand the fluid activity and behavior of fluid-mobile elements during leucogranite formation. Our results show that the δ138/134 Ba of leucogranites range from -1.32‰ to +0.12‰, much lower than the literature values for S-type granites and various sedimentary materials, suggesting that the Ba isotope compositions of the leucogranites does not reflect the sedimentary source signatures. Instead, their low δ138/134 Ba is accompanied by non-charge-and-radius-controlled(CHARAC) twin-element(such as Nb/Ta) behaviors, clearly showing the involvement of magmatic fluids during magma evolution.Experimental studies suggest that the low δ138/134 Ba of the magmatic fluids most likely results from exsolution from a large deep magma reservoir. Such fluids not only modified Ba isotope compositions of the leucogranites, but also transported many fluid-mobile metal elements which may help form the rare metal ore deposits. Therefore, Ba isotope data provide new insights into formation and evolution of magmatic fluids and exploration of the rare-metal mineralization.

Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of the Paiku Leucogranites,Northern Himalaya

The Himalayan leucogranites provide insights into the partial melting behavior of relatively deeper crustal rocks and tectono-magmatic history of the Himalayan Orogen. The Paiku leucogranites of northern Himalaya can be subdivided into two-mica leucogranite(TML), garnet-bearing leucogranite(GL), cordierite-bearing leucogranite(CL), and tourmaline-bearing leucogranite(TL). All of them are high-K, peraluminous, calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic rocks. They are enriched in light rare earth elements(LREE) and large ion lithophile elements(LILE), and show pronounced negative anomalies of Sr, Ba, K and Ti, but positive anomalies of Nb and Rb. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating of one TML, one GL, and two CL samples yielded variable 206Pb/238U ages ranging from 23.6 to 16.1 Ma, indicating the Paiku leucogranites underwent a low degree of partial melting process. Combining with previous studies, we suggest the Paiku leucogranites were derived from partial melting of metasedimentary rocks of the Higher Himalayan Sequence(HHS). The GL and TL mainly resulted from the muscovite-dehydration melting, whereas the TML and CL were mainly derived from the biotite-dehydration melting. Finally, it is concluded that the Paiku leucogranites were probably formed during the subduction of the Indian crust.

A preliminary study of rare-metal mineralization in the Himalayan leucogranite belts, South Tibet

The Himalayan leucogranite occurs as two extensive(>1000 km) E-W trending belts on the Tibetan Plateau with the unique features. The leucogranite comprised biotite granite, two-mica/muscovite granite, tourmaline granite and garnet granite, which have been identified in previous studies, as well as albite granite and granitic pegmatite that were identified in this investigation. Fifteen leucogranite plutons were studied and 12 were found to contain rare-metal bearing minerals such as beryl(the representative of Be mineralization), columbite-group minerals, tapiolite, pyrochlore-microlite, fergusonite, Nb-Ta rutile(the representative of Nb-Ta mineralization), and cassiterite(the representative of Sn mineralization) mainly based on the field trip,microscope observation and microprobe analysis. The preliminary result shows that the Himalayan leucogranite is commonly related to the rare-metal mineralization and warrants future investigation. Further exploration and intensive research work is important in determining the rare-metal resource potential of this area.

Water-Flux Melting of Amphibolite in Paleozoic Leucogranite from the North Qinling,Central China:Implication for Post Collisional Setting

Paleozoic granites can provide important insights of crustal differentiation and collision process of the North Qinling terrane. The Dafanggou leucogranites that intruded in the Qinling Complex is a Paleozoic granite with zircon U-Pb age of 404±6.4 Ma(MSWD=0.13, n=9). The leucogranites display moderate SiO2(68.4 wt.% to 71.7 wt.%) content and high Na2O/K2O(1.07 to 2.74) and Sr/Y(42 to 65) ratios, and low A/CNK(1.04 to 1.08) and Rb/Sr(0.09 to 0.16) ratios. Combined with negative ε(Nd)(t)(-10.4) and ε(Hf)(t)(-9.35 to-0.25) values and ancient TDM2 ages(1.2 to 1.7 Ga), suggesting the leucogranite are derived from ancient amphibolitic crust in the Qinling Group. In addition, the absence of coeval mafic igneous rocks or mafic enclaves occurred in the Dafanggou pluton and the low T(Zrn)(~700 ℃) of leucogranites preclude that the leucogranites derived from high temperature dehydration melting of amphibolite. Thus, we propose that the occurrence of the Dafanggou leucogranite indicates that water-flux melting of middle-lower crust in postcollision setting may be a potential model for the genesis of granites in collisional orogenic belt.

Relationship between radiogenic heat production in granitic rocks and emplacement age

Granites play a crucial role in the Earth's thermal regime and its evolution.Radiogenic heat production(RHP)by the decay of radioactive elements(U,Th,K)in granites is a significant parameter in estimating the thermal structure of the lithosphere.RHP variability of granites with their emplacement ages could provide insights for thermal modeling in different geological epochs.An aggregated RHP from 2877 globally-distributed granitic samples of continental crust are analyzed for this study;these sample cover the entire geological history.The average bulk RHP in all types of granitic rocks of all ages is 2.92±1.86μW/m^(3).The RHP tends to increase gradually with progressively younger geologic emplacement age,based on a statistical analysis of the data.However,the youngest granites do not necessarily have the highest RHP.The mean RHP in 181 representative Cenozoic Himalayan leucogranitesdwhich are the youngest granites found on Earth,is as low as 1.84μW/m^(3).This is probably related to the initial conditions of magma formation,magmatic source material,and differentiation processes in the HimalayaneTibetan plateau.By correcting the decay factor,variations of the RHP in the emplaced granitic rocks are obtained,indicating the changing levels of heat production and different thermal regimes on Earth in various geological epochs.The highest RHP in granitic rocks emplaced in the Archean and Early Proterozoic corresponds to two global-scale collisional events during supercontinent cycles,at 2.7 and 1.9 Ga respectively.RHPs of granites can be an important indicator in the study of Earth's thermal regime and its evolution.

淡色花岗岩的岩石学和地球化学特征及其成因

淡色花岗岩(leucogranite)是一类高铝高硅碱的酸性侵入岩,主要地球化学特征是:SiO2≥72%,Al2O3≥14%,Na2O+K2O^8.5%,富Rb,亏损Th、Ba、Sr,稀土总量较一般花岗岩低(∑REE=(40~120)×10-6),且表现为中等分异的轻稀土弱富集型,一般具有Eu负异常;Sr-Nd-Pb-O同位素指示其岩浆明显的陆壳来源。淡色花岗岩主要发育于陆壳(俯冲)碰撞加厚带,由逆冲折返的俯冲板片变沉积岩部分经过脱水熔融产生。淡色花岗岩可划分为三种不同的岩石类型:(1)二云母型淡色花岗岩,由变泥质岩(或变硬砂岩)在中地壳水平经黑云母(和/或白云母)脱水熔融产生;(2)电气石型淡色花岗岩,由变泥质岩在较低温度下经白云母脱水熔融产生;(3)石榴子石型淡色花岗岩,由长英质下地壳经黑云母脱水熔融产生。源区残留独居石、磷灰石等富REE矿物是淡色花岗岩亏损REE、Th等元素的原因。源岩为变泥质岩及源区残留钾长石是淡色花岗岩亏损Sr、Ba的主要原因。

Miocene Crustal Anatexis of Paleozoic Orthogneiss in the Zhada Area,Western Himalaya

Granitic gneiss(orthogneiss)and Himalayan leucogranite are widely distributed in the Himalayan orogen,but whether or not the granitic gneiss made a contribution to the Himalayan leucogranite remains unclear.In this study,we present the petrological,geochronological and geochemical results for orthogneisses and leucogranites from the Zhada area,Western Himalayas.Zhada orthogneiss is composed mainly of quartz,plagioclase,K-feldspar,biotite and muscovite,with accessory zircon and apatite.Orthogneiss zircon cathodoluminescence(CL)images show that most grains contain a core with oscillatory zoning,which indicates an igneous origin.Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe(SHRIMP)U-Pb dating of the zircon cores in the orthogneiss shows a weighted ^(206)Pb/^(238)U age of 515±4 Ma(early Paleozoic),with sponge-like zircon rims of 17.9±0.5 Ma(Miocene).Zhada leucogranite shows^(206)Pb/^(238)U ages ranging from 19.0±0.4 Ma to 12.4±0.2 Ma,the weighted average age being 16.2±0.4 Ma.The leucogranites have a low Ca content(<1 wt%),FeOt content(<1 wt%),Rb content(67.0-402 ppm),Sr content(<56.6 ppm),Ba content(3.35-238 ppm)and Rb/Sr ratio(0.5-14.7),which are similar to the geochemical characteristics of the Himalayan leucogranite derived from muscovite dehydration partial melting of metasediments and representative of most Himalayan leucogranites.The highly variable Na_(2)O+K_(2)O(4.33 wt%-9.13 wt%),Al_(2)O_(3)(8.44 wt%-13.51 wt%),ΣREE(40.2-191.0 ppm),Rb(67.0-402 ppm)and Nb(8.23-26.4 ppm)contents,^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr(t)ratios(0.7445-0.8605)andεNd(t)values(−3.6 to−8.2)indicate that the leucogranite is derived from a heterogenetic source.The nonradiogenic Nd isotope values of the studied Zhada leucogranite and orthogneiss range from−8.2 to−3.6 and from−8.7 to−4.1,respectively.Therefore,the general mixing equation was used to perform the Sr and Nd isotope mixing calculations.The results indicate that the heterogenetic source was the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence(THS)/Higher Himalayan Crystalline(HHC)metasediments and Zhada orthogneiss.The Zhada area experienced crustal anatexis during the Miocene and the heterogenetic source of the orthogneiss and metasediment may have experienced crustal anatexis controlled by muscovite dehydration.The Zhada leucogranite inherited not only the geochemical characteristics of the Himalayan metasediment(muscovite dehydration melting),but also the trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics of the Zhada orthogneiss.These results indicate that the Paleozoic Zhada orthogneiss was involved in crustal anatexis at 17.9±0.5 Ma(Miocene)and that the muscovite dehydration of the metasediments in the heterogenetic source produced fluid,which may have caused the orthogneiss solidus lines to decline,triggering a partial melting of the Zhada orthogneiss.It is therefore proposed that Himalayan leucogranite is a crust-derived granite rather than a S-type granite,as previously hypothesized.

Behavior of apatite in granitic melts derived from partial melting of muscovite in metasedimentary sources

Fluid-absent and fluid-fluxed melting of muscovite in metasedimentary sources are two types of crustal anatexis to produce the Himalaya Cenozoic leucogranites.Apatite grains separated from melts derived from the two types of parting melting have different geochemical compositions.The leucogranites derived from fluid-fluxed melting have relict apatite grains and magmatic crystallized apatite grains,by contrast,there are only crystallized apatite grains in the leucogranites derived from fluid-absent melting.Moreover,apatite grains crystallized from fluid-fluxed melting of muscovite contain higher Sr,but lower Th and LREE than those from fluid-absent melting of muscovite,which could be controlled by the distribution of partitioning coefficient(D_(Ap/Melt))between apatite and leucogranite.D_(Ap/Melt) in granites derived from fluidabsent melting is higher than those from fluid-fluxed melting.So,not only SiO_(2) and A/CNK,but also types of crustal anatexis are sensitive to trace element partition coefficients for apatite.In addition,due to being not susceptible to alteration,apatite has a high potential to yield information about petrogenetic processes that are invisible at the whole-rock scale and thus is a useful tool as a petrogenetic indicator.

Experimental study on dehydration melting of natural biotite-plagioclase gneiss from High Himalayas and implications for Himalayan crust anatexis

Here we present the results of dehydration melting, melt morphology and fluid migration based on the dehydration melting experiments on natural bio-tite-plagioclase gneiss performed at the pressure of 1.0-1.4 GPa, and at the temperature of 770-1028℃. Experimental results demonstrate that: (i) most of melt tends to be distributed along mineral boundaries forming 'melt film' even the amount of melt is less than 5 vol%; melt connectivity is controlled not only by melt topology but also by melt fraction; (ii) dehydration melting involves a series of subprocesses including subsoiidus dehydration reaction, fluid migration, vapor-present melting and vapor-absent melting; (iii) experiments produce peraluminous granitic melt whose composition is similar to that of High Himalayan leucogranites (HHLG) and the residual phase assemblage is Pl+Qz+ Gat+Bio+Opx±Cpx+IIm/Rut±Kfs and can be comparable with granulites observed in Himalayas. The experiments provide the evidence that biotite-plagioclase gneiss is one of

Experimental investigation of reactions between two-mica granite and boron-rich fluids: Implications for the formation of tourmaline granite

The genetic relationship between different types of granite is critical for understanding the formation and evolution of granitic magma. Fluid-rock interaction experiments between two-mica leucogranite and boron-rich fluids were carried out at 600–700°C and 200 MPa to investigate the effects of boron content in fluid and temperature on the reaction products. Our experimental results show that tourmaline granite can be produced by reactions between boron-rich fluid and two-mica granite.At 700°C, the addition of boron-rich fluid resulted in partial melting of two-mica granite and crystallization of tourmaline from the boron-rich partial melt. Increasing boron concentration in fluid promotes the melting of two-mica granite and the growth of tourmaline. No melt was produced in experiments at 600°C, in which Fe, Mg and Al released from biotite decomposition combined with boron from the fluid to form tourmaline under subsolidus conditions. The Na required for tourmaline crystallization derived from Na/K exchange between feldspar and the K released by biotite decomposition. The produced tourmaline generally has core-rim structures, indicating that the composition of melt or fluid evolved during tourmaline crystallization.Based on the experimental results, we propose that tourmaline granite veins or dikes can be formed by the reactions between boron-rich fluids, presumably produced by devolatilization of boron-bearing granitic magma, and incompletely crystallized granite at the top of the magma chamber. This 'self-metasomatism' involving boron-rich fluid in the late stage of magma crystallization could be an important mechanism for the formation of tourmaline granite.

Timing of Displacement along the Yardoi Detachment Fault,Southern Tibet:Insights from Zircon U-Pb and Mica 40Ar-39Ar Geochronology

The Yardoi dome is located in the eastern end of the northwest-southeast extending North Himalayan domes (NHD). The dome exposes a granite pluton in the core and three lithologictectonic units separated by the upper detachment fault and the lower detachment fault. The Yardoi detachment fault (YDF), corresponding to the lower detachment fault, is a 800 m strongly deformed top-NW shear zone. LA-1CP-MS zircon U-Pb dating yielded a crystallization ages of 19.57±0.23 to 15.5±0.11 Ma for the leucogranite dyke swarm, which indicates that the ductile motion along the YDF began at ca. 20 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar muscovite ages of 14.05±0.2 to 13.2±0.2 Ma and the 40Ar/39Ar biotite age of 13.15±0.2 Ma, suggest that the exhumation led to cooling through the 370℃ Ar closure temperature in muscovite at ~14 Ma to the 335℃ Ar closure temperature in biotite at ~13 Ma. Our new geochronological data from the Yardoi dome and other domes in the Tethyan Himalayan Sequences suggest that the ductile deformation in the region began at or before^36 Ma in a deep tectonic level, resulting in southward ductile flow at the mid-crustai tectonic level that continued from 20 to 13 Ma. Comparing the Yardoi dome to other domes in the NHD, the cooling ages show a clear diachronism and they are progressively younger from the West Himalayan to the East Himalayan.