Compositions and processes of lithospheric mantle beneath the west Cathaysia block, southeast China

The fertile and moderately refractory peridotite xenoliths have similar equilibrium temperatures, implying that the lithospheric mantle is not compositionally stratified. Integrated with published data, we suggest that the widespread fertile and moderately refractory lithospheric mantle beneath the studied area (west Cathaysia), even the whole South China, might be eroded or melt-rock reacted by upwelling asthenospheric materials. Finally, the cooling of the upwelled asthenospheric materials resulted in the formation of the accreted lithospheric mantle mixed with pre-existing moderately refractory volumes.