Petrogenesis and tectonic significance of the Eocene adakite-like rocks in western Yunnan, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

• The Eocene adakite-like rocks occur widely in Western Yunnan, southeastern Tibet.
• The adakites in the east of W Yunnan were derived from the partial melting of Neoproterozoic mafic rocks.
• The adakites in the west of W Yunnan resulted from the partial melting of Paleozoic–Mesozoic mafic rocks.
• Spatial changes of Hf and Nd isotopes of the adakites related to distinct components of the lower crust of W Yunnan.
• The adakites related to removal of thickened lithosphere during the collision orogeny.

Eocene magmatic rocks are widespread in western Yunnan, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, their petrogenesis and tectonic significance remain controversial. In this paper, we report geochemical and geochronological data of adakite-like rocks from the eastern part of western Yunnan. Zircon U–Pb dating reveals that they were emplaced at ca. 35 Ma. A geochemical study shows that these rocks have high SiO2 (68.97–72.44 wt.%), K2O (4.35–5.87 wt.%) and low MgO (0.61–1.16 wt.%), Y (6.65–12.6 ppm) and Yb (0.58–1.02 ppm) contents as well as high Sr/Y (74–228) and La/Yb (59–131) values, belonging to high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic adakite-like rocks. These rocks have high (87Sr/86Sr)i (0.70623–0.70653), low εNd(t) (− 4.5 to − 7.5) and slightly low radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions with (206Pb/204Pb)i = 18.042–18.179. Zircons of these rocks show εHf(t) values ranging from − 6.3 to + 1.2 and model ages (TDM2) of 1513–1035 Ma. The geochemical characteristics indicate that the Eocene adakite-like rocks from the eastern part of western Yunnan were derived from the partial melting of Neoproterozoic mafic rocks underplated in the lower crust of the western margin of the Yangtze Plate with input of mantle-derived potassic–ultrapotassic melt. Integration of published geochemical data clearly shows that zircon εHf(t) and whole-rock εNd(t) values of Eocene adakite-like rocks from the whole western Yunnan exhibit a trend of westward increase. We infer that the adakite-like rocks from the western part of western Yunnan were derived from the partial melting of late Paleozoic–Mesozoic mafic rocks formed as the lower crust of a continental magmatic arc during eastward subduction of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean, and the Eocene magmatic rocks in western Yunnan were generated during the removal of thickened continental lithosphere triggered by the India and Asia collision.