Metasedimentary and igneous xenoliths from Tallante (Betic Cordillera, Spain): Inferences on crust–mantle interactions and clues for post-collisional volcanism magma sources

• The Tallante Volcano (Spain) exhumed a very heterogeneous xenolith association.
• They include peridotites, metasedimentary rocks, norites and amph/ph-clinopyroxenites.
• We present new Sr–Nd isotopic analyses and a U–Pb dating on zircon.
• Model ages and pseudo-isochrons indicate multiple tectono-magmatic episodes.
• We provide constraints for the genesis of the Neogene volcanism of the Betic area.

The deep seated xenolith association exhumed in the Pliocenic volcano of Tallante (Betic Cordillera, Spain) includes protogranular mantle peridotites, felsic (metasedimentary) crustal rocks, as well as cumulus igneous rocks such as norites and amphibole (± phlogopite)-clinopyroxenites. The whole xenolith suite equilibrated at the same pressure (0.7–0.9 GPa) representing the local crust–mantle boundary (MOHO) characterized by extreme lithological heterogeneity. This heterogeneity resulted from orogenic processes that induced the juxtaposition of crustal rocks (variably depleted in fusible components) within mantle domains including metasomes, as it is commonly observed in orogenic mantle massifs of the Mediterranean area. In this contribution, we report new mineral compositions of igneous parageneses recorded in these xenoliths, and we present Sr–Nd isotope data on both igneous and metasedimentary xenoliths that integrate those from the literature. Sr–Nd isotopes coherently indicate a restitic character of the metasedimentary xenoliths, which according to model ages were affected by partial melting in Paleozoic times. Sr–Nd isotopic errorchrons on the igneous xenoliths, on the other hand, qualitatively indicate Tertiary ages, which are corroborated by U–Pb zircon datings of one norite xenolith and two composite xenoliths having zircon-bearing norite veinlets. The new data are discussed proposing that MOHO lithologies of Tallante could provide significant source compositions for the genesis of the Neogene volcanics of the Betic area, which included calcalkaline lavas as well as more potassic products such as lamproites.