Zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes of granitoids in the Yulekenhalasu copper ore district, northern Junggar, China: Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

• Four stages of intrusive magmatism (382–348 Ma) occurred in the Yulekenhalasu copper ore district.
• The Late Devonian diorite porphyry is the main ore-bearing rock body.
• The mineralized diorite porphyry might have originated from a mixed slab-derived and mantle wedge melt source.
• Late Devonian granitoids formed in an island arc environment.
• Early Carboniferous quartz porphyry was likely emplaced in a mature island arc environment.

The Yulekenhalasu porphyry copper deposit is located in the Kalaxiange'er metallogenic belt in northern Junggar, China. We present the results from zircon U–Pb geochronology, and geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotope analyses of the granitoids associated with the ore deposits with a view to constrain their petrogenesis and tectonic setting. The granitoids consist of quartz diorite, diorite porphyry, porphyritic monzonite, and quartz porphyry, emplaced at 382, 379, 375–374, and 348 Ma, respectively, which span Late Devonian to early Carboniferous ages. The ore-bearing intrusion is mainly diorite porphyry, with subordinate porphyritic monzonite. The Late Devonian intrusions are characterized by SiO2 contents of 54.5–64.79 wt.%, Na2O contents of 3.82–8.24 wt.%, enrichment in Na, light rare-earth elements (LREEs), and large ion lithophile elements. They also display relative depletion in Y, Ba, P, Nb, Ta, and Ti, and weak negative Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.6–0.87). The early Carboniferous quartz porphyry is characterized by high SiO2 content (72.26–73.35 wt.%), enrichment in LREEs, K, and Sr, and relative depletion in Y (10.82–12.52 ppm) and Yb (1.06–1.15 ppm). The Late Devonian and early Carboniferous granitoids are characterized by positive εNd(t) values (5.2–10.1, one sample at − 1.9), positive εHf(t) values (7.46–18.45), low (87Sr/86Sr)i values (0.70363–0.70476), and young crustal residence ages. These data indicate that the sources of the granitoids were mainly mantle-derived juvenile rocks. Geochemical and Nd–Sr–Hf isotopic data demonstrate that the Late Devonian granitoids formed in an oceanic island arc, and they were formed from different sources, among which the mineralized diorite porphyry might have originated from a mixed slab-derived and mantle wedge melt source. The early Carboniferous quartz porphyry was likely emplaced in a mature island arc environment, and was probably derived from juvenile crust.