Late Devonian OIB alkaline gabbro in the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone: Remnants of the Paleo-Tethys?

The Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) is believed to be composed of material largely derived from the destruction of the Neo-Tethys that occurred from early Mesozoic to early Cenozoic. We report here geochronological and petrological data obtained for newly discovered alkaline gabbro blocks embedded in a mélange zone of the western YZSZ. Single zircon U–Pb analyses from one representative gabbro sample by SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) yielded a combined crystallization age of about 363.7 ± 1.7 Ma (1σ). In situ Hf isotopic analyses yielded εHf(t) values of + 2.6 to + 5.5, suggesting an enriched mantle source. All of the gabbro samples show typical Ocean Island Basalt (OIB) affinity with little or no continental crust contamination. They also display strong geochemical similarities with the Hawaii basalts and the Xigaze seamount basalts suggestive of their intra-oceanic setting. These observations, in combination with the Early Carboniferous layered gabbros reported at Luobusa, indicate that these rocks could represent remnants of the Paleo-Tethys. We propose that a branch ocean separating the Western Qiangtang terrane and the Lhasa terrane from the Gondwana continent might have been present during the Late Devonian and the Early Carboniferous, providing new constrains on the configuration of Paleo-Tethys in Tibetan Plateau during early Late Paleozoic.

Research Highlights► Late Devonian OIB alkaline gabbro occurs in the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone; the gabbro samples show typical Ocean Island Basalt affinity; a branch ocean separates the Qiangtang and the Lhasa from Gondwana during Devonian.