Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4730801 | Journal of Asian Earth Sciences | 2014 | 15 Pages |
•The Longlou granite pluton dated at 73 Ma is the youngest one recognized so far in SE China.•It is generated in an active continental margin related to subduction of Paleo-Pacific plate.•Transition from Andean- to West Pacific-type continental margin of SE China occurred at 70 Ma.
We report in the paper integrated analyses of in situ zircon U–Pb ages, Hf–O isotopes, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotopes for the Longlou granite in northern Hainan Island, southeast China. SIMS zircon U–Pb dating results yield a crystallization age of ∼73 Ma for the Longlou granite, which is the youngest granite recognized in southeast China. The granite rocks are characterized by high SiO2 and K2O, weakly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.04–1.10), depletion in Sr, Ba and high field strength elements (HFSE) and enrichment in LREE and large ion lithophile elements (LILE). Chemical variations of the granite are dominated by fractional crystallization of feldspar, biotite, Ti–Fe oxides and apatite. Their whole-rock initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7073–0.7107) and εNd(t) (−4.6 to −6.6) and zircon εHf(t) (−5.0 to 0.8) values are broadly consistent with those of the Late Mesozoic granites in southeast China coast. Zircon δ18O values of 6.9–8.3‰ suggest insignificant involvement of supracrustal materials in the granites. These granites are likely generated by partial melting of medium- to high-K basaltic rocks in an active continental margin related to subduction of the Pacific plate. The ca. 73 Ma Longlou granite is broadly coeval with the Campanian (ca. 80–70 Ma) granitoid rocks in southwest Japan and South Korea, indicating that they might be formed along a common Andean-type active continental margin of east–southeast Asia. Tectonic transition from the Andean-type to the West Pacific-type continental margin of southeast China likely took place at ca.70 Ma, rather than ca. 90–85 Ma as previously thought.