Syntectonic emplacement of Late Cretaceous mafic dyke swarms in coastal southeastern China: Insights from magnetic fabrics, rock magnetism and field evidence

•Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility records stress and magma flow information.•Nearly vertical magma flow suggests that magma chambers were underneath.•Dyke emplacement was synchronous with local shearing in an extensional regime.•Changle-Nan'ao fault changed from sinistral to dextral strike-slip offset at ~ 90 Ma.

Magma flow directions for 6 Late Cretaceous mafic dyke swarms exposed in coastal southeastern China (SE China) were analyzed using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and field evidence. Normal AMS fabrics are predominant. The AMS of the dyke swarms originates mainly from the distribution anisotropy of intersertal magnetite that crystallized during late stage magma flow or after the magma cooled. The AMS fabrics record tectonic stress combined with magma flow. Sub-vertical to vertical magma flow is inferred from symmetrical imbricated magnetic foliations of dyke walls and field evidence for 5 dyke swarms. The inferred (sub-) vertical flow directions also indicate that the magma chambers were probably just beneath the sampled locations. Low anisotropy degree, different orientations of principal AMS axes, and asymmetrical magnetic foliations of normal fabrics oblique to dyke walls indicate syntectonic emplacement of the Late Cretaceous dyke swarms under an extensional tectonic regime caused by Paleo-Pacific plate subduction.