Early Carboniferous high-silica granites in the Kalejun Mountains, Chinese western Tianshan: Petrogenesis, tectonic setting and geodynamic implications for the South Tianshan Ocean

Early Carboniferous granitoids, distributed in the Yining and Central Tianshan blocks, Chinese western Tianshan, are important for deciphering their tectonic contexts and evolutionary history of the South Tianshan Ocean. Here we present LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages, in situ Hf isotopic data, and whole-rock geochemical data of the monzogranites and syenogranites from the Kalejun Mountains, southern part of the Yining Block, aiming to constrain their petrogenesis and geodynamic background. The results reveal that these monzogranites and syenogranites were emplaced at 356 Ma and 344 Ma, respectively. Geochemically, they are characterized by high SiO2 (68.74-75.76 wt.%) and K2O (4.58-6.18 wt%), low MgO (0.14-0.76 wt.%) and P2O5 (0.04-0.24 wt.%) contents. In addition, they are depleted in Ba, Sr, Eu, Ti, Nb, and Zr, and enriched in Rb, Cs, Th, and U. These features indicate that the Kalejun granites are high-silica I-type granites. The low positive epsilon(Hf)(t) values (+1.1 to +8.2) and old T-DM2(Hf) model ages (1294 to 827 Ma) of the studied zircons imply that the parental magma of these granites were derived from the reworking of Proterozoic basement with minor involvement of juvenile materials. Combined with the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous magmatic activities in the Yining and Central Tianshan blocks (e.g. the discovery of A-type bubble rhyolites and high-Mg andesites), it is suggested that the Kalejun granites were likely related to the roll-back of the South Tianshan oceanic slab. Finally, we argue that the subduction of South Tianshan Ocean probably terminated at the end of the Early Carboniferous.

Automated summary

Early Carboniferous granitoids in the Yining and Central Tianshan blocks of Chinese western Tianshan provide insights into the tectonic settings and evolutionary history of the South Tianshan Ocean. The monzogranites and syenogranites from the Kalejun Mountains in the southern Yining Block were emplaced at 356 Ma and 344 Ma respectively, characterized by high silica content and depleted in certain elements, suggesting a connection to the roll-back of the South Tianshan oceanic slab which likely ceased by the end of the Early Carboniferous.