Petrogenesis of Jurassic granitic plutons in the Yanbian area, NE China: Implications for the subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific Plate

It is widely accepted that the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent began during the early Mesozoic; however, the details of the subduction process remain uncertain. This paper presents new zircon U-Pb-Hf and whole-rock geochemical data for Jurassic intrusive rocks from the Yanbian area of NE China to provide a better understanding of the subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. Zircon U-Pb dating results reveal that three stages of Jurassic magmatism are recorded in the Yanbian area, namely, Early Jurassic (188-179 Ma), Middle Jurassic (172-163 Ma), and Late Jurassic (158-156 Ma). Early Jurassic intrusive rocks from the Yanbian area are predominantly calc-alkaline gabbro, gabbro-diorite, quartz monzonite, granodiorite, and syenogranite. These geochemical features and rock associations are indicative of formation in an active continental margin setting related to the initial subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent. The Early Jurassic granitoids were formed mainly by the partial melting of heterogeneous lower crust. The Middle Jurassic granitoids are geochemically similar to adakites and have epsilon Hf(t) values of + 2.0 to + 10.1. These rocks are inferred to have been derived from magmas generated by the partial melting of thickened juvenile lower-crustal material. Their formation was related to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. Late Jurassic adakites in the Yanbian area formed in a compressional tectonic setting. Their negative epsilon Hf(t) values (-17.2 to - 8.6) and TDM2 ages (2025-1552 Ma) indicate that the primary magma was derived from the partial melting of ancient continental crust. Combining our data with the distribution of Late Jurassic igneous rocks in the NE Asian continental margin and the northward migration of Jurassic accretionary complexes along the margin, we conclude that the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent during the Late Jurassic-earliest Early Cretaceous had a low angle of obliquity.

Automated summary

This study presents new zircon U-Pb-Hf and whole-rock geochemical data for Jurassic intrusive rocks in the Yanbian area of NE China, providing insights into the subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. The study reveals three stages of Jurassic magmatism in the area, indicating the presence of an active continental margin related to the initial subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent.