Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of Middle Ordovician Ocean Island Basalts from the Chagantaolegai Ophiolitic Melange in Junggar, NW China

Seamount accretion is one of the most significant accretionary orogenic processes in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, but there are few paleo-seamounts reported from and debate on the tectonic evolution of the Junggar Ocean still exists. In this study, we present geochronological, mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic data for basalts from the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic melanges in Junggar. Zircon U-Pb dating on one basalt yielded a weighted mean Pb-206/U-238 age of 469 +/- 7 Ma, which suggests that it formed in the Middle Ordovician. All rock samples belong to alkaline basalt and show similar geochemical characteristics, displaying high TiO2 (similar to 3 wt%), (La/Yb)(N) (17.6-19.0), sigma REE (232-289 ppm) and enrichment in Nb and Ta, which implies an ocean island basalt (OIB) affinity. Based upon positive epsilon(Nd)(t) (+4.16 to +4.23), Delta Nb (0.20-0.22) and low initial Sr-87/Sr-86 (0.70425 to 0.70452) and Zr/Nb (3.35-3.57), we suggest that the Chagantaolegai OIB samples were likely derived from a fertile mantle source related to plume. The OIB rock assemblage, chert and marble in the southern part of the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic melange indicates that a Middle Ordovician seamount was accreted to the Boshchekul-Chingiz arc due to the northward subduction of the Junggar-Balkhash Ocean.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the geochronological, mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic analysis of basalts from the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic melanges in Junggar. The results suggest that the alkaline basalt samples likely originated from a plume-related fertile mantle source and show characteristics indicative of seamount accretion.