Miocene lamprophyre and felsic volcanics in the outer zone of SW Japan: arc building through multiple sources in an active convergent margin

Subduction-related magmatism is a significant contributor to arc building and continental growth. In the active convergent margin of the SW Japan arc, voluminous volcanic rocks and mafic dykes formed through subduction and back-arc rifting during Miocene. In this study, we investigate a suite of felsic volcanic rocks (rhyolite and dacite) and lamprophyres from central Shikoku Island, which occur in the north-central part of the Chichibu belt and Sanbagawa belt in the Outer zone of the SW Japan arc. Whole-rock geochemistry results show that the rhyolite and dacite samples are peraluminous, belong to the high-K calc-alkaline series, show LREE and LILE enrichment, HREE and HFSE depletion that suggest arc volcanic affinity. The lamprophyre samples belong to alkali lamprophyre, show LREE and HFSE enrichments, and display OIB (oceanic island basalt)-like geochemical features. The Pb-206/U-238 weighted mean ages of the zircons from the rhyolite and dacite samples range from 14.39 & PLUSMN; 0.21 Ma to 13.92 & PLUSMN; 0.30 Ma, whereas the lamprophyre shows Pb-206/U-238 weighted mean age of 12.21 & PLUSMN; 0.35 Ma. Zircon Lu-Hf isotope data suggest that the rhyolite and dacite were derived from the remelting of the arc crustal rocks and that the lamprophyre was derived from depleted mantle sources and was contaminated by crustal materials. The felsic volcanic rocks (rhyolite and dacite) can be correlated to Miocene (15.5 Ma to 13.5 Ma) magmatism in the Outer Zone of the SW Japan arc. The formation of lamprophyre dykes in the SW Japan arc may be related to the subhorizontal mantle flows beneath the SW Japan arc associated with the opening of the Japan Sea back-arc basin or asthenosphere upwelling through the slab-tear of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the SW Japan arc. Our study shows that the SW Japan Arc was built by multiple magmatism from diverse sources in an active convergent margin.

Automated summary

In this study, a suite of felsic volcanic rocks and lamprophyres from central Shikoku Island in SW Japan arc were investigated. The felsic volcanic rocks show characteristics of arc volcanic affinity and can be correlated to Miocene magmatism. The lamprophyres, on the other hand, display OIB-like geochemical features and were derived from depleted mantle sources contaminated by crustal materials.