An early Paleozoic accumulation-foundering cycle of ultramafic cumulates in the Harlik arc and its implications for continental crustal growth in the Altaids

Lower crustal ultramafic cumulates that are normally denser than the ambient mantle peridotites are prone to founder back into the convecting mantle, prompting the formation of continental Moho and andesitic crust at subduction zones. However, foundering events of ultramafic cumulates have not been widely reported in island arcs, including the Altaids, one of the largest accretionary orogens. The Altaids involved prominent continental crustal growth by the development of an archipelago in the Phanerozoic. But the scarcity of foundering events of ultramafic cumulates hinders a better understanding of the formation mechanism of andesitic crust in the Altaids. In this study, we report two dioritic plutons in the Harlik arc, southern Altaids, trying to identify the accumulation-foundering cycles of dense ultramafic cumulates. LA-ICP-MS dating revealed that the Miaoergou and Banfanggou plutons in the Harlik arc were intruded at ca. 445 +/- 6 Ma and 423 +/- 4 Ma, respectively. The homogeneous Miaoergou pluton is mainly composed of quartz diorites, they have a high- to medium-K calcalkaline composition, and show enrichments in light rare earth elements (LREE) and large ion lithophile elements (LILE), but depletions in high field strength elements (HFSE, especially Nb and Ta) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE). They also have juvenile isotopic signatures (epsilon Nd(t) = +3.3 - +3.7, initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70399-0.70452), which together suggest that they were derived from fractional crystallization of the coeval hydrous basaltic magmas in an arc setting. The heterogenous Banfanggou pluton comprises a spectrum of lithologies from hornblende gabbro to diorite. The hornblende gabbros and diorites have a high- to medium-K calc-alkaline composition, and show enrichments in LREE and LILE, but depletions in HREE and HFSE. They all have juvenile isotopic compositions with epsilon Nd(t) ranging from +3.5 to +4.2, and (87Sr/86Sr)i from 0.70384 to 0.7047, respectively, indicating that their parental magmas were intruded in a subduction-related setting, and underwent fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, amphibole and quartz. Both pulses of hydrous basaltic magmatism involved open-system conditions, with the development of mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) in the diorites and their mingling. In a synthesis of the published data, we found that the Harlik arc was continuously affected by subduction in the early Paleozoic, through extensive arc magmatism from ca. 452 to 440 Ma, the Harlik arc matured with the accumulation of thick ultramafic cumulates in its lower crust. The foundering of these ultramafic cumulates occurred later, which led to strong extension and related A-type granitic magmatism at ca. 436 Ma. This accumulation-foundering cycle of ultramafic cumulates facilitated the formation of andesitic composition and continental Moho in the Harlik arc, and contributed to the significant continental crustal growth in the Altaids.

Automated summary

In this study, two dioritic plutons in the Harlik arc of the Altaids were examined to understand the accumulation-foundering cycles of dense ultramafic cumulates. By analyzing their age and composition, it was found that these plutons played a significant role in the formation of andesitic crust and contributed to the continental crustal growth in the Altaids.