A-type granite and adakitic magmatism association in Songpan-Garze fold belt, eastern Tibetan Plateau: Implication for lithospheric delamination

The Songpan-Garze fold belt covers a huge triangular area (> 200,000 km 2), confined by the South China (Yangtze), North China and Tibetan Plateau continental blocks. In the Songpan-Garze fold belt, Triassic adakitic granitoids have been identified. However, whether there are Triassic A-type granites is unclear. Here, we report our first finding of an A-type granite (Nianbaoyeche), which occurs in the central part of the Songpan-Garze fold belt. The Nianbaoyeche granite (similar to 820 km 2) is characterized by arfvedsonite in its mineral assemblage. Using both LA-ICPMS and TIMS U-Pb zircon dating methods, we obtain a magma crystallization age of 211 +/- 1 Ma, which is slightly younger than Triassic adakitic granitoids (216-221 Ma) in the Songpan-Garze fold belt. The Nianbaoyeche granite is enriched in Si, K, Na, Rb, REE, HFSE (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf), with elevated FeOtot/(FeOtot+MgO) and Ga/Al ratios, but is depleted in Al, Mg, Ca, Ba and Sr. The REE compositions show moderately fractionated patterns with (La/Yb)(N)=2.67-7.54 and Eu*/Eu=0.09-0.34. These geochemical characteristics indicate that the Nianbaoyeche granite has an A-type affinity. Geochemical data and U-Pb zircon age, combined with regional studies, show that the Nianbaoyeche granite formed in a post-collisional tectonic setting. Sr-Nd isotopic data for the granite exhibit I-Sr= 0.7090-0.7123 and epsilon(Nd)(t)=-2.72 to -4.26 with T-DM= 1.15-1.51 Ga, suggesting that the magma has a dominantly crustal source, though a minor contribution from the mantle cannot be ruled out. Melting to produce an A-type granite may have resulted from Triassic lithospheric delamination after Triassic crustal thickening of the Songpan-Garze fold belt due to convergence between the Yangtze, North China and North Tibet continental blocks. The lithospheric delamination model also helps to explain the Triassic adakitic magma generation in the Songpan-Garze belt. We conclude that association of A-type granite and adakitic granitoids in post-collisional environment could be a useful indicator of lithospheric delamination. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.