Paleozoic post-collisional magmatism and high-temperature granulite-facies metamorphism coupling with lithospheric delamination of the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt, NW China

Highlights

• Post-collisional magmatism and high-temperature metamorphism at 420–380 Ma.

• Hornblendites derived from asthenospheric mantle with minor continental materials.

• Gabbros originated from previously metasomatized heterogeneous lithospheric mantle.

• S-type granites were generated by reworking of an ancient crust.

• Mafic magmas severed as an essential diving force for metamorphism and anataxis.

Abstract

Lithosphere extension and upwelling of asthenosphere at post-collisional stage of an orogenic cycle generally induce diverse magmatism and/or associated high-temperature metamorphism. Nevertheless, the intimate coexistence of post-collisional magmatic activity and high-temperature metamorphism is rare. In this contribution, a lithological assemblage composing of diverse magmatic rocks deriving from distinct magma sources and coeval high-temperature metamorphism was identified in eastern Kunlun. Petrography, ages, mineral chemistry and whole-rock geochemistry demonstrated that those intimately coexistent diverse rocks were genetically related to post-collisional extension. The garnet-bearing mafic granulites in Jinshuikou area interior of the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt are mainly composed of garnet, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase, with peak metamorphic P–T conditions of ~ 701–756 °C and 5.6–7.0 kbar, representing a granulite-facies metamorphism at 409.7 ± 1.7 Ma. The diverse contemporaneous magmatic rocks including hornblendites, gabbros and granites yield zircon U–Pb ages of 408.6 ± 2.5 Ma, 413.4 ± 4.6 Ma, and 387–407 Ma, respectively. The hornblendites show N-MORB-like REE patterns with (La/Sm)_N values of 0.85–0.94. They have positive zircon ε_Hf(t) values of 0.1–4.9 and whole-rock ε_Nd(t) values of 3.9–4.7 but relatively high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i values of 0.7081 to 0.7088. These features demonstrate that the hornblendites derived from a depleted asthenospheric mantle source with minor continental crustal materials in source. As for the gabbros, they exhibit arc-like elemental signatures, low zircon ε_Hf(t) values (−4.3 to 2.5) and variable whole-rock ε_Nd(t) values (−4.9 to 1.2) as well as high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i values (0.7068 to 0.7126), arguing for that they were originated from partial melting of heterogeneous lithospheric mantle anteriorly metasomatized by subducted-sediment released melts. Geochemistry of the granites defines their strongly peraluminous S-type signatures. Zircons from the granites yield a large range of ε_Hf(t) values ranging from −30.8 to −5.1, while the whole-rock samples yield consistent (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i values (0.7301 to 0.7342) and negative ε_Nd(t) values (−10.1 to −12.4). These features indicate that the S-type granites could be generated by reworking of an ancient crust. Taken together, the penecontemporaneous magmatism and metamorphic event, demonstrated the early-middle Devonian transition from crustal thickening to extensional collapse. The post-collisional mantle-derived magmas serve as an essential driving force for the high-temperature granulite-facies metamorphism and anataxis of the crust associated with formation of S-type granite. This study not only constructs a more detail Proto-Tethys evolution process of the eastern Kunlun, but also sheds new light on better understanding the intimate relationship between magmatism and metamorphism during post-collisional extensional collapse.