Petrogenesis and geodynamic setting of Early Cretaceous felsic rocks in the Gan-Hang Belt, Southeast China: Constraints from geochronology and geochemistry of the tuffs and trachyandesitic rocks in Shengyuan volcanic Basin

The Late Mesozoic geology of the Gan-Hang Belt is characterized by extensive magmatism forming a belt of volcanic-intrusive complex. The geochronology, petrogenesis, and geodynamic setting of the Late Mesozoic magmatic rocks in the Gan-Hang Belt are still controversial. The Shengyuan volcanic Basin is located in the NW region of the belt and mainly contains crystal tuff, welded tuff, and trachyandesitic rocks. We integrate geochronological and geochemical data for these tuffs and trachyandesitic rocks, to explore the origin of these rocks and improve our understanding of the Late Mesozoic magmatic and tectonic evolution of the region. Zircon U-Pb dating shows that these samples were formed in the Early Cretaceous (135–137Ma). All the tuffs have a pronounced A2-type geochemical signature and their chemical compositions are controlled by crystal fractionation. All trachyandesitic rocks exhibit high K2O contents and were attributed to the shoshonite series; they are characterized by arc-like trace element distribution patterns, with significant enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) but depletion in high field-strength elements (HFSE). Moreover, all the tuffs and trachyandesitic rocks were characterized by negative whole rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t). An integrated interpretation of all these geochemical data leads to the conclusion that the Shengyuan trachyandesitic rocks were primarily derived from mantle materials and oceanic crust-derived melt. The Shengyuan tuffs were formed by the partial melting of the Proterozoic orthometamorphic and parametamorphic rocks. Our studies together with previous published data suggest that the Early Cretaceous A-type felsic rocks, with ages between 138Ma and 122Ma, occurred along the Gan-Hang Belt, indicating an important Late Mesozoic extensional event in the Belt. This event represents a back-arc tectonic setting due to the rollback of the Paleo-Pacific plate.