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U–Pb age and Hf isotopes of zircon from basaltic andesite and geochemical fingerprinting of the associated picrites in the Emeishan large igneous province, SW China

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Abstract

The ages of many picrites associated with Permian flood basalts in the Emeishan large igneous province, SW China have been debated for a long time. Some researchers believe that these picrites are co-magmatic with the flood basalts whereas others believe that they are Triassic picritic porphyrites or Cenozoic olivine-rich dikes. We report a U–Pb age of 256.2 ± 1.4 Ma for the youngest zircon grains from the Binchuan volcanic sequence which contains the disputed picrites. This age is within the range of values reported for the intrusive and extrusive rocks of the Emeishan large igneous province. The εHf values (−0.3 to 6.6) of the youngest zircon crystals from the Binchuan volcanic sequence are similar to those (−5 to 10) of co-magmatic zircon crystals from the intrusive rocks of the Emeishan large igneous province. Our new data confirm that the Binchuan volcanic sequence is an integral part of the Emeishan large igneous province. The disputed and undisputed picrites in Sichuan and Yunnan have similar olivine Fo-Ni-Mn compositions and whole-rock incompatible trace element ratios such as Th/Nb and Ti/Dy. This, together with their spatially close association with the Emeishan flood basalts, indicates that the disputed picrites also belong to the Emeishan large igneous province. The confusing Cenozoic olivine-rich dikes in the region can be distinguished from the picrites of the Emeishan large igneous province by their different olivine Fo-Ni-Mn compositions and whole-rock incompatible trace element ratios such as Th/Nb and Ti/Dy. The results from this study vindicate the use of the previously-disputed picrites as evidences for Permian mantle plume activity in SW China.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Piaoer Fu and Mr. Maochao Zhang for their field assistance. Constructive reviews by two anonymous reviewers and the handling editor, Dr. Leonid Danyushevsky are greatly appreciated. This work was financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41072056, 40973039), Key Laboratory of Western China’s Mineral Resources of Gansu Province in Lanzhou University (WCRMGS-2014-04), China Geology Survey (12120114044401) and the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams (KZZD-EW-TZ-20). The paper was written during the first author’s visit to Indiana University which was supported by a fellowship from China Scholarship Council (File No. 201206180107).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences and Gansu Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Qingyan Tang, Mingjie Zhang & Yao Lin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Chusi Li

  3. Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Chusi Li

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  1. Qingyan Tang
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Correspondence to Mingjie Zhang.

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Editorial handling: L. Danyushevsky

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Tang, Q., Li, C., Zhang, M. et al. U–Pb age and Hf isotopes of zircon from basaltic andesite and geochemical fingerprinting of the associated picrites in the Emeishan large igneous province, SW China. Miner Petrol 109, 103–114 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-014-0349-z

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