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Geochemical characteristics and zircon U-Pb isotopic ages of island-arc basic igneous complexes from the Tianshui area in West Qinling

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Abstract

The Liushuigou intermediate-basic meta-igneous complex at Guanzizhen, Tianshui area, is mainly composed of metagabbro, metagabbro diorite and metadiorite, while the Baihua basic meta-igneous complex consists mainly of pyroxenite, gabbro (gabbro diorite), diorite and quartz diorite. They form a relatively complete comagmatic evolutionary series. The geochemical characteristics of intermediate-basic igneous rocks indicate that they belong to a tholeiite suite. Their chondrite-normalized REE patterns are nearly flat and are LREE-slightly enriched type, and their primitive mantle-normalized and MORB-normalized trace element spider-grams are generally similar; the LILEs Cs, Ba, Sr, Th and U are enriched, while Rb and K and the HFSEs Nb, P, Zr, Sm, Ti and Y are depleted. All these show comagmatic evolutionary and genetic characteristics. The tectonic environment discrimination by trace element reveals that these igneous complexes formed in an island-arc setting. The Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) single-grain zircon U-Pb age for the Liushuigou intermediate-basic meta-igneous rocks in the Guanzizhen area is (507.5±3.0) Ma, representing the age of these igneous complexes, which indicates that island-arc-type magmatite rocks in the northern zone of West Qinling are Late Cambrian and also reveals that the timing of subduction of the paleo-ocean basin represented by the Guanzizhen ophiolite and resulting island-arc-type magmatic activity are probably Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Earth Sciences and Land Resources, Chang’an University, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Pei Xianzhi, Li Zuochen, Liu Huibin, Li Gaoyang, Ding Saping, Li Yong, Hu Bo & Guo Junfeng

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  1. Pei Xianzhi
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  2. Li Zuochen
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  3. Liu Huibin
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  4. Li Gaoyang
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  5. Ding Saping
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  6. Li Yong
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  7. Hu Bo
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  8. Guo Junfeng
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Correspondence to Pei Xianzhi.

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Translated from Geology in China, 2005, 32(4): 529–540 [译自: 中国地质]

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Pei, X., Li, Z., Liu, H. et al. Geochemical characteristics and zircon U-Pb isotopic ages of island-arc basic igneous complexes from the Tianshui area in West Qinling. Front. Earth Sci. China 1, 49–59 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-007-0008-3

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