Heterogeneity of the late Mesozoic lithospheric mantle beneath the Jiaodong Peninsula, eastern North China Craton: a synthesis from geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes of mafic dykes

ABSTRACT

The Late Mesozoic lithospheric mantle evolution of the Jiaodong Peninsula is crucial for understanding the destruction of the eastern North China Craton (NCC) and large-scale gold mineralization, but it still remains highly controversial. Here, we comprehensively compiled published Late Mesozoic mafic dyke magmatism data from the Jiaodong Peninsula to provide key constraints on the nature and evolution of the lithospheric mantle. Mafic dykes are widely emplaced in the Jiaodong Peninsula and have been divided into two groups (Jiaobei terrane and Sulu orogenic belt); they mainly comprise lamprophyre, dolerite, and gabbro. The ages of the mafic dykes in the Jiaobei terrane are predominantly between 120 and 125 Ma, and those of the Sulu orogenic belt are between 110 and 120 Ma. The Jiaobei and Sulu mafic dykes both have high contents of Mg and compatible elements (Cr, Ni), as well as low SiO₂ content; they are characterized by arc-like mafic magma, including enrichment in Large Ion Lithophile Elements and Light Rare Earth Elements, depletion in High Field Strength Elements, high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i, and low ε_Nd(t), implying a metasomatized lithospheric mantle source. However, the Jiaobei mafic dykes have relatively higher (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i, lower ε_Nd(t), and a larger range of (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i, (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)ⁱ, and (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i compared with the Sulu mafic dykes. The Jiaobei and Sulu mafic dykes exhibit Ba/Rb ratios of 1.29‒64.39 (average 29.3) and 6.61‒108.28 (average 33.1), respectively, indicating the presence of hornblende in the melts. The high Fe/Mn (>60) and Zn/Fe (>12) ratios of Jiaobei and Sulu mafic dykes indicate the mixed mantle source of peridotite and pyroxenite. But the content of pyroxenite in the mantle source of Jiaobei terrane is higher with wider range of Fe/Mn and Zn/Fe ratios. These features indicate the heterogeneity of the mantle sources of the mafic dykes in the Jiaobei and Sulu regions. It is suggested that both regions originated from the partial melting of hornblende-bearing peridotite, with the addition of more pyroxenite to the mantle source of the Jiaobei terrane compared to Sulu orogenic belt. The mafic dykes have the low Nb/Zr (Jiaobei: 0.024–0.229; Sulu: 0.030–0.166) and Th/Zr ratios (Jiaobei: 0.017–0.081; Sulu: 0.010–0.068), and the high Rb/Y (Jiaobei: 0.347–12.162; Sulu: 0.224–9.600) and low Nb/Y ratios (Jiaobei: 0.202–1.486; Sulu: 0.140–1.322). It implies that the mantle source area in both regions was metasomatized by subducted slab-derived fluids. The increase in (La/Yb)_N and decrease in Hf/Sm implies carbonate metasomatism in both regions. In addition, some Jiaobei and Sulu mafic dykes have high Ti/Eu ratios, implying that the silicate metasomatism occurred in the mantle source of both regions. Based on the regional evolution, the lithospheric mantle source in the two regions beneath Jiaodong Peninsula experienced carbonated fluid metasomatism resulting from the subduction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean plate beneath the northern NCC (ca. ~250 Ma), silicate melt-related metasomatism from subduction of the Yangtze Craton plate beneath the southern NCC (ca. 240‒220 Ma), and oceanic slab-derived fluid metasomatism from the subducted Palaeo-Pacific plate (at 180‒110 Ma). It is believed that the mantle source of Jiaobei terrane had undergone stronger carbonated fluid metasomatism and silicate melt-related metasomatism, compared to Sulu orogenic belt. Moreover, the continental fluid-related metasomatism only occurred in the Sulu orogenic belt. During the Late Mesozoic, the eastern NCC experienced large-scale lithospheric thinning, leading to upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle. The mafic dykes in Jiaobei and Sulu, show different geochemical features, were derived from partial melting of the metasomatized lithospheric mantle through upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Late mesozoic
• lithospheric mantle
• Jiaodong peninsula
• mafic dykes
• mantle metasomatism

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42273063), Open Research Project from the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences (GPMR202312) and the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship (YESS) Program of the China Association for Science and Technology (YESS20220661).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2024.2335516

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42273063), Open Research Project from the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences (GPMR202312) and the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship (YESS) Program of the China Association for Science and Technology (YESS20220661).