Coexisting High-Al and High-Cr Chromitites in the Dingqing Ophiolite (SE Tibet): Inferences to Compositional Heterogeneity in the Tethyan Upper Mantle

Abstract

The Dingqing ophiolite represents a significant allochthonous ophiolite nappe in the eastern segment of the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone in southeastern Tibet. The microanalytical data of associated podiform chromitites classify them into two distinct varieties: high-Al and high-Cr. The coexistence of both high-Cr and high-Al chromitites in the Dingqing ophiolite suggests a complex or multistage evolutionary history of the host rocks. New petrological and geochemical analyses are used herein to unravel the interrelationships between the chromitite ores and host rocks and assess the mechanism of formation. The Dingqing ophiolitic nappe is made up mainly of harzburgite, dunite, and less abundant pyroxenite and gabbro. Several small lens-shaped bodies of chromitite ore are mostly confined to the harzburgite rocks, with ore textures varying from massive to sparsely disseminated chromite. In addition to magnesiochromite, the orebodies contain minor amounts of olivine, amphibole, and serpentine. The textural relationships provide compelling evidence of plastic deformation and partial melting of the associated peridotites. Detailed examination of the Cr-spinel grains reveals a wide range of composition, spanning from high-Al (Cr# = 3.18–59.5) to high-Cr (Cr# 60.3–87.32). The abundances of the platinum-group element (PGE) in chromitites are significantly variable (93 to 274 ppb). Formation of the Dingqing peridotites most likely took place in a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) setting, and subsequent modifications by supra-subduction zone (SSZ) melts resulted in heterogenous or mixed geochemical characteristics of these rocks. Chemistry of the spinel–olivine–clinopyroxene assemblage demonstrates multiple stages of partial melting of the source mantle rocks, including an early phase of restricted partial melting (~20%–30%) and a later phase of extensive partial melting (>40%). The formation of the high-Al chromitite type was associated with the early phase (constrained melting), whereas extensive partial melting in the late stages likely led to the accumulation of high-Cr podiform chromitite bodies.