Discovery and Geological Significance of Neoproterozoic Bimodal Intrusive Rocks in the Dabie Orogen, China

Abstract

The Mingshan reservoir of the Dabie Orogen has a number of Neoproterozoic bimodal intrusive rocks. We focused on the zircon U-Pb chronology, Hf isotopes, and bulk-rock geochemistry of these rocks. The results showed the following: (1) The bimodal intrusive rocks mainly consist of monzogranitic gneiss and plagioamphibolite, with zircon U-Pb ages of 785.0 ± 7.1 Ma and 787.3 ± 6.1 Ma, respectively. These ages indicate that they were formed in the late Qingbaikou epoch of the Neoproterozoic era. (2) The monzogranitic gneiss was dominated by peraluminous features and displayed a strong right deviation of REE (rare-earth element) patterns and a negative δEu anomaly. It is enriched in the LILEs (large-ion lithophile elements) Rb, Ba, and K, but slightly depleted in Nb, Sr, P, and Ti, with low 10,000* Ga/Al values, indicating that it is similar to Al-type granite. The plagioamphibolite belongs to the metaluminous, peraluminous series. It has a Mg# (molar ratio of Mg to Mg + Fe) of 36.1~55.9 and is enriched in the LILEs Rb, Ba, and K, with a slight positive anomaly of Ba, and is depleted in Nb and Sr. (3) The monzogranite shows negative zircon εHf(t) values ranging from −13.4 to −7.2 and a Paleoproterozoic TDM2(Hf) (two-stage depleted mantle model age) of 1969–2298 Ma. The zircon εHf(t) values and TDM2(Hf) of the plagioamphibolite were concentrated around 2.9–5.7 and 1257–1410 Ma, respectively. The geochemistry and Hf isotopes show that the monzogranitic gneiss and plagioamphibolite have distinct magmatic sources. The plagioamphibolite formed from mantle and partial continental crustal materials. The monzogranitic gneiss, on the other hand, was formed as a result of the partial melting of the shallow ancient felsic crust caused by mafic rock heating or upwelling. Taking into account regional correlation, the middle Neoproterozoic bimodal intrusive rocks originated in the structural framework of an extensional setting.