The south-eastern part of the Carpathian-Pannonian region records the cessation of convergence between the European platform/ Moesia and the Tisza-Dacia microplate. Magmatic activity in this area, in close proximity to the 'Vrancea zone', shows a shift from normal calc-alkaline to much more diverse compositions (adakite-like calc-alkaline, K24 alkalic, mafic Na-alkaline and ultrapotassic) in the Pliocene-Quaternary, suggesting a significant change in geodynamic processes at approximately 3 Ma. We review the tectonic setting, timing, petrology and geochemistry of the post-collisional volcanism to constrain the role of geodynamics on melt production and migration. The calc-alkaline volcanism (5.3-3.9 Ma) marks the end of normal subduction-related magmatism along the post-collision Călimani-Gurghiu-Harghita volcanic chain in front of the European convergent plate margin. At ca. 3 Ma magma compositions changed in South Harghita to adakite-like calc-alkaline and continued until recent times (< 0.03 Ma) interrupted at 1.6-1.2 Ma by generation of Na and K alkalic varieties, signifying changes in the source and melting mechanism. We attribute the progressive change in magma composition in front of the Moesian platform to two main geodynamic events: (1) slab-pull and steepening with opening of a tear window (adakite-like calc-alkaline magmas) and (2) inversion tectonics (Na and K alkalic magmas). Contemporaneous post-collision volcanism at the eastern edge of the Pannonian Basin at 2.6-1.3 Ma was dominated by Na alkalic and ultrapotassic magmas, suggesting a close relationship with thermal rifting and inversion tectonics. Similar timing, magma chamber processes and volume for K-alkalic (shoshonitic) magmas in the South Apuseni Mountains (1.6 Ma) and South Harghita area at a distance of ca. 200 km imply a regional connection with the inversion tectonics. Key words: Post-collisional slab mechanics, calc-alkaline, adakite-like, Na-alkalic, K-alkalic and ultrapotassic magmas.
IntroductionPost-collision magmatism at convergent plate boundaries is very complex and is usually characterized by the presence of adakite-like and/or alkaline magmas, e.g. in the Mediterranean (Duggen et al., 2005), Tibet (Turner et al., 1996;Mo et al., 2006) and Baja California (Negrete-Aranda and Cañon-Tapia, 2008). The existence of such magmas may be associated with the post-collisional evolution of inherited slabs. A typical Africa-European collision zone includes a subduction stage characterized by roll-back associated with extensional back-arc volcanism in highly arcuate orogenic settings (Faccenna et al., 2004;Harangi et al., 2006). The SE Carpathians is a region where the post-collisional stage of a highly arcuate orogen is associated with unusual volcanism, where the final stage of roll-back of the slab can be seen in the high-velocity intermediate-depth mantle anomaly detected by seismic tomography studies (e.g., Martin et al., 2006), associated with the Vrancea seismic zone (e.g., Oncescu and Bonjer, 1997). After the collision at 11...