Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet
The Zhegu region, located in southern Tibet, is positioned within the central and eastern segments of the Tethys Himalayan tectonic belt. In this area, mafic igneous rocks are predominantly intrusion into Jurassic strata, occurring as vein-like bodies. This study presents zircon U-Pb age determinati...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1513583/full |
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| author | Ming Cheng Saijun Sun Saijun Sun Yuanlin Lou Yuanlin Lou Yuanlin Lou Yingzi Min Yao Tang Xinyue Li Ming Zhang Xuming Hu Tianyong Wan Hao Zou Kaihong Xu Chao Chen Junjie Zhang Junjie Zhang Wei Guo |
| author_facet | Ming Cheng Saijun Sun Saijun Sun Yuanlin Lou Yuanlin Lou Yuanlin Lou Yingzi Min Yao Tang Xinyue Li Ming Zhang Xuming Hu Tianyong Wan Hao Zou Kaihong Xu Chao Chen Junjie Zhang Junjie Zhang Wei Guo |
| author_sort | Ming Cheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Zhegu region, located in southern Tibet, is positioned within the central and eastern segments of the Tethys Himalayan tectonic belt. In this area, mafic igneous rocks are predominantly intrusion into Jurassic strata, occurring as vein-like bodies. This study presents zircon U-Pb age determinations and whole-rock geochemical analyses of diabase and gabbro samples from the region, aimed at elucidating their petrogenesis and geodynamic background. The zircon U-Pb ages yield crystallization ages of 130.7 ± 1.5 Ma for diabase and 131.6 ± 2.5 Ma for gabbro, both of which are consistent with the crystallization ages of ocean island basalt (OIB)-type mafic rocks in the Comei Large Igneous Province (130–136 Ma). Geochemical data reveal that these mafic rocks are characterized by elevated TiO2, FeOT, and P2O5 contents, alongside relatively low MgO content, indicative of tholeiitic affinities. They exhibit enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and high field strength elements (HFSEs) such as Nb, Hf and Y, resembling OIB signatures. These rocks show evidence of fractional crystallization without significant crustal contamination. Melting models suggest that the magmas originated from partial melting of a garnet-lherzolite mantle source. The petrogenetic characteristics of these rocks reflect interactions between the Kerguelen mantle plume and the overlying lithospheric mantle. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ac15908fe6f4086b10dee09f1f254f42025-08-20T03:17:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632025-07-011310.3389/feart.2025.15135831513583Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern TibetMing Cheng0Saijun Sun1Saijun Sun2Yuanlin Lou3Yuanlin Lou4Yuanlin Lou5Yingzi Min6Yao Tang7Xinyue Li8Ming Zhang9Xuming Hu10Tianyong Wan11Hao Zou12Kaihong Xu13Chao Chen14Junjie Zhang15Junjie Zhang16Wei Guo17Changsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaLaboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, ChinaCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaInstitute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, ChinaChina University of Geosciences, Beijing, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaKunming General Survey of Natural Resources Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaLaboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, ChinaCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, ChinaChangsha Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Changsha, ChinaThe Zhegu region, located in southern Tibet, is positioned within the central and eastern segments of the Tethys Himalayan tectonic belt. In this area, mafic igneous rocks are predominantly intrusion into Jurassic strata, occurring as vein-like bodies. This study presents zircon U-Pb age determinations and whole-rock geochemical analyses of diabase and gabbro samples from the region, aimed at elucidating their petrogenesis and geodynamic background. The zircon U-Pb ages yield crystallization ages of 130.7 ± 1.5 Ma for diabase and 131.6 ± 2.5 Ma for gabbro, both of which are consistent with the crystallization ages of ocean island basalt (OIB)-type mafic rocks in the Comei Large Igneous Province (130–136 Ma). Geochemical data reveal that these mafic rocks are characterized by elevated TiO2, FeOT, and P2O5 contents, alongside relatively low MgO content, indicative of tholeiitic affinities. They exhibit enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and high field strength elements (HFSEs) such as Nb, Hf and Y, resembling OIB signatures. These rocks show evidence of fractional crystallization without significant crustal contamination. Melting models suggest that the magmas originated from partial melting of a garnet-lherzolite mantle source. The petrogenetic characteristics of these rocks reflect interactions between the Kerguelen mantle plume and the overlying lithospheric mantle.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1513583/fullzircon U-Pb agewhole-rock geochemistryOIB-like type mafic rocksKerguelen mantle plumesouthern Tibet |
| spellingShingle | Ming Cheng Saijun Sun Saijun Sun Yuanlin Lou Yuanlin Lou Yuanlin Lou Yingzi Min Yao Tang Xinyue Li Ming Zhang Xuming Hu Tianyong Wan Hao Zou Kaihong Xu Chao Chen Junjie Zhang Junjie Zhang Wei Guo Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet Frontiers in Earth Science zircon U-Pb age whole-rock geochemistry OIB-like type mafic rocks Kerguelen mantle plume southern Tibet |
| title | Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet |
| title_full | Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet |
| title_fullStr | Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet |
| title_short | Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the Zhegu area of southern Tibet |
| title_sort | geochronology and geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks in the zhegu area of southern tibet |
| topic | zircon U-Pb age whole-rock geochemistry OIB-like type mafic rocks Kerguelen mantle plume southern Tibet |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1513583/full |
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