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Journal of Petrology Advance Access published online on August 17, 2005
Journal of Petrology, doi:10.1093/petrology/egi070
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Received April 8, 2004
Accepted July 6, 2005

Article

Petrogenesis of Adakitic Porphyries in an Extensional Tectonic Setting, Dexing, South China: Implications for the Genesis of Porphyry Copper Mineralization

QIANG WANG 1*, JI-FENG XU 1, PING JIAN 2, ZHI-WEI BAO 1, ZHEN-HUAN ZHAO 1, CHAO-FENG LI 3, XIAO-LIN XIONG 1, and JIN-LONG MA 1

1 KEY LABORATORY OF ISOTOPE GEOCHRONOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY, GUANGZHOU INSTITUTE OF GEOCHEMISTRY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, GUANGZHOU 510640, P.R. CHINA
2 CHINESE ACADEMY OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 26 BEIWANZHUANG ROAD, BEIJING 100037, P.R. CHINA
3 INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, BEIJING 100029, P.R. CHINA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
QIANG WANG, E-mail: wqiang{at}gig.ac.cn


  Abstract

The Dexing adakitic porphyries (quartz diorite-granodiorite porphyries), associated with giant porphyry Cu deposits, are located in the interior of a continent (South China). They exhibit relatively high MgO, Cr, Ni and Sr contents, high La/Yb and Sr/Y ratios, but low Yb and Y contents, similar to adakites produced by slab melting associated with subduction. However, they are characterized by bulk Earth-like Nd-Sr isotope compositions ({varepsilon}Nd(t) = -1·14 to +1·80 and (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0·7044-0·7047), and high Th (12·6-27·2 ppm) contents and Th/Ce (0·19-0·94) ratios, which are different from those of Cenozoic slab-derived adakites. Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) geochronology studies of zircons reveal that the Dexing adakitic porphyries have a crystallization age of 171 ± 3 Ma. This age is contemporaneous with Middle Jurassic extension within the Shi-Han rift zone, and within-plate magmatism elsewhere in South China, indicating that the Dexing adakitic porphyries were probably formed in an extensional tectonic regime in the interior of the continent rather than in an arc setting. Their high Th contents and Th/Ce ratios, and Middle Jurassic age, argue against an origin from a Neoproterozoic (~1000 Ma) stalled slab in the mantle. Taking into account available data for the regional metamorphic-magmatic rocks, and the present-day crustal thickness (~31 km) in the area, we suggest that the Dexing adakitic porphyries were most probably generated by partial melting of delaminated lower crust, which was possibly triggered by upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle due to the activity of the Shi-Hang rift zone. Moreover, the Dexing adakitic magmas must have interacted with the surrounding mantle peridotite during their ascent, which elevated not only their MgO, Cr and Ni contents, but also the oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the mantle. The high fO2 could have induced oxidation of metallic sulfides in the mantle and mobilization of chalcophile elements, which are required to produce associated Cu mineralization. Therefore, the Cu metallogenesis associated with the Dexing adakitic porphyries is probably related to partial melting of delaminated lower crust, similar to the metallogenesis accompanying slab melting.

Keywords: adakite; lower crust; delamination; porphyry copper deposit, South China.
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