Zircon records of Miocene ultrapotassic rocks from southern Lhasa subterrane, Tiben Plateau

Abstract

Zircons entrained in mantle-derived magmas offer a prime opportunity to reveal cryptic magmatic episodes in the deep crust. We have investigated zircons from mantle-derived ultrapotassic veins in the Xuena area, southern Lhasa subterrane. Zircons in the Xuena ultrapotassic rocks reveal four major magmatic pulses around <100Ma, 300 ~ 400Ma, 450 ~ 500Ma, and 700 ~ 850Ma. The high U / Yb ratios and low Y contents of these zircons demonstrate their continental origin. Cenozoic-Mesozoic and Late Paleozoic magmatism have been widely identified from the southern Lhasa subterrane, suggesting the contribution from overlying juvenile crust. But similar Proterozoic-Early Paleozoic age distributions (450 ~ 500Ma and 700 ~ 850Ma) between these zircon xenocrysts and those dating records in the Himalayan orogenic belt corroborate the input from underthrusted Indian continental crust. Furthermore, the Increasing (Dy / Yb) N ratio since ~ 60 Ma zircon and Rapid Decreasing epsilon Hf ( t ) values, from + 10 ~ + 5 to -10 ~ -25, are Interpreted to reflect Significant and progressive Crustal Thickening in Response to India-Asia convergence and the contribution from subducted Indian continental crust to postcollisional magmatism in the southern Lhasa sub-terrane.