Qiarbahete Sanukitoids and adakitic rocks in NW Tianshan: age and geochemical constraints on their petrogenesis and tectonic settings

The Qiarbahete complex in NW China consists of gabbroic diorite, granodiorite, and late-stage quartz diorite porphyry veins. Zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb analyses show that the gabbroic diorite and granodiorite formed at 368 ± 5.2 Ma and 354 ± 4.1 Ma, respectively, indicating that the complex was emplaced in the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous. The gabbroic diorites, characteristic of Sanukitoids, exhibit high Mg# (62 average), MgO (6.84% average), Cr (195 ppm average), and Ni (61.4 ppm average) contents. The rocks show moderately fractionated rare earth element (REEs) patterns and weak negative Eu anomalies (δEu: 0.83–0.89), enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), and depletion of high field strength elements (HFSEs), with low ϵNd(t) values (1.46–1.73). The gabbroic diorites originated from partial melting of a hydrous mantle wedge followed by assimilation of crust during ascent. The granodiorites show a geochemical affinity with adakitic rocks, e.g. SiO2 (...