Early-middle Triassic basic magmatism and metamorphism of ultramafic-mafic complexes of the Ust’-Belaya terrane (central Chukotka, NE Russia): 40Ar/39Ar ages, petrological and geochemical data, geodynamic interpretations

ABSTRACTThe Ust’-Belaya terrane (Chukotka, NE Russia), belonging to the West Koryak fold belt, is made of mantle and crustal ultramafic-mafic complexes which originated during several discrete episodes of magmatic activity in the Neoproterozoic, the late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian and the early-middle Triassic and accreted to the Asian continental margin in the early Cretaceous. This paper focuses on the latest magmatic episode expressed in intrusion of microgabbro dikes and nearly coeval metamorphism superimposed on both ancient complexes and the dikes. We present original 40Ar/39Ar ages, mineral and bulk-rock chemistry of the microgabbro dikes, metamorphosed dike and vein cutting ultramafic-mafic complexes. Dike microgabbros resemble differentiated arc-tholeiitic magmas originated in a subduction setting. Differentiated magmas intruded into much older spinel peridotites and dunites located at mid-crustal levels. Intrusion and crystallization of these magmas was followed by down-going movement of spinel per...