Petrochmical study on the Volcanic Rocks Related to Depth to the Benioff Zone and Crustal Thickness in the Kyongsang Basin, Korea: A Review

Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary volcanic rocks in the Kyongsang basin exhibit high-K calc-alkaline characteristics, and originated from the magmatism related genetically to subduction of Kula-Pacific plate. They represent HFSE depletion and LlLE enrichment characteristics as shown by magmas related to subduction. Early studies on the depth of magma generation has been estimated as 180-230 km based on K-h relation should be reevaluated, because the depth of peridotite partial melting with 0.4 wt. % water is 80-120 km at subduction zone, and subducting slab in premature arc can melted even lower than 70 km. Moreover the increase of potassium contents depends on either contamination of crustal material and fluids of subducting slab or low degree of partial melting. If the inclination of subduction zone is 30 degrees and the depth to the Benioff zone is 180-230 km, the calculated distance between the volcanic zone and trench axis would be 310-400 km. It is unlikely because the distance between the Kyongsang basin and trench during late Cretaceous to early Tertiary is closer than this value and not comparable with generally-accepted models in subduction zone magmatism. of the volcanics in the Kyongsang basin is 0.3-2.3 wt.% and the average indicate that the depth ranges between 80-170 km on the diagram of Marsh, Carmichael (1974). Fractionation from garnet lherzolite, assumed the depth of 180-230km, is not consistent with the REE patterns of the volcanoes in the Kyongsang basin. Futhermore, the range of depth suggested by many workers, who studied magmatism related to subduction, imply shallower than this depth. Crustal thickness calculated by the content of CaO and is about 30 km and about 35 km, respectively. Paleo-crustal thickness during late Cretaceous to early Tertiary times in the Kyongsang basin inferred about 30 km calculated by La/Sm versus LaJYb data, which is also supported by many previous studies.