Zircon U-Pb SHRIMP ages of the Taiping (calc-alkaline)-Huangshan (alkaline) composite intrusion: Constraints on Mesozoic lithospheric thinning of the southeastern Yangtze Craton, China

The Taiping-Huangshan composite intrusion is a unique complex with characteristics changing from calc-alkaline (Taiping intrusion) to alkaline (Huangshan intrusion). Huangshan intrusion samples show a spectacular tetrad effect in their REE distribution patterns as well as non-CHARAC (charge-and-radius-controlled) trace element behavior, indicating a highly evolved late-stage magma component. This composite intrusion provides a rare opportunity to investigate the variance of tectonic setting and lithospheric thinning of the southeastern Yangtze Craton in late Mesozoic era. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb analyses yield an emplacement age of 140.6±1.2 Ma for the Taiping intrusion, and ages of 127.7±1.3, 125.7±1.4, 125.1±1.5, and 125.2±5.5 Ma for four samples from the Huangshan intrusion respectively. The ages for four different phases of the Huangshan intrusion agree within their small analytical errors, indicating that the emplacement was in a short time. The Taiping and Huangshan intrusions are intimately associated, but there is about 15 Ma interval between their intrusion, and the magma characters change from calc-alkaline to alkaline without transition. This probably corresponds to lithospheric thinning of the southeastern Yangtze Craton. This event possibly happened from about 141 Ma (the emplacement age of the Taiping intrusion), to 128 Ma (start of emplacement of the Huangshan intrusion). The thinning mechanism is dominantly delamination.