Geochemistry of Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the central Great Xing’an Range, NE China: petrogenesis and crustal growth in comparison with adjacent areas

The central Great Xing'an Range contains widespread exposures of Mesozoic igneous rocks, yet the origin of its Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks has long been controversial. They are composed of andesite, trachyte, trachyandesite, trachydacite, rhyolite, and minor basaltic andesite. The intermediate rocks are enriched in large ion lithophiles and light rare earth elements (LILEs and LREEs) and are depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs) such as Nb, Ta, and Ti, with positive epsilon(Hf)(t) values (+6.2 to +13.4) and Hf single-stage model ages (T-DM1 = 556-227 Ma). This indicates that they were derived from the partial melting of a mantle wedge that was modified by previously subducted slab-derived fluids was likely introduced with limited crustal contamination. The felsic rocks show positive epsilon(Hf)(t) values (+4.3 to +10.2) and Hf two-stage model ages (T-DM2 = 910-544 Ma), with more enrichment of LILEs and LREEs and more depletion of HFSEs and negative Eu anomalies. This indicates that felsic rocks were mainly derived from partial melting of Neoproterozoic accreted quartz-amphibolite facies mafic crust. We summarise the geochronological and Hf-Nd isotope data for Mesozoic igneous rocks within the central Great Xing'an Range (CGXR), the northern Xing'an block (NXB), and the Erguna block (EB), with the aim of constraining the geochronological framework for Mesozoic volcanism and comparing the growth of continental crust. The evolution of Late Mesozoic magmatism in the three areas reached its climax ~125 Ma ago. Our data, together with regional isotope evidence, suggest that crustal accretion of the CGXR occurred during the Neoproterozoic-Phanerozoic. However, that of the EB occurred during the Meso- to Neoproterozoic. The EB exhibits more lateral and vertical heterogeneities and ancient continental crust than the CGXR and NXB in the northern magma source region.