A geochronological and geochemical study on the granodiorite porphyry and its implication for the mineralization in the Dayaoshan metallogenic belt, Southeastern China

A systematic study combining U-Pb zircon dating, lithogeochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic analyses was carried out upon the Xinping granodiorite porphyry in the Dayaoshan metallogenic belt to understand its petrogenesis and tectonic significance. LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon dating yielded a 442.7 ± 5.8 Ma age, indicating that the granodiorite porphyry was emplaced during the Llandovery Silurian of the Early Paleozoic. The granodiorite porphyry shares the same geochemical characteristics such as Eu negative anomaly as other syn-tectonic granite plutons in the region, including the granodiorite porphyry in Dawangding and granite porphyries in the Dali Cu–Mo deposit and Longtoushang old deposit, indicating a similar magma evolution process. The Xinping granodiorite porphyry has high contents of SiO 2 (67.871.8%) and K 2 O (1.78–3.42%) and is metaluminous–peraluminous with A/CNK ratios ranging from 0.97 to 1.06, indicative of high-potassium calc-alkaline to calc-alkaline affinity. It is a I-type granite enriched in large ion lithophile elements Rb, Sr, while depleted in Ba and high field-strength element Nb. Tectonically, a collision between the Yunkai Block from the south and the Guangxi Yunnan-North Vietnam Block from the north during the Early Paleozoic was followed by uplifting of the Dayaoshan terrane. The Xinping granodiorite porphyry was likely emplaced during the collision. Sr–Nd isotopic analyses show that the granodiorite porphyry has initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (I sr ) of 0.7080–0.7104, ε Nd (t) range from − 0.08 to − 4.09, and t 2DM between 1.19 and 1.51 Ga, well within the north-east low-value zone of the Cathaysia block, indicating a Paleoproterozoic Cathaysia basement source and an involvement of under plating mantle magma. Field observations, geochronological data, and 3D spatial distribution all lead to the conclusion that the Early Paleozoic Xinping granodiorite porphyry does not have any metallogenic and temporal relationships with the Xinping gold deposit (which has a Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age based on previous studies) but a close metallogenic relation to W–Mo mineralization.