Geochronology, geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotopes of Early Carboniferous magmatism in southern West Junggar, northwestern China: Implications for Junggar oceanic plate subduction

West Junggar is a key area for understanding intra-oceanic plate subduction and the final closure of the Junggar Ocean. Knowledge of the Carboniferous tectonic evolution of the Junggar Ocean region is required for understanding the tectonic framework and accretionary processes in West Junggar, Central Asian Orogenic Belt. A series of Early Carboniferous volcanic and intrusive rocks, namely, basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite, and diorite, occur in the Mayile area of southern West Junggar, northwestern China. Our new LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb geochronological data reveal that diorite intruded at 334 (±1) Ma, and that basaltic andesite was erupted at 334 (±4) Ma. These intrusive and volcanic rocks are calc-alkaline, display moderate MgO (1.62%–4.18%) contents and Mg# values (40–59), and low Cr (14.5×10 −6 –47.2×10 −6 ) and Ni (7.5×10 −6 –34.6×10 −6 ) contents, and are characterized by enrichment in light rare-earth elements and large-ion lithophile elements and depletion in heavy rare-earth elements and high-field-strength elements, meaning that they belong to typical subduction-zone island-arc magma. The samples show low initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (range of 0.703649–0.705008), positive ε Nd(t) values (range of 4.8–6.2 and mean of 5.4), and young T DM Nd model ages ranging from 1016 to 616 Ma, indicating a magmatic origin from depleted mantle involving partial melting of 10%–25% garnet and spinel lherzolite. Combining our results with those of previous studies, we suggest that these rocks were formed as a result of northwestward subduction of the Junggar oceanic plate, which caused partial melting of sub-arc mantle. We conclude that intra-oceanic arc magmatism was extensive in West Junggar during the Early Carboniferous.