Final closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean: Insights from Triassic granitoids in the central Qiangtang area, northern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

The geodynamic evolution during the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the Tibetan Plateau remains to be fully understood. The Longmu Co−Shuanghu suture zone in the northern Tibetan Plateau has usually been considered to represent the main ocean basin of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean, so it plays a key role in understanding the evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean. In this study, we focused on the Gacuo and Bensong batholiths on the north and south sides of the Longmu Co−Shuanghu suture zone, respectively. We conducted detailed zircon geochronology and whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic analyses, as well as zircon Hf isotope studies. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the Gacuo batholith was formed ca. 223−209 Ma, and the age of the Bensong batholith is ca. 213−203 Ma. The Gacuo batholith is mainly composed of I-type granitoids, which are most likely attributed to partial melting of ancient sedimentary materials of the North Qiangtang terrane with a mixture of ∼0%−30% amounts of mantle-derived components. In contrast, the Bensong batholith has granitoids of A-type affinity, and it was probably generated by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic crust of the South Qiangtang terrane with limited mantle contribution (<5%). Finally, we suggest that the Gacuo batholith was probably generated by the break-off of the oceanic slab beneath the North Qiangtang terrane, while the Bensong batholith was related to a possible lithospheric delamination process of the South Qiangtang terrane after continental collision. Therefore, the Gacuo and Bensong batholiths both developed in a postcollisional tectonic setting, and they recorded the evolutionary process of the subduction and closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean during the Late Triassic.