Eocene Calc-Alkaline Volcanic Rocks from Central Iran (Southeast of Khur, Isfahan Province); an Evidence of Neotethys Syn-Subduction Magmatism

Abstract

Eocene volcanic rocks with basaltic-trachyandesite and trachybasalt composition which cross-cut the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, are exposed in the northwestern part of the Central-East Iranian Microcontient (CEIM) (SE of Khur, Isfahan Province, Iran). The rock-forming minerals of these volcanic rocks are olivine (chrysolite and hyalosiderite, Mg# = 0.69–0.71), clinopyroxene (augite with Mg# = 0.74–0.84), orthopyroxene (enstatite with Mg# = 0.61–0.62) and plagioclase (andesine and labradorite with An_48.3-65.1). Phenocrysts set in a fine-grained matrix of the same minerals plus sanidine (Or_59.1Ab_36.6An_4.3) with minor amounts of opaque minerals (magnetite and ilmenite). Secondary minerals are chlorite and calcite. The main textures of these volcanic rocks are porphyritic, microlitic porphyritic, poikilitic, and glomeroporphyritic. The Eocene volcanic rocks of the Khur area are characterized by SiO₂ content of 51.8 to 54.9 wt %, Al₂O₃ amounts of 14.35 to 16.47 wt %, and TiO₂ values of 0.88 to 0.92 wt %. They exhibit strong enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to heavy REE (HREE) (La/Lu ratio up to 102.35), enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE), and present negative anomaly in Eu (Eu/Eu* = 0.72–0.87). Chemical characteristics and homogeneity of these volcanic rocks reveal their calc-alkaline nature and suggest that they were derived from a same parental magma and underwent a similar melt extraction. Major and trace elements geochemical features of the analyzed samples indicate that the parental magma was possibly derived from relatively low degrees of partial melting of a mantle wedge spinel lherzolite which was previously enriched by fluids/melts released from the Neo-Tethyan subducted slab.