Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of metabasites from the Gol-e-Gohar Complex in southern Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic zone, South of Iran; Evidences for crustal extension and magmatism at early Palaeozoic

In Gol-e-Gohar metamorphic Complex from south-eastern Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic zone (Kerman province, Iran), there are two types of metabasites contain layered metamorphosed lava flows and the younger meta-gabbros. The protoliths formed in the Paleozoic era and were metamorphosed during the early Cimmerian orogenic phase in the late Triassic, under temperatures of 640–680oC and pressures of ~7–10.5kbar (amphibolite facies). These rocks are garnet-bearing amphibolites, garnet free amphibolites and metamorphosed gabbros. Many mineralogical and chemical aspects of these metabasites are similar, although the layered metabasites show tholeiitic and the meta-gabbros depict alkaline affinities. Evidences such as whole rock geochemical characteristics, Sr and Nd isotopic data, (143Nd/144Ndinitial=0.511913–0.512067; eNd550Ma=-0.31–2.68), relatively flat patterns of chondritenormalized Rare Earth Elements and multi-elemental diagrams, the enrichment in TiO2 (average content ~2.16) and high Zr/Y ratios (3–8), indicate that all of Gol-e-Gohar metabasites are formed in an extentional intracontinental rift zone from tholeiitic to alkaline magmas. The data suggest that the paren magmas could derived by low degrees of partial melting of spinel-lherzolite sources in subcontinental lithospheric mantle. These evidences confirm the existence of extentional environments in southern part of the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic zone in the Paleozoic era, when large extensional depressions developed in the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic zone and underlying asthenosphere ascent and partially melted during this time. Gradually, thick sequences of continental detritic sediments and tholeiitic lava flows accumulated in these troughs. Subsequent magmatic event in the area characterizes by emplacement of alkaline gabbro intrusions. At the early Cimmerian orogeny, these sedimentaryigneous rocks associations metamorphosed and the Gol-e Gohar metabasites formed.