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The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is the largest accretionary orogenic belt in the world and its formation involved a complicated process of arc–continent collision. Large‐scale Mesozoic volcanic activity in the Great Xing'an Range (GXAR) in northeastern China, which constitutes part of the eastern CAOB, has received much recent research attention. However, the petrogenesis and formation mechanism of the late Mesozoic igneous rocks remain enigmatic. This paper investigates the geochronology, petrogenesis, and formation mechanism of late Mesozoic magmatic rocks in the Kelihe area of the GXAR based on zircon U–Pb dating, petrology, and geochemistry. Late Mesozoic magmatism in the Kelihe area occurred during the Late Jurassic (165–155 Ma) and Early Cretaceous (130–120 Ma). These igneous rocks generated by this magmatism are characterized by high SiO2 (69.97–75.49 wt%) and low MgO (0.11–0.68 wt%), Cr (10–30 ppm), Co (0.2–2.6 ppm), and Ni (0.5–1.6 ppm) contents. Trace elements show enrichment in Rb, Th, U, Zr, and K, and depletion in Ba, P, Nb, and Ti. These features indicate that the rocks were derived from partial melting of the crust. Furthermore, the rhyolites have high Na2O (5.02–5.44 wt%) and K2O (3.94–4.88 wt%) contents, similar to those of melts formed by the partial melting of basaltic crust. Combining the present results with the findings of previous studies, it is inferred that the Mesozoic igneous rocks formed in a post‐collisional extensional setting related to lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric upwelling after the closure of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neoarchean charnockite of Yinshan Block has been a hot topic into understanding the Precambrian geology of the North China Craton. Although there is a broad consensus that the charnockite is usually related to granulite‐facies metamorphism, its petrogenesis and tectonics still remain controversial. We present a comparative study of the petrography, geochemistry, and geochronology of charnockite and intermediate–basic granulite in the Jining area along the northern margin of the North China Craton. Inclusions within hypersthene in charnockite are used to identify the peak granulite facies mineral assemblage, with the formation of charnockite being attributed to anatexis of the protolith associated with this granulite‐facies metamorphism. Anatexis occurred mainly during postpeak isothermal decompression, as inferred from the metamorphic evolution and pressure–temperature conditions (granulite and charnockite record peak pressure–temperature conditions of 750°C–1,000°C and 0.8–1.2 GPa and 850°C–975°C and 0.9–1.0 GPa, respectively) derived from analyses of metamorphic minerals using electron probe microanalysis, combined with previous zircon geochronology. Hypersthene in charnockite is interpreted to be a residual or peritectic mineral phase that was present during anatexis, and the charnockite is inferred to have been crystallized from a melt containing abundant residual minerals. Charnockite has similar geochemical characteristics to those of intermediate–basic granulite but differs in several key ways: (a) The charnockite is strongly depleted in the large‐ion lithophile element Cs, the heat‐producing elements U and Th, and the high‐field‐strength elements Nb, Ta, P, and Ti; (b) it is enriched in Sr; and (c) it exhibits both positive and negative Eu anomalies, which are characteristics of granites formed largely by in situ anatexis. Geochemical constraints indicate that the intermediate charnockite and retrograde metamorphic biotite–hornblende gneiss may both be the product of mantle‐derived magma in a magmatic subduction‐related back‐arc extensional environment. This setting provided a hot spot for metamorphic anatexis, with additional heat being provided by the upwelling of asthenospheric mantle. After the cessation of subduction by ~2,470 Ma, a magmatic arc extensional setting developed in the Jining area. The charnockite was involved in Paleoproterozoic orogenesis in the North China Craton and was strongly modified by a ~1,950‐Ma metamorphism event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]