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The Xinxing granitic pluton is a large batholith cropping out in southern South China with its long axis parallel to the regional NE–trending faults. We conduct the first comprehensive study of zircon laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U–Pb chronology and trace element chemistry, rock-forming mineral chemistry and whole-rock element and Sr–Nd isotope geochemistry for this pluton. Our new data indicate that the pluton was emplaced during the interval 234–232 Ma, i.e. early Indosinian rather than late Mesozoic as previously considered. The southern pluton consists of syenogranite and monzogranite, which are composed of K-feldspar, oligoclase, quartz and ferri-biotite. The northern pluton consists of monzogranite and granodiorite, which are composed of andesine, K-feldspar, quartz and magnesio-biotite. The southern granites have high SiO2 contents (72.5–79.2 wt%) and high FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) (T refers to total) ratios with low Mg# [atomic Mg/(Mg + FeT)]. They are enriched in rare earth elements and depleted in Sr and Ba with Zr + Y + Ce + Nb >350 ppm and 10,000 × Ga/Al >2.6. Their initial magma temperatures are unusually high (>886 °C). All those features strongly suggest an affinity with A-type granites. The northern granites have lower SiO2 contents (63.4–72.5 wt%) and lower FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) ratios as well as higher Mg# than the southern granites. They are also enriched in rare earth elements and depleted in Sr and Ba, with high Ga/Al ratios and high Zr + Y + Ce + Nb contents. Geochemical data and major element modeling confirm that the southern A-type granites were generated by the moderate degree (~49%) shallow (ca. 15–20 km depth) dehydration melting of the early Paleozoic granitoids triggered by intraplating of basaltic magmas. Subsequent moderate degree (~57%) fractionation of such crustal melts produced the more felsic granites in the southern pluton, whereas subsequent mixing of such crustal melts with about 8 to 48% intraplated mafic magmas generated the less felsic granites in the northern pluton. Interaction of mafic magmas with A-type crustal melts causes the northern granites to lose some diagnostic geochemical features of A-type granites such as high FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) ratios and to be transitional towards I-type granites. We further suggest their origin to have been related to the transtension of the regional NE–trending strike-slip faults coupled with the early Indosinian continental collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Mesozoic geology of Southeast China is characterized by extensive Jurassic to Cretaceous magmatism consisting predominantly of granites and rhyolites and subordinate mafic rocks, forming a belt of volcanic-intrusive complexes. The Xiangshan volcanic-intrusive complex is located in the NW region of the belt and mainly contains the following lithologies: rhyodacite and rhyodacitic porphyry, porphyritic lava, granite porphyry with mafic microgranular enclaves, quartz monzonitic porphyry, and lamprophyre dyke. Major and trace-element compositions, zircon U-Pb dating, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions have been investigated for these rocks. The precise SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating shows that the emplacement of various magmatic units at Xiangshan took place within a short time period of less than 2 Myrs. The stratigraphically oldest rhyodacite yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 135 ± 1 Ma and the overlying rhyodacitic porphyry has an age of 135 ± 1 Ma. Three porphyritic lava samples yielded zircon U-Pb ages of 136 ± 1 Ma, 132 ± 1 Ma, and 135 ± 1 Ma, respectively. Two subvolcanic rocks (granite porphyry) yielded zircon U-Pb ages of 137 ± 1 Ma and 137 ± 1 Ma. A quartz monzonitic porphyry dyke, which represented the final stage of magmatism at Xiangshan, also yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 136 ± 1 Ma. All these newly obtained precise U-Pb ages demonstrate that the entire magmatic activity at Xiangshan was rapid and possibly took place at the peak of extensional tectonics in SE China. The geochemical data indicate that all these samples from the volcanic-intrusive complex have an A-type affinity. Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data suggest that the Xiangshan volcanic-intrusive complex derived mainly from remelting of Paleo-Mesoproterozoic crust without significant additions of mantle-derived magma. However, the quartz monzonitic porphyry, which has zircon Hf model ages older than the whole-rock Nd model ages, and which has ε(T) value higher than the other rocks, may indicate involvement of a subordinate younger mantle-derived magma in its origin. Geochemical data indicate that the various rocks show variable REE patterns and negative anomalies of Ba, Nb, Sr, P, Eu and Ti in the trace element spidergrams, suggesting that these rocks may have undergone advanced fractional crystallization with separation of plagioclase, K-feldspar and accessory minerals such as allanite. We suggest that this Cretaceous volcanic-intrusive complex formed in an extensional environment, and the formation of the Xiangshan mafic microgranular enclaves can be explained by the injection of mafic magma from a deeper seated mantle magma chamber into a hypabyssal felsic magma chamber at the crustal emplacement levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]