Geochemistry, zircon U–Pb ages and Lu–Hf isotopes of early Paleozoic plutons in the northwestern Chinese Tianshan: Petrogenesis and geological implications

Abstract The northwestern Chinese Tianshan is a key part of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Voluminous arc-related igneous rocks in this region have recorded the opening and closure of several oceanic basins that may represent southern branches of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. We have conducted geochemical, geochronological and Hf-in-zircon isotopic studies on mafic and felsic intrusive rocks in the northwestern Chinese Tianshan to provide important clues for the evolution of the Junggar Ocean and to understand the early Paleozoic crustal growth in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The mafic plutons are composed of metagabbro (453.8 ± 2.0 Ma) and fine-grained diorite (461.1 ± 2.0 Ma). The…