Geochronology and geochemistry of Baicaogou tuff in Yanji,NE China and its tectonic implications for Early Cretaceous

The authors studied zircon U-Pb age and geochemical data of Baicaogou tuff in Yanji,Jilin Province.The results indicate that the rocks formed in Early Cretaceous( 125. 6 ± 2. 3 Ma). Geochemically,these tuffs have high Si O2 and total Na2 O + K2 O,low Mg O and Fe O,and they belong to metaluminous series,the rock are enriched in LREEs and LILEs,depleted in HREEs and HFSEs such as Nb,Ta,Ti,and P,exhibiting an affinity to I-type granite. All these characteristics implied that the volcanic rocks were derived from partial melting of lower crust. Combined with the geochronology and geochemical features of the coeval igneous rocks within NE China,it is concluded that Yanji area was in a back-arc extensional setting in response to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate.