Closure of the Eastern Paleo-Asian Ocean: Constraints from the Age and Geochemistry of Early Permian Zhaojinggou Pluton in Inner Mongolia (North China)

The closing time of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the tectonic evolution of the northern margin of the North China Craton are still controversial. The geochronology and geochemistry of the Zhaojinggou monzogranite pluton provide new constraints on the late Paleozoic tectonic evolution and the closure time of the Paleo-Asian Ocean in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The monzogranite yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 286.7 +/- 1.2 Ma. Due to the characteristics of low-moderate Mg-# values (25.87-39.21), low Fe2O3T values (1.13-1.72), and A/CNK > 1, we show that the pluton is weak peraluminous, high in potassium calc-alkaline series, and displays the feature of S-type granite. The total REE content is low, the distribution curve is right dipping, and the LREE is enriched; the delta Eu average value is 1.32 (1.11-1.54). The granite presents relatively high (Sr-87/Sr-86)(i) values of 0.712345-0.713723, low epsilon(Nd)(t) values of -8.89--8.21 (an average value of -8.56), and a T-DM2 of 1718-1773 Ma. Furthermore, the zircon in situ Hf isotopic analysis shows Hf-176/Hf-177 ratios of 0.282342 to 0.282614, low epsilon(Hf)(t) values of -9.27-0.38 (mean -4.74), and a T-DM2 of 1275-1887 Ma. Additionally, high field strength elements such as Nb, Ta, and Ti are depleted, and large ion lithophile elements, e.g., Rb, Ba, K, and Sr, are enriched. The above features of the Zhaojinggou monzogranite indicate that the pluton was derived from late Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic lower crustal mafic materials. By discussing the genesis and tectonic implications of the pluton massif, we propose that the Zhaojinggou monzogranite represents a magmatic event caused by the crustal-mantle interaction during the southward subduction of the eastern Paleo-Asian Ocean in the northern margin of the North China Craton during the Early Permian.