U–Pb zircon ages, geochemical and isotopic compositions of granitoids in Songpan-Garze fold belt, eastern Tibetan Plateau: constraints on petrogenesis and tectonic evolution of the basement

The Songpan-Garze fold belt, located in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, covers a huge triangular area bounded by the Yangtze (South China), the North China and the Tibetan Plateau blocks. In the northeastern part of the Songpan-Garze fold belt, the Yanggon and Maoergai granitoids provide insights into regional tectono-magmatic events, basement nature and tectonic evolution. U–Pb zircon SHRIMP dating shows that the Yanggon and Maoergai granitoids have magmatic crystallization ages of 221 ± 3.8 Ma and 216 ± 5.7 Ma, respectively. Both the granitoids display adakitic geochemical signatures, suggesting that their magma was derived from partial melting of thickened lower crust. Pb–Sr–Nd isotopic compositions for granitoids reveal that there is an unexposed Proterozoic basement in the Songpan-Garze belt, which has an affinity with the Yangtze block. During development of the Paleo-Tethys ocean, the basement of the Songpan-Garze belt would be a peninsula approaching the Paleo-Tethys ocean from the Yangtze block.