Mantle Driven Early Eocene Magmatic Flare-up of the Gangdese Arc, Tibet: A Case Study on the Nymo Intrusive Complex

Abstract

Magmatic periodicity is recognized in continental arcs worldwide, but the mechanism responsible for punctuated arc magmatism is controversial. Continental arcs in the Trans-Himalayan orogenic system display episodic magmatism and the most voluminous flare-up in this system was in early Eocene during the transition from subduction to collision. The close association of the flare-up with collision is intriguing. Our study employs zircon Lu-Hf and bulk rock Sr-Nd isotopes, along with mineral geochemistry, to track the melt sources of the Nymo intrusive complex and the role of mantle magma during the early Eocene flare-up of the Gangdese arc, Tibet. The Nymo intrusive complex is composed of gabbronorite, diorite, quartz diorite, and granodiorite which define an arc-related calc-alkaline suite. Zircon U-Pb ages reveal that the complex was emplaced between ~50–47 Ma. Zircon Hf isotopes yield ε_Hf(t) values of 8.2–13.1, while whole-rock Sr and Nd isotopes yield ε_Nd(t) values of 2.7–6.5 indicative of magmatism dominated by melting of a juvenile mantle source with only minor crustal assimilation (~15%–25%) as indicated by assimilation and fractional crystallization modeling. Together with published data, the early Eocene magmatic flare-up was likely triggered by slab breakoff of subducted oceanic lithosphere at depths shallower than the overriding plate. The early Eocene magmatic flare-up may have contributed to crustal thickening of the Gangdese arc. This study provides important insights into the magmatic flare-up and its significant role in the generation of large batholiths during the transition from subduction to collision.