A new A-type granitoid occurrence in southernmost Fennoscandia: geochemistry, age and origin of rapakivi-type quartz monzonite from the Pietkowo IG1 borehole, NE Poland

Abstract

Abstract

Rapakivi-type quartz monzonite and the underlying dark-grey granodiorite from the Pietkowo IG1 borehole, in the Polish part of southernmost Fennoscandia have been investigated using whole-rock geochemistry, Sm–Nd isotope geochemistry and U–Pb zircon dating. The quartz monzonite was emplaced at 1495–1491 Ma, although slightly older zircon cores (antecrysts) of 1513 Ma imply a two-stage crystallization. The geochemical similarities with Mazury Complex granitoids, their metaluminous and alkali-calcic nature, elevated contents of F, Ga and high-field-strength-elements (HFSE), indicate that the Pietkowo IG1 rapakivi-type quartz monzonite is an ‘A-type’ granitoid. The presence of magnetite and titanite indicates crystallization under oxidizing conditions. The rock is classified as A₂ sub-type, and the Nb/Y ratio implies a within-plate setting. The dark-grey granodiorite, dated to 1813 Ma, has a calc-alkaline character, typical of a volcanic-arc environment. Initial whole rock ε_Nd values range between -2.9 and -3.3 for the rapakivi-type quartz monzonite and from -1.0 to + 1.1 for the dark-grey granodiorite. We suggest that the A-type Pietkowo IG1 rapakivi-type quartz monzonite was generated from the dark-grey granodiorite via partial melting at middle to lower crustal levels. The most plausible ascent route for the quartz monzonite was via lithospheric-scale weakness zones, between the eastern margin of the Mazowsze Domain and Belarus-Podlasie Granulite Belt, i.e., the Białystok fault. Therefore, the Pietkowo IG1 rapakivi-type quartz monzonite is a representative of the Mesoproterozoic A-type granitoid occurrence in southernmost Fennoscandia.