Subduction initiation of Paleo-Pacific Ocean and final closure of Paleo-Asian Ocean: constraints from Triassic granitoids in Jiamusi Block, NE China

ABSTRACT

The process of transformation and superposition from the Paleo-Asian Ocean to the Paleo-Pacific Ocean tectonic systems have been a critical scientific issue. However, the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the initial subduction time of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean, together with the conversion between them in Northeast China, still remain controversial. The Triassic granites in the Jiamusi Block are located in the key position of Northeast China, recording the conversion process of two tectonic domains. Through systematic geochronology and geochemical studies, it can provide important constraints for revealing the superposition and conversion mechanism of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the Paleo-Pacific Ocean and the early subduction history of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean plate. In this study, the granites in Jiamusi Block were formed in the Early–Middle Triassic (250–245 Ma), characterized by high Si, rich alkali, poor Mg, and are obviously enriched in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements, depleting in high field strength elements such as Nb, Ta, and Ti. They have typical characteristics of continental magmatic arc, deriving from partial melting of amphibolite facies and garnet amphibolite facies mafic lower crust. Combined with zircon Hf isotope results, zircon ε_Hf(t) values are −6.52 to + 9.79, and the two-stage Hf model ages are 0.6–1.7 Ga, indicating that the magma should be derived from a relative younger crustal source, and some ancient materials may be added. Moreover, based on the spatial-temporal framework and Hf isotope characteristics of magmatism in Northeast China, we believe that the Jiamusi Block belonged to an exotic block. Meanwhile, combined with geochronological and geochemical data of igneous rocks on the Jiamusi Block, we suggest that the evolution of Jiamusi Block was dominated by the Paleo-Pacific Ocean rather than Paleo-Asian Ocean during the Triassic, which means the subduction of Paleo-Pacific Ocean plate initiated at least in Early Triassic.

KEYWORDS:

• Jiamusi Block
• Triassic granites
• Paleo-Pacific Ocean
• Paleo-Αsian Ocean
• NE China

Acknowledgments

We express gratitude to the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for their advice and assistance during the LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating. We sincerely thank to the Tianjin Center, China Geological Survey, for their support and aid with the zircon Hf isotopic analyses. We also appreciate the Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing, China, for major and trace element analysis. We gratefully acknowledge the constructive suggestions and comments by Editor-in-Chief Robert J. Stern and two reviewers that helped improve the manuscript. The work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 42102046, 41888101, 42073055, and 42072064).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2023.2280783

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [42102046, 41888101, 42073055, and 42072064].