Orogenic Root Delamination Induced by Eclogitization of Thickened Lower Crust in the Chinese Western Tianshan: Constraints From Adakites

• Published in: Journal of geophysical research. Solid earth 2019-11, Vol.124 (11), p.11089-11104
• Main Authors: Li, Ning‐Bo, Niu, He‐Cai, Yang, Wu‐Bin, Lai, Chun‐Kit, Zhao, Zhen‐Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amphibolites; Bearing; Carboniferous; Crustal thickness; Delamination; Dysprosium; Eclogite; Garnet; Geophysics; Magma; Melting; Mineral assemblages; Mineralogy; Mountains; Niobium; Orogeny; Paleozoic; Permian; Ratios; Roots; Rutile; Subduction; Tantalum; Thickening; Tracers
• ISSN: 2169-9313; 2169-9356
• DOI: 10.1029/2019JB018354

Crustal delamination induced by eclogitization of orogenic roots, in addition to plate subduction, is an important process that transfers crustal materials back into the mantle. Many previous studies have demonstrated a causal link between crustal delamination and eclogitization, but actual magmatic records of the process are rarely documented. Here we present detailed studies on two distinct late Paleozoic adakite suites in the Awulale Mountains (Chinese Western Tianshan), that is, the suites with high (HN) and low (LN) Nb/Ta ratios, to constrain the regional crustal delamination. Both igneous suites have adakitic affinity and formed by partial melting of the juvenile thickened lower crust with different residual mineral assemblages in their source regions. The late Carboniferous HN adakite has superchondritic Nb/Ta (21.4–23.3) and high Dy/Yb (2.66–2.88) ratios and may have formed via rutile‐bearing, eclogite‐controlled melting of the lower crust, implying crustal thickening and eclogitization. In contrast, the Permian LN adakites have varying and lower ranges of Nb/Ta (12.9–20.0) and Dy/Yb ratios (1.35–2.53), which were probably derived from mixing of garnet‐bearing amphibolite with minor rutile‐bearing, eclogite‐controlled melts, implying crustal thinning and the end of eclogitization. The succession of these two adakite suites suggests that during the late Carboniferous to early Permian, eclogitization of the orogenic root, accompanying successive crustal delaminations, occurred in this region. Accordingly, our results imply that adakites with different geochemical features are potential tracers for the mineralogy of orogenic roots and, importantly, provide convincing evidence for eclogitization‐induced crustal delamination in orogenic belts. Key Points Two distinct adakite groups (with super/subchondritic Nb/Ta ratios) are present in the Awulale Mountains (Chinese Western Tianshan) Adakite geochemical features are controlled by the residual mineral assemblages in the magma sources Adakites in orogenic belts could be used to trace eclogitization‐induced crustal delamination events