Constraints of REE and trace elements of high-pressure-veins and host rocks in western Tianshan on origin of deep fluids in paleosubduction zones

1　INTRODUCTIONFluids in the deep subduction zones play animportant role in the process of crust mantle inter action. This has been proved by a large number ofstudies on the geochemistry of island arc volcanicrocks[1 4]. Compared with mid ocean ridge basalts(MORB), island arc basalts (IAB) are enriched inlarge ion lithophile elements (LILE), such as Ba,Rb, Cs, and depleted in high field strength ele ments, such as Nb, Ta, Ti, and Zr. Generally,this is att…

Constraints of REE and trace elements of high-pressure-veins and host rocks in western Tianshan on origin of deep fluids in paleosubduction zones

The western Tianshan high-pressure(HP) metamorphic belt represents the paleosubduction mélange of paleozoic south Tianshan ocean between the Yili-central Tianshan and Tarim plates. High-pressure veins are extensively developed in this HP belt. Compared with normal mid-ocean ridge basalt(N-MORB), the high-pressure veins and host rocks are enriched in light rare earth elements(LREE) and incompatible elements. But high-pressure veins show a larger variation than host rocks in total REE abundance. On the trace element spidergram, all the samples are enriched in incompatible elements and show strong positive Pb anomaly relative to N-MORB. The array tendency lines of plots of the HP rocks have apparent slopes on diagram of m(Sr) vs m(Sr)/m(Zr), m(Li) vs m(Li)/m(Y) and m(Ce) vs m(Ce)/m(Pb), which indicates that the enrichment in LREE and incompatible elements relative to N-MORB of the HP-metamorphic rocks from western Tianshan is not attributed to magma evolution process of the protolith. High field strength elements, such as Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr and Hf, do not show negative anomaly relative to N-MORB, which is dissimilar to that of island arc basalts. Therefore, the enrichment in LREE and incompatible elements of the HP rocks is not attributed to the enrichment of the source of the protolith. The mass ratios of Rb to Ba, Ce to Pb, Nb to U and Ta to U of high-pressure veins and host rocks are intermediate of mid-ocean ridge basalt or oceanic island basalt and continental crust. The fluids in western Tianshan paleosubduction zones are mixtures of two sources, dehydration or devolatilization of host rocks and of subducted sediments.