ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geochemistry
This article is part of the Research TopicBig Data Mining & Artificial Intelligence in Earth ScienceView all articles
Zircon U-Pb Dating, Geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-Hf Isotopes of the Late-Stage Puchang Mafic Dikes: Implications for Magmatic Evolution of the Tarim Large Igneous Province
Provisionally accepted
- 1Xinjiang Institute of Engineering, Urumqi, China
- 2China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
- 3Kashi Geological Brigade of Xinjiang Geological Bureau, Wulongmuqi, China
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The Tarim Large Igneous Province (TLIP), as a major igneous province in China, has long been a focus of geological research due to its complex rock assemblages and genetic mechanisms. This study investigates the Late Permian mafic dikes (diabase and sillite) in the Puchang area of the TLIP, combining zircon U-Pb geochronology, major-trace element geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic analyses to reveal their petrogenesis and tectonic evolutionary significance. Zircon dating results show that the weighted mean ages of diabase and sillite are 273 ± 3 Ma and 272 ± 2 Ma, respectively, indicating their formation in the late Early Permian. Geochemically, the diabase exhibits medium-K calc-alkaline affinities, with enriched light rare earth elements ((La/Yb)ₙ = 4.62~–13.81) and negative anomalies in Nb, Ta, and Ti. , while The the sillite belongs to the low-K calc-alkaline series, showing weak REE fractionation. Both of the diabase and sillite are similar to OIB patterns in trace element compositions. Both rock types have εHf(t) values of -2.5 to +1.2, (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)ᵢ of 0.70431–~0.70522, and εNd(t) of 0.20–0~.57, reflecting depleted mantle characteristics consistent with the isotopic compositions of the Puchang complex. Lithological and geochemical evidence indicates indicate that the magmatic source was garnet-spinel lherzolite derived from low-degree partial melting of continental lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subduction components. The magmas underwent fractional crystallization of Fe-Ti oxides and pyroxene with minor crustal contamination during evolution. Combined with regional tectonic evolution, these Puchang mafic dikes formed in the late stage (273~–272 Ma) of lithospheric thinning caused by mantle plume thermal erosion, serving as an important supplement to the "mantle plume-lithosphere interaction" model of the TLIP. This study provides new insights into the source properties and tectonic setting of the multiphase magmatism in the TLIP.
Keywords: Tarim large igneous province, Mafic dikes, Zircon U-Pb dating, Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes, magmaticsource region
Received: 17 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hu, Li, Zhang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yanjun Li
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