Himalayan leucogranites: A review of geochemical and isotopic characteristics, timing of formation, genesis, and rare metal mineralization

Fractional crystallization plays a critical role in generating the differentiated continental crust on Earth. However, whether efficient crystal-melt separation can occur in viscous felsic magmas remains a long-standing debate because of the difficulty in discriminating between differentiated melts and complementary cumulates. Here, we found large (~1 per mil) potassium isotopic variation in 54 strongly peraluminous high-silica (silicon dioxide >70 weight %) leucogranites from the Himalayan orogen, with potassium isotopes correlated with trace elemental proxies (e.g., strontium, rubidium/strontium, and europium anomaly) for plagioclase crystallization. Quantitative modeling requires up to ~60 to 90% fractional crystallization to account for the progressively light potassium isotopic composition of the fractionated leucogranites, while plagioclase accumulation results in enrichment of heavy potassium isotopes in cumulate leucogranites. Our findings strongly support fractional crystallization of high-silica magmas and highlight the great potential of potassium isotopes in studying felsic magma differentiation.

https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.abo4492?download=true

Extensive crystal fractionation of high-silica magmas revealed by K isotopes

Radiogenic isotopes of granitoids are widely applied to fingerprint the source of granitoids and study the magma mingling and assimilation processes, aiming to decipher the planetary differentiation. This weapon is based on the assumption that crustal melts inherit the radiogenic isotopes of protoliths. However, complicated melting processes in the crust would drive the radiogenic isotopes of melt away from the source, thus calling for a clear understanding of the behaviors of radiogenic isotopes during crustal melting. This study investigated the joint behavior of Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Lu-Hf isotope systems during the melting of metasediments. Leucosome, schist, and leucogranite samples were collected from the Nyalam, South Tibet, where the leucosome was produced by muscovite dehydration melting of metapelites. Results show that the leucosome has a broad range of Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes (87Sr/86Sri: 0.763,48–0.875321, εNd(t): 14.6–11.6, εHf(t): 15.0–4.4) that deviate from the metasediments. We attributed it to the non-modal or disequilibrium melting of metapelites. The variation of Sr isotopes of leucosome is formed due to preferential entry into the melt of muscovite relative to plagioclase during melting. The changing 87Sr/86Sri and 87Rb/86Sr of leucosome define an errorchron at ∼ 500 Ma indicating an early Paleozoic tectono-thermal event supported by the U-Pb age of zircon cores (∼460 Ma) in the leucosome. The Nd isotopes of leucosome are mainly controlled by the preferential dissolution of apatite relative to monazite. The inadequate dissolution of zircon caused more depleted initial Hf isotopes compositions in the leucosome than the source. However, the leucosome with a higher crystallization temperature has radiogenic isotopic composition closer to the source. It indicates that the melting temperature greatly affects the isotope equilibrium between source and melt.

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Sr-Nd-Hf Isotopic Disequilibrium During the Partial Melting of Metasediments: Insight From Himalayan Leucosome

Eocene to Miocene metamorphic evolution and tectonic implication of the Ilam Nappe in Nepal Himalaya: Constraints from P–T conditions and monazite petrochronology

Leucogranitic rocks, mainly including leucogranite-pegmatite systems, have been found to be widely distributed in the South Tibetan Himalaya, and they have received considerable interest because of their significance in crustal evolution and associated rare-metal mineralization. Although the nature and geodynamic setting of the Himalayan leucogranites have been well documented by numerous studies, the pegmatites spatially associated with these leucogranites are still poorly understood. Tourmaline is a ubiquitous phase from the leucogranite to the pegmatite. We have therefore conducted in situ major and trace element and boron isotope investigations of tourmaline from the Gyirong pegmatite, synthesizing published data on the Gyirong leucogranite, to document the origin of tourmaline and its genetic implications. Two types of tourmaline (Tur-Ⅰ & Tur-Ⅱ) have been identified in this contribution and they are enriched in Fe, Si and Al but depleted in Mg and Ca, with Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratios ranging from 0.22 to 0.45. Accordingly, the tourmalines belong to the alkali group and have schorl composition. Trace elements, such as Zn, Ga, V, Sc, Li, Sn, Sr, and Co in the tourmalines are relatively enriched, whereas, other trace elements record low concentrations less than 10 ppm. The trace element concentrations of tourmaline are mainly controlled by melt composition. Morphological and geochemical characteristics reflect that the tourmalines from the Gyirong pegmatite are magmatic in origin. The Gyirong pegmatitic tourmalines have S-type granitoids and pegmatites boron isotopic signatures with a tight range of δ11B values between −11.8 and −9.7‰, which is consistent with the magmatic tourmalines (Mg-poor) of the Gyirong leucogranite. This study suggests that the Gyirong pegmatite was the product of crustal anatexis and that the crustal metapelitic rocks within the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex were the most likely source components.

In-situ boron isotope and chemical composition of tourmaline in the Gyirong pegmatite, southern Tibet: Implications for petrogenesis and magma source

Geochemical evidence for partial melting of progressively varied crustal sources for leucogranites during the Oligocene–Miocene in the Himalayan orogen

Mohammad Suleiman Obsa

Papers

Geochemical evidence for partial melting of progressively varied crustal sources for leucogranites during the Oligocene–Miocene in the Himalayan orogen