Geochemistry and tectonic setting of the Chah-Bazargan sub-volcanic mafic dykes, south Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ), Iran

The Chah-Bazargan sub-volcanic mafic dykes (trachybasalt and basaltic trachyandesite) are located in the south of the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ), Iran. The dyke mineralogy mostly comprises amphibole, clinopyroxene, olivine, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase as phenocrysts and fine-grained plagioclase and some ferromagnesian minerals in the matrix. The rocks are alkaline and shoshonitic in composition. The mafic melts relate to Neotethys subduction activity beneath the southern SSZ in the ~Eocene–Miocene interval. Markedly positive Ba, U, K, Pb, and Sr and negative HFSE (high field strength elements: Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, P, and Ti) anomalies demonstrate this subduction. The sub-volcanic mafic dykes were produced from a metasomatized upper lithospheric mantle wedge at a depth consistent with the stability field of phlogopite-spinel (or -spinel/garnet) lherzolite. Geochemical studies on the basis of the rare earth elements (REE) and HFSE, and large ion lithophile elements (LILE) display that the mantle wedge underwent degrees of partial melting averaging between 5 and 15% to form the Chah-Bazargan sub-volcanic mafic dykes. It is possible that the chemical composition of the rocks was changed due to fractional crystallization and crustal contamination during emplacement

The evolution of arc magmatism related to Palaeotethys in the west of Salmas, north of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, Iran

The Mingol-Mamakan gabbroic-appinitic intrusions are located in northwestern part of Iran and belong to the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone (SSZ). These intrusions have had a significant impact on evolution of the northwestern part of the SSZ during Upper Carboniferous. The rocks typically include layered and massive gabbros-gabbrodiorites. The age of layered gabbros is 303-300 Ma and they mainly consist of leuco-gabbro, mezzo-gabbro, melano-gabbro, anorthosite, and hornblendite (appinite) with gradational or sharp bedding contacts alternatively. Layered gabbros with 314-322 Ma are mostly composed of leuco-gabbro, mezzo-gabbro, melano-gabbro, and hornblendite. Most of these samples are appinite in composition. The intrusions show no obvious deformation. Therefore, mineral composition changes in the rocks have been controlled by crystallization processes, such as fractionation in the magma chamber. Our investigations indicate that different rock types with tholeiitic magma series are probably derived from partial melting of spinel lherzolite upper mantle co-genetic source. Geochemical information and dating from the Mingol-Mamakan intrusive rocks reveal that the intrusions were formed of subduction-related immature or sub-mature island arc tholeiitic basalt which is enriched in Al2O3, FeO, Sr and depleted in K and Nb. Subsequently, primary tholeiitic arc basalt magma underwent fractional crystallization to form intrusive rocks at the lower crust, relatively in high pressures conditions. Geochemical modeling based on the partition coefficient of elements in minerals indicates that trace elements concentrations (large-ion lithophile elements, LILEs, high field strength elements, HFSE, and rare earth elements, REEs) in the Mingol-Mamakan intrusions throughout the crystallization were controlled by variable amounts of common minerals such as amphibole, clinopyroxene (for all trace elements) plagioclase (only for LILE) and probably spinel in the source rock (only for HFSE). Moreover, elements of first transition series of periodic table mainly controlled by orthopyroxene, olivine and possibly by clinopyroxene and amphibole in much smaller amounts

Late Miocene K-rich volcanism in the Eslamieh Peninsula (Saray), NW Iran: Implications for geodynamic evolution of the Turkish–Iranian High Plateau

Post-collisional volcanism in northwestern Iran is represented by the Saray high-K rocks including leucite-bearing under-saturated and leucite-free silica saturated rocks. We report Ar–Ar age data which constrain the age as ca. 11Ma (lateMiocene).Most of clinopyroxene phenocrysts fromthe volcanic rocks have complex oscillatory zoning, with high Ti and Al cores, low Ti and high Almantled clinopyroxenes, grading into lowTi and Al outer rims. All the rocks are highly enriched in incompatible trace elements and have identical Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes. Enrichment in incompatible elements and other geochemical features for the Saray lavas suggest a metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) as the magma source. The negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies for the Saray lavas compare with the features of subduction-related magmatism with negligible contamination with ancient crustal components. The highly radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr and 207Pb/204Pb isotopic values of the Saray lavas imply the involvement of slab terrigenous sediments and/or a continental lithosphere. Isotopically, the volcanic rocks define a binary trend, representing 5–8% mixing between the primary mantle and sediment melts. Our melting models suggest residual garnet in the source and are incompatible with partial melting of amphibole and/or phlogopite bearing lherzolites, although the complex geochemical features might indicate the result of mixing between melts produced by different sources or a homogenous melt passing through a compositionally-zoned mantle during multiple stages of partial melting and melt migration. The geochronological, geochemical and isotopic data for the Saray rocks suggest that these Late Miocene magmas were derived from a small degree of partial melting of subduction-metasomatized (subcontinental) lithospheric mantle source in a post-collisional setting