The Indosinian granitoids of Guangdong Province, South China, record a complex history of crust–mantle interactions during the Triassic assembly of the South China Block (SCB) and Indochina Block (ICB). Integrated zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes from these plutons reveal two magmatic episodes: an Early Indosinian phase (253–230 Ma) of large, west-to-east younging batholiths, and a later scattered phase (230–200 Ma). While most granitoids are peraluminous S-types formed by the melting of the Paleoproterozoic crust with limited mantle input (0–30%), the Taibao pluton and its enclaves are anomalous. They are more mafic and record a substantial mantle contribution (40–65%), pointing to focused, high-heat flux magmatism. This spatial and petrogenetic heterogeneity, coupled with the granitoids’ NE–SW trend orthogonal to the collisional zone, cannot be explained by simple crustal thickening. We propose that these features are the direct result of the slab tearing of the subducting Paleo-Tethys oceanic plate, triggered by an oblique collision between the SCB and ICB. This tearing induced asthenospheric upwelling, providing the thermal engine for widespread crustal anatexis and localized mantle melting. Our findings establish slab tearing as a key catalyst for syn-collisional, high-temperature magmatism, offering a unified framework for interpreting lithospheric processes during continental collisions.
Wang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.