Neoarchean granitoid magmatism and geodynamic process in the northeastern North China craton

Abstract The composition of Archean granitoid rocks changed from predominantly tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses in the early Archean (4–3 Ga) to diversified granitoid rock assemblages in the late Archean (3.0–2.5 Ga), marking a crucial transformation in the geodynamic processes of early Earth. However, the reason for this major transition remains enigmatic because the petrogenetic features of different granitoid assemblages and their crust-mantle interactions during different periods are poorly understood. We use variations in the spatial-temporal distribution, lithological association, chemical composition, and petrogenesis of Neoarchean (2.7–2.5 Ga) granitoids and inferred correlative crust-mantle interactions in the Eastern Liaoning Range (ELR) of the northeastern North China craton to explore this geodynamic transition. The early Neoarchean (ca. 2.7 Ga) ELR granitoids were dominated by TTG gneisses, and the late Neoarchean (2.6–2.5 Ga) ELR granitoid typology and compositions became more complex, changing into TTGs and more K2O-rich granitoid rocks. The TTGs can be subdivided into a high-Ca group and a low-Ca group: The 2.71–2.68 Ga high-Ca group TTG magma originated from partial melting of subducted juvenile oceanic crust, and the low-Ca group TTG magma was derived from fractionation crystallization of the high-Ca group TTG magma. The chemical composition of the magmatic sources played a dominant role on the 2.60–2.50 Ga TTG magmatism: the high-Ca and low-Ca group TTG magmas came from low-K mafic rocks and tonalites, respectively. The 2.58–2.49 Ga K2O-rich granitoids can be divided into three petrogenetic series: (1) The high-Ca-Mg group K2O-rich granitoid magma originated from partial melting of high-K mafic rocks, (2) the low-Ca-Mg group K2O-rich granitoid magma was derived from partial melting of sedimentary rocks, and (3) the transition group K2O-rich granitoid magma was sourced from metagreywackes. The 2.71–2.68 Ga TTGs were generated in an island arc belt, and subducted slab melting and subsequent magmatic differentiation were the dominant mechanisms of the TTG magmatism. The 2.60–2.50 Ga diversified granitoids were formed in the oceanic-continental subduction process under the active continental margin; the complicated oceanic slab subduction and arc-arc and arc-continent collisions contributed to the diversity of late Neoarchean granitoid magmatism.