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Geological Society of America Bulletin


High magmatic flux during Alpine-Himalayan collision: Constraints from the Kal-e-Kafi complex, central Iran
Jamshid Ahmadian, Michael Haschke, Iain McDonald, Marcel Regelous, Mohammad RezaGhorbani, Mohammad Hashem Emami and Mamoru Murata Geological Society of America Bulletin 2009;121;857-868 doi: 10.1130/B26279.1

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2009 Geological Society of America

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High magmatic ux during Alpine-Himalayan collision: Constraints from the Kal-e-Ka complex, central Iran
Jamshid Ahmadian
Department of Geology, Payam-e Noor University, Kohandej, Isfahan, Iran and Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-175, Tehran, Iran

Michael Haschke
Department of Geology, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa

Iain McDonald
School of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3YE, UK

Marcel Regelous
Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK

Mohammad RezaGhorbani
Department of Geology, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-175, Tehran, Iran

Mohammad Hashem Emami


Geological Survey of Iran, Meraj Street, P.O. Box 13185-1494, Tehran, Iran

Mamoru Murata
Department of Geosciences, Naruto University of Education, 748 Tokushima 772-8502, Japan

ABSTRACT Voluminous Eocene gabbros to granites of the Kal-e-Ka backarc composite intrusion were emplaced prior to the AlpineHimalayan collision in the central Iranian backarc, but the reasons for precollisional high arc and backarc magmatic productivity (6053 Ma) are unclear. Diagnostic geochemical signatures are high K2O-Sr contents and successively depleted middle rare earth element (REE) patterns, reecting a highly metasomatized source and an increasing role for amphibole and garnet (0%10%) in the relatively younger granites. Release of concealed K-Sr-rich uids from oceanic fractures and faults during buckling and bulging of a precollisional choking oceanic slab, and melting of phlogopite-bearing lithosphere with subsequent interaction of the melt with lower crustal garnet-amphibolite of a ~40-km-thick crust, can explain the Kal-eKa geochemical and isotopic signatures. Gravimetric data indicating a ~39 km present-day backarc crustal thickness are consistent with geochemical results but also imply

little if any collisional crustal thickening of the central Iranian Plateau. High Eocene arc-backarc melt ux prior to collision in this region reects vigorous thermal convection, which may in fact be diagnostic of collisional magmatism, explaining the presence of postcollisional shoshonitic melts in this and other collisional orogenic settings. Keywords: backarc magmatism, central Iran, Alpine-Himalayan collision, amphibole, crustal thickening. INTRODUCTION Subduction-related magmatism in Iran ranges from Cretaceous to Holocene, but is dominated by 5035 Ma intermediate to silicic calc-alkaline and shoshonitic volcanic and intrusive rocks (Berberian and King, 1981; Berberian et al., 1982; Alavi, 1994), implying highest arc and backarc productivity prior to the Alpine-Himalayan collision. The petrologic and geodynamic driving forces for such high-productivity magmatism during ocean closure are unclear, but comparison of volcanic accumulation rates in Iran and Cenozoic North American arcs indicate that middle Tertiary arc and backarc activity in

E-mail: haschkem.sci@ufs.ac.za

Iran accumulated 34 times more volcanic strata per unit time (McQuarrie et al., 2003), implying favorable melting conditions and exceptionally fertile source rocks. The Kal-e-Ka backarc intrusive complex in central Iran (Fig. 1) was emplaced during this period of high magmatic productivity and is thought to have provided clues as to what caused these conditions. Understanding the conditions and trigger mechanisms for precollisional high magmatic productivity is important, as they may be diagnostic features of collisional orogenic settings and may help to better understand collisional orogenesis. Another important aspect is that the Kal-e-Ka intrusive complex hosts one of Irans largest Cu-Au-Mo deposits (245 Mt at 0.26% Cu and 260 ppm Mo). Importantly, our study provides new tectonic and magmatic constraints from a barely investigated region in central Iran and contributes to the ongoing discussion of precollisional tectonic and magmatic conditions of the Alpine-Himalayan collision in Iran. These precollisional conditions need to be taken into account when modeling collisional orogenic processes in Iran. We present new geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope data from Kal-e-Ka plutonic and volcanic rocks (60 samples; Table 1 and GSA Data

GSA Bulletin; May/June 2009; v. 121; no. 5/6; p. 857868; doi: 10.1130/B26279.1; 7 gures; 1 table; Data Repository item 2008212.

For permission to copy, contact editing@geosociety.org 2009 Geological Society of America

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Figure 1. Shaded topographic relief map of Iran with major tectonic elements of the AlpineHimalayan collisional orogen. Inset: Simplied geological map of the Kal-e-Ka composite intrusion, showing relative age relations of Eocene intrusions (gray-shaded). Crosscutting NW-SE faults reect collisional deformation parallel to the Zagros fold-thrust belt.

Shoshonites

Makran k

200 km

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Repository Item)1 and discuss new spatial and temporal geochemical trends in a tectonic context. These trends provide important constraints on Eocene arc-backarc crustal conditions and possible trigger mechanisms for high magmatic ux and allow the derivation of a new geodynamic model in the light of existing structural and geophysical constraints in central Iran and modern magmatic and tectonic constraints along convergent margins. We discuss the feasibility of this model in the context of similar geodynamic settings of Andean orogenic arcs with variable crustal thickness (data from Petford and Atherton, 1996; Haschke et al., 2002a) and collisional magmatism in Papua New Guinea as an extreme end member of such a geodynamic setting (data from Smith et al., 1979; Haschke and Ben-Avraham, 2005). GEOLOGICAL SETTING The Kal-e-Ka igneous complex is situated on the Iranian Plateau at 10881668 m elevation, ~100 km off the main-arc axis in the Yazd block (long 5415W, lat 3324S). It forms a 12 9 km large, exhumed crustal root of a volcanic province from an episode of intense arc
1 GSA Data Repository Item 2008212, Major and trace element analyses of Eocene samples from the Kal-e-Ka intrusive complex, is available at www. geosociety.org/pubs/ft2008.htm. Requests may also be sent to editing@geosociety.org.

and backarc magmatic activity prior to collision along the Urumieh-Dokhtar arc (Fig. 1). Previous authors derived the onset of the ArabiaEurasia collision in central Iran from orogenic plateau formation and exhumation at 1623 Ma (Robertson, 2000; Allen et al., 2004). The Kal-e-Ka pluton forms an Eocene composite intrusion consisting of monzogabbro intruding relatively older latite, dacite, and andesite tuffs and lavas (60 Ma, whole rock K-Ar, Perliev et al., 1979), followed by quartz syenite and muscovite pegmatite (56 Ma, muscovite K-Ar age, Perliev et al., 1979), highK biotite-hornblende-rich porphyry granites (53 Ma, whole rock K-Ar age, Perliev et al., 1979), and ring dikes (Figs. 1 and 2). The reliability of the K-Ar ages is, however, debatable. The youngest porphyry granitesgeochemically shielded against Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian host rocksare centered within relatively older Eocene intrusive units. All plutons are crosscut by strike-slip fault sets with right-lateral offsets, parallel to the Zagros collision zone. Bi-vergent reverse faults (N137/70), as well as shortening and tilting (~20) of 5-m-thick andesitic Eocene volcanic lapilli-tuff sequences (Fig. 2), are oriented largely parallel to the Zagros suture zone, presumably attributed to the Alpine-Himalayan collision. Shoshonites in this region (43.4 1.4 Ma; Jung et al., 1985) are spread along the main arc and across the arc-backarc transition. They appear to postdate the Kal-e-Ka intrusive emplacement,

but the lack of more reliable radiometric ages also allows a postcollisional emplacement for some Kal-e-Ka granites, perhaps coeval with the postcollisional shoshonites. Arc and backarc magmatic activity continued after collision, though less intensive, into Miocene times and with different geochemical signatures. ANALYTICAL DETAILS In all, 60 samples (32 samples presented in Table 1, and 28 samples in the GSA Data Repository Item), out of 210 collected samples from the Kal-e-Ka area, were analyzed for major, trace, and rare earth elements (REE), and for Sr and Nd isotopic composition. Major and trace elements were analyzed by inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) at Cardiff University by Iain McDonald. Instrumental precision for major elements by inductively coupled plasma with optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) is 1%3% and for trace elements 3%10%. Instrumental precision on low-abundance high eld strength elements (HFSE, Ta, Hf, etc.) and REE is 2%12%, depending on the element and the sample. Long-term monitoring of accuracy, using control charts, is fully covered in McDonald and Viljoen (2006). Some major elements were analyzed by X-ray uorescence (XRF) (Rigaku RIX 2000 with an Rh end window tube), using a fused glass disk at Naruto University (see Table 1 for details).

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TABLE 1: SELECTED GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES OF EOCENE SAMPLES FROM THE KAL-E-KAFI INTRUSIVE COMPLEX Sample type SiO2 TiO2 Al2O3 FeO* MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 LOI Total Cr Ni Co V Cs Ba Rb Sr Y Hf Zr Th U Nb Ta La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
87 Sr/86Sr 2se 87 Sr/86Sr 0 143 Nd/144Nd 2se 143 Nd/144Nd 0

75 # 77 # Monzonite Monzonite 62.44 0.32 16.34 3.84 0.06 2.04 3.24 5.46 4.95 0.28 0.83 99.80 39 32 8 93 2.9 594 111 1530 11 6.3 288 7.9 2.48 7.3 0.39 29 51 5 19 3.12 0.98 2.5 0.33 1.68 0.32 0.97 0.2 1.05 0.17 0.704425 0.000012 0.704306 0.512710 0.000004 0.512684 58.16 0.59 16.28 3.06 0.09 3.26 4.76 5.64 4.57 0.53 0.79 97.73 68 54 14 98 2.7 733 87 1880 15 3.3 133 5.1 1.29 6.8 0.35 33 65 7 30 5.63 1.64 4.42 0.57 2.72 0.48 1.36 0.2 1.21 0.18 0.704279 0.000010 0.704203 0.512736 0.000006 0.512706

152a # Q-Monzonite 66.26 0.36 16.35 1.84 0.06 1.37 3.29 5.59 4.31 0.17 0.29 99.89 29 4 35 1.8 883 134 1320 15 5.5 204 13.3 3.77 12.8 0.87 36 63 7 25 4.42 1.14 3.34 0.5 2.52 0.47 1.39 0.2 1.41 0.22 0.704855 0.000010 0.704688 0.512635 0.000006 0.512606

190 # Micromonzogabbro 52.72 0.93 14.67 7.83 0.14 5.87 7.95 3.87 3.79 0.67 1.05 99.49 98 65 28 201 2.1 649 55 1640 20 3.1 114 5.4 1.5 6.3 0.3 35 71 8.4 34 7.27 2.11 5.73 0.8 3.8 0.69 1.91 0.3 1.71 0.24 0.704248 0.000010 0.704193 0.512719 0.000004 0.512685

24 # Micromonzonite 61.33 0.54 15.58 4.61 0.10 2.96 4.19 4.40 4.56 0.37 1.09 99.73 82 36 9 93 4.6 610 117 1230 16 4.7 178 11.6 3.66 9.7 0.66 30 57 6 24 4.84 1.3 3.8 0.56 2.81 0.54 1.55 0.2 1.59 0.23 0.704672 0.000011 0.704477 0.512648 0.000004 0.512609

60 # Microsyenite 56.08 0.69 15.57 5.99 0.1 4.31 5.61 4.9 4.6 0.55 1.26 99.66 99 61 19 131 5.7 610 101 1630 17 4.5 172 9.2 3.2 8.8 0.5 34 66 7.7 30 6.16 1.75 4.66 0.65 3.17 0.57 1.64 0.2 1.49 0.22 0.704324 0.000010 0.704197 0.512744 0.000004 0.512703

75b $ 18 # Monzonite Monzonite 59.54 0.46 17.31 4.18 0.07 2.23 3.86 5.96 4.13 0.45 1.23 99.41 54 38 13 101 3.3 730 98 1907 13 4.2 221 3.6 1.4 5.6 0.2 26.0 54 6.3 24.1 4.61 1.30 3.5 0.44 2.23 0.39 1.15 0.17 1.07 0.17 57.78 0.83 16.13 6.45 0.13 3.23 6.34 4.23 3.29 0.4 0.78 99.59 38 20 17 165 1.5 489 73 1130 23 4.7 184 8.0 2.3 11.7 0.7 35 70 7.9 31.2 6.04 1.71 5.14 0.77 4.08 0.78 2.33 0.4 2.26 0.33

112b $ Syenite 61.14 0.18 19.62 1.72 0.02 0.55 2.24 7.47 4.79 0.11 0.67 98.53 41 26 3 39 4.0 770 83 3063 6 1.7 67 9.6 2.2 4.5 0.4 17.2 29 3.1 11.0 2.03 1.24 1.5 0.19 1.01 0.17 0.53 0.08 0.53 0.08

112c $ Syenite 64.48 0.32 16.88 1.99 0.03 0.82 1.95 4.95 7.08 0.16 1.32 99.99 37 21 6 47 2.0 583 113 1334 9 5.9 238 14.7 4.3 11.0 1.1 17.9 35 3.6 12.7 2.25 0.98 1.8 0.25 1.38 0.26 0.86 0.15 1.04 0.17

39 # Q-Monzonite 66.33 0.32 16.31 2.48 0.05 0.89 2.20 5.44 4.96 0.13 0.76 99.87 28 53 5 64 3.6 772 137 1300 15 5.4 211 16.2 3.27 12.5 0.88 38 68 7 25 4.38 1.14 3.29 0.5 2.45 0.46 1.39 0.2 1.48 0.22

Note: *Total Fe calculated as FeO, = samples analyzed in Aachen, # = samples analyzed in Naruto, $ = samples analyzed in Cardiff. (continued)

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TABLE 1: SELECTED GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES OF EOCENE SAMPLES FROM THE KAL-E-KAFI INTRUSIVE COMPLEX (continued) sample type SiO2 TiO2 Al2O3 FeO* MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 LOI Total Cr Ni Co V Cs Ba Rb Sr Y Hf Zr Th U Nb Ta La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
87 Sr/86Sr 2se 87 Sr/86Sr 0 143 Nd/144Nd 2se 143 Nd/144Nd 0

50 # Q-Monzonite 67.26 0.33 16.00 2.51 0.06 1.02 2.61 5.31 4.58 0.13 0.05 99.86 24 20 5 57 8.3 715 144 1360 14 5.4 205 20 3.24 12.5 0.82 36 63 6 23 3.97 1.05 2.95 0.45 2.25 0.42 1.3 0.2 1.36 0.21

162 # Q-Monzonite 66.98 0.30 15.9 2.31 0.05 0.86 2.43 5.21 4.87 0.13 0.84 99.88 26 23 5 41 2 822 128 1200 14 5.2 199 10.3 3.1 12.1 0.86 35 62 6 23 4.08 1.05 2.99 0.47 2.29 0.44 1.36 0.2 1.34 0.21

61 # Micromonzogabbro 51.77 0.81 15.22 7.73 0.14 5.52 6.61 3.84 4.59 0.73 2.54 99.51 117 208 25 199 34.0 587 136 1494 20 4.0 186 9.9 3.2 9.0 0.6 31.5 68 8.2 32.4 6.68 1.74 5.3 0.69 3.54 0.61 1.78 0.3 1.68 0.26

98 $ Micromonzonite 60.40 0.54 15.64 4.79 0.08 2.79 2.88 5.62 2.75 0.25 3.85 99.59 74 54 12 91 3.7 701 85 1029 18 3.6 157 8.3 2.4 9.7 0.7 26.8 56 6.2 22.7 4.33 1.18 3.7 0.53 2.94 0.53 1.64 0.25 1.62 0.26

62 # Microsyenite 57.43 0.63 15.61 5.5 0.1 3.9 5.12 5.02 4.61 0.48 1.29 99.69 102 56 18 123 3 634 96 1530 16 4.2 160 8.5 2.9 8.4 0.5 30 60 6.9 27 5.54 1.56 4.23 0.61 2.92 0.54 1.49 0.2 1.39 0.21

66 # Microsyenite 54.77 0.92 15.18 7.00 0.13 4.49 6.78 4.22 4.49 0.55 1.05 99.58 62 42 19 168 6.2 640 110 1290 19 5.0 186 12.5 3.5 11.2 0.7 35 69 8.0 31 6.47 1.81 5.18 0.75 3.69 0.68 1.91 0.3 1.78 0.26

124a # Micromonzodiorite 58.47 0.73 16.94 5.15 0.12 1.94 5.61 5.19 3.63 0.28 1.64 99.70 15 8 109 2.5 642 90 1450 24 4.6 180 9.0 2.25 11.3 0.61 35 70 8 30 6.16 1.74 4.93 0.77 4.04 0.8 2.26 0.4 2.22 0.33

En-1 # enclave 60.64 0.47 13.24 4.44 0.10 5.56 4.60 3.73 5.40 0.32 1.25 99.75 524 107 19 100 5.3 626 163 1040 14 4.3 146 16.8 3.71 10.4 0.71 38 68 7 28 5.07 1.3 3.77 0.52 2.47 0.44 1.27 0.2 1.29 0.20

23 # Shoshonite 53.26 0.91 15.24 7.53 0.13 5.09 7.22 3.82 4.70 0.61 1.07 99.58 46 27 22 159 3.8 627 79 1510 19 4.3 149 6.8 2.2 6.7 0.4 31 63 7.9 33 6.75 1.91 5.63 0.8 3.81 0.69 1.99 0.3 1.79 0.26

25 # Dacite 64.34 0.42 15.10 3.42 0.06 1.90 3.93 4.33 3.22 0.19 2.91 99.82 54 9 53 9.4 985 89 1030 11 3.0 104 4.0 1.6 5.1 0.3 14 29 3.4 14 2.67 0.81 2.31 0.35 1.82 0.35 1.05 0.2 0.99 0.15

Note: *Total Fe calculated as FeO, = samples analyzed in Aachen, # = samples analyzed in Naruto, $ = samples analyzed in Cardiff. (continued)

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TABLE 1: SELECTED GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES OF EOCENE SAMPLES FROM THE KAL-E-KAFI INTRUSIVE COMPLEX (continued) Sample type SiO2 TiO2 Al2O3 FeO* MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 LOI Total Cr Ni Co V Cs Ba Rb Sr Y Hf Zr Th U Nb Ta La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
87 Sr/86Sr 2se 87 Sr/86Sr 0 143 Nd/144Nd 2se 143 Nd/144Nd 0

26 # Dacite 62.84 0.48 14.43 3.68 0.09 2.92 4.88 3.78 2.89 0.21 3.60 99.80 77 35 9 66 4.6 823 57 996 11 2.9 101 4.8 2.2 5.7 0.4 18 34 4 16 3.08 0.91 2.56 0.38 1.95 0.37 1.12 0.2 1.13 0.17

35 # Dacite 63.55 0.54 15.05 4.66 0.09 2.21 3.18 4.24 4.16 0.22 1.86 99.76 48 36 10 55 4.5 924 118 1000 16 3.7 146 7.6 1.81 9.6 0.62 26 56 21 4.14 1.17 3.42 0.55 2.92 0.56 1.64 0.2 1.53 0.23

70a # Dacite 63.64 0.40 15.24 3.32 0.07 2.41 3.58 4.49 2.84 0.18 3.65 99.8 56 29 7 53 8.3 927 70 825 9 2.8 99 4.0 1.5 4.7 0.3 14 27 13.1 2.54 0.73 2.01 0.32 1.53 0.3 0.89 0.1 0.9 0.14

73 # Dacite 64.56 0.39 15.43 3.12 0.05 2.33 3.43 4.65 3.07 0.17 2.63 99.83 44 25 7 52 7.1 1070 64 1240 9 3.0 104 3.9 1.8 4.7 0.3 14 27 13 2.51 0.74 2.18 0.32 1.61 0.31 0.9 0.1 0.9 0.14

69 $ Trachyandesite 55.18 0.55 13.94 4.72 0.11 3.45 3.80 3.20 3.53 0.26 10.32 99.07 97 46 14 90 10.2 1107 139 1790 14 3.1 145 6.7 2.1 8.1 0.5 22.0 46 5.1 19.1 3.76 1.06 3.1 0.43 2.37 0.43 1.35 0.2 1.35 0.22

70 # Trachyandesite 59.88 0.34 14.31 3.00 0.06 1.97 2.78 4.69 3.42 0.17 8.47 99.09 84 70 10 65 10.1 638 144 611 9 2.8 119 3.8 1.2 4.2 0.3 14.2 30 3.5 13.5 2.64 0.74 2.1 0.28 1.51 0.28 0.85 0.13 0.86 0.14

130 # Trachyandesite 57.78 0.72 16.89 5.39 0.13 1.99 5.37 3.81 4.52 0.27 2.84 99.71 19 9 89 6.5 666 136 1230 23 4.7 179 9.1 2.6 10.8 0.7 33 65 7.6 29.8 5.8 1.64 4.84 0.76 3.88 0.75 2.29 0.4 2.21 0.33

150b $ Trachyandesite 60.08 0.32 15.13 2.80 0.03 1.82 4.88 5.37 2.12 0.13 8.17 100.85 54 22 7 50 3.5 914 40 2007 6 2.2 85 0.9 0.6 2.2 0.1 5.6 13 1.8 7.5 1.61 0.51 1.3 0.17 0.94 0.16 0.49 0.08 0.48 0.07

133 # Trachybasalt Potassic 57.19 0.52 16.12 4.39 0.10 1.92 3.34 4.55 3.47 0.29 8.05 99.93 152 800 10 83 12.7 797 131 821 15 3.5 158 8.2 2.3 7.6 0.5 29.4 60 6.8 24.7 4.49 1.17 3.4 0.44 2.41 0.43 1.36 0.21 1.38 0.22

196 $ Trachybasalt Potassic 54.36 0.75 14.61 6.14 0.11 3.59 3.88 5.28 4.02 0.50 6.67 99.91 50 26 19 88 2.4 499 117 697 20 3.2 167 15.9 2.5 12.0 1.0 33.8 72 8.1 30.8 5.98 1.48 4.8 0.65 3.37 0.59 1.79 0.27 1.76 0.27

195 $ tuff 57.40 0.64 15.30 5.11 0.10 2.60 1.87 4.87 5.15 0.36 6.21 99.62 57 38 14 112 7.2 570 181 504 19 5.3 292 21.4 5.2 16.3 1.3 34.9 73 8.2 29.5 5.49 1.22 4.3 0.58 3.17 0.56 1.76 0.28 1.86 0.29

Note: *Total Fe calculated as FeO, = samples analyzed in Aachen, # = samples analyzed in Naruto, $ = samples analyzed in Cardiff.

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Downloaded from gsabulletin.gsapubs.org on March 20, 2010 Ahmadian et al. than those of Iranian main-arc rocks and signicantly higher than Iranian shoshonites and Andean orogenic arc rocks (Fig. 3B). Thus the Kal-e-Ka melt source must have been much more metasomatized (K2O, Sr, and large ion lithophile elements [LILE]enriched) than that of the Andean and Iranian main-arc melts, as their mac end members contain signicantly less K2O and Sr (Figs. 3A, B). Even melts traveling through thick (~60 km) Andean crust show much lower Sr concentrations, which rules out thick continental crust as a main Sr contaminant. High Sr contents of the mac Kal-e-Ka end members (15002000 ppm) somewhat suggest a high-Sr melt sourcei.e., the mantle or lower crust. The Yb concentrations of mac Kal-e-Ka backarc rocks are similar to those of Iranian shoshonites and the ~40-km-thick Andean arc crust (Fig. 3C). Low Yb (and Y) contents are mainly diagnostic of garnet as a fractionating and/or residual mineral, because of their high distribution coefcients (KDs) in garnet (Klein et al., 1997; VanWestrenen et al., 2001), whereas high Yb (>2 ppm) concentrations in arc melts are typical of peridotite sources. Yb contents <1.5 ppm may indicate the presence of garnet (e.g., garnet-amphibolite), especially in andesites and higher SiO2 rocks, and Yb contents <1ppm typically reect eclogite as residual and/or source mineralogy. Interestingly, Iranian main-arc rocks show two distinct groups of Yb concentrations, a low-Yb Eocene arc group (Yb <1.2 ppm), reecting garnet-amphibolite afnities, and a high-Yb Miocene arc group (Yb >2.5 ppm) with a peridotite source in the Urumieh-Dokhtar arc. Mac Kal-e-Ka backarc rocks plot intermediate between the two Yb arc end members (the tectonic signicance of these distinct Yb main-arc groups is discussed in a separate paper), consistent with hybrid crustmantle signatures (Fig. 3C). In contrast, the ~60-km-thick Andean arc crust shows lower Yb contents than Kal-e-Ka rocks, implying a lack of eclogitic residue and/or source mineralogies for Kal-e-Ka rocks. Sr/Y ratios help to discriminate rocks in which feldspar and garnet fractionation was important. Very high Sr/Y ratios, such as collisional magmatism (Sr/Y >140), indicate metasomatism (by Sr and other LILE-bearing uids) and eclogitic residual and/or source mineralogies (Haschke and Ben-Avraham, 2005), whereas the low Sr/Y ratios of Miocene arc rocks (and some shoshonites) in central Iran are typical of island-arc rocks and reect substantial feldspar fractionation from a garnet-free source (Fig. 3D). The two groups of (higher) Sr/Y ratios in Eocene and (lower) Sr/Y ratios in Miocene Iranian arc rocks are consistent with the observed Yb-trend

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Figure 2. Outcrop views showing structural eld relations of Eocene Kal-eKa igneous rocks (see Fig. 1 for location). (A) Bi-vergent collisional reverse faulting (N137/70), shortening, and tilting (~20) of a ~5-m-thick andesitic Eocene volcanic lapilli-tuff sequence. (B) Relative age relations of Kal-e-Ka intrusive rocks, showing oldest gabbro-diorite intruded by quartz syenite, followed by high-K granite dikes (inset).

Glass beads from nely ground samples were prepared with a sample-to-ux (Li2B4O7) ratio of 1:10 and analyzed for major elements using fundamental parameter method spectrometry. Analytical errors were <1%. Trace elements of some samples (Table 1), including REE, were analyzed using a Perkin-Elmer ELAN 6100 ICP-MS at Actlabs Ltd., Canada. Like the analytical facilities at Cardiff University, the analytical precision for most elements is better than 3%. Trace elements of the other samples (marked by asterisk in Table 1) were analyzed at the RWTH Aachen University by inductivelycoupled-plasma atomic-emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The analytical precision for REE and Y is better than 4% and 5%10% for other trace elements, and signicantly smaller than the variation in trends discussed in this study. Even large errors make little difference. Sr and Nd isotopes were analyzed by Marcel Regelous at Royal Holloway University London with unleached powder and calibrated against standards NBS987 (Sr mean, 0.710247; SD, 0.000009) and Aldrich (Nd mean, 0.511403; SD, 0.000008).

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS Major and Trace Elements The Kal-e-Ka rocks show an arc-type range of SiO2 contents (5274 wt%, Table 1 and GSA Data Repository Item) with clear subduction signatures (Ta <1 ppm, Nb <13 ppm) and higher K2O contents (2.85.8 wt%) transitional between those of Iranian shoshonites and Urumieh-Dokhtar and Andean arc rocks (Fig. 3A). Mac high-K2O end members generally imply early-stage (source) enrichment and/or a lower degree of partial melting. Interestingly, Iranian arc, backarc, and shoshonite rocks form a trend of higher K2O contents (at equal SiO2) with younger ages, prior to and during the collision with Eurasia, similar to collision magmatism in Papua New Guinea where high-K2O rocks reect remobilization of enriched lithosphere in the latest stage of collisional orogenesis (Pearce et al., 2005; Haschke and Ben-Avraham, 2005). Another similarity to collision magmatism in Papua New Guinea lies in the Sr contents of Kal-e-Ka rocks, which are up to 4 times higher

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Figure 3. Plots of wt% SiO2 vs. (A) wt% K2O; (B) Sr (in ppm); (C) Yb (in ppm); (D) Sr/Y; (E) Sm/Yb vs. La/Sm. PYXpyroxene; AMPH amphibole; GARgarnet. After Kay and Mpodozis (2001) for Kal-e-Ka intrusive rocks, compared with main-arc rocks from the Iranian EoceneMiocene main arc (Berberian, 1983; Hadadi, 1996; Soltani, 1997; Isfahani and Shari, 1999; Shirzad, 2001); Iranian shoshonites (Torabi, 1997; Ahmadi, 2003); Andean arc rocks (Cordillera Blanca, from Petford and Atherton, 1996; El Abra-Fortuna, from Haschke et al., 2002a); collisional adakites from Papua New Guinea (from Smith et al., 1979; Haschke and Ben-Avraham, 2005).

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Downloaded from gsabulletin.gsapubs.org on March 20, 2010 Ahmadian et al. (see Fig. 3C) and reect the presence and lack of garnet, respectively, in the residual and/or source mineralogy. About 40-km-thick Andean arc crust shows Sr/Y ratios similar to Eocene Iranian arc rocks. Most Kal-e-Ka rocks have higher Sr/Y ratiosa consequence of the higher Sr contentsand they plot intermediate between Eocene Iranian arc rocks and collisional magmatism (Papua New Guinea), which suggests strong metasomatism and possibly the presence of some garnet as a residual or source mineral. REE provide diagnostic clues for scaling, balancing, and predicting orogenic arc crustal thickening. In particular, La/Sm and Sm/Yb ratios provide information on the evolution of a pressure-sensitive lower crustal residual mineralogy and serve as a rst-order guide for determining relative crustal thicknesses and source enrichment (e.g., La in uids; Fig. 3E). Such REE correlations assume melting and assimilation of hydrous (underplated) mac crust with storage and homogenization with mantle basalt at or near the crust-mantle boundary, the generally accepted MASH (melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization) concept (after Hildreth and Moorbath, 1988). The resulting hybrid melt reects pressure-dependent changes ranging from clinopyroxene to amphibole to garnet transitions in the residual or source mineralogy (Kay and Mpodozis, 2001; Haschke et al., 2006). As an approximate guide for mac crust, gabbroic (clinopyroxene-bearing) source mineralogies dominate at depths of 3035 km, amphibolite at ~40 km (Rapp and Watson, 1995), and eclogite (garnet-bearing) at 4550 km (or 1215 kbar; Rushmer, 1991; Rapp and Watson, 1995). Although these inferred depths are approximations, mineral breakdown pressures are also inuenced by bulk composition and temperature, and lower ratios of La/Sm (<4) and Sm/Yb (<3) tend to indicate clinopyroxenedominated mineral residues, higher ratios (La/ Sm >4, Sm/Yb 35) indicate middle REE retention (such as Sm) by amphibole, and high ratios (Sm/Yb >5) generally reect heavy REE retention (such as Yb and Y) by garnet in the residue (Van Westrenen et al., 2001; Barth et al., 2002). Such a guide can be considered only an approximation, as the choice of distribution coefcients is difcult and somewhat arbitrary. Consequently, melts from collision-modied lithosphere (Papua New Guinea) show very high La/Sm and Sm/Yb ratios from intense metasomatism and eclogitic sources. Orogenic Andean arc crust shows overall lower La/Sm ratios (noncollisional), and variable Sm/Yb ratios because of its variability in garnet content, depending on arc crustal thicknesses (Haschke and Gnther, 2003). High Sm/Yb ratios (>5) are typical of thick-crustal orogenic arcs (~60 km)

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Figure 4. Normalized (C1 chondrite) REE patterns of Kal-e-Ka intrusive rocks, showing the importance of amphibole through time. REE patterns tend to be more depleted in middle and heavy REE through time, resulting in the youngest granite with trough-shaped REE patterns. Light gray youngest granitoid; dark grayoldest gabbro.

with an eclogitic crustal base (e.g., Cordillera Blanca, Peru; Petford and Atherton, 1996), whereas lower Sm/Yb ratios (35) are typical of arcs with ~40-km-thick crust (see Fig. 3E). In contrast, EoceneMiocene arc rocks and shoshonites in central Iran show lower La/Sm ratios and low Sm/Yb (<3), which suggests less metasomatism (relative to collisional melts from Papua New Guinea) and a pyroxenedominated source, which implies nonthickened arc crust (<40 km) during this time. Kal-e-Ka rocks show overall intermediate La/Sm (mostly 59) and Sm/Yb (25) ratios between those of EoceneMiocene Iranian arc and Andean orogenic arc rocks, consistent with pyroxene to amphibole-dominated melt sources (Fig. 3E). Moreover, relatively younger Kal-e-Ka rocks tend to have higher La/Sm ratios than the older Kal-e-Ka intrusions, implying a more enriched source for the youngest plutons, partly similar to Iranian shoshonites. Additional evidence for amphibole involvement comes from the abundance of hornblende phenocrysts and from concave-upward (trough-shaped) REE patterns (Fig. 4). Such patterns are diagnostic of amphibole sources or residues, because amphibole concentrates the middle REE (Sm to Er; Klein et al., 1997). Interestingly, REE patterns of Kale-Ka rocks tend to be more depleted in the

middle REE through time; the most pronounced trough-shaped REE patterns are developed in the youngest granites (Fig. 4), which implies the most amphibole involvement. Sr and Nd Isotopes Higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios (at equal SiO2) generally reect involvement of an enriched component such as old lithospheric mantle (e.g., Rogers and Hawkesworth, 1989), assimilation of more radiogenic crustal Sr during differentiation with increasing crustal thickness (e.g., Hildreth and Moorbath, 1988), or contamination by subduction-related uids and/or sediments (e.g., Stern, 1991), whereas relatively lower Sr-isotope ratios generally indicate isotopic mantle afnities. Iranian arc and backarc rocks form three distinct groups of variably enriched initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (at equal SiO2) at the time of emplacement (Fig. 5A). EoceneMiocene arc rocks (see Fig. 1) show the highest Sr isotope ratios, similar to ~60-km-thick Andean arc crust, whereas Kal-e-Ka backarc rocks show relatively low Sr isotope ratios, similar to less thick Andean arcs (~40 km) and collisional magmatism (Papua New Guinea). For comparison, rocks from the active Iranian Makran subduction segment

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Figure 5. Initial Sr-Nd isotope compositions of Kal-e-Ka rocks; (A) wt% SiO2 vs. 87Sr/ 86Sr0 shows positive correlation of Sr isotope compositions and SiO2, and overlapping Sr isotope compositions from ~40-km-thick arc crust (Andes) and collisional rocks (Papua New Guinea); (B) Sr (in ppm) vs. 87Sr/86Sr0 shows negative correlation with anomalously high Sr contents, similar to collisional rocks (Papua New Guinea); MASHmelting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization; (C) 87Sr/86Sr0 vs. 143Nd/144Nd0 ratios, overlapping with Andean orogenic arc crust (~40 km).

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(see Fig. 1) show intermediate Sr-isotope ratios between the EoceneMiocene arc and backarc. Importantly, the contrast in Sr isotope ratios between the mac end members of the Iranian arc and Kal-e-Ka (backarc) rocks indicates signicant differences in the Sr isotope composition of early-stage arc and backarc melts, presumably an isotopically more radiogenic arc melt source from the effective recycling of subduction uids and sediments in the arc. Secondly, increasing Sr isotope ratios with higher SiO2 in both Iranian arc and Kal-e-Ka (backarc) rocks reect crustal assimilation during differentiation. Similarly, the Sr concentration in both Iranian arc and Kal-e-Ka (backarc) rocks tend to decrease with higher Sr isotope ratios, which suggests assimilation of older, more radiogenic crust (Fig. 5B). Yet assimilation of Paleozoic crust is unlikely because the geological setting shows that the relatively younger Kal-e-Ka intrusions are geochemically shielded against

Paleozoic host rocks, at least at the present exhumation level. In addition, rocks from the presently active Makran arc segment (Bazman igneous suite) show increasing initial Sr isotope ratios with higher Sr contents, which suggests lower crustal (MASH zone) assimilation of more radiogenic Sr (Rogers and Hawkesworth, 1989; Hildreth and Moorbath, 1988). The 143Nd/144Nd ratios of Kal-e-Ka (backarc) rocks show a reverse correlation with Sr isotope ratios (Fig. 5C). Both the Sr and Nd isotope ratios partly overlap with data from ~40-kmthick Andean arc crust, but not with samples from the Andean Jurassic arc (3035 km) and not with the Central Volcanic Zone (6070 km). A possible explanation for the poor correlation of initial Sr and Nd isotopes of EoceneMiocene Iranian arc rocks of the Natanz batholith may be the inuence of subduction-related uids and oceanic sediments, which tend to affect Sr but not the Nd isotope ratios.

DISCUSSION Recycling of Underplated Lower Arc Crustal Garnet-Bearing Amphibolite We envisage a model for the emplacement of the Kal-e-Ka intrusions in which some mantlederived melts are underplated at the backarc crustal base, whereas other melts continue to rise to the surface and crystallize as gabbros with mantle afnities. Underplated lower crustal hydrous gabbro will gradually be metasomatized into a mac amphibolite. Subsequently rising mantle melts will encounter and partially (re)melt this lower crustal amphibolite, generating a hybrid melt with transitional crust-mantle geochemical signatures. Dehydration melting of amphibolite produces SiO2-rich melts (Rushmer, 1991; Sen and Dunn, 1994), which will be gradually more silicic than the initially emplaced Kal-e-Ka gabbros. MASH-type processes will

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Similar processes are known from Andean arc systems (e.g., Cordillera Blanca batholith, Peru, Petford and Atherton, 1996; Paleogene arc, Chile, Haschke et al., 2002a), and it appears that most petrological processes operating in the precollisional Eocene Urumieh-Dokhtar arc in Iran were similar to those derived from paleoand present-day volcanic arcs with variable arc crustal thicknesses. Modeling of the Source Mineralogy and Backarc Crustal Thickness We tested our proposed petrological model by conducting batch-melting modeling of a basaltic source with variable mineralogies to reect different pressures (depths) in the MASH zone (shown as La/Yb ratios, Fig. 6) and reproduce the REE fractionation trends of Kal-e-Ka rocks. Lowdegree partial melting (5%10%) of a garnetbearing (up to 5%) basaltic amphibolite source, and lack of plagioclase as a residual or source mineral, followed by some low-level amphibole crystallization and fractionation (indicated by FC trends in Fig. 6), can explain the range of La/ Yb ratios of Kal-e-Ka rocks. Partial melting of sources with larger garnet contents (e.g., eclogitic) would generate lower Yb contents and higher La/Yb ratios, whereas melting of mantle peridotite produces higher Yb concentrations and much lower La/Yb ratios (<10). Melting of hydrous peridotite would produce higher La/Yb ratios, but the low Yb contents could not be explained for most of the Kal-e-Ka rocks. Dehydration melting of amphibolite also increases meltwater fugacities (see Fig. 6, after Tepper et al., 1993), which explains the minor presence or lack of feldspar, as higher water fugacities prevent plagioclase fractionation. This may, at least partly, account for the higher Sr (and Na2O) contents of Kal-e-Ka rocks. Important for our discussion is the onset of garnet as a residual and/or source mineral in the youngest Kal-e-Ka rocks, as this indicates crustal base pressures of ~12 kbar, or ~40 km of crustal thickness. A ~40-km-thick Eocene Iranian arc and backarc crust is consistent with similarities in Yb contents and La/Sm, Sm/Yb, and Sr-Nd isotope ratios from Andean arcs with similar crustal thicknesses. Interestingly, the geochemically derived Eocene paleocrustal thickness in central Iran (arc and backarc) is consistent with present-day crustal thicknesses derived from gravimetric Moho data (Dehghani and Makris, 1983), which suggests lower crustal thicknesses (~39 km) in the Kal-e-Ka backarc and thicker crust in the Urumieh-Dokhtar main arc (Natanz batholith, ~45 km). Thicker, more mature arc crust can be ascribed to a higher magmatic ux and underplating of basaltic arc crust, as interpreted for Andean arcs, and is consistent with the lower Yb contents observed in Eocene Iranian arc rocks. The consistency of independent geophysical and petrological estimates of arc-backarc crustal thicknesses provides support for using REE ratios as proxies for arc crustal thickness (see Haschke and Gnther, 2003; Haschke and Ben-Avraham, 2005; Haschke et al., 2006). Source of K-Sr Metasomatism Can this model also explain the high K2O and Sr contents of Kal-e-Ka rocks and their similarity to other collisional geodynamic settings (Papua New Guinea)? Possible explanations for K-Sr enrichment in convergent margin magmatism include contamination by subducted sediments (up to 20 vol%; Kilian and Behrmann, 2003), melting of a thickened phlogopite-bearing lithosphere (Pearce et al., 1990), remobilization of enriched lithosphere (Pearce et al., 2005), and/or recycling of inherited subduction signatures (Haschke and Ben-Avraham, 2005). A combination of these processes seems most likely, given the ~100 m.y. of subducting hydrous oceanic lithosphere beneath Eurasia. Long-term subduction is likely to have included hotspot trails, aseismic ridges, and oceanic plateaus, as seen along the present-day Andean continental margin, where oceanic anomalies have caused occasional choking of the subduction zone as reected in episodes of contraction, volcanic arc shutoff, and at subduction (Kay et al., 1999; Haschke et al., 2002b; Reutter et al., 2006). Fractures and faults in such oceanic crustal anomalies are known to conceal oceanic (K-Sr-rich) uids and biogenic sediments (Stern, 1991; Kilian and Behrmann, 2003). Such sediment-uid assemblages may have been concentrated in widespread vein systems in the overlying mantle peridotite (Foley, 1992) and remobilized during buckling and bulging of oceanic lithosphere during and after Neotethys ocean closure and subduction. Deepening of such vein systems during and after collision can provide phlogopite-bearing peridotite sources (~120 km; Pearce et al., 1990), and recent studies on the role of uids during mantle melting beneath backarc basins found positive cor-

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Figure 6. La/Yb vs. Yb plot, showing results of geochemical batch-melting modeling. Most Kal-e-Ka plutonic rocks (black dots) can be explained by low-degree (5%10%) partial melting of amphibolite with up to 5% garnet. We used a basaltic source composition that was extracted from a slightly enriched upper mantle E-MORB (enriched mid-oceanic ridge basalt) after Sun and McDonough (1989) and Drummond and Defant (1990). Inuence of changing crustal thicknesses (after Haschke and Gnther, 2003) and H2O fugacities (after Tepper et al., 1993) on La/Yb ratios are shown for reference. Garnet KDYb, after Klein et al. (1997), Van Westrenen et al. (2001), and Barth et al. (2002). cpxclinopyroxene; ololivine; opxorthopyroxene.

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Downloaded from gsabulletin.gsapubs.org on March 20, 2010 Choked subduction in central Iran relations between the H2O concentrations of the mantle and the extent of melting (see Kelley et al., 2006). Melting of such a source can explain the high K-Sr signature of large-volume Kal-e-Ka melts, and the subsequent interaction of these metasomatized melts with lower arc-crustal garnet-amphibolite can account for the REE fractionation trend seen in Kal-e-Ka rocks (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the inferred episode of ocean closure and subduction (ca. 5035 Ma; after Sengr et al., 1993; Fig. 7) appeared to have occurred immediately after the Kal-e-Ka emplacement (6053 Ma), but given the lack of more reliable radiometric age data than the K-Ar ages compiled, the Kal-e-Ka complex may alternatively reect postcollisional magmatism. For our tectonic model, exact emplacement ages of Kal-e-Ka backarc rocks are not decisive. Whether collision-related buckling and bulging (choking) of oceanic lithosphere occurred during or after collision is less relevant. Important for our concept is (1) that it did occur and that it must have been collision-related, (2) that it may have been an integral mechanism of collisional orogenies, and (3) that the Kal-e-Ka may be a type locality for syn- to postcollisional plutonic and related volcanic assemblages. The Kal-e-Ka Complex, Iran: A Hot Backarc An additional factor for generating high arc and backarc melt ux prior to and during collision may have been high heat ow. High heatow values are diagnostic of many circumPacic and southern Europe backarc systems in which uniformly high temperatures in the mantle and high lithosphere occur (~1200 C at ~60 km depth; Currie and Hyndman, 2006) over backarc widths of 250 to >900 km. Broad, hot backarcs (i.e., high magmatic ux) are in fact a fundamental characteristic of subduction systems with backarc extension and spreading, placing important constraints on backarc mantle dynamics. Hot backarcs, like the Kal-e-Ka intrusive complex in central Iran, imply vigorous thermal convection in the backarc upper mantle driven by uid-induced low viscosities rather than slabdriven corner ow. Interestingly, previous work showed that vigorous backarc mantle convection may have persisted for tens of millions of years after subduction termination and ocean closure (e.g., Dixon et al., 2004; Currie and Hyndman, 2006), which could also explain the presence of postcollisional prolic (low-degree partial melt) shoshonites in the arc-backarc transition in Iran and other collisional orogenic settings.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES CITED Ahmadi, M., 2003, Geological and petrological studies of the N of Talmesi mine; shoshonitic association, W of Anarak [M.S. thesis]: Isfahan, Isfahan University, 231 p. Alavi, M., 1994, Tectonics of the Zagros orogenic belt of Iran: New data and interpretations: Tectonophysics, v. 229, p. 211238, doi: 10.1016/0040-1951(94)90030-2. Allen, M., Jackson, J., and Walker, R., 2004, Late Cenozoic reorganization of the Arabia-Eurasia collision and the comparison of short-term and long-term deformation rates: Tectonics, v. 23, p. TC2008, doi: 10.1029/2003TC001530. Barth, M.G., Foley, S.F., and Horn, I., 2002, Partial melting in Archean subduction zones: Constraints from experimentally determined trace elements partition coefcients between eclogitic materials and tonalitic melts under upper mantle conditions: Precambrian Research, v. 113, p. 323340, doi: 10.1016/S03019268(01)00216-9. Berberian, F.P., 1983, Petrogenesis of Iranian plutons: A study of the Natanz and Bazman intrusive complexes [Ph.D. thesis]: Cambridge University, UK, in Geological Survey of Iran Report 53, 315 p. Berberian, F., Muir, I.D., Pankhurst, R.J., and Berberian, M., 1982, Late Cretaceous and early Miocene Andean-type plutonic activity in northern Makran and Central Iran: Geological Society of London Journal, v. 139, p. 605 614, doi: 10.1144/gsjgs.139.5.0605. Berberian, M., and King, G.C., 1981, Towards a paleogeography and tectonic evolution of Iran: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 18, p. 210265. Currie, C.A., and Hyndman, R.D., 2006, The thermal structure of subduction zone back arcs: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 111, p. B08404, doi: 10.1029/ 2005JB004024. Dehghani, G.A., and Makris, J., 1983, The gravity eld and crustal structure of Iran: Neues Jahruch Geologie Palaeontologie Abhandlugen, v. 168, p. 215229. Dixon, J.E., Dixon, T.H., Bell, D.R., and Malservisi, R., 2004, Lateral variation in upper mantle viscosity: Role of water: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 222, p. 451467, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2004.03.022. Drummond, M.S., and Defant, M.J., 1990, A model for trondhjemite-tonalite-dacite genesis and crustal growth via slab melting: Archean to modern comparisons: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 95, p. 21,503 21,521, doi: 10.1029/JB095iB13p21503. Foley, S., 1992, Petrological characterization of the source components of potassic magmas: Geochemical and experimental constraints: Lithos, v. 28, p. 187204, doi: 10.1016/0024-4937(92)90006-K. Hadadi, R., 1996, Petrology and geochemistry of rocks from Chahar, Gonbad [M.S. thesis]: Isfahan, Isfahan University, 236 p. Haschke, M., and Ben-Avraham, Z., 2005, Adakites from collision-modied lithosphere: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 32, p. L15302, doi: 10.1029/2005GL023468. Haschke, M., and Gnther, A., 2003, Balancing crustal thickening in arcs by tectonic vs. magmatic means: Geology, v. 31, p. 933936, doi: 10.1130/G19945.1. Haschke, M., Siebel, W., Gnther, A., and Scheuber, E., 2002a, Repeated crustal thickening and recycling during the Andean orogeny in North Chile (2126S): Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 107, p. 2019, doi: 10.1029/2001JB000328. Haschke, M., Scheuber, E., Gnther, A., and Reutter, K.-J., 2002b, Evolutionary cycles during the Andean orogeny: Repeated slab breakoff and at subduction?: Terra Nova, v. 14, p. 4956, doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3121.2002.00387.x. Haschke, M., Gnther, A., Melnick, D., Echtler, H., Reutter, K.-J., Scheuber, E., and Oncken, O., 2006, Central and southern Andean tectonic evolution inferred from arc magmatism, in Oncken, O., Chong, G., Franz, G., Giese, P., Goetze, H.-J., Ramos, V., Strecker, M., and Wigger, P., eds., The AndesActive Subduction Orogeny, Frontiers in Earth Sciences, Vol. 1: Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer, 570 p. Hildreth, W., and Moorbath, S., 1988, Crustal contributions to arc magmatism in the Andes of central Chile: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 98, p. 455 489, doi: 10.1007/BF00372365.

This study is a synthesis of the Ph.D. thesis by J. Ahmadian. Reviews by Yildirim Dilek, Prelevic Dejan, Sandro Conticelli, Bernard Bonin, and James Stevenson are gratefully acknowledged, as they helped to improve the quality of this paper. J. Ahmadian was funded by Tarbiat-Modaress University and the Research & Development Center of the National Iranian Cu Industries Company (NICICo). Special thanks go to Dr. Karimi and Mrs. Ghayouri.

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NE
Eurasian plate

Veined Buckling and bulging of oceanic lithosphere

peridotite (>1200C) Phlogopite peridotite

ca. 50 - 35 Ma
Figure 7. Schematic cross section through the closing Eocene Neotethys ocean subduction zone in central Iran (ca. 5035 Ma). Buckling and bulging of choking oceanic lithosphere (induced by aseismic ridges, extinct hotspot trails, oceanic plateaus) release presubduction uids and/or uids from subducted sediments, which have been deposited in veins in overlying mantle peridotite. Recycling of veined mantle peridotite (phlogopite peridotite at depths >200 km) and subsequent remelting of underplated garnet-amphibolite lower backarc (and arc) crust yield K-Sr (and LILE) enriched Kale-Ka melts during ocean closure in central Iran. Note backarc with high heat ow caused by viscous coupling (solid arrows) and thermal buoyancy (dashed arrows; after Currie and Hyndman, 2006). MMoho; gtgarnet.

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Downloaded from gsabulletin.gsapubs.org on March 20, 2010 Ahmadian et al.


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