Continental crustal growth in the post-collisional setting: Insights from the Late Triassic high-Mg andesites in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Abstract The Central Asian Orogenic Belt represents the most important site of crustal growth in the Phanerozoic. However, the intricate evolution of multi-ocean regimes has given rise to uncertainties surrounding the processes of Mesozoic tectonic evolution and the dynamics of crustal growth. In this study, we conducted detailed geochronological and geochemical analyses of andesites collected from the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Zircon U-Pb dating results show that these andesites formed during the Late Triassic (ca. 235 Ma), and the Ti-in-zircon thermometer reveals high magma temperatures (>1100 °C) during their genesis. The elevated Mg# values at moderate SiO2 content of these Late Triassic andesites indicate an affinity with high-Mg andesites (HMAs). Notably, the andesites exhibit relatively low K2O/Na2O ratios, high Sr/Y ratios, significant depletion of Nb and Ta, and trace element patterns resembling typical HMAs from the western Aleutian Islands. These characteristics suggest that they likely originated from the partial melting of subducted eclogite. Furthermore, the HMAs display relatively high zircon εHf(t) values and depleted whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopic compositions, which is indicative of a depleted mantle source. Therefore, we propose that these andesites were generated through the interaction of the subducting slab–derived melts and overlying mantle wedge. Considering that the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean took place before the Late Triassic, these andesites probably erupted in a post-collisional setting. The formation of these HMAs could be best explained by the upwelling asthenosphere triggered by the break-off of the oceanic slab, which also contributed to continental crustal growth in Northeast China.