FRACTIONATION AND ASSIMILATION DURING THE FORMATION OF THE DEVONIAN ANTIDROMIC IGNEOUS SERIES OF THE SISIM AREA IN THE MINUSINSK TROUGH: GEOCHEMICAL AND Sr-Nd ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE

Abstract

In the Minusinsk trough, being the large fragment of the Devonian Altai-Sayan rift system, the antidromous series along with the homodromous volcanic series are widespread, sialic rocks with SiO2 content over 65 wt. % being predominant. Abundance of high-silica rocks in these series implies an extensive involvement of crustal igneous sources. However, in contrast to the homodromic series, for which the fractionation of basaltic magmas to trachyte compositions and assimilation processes during the formation of rhyolites are reconstructed, the rocks of the antidromic series are poorly studied in terms of their geochemical and isotope characteristics, which makes it difficult to assess the mechanisms of their formation. This article reports geological, petrographic, geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope characteristics of the igneous series of the Sisim area of the Minusinsk trough, its Early Devonian age is reliably identified by previous researchers, e.g. U-Pb dating by zircon. The X-ray fluorescence and mass spectrometric analyses were used to estimate the material composition. This series is composed of moderately alkaline basalts, dolerites, basaltic trachyandesites, trachyandesites, trachytes, trachydacites, rhyodacites and rhyolites. The intermediate and sialic rocks occur in the lower part of the section, prevailing over mafic rocks. As SiO2 increases in the rocks of the Sisim antidromous series, similarly to the rocks of the homodromous series, the contents of incoherent elements are dispersed, and there is a trend of decreasing εNd and increasing εSr values. This evidence points to a disruption in fractionation resulting from the appearance of anatectic melts, which are close in composition to the upper continental crust. Thus, regardless of the sequence of formation of mafic, intermediate, and sialic rocks and their volume ratios in the homodromous and antidromous series, a combination of fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas and their assimilation of silicate crustal substrates is reconstructed for them.