Geochemistry and petrogenesis of Jurassic high Sr/low Y granitoids in eastern China: Constrains on crustal thickness

The Jurassic high Sr/low Y granitoids in eastern China are characterized by high Sr/Y (27–166) and La/Yb (14–66) ratios, low abundance in Y (6–21 μg/g) and Yb (0.5-2.0 μg/g), comparable with those of adakites defined by Defant et al. Thus, they were recently considered as adakitic rocks by some researchers. Compared with the typical adakites in circum-Pacific margins, however, these high Sr/low Y granitoids have higher K2O (−3.5%) but lower Al2O3 (−16.0%) as well as lower Mg# (−38) and δSrn (−1.23) values. Furthermore, they show relatively flat HREE patterns with Y/Yb values of −10 close to the chondritic value. These geochemical characteristics indicate a residue mineral assemblage of hornblende, garnet and plagioclase for these high Sr/low Y granitoids melt. Thus, they were generated by partial melting at 9–13 kbar (30–45 km in depth), similar to the Archaean high-Al TTG rather than the modern adakites. Generation of these high Sr/low Y granitoids cannot be considered as evidence for a thickened crust (>50 km) and/or the presence of the “Eastern China Plateau” in Jurassic.