Makran ophiolitic basalts (SE Iran) record Late Cretaceous Neotethys plume-ridge interaction

Early Cretaceous Plume–Ridge Interaction Recorded in the Band-e-Zeyarat Ophiolite (North Makran, Iran): New Constraints from Petrological, Mineral Chemistry, and Geochronological Data

“…The Colored Mélange is characterized by an assemblage of metric-to decametric-thick slices that consist of volcanic rocks, cherts, limestones, serpentinites, gabbros, shales, as well as various types of metamorphic rocks [20,22,26,54,59]. Volcanic rocks show a wide range of geochemical affinity and age, including undated normal-type mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB), alkaline basalts together with Turonian-Campanian oceanic plateau basalts, Hauterivian-Campanian island arc tholeiites, and Coniacian-Santonian calc-alkaline basalts [22,26]. The Colored Mélange is thought to have formed during the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene in response of the subduction of the Neo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere and includes remnants of both the subducting plate and the forearc-arc [22,47,54].…”

“…Recent works have documented the widespread occurrence of Late Cretaceous alkaline and oceanic plateau basalts, as well as P-MORB in the Makran area, namely in the Colored Mélange and in the Durkan Complex. The genesis of these rocks has been related either to oceanic within-plate mantle plume magmatism [22,107] or to a plume-ridge interaction [26]. In any case, these data point out that during the Late Cretaceous, a mantle plume activity strongly influenced the magmatic history of the Northern Makran Ocean.…”

“…Ghazi et al [24] have shown that the Cretaceous Band-e-Zeyarat basalts display enriched mid-ocean ridge (E-MORB) chemical affinity. Likewise, Saccani et al [22] and Esmaeili et al [26] have documented a widespread occurrence of Cretaceous enriched-type basalts, such as E-MORB and alkaline basalts, in several units of the North Makran. These authors have suggested that the enriched nature of these basalts can be related to mantle sources enriched by plume-type components.…”

Reconstructing the Source and Growth of the Makran Accretionary Complex: Constraints From Detrital Zircon U‐Pb Geochronology

“…The tectonic slices also contain other lithologies, such as Early to Late Cretaceous (~130-110 Ma), andesitic tuffs, calc-alkaline andesites, hyaloclastite, rhyodacites, and associated welded tuffs. In addition, tectonic blocks of blueschists, amphibolites, serpentinites, pelagic to reef limestones, and turbiditic sandstones are present (Esmaeili et al, 2019;Saccani et al, 2018) (Figure 3). Amphibolites are coarse-grained and contain amphibole, plagioclase, relict clinopyroxene, and leucoxene and seem to have a gabbroic protolith.…”

“…Provenance analysis of these sediments using detrital zircon shows their derivation from both ophiolites and metamorphic rocks of the Bajgan‐Durkan complex (Mohammadi et al, ). The Makran Ophiolitic Mélange complex (OMC) comprises mantle peridotites, serpentinites, and mafic to felsic rocks including Jurassic to Cretaceous gabbros, Early to Late Cretaceous basaltic to andesitic pillow lavas, andesitic tuffs, and rhyodacites as well as Late Cretaceous pelagic limestones, Early to Late Cretaceous radiolarites, and Paleogene turbiditic sandstones (Esmaeili et al, ; G McCall, ; G McCall & Kidd, ; Saccani et al, ). In addition to the Paleogene turbiditic sediments that cover the ophiolitic lavas and/or are interlayered with the various types of volcanic rocks (mostly suprasubduction zone‐, SSZ‐, related Late Cretaceous to Eocene lavas), there are abundant variously aged exotic blocks of sedimentary rocks within the OMC.…”