Massive granitoid generation in Central Asia: Nd isotope evidence and implication for continental growth in the Phanerozoic

Abstract

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), also known as the Altaid Tectonic Collage, is characterized by vast distribution of Paleozoic and Mesozoic granitic intrusions as well as basaltic to rhyolitic volcanics. The granitoids have a wide range of compositions and roughly show a temporal evolution from calc-alkaline, alkaline to peralkaline series. The emplacement times for most granitic plutons fall between 500 to 120 Ma, but only a small proportion of plutons have been precisely dated. In this paper we document the available Nd isotopic data to advocate that massive juvenile continental crust was generated during the Phanerozoic in Central Asia.