Petrogenesis of early Paleozoic peraluminous A-type granites from southern China

Early Paleozoic A-type granites in South China are rare, and their petrogenesis is still highly debated. This study focuses on the controversial Epo pluton in the Wuyi-Yunkai Orogen and conducts petrological and petrogeochemical research to discuss its origin. The Epo granites were emplaced at approximately 414 Ma and exhibit petrological and geochemical features of A-type granites. They contain only one ferromagnesian mineral, ferrum biotite. The granites mostly have high alkalis contents (Na₂O + K₂O = 6.48–8.85 wt.%), high field strength element (HFSE) contents (Zr + Nb + Ce + Y = 353–461 ppm), and high Ga/Al (10⁴×Ga/Al = 2.50–3.72) and FeO^T/(FeO^T + MgO) (0.74–0.85) ratios. Besides, they formed under high-temperature (>850°C) and low-pressure (≤5 kbar) conditions. Their high A/CNK (average 1.20) and Eu/Eu* (average 0.46) values as well as Sr (average 128 ppm) and Ba (average 628 ppm) contents but relatively low Zr contents (approximately 200 ppm) further suggest a strongly peraluminous A-type affinity, a distinctive subtype of A-type granites. The Epo granites display enriched Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions with a whole-rock⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i average ratio of 0.712, whole-rock ε_Nd(t) values ranging from − 8.9 to − 7.6, and zircon ε_Hf(t) values clustering at − 8. Their two-stage Nd and Hf isotope model ages are 1.7 Ga to 2.0 Ga, suggesting ancient crustal sources. Furthermore, Nb/U (average 7.46), Ce/Pb (average 4.06) and other trace element ratios indicate negligible contributions from juvenile mantle materials. Our data on the Epo pluton, coupled with other contemporary A-type granites in South China, suggest that the high-temperature melting of metasedimentary basements generated strongly peraluminous A-type granites, while the involvement of metaigneous rocks or mantle-derived magmas resulted in metaluminous to weakly peraluminous A-type granites. Source diversity leads to different aluminium saturations. The heat required to produce high-temperature A-type magmas was supplied by upwelling mantle-derived magma in a postcollisional extensional setting.