Early Paleozoic mantle evolution of East Kunlun Orogenic Belt in Qinghai, NW China: evidence from the geochemistry and geochronology of the Late Ordovician to Late Silurian mafic-ultramafic rocks in the Qimantag region

Subduction-related basaltic rocks in active continental margins should record information about the lithospheric mantle. Mafic rocks from the Qimantag region of the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB), NW China, can be used to constrain the evolution of mantle sources. The Heishan basalts (445 Ma) and Xiarihamu gabbros (427 Ma) display distinct geochemical and isotopic features, with basalts yielding relatively lower Na2O+K2O (1.48–4.16 wt.%) and...