Hf isotope composition of zircons and implication for the petrogenesis of Yajiangqiao granite, Hunan Province, China

In the peralumineous granite of Yajiangqiao zircon population can be divided into two groups (i.e. Zircon I and Zircon II), which were formed in magmatic chamber and in emplacement place, respectively. The Hf isotope compositions of two stages of zircon show that the host magma was essentially derived from crustal material by melting. However, some higher ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios indicate that the granitic zircons should contain fine crystal of zircon formed in mantle-derived magma. In fact, the backscattered electron imaging and the electron microprobe analysis reveal that there is another type of zircon included within Zircon I, which is quite different from Zircon I and Zircon II in morphology and chemistry. They are considered to be the product of the mantle-derived magma intruded into the granitic magma chamber at the beginning of anatexis. Thus, it is suggested that the formation of Yajiangqiao granite is related to the underplating of mantle magma.