Melt evolution of crustal anatexis recorded by the Early Paleozoic Baiyunshan migmatite-granite suite in South China

The Early Paleozoic orogeny in the South China Block was accompanied by crustal anatexis, as indicated by the voluminous granites and migmatites. Here we report on the migmatite-granite suite within the Neoproterozoic biotite gneiss of the Baiyunshan Domain, which has directly recorded the process of anatectic melt formation, segregation and extraction. The crystallization of leucosome in migmatite was dated at ca. 438 Ma by U–Pb analysis of zircon, and the granitic vein that intruded the migmatite was dated at ca. 433 Ma. Petrological and geochemical data suggest that anatexis resulted from fluid-present melting of the biotite gneiss at low temperature and pressure conditions (~650–700 °C and ~4–6 kbar). The leucosome mainly consists of plagioclase + K-feldspar + quartz and has positive Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 1.70–2.89), which is attributed to feldspar accumulation. This means that some melt has been extracted from the migmatite, and the granitic veins are likely to represent these extracted melts since they have similar trace element compositions and zircon Lu–Hf isotopes to the leucosomes. The degree of partial melting and chemical differentiation to generate the migmatite and the granitic veins are revealed by mass balance calculations. Calculations suggest that the primary melt could be a result of ~40 wt% melting of the Baiyunshan biotite gneiss, and fractionated melt (~24–26 wt%) was extracted from the deeper sections to form the intrusive veins. Combined with regional dating results, it is suggested that the crustal anatexis in the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen started no later than 465 Ma with a duration of >55 Myr. Generation of the granitoids and migmatites are a result of water-fluxed melting and linked to extra heat from mantle magmas provided to the middle-lower crust.