Emeishan Large Igneous Province Geochemistry and Petrogenesis

The Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) represents one of the most voluminous Late Permian volcanic events on Earth, centred in southwestern China. It comprises vast outpourings of tholeiitic and high‐Ti basalts, picrites and associated ultramafic rocks, produced in a narrow interval around 260 Ma. Geochemical signatures reveal high mantle potential temperatures, widespread partial melting of a mantle plume source and significant degrees of fractional crystallisation during ascent and emplacement. Variations in trace elements and isotopic ratios (e.g. Sr–Nd, Hf) point to heterogeneity in both mantle source components and shallow crustal contamination. The ELIP played a pivotal role in Permian continental rifting, linked to the breakup of the South China Block and global environmental perturbations, including greenhouse gas release. Moreover, its magmas generated extensive Fe-Ti-V oxide ore bodies and hydrothermal systems, underpinning mineral resource distributions and influencing diagenetic processes in overlying sedimentary basins. Research into the ELIP therefore illuminates fundamental processes of plume–lithosphere interaction, large‐scale basaltic volcanism and its economic as well as environmental consequences.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have quantified the water content in high‐magnesium picrites from the ELIP, revealing unexpectedly elevated H₂O levels comparable to island‐arc magmas. Trace‐element characteristics rule out a subduction origin and instead point to a hydrous reservoir in the deep mantle tapped by a plume. These results support a model in which periodically hydrated, anomalously hot plumes rose from the lower mantle during the Phanerozoic to generate continental flood basalts. The findings imply that hydration of plume sources is a fundamental control on magma productivity and chemistry in large igneous provinces globally.

Emeishan Large Igneous Province Geochemistry and Petrogenesis publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in emeishan large igneous province geochemistry and petrogenesis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Large Igneous Province (LIP): A regionally extensive accumulation of mafic to ultramafic volcanic rocks emplaced over a geologically short time.

Mantle plume: A localized, buoyant upwelling of hot mantle material that can generate voluminous melting at the Earth’s surface.

Fractional crystallisation: The process by which early-forming minerals are removed from a melt, altering its composition.

Picrite: An ultramafic volcanic rock enriched in olivine and magnesium, indicative of high‐temperature melts.

Tholeiitic basalt: A basaltic rock type low in alkali content, typically produced by high degrees of partial melting of the mantle.

References

1. Mantle hydration and the role of water in the generation of large igneous provinces. Nature Communications (2017).
2. Contrasting magmatic controls on the genesis of Fe-Ti-V oxide deposits in the Emeishan large igneous province using apatite Sr-Nd isotopes and apatite-zircon trace elements. Mineralium Deposita (2023).
3. Late Permian High-Ti and Low-Ti Basalts in the Songpan–Ganzi Terrane: Continental Breakup of the Western Margin of the South China Block. Minerals (2022).
4. The Effect of the Emeishan Mantle Plume on the Genetic Mechanism of the Maokou Formation Reservoir in the Central Sichuan Region. Minerals (2024).