Granite Petrogenesis and Tectonic Evolution in Southeast Asia

The granite petrogenesis and tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia are intimately linked to the region’s protracted convergence history between the Indian, Eurasian and Australian plates. From the closure of the Meso-Tethys in the Cretaceous to the India–Asia collision in the Cenozoic, successive subduction, arc magmatism, collision and post-collisional extension have generated diverse granitoid suites across Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and neighbouring terranes. Partial melting of lower-crustal and mantle sources under varying pressure-temperature-redox conditions has produced both I-type and S-type granites, with distinct isotopic signatures that record magma genesis and differentiation. Strike-slip faulting associated with the Sagaing and Red River systems has redistributed crustal blocks and controlled magma ascent, while extensional regimes in the Andaman Sea and South China Sea have fostered late-stage granitoid emplacement. Geochronological and geochemical surveys, anchored by zircon U–Pb and Hf–O isotope studies, have refined terrane correlations, illuminated crustal growth mechanisms and guided exploration for copper, tin and tungsten deposits. This integrated framework enhances our understanding of continental crust formation, informs mineral resource assessment and provides benchmarks for analogue orogenic belts worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have applied zircon isotope and trace-element analyses to delineate the petrogenetic evolution of paired Cu–Au and Sn–W magmatic belts in Myanmar. Juvenile hafnium and mantle-like oxygen signatures in copper-arc zircons contrast with heavy δ18O and low εHf in tin-belt zircons, revealing differing proportions of mantle versus crustal melt contributions. Variations in zircon U/Yb and Eu/Eu* have been shown to sensitively track fractional crystallisation and redox state, pinpointing thresholds of zircon composition associated with economic tin fertility. This integrative approach has refined models of melt generation in subduction–collision settings and illuminated fundamental controls on metal endowment in granitoids.

Granite Petrogenesis and Tectonic Evolution in Southeast Asia publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in granite petrogenesis and tectonic evolution in southeast asia across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Petrogenesis: The origin and evolution of igneous rocks through melting, crystallisation and differentiation.

Subduction: The process by which one lithospheric plate descends beneath another into the mantle, generating arc magmatism.

I-type granite: A granitic rock derived predominantly from igneous protoliths, typically metaluminous and associated with volcanic arcs.

Zircon U–Pb dating: A radiometric method using the decay of uranium to lead within zircon crystals to determine the timing of crystallisation or metamorphism.

εHf: A measure of the deviation in hafnium isotopic composition of zircon relative to a chondritic benchmark, indicating contributions from mantle versus crustal sources.

References

1. Contrasting Granite Metallogeny through the Zircon Record: A Case Study from Myanmar. Scientific Reports (2017).
2. India (Tethyan Himalaya Series) in Central Myanmar: Implications for the Evolution of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis and the Sagaing Transform‐Fault System. Geophysical Research Letters (2022).
3. Paleogeography of the West Burma Block and the eastern Neotethys Ocean: Constraints from Cenozoic sediments shed onto the Andaman-Nicobar ophiolites. Gondwana Research (2022).
4. Age, depositional history and tectonics of the Indo-Myanmar Ranges, Myanmar. Journal of the Geological Society (2023).