Mesozoic Magmatism and Tectonic Evolution in Southeastern China

The Mesozoic era in Southeastern China records a complex interplay between subduction-related magmatism, orogenic cycling and intracontinental extension. During the Jurassic to Cretaceous, the eastern margin of the South China Block witnessed alternating phases of crustal shortening and thickening, driven by the low-angle to steep subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate. This led to the emplacement of widespread granitoid batholiths, bimodal volcanic suites and high-K calc-alkaline rocks that migrated from inland to coastal belts. Episodes of compression generated garnet-rich and gneissic granites and developed nappes, whereas subsequent tensional regimes produced graben basins, metamorphic core complexes and alkali granitoids. Crustal recycling, involving both enriched lithospheric mantle and ancient Proterozoic basement sources, underpinned the diversity of magma types, from S-type peraluminous granites to A-type alkaline suites. Structural transitions—from a Palaeo-Tethys to a NE-trending Pacific tectonic framework—shaped basin evolution along the East China Sea shelf and controlled hydrothermal circulation along major NE-NNE faults. The region’s magmatic and tectonic history offers key insights into convergent-margin dynamics, crust-mantle interaction and the distribution of mineral and geothermal resources, with broader implications for understanding orogeny and basin development in modern analogue settings.

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Technical terms

Subduction: The process by which one tectonic plate descends beneath another into the mantle, generating magmatism and deformation along convergent margins.

A-type granite: An alkaline, often iron-rich granitic rock formed in anorogenic or extensional settings, typically enriched in high field-strength elements.

Calc-alkaline series: A suite of igneous rocks characterised by moderate to high silica, Mg-number and water content, common in volcanic arcs above subduction zones.

Back-arc extension: Extension behind a volcanic arc caused by slab rollback or trench retreat, leading to rifting and basin formation.

εNd/εHf: Isotopic ratios expressing deviations of neodymium or hafnium isotopic compositions from a chondritic uniform reservoir, used to trace magma sources and crustal evolution.

References

1. Cretaceous coastal mountain building and potential impacts on climate change in East Asia. Science Advances (2024).
2. Mesozoic basin evolution of the East China Sea Shelf and tectonic system transition in Southeast China. Geological Journal (2018).
3. The geochemical characteristics of Cretaceous volcanics in southern Hainan Island and implications for tectonic evolution in the South China Sea. Frontiers in Earth Science (2023).
4. Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implication of Jurassic Granites in Central Guangdong, SE China: Constraints from Zircon U-Pb-Hf-O and Whole-Rock Geochemical and Sr-Nd Isotopic Data. Lithosphere (2024).
5. Hydrothermal Systems Characterized by Crustal Thermally‐dominated Structures of Southeastern China. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition (2023).