A possible relict mantle wedge: Geochemical evidence from Paleogene volcanics in North China

The major and trace element and isotopic composition were analyzed for the Paleogene volcanics in North China dated by the K-Ar method. The geochemical data show that most volcanics are in calc-alkaline series and the minor is in alkaline series. They differ obviously from Neogene and Quaternary volcanics in geochemistry. In particular, the Paleogene volcanics from the southern part of North China were derived from enriched lithospheric mantle (EMII), which were likely to be a relict mantle wedge formed during the subduction of the Yangtze plate into the North China plate in late Triassic (Indo-Sinian).