Potash-rich volcanic rocks and lamprophyres in western Shandong Province: 40Ar-39Ar dating and source tracing

Highly precise ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar dating results demonstrate that the ages of potash-rich volcanic rocks in western Shandong Province are 114.7–124.3 Ma, and that of the lamprophyres is 119.6 Ma. The potash-rich volcanic rocks have relatively high (⁸⁷Sr÷⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios (0.708715–0.711418) and distinctly negative ε_nd values (−11.47–−17.54), and are enriched in radiogenic lead (²⁰⁶Pb÷²⁰⁴Pb=17.341−17.622, ²⁰⁷Pb÷²⁰⁴Pb=15.525−15.538, ²⁰⁸Pb÷²⁰⁴Pb = 37.563−37.684). Similarly, the lamprophyres also have quite low ε_nd values (−11.57–−19.64). Based on the fact that the Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of potash-rich volcanic rocks are very consistent with that of the clinopyroxene separates, and by integrating comprehensive analyses of their tectonic settings, and extensive comparisons of the Sr, Nd isotopic compositions with that of the related simultaneous rocks, it is concluded that the potash-rich volcanic rocks and lamprophyres in western Shandong Province were most possibly derived from the partial melting of enriched mantle which was caused by source contamination and metasomatism of subducted continental crustal materials.     

Discovery of the Early Paleozoic post-collisional granites in northern margin of the Erguna massif and its geological significance

The Luoguhe intrusion, located in Mohe County, Heilongjiang Province, is mainly composed of monzogranite, quartz diorite and granodiorite, with minor diorite, tonalite, quartz monzodiorite, quartz monzonite, syenogranite and alkali-feldspar granite. The intrusion can be divided into two iithological units, i.e. quartz diorite and monzogranite units, with affinities to high-K caic-alkaline series. The quartz diorite unit （SiO2： 54.79%-58.30%, Na2O/CaO： 0.79-1.53 and Shand index： 0.77-0.82） belongs to metaluminous rocks. And the monzogranite unit （SiO2： 65.29%-66.45%, Na2O/CaO： 1.73-3.43 and Shand index 〈1.05） can be considered as weakly peraluminous rocks. The intrusion is characterized by high REE abundance （∑REE = 180.2-344.3μg/g）, medium-strong negative Eu anomalies （δEu = 0.33-0.82）, weak REE fractionation [（La/Yb）N = 4.12-10.45], enrichments in Rb, Th, U, K, La, Ce, Nd, Hf, Zr and Sm, but strong depletions of Ba, Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti. These characteristics of major, REE and trace elements indicate that the intrusion was formed in a transitional tectonic setting from compressionai to extensional regime, which can be classified as post-collisional granitoids. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyses yield ages of 517±9 and 504±8 Ma for the quartz diorite and monzogranite units, respectively. The discovery of Early Paleozoic post-collisionai granites in the northern margin of the Erguna massif indicates that the northern branch of Paleo-Asian Ocean between Siberian plate and Erguna massif was closed in the Early Paleozoic and the Salair orogeny ended ca. 500 Ma ago.     

Geochronology and geochemistry of the Fangcheng Neoproterozoic alkali-syenites in East Qinling orogen and its geodynamic implications

Finding of Neoproterozoic syenites at Fangcheng in the northern Qinling region of the East Qinling orogen provides an important constraint on timing of tectonic transformation to extensional regime. The alkaline pluton consists mainly of nepheline syenite, aegirine syenite, and alkali-feldspar syenite. The syenites are of intermediate （SiO2 = 54%-62%）, rich in alkali （K2O＋Na2O = 12%-15%）, aluminum （Al2O3= 16.81%-23.26%） and large ion lithophile elements （LILE）, without any obvious Nb, Ta, Zr, and Hf anomalies. The Fangcheng syenites are geochemically characterized by relative enrichment of LREE, minor differentiation of HREE, significant negative Eu anomalies （Eu = 0.13-0.23）, less negative εNd（t） values of -1.37 to-3.90, young Nd model ages of 1364 to 1569 Ma, and high zircon saturation temperatures of 915 to 1044℃. The syenitic magmas probably originated from small proportion melting of upper mantle in an extensional regime of intraplate-anorogenic tectonic setting, and have been slightly contaminated by crustal materials during ascending and/or emplacement. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating yields ages of 844.3±1.6 Ma （MSWD=0.86）, suggesting that the Fangcheng alkaline syenites formed in the early Neoproterozoic. They are the oldest Neoproterozoic alkaline rocks ever recognized in the Qinling orogen as well as in South China. This implies that the tectonic regime of the Qinling region would have transformed from post-collisional stretch to intraplate-anorogenic extension no later than 844 Ma.     

Identification of Hercynian shoshonitic intrusive rocks in central Hainan Island and its geotectonic implications

Hercynian (Variscan) orogenic belts, including the European-NW African orogen, the Appalachian orogen of North America and the central Asia-Mongolia- Hinggan orogen, etc., are widely distributed in the world. Their extensions are often several thousand ki…     

Activation of northern margin of the North China Craton in Late Paleozoic: Evidence from U-Pb dating and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from the Upper Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation in the Ningwu-Jingle basin

LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb dating has been performed on detrital zircons from the Upper Carboniferous Tai-yuan Formation (N-8) in the Ningwu-Jingle Basin, west of the North China Craton (NCC). The ages of 72 detrital zircon grains are divided into three groups: 303―320 Ma (6 grains), 1631―2194 Ma (37 grains, peaked at 1850 Ma), 2318―2646 Ma (29 grains, peaked at 2500 Ma). Detrital zircons of Group 2 and Group 3 were likely derived from the basement of the NCC. Group 1 zircons exhibit 176Hf/177Hf ratios ranging from 0...     

Permian volcanisms in eastern and southeastern margins of the Jiamusi Massif, northeastern China: zircon U-Pb chronology, geochemistry and its tectonic implications

LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and geochemical data for the Late Paleozoic volcanic rocks from eastern and southeastern margins of the Jiamusi Massif are presented to understand the regional tectonic evolution. Zircons from eight representative volcanic rocks are euhedral-subhedral in shape and display striped absorption and fine-scale oscillatory growth zoning as well as high Th/U ratios （0.33-2.37）, implying a magmatic origin. The dating results show that the Late Paleozoic volcanic rocks in the study area can be divided into two stages, i.e., the Early Permian （a weighted mean 205^Pb/238^U age of 288 Ma） and the Middle Permian volcanisms （a weighted mean 205^Pb/238^U age of 268 Ma）. The former is composed mainly of basalt, basaltic-andesite, andesite and minor dacite. They are characterized by low SiO2 contents, high Mg^# （0.40-0.59）, enrichment in Na （Na2O/K2O = 1.26-4.25） and light rare earth elements （LREEs）, relative depletion in heavy rare earth elements （HREEs） and high field strength elements （HFSEs）, indicating that an active continental margin setting could exist in the eastern margin of the Jiamusi Massif in the Early Permian. The latter consists mainly of rhyolite and minor dacite with high SiO2 （77.23%-77.52%）, low MgO （0.11%-0.14%）, enrichment in 1（20 （Na2O/K2O ratios 〈 0.80） and Rb, Th, U and depletion in Eu, Sr, P and Ti, implying a crust-derived origin. Therefore, it is proposed that the Middle Permian volcanic rocks could have formed under the collision of the Jiamusi and the Khanka Massifs.     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of the Gangou granitoids, Central Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China and tectonic significances

Two types of granitoids, highly deformed eugen grenitoids end undeformed fine-grained grenitoids, ere widely distributed in Gangou area, Central Tianshen Mountains, Northwest China. The augen grenitoids are high-K calc-alkaline characterized by high K20, Rb, Y and Th, and low Sr and Sr/Y. They also have high contents of large ion lithophile elements （LILE）, such as Be, Rb, K and Th, and relatively low contents of high field strength elements （HFSE）, such as Zr, Y and Nb. The fine-grained granitoids are calc-alkaline cherecterlzed by high Sr, low Y and HREE, similar to adakitic rocks, and with Na20/K20〈2 （1.76-1.91）, high/sr （0.70689--0.70981）, and negative εNd（t） （-2.4-5.3）. High-precision SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating results indicate that the Gangou augen greniUods were formed at 428 ± 10 Me, and the fine-grained granitoids were emplaced at 361 -368 Me. These geochemical and U-Pb zircon data have significant implications for the timing of closure of the Mishigou-Gangou Ocean and the evolution of the Central Tianshan orogenic belt.     

Evidences of rapid erosion driven by climate in the Yarlung Zangbo （Tsangpo） Great Canyon, the eastern Himalayan syntaxis

Climate and tectonism are both particularly intense in the Yarlung Zangbo (Tsangpo) Great Canyon in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis,which is characterized by the most rapid landscape evolution of anywhere in the world.Thus,the eastern Himalayan syntaxis is one of the best locations to study the interactions between climate and tectonics.This paper investigates the cooling ages of the Doxong La-Baibung profile using apatite fission track (AFT) dating on 11 bedrock samples at elevations ranging from 4210 to 710 m.There are topographic,climatic,metamorphic,and thermochronological gradients in the profile,providing good conditions to study interactions between climate and tectonics.AFT ages ranged from 4.6±0.6 Ma to 1.7±0.3 Ma,and the mean fission track lengths ranged from 11.0 to 12.4 μm.It was found that the cooling rates revealed by AFT ages increased with decreasing elevation.However,the tendency of the cooling rates revealed by the 40 Ar-39 Ar ages was different from that indicated by the AFT ages.Moreover,for most districts of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis,the compiled AFT age distribution correlates well with the annual average precipitation,indicating the coupling of the cooling and erosion rates of the near-surface rock and precipitation.The geothermal history modeling results indicate an obvious increase in the cooling and erosion rate between 1.0 and 0.5 Ma.This age is consistent with other research findings for this time,when the vapor channel of the Yarlung Zangbo Great Canyon began to take effect.These evidences suggest that climate,especially precipitation,has acting as a key factor influencing the rapid cooling and erosion in the Yarlung Zangbo Great Canyon since 1-0.5 Ma.     

Iron fractions in the apoplast of intact root tips of Zea mays L. seedlings affected by nitrogen form

The effects of ammonium (NH₄⁺-N ) and nitrate ( NO₃^--N ) were examined on Fe fractions and FeCN (ferricyanide) reductase activity in intact root tips (0—3 cm) of young maize (Zea mays L. cv. Lenz) in solution culture by using short-term experiment under controlled Fe deficiency conditions (containing high HCO₃^- concentration in preculture solution). The results showed that Fe(Ⅱ) concentrations in root tip apoplast of maize were only 20—40 nmol/g FW which accounted for 7%—13% of total Fe. Most of Fe in root tips existed as Fe(Ⅲ) compounds. Imposition of the roots to NH₄⁺-N or NO₃^--N for 60 min led to an increase of Fe(Ⅱ) in root tip apoplast. NH₄⁺-N led to an increased concentration of Fe(Ⅱ) and exchangeable Fe (Fe(Ⅱ) and Fe (Ⅲ)) in root tips, while NO₃^--N increased FeCN reductase activity. The relationship between pH and Fe fractions, FeCN reductase activity was also discussed.     

Ar-Ar and U-Pb geochronology of Late Paleozoic basalts in western Guangxi and its constraints on the eruption age of Emeishan basalt magmatism

~~Ar-Ar and U-Pb geochronol-ogy of Late Paleozoic basalts in western Guangxi and its constraints on the eruption age of Emeishan basalt magmatism1. GXBGMR (Guangxi Bureau Geological Mineral Resource), Regional Geology of Guangxi, Beijing: Geol. Pub. House, 1985, 1-853. 2. GZBGMR (Guizhou Bureau Geological Mineral Resource), Regional Geology of Guizhou Province, Beijing: Geol. Pub. House, 1987, 1-698. 3. YNBGMR (Yunnan Bureau Geological Mineral Resource), Regional …     

In situ U-Pb dating of xenotime by laser ablation （LA）-ICP-MS

Xenotime is an ideal mineral for U-Th-Pb isotopic dating because of its relatively high U and Th contents, but typically low concentration of common Pb. These characteristics, and the fact that it is widespread throughout various types of rocks, suggest that the U-Th-Pb dating of xenotime has broad applications. Studies of U-Pb dating on xenotime by ion microprobe (such as SHRIMP) have increased in recent years, whereas studies by laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS are still rare. In this study, we developed a technique for U-Pb dating of xenotime using the 193 nm ArF laser-ablation system and Agilent 7500a Q-ICP-MS. To evaluate the reliability of our method, a xenotime standard, BS-1, was analyzed and calibrated against another xenotime standard, MG-1. The weighted mean 206 Pb/ 238 U ages of 510.1 ± 5.2 Ma (2 n = 21), 509.8 ± 4.3 Ma (2 n = 21) and 510.0 ± 4.6 Ma (2 n = 21) were obtained using beam diameters of 16, 24 and 32 m, respectively. These ages are identical to those determined by ID-TIMS method (weighted mean 206 Pb/ 238 U age of 508.8 ± 1.4 Ma), which supports the reliability of our LA-ICP-MS method. We also analyzed xenotimes in leucogranites from South Tibet and granites from Xihuashan in southern China, and obtained accurate and precise ages. Nevertheless, we observed systematic differences in Pb/U fractionation among xenotime, monazite and zircon. The matrix-effect resulted in either under-correction or over-correction of fractionation, and thus led to inaccurate ages. Thus, a matrix-matched material is required for U-Pb dating of xenotime by LA-ICP-MS.     

Rb-Sr chronological characteristics of Jurassic granitoid gravels in north margin of Dabie block, Central China

Granitoid gravels are discovered from alluvial fan conglomerates, the base of Jurassic Fenghuangtai Formation (J₂ ²), in the north margin of Dabie block and the south part of the Hefei Basin. These granitoid gravels make up 5%–10% of all gravels by volume percent. For the four components, K-feldspar, biotite, amphibole and whole rock divided from two selected granitoid gravel samples, their Rb-Sr isotopes are measured, which gives two formation ages of granitoids: (428±20) Ma and (430±54) Ma, and means that the Early Paleozoic granitoid intrusive rocks once existed in the Dabie Mountain provenances of Jurassic. The granitoids occur in the tectonic setting of post-collision uplift according to lithogeochemical discriminant analysis.     

Treatment efficiency of integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland for saline wastewater

The integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland(IVCW) was simulated with three suits of designed experiment columns planted with Kandelia candel.Units A,B and C were irrigated with sewage of different salinity(A:10‰ B:20‰,C:30‰),respectively.The removal rates of dissolved organic carbon(DOC),NH3-N and NO3--N dropped 90.4%-48.6%,80.2%-40.3% and 84.8%-60.9%,respectively,when salinity increases from 10‰ to 30‰.The removal rate of TP increased 14%-31.2%,oppositely.A 20-day inflow salinity drastic change shock affective trial was done on units D and E.Unit D was used as a control and irrigated with saline sewage(20‰).Unit E was irrigated with sewage with low salinity(5‰) as a salinity drastic change shock on the third and fourth days.DOC,NH3-N and NO3--N removal efficiency of unit E showed a three-stage process of change,"rapidly decrease,increase beyond the normal standard,and then back to the normal standard".TP removal value was negative during the 2-day shock period.     

Effect of Cl- on photosynthetic bicarbonate uptake in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803

Photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization was investigated in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803 grown in standing culture. Photosynthetic rates for the two algae reached about 10 times the theoretical CO₂ supply rate at low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of 100 μmol/L, and the rates were unaffected by the addition of 20 mmol/L Na⁺, indicating that the two algae possessed Na+-independent HCO^-₃ utilization for photosynthesis under low DIC. Their photo- synthetic rates at low DIC were inhibited by higher Cl^- and the degrees of inhibition were increased with the rise of CI^- concentration, and in the presence of Diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC), a reported Cl^- channel inhibitor, the rates decreased by 74%－82%, implying that putative DPC-sensitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO₃^- uptake for photosynthesis. The experiment of intracellular 14C-DIC accumulation for photosynthesis showed that internal DIC pools decreased by about 80% with 200 μmol/L DPC and by 64%－70% with 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The experiment of chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching showed that initial rates and extents of fluorescence quenching obviously decreased with 200 μmol/L DPC or 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The two experiments gave further evidence that putative DPC-sen- sitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO^-₃ uptake for photosynthesis in the two algae grown in standing culture.     

Coastal acidification in summer bottom oxygen-depleted waters in northwestern-northern Bohai Sea from June to August in 2011

Dissolved oxygen(DO) and pH in the central part of the Bohai Sea were surveyed in late June and late August,2011.During the June cruise,the bottom DO was in the range of 215-290 μmol-O2 kg-1(i.e.85%-115% of the saturation level),and the bottom pH was in the range of 7.82-8.04 on the total-hydrogen-ion scale.In August,however,both the bottom DO and the pH had significantly declined in the northwestern-northern near-shore areas,where the water depth was no more than 35 m.The lowest bottom DO was 100-110 μmol-O2 kg-1(only 44%-47% of the June DO values) in the northern near-shore area,where the bottom pH was 7.64-7.68 on the total-hydrogen-ion scale(0.16-0.20 units lower than the June pH value).The largest decreases in DO and in pH were observed in the northwestern near-shore bottom waters,corresponding to declines of 170 μmol-O2 kg-1(as high as 59% of the June DO value) and 0.29 pH units,respectively.The greatest pH decline of 0.29 pH units meant that the total-hydrogen-ion concentration doubled in the bottom waters from June to August.Based on field measurements of bottom DO/pH combined with a simplified model simulation,we suggest that respiration/remineralization-derived CO2 increased the acidity in the bottom oxygen-depleted waters of northwestern-northern near-shore areas in the Bohai Sea as a result of coastal red tides and/or marine aquaculture.This aquatic chemistry is suggested to be partially responsible for scallop-breeding failures in the northwestern Bohai Sea in summer 2011.     

Zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopes of volcanic rocks from the Batamayineishan Formation in the eastern Junggar Basin

An internal structural study was conducted to investigate U-Pb age, trace elements and Hf isotopes of basaltic zircons from the Batamayineishan Formation. The basalt was obtained from drill well San-Can 1 on the eastern Luliang uplift within the Junggar Basin. Trace element data of zircons show that all samples are magmatic, with similar REE patterns, including positive Ce (δCe=5.06–134), but negative Eu (δEu=0.06⦒0.55) anomalies and enrichment in heavy rare earth elements. Among 25 grains, the concordant ages were subdivided into three groups; ages of 300.4±1.3 Ma (n=11), 339.2±2.7 Ma (n=3) and 392.0±1.7 Ma (n=8). Three remaining grains were nearly concordant, with ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 510±7, 488±6 and 453±6 Ma, respectively. The youngest concordant age (i.e., 300.4±1.3 Ma) could be interpreted as the formation age of the studied basaltic rock; this is consistent with the sampling position at the upper part of the Batamayineishan Formation. On the other hand, ages such as Ordovician and early Devonian are consistent with the ages of island-arc volcanic rocks (enrichment in Pb) or ophiolites around the basin. Moreover, the positive ɛ _Hf(t) values of the early and middle Paleozoic zircons (+3.6–+10.5) may suggest that the basement traversed by the studied volcanic rocks may be Paleozoic in age, formed from the residual oceanic crust and island-arc complex. The ɛ _Hf(t) values (+4.2–+17.1) of the late Paleozoic (∼300.4 Ma) zircons suggest that the basaltic magmas were derived from partial melting of the asthenospheric mantle or depleted lithospheric mantle. These magmas were slightly contaminated by the existence of early-middle Paleozoic materials. The late Carboniferous basalts represent direct eruption of mantle-derived magmas at the upper crustal level during a post-collisional tectonic setting. We therefore consider that extensive vertical growth of the continental crust to have occurred before the late Carboniferous.     

SHRIMP U-Pb dating and Hf isotopic analyses of zircons from the mafic dyke swarms in central Qiangtang area, Northern Tibet

In the ＂Central Uplift＂ of Qiangtang, Northern Tibet, a large scale of mafic dyke swarms extended in E-W direction. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating on two representative samples of diabase dyke yield weighted mean ages of 284 ± 3 Ma and 302 ± 4 Ma, respectively, suggesting they emplaced in the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian. Zircon ^176Hf/^177Hf ratios range from 0.282852 to 0.283041, with ,εHf（t） values of ＋12.1 to ＋12.2 and Hf modal （TDM） ages of ～440-460 Ma. These data indicate that these mafic dykes were mainly derived from the depleted mantle. In addition, geochemical data suggest that these mafic dyke swarms are of intra-plate origin. Therefore, the mafic dyke swarms represent products during the extensional process associated with the opening of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the area.     

Petrochemical characteristics of leucogranite and a case study of Bengbu leucogranites

Leucogranites have a relatively narrow variation in SiO2 content （70.5%-75.5%）. Giving similar SiO2 content, leucogranites have relatively higher Al2O3 （〉13.5%） and lower TFeO ＋ MgO （〈2.5%） contents than those of normal granites. These petrochemical characteristics suggest that leucogranites are de- rived from partial melting at relatively low temperature and are not significantly affected by fractional crystallization. In the present study, we propose that the Al2O3 vs SiO2 and TFeO ＋ MgO vs SiO2 dia- grams can be used to distinguish leucogranites from normal granites. In addition, we report the major element compositions of the Jurassic granitic intrusions from Jingshan-Tushan-Mayishan in the Bengbu area, east-central China. Using the Al2O3 vs SiO2 and TFeO ＋ MgO vs SiO2 diagrams and the comparison with the High Himalayan leucogranites in mineralogical and petrochemical characteristics, we suggest that the Jingshan-Tushan-Mayishan intrusions belong to a leucogranite belt. Similar to those of the High Himalayan leucogranites, the Bengbu leucogranites have low Mg# values, indicating that they resulted from low temperature dehydration partial melting of the subducted continental crust of the South China Block at the crustal depth.     

Seasonal variations in the Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of suspended particulate matter in the lower Changjiang River: Provenance and erosion constraints

Suspended particulate matter samples were collected monthly for more than 2 years in Nanjing,China to examine seasonal changes in the Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of the lower Changjiang River(CR).The results indicate that the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the samples ranges from 0.725352 to 0.738128,and the values ofεNd(0)ranges from-10.55 to-12.29.The Sr-Nd isotopic compositions show distinct seasonal variations.The samples had lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios and higherε Nd(0)values during the flood season than the dry seasons.The seasonal variations primarily reflect the controls of provenance rocks and erosion in different sub-catchments.The relative decrease in 87Sr/86Sr ratios and the increase inε Nd(0)values during the flood season may reflect an increasing in the mechanical erosion rate in the upper basin and the contribution of more sediment from the upper reaches.The end member values of 87Sr/86Sr andε Nd(0)of the samples were 0.728254 and?11.26,respectively.     

Episodic crustal anatexis and the formation of Paiku composite leucogranitic pluton in the Malashan Gneiss Dome, Southern Tibet

The Paiku composite leucogranitic pluton in the Malashan gneiss dome within the Tethyan Himalaya consists of tourmaline leucogranite, two-mica granite and garnet-bearing leucogranite. Zircon U-Pb dating yields that (1) tourmaline leucogranite formed at 28.2±0.5 Ma and its source rock experienced simultaneous metamorphism and anatexis at 33.6±0.6 Ma; (2) two-mica granite formed at 19.8±0.5 Ma; (3) both types of leucogranite contain inherited zircon grains with an age peak at ～480 Ma. These leucogranites show distinct geochemistry in major and trace elements as well as in Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions. As compared to the two-mica granites, the tourmaline ones have higher initial Sr and zircon Hf isotope compositions, indicating that they were derived from different source rocks combined with different melting reactions. Combined with available literature data, it is suggested that anatexis at ～35 Ma along the Himalayan orogenic belt might have triggered the initial movement of the Southern Tibetan Detachment System (STDS), and led to the tectonic transition from compressive shortening to extension. Such a tectonic transition could be a dominant factor that initiates large scale decompressional melting of fertile high-grade metapelites along the Himalayan orogenic belt. Crustal anatexis at ～28 Ma and ～20 Ma represent large-scale melting reactions associated with the movement of the STDS.