Geochemical Journal, Vol. 40, pp.

181 to 195, 2006

Mesozoic mafic dikes from the Shandong Peninsula, North China Craton:
Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

S HEN LIU ,1 HAIBO Z OU ,2* RUIZHONG HU,1 JUNHONG Z HAO1 and CAIXIA FENG 1
1
Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002, China
2
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, U.S.A.

(Received June 6, 2005; Accepted September 21, 2005)

Mesozoic mafic dikes are widely distributed in Luxi (Mengyin and Zichuan) and Jiaodong regions of the Shandong
Peninsula, China, providing an opportunity of investigating the nature of the lost lithospheric mantle beneath the North
China Craton (NCC). The mafic dikes are characterized by strong depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE),
enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE), highly variable Th/U ratios, high initial ( 87Sr/ 86Sr)i (0.7050–0.7099) and
negative εNd(T) (–6.0 to –17.6). They were derived from melting of metasomatized portions of the subcontinental lithospheric
mantle, followed by fractionation of clinopyroxenes. The similarity in Nd isotopic compositions between the Mengyin
gabbro dikes and the Paleozoic peridotite xenoliths suggests that ancient lithospheric mantle was still retained at 120 Ma
below Mengyin, although the ancient lithospheric mantle in many other places beneath NCC had been severely modified.
There might be multiple enrichment events in the lithospheric mantle. An early-stage (before or during Paleozoic) rutile-
rich metasomatism affected the lithospheric mantle below Mengyin, Jiaodong and Zichuan. Since then, the lithospheric
mantle beneath Mengyin was isolated. A late-stage metasomatism by silicate melts modified the lithospheric mantle be-
neath Jiaodong and Zichuan but not Mengyin. The removal of the enriched lithospheric mantle and the generation of the
mafic dikes may be mainly related to the convective overturn accompanying Jurassic-Cretaceous subduction of the paleo-
Pacific plate.

Keywords: mesozoic, magmatism, trace element, Nd-Sr-Pb isotopes, Shandong

A key to understand this tremendous thinning of the

INTRODUCTION
The geology of the North China Craton (NCC) in east-
ern China is fascinating, not only because NCC is one of
the oldest continental blocks on the Earth (Liu et al.,
1992), but also owing to its unique transition from a thick
and cold Paleozoic lithosphere to a thin and hot Cenozoic
lithosphere (Menzies et al., 1993; Griffin et al., 1998;
Fan et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 2002). Comparative stud-
ies of mantle xenoliths captured by Ordovician kimberlites
and Cenozoic alkaline basalts suggested that more than
100 km of ancient refractory lithospheric mantle beneath
NCC has been removed and replaced by young and more
fertile mantle materials (Menzies et al., 1993; Griffin et
al., 1998; Xu, 2001; Guo et al., 2003). The triggering
mechanism of the tremendous thinning and replacement
of the lithospheric mantle, however, is still in debate. Such
lithospheric thinning has been attributed to Yangtz-NCC
collision and subsequent continental subduction (Jahn et
al., 1999; Xu, 2001; Zhang et al., 2002) or the subduc-
tion of the paleo-Pacific slab beneath the NCC (Chen et
al., 2003, 2004).
*Corresponding author (e-mail: hzou@ess.ucla.edu)
Copyright © 2006 by The Geochemical Society of Japan.
lithospheric mantle is to investigate the nature of the lost
lithospheric mantle beneath NCC. The widely distributed
Mesozoic mafic rocks in NCC may contain valuable in-
formation about the nature of the lithosphere, the types
and origins of mantle reservoirs and the mechanisms of
lithosphere thinning. Mesozoic mafic dikes are the most
abundant in the Shandong province on the NCC. This
paper presents elemental and Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic data
for some newly reported mafic dikes from Shangdong to
decipher the petrogenesis of these mafic dikes and the
evolution of mantle lithosphere beneath the Shandong
Peninsula.
GEOLOGICAL SETTINGS AND PETROGRAPHY
North China Craton (NCC) consists of two Archean
blocks, the eastern and western blocks, separated by a
1.8 Ga Proterozoic orogenic belt (Zhao et al., 2001). The
basement of the Archean blocks consists predominantly
of Archean to Proterozoic tonalite-trondhjemite-
granodiorite (TTG) gneisses and greenschist to granulite
facies metamorphic rocks, covered by Sinian to
Ordovician marine carbonates and shales, Carboniferous
to Permian continental clastic rocks and Mesozoic basin

181
 110 E 120 E 130 E

(a)

FZ
GL

TL
DT
Mongolia N
40N
40N

Beijing
North China Bohai Bay
Craton Korea

Central
Orogenic
Belt Eastern (b) TLFZ:Tan-Lu fault zone
Qing Block
ling- DTGL:Daxinganling-Taihangshan
Dabi
e Be gravity lineament
lt

Yangtze Craton Shanghai

30N 30N
110 E 120 E 130 E

(b) Shandong Province

Bohai Bay 38

0 100Km Longkou Yantai Weihai

Dezhou
Dongying
v er 37
Ri
e
gh
an Zichuan
Hu Jinan
Henan Huanghai Sea
36
Qingdao
Mengyin Mesozoic volcanic rocks
t
aul

Jining
Rizhao Mesozoic felsic intrusion
uF

Heze Mesozoic mafic intrusion 35

l
Ta n

Fault or inferred fault

Fangcheng
Tancheng Study locality
Henan Linyi 34
Anhui Jiangsu

115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122

Fig. 1. Tectonic map showing major tectonic units in eastern China, and the distributions of Mesozoic rocks in Shandong Prov-
ince.

deposits. Volcanism has become active in the eastern block
since the Paleozoic, especially in Shandong Province
(Fig. 1). In contrast, there are significantly less volcanic
activities in the western block.
The tectonics of Shandong Province was divided into
two parts by a long-lived wrench fault zone—Tancheng-
Lujiang Fault (Fig. 1b). The eastern part is named
Jiaodong and the western part is called Luxi. Mesozoic
mafic intrusions and volcanic rocks are widely distrib-
uted in both Jiaodong and Luxi regions (Zhang and Sun,
2002; Guo et al., 2003, 2004; Yang et al., 2004). This
study focuses on a suite of mafic dikes from the Jiaodong
(Weihai, Yantai, and Longkou) and Luxi (Zichuan and
Mengyin) regions (Fig. 1b). The K-Ar ages of these dikes
range from 100 to 140 Ma (Liu et al., 2004), similar to
the ages of other mafic rocks from the eastern North China
Craton (90-180 Ma) (Qiu et al., 2001; Xu et al., 2004a,
b; Zhang et al., 2004).

182 S. Liu et al.

 12.0 55.0
Mengyin
Zichuan
Longkou
10.0 Yantai
Weihai
Fe2O3 +FeO

50.0

8.0

SiO2
45.0
6.0

4.0 40.0
25.0 2000

20.0
Al2 O3

15.0 1000
Cr

10.0

5.0 0
16.0 1500

12.0 1000
CaO

Sr

8.0 500

4.0 0
4.0 200

3.0
K2 O

2.0 100
Zr

1.0

0.0 0
1.4 12.0

8.0
Th
TiO2

0.7

4.0

0.0 0.0
0 5 10 15 0 5 10 15
MgO MgO

Fig. 2. Variation diagrams for major oxides and trace elements vs. MgO contents for the Mesozoic mafic dikes from Shandong
(Luxi and Jiaodong regions).

Mafic dikes from Shandong 183

Table 1. Major (wt.%) and trace element (ppm) concentrations for the Mesozoic mafic dikes in Shangdong

Sample CZ2 LH2 GS1 WF2 WJ1 WJ8 DK3 DK9 CG2 LCII6 LCII8 LCI5 LCI7 LM1
Rock type SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro SP SP SP
Region Jiaodong
Locality Weihai Weihai Weihai Weihai Weihai Weihai Yantai Yantai Longkou Longkou Longkou Longkou Longkou Longkou
SiO2 52.49 51.38 51.95 49.95 51.99 51.26 48.37 51.09 45.02 46.58 46.99 47.16 45.18 48.26
TiO2 0.08 0.11 0.43 0.12 0.37 0.15 0.12 0.31 0.56 0.27 0.55 0.28 0.12 0.25
Al 2O 3 18.40 18.40 15.97 16.87 19.63 18.40 17.18 18.71 18.18 17.32 16.26 17.32 17.63 17.18
Fe 2O 3 3.68 2.80 2.85 2.44 3.45 2.89 3.23 2.88 2.99 2.97 2.84 3.01 3.96 3.15
FeO 3.70 3.70 3.95 4.00 3.10 3.85 4.10 3.75 5.05 3.15 3.98 4.02 4.12 4.50
MnO 0.14 0.15 0.17 0.15 0.18 0.19 0.18 0.14 0.16 0.15 0.18 0.20 0.19 0.16
MgO 4.67 7.31 6.54 6.54 4.81 5.22 7.67 6.63 9.74 7.98 8.64 8.02 9.05 10.05
CaO 4.80 7.56 8.97 8.50 7.24 8.59 9.08 7.42 8.87 11.90 9.43 11.42 12.79 10.70
Na 2O 3.09 2.81 2.86 3.19 2.86 2.90 2.90 2.94 2.71 3.36 2.71 2.61 2.27 2.37
K 2O 2.74 1.83 1.91 1.93 2.26 2.25 2.04 2.32 2.07 1.66 1.82 2.47 1.92 1.00
P 2O 5 0.30 0.22 0.22 0.20 0.42 0.26 0.32 0.27 0.31 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.22 0.25
CO2 2.20 1.00 1.20 2.40 0.50 0.30 0.70 0.30 1.50 0.95 2.50 1.15 1.21 1.00
LOI 3.00 2.20 2.53 3.13 2.69 3.40 3.54 2.64 2.50 3.15 3.50 2.00 2.01 1.02
Total 99.29 99.47 99.55 99.42 99.50 99.66 99.43 99.40 99.66 99.74 99.70 99.96 100.67 99.89
Mg# 0.58 0.71 0.67 0.69 0.62 0.63 0.69 0.68 0.72 0.74 0.73 0.71 0.71 0.74
Sc 19.7 22.3 22.2 22.5 21.2 20.9 23.1 21.0 26.0 22.0 21.6 23.0 28.1 29.5
V 173 169 174 150 169 156 169 148 191 162 156 177 184 192
Cr 115 509 459 338 143 146 414 381 535 327 450 560 773 730
Co 24.5 35.6 30.9 30.9 26.2 25.7 34.2 33.4 40.9 36.7 37.2 35.8 43.9 46.5
Ni 35.6 220 171 70.1 33.1 33.5 114 120 223 170 181 174 238 249
Cu 34.7 50.9 30.1 14.0 18.5 17.3 22.6 23.1 32.0 33.7 38.4 40.1 49.3 14.4
Zn 84.1 79.3 92.8 60.0 77.3 85.4 76.7 69.7 82.8 68.2 63.5 68.6 75.4 108
Ga 20.7 19.6 19.8 17.2 21.4 18.0 17.8 19.0 18.6 17.1 16.3 17.5 17.7 16.7
Rb 73.6 49.9 52.8 60.6 63.0 63.9 47.5 50.8 62.7 45.7 39.5 66.8 42.0 44.6
Sr 990 608 641 604 1165 1225 1090 1083 803 824 756 801 866 691
Y 22.4 19.3 17.6 25.8 19.7 22.2 20.6 19.7 23.5 18.0 18.1 19.9 22.6 21.9
Zr 164 118 131 132 171 165 151 171 140 139 138 156 140 134
Nb 8.76 7.84 8.35 6.73 7.65 7.42 8.62 8.21 8.02 7.29 7.20 7.54 7.11 7.78
Ba 1496 1466 1102 1285 1493 1598 2792 2054 1817 2645 1931 1642 1587 1379
Hf 4.49 3.21 3.48 3.53 4.63 4.58 4.14 4.32 3.67 3.54 3.53 4.04 3.76 3.63
Ta 0.42 0.36 0.43 0.31 0.38 0.39 0.38 0.41 0.36 0.34 0.36 0.33 0.32 0.34
Pb 10.2 23.7 20.1 4.12 13.4 12.7 12.3 11.2 11.8 5.37 7.78 6.23 9.90 8.46
Th 7.78 5.78 5.75 5.89 7.64 7.00 7.53 10.3 10.5 6.35 6.09 9.16 7.60 6.37
U 1.42 1.47 1.48 1.11 1.96 1.88 0.99 1.84 3.07 1.06 0.98 1.46 1.15 0.88
La 55.9 39.7 29.0 52.0 53.7 59.2 57.3 73.2 67.2 46.9 44.5 56.7 52.2 53.1
Ce 104 64.4 57.6 87.1 101 110 110 129 132 93.7 93.1 103 95.2 91.6
Pr 12.3 7.93 6.58 10.8 11.7 12.3 12.3 13.5 13.9 10.3 10.3 11.2 10.9 11.0
Nd 48.0 31.0 26.2 41.0 45.5 49.1 45.6 48.1 55.8 40.1 41.1 43.1 42.7 41.9
Sm 8.15 5.65 5.44 7.41 7.97 8.37 7.43 7.55 9.14 6.92 7.25 7.17 7.71 7.95
Eu 1.78 1.25 1.19 1.72 1.84 2.11 1.64 1.62 1.99 1.53 1.53 1.58 1.82 1.60
Gd 5.67 4.42 4.00 5.74 5.72 6.21 5.36 5.43 6.16 5.11 4.95 5.26 5.73 5.46
Tb 0.73 0.58 0.57 0.74 0.70 0.76 0.69 0.64 0.80 0.64 0.66 0.67 0.75 0.78
Dy 4.02 3.48 3.27 4.01 3.71 4.03 3.77 3.41 4.29 3.51 3.51 3.67 3.88 3.98
Ho 0.80 0.70 0.67 0.80 0.69 0.76 0.72 0.69 0.83 0.67 0.70 0.72 0.78 0.82
Er 2.11 1.82 1.74 2.15 1.72 2.03 1.92 1.79 2.26 1.75 1.79 1.90 2.10 2.18
Tm 0.26 0.24 0.23 0.25 0.23 0.25 0.27 0.23 0.29 0.23 0.24 0.24 0.27 0.28
Yb 1.86 1.63 1.57 1.72 1.70 1.64 1.78 1.60 1.97 1.69 1.53 1.75 1.76 1.94
Lu 0.30 0.25 0.23 0.26 0.23 0.25 0.26 0.24 0.29 0.24 0.23 0.28 0.28 0.32
Th/U 5.5 3.9 3.9 5.3 3.9 3.7 7.6 5.6 3.4 6.0 6.2 6.3 6.6 7.2
Rb/Sr 0.07 0.08 0.08 0.10 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.08 0.05 0.06
Ba/Rb 20.34 29.39 20.86 21.22 23.70 25.00 58.83 40.44 28.97 57.82 48.87 24.57 37.76 30.93
Zr/Hf 36.6 36.6 37.6 37.4 36.9 36.1 36.6 39.6 38.3 39.2 39.0 38.6 37.1 37.0
Nb/Ta 21.0 21.5 19.5 21.6 20.0 18.9 22.4 20.1 22.5 21.6 20.3 23.1 22.5 23.1
Ce/Pb 10.2 2.7 2.9 21.1 7.6 8.7 8.9 11.6 11.2 17.4 12.0 16.6 9.6 10.8
(La/Yb)N 21.6 17.5 13.3 21.7 22.7 25.9 23.1 32.8 24.5 19.9 20.9 23.3 21.3 19.6

SP = spessartites; Mg# = Mg 2+/(Mg 2+ + Fe2+), assuming Fe 3+/Fe 2+ = 0.15.

The mafic dikes from the Jiaodong region are mainly
lamprophyres (spessartites) and gabbros, and the dikes
from the Luxi region are gabbros and diabases.
Spessartites contain abundant (>30%) phenocrysts of
euhedral amphibole (0.3–1.0 mm size). Minor (5%)
phenocrysts of pyroxenes are also present. The
groundmass includes fine-grained (0.02–0.06 mm)
amphiboles, plagioclase (0.02–0.05mm) and minor car-
bonate and magnetite. Gabbros consist of 25% coarse-
grained phenocrysts of clinopyroxene and plagioclase, and

184 S. Liu et al.

Table 1. (continued)

Sample LQ3 NS1 MSH1 SW1 KJ1 KJ8 KL1 KL8 GCH2 GCH2* GCH4 GCH6 GCH7 GCH7*
Rock type Diabase Gabbro Diabase Diabase Diabase Diabase Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro
Region Luxi
Locality Zichuan Zichuan Zichuan Zichuan Zichuan Zichuan Zichuan Zichuan Mengyin Mengyin Mengyin Mengyin Mengyin Mengyin
SiO2 51.43 45.04 52.12 50.06 51.51 52.17 49.83 49.02 48.73 52.75 49.70 51.59
TiO2 0.12 0.40 0.06 0.23 0.24 0.36 1.29 0.15 0.83 0.95 0.77 0.68
Al 2O 3 22.70 16.87 18.94 18.10 20.16 20.61 17.79 18.02 7.97 14.42 12.58 14.72
Fe 2O 3 2.92 3.36 4.22 3.85 3.17 4.01 3.52 3.86 3.50 3.79 2.97 3.43
FeO 3.12 4.95 4.10 5.05 4.40 4.75 5.20 5.30 7.98 5.30 7.70 5.10
MnO 0.11 0.21 0.20 0.18 0.21 0.18 0.17 0.25 0.21 0.18 0.21 0.19
MgO 1.71 4.81 5.38 6.04 2.51 3.17 5.75 7.59 14.95 7.67 11.31 10.49
CaO 8.17 15.51 6.33 6.15 5.53 6.38 9.88 9.19 10.11 8.83 9.84 9.04
Na 2O 3.97 3.47 3.61 3.64 3.72 3.43 1.89 2.54 0.68 1.91 0.88 1.29
K 2O 2.77 2.19 2.02 1.49 3.23 2.10 0.76 1.12 0.43 0.49 0.56 0.46
P 2O 5 0.20 0.40 0.17 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.48 0.37 0.20 0.25 0.16 0.10
CO2 1.00 1.50 0.62 0.35 1.00 0.30 1.00 0.67 2.52 1.30 1.35 1.10
LOI 1.25 1.20 2.20 4.20 3.76 2.21 1.87 1.90 1.20 1.64 1.35 1.40
Total 99.47 99.91 99.97 99.64 99.69 99.87 99.43 99.98 99.31 99.48 99.38 99.59
Mg# 0.38 0.55 0.58 0.59 0.42 0.44 0.59 0.64 0.74 0.65 0.69 0.73
Sc 15.2 25.6 26.3 25.7 21.7 21.9 29.1 30.9 50.8 51.0 37.0 42.0 38.5 39.3
V 144 234 209 216 287 286 213 194 228 228 266 264 245 246
Cr 17.9 149 135 169 43.9 51.8 207 371 1800 1783 738 1316 1127 1128
Co 17.5 32.1 32.2 31.7 25.3 25.7 34.4 40.7 82.5 82.6 48.1 69.4 56.4 56.6
Ni 9.84 36.5 24.5 39.4 18.9 24.8 48.3 89.1 437 439 199 330 285 289
Cu 121 132 109 80.8 243 231 108 114 24.3 24.5 11.9 25.3 36.2 36.8
Zn 80.8 112 79.3 83.7 106 90.0 84.9 92.1 123 23 97 119 93.3 93.6
Ga 22.3 22.1 18.2 19.1 25.7 22.1 18.3 18.8 12.6 12.6 19.9 17.6 17.0 17.3
Rb 72.8 55.9 52.5 37.3 138 62.9 16.4 27.7 14.4 14.5 15.5 22.0 9.82 10.1
Sr 1071 754 703 546 1298 950 562 702 298 299 565 470 553 555
Y 17.7 20.1 15.2 17.9 20.0 16.5 17.6 17.4 15.3 15.8 16.3 15.8 11.9 12.3
Zr 107 145 81.3 95.0 130 108 72.5 83.3 38.7 38.8 31.7 28.8 21.9 22.2
Nb 6.65 8.82 4.16 4.94 7.60 6.36 4.57 5.04 1.63 1.60 2.97 1.60 0.73 0.77
Ba 918 1127 706 1264 1311 862 684 677 285 288 577 238 315 317
Hf 2.95 4.07 2.43 2.56 3.68 3.15 2.03 2.38 1.42 1.46 1.16 1.07 0.85 0.86
Ta 0.29 0.42 0.23 0.22 0.42 0.32 0.20 0.23 0.08 0.07 0.14 0.07 0.03 0.04
Pb 10.6 19.0 6.36 6.45 27.0 20.3 5.83 6.47 6.78 6.83 7.63 8.31 5.59 5.63
Th 6.43 4.89 3.62 1.77 7.30 6.13 1.27 1.91 1.00 1.00 0.48 0.4 0.39 0.38
U 1.32 1.55 1.17 0.46 2.04 1.68 0.42 0.62 0.35 0.36 0.15 0.12 0.19 0.19
La 77.1 31.4 16.9 29.3 31.1 24.4 20.0 21.1 7.36 7.39 15.1 8.29 7.32 7.31
Ce 102 67.6 36.5 56.2 63.6 50.1 45.8 48.1 18.9 19.3 32.7 21.3 15.9 16.1
Pr 10.8 7.89 4.29 6.65 7.17 5.74 5.75 5.88 2.66 2.65 4.06 2.95 2.01 2.06
Nd 35.9 33.4 18.1 27.4 29.2 23.2 24.3 25.4 13.2 13.7 17.9 13.7 10.2 10.2
Sm 5.57 6.37 3.72 5.17 5.91 4.77 5.16 5.06 3.57 3.59 4.12 3.45 2.80 2.82
Eu 1.37 1.42 1.01 1.37 1.44 1.21 1.25 1.33 0.87 0.91 1.17 1.11 0.87 0.87
Gd 4.39 5.09 3.26 4.30 4.71 3.89 4.25 4.16 3.51 3.51 3.62 3.31 2.34 2.36
Tb 0.56 0.70 0.49 0.57 0.66 0.55 0.57 0.57 0.51 0.50 0.54 0.50 0.37 0.37
Dy 3.19 3.94 2.79 3.33 3.56 2.95 3.16 3.31 2.90 2.98 3.21 2.98 2.20 2.21
Ho 0.64 0.74 0.55 0.64 0.68 0.58 0.61 0.61 0.59 0.59 0.61 0.59 0.47 0.46
Er 1.65 2.08 1.46 1.74 1.86 1.54 1.63 1.69 1.49 1.51 1.62 1.58 1.21 1.22
Tm 0.23 0.26 0.19 0.21 0.23 0.21 0.22 0.21 0.22 0.20 0.22 0.20 0.17 0.17
Yb 1.43 1.89 1.30 1.47 1.76 1.30 1.43 1.43 1.36 1.39 1.50 1.49 1.04 1.05
Lu 0.20 0.31 0.19 0.23 0.24 0.19 0.20 0.22 0.21 0.22 0.22 0.22 0.16 0.18
Th/U 4.9 3.2 3.1 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.1 3.1 2.9 2.8 3.2 3.3 2.0 2.0
Rb/Sr 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.11 0.07 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.05 0.02 0.02
Ba/Rb 12.60 20.14 13.44 33.88 9.53 13.71 41.74 24.40 19.84 19.86 37.23 10.82 32.05 31.39
Zr/Hf 36.4 35.5 33.5 37.2 35.4 34.1 35.7 34.9 27.2 26.6 27.3 26.9 25.9 25.8
Nb/Ta 22.8 21.0 18.3 22.8 18.2 20.0 22.7 21.7 21.8 22.9 21.2 22.9 24.5 19.3
Ce/Pb 9.6 3.6 5.7 8.7 2.4 2.5 7.9 7.4 2.8 2.8 4.3 2.6 2.8 2.9
(La/Yb)N 38.7 11.9 9.3 14.3 12.7 13.5 10.0 10.6 3.9 3.8 7.2 4.0 5.0 5.0

SP = spessartites, Mg# = Mg 2+/(Mg2+ + Fe2+), GCH2* and GCH7* are duplicate samples for trace elements

75% matrix of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, magnetite and

minor biotite. Diabases have 30% intermediate-grained
phenocrysts of clinopyroxene and plagioclase and 70%
matrix of plagioclase, clinopyroxene and magnetite with
diabasic texture.
ANALYTICAL METHODS
All samples were crushed into millimeter chips and
fresh chips were handpicked under a binocular micro-
scope. Selected chips were washed using pure water in

Mafic dikes from Shandong 185

 400 400
Luxi Jiaodong
Mengyin Longkou
Sample/Chondrite

Zichuan Yantai

Sample/Chondrite
100 Weihai
100

10
10
5 8
La CePr Nd SmEuGdTb DyHoErTmYbLu La CePr Nd SmEuGdTbDyHo ErTm Yb Lu

500 500
Luxi Jiaodong

Sample/Primative mantle
Mengyin Longkou
Sample/Primative mantle

100 Zichuan 100 Yantai

Weihai

10 10

1 1

0.2 0.2
Rb Th Nb Ce Sr Nd Sm Ti Dy Er Lu Rb Th Nb Ce Sr Nd Sm Ti Dy Er Lu
Ba K La Pb P Zr Eu Gd Y Yb Ba K La Pb P Zr Eu Gd Y Yb

Fig. 3. C1 chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns and primitive-mantle-normalized spider diagrams for the Mesozoic
mafic dikes. REE abundances for chondrites and trace element abundances for primitive mantle are from Sun and McDonough
(1989).

an ultrasonic bath. Whole-rock samples were powdered
to 200 meshes using an agate mill. The major elements
were analyzed by wet chemical analysis at the Institute
of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS).
Analytical uncertainties are ±1% to 3% for major ele-
ments. The rare earth elements and other trace elements
were analyzed using a PE Elan 6000 ICP-MS at the Iso-
tope Analysis Center of IGCAS. The procedure of sam-
ple dissolution and analysis of international rock stand-
ards have been documented in Liu et al. (1996). Analyti-
cal accuracy is better than 5% for REE, and 10% for other
trace elements. Rock powders for isotope analysis were
leached using purified 6 N HCl at room temperature for
24 hours before dissolution to avoid the influence of al-
teration especially for Sr isotopes. All samples for Sr and
Nd isotopic analyses were dissolved in Teflon bombs us-
ing HF + HNO3 mixture. Rb, Sr, Sm and Nd were sepa-
rated using conventional cation-exchange columns. Sr and
Nd isotopes were determined at the Guangzhou Institute
of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. A
Micromass ISOPROBE multi-collector ICP mass
spectrometer was used for Sr and Nd isotopic measure-
ments. The 87Sr/ 86Sr and 143 Nd/144Nd ratios were normal-
ized to 86Sr/ 88Sr = 0.1194 and 146Nd/ 144Nd = 0.7219, re-
spectively. During the course of this study, the NBS stand-
ard SRM-987 yielded an average 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of
0.710210 ± 10 (2 σ, n = 18); the Shin-Etsu JNdi-1 stand-
ard yielded an average 143Nd/144Nd ratio of 0.512120 ±
12 (2σ, n = 18). Rb, Sr, Sm and Nd concentrations were
obtained by isotope dilution methods using mixed 84Sr-
85
Rb-150Nd-149Sm spikes. Samples for Pb isotope analy-
ses were dissolved using HF + HClO4 mixture. Pb was
extracted and purified using HBr and HCl anion micro-
column procedures. The Pb isotope analyses were per-
formed at the Isotope Analysis Center of the Institute of
Geology, Beijing Nucleus Industry, using a MAT261 ther-
mal ionization mass spectrometer. Pb isotope ratios in
samples were corrected for mass fractionation of 0.12%/
amu (atomic mass unit), based on repeated analyses of
Pb isotope standard NBS 981 against the value of this
standard recommended by Todt et al. (1996). Whole pro-
cedural blanks were <100 pg for Nd, 200–500 pg for Sr
and <500 pg for Pb.
RESULTS
Major and trace elements
Twenty-four samples have been selected for major and
trace element analyses and the results are given in
Table 1. Their SiO2 contents range from 45 wt.% to 53%.
All samples are characterized by their low contents of
TiO2 (0.08–1.29%) and P2O5 (0.10–0.48%). Three sam-

186 S. Liu et al.

 500 0.5134
Arc Volcanics A MORB
0.5130 al
t

( 143Nd/ 144Nd)i
s
100 Granulites ba
(E.Hebei)
o ic Society
n oz
Ce
Clastic sediment
0.5126 Kerguelen
Ba/Nb

average

Dupal
OIB
CC average
EM1 EM2
10 Primitive
0.5122
OIB Mantle
Mengyin
Zichuan
Longkou 0.5118
MORB Yantai
Weihai
0.712 Mengyin
1
Zichuan
0.1 1 10 20 B Longkou
0.710 Yantai
La/Nb Weihai

( Sr/ 86Sr)i
EM2
Fig. 4. Plot of Ba/Nb vs. La/Nb showing that the Mesozoic 0.708
mafic dikes from Shandong are characterized by high Ba/Nb
and La/Nb ratios, plotting in the fields of arc volcanics and 87
0.706 Kerguelen
Society
EM1
Archean granulites from eastern Hebei from Jahn and Zhang
(1984). The granulite data are used to infer the composition of Cenozo
ic b a s a lt
0.704
the middle to lower continental crust. Data sources for other
fields: PM, primitive mantle (Sun and McDonough, 1989); CC, MORB
continental crust (Taylor and McLennan, 1985; Condie, 1993); 0.702
16.0 16.5 17.0 17.5 18.0 18.5 19.0 19.5
Clastic sediment average (Condie, 1993); MORB, OIB and
Dupal OIB (Le Roux, 1986). 206 204
( Pb/ Pb)i
Fig. 6. Age-corrected 143Nd/144Nd and 87Sr/ 86Sr vs. 206Pb/204Pb
diagrams of the Mesozoic mafic dikes from Shandong. Con-
Mengyin
10 Zichuan spicuous high Sr, low Nd and Pb isotopes are observed in all
Mantle array Longkou
Yantai samples. The approximate fields of MORB, Kerguelen, Society,
Weihai
0 EM1 and EM2 are from Zindler and Hart (1986) and Zou et al.
(2000); the field of Cenozoic basalt is from Zhang and Sun
Young (2002).
-10
ε Nd(T)

UCC

-20
Sino-Korean correlations of MgO vs. Sr and Al2O3 are observed. There
Yangtze Upper Crust are random correlations of MgO vs. TiO 2 and total iron
-30 Lower Crust
(Fig. 2).
Sino-Korean
-40 Lower Crust The Menyin dikes (GCH2 and GCH7) show moderate
enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) and large
0.700 0.705 0.710 0.715 0.720 ion lithophile elements (LILE, such as Ba, Sr, Pb and K)
87
( Sr/ Sr)i86 while all other dikes display strong enrichment in both
LREE and LILE (Fig. 3). All samples exhibit distinctive
Fig. 5. εNd(t) vs. initial 87Sr/ 86Sr plot for the Mesozoic mafic negative anomalies in high field strength elements (HFSE,
dikes from Shandong. The fields of Mantle array, Young UCC such as Nb and Ti) and positive anomalies in Pb. They
(upper continental crust), Yangtze lower crust, Sino-Korean are completely distinguishable from many volcanic rocks
upper crust and Sino-Korean lower crust are from Jahn et al.
like MORB, OIB, and kimberlites that usually show no
(1999).
or insignificant HFSE anomalies (Sun and McDonough,
1989). The mafic dikes have substantially higher Ba/Nb
and La/Nb ratios than those of MORB and OIB, but are
ples (LQ3, KJ1 and KJ8) from Zichuan display relatively similar to arc volcanics defined by the early Cretaceous
low Mg numbers (0.38–0.44) and Cr contents (18–52 mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the north Dabie complex
ppm), which may indicate significant fractional crystal- (Jahn et al., 1999) (Fig. 4).
lization. All other twenty-one samples have high Mg num-
bers (0.55–0.74) and Cr contents (115–1800 ppm). Posi- Nd, Sr and Pb isotopes
tive correlations of MgO vs. CaO and Cr, and negative Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions are presented in

Mafic dikes from Shandong 187

188 S. Liu et al.

Table 2. Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data of the mafic rocks from Shangdong

Sample Locality Rock type (208Pb/204Pb)i (207Pb/204Pb)i (206Pb/204Pb)i 87

Rb/86Sr 87
Sr/86Sr (2σ ) (87Sr/86Sr)i 147
Sm/ 144Nd 143
Nd/ 144Nd (2σ ) (143Nd/ 144Nd) i ε Nd (t)
CZ2 Weihai Spessartite 37.366 15.445 17.244 0.2148 0.708507 ± 14 0.708098 0.1026 0.511999 ± 9 0.511908 −10.9
LH2 Weihai Spessartite 38.076 15.513 18.115 0.2375 0.708692 ± 11 0.708340 0.1097 0.512035 ± 9 0.511960 −10.6
GS1 Weihai Spessartite 37.866 15.427 18.025 0.2384 0.708318 ± 18 0.707971 0.1250 0.511964 ± 10 0.511880 −12.2
WF2 Weihai Spessartite 37.457 15.455 17.381 0.2899 0.708849 ± 13 0.708436 0.1094 0.512033 ± 10 0.511961 −10.7
WJ8 Weihai Spessartite 36.528 15.078 16.773 0.1508 0.707899 ± 13 0.707642 0.1031 0.512029 ± 8 0.511947 −10.4
DK3 Yantai Spessartite 37.396 15.419 17.127 0.1259 0.709292 ± 16 0.709116 0.0984 0.511675 ± 12 0.511611 −17.6
DK9 Yantai Spessartite 0.1355 0.709468 ± 13 0.709279 0.0948 0.511728 ± 10 0.511667 −16.5
CG2 Longkou Gabbro 38.031 15.514 17.325 0.2260 0.710204 ± 16 0.709756 0.0986 0.511803 ± 10 0.511713 −14.5
LCII6 Longkou Gabbro 37.162 15.385 16.933 0.1605 0.709886 ± 13 0.709582 0.1044 0.511792 ± 10 0.511700 −14.9
LCII8 Longkou Gabbro 0.1510 0.709705 ± 13 0.709419 0.1068 0.511858 ± 9 0.511765 −13.7
LCI5 Longkou Spessartite 37.340 15.451 17.172 0.2411 0.709126 ± 14 0.708687 0.1006 0.511905 ± 9 0.511820 −12.7
LCI7 Longkou Spessartite 0.1403 0.708671 ± 14 0.708416 0.1090 0.511872 ± 9 0.511780 −13.5
LM1 Longkou Spessartite 37.706 15.467 17.327 0.1865 0.709569 ± 13 0.709223 0.1147 0.511759 ± 8 0.511662 −15.8
LQ3 Zichuan Diabase 38.124 15.626 17.992 0.1966 0.708748 ± 11 0.708460 0.0939 0.512103 ± 10 0.512039 −9.1
NS1 Zichuan Gabbro 37.208 15.391 17.322 0.2146 0.708988 ± 14 0.708667 0.1148 0.512171 ± 9 0.512092 −8.0
MSH1 Zichuan Diabase 37.840 15.589 18.256 0.2161 0.709227 ± 13 0.708866 0.1237 0.511976 ± 9 0.511881 −11.8
SW1 Zichuan Diabase 37.290 15.370 17.288 0.1974 0.709698 ± 10 0.709014 0.1139 0.511776 ± 9 0.511696 −15.7
KJ1 Zichuan Diabase 0.3062 0.710394 ± 14 0.709936 0.1223 0.512277 ± 7 0.512193 −6.0
KL1 Zichuan Gabbro 36.249 15.167 16.599 0.0842 0.706479 ± 13 0.706373 0.1283 0.511814 ± 12 0.511740 −15.3
KL8 Zichuan Gabbro 0.1141 0.706483 ± 17 0.706357 0.1206 0.511874 ± 10 0.511813 −14.1
GCH2 Mengyin Gabbro 36.471 15.211 16.798 0.1394 0.707086 ± 17 0.706684 0.1631 0.512226 ± 10 0.512099 −7.5
GCH7 Mengyin Gabbro 36.392 15.235 16.754 0.0513 0.706624 ± 13 0.706476 0.1668 0.512269 ± 10 0.512139 −6.7
 15.7 39.0
Mengyin EM2 Mengyin EM2
Zichuan Zichuan
15.6 Longkou EM1
Longkou EM1 38.0 Yantai
Yantai
15.5 Weihai Weihai
Pb/ 204Pb

Pb/ 204Pb
15.4 37.0
15.3 RL
NH
207

208
36.0
15.2
RL
NH
15.1
35.0
15.0
16 17 18 19 16 17 18 19
206 204 206 204
Pb/ Pb Pb/ Pb
207 204 206 204 208 204 206 204
Fig. 7. Pb/ Pb vs. Pb/ Pb and Pb/ Pb vs. Pb/ Pb diagrams.

Table 2. Age-corrected initial 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/ 144Nd and
206
Pb/204Pb ratios are 0.7063 to 0.7099, 0.5116 to 0.5121,
and 16.60 to 18.26, respectively. Mengyin dikes have the
highest εNd(T) (–6.7 to –7.5) while the Yantai dikes have
the lowest εNd(T) (–16.5 to –17.6). The mafic dikes dis-
play negative correlation in the (143Nd/144Nd)i vs. (87Sr/
86
Sr) i diagram if two Zichuan samples were excluded
(Fig. 5). In addition, there are random correlations be-
tween ( 206Pb/ 204Pb) i vs. ( 87Sr/ 86Sr) i or ( 143Nd/ 144 Nd) i
(Fig. 6), which is in sheer contrast with the fine Pb-Sr
and Pb-Nd isotope correlations displayed by Cenozoic
basalts in eastern China (Basu et al., 1991; Zou et al.,
2000, 2003). It is noted that mafic rocks from other re-
gions of the NCC also exhibit random correlations be-
tween ( 206Pb/ 204Pb) i vs. ( 87Sr/ 86Sr) i or ( 143Nd/ 144 Nd) i
(Zhang and Sun, 2002).
Lead isotopic compositions are plotted in Fig. 7. In
the 207Pb/ 204Pb vs. 206Pb/ 204Pb diagram, the plot displays
a steeper array than the Northern Hemisphere Reference
Line (NHRL) (Hart, 1984), which is similar to the case
for the Mesozoic gabbros from Taihangshan on NCC
(Chen et al., 2004). In the 208Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/ 204Pb plot,
the linear array is significantly displaced above the NHRL.
DISCUSSION
Crustal contamination and fractional crystallization
The geochemical characteristics, including significant
depletion in HFSE, strong enrichment in LILE, and highly
negative εNd(T), suggest a role of a continental compo-
nent in the magma genesis of the mafic dikes. Such con-
tinental signature may be introduced by contamination
during magma ascent or reflects the feature of a
metasomatized mantle source. Since the mafic dikes em-
placed in the continental environments, it is necessary to
evaluate the effect of crustal contamination. A number of
lines of evidence, however, argue against significant
crustal contamination during magma ascent.
(1) Significant involvement of crustal materials can-
not be reconciled with the low SiO2 (45–53%) contents
in all mafic dikes. With the exception of three Zichuan
samples, the dikes have high Mg number (0.55 to 0.74)
and Cr contents (115–1800 ppm), which is inconsistent
with extensive crustal contamination.
(2) If crustal contamination is extensive, correlations
between SiO2 and isotopic compositions would be ex-
pected. However, random correlations between SiO2 and
isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr, εNd(T), 207Pb/204Pb) are
observed (Figs. 8A–C).
(3) Similarly, there are no clear correlations between
MgO and Sr and Pb isotopic compositions (Figs. 8D and
F). Although there are some correlations between MgO
and εNd(t) if the Mengyin samples are excluded (Fig. 8E),
the negative correlation also argues against crustal con-
tamination.
The positive correlations of MgO vs. CaO and Cr call
for clinopyroxene fractionation, whereas the negative
correlations of MgO vs. Al 2 O 3 and Sr suggest that
plagioclase differentiation is insignificant. Excluding
three low-MgO Zichuan samples, the lack of correlations
of MgO vs. total iron argues against significant olivine
fractionation and the absence of correlations of MgO vs.
TiO 2 disapproves fractionation of Fe-Ti oxides. As a
whole, fractionation of clinopyroxene can roughly account
for the chemical variations in the mafic dikes. As for the
three low-MgO samples from Zichuan, they display nega-
tive correlations between MgO and total iron and between
MgO and TiO2, suggesting possible fractional crystalli-
zation of olivine and Fe-Ti oxides.
In summary, the compositions of the mafic dikes are
not significantly affected by continental contamination
during magma ascent. As for fractional crystallization,
three low-MgO samples from Zichuan may experience
fractionation of clinopyroxene, olivine and Fe-Ti oxides

Mafic dikes from Shandong 189

 0.7110 0.7110
A D Mengyin
Zichuan
0.7100 0.7100 Longkou
Yantai
Weihai
( 87Sr/ 86Sr)i

( 87Sr/ 86Sr)i
0.7090 0.7090

0.7080 0.7080

0.7070 0.7070

0.7060 0.7060
0 0
B E
-5 -5
εNd(t)

εNd(t)
-10 -10

-15 -15

-20 -20
15.7 15.7
C F
15.6 15.6
Pb/ 204Pb

Pb/ 204Pb

15.5 15.5
15.4 15.4
15.3 15.3
207

207

15.2 15.2
15.1 15.1
15.0 15.0
45 47 48 50 51 53 0 5 10 15 20
SiO 2 MgO

Fig. 8. (A–C) 87
Sr/86Sr, εNd(t), and 207
Pb/ 204Pb vs. SiO2. (D–F) 87
Sr/ 86Sr, εNd(t), and 207
Pb/204 Pb vs. MgO plots.

whereas all other samples may go through fractionation
of clinopyroxene only. The isotopic compositions and
highly incompatible element ratios with similar bulk par-
tition coefficients, therefore, closely reflect source char-
acteristics and mantle processes and the continental sig-
nature reflects a feature of the enriched mantle source.
Petrogenesis of the mafic dikes
The Mengyin dikes display moderate enrichment in
LREE and LILE and have high Mg# (0.69–0.74) and Cr
contents (>700 ppm). Their Nd and Sr isotopic composi-
tions (εNd(T) = –6 to –7 and age-corrected initial 87Sr/
86
Sr, I Sr = 0.706 to 0.707) are similar to the mantle
peridotite xenoliths captured by Paleozoic kimberlites
from NCC (εNd(T) ≈ –5.0 and ISr ≈ 0.705, recalculated to
125 Ma) (Zheng and Lu, 1999). Thus, the mantle source
for the Mesozoic Mengyin dikes mostly retained the iso-
topic characteristics of the ancient lithospheric mantle
without much modification. This is consistent with the
suggestion that Archean lithospheric mantle may be pre-
served beneath Mengyin (Griffin et al., 1998).
In contrast to the Mengyin dikes, other Mesozoic mafic
dikes (including those from Jiaodong and Zichuan) are
featured by their strong enrichment in LREE and LILE,
significant depletion in HFSE, and highly negative εNd(T)
and high ISr. Clearly, the lithospheric mantle source to
generate the Jiaodong and Zichuan mafic dikes had al-
ready been severely modified.
The lack of good correlations between Nd, Sr and Pb
isotopes reveals that the mafic lavas were not generated
by simple binary mixing of typical mantle end members,
for example, DMM + EM1 or DMM + EM2. The isotopic
characteristics of the mafic dikes may suggest mixing of
three mantle end members. Although the mixing of a de-
pleted asthenospheric component (similar to the Indian
MORB source) and enriched mantles can account for the
isotopic variations in the Cenozoic basalts in eastern
China (Zou et al., 2000) owing to their chemical similar-
ity to ocean island basalts, this depleted asthenospheric
mantle similar to Indian MORB source may not fit for
the Mesozoic dikes characterized by significant deple-
tion in HFSE and low 143Nd/144Nd. We will use inherited
lithospheric mantle instead. The isotopic characteristics
in the Shandong mafic dikes may reflect the mixing of an
inherited lithospheric mantle characterized by moderately
negative ε Nd (T) and moderately high 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, and
metasomatic components with highly negative εNd(T) and
high and variable 87Sr/86Sr (Gao et al., 2002; Fan et al.,

190 S. Liu et al.

 40
A silicate earth. In comparison, the samples from Jiaodong
37
Zr/Hf
33
30
27
0 and Zichuan mafic dikes indicate the possible involve-
Mengyin
B Zichuan
Longkou
Yantai
-5 Weihai
Nd(t)
-10
ε
-15
-20
0 2 4 6
Th/U
Fig. 9. (A) Zr/Hf vs. Th/U and (B) εNd(t) vs. Th/U plots.
2004). The isotopic compositions of the Mengyin mafic
dikes may represent the composition of the inherited
moderately enriched lithospheric mantle. The isotopic
compositions of the Jiaodong and Zichuan dikes may rep-
resent the metasomatized mantle modified by highly en-
riched components. If the Pb isotopic compositions of the
Mengyin dikes represent the field of inherited lithospehric
mantle source, then simple mixing of this inherited
lithospheric mantle with EM1 cannot fully explain all the
data (Fig. 7). Some samples from Zichuan and Weihai
require an additional component in EM2 (Fig. 7), such as
middle or upper crustal materials. The lack of correla-
tions in the Nd-Sr-Pb isotope diagrams further indicates
that the phlogopite/clinopyrocene ratios in the
metasomatized mantle source vary significantly (Schmidt
et al., 1999).
Nature of the metasomatized mantle
The Th/U ratios in the Shandong mafic dikes may pro-
vide more insights into the mantle enrichment processes.
The Th/U ratios are mostly indicative of mantle source
characteristics, as partial melting or fractional crystalli-
zation cannot strongly fractionate Th from U (O’Nions
and McKenzie, 1993; Zou and Zindler, 2000). The
Mengyin mafic dikes have Th/U ratios ranging from 2.0
to 3.3, within the range of depleted mantle and the bulk
and Zichuan display higher Th/U ratios, ranging from 3.1
to as high as 7.6 (Fig. 9A). High Th/U ratios of 7.6 have
been reported from Gaussberg lamproites that were gen-
erated by melting of phlogopite-rich metasomatized
lithospheric mantle (Williams et al., 1992). Substantial
fractionations of Th and U are difficult to produce by
magmatic processes, but can occur at the Earth’s surface
under oxidizing conditions that favor the more soluble
U6+ over U4+. Therefore, high Th/U ratios of the Jiaodong
ment of middle, even upper crust in their sources. This is
consistent with the high 208 Pb/ 204 Pb in some of the
Jiaodong and Zichuan mafic dikes.
It is noted that Th/U ratios and εNd(T) display nega-
tive correlations (Fig. 9B). This may reflect the source
mixing of the inherited mantle with crustal materials, as
continental materials have higher Th/U and lower εNd(T)
as compared with inherited mantle sources. The negative
correlations can not be explained by alterations as εNd(T)
is insensitive to alterations.
Because Nb and Ta display similar geochemical
8 behaviors owing to their nearly identical ionic radii and
charge, Nb/Ta ratios are hardly affected by magmatic
processes unless a significant volume of rutile or low-
Mg amphibole is involved in the mantle source (Rudnick
et al., 2000; Foley et al., 2002). Rutile is the major phase
to produce high Nb/Ta ratios in the melt whereas low-Mg
amphibole is the dominant phase to generate low value
in the melt (Rudnick et al., 2000; Foley et al., 2002). The
primitive mantle has Nb/Ta ratio of 17.5 (Sun and
McDonough, 1989). The Mengyin dikes have Nb/Ta ra-
tios ranging from 19 to 25 and the dikes from Jiaodong
and Zichuan have similar Nb/Ta ratios (18–23) (Fig. 10A).
The high Nb/Ta ratios in all mafic dikes may support the
presence of a rutile-rich metasomatism. The presence of
1–2% rutile in the mantle pyroxenite xenoliths from
Paleozoic Mengyin kimberlites reported by Zheng et al.
(2005) provides additional evidence of rutile-rich
Metasomatism. Moreover, the similar Nb/Ta ratios be-
tween Mengyin and other dikes suggest that the possible
rutile-rich metasomatism may have started during or be-
fore Paleozoic, as the Mengyin dikes were derived from
ancient moderately enriched lithospheric mantle.
The Menyin dikes have low Zr/Hf ratios (26–27). In
comparison, the Zr/Hf ratios in Jiaodong and Zichuan
samples are higher (36.8 ± 3.1, 2σ ) (Fig. 10) and are simi-
lar to the ratio of 36 in primitive mantle (Sun and
McDonough, 1989). Since carbonatite metasomatism
might be the main mechanism to increase Zr/Hf ratios in
magmas (e.g., Dupuy et al., 1992), if the Mengyin dikes
retained the composition of ancient mantle lithosphere,
then the slightly higher Zr/Hf ratios in the Jiaodong and
Mafic dikes from Shandong 191
 30
Mengyin
25 Zichuan
Longkou
Yantai
20 Weihai
N b/Ta
15
10
5 0.02
0 0.00
0 10 20 30
Zr/Hf
Fig. 10. (A) Nb/Ta vs. Zr/Hf and (B) Rb/Sr vs. Th/U plots.
Zichuan samples (Fig. 8) may detect minor carbonatite
metasomatism in their mantle source. Alternatively, the
higher but normal Zr/Hf ratios may reflect significant
addition of silicic melts in the lithospheric mantle source.
Since carbonatite metasomatism often results in lower Th/
U ratios due to higher U contents in carbonatites (Williams
and Gill, 1992), the higher Th/U ratios in the Jiaodong
and Zichuan samples (Fig. 9A) do not support carbonatite
metasomatism. Thus, we prefer the addition of silicic
melts in the lithospheric mantle source, as previously pro-
posed by Zhang et al. (2004). The high Th/U and Rb/Sr
ratios (Fig. 10B) in the Jiaodong and Zichuan dikes fur-
ther call for the presence of phlogopites in the
metasomatized mantle.
Origin of mesozoic magmatism
Diamond inclusions and garnet and spinel concentrates
in Ordovician kimberlites reveal the presence of a thick
(>180 km), cold and refractory lithospheric keel beneath
the NCC prior to the Paleozoic (Menzies et al., 1993;
Griffin et al., 1998; Xu, 2001; Gao et al., 2002; Guo et
al., 2003). In contrast, the NCC lithosphere in Cenozoic
time has become thin (70-80 km), hot and fertile with
MORB-OIB-like Sr-Nd isotopic compositions (Song and
Frey, 1989; Tatsumoto et al., 1992; Menzies et al., 1993;
Griffin et al., 1998; Fan et al., 2000; Xu, 2001; Zheng et
al., 2001). This implies that more than 100 km of the old
and thick lithosphere beneath NCC was destroyed and
removed. The removal of the old lithospheric mantle may
be related to a Triassic collision between the North China
block and the Yangtze Craton to the south (Xu, 2001;
Zhang et al., 2002) or related to the convective overturn
accompanying Jurassic-Cretaceous subduction of the
paleo-Pacific Plate (Chen et al., 2004; Wu et al., 2005).
The collision between the North China block and the
Yangtze block may not only have destroyed the physical
integrity of the NCC to generate weak zones but also have
facilitated the interaction between the subducted Yang-
tze lower crust and the old NCC lithospheric mantle (Xu,
192 S. Liu et al.
0.12
Mengyin
Zichuan
0.10
Longkou
Yantai
0.08 Weihai
Rb/Sr
0.06
0.04
40 50 0 2 4 6 8
Th/U
2001). Indeed a remnant of the subducted Yangtze block
has been detected by seismic tomographic analysis of the
data recorded in the Dabie-Sulu region (Xu et al., 2001).
The collision may have started from the northeast in as
early as the Early Permian time and ended in the south-
east in Late Triassic time by clockwise rotation (Zhang,
1997). The Triassic collision model and the associated
interaction of the Yangtze lower crust and NCC
lithospheric mantle may account for the enrichment of
the subcontinental lithospheric mantle in the northern
Dabei complex (Jahn et al., 1999) near the collision zone.
However, the collision mechanism requires a collision
along relatively narrow front to have lithosphere-scale
effects extending for more than 1000 kilometers north-
wards (Griffin et al., 1998). In the Taihangshan and the
Beijing region, Cretaceous mafic rocks also show chemi-
cal and isotopic compositions very similar to those from
Shandong and northern Dabei (Chen et al., 2003, 2004).
The Triassic collision model may not be able to explain
the generation of the Mesozoic mafic rocks from
Taihangshan and Beijing region. Thus, a more prevalent
geodynamic setting is called for to explain the widespread
Mesozoic magmatism on the NCC.
Alternatively, the Mesozoic magmatism may be re-
lated to the Jurassic-Cretaceous subduction of the paleo-
Pacific (Izanagi) Plate, and the Cretaceous-Tertiary sub-
duction of the Pacific plate (e.g., Chen et al., 2004). The
westward motion and subduction of the Izanagi plate
started at 135 to 145 Ma (Engebreson et al., 1985). Sub-
duction of the paleo-Pacific slab beneath the East Asian
continent transformed the eastern China, including the
eastern part of the NCC, into an active continental mar-
gin. A back-arc extensional regime was developed in the
eastern China, including the east part of NCC, as a result
of the subduction of the paleo-Pacific slab beneath East
China (Gilder et al., 1991; Ren et al., 2002). Convective
overturn accompanying Jurassic-Cretaceous subduction
may generate thermal erosion and lateral displacement
of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The Mesozoic
subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate along the eastern
margin of the continental Asian plate caused the exten-
sion of the continental lithosphere and played an impor-
tant role in the generation of the east China rift system
(Tian et al., 1992). Both the rifting and magmatism might
result from the subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate.
Although thinning of the lithospheric mantle and as-
sociated magmatism may be mainly related to the
subdution of the paleo-Pacific plate, the enrichment of
the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath NCC may
be mainly generated by older event(s). During the early
Cretaceous, western Shandong was too far (>1000 km)
from the subduction zone of the paleo-Pacific plate (Xu
et al., 2004b). From Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous,
the eastern China, including the NCC, was situated in a
continental back-arc setting, instead of island arc setting
(Gilder et al., 1991; Ren et al., 2002). The subducted slab
may have lost fluids released from subducted sediments
before the slab can reach the mantle beneath NCC. The
enrichments of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle may
have started much earlier and may have multi-stage his-
tory as revealed by Th/U, Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios.
The presence of 120 Ma Mengyin mafic dikes with
moderately enriched Nd isotopic signatures similar to
mantle xenoliths from Paleozoic kimberlites suggests that
the old mantle was not yet destroyed in early Cretaceous.
The old lithospheric mantle was still retained at 120 Ma,
at least in some localities of the NCC. In contrast, in the
study region, the Yantai mafic dikes and some dikes from
Longkou and Zichuan exhibit highly negative εNd(T) val-
ues (–14.1 to –17.6). Their εNd(T) values are similar to
the north Dabie complex (–15 to –20) (Jahn et al., 1999)
and Northern Huaiyang Belt (–16 to –24) (Fan et al.,
2004). The presence of the mafic dikes with highly nega-
tive εNd(T) in Jiaodong and Zichuan reveals that the an-
cient lithospheric mantle had been severely
metasomatized before early Cretaceous. This indicates
non-uniform destruction of the thick mantle lithosphere
beneath the NCC.
CONCLUSIONS
The present geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic analy-
ses lead to the following conclusions.
1. The mafic dikes in the study region display HFSE
depletion, LILE enrichment, highly radiogenic Sr isotopic
ratios and non-radiogenic Nd isotopic ratios. They were
derived form melting of metasomatized portions of the
subcontinental lithospheric mantle, followed by
fractionation of clinopyroxenes.
2. Ancient lithospheric mantle beneath Mengyin was
still retained at 120 Ma, although most ancient lithospheric
mantle beneath Shandong had already been severely modi-
fied. This reveals non-uniform modification and destruc-
tion of ancient lithospheric mantle beneath NCC.
3. An early-stage (before or during Ordovician) rutile-
rich metasomatism affected the source rocks for all the
mafic dikes, including the ancient mantle lithosphere be-
neath Mengyin. A younger metasomatism by silicate melts
as reflected by high Rb/Sr and Th/U and normal Zr/Hf
modified the mantle lithosphere beneath Jiaodong and
Zichuan but not Mengyin. At present, the exact timing
and enrichment processes beneath the entire NCC are still
not fully clear.
4. The extensive thinning of the lithosphere may
mainly take place in the late Mesozoic owing to the sub-
duction of the paleo-Pacific plate during late Jurassic and
early Cretaceous. The enrichments of the subcontinental
lithospheric mantle beneath NCC, however, may be
mostly produced by older event(s).
Acknowledgments—We are grateful to Yigang Xu, Bor-ming
Jahn and an anonymous reviewer for their very constructive
reviews and to Hongfu Zhang for his speedy handling of the
manuscript. We are thankful to Tangfu Xiao, Xinzhi Zhan,
Xiaoguo Chi, Fuyuan Wu and Xianwu Bi for their helpful dis-
cussion, and to Sunrong Li, Liang Qi, Jiayi Feng, Daming Li,
Ying Liu and Mu Liu for technical assistance. Thanks are also
due to Shandong Provincial Department of Land and Resources
for providing some regional geologic data. This work was sup-
ported by the Project of Knowledge Innovation sponsored by
Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX3-SW-125) and the Na-
tional Outstanding Young Scientists Fund (No. 49925309).
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