Geochemistry of the Picrites and Associated Basalts from the Emeishan Large Igneous Basalt Province and Constraints on Their Source Region

The geochemical characteristics of the picritic rocks that we discovered recently and their associated basalts show that except the picrites, all the associated basaltic rocks belong to the high-Ti type. Like many other continental flood basaltic provinces, they are characterized by high Fe8 and (CaO/Al2O3)8 and low Na8, indicating high pressure. Their chondrite-normalized REE patterns and primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns are similar, all of which display an enrichment of LREE and relative depletion of high field strength elements (HFSE) associated with an absence of Nb and Ta negative anomalies but a presence of P and K negative anomalies, as characterized by most flood basalts. Some trace element ratios characterizing the source regions, such as La/Ta, La/Sm, (La/Nb)pM, (Th/Ta)PM, Ta/Hf and Nb/Zr are within a narrow range. All these observations suggest the origin of mantle plume, and no or little crustal or lithospheric mantle contamination. They are generated by about 7% of partial melting of garnet Iherzolite at more than 75 km. Thus, the axis of the Emeishan mantle plume should be located beneath the Lijiang County Town, Yunnan Province.