Variscan granitoid plutonism in the Strzelin Massif (SW Poland): petrology and age of the composite Strzelin granite intrusion

Abstract

Petrological data and recently published U/Pb zircon SHRIMP ages reveal a protracted Variscan magmatic evolution in the Strzelin Massif (SW Poland), with three main stages of granitoid plutonism: 1 – tonalitic I, 2 – granodioritic and 3 – tonalitic II/granitic. The granitoids of the second and third stages form the Strzelin intrusion that is composed of three varieties: medium-grained biotite granite, fine-grained biotite granite and fine-grained biotite-muscovite granite. New SHRIMP data show that the medium-grained and fine-grained biotite granites comprise different zircon populations that reflect complex and prolonged plutonic processes. Two distinct magmatic events seem to be represented by well-defined zircon populations with apparent ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 303 ± 2 Ma in the medium-grained biotite granite, and 283 ± 8 Ma in the fine-grained biotite granite. These dates, however, do not necessarily reflect the true magmatic ages, possibly being “rejuvenated” by radiogenic lead loss in zircons (impossible to resolve based on routine SHRIMP data). Based on field evidence, the third variety, the biotite-muscovite granite, postdates both types of biotite granites. The petrographic and geochemical features, including Nd isotope signature, along with various zircon inheritance patterns and ages, suggest that the parental magmas of the three granites originated from different crustal sources and were emplaced during three successive magmatic pulses.