Geochronology and Petrochemistry of Volcanic Rocks in the Xaignabouli Area, NW Laos

An integrated study of zircon U-Pb geochronology and petrochemistry, together with zircon Lu-Hf isotopes, has been carried out on the basaltic-andesitic tuff and volcanic breccia from the Nam Hang Formation and andesitic tuff from the Muang-Nan Formation in the Xaignabouli area, which had been mapped as the Permian-Early Triassic on the 1 : 1 000 000 geological map or Late Carboniferous on the 1 : 200 000 geological maps. Zircon U-Pb dating of three samples yielded weighted mean ages of 235±2.6, 232±1.4 and 278±2.8 Ma, respectively, suggesting a Late Triassic origin for the Nam Hang Formation and an Early Permian origin for the Muang-Nan Formation. Geochemically, they are characterized by depletions in HFSEs (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti) and high LILE/HFSE ratios, and they have positive zircon ε_Hf(t) values of 8.7-15.9, which exhibits the continental arc volcanic affinity and partial melting of subducting oceanic slab in the magma source. Combined with spatial occurrence of the volcanic rock and existing geochronological and geochemical data, we suggest that the Xaignabouli-Luang Prabang volcanic belt can be linked to the Loei-Phetchabun belt. The Permian-Triassic volcanic rocks in this belt might be a product of the Nan back-arc basin eastward subduction.