Geochemistry and magmatic petrology of meta-ophiolites from the Bajgan Complex (Makran Accretionary Prism, SE Iran): new insights on the nature of the Early Cretaceous Middle East Neotethys

The Bajgan Complex in the North Makran Domain (Makran Accretionary Prism) comprises disrupted meta-ophiolitic sequences originating from oceanic crust protoliths. They include ultramafic and mafic cumulates, isotropic gabbros, plagiogranites and basalts. Ultramafic-mafic cumulates and plagiogranites exhibit compositions akin to rocks formed in mid-ocean ridge settings. Isotropic gabbro and basalt protoliths can be subdivided into three distinct geochemical types. Type-1 rocks are sub-alkaline (Nb/Y < 0.1) with low Th, Nb and Ta contents and La-N/Yb-N ratios <1, resembling those of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB). Type-2 rocks display slight enrichment in Th, Ta, Nb (Nb/Y = 0.36-0.45) and La-N/Yb-N = 2.12-3.20, resembling the chemistry of enriched (E-) MORB. Type-3 basalts show an alkaline nature (Nb/Y = 0.88-1.82), significant Th, Ta and Nb enrichment, and high La-N/Yb-N ratios (7.01-20.08), resembling the chemistry of alkaline basalts (ocean island basalts, OIB). Petrogenetic modelling indicates that N-MORB protoliths originated from a depleted MORB mantle source, whereas E-MORB and OIB protoliths were generated from partial melting of sub-oceanic depleted sources that underwent varying degrees of OIB-type enrichment. The Bajgan meta-ophiolitic protoliths were formed within a Late Jurassic to Cretaceous oceanic basin influenced by mantle plume activity and plume-ridge interaction.