Origin of chemically distinct granites in a composite intrusion in east-central Sweden: geochemical and geothermal constraints

A few tens of millions of years after the intrusion of the Early Svecofennian (∼1.87–1.85 Ma) granitoids in central Sweden, a renewed magmatic activity resulted in the emplacement of the Late Svecofennian granites, the tectonic setting of which remains obscure. S-type granites dominate this group, but both I-type and transitional granites are common. This study deals with one of these intrusions in east-central Sweden; a composite pluton that is insignificantly deformed and hosts both I- and S-type granites. One of the I-type granites shows a compositional trend from granodiorite to granite, which is uncommon among the Late Svecofennian granites. Major element and incompatible trace element compositions and ɛNd data show that two different sources, one igneous and one sedimentary, were involved. An important conclusion is that nearly coeval granites derived from different sources are found in close connection. The granites are suggested to have formed by partial melting in a thickened continental crust that was formed in an early stage of the Svecofennian event. Thermal models suggest that the slightly older, high-temperature I-type granite (granodiorite) was formed deeper in the crust than the S-type granite. The coexistence of essentially pure I- and S-type granites, rather than transitional mixtures, reflects the relative depths of the proposed sources and the varying thermal parameters of the lithologic units in the Svecofennian crust.