Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic granitic rocks in Eastern Peninsular Malaysia: New insights for the subduction and evolution of the Paleo-Tethys

Well-preserved Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic igneous rocks in Peninsular Malaysia are important for investigating the Paleotethyan tectonic evolution. This study presents new zircon U-Pb dating, whole-rock geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic data for granitoids identified from the East Malaya. By utilizing all available data, the Permian–Middle Triassic granitoids in Eastern Peninsular Malaysia can be divided into three groups. Group A (289–270 Ma) I-type granites have higher εNd (t) values of − 6.6 to − 2.6 and zircon εHf (t) values of − 7.1 to + 4.9 than Group B S-type granites (285–272 Ma) with εNd (t) =  − 10.1 and zircon εHf (t) =  − 23.1 to + 1.5. Group C (254–244 Ma) with A-type characteristics, has εNd (t) and zircon εHf (t) values ranging from − 7.3 to − 3.8 and − 8.9 to + 2.2, respectively. The Pb isotopic values for three groups are similar with (206Pb/204Pb)i = 18.71–19.43, (207Pb/204Pb)i = 15.66–15.71 and (208Pb/204Pb)i = 38.27–39.43. Group A was derived from metaigneous rocks with a juvenile mafic component, while Group B was from metasedimentary rocks. Group C had a mixed source of “ancient” meta-mafic rocks with a juvenile mafic component. This study proposes that the Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic granitoids were formed in response to the subduction of the Paleotethyan Ocean, and that a tectonic transition from subduction to slab roll-back might occur at ∼ 270 Ma. Subduction-related granitoids in East Malaya can northernly extend to the Tachileik Batholith in eastern Myanmar and Jinghong in SW China, and southernly link with W Borneo.