The geochemical nature of serpentinites from the Mashhad mafic-ultramafic complex as an evidence for Palaeotethys oceanic crust subduction in NE Iran

The Mashhad ultramafic complex with a Permo-Triassic stratigraphic age is exposed at the NE of Binaloud Mountain and at the vicinity of the Mashhad city. This area is mainly composed of mafic and ultramafic rocks, metamorphosed carbonate and pelitic rocks and granitoids with a NW- SE trend. Serpentinized peridotites are the main types of ultramafic rocks in this area. Minerals in these rocks include olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, brown amphibole and opaque minerals as the original minerals and serpentinite group minerals (lizardite and antigorite), tremolite-actinolite, chlorite, talc and carbonate minerals are the secondary minerals. High pressure-low temperature metamorphic rocks, which are indicative of subduction are not present in this area, but according to the major, minor and rare earth elements chemistry of the Mashhad serpentinites, these rocks show subducted serpentinites features, with a peridotite protolith derived from lherzolite or olivine-poor harzburgite. The protolith of these rocks metasomatized and refertilized by melt formed in a subduction zone before serpentinization.