AbstractThe Buqingshan Tectonic Mélange Belt in the south margin of the East Kunlun Orogen, located in west section of Buqingshan–A'nyemaqen Suture Zone, is one of the key areas to understand continental tectonics and continental dynamics of China. This paper reports zircon U–Pb dating results and geochemistry of the Manite granodiorite (rock mass) in the Buqingshan Tectonic Mélange Belt. Zircons from the granodiorite show oscillatory zoning structures and relatively high Th/U ratios, indicating that they are magmatic zircons. Zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb dating for the Manite granodiorite yields ages of 487 ± 11 Ma (MSWD = 2.3) and 479 ± 2 Ma (MSWD = 0.56), implying that the Manite granodiorite were formed in the Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician. Geochemical analyses show that the rocks have high contents of SiO2 (66.06 wt.%–68.60 wt.%) and Al2O3 (14.84 wt.%–16.54 wt.%), and low alkaline (6.17 wt.%–7.43 wt.%), belonging to the middle‐K calc‐alkaline series. The A/CNK (Al2O3/(CaO + Na2O + K2O)) ratios are 1.02–1.15, indicating that the granodiorite is weakly peraluminous. The contents of rare earth elements (REEs) are lower (89.64–130.41 ppm), with weakly negative to weakly positive Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.83–1.12). The primitive mantle‐normalized trace elements are characterized by evidently negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, P, Hf, Ti, etc., and positive anomalies of Th, La, Nd, Zr, Eu, etc. Moreover, the rocks show features of typical I‐type granite. This leads us to conclude that the Manite granodiorites is derived from the partial melting of crust and formed in an island‐arc environment. Combined with previous studies, we believe that the subduction of the Proto‐Tethyan Ocean in the Buqingshan area was ongoing during 487 to 479 Ma and formed island‐arc‐type granites represented by the Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician Manite granodiorite. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.