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This study presents new whole-rock elemental and isotopic data for the basalts from the Zhaotong area, located in the intermediate zone of the ~260 Ma Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP). The Zhaotong basalts belong to high-Ti series with TiO2 from 2.93 to 5.26 % and Ti/Y from 519 to 974. The parental magma was subjected to minor crustal contamination as indicated by slight Nb–Ta depletion (Nb/La: 0.72–1.10). Meanwhile, the relatively invariable Sr–Nd isotopes (εNd(t): −0.74 to +2.86, mostly +1.10 to +2.86; (87Sr/86Sr)i: 0.7050–0.7072) and the light rare earth elements (LREE) enrichment (La/Yb: 10.3–19.1) of the basalts prefer a mantle plume origin. A garnet-dominated peridotite mantle source was further suggested on the basis of the REE distribution patterns and high Sm/Yb and high La/Yb ratios. This study further confirms the geochemical zoning of the high-Ti basalts in the ELIP, which is in accordance with both the spatial distribution and the thickness of the basalts. The high-Ti basalts in the intermediate and outer zones of ELIP (e.g., Zhaotong and Guizhou) share similar Sr–Nd isotopic and elemental compositions, suggesting that they originated directly from the Emeishan mantle plume. By contrast, the high-Ti basalts in the inner zone (e.g., Longzhoushan and Binchuan) have variable compositions, indicating a rather heterogeneous mantle source possibly involved with subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) components. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.