Petrology and shock metamorphism of the olivine-phyric shergottite Yamato 980459: Evidence for a two-stage cooling and a single-stage ejection history

The basaltic Martian meteorite Yamato 980459 consists of large olivine phenocrysts and often prismatic pyroxenes set into a fine-grained groundmass of smaller more Fe-rich olivine, chromite, and an interstitial residual material displaying quenching textures of dendritic olivine, chain-like augite and sulfide droplets in a glassy matrix. Yamato 980459 is, thus, the only Martian meteorite without plagioclase/maskelynite. Olivine is compositionally zoned from a Mg-rich core to a Fe-rich rim with the outer few micrometers being especially rich in iron. With Fo₈₄ the cores are the most magnesian olivines found in Martian meteorites so far. Pyroxenes are also mostly composite crystals of large orthopyroxene cores and thin Ca-rich overgrowths. Separate pigeonite and augites are rare. On basis of the mineral compositions, the cooling rates determined from crystal morphologies, and crystal grain size distributions it is deduced that the parent magma of Yamato 980459 initially cooled under near equilibrium conditions e.g., in a magma chamber allowing chromite and the Mg-rich silicates to form as cumulus phases. Fractional crystallization at higher cooling rates and a low degree of undercooling let to the formation of the Ca-, Al-, and Fe-rich overgrowths on olivine and orthopyroxene while the magma was ascending towards the Martian surface. Finally and before plagioclase and also phosphates could precipitate, the magma was very quickly erupted quenching the remaining melt to glass, dendritic silicates and sulfide droplets. The shape preferred orientation of olivine and pyroxene suggests a quick, thin outflow of lava. According to the shock effects found in the minerals of Yamato 980459, the meteorite experienced an equilibration shock pressure of about 20-25 GPa. Its near surface position allowed the ejection from the planet’s surface already by a single impact event and at relatively low shock pressures.     

Mineral chemistry of lava flows from Linga area of the Eastern Deccan Volcanic Province,India

Several basaltic lava flows have been identified in the study area in and around Linga, in the Eastern Deccan Volcanic Province (EDVP) on the basis of distinctly developed structural zones defined by primary volcanic structures such as columnar joints and vesicles. These basaltic lava flows are spatially distributed in four different sectors, viz., (i) Bargona–Gadarwara (BG) sector (ii) Shikarpur–Linga (SL) sector (iii) Arjunvari–Survir Hill (AS) sector and (iv) Kukrachiman–Morand Hill (KM) sector. A three-tier classification scheme has been adopted for the characterization and classification of individual lava flows. Each lava flow consists of a Lower Colonnade Zone (LCZ) overlain by the Entablature Zone (EZ) and Upper Colonnade Zone (UCZ). The LCZ and UCZ grade into a distinct/indistinct Lower Vesicular Zone (LVZ) and Upper Vesicular Zone (UVZ), respectively. The LCZ and UCZ of the flows are characterized by columnar joints while the EZ is marked by multi-directional hackly jointing. The geometry of different joint patterns corresponds to different styles of cooling during solidification of lava flows. Detailed petrographic studies of the investigated lava flows reveal inequigranular phenocrystal basalts characterized by development of phenocrystal phases including plagioclase, clinopyroxene and olivine, whereas groundmass composition is marked by tiny plagioclase, clinopyroxene, opaque mineral and glass. Electron microprobe analyses indicate that the olivine has a wide range ∼Fo₂₂ to Fo₆₆ revealing a wide spectrum of compositional variation. Pyroxene compositions are distinctly designated as Quad pyroxenes. Phenocrystal pyroxenes are mostly diopsidic, while the groundmass pyroxenes mainly correspond to augite with a minor pigeonite component. Pyroxene phenocrysts are characterized by a prominent Ti-enrichment. Phenocrystal plagioclase grains are calcic (An_52.7–An_72.9), whereas groundmass plagioclase are relatively sodic (An_39.2–An_61.6). Groundmass opaque minerals are characteristically found to be Ti–magnetite/ilmenite/pyrophanite. Pyroxene thermometry reveals a temperature span of 850°C to 1280°C for the studied lavas while olivine–clinopyroxene thermometry yields a temperature range from 1040°–1160°C. The variation of temperature for the lava flows is ascribed to their normal cooling history after eruption.     

Microtextural and mineral chemical analyses of andesite–dacite from Barren and Narcondam islands: Evidences for magma mixing and petrological implications

Andesite and dacite from Barren and Narcondam volcanic islands of Andaman subduction zone are composed of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine, titanomagnetite, magnesio-hornblende and rare quartz grains. In this study, we use the results of mineral chemical analyses of the calc-alkaline rock suite of rocks as proxies for magma mixing and mingling processes. Plagioclase, the most dominant mineral, shows zoning which includes oscillatory, patchy, multiple and repetitive zonation and ‘fritted’ or ‘sieve’ textures. Zoning patterns in plagioclase phenocrysts and abrupt fluctuations in An content record different melt conditions in a dynamic magma chamber. ‘Fritted’ zones (An₅₅) are frequently overgrown by thin calcic (An₇₂) plagioclase rims over well-developed dissolution surfaces. These features have probably resulted from mixing of a more silicic magma with the host andesite. Olivine and orthopyroxene with reaction and overgrowth rims (corona) suggest magma mixing processes. We conclude that hybrid magma formed from the mixing of mafic and felsic magma by two-stage processes – initial intrusion of hotter mafic melt (andesitic) followed by cooler acidic melt at later stage.     

Olivines and olivine coronas in mesosiderites

Olivines and their surrounding coronas in mesosiderites have been studied texturally and compositionally by optical and microprobe methods. Most olivine is compositionally homogeneous but some is irregularly zoned. It ranges from Fo_58–92 and shows no consistent pattern of distribution within and between mesosiderites. Olivine occurs as large single crystals or as partially recrystallized mineral clasts, except for two lithic clasts. One is in Emery, the other in Vaca Muerta, and they are both shock-modified olivine orthopyroxenites. $\text{FeO}\text{MnO}$ ratios in olivine exhibit a variety of differing trends and range from 22–46, most commonly 35–40. These values are lower than those in olivine from diogenites sensu stricto (45–50) and have therefore experienced a different history. Some of the olivine clasts could have coexisted with some of the large orthopyroxene clasts as equilibrium assemblages, but some could not. Much of the olivine may be derived from mesosiderite olivine orthopyroxenites, which differ from diogenites sensu stricto. More magnesian olivine may be a residue from one or more source rocks, with varying degrees of melting. These events probably occurred in a highly evolved and differentiated parent body.Fine-grained coronas surround olivine, except for those in impact-melt group mesosiderites (Simondium, Hainholz, Pinnaroo) and those without tridymite in their matrices (Bondoc, Veramin). Coronas consist largely of orthopyroxene, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, chromite, merrillite and ilmenite and are similar to the matrix, but lack metal and tridymite. Coronas contain abundant orthopyroxene but are unusually rich in chromite (up to 7%) and merrillite (up to 20%). The outer parts of the corona grade into the matrix, but have little or no metal and tridymite. Texturally the innermost part of the corona can be divided into three stages of development: I Radiating acicular; II Intermediate; III Granular. Stage I is the result of the greatest disequilibrium between olivine and matrix orthopyroxene and Stage III has the least disequilibrium. Coronas are the result of the reaction olivine + tridymite = orthopyroxene, probably because FeO (and MgO) diffuse from olivine to tridymite in the matrix. Absence of metal and concentration of chromite in the corona are probably the result of an FeO potential gradient away from the olivine. Merrillite concentrations are a result of P₂O₅ migration into the corona but are controlled by the availability of calcic pyroxene, or possibly plagioclase. Although the coronas are texturally similar to terrestrial and lunar counterparts, they are unique and represent different kinds of reactions marked by a large degree of intra-corona diffusion under dry conditions. Opaque oxide-silicate-metal buffer assemblages yield apparent equilibration conditions of about 840°C and fO₂ near 10^?20. Poikiloblastic pyroxene textures in some coronas suggest a closing of reaction systems between 900 and 1000°C and such systems may record a higher temperature stage of development.     

Vermicular orthopyroxene-magnetite symplectites from the Wateranga layered mafic intrusion,Queensland, Australia

Orthopyroxene-magnetite intergrowths (symplectites), partly or completely surrounding olivine, are described from the Wateranga layered mafic intrusion, Queensland, Australia. The texture occurs in unmetamorphosed plagioclase-rich norites, olivine gabbros and troctolites in which the primary minerals are olivine (Fo_63–69) orthopyroxene (En_66–72), clinopyroxene (Wo₄₂En₄₂Fs₁₆), plagioclase (An_49–65), hornblende, ilmenite, magnetite and sulphides. Symplectites range from incipient fine grained developments around corroded olivine grains to intricately formed pseudomorphs after olivine and slow a consistent orthopyroxene/magnetite ratio. Orthopyroxene in symplectites is commonly in optical continuity with surrounding magnetite-free orthopyroxene rims. Later intercumulus hornblended has replaced orthopyroxene. There is marked chemical similarity between primary and simplectite, orthopyroxenes and magnetites. Textures similar to those described here are considered elsewhere to have formed at a late magmatic stage or by solid state reactions involving subsolidus oxidation of olivine. In the Wateranga intrusion textural relations, the chemical similarity between primary and symplectite phases, and the consistent volume proportions of magnetite and orthopyroxene in the intergrowths suggest that they developed during late magmatic crystallization.     

Composition of olivine,silica activity and oxygen fugacity in kimberlite

Two generations of primary olivine are present in kimberlite, rounded phenocrysts (Fo₉₄Fo₉₁) and euhedral groundmass olivines (Fo₉₁Fo_88-5). Rounded phenocrysts less magnesian than Fo₈₈ are considered to be mantle derived xenocrysts; such crystals comprise up to 40% of the phenocrysts material in kimberlite. Calculated silica activity ranges from 10^?1,5 at 1200 °C, 50 kbs, to between 10^?1,6 and 10^?2.4 at 600 °C, 0.5–1.0 kb. Silica buffers involving olivines, pyroxenes and garnet are considered. Oxygen fugacities on the order of 10^?20 bars indicate that kimberlite magmas are highly reduced at the time of groundmass formation.     

Petrography and mineral chemistry of neovolcanics occurring between Pacific and Nazca Plate boundaries

Mid-Oceanic Ridge Basalt (MORB) samples collected from southern East Pacific Rise (SEPR) have been investigated. These highly phyric plagioclase basalts (HPPB) and moderately phyric plagioclase basalts (MOPB) show rare cumulate and vitrophyric textures with plagioclase (>10% as phenocryst) and abundant glass (>72%). Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) showed large compositional variations in the megacrysts as well as microcrysts of plagioclase (An₆₂ to An₈₂), olivine (Fo₇₈ to Fo₈₇), pyroxene (ferroaugite to augite) and iron oxides, mostly titaniferous magnetite. Olivine grains show high Mg# (>80%) and distinctly low in NiO (0.01–0.2%). Ferroan trevorite (NiO =16.22 and FeO_(t) =83.06) a characteristic meteoritic mineral has been identified from the olivine megacrysts of MORB, possibly attributed to Ni-enrichment, resulted from heterogeneity of the lower mantle. Wide range of An composition in plagioclase is indicative of large pressure range of crystal nucleation under decompression at a depth of ∼70 km (An₈₂) up to the ocean spreading centre. Absence of zoning observed in all the minerals present in the MORB samples, possibly attributed to unmixing and dominant fractionation process.     

The mineral chemistry and origin of inclusion matrix and meteorite matrix in the Allende CV3 chondrite

The two textural varieties of olivine-rich Allende inclusions (rimmed and unrimmed olivine aggregates) consist primarily of a porous, fine-grained mafic constituent (inclusion matrix) that differs from the opaque meteorite matrix of CV3 chondrites by being relatively depleted in sulfides, metal grains, and (perhaps) carbonaceous material. Olivine is the most abundant mineral in Allende inclusion matrix; clinopyroxene, nepheline, sodalite, and Ti-Al-pyroxene occur in lesser amounts. Olivine in unrimmed olivine aggregates (Type 1A inclusions) is ferrous and has a narrow compositional range (Fo_50–65). Olivine in rimmed olivine aggregates (Type 1B inclusions) is, on average, more magnesian, with a wider compositional range (Fo_53–96). Olivine grains in the granular rims of Type 1B inclusions are zoned, with magnesian cores (Fo_>80) and ferrous rinds (Fo_<70). Ferrous olivines (Fo_<65) in both varieties of inclusions commonly contain significant amounts of Al₂O₃ (as much as ~0.7 wt%), CaO (as much as ~0.4 wt%), and TiO₂ (as much as ~0.2 wt%), refractory elements that probably occur in submicroscopic inclusions of Ca,Al,Ti-rich glass (rather than in the olivine crystal structure). Defocussed beam analyses of Allende matrix materials demonstrate that: (1) inclusion matrix in Type 1A inclusions is more enriched in olivine and FeO than inclusion matrix in the cores of Type 1B inclusions; (2) opaque matrix materials are depleted in feldspathoids and enriched in sulfides and metal grains relative to inclusion matrix; (3) the bulk compositions of Type 1A and Type 1B inclusions overlap; and (4) excluding sulfides and metal, the bulk compositions of Allende matrix materials cluster in a complementary pattern around the bulk composition of C1 chondrites.Inclusion matrix and meteorite matrix in Allende and other CV3 chondrites are probably relatively primitive nebular material, but a careful evaluation of the equilibrium condensation model suggests that these matrix materials do not consist of crystalline phases that formed under equilibrium conditions in a relatively cool gas of solar composition. Allende inclusion matrix is interpreted as an aggregate of condensates that formed under relatively oxidizing, non-equilibrium conditions from supercooled, supersaturated vapors produced during the vaporization of interstellar dust by aerodynamic drag heating in the solar nebula; CV3 meteorite matrix contains, in addition, a proportion of interstellar material that was heated (but not vaporized) in the nebula. Granular olivine in rimmed olivine aggregates may have formed during the recrystallization and incipient melting of aggregates of inclusion matrix in the nebula. The mineral chemistry of matrix olivine in Allende seems to have been established by three different processes: non-equilibrium vapor → solid condensation; recrystallization and partial melting in the nebula; and $\text{Fe}\text{Mg}$ equilibration (without textural homogenization) in the meteorite parent body.     

Lower Crustal Cumulate Nodules in Proterozoic Dikes of the Nain Complex: Evidence for the Origin of Proterozoic Anorthosites

Nodules and xenocrysts dominated by high-A1 orthopyroxene occurin Proterozoic basaltic dikes that cut the Nain anorthositecomplex, Labrador. This pyroxene (En_73–68, Al₂O₃ = 6.5–4.5)lacks exsolution and occurs both as anhedral xenocrysts up to10 cm in diameter and with euhedral plagioclase (An₅₅) in ophiticnodules. Rarely, olivine (Fo₇₀) occurs with orthopyroxene andAl-spinel with plagioclase. Scarce, more Fe-rich nodules containtwo pyroxenes (orthopyroxene + pigeonite and pigeonite+augite)and coarse intergrowths of ilmenite and Ti-rich magnetite. Pyroxenepairs yield temperatures of 1250? to 1170 ?C; coexisting oxidelamellae yield temperatures between 1145? and 1120 ?C. The highsubsolidus temperatures of the nodules contrasts with the lowtemperature of the host anorthosite at the time of dike emplacementand indicates a deep source for the nodules. Coexisting olivine(Fo₇₀) and plagioclase (An₅₄) suggest a maximum pressure ofabout 11 kb.The dominant orthopyroxene in these nodules is nearlyidentical in composition to the high-Al orthopyroxene megacrystswith exsolved plagioclase (HAOM) found in most Proterozoic anorthosites,and the ophitic nodules have textures similar to ophitic occurrencesof HAOM in anorthosite. Rafting of cotectic nodules from thelower crust can explain occurrences of HAOM in shallow levelanorthosites.The nodules and xenocrysts have compositions consistentwith crystallization from magmas that were parental to the anorthosites.They lend support to models which derive anorthosites by fractionalcrystallization of basaltic magma near the base of the crust.     

Complete preservation of ophiolite suite from south Andaman,India: A mineral-chemical perspective

Field studies supplemented by petrographic analyses clearly reveal complete preservation of ophiolite suite from Port Blair (11°39′N: 92°45′E) to Chiriyatapu (11°30′24″N: 92°42′30″E) stretch of South Andaman. The ophiolite suite reveals serpentinite at the base which is overlain unconformably by cumulate ultramafic-mafic members with discernible cumulus texture and igneous layering. Basaltic dykes are found to cut across the cumulate ultramafic-mafic members. The succession is capped by well exposed pillow basalts interlayered with arkosic sediments. Olivine from the basal serpentinite unit are highly magnesian (Fo_80.1–86.2). All clinopyroxene analyses from cumulate pyroxenite, cumulate gabbro and basaltic dyke are discriminated to be ‘Quad’ and are uniformly restricted to the diopside field. Composition of plagioclase in different lithomembers is systematically varying from calcic to sodic endmembers progressively from cumulate pyroxenite to pillow basalt through cumulate gabbro and basaltic dyke. Plagioclase phenocrysts from basaltic dyke are found to be distinctly zoned (An_60.7-An_35.3) whereas groundmass plagioclase are relatively sodic (An₃₃-An_23.5). Deduced thermobarometric data from different lithomembers clearly correspond to the observed preservation of complete ophiolite suite.     

Northwest Africa 773: lunar mare breccia with a shallow-formed olivine-cumulate component, inferred very-low-Ti (VLT) heritage, and a KREEP connection

Lunar meteorite Northwest Africa 773 (herein referred to as NWA773) is a breccia composed predominantly of mafic volcanic components, including a prominent igneous clast lithology. The clast lithology is an olivine-gabbro cumulate, which, on the basis of mineral and bulk compositions, is a hypabyssal igneous rock related compositionally to volcanic components in the meteorite. The olivine-gabbro lithology exhibits cumulus textures and, in our largest section of it, includes some 48% olivine (Fo₆₄ to Fo₇₀, average Fo₆₇), 27% pigeonite (En₆₀Fs₂₄Wo₁₆ to En₆₇Fs₂₇Wo₆), 11% augite (En₅₀Fs₁₇Wo₃₃ to En₄₇Fs₁₃Wo₄₀), 2% orthopyroxene (En₇₀Fs₂₆Wo₄), 11% plagioclase (An₈₀ to An₉₄), and trace barian K-feldspar, ilmenite, Cr-spinel, RE-merrillite, troilite, and Fe-Ni metal. The Mg/Fe ratios of the mafic silicates indicate equilibration of Fe and Mg; however, the silicates retain compositional variations in minor and trace elements that are consistent with intercumulus crystallization. Accessory mineralogy reflects crystallization of late-stage residual melt. Both lithologies (breccia and olivine cumulate) of the meteorite have very-low-Ti (VLT) major-element compositions, but with an unusual trace-element signature compared to most lunar VLT volcanic compositions, i.e., relative enrichment in light REE and large-ion-lithophile elements, and greater depletion in Eu than almost all other known lunar volcanic rocks. The calculated composition of the melt that was in equilibrium with pyroxene and plagioclase of the cumulate lithology exhibits a KREEP-like REE pattern, but at lower concentrations. Melt of a composition calculated to have been in equilibrium with the cumulate assemblage, plus excess olivine, yields a major-element composition that is similar to known green volcanic glasses. One volcanic glass type from Apollo 14 in particular, green glass B, type 1, has a very low Ti concentration and REE characteristics, including extremely low Eu concentration, that make it a candidate parent melt for the olivine-gabbro cumulate. We infer an origin for the parent melt of NWA773 volcanic components by assimilation of a trace-element-rich partial or residual melt by a magnesian, VLT magma deep in the lunar crust or in the mantle prior to transportation to the near-surface, accumulation of olivine and pyroxene in a shallow chamber, eruption onto a volcanic surface, and incorporation of components into local, predominantly volcanic regolith, prior to impact mixing of the volcanic terrain and related hypabyssal setting, and ejection from the surface of the Moon. Volcanic components such as these probably occur in the Oceanus Procellarum region near the site of origin of the green volcanic glasses found in the Apollo 14 regolith.     

A petrological study of the younger Tongan andesites and dacites,and the olivine tholeiites of Niua Fo'ou Island,S. W. Pacific

Basaltic andesites are the dominant Tongan magma type, and are characterized by phenocrysts of augite, orthopyroxene (or rarely pigeonite), and calcic plagioclase (modally most abundant phase, and interpreted as the liquidus phase). The plagioclase phenocrysts exhibit slight oscillatory reverse zoning except for abrupt and thin more sodic rims, which are interpreted to develop during eruptive quenching. These rim compositions overlap those of the groundmass plagioclase. The pyroxene phenocrysts also exhibit only slight compositional zoning except for the outermost rim zones; the compositions of these rims, together with the groundmass pyroxenes, vary throughout the compositional range of subcalcic augite to ferroaugite through pigeonite to ferropigeonite, and are interpreted in terms of quench-controlled crystallization. This is supported, for example, by the random distribution of Al solid solution in the groundmass pyroxenes, compared to the more regular behaviour of Al in the phenocryst pyroxenes. The analysed Niua Fo'ou olivine tholeiites are aphyric; groundmass phases are plagioclase (An_17–88), olivine (Fa_18–63), titanomagnetite (usp. _59–73), and augite-ferroaugite which does not extend to subcalcic compositions; this is interpreted to be due to higher quenching temperatures and lower viscosities of these tholeiites compared to the basaltic andesites.Application of various geothermometers to the basaltic andesites suggest initial eruptive quenching temperatures of 1,008–1,124 ° C, plagioclase liquidus temperatures (1 bar) of 1,210–1,277 ° C, and orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene equilibration of 990–1,150 ° C. These calculated temperatures, together with supporting evidence (e.g. absence of olivine and amphibole, liquidus plagioclase, and plagioclase zoning patterns) are interpreted in terms of phenocryst crystallization from magmas that were either strongly water undersaturated, nearly anhydrous, or at best, water saturated at very low pressures (< 0.5 kb). This interpretation implies that these Tongan basaltic andesites did not originate by any of the currently proposed mechanisms involving hydrous melting within or above the Benioff zone.     

Mineral chemistry of submarine lavas from Hilo Ridge, Hawaii: implications for magmatic processes within Hawaiian rift zones

The crustal history of volcanic rocks can be inferred from the mineralogy and compositions of their phenocrysts which record episodes of magma mixing as well as the pressures and temperatures when magmas cooled. Submarine lavas erupted on the Hilo Ridge, a rift zone directly east of Mauna Kea volcano, contain olivine, plagioclase, augite ±orthopyroxene phenocrysts. The compositions of these phenocryst phases provide constraints on the magmatic processes beneath Hawaiian rift zones. In these samples, olivine phenocrysts are normally zoned with homogeneous cores ranging from ∼ Fo₈₁ to Fo₉₁. In contrast, plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene phenocrysts display more than one episode of reverse zoning. Within each sample, plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene phenocrysts have similar zoning profiles. However, there are significant differences between samples. In three samples these phases exhibit large compositional contrasts, e.g., Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg+Fe⁺²)] of augite varies from 71 in cores to 82 in rims. Some submarine lavas from the Puna Ridge (Kilauea volcano) contain phenocrysts with similar reverse zonation. The compositional variations of these phenocrysts can be explained by mixing of a multiphase (plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene) saturated, evolved magma with more mafic magma saturated only with olivine. The differences in the compositional ranges of plagioclase, augite and orthopyroxene crystals between samples indicate that these samples were derived from isolated magma chambers which had undergone distinct fractionation and mixing histories. The samples containing plagioclase and pyroxene with small compositional variations reflect magmas that were buffered near the olivine + melt ⇒Low-Ca pyroxene + augite + plagioclase reaction point by frequent intrusions of mafic olivine-bearing magmas. Samples containing plagioclase and pyroxene phenocrysts with large compositional ranges reflect magmas that evolved beyond this reaction point when there was no replenishment with olivine-saturated magma. Two of these samples contain augite cores with Mg# of ∼71, corresponding to Mg# of 36–40 in equilibrium melts, and augite in another sample has Mg# of 63–65 which is in equilibrium with a very evolved melt with a Mg# of ∼30. Such highly evolved magmas also exist beneath the Puna Ridge of Kilauea volcano. They are rarely erupted during the shield building stage, but may commonly form in ephemeral magma pockets in the rift zones. The compositions of clinopyroxene phenocryst rims and associated glass rinds indicate that most of the samples were last equilibrated at 2–3 kbar and 1130–1160 °C. However, in one sample, augite and glass rind compositions reflect crystallization at higher pressures (4–5 kbar). This sample provides evidence for magma mixing at relatively high pressures and perhaps transport of magma from the summit conduits to the rift zone along the oceanic crust-mantle boundary. Received: 8 July 1998 / Accepted: 2 January 1999     

Mineralogy and petrology of the diabasic rocks in a differentiated olivine diabase sill complex,Sierra Ancha,Arizona

The Precambrian Sierra Ancha sill complex, more than 700 feet thick, is a multiple intrusion with a central layer of feldspathic olivine-rich diabase, and upper and lower layers of olivine diabase derived from a high-alumina basalt magma. Minor rock types include albite diabase and albite-diabase pegmatite. Deuteric alteration was extensive. Principal primary minerals are plagioclase (An₇₂ to An₁₆), augite (Wo₄₃En₄₄Fs₁₃ to Wo₄₀En₃₈Fs₂₂), olivine (Fo₇₄ to Fo₅₄), orthopyroxene (En₇₇ to En₄₄), magnetite (Mgt₆₆Usp₃₄ to Mgt₈₉Usp₁₁), and ilmenite (Ilm₈₆Hem₁₄ to Ilm₉₆Hem₄). Ilmenite formed by reaction-exsolution from magnetite_ss is consistently different in compositon from primary ilmenite. Primary ilmenite became enriched in Mn and depleted in Mg as crystallization proceded. A systematic Fe-Mg partition between contacting olivine and orthopyroxene suggests that equilibrium prevailed on an extremely local scale during crystallization. Albite-diabase pegmatite contains a mineral assemblage including augite, ferrosalite (Wo₄₉En₂₈Fs₂₃ to Wo₄₉En₁₄Fs₃₇), albite (An₂ to An₀), and iron-rich chlorite. Altered diabase and albite diabase also have unusually calcium-rich pyroxenes. The calcium-rich pyroxenes, which occur in assemblages like those characterizing some spilites, are richer in calcium and lower in aluminum and titanium than basaltic augite.Contribution No. 1712 of the Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.     

Phase relations in transitional and alkali basaltic glasses from Iceland

Basaltic glasses from the three alkalic areas of Iceland (Snaefellsnes Volcanic Zone, Sudurland Volcanic Zone and Vestmannaeyjar Volcanic Area) contain plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene, chromian spinel and titanomagnetite as phenocryst phases. The glasses are hypersthene to nepheline normative alkali basaltic with FeO/ MgO ratios between 1.4–4.7. Olivine ranges in composition from Fo₉₀ to Fo₅₅, plagioclase from An₉₀ to An₅₀ and clinopyroxene from En₄₅Fs₁₀Wo₄₅ to En₄₀Fs₁₇Wo₄₃. Clinopyroxene reveals systematic Ti:Al metastable crystallization trends related to the composition of the enclosing glass. Two types of phenocryst are present in most glasses and show a bimodality in size and composition. Microphenocryst phases are those most likely to have crystallized from the enclosing glass, while macrophenocrysts may have crystallized from a liquid of slightly less evolved composition. The glasses show complex phenocryst-glass relations which can be related to a polybaric effect. The normative glass compositions are related to 2-phase cotectic surfaces in the basalt tetrahedron and define the position of the 3-phase cotectic line. In general with increasing FeO/MgO in the glass the phenocryst assemblages vary from clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase along a clinopyroxene-olivine surface to olivine and plagioclase along an olivine-plagioclase surface. The normative glass compositions show a deflection from clinopyroxene-bearing to clinopyroxene-free glasses. The appearance of plagioclase together with clinopyroxene and olivine can be explained in the light of experimental investigations of the effect of pressure on phase relations. The major element variation of the glasses is interpreted as representing mantle derived magma batches of primary liquids, modified to some degree by high (6 kbar) and intermediate to low pressure (below 3 kbar) crystal fractionation towards equilibrium phase relations during ascent and residence in crustal magma chambers. The observed deflection in normative compositions of the glasses marks the position of the high pressure 3-phase cotectic line. The bimodality in size and composition of plagioclase and olivine phenocrysts can be related to high pressure crystal fractionation in the melt. The Fe-Ti basalt glasses from Sudurland are believed to be quenched high pressure compositions.     

Development of corona textures around olivine in anorthosites of the Korosten’ pluton, Ukrainian Shield: Mineralogy, geochemistry, and fluid inclusions

New data on the composition of minerals in corona textures around olivine and crystal-fluid inclusions in olivine from anorthosites of the Korosten’ pluton (sampled in the Golovino quarry), Ukrainian Shield were obtained using electron and ion microprobe analyses, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and cryo- and thermometry. The corona textures developed around olivine grains in contact with plagioclase and consist of inner orthopyroxene rims around olivine and outer rims of orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene-orthoclase-plagioclase symplectites. The symplectites and orthopyroxene rims most probably developed nearly simultaneously and grew in the opposite directions from the original contact of the magmatic olivine and plagioclase and replaced both olivine and plagioclase. The Al₂O₃ and CaO concentrations in the symplectitic orthopyroxene increase toward the contact with magmatic plagioclase, whereas the Al₂O₃ and CaO concentrations in the symplectitic plagioclase simultaneously decrease and its Na₂O and K₂O increase. Optically discernible crystalline and fluid phases of crystal-fluid inclusions in olivine were identified as pyroxenes (orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene), actinolite, Ca-and Fe, Mg-carbonates, and magnetite, along with practically pure highdensity CO₂. The mineral assemblages of corona texture in the Korsten’ anorthosites were produced by autometasomatic processes at a high CO₂ activity, and the local variations in the chemistry of corona minerals were likely controlled by the content and chemistry of the interstitial fluid and primary minerals. The coronas developed under subsolidus conditions, via the reaction interaction of olivine and plagioclase under the effect of an integranular fluid, with the dissolution of olivine and plagioclase at T = 980–860°C and P > 5 kbar. Inasmuch as corona textures do not occur ubiquitously in the rocks, the origin of the former was most probably controlled by the amount of the intergranular fluid.     

Die mineralogische Zusammensetzung des Meteoriten von Kiel

The mineralogical composition of the meteorite of Kiel was analyzed microscopically and with the electron microprobe. The meteorite consists mainly of chondrules, which are recrystallized to some extend and which are embedded in a recrystallized ground-mass. The chondrite contains 55 Vol.-% olivine of composition (Fa_24,2Fo_75,3Te_0,5), 28 Vol.-% orthopyroxene (Fs_21,4 En_76,8Wo_1,8), 9 Vol.-% plagioclase (An_9,4 Ab_85,1 Or_5,5), 4,5 Vol.-% troilite and 2,5 Vol.-% Fe-Ni-metal grains, consisting of kamazite, zonal taenite and plessite; furthermore the chondrite contains chromite, whitlockite and a very small amount of ilmenite, native copper, chalcopyrrhotine and valeriite.The kamazite is partly monocrystalline, in part polycrystalline and contains 6–7% Ni. The Ni-contents of the zonal taenites increase from approximately 30% in the core to 50% at the rim. The rim rich in Ni is broader adjacent to troilite and kamazite than adjacent to silicates. Some zonal taenite grains are partially replaced by a mixture of Ni-rich taenite, kamazite and troilite. The plessites have an average Ni-content of 15–20%. The two phases of a coarsely disintegrated plessite contain 55% and 4–5% Ni. According to Wood (1967) a primary cooling rate of 1–10° C per one million years can be deducted from the zonal structure of the taenite. The formation of the taenite rims rich in Ni, of the taenite-troilite-kamazite-replacements, and of the coarsely disintegrated plessites is probably due to a long lasting annealing or a very slow passage through the temperature range of about 300–400° C.The meteorite of Kiel is a L6-chondrite according to the petrological classification of chondrites (van Schmus and Wood, 1967). The deformation of the olivines, pyroxenes and plagioclases indicates a slight to moderate shock deformation with a peak pressure of about 150–200 kbar.

---

---

Dank. Die Mikrosonde wurde von der Stiftung Volkswagenwerk bereitgestellt. Wir bedanken uns bei Herrn Prof. Dr. F. Karl (gestorben am 15. 8. 1972) für sein Interesse an dieser Arbeit.     

The significance of phenocryst diversity in tephra from recent eruptions at Popocatepetl volcano (central Mexico)

Tephra lapilli from six explosive eruptions between April 1996 and February 1998 at Popocatepetl volcano (=Popo) in central Mexico have been studied to investigate the causes of magma diversification in thick-crusted volcanic arcs. The tephra particles are sparsely porphyritic (≈5 vol%) magnesian andesites (SiO₂=58–65 wt%; MgO=2.6–5.9 wt%) that contain phenocrysts of NiO-rich (up to 0.67 wt% NiO) magnesian olivine (Fo_89–91 cores) with inclusions of Cr-spinel (cr#=59–70), orthopyroxene (mg#=63–76), clinopyroxene (mg#=68–86), intermediate to sodic plagioclase (An_33–66), and traces of amphibole. Major and trace element systematics indicate magma mixing. The liquid mg#_melt ratios inferred from the ferromagnesian phenocrysts suggest the existence of a mafic (mg#_melt ≈ 72–76) and an evolved component magma (mg#_melt ≈ 35–40). These component magmas form a hybrid magnesian andesite with an intermediate range of mg#_melt=50–72. The mafic end member (mg#_melt ≈ 72–75) is saturated with olivine and spinel and crystallizes at temperatures ≈1170–1085 °C with oxygen fugacities close to the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer and elevated water contents of several wt% H₂O. A likely location of crystallization is at lower crustal levels, possibly at the Moho. Olivine is followed by high-mg# clinopyroxene which could start to crystallize during magma ascent. At depths of ≈4 to 13 km, the mafic magma mixes with an evolved composition containing low-mg# clino- and orthopyroxene and plagioclase at a temperature of ≈950 °C. The repetitive ascent of batches of mafic magmas spaced days to weeks apart implies multiple episodes of crystallization and magma mixing. The tephra is similar to the Popo magnesian andesites, suggesting similar generic processes for the common lavas of the volcano. The advantage of the tephra is that it can be used to reconstruct the composition of the mafic magma. Building on the elemental systematics of the tephra and a comparison to the near-primary basalts from the surrounding monogenetic fields, we infer that the Popo mafic end member is a magnesian andesite with variable, but high SiO₂ contents of ≈55–62 wt% and near-primary characteristics, such as high-mg#_melt of 72–75, FeO*/MgO ratios <1 (if extrapolated to an mg#_melt of 72–75), and high Ni contents (=200 ppm Ni). This model implies that the typical elemental signature of the Popo andesites, such as the low CaO, Al₂O₃, FeO*, high Na₂O contents, and the depletion in high-field strength elements (e.g., P, Zr, Ti), are mantle source phenomena. Thus, determining the elemental budget of the magnesian andesite, as it is prior to the modifications by crustal differentiation, is central to quantifying the subcrustal mass fluxes beneath Popo. Received: 13 December 1999 / Accepted: 11 August 2000     

On the thermal and redox history of the Yamato diogenite Y-74013

The Yamato diogenite, Y-74013, shows a high degree of textural equilibrium with the apparent crystallization sequence: troilite and metal → orthopyroxene → plagioclase. The position of the large chromite crystals in this sequence is unclear. Except chromite, all other minerals have composition similar to common orthopyroxene achondrites. The chromite is more magnesian than in common diogenites, strongly zoned and, on the whole, intermediate in composition between chromites of diogenites and pallasites. Texture, mineral composition data and an equilibrium thermodynamic analysis of the mineral association strongly indicate that the chromite crystallized earlier than the silicates at a much higher temperature (possibly above 1100°C) and rapidly grew in a medium which was progressively enriched in Mg, Al and Ti. But the chromite failed to reach chemical equilibrium, even at its outermost rim, with the orthopyroxene. The calculated equilibrium log fO₂ of the Yamato diogenite, ?20·21 to ?11·08 for temperatures between 880°C and 1500°C is well within the normal oxygen fugacity range of pyroxene achondrites.     

Matrices of type 3 ordinary chondrites—primitive nebular records

Petrologic studies were made on the fine-grained matrices of type 3 ordinary chondrites of the lowest petrologic subtype. The matrix minerals, in order of abundance, are olivine (Fo₉₉ to Fo₉), enstatite or bronzite, augite or subcalcic augite, albite, Fe-Ni metal, troilite, magnetite, spinel (MgAl₂O₄), chromite, and calcite. Fe- and Mg-rich fluffy particles and albite-like particles are also major constituents. The chemical compositions of olivine and pyroxenes vary within and among the chondrites and are in gross disequilibrium, showing that the matrix materials were hardly heated after their formation. Textural relationships indicate that magnesian olivine was formed after Ca-pyroxene, followed by intermediate to iron-rich olivine. Intermediate olivine was formed from enstatite and metallic iron under relatively oxidizing conditions. The observations indicate that matrices of chondrites are neither the fragments of chondrules nor the precursors of chondrules. They were mostly the products of condensation and reaction among solids and/or between solids and the ambient gas mostly at low temperatures, and thus they contain records of primitive processes in the nebula. In order to explain the presence of olivines more iron-rich than Fo₅₀, the presence of free SiO₂ or a high activity of SiO₂ in the gas is necessary, which was not shown in previous thermochemical calculations. Mineral assemblages of matrix minerals of chondrites of different chemical groups differ systematically according to oxidation state of the parental meteorites, indicating that they were formed at different oxygen fugacities. The rims of chondrules, and surrounding matrix materials, must have accreted onto chondrules during turbulent movements of the nebula.