An Al-spinel ultramafic-mafic inclusion suite and high pressure megacrysts in an analcimite and their bearing on basaltic magma fractionation at elevated pressures

An analcimite sill, which intrudes Carboniferous sedimentary rocks northwest of the township of Barraba in northeastern New South Wales, is exceedingly rich in ultramafic and mafic inclusions and also contains a varied megacryst assemblage. The majority of inclusions belong to an ultramafic-mafic granulite suite whose members generally contain a Cr-poor green spinel. Layering is preserved in many inclusions and their textures are appropriate to those arising from recrystallization at subsolidus temperatures. Ultramafic granulites of the Al-spinel suite are mainly pyroxenites, with rarer lherzolites, and mafic granulites usually consist of the assemblage plagioclasea-luminous pyroxenes-spinel. Ca-rich tschermakitic clinopyroxenes and coexisting aluminous Ca-poor orthopyroxenes define a trend of moderate iron enrichment. Spinels also display significant Fe²⁺ → Mg substitution. Plagioclase in some plagioclase-bearing pyroxenites and mafic granulites contains numerous rod-like inclusions of spinel, compositionally similar to the discrete spinels unassociated with plagioclase. The formation of spinel in plagioclase is believed to have resulted largely from the migration of (Mg, Fe²⁺) to Al-rich nucleation sites in the feldspar. Other inclusion types include Cr-spinel lherzolites —more Fe-rich than Cr-diopside lherzolite inclusions in alkaline volcanics — and rare wehrlite heteradcumulates, probably cognate with the host analcimite. The megacryst assemblage is dominated by anorthoclase megacrysts, which are accompanied, in order of decreasing abundance, by megacrysts of tschermakitic clinopyroxene, titanbiotite, kaersutite, and aluminous titanomagnetite. The Al-spinel mafic granulites have low Ti, K and P contents and their petrochemical affinities are high-alumina mafic alkaline to transitional. They compare closely in major and minor element chemistry with some ocean ridge basalts. The Al-spinel ultramafic-mafic inclusions suite is interpreted as the remnants of a layered ultramafic-mafic “pluton ” which initially crystallized at pressures in the vicinity of 10 kb and subsequently re-equilibrated at subsolidus temperatures (ca 950° C) and comparable pressures. The parent magma was K-poor, ol-normative subalkaline and its fractionation at moderate pressures, controlled mainly by olivine and subcalcic clinopyroxene, resulted in decreases in the derivative liquids in their saturation levels and ol contents, and increases in Al and Ca. These trends are reflected in the compositions of the mafic granulites. The pressure regime of megacryst formation apparently was greater than 10–12 kb i.e. the megacrysts precipitated before acquisition of xenoliths of the Al-spinel granulite suite by the analcimite host. Anorthoclase fractionation produced only limited compositional changes in the original alkali basaltic melt.     

Kaersutite-peridotite inclusions and kindred megacrysts in basanitic lavas,Grand Canyon,Arizona

Essentially two types of ultramafic inclusions occur in the basanitic lavas and ejecta deposits of the northwestern Grand Canyon, Arizona. Abundant, olivine-rich nodules contain an emerald green, chrome-rich diopside and chrome-rich spinels. A much less common group of inclusions generally containing poikilitic kaersutite have more variable modal compositions, more variable but iron-rich and chrome-poor mineral compositions, and are characterized by the presence of a titaniferous clinopyroxene which appears black in hand specimen. The nature and petrologic significance of these black clinopyroxene-bearing inclusions, together with megacrysts of kaersutite and black clinopyroxene, are discussed in this paper.Petrographic aspects indicate an origin as cumulates of fractionating basaltic magma. Compositions of pyroxenes suggest high pressures of crystallization. The co-precipitation of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine and Mg-spinel from what in all probability was under-saturated magma, together with the total absence of feldspar as a cumulate or intercumulate phase, is compatible with crystallization near 10 kb, on the basis of quite limited experimental data on anhydrous basaltic compositions. Pressures of this sort are attained at depths close to the mantle-crust boundary in the western Grand Canyon. By way of comparison, cumulate-textured inclusions from central Nevada containing rare orthopyroxene, widespread plagioclase, and more Fe-enriched clinopyroxenes, kaersutites, olivines and spinels are postulated to have crystallized at lower temperatures (or at a more advanced stage of fractionation) and possibly at lower pressures.Numerous occurrences, worldwide, of kaersutite-bearing inclusions, always in undersaturated host rocks, have recently been reported. Compositionally, the kaersutites are quite uniform, whether coexistent with pyropic garnet-clinopyroxene (Kakanui, New Zealand), with ortho-pyroxene-clinopyroxene-olivine-Mg spinel (Grand Canyon), or with plagioclase-clinopyroxene-olivine-magnetite. The last assemblage is found in shallow-seated igneous bodies of alkalic, mafic composition, as well as in inclusions within basaltic rocks. These occurrences imply the precipitation of kaersutite amphibole over a broad range of pressures, and as high as those prevailing in the upper mantle.     

Mineral chemistry and thermobarometry of inclusions from De Beers Pool diamonds, Kimberley, South Africa

Silicate and oxide mineral inclusions in diamonds from the geologically and historically important De Beers Pool kimberlites in Kimberley, South Africa, are characterised by harzburgitic compositions (>90%), with lesser abundances from eclogitic and websteritic parageneses. The De Beers Pool diamonds contain unusually high numbers of inclusion intergrowths, with garnet+orthopyroxene±chromite±olivine and chromite+olivine assemblages dominant. More unusual intergrowths include garnet+olivine+magnesite and an eclogitic assemblage comprising garnet+clinopyroxene+rutile. The mineral chemistry of the De Beers Pool inclusions overlaps that of most worldwide localities. Peridotitic garnet inclusions exhibit variable CaO (<5.8 wt.%) and Cr₂O₃ contents (3.0–15.0 wt.%), although the majority are harzburgitic with very low calcium concentrations (<2 wt.% CaO). Eclogitic garnet inclusions are characterised by a wide range in CaO (3.3–21.1 wt.%) with low Cr₂O₃ (<1 wt.%). Websteritic garnets exhibit intermediate compositions. Most chromite inclusions contain 63–67 wt.% Cr₂O₃ and <0.5 wt.% TiO₂. Olivine and orthopyroxene inclusions are magnesium-rich with Mg-numbers of 93–97. Olivine inclusions in chromite exhibit the highest Mg-numbers and also contain elevated Cr₂O₃ contents up to 1.0 wt.%. Peridotitic clinopyroxene inclusions are Cr-diopsides with up to 0.8 wt.% K₂O. Eclogitic and websteritic clinopyroxene inclusions exhibit overlapping compositions with a wide range in Mg-numbers (66–86).

Calculated temperatures for non-touching inclusion pairs from individual diamonds range from 1082 to 1320 °C (average=1197 °C), whereas pressures vary from 4.6 to 7.7 GPa (average=6.3 GPa). Touching inclusion assemblages are characterised by equilibration temperatures of 995 to 1182 °C (average=1079 °C) and pressures of 4.2–6.8 GPa (average=5.4 GPa). Provided that the non-touching inclusions represent equilibrium assemblages, it is suggested that these inclusions record the conditions at the time of diamond crystallisation (1200 °C; 3.0 Ga). The lower average temperatures for touching inclusions are attributed to re-equilibration in a cooling mantle (1050 °C) prior to kimberlite eruption at 85 Ma. Pressure estimates for touching garnet–orthopyroxene inclusions are also skewed towards lower values than most non-touching inclusions. This apparent difference may be an artefact of the Al-exchange geobarometer and/or the result of sampling bias, due to limited numbers of non-touching garnet–orthopyroxene inclusions. Alternatively pressure differences could be caused by differential uplift in the mantle or possibly variations in thermal compressibility between diamond and silicate inclusions. However, thermodynamic modelling suggests that thermal compressibility differences would cause only minor changes in internal inclusion pressures (<0.2 GPa/100 °C).     

中国东部碱性玄武质岩石中的辉石和角闪石巨晶

在中国东部,北起黑龙江、南到海南岛,广泛地分布着新生代碱性玄武质岩石,例如碱性橄榄玄武岩、碧玄岩、霞石玄武岩等。它们含有丰富的超镁铁岩包体和各种巨晶。已发现的有辉石、角闪石、石榴石、歪长石、钛铁矿和云母等巨晶。Harte(1978)把巨晶定义为大的单矿物单个晶体,它比超镁铁岩团块中的矿物粗得多(2—20cm)。然而有的地质学家把巨晶的粒度下限定在1cm(Eggler 等,1979)。笔者遵循这一定义和采纳后一界线,在此基础上着重对中国东部部分地区的辉石和角闪石巨晶进行研究,研究情况见表1。     

Cr-rich megacrysts of clinopyroxene and garnet from Lac de Gras kimberlites,Slave Craton,Canada – implications for the origin of clinopyroxene and garnet in cratonic lherzolites

Kimberlites from the Diavik and Ekati diamond mines in the Lac de Gras kimberlite field contain abundant large (>1 cm) clinopyroxene (Cr-diopside) and garnet (Cr-pyrope) crystals. We present the first extensive mineral chemical dataset for these megacrysts from Diavik and Ekati and compare their compositions to cratonic peridotites and megacrysts from the Slave and other cratons. The Diavik and Ekati Cr-diopside and Cr-pyrope megacrysts are interpreted to belong to the Cr-rich megacryst suite. Evidence for textural, compositional, and isotopic disequilibrium suggests that they constitute xenocrysts in their host kimberlites. Nevertheless, their formation may be linked to extensive kimberlite magmatism and accompanying mantle metasomatism preceding the eruption of their host kimberlites. It is proposed that the formation of megacrysts may be linked to failed kimberlites. In this scheme, the Cr-rich megacrysts are formed by progressive interaction of percolating melts with the surrounding depleted mantle (originally harzburgite). As these melts percolate outwards, they may contribute to the introduction of clinopyroxene and garnet into the depleted mantle, thereby forming lherzolite. This model hinges on the observation that lherzolitic clinopyroxenes and garnets at Lac de Gras have compositions that are strikingly similar to those of the Cr-rich megacrysts, in terms of major and trace elements, as well as Sr isotopes. As such, the Cr-rich megacrysts may have implications for the origin of clinopyroxene and garnet in cratonic lherzolites worldwide.

     

Mantle-derived lherzolite xenoliths and megacrysts from Permo-Triassic dykes,Sunnhordland, western Norway

Permo-Triassic alkaline dykes in the Sunnhordland region contain angular inclusions of spinellherzolite composed of olivine (Fo_89.5), high-alumina pyroxenes, and Al₂O₃-rich spinel. Mineral chemistry suggests that the lherzolites represent mantle material which equilibrated at temperatures in the ranges 1050 to 1150°C, compatible with an oceanic geotherm. Megacrysts of augite and spinel are associated with the xenoliths, and have compositions which differ from analogous phases occurring both as phenocrysts and as xenolith constituents. Systematic chemical variations in the clinopyroxene megacrysts may reflect magmatic fractionation processes. Megacrysts may represent disaggregated parts of coarsely crystalline polymineralic assemblages precipitated at high pressures, and temperatures above that indicated by the xenoliths, with subsequent exsolution at temperatures of about 1060°C.     

Crystallization of Cr-poor and Cr-rich megacryst suites from the host kimberlite magma: implications for mantle structure and the generation of kimberlite magmas

Cr-poor and Cr-rich megacryst suites, both comprising of varying proportions of megacrysts of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, garnet, olivine, ilmenite and a number of subordinate phases, coexist in many kimberlites, with wide geographic distribution. In rare instances, the two suites occur together on the scale of individual megacryst hand specimens. Deformation textures are common to both suites, suggesting an origin related to the formation of the sheared peridotites that also occur in kimberlites. Textures and compositions of the latter are interpreted to reflect deformation and metasomatism within the thermal aureole surrounding the kimberlite magma in the mantle. The megacrysts crystallized in this thermal aureole in pegmatitic veins representing small volumes of liquids derived from the host kimberlite magma, which were injected into a surrounding fracture network prior to kimberlite eruption. Close similarities between compositions of Cr-rich megacryst phases and those in granular lherzolites are consistent with early crystallization from a primitive kimberlite liquid. The low-Cr megacryst suite subsequently crystallized from residual Cr-depleted liquids. However, the Cr-poor suite also reflects the imprint of contamination by liquids formed by melting of inhomogeneously distributed mantle phases with low melting temperatures, such as calcite and phlogopite, present within the thermal aureole surrounding the kimberlite magma reservoir. Such carbonate-rich melts migrated into, and mixed with some, but not all, of the kimberlite liquids injected into the mantle fracture network. Contamination by the carbonate-rich melts changed the Ca–Mg and Mg–Fe crystal–liquid distribution coefficient, resulting in the crystallization of relatively Fe-rich and Ca-poor phases. The implied higher crystal-melt Mg–Fe distribution coefficient for carbonate-rich magmas accounts for the generation of small volumes of Mg-rich liquids that are highly enriched in incompatible elements (i.e. primary kimberlite magmas). The inferred metasomatic origin for the sheared peridotites implies that this suite provides little or no information regarding vertical changes in the thermal, chemical and mechanical characteristics of the mantle.     

富橄榄石的富Ca,Al组分集合体的矿物岩石学特征及对比研究

富Ca,Al包体、球粒和蠕虫状橄榄石集合体都是早期星云事件的产物。本文探讨了4个富橄榄石的富Ca,Al组分集合体的矿物岩石学特征,并对它们进行了对比。矿物岩石学特征表明含橄榄石边的富尖晶石-辉石型包体和富Ca,Al组分蠕虫状橄榄石集合体都属于星云直接凝聚的产物,而富钙长石-橄榄石型包体(POI)和富Ca,Al组分球粒经历过熔融结晶过程。矿物模式组成表明POI包体和富Ca,Al组分球粒可能是认识典型富Ca,Al包体与球粒之间相互关系的钥匙。蠕虫状橄榄石集合体GRV022459-2C1中尖晶石普遍具有高的FeO含量,表明其蚀变发生于高氧逸度的星云环境。球粒与粗粒富Ca,Al包体可能属于同一热事件的产物,粗粒富Ca,Al包体形成于富Ca,Al矿物富集的区域,Mg,Fe质硅酸盐球粒形成于富Ca,Al矿物缺失的区域,POI包体和富Ca,Al组分球粒可能形成于上述两个区域之间的过渡区域。     

Origin of ultramafic inclusions and megacrysts in a monchiquite dyke at Streap,inverness-shire,Scotland

Spinel lherzolite nodules, composed of olivine (Fo_88.7?89.2), clinepyroxene (6.5% Al₂O₃) and Al-rich spinel, and websterite nodules as well as megacrysts of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and magnetite occur in a monchiquite at Streap, Scotland. Petrographic data are given and microprobe analyses of coexisting phases in six spinel lherzolite nodules and one websterite nodule are reported, along with analyses of both types of pyroxene megacrysts. The spinel lherzolites show internal chemical homogeneity, and their mineral chemistries suggest equilibrium conditions of 1100–1200°C and 14–23 kb. The websterite nodules are, on the basis of mineral chemistry and petrography, considered to be crustal material. The megacrysts constitute a separate group, differing in composition from analogous phases in associated lherzolites and websterites as well as from monchiquite phenocryst phases, and show systematic chemical variations corresponding to low pressure crystal fractionation processes.     

Quantitative Untersuchungen mit der Elektronen-Mikrosonde an Pyroxenen aus Basalten und Peridotit-Einschlüssen

The chemical composition of the pyroxenes and olivines of 12 basaltic rocks and 5 lherzolite nodules was determined quantitatively by electron micro-probe analysis. The composition of the pyroxenes depends on the type of basalt in which they occur. Tholeiitic basalts with normative quartz contain three pyroxenes: orthorombic pyroxenes, pigeonites and augites. All pyroxene phases are zoned and do not show any exsolution. Their Ti and Al contents (Ca-Tschermaks and Ti-augite molecules) are small. All pyroxene phases were formed under disequilibrium with each other and with the melt because of rapid quenching. The sequence of crystallization: orthopyroxene—pigeonite—augite could be established by their Cr content.The alkali olivine basalts undersatured in SiO₂ and the olivine nephelinites are characterized by Ti and Al-rich clinopyroxenes. The distribution of Ti and Al in the pyroxenes of the alkali olivine basalts shows a differentiation trend from the cores of the phenocrysts to their outer zones and to the crystals of the ground mass. Thereby the Ca-Tschermaks molecule is being replaced more and more by the Ti-augite molecule. The Ti content of the pyroxenes of the olivine nephelinites decreases in the last stage of differentiation because simultaneously increasing amounts of titaniferous magnetite crystallize.The pyroxenes of lherzolite peridotite nodules are characterized by high Al and low Ti contents which differ according to the type of basalt (alkali olivine basalt or olivine nephelinite) in which the nodules occur. The homogeneous distribution of the elements within the single grains indicates crystallization under equlibrium conditions. The conditions of their formation are comparable to those of Al-pyroxene peridotites in the upper mantle. The composition of pyroxenes of early accumulates of alkali basaltic melts differ from those of peridotite nodules. Therefore lherzolite nodules can be taken as residues of deeper peridotite masses.     

Ultramafic inclusions in basaltic rocks from Hawaii

Ultramafic inclusions and the enclosing basaltic rocks were collected from a number of localities in the Hawaiian Islands; these and other specimens were studied by standard pétrographic techniques and with an electron microprobe. Emphasis was on determination of mineral assemblages, mineral compositions, and variations in composition. Sixty-eight inclusions and thirteen basaltic rocks are described, with partial chemical analyses (Ti, Al, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Mg, Ca, Na, K) of olivines, orthopyroxenes, clinopyroxenes, and some feldspars and other minerals. Inclusions range from dunite to anorthosite, and basaltic hosts range from olivine nephelinite to olivine tholeiite. The inclusions are separable into three categories, which correlate with three groups basaltic hosts: Lherzolite inclusions are relatively poor in Fe, and the component minerals have limited ranges of composition. In Hawaii, lherzolite inclusions occur preferentially in extremely undersaturated hosts (olivine nephelinite, nepheline basanite, and ankaratrite). Other varieties of inclusions (dunite, wehrlite, feldspathic peridotite, pyroxenite) are relatively rich in Fe, and the component minerals have wider ranges of composition. These inclusions, together with gabbro, occur preferentially in hosts which are but moderately undersaturated (alkaline olivine basalt, hawaiite, and ankaramite). The sparse inclusions in nearly-saturated basalt (olivine tholeiite) are petrographically distinct from those in the other two categories. These correlations suggest that the inclusions and the enclosing basaltic rocks are genetically related. As the three suites of inclusions differ chemically, mineralogically, physically, and texturally, more than one origin is probable.     

Model for upper mantle below Malaita,Solomon Islands,deduced from chemistry of lherzolite and megacryst minerals

Clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and garnet megacrysts show consistent increase of Na and Ti, and decrease of Cr, with increasing Fe/Mg. Three groups of clinopyroxenes occur with increasing Fe/Mg: subcalcic diopside, lamellar intergrowth with ilmenite, and augite. Chemical relationships indicate simultaneous crystallization of garnet, orthopyroxene and sub-calcic diopside megacrysts, and pyroxene thermometry-barometry indicates a trend from 29 kb?1,230 ° C to 25 kb?1,080 ° C as crystallization proceeded to higher Fe/Mg. Ilmenite-pyroxene thermometry suggests a mean of 965 ° C for crystallization of the intergrowths, but calibration depends on crystal-chemical assumptions. Lherzolite assemblages fall into three groups: two garnet-bearing types which equilibrated at 31 kb?1,150 ° C and 22 kb?900 ° C, and a type bearing Al-rich spinel which probably crystallized below 20 kb. The minerals from the lherzolites have lower Fe/Mg than the megacrysts. The simplest model involves: (i) metamorphic equilibration of lherzolitic rocks to the local geotherm, (ii) local melting of lherzolite at P > 30 kb, (iii) sequential crystallization of megacrysts as the magma rose intermittently, (iv) generation of alnöitic magma at P > 32 kb, and (v) eruption to surface with transport of megacrysts and lherzolitic xenoliths. Garnet, olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in these Malaita xenoliths have lower Na, Ti, and P relative to their equivalents from southern African kimberlites. Only clinopyroxene contains K (up to 270 ppmw), and no Na was found in olivine.     

Chemical evolution of basalts from 23°N along the mid-Atlantic ridge: evidence from melt inclusions

The chemical compositions of melt inclusions in a primitive and an evolved basalt recovered from the mid-Atlantic ridge south of the Kane Fracture Zone (23°–24°N) are determined. The melt inclusions are primitive in composition (0.633–0.747 molar Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺), 1.01–0.68 wt% TiO₂) and are comparable to other proposed parental magmas except in having higher Al₂O₃ and lower CaO. The primitive melt inclusion compositions indicate that the most primitive magmas erupted in this region are not near primary magma compositions. Olivine and plagioclase microphenocrysts are close to exchange equilibrium with their respective basalt glasses, whose compositions are displaced toward olivine from 1 atm three phase saturation. The most primitive melt inclusion compositions are close to exchange equilibrium with the anorthitic cores of zoned plagioclases (An_78.3-An_83.1; the hosts for the melt inclusions in plagioclase) and with olivines more forsteritic (Fo₈₉-Fo₉₁) than the olivine microphenocrysts (the hosts for the melt inclusions in olivine). Xenocrystic olivine analyzed is Fo₈₉ but contains no melt inclusions. These observations indicate that olivines have exchanged components with the melt after melt inclusion entrapment, whereas plagioclase compositions have remained the same since melt inclusion entrapment. Common denominator element ratio diagrams and oxide versus oxide variation diagrams show that the melt inclusion compositions, which represent liquids higher along the liquid line of descent, are related to the glass compositions by the fractionation of olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene (absent from the mincral assemblage), probably occurring at elevated pressures. A model is proposed whereby clinopyroxene segregates from the melt at elevated pressures (to account for its absence in the erupted lavas that have the chemical imprint of clinopyroxene fractionation). Zoned plagioclases in the erupted lavas are thought to be survivors of decompressional melting during magma ascent. Since similar primitive melt inclusions occur in olivine microphenocrysts and in the cores of zoned plagioclases, any model must account for all phases present.     

Greisens (Part 2)

Three types of clinopyroxene megacrysts have been collected from Cenozoic basaltic rocks from Hainan Island and the Leizhou Peninsula in southern China. These megacrysts are dark green, black, and pale green in color, and are classified as Al-augite, Al-rich Fe-Na salite, and endiopside, respectively. Although they have different geochemical compositions, they all exhibit convex-upward, MREE-enriched patterns.

The Al-augite megacrysts contain 8.45 to 9.01% Al₂O₃, 1.26 to 1.59% TiO₂, 1.60 to 1.88% Na₂O; have Mg# values of 69.5 to 75.4; and possess ΣREE contents of 24.7 to 26.9 ppm. Their LREE contents are enriched relative to the HREE (La/Yb_n = 3.05 to 4.09). The Al-rich Fe-Na salite megacrysts have higher FeOT (10.4 to 11.4%) and Na₂O (2.07 to 2.78%) contents, and lower Mg' values (54.9 to 59.9), than do the Al-augite megacrysts. They contain high ΣREE contents (29.4 to 41.9 ppm) and have pronounced LREE/HREE enrichment (La/Yb_n = 3.86 to 20.6). Their Al₂O₃ contents (10.1 to 12.2%) are much higher than those of the Al-augite megacrysts (8.45 to 9.01%). One Al-rich Fe-Na salite megacryst has ₈₇Sr/₈₆Sr of 0.702913 ± 25 and ₁₄₃Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512939 ± 20. The endiopside megacrysts possess high En and low Fs contents (Mg# values up to 89.3), and are characterized by high Cr₂O₃ (0.35 to 0.61%) and low Al₂O₃ (6.38 to 6.98%), TiO₂ (0.30 to 0.48%), and ΣREE (7.71 ppm) contents. They have similar values of normalized LREE and HREE (La/Yb_n = 1.09). One endiopside megacryst has ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.703946 + 40 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512816 ± 18.

The Al-rich Fe-Na salite megacrysts in this study can be distinguished compositionally from Fe-Na salite megacrysts of previous studies. On the basis of the present study, these megacrysts are considered representative of a distinctive type of megacryst that may have a unique origin. Prior to this, endiopside megacrysts have not been described from alkaline basalts. A total of four types of clinopyroxene megacrysts now can be described from Cenozoic basaltic rocks worldwide—i.e. Al-augite, Fe-Na salite, Al-rich Fe-Na salite, and endiopside.     

The Skien lavas, Oslo Rift: petrological disequilibrium and geochemical evolution

The Skien lavas, which form the earliest phase of basaltic magmatism within the Permo-Carboniferous Oslo Rift, contain multiple generations of clinopyroxene which exhibit strong petrological and geochemical disequilibrium. Three principal core compositions have been identified: (1) low-jadeite, high-Mg, Cr-diopside cores (CrMgDi) with strongly depleted trace-element signatures, which are believed to be xenocrystic in origin; (2) Mg-rich, Cr-poor diopside cores (MgDi) with moderately depleted trace-element signatures which probably represent early cognate growth; and (3) more dominant, low-Mg, phenocrystic diopside cores (PhenDi). Several samples contain CrMgDi or MgDi cores which have been subjected to resorption and partial re-equilibration with their host melts, indicative of extensive disequilibrium and magma mixing. These three core types are overgrown by trace-element-enriched Ti-augite, which also forms megacrysts and late-stage lava groundmass. Calculated Ti-augite/melt partition coefficients show clinopyroxene compatibility of the M-HREE, Zr, Hf and Y. The LILE, Sr, and Nb remain incompatible. )Sr₃₀₀ and )Nd₃₀₀ of Ti-augite overgrowths, phenocrystic diopside, and MgDi diopside cores show that intrasample isotopic disequilibrium existed when the host basalts were erupted. All epsilon values lie within the range of data previously published for the Skien lavas. Detailed examination of the chemical, isotopic and textural disequilibrium features seen in these lavas has enabled us to place constraints upon the magmatic evolution of this basalt suite, ranging from xenocryst incorporation to cognate multistage pyroxene growth, as well as identifying clear evidence of magma mixing and possible crustal contamination.     

The origin of K-feldspar megacrysts hosted in alkaline potassic rocks from central Italy: a track for low-pressure processes in mafic magmas

In situ Sr-isotope and microchemical studies were used to determine the provenance of K-feldspar megacrysts hosted in mafic alkaline potassic, ultrapotassic rocks and in differentiated rocks from two nearby volcanic apparatus in central Italy.

At Monte Cimino volcanic complex, mafic leucite-free ultrapotassic megacryst-bearing rocks of olivine latitic composition are associated with evolved latite and trachyte. Here, latites and trachytes straddle the sub-alkaline field. Age-corrected ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (Sr_i) of the analysed Cimino olivine latites vary from 0.71330 and 0.71578 and strongly increase at constant Mg value. Latite and trachyte have lower Sr_i than olivine latites ranging between 0.71331 and 0.71361. Sr_i of K-feldspar megacrysts from olivine latites are between 0.71352 and 0.71397, but core and rim ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios within individual megacryst are indistinguishable. In all the mafic rocks, the megacrysts are not in isotopic equilibrium with the hosts. K-feldspar megacrysts from both the latite and trachyte have similar Sr-isotope compositions (Sr_i=0.71357–0.71401) to those in the olivine latites. However, Sr_i of megacryst in the trachyte vary significantly from core to rim (Sr_i from 0.71401 to 0.71383). As with the olivine latites, the K-feldspar megacrysts are not in isotopic equilibrium with bulk rock compositions of the latite or trachyte.

At Vico volcano, megacryst-bearing rocks are mafic leucite-free potassic rocks, mafic leucite-bearing ultrapotassic rocks and old trachytic rocks. The mafic leucite-bearing and leucite-free rocks are a tephri-phonolite and an olivine latite, respectively. A megacryst in Vico trachyte is isotopically homogeneous (Sr_i CORE=0.71129, RIM=0.71128) and in equilibrium with the host rock (Sr_i bulk ROCK=0.71125). Sr_i of megacryst from tephri-phonolite is clearly not in isotopic equilibrium with its host (Sr_i bulk ROCK=0.71158), and it increases from core (Sr_i=0.71063) to rim (Sr_i=0.71077). A megacryst in Vico olivine latite is isotopically homogeneous (Sr_i CORE=0.71066, RIM=0.71065), but not in equilibrium with the host rock (Sr_i bulk ROCK=0.71013).

The Sr isotope microdrilling technique reveals that Cimino megacrysts were crystallised in a Cimino trachytic magma and were subsequently incorporated by mixing/mingling processes in the latitic and olivine latitic melts. A model invoking the presence of a mafic sub-alkaline magma, which was mixed with the olivine latite, is proposed to justify the lack of simple geochemical mixing relation between Cimino trachytes and olivine latites. This magmatological model is able to explain the geochemical characteristics of Cimino olivine latites, otherwise ascribed to mantle heterogeneity.

The similarity of core Sr_i of megacrysts hosted in Vico tephri-phonolite and olivine latite suggests that the K-feldspar megacrysts are co-genetic. Isotopic equilibrium between megacryst and Vico host trachyte indicates that the trachyte is the parent of this megacryst. On the contrary, the megacrysts hosted in tephri-phonolite and olivine latite do not derive from the old trachytic magma because no diffusion process may explain the core to rim Sr isotope increase of the xenocryst hosted in the tephri-phonolite. The megacrysts hosted in the Vico mafic rocks might derive from a trachytic melt similar in composition to the old Vico trachytes.     

Amphibole-bearing Cumulate Inclusions, Grand Canyon, Arizona and their bearing on Silica-Undersaturated Hydrous Magmas in the Upper Mantle

Rare inclusions in Holocene basanite within the western GrandCanyon are comprised of poikilitic titaniferous amphibole togetherwith variable proportions of relatively Fe-rich clinopyroxene,orthopyroxene, olivine, Cr-poor spinel, and pyropic garnet,magnesian ilmenite, and titaniferous phlogopite. No feldsparhas been found in the 219 inclusions investigated. Availableexperimental data suggest crystallization at approximately 20kb (65 km depth) in a region where the crust is 30–40km thick. On the basis of their fabric, the inclusions appear to representcumulates, but other modes of origin cannot be completely ruledout. Anhydrous grains, including some considered to be postcumulusprecipitates, experienced extensive resorption into the interstitialhydrous melt before it ultimately crystallized, perhaps 100?C below liquidus temperatures, as the poikilitic amphibole.In spite of these crystal-melt reactions, and some probablesubsolidus recrystallization as well, systematic variationsin cumulus phase compositions exist and indicate one main precipitationsequence was ol+sp, ol+sp+cpx, cpx+cpx+sp, cpx+sp, cpx+sp+ilm.The local pyropic garnet appears postcumulus in the last threecumulus assemblages. The igneous bodies represented by the inclusions comprised arelatively small portion of the upper mantle sampled by theascending basanitic magma. But in contrast to the thin amphibole-bearingveins in the mantle-derived massif at Etang de Lherz, the igneousbodies beneath the Grand Canyon are considered to be substantiallylarger in dimension, on the order of at least meters ratherthan a few centimeters. Primary nephelinite-basanite melts produced by variable butsmall degrees of partial melting of hydrous upper mantle arenot represented by the poikilitic amphiboles because of complexprocesses at the site of emplacement, including reactions betweenmelt and chromian-spinel peridotite wall rocks.     

Experimental duplication of a high-pressure megacryst/cumulate assemblage in a near-saturated hawaiite

The occurrence of corroded megacrysts and cumulates of olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, plagioclase, ilmenite and apatite in near-saturated hawaiites from the mid-north coast of New South Wales point to the derivation of these hawaiites at elevated pressures. In an experimental study on one of these hawaiites under conditions ranging from 5–15 kb and 0–5% H₂O, orthopyroxene was identified in only one run with 2% H₂O at 1040° C and 6.5 kb. In this run it was associated with olivine, clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxide. The early appearance of plagioclase in the “dry” experimental runs and amphibole in runs with 5% H₂O, indicates that the water content in the natural hawaiite was intermediate to these values. The near-duplication of the natural megacryst-cumulate assemblage suggests that the hawaiite host precipitated these phases at a depth of approximately 20–24 km, prior to rapid eruption to higher crustal levels.     

Tholeiitic andesite of high-pressure origin from the tweed shield volcano,northeastern New South Wales

A high-alumina tholeiitic andesite from the southern portion of the Tweed Shield Volcano in northeastern New South Wales contains abundant megacrysts of plagioclase (Ab₅₀An₄₆Or₄) and megacrysts of aluminian bronzite (Ca₄Mg₇₁Fe₂₅) and relatively Ca-poor aluminian augite (Ca₃₆Mg₄₁Fe₂₀). The pyroxenes commonly occur as inclusions in the plagioclase megacrysts. Electron probe microanalyses of the pyroxene megacrysts indicate that they differ in character and composition from the groundmass ferromagnesian phases, namely a more Al- and Na-poor augite (Ca₄₁Mg₄₂Fe₁₇) and olivine (Fa₅₃). The bulk composition of the plagioclase megacrysts is slightly more Ab-rich than that of the groundmass plagioclase, but differences in the two compositions are extended by microanalyses of groundmass plagioclases. Evaluation of the megacryst compositions in the light of experimental data and analogous occurrences in alkaline volcanics leads to the interpretation that the megacrysts represent cognate precipitates formed at pressures broadly equivalent to the crust-mantle boundary. More important, they provide strong evidence for the high pressure origin of tholeiitic andesites, customarily interpreted as the products of low pressure fractional crystallization of tholeiitic magma.     

Oxygen isotopic distribution in an amoeboid olivine aggregate from the Allende CV chondrite: Primary and secondary processes

The oxygen isotopic distribution in an amoeboid olivine aggregate (AOA), TTA1-02, from the Allende CV3 chondrite has been determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The irregular shaped TTA1- 02 (5×3mm) consists mostly of olivine grains of ca. 5μm in diameter. Olivine grains of Mg-rich (Fo₉₅) and Fe-rich (Fo₆₀) composition are in direct contact with each other, with a sharp compositional boundary. Oxygen isotopic compositions of Fe-rich olivine grains are ¹⁶O-poor (Δ¹⁷O ≅ −5‰), whereas Mg-rich olivine is ¹⁶O-rich (Δ¹⁷O ≅ −25‰). Several Al-rich inclusions (<ca. 500 μm in diameter) are enclosed by olivine grains in the AOA. Oxygen isotopic compositions of spinel and fassaite in Al-rich inclusions are ¹⁶O-rich (Δ¹⁷O ≅ −20‰), whereas those of anorthite, nepheline and phyllosilicate are ¹⁶O-poor (Δ¹⁷O ≅ −5‰). We propose the following sequence of events during the formation of AOAs in the Allende meteorite: 1) Formation of Al-rich inclusions with ¹⁶O-rich oxygen isotopic composition; 2) Accretion of Mg-rich olivine grains with ¹⁶O-rich oxygen isotopic composition around Al-rich inclusions; 3) Accretion into parent body; and 4) Aqueous alteration in the parent body, which led to crystallization of ¹⁶O-poor minerals, Fe-rich olivine, anorthite, nepheline, and phyllosilicate. This is reflecting reactions among primary ¹⁶O-rich AOA minerals and aqueous fluid having ¹⁶O-poor oxygen isotopic composition. Fe-rich olivine grains precipitated from aqueous fluids, which partially dissolved pre-existing Mg-rich olivine grains. Sintering and Mg-Fe diffusion occurred during thermal metamorphism. Anorthite, nepheline and phyllosilicate in Al-rich inclusions replaced primary anorthite or melilite during the aqueous alteration stage.