Infiltration Metasomatism of Cumulates by Intrusive Magma Replenishment: the Wavy Horizon, Isle of Rum, Scotland

The Eastern Layered Intrusion of the Rum Layered Suite comprisespaired peridotite and allivalite (troctolite and gabbro) layersforming 16 macro-rhythmic units. Whereas the majority of thesemacro-units are believed to have formed by a process of crystal–liquiddifferentiation involving successive accumulation of crystalsfrom multiple picritic replenishments of the chamber, the Unit9 peridotite is interpreted as a layer-parallel picrite intrusion.Closely correlated with this discontinuous peridotite body isa distinctive feature generally known as the Wavy Horizon, whichdivides the overlying allivalite into a lower troctolite andan upper gabbro along a well-defined undulating contact. Wepropose that the Wavy Horizon is a metasomatic feature formedconsequent to the removal of clinopyroxene from an originalgabbroic mush. Foundering of the mush into the picritic sillresulted in the replacement of the original interstitial liquidby one saturated only in olivine (± plagioclase). Progressivethrough-flow of this liquid resulted in the stripping out ofclinopyroxene from the lower parts of the allivalite. We interpretthe Wavy Horizon as a reaction front, representing the pointat which the invading liquid became saturated in clinopyroxene.The distinctive pyroxene-enriched zone immediately above theWavy Horizon could have formed when mixing of the interstitialliquids on either side of the reaction front formed a supercooledliquid oversaturated in pyroxene, as a result of the curvatureof the olivine–plagioclase–clinopyroxene cotectic.The presence of many such approximately layer-parallel features,defined by differences in pyroxene content, in the Eastern LayeredIntrusion of Rum suggests that such an infiltration–reactionprocess was not unique to Unit 9. KEY WORDS: cumulate; infiltration metasomatism; Rum; Eastern Layered Intrusion     

Spatial Constraints on Magma Chamber Replenishment Events from Textural Observations of Cumulates: the Rum Layered Intrusion, Scotland

The Eastern Layered Series of the Rum Layered Suite is formedof 16 macro-units each comprising a lower peridotite and anoverlying feldspar-rich layer (the local term is allivalite).The origin of the peridotite layers is unresolved, with twocontrasting models. The earlier of the two is based on repeatedreplenishment of an open-system magma chamber with depositionof fractionated material on the chamber floor. The second isbased on the early formation of a troctolitic complex, whichis then repeatedly intruded by sills of replenishing picriticmagma to form the peridotite horizons. The lack of resolutionof this fundamental problem is a consequence of the relianceof previously published studies on field observations. I presentevidence to show that the clinopyroxene in the allivalites preservesinformation about the distribution of the last melt to solidify,permitting determination of not only the extent of super-solidustextural equilibration but also the sub-solidus history of theallivalite horizons. Comparison of profiles of clinopyroxene–plagioclase–plagioclasemedian dihedral angle across allivalite units demonstrates thatit is possible to distinguish between those that were intrudedby later picrite sills and those adjacent to peridotite horizonsformed by replenishment and subsequent deposition of fractionatedcrystals above the pre-existing pile. In the region studied,only the main peridotite body of Unit 9 was intruded into apre-existing allivalitic mush. KEY WORDS: Rum Layered Intrusion; chamber replenishment; dihedral angles; cumulates     

Stratigraphical distribution of platinum-group minerals in the Eastern Layered Series, Rum, Scotland

Abundant and diverse platinum-group minerals (PGM) occur throughout the Tertiary layered intrusion on Rum, Scotland. In this paper we document the distribution of PGM within the Eastern Layered Series (ELS) on Rum, which comprises 16 alternating units of olivine-dominant feldspathic peridotite grading to plagioclase-dominant allivalite. The PGM occur in six main chrome-spinel layers in the Eastern Layered Series and are clearly associated with minor concentrations of interstitial sulphides. Common PGM phases include: Pd–Cu alloys, Pt–Fe alloys, native Pt, laurite, moncheite, sperrylite, isomertiete, cooperite and braggite along with a large number of other less common arsenide, bismuthotelluride and sulphide phases. Analyses of the discrete chromitite layers yield up to ΣPGE + Au 2618 ppb. Although present throughout the 750-m-thick ELS, there are clear stratigraphical changes in the PGM assemblage. The presence of PGM in the ELS on Rum are interpreted as being caused by mantle melting associated with the proto-Icelandic `hot spot', followed by localised concentration because of the combined effects of magma mixing, sulphide-silicate liquid immiscibility and fractional crystallisation. Most of the PGM are magmatic in origin but some grains show evidence of hydrothermal alteration. Received: 27 November 1999 / Accepted: 27 April 2000     

Pan-African strike–slip tectonics in eastern Cameroon—Magnetic fabrics (AMS) and structure in the Lom basin and its gneissic basement

Field, microstructural, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) or magnetic fabric studies were applied to identify the sequence and character of the Pan-African structures in the basement of Eastern Cameroon at both sides of the regional scale Bétaré-Oya Shear Zone (BOSZ). The NE-SW trending BOSZ separates older gneisses and migmatites towards SE (domain I) from the younger rocks of the Lom meta-volcano-sedimentary basin towards NW (domain II). In domain I, early, ductile compressional deformation occurred in two events, D1 and D2, under relatively high T conditions. During subsequent cooling, strain partitioned between the competent basement gneisses with only mild compression and the bordering shear zone (BOSZ) with intense simple shear-wrenching (D3). Strain in the less competent rocks of domain II is dominated by simple shear, strike-slip wrenching (D3), with an earlier stage of compressional deformation preserved only in some low strain pods.Magnetic fabrics (AMS) document a progressive change from oblate ellipsoids towards prolate ellipsoids in domain I, when proceeding from the south towards the BOSZ. Foliations are mostly steep but define a girdle with a pole plunging gently towards WSW. The magnetic lineations also plunge mostly towards WSW at shallow angles. These fabrics indicate a compression approximately normal to the BOSZ, which is also the SE margin of the Lom Basin. In the Lom metasediments (domain II), AMS ellipsoids are typically oblate. Foliations trend NE-SW with mostly steep dips. Magnetic lineations plunge gently NE or SW. This fabric with foliations mostly steep and subparallel with the major BOSZ, combined with generally subhorizontal lineations implies the BOSZ as a Pan-African strike–slip shear zone with a subordinate component of compression.At a larger scale, the area is part of a continent-scale shear zone, separating external Pan-African domains of compression along the northern margin of the Congo craton from internal domains dominated by high-angle strike–slip and transpressional deformation. Together with published data, the present study thus demonstrates that transpression is a regional phenomenon in the Pan-African orogen of central and eastern Cameroon.     

Magnetic fabrics and their relationship with the emplacement of the Piracaia pluton,SE Brazil

Magnetic fabric and rock-magnetism studies were performed on the four units of the 578 ± 3-Ma-old Piracaia pluton (NW of São Paulo State, southern Brazil). This intrusion is roughly elliptical (~32 km²), composed of (i) coarse-grained monzodiorite (MZD-c), (ii) fine-grained monzodiorite (MZD-f), which is predominant in the pluton, (iii) monzonite heterogeneous (MZN-het), and (iv) quartz syenite (Qz-Sy). Magnetic fabrics were determined by applying both anisotropy of low-field magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (AARM). The two fabrics are coaxial. The parallelism between AMS and AARM tensors excludes the presence of a single domain (SD) effect on the AMS fabric of the units. Several rock-magnetism experiments performed in one specimen from each sampled units show that for all of them, the magnetic susceptibility and magnetic fabrics are carried by magnetite grains, which was also observed in the thin sections. Foliations and lineations in the units were successfully determined by applying magnetic methods. Most of the magnetic foliations are steeply dipping or vertical in all units and are roughly parallel to the foliation measured in the field and in the country rocks. In contrast, the magnetic lineations present mostly low plunges for the whole pluton. However, for eight sites, they are steep up to vertical. Thin-section analyses show that rocks from the Piracaia pluton were affected by the regional strain during and after emplacement since magmatic foliation evolves to solid-state fabric in the north of the pluton, indicating that magnetic fabrics in this area of the pluton are related to this strain. Otherwise, the lack of solid-state deformation at outcrop scale and in thin sections precludes deformation in the SW of the pluton. This evidence allows us to interpret the observed magnetic fabrics as primary in origin (magmatic) acquired when the rocks were solidified as a result of magma flow, in which steeply plunging magnetic lineation suggests that a feeder zone could underlie this area.     

Preliminary magnetic susceptibility characteristics of the Bharati promontory (Grovness Peninsula), Larsemann Hills,Prydz Bay region,East Antarctica

The coastal tract of the Prydz Bay region in the East Antarctica exposes Archean to Late Proterozoic magmatic and medium- to high grade (amphibolite — granulite facies) metamorphic rocks. The para- and ortho gneisses from the Bharati promontory (Grovness Peninsula) forming a part of the Larsemann Hills in the southern segment of Prydz Bay were investigated for magnetic characterization. In this small peninsula the upper amphibolite facies gneisses occur as NE-trending bands. The para-gneisses show a range of mineral assemblages (± cordierite ± sillimanite ±garnet) while ortho-gneiss mineralogy includes quartz, feldspar, biotite, garnet. All the lithological units in Bharati promontory contain ubiquitous magnetite, however, with wide variation in the volume proportions. This has resulted in a wide range in magnetic susceptibility (10^?4 to 10^?2 SI). Magnetic foliations show a correspondence with the general trend of lithounits (050° NE) and define a resulting geometry of mainly D₁ and D₂ foliations. The magnetic lineations show a preferred orientation with moderate easterly plunge (mean vector 093/36). The findings have implications for the magnetic field survey because such fabrics would impart a strong horizontal component of induced magnetization.     

The Variscan Millares granite (central Pyrenees): Pluton emplacement in a T fracture of a dextral shear zone

This work deals with the magnetic susceptibility and its anisotropy (AMS) in the Variscan Millares pluton in the Central Pyrenees. The zonation of low-field magnetic susceptibility is consistent with the concentric arrangement of rock-types, with more basic compositions at the external areas. Magnetic foliations defined from AMS strike NE-SW and dip gently towards the NW. Magnetic foliations are mainly perpendicular and oblique to the elongation of the pluton in map view (NW-SE) and show a concentric pattern at the central part, where the more acid rocks crop out. Magnetic lineations are scattered between NW-SE and NE-SW and plunge shallowly to the N. In map view magnetic lineations are distributed in domains normal to the elongation of the pluton. The contours of P' (degree of magnetic anisotropy) are oriented NE-SW and bands of oblate and prolate ellipsoids alternate perpendicular to the elongation of the pluton in map view. P' is between 1.009 and 1.055 in 93% of the specimens. Such low values are currently recorded in granites having magmatic fabrics and for which the anisotropy is mainly carried by biotite. The attitude of the magnetic foliation and the magnetic lineation, the geometry of the pluton, and their relationship with the host-rock structure suggest an intrusion contemporary with a transpressional regime, syntectonic with the late stages of the Variscan orogeny.     

An Origin for Harrisitic and Granular Olivine in the Rum Layered Suite, NW Scotland: a Crystal Size Distribution Study

Dendritic crystal morphologies occur in a number of igneousrocks and are thought to originate from the rapid growth ofcrystals, yet many examples of dendritic morphologies are foundin plutonic igneous rocks where cooling rates should be low.Results from crystal size distribution (CSD) measurements onharrisitic olivines from Rum, Scotland, combined with estimatedolivine growth rates, suggest that the characteristic skeletalhopper and branching olivines of harrisitic cumulates that areup to centimetres long, may have exceptionally short crystalgrowth times (several hours to several hundreds of days). This,together with very low calculated nucleation densities for harrisiticolivine, supports the interpretation of harrisite being a disequilibriumtexture, developed in response to supersaturation of the magmain olivine. We propose that this supersaturation arose throughundercooling of thin picrite sheets emplaced along the Rum magmachamber floor, beneath cooler resident magma. It is envisagedthat the picrite sheets were largely free of suspended olivinecrystals. Coupled with the olivine-enriched composition of themelt and the increasing cooling rate, this allowed homogeneousnucleation of olivine to set in at deeper undercooling and greaterolivine supersaturation than if there had been plentiful suspendedolivines to act as heterogeneous nuclei. The enhanced supersaturationcaused rapid growth of olivine once nucleation began, with skeletaland dendritic shapes. It is suggested that the observed, interlayeredsequences of harrisite and cumulus peridotite found throughoutthe Rum Layered Suite are a result of multiple episodes of harrisitecrystallization resulting from picrite emplacement that alternatedwith periods of crystal growth and accumulation in the mainbody of magma at lesser degrees of undercooling. KEY WORDS: crystal size distribution; harrisite; crystal growth rates; Rum Layered Suite     

New insights into precious metal enrichment on the Isle of Rum,Scotland

The Rum Layered Suite (NW Scotland) is generally regarded as one of a handful of classic examples of open‐system layered mafic‐ultramafic intrusions, or ‘fossilized’ basaltic magma chambers, world‐wide. The eastern portion of the Rum intrusion is constructed of sixteen repeated, coupled, peridotite–troctolite units. Each major cyclic unit has been linked to a major magma replenishment event, with repeated settling out of ‘crops’ of olivine and plagioclase crystals to form the cumulate rocks. However, there are variations in the lithological succession that complicate this oversimplified model, including the presence of chromitite (>60 vol. percent Cr‐spinel) seams. The ～2 mm thick chromitite seams host significant platinum‐group element (PGE) enrichment (e.g. ～2 ppm Pt) and likely formed in situ, i.e. at the crystal mush–magma interface. Given that the bulk of the world's exploited PGE come from a layered intrusion that bears remarkable structural and lithological similarities to Rum, the Bushveld Complex (South Africa), comparisons between these intrusions raise intriguing implications for precious metal mineralization in layered intrusions.     

Structure and petrology of an alpine peridotite on Cypress Island,Washington, U.S.A

A study of the structural petrology of a peridotite exposed on Cypress Island in Skagit Co., Washington, U.S.A. has been carried out. The Cypress peridotite is, by virtue of its composition, structure and associations, typical of ultramafics of the alpine type. It contains relict layering and accumulative textures which show it to have originated by crystal settling from a magma of unknown initial composition. Parallelism of lineations and b-axes of folds in the layering with well-developed [100]-maxima in the fabrics of olivine crystals is considered to have arisen through a penetrative deformation of the mass accompanied by plastic flow or recrystallization of the olivine. An indication of the minimum temperature of the deformation is provided by cross-cutting veins of pyroxenite which have not participated in the folding. The most satisfactory interpretation of the overall fabric of the peridotite is that it was deformed, possibly during intrusion, as a crystal mush, and that filter pressing due to compaction of the solid particles by plastic flow or recrystallization removed all but a small percentage of the magmatic fraction which then crystallized following cessation of the movements.     

A record of ductile syn-intrusional fabrics to post solidification cataclasis: Magnetic fabric analysis of neoproterozoic Mirpur and Mt. Abu Granitoids,NW India

The Mirpur granite body represents a relatively small (10 km²) pluton intruded along the northern margin of the adjacent Mt. Abu batholith (∼125 km²) in NW India. It is a visibly undeformed alkali feldspar rich pink granite; in contrast, the Mt. Abu is a composite granitoid body and variably deformed. Both are intruded by rhyolitic dykes and the terminal magmatic events in both the cases are mafic dykes. The AMS (Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility) data identify the Mt. Abu with SE-dipping foliations and subvertical lineations as a single structural domain while the Mirpur granite body shows two domains characterized by predominantly E — W trend of magnetic foliation in the eastern part (domain I) and N — S orientations in the western part (domain II). The domain I shows magmatic fabrics, typical for the peraluminous granites of Malani Igneous Suite (MIS). Change in fabric orientation in the domain II has resulted from cataclasis wherein the samples show destruction of the original E — W fabric and complete transposition by N — S trends. The foliations in the Mt. Abu granites have been related to SE orientation of maximum horizontal stress. The same maximum stress direction can be inferred from dyke orientation in the Mirpur granite, which is interpreted as continuation of the tectonic imprint in this region during emplacement of both the granites. Age of the cataclastic overprint with a predominant N — S orientation is not yet constrained but corresponds with the trend of the nearby Sindreth basin within the Malani Igneous Suite. The Neoproterozoic tectonic scenario for the region has been interpreted in terms of an ongoing crustal convergence and granitic magma emplacement against the back stop offered by the rigid Delhi Fold Belt.     

Geochemical exploration for platinum-group elements in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa

Analyses of stream sediment and soil samples from the Bushveld Complex, South Africa have revealed enhanced precious metal concentrations, which can be related both to mining activities and the presence of hidden concentrations of platinum-group elements (PGEs) and gold. The economically important PGE deposits hosted by the Upper Critical Zone of the Rustenburg Layered Suite are revealed by a high PGE and Au content in the overlying soils. A second zone of elevated precious metal concentrations straddles the boundary between the Main and Upper Zones and has to date been traced for more than 100 km. This zone follows the igneous layering of the Rustenburg Layered Suite and is offset by the Brits Graben. It is therefore thought to be the reflection of a magmatic PGE-Au mineralisation. Received: 31 May 1996 / Accepted: 7 January 1997     

Pervasive horizontal fabric and rapid vertical extrusion: Lateral overturning and margin sub-parallel flow of deep crustal migmatites, northeastern Bohemian Massif

In the West Sudetes, northeastern Bohemia Massif, geochronometry provides evidence for repeated episodes of rapid cooling that contrasts sharply with an absence of structural evidence for significant tectonic exhumation by crustal extension. Instead, high-grade assemblages of the Orlica–Snieznik Complex have a regional sub-horizontal foliation and sub-horizontal lineations that trend parallel to narrow sub-vertical shear zones containing exhumed high-pressure assemblages. Mesoscopic petrofabrics combined with anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data from amphibolite facies to migmatitic meta-sedimentary and meta-igneous rocks reveal remarkably consistent average lineations that plunge shallowly to the SSW on both steep and sub-horizontal NNE-trending planar fabrics. The dominant SSW–NNE fabric orientation is parallel to the Bohemia–Brunia suture, which marks a major boundary along the eastern margin of the massif. The shape of the AMS ellipsoid is predominantly oblate, revealing flattened fabrics, with only local prolate ellipsoids. We envisage that the continental Brunian indentor operated as a rigid backstop and allowed the migmatized lower crustal orogenic root to be exhumed along the Bohemian margin shortly following terminal arc collision. Sub-vertical extrusion of the orogenic root was arrested in the mid-crust, where the lower ductile crust was laterally overturned at the base of rigid upper crustal blocks. Upon reaching the crustal high-strength lid the exhumed ductile mass of continental material laterally spread sub-parallel to the margin, underwent subsequent supra-Barrovian metamorphism, and quickly cooled. The application of AMS techniques to high-grade metamorphic rocks in concert with macroscopic structural observations is a powerful approach for resolving the deformation history of a terrane where visible rock fabrics can be tenuous.     

Komatiites and nickel sulphide orebodies of the Black Swan area,Yilgarn Craton,Western Australia. 1. Petrology and volcanology of host rocks

The Black Swan Succession is a bimodal association of dacitic and komatiitic volcanic rocks located about 50 km NNE of Kalgoorlie, within the 2.7-Ga Eastern Goldfields greenstone province of the Yilgarn Craton. The komatiite stratigraphy comprises a steep dipping, east facing package about 700 m in maximum thickness and about 2.5 km in strike length (Fig. 1), which hosts a number of economically exploitable Ni sulphide orebodies including the Silver Swan massive ore shoot (approximately half a million tonnes at about 10.5% Ni). The sequence can be subdivided into a Lower Felsic Unit, comprising coherent and autobrecciated facies of multiple dacite lava flows; an upper Eastern and lower Western Ultramafic Unit, each showing marked lateral facies variation, and an Upper Felsic Unit coeval with the Eastern Ultramafic Unit. The komatiite sequence has been metamorphosed at sub-greenschist facies in the presence of high proportions of CO2-rich fluid, giving rise to pervasive talc–carbonate and talc–carbonate–quartz assemblages, with extensive preservation of pseudomorphed igneous textures. Cores of lizardite serpentinite are present in the thickest parts of the ultramafic succession. The degree of penetrative deformation is generally very low, and original stratigraphic relationships are largely intact in much of the sequence. The Eastern Ultramafic Unit and Western Ultramafic Unit are interpreted as components of a single large komatiite flow field, representing overlapping stages in the emplacement of a series of distributory lava pathways and flanking sheet flows. The Western Ultramafic Unit which hosts the bulk of the high-grade massive and disseminated ores is a sequence dominated by coarse-grained olivine cumulates, 2 km wide and up to 500 m thick, with major magma pathways represented by thick, homogenous olivine mesocumulate piles at its northern and southern ends: respectively 400 and 200 m thick. The sequence between the two major pathways consists of olivine orthocumulates (oOC) with minor spinifex-textured intervals. The Unit is capped by a persistent spinifex-textured crust less than 1 m thick, and is locally vesicular. The Eastern Ultramafic Unit contains the Black Swan Cumulate Zone, a 500-m thick sequence of very coarse-grained hopper-textured, locally vesicular oOC containing disseminated sulphides in its lower 200 m. The zone is flanked to the north and south by complexly interdigitated sequence of highly irregular, spinifex-capped, olivine cumulate-rich flow lobes between 1 and 100 m thick, and dacitic lavas and tuffs. The complexity of the 3-D spatial relationship of these units suggests a combination of simultaneous eruption of dacite and komatiite, combined with thermal or thermomechanical erosion. The Eastern and Western Units are interpreted as the result of more or less continuous prolonged eruption of olivine charged komatiite lava, which developed localised thermo-mechanical erosion channels in the dacitic substrate. Komatiite and dacite eruption was synchronous, giving rise to complex interdigitation and extensive contamination and hybridisation.Editorial handling: Peter Lightfoot     

Tectonic evolution of the Brooks Range ophiolite, northern Alaska

Analysis of internal structures of the Brooks Range ophiolite at the three largest and well-exposed klippen reveals a NE–SW structural grain that may parallel the original axis of magmatism of a slow spreading marginal ocean basin. Sub-parallel directions of lattice fabrics in olivine of mantle peridotite and shape fabrics in pyroxene and plagioclase of layered gabbro indicate that asthenospheric and magmatic flow was closely coupled. These structures, including the petrologic moho, mostly dip steeply to the NW and SE, with slightly oblique flow lineations. Sedimentary and volcanic cover deposits also dip SE. The few exposures found of sheeted dike complexes generally strike parallel, but dip orthogonal to both the petrologic moho and cover deposits. These structural features are locally disturbed by syn- and post-magmatic normal faults emblematic of slow-spreading ridge processes. However, the consistent geometry of structures over a distance of 200 km demonstrates not only that the magmatic system was organized in a similar manner to an oceanic ridge, but that there was little to no rotation of individual klippe during tectonic emplacement.Ductile fabrics related to tectonic emplacement yield top-to-the NNW sense of shear indicators. The basal thrust and accompanying serpentinized shear zone is mostly flat-lying and truncates the steeply dipping ductile fabric of the ophiolite. This relationship and paleomagnetic data from the igneous sequence suggest that flow fabrics were most likely moderately inclined at the time the ophiolite formed. Similar relationships are found at diapiric centers along oceanic ridges and in other ophiolite bodies.     

The Chinamora batholith, Zimbabwe: structure and emplacement-related magnetic rock fabric

The origin of dome-and-keel structural geometries in Archean granite–greenstone terrains appears to lack any modern analogues and is still poorly understood. The formation of these geometries is investigated using structural and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data for the Chinamora batholith in Zimbabwe. The roughly circular-shaped batholith is surrounded by ca. 2.72–2.64 Ga greenstones. The batholith granitoid suites have been divided on the basis of their ages and fabric relationships into four distinct units: (i) banded basement gneisses; (ii) granodioritic gneisses; (iii) equigranular granites; and (iv) central porphyritic granites. In the gneissic granites a partial girdle (N–S) of poles to the magnetic foliation is developed that has been folded around a consistent, flat lying magnetic lineation plunging at shallow angles to the E or W. In the equigranular granites, the magnetic lineation generally plunges to the NW. The magnetic foliation has a variable strike, no clear trends can be distinguished. The AMS measurements of the porphyritic granite revealed a NW–SE striking foliation and showed subhorizontal magnetic lineations. The magnetic foliation is subparallel to the macroscopic foliation. Wall rocks are moderately inclined and show radial or concentric lineations, triaxial strain ellipsoids and kinematics that demonstrate off-the-dome sliding and coeval pluton expansion. The results of the observations do not point to a single emplacement process. Neither the observed structural data nor the magnetic fabric support a model envisaging spherically ‘ballooning’. It is argued that pluton diapirism played a major part in the formation of the fabrics in the gneisses, whereas the fabrics in the porphyritic granites reflect emplacement as laccolith-like sheets.     

Textural Maturity of Cumulates: a Record of Chamber Filling, Liquidus Assemblage, Cooling Rate and Large-scale Convection in Mafic Layered Intrusions

Textural maturity describes the extent to which a rock has evolvedfrom the initial reaction-controlled texture towards texturalequilibrium controlled by the minimization of interfacial energy.Solidification in a magma chamber results in the formation ofan impingement texture by the random juxtaposition of planar-sidedgrains. Orthocumulates, in which the initial melt-filled poresare pseudomorphed by later-crystallizing phases, have an ophiticor intersertal texture immediately after complete solidification,which then evolves towards solid-state equilibrium by roundingof initially planar grain boundaries and an increase in themedian dihedral angle subtended at the junctions of two primocrysticgrains with the interstitial phase. The bulk of the increasein angle occurs just below the solidus temperature in kilometre-scalemafic plutons. Quantification of textural maturity via measurementof dihedral angle populations in troctolitic and gabbroic cumulatesfrom the Rum Eastern Layered Intrusion and the Skaergaard Intrusiondemonstrates that the rocks preserve a record of thermal eventsrelated to magma chamber replenishment and the onset of chamber-wideconvection. Textural maturity is also a function of the liquidusphase assemblage: for systems in which only olivine and plagioclaseare liquidus (i.e. cumulus) phases in the main magma body abovethe crystal mush, the texture is significantly less mature thanthat in systems in which clinopyroxene is an additional liquidusphase. The difference in textural maturity reflects differencesin the cooling and solidification rate, and demonstrates directlythat the liquidus phase assemblage plays a role in determiningthe thermal history of plutons. KEY WORDS: cumulates; dihedral angles; Rum; Skaergaard; textures     

Using AMS combined with mineral shape preferred orientation analysis to understand the emplacement fabrics of the Apiaí gabbro-norite (Ribeira Belt,SE Brazil)

The Apiaí gabbro-norite is a massive fine-grained Neoproterozoic intrusion emplaced in a core of synformal structure that deforms low-grade marine metasedimentary rocks of the Ribeira Belt of south-eastern Brazil. The lack of visible magmatic layering or any internal fabric has been a major limitation in deciding whether the emplacement occurred before or after the regional folding. To assist in the tectonic interpretations, we combine low-field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and silicate shape preferred orientation (SPO) to reveal the internal structure of the mafic intrusion. Magnetic data indicate a mean susceptibility of about 10⁻² SI and a mean anisotropy degree (P) of about 1.08, essentially yielded by titanomagnetite. The magnetic and silicate foliations for P ≥ 1.10 are parallel to each other, while the lineations tend to scatter on the foliation plane, in agreement with the dominant oblate symmetry of the AMS and SPO ellipsoids. For lower P values, the magnetic and silicate fabrics vary from coaxial to oblique, and for P ≤ 1.05, their shapes and orientations can be quite distinct. The crystal size distribution (CSD) of plagioclase for P > 1.05 is log linear, in agreement with a bulk simple crystallisation history. These results combined show that for a strong SPO, corresponding to a magnetic anisotropy above 1.10, AMS is a reliable indicator of the magmatic fabric. They indicate that the Apiaí gabbro-norite consists of sill-like body that was inclined gently to the north by the regional folding.     

望云山复式花岗岩体磁性组构特征及其动力学意义

为了分析望云山复式花岗岩体侵位时的动力学状态，对该岩体进行了岩石磁组构参数测定，磁化率的变化特征反映了望云山得式岩体侵位过程中构造环境的变化和单元岩石的暗色矿物组成及其性程度的高低；磁面理的产状与岩体形态和岩石单元分布相吻合，清晰地反映了不同构造单元岩浆侵位方式；磁线理指示岩体的侵位中心，线理表现形式不一，标示侵位方式与受构造应力的不同；晚期岩浆对早期岩浆中的磁线理有一定的改造作用，磁线理方向基本上反映了岩浆原始流动状态；从磁化率椭球参数可以看出岩浆侵位的应变状态；岩浆应力场分布体现了岩浆侵位方式及其所处构造环境，岩体岩石磁组构参数佐证了区域构造,围岩构造及岩体内部其他构造所反映的岩体侵位机制。     

Petrogenesis of the anorthosite-chromitite association: crystal-chemical and petrological insights from the Rum Layered Suite, NW Scotland

Thirteen Cr-bearing spinels from major horizons of magma replenishment in the open-system Rum Layered Suite have been analysed by X-ray single crystal diffraction and electron microprobe analyses. On the basis of the structural parameters and the chemistry of these spinels the so-called Rum trend, in which Al-content increases at the expense of Cr and Fe³⁺, has been easily recognised. In addition, natural spinels with Fe³⁺ content similar to synthetic spinels on the MgCr₂O₄?CMgFe₂O₄ join have been analysed for the first time. Layers of chromitite, anorthosite and peridotite situated within several cm of one another have yielded different intracrystalline exchange temperatures using an intercrystalline spinel-olivine thermometer. The Rum anorthosite Cr-spinels are interpreted as having crystallised within the cumulus pile following rejuvenation of the crystal mush. Their low Al-content is a function of simultaneous plagioclase crystallisation, reducing the amount of Al³⁺ present for the Cr-spinel. By contrast, Cr-spinels in well-known Archean anorthosites (e.g. Ujaragssuit nunat and Fisken?sset, western Greenland) and Sittampundi (southern India) are very aluminous in composition, attributed to crystallisation of Cr-spinel from high-alumina basalts in lower crustal magma chambers and linked to the control exerted by plagioclase crystallisation on Al content of the melt, in the absence of clinopyroxene crystallisation. The compositional differences between the Rum anorthosite Cr-spinels and the Fisken?sset and Sittampundi Cr-spinels suggest that postcumulus reaction of Cr-spinel and melt to low (800?C900°C) temperatures, as invoked for the Rum crystals, may not have been as important a process in the Archean anorthosites.