Petrological constraints on the origin of arc picrites,New Georgia Group,Solomon Islands

Subduction related picrites from the New Georgia archipelago (Solomon Islands) range in bulk MgO from 13 to 30 wt%. Two generations of olivine are identified based on CaO contents: High-CaO olivine phenocrysts from the picritic parental melt and low-CaO olivine xenocrysts incorporated from either lithospheric or asthenospheric upper mantle. There is also evidence that some of the low-CaO olivines are boninitic in origin. The bulk MgO range in the picrites is largely controlled by assimilation of low-CaO olivine xenocrysts. Oxidation states of the melt (FMQ+2.2), calculated from magnetite activities in liquidus chromites, constrain the MgO content of the parental melt to 13 wt%, assuming Fe–Mg exchange equilibrium between melt and liquidus olivine composition. The dry liquidus temperature of the parent melt based on this MgO content is 1340°C, about 80°C above the temperature obtained with the olivine–clinopyroxene Ca-exchange thermobarometer. The residence time of the low-CaO olivine xenocrysts in the magma, estimated from Ca- and Fe–Mg interdiffusion profiles, did not exceed 1 year.     

Lithium elemental and isotopic variations in rock-melt interaction

Despite the occurrence of highly variable lithium (Li) elemental distribution and isotopic fractionation in mantle mineral, the mechanism of Li heterogeneity and fractionation remains a controversial issue. We measured Li contents and isotopic compositions of olivine and clinopyroxene xenocrysts and phenocrysts from kamafugite host lavas, as well as minerals in melt pockets occurring as metasomatic products in peridotite xenoliths from the Western Qinling, central China. The olivine xenocrysts in the kamafugites show compositional zonation. The cores have high Mg# (100 × Mg/(Mg+Fe); 91.0–92.2) and Li abundances (5.63–21.7 ppm), low CaO contents (≤0.12 wt%) and low δ⁷Li values (−39.6 to −6.76‰), which overlap with the compositional ranges of the olivines in the melt pockets as well as those in peridotite xenoliths. The rims of the olivine xenocrysts display relatively low Mg# (85.9–88.2), high CaO contents (0.19–0.38 wt%) and high δ⁷Li values (18.3–26.9‰), which are comparable to the olivine phenocrysts (Mg#: 86.4–87.1; CaO: 0.20–0.28 wt%; Li: 12.4–36.8 ppm; δ⁷Li: 18.1–26.0‰) and the silicate-melt metasomatized olivines. The clinopyroxene phenocrysts and clinopyroxenes in the melt pockets have no distinct characteristics with respect to the Li abundances and δ⁷Li values, but show higher and lower CaO contents, respectively, than the clinopyroxenes from silicate and carbonatite metasomatized samples. These features indicate that Li concentration and isotopic signatures of the cores of the xenocrysts recorded carbonatite melt-peridotite reaction (carbonatite metasomatism) at mantle depth, and the variations in the rims probably resulted from xenocryst–host magma interaction during ascent. Our results reveal that the interaction with carbonatite and silicate melts gave rise to an increase in Li abundance in minerals of peridotite xenoliths at mantle depth or during transportation. In terms of δ⁷Li, the carbonatite and silicate melts produced remarkably contrasting δ⁷Li variations in olivine. Based on the systematic variations of Li abundances and Li isotopes in olivines, we suggest that the δ⁷Li value of olivine is a more important indicator than that of clinopyroxene in discriminating carbonatite and silicate melt interaction agents with peridotites.     

Constraints from melt inclusions and their host olivines on the petrogenesis of Oligocene-Early Miocene Xindian basalts, Chifeng area, North China Craton

The geochemical characteristics of melt inclusions and their host olivines provide important information on the processes that create magmas and the nature of their mantle and crustal source regions. We report chemical compositions of melt inclusions, their host olivines and bulk rocks of Xindian basalts in Chifeng area, North China Craton. Compositions of both bulk rocks and melt inclusions are tholeiitic. Based on petrographic observations and compositional variation of melt inclusions, the crystallizing sequence of Xindian basalts is as follows: olivine (at MgO > ~5.5 wt%), plagioclase (beginning at MgO = ~5.5 wt%), clinopyroxene and ilmenite (at MgO < 5.0 wt%). High Ni contents and Fe/Mn ratios, and low Ca and Mn contents in olivine phenocrysts, combining with low CaO contents of relatively high MgO melt inclusions (MgO > 6 wt%), indicate that Xindian basalts are possibly derived from a pyroxenite source rather than a peridotite source. In the CS-MS-A diagram, all the high MgO melt inclusions (MgO > 6.0 wt%) project in the field between garnet + clinopyroxene + liquid and garnet + clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene + liquid near 3.0 GPa, further suggesting that residual minerals are mainly garnet and clinopyroxene, with possible presence of orthopyroxene, but without olivine. Modeling calculations using MELTS show that the water content of Xindian basalts is 0.3–0.7 wt% at MgO = 8.13 wt%. Using 20–25 % of partial melting estimated by moderately incompatible element ratios, the water content in the source of Xindian basalts is inferred to be ≥450 ppm, much higher than 6–85 ppm in dry lithospheric mantle. The melting depth is inferred to be ~3.0 GPa, much deeper than that of tholeiitic lavas (<2.0 GPa), assuming a peridotite source with a normal mantle potential temperature. Such melting depth is virtually equal to the thickness of lithosphere beneath Chifeng area (~100 km), suggesting that Xindian basalts are derived from the asthenospheric mantle, if the lithospheric lid effect model is assumed.     

Low-Titanium Lamproites of the Ryabinoviy Massif (Aldan Shield): Crystallization Conditions and Lithospheric Source

Obtained data shows that high-potassic dyke rocks of the Ryabinoviy massif (Central Aldan) belong to low-titanium lamproite series (Mediterranean type) and are distinct with “classic” high-titanium lamproites. Based on Al-in-olivine thermometer, temperature of olivine–chrome-spinel pair crystallization varies in range between 1100 and 1250°C. This suggests lithospheric mantle source for the parental melt and makes role of mantle plume insignificant. High-precision data on olivine composition and bulk rock traceelement composition imply mixed source for the parental melt, consisted of depleted peridotite and enriched domains, originated during ancient subduction.     

地幔橄榄岩中橄榄石的指示意义

橄榄石是地幔橄榄岩和辉石岩的主要组成矿物,但也经常以斑晶和捕虏晶的形式出现在玄武质岩石中。结合近年来在地幔橄榄岩的主要元素（如Mg和Fe）组成特征以及Li、Mg和Fe稳定同位素地球化学方面的研究成果,重点对橄榄石的地球化学特征与华北克拉通岩石圈地幔演化过程之间的联系进行了讨论,旨在加深对华北克拉通岩石圈地幔演化过程的理解。现有研究表明：地幔橄榄岩中橄榄石的矿物学特征、元素和同位素地球化学组成能够很好地指示岩石圈地幔的特征及其演化过程,因而具有重要的意义。对于克拉通地区的地幔橄榄岩来说,橄榄石的Mg#通常可以指示岩石圈地幔的属性,古老、难熔的地幔橄榄岩中的橄榄石一般具有较高的Mg#（〉92）,而新生的岩石圈地幔橄榄岩中的橄榄石则具有较低的Mg#（〈91）。因此,地幔橄榄岩中橄榄石的Mg#在一定程度上具有年龄意义。橄榄岩中橄榄石的Li、Mg和Fe同位素组成也可以明确指示岩石圈地幔的属性及其所经历的演化过程,正常地幔的δ7Li、δ26Mg和δ57Fe组成相对均一,如果上述同位素组成偏离正常地幔值,则说明岩石圈地幔经历了熔体/流体的交代作用。华北克拉通地区地幔橄榄岩捕虏体中橄榄石的Li、Mg和Fe同位素组成研究表明：该区的岩石圈地幔经历了多个阶段、不同来源的熔体/流体的改造过程。     

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.     

Primary petrology,mineralogy and age of the Letšeng-la-Terae kimberlite (Lesotho,Southern Africa) and parental magmas of Group-I kimberlites

The Let?eng-la-Terae kimberlite (Lesotho), famous for its large high-value diamonds, has five distinct phases that are mined in a Main and a Satellite pipe. These diatreme phases are heavily altered but parts of a directly adjacent kimberlite blow are exceptionally fresh. The blow groundmass consists of preserved primary olivine with Fo_86?88, chromite, magnesio-ulvöspinel and magnetite, perovskite, monticellite, occasional Sr-rich carbonate, phlogopite, apatite, calcite and serpentine. The bulk composition of the groundmass, extracted by micro-drilling, yields 24–26 wt% SiO₂, 20–21 wt% MgO, 16–19 wt% CaO and 1.9–2.1 wt% K₂O, the latter being retained in phlogopite. Without a proper mineral host, groundmass Na₂O is only 0.09–0.16 wt%. However, Na-rich K-richterite observed in orthopyroxene coronae allows to reconstruct a parent melt Na₂O content of 3.5–5 wt%, an amount similar to that of highly undersaturated primitive ocean island basanites. The groundmass contains 10–12 wt% CO₂, H₂O is estimated to 4–5 wt%, but volatiles and alkalis were considerably reduced by degassing. Mg# of 77.9 and 530 ppm Ni are in equilibrium with olivine phenocrysts, characterize the parent melt and are not due to olivine fractionation. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i)?=?0.703602–0.703656, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i)?=?0.512660 and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf_(i)?=?0.282677–0.282679 indicate that the Let?eng kimberlite originates from the convective upper mantle. U–Pb dating of groundmass perovskite reveals an emplacement age of 85.5?±?0.3 (2σ) Ma, which is significantly younger than previously proposed for the Let?eng kimberlite.     

Water content of primitive low-K tholeiitic basalt magma from Iwate Volcano,NE Japan arc: implications for differentiation mechanism of frontal-arc basalt magmas

The water content of low-K tholeiitic basalt magma from Iwate volcano, which is located on the volcanic front of the NE Japan arc, was estimated using multi-component thermodynamic models. The Iwate lavas are moderately porphyritic, consisting of ~8 vol.% olivine and ~20 vol.% plagioclase phenocrysts. The olivine and plagioclase phenocrysts show significant compositional variations, and the Mg# of olivine phenocrysts (Mg#78–85) correlates positively with the An content of coexisting plagioclase phenocrysts (An_85–92). The olivine phenocrysts with Mg# > ~82 do not form crystal aggregates with plagioclase phenocrysts. It is inferred from these observations that the phenocrysts with variable compositions were primarily derived from mushy boundary layers along the walls of a magma chamber. By using thermodynamic calculations with the observed petrological features of the lavas, the water content of the Iwate magma was estimated to be 4–5 wt.%. The high water content of the magma supports the recent consensus that frontal-arc magmas are remarkably hydrous. Using the estimated water content of the Iwate magma, the water content and temperature of the source mantle were estimated. Given that the Iwate magma was derived from a primary magma solely by olivine fractionation, the water content and temperature were estimated to be ~0.7 wt.% and ~1,310 °C, respectively. Differentiation mechanisms of low-K frontal-arc basalt magmas were also examined by application of a thermodynamics-based mass balance model to the Iwate magma. It is suggested that magmatic differentiation proceeds primarily through fractionation of crystals from the main molten part of a magma chamber when it is located at <~200 MPa, whereas magma evolves through a convective melt exchange between the main magma and mushy boundary layers when the magma body is located at >~200 MPa.     

Primary melt from Sannome-gata volcano,NE Japan arc: constraints on generation conditions of rear-arc magmas

The conditions under which rear-arc magmas are generated were estimated using primary basalts from the Sannome-gata volcano, located in the rear of the NE Japan arc. Scoriae from the volcano occur with abundant crustal and mantle xenoliths, suggesting that the magma ascended rapidly from the upper mantle. The scoriae show significant variations in their whole-rock compositions (7.9–11.1 wt% MgO). High-MgO scoriae (MgO > ~9.5 wt%) have mostly homogeneous ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70318–0.70320), whereas low-MgO scoriae (MgO < ~9 wt%) have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (>0.70327); ratios tend to increase with decreasing MgO content. The high-MgO scoriae are aphyric, containing ~5 vol% olivine microphenocrysts with Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺)] of up to 90. In contrast, the low-MgO scoriae have crustal xenocrysts of plagioclase, alkali feldspar, and quartz, and the mineralogic modes correlate negatively with whole-rock MgO content. On the basis of these observations, it is inferred that the high-MgO scoriae represent primary or near-primary melts, while the low-MgO scoriae underwent considerable interaction with the crust. Using thermodynamic analysis of the observed petrological features of the high-MgO scoriae, the eruption temperature of the magmas was constrained to 1,160–1,220 °C. Given that the source mantle was depleted MORB-source mantle, the primary magma was plausibly generated by ~7 % melting of a garnet-bearing spinel peridotite; taking this into consideration, and considering the constraints of multi-component thermodynamics, we estimated that the primary Sannome-gata magma was generated in the source mantle with 0.5–0.6 wt% H₂O at 1,220–1,230 °C and at ~1.8 GPa, and that the H₂O content of the primary magma was 6–7 wt%. The rear-arc Sannome-gata magma was generated by a lower degree of melting of the mantle at greater depths and lower temperatures than the frontal-arc magma from the Iwate volcano, which was also estimated to be generated by ~15 % melting of the source mantle with 0.6–0.7 wt% H₂O at ~1,250 °C and at ~1.3 GPa.     

Lamproites as indicators of accretion and/or shallow subduction in the assembly of south‐western Anatolia,Turkey

The geochemistry and mineralogy of lamproites from south‐western Anatolia can be used as a snapshot of the lithospheric composition beneath the Menderes Massif. High and near‐constant K₂O contents, the presence of mantle xenocrystic phlogopite and olivine, highly magnesian olivine phenocrysts and Cr‐rich spinel inclusions all indicate that the lithospheric mantle was phlogopite‐bearing ultradepleted harzburgite at the time of lamproite eruption (20–4 Ma). This mantle assemblage most probably originated in a complex multistage process, including (intra‐oceanic) supra‐subduction zone depletion during the final stages of southern Neotethyan ocean closure, and accretion of the forearc oceanic lithosphere as shallowly subducted material to the already assembled Anatolia. The data presented here support shallow subduction of the oceanic lithosphere as a cause of the uplift of the Menderes Massif, in contrast to the traditional core‐complex model. Terra Nova, 00, 000–000, 2010     

Fluid and melt inclusions in the Mesozoic Fangcheng basalt from North China Craton: implications for magma evolution and fluid/melt-peridotite reaction

Melt inclusions and fluid inclusions in the Fangcheng basalt were investigated to understand the magma evolution and fluid/melt-peridotite interaction. Primary silicate melt inclusions were trapped in clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene phenocrysts in the Fangcheng basalt. Three types of melt inclusions (silicate, carbonate, and sulfide) coexisting with fluid inclusions occur in clinopyroxene xenocrysts and clinopyroxene in clinopyroxenite xenoliths. In situ laser-ablation ICP-MS analyses of major and trace element compositions on individual melt inclusions suggest that the silicate melt inclusions in clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene phenocrysts were trapped from the same basaltic magma. The decoupling of major and trace elements in the melt inclusions indicates that the magma evolution was controlled by melt crystallization and contamination from entrapped ultramafic xenoliths. Trace element patterns of melt inclusions are similar to those of the average crust of North China Craton and Yangtze Craton, suggesting a considerable crustal contribution to the magma source. Calculated parental melt of the Fangcheng basalt has features of low MgO (5.96 wt%), high Al₂O₃ (16.81 wt%), Sr (1,670 ppm), Y (>35 ppm), and high Sr/Y (>40), implying that subducted crustal material was involved in the genesis of the Fangcheng basalt. The coexisting fluid and melt inclusions in clinopyroxene xenocrysts and in clinopyroxene of xenoliths record a rare melt-peridotite reaction, that is olivine + carbonatitic melt₁ (rich in Ca) = clinopyroxene + melt₂ ± CO₂. The produced melt₂ is enriched in LREE and CO₂ and may fertilize the mantle significantly, which we consider to be the cause for the rapid replacement of lithospheric mantle during the Mesozoic in the region.     

Young,olivine xenocryst-bearing alkali-basalt from the oceanward slope of the Japan Trench

Young (6 Ma) alkali-basalts were collected from the toe of the oceanward slope of the northern Japan Trench. Two types of olivine are present in these lavas, xenocrysts with reaction rims and magmatic. The forsterite (Fo) (no. 91–92) values and NiO contents (0.3–0.5 wt%) of the xenocrysts are similar in composition to those of the depleted mantle peridotite. The groundmass olivines have relatively lower Fo values (no. 81–88) and NiO contents (0.1–0.5 wt%). Reaction rims and the vicinity of the silicate inclusion in xenocrysts show the intermediate compositions between the xenocryst and magmatic olivines. Chromian spinel inclusions in the xenocrysts also show the depleted composition in the range of abyssal peridotite. CO₂ fluid inclusions in the xenocryst records pressures before entrainment into the host magma up to 0.4 GPa, which corresponds to a depth of up to 14 km of lithospheric mantle. These data indicate that the xenocrysts originate from MORB-depleted mantle.     

Revisiting the compositions and volatile contents of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Mount Shasta region: implications for the formation of high-Mg andesites

Primitive chemical characteristics of high-Mg andesites (HMA) suggest equilibration with mantle wedge peridotite, and they may form through either shallow, wet partial melting of the mantle or re-equilibration of slab melts migrating through the wedge. We have re-examined a well-studied example of HMA from near Mt. Shasta, CA, because petrographic evidence for magma mixing has stimulated a recent debate over whether HMA magmas have a mantle origin. We examined naturally quenched, glassy, olivine-hosted (Fo_87–94) melt inclusions from this locality and analyzed the samples by FTIR, LA-ICPMS, and electron probe. Compositions (uncorrected for post-entrapment modification) are highly variable and can be divided into high-CaO (>10 wt%) melts only found in Fo > 91 olivines and low-CaO (<10 wt%) melts in Fo 87–94 olivine hosts. There is evidence for extensive post-entrapment modification in many inclusions. High-CaO inclusions experienced 1.4–3.5 wt% FeO^T loss through diffusive re-equilibration with the host olivine and 13–28 wt% post-entrapment olivine crystallization. Low-CaO inclusions experienced 1–16 wt% olivine crystallization with <2 wt% FeO^T loss experienced by inclusions in Fo > 90 olivines. Restored low-CaO melt inclusions are HMAs (57–61 wt% SiO₂; 4.9–10.9 wt% MgO), whereas high-CaO inclusions are primitive basaltic andesites (PBA) (51–56 wt% SiO₂; 9.8–15.1 wt% MgO). HMA and PBA inclusions have distinct trace element characteristics. Importantly, both types of inclusions are volatile-rich, with maximum values in HMA and PBA melt inclusions of 3.5 and 5.6 wt% H₂O, 830 and 2,900 ppm S, 1,590 and 2,580 ppm Cl, and 500 and 820 ppm CO₂, respectively. PBA melts are comparable to experimental hydrous melts in equilibrium with harzburgite. Two-component mixing between PBA and dacitic magma (59:41) is able to produce a primitive HMA composition, but the predicted mixture shows some small but significant major and trace element discrepancies from published whole-rock analyses from the Shasta locality. An alternative model that involves incorporation of xenocrysts (high-Mg olivine from PBA and pyroxenes from dacite) into a primary (mantle-derived) HMA magma can explain the phenocryst and melt inclusion compositions but is difficult to evaluate quantitatively because of the complex crystal populations. Our results suggest that a spectrum of mantle-derived melts, including both PBA and HMA, may be produced beneath the Shasta region. Compositional similarities between Shasta parental melts and boninites imply similar magma generation processes related to the presence of refractory harzburgite in the shallow mantle.     

Petrology and geochemistry of the Mesoproterozoic Vattikod lamproites,Eastern Dharwar Craton,southern India: evidence for multiple enrichment of sub-continental lithospheric mantle and links with amalgamation and break-up of the Columbia supercontinent

Numerous lamproite dykes are hosted by the Eastern Dharwar Craton, southern India, particularly towards the northwestern margin of the Cuddapah Basin. We present here a comprehensive mineralogical and geochemical (including Sr and Nd isotopic) study on the lamproites from the Vattikod Field, exposed in the vicinity of the well-studied Ramadugu lamproite field. The Vattikod lamproites trend WNW–ESE to NW–SE and reveal effects of low-temperature post-magmatic alteration. The studied lamproites show porphyritic texture with carbonated and serpentinized olivine, diopside, fluorine-rich phlogopite, amphibole, apatite, chromite, allanite, and calcite. The trace-element geochemistry (elevated Sr and HFSE) reveals their mixed affinity to orogenic as well as anorogenic lamproites. Higher fluorine content of the hydrous phases coupled with higher whole-rock K₂O highlights the role of metasomatic phlogopite and apatite in the mantle source regions. Trace-element ratios such as Zr/Hf and Ti/Eu reveal carbonate metasomatism of mantle previously enriched by ancient subduction processes. The initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr-isotopic ratios (calculated for an assumed emplacement age of 1350 Ma) vary from 0.7037 to 0.7087 and ?Nd range from ??10.6 to ??9.3, consistent with data on global lamproites and ultrapotassic rocks. We attribute the mixed orogenic–anorogenic character for the lamproites under study to multi-stage metasomatism. We relate the (1) earlier subduction-related enrichment to the Paleoproterozoic amalgamation of the Columbia supercontinent and the (2) second episode of carbonate metasomatism to the Mesoproterozoic rift-related asthenospheric upwelling associated with the Columbia breakup. This study highlights the association of lamproites with supercontinent amalgamation and fragmentation in the Earth history.     

Picritic porphyrites and associated basalts from the remnant Comei Large Igneous Province in SE Tibet: records of mantle‐plume activity

Picritic porphyrites and associated basalts are found in Lower Cretaceous slates within the recently identified remnant Comei Large Igneous Province, SE Tibet. They provide an opportunity to explore the mantle potential temperature of this large igneous province and the genetic correlation between the picritic porphyrites and associated basalts. The high levels of MgO and CaO in olivine phenocrysts from the picritic porphyrites indicate that these olivines crystallized from high‐Mg magmas. By deducting the accumulated olivines, we determined a parental magma MgO content for the picritic porphyrites of c. 20% MgO, corresponding to a mantle potential temperature of >1550 °C for the parental magma. Such a high temperature provides solid evidence for a mantle‐plume origin of the remnant Comei Large Igneous Province. Parallel trace‐element patterns and similar ε_Nd (T) and (¹⁷⁷Os/¹⁷⁸Os)_T values in the picritic porphyrites and associated basalts suggest a common hot mantle source region for their generation.     

Potassic primary melts of vulsini (Roman Province): evidence from mineralogy and melt inclusions

The origin and the relationships between the high potassic (HKS) and potassic (KS) suites of the Roman Comagmatic Province and the nature of their primary magmas have been intensively debated over the past 35 years. We have addressed these problems by a study of mineralogy (olivine Fo_92-87, Cr-spinel and diopside) and melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts from a scoria sample of Montefiascone (Vulsini area). This rock is considered as one of the most primitive (MgO=13.5 wt%, NiO=340 ppm; Cr=1275 ppm) in the northern part of the Roman Comagmatic Province. The compositions of both the olivine and their melt inclusions are controlled by two main processes. In the case of the olivine Fo<90.5, fractional crystallization (olivine + diopside + minor spinel) was the principal mechanism of the magma evolution. The olivine (Fo_92-90.5) and the Cr-spinel (Cr#=100. Cr/(Cr+Al)=63-73) represent a near-primary liquidus assemblage and indicate the mantle origin of their parental magmas. The compositions of melt inclusions in these olivine phenocrysts correspond to those of poorly fractionated H₂O-rich ( 1 wt%) primary melts (MgO=8.4-9.7 wt%,FeO^total=6-7.5 wt%). They evidence a wide compositional range (in wt%: SiO₂=46.5-50, K₂O=5.3-2.8, P₂O₅=0.4-0.2, S=0.26-0.12; Cl=0.05-0.03, and CaO/Al₂O₃= 0.8-1.15), with negative correlations between SiO₂ and K₂O, Al₂O₃ and CaO, as well as positive correlations between K₂O, and P₂O₅, S, Cl, with nearly constant ratios between these elements. These results are discussed in terms of segregation of various mantle-derived melts. The high and constant Mg# [100.Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺)] 73-75 of studied melts and their variable Si, K, P, Ca, Al, S contents could be explained by the melting of a refractory lithospheric mantle source, heterogeneously enriched in phlogopite and clinopyroxene (veined mantle source).     

Melting phase relations of a mica–clinopyroxenite from the Milk River area, southern Alberta, Canada

Melting experiments were conducted on a mica–clinopyroxenite xenolith brought up in a minette dyke in southern Alberta, Canada, near Milk River. Both the minettes and mica–clinopyroxenite xenoliths were studied by Buhlmann et al. (Can J Earth Sci 37:1629–1650, 2000), who hypothesized that the minettes formed by partial melting of a mantle source containing clinopyroxene + phlogopite ± olivine, at pressures ≥1.7 GPa. In liquidus experiments performed on the most primitive minette in our previous study (Funk and Luth in Contrib Mineral Petrol 164:999–1009, 2012), we found a multiple saturation point where olivine and orthopyroxene coexisted with liquid at 1.77 GPa and 1,350 °C. We argued that the minette originally formed by partial melting of clinopyroxene + phlogopite, but had re-equilibrated with a harzburgite during ascent. In the current study, we wanted to test both the source region hypothesis of Buhlmann et al. and our re-equilibration hypothesis by studying the near-solidus phase equilibria of a mica + clinopyroxene assemblage. We found the solidus for our xenolith has a steep slope in P–T space and lies at temperatures above those of a normal cratonic geotherm, implying that this mica–clinopyroxenite is stable in the cratonic mantle. Melting could occur at greater depths, where the solidus is extrapolated to cross the geotherm or must be induced either by raising the temperatures of the surrounding rocks or by introducing hydrous fluids into the source. Our melts are in equilibrium with clinopyroxene and olivine. The compositions of the liquids derived from melting this xenolith are similar to madupitic lamproites from the Leucite Hills, Wyoming, studied by Carmichael (Contrib Mineral Petrol 15:24–66, 1967) and Barton and Hamilton (Contrib Mineral Petrol 66:41–49, 1978; Contrib Mineral Petrol 69:133–142, 1979). Barton and Hamilton (Contrib Mineral Petrol 69:133–142, 1979) proposed that the madupitic lamproites may have come from a source containing mica and pyroxene. This study supports their hypothesis. The composition of the most primitive minette from southern Alberta lies between our experimental melt and a population of representative mantle orthopyroxenes. We conclude from our study that the Milk River minettes were likely derived from a source containing phlogopite, clinopyroxene and trace amounts of apatite, which formed olivine upon melting. During ascent, the melts changed composition by reacting with orthopyroxene.     

Barium- and LREE-rich, olivine-mica-lamprophyres with affinities to lamproites, Mt. Bundey, Northern Territory, Australia

Primitive olivine-mica-K-feldspar lamprophyre dykes, dated at 1831 ± 6 Ma, intrude lower greenschist facies rocks of the Early Proterozoic Pine Creek Inlier, of northern Australia. They are spatially, temporally and probably genetically associated with a post-tectonic composite granite-syenite pluton (Mt. Bundey pluton). The dykes have unusually high contents of large-ion-lithophile (LILE) and LREE elements (e.g. Ba up to 10,000 ppm, Ce up to 550 ppm, K₂O up to 7.5 wt. %) that resemble the concentrations found in the West Kimberley olivine and leucite lamproites. However, mineralogically the Mt. Bundey lamprophyres resemble shoshonitic lamprophyres and lack any minerals diagnostic of lamproites; leucite or leucite-pseudomorphs are absent. Mineral compositions are also unlike those in lamproites: micas contain higher Al₂O₃ than lamproitic mica; amphiboles are secondary actinolites after diopside; and oxides consist of zincian-chromian magnetite and groundmass magnetite. Heavy mineral concentrates contain mantle-derived xenocrysts of magnesiochromite, pyrope, Cr-diopside and rutile indicating a depth of sampling > 70 km. The Mt. Bundey lamprophyres are non-peralkaline to borderline peralkaline (molar (K + Na)/Al = 0.8 − 1.0) and potassic rather than ultrapotassic (molar K/Na < 2.5). They have distinctive major element compositions (≈46−49 wt. % SiO₂, ≈1.5−2 wt. % MgO, ≈7 wt. % CaO), and element ratios (e.g. molar Al/Ti ≈10, K/Na ≈2) that indicate they are best classified amongst transitional lamproites, i.e. potassic rocks such as cocites, jumillites and Navajominettes, that have geochemical characteristics transitional between Groups I and III. (Foley et al., 1987). The Mt. Bundey lamprophyres have LILE enrichment patterns that resemble the W. Kimberley pamproites but have moderate negative Ta---Nb---Ti anomalies and HREE abundances that are closely similar to the jumillites of southeastern Spain and Mediterranean-type lamproites. Single-stage modelling of Rb---Sr data is consistent with enrichment of the source-region of the Mt. Bundey lamprophyres ≈ 120–170 Ma before partial melting; i.e. at 1.95–2.10 Ga. Source enrichment does not appear to be associated with subduction processes, but may instead relate to incipient rifting of the Archaean basement. Negative Ta---Nb---Ti anomalies in the Mt. Bundey dykes may, therefore, relate to stability of residual titanate minerals in an oxidized subcontinental mantle source. This view is supported by high Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratios of mantle-derived magnesiochromite xenocrysts which indicate oxidized mantle conditions (ƒ_o2 ≈ FMQ + 1 long units), and by the presence of xenocrystic Cr-bearing rutile. Although the Mt. Bundey dykes have sampled upper mantle material, the oxidized nature of the magma source-region, and of the magma itself, suggests that conditions may not be favourable for diamond survival at depth nor for diamond transport in transitional lamproite magmas of this kind.     

The effect of liquid composition on the partitioning of Ni between olivine and silicate melt

We report the results of experiments designed to separate the effects of temperature and pressure from liquid composition on the partitioning of Ni between olivine and liquid, \(D_{\text{Ni}}^{\text{ol/liq}}\). Experiments were performed from 1300 to 1600 °C and 1 atm to 3.0 GPa, using mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glass surrounded by powdered olivine in graphite–Pt double capsules at high pressure and powdered MORB in crucibles fabricated from single crystals of San Carlos olivine at one atmosphere. In these experiments, pressure and temperature were varied in such a way that we produced a series of liquids, each with an approximately constant composition (~12, ~15, and ~21 wt% MgO). Previously, we used a similar approach to show that \(D_{\text{Ni}}^{\text{ol/liq}}\) for a liquid with ~18 wt% MgO is a strong function of temperature. Combining the new data presented here with our previous results allows us to separate the effects of temperature from composition. We fit our data based on a Ni–Mg exchange reaction, which yields \(\ln \left( {D_{\text{Ni}}^{\text{molar}} } \right) = \frac{{ -\Delta _{r(1)} H_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } }}{RT} + \frac{{\Delta _{r(1)} S_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } }}{R} - \ln \left( {\frac{{X_{\text{MgO}}^{\text{liq}} }}{{X_{{{\text{MgSi}}_{ 0. 5} {\text{O}}_{ 2} }}^{\text{ol}} }}} \right).\) Each subset of constant composition experiments displays roughly the same temperature dependence of \(D_{\text{Ni}}^{\text{ol/liq}}\) (i.e.,\(-\Delta _{r(1)} H_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } /R\)) as previously reported for liquids with ~18 wt% MgO. Fitting new data presented here (15 experiments) in conjunction with our 13 previously published experiments (those with ~18 wt% MgO in the silicate liquid) to the above expression gives \(-\Delta _{r(1)} H_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } /R\) = 3641 ± 396 (K) and \(\Delta _{r(1)} S_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } /R\) = ? 1.597 ± 0.229. Adding data from the literature yields \(-\Delta _{r(1)} H_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } /R\) = 4505 ± 196 (K) and \(\Delta _{r(1)} S_{{T_{\text{ref}} ,P_{\text{ref}} }}^{ \circ } /R\) = ? 2.075 ± 0.120, a set of coefficients that leads to a predictive equation for \(D_{\text{Ni}}^{\text{ol/liq}}\) applicable to a wide range of melt compositions. We use the results of our work to model the melting of peridotite beneath lithosphere of varying thickness and show that: (1) a positive correlation between NiO in magnesian olivine phenocrysts and lithospheric thickness is expected given a temperature-dependent \(D_{\text{Ni}}^{\text{ol/liq}} ,\) and (2) the magnitude of the slope for natural samples is consistent with our experimentally determined temperature dependence. Alternative processes to generate the positive correlation between NiO in magnesian olivines and lithospheric thickness, such as the melting of olivine-free pyroxenite, are possible, but they are not required to explain the observed correlation of NiO concentration in initially crystallizing olivine with lithospheric thickness.