The Origin and Evolution of the Kaapvaal Cratonic Lithospheric Mantle

A detailed petrological and geochemical study of low-temperatureperidotite xenoliths from Kimberley and northern Lesotho ispresented to constrain the processes that led to the magmaphileelement depletion of the Kaapvaal cratonic lithospheric mantleand its subsequent re-enrichment in Si and incompatible traceelements. Whole-rocks and minerals have been characterized forRe–Os isotope compositions, and major and trace elementconcentrations, and garnet and clinopyroxene for Lu–Hfand Sm–Nd isotope compositions. Most samples are characterizedby Archaean Os model ages, low Al, Fe and Ca contents, highMg/Fe, low Re/Os, very low (< 0·1 x chondrite) heavyrare earth element (HREE) concentrations and a decoupling betweenNd and Hf isotope ratios. These features are most consistentwith initial melting at 3·2 Ga followed by metasomatismby hydrous fluids, which may have also caused additional meltingto produce a harzburgitic residue. The low HREE abundances ofthe peridotites require that extensive melting occurred in thespinel stability field, possibly preceded by some melting inthe presence of garnet. Fractional melting models suggest that30% melting in the spinel field or 20% melting in the garnetfield followed by 20% spinel-facies melting are required toexplain the most melt-depleted samples. Garnet Nd–Hf isotopecharacteristics indicate metasomatic trace element enrichmentduring the Archaean. We therefore suggest a model includingshallow ridge melting, followed by metasomatism of the Kaapvaalupper mantle in subduction zones surrounding cratonic nuclei,probably during amalgamation of smaller pre-existing terranesin the Late Archaean (2·9 Ga). The fluid-metasomatizedresidua have subsequently undergone localized silicate meltinfiltration that led to clinopyroxene ± garnet enrichment.Calculated equilibrium liquids for clinopyroxene and their Hf–Ndisotope compositions suggest that most diopside in the xenolithscrystallized from an infiltrating kimberlite-like melt, eitherduring Group II kimberlite magmatism at 200–110 Ma (Kimberley),or shortly prior to eruption of the host kimberlite around 90Ma (northern Lesotho). KEY WORDS: Kaapvaal craton; lithospheric mantle; metasomatism; Nd–Hf isotopes; Re–Os isotopes     

Genesis of Ultramafic Lamprophyres and Carbonatites at Aillik Bay, Labrador: a Consequence of Incipient Lithospheric Thinning beneath the North Atlantic Craton

Numerous dykes of ultramafic lamprophyre (aillikite, mela-aillikite,damtjernite) and subordinate dolomite-bearing carbonatite withU–Pb perovskite emplacement ages of 590–555 Ma occurin the vicinity of Aillik Bay, coastal Labrador. The ultramaficlamprophyres principally consist of olivine and phlogopite phenocrystsin a carbonate- or clinopyroxene-dominated groundmass. Ti-richprimary garnet (kimzeyite and Ti-andradite) typically occursat the aillikite type locality and is considered diagnosticfor ultramafic lamprophyre–carbonatite suites. Titanianaluminous phlogopite and clinopyroxene, as well as comparativelyAl-enriched but Cr–Mg-poor spinel (Cr-number < 0.85),are compositionally distinct from analogous minerals in kimberlites,orangeites and olivine lamproites, indicating different magmageneses. The Aillik Bay ultramafic lamprophyres and carbonatiteshave variable but overlapping ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i ratios (0·70369–0·70662)and show a narrow range in initial _Nd (+0·1 to +1·9)implying that they are related to a common type of parentalmagma with variable isotopic characteristics. Aillikite is closestto this primary magma composition in terms of MgO (15–20wt %) and Ni (200–574 ppm) content; the abundant groundmasscarbonate has ¹³C_PDB between –5·7 and –5,similar to primary mantle-derived carbonates, and ¹⁸O_SMOW from9·4 to 11·6. Extensive melting of a garnet peridotitesource region containing carbonate- and phlogopite-rich veinsat 4–7 GPa triggered by enhanced lithospheric extensioncan account for the volatile-bearing, potassic, incompatibleelement enriched and MgO-rich nature of the proto-aillikitemagma. It is argued that low-degree potassic silicate to carbonatiticmelts from upwelling asthenosphere infiltrated the cold baseof the stretched lithosphere and solidified as veins, therebycrystallizing calcite and phlogopite that were not in equilibriumwith peridotite. Continued Late Neoproterozoic lithosphericthinning, with progressive upwelling of the asthenosphere beneatha developing rift branch in this part of the North Atlanticcraton, caused further veining and successive remelting of veinsplus volatile-fluxed melting of the host fertile garnet peridotite,giving rise to long-lasting hybrid ultramafic lamprophyre magmaproduction in conjunction with the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent.Proto-aillikite magma reached the surface only after coatingthe uppermost mantle conduits with glimmeritic material, whichcaused minor alkali loss. At intrusion level, carbonate separationfrom this aillikite magma resulted in fractionated dolomite-bearingcarbonatites (¹³C_PDB –3·7 to –2·7)and carbonate-poor mela-aillikite residues. Damtjernites maybe explained by liquid exsolution from alkali-rich proto-aillikitemagma batches that moved through previously reaction-lined conduitsat uppermost mantle depths. KEY WORDS: liquid immiscibility; mantle-derived magmas; metasomatism, Sr–Nd isotopes; U–Pb geochronology     

Thermal History of the Horoman Peridotite Complex: A Record of Thermal Perturbation in the Lithospheric Mantle

The ascent history of the Horoman peridotite complex, Hokkaido,northern Japan, is revised on the basis of a detailed studyof large ortho- and clinopyroxene grains 1 cm in size (megacrysts)in the Upper Zone of the complex. The orthopyroxene megacrystsexhibit distinctive M-shaped Al zoning patterns, which werenot observed in porphyroclastic grains less than 5 mm in sizedescribed in previous studies. Moreover, the Al and Ca contentsof the cores of the orthopyroxene megacrysts are lower thanthose of the porphyroclasts. The Upper Zone is inferred to haveresided not only at a higher temperature than previously suggestedbut also at a higher pressure (1070°C, 2·3 GPa) thanthe Lower Zone (950°C, 1·9 GPa), in the garnet stabilityfield, before the ascent of the two zones. The Horoman complexprobably represents a 12 ± 5 km thick section of lithosphericmantle with an 10 ± 8°C/km vertical thermal gradient.The current thickness of the Horoman complex is 3 km, whichis a result of shortening of the lithospheric mantle by 0·25± 0·1 during its ascent. The Upper Zone appearsto have experienced a heating event during its ascent throughthe spinel stability field, with a peak temperature as highas 1200°C. The effect of heating decreases continuouslytowards the base of the complex, and the lowermost part of theLower Zone underwent very minor heating at a pressure higherthan 0·5 GPa. The uplift and associated deformation,as well as heating, was probably driven by the ascent of a hotasthenospheric upper-mantle diapir into the Horoman lithosphere. KEY WORDS: Horoman; P–T trajectory; thermal history; Al diffusion in pyroxene; geothermobarometry     

Fluid--Rock Interaction during Low-Pressure Polymetamorphism of the Reynolds Range Group, Central Australia

Marbles and metapelites from the Reynolds Range Group (centralAustralia) were regionally metamorphosed at low pressure duringM₂ at 1.6 Ga, M₂ ranged in grade from greenschist to granulitefacies along the length of the Reynolds Range, and overprinted1.78 Ga granites and their contact aureoles in the ReynoldsRange Group metasediments. At all M₂ grades the marbles andmetapelites have highly variable oxygen isotope ratios [marbles:¹⁸O(carb) 14–20%; metapelites: ¹⁸O 6–14%). Similarly, 1.78 Ga granites have highly variable oxygen isotope ratios(¹⁸O 5–13%), with the lowest values occurring at thegranite margins. In all rock types, the lowest oxygen isotopevalues are consistent with the infiltration of channelled magmaticand/or meteoric fluids. The variable lowering of oxygen isotopevalues resulted from pre-M₂ contact metamorphism and fluid—rockinteraction around the 1.78 Ga granites. In contrast, mineralassemblages in the marbles define a trend of increasing X_CO2with increasing grade from <0.05 (greenschist facies) to0.7–1.0 (granulite facies). This, together with the lackof regionally systematic resetting of oxygen isotope ratios,implies that there was little fluid—rock interaction duringprograde regional metamorphism. KEY WORDS: low pressure; polymetamorphism; fluids; stable isotopes; petrology ^*Corresponding author Fax: 61–3–94791272. e-mail: geoisb{at}lure.latrobe.edu.au     

Experimental Constraints on the Role of Garnet Pyroxenite in the Genesis of High-Fe Mantle Plume Derived Melts

The anhydrous phase relations of an uncontaminated (primitive),ferropicrite lava from the base of the Early Cretaceous Paraná–Etendekacontinental flood basalt province have been determined between1 atm and 7 GPa. The sample has high contents of MgO (14·9wt %), FeO^* (14·9 wt %) and Ni (660 ppm). Olivine phenocrystshave maximum Fo contents of 85 and are in equilibrium with thebulk rock, assuming a of 0·32. A comparison of our results with previous experimental studiesof high-Mg rocks shows that the high FeO content of the ferropicritecauses an expansion of the liquidus crystallization field ofgarnet and clinopyroxene relative to olivine; orthopyroxenewas not observed in any of our experiments. The high FeO contentalso decreases solidus temperatures. Phase relations indicatethat the ferropicrite melt last equilibrated either at 2·2GPa with an olivine–clinopyroxene residue, or at 5 GPawith a garnet–clinopyroxene residue. The low bulk-rockAl₂O₃ content (9 wt %) and high [Gd/Yb]_n ratio (3·1)are consistent with the presence of residual garnet in the ferropicritemelt source and favour high-pressure melting of a garnet pyroxenitesource. The garnet pyroxenite may represent subducted oceaniclithosphere entrained by the upwelling Tristan starting mantleplume head. During adiabatic decompression, intersection ofthe garnet pyroxenite solidus at 5 GPa would occur at a mantlepotential temperature of 1550°C and yield a ferropicriteprimary magma. Subsequent melting of the surrounding peridotiteat 4·5 GPa may be restricted by the thickness of theoverlying sub-continental lithosphere, such that dilution ofthe garnet pyroxenite melt component would be significantlyless than in intra-oceanic plate settings (where the lithosphereis thinner). This model may explain the limited occurrence offerropicrites at the base of continental flood basalt sequencesand their apparent absence in ocean-island basalt successions. KEY WORDS: continental flood basalt; ferropicrite; mantle heterogeneity; mantle melting; phase relations; pyroxenite     

Source of the Quaternary Alkalic Basalts, Picrites and Basanites of the Potrillo Volcanic Field, New Mexico, USA: Lithosphere or Convecting Mantle?

The <80 ka basalts–basanites of the Potrillo VolcanicField (PVF) form scattered scoria cones, lava flows and maarsadjacent to the New Mexico–Mexico border. MgO ranges upto 12·5%; lavas with MgO < 10·7% have fractionatedboth olivine and clinopyroxene. Cumulate fragments are commonin the lavas, as are subhedral megacrysts of aluminous clinopyroxene(with pleonaste inclusions) and kaersutitic amphibole. REE modellingindicates that these megacrysts could be in equilibrium withthe PVF melts at 1·6–1·7 GPa pressure. Thelavas fall into two geochemical groups: the Main Series (85%of lavas) have major- and trace-element abundances and ratiosclosely resembling those of worldwide ocean-island alkali basaltsand basanites (OIB); the Low-K Series (15%) differ principallyby having relatively low K₂O and Rb contents. Otherwise, theyare chemically indistinguishable from the Main Series lavas.Sr- and Nd-isotopic ratios in the two series are identical andvary by scarcely more than analytical error, averaging ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr= 0·70308 (SD = 0·00004) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0·512952(SD=0·000025). Such compositions would be expected ifboth series originated from the same mantle source, with Low-Kmelts generated when amphibole remained in the residuum. ThreePVF lavas have very low Os contents (<14 ppt) and appearto have become contaminated by crustal Os. One Main Series picritehas 209 ppt Os and has a _Os value of +13·6, typical forOIB. This contrasts with published ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios for KilbourneHole peridotite mantle xenoliths, which give mostly negative_Os values and show that Proterozoic lithospheric mantle formsa thick Mechanical Boundary Layer (MBL) that extends to 70 kmdepth beneath the PVF area. The calculated mean primary magma,in equilibrium with Fo₈₉, has Na₂O and FeO contents that givea lherzolite decompression melting trajectory from 2·8GPa (95 km depth) to 2·2 GPa (70 km depth). Inverse modellingof REE abundances in Main Series Mg-rich lavas is successfulfor a model invoking decompression melting of convecting sub-lithosphericlherzolite mantle (Nd = 6·4; T_p 1400°C) between90 and 70 km. Nevertheless, such a one-stage model cannot accountfor the genesis of the Low-K Series because amphibole wouldnot be stable within convecting mantle at T_f 1400°C. Thesemagmas can only be accommodated by a three-stage model thatenvisages a Thermal Boundary Layer (TBL) freezing conductivelyonto the 70 km base of the Proterozoic MBL during the 20 Myrtectonomagmatic quiescence before PVF eruptions. As it grew,this was veined by hydrous small-fraction melts from below.The geologically recent arrival of hotter-than-ambient (T_p 1400°C) convecting mantle beneath the Potrillo area re-meltedthe TBL and caused the magmatism. KEY WORDS: western USA; picrites; Sr–Nd–Os isotopes; petrogenetic modelling; thermal boundary layer     

Geochemistry of South African On- and Off-craton, Group I and Group II Kimberlites: Petrogenesis and Source Region Evolution

Bulk-rock geochemical compositions of hypabyssal kimberlites,emplaced through the Archaean Kaapvaal craton and ProterozoicNamaqua–Natal belt, are used to estimate close-to-primarymagma compositions of Group I kimberlites (Mg-number = 0·82–0·87;22–28 wt % MgO; 21–30 wt % SiO₂; 10–17 wt% CaO; 0·2–1·7 wt % K₂O) and Group II kimberlites(Mg-number = 0·86–0·89; 23–29 wt %MgO; 28–36 wt % SiO₂; 8–13 wt % CaO; 1·6–4·6wt % K₂O). Group I kimberlites are distinguished from GroupII by their lower Ba/Nb (<12), Th/Nb (<1·1) andLa/Nb (<1·1) but higher Ce/Pb (>22) ratios. Thedistinct rare earth element patterns of the two types of kimberlitesindicate a more highly metasomatized source for Group II kimberlites,with more residual clinopyroxene and less residual garnet. Thesimilarity of Sr and Nd isotope ratios and diagnostic traceelement ratios (Ce/Pb, Nb/U, La/Nb, Ba/Nb, Th/Nb) of Group Ikimberlites to ocean island basalts (OIB), but more refractoryMg-numbers and Ni contents, are consistent with derivation ofGroup I kimberlites from subcontinental lithospheric mantle(SCLM) that has been enriched by OIB-like melts or fluids. Sourceenrichment ages and plate reconstructions support a direct associationof these melts or fluids with Mesozoic upwelling beneath southernAfrica of a mantle plume(s), at present located beneath thesouthern South Atlantic Ocean. In contrast, the geochemicalcharacteristics of both on- and off-craton Group II kimberlitesshow strong similarity to calc-alkaline magmas, particularlyin their Nb and Ta depletion and Pb enrichment. It is suggestedthat Group II kimberlites are derived from both Archaean andProterozoic lithospheric mantle source regions metasomatizedby melts or fluids associated with ancient subduction events,unrelated to mantle plume upwelling. The upwelling of mantleplumes beneath southern Africa during the Mesozoic, at the timeof Gondwana break-up, may have acted as a heat source for partialmelting of the SCLM and the generation of both Group I and GroupII kimberlite magmas. KEY WORDS: kimberlite; geochemistry; petrogenesis; mantle plumes; South Africa     

Temperature and Bulk Composition Control on the Growth of Monazite and Zircon During Low-pressure Anatexis (Mount Stafford, Central Australia)

The formation, age and trace element composition of zircon andmonazite were investigated across the prograde, low-pressuremetamorphic sequence at Mount Stafford (central Australia).Three pairs of inter-layered metapelites and metapsammites weresampled in migmatites from amphibolite-facies (T 600°C)to granulite-facies conditions (T 800°C). Sensitive high-resolutionion microprobe U–Pb dating on metamorphic zircon rimsand on monazite indicates that granulite-facies metamorphismoccurred between 1795 and 1805 Ma. The intrusion of an associatedgranite was coeval with metamorphism at 1802 ± 3 Ma andis unlikely to be the heat source for the prograde metamorphism.Metamorphic growth of zircon started at T 750°C, well abovethe pelite solidus. Zircon is more abundant in the metapelites,which experienced higher degrees of partial melting comparedwith the associated metapsammites. In contrast, monazite growthinitiated under sub-solidus prograde conditions. At granulite-faciesconditions two distinct metamorphic domains were observed inmonazite. Textural observations, petrology and the trace elementcomposition of monazite and garnet provide evidence that thefirst metamorphic monazite domain grew prior to garnet duringprograde conditions and the second in equilibrium with garnetand zircon close to the metamorphic peak. Ages from sub-solidus,prograde and peak metamorphic monazite and zircon are not distinguishablewithin error, indicating that heating took place in less than20 Myr. KEY WORDS: accessory phases; anatexis; trace element partitioning; U–Pb dating     

Melt-Solid Dihedral Angles of Common Minerals in Natural Rocks

The melt–solid dihedral angle has been measured in a rangeof igneous rock types, ranging in composition from picrite,through basalt, phonolite, andesite and rhyolite, for the mineralsquartz, leucite, plagioclase, olivine, amphibole and clinopyroxene.Populations of up to 104 true 3-D angles were measured in eachsample using a universal stage mounted on an optical microscope.The median and standard deviation of the angle populations foreach mineral are distinct (plagioclase 25°, with standarddeviation (SD) 11°; clinopyroxene 38°, with SD 14°;olivine 29°, with SD 13°; quartz 18°, with SD 9°;leucite 20°, with SD 11°), with no control by eithermelt composition or degree of approach of the grains to theirequilibrium shapes. KEY WORDS: dihedral angle; textural equilibrium; universal stage     

Early-Middle Jurassic Dolerite Dykes from Western Dronning Maud Land (Antarctica): Identifying Mantle Sources in the Karoo Large Igneous Province

A suite of dolerite dykes from the Ahlmannryggen region of westernDronning Maud Land (Antarctica) forms part of the much moreextensive Karoo igneous province of southern Africa. The dykecompositions include both low- and high-Ti magma types, includingpicrites and ferropicrites. New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinationsfor the Ahlmannryggen intrusions indicate two ages of emplacementat 178 and 190 Ma. Four geochemical groups of dykes have beenidentified in the Ahlmannryggen region based on analyses of60 dykes. The groups are defined on the basis of whole-rockTiO₂ and Zr contents, and reinforced by rare earth element (REE),⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd isotope data. Group 1 were intrudedat 190 Ma and have low TiO₂ and Zr contents and a significantArchaean crustal component, but also evidence of hydrothermalalteration. Group 2 dykes were intruded at 178 Ma; they havelow to moderate TiO₂ and Zr contents and are interpreted tobe the result of mixing of melts derived from an isotopicallydepleted source with small melt fractions of an enriched lithosphericmantle source. Group 3 dyke were intruded at 190 Ma and formthe most distinct magma group; these are largely picritic withsuperficially mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like chemistry (flatREE patterns, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i 0·7035, Nd_i 9). However, theyhave very high TiO₂ (4 wt %) and Zr (500 ppm) contents, whichis not consistent with melting of MORB-source mantle. The Group3 magmas are inferred to be derived by partial melting of astrongly depleted mantle source in the garnet stability field.This group includes several high Mg–Fe dykes (ferropicrites),which are interpreted as high-temperature melts. Some Group3 dykes also show evidence of contamination by continental crust.Group 4 dykes are low-K picrites intruded at 178 Ma; they havevery high TiO₂–Zr contents and are the most enriched magmagroup of the Karoo–Antarctic province, with ocean-islandbasalt (OIB)-like chemistry. Dykes of Group 1 and Group 3 aresub-parallel (ENE–WSW) and both groups were emplaced at190 Ma in response to the same regional stress field, whichhad changed by 178 Ma, when Group 2 and Group 4 dykes were intrudedalong a dominantly NNE–SSW strike. KEY WORDS: flood basalt; depleted mantle; enriched mantle; Ahlmannryggen; Karoo dyke     

The 1982-83 Eruption at Galunggung Volcano, Java (Indonesia): Oxygen Isotope Geochemistry of a Chemically Zoned Magma Chamber

Mount Galunggung is a historically active volcano in southwesternJava that has erupted four times in the last two centuries.During the most recent event, which occurred during a 9–monthinterval in 1982– 83, some 305 10⁶ m³ of medium–K,calc–alkaline magma was erupted. This eruption was unusualbecause of its duration, the diversity of eruption dynamicsand products, and the range of lava compositions produced. Thecomposition of juvenile material changed gradually during thecourse of the eruption from initial plagioclase (An_60–75)and two–pyrozene bearing andesites with 58% SiO₂ to finalplagioclase (An_85–90), diopside, and olivine (Fo_85–90)bearing primitive magnesium basalts with 47% SiO₂ Mineralogicaland compositional relationships indicate a magmatic evolutioninvolving differentitation of high–Mg parental melt. Theeruptive volumes of 35 10⁶ m³ andesite, 120 10⁶ m³ maficandesite, and 150 10⁶ m³ basalt are consistent with the ideathat the 1982– 83 eruption progressively tapped and draineda magma chamber that had become chemically stratified throughextensive crystal fractionation. Separates of plagioclase and pyroxene have ¹⁸O( SMO W) rangesof + 5. 6 to + 6.0 and + 5.3 to + 5.6, respectively, with ¹⁸O_plag–pxvalues of + 0.4 to + 0.6o, indicating internal O–isotopeequiliburium at temperature of 1100–850 C. The magenesianbasalts have magmatic ¹⁸O/ ¹⁶O ratios similar to those of mid–oceanridge basalt, and the O–isotope ratios of compositionallyevolved derivative melts show no evidence for contaminationof the galunggung magmas by ¹⁸O–rich crust during differentiation.Andesites and transitional mafic and sites have a more variableO–isotope character, with laves and phenocrysts havingboth higher and lower ¹⁸O values than observed in the parentalmagnesium basalts. These features are interpreted to reflectintramagma chamber processes affecting the upper portions ofthe differentiating Galunggung magma body before the 1982–83eruption.     

Geochemical and Isotopic Heterogeneities along an Island Arc-Spreading Ridge Intersection: Evidence from the Lewis Hills, Bay of Islands Ophiolite, Newfoundland

This study focuses on the origin of magma heterogeneity andthe genesis of refractory, boninite-type magmas along an arc–ridgeintersection, exposed in the Lewis Hills (Bay of Islands Ophiolite).The Lewis Hills contain the fossil fracture zone contact betweena split island arc and its related marginal oceanic basin. Threetypes of intrusions, which are closely related to this narrowtectonic boundary, have been investigated. Parental melts inequilibrium with the ultramafic cumulates of the PyroxeniteSuite are inferred to have high MgO contents and low Al₂O₃,Na₂O and TiO₂ contents. The trace element signatures of thesePyroxenite Suite parental melts indicate a re-enriched, highlydepleted source with 0·1 x mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)abundances of the heavy rare earth elements (HREE). Initial_Nd values of the Pyroxenite Suite range from -1·5 to+0·6, which overlap those observed for the island arc.Furthermore, the Pyroxenite Suite parental melts bear strongsimilarities to boninite-type equilibrium melts from islandarc-related pyroxenitic dykes and harzburgites. Basaltic dykessplit into two groups. Group I dykes have 0·6 x MORBabundances of the HREE, and initial _Nd values ranging from +5·4to +7·5. Thus, they have a strong geochemical affinitywith basalts derived from the marginal basin spreading ridge.Group II dykes have comparatively lower trace element abundances(0·3 x MORB abundances of HREE), and slightly lower initial_Nd values (+5·4 to +5·9). The geochemical characteristicsof the Group II dykes are transitional between those of GroupI dykes and the Pyroxenite Suite parental melts. Cumulates fromthe Late Intrusion Suite are similarly transitional, with _Ndvalues ranging from +2·9 to +4·6. We suggest thatthe magma heterogeneity observed in the Lewis Hills is due tothe involvement of two compositionally distinct mantle sources,which are the sub-island lithospheric mantle and the asthenosphericmarginal basin mantle. It is likely that the refractory, boninite-typeparental melts of the Pyroxenite Suite result from remeltingof the sub-arc lithospheric mantle at an arc–ridge intersection.Furthermore, it is suggested that the thermal-dynamic conditionsof the transtensional transform fault have provided the prerequisitefor generating magma heterogeneity, as a result of mixing relationshipsbetween arc-related and marginal basin-related magmas. KEY WORDS: Bay of Islands ophiolite; transform (arc)–ridge intersection; boninites; rare earth elements, Nd isotopes     

Hafnium Isotope and Trace Element Constraints on the Nature of Mantle Heterogeneity beneath the Central Southwest Indian Ridge (13{degrees}E to 47{degrees}E)

Hafnium isotope and incompatible trace element data are presentedfor a suite of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) from 13 to 47°Eon the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR), one of the slowest spreadingand most isotopically heterogeneous mid-ocean ridges. Variationsin Nd–Hf isotope compositions and Lu/Hf ratios clearlydistinguish an Atlantic–Pacific-type MORB source, presentwest of 26°E, characterized by relatively low _Hf valuesfor a given _Nd relative to the regression line through all Nd–Hfisotope data for oceanic basalts (termed the ‘Nd–Hfmantle array line’; the deviation from this line is termed_Hf) and low Lu/Hf ratios, from an Indian Ocean-type MORB signature,present east of 32°E, characterized by relatively high _Hfvalues and Lu/Hf ratios. Additionally, two localized, isotopicallyanomalous areas, at 13–15°E and 39–41°E,are characterized by distinctly low negative and high positive_Hf values, respectively. The low _Hf MORB from 13 to 15°Eappear to reflect contamination by HIMU-type mantle from thenearby Bouvet mantle plume, whereas the trace element and isotopiccompositions of MORB from 39 to 41°E are most consistentwith contamination by metasomatized Archean continental lithosphericmantle. Relatively small source-melt fractionation of Lu/Hfrelative to Sm/Nd, compared with MORB from faster-spreadingridges, argues against a significant role for garnet pyroxenitein the generation of most central SWIR MORB. Correlations between_Hf and Sr and Pb isotopic and trace element ratios clearly delineatea high-_Hf ‘Indian Ocean mantle component’ that canexplain the isotope composition of most Indian Ocean MORB asmixtures between this component and a heterogeneous Atlantic–Pacific-typeMORB source. The Hf, Nd and Sr isotope compositions of IndianOcean MORB appear to be most consistent with the hypothesisthat this component represents fragments of subduction-modifiedlithospheric mantle beneath Proterozoic orogenic belts thatfoundered into the nascent Indian Ocean upper mantle duringthe Mesozoic breakup of Gondwana. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalt; isotopes; incompatible elements; Indian Ocean     

Dehydration--Melting Phenomena in Leptynitic Gneisses and the Generation of Leucogranites: a Case Study from the Kerala Khondalite Belt, Southern India

Pan-African high-grade metamorphism in the Kerala KhondaliteBelt (South India) led to the in situ formation of garnet-bearingleucosomes (L1) in sodic quartz—alkali feldspar—biotitegneisses. Microtextures, mineralogy and the geochemical characteristicsof in situ leucosomes (L1) and gneiss domains (GnD) indicatethat the development of leucosomes was mainly controlled bythe growth of garnet at the expense of biotite. This is documentedby the selective transfer of FeO, MgO, , Sm and the heavy rareearth elements into the L1 domains. P-T constraints (T>800C,P>6kbar, aH₂O0.3) suggest that the leucosomes were formedthrough complete melting of biotite in fluid-absent conditions,following the model reaction Biotite+Alkali feldspar+QuartzlGarnet+Ilmenite+Melt.The fraction of melt generated during this process was low (<10vol.%). The identical size of the leucosomes as well as theirhomogeneous and isotropic distribution at outcrop scale, whichlacks any evidence for melt segregation, suggest that the migmatiteremained a closed system. Subsequent to migmatization, the leptyniticgneisses were intruded by garnet-bearing leucogranitic melts(L2), forming veins parallel and subperpendicular to the foliation.The leucogranites are rich in potassium (K₂O5.5 wt%), (Ba400p.p.m.) and Sr (300 p.p.m.), and exhibit low concentrationsof Zr (40 p.p.m.), Th (<1 p.p.m.) and (<10 p.p.m.). Thechondrite-normalized REE spectra show low abundances (La_N20,Lu_N3) and are moderately fractionated (La_N/Lu_N7). An Eu anomalyis absent or weakly negative. The higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio at550 Ma (0.7345) compared with the migmatite (0.7164) precludesa direct genetic relationship between leptynitic gneisses andleucogranites at Manali.Nevertheless, the chemical and mineralogicalcompositions of the leuocogranites strongly favour a derivationthrough fluid-absent biotite melting of isotopically distinctbut chemically comparable Manali-type gneisses. The undersaturationof Zr, Th and REE, a typical feature of leucogranitic meltsgenerated during granulite facies anatexis of psammo-peliticlithologies and attributed to disequilibrium melting with incompletedissolution of accessory phases (zircon, monazite), is weaklydeveloped in the leucogranites of Manali.It is concluded thatthis is mainly due to the sluggish migration of the melts instatic conditions, which facilitated equilibration with therestitic gneisses. ^*Fax: 0228-732763; e-mail: ingo.braun{at}uni-bonn.de     

The Geochemistry of the Arabian Lithospheric Mantle--a Source for Intraplate Volcanism?

We present trace element and Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopecompositions for clinopyroxenes from anhydrous spinel peridotiteand garnet ± spinel pyroxenite xenoliths of Pan-Africanlithospheric mantle from Jordan, including the first high-precisiondouble-spike Pb isotope measurements of mantle clinopyroxene.Clinopyroxenes from the peridotites are variably Th–U–LILE–LREEenriched and display prominent negative Nb, Zr and Ti anomalies.MREE–HREE abundances can generally be modelled as partialmelting residues of spinel lherzolite with primitive-mantle-likecomposition after extraction of 5–10% melt, whereas theenrichments in Th–U–LILE–LREE require a Pan-Africanor later metasomatic event. The large range of Nd, Sr, Pb andHf isotope ratios in both peridotites and pyroxenites (e.g.Nd 1·4–17·5; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 17·2–20·4;Hf 0·6–164·6) encompasses compositionsmore radiogenic than mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and Pb isotopescover almost the entire range of oceanic basalt values. Hf valuesare some of the highest ever recorded in mantle samples andare decoupled from Nd in the same samples. Marked correlationsbetween Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes, LILE–LREE enrichmentsand HFSE depletion suggest that the metasomatizing agent wasa carbonatitic-rich melt and isotopic data suggest that metasomatismmay have been related to Pan-African subduction. The metasomaticmelt permeated depleted upper mantle (<16 kbar) during Pan-Africansubduction at 600–900 Ma, and the variably metasomatizedmaterial was then incorporated into the Arabian lithosphericmantle. There is no evidence for recent metasomatism (<30Ma) related to the Afar plume like that postulated to have affectedsouthern Arabian lithospheric mantle. Hf isotopes in the mantleclinopyroxenes are unaffected by metasomatism, and even somestrongly overprinted lithologies record ancient (>1·2Ga) pre-metasomatic Lu–Hf signatures of the depleted uppermantle that was the protolith of the Arabian lithospheric mantle.The ‘resistance’ of the Lu–Hf isotopic systemto later metasomatic events resulted in the development of extremelyheterogeneous Hf isotopic signatures over time that are decoupledfrom other isotopic systems. No mantle sample in this studyexactly matches the chemical and isotopic signature of the sourceof Jordanian intraplate basalts. However, the xenolith compositionsare broadly similar to those of the source of Arabian intraplatebasalts, suggesting that the numerous Cenozoic intraplate volcanicfields throughout Arabia may be the product of melting uppermantle wedge material fertilized during Pan-African subductionand incorporated into the Arabian lithospheric mantle. We proposea model whereby the proto-Arabian lithospheric mantle underwenta major melting event in early Proterozoic–late Archeantimes (at the earliest at 1·2 Ga). Island-arc volcanismand major crust formation occurred during the Pan-African orogeny,which liberated fluids and possibly small-degree melts thatmigrated through the mantle creating zones of enrichment forcertain elements depending upon their compatibility. Immobileelements, such as Nb, were concentrated near the base of themantle wedge providing the source of the Nb-rich Jordanian volcanicrocks. More mobile elements, such as LILE and LREE, were transportedup through the mantle and fertilized the shallow mantle sourceof the Jordanian xenoliths. Following subduction, the mantlewedge became fossilized and preserved distinct enriched anddepleted zones. Lithospheric rifting in the Miocene triggeredpartial melting of spinel-facies mantle in the lower lithosphere,which mixed with deeper asthenospheric garnet-facies melts asrifting evolved. These melts entrained segments of variablycarbonatite-metasomatized shallow lithospheric mantle en routeto the surface. KEY WORDS: Arabian lithospheric mantle; Jordan; mantle xenoliths; Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopes     

A Metamorphosed Early Cambrian Crust-Mantle Transition in the Eastern Alps, Austria

In the Speik Complex (Eastern Alps, Austria), highly melt-depleted,metamorphosed harzburgites with abundant pods and layers ofchromitite are interlayered with a suite of metamorphosed orthopyroxenites,clinopyroxenites and gabbros. Coarse-grained orthopyroxenitesoccur as centimetre- to metre-wide veinlets and pods, but alsoas intrusive plugs several tens of metres wide. Intimately associatedmetaclinopyroxenite and metagabbro are present as bodies upto several metres thick at a distinct stratigraphic level withinthe complex. In the ultramafic rocks, relict magmatic olivine,orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel have been overprintedby a metamorphic assemblage of forsterite, diopside, tremolite,anthophyllite, chlorite, serpentine, talc and Cr–Fe-richspinel. Hornblende, epidote, zoisite and chlorite dominate themetamorphic paragenesis in metagabbros, in addition to rarerelicts of clinopyroxene and two phases of Ca-rich garnet. Thepolymetamorphic evolution of the Speik Complex includes rarelypreserved pre-Variscan (400 Ma) eclogite-facies conditions,Variscan (330 Ma) amphibolite-facies conditions (600–700°C,>5 kbar) and Eoalpine (100 Ma) greenschist- to amphibolite-faciesconditions reaching 550°C and 7–10 kbar. Orthopyroxenitesare characterized by high concentrations of SiO₂, MgO and Cr,and by U-shaped chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE)patterns similar to those of their harzburgite hosts. The REEpatterns of the clinopyroxenites are flat to slightly enrichedin light REE. Metagabbro compositions are variable, but generallycharacterized by low SiO₂ and high mg-numbers (61–78).Their REE patterns all have Gd_N/Yb_N > 1; some samples havelarge positive Eu anomalies implying the original presence ofcumulus plagioclase. In the orthopyroxenites, clinopyroxenitesand some peridotites, Pt, Pd and Re are distinctly enrichedcompared with Os, Ir and Ru, whereas most harzburgites haveunfractionated to slightly fractionated platinum-group element(PGE) patterns with respect to average upper mantle. The Re–Osisotope compositions of the pyroxenites define an errorchronat 550 ± 17 Ma and a supra-chondritic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os of0·179 ± 0·003. An isochron age of 554 ±37 Ma with _Nd(i) +0·7 is indicated by the Sm–Ndisotope compositions of whole-rock pyroxenite and gabbro samples,whereas the harzburgites plot on an errorchron of 745 ±45 Ma and _Nd(i) +6. The pyroxenites and gabbros probably representa cogenetic suite of magmatic dykes intruded into uppermost,highly depleted, suboceanic mantle below the crust–mantletransition zone in an oceanic basin close to the northwesternmargin of Gondwana. KEY WORDS: pyroxenite; metagabbro; geochemistry; Re–Os isotopes; Sm–Nd isotopes     

Age, Origin and Cooling History of the Coronel Joao Sa Pluton, Bahia, Brazil

In north-east Brazil, Archean and Paleoproterozoic cratonicblocks are enclosed within a network of Brasiliano-age (0·7–0·55Ga) metasedimentary foldbelts. The unfoliated Coronel JoãoSá granodiorite pluton, which contains magmatic epidoteand strongly resorbed clinopyroxene, intrudes the SergipanoFoldbelt. Zircons yield a concordant U–Pb crystallizationage of 625 ± 2 Ma; titanite ages are approximately 621Ma. Discordant zircons suggest inheritance from at least twomagma sources of ages <1·8 and >2·2 Ga.Model calculations based on diffusion parameters and Rb–Srisotope data from separated minerals indicate that the plutoncooled at a rate of 36°C/Myr. Whole-rock element compositionsand initial Sr–Nd isotopic compositions that are heterogeneouson all length scales suggest magma mixing. Trace-element concentrationsand Nd isotope data argue against a contribution from a contemporaneousmantle-derived magma. Values of magmatic _Nd (at 625 Ma) resemblecontemporary _Nd for local supracrustal rocks and basement, compatiblewith anatexis of a crustal source. In north-east Brazil, cratonicblocks could have amalgamated with foldbelts that originatedas: (1) a mosaic of island arcs and arc basins (traditionalallochthonous model), or as (2) extensional continental sedimentarybasins (but not oceanic crust) later involved in collision (autochthonousmodel). The Coronel João Sá isotopic and chemicaldata support an autochthonous origin. KEY WORDS: Brasiliano Orogeny; granodiorite pluton; Rb–Sr isotopes, Sm–Nd isotopes; U–Pb isotopes, magma cooling rate     

Dehydration Melting of Metabasalt at 8-32 kbar: Implications for Continental Growth and Crust-Mantle Recycling

We report the results of partial melting experiments between8 and 32 kbar, on four natural amphibolites representative ofmetamorphosed Archean tholeiite (greenstone), high-alumina basalt,low-potassium tholeiite and alkali-rich basalt. For each rock,we monitor changes in the relative proportions and compositionof partial melt and coexisting residual (crystalline) phasesfrom 1000 to 1150C, within and beyond the amphibole dehydrationreaction interval. Low percentage melts coexisting with an amphiboliteor garnet amphibolite residue at 1000–1025C and 8–16kbar are highly silicic (high-K₂O granitic at 5%; melting, low-Al₂O₃trondhjemitic at 5–10%). Greater than 20% melting is onlyachieved beyond the amphibole-out phase boundary. Silicic tointermediate composition liquids (high-Al₂O₃ trondhjemitic-tonalitic,granodioritic, quartz dioritic, dioritic) result from 20–40%melting between 1050 and 1100C, leaving a granulite (plagioclase+ clinopyroxene orthopyroxene olivine) residue at 8 kbarand garnet granulite to eclogite (garnet + clinopyroxene) residuesat 12–32 kbar. Still higher degrees of melting ( 40–60%)result in mafic liquids corresponding to low-MgO, high-Al₂O₃basaltic and basaltic andesite compositions, which coexist withgranulitic residues at 8 kbar and edogitic or garnet granulitic(garnet + clinopyroxene + plagioclase orthopyroxene) residuesat higher pressures (12–28 kbar). As much as 40% by volumehigh-Al₂O₃ trondhjemitic-tonalitic liquid coexists with an eclogiticresidue at 1100–1150C and 32 kbar. The experimental datasuggest that the Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite(TTG) suite of rocks, and their Phanerozoic equivalents, thetonalite-trondhjemite-dacite suite (including ‘adakites’and other Na-rich granitoids), can be generated by 10–40%melting of partially hydrated metabasalt at pressures abovethe garnet-in phase boundary (12 kbar) and temperatures between1000 and 1100C. Anomalously hot and/or thick metabasaltic crustis implied. Although a rare occurrence along modern convergentplate margins, subductionrelated melting of young, hot oceaniccrust (e.g. ocean ridges) may have been an important (essential)element in the growth of the continental crust in the Archean,if plate tectonic processes were operative. Coupled silicicmelt generation-segregation and mafic restite disposal may alsooccur at the base of continental or primitive (sub-arc?) crust,where crustal overthickening is a consequence of underplatingand overaccretion of mafic magmas. In either setting, net growthof continental crust and crustmantle recycling may be facilitatedby relatively high degrees of melting and extreme density contrastsbetween trondhjemitictonalitic liquids and garnet-rich residues.Continuous chemical trends are apparent between the experimentalcrystalline residues, and mafic migmatites and garnet granulitexenoliths from the lower crust, although lower-crustal xenolithsin general record lower temperatures (600–900C) and pressures(5–13 kbar) than corresponding residual assemblages fromthe experiments. However, geo-thermobarometry on eclogite xenolithsin kimberlites from the subcontinental mantle indicates conditionsappropriate for melting through and beyond the amphibole reactioninterval and the granulite-eclogite transition. If these samplesrepresent ancient (eclogitized) remnants of subducted or otherwisefoundered basaltic crust, then the intervening history of theirprotoliths may in some cases include partial melting. KEY WORDS: dehydration melting; metabasalt; continental growth; crust–mantle recycling ^*Corresponding author. Present address: Mineral Physics Institute and Center for High Pressure Research, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA     

Phase Equilibria Constraints on the Chemical and Physical Evolution of the Campanian Ignimbrite

The Campanian Ignimbrite is a > 200 km³ trachyte–phonolitepyroclastic deposit that erupted at 39·3 ± 0·1ka within the Campi Flegrei west of Naples, Italy. Here we testthe hypothesis that Campanian Ignimbrite magma was derived byisobaric crystal fractionation of a parental basaltic trachyandesiticmelt that reacted and came into local equilibrium with smallamounts (5–10 wt%) of crustal rock (skarns and foid-syenites)during crystallization. Comparison of observed crystal and magmacompositions with results of phase equilibria assimilation–fractionationsimulations (MELTS) is generally very good. Oxygen fugacitywas approximately buffered along QFM + 1 (where QFM is the quartz–fayalite–magnetitebuffer) during isobaric fractionation at 0·15 GPa ( 6km depth). The parental melt, reconstructed from melt inclusionand host clinopyroxene compositions, is found to be basaltictrachyandesite liquid (51·1 wt% SiO₂, 9·3 wt%MgO, 3 wt% H₂O). A significant feature of phase equilibria simulationsis the existence of a pseudo-invariant temperature, 883 °C,at which the fraction of melt remaining in the system decreasesabruptly from 0·5 to < 0·1. Crystallizationat the pseudo-invariant point leads to abrupt changes in thecomposition, properties (density, dissolved water content),and physical state (viscosity, volume fraction fluid) of meltand magma. A dramatic decrease in melt viscosity (from 1700Pa s to 200 Pa s), coupled with a change in the volume fractionof water in magma (from 0·1 to 0·8) and a dramaticdecrease in melt and magma density acted as a destabilizingeruption trigger. Thermal models suggest a timescale of 200kyr from the beginning of fractionation until eruption, leadingto an apparent rate of evolved magma generation of about 10^–3km³/year. In situ crystallization and crystal settling in density-stratifiedregions, as well as in convectively mixed, less evolved subjacentmagma, operate rapidly enough to match this apparent volumetricrate of evolved magma production. KEY WORDS: assimilation; Campanian Ignimbrite; fractional crystallization; magma dynamics; phase equilibria     

Garnet-bearing Xenoliths from Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii: High-Pressure Fractional Crystallization in the Oceanic Mantle

The focus of this study is a suite of garnet-bearing mantlexenoliths from Oahu, Hawaii. Clinopyroxene, olivine, and garnetconstitute the bulk of the xenoliths, and orthopyroxene is presentin small amounts. Clinopyroxene has exsolved orthopyroxene,spinel, and garnet. Many xenoliths also contain spinel-coredgarnets. Olivine, clinopyroxene, and garnet are in major elementchemical equilibrium with each other; large, discrete orthopyroxenedoes not appear to be in major-element chemical equilibriumwith the other minerals. Multiple compositions of orthopyroxeneoccur in individual xenoliths. The new data do not support theexisting hypothesis that all the xenoliths formed at 1 6–22GPa, and that the spinel-cored garnets formed as a consequenceof almost isobaric subsolidus cooling of a spinel-bearing assemblage.The lack of olivine or pyroxenes in the spinel–garnetreaction zones and the embayed outline of spinel grains insidegarnet suggest that the spinel-cored garnets grew in the presenceof a melt. The origin of these xenoliths is interpreted on thebasis of liquidus phase relations in the tholeiitic and slightlysilica-poor portion of the CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂(CMAS) system at pressures from 30 to 50 GPa. The phase relationssuggest crystallization from slightly silica-poor melts (ortransitional basaltic melts) in the depth range 110–150km beneath Oahu. This depth estimate puts the formation of thesexenoliths in the asthenosphere. On the basis of this study itis proposed that the pyroxenite xenoliths are high-pressurecumulates related to polybaric magma fractionation in the asthenosphere,thus making Oahu the only locality among the oceanic regionswhere such deep magmatic fractional crystallization processeshave been recognized. KEY WORDS: xenolith; asthenosphere; basalt; CMAS; cumulate; oceanic lithosphere; experimental petrology; mantle; geothermobarometry; magma chamber