Late proterozoic and Carboniferous ultramafic magmatism of carbonatitic affinity in southern Norway

Ultramafic dikes with carbonatitic affinities (“damtjernites”) in southern Norway were generated during two magmatic events separated by about 275 Ma. The older event is late Proterozoic and the younger is mid Carboniferous.

More than 50 satellitic damtjernite intrusions occur within a 1500 km² large region surrounding the Fen Central Complex. Phlogopite macrocrysts from 10 of these satellites yield a Rb---Sr isochron age of 578±24 Ma (2σ expanded errors). This demonstrates that the late Proterozoic carbonatitic magmatism centered at the Fen Central Complex occurred on a regional scale. This region is termed “the Fen Province”. The emplacement of the magmas in the Fen Province most likely occurred in connection with minor extensional tectonic activity on the Baltic platform during the drift-phase after the Proto-Atlantic opening.

Sr-isotopic data also show that a dike mineralogically and chemically similar to the Fen damtjernites was emplaced at 324±4 Ma (mid Carboniferous). This dike very likely dates the initiation of magmatism in the Oslo rift. Consequently very similar carbonate-bearing ultramafic magmas were generated within the south Norwegian mantle during the relatively minor Fen event and in the initial extensional period when the magma production in the Oslo rift was still low.