Petrologic Evolution of Anorthoclase Phonolite Lavas at Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica

Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica, is an active, intraplate,alkaline volcano. The strongly undersaturated sodic lavas rangefrom basanite to anorthoclase phonolite, and are termed theErebus lineage (EL). The lavas are porphyritic with olivine(Fo₈₈–51), clinopyroxene (Wo₄₅–53En₃₆–41Fs₈–30),opaque oxides (Usp₃₁–76), feldspar (An₇₂–11), andapatite. Rare earth element (REE) contents increase only slightlywith increasing differentiation compared with other incompatibleelements. The light REE are enriched (La_N/Yb_N= 14–20)and there are no significant Eu anomalies. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is uniformand low ({small tilde} 0.7030) throughout the EL, suggestingderivation of the basanites from a depleted asthenospheric mantlesource, and lack of significant crustal contamination duringfractionation of the basanite. Regular geochemical trends indicatethat the EL evolved from the basanites by fractional crystallization.Major element mass balance calculations and trace element modelsshow that fractionation of 16% olivine, 52% clinopyroxene, 14%Fe-Ti oxides, 11% feldspar, 3% nepheline, and 3% apatite froma basanite parent leaves 23.5% anorthoclase phonolite. Minor volumes of less undersaturated, more iron-rich benmoreite,phonolite, and trachyte are termed the enriched iron series(EFS). The trachytes have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.704, higher than otherEFS and EL rocks, and they probably evolved by a combined assimilation-fractionalcrystallization process. The large volume of phonolite at Mt. Erebus requires significantbasanite production. This occurs by low degrees of partial meltingin a mantle plume (here termed the Erebus plume) rising at arate of about 6 cm/yr.     

Igneous Petrology of the Synorogenic Fongen-Hyllingen Layered Basic Complex, South-Central Scandinavian Caledonides

The 160 km² Caledonian Fongen-Hyllingen complex is an extremelydifferentiated, layered, basic intrusion, synorogenically emplacedat 5–6 kb in the allochthonous Trondheim nappe complex,situated in the Trondheim region of Norway. A zone of gabbroic rocks without rythmic layering usually occursalong the margin and a supposed feeder to at least part of thecomplex is preserved. A wide variety of magmatic sedimentarystructures are present in the c. 10,000 m thick sequence ofrhythmically layered rocks which vary from olivine-picotitecumulates at the base to quartz-bearing ferrosyenites at thetop. Mineral compositions, fractionation trends, and the compositionof feeder rocks suggest a tholeiitic parent. Mineral compositions cover extreme ranges. Olivine varies fromFo_86·2 to Fo_0·2 with a hiatus between about Fo₇₁and Fo₆₁. Plagioclase ranges from An_79·5 to An_1·5,albite coexisting with orthoclase microperthite in the finaldifferentiates. Cumulus Ca-poor pyroxene (Wo_2.4En_66.8Fs_30.8-Wo_2·0En_17·0Fs_81·0)first shows sporadic inversion from pigeonite at the Fe-richcomposition of Fs₆₇ and the final Ca-poor pyroxenes are replacedby magmatic grunerite which reaches an Mg: Fe ratio of 12:88.Ca-rich pyroxenes (Wo_44·7En_43·8Fs_11·5-Wo_47·0En₀Fs_53·0)are highly calcic and have a slight Ca-minimum in the earlystages, unrelated to the disappearance of Ca-poor pyroxene.Calcic amphibole, a constant intercumulus phase in most of thecomplex, becomes a cumulus phase in the later stages and variesfrom titanian-pargasite to ferro-edenite. Magnetite and ilmenitejoin the cumulate assemblage at Fo₅₅ and ilmenite persists intothe final quartz-bearing ferrosyenite where it shows replacementby sphene. Apatite, biotite, zircon, quartz, K-feldspar andallanite join the final extreme differentiates in the namedsequence. The fractionation trend is, in many respects, transitionalbetween those typical of the tholeiitic and calc-alkaline series,and is interpreted as reflecting crystallization under moderate,increasing P_H2O. Cryptic layering shows several reversals to higher temperatureassemblages with increasing stratigraphic height. Successivereversals are to irregular compositions and measured in termsof olivine composition, can be up to about 30 mole per centFo. The minimum stratigraphic thickness to include the entirefractionation range is reduced to about 2200 m after ‘removal’of the compositional overlaps due to the reversals. Thus roughlythree-quarters of the present cumulate stratigraphic sequencerepresents magma replenishment. A mechanism involving the mixingof fresh magma batches with the residual, differentiated magmafrom the previous influx, is envisaged. The periodic influxof fresh magma took place into a chamber which was probablyclosed to the exit of material.     

Petrology of the Partridge River Intrusion, Duluth Complex, Minnesota: 1. Relationships between Mineral Compositions, Density and Trapped Liquid Abundance

A 525-m-long drill core (DDH-221) through the Partridge Riverintrusion has been divided into four zones on the basis of changesin mineral abundances, compositions and grain size. The igneousrocks in the core consist of cumulate gabbro, troctolite andolivine gabbronorite, in which the original cumulate frameworkof plagioclase and olivine contained varying amounts of trappedintercumulus (pore) liquid. The compositions of the unzoned olivine (Fo_31–71) havebeen modified by reaction with Fe-rich in situ intercumulusliquid, but the plagioclase cores (An_59–73) have not.The compositions of postcumulus Ca-rich pyroxene, restrictedto En_36–44, and the more variable Ca-poor pyroxene (En_45–74),follow a downward Fe-enrichment trend similar to the Fe-enrichmentin the olivine. The cumulus olivine expected to be in equilibriumwith plausible parental magmas to these rocks was not preservedin the drill core, nor is the chilled margin to the intrusionsufficiently primitive to account for all the olivine. Revisedmass balance estimates of the primary magmatic compositionsof olivine are Fo_67–85. The new limiting value for theprimary olivine is similar to the Fo_83–85 olivine expectedto crystallize from the chilled margin to the nearby PigeonPoint olivine diabase sill under equilibrium conditions. Thechanges in the mineral compositions in core DDH-221 do not adequatelydescribe the behavior of parental melts on an equilibrium coolingpath, implying that the cumulus plagioclase and olivine crystallizedelsewhere, and were mixed with varying amounts of intercumulusliquid before introduction to the present crustal site of thePartridge River intrusion. Rock density increases with depth from 2?76 to 3?21, with amean of 2?98 g/cm³. Estimated trapped liquid densities rangefrom 2?56 to 2?92 g/cm³ at high temperatures. This is interpretedto mean that the intercumulus liquid could not have been expelledupward by compaction of the cumulate pile. The dense intercumulusliquid increased downward in abundance to form a series of rocksthat range continuously from variously packed framework cumulatesto chilled non-cumulate rocks in the basal zone. In situ crystallizationis concluded to be the dominant mode of solidification of thePartridge River intrusion, in which infiltration metasomatismis precluded by the high liquid density.     

Intraplutonic Quench Zones in the Kap Edvard Holm Layered Gabbro Complex, East Greenland

The Kap Edvard Holm Layered Gabbro Complex is a large layeredgabbro intrusion (>300 km²) situated on the opposite sideof the Kangerdlugssuaq fjord from the Skaergaard Intrusion.It was emplaced in a continental margin ophiolite setting duringearly Tertiary rifting of the North Atlantic. Gabbroic cumulates, covering a total stratigraphic thicknessof >5 km, have a typical four-phase tholeiitic cumulus mineralogy:plagioclase, clinopyroxene, olivine, and Fe–Ti oxides.The cryptic variation is restricted (plagioclase An_81–51,olivine Fo_85–66, clinopyroxene Wo_43–41 En_46–37Fs_20–11) and there are several reversals in mineral chemistry.Crystallization took place in a low-pressure, continuously fractionatingmagma chamber system which was periodically replenished andtapped. Fine-grained (0•2–0•4 mm) equigranular, thin(0•5–3 m), laterally continuous basaltic zones occurwithin an {small tilde}1000 m thick layered sequence in theTaco Point area. Twelve such zones define the bases of individualmacrorhythmic units with an average thickness of {small tilde}80m. The fine-grained basaltic zones grade upwards, over a fewmetres, into medium-grained (>1 mm) poikilitic, olivine gabbrowith smallscale modal layering. Each fine-grained basaltic zoneis interpreted as an intraplutonic quench zone in which magmachilled against the underlying layered gabbros during influxalong the chamber floor. Supercooling by {small tilde}50C isbelieved to have caused nucleation of plagioclase, olivine,and clinopyroxene in the quench zone. The nucleation rate isbelieved to have been enhanced as the result of in situ crystallizationin a continuously flowing magma. The transition to the overlyingpoikilitic olivine gabbro reflects a decreasing degree of supercooling. Compositional variation in the Taco Point sequence is typicalfor an open magma chamber system: olivine (Fo_{77–68 5})and plagioclase cores (An_80–72) show a zig-zag crypticvariation pattern with no overall systematic trend. Olivinehas the most primitive compositions in the quench zones andmore evolved compositions in the olivine gabbro; plagioclasecores show the opposite trend. Although plagioclase cores arebelieved to retain their original compositions, olivines re-equilibratedby reaction with trapped liquid. Some plagioclase cores containrelatively sodic patches which retain quench compositions. Whole-rock compositions of nine different quench zones varyover a range from 10 to 18% MgO although the mg-number remainsconstant at {small tilde}0•78. The average composition(47•7% SiO₂, 13•3%MgO, 1•57% Na₂O+K₂O) is takenas a best estimate of the parental magma composition, and isequivalent to a high-magnesian olivine tholeiite. The compositionalvariation of the quench zones is believed to reflect burstsof nucleation and growth of olivine and plagioclase during quenching. Magma emplacement is believed to have taken place by separatetranquil influxes which flowed along the interface between alargely consolidated cumulus pile and the residual magma. Theresident magma was elevated with little or no mixing. At certainlevels in the layered sequence the magma drained back into thefeeder system; such a mechanism is referred to as a surge-typemagma chamber system.     

Cyclicity in the Main and Upper Zones of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa: Crystallization from a Zoned Magma Sheet

The major element composition of plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine,and magnetite, and whole-rock ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data are presented forthe uppermost 2·1 km of the layered mafic rocks (upperMain Zone and Upper Zone) at Bierkraal in the western BushveldComplex. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are near-constant (0·7073± 0·0001) for 24 samples and imply crystallizationfrom a homogeneous magma sheet without major magma rechargeor assimilation. The 2125 m thick section investigated in drillcore comprises 26 magnetitite and six nelsonite (magnetite–ilmenite–apatite)layers and changes up-section from gabbronorite (An₇₂ plagioclase;Mg# 74 clinopyroxene) to magnetite–ilmenite–apatite–fayaliteferrodiorite (An₄₃; Mg# 5 clinopyroxene; Fo₁ olivine). The overallfractionation trend is, however, interrupted by reversals characterizedby higher An% of plagioclase, higher Mg# of pyroxene and olivine,and higher V₂O₅ of magnetite. In the upper half of the successionthere is also the intermittent presence of cumulus olivine andapatite. These reversals in normal fractionation trends definethe bases of at least nine major cycles. We have calculateda plausible composition for the magma from which this entiresuccession formed. Forward fractional crystallization modelingof this composition predicts an initial increase in total iron,near-constant SiO₂ and an increasing density of the residualmagma before magnetite crystallizes. After magnetite beginsto crystallize the residual magma shows a near-constant totaliron, an increase in SiO₂ and decrease in density. We explainthe observed cyclicity by bottom crystallization. Initiallymagma stratification developed during crystallization of thebasal gabbronorites. Once magnetite began to crystallize, periodicdensity inversion led to mixing with the overlying magma layer,producing mineralogical breaks between fractionation cycles.The magnetitite and nelsonite layers mainly occur within fractionationcycles, not at their bases. In at least two cases, crystallizationof thick magnetitite layers may have lowered the density ofthe basal layer of melt dramatically, and triggered the proposeddensity inversion, resulting in close, but not perfect, coincidenceof mineralogical breaks and packages of magnetitite layers. KEY WORDS: layered intrusion; mineral chemistry; isotopes; magma; convection; differentiation     

Petrology of the Partridge River Intrusion, Duluth

Drill core DDH-221 was drilled for the Minnamax Project by AMAX Exploration, Inc., as part of the exploration for Cu-Ni sulfidesin the basal rocks of the northwestern margin of the DuluthComplex. The drill core intersects 525 m of the Partridge RiverIntrusion before passing into the Virginia Formation footwall.The rocks in the drill core comprise plagioclase and olivinecumulates, with troctolite and olivine gabbro as the most commonrock types. Sulfide- and oxide-bearing gabbros are present inthe lowest 100 m of the core where decreases in the crystalsizes of plagioclase and olivine, and the appearance of ophitictextures adjacent to the footwall, indicate that the chilledmargin of the intrusion has been preserved (Chalokwu & Grant,1990). The concentrations of incompatible elements in the wholerocks and the iron contents of olivine and pyroxenes all increasesharply in the lowest 100 m of the drill core (Chalokwu &Grant, 1990), and are interpreted as the downward increase inintercumulus liquid now preserved as intercumulus phases, andthe reaction of this liquid with olivine and pyroxenes. Mass, balance calculations for rocks containing widely differentvolumes of intercumulus phases show that the intercumulus liquidwas a chemically uniform ferrodiorite that can be derived fromKeweenawan high-alumina olivine tholeiite by plagioclase (An₆₃),clinopyroxene (En₅₀Fs₁₀Wo₄₀), and olivine (Fo₇₁) fractionation. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values for plagioclase range between 0–704764and O-706335, with the highest values occurring adjacent tothe footwall Virginia Formation, and the lowest at intermediatedepths in the core. These variations are similar to ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Srvalues reported earlier by Grant & Moiling (1981) From theadjacent core DDH-295, although the values are all greater thanpublished initial ratios for the least altered Keweenawan lavas.We attribute the isotopic variations in core DDH-221 to isotopicheterogeneities in the Partridge River Intrusion magmas, andto limited assimilation of the Virginia Formation within 50m of the footwall. Rare-earth and other trace elements in the intercumulus liquidfrom core DDH-221 have similar distributions to the same elementsin Keweenawan basic to intermediate lavas. We conclude that the rocks of the Partridge River Intrusionsampled in drill core DDH-221 comprise a mechanical mixtureof cumulus plagioclase and olivine and intercumulus liquid thatwere not in equilibrium with each other, and that the intercumulusliquid was broadly consanguineous with Keweenawan high-aluminaolivine tholeiite lavas, but was modified to a greater extentby assimilative exchange with continental crust. After emplacement,the crystal-liquid mixture was modified by flotation of thecumulus plagioclase out of the basal zone, and by limited —but not ubiquitous — assimilation of footwall VirginiaFormation.     

Low-Pressure Experimental Constraints on the Evolution of Komatiites

Melting experiments were performed on a komatiitic basalt with17 wt% MgO from Munro Township, Ontario, at I-atm pressure andan oxygen fugacity controlled approximately to the fayalite-magnetite-quartzbuffer. The experiments showed that olivine appears at 1344±5°C,spinel at 1334±6°C plagioclase at 1185±5°C,augite at 1176±5°C and pigeonite at 1154±6°C.Compositionally, olivine varies from Fo₉₀ to Fo₇₄ and displaysan average K^Fe/Mg_D (ol/liq) of 0•32. The spinels are chromitesand chromian spinels with Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) ratios between 0•66and 0•;32, which show a marked correlation with meltingtemperature. The pyroxenes show an average K^Fe/Mg_D (px/liq)of 0•26, identical for augite and pigeonite. Plagiodaseranges compositionally between An₈₂ and An₇₂ Plotted in thepseudo-quaternary basalt phase diagram, the liquid line of descentis similar to that observed for quartz tholeiitic magmas. Therefore,the low-pressure, late-stage evolution products of komatiiteand basaltic komatiite parental magmas will chemically and mineralogicallybe ferrobasaltic quartz tholeiites. High-temperature and high-pressuremodeling suggests that the main observed compositional variationof Munro komatiites can be explained by low-pressure crystalfractionation and accumulation of olivine into komatiite liquidswith below 21•5–23•5 wt% MgO and eruptive temperaturesbelow 1435–1465°C for oxygen fugacities between thefayalite-magnetite quartz (FMQ) and iron-wiistite (IW) buffers.The maximum magnesium content of liquid komatiites, assumingequilibrium Fo₉₄ olivine, is 27–29 wt% MgO and eruptivetemperatures are between 1515 and 1540°C. KEY WORDS: komatiites; experimental petrology; Munro Township; Ontario     

The McIntosh Layered Troctolite-Olivine Gabbro Intrusion, East Kimberley, Western Australia

The well-preserved ?lower Proterozoic McIntosh intrusion consistsof 96 macro-layers with a total stratigraphic thickness of about6 km. The lowermost rocks in this possible cone-shaped intrusionare hidden, and the roof and the upper layers were removed byerosion. The layered sequence is dominated by 40 bimodal cyclicunits of troctolite and olivine gabbro. Minor gabbronorite layersoccur throughout the sequence, and are more abundant and morefractionated higher in the sequence. Six imperfect megacycicunits are developed in the upper 2700 m, each unit consistingof several troctolite-olivine gabbro cyclic units followed bya Fe-Ti oxide-bearing gabbronorite. The overall cumulus crystallizationorder in each megacyclic unit was plagioclase first, closelyfollowed by olivine, then augite, orthopyroxene, and magnetitesuccessively. Cryptic composition data for troctolites and olivine gabbrosshow a slight overall decrease of 10 mol per cent An and Fofrom the base to the top of the layered sequence (approximateranges An_80–70 and Fo_78–68). Several major fluctuationsoccur however, and are generally associated with the oxide gabbronorites,which are significantly more fractionated than the adjacentlayers (plagioclase An_53–60, orthopyroxene Mg_52–69Each fluctuation comprises a marked progressive discontinuity(rapid normal fractionation) followed by a gradual to rapidregressive discontinuity (or reversal) in the overlying troctolitesand olivine gabbros. Apparently, such marked progressive discontinuitieshave not been described in layered intrusions. A chilled margin and the overall composition of the intrusionsuggest an olivine tholeiite parent magma, inferred to havecrystallized at P 6 kb, relatively low _PH2O and high f_O2 (>NNO buffer). The troctolite-olivine gabbro cyclic units areinferred to have formed by fractional crystallization of periodicadditions of new magma. However, the oxide gabbronorites seemtoo fractionated relative to the underlying layers to have formedby conventional crystal fractionation mechanisms, and they couldhave resulted from a ‘liquid fractionation’ processin which fractionated residual magma, instead of rising, periodicallybecame denser and ponded on the temporary floor (a density crossover).Gradual, reversed cryptic trends in the cyclic units above theoxide gabbronorite layers may reflect mixing of this fractionatedmagma with successive magma additions.     

Petrology of Ultramafic Xenoliths from Loihi Seamount, Hawaii

Ultramafic xenoliths were recovered in four alkalic lava flowsfrom Loihi Seamount at depths between 2200 and 1400m. No xenolithbearing flows were sampled near the summit despite a concentrateddredge program. The flows, three of alkalic basalt and one ofbasanite, contain common olivine megacrysts and small xenolithsof dunite, rarer harzburgite, and a single wehrlite. Olivinemegacrysts as large as 8 mm are Fo_{84–88 6} and containmagnesiochromite inclusions with 1?1–3?5 wt.% TiO₂ Dunitecontains Fo_{83 5–88?5} olivine, magnesiochromite with l?5–6?9wt.% TiO₂ (avg. 3?2 wt.%), and extremely rare chrome-rich diopside.The wehrlite contains euhedral Fo_{85 9} olivine and magnesiochromitewith 1?9–4?7 wt.% TiO₂ poikilitically enclosed in chrome-richdiopside (Wo_{45 4}En_{48 0}Fs_6?6).Most of the olivine megacrysts,dunite, and the wehrlite are cumulates of Loihi alkalic lavasthat accumulated in a magma storage zone located at least 16kmbelow sea level. The rarity of dunite related to tholeiiticmagmas supports the interpretation that the alkalic lavas atLoihi generally predate the tholeiitic lavas. The harzburgitexenoliths have cataclastic textures and contain Fo_{89 5–926} olivine, enstatite (Wo_{2 0–2?7}En_{90?0–88 7}Fe_8?0–8?6),Cr-rich endiopside (Wo_{43 4–44 5}En_{52 0–50 0}Fs_{4 6–45}), and translucent red-brown magnesiochromite. The harzburgitexenoliths, which have 2-pyroxene temperatures of 1066 ? 35?C,originated in the uppermost mantle in a region of high strainrate, probably near the boundary between the mantle and theoverlying ocean crust. The presence of upper mantle xenolithsindicates that the magma storage zone is located below the baseof the ocean crust within the uppermost mantle.     

Lower Crustal Cumulate Nodules in Proterozoic Dikes of the Nain Complex: Evidence for the Origin of Proterozoic Anorthosites

Nodules and xenocrysts dominated by high-A1 orthopyroxene occurin Proterozoic basaltic dikes that cut the Nain anorthositecomplex, Labrador. This pyroxene (En_73–68, Al₂O₃ = 6.5–4.5)lacks exsolution and occurs both as anhedral xenocrysts up to10 cm in diameter and with euhedral plagioclase (An₅₅) in ophiticnodules. Rarely, olivine (Fo₇₀) occurs with orthopyroxene andAl-spinel with plagioclase. Scarce, more Fe-rich nodules containtwo pyroxenes (orthopyroxene + pigeonite and pigeonite+augite)and coarse intergrowths of ilmenite and Ti-rich magnetite. Pyroxenepairs yield temperatures of 1250? to 1170 ?C; coexisting oxidelamellae yield temperatures between 1145? and 1120 ?C. The highsubsolidus temperatures of the nodules contrasts with the lowtemperature of the host anorthosite at the time of dike emplacementand indicates a deep source for the nodules. Coexisting olivine(Fo₇₀) and plagioclase (An₅₄) suggest a maximum pressure ofabout 11 kb.The dominant orthopyroxene in these nodules is nearlyidentical in composition to the high-Al orthopyroxene megacrystswith exsolved plagioclase (HAOM) found in most Proterozoic anorthosites,and the ophitic nodules have textures similar to ophitic occurrencesof HAOM in anorthosite. Rafting of cotectic nodules from thelower crust can explain occurrences of HAOM in shallow levelanorthosites.The nodules and xenocrysts have compositions consistentwith crystallization from magmas that were parental to the anorthosites.They lend support to models which derive anorthosites by fractionalcrystallization of basaltic magma near the base of the crust.     

Petrology of the Vandfaldsdalen Macrodike, Skaergaard Region, East Greenland

The Vandfaldsdalen macrodike is a layered and differentiatedgabbroic dike approximately 3?5 km long and from 200 to 500m wide. It appears to cut the eastern margin of the Skaergaardintrusion and may have served as a feeder for the Basistoppensill. The macrodike can be divided into three series of rocks:a marginal series of differentiated gabbros adjacent to thewalls of the dike; a central series of differentiated and subhorizontallylayered gabbros and ferrodiorites in the interior of the dike;and an upper felsic series of granophyric rocks with abundantquartzo-feldspathic xenoliths. The mineral and bulk-rock compositionsthrough both the marginal series and central series show progressiveiron enrichment. The most Ca-rich plagioclase (An₆₉) and mostmagnesian pyroxene (Wo₄₂ En₄₆ Fs₁₂) occur in olivine-bearingrocks of the marginal series about 5 m from the contact withwall rocks. The most Na-rich plagioclase (An₃₉) and Fe-richpyroxene (Wo₃₈ En₂₄ Fs₃₈) are in olivine-free ferrodiorite ofthe central series, about 20 m below the contact with the felsicseries. Evidence from field observations, bulk-rock chemical compositions,and Sr and Nd isotopic data indicate the felsic series formedas a mixture of the initial macrodike magma and granitic countryrock. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of specimens from the felsic series rangebetween 0?7129 and 0?7294. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios vary between 0?51208and 0?51118. Both ratios vary serially with the SiO₂ contentsof the specimens. We suggest that the felsic series evolvedas a separate body of low density liquid which floated on thedenser gabbroic magma of the central series. Heat from crystallizationof the gabbroic magma must have diffused into the felsic layer,enabling extensive assimilation of the granitic xenoliths, butour data indicate there was very little exchange of chemicalcomponents between the two liquids.     

Klyuchevskoy Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia: The Role of High-Flux Recharged, Tapped, and Fractionated Magma Chamber(s) in the Genesis of High-Al2O3 from High-MgO Basalt

Mineral Chemistry, and major and trace element variations ofthe basalts from Klyuchevskoy, the world's most active islandare volcano, are most consistently explained by the persistenceof a non-steady state, erupting, recharging, and fractionatingmagma chamber in which fractionation of a parental high-MgObasalt melt produces high-Al₂O₃ basalt. Although fractionalcrystallization is the dominant controlling mechanism, periodicrecharge with a more primitive high-MgO basalt is also an importantprocess contributing to the chemical evolution of the magmas.Hybrid basalts are the mixed product of high-Al₂O₃ basalt rechargedwith high-MgO basalt. The lavas range in composition from high-MgO, low-Al₂O₃ ( 12wt. % MgO, 14 wt. % Al₂O₃) to high-Al₂O₃, low-MgO ( 18 wt. %Al₂O₃, 4 wt. % MgO). The high-MgO lavas are characterized byphenocrysts of olivine (cores FO_90–80 and rims FO_85–75)with chromite inclusions [Cr/(Cr + Al)0.7], clinopyroxene (Wo_46–42En_48–42Fs_15–7),and the rare occurrence of orthopyroxene (En_72–70). Allthe phenocrysts are normally zoned and set in a groundmass ofplagioclase, pigeonite, clinopyroxene, magnetite, orthopyroxene.The high-Al₂O₃ basalts contain plagioclase (An_85–55),olivine (Fo_80–65), clinopyroxene (Wo_45–30En_50–38Fs_23–11), orthopyroxene (En_72–70) phenocrysts, that preserve bothnormal and reverse zoning in a groundmass of plagioclase, pigeonite,olivine, clinopyroxene, magnetite, orthopyroxene. Hybrid basaltshave characteristics of both high-MgO basalts and high-Al₂O₃basalts and preserve complicated normal-to-reverse, reverse-to-normal,and normally zoned phenocrysts. No hydrous minerals are presentin any of the lavas. The varied basaltic magmas erupted from Klyuchevskoy are derivedfrom a magma chamber(s) located near the base of the Kamchatkacrust (pressures 0.5–0.9 GPa) and characterized by relativelyhigh crystallization temperatures, some in excess of 1150C.Under these conditions, the fractionation of a parental high-MgOmagma, produced principally from the melting of a fluid-fluxed,peridotitic mantle wedge, results in the production of a chemicallydiverse spectrum of basalts ranging from high-MgO, low-Al₂O₃to high-Al₂O₃, low-MgO basalt, traversing the relatively primitiveend of both the calc-alkalic and tholeiitic differentiationtrends.     

Structure and Petrology of the Alpine-type Peridotite at Burro Mountain, California, U.S.A.

The alpine-type peridotite at Burro Mountain is a partiallyserpentinized harzburgite-dunite body approximately 2 km indiameter. It lies in a chaotic mélange derived from theFranciscan Formation (Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous) ofthe southern Coast Ranges of California. The peridotite is boundedon the east by a vertical fault in the Nacimiento fault zonethat brings sedimentary rocks of Taliaferro's (1943b) AsuncionGroup (Upper Cretaceous) into contact with the peridotite. Theperidotite appears to be one of a number of tectonic lenses,having a wide range in size, that make up the mélange.These lenses include metagraywacke, metachert, greenstone, amphibolite,and blueschist, as well as ultramafic rocks, and represent awide range of pressure-temperature environments. The outer shell of the peridotite is a sheared serpentinitezone 10–15 m thick. The peridotite was tectonically emplacedat its present level as a cold solid mass and had little effecton the mineral assemblages of the Franciscan Formation. Localdevelopment of lawsonite and aragonite in shear zones may berelated to the peridotite emplacement. Foliated harzburgite forms approximately 60 per cent of theperidotite. It is a lithologically uniform rock that has anolivine: orthopyroxene ratio of approximately 75:25. Accessoryclinopyroxene and chromian spinel generally make up less than5 per cent of the harzburgite. Dunite, composed of olivine,accessory chromian spinel (< 5 per cent), and trace amountsof pyroxene, makes up approximately 40 per cent of the peridotiteand occurs as dikes, sills, and irregular bodies in the harzburgite. Olivine and pyroxene show small but significant compositionalvariations and chromian spinel shows a large range in the cationratio Cr/(Cr+Al+ Fe³⁺). The compositional variations in theseminerals are related to original differences in bulk chemicalcomposition. The following compositional ranges were determinedfor minerals in the harzburgite: olivine, Fo_91.1–Fo_91.4;orthopyroxene, En_89.8–En_91.1; clinopyroxene, Ca_47.0Mg_50.0Fe_3.0–Ca_48.7Mg_48.2Fe_3.1;chromian spinel, Cr/(Cr+Al+Fe³⁺) 0.37–0.55. The pyroxeneshave a range in A1₂O₃ content of 1.3–3.0 wt per cent.Olivine from dunite ranges from Fo₉₁ to Fo_{92 7} and the chromianspinel has a range in the Cr/(Cr+Al+Fe³⁺) ratio of 0.30–0.75.Although all the dunites are lithologically similar, three distincttypes are recognized on the basis of composition of coexistingolivine and chromian spinel. Structural relations between thethree types of dunite suggest three periods of emplacement (possiblyoverlapping) of dunite into harzburgite. The evidence indicatesthat the dunite, and probably also the harzburgite crystallizedfrom an ultramafic magma, probably in the upper mantle. After the magmatic episode and crystallization, the peridotitewas subjected to a deep-seated plastic deformation and recrystallization.The first phase of the deformation produced a pervasive, planarstructural element (S₁) that crosscuts many harzburgite-dunitecontacts. It is probable that some of the dunite sills wereemplaced during this deformation. The foliation, S₁, is definedby layers of different orthopyroxene content in harzburgite,and by discontinuous layers of chromian spinel in dunite. Flowor slip along S₁ produced slip folds in harzburgite—dunitecontacts with axial planes parallel to S₁. At a later stage,isoclinal folds developed in S₁, and the present olivine microfabricwas probably formed by recrystallization in the stress fieldthat produced the isoclinal folding. In the olivine microfabric,X tends to be perpendicular to the axial planes (S₂) of theisoclinal folds and Y and Z tend to form double maxima in S₂approximately 90° apart. Mg–Fe²⁺ distribution betweencoexisting mineral pairs yields a calculated temperature offormation of approximately 1200 °C. Although this temperatureis only a nominal value, it indicates that the mineral pairsequilibrated at a significantly high temperature. In view ofthe deformation and recrystallization, the calculated temperaturepossibly represents subsolidus re-equilibration of the mineralsduring this event. The deformation and recrystallization probablyoccurred shortly after crystallization while the peridotitewas still at a high temperature. A later deep-seated deformation produced small scattered kinkfolds in S₁ that tend to disrupt the major olivine microfabric.The kink folding was accompanied or followed by the developmentof kink bands in olivine that reflect intragranular glidingon the system T = [Okl], t = [100]. The kink bands probablyformed at a minimum temperature of 1000 °C. Following the deep-seated deformation, which probably took placein the mantle, the peridotite mass was tectonically detachedand moved upward to its present level in the crust. Cleavages,joints, and faults provided channels for water to pervade theperidotite and allow alteration of the primary minerals.     

Mineralogy and petrology of the diabasic rocks in a differentiated olivine diabase sill complex,Sierra Ancha,Arizona

The Precambrian Sierra Ancha sill complex, more than 700 feet thick, is a multiple intrusion with a central layer of feldspathic olivine-rich diabase, and upper and lower layers of olivine diabase derived from a high-alumina basalt magma. Minor rock types include albite diabase and albite-diabase pegmatite. Deuteric alteration was extensive. Principal primary minerals are plagioclase (An₇₂ to An₁₆), augite (Wo₄₃En₄₄Fs₁₃ to Wo₄₀En₃₈Fs₂₂), olivine (Fo₇₄ to Fo₅₄), orthopyroxene (En₇₇ to En₄₄), magnetite (Mgt₆₆Usp₃₄ to Mgt₈₉Usp₁₁), and ilmenite (Ilm₈₆Hem₁₄ to Ilm₉₆Hem₄). Ilmenite formed by reaction-exsolution from magnetite_ss is consistently different in compositon from primary ilmenite. Primary ilmenite became enriched in Mn and depleted in Mg as crystallization proceded. A systematic Fe-Mg partition between contacting olivine and orthopyroxene suggests that equilibrium prevailed on an extremely local scale during crystallization. Albite-diabase pegmatite contains a mineral assemblage including augite, ferrosalite (Wo₄₉En₂₈Fs₂₃ to Wo₄₉En₁₄Fs₃₇), albite (An₂ to An₀), and iron-rich chlorite. Altered diabase and albite diabase also have unusually calcium-rich pyroxenes. The calcium-rich pyroxenes, which occur in assemblages like those characterizing some spilites, are richer in calcium and lower in aluminum and titanium than basaltic augite.Contribution No. 1712 of the Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.     

Phase relations in transitional and alkali basaltic glasses from Iceland

Basaltic glasses from the three alkalic areas of Iceland (Snaefellsnes Volcanic Zone, Sudurland Volcanic Zone and Vestmannaeyjar Volcanic Area) contain plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene, chromian spinel and titanomagnetite as phenocryst phases. The glasses are hypersthene to nepheline normative alkali basaltic with FeO/ MgO ratios between 1.4–4.7. Olivine ranges in composition from Fo₉₀ to Fo₅₅, plagioclase from An₉₀ to An₅₀ and clinopyroxene from En₄₅Fs₁₀Wo₄₅ to En₄₀Fs₁₇Wo₄₃. Clinopyroxene reveals systematic Ti:Al metastable crystallization trends related to the composition of the enclosing glass. Two types of phenocryst are present in most glasses and show a bimodality in size and composition. Microphenocryst phases are those most likely to have crystallized from the enclosing glass, while macrophenocrysts may have crystallized from a liquid of slightly less evolved composition. The glasses show complex phenocryst-glass relations which can be related to a polybaric effect. The normative glass compositions are related to 2-phase cotectic surfaces in the basalt tetrahedron and define the position of the 3-phase cotectic line. In general with increasing FeO/MgO in the glass the phenocryst assemblages vary from clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase along a clinopyroxene-olivine surface to olivine and plagioclase along an olivine-plagioclase surface. The normative glass compositions show a deflection from clinopyroxene-bearing to clinopyroxene-free glasses. The appearance of plagioclase together with clinopyroxene and olivine can be explained in the light of experimental investigations of the effect of pressure on phase relations. The major element variation of the glasses is interpreted as representing mantle derived magma batches of primary liquids, modified to some degree by high (6 kbar) and intermediate to low pressure (below 3 kbar) crystal fractionation towards equilibrium phase relations during ascent and residence in crustal magma chambers. The observed deflection in normative compositions of the glasses marks the position of the high pressure 3-phase cotectic line. The bimodality in size and composition of plagioclase and olivine phenocrysts can be related to high pressure crystal fractionation in the melt. The Fe-Ti basalt glasses from Sudurland are believed to be quenched high pressure compositions.     

Petrology of the Blue Mountain Complex, Marlborough, New Zealand

Blue Mountain is a central-type alkali ultrabasic-gabbro ringcomplex (lxl7middot;5 km) introducing Upper Jurassic sediments,Marlborough, New Zealand. The ultrabasic-gabbroic rocks containlenses of kaersutite pegmatite and sodic syenite pegmatite andare intruded by ring dykes of titanaugite-ilmenite gabbro andlamprophyre. The margin of the intrusion is defined by a ringdyke of alkali gabbro. The plutonic rocks are cut by a swarmof hornblendebiotite-rich lamprophyre dykes. Thermal metamorphismhas converted the sediments to a hornfels ranging in grade fromthe albite-epidote hornfels facies to the upper limit of thehornblende hornfels facies. The rocks are nepheline normative and consist of olivine (Fo_82–74),endiopside (Ca₄₅Mg₄₈Fe₇–Ca₃₆Mg₅₅Fe₉), titanaugite (Ca₄₀Mg₅₀Fe₁₀–Ca₄₄Mg₃₉Fe₁₇),plagioclase (An_73–18), and ilmenitetitaniferous magnetite,with various amounts of titaniferous hornblende and titanbiotite.There is a complete gradation between endiopside and titanaugitewith the coupled substitution R_y⁺²+Si;;(Ti⁺⁴+Fe⁺³+Al⁺³ and asympathetic increase in CaAl₂SiO₆ (0·2–10·2percent) and CaTiAl₂O₆ (2·1–8·1 per cent)with fractionation. Endiopside shows a small, progressive Mgenrichment along a trend subparallel to the CaMgSi₂O₆–Mg₂Si₂O₆boundary, and titanaugite is enriched in Ca and Fe⁺²+Fe⁺³ withdifferentiation. Oscillatory zoning between endiopside and titanaugiteis common. Exsolved ilmenite needles occur in the most Fe-richtitanaugites. The amphiboles show the trend: titaniferous hornblende(1·0–57middot;7 per cent TiO₂) kaersutite (6·4per cent TiO2) Fe-rich hastingsite (18·0–19·1per cent FeO as total Fe). Biotite is high in TiO₂ (6·6–7·8per cent). Ilmenite and titaniferous magnetite (3·5–10·6per cent TiO₂) are typically homogeneous grains; their compositioncan be expressed in terms of R⁺²RO₃:R⁺²O:R₂⁺³O₄. The intrusion of igneous rocks was probably controlled by subterraneanring fracturing. Subsidence of the country rock within the ringfracture provided space for periodic injections of magma froma lower reservoir up the initial ring fracture to form the BlueMountain rocks at a higher level. Downward movement of the floorof the intrusion during crystallization caused inward slumpingof the cumulates which affected the textural, mineralogical,and chemical evolution of the rocks in different parts of theintrusion. The order of mineral fractionation is reflected by the chemicalvariation in the in situ ultrabasic-gabbroic rocks and the successiveintrusions of titanaugite-ilmenite gabbro and lamprophyre ringdykes, marginal alkali gabbro and lamprophyre dyke swarm. Aninitial decrease, then increase in SiO2; a steady decrease inMgO, CaO, Ni, and Cr: an initial increase, then decrease inFeO+Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, MnO, and V; almost linear increase in A1₂O₃and late stage increase in alkalis and P₂O₃, implies fractionationof olivine and endiopside, followed by titanaugite and Fe-Tioxides, followed by plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, and apatite.Reversals in the composition of cumulus olivine and endiopsideand Solidification Index, indicate that the ultrabasic-gabbroicsequence is composed of four main injections of magma. The ultrabasic rocks crystallized under conditions of high P_H2Oand fairly high, constant     

Vermicular orthopyroxene-magnetite symplectites from the Wateranga layered mafic intrusion,Queensland, Australia

Orthopyroxene-magnetite intergrowths (symplectites), partly or completely surrounding olivine, are described from the Wateranga layered mafic intrusion, Queensland, Australia. The texture occurs in unmetamorphosed plagioclase-rich norites, olivine gabbros and troctolites in which the primary minerals are olivine (Fo_63–69) orthopyroxene (En_66–72), clinopyroxene (Wo₄₂En₄₂Fs₁₆), plagioclase (An_49–65), hornblende, ilmenite, magnetite and sulphides. Symplectites range from incipient fine grained developments around corroded olivine grains to intricately formed pseudomorphs after olivine and slow a consistent orthopyroxene/magnetite ratio. Orthopyroxene in symplectites is commonly in optical continuity with surrounding magnetite-free orthopyroxene rims. Later intercumulus hornblended has replaced orthopyroxene. There is marked chemical similarity between primary and simplectite, orthopyroxenes and magnetites. Textures similar to those described here are considered elsewhere to have formed at a late magmatic stage or by solid state reactions involving subsolidus oxidation of olivine. In the Wateranga intrusion textural relations, the chemical similarity between primary and symplectite phases, and the consistent volume proportions of magnetite and orthopyroxene in the intergrowths suggest that they developed during late magmatic crystallization.     

Experimental Constraints on the Conditions of Formation of Highly Calcic Plagioclase Microlites at the Soufrire Hills Volcano, Montserrat

High-pressure and -temperature experiments on a bulk-rock compositionrepresentative of the groundmass of the Soufrière HillsVolcano andesite have allowed the phase equilibria of the systemto be determined; these are then compared with the natural samples.Experimental conditions varied from 825 to 1100°C and from5 to 225 MPa; the main phases observed were clinopyroxene, crystallinesilica, amphibole and plagioclase. A relationship between plagioclasemicrolite size and anorthite content is identified in samplesof the natural andesite. Large crystals (>60 µm² inarea) have cores of An_60–75, whereas small crystals (<60µm² in area) have cores of An_40–60. Experimentalresults show that if the magma is heated to >950°C thehigh-anorthite microlite crystals can form at magma chamberpressures without any need for a change in bulk composition.It is proposed that convective self-mixing occurs within themagma chamber. Geothermometry of coexisting plagioclase–amphibolepairs confirms the complex crystallization history of the naturalsamples. Analysis of natural glass samples has identified compositionalvariations that can be related to the crystallinity of the sampleand also the groundmass plagioclase composition. Rapidly eruptedpumice samples have high glass contents, lower SiO₂ glass compositionsand plagioclase microlites that are large in size (>60 µm²)and have a high anorthite content (>An₆₀). Slowly erupteddome samples are highly crystalline and contain numerous plagioclasemicrolites of variable size and composition. KEY WORDS: glass evolution; experiment; Montserrat; plagioclase; self-mixing     

An Unusual Enstatite-Forsterite Basalt from Kolbeinsey Island, North of Iceland

This is the first account of volcanic rocks erupted from a northernextension of the MidAtlantic Ridge to a locality between Icelandand Jan Mayen. The islet of Kolbeinsey (67° 08' N., 18°36' W.) is being rapidly eroded and now measures 52x36 m, andreaches only to 7.5m above sea level. Two identical specimensof vesicular basalt were collected by the Icelandic Coastguardvessel Aegir in 1962, and have now been chemically analysed.The mineral compositions were determined by electron microprobeanalysis. The rock carries micro-phenocrysts of highly magnesianolivine (Fo_{98 8}) and of plagioclase (An₈₅ to An₃₀). Brown andlemon-yellow grains of augite (Wo₄₂ En₄₅ Fs₁₃) are accompaniedby pale-yellow, euhedral to subhedral, groundmass orthopyroxenesof highly magnesian composition (Wo₄ En₈₈ Fs₈) and with a calciumcontent higher than found previously in enstatites. The chemistryof the basalt, also, is unusual in showing Fe₂O₃ = 8.98 percent and FeO = 0.38 per cent. The high state of oxidation isconsidered in relation to the production of forsterite and enstatitefrom basalt magma. Historic submarine volcanism in the regionis discussed in relation to bathymetric and geophysical data.     

The Perseverance Ultramafic Complex, Western Australia: The Product of a Komatiite Lava River

The Perseverance ultramafic complex is a body of olivine-richkomatiitic rocks spatially associated with the Agnew nickeldeposit, in the Agnew-Wiluna greenstone belt of the ArchaeanYilgarn Block in Western Australia. The complex consists ofa central lenticular body, up to 700 m thick, of olivine adcumulates,flanked by laterally extensive sheet-like bodies of olivineorthocumulates and spinifextextured komatiite flows. Rocks progressivelyfurther away from the central lens have chemical compositionsreflecting higher original proportions of komatiite liquid tocumulus olivine. Parent liquids had MgO contents between 25and 32% MgO, approximately chondritic Al/Ti ratios and HREEpatterns, and moderate depletion in LREE. Olivines within the adcumulate lens show a progressive increasein forsterite content from Fo₉₃ at the bottom to Fo_94?5, atthe top. Calculated original olivine compositions in the flankingrocks are similar to those at the base of the central lens.Original olivine nickel contents show a symmetrical variationfrom maximum values of 3500 ppm at the top of the central lens,through minimum values of 1000 ppm at the base and margins ofthe central lens to intermediate values in the distal rocks.The complex as a whole shows evidence for nickel depletion relativeto other komatiite suites. These observations are explained in terms of prolonged eruptionand flow of komatiitic lava down a major flow channel or lavariver. Adcumulates crystallized on the floor and sides of thecentral channel, which was formed at an early stage by thermalerosion of floor rocks. Episodic overflow of the central channelproduced distal ‘flood plain’ rocks consisting ofolivine orthocumulates and layered flows. Lavas became moremagnesian and nickel-rich with time, giving rise to the observedspatial variation in primary olivine composition. Nickel depletionof the earliest lavas is attributed to pre-eruption segregationof large volumes of immiscible Fe-Ni-sulfide, which were concentratedto form the underlying Agnew nickel deposit.