Combined U-Pb dating and Sm-Nd studies on lower crustal and mantle xenoliths from the Delegate basaltic pipes, southeastern Australia

Mafic rocks dominate the lower crustal and upper mantle xenolith suites within the Jurassic Delegate basaltic diatremes in the Paleozoic Lachlan Fold Belt, SE Australia. Two upper mantle mafic xenoliths from the Delegate pipes, a garnet pyroxenite and a garnet granulite (equilibrated at 1060 and 1140 °C, and 40–50 km), yield garnet-clinopyroxene Sm-Nd ages of 160 ± 4 Ma and 153 ± 10 Ma, respectively. Both ages are indistinguishable from the time of eruption of the diatremes, and are interpreted as showing continuous isotopic equilibrium within the mantle of Sm and Nd between garnet + clinopyroxene at temperatures ≥ 1050 °C. A lower crustal, 2-pyroxene granulite xenolith (equilibrated at 810–850 °C and ca. 25 km) yields a clinopyroxene + plagioclase + whole rock Sm-Nd isochron ages of 283 ± 26 Ma. This age probably reflects partial resetting of the isotopic systems of much older granulite during slow cooling, or after a heating event in the lower crust associated with the Jurassic magmatic activity represented by the basaltic host rock. Metamorphic zircons from the 2-pyroxene granulite xenolith were dated by the U-Pb method at 398±2 and 391 ± 2 Ma. These ages are considered to date granulite facies metamorphic events in the lower crust of the region. The age gap between the granulite facies metamorphism and granitoid plutonism in the region (420–410 Ma) indicates that the dated granulite is unlikely to represent residue after partial melting and magma extraction that generated the regional granitoids. It is suggested that these ages may record a relatively slow cooling following the cessation of mafic magmatic intrusion that formed the xenolith protoliths and that was probably the heat source responsible for granite production. At about 25 km, this thermal relaxation accounts for the change from an olivine + plagioclase + 2-pyroxene gabbroic assemblage into the granulite facies 2-pyroxene + plagioclase + spinel field. Received: 17 May 1995 / Accepted: 24 March 1997     

安徽女山下地壳麻粒岩包体中的水：红外光谱分析

运用显微傅立叶变换红外光谱技术,对安徽女山新生代玄武岩中的10个麻粒岩包体的主要组成矿物（单斜辉石、斜方辉石、斜长石）进行了观察。结果显示,这些名义上的无水矿物中都普遍含有以OH一形式赋存的结构水,其含量（H10wt．）分别可以高达～2340ppm（单斜辉石）、～1590ppm（斜方辉石）和～910ppm（斜长石）。不同样品间矿物的结构水含量具有明显的不均一性的分布特点,这很可能是对其原岩性质的一种反映。根据单矿物的水含量和各自的体积分数计算出的全岩水含量为125～963ppm。根据二辉石温度计计算的女山麻粒岩包体的平衡温度为～800～900℃,对应于女山最下部地壳（-25～35km）,因此本文数据为大陆下地壳含水与否提供了初步的最直接的证据,并且其水含量可能具有不均一性的分布特点。     

Helium and argon isotopes in lower crustal xenoliths from the belomorian mobile belt

The isotopic systematics of noble gases (He and Ar) were studied in Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic lower crustal xenoliths from the Belomorian mobile belt. The xenolith suite is dominated by garnet granulites (Grt + Cpx + Pl ± Opx ± Qtz ± Kfs ± Phl ± Hbl) and two-pyroxene or garnet pyroxenites (Cpx + Pl ± Grt ± Opx ± Hbl ± Qtz). The xenoliths and the host Devonian ultramafic lamprophyres forming diatremes and explosion dikes contain fluid with similar He and Ar isotopic compositions. It was found that the fluid was trapped by the rocks and xenolith minerals approximately simultaneously with the formation of the lamprophyres. This conclusion is based on the identical K-Ar ages of the majority of xenoliths and ultramafic lamprophyres. When the xenoliths were transported toward the surface by high-temperature ultrabasic melts, the noble gases occurring in them were partly (Ar) or completely (He) lost. The melts were contaminated by meteoric waters during their emplacement in the upper crust, which resulted in that the Ar isotopic composition of lamprophyres approached the composition of atmospheric Ar. The fluid phase that was liberated during melt crystallization severely affected the xenoliths, diminishing the difference between the isotope compositions of He and Ar in the xenoliths and ultramafic lamprophyres. The He isotope composition includes an admixture of mantle ³He, which is suggested by the high measured ³He concentrations, exceeding the calculated values, and high ³He/³⁶Ar ratios in the xenoliths and their host lamprophyres. The fraction of the mantle component in the fluid trapped by the xenoliths was estimated as ～20%.     

Seismic velocities of granulite-facies xenoliths from Central Ireland: Implications for lower crustal composition and anisotropy

V_p and V_s values have been measured experimentally and calculated for granulite-facies lower crustal xenoliths from central Ireland close to the Caledonian Iapetus suture zone. The xenoliths are predominantly foliated and lineated metapelitic (garnet–sillimanite–K-feldspar) granulites. Their metapelitic composition is unusual compared with the mostly mafic composition of lower crustal xenoliths world-wide. Based on thermobarometry, the metapelitic xenoliths were entrained from depths of c. 20–25 ± 3.5 km and rare mafic granulites from depths of 31–33 ± 3.4 km. The xenoliths were emplaced during Lower Carboniferous volcanism and are considered to represent samples of the present day lower crust.V_p values for the metapelitic granulites range between 6.26 and 7.99 km s^{− 1} with a mean value of 7.09 ± 0.4 km s^{− 1}. Psammite and granitic orthogneiss samples have calculated V_p values of 6.51 and 6.23 km s^{− 1}, respectively. V_s values for the metapelites are between 3.86 and 4.34 km s^{− 1}, with a mean value of 4.1 ± 0.15 km s^{− 1}. The psammite and orthogneiss have calculated V_s values of 3.95 and 3.97 km s^{− 1}, respectively.The measured seismic velocities correlate with density and with modal mineralogy, especially the high content of sillimanite and garnet. V_p anisotropy is between 0.15% and 13.97%, and a clear compositional control is evident, mainly in relation to sillimanite abundance. Overall V_s anisotropy ranges from 1% to 11%. Poisson's ratio (σ) lies between 0.25 and 0.35 for the metapelitic granulites, mainly reflecting a high V_p value due to abundant sillimanite in the sample with the highest σ. Anisotropy is probably a function of deformation associated with the closure of the Iapetus ocean in the Silurian as well as later extension in the Devonian. The orientation of the bulk strain ellipsoid in the lower crust is difficult to constrain, but lineation is likely to be NE–SW, given the strike-slip nature of the late Caledonian and subsequent Acadian deformation.When corrected for present-day lower crustal temperature, the experimentally determined V_p values correspond well with velocities from the ICSSP, COOLE I and VARNET seismic refraction lines. Near the xenolith localities, the COOLE I line displays two lower crustal layers with in situ V_p values of 6.85–6.9 and 6.9–8.0 km s^{− 1}, respectively. The upper (lower velocity) layer corresponds well with the metapelitic granulite xenoliths while the lower (higher velocity) layer matches that of the basic granulite xenoliths, though their metamorphic pressures suggest derivation from depths corresponding to the present-day upper mantle.     

Granulite facies lower crustal xenoliths from the Eifel,West Germany: petrological and geochemical aspects

Petrographic, petrological and geochemical data for 16 mafic meta-igneous, granulite facies lower crustal xenoliths from the East Eifel were collected in order to develop a model for the lower crustal history for this region. The xenoliths consist of plagioclase±amphibole±clinopyroxene±garnet±orthopyroxene±scapolite + opaque minerals±apatite±rutile±zircon. Garnet has reacted to a variable extent with plagioclase and clinopyroxene to form a corona of plagioclase_II+ amphibole + orthopyroxene_II. Pyroxenes and plagioclases show complex zoning patterns with regard to Al and Ca which can be interpreted in terms of P, T history. Decreasing temperature and pressure conditions are recorded by decreasing Al in clinopyroxene rims coexisting with increasing anorthite contents in plagioclase rims and the breakdown of garnet. In addition, a young heating event that affected the granulites to different degrees is inferred from the complementary Ca-zoning patterns in clino- and orthopyroxenes. Rare earth element (REE) patterns of whole rocks together with the trends displayed and fractionated liquids. REE analyses of the mineral separates display equilibrium partitioning patterns for amphibole and clinopyroxene, although isotopic data show that amphibole contains externally-derived Sr and Nd components not recognized in other minerals. At least a 4-stage history for the granulites is recorded: (1) intrusion and crystal fractionation of basaltic magmas in the lower crust, probably accompanied by crustal assimilation, (2) granulite facies metamorphism, (3) a decrease in temperature and pressure, and (4) a later heating event. The complicated thermal history is reflected in Sm–Nd mineral isochron ages which range from about 170 Ma down to about 100 Ma and cannot be assigned to distinct geological events. These ages correlate with inferred temperatures; the low ages are measured for xenoliths with the highest temperatures. In some cases the young heating event is likely to be responsible for partial resetting of the mineral isochrons.     

Crustal growth in south-eastern Australia—evidence from lower crustal eclogitic and granulitic xenoliths

Mafic and ultramafic xenoliths in a basaltic cone at The Anakies in south-eastern Australia are geochemically equivalent to continental basaltic magmas and cumulates. The xenolith microstructures range from recognizably meta-igneous for intrusive rocks to granoblastic for garnet pyroxenites. Contact relationships between different rock types within some xenoliths suggest a complex petrogenesis of multiple intrusive, metamorphic and metasomatic events at the crust/mantle boundary during the evolution of south-eastern Australia. Unaltered spinel lher-zolite, typical of the uppermost eastern Australian mantle, is interleaved with or veined by the metamorphosed intrusive rocks of basaltic composition. Geothermobarometry calculations by a variety of methods show a concordance of equilibration temperatures ranging from 880°C to 980°C and pressures of 12 to 18 kbar (1200-1800 mPa). These physical conditions span the gabbro to granulite to eclogite transition boundaries. The water-vapour pressure during equilibration is estimated to be about 0.5% of the load pressure, using amphibole breakdown data. Large fluid inclusions of pure CO₂ are abundant in the mineral phases in the xenoliths, and it is suggested that flux of CO₂ from the mantle has been an important heat source and fluid medium during metamorphism of the mafic and ultramafic protoliths at the lower crust/upper mantle boundary. The calculated pressures and temperatures suggest that the south-eastern Australian crust has sustained a high geothermal gradient. In addition, the nature of the mineral assemblages and the contact relationships of granulitic rock with spinel lherzolite, characteristic of mantle material, suggest that the Moho is not a discrete feature in this region, but is represented by a transition zone approximately 20 km thick. These inferences are in agreement with geophysical data (including seismic, heat-flow and electrical resistivity data) determined for south-eastern Australia. Underplating at the crust/mantle boundary by continental basaltic magmas may be an important alternative or additional mechanism to the conventional andesite model for crustal accretion.     

Inhibited eclogitization and consequences for geophysical rock properties and delamination models: Constraints from cratonic lower crustal xenoliths

Studies on lower crustal and mantle xenoliths as well as geophysical data provide important information on the cratonic lithosphere. While geothermobarometric calculations of a majority of mantle xenoliths are in agreement with the typically low surface heat flow values of a craton (~ 40 mW/m²), P–T estimates for lower crustal xenoliths deviate significantly from the cratonic geotherms. Independent from the individual cratonic history, the temperatures are ~ 200–300 °C higher than what is expected at the base of the lower crust (~ 500–600 °C at ~ 1.3–1.6 GPa). Possible explanations may be a lack of equilibration to the cratonic geotherm or a relatively recent localized heat input. The presence of granulitic rocks under eclogite-facies conditions which are expected to prevail in the lower cratonic crust has consequences for the interpretation of geophysical rock properties. A mafic granulite which has been preserved under eclogite-facies conditions has densities and P-wave velocities similar to a felsic composition equilibrated to eclogite-facies conditions. Furthermore, phase diagrams calculated from xenolith bulk compositions demonstrate that eclogitization at relatively high temperatures as required for delamination of continental crust can only be triggered at significantly higher pressures than lithostatic at the base of the lower crust. As long as P–T conditions and the rock composition entail the assemblage to be granulitic, the addition of fluid at temperatures above 800 °C will not result in eclogitization, but rather in melt generation. This can also lead to an increase in density of up to 3%, however, this is strongly dependent on the amount of water saturation.     

Characteristics of Lower Crustal Granulite Xenoliths from the East Qinling Orogenic Belt and Their Tectonic Significance

The Tongbai granulites are present mainly as xenoliths in granodioritic gneisses. The xenoliths with a zircon age of 470Ma are older than the host rocks of granodioritic gneisses which yield a zircon age of 435Ma. It is suggested that the granulites were transported from the lower crust to the upper level along with granodioritic magma. Geothermometrical and geobarometrical studies based on the coexisting minerals (Opx-Cpx and Opx-Gar) show that the granulites were crystallized at 818 –840 °C and 9.5−9.8 × 10⁸ Pa corresponding to the lower crust. Tectonically, the Shangdan suture zone constitutes the boundary between the North China and Yangtze plates. The zone is char acterized by the occurrence of ophiolites in the western part and by that of granulites in the eastern part. So the western part marks the upper crustal level of the Qinling belt, while the eastern part represents the exposure of a deeper level. The results of isotopic dating and the geochemical characteristics of the xenoliths are consistent with those of metatholeiites of the ophiolites in the western part. Therefore, it is assumed that both ophiolites found in the west and granulites found in the east all represent the remnants of the ancient Qinling ocean plate. The difference is that the ophiolites are pieces of obducted fragments from the ocean floor during the subduction in the Early Palaeozoic. However, in the Tongbai area, when the ocean floor was subducting towards the lower crust, it underwent a granulite fades metamorphism. Subsequently, granodioritic magma formed by partial melting trapped some fragments of granulite upwards. This project was jointly granted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Stiftung Volkswagenwerk of Germany     

Thermobarometry and P–T–t paths: the granulite to eclogite transition in lower crustal xenoliths from eastern Australia

‘Lower crustal’ suite xenoliths in basaltic and kimberlitic magmas are dominated by mafic granulites and may also include eclogites and garnet pyroxenites. Pressures of up to 25 kbar obtained from such xenoliths are well in excess of an upper value of c. 12 kbar for exposed granulite terranes. Palaeogeotherms constructed from xenoliths for the lower crust beneath the Phanerozoic fold belts of eastern Australia (SEA) and beneath the eastern margin of the Australian craton (EMAC) indicate two distinct thermal regimes. The two geotherms have similar form, with the EMAC curve displaced c. 150°C to lower temperatures. Reaction microstructures show the partial re-equilibration of primary igneous assemblages to granulite and eclogite assemblages and are interpreted to reflect the cooling from magmatic temperatures. Variations in mineral compositions and zoning are used to constrain further the history of several EMAC xenoliths to near-isobaric trajectories. Detailed graphical models are constructed to predict compositional changes for isobaric P–T paths (at 7, 14 & 21 kbar) to transform an SEA-type geotherm to a cratonic geotherm. The models show that for the assemblage grt + cpx ± ky + plag + qtz, the changes associated with falling temperature in X_gr, X_jd (increase) and X_an (decrease) will be greater at higher pressures. These results indicate that discernible zoning is more likely to be preserved in the higher pressure xenoliths. The zoning recorded in clinopyroxene from mafic granulite xenoliths over the pressure range c. 12–22 kbar suggests isobaric cooling of a large crustal thickness (30–35 km). An isobaric cooling path is consistent with magma accretion models for the transition of a crust–mantle boundary from an SEA-type geotherm to a cratonic geotherm. The coexistence of granulite and eclogite over the depth range 35–75 km beneath the EMAC indicates that the granulite to eclogite transition in the lower crust is controlled by P–T conditions, bulk chemistry and kinetic factors. At shallower crustal levels, typified by exposed granulite terranes, isobaric cooling may not result in the transition to eclogite.     

Cretaceous lower crust of the continental margins of the northern pacific: Petrological and geochronological data on lower to middle crustal xenoliths

Despite the exposures of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks and the accretionary tectonic history of the northern Pacific (northeastern Asia, Alaska, and Kamchatka), it is likely that a considerable portion of the lower crust of the continental margins is much younger and was generated by Cretaceous postaccretion magmatic events. Data on xenoliths suggest that Late Cretaceous and Paleocene mafic intrusions and cumulates of calc-alkaline magmas may become more important with increasing depth. This conclusion is based on the petrological and geochronological investigation of lower-middle crustal xenoliths borne by mantlederived alkali basalt lavas and U-Pb dating of zircon cores from the igneous rocks of the region. We studied deep mafic xenoliths of granulites and gabbroids (accounting for <2% of the general xenolith population) from the Late Neogene alkali basalt lavas of the Enmelen and Viliga volcanic fields (Russia) and the Imuruk volcanic field in the Seward Peninsula, St. Lawrence Island, and Nunivak Island (Alaska). Depleted MORB-like varieties and relatively enriched in radiogenic isotopes and LREE rocks were distinguished among plagioclase-bearing xenoliths. The most representative collection of Enmelen xenoliths was subdivided into three groups: LREE enriched charnockitoids and mafic melts, pyroxene-plagioclase cumulates with a positive Eu anomaly, and LREE depleted garnet gabbroids. Mineral thermobarometry and calculated seismic velocities (P = 5–12 kbar, T = 740–1100°C, and V _p = 7.1 ± 0.3 km/s) suggest that the xenoliths were transported from the lower and middle crust, and the rocks show evidence for their formation through the magmatic fractionation of calc-alkaline magmas and subsequent granulite-facies metamorphism. The U-Pb age of zircon from the xenoliths ranges from the Cretaceous to Paleocene, clustering mainly within 107–56 Ma (147 crystals from 17 samples were dated). The zircon dates were interpreted as reflecting the magmatic and metamorphic stages of the growth and modification of the regional crust. The distribution of the obtained age estimates corresponds to the main magmatic pulses in two largest magmatic belts of the region, Okhotsk-Chukchi and Anadyr-Bristol. The absence of older inherited domains in zircons from both the xenoliths and igneous rocks of the regions is a strong argument in favor of the idea on the injection of juvenile material and underplating of calc-alkaline magmas in the lower crust during that time interval. This conclusion is supported by isotope geochemical data: the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios of the rocks and xenolith minerals show mantle signatures (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7040–0.70463, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51252–0.51289, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.32–18.69) corresponding to an OIB source and are in general similar to those of the Cretaceous calc-alkaline basalts and andesites from continental-margin suprasubduction volcanoplutonic belts. Xenoliths from Nunivak Island and Cape Navarin show more depleted (MORB-like) geochemical and isotopic characteristics, which indicates variations in the composition of the lower crust near the southern boundary of the Bering Sea shelf.     

山东鲁山地区新太古代壳源花岗岩锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年

山东鲁山地区新太古代壳源花岗岩主要包括粗粒钾长花岗岩、中—粗粒二长花岗岩和斑状二长花岗岩。根据SHRIMP锆石U-Pb定年,其形成时代分别为2525Ma±13Ma、2517Ma±13Ma和2508Ma±20Ma,且常有残余锆石核存在。它们的形成与华北克拉通新太古代晚期(2.5~2.55Ga)强烈的构造热事件有关,标志着鲁西和华北古陆块克拉通化完成。     

汉诺坝新生代玄武岩中下地壳麻粒岩包体的变形显微构造特征及其地质意义

新生代玄武岩中的下地壳包体,由于从下地壳被快速携带至地表,因此保留了下地壳的直接信息.华北北部汉诺坝新生代玄武岩中除了含有丰富的幔源包体之外,还含有许多下地壳麻粒岩包体.本文的主要目的是通过对该区下地壳麻粒岩包体的变形显微构造和位错亚构造特征的详细研究,探讨下地壳的变形特征和变形机制.光学显微镜下观测表明,下地壳麻粒岩包体的低温(＜800℃)样品中确实发育显微破裂,但变形双晶、变形条带、扭折带也同样发育,动态重结晶作用也开始出现.随着温度、压力的升高,变形双晶、变形条带、变形纹、扭折带和重结晶新晶粒等塑性变形特征占主导地位,而显微破裂则主要表现为由塑性失配引起的显微破裂以及流体包裹体面.而明显不同于Ivrea带地体麻粒岩,在这些包体中未发现与韧性剪切有关的变形显微构造特征.透射电镜观测表明,包体中的斜长石和辉石颗粒普遍发育自由位错、位错列、亚晶界、新晶界、变形双晶、包裹体列和出溶片晶等位错亚构造.上述观测结果表明,下地壳变形作用以塑性变形为主而不是准脆性变形,其变形机制主要为位错的滑移和攀移机制,其中包括机械双晶作用和动态重结晶作用.     

山东鲁山地区新太古代壳源花岗岩锆石SHRIMP U—Pb定年

山东鲁山地区新太古代壳源花岗岩主要包括粗粒钾长花岗岩、中-粗粒二长花岗岩和斑状二长花岗岩。根据SHRIMP锆石U—Pb定年．其形成时代分别为2525Ma±13Ma、2517Ma±13Ma和2508Ma±20Ma,且常有残余锆石核存在。它们的形成与华北克拉通新太古代晚期（2．5～2．55Ga）强烈的构造热事件有关,标志着鲁西和华北古陆块克拉通化完成。     

Metamorphism, isotopic ages and composition of lower crustal granulite xenoliths from the Cretaceous Salta Rift, Argentina

Crustal xenoliths from basanitic dikes and necks that intruded into continental sediments of the Cretaceous Salta Rift at Quebrada de Las Conchas, Provincia Salta, Argentina were investigated to get information about the age and the chemical composition of the lower crust. Most of the xenoliths have a granitoid composition with quartz-plagioclase-garnet-rutile ± K-feldspar as major minerals. The exceedingly rare mafic xenoliths consist of plagioclase-clinopyroxene-garnet ± hornblende. All xenoliths show a well equilibrated granoblastic fabric and the minerals are compositionally unzoned. Thermobarometric calculations indicate equilibration of the mafic xenoliths in the granulite facies at temperatures of ca. 900 °C and pressures of ca. 10 kbar. The Sm-Nd mineral isochron ages are 95.1 ± 10.4 Ma, 91.5 ± 13.0 Ma, 89.0 ± 4.2 Ma (granitoid xenoliths), and 110.7 ± 23.6 Ma (mafic xenolith). These ages are in agreement with the age of basanitic volcanism (ca. 130–100 and 80–75 Ma) and are interpreted as minimum ages of metamorphism. Lower crustal temperature at the time given by the isochrons was above the closure temperature of the Sm-Nd system (>600–700 °C). The Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic signatures (¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.1225–0.1608; ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_{t 0} = 0.512000–0.512324; ⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr = 0.099–0.172; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_{t 0} = 0.708188–0.7143161) and common lead isotopic signatures (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.43–18.48; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.62–15.70; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.22 –38.97) of the granitoid xenoliths are indistinguishable from the isotopic composition of the Early Paleozoic metamorphic basement from NW Argentina, apart from the lower ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratio of the basement. The Sm-Nd depleted mantle model ages of ca. 1.8 Ga from granitoid xenoliths and Early Paleozoic basement point to a similar Proterozoic protolith. Time constraints, the well equilibrated granulite fabric, P-T conditions and lack of chemical zoning of minerals point to a high temperature in a crust of nearly normal thickness at ca. 90 Ma and to a prominent thermal anomaly in the lithosphere. The composition of the xenoliths is similar to the composition of the Early Paleozoic basement in the Andes of NW Argentina and northern Chile. A thick mafic lower crust seems unlikely considering low abundance of mafic xenoliths and the predominance of granitoid xenoliths. Received: 21 July 1998 / Accepted: 27 October 1998     

The petrology of lower crustal xenoliths from the Executive Committee Range, Marie Byrd Land Volcanic Province, West Antarctica

Alkaline magmas from the late-Cenozoic Marie Byrd Land Volcanic Province, West Antarctica, have entrained lithospheric xenoliths which vary from spinel lherzolites to supracrustal rocks. Lower crustal xenoliths have been collected from the Executive Committee Range (Mounts Hampton in the north and Mount Sidley in the south) in central Marie Byrd Land, and their petrological characteristics together with preliminary geochemical data are discussed here. Granulite xenoliths include metaigneous gabbros and norites with varying proportions of clinopyroxene, spinel and either olivine or orthopyroxene. Pyroxenites occur together with granulites, which on the basis of their similar mineral assemblage, texture and composition are considered to be related to the granulites. The composition of xenoliths from Mounts Hampton and Sidley differ (e.g. Mount Sidley xenoliths have Mg# 32–80, are relatively LREE enriched and have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70286–0.70376 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512864–0.512870, whereas Mount Hampton xenoliths have Mg# 68–78, are LREE depleted and have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70420–0.70458 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512771–0.512819), defining a major lateral lower crustal discontinuity beneath the Executive Committee Range. Relict igneous textures and low abundances of incompatible elements indicate that the xenoliths initially formed as cumulates rather than as trapped melts. The xenolith suite differs in composition to the host rocks (Mount Sidley VOLCANICS = ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.70300–0.70312 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.512814–0.512907) and cannot be co-genetic with them. They are interpreted here to represent the cumulates of mantle melts that evolved by crystal fractionation at lower crustal depths.