Geochemistry of S-type granitic rocks from the reversely zoned Castelo Branco pluton (central Portugal)

The zoned pluton from Castelo Branco consists of Variscan peraluminous S-type granitic rocks. A muscovite>biotite granite in the pluton's core is surrounded successively by biotite>muscovite granodiorite, porphyritic biotite>muscovite granodiorite grading to biotite=muscovite granite, and finally by muscovite>biotite granite. ID-TIMS U–Pb ages for zircon and monazite indicate that all phases of the pluton formed at 310 ± 1 Ma. Whole-rock analyses show slight variation in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_310 Ma between 0.708 and 0.712, Nd_310 Ma values between − 1 and − 4 and δ¹⁸O values between 12.2 and 13.6. These geological, mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic data indicate a crustal origin of the suite, probably from partial melting of heterogeneous Early Paleozoic pelitic country rock. In detail there is evidence for derivation from different sources, but also fractional crystallization linking some of internal plutonic phases. Least-squares analysis of major elements and modelling of trace elements indicate that the porphyritic granodiorite and biotite=muscovite granite were derived from the granodiorite magma by fractional crystallization of plagioclase, quartz, biotite and ilmenite. By contrast variation diagrams of major and trace elements in biotite and muscovite, the behaviours of Ba in microcline and whole-rock δ¹⁸O, the REE patterns of rocks and isotopic data indicate that both muscovite-dominant granites were probably originated by two distinct pulses of granite magma.     

Origin of granite at Cabo de Santo Agostinho,Northeast Brazil

A 4 km² exposure of shallowly-emplaced leucogranite on the Atlantic coast at Cabo de Santo Agostinho, 30 km south of Recife, Brazil has been extensively studied chemically and isotopically. Twenty-three major-element analyses indicate that the Cabo granite ranges from peralkaline to peraluminous; Na₂O+K₂O is very high (7.4 to 10.4 wt.%), with CaO low (0.3%) and MgO vanishing (<0.06%). Microprobe analyses confirm the presence of arfvedsonite (biotite absent), and nearly total absence of plagioclase. The rocks are moderately to highly enriched in LREE (La 45 to 350 times chondritic), with extremely pronounced negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu^*=0.02 to 0.07). Whole-rock ¹⁸O is consistent at +8.5±0.3%._oSMOW A Rb-Sr isochron age of isotopically slightly disturbed samples is 104.8±1.8 Ma, with initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7084±0.0011. Sr is depleted (2–20 ppm) but Ba is 200–750 ppm.Crystallization path calculations and petrographic observations suggest that magma formed at a pressure close to 6 kbar but rose to a crustal level equivalent to roughly 1 kbar. Quartz, the liquidus phase at moderate H₂O concentrations and pressures above 2 kbar, was resorbed during decompression as the magma moved upwards. Ultimately, quartz and alkali feldspar coprecipitated. Feldspar was not retained in the source rock nor removed early from the fractionating magma. Therefore the strong negative Eu anomaly and low Sr abundance are characteristics inherited from the source. A high H₂O concentration necessary for a large degree of melting was lacking, hence the Cabo magma composition must reflect a small degree of partial melting of a rather quartz-rich rock such as a feldspathic arenite.In a pre-drift reconstruction of Gondwanaland, the Cabo granite fits on the southernmost and youngest end of the trend of the Niger-Nigerian igneous centers with which it has close affinity. The Cabo granite occupies the western end of the trace of the ancestral Ascension mantle plume which presumably served as the heat source.     

Time calibration of a PT-path from the Western Tauern Window,Eastern Alps: the problem of closure temperatures

New Hornblende K-Ar and ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar and mica Rb-Sr and K-Ar ages are used to place specific timemarks on a well-constrained pressure-temperature path for the late Alpine metamorphism in the Western Tauern Window. After identification of excess ⁴⁰Ar, the closure behavior of Ar in hornblende is compared with that of Sr and Ar in phengite and biotite. Samples were collected in three locations, whose maximum temperatures were 570° C (Zemmgrund), 550° C (Pfitscher Joch), and 500–540° C (Landshuter Hütte).The average undisturbed age sequence found is: Phengite Rb-Sr (20 Ma)>hornblende K-Ar (18 Ma)>phengite K-Ar (15 Ma)>biotite Rb-Sr, K-Ar (13.3 Ma)>apatite FT (7 Ma). Except for the phengite Rb-Sr age, the significance of which is debatable, all ages are cooling ages. No compositional effects are seen for closure in biotite. Additionally, Rb-Sr phengite ages from shearzones possibly indicate continuous shearing from 20 to 15 Ma, with reservations regarding the validity of the initial Sr correction and possible variations of the closure temperatures. The obviously lower closure temperature (T _c) for Ar in these hornblendes than for Sr in the unsheared phengites indicates that the T _c sequence in the Western Tauern Window is different from those observed in other terrains. In spite of this discrepancy, valuable geological conclusions can be drawn if the application of closure temperatures is limited to this restricted area with similar T, P and : (1) All ages of samples located on equal metamorphic isotherms decrease from east to west by about 1 Ma which is the result of a westward tilting of the Tauern Window during uplift. (2) In a PT-path, the undisturbed cooling ages yield constantly decreasing uplift rates from 3.6 mm/a to 0.1 mm/a. (3) Use of recently published diffusion data for Ar in hornblende (T _c=520° C) and biotite (T _c=320° C) suggests an extrapolated phengite closure temperature for Sr at 550° C. This suggests that the prograde thermal metamorphism at this tectonic level of the Tauern Window lasted until some 20 Ma ago.     

The age of the Kagenfels granite (northern Vosges) and its bearing on the intrusion scheme of late Variscan granitoids

In the Saxothuringian part of the Vosges (France), a first series of Variscan plutonic rocks (diorites to granites) has been intruded by several younger granites. Rocks of both the older generations have been cross-cut by the late orogenic Kagenfels granite. The averages of the hitherto published mineral ages of the earlier rock generations are 331 and 334 Ma, respectively, whereas Rb-Sr and K-Ar dates around 290 Ma have been reported for the Kagenfels granite. Because of the unlikely large age hiatus, a redetermination of the intrusion age of the Kagenfels granite formation appeared to be irrevocable. The newly obtained mineral ages on the Kagenfels granite (K-Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite ages as well as single zircon radiogenic ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb data: 331 ± 5 Ma) are about 40 Ma older than the previous results. They are interpreted as giving the time of emplacement of the Kagenfels granite during the latest Visan. The mineral ages of the earlier plutonic rocks in this part of the Variscan Orogeny in all probability are not significantly different from their ages of intrusion. Therefore the age concordance of all three granitoid generations constrains a rather narrow time interval of orogenic magmatism close to the Lower-Upper Carboniferous boundary.     

Dikes from Ortler,Sarntal Alps and Brixen granite: Mineralogy,chemical composition and petrogenesis

Summary The magmatic dikes of Ortler, Sarntal Alps and in the Brixen granite are of calc-alkaline nature with low values of FeO and TiO₂ (< 1 wt. %), corresponding to typical orogenic volcanic series generated at converging plate margins. The Order dikes display a chemical variation basalt/basaltic andesite (Ortler-Cevedale)-acidic andesites (Töll/Meran)-rhyolite (Hoher Dieb). The presence of magmatic garnets (in the andesites of Töll and in the rhyolites of Holier Dieb), and the calc-alkaline nature of the dikes imply a deep origin involving subduction processes.The⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio are high ranging from 0.71015 ± 10 (2 ) in the dikes of the Ortler-Campo Crystalline Complex to 0.72120 ± 10 in the dikes of the Sarntal Alps. The high⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio may imply crustal contamination.The Ortler dikes have strongly partitioned REE patterns Ce_N/Yb_N=21–35 whereas the Sarntal dikes have Ce_N/Yb_N values ranging from 5–10. In comparison, the Oetztal dikes are characterized by high FeO and TiO₂ (> 1 wt.%) values and a less partitioned REE pattern with Ce_N/Yb_N = 2–5 (where N indicates chondrite normalized values).

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Die gänge des ortler-massivs, der sarntaler alpen und des brixner granits: mineralogie, chemismus und petrogenese

Zusammenfassung Die magmatischen Gänge in den Ortler- und Sarntaler Alpen sowie im Brixner Granit, haben kalkalkalischen Chemismus mit niederen Werten von FeO und TiO₂ (< l Gwt.%), sie entsprechen vulkanischen Serien die typisch sind für konvergierende Plattengrenzen.Die Gänge im Ortler-Gebiet zeigen eine chemische Variation von Basalten bis zu basaltischen Andesiten im W (Ortler, Cevedale), über saure Andesite (Töll, Meran) bis zu Rhyoliten (Hoher Dieb) im O. Das Auftreten von magmatischen Granaten an Andesiten bei Töll und in Rhyoliten am Hohen Dieb, sowie der kalkalkalische Chemismus der Gänge, sprechen für ihre Herkunft aus großer Tiefe im Zusammenhang mit einer Subduktion.Die⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr-Verhältnisse sind hoch und variieren von 0.71015 ± 10 (2 ) im Ortler-Campo-Kristallin bis 0.72120± 10 in den Sarntaler Gängen. Das hohe⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr-Ver-hältnis spricht für eine Beimengung von Krustenmaterial.Die Seltenen Erden der Ortler-Gänge zeigen eine starke Fraktionierung CeN/YbN = 21-35 im Gegensatz zu den Gängen im Sarntal, die ein CeN/YbN-Verhältnis von 5-10 aufweisen. Im Vergleich dazu weisen die Gänge im Ötztal-Stubaier Altkristallin hohe FeO- und TiO₂(> 1 Gwt.%)-Werte und eine geringere REE-Fraktionierung von CeN/YbN = 2-5 auf.

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With 8 Figures     

Isotopic study of the Manaslu granite (Himalaya,Nepal): inferences on the age and source of Himalayan leucogranites

A detailed isotopic study of the Manaslu leucogranite was carried out. A U-Pb age of 25 Ma and a whole rock Rb-Sr age isochron of 18 Ma were obtained, suggesting that the magmatic activity lasted at least 7 Ma. Initial Sr isotopic ratios are very high (0.740 to 0.760) and initial Nd isotopic ratios are low ( _Nd ⁱⁿ : –13 to –16), and they show the existence of large isotopic variations even at the metre scale. These are not the result of perturbations by fluids but rather they reflect the initial isotopic heterogeneity of the source material which has not been obliterated by magmatic processes (e.g. fusion, mixing by convection). These results also support the crustal origin of this leucogranite. The Tibetan slab paragneisses, whose Sr and Nd isotopic ratios are very similar to those of the granite at an age of 20 Ma, are the most probable parental material. Nd model ages for both the leucogranite and the gneisses are in the range 1.5–2 Ga. A model of formation of the Manaslu granite by coalescence of different batches of magma is in agreement with the present data.     

Rb-Sr and K-Ar geochronologic and isotopic studies,Llano Uplift,central Texas

Two major episodes are evident in the metamorphic and igneous Precambrian basement of the Llano Uplift, central Texas. Dynamothermal metamorphism was accompanied by minor basaltic and tonalitic syntectonic plutonism. This was followed by a second period of thermal overprinting accompanying emplacement of high-K₂O, high-level major granite plutons. Extensive isotopic age work by Zartman, published in the mid-1960s, suggests that development of the basement complex, spanning an interval of 150 m.y. or more, began with deposition of Valley Spring Gneiss (the lowest unit) and terminated about 1,050 m.y. ago with final postmetamorphic cooling (indicated by retention ages of Ar and Sr in biotite). We have supplemented these data with more than 50 new K-Ar and Rb-Sr analyses.Two foliated plutons in the southeast are 1,167±12m.y. (2) old, with distinctly different initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. Field relationships and isotopic data indicate that these plutons are the earliest yet known in the Uplift. Metamorphosed basalt dikes and gabbro bodies were emplaced immediately preceding and following the syntectonic plutons. Eleven of these rocks had extremely uniform initial ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr=0.7029±0.0005. A Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron of the unfoliated Enchanted Rock pluton indicates an age of 1,048±34 m.y. with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr= 0.7048±0.0007. One of the northern unfoliated granites, the Lone Grove pluton, gives a whole-rock isochron age of 1,056±12 m.y., with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7061±0.0003. All of the intrusive rocks have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios consistent with a source in the mantle or lower crust, but not in ancient remobilized continental crust. Six K-Ar hornblende ages from metabasalts are 1,078±19 m.y. (1), in general agreement with K-Ar and Rb-Sr mineral ages elsewhere in the eastern Llano Uplift. A metasedimentary Valley Spring Gneiss sample from the western Uplift has a whole rock-muscovite Rb-Sr age of 1,129±9 m.y. Field and isotopic data are now sufficiently numerous to permit a moderately detailed reconstruction of the Precambrian history of the area.     

Hydrothermal alteration of Variscan granites,southern Schwarzwald,Federal Republic of Germany

Hercynian S-type granites from the southeastern Schwarzwald granite series represent cogenetic biotite-and two-mica granites. Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope data show that hydrothermal alteration invoking isotopically light surface waters resulted in a drastic reduction in ¹⁸O and D and pronounced disequilibrium between the minerals. Effective water-rock ratios are calculated to be high, about 0.8 vol units. A shift in the¹⁸O/¹⁶O and the chemical composition of the fluid due to water-rock interaction is continuously traced from pure H₂O with meteoric isotopic character in the deep-seated biotite granites to slightly saline water with rock-equilibrated isotopic composition in the two-mica granites at a shallower level. Substantial retrograde hydrometamorphism in the temperature range 500° to 200° C resulted mineralogically in high-temperature chloritization of biotite, and low-temperature muscovitization as well as feldspar alteration, respectively. Another result of the re-equilibration of cations is strong disturbance of the Rb–Sr system which affects measured ages and initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values. Hydrothermal differentiation and alteration probably overlap to a very large extent magmatic differentiation processes.     

Petrology,geochronology and Sr–Nd isotopic geochemistry of the Konso pluton,south-western Ethiopia: implications for transition from convergence to extension in the Mozambique Belt

Granites were shown to be excellent geochronological, structural and geodynamic markers. Among several generations of granites described in the Neoproterozoic of Ethiopia, we studied the post-tectonic Konso pluton to characterise the post-Pan-African evolution of the Mozambique Belt (MB) of southern Ethiopia. The Konso pluton is a composite intrusion of slightly peraluminous and ferro-potassic, bt (biotite)–leucogranites, bt–hbl (hornblende)–granites and subordinate coeval metaluminous monzodiorites, intruded into high-grade gneiss–migmatite associations of the MB. The whole suite displays chemical features of A-type granites. It is LIL- and HFS-elements enriched with Y/Nb and Yb/Ta1.2. The granites and leucogranites show non-fractionated to fractionated REE patterns [(La/Yb)_N=0.3–9.4] with strong negative Eu anomalies. The monzodiorites show fractionated REE patterns [(La/Yb)_N=5.5–7.4] with negligible negative Eu anomaly. The low initial (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₄₅₀ ratios (0.70113–0.70441) and positive Nd₍₄₅₀₎ values (+1.8 to +3.3) suggest an isotopically primitive source. The Konso granites are likely to be derived from a basaltic parent, with minor contamination by crustal material with high Y/Nb and low Sr initial isotopic ratios. Age of pluton emplacement is constrained by a Rb–Sr isochron and zircon U–Pb data at 449±2 Ma. The Konso pluton is, therefore, the witness of an Ordovician A-type magmatic event, which marks a change from convergence, related to the Pan-African collision, to extension in the Mozambique Belt of southern Ethiopia.     

Isotopic dating of the emplacement of the ultramafic masses in the Serrania de Ronda,Southern Spain

A Rb-Sr analysis of suites of samples from a small intrusion of cordierite-bearing alkali granite into the peridotite of the Sierra Bermeja (Serrania de Ronda) yields an age of 22± 4 Ma ( = 1.42×10^–11 a^–1): Late Oligocene/Early Miocene. It is believed that the intrusion was derived from contact-anatectic melts produced along the hot ultramafic mass during and/or directly following its tangential, tectonic dislocation from a mantle diapir. Its age can thus be taken as dating the termination of the hot emplacement of the ultramafic masses. K-Ar dates of biotites and Rb-Sr dates of biotite/whole-rock pairs in contact-metamorphic wall rocks along the ultramafics mostly lie between 19.5 and 18.5 Ma. This probably indicates that about 19 Ma ago the contact-zones of the ultramafic masses had cooled down to the blocking temperature of biotite to Rb-Sr and K-Ar.     

Anticorrelated Rb−Sr and K−Ar age discordances,Leuchtenberg granite,NE Bavaria,Germany

The Leuchtenberg granite (Oberpfalz, NE Bavaria) displays a continuous differentiation trend ranging from mildy peraluminous, coarse-grained, porphyritic biotite granites (BG) to strongly peraluminous, medium- to fine-grained, garnet-bearing muscovite granites (GMG). The Rb–Sr and K–Ar age determinations of whole-rock and mineral samples from the granite and associated intermediate rocks (redwitzites) have revealed two divergent age gradients: Rb–Sr wholerock dates decrease and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios increase for successively more evolved subsets of the granite. All BG samples (⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr=2–16) yield a date of 326±2 Ma with a low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70778±0.00013 (1), while all GMG samples (⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr=70 to 1000) yield a younger date of 317±2 Ma with an enhanced initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7146±0.0039. The K–Ar measurements on biotites and muscovites give closely concordant dates for the GMG (326–323 Ma) and the southern lobe of the BG (324–320 Ma). The northern lobe of the BG, including the redwitzites, shows a well-defined trend of decreasing K–Ar dates from 320 Ma to 300 Ma towards the northwest. Critical consideration of both isotope systems leads to the conclusion that the Rb–Sr system of the GMG was disturbed by a later hydrothermal event. The ca. 326 Ma whole-rock Rb–Sr date for the BG is not in conflict with any of the K–Ar mineral dates and is taken as approaching the crystallization age of the Leuchtenberg granite. The K–Ar age progression within the northern lobe of the BG indicates that this part either cooled down over a protracted period of some 20 Ma or experienced reheating at ca. 300 Ma. The study highlights the potential of combined Rb–Sr and K–Ar dating in deciphering detailed chronology on the scale of a single igneous intrusion.     

Geochemical, Sr–Nd and zircon U–Pb–Hf isotopic studies of Late Carboniferous magmatism in the West Junggar, Xinjiang: Implications for ridge subduction?

Voluminous granitic intrusions are distributed in the West Junggar, NW China, and they can be classified as the dioritic rocks, charnockite and alkali-feldspar granite groups. The dioritic rocks (SiO₂ = 50.4–63.8 wt.%) are calc-alkaline and Mg enriched (average MgO = 4.54 wt.%, Mg^# = 0.39–0.64), with high Sr/Y ratios (average = 21.2), weak negative Eu (average Eu/Eu = 0.80) and pronounced negative Nb–Ta anomalies. Their Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.7035–0.7042, ε_Nd(t) = 4.5–7.9, ε_Hf(t) = 14.1–14.5) show a depleted mantle-like signature. These features are compatible with adakites derived from partial melting of subducted oceanic crust that interacted with mantle materials. The charnockites (SiO₂ = 60.0–65.3 wt.%) show transitional geochemical characteristics from calc-alkaline to alkaline, with weak negative Eu (average Eu/Eu = 0.75) but pronounced negative Nb–Ta anomalies. Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.7037–0.7039, ε_Nd(t) = 5.2–8.0, ε_Hf(t) = 13.9–14.7) also indicate a depleted source, suggesting melts from a hot, juvenile lower crust. Alkali-feldspar granites (SiO₂ = 70.0–78.4 wt.%) are alkali and Fe-enriched, and have distinct negative Eu and Nb–Ta anomalies (average Eu/Eu = 0.26), low Sr/Y ratios (average = 2.11), and depleted Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.7024–0.7045, ε_Nd(t) = 5.1–8.9, ε_Hf(t) = 13.7–14.2). These characteristics are also comparable with those of rocks derived from juvenile lower crust. Despite of the differences in petrology, geochemistry and possibly different origins, zircon ages indicate that these three groups of rocks were coevally emplaced at ~ 305 Ma.A ridge subduction model can account for the geochemical characteristics of these granitoids and coeval mafic rocks. As the “slab window” opened, upwelling asthenosphere provided enhanced heat flux and triggered voluminous magmatisms: partial melting of the subducting slab formed the dioritic rocks; partial melting of the hot juvenile lower crust produced charnockite and alkali-feldspar granite, and partial melting in the mantle wedge generated mafic rocks in the region. These results suggest that subduction was ongoing in the Late Carboniferous and, thus support that the accretion and collision in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt took place in North Xinjiang after 305 Ma, and possibly in the Permian.     

Early Cretaceous gabbroic complex from Yinan,Shandong Province: petrogenesis and mantle domains beneath the North China Craton

Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon U–Pb ages, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data are reported for the gabbroic complex from Yinan (Shandong Province) with the aims of characterizing the nature of the Mesozoic mantle beneath the North China Craton. The Yinan gabbros contain alkali feldspar and biotite, and are characterized by moderate Mg#, high SiO₂, low FeO and TiO₂ contents and a strong enrichment of light rare earth elements [(La/Yb)_n=11–50], but no Eu anomaly. They have low Nb/La (0.07–0.29), radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.710) and unradiogenic _Nd(t) (–15 to –13). These crustal fingerprints cannot be attributed to crustal contamination, given the lack of correlation between isotopic ratios and differentiation indices and the unreasonably high proportion of crustal contaminant (>20%) required in modeling. Instead, compositional similarities to contemporaneous basalts from nearby regions imply that the Yinan gabbros were not significantly affected by crystal cumulation. Isotopic data available for the Mesozoic mafic magmas reveal two distinct mantle domains beneath Shandong. While the EM1-like domain (with low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) is confined to western Shandong, the mantle beneath eastern Shandong is dominated by EM2-type (with high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) affinities. This aerial distinction suggests that the EM2-like signature of the Yinan gabbros may have been inherited from westerly-subducted Yangtze crust during the Triassic North China-South China collision. Emplacement of the Yinan gabbros (127 Ma) is likely affiliated with the widespread and protracted extension during the late Mesozoic in this region.     

Radiometric constraints on hydrothermal circulation in cooling granite plutons

Improved precision of radiometric dating of ore deposits can provide information about the thermal history of hydrothermal circulation in cooling plutons. In Jales a Hercynian porphyritic two-mica granite and pre-Ordovician mica schists are cut and intensely altered by the Campo gold-quartz vein. The unaltered granite must be younger than 320 ± 6 Ma, and gives mica Rb-Sr ages of 308.5 ± 2.4 (1) Ma (muscovite) and 294.5 ± 1.1 Ma (biotite). Alteration muscovites from the granite give a weighted mean Rb-Sr age of 308.1 ± 1.5 Ma, and a mean ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar age of 300.7 ± 2.8 Ma. Alteration muscovites from the mica schists give similar ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar ages, averaging 303.0 ± 2.8 Ma. The results suggest that circulation of the Campo mineralising fluids took place no more than 2–4 Ma after the granite cooled through the muscovite Rb-Sr closure temperature, about 500 °C, and that subsequent cooling to biotite closure at about 300 °C took place at less than 14°C/Ma. The mean cooling rate following emplacement was 15 to 25 °C/Ma. The most detailed comparable published data, for the Cornubian ore field, imply much faster cooling rates.     

Petrogenesis of the Mesozoic intrusive complexes from the southern Taihang Orogen,North China Craton: elemental and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic constraints

A geochemical and isotopic study was carried out for three Mesozoic intrusive suites (the Xishu, Wuan and Hongshan suites) from the North China Craton (NCC) to understand their genesis and geodynamic implications. The Xishu and Wuan suites are gabbroic to monzonitic in composition. They share many common geochemical features like high Mg# and minor to positive Eu anomalies in REE patterns. Initial Nd–Sr isotopic compositions for Xishu suite are _Nd(135 Ma)=–12.3 to –16.9 and mostly I_Sr = 0.7056–0.7071; whereas those for Wuan suite are slightly different. Pb isotopic ratios for Xishu suite are (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i = 16.92–17.3, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i=15.32–15.42, (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i=37.16–37.63, which are slightly higher than for Wuan suite. The Xishu–Wuan complexes are considered to originate from partial melting of an EM1-type mantle source, followed by significant contamination of lower crustal components. The Hongshan suite (mainly syenite and granite) shows distinctly higher _Nd(135 Ma) values (–8 to –11) and slightly higher Pb isotopic ratios than the Xishu–Wuan suites. It was formed via fractionation of a separate parental magma that also originated from the EM1-type mantle source, with incorporation of a small amount of lower crustal components. Partial melting of the mantle sources took place in a back-arc extensional regime that is related to the subduction of the paleo-Pacific slab beneath the NCC.     

Petrology and Li-Be-B geochemistry of muscovite-biotite granite and associated pegmatite near Yellowknife,Canada

Prosperous granite (Rb-Sr 2520±25 Ma) occurs as several plutons (1–380 km² outcrop area) in a thick succession of metamorphosed greywacke-mudstone of the Yellowknife Supergroup. The average mineral content of the Sparrow pluton (in vol.%) is quartz (32), plagioclase (31), K-feldspar (24), muscovite (9), biotite (3), and apatite (<1). Average trace-element concentrations (in ppm) are Li (140), Be (4), B (28), Zn (47), Rb (250), Sr (76), Zr (75) and Ba (360). The central portion of the pluton is slightly richer in K, Sr, and Ba than the margin. Li is concentrated in mica (Li in biotite/Li in muscovite=4.7), and Be and B in muscovite and plagioclase. Countless pegmatite dikes occur in the Sparrow pluton and in schist-hornfels to the east; the outer limit is marked by the cordierite isograd, 9 km from the granite contact. Dikes vary greatly in size (1 km to a few cm in length), in mineral content (quartz, albite, K-feldspar, muscovite, tourmaline, beryl, spodumene), in major element composition (especially the NaK ratio), and in trace-element content (Li 18–5000 ppm, Be 5–260 ppm, B 20–150 ppm). Compared with Prosperous granite, the pegmatite bodies are richer in P and Rb, and poorer in Ti, Fe, Mg, Zr, and Ba. Dikes rich in tourmaline, beryl, and spodumene occur in overlapping zones situated progressively farther from the centre of the Sparrow pluton. The composition of tourmaline is related to host rock; the highest concentrations of Fe and Zn occur in crystals from pegmetite and the highest concentrations of Mg and V occur in crystals from tourmalinized schist, while those from granite and quartz veins occupy on intermediate position. Complex compositional zoning is present in some tourmaline crystals in pegmatite. Estimates of temperature (500°–600° C) and pressure (2–4 kb) of granite emplacement, based on the distribution of andalusite and sillimanite in the contact rocks, suggest that the final stage of granite emplacement occurred at sub-solidus conditions. A vaportransport model is proposed to explain the widespread distribution of the pegmatite dikes and their extreme compositional variability. Some of the pegmatite constituents, including Li, Be, and B, were possibly derived from Yellowknife graywacke and mudstone.     

Basalt-rhyolite volcanism by MORB-continental crust interaction: Nd,Sr-isotopic and geochemical evidence from southern San Joaquin Basin,California

The early miocene Tecuya volcanic center in the southern San Joaquin basin of California consists of flows and tuffs of basalt and rhyolite that erupted, closely spaced in time, in both submarine and subaerial conditions. The rhyolites are overlain by the basalts and constitute approximately 45% of a total of at least 180 km³ of the Tecuya volcanic rocks. The basalts have _Nd(t) values of +2 to +6 and (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i values between 0.7035 and 0.7052. These rocks show LREE enrichment [(La/Yb)_N =2.4–5.5; La=28–150 times chondrite] and higher Th/U, Th/Ta, Rb/Ta, Ba/Ta, Cs/Rb but lower K/Rb ratios than MORB. Combined major- and trace-element, and Sr–Nd isotopic data suggest the involvement of subcontinental lithosphere, depleted upper mantle source (MORB), and local continental crust in the basalt petrogenesis. _Nd(t) values in rhyolites vary from +1.5 to +3.7 while (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios range from 0.7051 to 0.7064. The rhyolites display LREE enrichment [(La/Yb)_N=10; La=100 times chondrite] along with a distinct negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu^*=0.75) and depletion of Ti and P. Mixing relations in (⁸⁷/⁸⁶Sr)_i – _Nd(t) space among basalts, rhyolites, and local continental crust indicate that the Tecuya rhyolites were produced by assimilation of variable amounts of continental crust by MORB-related magmas and subcontinental lithosphere-derived melts. This conclusion is supported by the synchroneity of Tecuya volcanism at 22 Ma with interaction of a segment of the East Pacific Rise along the southern California margin. The Tecuya volcanic rocks thus provide an example for the generation of rhyolitic melts owing to crustal assimilation by basaltic melts during mid-oceanic ridge-induced magmatism along a continental margin.     

Paleomagnetism of the middle Cretaceous Iritono granite in the Abukuma region, northeast Japan

We have studied the paleomagnetism of the middle Cretaceous Iritono granite of the Abukuma massif in northeast Japan together with ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating. Paleomagnetic samples were collected from ten sites of the Iritono granite (102 Ma ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar age) and two sites of its associated gabbroic dikes. The samples were carefully subjected to alternating field and thermal demagnetizations and to rock magnetic analyses. Most of natural remanent magnetizations show mixtures of two components: (1) H component, high coercivity (B_c > 50–90 mT) or high blocking temperature (T_b > 350–560 °C) component and (2) L component, relatively low B_c or low T_b component. H component was obtained from all the 12 sites to give a mean direction of shallow inclination and northwesterly declination (I = 29.9°, D = 311.0°, α₉₅ = 2.7°, N = 12). This direction is different from the geocentric axial dipole field at the present latitude (I = 56.5°) and the typical direction of the Cenozoic remagnetization in northeast Japan. Since rock magnetic properties indicate that the H component of the Iritono granite is carried mainly by magnetite inclusions in plagioclase, this component probably retains a primary one. Thus the shallow inclination indicates that the Abukuma massif was located at a low latitude (16.1 ± 1.6°N) about 100 Ma and then drifted northward by about 20° in latitude. The northwesterly deflection is attributed mostly to the counterclockwise rotation of northeast Japan due to Miocene opening of the Japan Sea. According to this model, the low-pressure and high-temperature (low-P/high-T) metamorphism of the Abukuma massif, which has been well known as a typical location, would have not occurred in the present location. On the other hand, the L component is carried mainly by pyrrhotite and its mean direction shows a moderate inclination and a northwesterly declination (I = 42.8°, D = 311.5°, α₉₅ = 3.3°, N = 9). Since this direction is intermediate between the H component and early Cenozoic remagnetization in northeast Japan, some thermal event would have occurred at lower temperature than pyrrhotite Curie point ( 320 °C) during the middle Cretaceous to early Cenozoic time to have resulted in partial remagnetization.     

Anomalous isotopic compositions of Sr,Ar and O in the Mesozoic diabase dikes of Liberia,West Africa

The Mesozoic diabase dikes of Liberia are tholeiites whose ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr ratios scatter widely on the Rb-Sr isochron diagram. The problem is attributed to differences in the initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of these rocks which range from 0.70311 to 0.70792, assuming a uniform age of 186 Ma for the dikes and using (⁸⁷Rb)=1.42 × 10^–11y^–1. The range of values is similar to that observed in the Mesozoic basalt flows and dikes of other Gondwana continents.New whole-rock K-Ar dates confirm previous conclusions that the diabase dikes in the Liberian and Pan-African age provinces of Liberia absorbed extraneous ⁴⁰Ar after intrusion. Only the dikes in the Paynesville Sandstone have K-Ar dates that range from 117 Ma to 201 Ma and may not contain extraneous ⁴⁰Ar. However, dikes from all three age provinces of Liberia have elevated initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. These results indicate that contamination with radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr occurred primarily before intrusion of the magma whereas the addition of extraneous ⁴⁰Ar occurred after emplacement and reflects the age and mineral composition of the country rock.The ¹⁸O values of the Liberian diabase range from +5.6/% to +9.10/% and correlate positively with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. The data can be modeled by fractional crystallization and simultaneous assimilation of crustal rocks by the magma. However, samples containing amphibole and biotite replacing pyroxene deviate from the Sr-O isotope trajectories of the model and appear to have been depleted in ¹⁸O and enriched in ⁸⁷Sr by interactions with groundwater at high temperature.Laboratory for Isotope Geology and Geochemistry Contribution No. 76     

Petrology and geochemistry of basalts from the American-Antarctic Ridge,Southern Ocean: implications for the westward influence of the Bouvet mantle plume

Ridge segments and fracture zones from the American-Antarctic Ridge have been systematically dredge sampled from 4° W to 18° W. Petrographic studies of the dredged basalts show that the dominant basalt variety is olivine-plagioclase basalt, although olivine-plagioclase-clinopyroxene basalt is relatively common at some localities. Selected samples have been analysed for major and trace elements, rare earth elements and Sr and Nd isotopes. These data show that the majority of samples are slightly evolved (Mg#=69-35) N-type MORB, although a small group of samples from a number of localities have enriched geochemical characteristics (T- and P-type MORB).These different types of MORB are readily distinguished in terms of their incompatible trace element and isotopic characteristics: N-type MORB have high Zr/Nb (17–78), Y/Nb (4.6–23) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51303–0.51308) ratios, low Zr/Y (2.2–4.2) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70263–0.70295) ratios and have (La/Sm)_N<1.0; T-type MORB have lower than chondritic Zr/Nb ratios (8.8–15.5), relatively low Y/Nb (1.9–4.3) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51296–0.51288) ratios and relatively high Zr/Y (3.1–4.7), ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70307–0.70334) and (La/Sm)_N (1.1–1.5) ratios; the single sample of P-type MORB has low Zr/Nb (6.3), Y/Nb (0.9) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51287) ratios and high Zr/Y (7.1), ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70351) and (La/Sm)_N (2.4) ratios. The geochemical characteristics of this sample are essentially identical to those of the Bouvet Island lavas.Geochemically enriched MORB are less abundant on the American-Antarctic Ridge than on the Southwest Indian Ridge but their geochemical characteristics are identical. The compositions of T- and P-type MORB are consistent with a regional mixing model involving normal depleted mantle and Bouvet plume type magma. On a local scale the composition of T-type MORB is consistent with derivation from depleted mantle which contains 4% veins of P-type melt.We propose a model for the evolution of the American-Antarctic Ridge lavas in which N-type MORB is derived from mantle with negligible to low vein/mantle ratios, T-type MORB is derived from domains with moderate and variable vein/mantle ratios and P-type MORB from regions with very high vein/mantle ratios where vein material comprises the major portion of the melt. The sparse occurrence of enriched lavas and by implication enriched mantle beneath the American-Antarctic Ridge, some distance (500–1,200 km) from the Bouvet plume location, is interpreted to be the result of lateral dispersion of enriched mantle domains by asthenospheric flow away from the Bouvet mantle plume towards the American-Antarctic Ridge.