磁铁矿和钛铁矿成分对四川太和富磷灰石钒钛磁铁矿床成因的约束

产于层状镁铁质-超镁铁质岩体中的太和岩浆型Fe-Ti氧化物矿床是峨眉山大火成岩省内带几个超大型Fe-Ti氧化物矿床之一。太和岩体长超过3km,宽2km,厚约1.2km。根据矿物含量和结构等特征,整个岩体从下向上可划分为下部岩相带、中部岩相带、上部岩相带。下部岩相带主要以(橄榄)辉长岩和厚层不含磷灰石的块状Fe-Ti氧化物矿层组成。中部岩相带韵律旋回发育,(磷灰石)磁铁辉石岩主要位于旋回的底部,旋回上部为(磷灰石)辉长岩。上部岩相带主要是贫Fe-Ti氧化物的磷灰石辉长岩。太和中部岩相带磷灰石磁铁辉石岩含有5%~12%磷灰石、20%~35%Fe-Ti氧化物、50%~60%硅酸盐矿物,且硅酸盐矿物与磷灰石呈堆积结构。磷灰石磁铁辉石岩中磁铁矿显示高TiO2、FeO、MnO、MgO,且变化范围与趋势接近于攀枝花岩体。钛铁矿FeO分别与TiO2、MgO显示负相关,而FeO分别与Fe2O3、MnO显示正的相关,且TiO2、FeO、MnO、MgO含量变化较大,这些特征都暗示磁铁矿和钛铁矿是从富Fe-Ti-P岩浆中分离结晶。因此,可以推断太和磷灰石磁铁矿辉石岩形成于矿物重力分选和堆积。太和下部岩相带包裹在橄榄石中磁铁矿含有相对较高Cr2O3(0.07%~0.21%),而中部岩相带包裹在橄榄石中磁铁矿Cr2O3(0.00%~0.03%)显著降低,且这些磁铁矿Cr2O3含量变化与单斜辉石Cr含量和斜长石An牌号呈正相关。这些特征印证了形成中部岩相带的相对演化的富Fe-Ti-P母岩浆可能是源自中部岩浆房的混合岩浆。上部岩相带磁铁矿和中部岩相带顶部少量磁铁矿显示较低Ti+V可能是由于岩浆房中累积的岩浆热液对磁铁矿成分进行了改造。     

Melt impregnation phases in the mantle section of the Ślęża ophiolite (SW Poland)

The ultramafic member of the Variscan Ślęża Ophiolite (SW Poland) consists of heavily serpentinised, refractory harzburgites. Those located down to 1.5 km below paleo-Moho contain scarce grains or aggregates of olivine, clinopyroxene and spinel. Non-serpentine phases occur in various assemblages: M1—olivine (Fo 90.2–91.0%, NiO 0.38–0.47 wt.%) and rounded or amaeboidal aluminous chromite, rimmed by Al poor chromite and magnetite; M2—olivine (Fo 90.5–91.5, NiO 0.32–0.44 wt.%), olivine with magnetite inclusions (Fo 87.1–92.5, NiO 0.01–0.68 wt.%), rounded, cleavaged clinopyroxene I (Mg# 91.1–93.2, Al₂O₃ 3.00–4.00 wt.%, Cr₂O₃ 1.00–1.40 wt.%) and elongated clinopyroxene II and clinopyroxene from symplectites with magnetite (Mg# = 92.2–94.1, Al₂O₃ 2.20–3.20 wt.% and Cr₂O₃ 0.80–1.20 wt.%). Clinopyroxene is depleted in REEs relative to chondrite. The M3 assemblage consists of intergrown olivine (Fo 90.8–92.7, NiO 0.20–0.38 wt.%) and clinopyroxene (Mg# = 96.0–98.1, Al₂O₃ 0.00–1.00 wt.% and Cr₂O₃ 0.20–0.60 wt.%).The M1 assemblage contains chromite which records greenschist-facies metamorphism. Textural relationships and chemical composition of clinopyroxene occurring in the M2 assemblage are similar to those formed in oceanic spreading centres by LREE depleted basaltic melt percolation. Olivine occurring in M1 assemblage and part of that from M2 have composition typical of residual olivine from the abyssal harzburgites and of olivine formed in those rocks by melt percolation. The olivine with magnetite inclusions (M2 assemblage) and that from M3 record later deserpentinization event, which supposedly produced also M3 clinopyroxene. The non-serpentine phases from the Ślęża ophiolite mantle member, albeit very poorly preserved, document depleted basaltic melt percolation in the Variscan oceanic spreading centre.     

Magmatic unmixing in spinel from late Precambrian concentrically-zoned mafic–ultramafic intrusions, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Spinel is widespread in the ultramafic core rocks of zoned late Precambrian mafic–ultramafic complexes from the Eastern Desert of Egypt. These complexes; Gabbro Akarem, Genina Gharbia and Abu Hamamid are Precambrian analogues of Alaskan-type complexes, they are not metamorphosed although weakly altered. Each intrusion is composed of a predotite core enveloped by pyroxenites and gabbros at the margin. Silicate mineralogy and chemistry suggest formation by crystal fractionation from a hydrous magma. Relatively high Cr₂O₃ contents are recorded in pyroxenes (up to 1.1 wt.%) and amphiboles (up to 1.4 wt.%) from the three plutons. The chrome spinel crystallized at different stages of melt evolution; as early cumulus inclusions in olivine, inclusions in pyroxenes and amphiboles and late-magmatic intercumulus phase. The intercumulus chrome spinel is homogenous with narrow-range of chemical composition, mainly Fe³⁺-rich spinel. Spinel inclusions in clinopyroxene and amphibole reveal a wide range of Al (27–44 wt.% Al₂O₃) and Mg (6–13 wt.% MgO) contents and are commonly zoned. The different chemistries of those spinels reflect various stages of melt evolution and re-equilibration with the host minerals. The early cumulus chrome spinel reveals a complex unmixing structures and compositions. Three types of unmixed spinels are recognized; crystallographically oriented, irregular and complete separation. Unmixing products are Al-rich (Type I) and Fe³⁺-rich (Type II) spinels with an extensive solid solution between the two end members. The compositions of the unmixed spinels define a miscibility gap with respect to Cr–Al–Fe³⁺, extending from the Fe³⁺–Al join towards the Cr corner. Spinel unmixing occurs in response to cooling and the increase in oxidation state. The chemistry and grain size of the initial spinel and the cooling rate control the type of unmixing and the chemistry of the final products. Causes of spinel unmixing during late-magmatic stage are analogous to those in metamorphosed complexes. The chemistry of the unmixed spinels is completely different from the initial spinel composition and is not useful in petrogenetic interpretations. Spinels from oxidized magmas are likely to re-equilibrate during cooling and are not good tools for genetic considerations.     

Chromiferous spinels of the elephant's head dike

Analysis by optical, X-ray diffraction and microprobe methods, of essentially unzoned, disseminated spinels within cumulus picrites and olivine gabbros reveals an unbroken range of compositions from aluminian chromite (34% Cr₂O₃) to chromian magnetite (4% Cr₂O₃). TiO₂ contents vary between 0.5 and 7.7%. Exsolution of ilmenite indicates originally higher TiO₂ contents. Quenched contact-facies rocks with abundant olivine phenocrysts contain strongly zoned spinels in which a titaniferous chromian magnetite rim (16% Cr₂O₃, 10% TiO₂) encloses cores of weakly titanian chromite (40% Cr₂O₃). Platy dendrites of exsolved spinel occur in abundance within cumulus olivines. The evidence suggests that crystallization of the disseminated spinels occurred under the influence of an increase in oxygen fugacity towards the interior of the intrusion, and that the compositional diversity has stemmed from the homogenization of originally zoned grains mantled to varying degrees by high-Ti, low-Cr rims.     

攀西地区新街层状岩体粒间不混熔作用:来自斜长石环带结构的记录

位于攀西地区的新街层状岩体赋含大量钒钛磁铁矿,是峨眉山大火成岩省的一部分。岩体下部带和中部带以单斜辉石岩为主,并伴生浸染状钒钛磁铁矿矿化;上部带以辉长岩为主,赋存厚层的钒钛磁铁矿矿体。之前研究认为厚层的钒钛磁铁矿矿体的形成与粒间不混熔的富Fe熔体有关,但对富Fe熔体的演化过程缺乏细致研究。本文通过对新街岩体上部带的富矿辉长岩层和上覆浅色辉长岩中斜长石环带结构和成分的研究,揭示了富Fe熔体的演化过程。在浅色辉长岩中保存的岩浆不混熔的直接证据表现为矿物粒间共轭的富Si交生体和富钛铁矿交生体代表的非反应结构。本次研究发现,与粒间富Si交生体接触的斜长石边部的FeO和TiO_2含量随斜长石牌号(An)值的降低而降低,而与粒间富钛铁矿交生体接触的斜长石边部的FeO和TiO_2含量随An值的降低而升高,说明斜长石的边部成分变化记录了粒间共轭的富Si和富Fe熔体的成分特征。在富矿辉长岩中,斜长石可分为初生和新生两种,初生斜长石的An值介于57~62,FeO含量为0.34%~0.50%,TiO_2含量为0.06%~0.13%,新生斜长石具有相对较高的An值(61~81)和FeO、TiO_2含量,二者的内部和边部还发育增生斜长石,其An值(~50)相对较低;在初生斜长石边部可见不连续的新生斜长石环带和增生斜长石边,造成其内部成分显著不均一,并发育复杂的环带结构。本文认为,初生斜长石是岩浆正常分离结晶作用的产物。在粒间熔体发生不混熔后,不混熔的富Fe熔体逐渐向岩浆房下方迁移并结晶出了一些相对高An值的新生斜长石,或沿一些初生斜长石边部生长形成不连续的高An环带。当富Fe熔体演化至晚期,由于矿物生长空间受限,仅在初生和新生斜长石局部形成了相对低An值的增生边、或沿颗粒裂隙进入斜长石内部形成增生斜长石核。     

Formation and destruction of magnetite in CO3 chondrites and other chondrite groups

Primitive CO3.00–3.1 chondrites contain ∼2-8 vol.% magnetite, minor troilite and accessory carbide and chromite; some CO3.1 chondrites have fayalite-rich veins, chondrule rims and euhedral matrix grains. All CO3.00–3.1 chondrites contain little metallic Fe-Ni (0.4–1.2 vol.%). CO3.2–3.7 chondrites contain 1–5 vol.% metallic Fe-Ni, minor troilite, accessory chromite and 0-0.6 vol.% magnetite. Magnetite is formed in primitive CO3 chondrites from metallic Fe by parent-body aqueous alteration, resulting in decreased metallic Fe-Ni and an increase in the proportion of high-Ni metal grains. The paucity or absence of magnetite in CO chondrites of subtype ≥3.2 suggests that magnetite is destroyed during thermal metamorphism; thermochemical calculations from the literature suggest that magnetite is reduced by H₂ and reacts with SiO₂ to form fayalite and secondary kamacite. Analogous processes of magnetite formation and destruction occur in other chondrite groups: (1) Primitive type-3 OC have opaque assemblages containing magnetite, carbide, Ni-rich metal and Ni-rich sulfide, but OC of subtype >3.4 contain little or no magnetite. (2) Primitive R3 chondrites and clasts (subtype ≲3.5) contain up to 6 vol.% magnetite, but most R chondrites contain no magnetite. The principal exception is magnetite with 9–20 wt.% Cr₂O₃ in a few R4-6 chondrites. Magnetite grains with high Cr₂O₃ behave like chromite and are more stable under reducing conditions. (3) CK chondrites average ∼4 vol.% magnetite with substantial Cr₂O₃ (up to ∼15 wt.%); these magnetite grains also are stable against reduction during metamorphism. (4) The modal abundance of magnetite decreases with metamorphic grade in CV3 chondrites. (5) Chromite occurs instead of magnetite in those rare samples classified CR6, CR7 and CV7.     

Geochemical systematics of the Mauranipur-Babina greenstone belt,Bundelkhand Craton,Central India:Insights on Neoarchean mantle plume-arc accretion and crustal evolution

The Neoarchean Bundelkhand greenstone sequences at Mauranipur and Babina areas within the Bundelkhand Gneissic Complex preserve a variety of magmatic rocks such as komatiitic basalts, basalts,felsic volcanic rocks and high-Mg andesites belonging to the Baragaon, Raspahari and Koti Formations.The intrusive and extrusive komatiitic basalts are characterized by low SiO_2(39-53 wt.%), high MgO(18-25 wt.%).moderately high Fe_2O_3(7.1-11.6 wt.%), Al_2O_3(4.5-12.0 wt.%), and TiO_2(0.4-1.23 wt.%)with super to subchondritic(Gd/Yb)N ratios indicating garnet control on the melts. The intrusive komatiitic suite of Ti-enriched and Al-depleted type possesses predominant negative Eu and positive Nb, Ti and Y anomalies. The chemical composition of basalts classifies them into three types with varying SiO_2, TiO_2, MgO, Fe_2O_3, Al_2O_3 and CaO. At similar SiO_2 content of type Ⅰ and Ⅲ basalts, the type II basalts show slightly high Al_2O_3 and Fe_2O_3 contents. Significant negative anomalies of Nb, Zr, Hf and Ti, slightly enriched LREE with relatively flat HREE and low ∑REE contents are observed in type Ⅰ and Ⅱ basalts. TypeⅢ basalts show high Zr/Nb ratios(9.8-10.4), TiO_2(1.97-2.04 wt.%), but possess strikingly flat Zr, Hf, Y and Yb and are uncontaminated. Andesites from Agar and Koti have high SiO_2(55-64 wt.%), moderate TiO_2(0.4-0.7 wt.%), slightly low Al_2O_3(7-11.9 wt.%), medium to high MgO(3-8 wt.%) and CaO contents(10-17 wt.%). Anomalously high Cr, Co and Ni contents are observed in the Koti rhyolites. Tholeiitic to calc alkaline affinity of mafic-felsic volcanic rocks and basalt-andesite dacite-rhyolite differentiation indicate a mature arc and thickened crust during the advanced stage of the evolution of Neoarchean Bundelkhand greenstone belt in a convergent tectonic setting where the melts were derived from partial melting of thick basaltic crust metamorphosed to amphibolite-eclogite facies. The trace element systematics suggest the presence of arc-back arc association with varying magnitudes of crust-mantle interaction. La/Sm, La/Ta,Nb/Th, high MgO contents(20 wt.%), CaO/Al_2O_3 and(Gd/Yb)_N 1 along with the positive Nb anomalies of the komatiite basalts reflect a mantle plume source for their origin contaminated by subductionmetasomatized mantle lithosphere. The overall geochemical signatures of the ultramafic-mafic and felsic volcanic rocks endorse the Neoarchean plume-arc accretion tectonics in the Bundelkhand greenstone belt.     

洋中脊富钛铁氧化物辉长岩成因的一个新思路:以西南印度洋脊ODP 735B岩心为例

西南印度洋脊的ODP 735B岩心中拥有大量富含钛铁氧化物的含氧化物辉长岩,此现象在岩性单元Ⅳ中表现尤为显著.同时,岩性单元1中主要硅酸盐矿物亦具有独特的成分变化趋势.以前研究将造成岩性单元I中氧化物辉长岩成因和主要造岩矿物成分变化趋势归因于具浮力的、高度分异的富钛铁熔体的作用,这些熔体应形成于735B钻孔之下或其附近...     

Investigations of the Stillwater Complex: Part V. Apatites as indicators of evolving fluid composition

Variations in the F, Cl and OH contents of apatite are not constrained by crystal-chemical factors (in contrast to micas and amphiboles), and thus changes in the abundance of these components provide an indicator of halogen fugacity variations and insights into the degassing history of igneous rocks. Microprobe analysis of intercumulus apatites from the Stillwater Complex reveal that Cl-rich apatites, typically containing <0.4 wt % F and >6.0 wt % Cl, occur throughout the lower 1/3 of the complex excluding the Basal series. A change from Cl-rich to more F-rich apatite occurs within olivine-bearing zone I (OB I) of the Banded series, the host zone of the platiniferous J-M Reef. Although apatite compositions are somewhat variable above the J-M Reef, more F-rich apatites predominante and typically contain >1.2 wt % F and <3.0 wt % Cl. The most F-rich apatites occur in the uppermost exposed cumulates. Pristine apatites from coeval sills and dikes from below the complex and from the Basal series are similarly F-rich. In all apatites, the Cl and F contents are lower in rocks affected by later metamorphic fluids. Rare earth element (REE) concentrations in chlorapatites show a marked peak in the olivine-rich rocks of the J-M Reef, and contain up to 2 wt % Ce₂O₃ + La₂O₃. The trend of first increasing, then decreasing Cl/F ratios with stratigraphic height is modeled by a vapor-driven zone refining process occurring within the cumulate pile causing Cl-enrichment in the interstitial melt accompanied by degassing at the top of the magma chamber causing overall loss of Cl from the magma as crystallization proceeded. The abrupt change from Cl-rich to more F-rich apatites within OB I is interpreted as the result of a breakdown of the Cl-rich zone refining front and mixing with Cl-poor supernatant melt. Any high temperature fluids that exsolved and circulated through the lower 1/3 of the complex must have been enriched in Cl and could have transported REE and trace metals.     

Trace element composition of magnetite from the Xinqiao Fe–S(–Cu–Au) deposit,Tongling, Eastern China: constraints on fluid evolution and ore genesis

The Xinqiao deposit is one of several polymetallic deposits in the Tongling ore district. There are two types of mineralization in the Xinqiao: skarn-type and stratiform-type. The skarn-type mineralization is characterized by iron oxides such as magnetite and hematite, whereas stratiform-type mineralization is characterized by massive sulfides with small amounts of magnetite and hematite. We defined three types of ores within the stratiform-type mineralization by the mineral assemblages and ore structures. Type I ore is represented by magnetite crosscut by minor calcite veins. Type II is a network ore composed of magnetite and crosscutting pyrite. Type III is a massive ore containing calcite and hematite. Type I magnetite is characterized by highly variable trace element content, whereas Type II magnetite has consistently higher Si, Ti, V, and Nb. Type III magnetite contains more In, Sn, and As than the other two types. Fluid–rock interaction, oxygen fugacity (fO₂), and temperature (T) are the main factors controlling element variation between the different magnetite types. Type I magnetite was formed by more extensive fluid–rock interaction than the other two types at moderate fO₂ and T conditions. Type II magnetite is thought to have formed in relatively low fO₂ and high-T environments, and Type III in relatively high fO₂ and moderate-T environments. Ca?+?Al?+?Mn and Ti?+?V discrimination diagrams show that magnetite in the Xinqiao deposit is hydrothermal in origin and is possibly linked with skarn.     

The composition of melt and fluid inclusions in spinel of peridotite xenoliths from Avacha volcano (Kamchatka)

This work considers the studies of melt and fluid inclusions in spinel of ultramafic rocks in the mantle wedge beneath Avacha volcano (Kamchatka). The generations of spinel were identified: 1 is spinel (Sp-I) of the “primary” peridotites, has the highest magnesium number (#0.69–0.71), highest contents of Al₂O₃ and lowest contents of Cr₂O₃ (26.2–27.1 and 37.5–38.5 wt %, respectively), and the absence in it of any fluid and melt inclusions; 2 is spinel (Sp-II) of the recrystallized peridotites, has lower magnesium number (Mg# 0.64–0.61) and the content of Al₂O₃ (18–19 wt %), a higher content of Cr₂O₃ (45.4–47.2 wt %) and the presence of primary fluid inclusions; 3 is spinel (Sp-III) that is characterized by the highest content of Cr₂O₃ (50.2–55.4 wt %), the lowest content of Al₂O₃ (13.6–16.6 wt %), and the presence of various types of primary melt inclusions. The data obtained indicate that metasomatic processing of “primary” peridotites occurred under the influence of high concentrated fluids of mainly carbonate-water-chloride composition with influx of the following petrogenic elements: Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, S, F, etc. This process was often accompanied by a local melting of the metasomatized substrate at a temperature above 1050°C with the formation of melts close to andesitic.     

Ilmenite, Magnetite and Chromite Beach Placers from South Maharashtra, Central West Coast of India

The heavy mineral placer deposits of the coastal sediments in south Maharashtra stretch for 12.5 km from Pirwadi in the north to Talashil in the south. The area is a sand bar represented by a narrow submergent coastal plain lying between the Achara and Gad Rivers. The sediments in the area are mainly sands which are moderately well sorted to well sorted. The heavy mineral concentration in the surficial sediments ranges between 0.69 and 98.32 wt % (28.73 wt % in average). The heavy mineral concentration shows an increasing trend from north to south. The heavy mineral suite consists predominantly of opaque minerals (ilmenite, magnetite and chromite), garnet, pyroxene, amphibole, zircon, tourmaline, rutile, staurolite, etc. Ilmenite grains are fresh whereas magnetite grains show the effect of weathering and alteration. The chromite grains are rounded to sub-rounded with alteration at the margin of the grains. The surficial textures of the opaque minerals show mechanical breaking that indicates limited distance of transportation. Ilmenite has TiO₂ in the range between 40.04 and 46.6 wt %. Based on ore microscopy studies, the magnetite grains appear to be of two types: pure magnetite and titano-magnetite. Compositionally, the total magnetite fractions have Fe₂O₃ between 32 and 46 wt %, FeO between 19.0 and 25 wt % and TiO₂ between 14.3 and 23.9 wt %. The chromite grains are an admixture of two varieties, ferro-chromite and magnesio-chromite. The chromite grains have 32.06–47.5 wt % of Cr₂O₃ with total iron between 23.86 wt % (4.73% Fe₂O₃ and 19.13% FeO) and 27.89 wt % (4.36% Fe₂O₃ and 23.53% FeO) and MgO between 12 and 40 wt %. The observed variations in the distribution of heavy minerals in the area are due to differences in the sediment supply, their specific gravity and oceanographic processes all of which result in a selective sorting of the sediments. The observed mineral assemblages of transparent heavy minerals (pyroxene, amphibole, tourmaline, kyanite, garnet, zircon and olivine) are suggestive of their derivation from a heterogeneous provenance comprising of igneous rocks, high grade metamorphic rocks and reworked Kaladgi sediments. The chromite grains appear to have been derived from ultrabasic rocks present in the upper reaches of the Gad River. The inferred reserves of ilmenite, magnetite and chromite are 0.175, 0.395 and 0.032 million tons, respectively.     

New textural and mineralogical constraints on the origin of the Hongge Fe-Ti-V oxide deposit, SW China

The Hongge magmatic Fe-Ti-V oxide deposit in the Panxi region, SW China, is hosted in a layered mafic–ultramafic intrusion. This 2.7-km-thick, lopolith-like intrusion consists of the lower, middle, and upper zones, which are composed of olivine clinopyroxenite, clinopyroxenite, and gabbro, respectively. Abundant Fe-Ti oxide layers mainly occur in the middle zone and the lower part of the upper zone. Fe-Ti oxides include Cr-rich and Cr-poor titanomagnetite and granular ilmenite. Cr-rich titanomagnetite is commonly disseminated in the olivine clinopyroxenite of the lower parts of the lower and middle zones and contains 1.89 to 14.9 wt% Cr₂O₃ and 3.20 to 16.2 wt% TiO₂, whereas Cr-poor titanomagnetite typically occurs as net-textured and massive ores in the upper middle and upper zones and contains much lower Cr₂O₃ (<0.4 wt%) but more variable TiO₂ (0.11 to 18.2 wt%). Disseminated Cr-rich titanomagnetite in the ultramafic rocks is commonly enclosed in either olivine or clinopyroxene, whereas Cr-poor titanomangetite of the net-textured and massive ores is mainly interstitial to clinopyroxene and plagioclase. The lithology of the Hongge intrusion is consistent with multiple injections of magmas, the lower zone being derived from a single pulse of less differentiated ferrobasaltic magma and the middle and upper zones from multiple pulses of more differentiated magmas. Cr-rich titanomagnetite in the disseminated ores of the lower and middle zones is interpreted to represent an early crystallization phase whereas clusters of Cr-poor titanomagnetite, granular ilmenite, and apatite in the net-textured ores of the middle and upper zones are thought to have formed from an Fe-Ti-(P)-rich melt segregated from a differentiated ferrobasaltic magma as a result of liquid immiscibility. The dense Fe-Ti-(P)-rich melt percolated downward through the underlying silicate crystal mush to form net-textured and massive Fe-Ti oxide ores, whereas the coexisting Si-rich melt formed the overlying plagioclase-rich rocks in the intrusion.     

Mineralogy and petrography of a kimberlite-picrite dike in the northwestern Urik-Iya Graben,the eastern Sayan region

Mica kimberlite and alkali picrite were identified in the northwestern Urik-Iya Graben of the eastern Sayan region. Typomorphism of Cr-diopside and high-Cr (up to 55.22 wt % Cr₂O₃) spinel from kimberlite of the Bushkanai dike indicate that the melt was generated in the mantle, composed of spinel peridotite. The high content of Cr-spinel (45–55 wt % Cr₂O₃) microlites in the groundmass of kimberlite and small amounts of ulvospinel and titanomagnetite in the absence of perovskite testifies to the diamond potential of this kimberlite. Picroilmenite, manganoilmenite with an anomalously high MnO content (11.37–17.78 wt %), and barium titanate with (wt %) 62.21 TiO₂, 0.61 Cr₂O₃, 15.89 FeO, 4.05 MnO, 1.71 CaO, and 11.13 BaO close in composition to a new mineral species from the Murun pluton were identified in the groundmass for the first time. Kimberlite from the Bushkanai dike belongs to the Zolotitsa low-Ti geochemical type of kimberlites derived from the slightly enriched lithospheric mantle EM1. The distribution of trace elements, including REE, in picrite from the same dike corresponds to the slightly depleted asthenospheric mantle. Different mantle sources of kimberlite and picrite from the same dike indicate that these rocks are related to independent melts rather than to products of fractionation of a common parental alkaline ultramafic magma.     

Sulfide and platinum mineralization in the Merensky Reef: evidence from hydrous silicates and fluid inclusions

The base metal sulfides of the Merensky Reef are associated with hydrous silicates and intense deuteric hydrous alteration of cumulus and postcumulus silicates. Biotite and phlogopite crystallized in the vicinity of sulfides from a volatile-enriched highly fractionated intercumulus melt. Amphibole, chlorite, and talc are later alteration phases of cumulus pyroxene and intercumulus plagioclase. Biotite is often accompanied by zircon, rutile, and quartz. Accessory quartz hosts a complex suite of H₂O-NaCl-(CaCl₂)-CO₂-CH₄ fluid inclusions which have thus far not been described from the Merensky Reef. The earliest fluid inclusion compositions are NaCl-(H₂O) with less than 10 vol.% water; CO₂ coexisting with a halite daughter crystal and brine; and polyphase inclusions with up to six daughter and accidental phases and high contents of divalent cations. The maximum trapping temperature is around 730° C at 4 to 5 kb pressure. Later inclusion generations are H₂O-NaCl, CO₂-H₂O, and pure CO₂ and CH₄. The presence of Cl-rich fluids during the intercumulus stage of the crystallizing Merensky Reef is directly related to the mode of sulfide precipitation. Prior to sulfide unmixing in a hydrous magma sulfur is likely to be present as H₂S. Sulfur saturation causes reaction of H₂S with oxides of the silicate melt to form a sulfide melt plus water. During reaction the magma is enriched in water until a separate fluid unmixes. It carries all compounds with high fluid/melt partition coefficients, as well as metals capable of forming OH- and Cl-complexes. Precious metals are assumed to have fractionated into the Cl-rich fluid as Cl-complexes rather than being dissolved in the sulfide melt. During the cooling evolution of the fluid the precious elements precipitate around the periphery of sulfide melt droplets. The model proposed explains the distribution pattern of platinum-group minerals in the Merensky Reef better than any orthomagmatic mineralization concept offered so far.     

PGE mineralization and melt composition of chromitites in Proterozoic ophiolite complexes of Eastern Sayan,Southern Siberia

The Ospino-Kitoi and Kharanur ultrabasic massifs represent the northern and southern ophiolite branches respectively of the Upper Onot ophiolitic nappe and they are located in the southeastern part of the Eastern Sayan(SEPES ophiolites).Podiform chromitites with PGE mineralization occur as lensoid pods within dunites and rarely in harzburgites or serpentinized peridotites.The chromitites are classified into type I and type Ⅱ based on their Cr~#.Type I(Cr~# = 59-85) occurs in both northern and southern branches,whereas type Ⅱ(Cr~# = 76-90) occurs only in the northern branch.PGE contents range from ∑PGE 88-1189 ppb,Pt/Ir0.04-0.42 to ∑PGE 250-1700 ppb,Pt/Ir 0.03-0.25 for type I chromitites of the northern and southern branches respectively.The type Ⅱ chromitites of the northern branch have ∑PGE contents higher than that of type Ⅰ(468-8617 ppb,Pt/Ir 0.1-0.33).Parental melt compositions,in equilibrium with podiform chromitites,are in the range of boninitic melts and vary in Al_2O_3,TiO_2 and FeO/MgO contents from those of type I and type Ⅱ chromitites.Calculated melt compositions for type Ⅰ chromitites are(Al_2O_3)_(melt) = 10.6—13.5 wt.%,(TiO_2)_(melt) = 0.01-0.44 wt.%,(Fe/Mg)_(melt) = 0.42-1.81;those for type Ⅱ chromitites are:(Al_2O_3)_(melt) = 7.8-10.5 wt.%,(TiO_2)_(melt) = 0.01-0.25 wt.%,(Fe/Mg)_(melt) = 0.5-2.4.Chromitites are further divided into Os-Ir-Ru(Ⅰ) and Pt-Pd(Ⅱ) based on their PGE patterns.The type Ⅰ chromitites show only the Os-Ir-Ru pattern whereas type Ⅱ shows both Os-Ir-Ru and Pt-Pd patterns.PGE mineralization in type Ⅰ chromitites is represented by the Os-Ir-Ru system,whereas in type Ⅱ it is represented by the Os-Ir-Ru-Rh-Pt system.These results indicate that chromitites and PGE mineralization in the northern branch formed in a suprasubduction setting from a fluid-rich boninitic melt during active subduction.However,the chromitites and PGE mineralization of the southern branch could have formed in a spreading zone environment.Mantle peridotites have been exposed in the area with remnants of mantle-derived reduced fluids,as indicated by the occurrence of widespread highly carbonaceous graphitized ultrabasic rocks and serpentinites with up to 9.75 wt.%.Fluid inclusions in highly carbonaceous graphitized ultrabasic rocks contain CO,CO_2,CH4,N_2 and the δ~(13)C isotopic composition(-7.4 to-14.5‰) broadly corresponds to mantle carbon.     

The Fedorivka layered intrusion (Korosten Pluton, Ukraine): An example of highly differentiated ferrobasaltic evolution

This study documents the petrography and whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry of 38 samples mainly from a drill core through the entire Fedorivka layered intrusion (Korosten Pluton), as well as mineral compositions (microprobe analyses and separated mineral fraction analyses of plagioclase, ilmenite, magnetite and apatite) of 10 samples. The Fedorivka layered intrusion can be divided into 4 lithostratigraphic units: a Lower Zone (LZ, 72 m thick), a Main Zone (MZ, 160 m thick), and an Upper Border Zone, itself subdivided into 2 sub-zones (UBZ₂, 40 m thick; UBZ₁, 50 m thick). Igneous lamination defines the cumulate texture, but primary cumulus minerals have been affected by trapped liquid crystallization and subsolidus recrystallization. The dominant cumulus assemblage in MZ and UBZ₂ is andesine (An_39–42), iron-rich olivine (Fo_32–42), augite (En_29–35Fs_24–29Wo_42–44), ilmenite (Hem_1–6), Ti-magnetite (Usp_52–78), and apatite. The data reveal a continuous evolution from the floor of the intrusion (LZ) to the top of MZ, due to fractional crystallization, and an inverse evolution in UBZ, resulting from crystallization downwards from the roof. The whole-rock Fe/Mg ratio and incompatible element contents (e.g. Rb, Nb, Zr, REE) increase in the fractionating magma, whereas compatible elements (e.g. V, Cr) steadily decrease. The intercumulus melt remained trapped in the UBZ cumulates due to rapid cooling and lack of compaction, and cumulus mineral compositions re-equilibrated (e.g. olivine, Fe–Ti oxides). In LZ, the intercumulus melt was able to partially or totally escape. The major element composition of the MZ cumulates can be approximated by a mixing (linear) relationship between a plagioclase pole and a mafic pole, the latter being made up of all mafic minerals in (nearly) constant relative proportions. By analogy with the ferrobasaltic/jotunitic liquid line of descent, defined in Rogaland, S. Norway, and its conjugated cumulates occurring in the Transition Zone of the Bjerkreim-Sokndal intrusion (Rogaland, a monzonitic (57% SiO₂) melt is inferred to be in equilibrium with the MZ cumulates. The conjugated cumulate composition falls (within error) on the locus of cotectic compositions fixed by the 2-pole linear relationship. Ulvöspinel is the only Ti phase in some magnetites that have been protected from oxidation. QUIlF equilibria in these samples show that magnetite and olivine in MZ have retained their liquidus compositions during subsolidus cooling. This permits calculation of liquidus fO₂ conditions, which vary during fractionation from ΔFMQ = 0.7 to − 1.4 log units. Low fO₂ values are also evidenced by the late appearance of cumulus magnetite (Fo₄₂) and the high V³⁺-content of the melt, reflected in the high V-content of the first liquidus magnetite (up to 1.85% V).     

Inclusions of silicate and sulfate melts in chrome diposide from the Inagli deposit,Yakutia, Russia

Melt inclusions were studied in chrome diopside from the Inagli deposit of gemstones in the Inagli massif of alkaline ultrabasic rocks of potassic affinity in the northwestern Aldan shield, Yakutia, Russia. The chrome diopside is highly transparent and has an intense green color. Its Cr₂O₃ content varies from 0.13 to 0.75 wt %. Primary and primary-secondary polyphase inclusions in chrome diopside are dominated by crystal phases (80–90 vol %) and contain aqueous solution and a gas phase. Using electron microprobe analysis and Raman spectroscopy, the following crystalline phases were identified. Silicate minerals are represented by potassium feldspar, pectolite [NaCa₂Si₃O₈(OH)], and phlogopite. The most abundant minerals in the majority of inclusions are sulfates: glaserite (aphthitalite) [K₃Na(SO₄)₂], glauberite [Na₂Ca(SO₄)₂], aluminum sulfate, anhydrite (CaSO₄), gypsum (CaSO₄ × 2H₂O), barite (BaSO₄), bloedite [Na₂Mg(SO₄)₂ × 4H₂O], thenardite (NaSO₄), polyhalite [K₂Ca₂Mg(SO₄)₄ × 2H₂O], arcanite (K₂SO₄), and celestite (SrSO₄). In addition, apatite was detected in some inclusions. Chlorides are probably present among small crystalline phases, because some analyses of aggregates of silicate and sulfate minerals showed up to 0.19–10.3 wt % Cl. Hydrogen was identified in the gas phase of polyphase inclusions by Raman spectroscopy. The composition of melt from which the chrome diopside crystallized was calculated on the basis of the investigation of silicate melt inclusions. This melt contains 53.5 wt % SiO₂, considerable amounts of CaO (16.3 wt %), K₂O (7.9 wt %), Na₂O (3.5 wt %), and SO₃ (1.4 wt %) and moderate amounts of Al₂O₃ (7.5 wt %), MgO (5.8 wt %), FeO (1.1 wt %), and H₂O (0.75 wt %). The content of Cr₂O₃ in the melt was 0.13 wt %. Many inclusions were homogenized at 770–850°C, when all of the crystals and the gas phase were dissolved. The material of inclusions heated up to the homogenization temperature became heterogeneous even during very fast quenching (two seconds) producing numerous small crystals. This fact implies that most of the inclusions contained a salt (rather than silicate) melt of sulfate-dominated composition. Such inclusions were formed from salt globules (with a density of about 2.5 g/cm³) occurring as an emulsion in the denser (2.6 g/cm³) silicate melt from which the chrome diopside crystallized.     

Genesis of a low-grade apatite-ilmenite-magnetite deposit in the Kauhajärvi gabbro, western Finland

The Paleoproterozoic Kauhajärvi gabbro is one of several Fe-, Ti-, and P-rich mafic intrusions associated with granitoids in the Fennoscandian shield in western Finland. The gabbro is cut by the late-orogenic Lauhanvuori granite (ca.1870?Ma), whereas the surrounding area is composed of synorogenic, collision-related granitoids and calc-alkaline volcanic rocks (ca. 1890?Ma) belonging to the Mid Finland Granitoid Complex. The mafic intrusions were probably emplaced into a Svecofennian rift zone. They are characterized by a high phosphorus content; the common occurrence of ilmenite as separate grains; and the coeval crystallization of apatite, Fe-Ti oxides, and Fe-Mg silicates. The Kauhajärvi gabbro is composed of two geochemically and structurally distinct zones. The basal zone is composed of poorly-layered, fine- to medium-grained gabbro, which represents an early intrusion of tholeiitic magma, and has rather high concentrations of chromium, magnesium and silica. Typically, the concentrations of iron, titanium and phosphorus are low, except for the top that is enriched in apatite and ilmenite. During most of the crystal-liquid fractionation of the basal zone magma, low f _O2 limited the crystallization of Fe-Ti-oxides. Instead, titanium became enriched in the uppermost layer of the basal zone. The main zone represents a later injection of more evolved tholeiitic magma and makes up 80 to 90%of the total intrusion volume. Peridotite is common, along with gabbro and gabbronorite, in the lower and middle parts of the main zone, and anorthosite is common near the top of the main zone. The Mg:Fe ratio in mafic minerals and vanadium concentrations in magnetite decrease upwards. The variation within the main zone can be explained by crystal-liquid fractionation of a single batch of a parental magma under conditions of relatively high f _O2. Titanium is not progressively enriched. The ratio of titanium to iron (TiO₂/Fe₂O₃ = 0.16 to 0.20; Fe total as Fe₂O₃) is constant in the main zone and normal for mafic intrusions. Titanium is sited in separate ilmenite grains and in lamella within ilmenomagnetite (Ti-bearing magnetite). The high phosphorus content in the main zone is interpreted to result in crystallization of ilmenite and ilmenomagnetite instead of Ti-rich magnetite under relatively high f _O2 conditions. High concentrations of titanium, iron and phosphorus in rocks of the main zone can be explained by pre-emplacement crystal-melt fractionation in a deep magma reservoir and/or contamination of mantle-derived mafic magmas by granitic magmas from partial melting of crustal rocks. A low-grade Fe-Ti-P resource at Kauhajärvi consists of layers with as much as 20 wt. % combined ilmenite (usually 8 to 11 wt. %), apatite (1 to 8 wt. %) and magnetite (1 to 9 wt. %). Mineralized layers are of variable thickness (2?m to 30?m) and occur in variable host rocks (peridotite or gabbro). The Fe-Ti oxides are most abundant in peridotite and pyroxene- or olivine-rich gabbronorite within the main zone. The contact between mineralized rocks (4%TiO₂) and non- or slightly-mineralized rocks is gradual. The deposit as a whole consists of three to five mineralized layers with maximum combined thickness of 70?m. Apatite is most abundant in the oxide-rich layers, but is locally also concentrated in anorthosite with low Fe-Ti oxide contents. The weight ratio of ilmenite to magnetite is 3:2. The ratio of total Ti-Fe-oxides to apatite averages 4.0, with the range of 1.5 to >15.     

Efficiency of compaction and compositional convection during mafic crystal mush solidification: the Sept Iles layered intrusion,Canada

Adcumulate formation in mafic layered intrusions is attributed either to gravity-driven compaction, which expels the intercumulus melt out of the crystal matrix, or to compositional convection, which maintains the intercumulus liquid at a constant composition through liquid exchange with the main magma body. These processes are length-scale and time-scale dependent, and application of experimentally derived theoretical formulations to magma chambers is not straightforward. New data from the Sept Iles layered intrusion are presented and constrain the relative efficiency of these processes during solidification of the mafic crystal mush. Troctolites with meso- to ortho-cumulate texture are stratigraphically followed by Fe–Ti oxide-bearing gabbros with adcumulate texture. Calculations of intercumulus liquid fractions based on whole-rock P, Zr, V and Cr contents and detailed plagioclase compositional profiles show that both compaction and compositional convection operate, but their efficiency changes with liquid differentiation. Before saturation of Fe–Ti oxides in the intercumulus liquid, convection is not active due to the stable liquid density distribution within the crystal mush. At this stage, compaction and minor intercumulus liquid crystallization reduce the porosity to 30%. The velocity of liquid expulsion is then too slow compared with the rate of crystal accumulation. Compositional convection starts at Fe–Ti oxide-saturation in the pore melt due to its decreasing density. This process occurs together with crystallization of the intercumulus melt until the residual porosity is less than 10%. Compositional convection is evidenced by external plagioclase rims buffered at An₆₁ owing to continuous exchange between the intercumulus melt and the main liquid body. The change from a channel flow regime that dominates in troctolites to a porous flow regime in gabbros results from the increasing efficiency of compaction with differentiation due to higher density contrast between the cumulus crystal matrix and the equilibrium melts and to the bottom-up decreasing rate of crystal accumulation in the magma chamber.