Solubility of tin,tungsten and molybdenum oxides in felsic magmas

Saturation versus undersaturation of granitic melts in tin, tungsten and molybdenum oxides is discussed on the basis of experimental data. Results of dry and hydrothermal experiments are evaluated under the assumption of ideal solubility of Sn, W and Mo oxides in granitic melts. A conservative interpretation arrives at concentration levels of 1000 ppm SnO₂, WO₃ and MoO₃ respectively, considered as the maximum solubility of these components in granitic melts at 750°C-800 °C. Such values are never reached in natural granites unaffected by hydrothermal alteration and therefore even highly evolved granites are expected to be undersaturated in these metals. Consequently cassiterite and scheelite are neither common liquidus minerals of ore-bearing granites nor restite minerals from partial melting events.     

Chalcophile element geochemistry of the Boggy Plain zoned pluton, southeastern Australia: a S-saturated barren compositionally diverse magmatic system

The behavior of the platinum group elements (PGE) and Re in felsic magmas is poorly understood due to scarcity of data. We report the concentrations of Ni, Cu, Re, and PGE in the compositionally diverse Boggy Plain zoned pluton (BPZP), which shows a variation of rock type from gabbro through granodiorite and granite to aplite with a SiO₂ range from 52 to 74 wt %. In addition, major silicate and oxide minerals were analyzed for Ni, Cu, and Re, and a systematic sulfide study was carried out to investigate the role of silicate, oxide, and sulfide minerals on chalcophile element geochemistry of the BPZP. Mass balance calculation shows that the whole rock Cu budget hosted by silicate and oxide minerals is <13 wt % and that Cu is dominantly located in sulfide phases, whereas most of the whole rock Ni budget (>70 wt %) is held in major silicate and oxide minerals. Rhenium is dominantly hosted by magnetite and ilmenite. Ovoid-shaped sulfide blebs occur at the boundary between pyroxene phenocrysts and neighboring interstitial phases or within interstitial minerals in the gabbro and the granodiorite. The blebs are composed of pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and S-bearing Fe-oxide, which contain total trace metals (Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Pb) up to ~16 wt %. The mineral assemblage, occurrence, shape, and composition of the sulfide blebs are a typical of magmatic sulfide. PGE concentrations in the BPZP vary by more than two orders of magnitude from gabbro (2.7–7.8 ppb Pd, 0.025–0.116 ppb Ir) to aplite (0.05 ppb Pd, 0.001 ppb Ir). Nickel, Cu, Re, and PGE concentrations are positively correlated with MgO in all the rock types although there is a clear discontinuity between the granodiorite and the granite in the trends for Ni, Rh, and Ir when plotted against MgO. Cu/Pd values gradually increase from 6,100 to 52,600 as the MgO content decreases. The sulfide petrology and chalcophile element geochemistry of the BPZP show that sulfide saturation occurred in the late gabbroic stage of magma differentiation. Segregation and distribution of these sulfide blebs controlled Cu and PGE variations within the BPZP rocks although the magma of each rock type may have experienced a different magma evolution history in terms of crustal assimilation and crystal fractionation. The sulfide melt locked in the cumulate rocks must have sequestered a significant portion of the chalcophile elements, which restricted the availability of these metals to magmatic-hydrothermal ore fluids. Therefore, we suggest that the roof rocks that overlay the BPZP were not prospective for magmatic-hydrothermal Cu, Au, or Cu–Au deposits.     

新疆巴尔鲁克地区加曼铁列克得岩体花岗闪长岩的地球化学和年代学研究

本文对新疆巴尔鲁克地区加曼铁列克得岩体花岗闪长岩进行了锆石U-Pb年代学、岩石地球化学和Sr-Nd-Hf同位素研究,探讨其岩石类型、构造背景和岩石成因。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年表明,花岗闪长岩的成岩年龄为318.2±3.6 Ma,形成时代为晚石炭世。岩石高硅、富钠,碱含量中等,Mg#介于53.9～56.6,属于准铝质钙碱性花岗岩类（A/CNK = 0.91～0.97）,轻重稀土分馏较明显且富集轻稀土（La_N/Yb_N = 8.55～10.10）,Eu异常不明显,富集大离子亲石元素Ba、K、Sr,亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、P、Ti。同位素特征显示,岩石具有低I_Sr值（0.703 82～0.704 24）、正ε_Nd（t）值（+6.96～+7.74）,年轻的t_DM1值为0.74～0.61 Ga,锆石ε_Hf（t）值为+12.6～+14.7,t_DM2为519～396 Ma。综合地质、地球化学和年代学特征,认为加曼铁列克得花岗闪长岩为未分异的Ⅰ型花岗岩,形成于晚石炭世俯冲背景下的岛弧环境,可能是由流体参与的新元古代玄武质洋壳部分熔融的产物,岩浆上升过程中受到楔形地幔物质的混染。     

Experimental evidence for a relationship between liquid immiscibility and ore-formation in felsic magmas

Geological studies demonstrate that liquid immiscibility in felsic magma closely associates with the ore forming process. In order to obtain experimental evidence demonstrating the relationship between the ore forming process and liquid immiscibility in felsic magma, we carried out a series of experiments at high temperature and atmospheric pressure. The experimental results show that the granite ∼ KBF₄∼Na₂MoO₄ system is a homogeneous melt at high temperature. With decrease in temperature, however, the melt decomposes into two immiscible melts: silicate melt and ore-forming melt. The ore-forming melt exists as globules in the silicate phase. Molybdenm, Ca, Na, Mg, P, Mn, F, B, and OH are concentrated in these globules. The ore forming melt is characterized with very low SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ concentrations but the concentration of MoO₃ and CaO is very high. In contrast, the silicate melts are significantly enriched in SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, and depleted in MoO₃ and CaO. In the silicate melt the concentrations of network modifying elements (e.g. Mo, Ca, Na, P, Mg) and volatiles (F, OH) are very low. The differences between the two immiscible melts exist not only in chemical composition but also in structure. The ore-forming melt structurally consists of [MoO₄], [MoOF₄], [B(OH)₄], and OH, while the silicate melt is [Si0₄]. Because of the difference in composition and structure the two immiscible melts possess different physical properties. Compared to silicate melt, the ore-forming melt has a lower density and viscosity, which permits the globules to behave as bubbles in granite magma and to move and concentrate in the upper part of magma chamber. This process is probably responsible for the concentration of ore-forming elements in the upper part of granite bodies and their immediate aureoles. The present experimental results suggest that liquation in felsic magma can be the first step in the ore-forming process during granitoid evolution.     

Deformation history of the Naraku Batholith,Mt Isa Inlier,Australia: Implications for pluton ages and geometries from structural study of the Dipvale Granodiorite and Levian Granite

Plutons of the Naraku Batholith were emplaced into Proterozoic metasediments of the northern portion of the Eastern Fold Belt of the Mt Isa Inlier during two intrusive episodes approximately 200 million years apart. Structural relationships and geochronological data suggest that the older plutons (ca 1750 Ma) are contemporaneous with granites of the Wonga Batholith to the west. The Dipvale Granodiorite and the Levian Granite represent these older intrusive phases of the Naraku Batholith, and both contain an intense tectonic foliation, S₁, which is interpreted to have formed during the north‐south shortening associated with D₁ of the Isan Orogeny. The geometry of S₁ form surfaces at the southern end of the Dipvale Granodiorite, and of the previously unrecognised sheeted contact, defines a macroscopic, steeply south‐southwest‐plunging antiform, which was produced by the regional D₂ of the Isan Orogeny. S₁ form surfaces in the Levian Granite define open F₂ folds with wavelengths of several hundred metres. The structural age of emplacement of the Dipvale Granodiorite and the Levian Granite is interpreted to be pre‐ or syn‐ the regional D₁. An intense foliation present in some of the younger (ca 1505 Ma) granites that comprise the bulk of the Naraku Batholith is interpreted to represent S₃ of the Isan Orogeny. Foliations commonly have similar styles and orientations in both the pre‐D₁ and younger plutons. This emphasises the simplicity with which regional fabrics can be, and probably have been, miscorrelated in the Eastern Fold Belt, and that the classification of granites in general on the basis of structural and geometric criteria alone is fraught with danger.     

The evolution of fluorine-rich felsic magmas: source dichotomy, magmatic convergence and the origins of topaz granite

Topaz granite is alkali-feldspar granite that contains essential albite, quartz, K-feldspar, lithium-mica, and topaz. As a group topaz granites are characterized by their extreme enrichment in F (up to 3 wt%) and a wide variety of lithophile elements. They can be subdivided into a 'low-P₂O₅ subtype' (P₂O₅ < 0.1 wt%, Al₂O₃ < 14.5 wt%, SiO₂ > 73 wt%) and a 'high-P₂O₅ subtype' (P₂O₅ > 0.4 wt%, Al₂O₃ > 14.5 wt%, SiO₂ < 73 wt%), the δ¹⁸O values of which indicate a dichotomy of source rock: the low-P₂O₅ subtype (δ¹⁸O < 10‰) having a meta-igneous protolith and the high-P₂O₅ subtype (δ¹⁸O > 10 ‰) a source with a significant component of pelitic material. The unusually high F contents enhance the efficacy of melt segregation and crystal-melt fractionation and so facilitate extreme differentiation in topaz granite magmas. Very low melt volumes restrict the bulk composition of the partial melts regardless of the nature of the source; and extreme fractionation forces them along a path of magmatic convergence, to produce a group of granitic rocks with near-minimum compositions so enriched in a variety of lithophile elements (Li, Nb, Ta, Sn) that economic mineralization often results.     

Phosphorus and the rare earth elements in felsic magmas: an assessment of the role of apatite

The solubility of fluorapatite in 17 silica-rich melts in the system Na₂O-K₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ (with and without CaO or CaF₂) was determined at 1 kbar water pressure and 750 900°C. Apatite saturation occurs at levels of dissolved P₂O₅ ranging between 0.04 (± 0.02) and 0.28 (± 0.13) wt%. with only 4 values outside the 0.09–0.20 wt% range.The results demonstrate not only that apatite is a common liquidus phase in felsic melts, but also that, under most circumstances, it remains in the residue during episodes of partial fusion of the crust. Given a solubility limit of 0.14 wt% dissolved P₂O₅ (the mean of the experimental values) a source containing as little as 0.05% P₂O₅ must be 35% melted before apatite is lost from the residue and no longer buffers the melt P₂O₅ concentration at the saturation value. Higher abundances of P₂O₅ in the source postpone the loss of residual apatite to still higher degrees of melting, and if the source P₂O₅ content exceeds 0.14 wt%, apatite must be residual for all degrees of melting, increasing in abundance as melting proceeds.The generally secondary influence of apatite on the rare earth element (REE) patterns of melt and residue is most apparent when garnet and/or amphibole is minor or lacking in the residue. Fractional crystallization of intermediate (e.g. andesitic) magmas toward felsic compositions invariably results in saturation in apatite and some consequent depletion of REE in the melt.     

Inferring a deep-crustal source terrane from a high-level granitic pluton: the Strathbogie Batholith,Australia

The Strathbogie Igneous Complex is comprised of the ignimbritic rocks of the Violet Town Volcanics and the granitic rocks of the Strathbogie batholith. It is Late Devonian in age and postorogenic-extensional in tectonic setting. The batholith was constructed from peraluminous, metasediment-derived magmas emplaced as several internally heterogeneous plutons. Chemical variation in the magmas was largely inherited from the protolith rather than having been produced by differentiation (crystal–liquid separation) or magma mixing. The Strathbogie magmas formed during a granulite-facies metamorphic event that caused partial melting of the rocks of the Proterozoic Selwyn Block, which forms the basement in this region. The chemistry of the Strathbogie batholith, the Violet Town Volcanics and various other felsic complexes of similar age, implies that the Selwyn Block here originally consisted of andesite, dacite, greywacke and pelite, probably deposited in a back-arc extensional setting. The sedimentary components of this protolith may have been deposited in a basin that was extending and deepening with time, so that the sediments contained progressively higher ratios of clay to volcanic materials. Much later, in the Late Devonian, extensional tectonics allowed the emplacement of mantle magmas into the deep and middle crust, causing the low-pressure granulite-facies metamorphic event that was responsible for the production of the crustal components in the granitic magmas of Central Victoria.     

Progressive hybridisation between Late Devonian mafic-intermediate and felsic magmas in the Meguma Zone of Nova Scotia, Canada

Two felsic plutons of Late Devonian (385–370 Ma) age in the Meguma Zone of southwestern Nova Scotia contain three circa 376 Ma synplutonic mafic-intermediate intrusions that collectively record progressive stages of in situ hybridisation. A 5 m wide spessartite dyke in the Port Mouton Pluton probably underwent rapid cooling and crystallisation immediately after intrusion, which heated and coarsened the adjacent tonalite. An 85 m long sheet of pillowed kersantite (also in tonalite of the Port Mouton Pluton) presumably contained residual magma after quenching and obtained K, P, Ba, Rb, more radiogenic Sr, Zr, Nb, and light REE from the tonalite during magma mingling. The third synplutonic body, a >100 m wide diorite sheet, intrudes granodiorite of the adjacent Shelburne Pluton and has a circa 45 m wide gradational contact of metaluminous hornblende-tonalite. This tonalite dominantly records magma mixing by the transfer of Ti, Mg, Fe, Ca, and V in hornblende, biotite, plagioclase, and (at least in part) apatite xenocrysts derived from dioritic pillows that were originally disaggregated in the granodiorite, probably in response to convection. Scattered data points, unusual “concave-down” variation trends for Al₂O₃, P₂O₅, and Sr, and non-hyperbolic Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics in the tonalite, apparently reflect syn- or post-mixing fractionation and accumulation of xenocrysts from residual magma. Phosphorus may have assisted diffusion of Sr, Zr, Nb, and light REE, and caused premature quenching of the hybrids at Mcleods Cove and Birchtown, during magma mingling and mixing. Received: 1 January 1996 / Accepted: 3 August 1996     

Interaction of coeval felsic and mafic magmas from the Kanker granite,Pithora region,Bastar Craton,Central India

Field and petrographic studies are carried out to characterize the interactions of mafic and felsic magmas from Pithora region of the northeastern part of the Bastar Craton. The MMEs, syn-plutonic mafic dykes, cuspate contacts, magmatic flow textures, mingling and hybridization suggest the coeval emplacement of end member magmas. Petrographic evidences such as disequilibrium assemblages, resorption textures, quartz ocelli, rapakivi and poikilitic textures suggest magma mingling and mixing phenomena. Such features of mingling and mixing of the felsic and mafic magma manifest the magma chamber processes. Introduction of mafic magmas into the felsic magmas before initiation of crystallization of the latter, results in hybrid magmas under the influence of thermal and chemical exchange. The mechanical exchange occurs between the coexisting magmas due to viscosity contrast, if the mafic magma enters slightly later into the magma chamber, then the felsic magma starts to crystallize. Blobs of mafic magma form as MMEs in the felsic magma and they scatter throughout the pluton due to convection. At a later stage, if mafic magma enters the system after partial crystallization of felsic phase, mechanical interaction between the magmas leads to the formation of fragmented dyke or syn-plutonic mafic dyke. All these features are well-documented in the study area. Field and petrographic evidences suggest that the textural variations from Pithora region of Bastar Craton are the outcome of magma mingling, mixing and hybridization processes.     

Interaction between crustal-derived felsic and mantle-derived mafic magmas in the Oberkirch Pluton (European Variscides, Schwarzwald, Germany)

The composite Oberkirch pluton consists of three compositionally different units of peraluminous biotite granite. The northern unit is relatively mafic (SiO₂∼64%) and lacks cordierite. The more felsic central and southern units (SiO₂=67.8 to 70.4%) can only be distinguished from each other by the occurrence of cordierite in the former. Mafic microgranular enclaves of variable composition, texture and size occur in each of these units and are concentrated in their central domains. Most abundant are large (dm to m) hornblende-bearing enclaves with dioritic to tonalitic compositions (SiO₂=50.8 to 56.3 wt%; Mg#=63 to 41) and fine grained doleritic textures that suggest chilling against the host granite magma. Some of these enclaves are mantled by hybrid zones. Less common are microtonalitic enclaves containing biotite as the only primary mafic phase (SiO₂=53.7 to 64.4%) and small hybrid tonalitic to granodioritic enclaves and schlieren. Synplutonic dioritic dikes (up to 6 m thick) with hybrid transition zones to the host granite occur in the southern unit of the pluton. In chemical variation diagrams, samples from unmodified hornblende-bearing mafic enclaves and dikes form continuous trends that are compatible with an origin by fractionation of olivine, clinopyroxene, hornblende and plagioclase. Chemical and initial isotopic signatures (e.g. high Mg#, low Na₂O, ɛ_Nd=−1.2 to −5.1, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7055 to 0.7080, δ¹⁸O=8.0 to 8.8‰) exclude an origin by partial melting from a mafic meta-igneous source but favour derivation from a heterogeneous enriched lithospheric mantle. Samples from the granitic host rocks do not follow the chemical variation trends defined by the diorites but display large scatter. In addition, their initial isotopic characteristics (ɛ_Nd=−4.5 to −6.8, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7071 to 0.7115, δ¹⁸O=9.9 to 11.9‰) show little overlap with those of the diorites. Most probably, the granitic magmas were derived from metapelitic sources characterized by variable amounts of garnet and plagioclase. This is suggested by relatively high molar ratios of Al₂O₃/(MgO+FeO_tot) and K₂O/Na₂O, in combination with low ratios of CaO/(MgO+FeO_tot), variable values of Sr/Nd, Eu/Eu*[=Eu_cn/(Sm_cn × Gd_cn)^0.5] and (Tb/Yb)_cn (cn=chondrite-normalized) as well as variable abundances of Sc and Y. Whole-rock initial isotopic signatures of mafic microtonalitic enclaves (ɛ_Nd=−4.6 to −5.2; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7060 to 0.7073; δ¹⁸O ∼8.1‰) are similar to those of the low ɛ_Nd diorites. Plagioclase concentrates from a granite sample and a mafic microtonalitic enclave are characterized by initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios that are significantly higher than those of their bulk rock systems suggesting incorporation of high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr crustal material into the magmas. Field relationships and petrographic evidence suggest that the Oberkirch pluton originated by at least three pulses of granitic magma containing mafic magma globules. In-situ hybridization between the different magmas was limited. Late injection of dioritic magma into the almost solidified granitic southern unit resulted in the formation of more or less continuous synplutonic dikes surrounded by relatively thin hybrid zones. Received: 30 April 1999 / Accepted: 6 August 1999     

Interaction between mafic and felsic magmas in subvolcanic environment (Tastau igneous complex,eastern Kazakhstan)

The paper reports the results of integrated geological, petrological, geochemical, and geochronological studies of the Tastau igneous ring complex in the Zaisan orogen of eastern Kazakhstan. Interaction between felsic and mafic magmas has been studied. Hybrid rocks are represented by gabbros and diorites injected into a granitic magma chamber. They occur as dikes and pillow-like and globular mafic bodies variously disintegrated and mixed with host granitoids. The age of synplutonic rocks is 242 ± 20 Ma (U/Pb zircon dating), which is, with regard to analytical error, substantially younger than it was presumed.Mechanisms of interaction between felsic and mafic magmas have been studied. They include mechanical (mingling) and chemical (mixing) interaction, which produce composite mixtures and hybrid rocks. The ratios of mafic to felsic components involved in the formation of intermediate rocks were calculated from major elements by regression analysis and tested with regard to rare and trace elements. The model for mingling includes rapid quenching of the mafic melt when it is injected into the granitic magma chamber, decomposition of crystalline fragments, dispersion of fragments and crystals in the magma chamber under conditions of rapid turbulent flow, and enrichment of felsic magma with femic components to produce monzonitic magmas.     

Contrasting magmas in metapelitic and metapsammitic migmatites in the Cooma Complex, Australia

Metapelite-derived migmatites (“bedded migmatites”) formed in the low-pressure/high-temperature (LPHT) Cooma Complex, southeastern Australia, contain magma (neosome and leucosome) confined to the metapelitic beds in which they were generated. The metapsammitic beds were more ductile than the metapelitic beds (and the metapelitic parts of graded beds), which underwent fracture and boudinage, thereby providing space for the magma, though some also occurs in axial surface folia. Transitions from bedded to stromatic migmatites can be seen, but the magma mainly remained in the metapelites, even in the most strongly deformed stromatic migmatites. This, together with boudinage and transposition of the leucosome, as well as microstructural evidence of quartz recrystallization, suggest that much or most of the stromatic layering was formed by solid-state deformation. In contrast, magmas (neosomes) formed by partial melting of feldspathic metapsammites at Cooma moved out of their parent rocks, and coalesced into veins and small intrusions of diatexite, because (1) the host rocks deformed more homogeneously, and no interboudin space was made for the melts, and (2) the melt escape threshold was exceeded, probably with the assistance of deformation. Metapsammite melting occurred after solidification of the metapelite-derived magma, and the mobile metapsammite-derived magma (diatexite) disrupted and incorporated fragments of the metapelitic migmatites. The metapsammite-derived magma, together with this solid metapelitic material, locally coalesced into bodies closely resembling the Cooma Granodiorite.     

Petrogenesis of syenites at a rifted continental margin: origin,contamination and interaction of alkaline mafic and felsic magmas in the Astrophyllite Bay Complex,East Greenland

The Astrophyllite Bay Complex in East Greenland (part of the Palaeogene North Atlantic Igneous Province) consists of an alkaline diorite plug, with detached trachyandesitic pillows, surrounded by co-magmatic syenite that was emplaced into Archaean basement. The diorite intrusion has yielded a 47.11 ± 0.68 Ma Rb-Sr isochron age. Saw-cut profiles through pillow-syenite-gneiss sections have been taken to resolve close spatial elemental and isotopic (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-O) variations. The diorite and syenite formed from alkaline basaltic, mantle-derived, melts with complex histories of prolonged assimilation and fractional crystallisation. Each evolved to different extents in separate magma chambers during the establishment of new plumbing systems in the Kangerlussuaq area. The diorite is dominated by lower crustal, granulite facies contamination, whereas the syenite shows evidence for greater degrees of upper crustal amphibolite facies contamination, indicating stalling and fractionation of magmas at different levels within the crust. The syenite and diorite magmas were subsequently emplaced as separate pulses into the basement gneisses at Astrophyllite Bay giving rise to superimposed local contamination trends between pillow/syenite and syenite/gneiss, respectively.     

Monazite solubility and dissolution kinetics: implications for the thorium and light rare earth chemistry of felsic magmas

A series of monazite dissolution experiments was conducted in a hydrous (1–6 wt.%) granitic melt at 8 kbar over the temperature range 1,000–1,400° C. A polished cube of monazite was immersed in a natural obsidian melt and allowed to partially dissolve. Electron microprobe traverses perpendicular to the crystal-melt interface revealed concentration gradients in the LREEs and P. Diffusivities of the LREEs and P were calculated from these profiles, yielding the following Arrhenius relations for the LREEs: D=0.23 exp(–60.1 kcal mol^–1/RT) at 6% water D=2.30×10⁷ exp(–122.1 kcal mol^–1/RT) at 1% water These results demonstrate the importance of dissolved water on REE diffusion. Phosphorus diffusivities are nearly identical to those of the rare-earths, suggesting that P diffusion charge-compensates REE diffusion. The concentration of LREEs required for monazite saturation in these melts is given by the level of dissolved LREEs at the crystal-melt interface. These values also show a dependence on dissolved water, with LREE_sat=60 ppm at 6% H₂O when extrapolated down to 700° C, and LREE_sat=30 ppm at 1% H₂O. Calculated dissolution rates based on the above parameters indicate that minute (<30 m diameter) monazite crystals will be readily digested by an enclosing anatectic magma under reasonable geologic conditions (i.e., T=700–800° C and >2% H₂O), whereas larger (> 50 m) crystals will likely be residual over the duration of an anatectic event. The low solubility of monazite in this melt suggests that the LREE depletion observed in some felsic differentiation suites may be the result of monazite crystallization. Limited experimental and geochemical/petrologic evidence indicates that compositional changes in the melt accompanying differentiation decrease the solubility of monazite drastically. Kinetic and chemical constraints may also lead to localized monazite saturation and inclusion in major phases or even other accessories. Variations in the REE composition of monazite from different parageneses probably reflects the REE pattern of the parent melt, and may be due to gradational differences in the stability of individual or subgroup REE-complexes as a function of melt composition. Particularly important in this regard seems to be the lime+alkali/alumina balance of the melt and its volatile content.     

Geochemistry of the Sweetwater Wash Pluton,California: Implications for “anomalous” trace element behavior during differentiation of felsic magmas

Field relations, mineralogy and major and trace element data for the very felsic, peraluminous Sweetwater Wash pluton establish a differentiation sequence dominantly controlled by fractional crystallization processes. Elements Ba and Sr show depletion by factors of 50–60X from the earliest granite unit analyzed to the late-stage pegmatites and aplites. The strong Ba depletion is largely due to the partitioning behavior of this element in K-feldspar, while the Sr depletion is due to the combined effects of the two feldspars. The 4-fold increase in Rb during crystallization is also predictable from mineral/ melt partition coefficients.Coefficients for the light rare-earth elements (LREE) in major mineral species predict that these elements should behave incompatibly during crystallization and increase with fractionation. In fact, the LREE abundances decrease by a factor of 10–20X during crystallization. This anomalous behavior is commonly observed in felsic plutonic and volcanic sequences. In the Sweetwater Wash pluton monazite occurs in minute quantities, but it is sufficiently abundant to govern the partitioning of LREE and Th during crystallization. Petrographic observations indicate that monazite was on the liquidus throughout most of the crystallization. Analyses of silicate mineral separates suggest that the monazite contains more than 75% of the LREE in the whole rocks.Fractionation of REE-rich accessories (in particular monazite) from felsic magmas may be the general cause of REE depletion during differentiation of these melts. Monazite can easily be mistaken for zircon and, because it typically contains 50% LREE, extremely minute and easily overlooked quantities of monazite can control LREE abundances.     

Origin and interaction of mafic and felsic magmas in an evolving late orogenic setting: the Early Paleozoic Terra Nova Intrusive Complex, Antarctica

The Abbott Unit (∼508 Ma) and the Vegetation Unit (∼475 Ma) of the Terra Nova Intrusive Complex (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica) represent the latest magmatic events related to the Early Paleozoic Ross Orogeny. They show different emplacement styles and depths, ranging from forcible at 0.4–0.5 GPa for the Abbott Unit to passive at ∼0.2 GPa for the Vegetation Unit. Both units consist of mafic, felsic and intermediate facies which collectively define continuous chemical trends. The most mafic rocks from both units show different enrichment in trace element and Sr-Nd isotopic signatures. Once the possible effects of upper crustal assimilation-fractional crystallisation (AFC) and lower crustal coupled AFC and magma refilling processes have been taken into account the following features are recognised: (1) the modelled primary Abbott Unit magma shows a slightly enriched incompatible element distribution, similar to common continental arc basalts and (2) the modelled primary Vegetation Unit magma displays highly enriched isotope ratios and incompatible element patterns. We interpreted these major changes in magmatic affinity and emplacement style as linked to a major change in the tectonic setting affecting melt generation, rise and emplacement of the magmas. The Abbott Unit mafic melts were derived from a mantle wedge above a subduction zone, with subcontinental lithospheric mantle marginally involved in the melting column. The Vegetation Unit mafic melts are regarded as products of a different source involving an old layer of subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The crustal evolution of both types of mafic melts is marked by significant compositional contrasts in Sr and Nd isotopes between mafic and associated felsic rocks. The crustal isotope signature showed an increase with felsic character. Geochemical variations for both units can be accounted for by a similar two-stage hybridisation process. In the first stage, the most mafic magma evolved mainly by fractional crystallisation coupled with assimilation of metasedimentary rocks having crustal time-integrated Sr and Nd compositions similar to those of locally exposed metamorphic basement. The second stage involves contaminated products mixing with independently generated crustal melts. Petrographic, geochemical and isotope data also provide evidence of significant compositional differences in the felsic end-members, pointing to the involvement of metaigneous and metasedimentary source rocks for the Abbott granite and Vegetation leucogranite, respectively. Received: 31 March 1998 / Accepted: 3 May 1999     

Origins of igneous microgranular enclaves in granites: the example of Central Victoria,Australia

To investigate their genesis and relations with their host rocks, we study igneous microgranular enclaves (IMEs) in the c. 370 Ma, post-orogenic, high-level, felsic plutons and volcanic rocks of Central Victoria, Australia. The IMEs are thermally quenched magma globules but are not autoliths, and they do not form mixing series with their host magmas. These IMEs generally represent hybrids between mantle-derived magmas and very high-T crust-derived melts, modified by fractionation, ingestion of host-derived crystals and, to a lesser extent, by chemical interactions with their hosts. Isotopic and elemental evidence suggests that their likely mafic progenitors formed by partial melting of subcontinental mantle, but that the IME suites from different felsic host bodies did not share a common initial composition. We infer that melts of heterogeneous mantle underwent high-T hybridisation with melts from a variety of crustal rocks, which led to a high degree of primary variability in the IME magmas. Our model for the formation of the Central Victorian IMEs is likely to be applicable to other occurrences, especially in suites of postorogenic granitic magmas emplaced in the shallow crust. However, there are many different origins for the mingled magma globules that we call IMEs, and different phenomena seem to occur in differing tectonic settings. The complexity of IME formation means that it is difficult to unravel the petrogenesis of these products of chaotic magma processes. Nevertheless, the survival of fine-grained, non-equilibrium mineralogy and texture in the IMEs suggests that their tenure in the host magmas must have been geologically brief.     

The parnell quartz monzonite: A proterozoic zoned pluton in the archaean pilbara block,Western Australia

The Parnell Quartz Monzonite in the Pilbara Block of Western Australia is a Proterozoic (1731 ± 14 Ma) pluton characterized by high modal K‐feldspar and a greater abundance of hornblende relative to biotite, as is typical of Phanerozoic monzonitic rocks in eastern Australia. The only geochemical features reflecting its setting in an Archaean terrain are high Na2O, Ni and Cr. The pluton is zoned, with an increase in K‐feldspar, quartz and biotite and a decrease in plagioclase and hornblende from margin to core. Chemically, this zoning is reflected by systematic variation of CaO, K₂O, Na₂O, Sr and Rb, but ferromagnesian elements have irregular trends, implying preferential extraction of feldspars relative to mafic minerals during differentiation of the magma. The unusual geochemical trends are explained by a model involving ‘in situ’ feldspar fractionation of a K‐rich residual liquid from a mafic crystalline mush.

A parent magma similar to the average rock composition of the pluton is deduced because high ferromagnesian trace element abundances preclude extensive fractionation of mafic minerals. Geochemical and isotopic constraints suggest that the ultimate source was chemically similar to a shoshonitic basaltic andesite, that must have been emplaced beneath the eastern margin of the Pilbara Block in the Early Proterozoic. Subsequent partial melting of this postulated underplated source at ～ 1700 Ma to produce the Parnell Quartz Monzonite was probably associated with tectonism in the Gregory Range Complex.