Deformation processes and rheology of pyroxenites under lithospheric mantle conditions

We combined microstructural observations and high-resolution crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) mapping to unravel the active deformation mechanisms in garnet clinopyroxenites, garnet–spinel websterites, and spinel websterites from the Beni Bousera peridotite massif. All pyroxenites display microstructures recording plastic deformation by dislocation creep. Pyroxene CPOs are consistent with dominant slip on [001]{110} in clinopyroxene and on [001](100) or [001](010) in orthopyroxene. Garnet clinopyroxenites have however high recrystallized fractions and finer grain sizes than spinel websterites. Recrystallization mechanisms also differ: subgrain rotation dominates in garnet clinopyroxenites, whereas in spinel websterites nucleation and growth also contribute. Elongated shapes and strong intracrystalline misorientations suggest plastic deformation of garnet, but CPOs are weak. Clinopyroxene porphyroclasts in spinel websterites show deformation twins underlined by orthopyroxene exsolutions. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that garnet clinopyroxenites deformed at 2.0 GPa and 950–1000 °C and spinel pyroxenites at 1.8 GPa and 1100–1150 °C. The lower temperatures may explain the faster work rates implied by the finer grained microstructures in garnet clinopyroxenites. Greater stresses may have also reduced the competence contrast between garnet and pyroxene in the garnet pyroxenites and, at the outcrop scale, lowered the competence contrast between pyroxenites and peridotites, favoring mechanical dispersion of pyroxenites in the cooler lithospheric mantle.     

Water content in minerals of mantle xenoliths from the Udachnaya pipe kimberlites (Yakutia)

Distribution of water among the main rock-forming nominally anhydrous minerals of mantle xenoliths of peridotitic and eclogitic parageneses from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe, Yakutia, has been studied by IR spectroscopy. The spectra of all minerals exhibit vibrations attributed to hydroxyl structural defects. The content of H₂O (ppm) in minerals of peridotites is as follows: 23–75 in olivine, 52–317 in orthopyroxene, 29–126 in clinopyroxene, and 0–95 in garnet. In eclogites, garnet contains up to 833 ppm H₂O, and clinopyroxene, up to 1898 ppm (~ 0.19 wt.%). The obtained data and the results of previous studies of minerals of mantle xenoliths show wide variations in H₂O contents both within different kimberlite provinces and within the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe. Judging from the volume ratios of mineral phases in the studied xenoliths, the water content varies over narrow ranges of values, 38–126 ppm. At the same time, the water content in the studied eclogite xenoliths is much higher and varies widely, 391–1112 ppm.     

Textures and geochemistry of the Saramta peridotites (Siberian craton): Melting and refertilization during early evolution of the continental lithospheric mantle

The Saramta peridotite massif is located within the Sharyzhalgai complex, SW margin of the Siberian craton. The Saramta massif was formed in the Archean and then juxtaposed with granulites of crystalline basement of the Siberian craton. The Saramta harzburgites are highly refractory in terms of lack of residual clinopyroxene, olivine Mg-number (up to 0.937), and spinel Cr-number (∼0.5), suggesting high degree of partial melting. Detailed study of their microstructures shows that they have extensively reacted with a SiO₂-rich melt, leading to the crystallization of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, amphibole and spinel at the expense of olivine. The major element compositions of the least reacted harzburgites are similar to the residues of refractory peridotites produced by the fractional melting (initial melting pressures >3 GPa and melt fractions ∼40%). Moreover, non-residual clinopyroxenes are highly depleted in Yb, Zr and Ti, but highly enriched in LREE. A two-stage history is proposed for the Saramta peridotite: (1) primitive mantle underwent depletion in the garnet stability field followed by melting in the spinel stability field; (2) refractory harzburgites underwent refertilization by SiO₂-rich melt in supra-subduction zone. Rare Saramta lherzolites probably formed from more refractory harzburgites as a result of such a melt–rock reaction. The Saramta peridotites are similar to low-T coarse-grained peridotites of subcratonic mantle. Processes of their formation, as reflected by textures and composition of minerals of the Saramta peridotites, are characteristic of the early stages of subcratonic mantle formation.     

Ultramafic xenoliths from Lake Nyos area,Cameroon volcanic line,West-central Africa: Petrography,mineral chemistry,equilibration conditions and metasomatic features

Spinel-bearing mantle xenoliths have been recovered in the pyroclastic breccia surrounding the Lake Nyos maar. These include spinel lherzolites, spinel harzburgites and olivine websterites. They exhibit coarse granular or protogranular to weakly porphyroclastic textures, and show variations in mineral chemistry, modal compositions and equilibrium temperature. The xenoliths consist of four mineral phases typical of upper mantle origin: olivine (Fo₈₉–Fo_91.5, NiO = 0.29–0.38 wt%, CaO = 0.02–0.17 wt%), enstatite (Mg# = 90–92, Cr₂O₃ = 0.35 ± 0.04 wt%), Cr-diopside (Mg# = 92–98, Cr₂O₃ = 0.7–1.65 wt%, TiO₂ = 0.26–0.6 wt%) and spinel (high Mg# of 70–80, low TiO₂ ≤ 0.4 wt%). Spinels are aluminous (Cr# = 9.7–11) in most lherzolites, and become increasingly chromiferous from websterites (Cr#_Sp = 15.3–19.8) to harzburgites (Cr#_Sp = 19–33.6). The lherzolites are composed of olivine (48–58%), orthopyroxene (22–30%), and clinopyroxene (8–15%). The harzburgites modes are olivine (60–81%), orthopyroxene (11–29%), and clinopyroxene (<5%). The websterites are mainly composed of pyroxene (～62%) with variable amounts of olivine (23–31%). Temperatures of mineral equilibration in the xenoliths have been estimated from the two-pyroxene thermometer of Wells (1977) and range between 850 and 1050 °C, corresponding to about 10–30 kbar at a depth mantle of 30 km at least. These P–T conditions show significant variations between different petrographical types, the maximum conditions being recorded in two spinel lherzolites (NY-05 and NY-23) that have atypical chemical compositions and textures suggesting that they were initially formed in an environment close to the garnet stability field, then re-equilibrated within the spinel stability field prior to their incorporation in the host magma. With the exception of minerals from these two lherzolite nodules, all the minerals exhibit depletion of light REE, a typical feature of abyssal peridotites implying that some xenoliths from the Cameroon volcanic line were probably sampled in a part of the sub-continental mantle that is chemically similar to sub-oceanic mantle. The variations observed in the mineral chemistry and modal compositions of xenoliths suggest that the spinel harzbugite nodules which represent residues of a significant degree of partial melting of lherzolitic mantle were affected by infiltration of alkali-enriched metasomatizing melts (or fluids) within the uppermost mantle to produce pargasitic amphiboles prior to their sampling by the host lava. The features of this metasomatism event occur in the rocks of all three petrographical facies xenoliths from Lake Nyos.     

Inter-mineral Fe isotope variations in mantle-derived rocks and implications for the Fe geochemical cycle

Iron isotope and major- and minor-element compositions of coexisting olivine, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene from eight spinel peridotite mantle xenoliths; olivine, magnetite, amphibole, and biotite from four andesitic volcanic rocks; and garnet and clinopyroxene from seven garnet peridotite and eclogites have been measured to evaluate if inter-mineral Fe isotope fractionation occurs in high-temperature igneous and metamorphic minerals and if isotopic fractionation is related to equilibrium Fe isotope partitioning or a result of open-system behavior. There is no measurable fractionation between silicate minerals and magnetite in andesitic volcanic rocks, nor between olivine and orthopyroxene in spinel peridotite mantle xenoliths. There are some inter-mineral differences (up to 0.2‰ in ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁴Fe) in the Fe isotope composition of coexisting olivine and clinopyroxene in spinel peridotites. The Fe isotope fractionation observed between clinopyroxene and olivine appears to be a result of open-system behavior based on a positive correlation between the Δ⁵⁶Fe_{clinopyroxene-olivine} fractionation and the δ⁵⁶Fe value of clinopyroxene and olivine. There is also a significant difference in the isotopic compositions of garnet and clinopyroxene in garnet peridotites and eclogites, where the average Δ⁵⁶Fe_{clinopyroxene-garnet} fractionation is +0.32 ± 0.07‰ for six of the seven samples. The one sample that has a lower Δ⁵⁶Fe_{clinopyroxene-garnet} fractionation of 0.08‰ has a low Ca content in garnet, which may reflect some crystal chemical control on Fe isotope fractionation. The Fe isotope variability in mantle-derived minerals is interpreted to reflect subduction of isotopically variable oceanic crust, followed by transport through metasomatic fluids. Isotopic variability in the mantle might also occur during crystal fractionation of basaltic magmas within the mantle if garnet is a liquidus phase. The isotopic variations in the mantle are apparently homogenized during melting processes, producing homogenous Fe isotope compositions during crust formation.     

Origins of non-equilibrium lithium isotopic fractionation in xenolithic peridotite minerals: Examples from Tanzania

Olivine, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in variably metasomatised peridotite xenoliths from three lithospheric mantle sections beneath the East African Rift in Tanzania (Lashaine, Olmani, Labait) show systematic differences in their average Li concentrations (2.4 ppm, 2.0 ppm and 1.5 ppm, respectively) and intermineral isotopic fractionations, with olivine being heaviest (δ⁷Li = + 2.3 to + 13.9‰, average + 5.0‰), followed by orthopyroxene (? 4.1 to + 6.5‰, average + 0.8‰) and clinopyroxene (? 6.7 to + 4.1‰, average ? 1.6‰). These features are ascribed to the effects of kinetic Li isotope fractionation combined with different Li diffusivities in mantle minerals.Two main mechanisms likely generate diffusion-driven kinetic Li isotope fractionation in mantle xenoliths (1) Li diffusion from grain boundary melt into minerals during recent metasomatism or entrainment in the host magma and (2) subsolidus intermineral Li-redistribution. The latter can produce both isotopically light (Li-addition) and heavy (Li-loss) minerals and may occur in response to changes in pressure and/or temperature.Modelling shows that non-mantle-like δ⁷Li in clinopyroxene (< + 2‰), combined with apparent equilibrium olivine-clinopyroxene elemental partitioning in most peridotite xenoliths from all three Tanzanian localities probably reflects incipient Li addition during interaction with the host magma. Low δ⁷Li (< ? 3‰), combined with high Li concentrations (> 3 ppm) in some clinopyroxene may require very recent (minutes) Li ingress from a Li-rich melt (100s of ppm) having mantle-like δ⁷Li. This might happen during late fragmentation of some mantle xenoliths caused by a volatile- (and Li-) rich component exsolved from the host basalt. In contrast, high Li concentrations (> 2 ppm) and δ⁷Li (> 4‰) in olivine from many Labait and Olmani samples are attributed to an older, pre-entrainment enrichment event during which isotopic equilibrium was attained and whose signature was not corrupted during xenolith entrainment. Low Li concentrations and mantle-like isotopic composition of olivine from most Lashaine xenoliths indicate limited metasomatic Li addition.Thus, Li concentrations and isotope compositions of mantle peridotites worldwide may reflect two processes, with olivine mainly preserving a signature of depletion in refractory samples (low Li contents and δ⁷Li) or of older (precursory) melt addition in metasomatised samples (high Li contents and δ⁷Li), while non mantle-like, low δ⁷Li in almost all clinopyroxene can be due to Li ingress during transport in the host magma and/or slow cooling, if the samples were erupted in lavas. In Tanzania, the peridotites experienced rift-related heating prior to entrainment and were quenched upon eruption, so Li ingress is the most likely process responsible for the isotopically light clinopyroxene here.     

Mafic xenoliths in Proterozoic kimberlites from Eastern Dharwar Craton,India: Mineralogy and P–T regime

Mafic xenoliths of garnet pyroxenite and eclogite from the Wajrakarur, Narayanpet and Raichur kimberlite fields in the Archaean Eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC) of southern India have been studied. The composition of clinopyroxene shows transition from omphacite (3–6 wt% Na₂O) in eclogites to Ca pyroxene (<3 wt% Na₂O) in garnet pyroxenites. Some of the xenoliths have additional phases such as kyanite, enstatite, chromian spinel or rutile as discrete grains. Clinopyroxene in a rutile eclogite has an X_Mg value of 0.70, which is unusually low compared to the X_Mg range of 0.91–0.97 for all other samples. Garnet in the rutile eclogite is also highly iron-rich with an end member composition of Prp_26.5Alm_52.5Grs_14.7Adr_5.1TiAdr_0.3Sps_1.0Uv_0.1. Garnets in several xenoliths are Cr-rich with up to 8 mol% knorringite component. Geothermobarometric calculations in Cr-rich xenoliths yield different P–T ranges for eclogites and garnet pyroxenites with average P–T conditions of 36 kbar and 1080 °C, and 27 kbar and 830 °C, respectively. The calculated P–T ranges approximate to a 45 mW m^?2 model geotherm, which is on the higher side of the typical range of xenolith/xenocryst geotherms (35–45 mW m^?2) for several Archaean cratons in the world. This indicates that the EDC was hotter than many other shield regions of the world in the mid-Proterozoic period when kimberlites intruded the craton. Textural and mineral chemical characteristics of the mafic xenoliths favour a magmatic cumulate process for their origin as opposed to subducted and metamorphosed oceanic crust.     

New evidence of mantle heterogeneity beneath the Hyblean Plateau (southeast Sicily,Italy) as inferred from noble gases and geochemistry of ultramafic xenoliths

We analyzed major and trace elements, Sr and Nd isotopes in ultramafic xenoliths in Miocenic age Hyblean diatremes, along with noble gases of CO₂-rich fluid inclusions hosted in the same products. The xenoliths consist of peridotites and pyroxenites, which are considered to be derived from the upper mantle. Although the mineral assemblage of peridotites and their whole-rock abundance of major elements (e.g., Al₂O₃ = 0.8–1.5 wt.%, TiO₂ = 0.03–0.08 wt.%) suggest a residual character of the mantle, a moderate enrichment in some incompatible elements (e.g., La_N/Yb_N = 9–14) highlights the presence of cryptic metasomatic events. In this context a deep silicate liquid is considered the metasomatizing agent, which is consistent with the occurrence of pyroxenites as veins in peridotites. Both the Zr/Nb and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of the investigated samples reveal two distinct compositional groups: (1) peridotites with Zr/Nb ≈ 4 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ≈ 0.5129, and (2) pyroxenites with Zr/Nb ≈ 20 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ≈ 0.5130. The results of noble-gas analyses also highlight the difference between the peridotite and pyroxenite domains. Indeed, the ³He/⁴He and ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratios measured in the fluid inclusions of peridotites (respectively 7.0–7.4 ± 0.1 Ra and 0.5–8.2, where Ra is the atmospheric ³He/⁴He ratio of 1.38 × 10^? 6) were on average lower than those for the pyroxenites (respectively 7.2–7.6 Ra and 0.62–15). This mantle heterogeneity is interpreted as resulting from a mixing between two end-members: (1) a peridotitic layer with ³He/⁴He ≈ 7 Ra and ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ≈ 0.4, which is lower than the typical mantle ratio (~ 1–4) probably due to melt extraction events, and (2) metasomatizing mafic silicate melts that gave rise to pyroxenites characterized by ³He/⁴He ≈ 7.6 Ra, with a variable ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* due to degassing processes connected with the ascent of magma at different levels in the peridotite wall rock. The complete geochemical data set also suggests two distinct mantle sources for the xenolithic groups highlighted above: (1) a HIMU (high-μ)-type source for the peridotites and (2) a DM (depleted mantle)-type source for the pyroxenites.     

Heterogeneous distribution of water in the mantle beneath the central Siberian Craton: Implications from the Udachnaya Kimberlite Pipe

The paper presents new petrographic, major element and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy data and PT-estimates of whole-rock samples and minerals of a collection of 19 relatively fresh peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe, which were recovered from its deeper levels. The xenoliths are non-deformed (granular), medium-deformed and highly deformed (porphyroclastic, mosaic-porphyroclastic, mylonitic) lherzolites, harzburgite and dunite. The lherzolites yielded equilibration temperatures (T) and pressures (P) ranging from 913 to 1324 °C and from 4.6 to 6.3 GPa, respectively. The non-deformed and medium-deformed peridotites match the 35 mW/m² conductive continental geotherm, whereas the highly deformed varieties match the 45 mW/m² geotherm. The content of water spans 2 ± 1–95 ± 52 ppm in olivine, 1 ± 0.5–61 ± 9 ppm in orthopyroxene, and 7 ± 2–71 ± 30 ppm in clinopyroxene. The amount of water in garnets is negligible. Based on the modal proportions of mineral phases in the xenoliths, the water contents in peridotites were estimated to vary over a wide range from < 1 to 64 ppm. The amount of water in the mantle xenoliths is well correlated with the deformation degree: highly deformed peridotites show highest water contents (64 ppm) and those medium-deformed and non-deformed contain ca. 1 ppm of H₂O. The high water contents in the deformed peridotites could be linked to metasomatism of relatively dry diamondiferous cratonic roots by hydrous and carbonatitic agents (fluids/melts), which may cause hydration and carbonation of peridotite and oxidation and dissolution of diamonds. The heterogeneous distribution of water in the cratonic mantle beneath the Udachnaya pipe is consistent with the models of mantle plume or veined mantle structures proposed based on a trace element study of similar xenolithic suits. Mantle metasomatism beneath the Siberian Craton and its triggered kimberlite magmatism could be induced by mantle enrichment in volatiles (H₂O, CO₂) supplied by numerous subduction zones which surrounded the Siberian continent in Neoproterozoic-Cambrian time.     

Mantle metasomatism and magma formation in continental lithosphere: Data on xenoliths in alkali basalts from the Makhtesh Ramon,Negev desert,Israel

Mantle xenoliths (lherzolites, clinopyroxene dunites, wehrlites, and clinopyroxenites) in the Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks of Makhtesh Ramon (alkali olivine basalts, basanites, and nephelinites) represent metasomatized mantle, which served as a source of basaltic melts. The xenoliths bear signs of partial melting and previous metasomatic transformations. The latter include the replacement of orthopyroxene by clinopyroxene in the lherzolites and, respectively, the wide development of wehrlites and olivine clinopyoroxenites. Metasomatic alteration of the peridotites is accompanied by a sharp decrease in Mg, Cr, and Ni, and increase of Ti, Al, Ca contents and ³⁺Fe/²⁺Fe ratio, as well as the growth of trace V, Sc, Zr, Nb, and Y contents. The compositional features of the rocks such as the growth of ³⁺Fe/²⁺Fe and the wide development of Ti-magnetite in combination with the complete absence of sulfides indicate the high oxygen fugacity during metasomatism and the low sulfur concentration, which is a distinctive signature of fluid mode during formation of the Makhtesh Ramon alkali basaltic magma. Partial melting of peridotites and clinopyroxenites is accompanied by the formation of basanite or alkali basaltic melt. Clino- and orthopyroxenes are subjected to melting. The crystallization products of melt preserved in the mantle rock are localized in the interstices and consist mainly of fine-grained clinopyroxene, which together with Ti-magnetite, ilmenite, amphibole, rhenite, feldspar, and nepheline, is cemented by glass corresponding to quartz–orthopyroxene, olivine–orthopyroxene, quartz–feldspar, or nepheline–feldspar mixtures of the corresponding normative minerals. The mineral assemblages of xenoliths correspond to high temperatures. The high-Al and high-Ti clinopyroxene, calcium olivine, feldspar, and feldspathoids, amphibole, Ti-magnetite, and ilmenite are formed at 900–1000°. The study of melt and fluid inclusions in minerals from xenoliths indicate liquidus temperatures of 1200–1250°C, solidus temperatures of 1000–1100°C, and pressure of 5.9–9.5 kbar. Based on the amphibole–plagioclase barometer, amphibole and coexisting plagioclase were crystallized in clinopyroxenites at 6.5–7.0 kbar.     

Petrology of ultramafic nodules from São Tomé Island, Cameroon Volcanic Line (oceanic sector)

Ultramafic xenoliths were found in recent alkali basalts from São Tomé Island. These include spinel peridotites (lherzolites, harzburgites and dunites) and pyroxenites (orthopyroxenites and clinopyroxenites). Textures and mineral compositions indicate that pyroxenites originated from crystal/liquid separation processes operating on magmas similar to those giving rise to their present host rocks whereas spinel peridotite xenoliths had an accidental origin; Fo (>89) and Ni (>0.36 wt.%) contents in olivines, Mg# (91–95) of orthopyroxenes and low Ti in clinopyroxene (primary crystals: TiO₂<0.06 wt.%) and in spinel (TiO₂<0.1 wt.%) are within the range reported for abyssal peridotites, indicating São Tomé spinel peridotites represent refractory residues of melting. Nevertheless, the lack of correlation between mineral chemistry and modal composition suggests that spinel peridotite xenoliths are not simple residues and were affected by infiltration of fluid/melts within the mantle. The wide temperature range obtained for spinel peridotites (700 to >1150 °C) is compatible with a long period of pre-entrainment cooling supporting Fitton's [Tectonophysics 94 (1983) 473] hypothesis that proposes oceanic lithosphere uprising in the Cameroon Volcanic Line prior to the initiation of the current thermal regime, related to São Tomé magmatism. The association of upper mantle (peridotite) xenoliths with igneous cumulates (pyroxenites) suggests that the spinel peridotite suite originated in the uppermost mantle above the São Tomé magma storage zone(s), probably in a region of high strain rate, near the boundary between the mantle and the overlying oceanic crust.     

Petrology and geochemistry of peridotite xenoliths from the Lianshan region: Nature and evolution of lithospheric mantle beneath the lower Yangtze block

Lithospheric thinning beneath the North China Craton is widely recognized, but whether the Yangtze block has undergone the same process is a controversial issue. Based on a detailed petrographic study, a suite of xenoliths from the Lianshan Cenozoic basalts have been analyzed for the compositions of minerals and whole rocks, and their Sr–Nd isotopes to probe the nature and evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the lower Yangtze block. The Lianshan xenoliths can be subdivided into two Types: the main Type 1 xenoliths (9–15% clinopyroxene and olivine-Mg# < 90) and minor Type 2 peridotites (1.8–6.2% clinopyroxene and olivine-Mg# > 90). Type 1 peridotites are characterized by low MgO, high levels of basaltic components (i.e., Al₂O₃, CaO and TiO₂), LREE-depleted patterns in clinopyroxenes and whole rocks, and relatively high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.513219–0.513331) and low ⁸⁶Sr/⁸⁷Sr (0.702279–0.702789). These features suggest that Type 1 peridotites represent fragments of the newly accreted fertile lithospheric mantle that have undergone ~ 1% of fractional partial melting and later weak silicate–melt metasomatism, similar to Phanerozoic lithospheric mantle beneath the eastern North China Craton. Type 2 peridotites may be shallow relics of the older lithospheric mantle depleted in basaltic components, with LREE-enriched and HREE-depleted patterns, relatively low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512499–0.512956) and high ⁸⁶Sr/⁸⁷Sr (0.703275–0.703997), which can be produced by 9–14% partial melting and subsequent carbonatite–melt metasomatism. Neither type shows a correlation between equilibration temperatures and Mg# in olivine, indicating that the lithospheric mantle is not compositionally stratified, but both types coexist at similar depths. This coexistence suggests that the residual refractory lithospheric mantle (i.e., Type 2 peridotites) may be irregularly eroded by upwelling asthenosphere materials along weak zones and eventually replaced to create a new and fertile lithosphere mantle (i.e., Type 1 xenoliths) as the asthenosphere cooled. Therefore, the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the lower Yangtze block shared a common evolutional dynamic environment with that beneath the eastern North China Craton during late Mesozoic–Cenozoic time.     

Mafic and silica-rich glasses in mantle xenoliths from Wau-en-Namus,Libya: Textural and geochemical evidence for peridotite–melt reactions

Anhydrous spinel peridotite xenoliths in Quaternary nepheline-basanite and melilite- or sodalite-bearing lavas of the Wau-en-Namus volcano in S Libya range from lherzolites to harzburgites recording melt extraction in a shallow setting (≤ 2 GPa). Primary clinopyroxenes have distinct trace element characteristics documenting LILE (large ion lithophile element) depletion or enrichment events predating the formation of glass pockets and veins in the xenoliths. These glasses are aluminous and alkali-rich, range in composition from ultrabasic to silicic (43–67 wt.% SiO₂) and may contain empty vugs and micro-phenocrysts of olivine, clinopyroxene, spinel, plagioclase, sodalite, apatite that are similar in composition to phenocrysts in the host lavas. Reactions of infiltrating melt and xenolith minerals are documented by diffuse Fe–Ca-rich rims of olivine in contact with glass, and by spongy-textured reaction domains caused by incongruent dissolution of primary pyroxenes and spinel. Some glasses have trace element characteristics similar to that of the host Ne-basanite, suggesting they were derived from the same source during entrainment and transport to the surface. Incompatible element enrichment and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of the analyzed host lava are similar to HIMU (high μ; μ = ²³⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)-type magmas, but the Pb isotopic composition is less radiogenic compared to other intra-plate Neogene magmatic rocks from N Africa.     

Crustal contamination of Late Neogene basalts in the Dien Bien Phu Basin,NW Vietnam: Some insights from petrological and geochronological studies

Early Pliocene (Zanclean) basalts in the Dien Bien Phu pull-apart basin in NW Vietnam, associated with the presently sinistral Dien Bien Phu Fault Zone, have been dated by the K–Ar method at 4.4–4.9 and 5.4–5.2 Ma. Rapid migration of basaltic magma to the surface in the Dien Bien Phu Fault Zone may be due to Pliocene transtension of the crust in this region, resulting from asthenospheric upwelling induced by lateral displacement of the mantle. The basalts are moderately phyric ( < 10%) and consist of olivine (hyalosiderite), plagioclase (bytownite–labradorite) and orthopyroxene (bytownite–labradorite) phenocrysts, and a fine-grained crystalline matrix (olivine–hortonolite, plagioclase–labradorite, clinopyroxene–pigeonite and augite, K-feldspar). The presence of Fe-rich olivine and orthopyroxene phenocrysts indicates that the basalts are SiO₂-saturated/oversaturated olivine tholeiites which formed under water-undersaturated conditions. The Dien Bien Phu basalts contain both mantle-derived (pyroxenites, dunites, gabbros) and crustal (sillimanite/mullite + Mg–Fe spinel), wallrock xenoliths, indicative of crustal contamination during the ascent of the basaltic magma. The basalts show selective enrichment in some mobile elements (K, Rb, Sr and Th), a feature considered to be a result of metasomatism. These rocks, classified on the basis of their normative composition as quartz tholeiites, could represent primary olivine tholeiites/basalts, in which the geochemical signatures were modified by the processes of contamination.     

Subcalcic clinopyroxenites and associated ultramafic xenoliths in alkali basalt near Glen Innes, northeastern New South Wales, Australia

An alkali basalt near Glen Innes, northeastern New South Wales, contains a suite of Cr-diopside group ultramafic xenoliths which includes some spinel peridotites but which is dominated by a diverse spinel pyroxenite assemblage. Pyroxenite xenoliths range from subcalcic clinopyroxenites (composed largely of unmixed prismatic subcalcic clinopyroxene megacrystals and lesser orthopyroxene megacrystals) to equant mosaic textured websterites (orthopyroxene and Ca-rich clinopyroxene ± spinel). Rare orthopyroxenite xenoliths also occur. The pyroxenite xenoliths are characterised by high 100Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) ratios (M˜ 90) and low concentrations of Ti, K, P, La, Ce and Zr. The websterites are mineralogically and chemically similar to many spinel pyroxenites occurring as layers or dykes in peridotite massifs such as those at Ronda in southern Spain and at Ariège (French Pyrénées). T / P estimates indicate crystallization temperatures of 1250–1350 °C for subcalcic clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene megacrystal pairs and 900–1000 °C for the equilibrated mosaic textured websterites and associated peridotites at pressures of 9–13 kbar. Subcalcic clinopyroxene megacrystals, websterites and orthopyroxenites have LREE-depleted chondrite-normalised REE abundances with (La/Yb)_CN < 1 and their convex-upwards REE patterns are typical of subcalcic clinopyroxene-dominated cumulates. The pyroxenites are not residua from partially melted pyroxenite layers or dykes in mantle peridotites nor are they completely crystallized protobasaltic or protopicritic magmas. They are interpreted as high-pressure crystal segregations from basaltic magmas (probably mildly alkaline or transitional) flowing within narrow mantle conduits (the flow crystallization model of Irving, 1980). The parental magma(s) was Ti-poor (0.6–0.7% TiO₂) and relatively Mg-rich (M˜ 74 − 70). Pyroxenite genesis was a two-stage process involving crystallization of tschermakitic subcalcic clinopyroxenes and orthopyroxenes  ±spinel as liquidus or near-liquidus phases at 1250–1350 °C and 9–13 kbar to yield “primary” subcalcic clinopyroxenites which then re-equilibrated at 900–1000 °C and similar pressures to produce the mosaic textured “secondary” websterites. The pyroxenites show a wide range of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (0.513298–0.512473 and 0.702689–0.704659, respectively). Their isotopic ratios appear to have been variably modified by exchange with adjacent mantle peridotites or migrating basaltic melts. Received: 11 December 1995 / Accepted: 3 December 1996     

Iron isotope variations in spinel peridotite xenoliths from North China Craton: implications for mantle metasomatism

Iron isotopes, together with mineral elemental compositions of spinel peridotite xenoliths and clinopyroxenites from Hannuoba and Hebi Cenozoic alkaline basalts, were analyzed to investigate iron isotopic features of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton. The results show that the Hannuoba spinel peridotite xenoliths have small but distinguishable Fe isotopic variations. Overall variations in δ⁵⁷Fe are in a range of ?0.25 to 0.14‰ for olivine, ?0.17 to 0.17‰ for orthopyroxene, ?0.21 to 0.27‰ for clinopyroxene, and ?0.16 to 0.26‰ for spinel, respectively. Clinopyroxene has the heaviest iron isotopic ratio and olivine the lightest within individual sample. No clear linear relationships between the mineral pairs on “δ-δ” plot suggest that iron isotopes of mineral separates analyzed have been affected largely by some open system processes. The broadly negative correlations between mineral iron isotopes and metasomatic indexes such as spinel Cr#, (La/Yb)_N ratios of clinopyroxenes suggest that iron isotopic variations in different minerals and peridotites were probably produced by mantle metasomatism. The Hebi phlogopite-bearing lherzolite, which is significantly modified by metasomatic events, appears to be much heavier isotopically than clinopyroxene-poor lherzolite. This study further confirms previous conclusions that the lithospheric mantle has distinguishable and heterogeneous iron isotopic variations at the xenoliths scale. Mantle metasomatism is the most likely cause for the iron isotope variations in mantle peridotites.     

Ultramafic xenoliths from the Mt. Carmel area (Karem Maharal Volcano), Israel

A suite of xenoliths from the Mt. Carmel area, Israel, is predominantly composed of high-Al clinopyroxene + pyrope-almandine garnet + spinel ± plagioclase. Some garnet clinopyroxenites show exsolution features of the aluminous phases garnet, spinel and amphibole while the garnet granulites have recrystallized completely to an equigranular texture. The garnet granulites were last reequilibrated under maximum pressures of 8 ± 1.5 kbar and temperatures of 600–700°C. The garnet clinopyroxenites equilibrated at temperatures of 880 ± 87°C and were probably extracted from greater depths. The textural and chemical data suggest that the xenoliths are pieces of a gabbroic lower crust formed by accretion of aluminous clinopyroxene basaltic cumulates that have recrystallized extensively before incorporation in the transporting magma.     

Recycled crustal melt injection into lithospheric mantle: implication from cumulative composite and pyroxenite xenoliths

A rare composite xenolith and abundant cumulative pyroxenites obtained from the Mesozoic Fangcheng basalts on the eastern North China Craton record a complex history of melt percolation and circulation in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The composite xenolith has a dunite core and an olivine clinopyroxenite rim. The dunite is of cumulative origin and has a granular recrystallized texture and extremely low Mg# [100 Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 81–82] contents in olivines. The olivine clinopyroxenite contains larger clinopyroxene and/or orthopyroxene with a few fine-grained olivine and tiny phlogopite, feldspar, and/or carbonate minerals interstitial to clinopyroxene. The clinopyroxene has low Mg# (83–85). Compositional similarity between dunitic olivine and pyroxenitic one indicates a sequential crystallization of dunite and pyroxenite from a precursor melt. Pyroxenite xenoliths include olivine websterites and clinopyroxenites, both are of cumulative origin. Estimation of the melt from major oxides in olivines and REE concentrations in clinopyroxenes in these composite and pyroxenite xenoliths suggests a derivation from subducted crustal materials, consistent with the highly enriched EMII-like Sr and Nd isotopic ratios observed in the pyroxenites. Occurrence of phlogopite, feldspar and carbonate minerals in some xenoliths requires the melt rich in alkalis (K, Na), silica and volatiles (water and CO₂) at the latest stage as well, similar to highly silicic and potassic melts. Thus, the occurrence of these composite and pyroxenite xenoliths provides an evidence for voluminous injection of recycled crustal melts into the lithosphere beneath the southeastern North China Craton at the Late Mesozoic, a reason for the rapid lithospheric enrichment in both elemental and isotopic compositions.     

PT conditions and trace element variations of picroilmenites and pyropes from placers and kimberlites in the Arkhangelsk region,NW Russia

Compositions of picroilmenite and pyrope concentrates from Carboniferous sandstones in the Arkhangelsk kimberlite province were analyzed by EPMA and LAM ICP MS in Analytic Center of V.S. Sobolev’s Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, SD RAS, Novosibirsk. The results from single grain thermobarometry (Ashchepkov et al., 2010, Ashchepkov et al., 2011, Ashchepkov et al., 2012) for garnet, spinel, ilmenite and clinopyroxene suggest heating of the base of the lithospheric mantle to 1400 °C (45 mw/m²) at 7.0–7.5 GPa and to 900 °C (35 mw/m²) at 3.5–5.5 GPa in an interval corresponding to a lens enriched in chromite and clinopyroxene. The pipes from the eastern fields reveal smoother mantle geotherms and lower temperature PT paths. Mantle columns beneath the kimberlites from northern (Verkhotinskoe field) and western pipes (Kepinskoe field) show heating from the lithosphere base to 5.0 GPa and stepped PT paths shown by chromites probably due to interaction with magmas which caused local Ti-enrichment near 3.0 and 5.5 GPa. The PT paths in the mantle columns beneath the alnöite pipes reveal higher temperature and relatively shallow PT conditions with two major clusters around 3.0 and 5.0 GPa. Trace element patterns for garnets vary from S-type typical of harzburgites to those with a hump in MREE (middle REE) typical for pyroxenites. Lherzolitic garnets with sinusoidal decrease of LREE show distinctive HFSE enrichment. Trace element ratios (Sm/Er)_n and (La/Yb)_n of garnets correlate positively with pressures estimates by single grain thermobarometry (Ashchepkov et al., 2010, Ashchepkov et al., 2011, Ashchepkov et al., 2012) but only poorly with Cr₂O₃ content. Enrichment in HFSE of all garnets is related to metasomatism that accompanied the picroilmenite-forming event.Ilmenites reveal two compositional trends. One corresponds to fractionation within conduits at the lower mantle (6.0–7.0 GPa) without contamination. A second trend at <6.0 GPa, formed due to assimilation fractional crystallization (AFC), is characterized by Fe and Cr increase with decreasing pressure. Similar trace element patterns of the various in HREE in ilmenites, possibly partly due to garnet assimilation from wall rock peridotites. The PT conditions and geochemistry for the minerals from the Carboniferous sediments are similar to those from the Lomonosovskoe deposit and Arkhangelskaya pipe (Lehtonen et al., 2009).     

Steady state geotherm,thermal disturbances,and tectonic development of the lower lithosphere underneath the Gibeon Kimberlite Province,Namibia

The Gibeon Kimberlite Province of southern Namibia comprises more than 75 group 1 kimberlite pipes and dykes. From the Gibeon Townsland 1 pipe, 38 upper mantle xenoliths (23 garnet lherzolites and 15 garnet harzburgites) were collected and minerals were analysed by electron microprobe for major elements. Pressures and temperatures of crystallisation for xenoliths with either coarse equant, porphyroclastic and mosaic-porphyroclastic textures were estimated by a number of combinations of geothermometers and geobarometers judged to be reliable and accurate for peridotites by Brey and Köhler (1990): The P-T estimates for equilibrated xenoliths agree within the errors of the methods and plot within the stability field of graphite. The P-T values for coarse equant xenoliths fall close to a geothermal gradient of about 44?mW/m² within a very restricted pressure range. The porphyroclastic xenoliths yield similar and higher temperatures at similar depths. In these xenoliths Ca in orthopyroxene and Ca in olivine increase towards the rims and are high in the neoblasts indicating a stage of transient heating at depth. The mosaic-porphyroclastic xenolith minerals yield the highest temperatures, are unzoned and indicate internal mineral equilibrium. The depth of origin for the xenoliths from Gibeon Townsland 1 ranges from 100 to 140 km. The “cold”, coarse equant peridotites are relatively enriched garnet lherzolites with comparatively (to the “hot” peridotites) low modal orthopyroxene contents, whereas the “hot”, mosaic-porphyroclastic peridotites are depleted garnet harzburgites with high modal amounts of orthopyroxene. This is opposite to the findings for peridotites from the Kaapvaal craton where the cold peridotites are depleted harzburgites with high modal orthopyroxene and many of the hot peridotites are fertile lherzolites with low modal abundance of orthopyroxene. We present a model in which the high temperature, depleted garnet harzburgites are equated to the cold, coarse equant peridotites from the Kaapvaal craton. It is envisaged that this material was detached and transported laterally by an upwelling, deflected plume.