1.1 Ga K-rich alkaline plutonism in the SW Grenville Province

U–Pb zircon and baddeleyite dating of six syenitic stocks establishes that the ultrapotassic, potassic alkaline and shoshonitic magmatism with island-arc affinities in the Central Metasedimentary Belt (CMB) of the southwestern Grenville Province, Canada took place between 1089 and 1076 Ma, along a 400-km-long, northeast-trending plutonic belt. These ages indicate that ultrapotassic rocks with arc affinities are not unique to the Phanerozoic. West to east emplacement ages along a northern and southern cross-section of this belt range from 1083±2 Ma (Kensington), through 1081±2 Ma (Lac Rouge) to 1076 _–1 ⁺³ Ma (Loranger) in the north, and from 1089 _–3 ⁺⁴ Ma (loon Lake) and 1088±2 Ma (Calabogie), to 1076±2 Ma (Westport) in the south. Although closely spaced in time, in detail these ages suggest a slight younging of this magmatic activity to the southeast. Integration of the geochronological data with the spatial extent and potassic character of the plutons shows that the K-rich alkaline suite is distinct from the nepheline-syenite belt of the Bancroft terrane and from the syenite-monzonite suite of the Frontenac terrane of the CMB, and it is considered to be a magmatic episode unique to the Elzevir terrane and its Gatineau segment. The timing and the postmetamorphic emplacement of these plutons indicate that the regional greenschist to granulite-facies metamorphism of the country rock (precise age unknown) is older than 1089 Ma throughout the entire Elzevir terrane. The potassic magmatism is interpreted as the initiation of the 1090–1050 Ma Ottawan Orogeny in the Elzevir terrane; thus, the regional metamorphism in this terrane, previously assigned to the Ottawan Orogeny, is an earlier event. The contemporaneous emplacement of this postmetamorphic plutonic belt with Keweenawan volcanism is at variance with current tectonic models which consider the Keweenawan rift to be formed at the same time as regional metamorphism in the CMB.     

Fragmentation processes and xenolith transport in a Proterozoic minette dyke,Grenville Province,Québec

 The Mesoproterozoic Rivard minette dyke provides a case example of dyke-parallel fracturing induced by propagation of low-viscosity melts at deep crustal levels. The dyke constitutes a xenolith-choked intrusion breccia and provides samples of an extensive section of the lithosphere underlying the southwestern Grenville Province of Québec at 1.08 Ga. The xenoliths occupy approximately 50% of the volume of the breccia. They are extremely diverse and include pyroxenites and mafic granulites from the upper mantle and lower crust, and Grenvillian gabbroids, gneisses and quartzites. Wall-rock fragments are detached to various extents along dyke-parallel fractures and apophyses. The host lamprophyre magma has a calculated viscosity of ca. 40 Pa·s. Rapid ascent of magma and turbulence are suggested by the presence of large dense fragments and the brittle-to-ductile deformation at the margins of some xenoliths. A minimum ascent velocity of ca. 50 cm·s^–1 is estimated from the settling velocity of a 40 cm long pyroxenite xenolith. The progressive addition of xenoliths increased the effective viscosity of the liquid-solid mixture to 10³ Pa·s during emplacement. This favoured Bingham behaviour and laminar flow of the magma, and xenolith suspension. Field evidence suggests that xenoliths were formed through (1) early fracturing of wall rock by inelastic deformation during dyke propagation, and (2) continuous delamination of wall rock by intrusion of magma along the dyke-parallel fractures. This led to removal of chilled margins, and to fluid infiltration, partial melting and microbrecciation in the wall rock. Pre-existing discontinuities played a minor role in the fracturing process. Xenoliths may thus be abundant in alkaline magmas not only because these magmas ascend rapidly and can transport xenoliths, but possibly also, because their low viscosities promote intense fracturing of wall rock. Received: 10 June 1995 / Accepted: 10 February 1996     

The geochemistry and petrogenesis of K-rich alkaline volcanics from the Batu Tara volcano,eastern Sunda arc

Mineralogical, major and trace element, and isotopic data are presented for leucite basanite and leucite tephrite eruptives and dykes from the Batu Tara volcano, eastern Sunda arc. In general, the eruptives are markedly porphyritic with phenocrysts of clinopyroxene, olivine, leucite ±plagioclase±biotite set in similar groundmass assemblages. These K-rich alkaline volcanics have high concentrations of large-ion-lithophile (LIL), light rare earth (LRE) and most incompatible trace elements, and are characterized by high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70571–0.70706) and low ¹⁴³Nd/ ¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512609–0.512450) compared with less alkaline volcanics from the Sunda arc. They also display the relative depletion of Ti and Nb in chondrite-normalized plots which is a feature of subalkaline volcanics from the eastern Sunda arc and arc volcanics in general. Chemical and mineralogical data for the Batu Tara K-rich rocks indicate that they were formed by the accumulation of variable amounts of phenocrysts in several melts with different major and trace element compositions. The compositions of one of these melts estimated from glass inclusions in phenocrysts is relatively Fe-rich (100 Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺)=48–51) and is inferred to have been derived from a more primitive magma by low-pressure crystal fractionation involving olivine, clinopyroxene and spinel. Mg-rich (mg 90) and Cr-rich (up to 1.7 wt. % Cr₂O₃) zones in complex oscillatory-zoned clinopyroxene phenocrysts probably also crystallized from such a magma. The marked oscillatory zoning in the clinopyroxene phenocrysts is considered to be the result of limited mixing of relatively evolved with more primitive magmas, together with their phenocrysts, along interfaces between discrete convecting magma bodies.     

Regional heavy mineral survey in the exploration for gold using regression: Grenville Province, southwestern Quebec

A geochemical reconnaissance heavy mineral survey has been carried out in the area of the Gatineau River Valley, over a part of the Grenville Province of Québec. The majority of samples show gold concentrations below the detection limit of 5 ppb, and anomalies are erratic. To circumvent these problems and to present an accurate image of the gold-bearing potential of the area, a regression analysis has been applied to the samples whose gold concentrations were above the detection limit. The regression of gold on chalcophile pathfinder elements (As, Se and Pb) explains 11% of the gold variance.Bedrock lithologies, overburden cover and physico-chemical characteristics are important factors influencing the chalcophile element dispersion pattern. Principal component analysis was used to characterize the principal inter-element relationships and to identify the factors influencing the dispersion of chalcophile elements. A filtering procedure was used to remove the background effects influencing the pathfinder elements, and to enhance the influence of mineralization. This procedure uses standard formulas for partial reconstruction of the data matrix from results of principal component analysis. The regression model constructed with these corrected data explains 20% of gold variance. It constitutes an improvement over the model which uses non-filtered data.The equation inferred from regression was applied to the whole data set and provided an estimation of gold at each sampling point. Exploration targets are defined from highest gold concentrations estimated by regression. The regression model aided in the definition of some well defined anomalies associated with geological structures favourable to gold mineralization.     

Subduction-related shoshonitic and ultrapotassic magmatism: a study of Siluro-Ordovician syenites from the Scottish Caledonides

Syenites are important or predominant components of several plutonic complexes, emplaced between 456 and 415 Ma along the NW margin of the Caledonian orogenic belt, adjacent to the Lewisian foreland, in W and NW Scotland. Although there are, in detail, chemical differences between the syenites from each centre, they form a well-defined compositional group overall. Ratios amongst their trace elements (especially very high values of La/Nb) are quite different from those trachytes and syenites formed by fractional crystallisation of ocean-island basalts and their continental equivalents, emplaced in regions of anorogenic crustal tension. Instead, the Scottish Caledonian syenites closely resemble chemically the fractional-crystallisation residua of potassic subduction-related magmas, such as the shoshonitic series. A comendite minor intrusion from a swarm associated with the Loch Borralan and Loch Ailsh syenitic complexes is remarkably similar in composition to Recent obsidian from the shoshonitic volcano of Lipari, in the Aeolian Arc. Published Sr- and Pb-isotopic ratios preclude a significant component of either upper (Proterozoic Moine schists) or lower crust (granulite-facies Archaean Lewisian or Proterozoic Grenvillian gneisses) in all these syenites, except in local syenitic facies of the Glenelg-Ratagain complex. Fractional crystallisation appears to be the mechanism by which the liquids which formed these syenites evolved from basic parental magmas. The phases involved in this process may have included plagioclase, alkali feldspar, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite, garnet, Fe-Ti oxide, sphene, allanite, apatite, zircon and zirconolite, and therefore all the ratios amongst even the so-called incompatible elements may have changed during the evolution of the leucocratic magmas. Nevertheless, a detailed study of the Glen Dessarry complex shows that the changes are insufficient to disguise the geochemical nature of the parental magmas. These appear to be picritic shoshonite (MgO> 15%, Ni>400ppm, La/Yb20, La/Nb>5) for the Glen Dessarry, Loch Borralan and Loch Ailsh syenites, and picritic ultrapotassic magmas (MgO>15%, Ni>400 ppm, La/ Yb60, La/Nb>7) — such as would crystallise to minettes — for the Loch Loyal and Glenelg-Ratagain syenites. Mafic shoshonites were erupted amongst the 410 Ma Lome lavas of this region and also occur as widespread approximately-contemporaneous volcanic feeder plugs. Minettes of similar age are also common as dykes in NW Scotland. Numerous large tonalite-granite complexes, with minor diorites and gabbros, were emplaced in W and NW Scotland between 435 and 400 Ma. These are generally acknowledged to be mixtures of magmas from crustal and mantle sources. Their more mafic members show compositional features, such as very high Ba and Sr, which group them with the rare syenites and the Lorne lavas of the same region into a distinctive geochemical province, within which shoshonitic and allied magmas were the mantle-derived component. Two models are presented to account for the generation of strongly-potassic, subduction-related magmas several hundred km behind a NW-directed subduction zone, or during the period immediately following continental collision.     

Petrogenesis and geochemical composition of biotites in rare-element granitic pegmatites in the southwestern Grenville Province,Canada

Summary Field, mineralogical, and chemical determinations of biotite from late-tectonic rare-element (U, Th, Mo, Nb, REE) Grenville pegmatites are used to characterize and evaluate their petrogenesis in part of the southwestern Grenville Province. These pegmatites occur within middle to upper amphibolite facies rocks along and adjacent to shear zones and have hybridized margins because of interaction with their host rocks. Endo- and exomorphic biotite forms by the mechanical incorporation or hydrothermal replacement of pre-existing biotite, hornblende, Ca pyroxene and/or feldspar; accompanied by chemical re-equilibration, an increase in grain size, and inherit some of the chemical characteristics of the pegmatite. In general, the Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratio ranges between 0.22 and 0.86. The most highly fractionated biotites have high Fe/(Fe + Mg), Al, Mn, Rb, Nb, and Zn and low Ba. The chemical compositions of biotite from unzoned, partially-zoned, and zoned pegmatites indicate a trend of increasing chemical fractionation based on LIL enrichment.Overlap in calculated log (3.2 to 4.7) and log (1.3 to 2.8) for biotite (@ 600°C) among the different pegmatites is extensive. Commonly, magnetite and microcline coexist with biotites having an Fe/(Fe + Mg) between 0.54 to 0.65. Volatile enrichment and vapor-phase saturation are probably responsible for the development of zonation in the pegmatites. The diffusive loss of H₂ at or near H₂O vapor saturation at high H₂O/Fe²⁺ may be responsible for the oxidized nature of some pegmatites.Rare-element enrichment due to pegmatite fractionation combined with partitioning of rare-elements from the pegmatite melt into the volatile phase and subsequent interaction with the host rocks is key to the formation of these rare-element mineral deposits.

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Petrogenese und geochemische Zusammensetzung von Biotiten in seltenen Element-führenden granitischen Pegmatiten der südwestlichen Grenville Provinz, Kanada

Zusammenfassung Die Ergebnisse von Geländearbeiten, sowie von mineralogischen und geochemischen Untersuchungen an Biotit aus spättektonischen seltenen Element-Pegmatiten (U, Th, Mo, Nb, REE) von Grenville-Alter bilden die Basis einer Diskussion ihrer Petrogenese in der südwestlichen Grenville Provinz. Diese Pegmatite kommen in Gesteinen der mittleren bis oberen Amphibolit-Fazies längs und in der Nähe von Shearzonen vor und haben hybridisierte Ränder, die auf Interaktion mit ihren Wirtsgesteinen zurückgehen. Endo- und exomorphe Biotite sind durch mechanische Einschließung oder durch hydrathermale Verdrängung von Biotiten, Hornblenden, Kalziumpyroxenen und/oder Feldspäten gebildet worden. Dies wird durch chemische Reequilibrierung, eine Zunahme der Korngröße und durch Übernahme einiger chemischer Charakteristika der Pegmatite begleitet. Im allgemeinen schwanken die Fe/(Fe + Mg) Verhältnisse von 0.22 bis 0.68, die am stärksten fraktionierten Biotite haben hohe Fe/(Fe + Mg), Al, Mn, Rb, Nb und Zn Gehalte und niedrige Ba Gehalte. Die chemische Zusammensetzung von Biotit aus nicht zonierten, teilweise zonierten und zonierten Pegmatiten zeigt einen Trend mit zunehmend chemischer Fraktionierung, die auf einer Anreicherung von LIL-Elementen basiert.Beträchtliche überschneidungen in den berechneten log (3.2 bis 4.7) und log (1.3 bis 2.8) für Biotit (600°C) von verschiedenen Pegmatiten sind zu erkennen. Im allgemeinen koexistiert Magnetit und Mikroklin mit Biotiten von Fe/ (Fe + Mg) Verhältnissen zwischen 0.54 und 0.65. Anreicherung von volatilen Phasen und eine Sättigung der Dampfphase sind wahrscheinlich für die Entwicklung der Zonierung der Pegmatite verantwortlich. Der Verlust von H₂ durch Diffusion im Bereich der H₂O Dampfsättigung bei hohen H₂O/Fe²⁺ Werten dürfte für die oxidierte Natur einiger Pegmatite verantwortlich sein.Wichtigster Faktor für die Bildung dieser Lagerstätten seltener Elemente ist die Anreicherung von seltenen Elementen durch Pegmatit-Fraktionierung, wobei diese von der Pegmatit-Schmelze in die volatile Phase gehen, und die anschließende Interaktion mit den Nebengesteinen.

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With 9 Figures     

Proterozoic anorogenic magmatism in the Central Amazonian Province,amazonian araton: Geochronological,petrological and geochemical aspects

Summary In the Central Amazonian Province, the anorogenic granites are older in the eastern block (1.88 Ga, U-Pb; 1.8 - 1.6 Ga Rb-Sr and K-Ar) and in the central block (1.75 -1.7 Ga, Rb-Sr) than in the western one (1.55 Ga, U-Pb). The country rocks are of Archaean age in the eastern block, and in the western block they are of Lower Proterozoic age (Trans-Amazonian Event). There is a minimum difference of 200 Ma between the last metamorphic event and the formation of the anorogenic granites. Metaluminous to peraluminous subsolvus granites are largely dominant but hypersolvus granites, sometimes peralkaline, as well as syenites and quartz-syenites also occur. Wiborgites and pyterlites are found only in the western block but rapakivi-like textures are described in the province as a whole. Mineralizations include large deposits of Sn, as well as small occurrences of F, Zr, REE, Y, and W. The granites are generally rich in Si, K, Fe, Zr, Ga, Nb, Y, and REE and show very high K/Na, Fe/(Fe + Mg) and Ga/Al₂O₃ ratios. They are geochemically similar to A-type and within-plate granites and more particularly to the Proterozoic rapakivi granites of the Fennoscandian shield and the metaluminous granites of the North American anorogenic province. Petrographic, geochemical and Sr isotopic data indicate crustal sources for the granite magmas. Differences in the sources should explain the contrast observed in some of the granites. The model of crustal anatexis induced by underplating or intrusion of mantle-derived basic magmas is preferred to explain the generation of the crustal granitic magmas.

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Proterozoischer, anorogener Magmatismus in der zentralen Amazonas-Provinz, Amazonas Kraton: Geochronologie, petrologische und geochemische Aspekte

Zusammenfassung In der zentralen Amazonas-Provinz sind die anorogenen Granite im östlichen (1.88 Mia, U-Pb; 1.8-1.6 Mia, Rb-Sr und K-Ar) und im zentralen Block (1.75-1.7 Mia,Rb-Sr) älter als im westlichen Block (1.55 Mia, U-Pb). Die Nebengesteine sind im östlichen Block archaiischen Alters, während sie im westlichen Block im unteren Proterozoikum (Transamazonas Event) gebildet worden sind. Dies ergibt eine minimale Altersdifferenz von 200 Mio zwischen dem letzten metamorphen Ereignis und der Intrusion der anorogenen Granite. Es dominieren metaluminöse bis peraluminöse Subsolvus-Granite, jedoch treten auch Hypersolvus-Granite, stellenweise Peralkaline, wie auch Syenite und Quarz-Syenite auf. Wiborgite und Pyterlite kommen lediglich im westlichen Block vor, Rapakivi-ähnliche Texturen werden jedoch aus der gesamten Provinz beschrieben. An Mineralisationen treten große Sn-Lagerstätten und kleinere Vorkommen von F, Zr, SEE, Y und W auf. Die Granite sind generell reich an Si, K, Fe, Ga, Nb, Y und SEE und zeigen sehr hohe K/Na, Fe/(Fe + Mg) und Ga/Al₂O₃ Verhältnisse. Sie zeigen geochemische Ähnlichkeiten mit A-Typ und Intraplatten-Graniten, besonders jedoch mit den proterozoischen Rapakivi Graniten des fennoskandischen Schildes und mit den metaluminösen Graniten der nordamerikanischen anorogenen Provinz. Petrographische, geochemische und Sr-Isotopendaten deuten krustale Ausgangsgesteine der granitischen Magmen an. Unterschiede im Ausgangsmaterial sollen die verschiedenen Granittypen erklären. Als Modell für die Entstehung krustaler granitischer Magmen wird krustale Anatexis, hervorgerufen durch underplating oder Intrusion von aus dem Mantel stammenden, basischen Magmen angenommen.

     

Petrogenetic processes in the ultramafic, alkaline and carbonatitic magmatism in the Kola Alkaline Province: A review

Igneous rocks of the Devonian Kola Alkaline Carbonatite Province (KACP) in NW Russia and eastern Finland can be classified into four groups: (a) primitive mantle-derived silica-undersaturated silicate magmas; (b) evolved alkaline and nepheline syenites; (c) cumulate rocks; (d) carbonatites and phoscorites, some of which may also be cumulates. There is no obvious age difference between these various groups, so all of the magma-types were formed at the same time in a relatively restricted area and must therefore be petrogenetically related. Both sodic and potassic varieties of primitive silicate magmas are present. On major element variation diagrams, the cumulate rocks plot as simple mixtures of their constituent minerals (olivine, clinopyroxene, calcite, etc). There are complete compositional trends between carbonatites, phoscorites and silicate cumulates, which suggests that many carbonatites and phoscorites are also cumulates. CaO / Al₂O₃ ratios for ultramafic and mafic silicate rocks in dykes and pipes range up to 5, indicating a very small degree of melting of a carbonated mantle at depth. Damkjernites appear to be transitional to carbonatites. Trace element modelling indicates that all the mafic silicate magmas are related to small degrees of melting of a metasomatised garnet peridotite source. Similarities of the REE patterns and initial Sr and Nd isotope compositions for ultramafic alkaline silicate rocks and carbonatites indicate that there is a strong relationship between the two magma-types. There is also a strong petrogenetic link between carbonatites, kimberlites and alkaline ultramafic lamprophyres. Fractional crystallisation of olivine, diopside, melilite and nepheline gave rise to the evolved nepheline syenites, and formed the ultramafic cumulates. All magmas in the KACP appear to have originated in a single event, possibly triggered by the arrival of hot material (mantle plume?) beneath the Archaean/Proterozoic lithosphere of the northern Baltic Shield that had been recently metasomatised. Melting of the carbonated garnet peridotite mantle formed a spectrum of magmas including carbonatite, damkjernite, melilitite, melanephelinite and ultramafic lamprophyre. Pockets of phlogopite metasomatised lithospheric mantle also melted to form potassic magmas including kimberlite. Depth of melting, degree of melting and presence of metasomatic phases are probably the major factors controlling the precise composition of the primary melts formed.     

Cryptic sediment-hosted critical element mineralization from eastern Yunnan Province,southwestern China: Mineralogy,geochemistry, relationship to Emeishan alkaline magmatism and possible origin

A previous study briefly described the occurrence of a new type of Nb(Ta)-Zr(Hf)-REY-Ga (REY: rare earth elements and yttrium) polymetallic mineralization in eastern Yunnan, southwest China. In this paper, the mineralogical and geochemical features have been further advanced through a study of two regionally extensive and relatively flat-lying mineralized layers from No. XW drill core. The layers are clay-altered volcanic ash and tuffaceous clay, and are dominated by clay minerals (mixed layer illite/smectite, kaolinite, berthierine, and chamosite); with lesser amounts of quartz and variable amounts of anatase, siderite and calcite; along with trace pyrite, barite, zircon, ilmenite, galena, chalcopyrite, and REE-bearing minerals. The mineralized samples have higher Al₂O₃/TiO₂ values (13.7–41.4) and abundant rare metal elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, REE, Ga, Th, and U) whereas less mineralized samples are rich in V, Cr, Co, and Ni and have lower Al₂O₃/TiO₂ values (2.32–7.67). The mineralized samples also have strong negative δEu in chondrite-normalized REE patterns. Two processes are most likely responsible for the geochemical and mineralogical anomalies of the mineralized samples: airborne volcanic ash and multi-stage injection of low-temperature hydrothermal fluids. Based on paragenetic analysis, this polymetallic mineralization is derived from the interaction between alkaline volcanic ashes and subsequent percolation of low-temperature fluids. The intense and extensive alkaline volcanism of the early Late Permian inferred from this study possibly originated from the coeval Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP). This unique Nb(Ta)-Zr(Hf)-REE-Ga mineralization style has significant economic and geological potential for the study of mineralization of the lowest Xuanwei Formation.     

Proterozoic basic magmatism of the Siberian Craton: Main stages and their geodynamic interpretation

Geological data on the Precambrian basic complexes of the Siberian Craton and their isotopic age are considered. The three main episodes of Precambrian basic magmatism of Siberia correspond to certain stages of the geodynamic evolution of the craton and the Earth as a whole. In the Late Paleoproterozoic, largely in the south and the north of the craton, the basic rocks were emplaced against the background of post-collision extension, which followed the preceding collision-accretion stage responsible for the formation of the craton. In the Mesoproterozoic, primarily in the north of the craton, basic magmatism was controlled by dispersed within-plate extension apparently caused by the impact of a mantle plume. Neoproterozoic basic magmatism widespread in the southern and southeastern parts of the craton was caused by rifting, which accompanied breakdown of the Rodinia supercontinent and opening of the Paleoasian ocean along the southern margin of the Siberian Craton.     

滇西大理—剑川地区钾玄质岩浆作用：后碰撞走滑拉伸环境岛弧型岩浆作用的地球化学研究

岩石学、元素地球化学研究表明,在滇西大理－剑川地区分布的富碱斑岩群属钾玄质系列岩石,具有产出于与红河－哀牢山走滑剪切带伴生的早第三纪拉张盆地中,这套钾玄质系列岩石富集大离子亲石元素LILE（Rb,Ba,K,Sr）,轻稀土元素（LREE）和一组相容元素（Cr,Ni,V,Sc）,具有明显的Nb,Ta,Ti,P负异常,反映了后碰撞岛弧型钾玄岩系特征。钾玄质母岩浆主要源于含金云母的尖晶石相地幔橄榄岩低度部分熔融,并在演化过程中经历了充分的分离结晶作用。     

Thermobarometry and Pressure-Temperature Paths in the Grenville Province of Ontario

To constrain the tectonic and metamorphic history of the GrenvilleProvince of southern Ontario we have quantitatively evaluatedchanges in peak metamorphic pressures and temperatures in theregion. Pressures increase northwest from the Frontenac Axistowards the Grenville Front, and they increase from 4–6kb near Madoc to 10–11 kb south of North Bay. Furtherto the north pressures decrease to 8–9 kb in the GrenvilleFront Tectonic Zone north of the French and Mattawa Rivers.Temperatures form a broad high, reaching 800?C northeast ofParry Sound, and decreasing to 400–500?C in the HastingsLow near Madoc, 600–650?C east towards the Ottawa River,and 650–700?C near Sudbury. This regional P-T distributionis in good agreement with constraints available from the distributionof aluminosilicate polymorphs. Comparison of thermobarometric results with regional tectonicfeatures shows a sharp discontinuity across the Mattawa andFrench Rivers, with a 1–2-kb pressure drop to the north.This implies that the major movement along this zone since theGrenville event was ‘south-side-up’ rather than‘north-side-up’ as suggested by Lumbers (1971).Large P-T discontinuities are not apparent across the domainboundaries mapped by Davidson and co-workers east of Parry Sound,but small discontinuities may exist. Sparse data may indicatethat the Central Metasedimentary Belt equilibrated at 1–2kb lower pressures than the Central Gneiss Terrane. Zoning profiles in garnet-pyroxene pairs have been used to placeconstraints on the metamorphic pressure-temperature-time pathin the Parry Sound, Port Severn, Bancroft, and Mattawa areasof the Grenville Province, Ontario. A nonlinear fitting routinewas used to obtain best-fit core and rim analyses for garnetsand pyroxenes. These results were combined with plagioclasecore/rim analyses to obtain estimates of peak and retrogradeconditions. The resultant retrograde P-Tpath has a slope of7 ? 10 b/?C, and involves pressure changes of 0?6–2?1kb for temperature changes of 60–130?C. Present address: Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721     

Paleozoic tholeiitic magmatism of the Kola province: Spatial distribution,age, and relation to alkaline magmatism

This paper focuses on the occurrences of tholeiitic magmatism in the northeastern Fennoscandian shield. It was found that numerous dolerite dikes of the Pechenga, Barents Sea, and Eastern Kola swarms were formed 380–390 Ma ago, i.e., directly before the main stage of the Paleozoic alkaline magmatism of the Kola province. The isotope geochemical characteristics of the dolerites suggest that their primary melts were derived from the mantle under the conditions of the spinel lherzolite facies. The depleted mantle material from which the tholeiites were derived shows no evidence for metasomatism and enrichment in high fieldstrength and rare earth elements, whereas melanephelinite melts postdating the tholeiites were generated in an enriched source. It was shown that the relatively short stage of mantle metasomatism directly after the emplacement of tholeiitic magmas was accompanied by significant mantle fertilization. In contrast to other large igneous provinces, where pulsed intrusion of large volumes of tholeiitic magmas coinciding or alternating with phases of alkaline magmatism was documented, the Kola province is characterized by systematic evolution of the Paleozoic plume–lithosphere process with monotonous deepening of the level of magma generation, development of mantle metasomatism and accompanying fertilization of mantle materials, and systematic changes in the composition of melts reaching the surface.     

Petrology of some volcanic rock series of the Aeolian arc,Southern Tyrrhenian Sea: Calc-alkaline and shoshonitic associations

In the Aeolian island arc two different magmatological associations, calc-alkaline andesite series and shoshonites, occur in close vicinity. Although both associations erupted simultaneously during the last glaciation, there is a general tendency for the calc-alkaline rocks to be older. Shoshonitic activity is still going on.Calc-alkaline lavas include high-Al basalts, andesites and dacites, with the general characteristics of the island-arc type andesite series. Large cation trace elements (Rb, Ba, Sr) however are distinctly enriched.Shoshonite series include trachybasalts and latites, with which potassium-rich rhyolites can be associated. Leucite tephrites and potassic trachytes form a different evolution trend of the shoshonitic association.Petrology relates both associations of the Aeolian Islands to the island arc dynamics which is presently characterized by deep-focus earthquakes in the depth range of 200–350 km. The present-day gap in seismic activity from 50–200 km coincides with the present-day lack of calc-alkaline volcanic activity and is explained by the model of a detached slab which continues to sink into the mantle.     

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes in Proterozoic intrusives astride the Grenville Front in Labrador: Implications for crustal contamination and basement mapping

We report Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of mid-Proterozoic anorthosites and related rocks (1.45-1.65 Ga) and of younger olivine diabase dikes (1.4 Ga) from two complexes on either side of the Grenville Front in Labrador. Anorthositic or diabasic samples from the Mealy Mountains (Grenville Province) and Harp Lake (Nain-Churchill Provinces) complexes have very similar major, minor and trace element compositions, but distinctly different isotopic signatures. All Mealy Mountains samples have I_Sr = 0.7025−0.7033, ε_Nd = +0.6 to +5.6 and Pb isotopic compositions consistent with derivation from a mantle source depleted with respect to Nd/Sm and Rb/Sr. Pb isotopic compositions for the Mealy Mountains samples are slightly more radiogenic than model mantle compositions. All Harp Lake samples have I_Sr = 0.7032−0.7066, ε_Nd = −0.3 to −4.4 and variable, but generally unradiogenic ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb compared to model mantle, suggesting mixing between a mantle-derived component and a U-depleted crustal contaminant. Crustal contaminants are probably a variety of Archean high-grade quartzofeldspathic gneisses with low U/Pb ratios and include a component that must be isotopically similar to the early Archean (>3.6 Ga) Uivak gneisses of Labrador or the Amitsoq gneisses of west Greenland. This would imply that the ancient gneiss complex of coastal Labrador and Greenland is larger than indicated by present surface exposure and may extend in the subsurface as far west as the Labrador Trough. If Harp Lake and Mealy Mountains samples were subjected to the same degree of contamination, as suggested by their chemical similarities, then the Mealy contaminants must be much younger, probably early or middle Proterozoic in age. The Labrador segment of the Grenville Front, therefore, appears to coincide with the southern margin of the Archean North Atlantic craton and may represent a pre mid-Proterozoic suture.     

Borosilicate- and phengite-bearing veins from the Grenville Province of Labrador: evidence for rapid uplift

Quartzo‐feldspathic veins emplaced within a migmatite terrane near Wilson Lake in the Grenville Province of central Labrador record a metamorphic event not evident in the host rocks. The discordant veins are undeformed and have undisturbed primary igneous/hydrothermal textures. Most of the veins contain euhedral kyanite, as well as aggregates of kyanite, K‐feldspar, phlogopite and minor dumortierite which are likely pseudomorphs after primary phengite. The reconstructed phengite compositions range from 3.1 to 3.2 Si per 11 oxygen formula unit. The pseudomorph assemblage is interpreted as the product of phengite + quartz melting under H₂O‐undersaturated conditions, which brackets P–T conditions of formation to about 9–16 kbar and 775–875 °C. A parallel vein that is likely of the same generation contains the borosilicate phases, dumortierite, prismatine and grandidierite, but no kyanite. The borosilicate assemblages constrain the P–T conditions of vein crystallization to ≥10 kbar and c. 750–850 °C. Vein emplacement is constrained to T ≤ 875 °C at the same pressures, which is well within the kyanite zone. Because the host rocks and veins must have experienced the same P–T history following vein emplacement, the presence of unreacted sillimanite in the host migmatites implies insufficient time for host rock equilibration. Slow reaction rates because of anhydrous conditions are not a likely explanation given the abundance of biotite and hornblende in the host rocks. The ductility implied by the breakdown of a hydrous phase (phengite) and the production of an H₂O‐undersaturated melt in the veins contrasts with the apparently brittle behaviour of the host rocks. The absence of deformation since the time of vein emplacement, even at temperatures above 750 °C, suggests that the deep crust in this part of Labrador had a very short residence time under conditions of the kyanite zone. Rapid decompression from those conditions is consistent with quartz + phengite melting and accounts for the relatively brittle behaviour of the terrane as it was uplifted.     

Depleted arc volcanism in the Alboran Sea and shoshonitic volcanism in Morocco: geochemical and isotopic constraints on Neogene tectonic processes

Samples of volcanic rocks from Alborán Island, the Alboran Sea floor and from the Gourougou volcanic centre in northern Morocco have been analyzed for major and trace elements and Sr–Nd isotopes to test current theories on the tectonic geodynamic evolution of the Alboran Sea. The Alborán Island samples are low-K tholeiitic basaltic andesites whose depleted contents of HFS elements (0.5×N-MORB), especially Nb (0.2×N-MORB), show marked geochemical parallels with volcanics from immature intra-oceanic arcs and back-arc basins. Several of the submarine samples have similar compositions, one showing low-Ca boninite affinity. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios fall in the same range as many island-arc and back-arc basin samples, whereas ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (on leached samples) are somewhat more radiogenic. Our data point to active subduction taking place beneath the Alboran region in Miocene times, and imply the presence of an associated back-arc spreading centre. Our sea floor suite includes a few more evolved dacite and rhyolite samples with (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₀ up to 0.717 that probably represent varying degrees of crustal melting. The shoshonite and high-K basaltic andesite lavas from Gourougou have comparable normalized incompatible-element enrichment diagrams and Ce/Y ratios to shoshonitic volcanics from oceanic island arcs, though they have less pronounced Nb deficits. They are much less LIL- and LREE-enriched than continental arc analogues and post-collisional shoshonites from Tibet. The magmas probably originated by melting in subcontinental lithospheric mantle that had experienced negligible subduction input. Sr–Nd isotope compositions point to significant crustal contamination which appears to account for the small Nb anomalies.

The unmistakable supra-subduction zone (SSZ) signature shown by our Alboran basalts and basaltic andesite samples refutes geodynamic models that attribute all Neogene volcanism in the Alboran domain to decompression melting of upwelling asthenosphere arising from convective thinning of over-thickened lithosphere. Our data support recent models in which subsidence is caused by westward rollback of an eastward-dipping subduction zone beneath the westernmost Mediterranean. Moreover, severance of the lithosphere at the edges of the rolling-back slab provides opportunities for locally melting lithospheric mantle, providing a possible explanation for the shoshonitic volcanism seen in northern Morocco and more sporadically in SE Spain.     

Age and radiogenic isotopic composition of a late- to post-tectonic anorthosite in the Grenville Province: the Labrieville massif, Quebec

The Labrieville anorthosite massif (LBV) is found in the Central Granulite Terrain of the Grenville Structural Province, but it displays no evidence of post-emplacement deformation or metamorphism, implying intrusion following peak Grenvillian metamorphic conditions. We report U---Pb zircon dates of 1008±3.4 Ma for border leucogabbro and 1010±5.6 Ma for a cogenetic jotunite dike intruding anorthosite. We interpret these dates as igneous crystallization ages, and regard 1010 Ma as a reasonable estimate of the emplacement age for LBV. LBV is thus the youngest massif anorthosite yet recognized in North America, and its age is consistent with late-tectonic emplacement relative to the 1.1-1.0 Ga Grenville Orogeny. We also report a U---Pb date of 1015±1.8 Ma for metamorphic zircon in a country rock amphibolite. This could reflect the age of Grenvillian regional metamorphism, or perhaps a later heating episode resulting from the intrusion of numerous “late” felsic plutons in this area.

Rb---Sr, Sm---Nd and U---Th---Pb isotopic compositions for four rock types (anorthosite, jotunite, leucogabbro and a plagioclase megacryst) span narrow ranges in each case, consistent with comagmatism among these units. I_Sr (T=1010 Ma) range from 0.7032–0.7034 and are among the lowest yet reported for anorthosite in the Grenville Province. Initial ε_Nd-values are positive (+0.8 to +2.5), like other Grenville anorthosites. Pb-isotopic compositions lie near the model mantle evolution curve of Zartman and Doe (1981), implying no involvement of significantly older crust in the petrogenesis of these rocks. Collectively, these data suggest a source for LBV in the mantle or mafic lower crust. LBV is a compositionally extreme anorthosite characterized by alkalic plagioclase (An₃₂Or₁₂) and high levels of Sr (2000 ppm) and Ba (1000 ppm). These properties cannot be attributed to simple crustal contamination of mantle-derived basalt. We suggest, alternatively, that LBV's compositional features may be linked with its late-tectonic character, perhaps reflecting partial melting of mafic lower crust brought about by crustal thickening during the Grenville Orogeny.