Mineral reactions in a calc-mica schist from Gassetts,Vermont, U.S.A.

A petrographic and electron microprobe study of an interbedded calc-mica schist from Gassetts, Vermont reveals the complexities of Fe-Mg crystalline solution and gradients in X _H2O/X _CO2 during regional metamorphism. The common association of microcline+diopside ± zoisite formed from biotite +calcite+quartz may be produced by continuous (Fe-Mg) exchange reactions, despite the implied metastability in the CaO-K₂O-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O-CO₂ system. Different assemblages are produced in a reaction zone between carbonate and pelite beds of varying thickness. This illustrates the importance of exhaustion of fluid buffering assemblages due to mineral reactions proceeding on a local scale. Siliceous dolomites at the same metamorphic grade have produced significantly different assemblages to the interlayered carbonatepelite sequence.     

Anomalous optical variations in the grossular garnet from the Eden Mills,Belvidere Mountain (Vermont,USA)

The optical anomalies, and surface and lamellar textures of a birefringent grossular garnet crystal from the Eden Mills, Belvidere Mountain, Vermont, USA, have been investigated by optical polarizing microscope, electron-probe micro-analyzer, back-scattered electron imaging, infrared spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffractometer from the standpoint of crystal growth. This grossular shows one-to-one correlation between natural surface features and its internal textures under crossed polarizers. Electron-probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) gave average chemical composition in (110) thin section, of bright lamella {Ca_2.97Mn_0.06}_∑3.03 [Al_1.59Fe_0.37Ti_0.01]_∑1.97(Si_3.00)_∑3.00 (Gros_79.5And_18.9Sps_1.6) and of dark host {Ca_2.99Mn _0.06}_∑3.05 [Al_1.73Fe_0.26 Ti_0.01]_∑2.00(Si_2.97OH_0.03)_∑3.00 (Gros_85.4And₁₃Sps_1.6). The correspondence of surface features and the internal textures with spiral or pyramidal growth mechanism suggest that the internal textures of the Eden Mills grossular are formed during growth process. The optical vibrational orientations and the growth steps inclination along [001] and \( \left[\overset{-}{1}10\right] \) directions predict monoclinic symmetry. With X-ray diffractometer (XRD) method, pseudocubic parameters are a = 11.839(2) Å, b = 11.855(1) Å, and c = 11.868(2) Å with interaxial angles α = 90.00(1)°, β = 89.99(1)°, and γ = 90.02(2)° that show orthorhombic symmetry of this crystal. Lamellar texture of Al³⁺-rich host with Fe³⁺-rich lamella infers cation ordering at octahedral site of the garnet structure. IR data favors the non-cubic orientation of [(OH) ₄] at tetrahedral position in this grossular structure.     

A petrological and geochemical study on time-series samples from Klyuchevskoy volcano,Kamchatka arc

To understand the generation and evolution of mafic magmas from Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Kamchatka arc, which is one of the most active arc volcanoes on Earth, a petrological and geochemical study was carried out on time-series samples from the volcano. The eruptive products show significant variations in their whole-rock compositions (52.0–55.5 wt.% SiO₂), and they have been divided into high-Mg basalts and high-Al andesites. In the high-Mg basalts, lower-K and higher-K primitive samples (>9 wt.% MgO) are present, and their petrological features indicate that they may represent primary or near-primary magmas. Slab-derived fluids that induced generation of the lower-K basaltic magmas were less enriched in melt component than those associated with the higher-K basaltic magmas, and the fluids are likely to have been released from the subducting slab at shallower levels for the lower-K basaltic magmas than for higher-K basaltic magmas. Analyses using multicomponent thermodynamics indicates that the lower-K primary magma was generated by ~13% melting of a source mantle with ~0.7 wt.% H₂O at 1245–1260?°C and ~1.9 GPa. During most of the evolution of the volcano, the lower-K basaltic magmas were dominant; the higher-K primitive magma first appeared in AD 1932. In AD 1937–1938, both the lower-K and higher-K primitive magmas erupted, which implies that the two types of primary magmas were present simultaneously and independently beneath the volcano. The higher-K basaltic magmas evolved progressively into high-Al andesite magmas in a magma chamber in the middle crust from AD 1932 to ~AD 1960. Since then, relatively primitive magma has been injected continuously into the magma chamber, which has resulted in the systematic increase of the MgO contents of erupted materials with ages from ~AD 1960 to present.     

A crustal origin for eclogites and a mantle origin for garnet peridotites: Strontium isotopic evidence from clinopyroxenes

Strontium isotopic data suggest that the classic eclogite-facies rocks of western south Norway described by Eskola (1921) formed from several parental materials in a variety of environments. Mineral separates from essentially basic, bi-minerallic (clinopyroxene and garnet) eclogites that occur as lens-shaped masses within high grade gneisses (country rock eclogites) have Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ values that range from 0.704 for fine-grained varieties to 0.716 for coarse-grained, orthopyroxene-bearing varieties. These high, varied ratios contrast with the very low, restricted ratios (0.701 to 0.704) of similar minerals from ultrabasic, garnet-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene-olivine assemblages (garnet peridotites) that occur as lenses within large peridotite bodies. The eclogite-facies metamorphism that generated the garnet peridotites may have occurred in the mantle. However, the metamorphism that generated at least the more radiogenic country-rock eclogites must have occurred in the crust. The high Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios of these eclogites could be generated either by forming them from crustal parental rocks or by contaminating mantle-derived parental rocks with radiogenic strontium from the country rocks. If this contamination occurred after intrusion and before eclogite-facies metamorphism, a rather contrived history must be postulated that involves intrusion, contamination accompanied by hydration, subsequent dehydration, and finally eclogite-facies metamorphism. These processes could have occurred within the long, complicated history of the enclosing country rocks. Alternatively, if the contamination occurred during eclogite-facies metamorphism, the presence of some hydrous fluid appears to be required to transport the radiogenic strontium from the enclosing country rocks. The eclogites with the highest Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios are also the most coarse-grained and it is possible that the presence of some intergranular fluid enabled these eclogites to recrystallize to a much larger grain size than would have been possible in a totally anhydrous environment. The garnet peridotites and fine-grained country rock eclogites may have formed from mantle material in the crust but escaped contamination by radiogenic strontium as a result of their position in a dry environment in the crust.Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory Contribution No. 2443     

A detailed Pb isotopic study of crustal contamination/assimilation: The Edgecumbe volcanic field,SE Alaska

To better understand the process of crustal contamination/assimilation, 23 Pb isotopic compositions and 12 concentrations have been measured on lavas and basement rocks from the Edgecumbe volcanic field, SE Alaska. Measured isotopic ratios have the following ranges: ${}^{206}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}\text{= 18.477–19.161}$; ${}^{207}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}\text{= 15.562–15.679}$; ${}^{208}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}\text{= 38.17–38.85}$. While the data form well-constrained linear arrays on Pb-Pb diagrams, no simple correlation exists with major element composition. Basaltic lavas (≤ 51 wt% SiO₂) are characterized by two isotopic groups. The olivine basalt (≤ 48% SiO₂) is more radiogenic than the plagioclase basalt (48–51%) which also shows more heterogeneity. In the silica range 52–55%, Pb isotopic ratios increase significantly but remain fairly constant in the range 55–70% SiO₂. Lead concentrations vary from 1 ppm in the basalts to 7 ppm in the rhyodacites. Analyzed basement rocks are more radiogenic than any of the lavas $\text{(}{}^{206}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}\text{= 19.20}$; ${}^{207}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}\text{= 15.65}$; ${}^{208}\text{Pb}{}^{204}\text{Pb}\text{= 38.86}$. The Pb isotopic data are qualitatively consistent with the contamination process described by Myerset al. (1984). However, because of fundamental differences in the mixing relations between the Sr system studied earlier and the Pb system, the new Pb data have revealed details of the process not apparent from the Sr data alone. In particular, it has been shown that the parent magma was more primitive than originally assumed, and that two contamination events are recorded in the lavas. The first event, involving a mafic parent and different crustal contaminants, produced the intermediate and siliceous hybrids in cupolas located above the main basaltic chamber. The types of country rock intruded as well as the degree of partial fusion achieved in individual cupolas controlled the range of hybrid compositions produced while the eruption sequence was determined by the order in which the cupolas were tapped. The second contamination event produced the plagioclase basalt, the most voluminous basaltic unit, by mixing the mafic parent with the olivine basalt, an independent, primary magma. Our results suggest crustal contamination models that assume bulk assimilation of crustal end members may be too simplistic.     

The north-eastern Polish anorthosite massifs: petrological, geochemical and isotopic evidence for a crustal derivation

ABSTRACT Deeply buried 1.5 Ga Polish anorthosites, accessible only by bore holes, reveal diagnostic features of some massif-type anorthosites (polybarism, jotunitic parent magma), diapirically emplaced in the mid crust together with the rapakivi granites of the EW-trending Mazury complex, intruded along a major crustal discontinuity. Geochemical modelling and isotope data corroborate recent experimental work on the basaltic system in dry conditions: the source rock of the parental magma is a gabbronorite, necessarily lying in the lower crust. Since no Archaean crust is known in the region, high initial ¹⁸⁸Os/¹⁸⁷Os ratios for sulphide-oxide isochrons and negative ε_Nd values are best accounted for by melting a ∼ 2.0 Ga mafic crust.     

Record of plate boundary metamorphism during Gondwana breakup from Lu–Hf garnet geochronology of the Alpine Schist,New Zealand

The Zealandia portion of the Pacific–Gondwana margin underwent widespread extension, fragmentation, separation and subsidence during the final stages in the breakup of Gondwana. Although these processes shaped the geology of New Zealand, their timing and the timing of subduction cessation in the region remain unclear. To investigate the timing of these processes, we used Lu–Hf garnet geochronology to date six samples of the Alpine Schist, which represents the metamorphic section of the former Zealandia margin. The garnet dates range from 97.3 ± 0.3 to 75.4 ± 1.3 Ma. Compositional zoning in garnet indicates that the spread in ages results from diachronous metamorphism in the upper plate at the Pacific–Gondwana margin, occurring concurrently with rifting of Zealandia from East Gondwana via opening of the Tasman Sea. Clear spatial trends in the timing of garnet growth throughout the Alpine Schist are absent, indicating that either regional age trends were offset by post‐metamorphic deformation, or that metamorphism did not result from a single regional heat source, and was instead driven by short‐duration, spatially dispersed processes such as episodic fluid‐fluxing or mechanical heating. Diachronous metamorphism of the Alpine Schist can be attributed to heat conduction from the rising upper mantle during widespread extension, progressive burial and heating of accretionary wedge sediments during ongoing horizontal shortening, or fluid‐fluxing sourced from a subducting and dehydrating Hikurangi Plateau. These results indicate that during separation of Zealandia from East Gondwana in the late Cretaceous, the crust at the Pacific–Gondwana margin remained hot, potentially facilitating the extensive thinning of the Zealandia lithosphere during this time.     

Stable isotopic and petrological constraints on scapolitization of the Whitestone meta-anorthosite,Grenville Province,Ontario*

The Whitestone Anorthosite (WSA), located in the Central Gneiss Belt of the south-western Grenville Province, Ontario, exhibits a nearly concentric metamorphic envelope characterized by an increase in modal scapolite, hornblende, epidote and garnet, developed around a core of granulite facies clinopyroxene ± orthopyroxene ± garnet meta-anorthosite. Scapolite- and hornblende-bearing assemblages develop mainly at the expense of plagioclase and pyroxene within the envelope. Stable isotopic and petrological data for scapolite-bearing mineral assemblages within meta-anorthosite constrain the source of carbon responsible for CO₃-scapolite formation and the extent of fluid/rock interaction between the anorthosite and adjacent lithologies. Stable isotopic data indicate increasing δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C from core to margin of the meta-anorthosite and for samples from the southern extension of the WSA, where it is ductilely deformed within the Parry Sound Shear Zone (PSSZ). The average δ¹⁸O_SMOW value (whole rock) for the WSA core is 6.9‰, increasing to 11.5‰ where the WSA is in tectonic contact with marble breccia. The average δ¹³C_PBD value of scapolite in meta-anorthosite from the centre of the WSA is -3.4‰, increasing to -0.5‰ at the eastern (marble) contact. Average values of δ¹³C for scapolite and whole-rock δ¹⁸O for samples from the shear zone are -1.0 and 8.0‰, respectively. Marbles have average δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values of 19.2 and -0.4‰, respectively. The sulphate content of texturally primary scapolite decreases from the core of the WSA (X_SO4= 0.48) to the eastern contact (≤0.05). Texturally late scapolite after plagioclase and garnet tends to be CO₃-rich relative to texturally primary scapolite, and some scapolite grains show zoning in the anion site with CO₃-enriched rims. Scapolite composition may vary at any scale from a single grain to outcrop. The pattern of isotopic enrichment in ¹³C and ¹⁸O preserved in the eastern margin of the WSA is consistent with marble as the major source of fluid contributing to the formation of the metamorphic envelope. The decrease in X_SO4 and increase in X_CO3 in scapolite toward the margin of the WSA indicate that the volatile content was reset by, or developed from, a CO₂-bearing fluid. Assuming derivation of fluid from marble, minimum fluid/rock values at the margin of the WSA range from 0.03 for the least enriched, to 0.30 for the most isotopically enriched samples. Although marble is not found in immediate contact with samples of sheared meta-anorthosite from the PSSZ, a marble source is also consistent with the C and O isotope composition and anion chemistry of scapolite within these samples.     

溧阳软玉的岩石矿物学研究

对采自江苏溧阳小梅岭软玉矿区的软玉样品进行了化学成分、扫描电镜、X射线粉晶衍射物相定性和结晶度等分析,确定其主要为透闪石矿物集合体,并具有显微纤维、柱状及片状3种特征结构.将分析结果与新疆软玉进行对比,发现溧阳软玉普遍显示出透闪石含量稍低、透闪石纤维(片晶)定向性良好以及结晶度偏高的特点,这与溧阳软玉矿区动力改造相对较弱密切相关;溧阳软玉显示出ALK含量(>0.51)高于新疆等其他产地(普遍<0.46)的特点,这与其成矿母岩含碱量偏高关系密切.成矿地质条件的不同是造成溧阳与新疆两地所产软玉在上述岩石矿物学特征上巨大差异的根本原因,也是造成溧阳软玉透明度高、油润度不足、工艺加工性能不高的主要原因.     

The isotopic composition of zircon and garnet: A record of the metamorphic history of Naxos, Greece

Growth of zircon with respect to that of garnet has been studied using a combination of petrography, U–Pb dating and oxygen isotope analysis. The aim is to document the mechanism and pressure–temperature conditions of zircon growth during metamorphism in order to better constrain the Tertiary metamorphic history of Naxos, Greece. Two metamorphisms are recognised: (1) an Eocene Franciscan metamorphism (M1) and (2) a widespread Miocene Barrovian metamorphism (M2) that increases from greenschist facies up to partial melting. An amphibolite sample contains zircon crystals characterised by a magmatic core and two metamorphic rims, denoted as A and B, dated at 200–270, 42–69, and 14–19 Ma, respectively. The first metamorphic rim A (δ¹⁸O = 7 ± 1‰) preserves the δ¹⁸O value of the magmatic core (6.2 ± 0.8‰), whereas rim B is characterised by higher δ¹⁸O values (7.8 ± 1.8‰). These observations indicate the formation of A rims by solid-state recrystallisation in a closed system with regard to oxygen and those of B in an open system. Compositional zoning in garnet is interpreted as the result of decompressional heating. Zircon B rims and garnet rims display similar δ¹⁸O values which indicates a contemporaneous growth of garnet and zircon rims during the Miocene Barrovian event (M2). Calcic gneiss and metapelite samples contain zircon crystals with single metamorphic overgrowths aged 41–57 Ma. δ¹⁸O values measured in zircon overgrowths (11.8 ± 1.4‰) from the calcic gneiss are similar to those measured in garnet rims (11.4 ± 1.1‰) from the same rock. This suggests that garnet rims and zircon overgrowths grew during the high pressure–low temperature event in equilibrium with prograde fluids. In the metapelite sample, δ¹⁸O values are similar in garnet cores (14.8 ± 0.2‰) and in zircon metamorphic overgrowths (14.2 ± 0.5‰). As zircon overgrowths have been dated at ca. 50 Ma by U–Pb, garnet cores and zircon overgrowths are interpreted to have grown during the high pressure event.

As demonstrated here for the island of Naxos, correlating the crystallisation of zircon with that of metamorphic index minerals such as garnet using stable isotope composition and U–Pb determination is a powerful tool for deciphering the mechanism of zircon growth and pin-pointing zircon crystallisation within the metamorphic history of a terrain. This approach is potentially hampered by an inability to verify the degree of textural equilibrium of zircon with other mineral phases, and the possible preservation (in metamorphic rims) of isotopic signatures from pre-existing zircon when they form by recrystallisation. Nevertheless, this study illustrates the application of this approach in providing key constraints on the timing and mechanism of growth of minerals important to understanding metamorphic petrogenesis.     

Remnants of premetamorphic fluid and oxygen isotopic signatures in eclogites and garnet clinopyroxenite from the Dabie-Sulu terranes, eastern China

A combined oxygen‐isotope and fluid‐inclusion study has been carried out on high‐ and ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic (HP/UHPM) eclogites and garnet clinopyroxenite from the Dabie‐Sulu terranes in eastern China. Coesite‐bearing eclogites/garnet clinopyroxenite and quartz eclogites have a wide range in whole‐rock δ¹⁸O_VSMOW, from 0 to 11‰. The high‐T oxygen‐isotope fractionations preserved between quartz and garnet preclude significant retrograde isotope exchange during exhumation, and the wide range in whole‐rock oxygen‐isotope composition is thought to be a presubduction signature of the precursors. Aqueous fluids with variable salinities and gas species (N₂‐, CO₂‐, or CH₄‐rich), are trapped as primary inclusions in garnet, omphacite and epidote, and in quartz blebs enclosed within eclogitic minerals. In high‐δ¹⁸O HP/UHPM rocks from Hujialin and Shima, high‐salinity brine and/or N₂ inclusions occur in garnet porphyroblasts, which also contain inclusions of coesite, Cl‐rich blue amphibole and dolomite. In contrast, in low‐δ¹⁸O eclogites from Qinglongshan and Huangzhen, the Cl concentrations in amphibole are very low, < 0.2 wt.%, and low‐salinity aqueous inclusions occur in quartz inclusions in epidote porphyroblasts and in epidote cores. These low‐salinity fluid inclusions are believed to be remnants of meteoric water, although the fluid composition was modified during pre‐ and syn‐peak HP/UHPM. Eclogites at Houshuichegou and Hetang contain CH₄‐rich fluid inclusions, coexisting with high‐salinity brine inclusions. Methane was probably formed under the influence of CO₂‐rich aqueous fluids during serpentinisation of mantle‐derived peridotites prior to or during plate subduction. Remnants of premetamorphic low‐ to high‐salinity aqueous fluid with minor N₂ and/or other gas species preserved in the Dabie‐Sulu HP/UHPM eclogites and garnet clinopyroxenite indicate a great diversity of initial fluid composition in the precursors, implying very limited fluid–rock interaction during syn‐ and post‐peak HP/UHPM.     

Petrogenesis and geodynamic significance of the late Palaeozoic Dongwanzi Complex,North China Craton: constraints from petrological,geochemical, and Os-Nd-Sr isotopic data

The late Carboniferous Dongwanzi Complex in the northern North China Craton is composed of intrusive pyroxenite, hornblendite, gabbro, and syenite. The mafic-ultramafic rocks of the complex exhibit typical cumulate textures, curved-upward REE patterns, and variable contents of compatible elements, suggesting a cumulate origin. The syenite shows Sr-Nd isotopic ratios similar to the mafic-ultramafic complex and positive Eu anomalies in the chondrite-normalized REE patterns, suggesting that the syenite may represent residual melt after significant fractional crystallization of mafic melt. The mafic-ultramafic cumulates have low HREE abundance and high (Tb/Yb)_N (2.5–4.2) and Dy/Yb ratios (>2), indicating that they may have originated from melting of garnet peridotite in the mantle. The Dongwanzi Complex is characterized by a large variation in Sr-Nd isotopic composition, with I_Sr = 0.7035 to 0.7052 and ε_Nd(t) = ?4.0 to +5.2, which may be accounted for by mixing melts of depleted asthenospheric and enriched lithospheric sources. The radiogenic Os isotopic compositions of the complex ((¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os)_i = 0.1344 to 0.3090) suggest slight contamination by mafic lower crust (≤2.5% based on Os isotopic modelling). The Dongwanzi Complex exhibits arc-related whole-rock and mineral geochemical affinities, such as enrichment in LILE (e.g. Sr, Ba, K) and depletion in HFSE (e.g. Nb, Ta, Ti). The abundance of hornblende and high CaO contents (22–24 wt.%) of clinopyroxene suggest that the source was rich in H₂O, probably due to the formation above a subduction zone. We conclude that the Dongwanzi Complex and the related crust–mantle interactions probably reflect formation in a back-arc extensional environment related to the subduction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean beneath the northern margin of the North China Craton in late Palaeozoic time.     

A Talc--Phengite Assemblage in Piemontite Schist from Brezovica, Serbia, Yugoslavia

Talc occurs in direct contact with phengite in a manganiferousschist containing piemontite, spessartine, quartz, chlorite,hematite, braunite, and occasional phlogopite. The resultingtalc-phengite tie line in the AKF plot is a novelty for bothnatural rocks and the synthetic model system K₂O-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂Owhich contains about 95 per cent of the components making upthe four phyllosilicates present in the schist. The remainingcomponents are CuO, MnO, and minor Fe₂O₃, CoO, NiO in the chlorite,talc, and phlogopite, as well as Fe₂O₃ in the phengite. Two possibilities for the origin of the talc-phengite assemblageare discussed: 1. The presence of the components CuO etc. in the phyllosilicatesprovides additional degrees of freedom or causes shifts of reactioncurves in the synthetic model system thus creating a hypotheticalnew invariant point at intermediate pressures allowing a talc-phengitefield. 2. The rock was formed under very high water pressures whichpermit the coexistence of talc and phengite even in the puresynthetic system according to a theoretical prediction of phaserelations from limited experimental data available.     

PVT parameters of fluid inclusions and the C,O, N,and Ar isotopic composition in a garnet lherzolite xenolith from the Oasis Jetty,East Antarctica

Orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and olivine from a metasomatized mantle xenolith of garnet lherzolite in alkaline rocks at the Jetty Oasis, East Antarctica, contain numerous carbon dioxide-dominated composite melt-fluid and fluidized sulfide-silicate (±carbonate) inclusions. Although the maximum pressure under which the inclusions were captured by rock-forming minerals was evaluated at 13 kbar, its actual value should have been much higher, judging by the fact that the inclusions have lost part of their material (decrepitated) when the xenolith was brought to the surface. Two major fluid populations are distinguished. The fluids entrapped during the earlier episode have a more complicated composition. Dominated by CO₂, these fluids contain much N₂ (0.1–0.2 mole fractions), H₂S, and perhaps, also H₂O and are hosted by sulfide-silicate (±carbonate) inclusions produced by liquid immiscibility. As these inclusions evolved, they enriched in CO₂ and depleted in H₂S and N₂. Although the concentrations of N₂, H₂S, and H₂O were generally relatively low, these components played an important role in mantle metasomatism, as is reflected in the geochemistry of the derived magmas. The fluids of the younger episode (pressures lower than 7 kbar) are notably richer not only in CO₂ but also in H₂O (up to the appearance of inclusions with a liquid aqueous phase and the formation of CO₂ gas hydrate when cooled in a cryometric stage by liquid N₂). The effect of fluids on the mantle source in two discrete episodes is also confirmed by isotopic-geochemical data. Isotopic data on gases obtained immediately from fluid inclusions in minerals by the stepwise crushing technique provide evidence of the evolution of elemental and isotopic ratios of the gases in the course of the metasomatic processes. The high-pressure fluid inclusions of the earlier episode have low C/N₂, C/Ar, and N₂/Ar ratios, isotopically heavy N₂, and somewhat elevated (to 530) ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios. The younger fluids typically have higher (by two to three orders of magnitude) C/N₂ and C/Ar ratios, lower δ¹³C of CO₂, and N₂/Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios close to the atmospheric values. The nitrogen and argon isotopic compositions and elemental ratios suggest that the younger fluids could have been produced by two-component mixing in the mantle-atmosphere system. Comprehensive analysis of the data and in particular the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios, which are atypical of the mantle, and an increase in the H₂O concentration, suggests a subduction-related nature of the fluids.     

A sulfur isotopic study of alunites from Latium and Tuscany,central Italy

Sulfur isotope analyses were made on 14 alunites from volcanic and sedimentary rocks widely different in chemistry and age from southern Tuscany and northern Latium, central Italy. The ³⁴S values range from +0.7 to +9.6, and appear not to be related to the nature of the host rock. Geological and isotopic evidence suggests that all the alunites formed by supergenic oxidation of sulfides. Sulfides occurring with alunites in the volcanic rocks of Latium can be divided into an isotopically light group of probably magmatic origin (³⁴S=–1.5 to +3.4) and a heavy one with ³⁴S=+6.0 to +10.3, tentatively interpreted as deposited by hydrothermal fluids that leached sulfides of similar ³⁴S/³²S from the deep basement. Such an interpretation is consistent with recent studies indicating that in the perityrrhenian belt of Latium exists a continuation, at depth, of the Tuscan stratigraphic series, rich in sulfides with ³⁴ from +6 to +12.     

Spinel-peridotite xenoliths from Kapfenstein (Graz Basin,Eastern Austria): A geochemical and petrological study

Summary Ultramafic xenoliths from the basaltic tuff of Kapfenstein (Graz Basin) are mainly protogranular and protogranular- to- porphyroclastic spinel lherzolites. In addition to these common rocks, a coarse-grained spinel harzburgite and a heterogeneous spinel peridotite consisting of a clinopyroxene-poor harzburgite and a clinopyroxene-rich lherzolite have been found. Interstitial amphiboles (pargasite and kaersutite) are present in most xenoliths. The magmatic activity which brought these xenoliths to the surface is part of the Plio-Pleistocene extension-related alkali basalt volcanism which took place in the Carpatho-Pannonian Region, post-dating the subduction-related calc-alkaline volcanism which formed the Inner Carpathian arc.Mineralogical and bulk geochemical data for Kapfenstein xenoliths are similar to those for other sub-continental shallow mantle xenolith suites. Correlation diagrams for major and trace elements indicate that their chemical variations are related to different degrees of partial melting due to the extraction of mafic melts. Rare earth element (REE) patterns of separated clinopyroxenes from the xenoliths are generally light rare earth element (LREE)-depleted, although LREE-enriched and more complex patterns have also been found.⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and¹⁴³Nd/.¹⁴⁴Nd isotopic ratios of separated clinopyroxenes vary between 0.70193 and 0.70330 (^Sr, = – 36.4 to –17.0) and 0.512824 and 0.513589 (_NdNd = 4.2 to 18.l), respectively. The highest⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and lowest¹⁴⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd.Nd ratios occur in those samples which have the most refractory character and also have the most unusual REE patterns. REE determined by ion microprobe on separated interstitial amphibole grains indicate equilibrium with the host peridotite in most of the xenoliths but disequilibirum conditions have been observed, including some extreme LREE enrichments.Striking textural and some geochemical and isotope geochemical similarities have been recognised between Kapfenstein xenoliths and those from the Eastern Transylvanian Basin, both of which are situated on the edges of the diapiric upwelling located in the central part of the Pannonian Basin. The deformation, depletion and enrichment processes which occurred in these two areas are thought to be similar. The LREE-enriched interstitial amphiboles and the presence of cross-cutting amphibole veins suggest that the shallow depleted lithospheric mantle beneath the Graz Basin has been affected by metasomatising events related to the mafic alkaline host magmas rather than by subduction-related fluids or melts.

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Spinel-peridotit Xenolithe von Kapfenstein (Grazer Becken, Ostösterreich): Eine geochemische und petrologische Studie

Zusammenfassung Die ultramafischen Xenolithe aus dem Basaltuff von Kapfenstein (Grazer Becken) bestehen großteils aus protogranularem und porphyroklastischem Spinell-Lherzolith. Abgesehen von diesen weitverbreiteten Gesteinen wurden auch ein grobköringer Spinell-Harzburgit und ein heterogener Spinell-Peridotit, der aus einem Klinopyroxen-armen Harzburgit und einem Klinopyroxen-reichen Lherzolith besteht, gefunden. Interstitielle Amphibole (Pargasit und Kaersutit) sind in den meisten Xenolithen vorhanden. Die magmatischen Prozesse, die diese Xenolithe an die Erdoberfläche befördeten, stehen mit dem mit Extension assoziierten Alkali-Basalt-Vulkanismus, der während des Pliozän/ Pleistozäns dem durch Subduktion ausgelösten Kalk-alkalischen Vulkanismus des inneren Karpathenbogens folgte, in Zusammenhang.Die mineralogischen und geochemischen Vollanalysen der Kapfensteiner Xenolithe sind mit den Daten von anderen Gruppen von subkontinentalen Xenolithen des oberen Mantels vergleichbar. Korrelationsdiagramme für Haupt- und Spurenelemente zeigen, daß die chemische Variation auf verschiedene Grade von Teilschmelzbildung zurück-zuführen ist. Die Verteilungsmuster der Seltenen Erden in Klinopyroxenen der Xenolithe sind generall LREE-verarmt, aber LREE angereichte und kompliziertere Verteilungsmuster kommen vor. Die⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr und¹⁴³Nd/1⁴⁴Nd Isotopenverhältnisse der Klinopyroxene schwanken zwischen 0.70193 und 0.70330 (_Sr = von – 36.4 bis –17.0), beziechungsweise zwischen 0.512854 und 0.513589 (_Nd=von –4.2 bis 18.l). Die höchsten⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr und niedrigsten¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd Isotopenverhältnisse treten in den Proben mit dem stärksten refraktären Charakter und den ungewöhnlichsten REE-Verteilungsmustern auf. Die mittels Zonensonde ermittelten Gehalte an REE der interstitiellen Amphibole deuten ein Gleichgewicht mit dem Wirt-Peridotit an, obwohl auch Anzeichen von gestörtem Gleichgewicht, unter anderem extreme Anreicherungen an LREE, beobachtet wurden.Ein Vergleich der Kapfenstein-Xenolithe mit denen aus dem östlichen Transsylvanischen Becken zeigt bemerkenswerte strukturelle und einige geochemische und isotopengeochemische Ähnlichkeiten. Beide Gegenden befinden sich am Rande des Erdmantel diapirs, im Zentrum des Pannonischen Beckens. Die Deformationen und Verarmungsund Anreicherungsprozesse, die in beiden Gebieten stattfanden, sind vergleichbar. Die an LREE angereicherten interstitiellen Amphibole und das Auftreten von diskordanten Amphibolgängen legen nahe, daß der obere verarmte lithosphärische Mantel unter dem Grazer Becken von, mit den mafischen alkalischen Grund-Magmen verwandten, metasomatischen Prozessen erfaßt worden ist, und nicht von mit Subduktion assoziierten Flüssigkeiten oder Schmelzen.

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With 7 Figures     

Microstructural analysis of the classical spiral garnet porphyroblasts of south-east Vermont: evidence for non-rotation

New data strongly suggest that the classical spiral garnet porphyroblasts of south-east Vermont, USA, generally did not rotate, relative to geographical coordinates, throughout several stages of non-coaxial ductile deformation. The continuity of inclusion trails (S_i) in these porphyroblasts is commonly disrupted by planar to weakly arcuate discontinuities, consisting of truncations and differentiation zones where quartz–graphite S_i bend sharply into more graphitic S_i. Discontinuous, tight microfold hinges with relatively straight axial planes are also present. These microstructures form part of a complete morphological gradation between near-orthogonally arranged, discontinuous inclusion segments and smoothly curving, continuous S_i spirals. Some 2700 pitch measurements of well-developed inclusion discontinuities and discontinuous microfold axial planes were taken from several hundred vertically orientated thin sections of various strike, from specimens collected at 28 different locations around the Chester and Athens domes. The results indicate that the discontinuities have predominantly subvertical and subhorizontal orientations, irrespective of variations in the external foliation attitude, macrostructural geometry and apparent porphyroblast-matrix rotation angles. Combined with evidence for textural zoning, this supports the recent hypothesis that porphyroblasts grow incrementally during successive cycles of subvertical and subhorizontal crenulation cleavage development. Less common inclined discontinuities are interpreted as resulting from deflection of anastomosing matrix foliations around obliquely orientated crystal faces prior to inclusion. Most of the idioblastic garnet porphyroblasts have a preferred crystallographic orientation. Dimensionally elongate idioblasts also have a preferred shape orientation, with long axes orientated normal to the mica folia, within which epitaxial nucleation occurred. Truncations and differentiation zones result from the formation of differentiated crenulation cleavage seams against porphyroblast margins, in association with progressive and selective strain-induced dissolution of matrix minerals and locally also the porphyroblast margin. Non-rotation of porphyroblasts, relative to geographical coordinates, suggests that deformation at the microscale is heterogeneous and discontinuous in the presence of undeformed, relatively large and rigid heterogeneities, which cause the progressive shearing (rotational) component of deformation to partition around them. The spiral garnet porphyroblasts therefore preserve the most complete record of the complex, polyphase tectonic and metamorphic history experienced in this area, most of which was destroyed in the matrix by progressive foliation rotation and reactivation, together with recrystallization.     

Crustal contamination of mafic magmas: evidence from a petrological, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Os–O isotopic study of the Proterozoic Isortoq dike swarm, South Greenland

The mid-Proterozoic Isortoq dike swarm in the Gardar Province, South Greenland, comprises a variety of alkaline rocks ranging from gabbroic to syenitic in composition. Major magmatic mineral phases are olivine, clinopyroxene, Fe–Ti oxides, amphibole, plagioclase and alkali feldspar. Quartz occurs in some samples as a late magmatic phase. Liquidus temperatures of olivine-bearing samples range between 1120 and 1145 °C and solidus temperatures are 850–930 °C. Calculated silica activities are highly variable between 0.53 and unity. Oxygen fugacities vary from −3 to +1 log units relative to the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer.

The rocks have MgO contents <6 wt.% with Mg# between 53 and 17. Primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns show a relative enrichment of LIL elements with Ba peaks and Nb troughs. Clinopyroxenes show a general enrichment in REE relative to chondritic values with variable slightly positive to prominent negative Eu anomalies. Two of the dikes were dated with Sm–Nd three-point isochrons at 1190±44 and 1187±87 Ma, respectively. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of mafic mineral separates range from 0.70289 to 0.70432 and initial _Nd values vary from +0.3 to −10.7. Whole-rock initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios are highly variable including very radiogenic values of up to 7.967. δ¹⁸O_v-smow values of separated clinopyroxene and amphibole range from +5.2‰ to +6.2‰ and fall within the range of typical mantle-derived rocks, although mixing with a lower crustal component is permitted by the data. Using energy-constrained assimilation-fractional crystallization (EC-AFC) modeling equations, the Sr–Nd isotope data of the more radiogenic samples can successfully be modeled by addition of up to 10% lower crustal granulite-facies Archean gneisses as contaminants. The Os isotopic data also suggest the involvement of old radiogenic crust. In accordance with seismic data, we conclude that a wedge of Archean crust extends from West Greenland further to the south below the present erosion level.     

Tourmaline growth in pelitic schist and quartzite: A textural,chemical and B-isotopic study from the Gangpur Schist Belt,eastern India

Tourmaline is the principal repository of boron in crustal rocks and therefore useful for tracing B-cycling during prograde dehydration and retrogression of supracrustal rocks. Here, we use the major-trace element, and B isotope composition of tourmaline from schists, quartzites, and tourmaline-quartz veins of the Gangpur Schist Belt in eastern India to constrain the source of boron and the physicochemical evolution of B-rich fluids during prograde dehydration metamorphism. Tourmaline growth and re-equilibration in rocks of the Gangpur Schist Belt was a multi-stage process involving several fluid sources. The δ¹¹B varies between ?6‰ and ?18‰, indicating a dominantly continental source for boron. Tourmaline in schists, quartzites, and tourmaline-quartz veins grew over a wide range of P-T conditions and record multiple episodes of metamorphic dehydration between ca. 1.6 Ga and ca. 0.95Ga. The tourmaline in tourmaline-quartz veins and quartzites has lighter B-isotope composition, typical of continental detritus, while those in the schists and quartzites record pelite-dehydration signature with values decreasing gradually from ca. ?12‰ in the cores to ca. ?17‰ in the rims. Heavier isotopic compositions (δ¹¹B of ca. ?6‰) measured in some grains in the pelites and quartzites indicate boron contribution from meta?carbonate sources. The mixing of a heavier B-rich metacarbonate-derived fluid with pelite-derived metamorphic fluids could explain the lower B-isotope values in such tourmaline. The study also attempts to constrain the controls on the intake of trace elements in tourmaline. The results suggest that the partitioning of Mn, Y, V, Co and Ti in tourmaline is affected by the growth of porphyroblast phases such as garnet, staurolite, and biotite, while Li, Sr, Zn and Sn reflect the signature of the metamorphic fluid.