Magmatism in the Gregory Rift, East Africa: Evidence for Melt Generation by a Plume

The volume and composition of volcanic rocks associated withthe Gregory rift are interpreted in the light of inversionsperformed on the REE concentrations of the most magnesian basalts.When the estimated volume of salic rock ({small tilde}88 000km³) is converted into basalt ({small tilde}792 000 km³) thetotal volume of basaltic melt generated over the last 30 Myis at least 924 000 km³, corresponding to an average rate ofmelt production of {small tilde}0•03 km³/yr and an averagemelt thickness of between 7 and 26 km everywhere beneath therift. The mean compositions of the basaltic magmas erupted withinthe rift and on the rift flanks during the Upper Oligocene andMiocene, the Pliocene, and the Quaternary are taken to be representativeof the average compositions of melts produced by fractionalmelting in the asthenospheric mantle. When the REE concentrationsof the observed average compositions are inverted they suggestthat much of the melt was produced in the depth and temperaturerange of the transition from garnet to spinel peridotite. Fora mantle potential temperature of {small tilde}1500C the topof the melting region predicted from the inversions is at {smalltilde}70 km beneath the rift axis and {small tilde}80 km beneaththe rift flanks. Within the rift zone the predicted thicknessof melt increases from the Upper Oligocene and Miocene to thePliocene and is always greater than that predicted for the riftflanks, and the timeaveraged thickness of melt predicted is0/5 km. To generate the observed volume of melt the asthenosphericmantle must continually upwell through the melting region (extendingfrom 70 to 150 km) with a vertical velocity of between 40 and140 mm/yr. The results suggest that, volumetrically and compositionally,magmatic activity associated with the Gregory rift is quantitativelyconsistent with a model of a mantle plume upwelling beneaththinned continental lithosphere. Predictions made by such amodel are in broad agreement with geophysical observations. ^* Present address/reprint requests to: B.P. Exploration, 4/5 Long Walk, Stockley Park, Uxbridge UB11 1BP, UK     

Olivine Tholeiites from Krafla, Iceland: Evidence for Variations in Melt Fraction within a Plume

Olivine tholeiites (8–10 wt. % MgO) from Krafla show significantcorrelations between major elements (notably Fe) and incompatibletrace elements. In particular, the samples with the highestFe contents are the most enriched in elements such as K, Ti,and light rare earth elements (LREE_s). The observed trends cannotbe explained by fractional crystallization of olivine, plagioclase,or clinopyrox-ene from a single primary magma, nor are theylikely to result from crustal contamination. The simplest explanationfor the compositional variations is that they result from imperfectmixing of primary melts, produced at different levels in theupwelling asthenosphere, which later underwent olivine fractionation.Nd and Sr isotopic data hint at the possibility that some mixingbetween two (plume and non-plume) mantle sources may also berequired. The average olivine tholeiite composition is comparedwith the average compositions of melts, predicted from parameterizationsof melting experiments, produced from mantle with differentpotential temperatures. The predicted compositions were correctedfor fractional crystallization before the comparison was made.The data compare well with the predicted average compositionof melt from mantle with a potential temperature of {small tilde}1580C. Differences between the observed and predicted compositions(notably higher Fe and lower Na in the Krafla basalts) are ascribedeither to errors related to the modelling or to the effect oftemperature- and velocity-structure of the mantle plume beneathIceland. The average REE composition of the olivine tholeiiteswas then inverted to obtain the variation of melt fraction withdepth. The predicted melt fraction rises from 00 at a depthof {small tilde} 140 km (consistent with a potential temperatureclose to 1580 C) to a maximum value of {small tilde} 03 atthe surface. The predicted melt thickness ({small tilde}22 kmwhen corrected for fractional crystallization) is consistentwith geophysical estimates of crustal thickness.     

Partial melting of secondary pyroxenite at 1 and 1.5 GPa,and its role in upwelling heterogeneous mantle

We performed partial melting experiments at 1 and 1.5 GPa, and 1180–1400 °C, to investigate the melting under mantle conditions of an olivine-websterite (GV10), which represents a natural proxy of secondary (or stage 2) pyroxenite. Its subsolidus mineralogy consists of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, olivine and spinel (+garnet at 1.5 GPa). Solidus temperature is located between 1180 and 1200 °C at 1 GPa, and between 1230 and 1250 °C at 1.5 GPa. Orthopyroxene (±garnet), spinel and clinopyroxene are progressively consumed by melting reactions to produce olivine and melt. High coefficient of orthopyroxene in the melting reaction results in relatively high SiO₂ content of low melt fractions. After orthopyroxene exhaustion, melt composition is controlled by the composition of coexisting clinopyroxene. At increasing melt fraction, CaO content of melt increases, whereas Na₂O, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ behave as incompatible elements. Low Na₂O contents reflect high partition coefficient of Na between clinopyroxene and melt (\(D_{{{\text{Na}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}^{{{\text{cpx}}/{\text{liquid}}}}\)). Melting of GV10 produces Quartz- to Hyperstene-normative basaltic melts that differ from peridotitic melts only in terms of lower Na₂O and higher CaO contents. We model the partial melting of mantle sources made of different mixing of secondary pyroxenite and fertile lherzolite in the context of adiabatic oceanic mantle upwelling. At low potential temperatures (T _P < 1310 °C), low-degree melt fractions from secondary pyroxenite react with surrounding peridotite producing orthopyroxene-rich reaction zones (or refertilized peridotite) and refractory clinopyroxene-rich residues. At higher T _P (1310–1430 °C), simultaneous melting of pyroxenite and peridotite produces mixed melts with major element compositions matching those of primitive MORBs. This reinforces the notion that secondary pyroxenite may be potential hidden components in MORB mantle source.     

Fluid-Absent Melting Behavior of an F-Rich Tonalitic Gneiss at Mid-Crustal Pressures: Implications for the Generation of Anorogenic Granites

Fluid-absent melting experiments on a biotite (20 wt.%) andhornblende (2 wt.%) bearing tonalitic gneiss were conductedat 6 kbar (900–975C), 10 kbar (875–1075C), and14 kbar (950–975C) to study melt productivity from weaklyperaluminous quartzofeldspathic metamorphic rocks. At 6 kbar,biotite dehydration–melting is completed at 975C viaincongruent melting reactions that produce orthopyroxene, twooxides, and {small tilde}25 wt.% granitic melt. At 6 kbar, hornblendedisappears at 900C, probably in reaction with biotite. At 10kbar, biotite dehydration–melting produces <10 wt.%melt up to 950C via incongruent melting reactions that produceorthopyroxene, garnet, and granitic melt. Hornblende disappearsin the satne temperature interval either by resorption or byreaction with biotite. Widespread biotite dehydration–meltingoccurs between 950 and 975C and produces orthopyroxene, twooxides, and {small tilde}20 wt.% fluorine-rich (up to 0•31wt.%) granitic melt. At 14 kbar only a trace of melt is presentat 950C, and the amounts of hornblende and biotite are virtuallythe same as in the starting material. At 975C, hornblende isgone and {small tilde}10 wt.% granitic melt is produced by meltingof both biotite and hornblende. Our results show that hornblende-bearing assemblages cannotgo through dehydration–melting on their own (althoughthey can in combination with biotite) if the Ca content in thesource rock is too low to stabilize clinopyroxene. In such rocks,hornblende will either resorb or melt by reaction with biotite.Under fluid-absent conditions, intrusion of hot, mantle-derivedmagmas into the lower crust is necessary to initiate widespreaddehydration–melting in rocks with compositions similarto those discussed here. We argue that the high thermal stabilityof biotite in our starting material is caused mainly by theincorporation of fluorine. The relatively high F content inbiotite in the starting material (0•47 wt.%) suggests thatthe rock has experienced dehydroxylation in its past. F enrichmentby a previous fluid-absent partial melting event is excludedbecause of the lack of phases such as orthopyroxene and garnetwhich would have been produced. Our experiments show that thedehydration–melting of such F-enriched biotite producesF-rich granitic liquids, with compositions within the rangeof A-types granites, and leaves behind a granulitic residuedominated by orthopyroxene, quartz, and plagioclase. This studytherefore supports the notion that A-type granites can be generatedby H₂O-undersaturated melting of rocks of tonalitic composition(Creaser et al., 1991), but does not require that these sourcerocks should be residual after a previous melting event.     

Experimental peridotite–melt reaction at one atmosphere: a textural and chemical study

Sieve-textured clinopyroxene and spinel are common in mantle xenoliths and have been interpreted to be the result of partial melting, mantle metasomatism and host magma–xenolith reaction during transport. In this paper, we test the latter hypothesis with a series of reduced and oxidized experiments at 1,200 and 1,156°C at one atmosphere using a synthetic leucitite melt and discs of natural peridotite. Our results show that sieve texture development on clinopyroxene and spinel in mantle xenoliths is the result of a multistage reaction process. In the first step, orthopyroxene undergoes incongruent dissolution to produce a silica and alkali-rich melt together with olivine. As this melt migrates along grain boundaries it causes incongruent dissolution of clinopyroxene and spinel. The incongruent dissolution mechanism involves complete dissolution of the clinopyroxene or spinel followed by nucleation and growth of a secondary clinopyroxene or spinel once the reacting melt is saturated. The reaction of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel with infiltrated host magma results in a range of melt compositions that are very similar to those interpreted to be due to very small degrees of partial melting. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A parameterized model for REE distribution between low-Ca pyroxene and basaltic melts with applications to REE partitioning in low-Ca pyroxene along a mantle adiabat and during pyroxenite-derived melt and peridotite interaction

Low-Ca pyroxenes play an important role in mantle melting, melt-rock reaction, and magma differentiation processes. In order to better understand REE fractionation during adiabatic mantle melting and pyroxenite-derived melt and peridotite interaction, we developed a parameterized model for REE partitioning between low-Ca pyroxene and basaltic melts. Our parameterization is based on the lattice strain model and a compilation of published experimental data, supplemented by a new set of trace element partitioning experiments for low-Ca pyroxenes produced by pyroxenite-derived melt and peridotite interaction. To test the validity of the assumptions and simplifications used in the model development, we compared model-derived partition coefficients with measured partition coefficients for REE between orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in well-equilibrated peridotite xenoliths. REE partition coefficients in low-Ca pyroxene correlate negatively with temperature and positively with both calcium content on the M2 site and aluminum content on the tetrahedral site of pyroxene. The strong competing effect between temperature and major element compositions of low-Ca pyroxene results in very small variations in REE partition coefficients in orthopyroxene during adiabatic mantle melting when diopside is in the residue. REE partition coefficients in orthopyroxene can be treated as constants at a given mantle potential temperature during decompression melting of lherzolite and diopside-bearing harzburgite. In the absence of diopside, partition coefficients of light REE in orthopyroxene vary significantly, and such variations should be taken into consideration in geochemical modeling of REE fractionation in clinopyroxene-free harzburgite. Application of the parameterized model to low-Ca pyroxenes produced by reaction between pyroxenite-derived melt and peridotite revealed large variations in the calculated REE partition coefficients in the low-Ca pyroxenes. Temperature and composition of starting pyroxenite must be considered when selecting REE partition coefficients for pyroxenite-derived melt and peridotite interaction.     

Possible implications of modal mineralogy for melting in mantle lherzolites

The melting reaction at the solidus of mantle peridotite is commonly peritectic in nature, with liquid and one or more solid phases produced upon melting. In some situations, one of the phases participating on the reactant side of the reaction is present in low abundance. This article explores the possible effects of the low abundance of a reactant phase on the melting behavior of mantle peridotite.For example, spinel lherzolite begins to melt via the peritectic reaction, clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene + spinel = olivine + liquid in the ∼1- to 2-GPa pressure range. In natural spinel lherzolites, spinel is a modally minor mineral and may be infrequently in contact with both clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene. If these mutual contacts are insufficient to generate an interconnected melt, then significant melting may not occur until a combination of minerals that are modally abundant and in contact begin to melt. This scenario could have implications for the physical process of melting and for the timing of formation of an interconnected melt network and separation of the melt from the residue.To begin to investigate this possibility, the spatial relationships between the constituent minerals in two fertile spinel lherzolites were determined by elemental mapping with the electron microprobe. Olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene are of similar size, whereas the spinel was smaller and interstitial. Spinel and clinopyroxene are frequently in contact, but mutual contacts of spinel, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene are rare. Because of the changes in modal mineralogy anticipated for these lherzolites with increasing temperature, these mutual contacts will be even less common at the solidus. Therefore, an interconnected, potentially extractable, melt may not occur by the solidus spinel + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene melting reaction.     

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.     

Composition of liquids coexisting with spinel lherzolite at 10 kbar and the genesis of MORBs

Because of the controversy over the nature of the parental magma for MORBs, experiments have been performed at 10 kbar in order to assess the effect of modal variations in the source peridotite and the effect of temperature (degree of partial melting) on the composition of partial melts. A peridotite-basalt sandwich method was used and a run duration of 72 h was found to be necessary to equilibrate basalt and peridotite. A range of melt compositions, coexisting with olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel, was produced at 10 kbar, indicating that partial melting of peridotite cannot be regarded as isobarically pseudoinvariant. On projections in the normative tetrahedron OL-PL-CPX-SIL, the liquids obtained in this study define an area, rather than a point or narrow band. The compositions of some liquids in this study are similar to magnesian MORBs (MgO>9.5 wt%), providing evidence in support of the derivation of magnesian MORBs by partial melting of mantle lherzolite at about 10 kbar.     

Overgrowth Textures, Disequilibrium Zoning, and Cooling History of a Glassy Four-Pyroxene Boninite Dyke from New Caledonia

Pyroxenes in a low-Ca boninite from a dyke show remarkable growthand overgrowth textures and chemical zoning, which are usedto infer crystallization mechanisms and kinetics. The rock comprisesnearly 50 vol.% fresh glass, phenocrysts and glomerocrysts ofclinoenstatite sensu lato ({small tilde}32 vol.%), microphenocrystsof orthopyroxene and Ca-rich clinopyroxene ({small tilde}17vol.%), and microlites of amphibole and oxides ({small tilde}3vol.%). Clinoenstatite, which inverted from protoenstatite,is skeletal with glass and chrome-spinel inclusions and thinovergrowth zones of Ca-rich clinopyroxene and amphibole; thecrystals are occasionally broken. Orthopyroxene is often skeletal,sometimes slightly resorbed with the same inclusions and overgrowthzones. Ca-rich clinopyroxene and amphibole occur mainly in pyroxeneovergrowth zones. Chrome-spinel in contact with glass is overgrownby magnetite-maghemite or amphibole. The rock is andesitic witha high mg-number of 0.78, and is quartz- and strongly hypersthene-and feldspar-normative. The glass is dacitic with an mg-numberof 0.15, strongly quartz- and feldspar-normative, and rich inwater ({small tilde}5.6wt.%). Strong chemical zoning occurs in all minerals, oscillatory zoningoccurring only in clinoenstatite and orthopyroxene. The mg-numberin clinoenstatite sensu lato ranges from 0.95 (clinoenstatitesensu stricto) to 0-68 (clinohypersthene), the largest rangeso far described, and from 0.88 to 0.43 in orthopyroxene. TheWo content of the former (0.21–1.56 with rare higher values)is considerably smaller than and does not overlap that of thelatter (1.36–4.84X Wo generally increasing with Fs. Thecores of both are chromian (up to 0–018 atoms per formulaunit), and Cr falls to or below the detection limit for Fs>25.The Fs-rich zones of clinohypersthene have {small tilde}2wt%A1₂O₃ and (M6wt% TiO₂, whereas those of orthopyroxene reachnearly 10 and 04 wt. %, respectively. Ca-rich clinopyroxenevaries from pigeonite through subcalcic augite and augite toferroaugite, the outer zones reaching 12wt.% A1₂O₃ and 1–8wt% TiO₂. Amphibole is magnesio-hornblende on pyroxene or tschermakitichornblende on oxide. The relative times of nucleation, growth, partial resorption,and fracturing of the crystals were determined from the texturesand the chemistry of the overgrowths. Protoenstatite and chrome-spinelnucleated from the melt and were overgrown in places by allsucceeding minerals. Orthopyroxene nucleated mainly from themelt, whereas the other phases occur only as overgrowths. Orthopyroxenemay show weak resorption at intermediate stages. Protoenstatitecrystals were occasionally broken, the relative times beingshown by the nature of the overgrowths. Minor-element concentrationsvary strongly with the growth stage, chromium soon being usedup in the melt and aluminium and titanium being strongly concentratedin the crystals during the last stages. Plagioclase and quartzare absent because of suppression of their nucleation in a water-richmelt on rapid cooling. Crystallization probably occurred intwo main stages, an early one of moderately fast cooling atlow undercooling probably in a shallow magma chamber (correspondingto the growth of the protoenstatite phenocrysts) and a laterone over a period of less than a day of faster cooling at higherundercooling after uprise and injection into the dyke (correspondingto the fracturing of protoenstatite and growth of the microphenocrystsand microlites).     

Pervasive melt percolation reactions in ultra-depleted refractory harzburgites at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 15° 20′N: ODP Hole 1274A

ODP Leg 209 Site 1274 mantle peridotites are highly refractory in terms of lack of residual clinopyroxene, olivine Mg# (up to 0.92) and spinel Cr# (∼0.5), suggesting high degree of partial melting (>20%). Detailed studies of their microstructures show that they have extensively reacted with a pervading intergranular melt prior to cooling in the lithosphere, leading to crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene and spinel at the expense of orthopyroxene. The least reacted harzburgites are too rich in orthopyroxene to be simple residues of low-pressure (spinel field) partial melting. Cu-rich sulfides that precipitated with the clinopyroxenes indicate that the intergranular melt was generated by no more than 12% melting of a MORB mantle or by more extensive melting of a clinopyroxene-rich lithology. Rare olivine-rich lherzolitic domains, characterized by relics of coarse clinopyroxenes intergrown with magmatic sulfides, support the second interpretation. Further, coarse and intergranular clinopyroxenes are highly depleted in REE, Zr and Ti. A two-stage partial melting/melt–rock reaction history is proposed, in which initial mantle underwent depletion and refertilization after an earlier high pressure (garnet field) melting event before upwelling and remelting beneath the present-day ridge. The ultra-depleted compositions were acquired through melt re-equilibration with residual harzburgites. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

吉林汪清和龙岗新生代岩石圈地幔的含水性和元素地球化学特征

首次报道了来自东北地区岩石圈地幔水含量的数据。通过对吉林龙岗和汪清新生代玄武岩中的橄榄岩包体矿物进行电子探针(EMP)和激光熔蚀等离子体质谱(LA-ICPMS)的分析,得到了矿物的主量元素和微量元素的数据,结果显示这些橄榄岩是原始地幔经历了不同程度部分熔融的残余,大部分样品的熔融程度可能<10%。橄榄岩样品在后期还经历了地幔交代作用,大部分样品受到硅酸岩熔体的交代,少部分样品受到碳酸岩熔体的交代。显微傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)的分析结果显示,橄榄岩样品中的单斜辉石、斜方辉石均含有以结构羟基形式存在的水,而橄榄石中没有明显的羟基吸收峰。龙岗样品中单斜辉石的水含量为(48~464)×10^-6(H₂O, 质量分数),斜方辉石水含量为(28~104)×10^-6;汪清样品中单斜辉石的水含量为(34~403)×10^-6,斜方辉石的水含量为(13~89)×10^-6;所有样品全岩水含量为(8~92)×10^-6。样品的水含量可以代表龙岗和汪清地区岩石圈地幔的水含量信息,并且水含量变化范围较大,造成这种变化的原因可能是由于地幔源区初始水含量的不均一,以及部分熔融和地幔交代作用叠加的结果。     

The Texture,Mineral Assemblages and Origin of Metamorphic Peridotite from Kuda Ophiolite,Xinjiang

There are two grades of network-type texture in metamorphic peridotite from the Kuda ophiolite,Xinjiang,China,The first graduation consists of coarse-grained olivine with plastic deformation fabrics,orthopyroxene and minor clinopyroxene and Cr-spinel.The second graduation consists of small minerals filling among the mineral grains of the first graduation.Four kinds of assemblages containing tremolite have been discovered in the second graduation,which were formed during mantle partial melting and mantle metasomatism of a highly depleted peridotite.     

Rare earth abundances and distribution in some spinel peridotite xenoliths from Assab (Ethiopia)

REE partition data between solid phases in nine spinel peridotite xenoliths from Assab (Ethiopia) are presented together with bulk-rock REE composition. REE partitioning between clinopyroxene and other coexisting solid phases varies over a relatively wide range. The largest ranges are for LREE in clinopyroxene/orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene/olivine pairs, while clinopyroxene/spinel partitioning of REE is more restricted. The range of REE partition values between coexisting phases is due to compositional dependency effects and is correlated with systematic variations in major element composition of the bulk rocks. The measured REE concentration in the Assab mantle harzburgites do not match with the compositions calculated by mass balance from the modal proportions and REE analyses in individual phases. Inconsistencies for HREE may be due to variable HREE amounts in the clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene phases within a single specimen, while the high LREE contents in the whole rocks are due to contamination during transport to the surface. A geochemical model based on theoretical treatment of the REE partition data suggests that the Assab harzburgites acquired their residual character during a batch melting episode in the upper mantle under the Afar region.     

Spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the Premier kimberlite (Kaapvaal craton, South Africa): Nature and evolution of the shallow upper mantle beneath the Bushveld complex

Coarse-grained, granular spinel lherzolites xenoliths from the Premier kimberlite show evidence of melt extraction and metasomatic enrichment, documenting a complex history for the shallow mantle beneath the Bushveld complex. Compositions of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel indicate equilibration within the spinel–peridotite facies of the upper mantle, at depths from 80 to 100 km and temperatures from 720 to 850 °C. Bulk compositions have lower Mg-number [atomic 100 Mg/(Mg + Fe*)] than previously studied spinel peridotites from Premier, and have higher Mg/Si than low-temperature coarse grained garnet lherzolites, suggesting shallower melting conditions or metasomatic enrichment. Clinopyroxene in one sample is highly LREE-depleted indicating very minor modification of a residue of 20% melt extraction, whereas the calculated REE pattern for a melt in equilibrium with a mildly LREE-depleted sample is similar to MORB or late Archean basalt, possibly related to the Bushveld Complex. Bulk and mineral compositions suggest minimal refertilization by silicate melts in four out of six samples, but REE patterns indicate introduction of a LIL-enriched component that may be related to kimberlite.     

Sheared peridotite xenolith from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe,Arkhangelsk Diamond Province,Russia: Texture,composition, and origin

The petrography and mineral composition of a mantle-derived garnet peridotite xenolith from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe (Arkhangelsk Diamond Province, Russia) was studied. Based on petrographic characteristics, the peridotite xenolith reflects a sheared peridotite. The sheared peridotite experienced a complex evolution with formation of three main mineral assemblages: (1) a relict harzburgite assemblage consist of olivine and orthopyroxene porphyroclasts and cores of garnet grains (Gar1) with sinusoidal rare earth elements (REE) chondrite C1 normalized patterns; (2) a neoblastic olivine and orthopyroxene assemblage; (3) the last assemblage associated with the formation of clinopyroxene and garnet marginal zones (Gar2). Major and trace element compositions of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and garnet indicate that both the neoblast and clinopyroxene-Gar2 mineral assemblages were in equilibrium with a high Fe-Ti carbonate-silicate metasomatic agent. The nature of the metasomatic agent was estimated based on high field strength elements (HFSE) composition of olivine neoblasts, the garnet-clinopyroxene equilibrium condition and calculated by REE-composition of Gar2 and clinopyroxene. All these evidences indicate that the agent was a high temperature carbonate-silicate melt that is geochemically linked to the formation of the protokimberlite melt.     

软流圈熔体地幔交代作用过程中的铂族元素行为

南美洲南部的Pali Aike火山岩区第四纪碱性玄武岩中普遍发育含石榴石的斜方辉石岩包体。这种斜方辉石岩既作为独立的捕掳体存在又以细脉的形式穿插于橄榄岩捕掳体中。斜方辉石岩普遍含富Ti矿物,并且次生斜方辉石含橄榄石和单斜辉石残晶。与含石榴石橄榄岩中的斜方辉石相比,这种次生的斜方辉石以高TiO2、中等含量的Al2O3以及低Mg#为特征,表明它是在一种高度分异演化的富Ti熔体交代作用下通过消耗橄榄石和单斜辉石方式形成的。斜方辉石岩全岩的Co、Ni略低,Cr和铂族元素(PGE)含量与地幔橄榄岩相当,表明这些元素在交代作用过程中相对稳定,而交代介质带入的组分以碱质(K2O+Na2O)、Ti、Si、Al和S为主。交代的斜方辉石在现代活动岛弧和古克拉通的地幔橄榄岩捕掳体中多有报道。与这些环境中地幔样品的斜方辉石相比,PaliAike地区的次生斜方辉石含有相对高的Ti和Al,以及相对低的Mg。高Ti低Mg属性反映了交代介质可能来源于下伏的软流圈地幔并且经历了高度的分异和演化过程。Pali Aike地区所见到的这种交代斜方辉石和斜方辉石岩在其他被上涌软流圈影响的陆下岩石圈地幔中可能普遍存在。这些研究对了解中国华北-东北中生代以来的岩石圈地幔减薄机制有着重要的借鉴意义。     

The influence of water on melting of mantle peridotite

This experimental study examines the effects of variable concentrations of dissolved H₂O on the compositions of silicate melts and their coexisting mineral assemblage of olivine + orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene ± spinel ± garnet. Experiments were performed at pressures of 1.2 to 2.0 GPa and temperatures of 1100 to 1345 °C, with up to ∼12 wt% H₂O dissolved in the liquid. The effects of increasing the concentration of dissolved H₂O on the major element compositions of melts in equilibrium with a spinel lherzolite mineral assemblage are to decrease the concentrations of SiO₂, FeO, MgO, and CaO. The concentration of Al₂O₃ is unaffected. The lower SiO₂ contents of the hydrous melts result from an increase in the activity coefficient for SiO₂ with increasing dissolved H₂O. The lower concentrations of FeO and MgO result from the lower temperatures at which H₂O-bearing melts coexist with mantle minerals as compared to anhydrous melts. These compositional changes produce an elevated SiO₂/(MgO + FeO) ratio in hydrous peridotite partial melts, making them relatively SiO₂ rich when compared to anhydrous melts on a volatile-free basis. Hydrous peridotite melting reactions are affected primarily by the lowered mantle solidus. Temperature-induced compositional variations in coexisting pyroxenes lower the proportion of clinopyroxene entering the melt relative to orthopyroxene. Isobaric batch melting calculations indicate that fluid-undersaturated peridotite melting is characterized by significantly lower melt productivity than anhydrous peridotite melting, and that the peridotite melting process in subduction zones is strongly influenced by the composition of the H₂O-rich component introduced into the mantle wedge from the subducted slab. Received: 7 April 1997 / Accepted: 9 January 1998     

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.     

Na depletion in modern adakites via melt / rock reaction within the sub-arc mantle

Interaction between slab-derived melt and mantle peridotite and the role of slab melt as a metasomatizing agent in the sub-arc mantle is being increasingly recognized. Adakite, the slab melt erupted on the surface, usually exhibits anomalously high MgO, CaO, Cr and Ni contents that indicate interaction with mantle peridotitite. Here we note that Cenozoic adakites have Na₂O contents below 5.8 wt.% with ∼95% samples lower than 5.0 wt.%, and are generally depleted in this component relative to experimental basalt partial melts (mostly beyond 5.0 wt.% and up to 9.0 wt.% Na₂O) produced under 1.5-3.0 GPa conditions that are most relevant to adakite production. We interpret the adakite Na depletion to be also a consequence of the melt / rock reaction that takes place within the hot mantle wedge. During ascent and reaction with mantle peridotite, primary adakite melts gain mantle components MgO, CaO, Cr and Ni but lose Na₂O, SiO₂ and perhaps K₂O to the mantle, leading to Na-rich mantle metasomatism. Selective assimilation of predominately mantle clinopyroxene, some spinel and minor olivine at high T/P has been considered to be an important process in producing high-Mg adakites from primary low-Mg slab melts [Killian, R., Stern, C. R., 2002. Constraints on the interaction between slab melts and the mantle wedge from adakitic glass in peridotite xenoliths. Eur. J. Mineral. 14, 25-36]. In such a process, Na depletion in the assimilated melt is the result of dilution due to the increase in melt mass. Phase relationships in the reaction system siliceous melt + peridotite and quantitative calculation suggest that assimilation of mantle clinopyroxene, olivine and spinel and fractional crystallization of sodic amphibole and orthopyroxene, under conditions of moderate T/P and increasing melt mass, is also an important process that modifies the composition of adakites and causes the Na depletion.