Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Three Series of Cenozoic Basalts from Southeastern China

Cenozoic basaltic volcanism in southeastern China was related to the lithospheric extension and asthenospheric upwelling at the eastern Eurasian continental margin. The cenozoic basaltic rocks from this region can be grouped into three different series: tholeiitic basalts, alkali basalts, and picritic-nephelinitic basalts. Each basalt series has distinctive geochemical features and is not derived from a common source rock by different degrees of partial melting or from a common parental magma by fractional crystallization. The mineralogy, petrography, and major and trace-element geochemistry of the tholeiites are similar to oceanic island basalts, implying that the mantle source for these Chinese continental tholeiites was similar to that of the oceanic island basalts—an asthenospheric mantle. The alkali basalts and picritic-nephelinitic basalts are enriched in incompatible trace elements, and their geochemical features can be interpreted as a result of partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle, or the mixing products of an asthenospheric magma with a component derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle through thermal erosion at the base of the lithosphere. But the lack of a transitional rock type and continuous variational trends among these basalts suggests that the mixing between asthenospheric magmas and lithospheric magmas probably was not significant in the petrogenesis of the basalts from SE China. Low-degree partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle alone can account for the observed geochemical data from these basalts.     

Extreme U-Th Disequilibrium in Rift-Related Basalts, Rhyolites and Granophyric Granite and the Timescale of Rhyolite Generation, Intrusion and Crystallization at Alid Volcanic Center, Eritrea

Rhyolite pumices and co-erupted granophyric (granite) xenolithsyield evidence for rapid magma generation and crystallizationprior to their eruption at 15·2 ± 2·9 kaat the Alid volcanic center in the Danikil Depression, Eritrea.Whole-rock U and Th isotopic analyses show ²³⁰Th excesses upto 50% in basalts <10 000 years old from the surroundingOss lava fields. The 15 ka rhyolites also have 30–40%²³⁰Th excesses. Similarity in U–Th disequilibrium, andin Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic values, implies that the rhyolitesare mostly differentiated from the local basaltic magma. Giventhe (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) ratio of the young basalts, and presumablythe underlying mantle, the (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) ratio of the rhyolitesupon eruption could be generated by in situ decay in about 50000 years. Limited (5%) assimilation of old crust would hastenthe lowering of (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) and allow the process to takeplace in as little as 30 000 years. Final crystallization ofthe Alid granophyre occurred rapidly and at shallow depths at20–25 ka, as confirmed by analyses of mineral separatesand ion microprobe data on individual zircons. Evidently, 30000–50 000 years were required for extraction of basaltfrom its mantle source region, subsequent crystallization andmelt extraction to form silicic magmas, and final crystallizationof the shallow intrusion. The granophyre was then ejected duringeruption of the comagmatic rhyolites. KEY WORDS: U-series; zircon; ion microprobe; volcano; geochronology     

鲁西地区新生代周村玄武岩的成因研究

山东地区新生代玄武岩主要分布在郯庐断裂带及其以东地区,在鲁西地区分布较少。本文报道了鲁西地区周村玄武岩的全岩主、微量元素组成、橄榄石斑晶及其熔体包裹体Pb同位素组成。结果表明,周村玄武岩为弱碱性玄武岩,其主量元素具有较高SiO_2和Al_2O_3,较低碱(Na_2O+K_2O)、CaO/Al_2O_3、Fe_2O_3~T(Fe_2O_3~T=Fe O/0.8998+Fe_2O_3)的特征;微量元素在原始地幔标准化蛛网图上与EMI洋岛玄武岩(OIB)相似,表现为明显的Ba、K和Sr正异常,Th和Pb负异常,无Nb、Ta和Ti异常;熔体包裹体~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb和~(208)Pb/~(206)Pb分别为0.894~0.921和2.166~2.213,略高于EMI-OIB。这些特征和鲁西地区无棣大山玄武岩有明显区别,但与山东其它地区的弱碱性-拉斑玄武岩相似。周村玄武岩的橄榄石斑晶Ni、Fe/Mn和Ca分别为1403~2611μg/g,70~93和824~2003μg/g。与橄榄岩熔体结晶的橄榄石成分相比,给定橄榄石Fo值,周村玄武岩橄榄石斑晶具有高Ni和Fe/Mn比值,低Ca的特征。结合全岩低CaO和高FeO/MnO比值,橄榄石成分指示周村玄武岩的源区岩性为辉石岩,其形成需要高比例的来自再循环地壳的英安质熔体交代地幔橄榄岩。高比例的英安质熔体和周村玄武岩的微量元素特征,进一步说明该再循环地壳为含辉长岩洋壳。本文的研究结果暗示山东地区弱碱性-拉斑玄武岩的源区辉石岩,主要与再循环洋壳有关。     

Petrogenesis of Cenozoic Basalts from Mongolia: Evidence for the Role of Asthenospheric versus Metasomatized Lithospheric Mantle Sources

Diffuse Cenozoic volcanism in Mongolia forms part of a widespreadtectono-magmatic province that extends from NE China to LakeBaikal, Siberia. Mafic lavas from the Gobi Altai, southern Mongolia(     

The Petrogenesis of the Kirwan Basalts of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

The 420 m thick sequence of Kirwan basalt crops out along thesouthernmost 50 km of the Kirwanveggen Escarpment (74?S, 6?W).There is little variation in major element chemistry of thesebasalts (SiO₂ 49?3–51?6 wt.%; MgO 5?1–6?6 wt.%),but the concentrations of certain incompatible elements (e.g.,Zr) vary by factors of approximately two or more. Most interelementplots show rather poor correlation (r<0?78), but rocks fromopposite ends of the data array can be related by 30% fractionationof plagioclase, clinopyroxene, olivine, and magnetite in theproportions 51:35:11:3. Plagioclase is much more abundant inphenocryst assemblages (85%) and it appears that selective transportof plagioclase to the surface occurred. The range in incompatible element concentrations cannot be explainedby crystal fractionation and is most probably a result of theparent liquids of these basalts being derived by slightly differentdegrees of partial melting of a common source, or alternativelyof open-system (RTF) magma processes. The strontium isotopedata for the freshest rocks (R₀=0?7049–0?7065) may beexplained by 7% contamination by crustal material with an R₀of 0?709 and bulk Sr of800 ppm, but there is little supportingevidence from other trace element variations for this hypothesis.Oxygen isotope determinations on whole-rock-plagioclase pairsshow that alteration has resulted in a 0?5%o shift in (¹⁸O.Alteration also appears to have resulted in a greater spreadof data, particularly for the LIL elements and Sr isotopes.The Sr and Nd isotopic composition of the suite is close tobulk Earth at 172 Ma and this, together with REE and other traceelement data, shows these basalts to be similar in compositionto the more primitive basalts among the Karoo basalt lavas.It is suggested that the Kirwan basalts were derived from asource which was similar to that of the southern Lebombo variantof the Sabie River Basalt Formation of the Karoo Volcanic Province.This part of the Karoo was closest to the Kirwanveggen beforethe break-up of Gondwanaland.     

The Depleted Mantle Component in Kerguelen Archipelago Basalts: Petrogenesis of Tholeiitic-Transitional Basalts From the Loranchet Peninsula

A geochemical study of 28 Ma tholeiitic to transitional basaltsfrom the Kerguelen Archipelago (Mont des Ruches and Mont Fontaine)indicates that three distinct magma types erupted within     

粤北长塘盆地晚白垩世早期流纹岩的成因:地球化学和Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-O同位素制约

长塘流纹岩为"大量流纹岩-少量玄武岩"构成的不对称双峰式火山岩组合的酸性端元,前人对年代学研究认为是目前华南识别的燕山期最年轻的流纹岩(SHRIMP年龄96.8 Ma),但在岩石地球化学特征及成因方面尚未深入研究。本文通过全岩主微量元素、Sr-Nd-Pb-O和锆石Hf同位素研究得到:流纹岩为亚碱性弱过铝质岩石,稀土元素富集,轻重稀土分馏明显,Eu负异常;具有较小的(~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr)_i、较高的εNd(t)和较低的(~(206)Pb/~(204)Pb)_i、(~(207)Pb/~(204)Pb)_i、(~(208)Pb/~(204)Pb)_i值;锆石的εHf(t)值较高且Hf模式年龄和全岩基本一致,均显示为新生下地壳岩浆;全岩的δ18O值较高。结合区域地质资料,本文认为长塘流纹岩是在晚白垩世早期拉张环境下,源于EMⅡ富集地幔的岩浆混染少量下地壳物质形成新元古代新生下地壳,发生熔融产生的岩浆在上升过程中经历结晶分异演化后喷出地表的产物。晚白垩世早期流纹岩成因对华南陆壳拉张减薄到正常厚度时间节点提供了证据。     

Petrogenesis of the Swaziland and Northern Natal Rhyolites of the Lebombo Rifted Volcanic Margin, South East Africa

The Jozini and Mbuluzi rhyolites and Oribi Beds of the southernLebombo Monocline, southeastern Africa, have geochemical characteristicsthat indicate they were derived by partial melting of a mixtureof high-Ti/Zr and low-Ti/Zr Sabie River Basalt Formation types.Compositional variations within the different rhyolite typescan largely be explained by subsequent fractional crystallization.The Sr- and Nd-isotope composition of the rhyolites is uniqueamongst Gondwana silicic large igneous provinces, having _Ndvalues close to Bulk Earth (–0·94 to 0·35)and low, but more variable, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0·7034–0·7080).Quartz phenocryst ¹⁸O values indicate that the rhyolite magmashad ¹⁸O values between 5·3 and 6·7, consistentwith derivation from a basaltic protolith with ¹⁸O values between4·8 and 6·2. The low-¹⁸O rhyolites (< 6·0)come from the same stratigraphic horizon and are overlain andunderlain by rhyolites with more ‘normal’ ¹⁸O magmavalues. These low-¹⁸O rhyolites cannot have been produced byfractional crystallization or partial melting of mantle-derivedbasaltic material. The rhyolites have low water contents, makingit unlikely that the low ¹⁸O values are the result of post-emplacementalteration. Modification of the source by fluid–rock interactionat elevated temperatures is the most plausible mechanism forlowering the ¹⁸O magma value. It is proposed that the low-¹⁸Orhyolites were derived by melting of earlier altered rhyolitein calderas situated to the east, which were not preserved afterGondwana break-up. KEY WORDS: rhyolite; Lebombo; stable and radiogenic isotopes; low-¹⁸O magmas; partial melting     

Petrogenesis and Geochemistry of Neogene Basalts in Eastern Anhui

The basalt terrain of the Neogene Huangguoshan and. Guiwu Formations of eastern Anhui on the east side of the Tancheng-Lujiang fault belt is one of a few Cenozoic basalt terrains in eastern China for which detailed geochemical study has not been conducted. This paper reports the abundances of major elements and more than 20 trace elements (including REE) of 22 samples and the Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of 11 samples from the eastern Anhui basalt terrain, thus more or less systematically revealing the geochemical characteristics of this continental basalt suite. The paper discusses the origin of the basalt suite and the character and process of its mantle source. The basalt suite was derived from a heterogeneous continental lithospheric mantle with end members characteristic of the EMI-type oceanic basalt mantle, which was affected by mantle metasomatism (or enrichment of trace elements) and was characterized by a multi-stage evolution under open conditions.     

老挝沙耶武里玄武岩的地球化学特征、成因及其地质意义

哀牢山古特提斯洋东南分支洋盆-斯雷博河洋在构造演化上存在俯冲极性问题,沙耶武里地区大片玄武岩的构造属性是对斯雷博河洋俯冲方向的重要制约。沙耶武里玄武岩SiO2含量为49.43%~51.35%,K2O+Na2O含量为5.30%~6.18%,在化学成分上属于钙碱性岩石;其稀土元素的总量为57.65×10-6~64.69×10-6,LREE/HREE=3.69~3.84,表明在其形成过程中发生过一定程度的岩浆分异作用。基于此,对沙耶武里玄武岩进行了成因分析、构造环境和可能的形成机制探讨,认为沙耶武里玄武岩形成于岛弧环境之中,是在晚石炭世哀牢山-斯雷博河洋向西俯冲消减形成,其岩浆来源于受大洋岩石圈混染的亏损地幔楔,形成过程之中有地壳物质参与。     

内蒙古中部红格尔地区白音高老组流纹岩地球化学特征及成因

内蒙古中部红格尔地区白音高老组主要由流纹岩组成, 含少量英安岩和粗安岩。流纹岩具有高硅、铝和钾,低钙镁的特点;富集大离子亲石元素K、Rb、Th和U, 高场强元素Nb、Ta、Ti和P强烈亏损, 具负异常;高w(Sr)/w(Y)和w(La)/w(Yb), 低w(Y)和w(Yb)。稀土元素总量较低, 轻重稀土元素分馏强烈, 具有中等的铕负异常。εNd(t)值为正值(+088~+266), tDM变化于5883~7164 Ma之间。主量、微量元素地球化学和Sr Nd Pb同位素组成显示红格尔地区白音高老组流纹岩为高钾钙碱性C型埃达克质岩, 其形成与蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋的闭合碰撞有关, 形成于早白垩世造山后加厚岩石圈跨塌阶段的板内伸展环境, 是加厚下地壳部分熔融的产物。岩浆源区部分熔融残留相为石榴子石, 在岩浆上升演化过程中经历了斜长石、钛铁矿和磷灰石的分离结晶作用。     

峨眉山大火成岩省“高钛玄武岩”和“低钛玄武岩”成因探讨

大量的岩石化学资料分析表明，峨眉山大火成岩省玄武岩的TiO2含量是连续变化的，不存在明显的间断。野外地质特征表明高钛和低钛玄武岩既不存在空间分带，也不存在时间分带。其Sr、Nd和Pb同位素组成也没有明显的区别，推测它们可能是同源岩浆分离结晶的产物。根据MgO和TiO2的相关关系，可将苦橄岩和玄武岩的演化划分为4个趋势，并采用分离结晶模式对其进行了成因模拟，表明高钛和低钛玄武岩是同—母岩浆(苦橄—玄武岩浆)通过不同矿物相分离结晶的产物。     

Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Central Lebombo Basalts of the Karoo Igneous Province

Three distinet basaltic rock types are recognized on the basisof detailed new analyses in the eastern zone (central Lebombo)of the Karoo Igneous Province. The high titanium and zirconiumgroup is composed of low-Fe (henceforth called simply high Ti-Zrbasalts) and high-Fe (henceforth called ‘high-Fe’)varieties and distinguished from the low titanium and zirconiumgroup by 2–4 times greater abundances of Ti, P, Zr, Nb,Y, La, Ce, and Nd (high field strength elements; HFSE), as wellas higher but more variable abundances of K, Rb, Ba, and Sr,All rock types are interbedded to some degree, although thehigh Ti-Zr type (low-Fe) predominates at the base of the sectionand the ‘high-Fe’ type occurs mostly at the topof the section. Stratigraphic relationships show that the highTi-Zr basalts to the south within a distance of 60 km. Eruptionof each rock type from replenished, tapped, and fractionatedmagma chambers can account for much of the major and trace elementvariation within each suite, with the notable exceptions ofthe large ion lithophile elements (LILE; K, Rb, and Ba) andSr. Neither crystal fractionation nor contamination with graniticcrust can produce the variations between the basalt types anddoes not appear to affect significantly the geochemistry withinany basalt type. The North Lebombo high Ti-Zr picrites are themost likely parent magmas to the high Ti-Zr low-MgO group. Considerationof previous studies of the picrites suggested that the highTi-Zr picrite geochemistry requires a mixed source or the mixingof two picrite endmember magmas discriminated on the basis ofdegree of incompatible element enrichment. At least one of theendmembers must be within, or derived from, sub-continentallithospheric mantle. The low-MgO high Ti-Zr basalt geochemistryis consistent with evolution from a picritic parent with abouta 30–44 wt. % mantle lithospheric component. In contrast,the low Ti-Zr basalt group parental composition is outside thecompositional range suggested for the high Ti-Zr picrite endmembers,being more depleted in incompatible elements (e.g., Ti, P, Zr,Nb, LREE, and LILE). Again, by analogy with possible picriticparents, this group may segregate from a source more depletedin incompatible elements than a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)source, leaving a harzburgitic residue. The ‘high-Fe’basalt group is very evolved (e.g., MgO <5%) but may stillbe constrained by Nd-isotope and Zr/Y ratios to have a mantlesource geochemically similar to that from which the Walvis Ridgebasalts were derived. If a mantle plume contributed to basaltgeochemistry significantly, then the late-stage ‘high-Fe’basalts represent this component most closely.     

Petrogenesis of Silicic Rocks from the Krksfjrdur Central Volcano, NW Iceland

Calc-alkaline dacites are found in the Tertiary Kroksfjordurcentral volcano besides the more typical tholeiitic dacitesand rhyolites characteristic of Icelandic rift zones. It isclear that these calc-alkaline dacites are not subduction related,but their chemistry and petrography are definitely calc-alkaline.They are much lower in Fe and higher in Ca and Al than otherrocks from Iceland with comparable silica percentages. Theyare significantly depleted in the high field strength elements(HFSE, e.g., Nb, Zr, Y, and heavy rare earth elements), andsome of them contain hydrous phases or their relics. The anhydrousphase assemblage and relatively high Fe content of the tholeiiticsilicic rocks indicate generation at shallow depths (P_H2o <1kb). The high Ca and Al contents and the depletion of HFSE inthe calc-alkaline dacites indicate generation by partial meltingof amphibolite facies rocks at 5–6 km depth. The generationof the tholeiitic silicic rocks requires a shallow magma chamber,where they could be formed by fractionation of basaltic magma,or by partial melting of country rock heated by basaltic magma.The calc-alkaline dacites require a different volcanotectonicenvironment for their generation. The geothermal gradient requiredis comparable with that of regional geothermal gradients closeto the active rift zones. They were probably formed when thecentral volcano was drifting away from the rift axis and itsactivity was waning. Intrusion of basaltic magma, probably relatedto another volcanic center, mobilized the dacite magma.     

柯坪玄武岩的岩石学、地球化学、Nd、Sr、Pb同位素组成与岩石成因

柯坪玄武岩位于塔里木板块西缘,产于下二叠统库普库兹曼组和开派兹雷克组中。岩石化学组成以富集TFeO、TiO2、P2O5和SiO2不饱和为特征。大部分样品属碱性玄武岩系列,个别属拉斑玄武岩系列。它们的稀土元素和微量元素显示了板内拉张环境玄武岩的地球化学特征。εNd(t)=-1.73～-3．69,εSr(t)= 27．56～ 56．87,^206Pb／^204Pb=17．87～18．02,^207Pb／^204Pb=15．45～15．53,^208Pb／^204Pb=38．22～38．49。Nd、Sr、Pb同位素组成证明柯坪玄武岩源自于前寒武纪的富集型大陆岩石圈地幔。而且,这种情况在塔里木盆地及周缘地区十分发育的镁铁质岩浆岩中具有广泛的代表性。据此,可以将新疆南部和北部划分为两个明显不同的同位素地球化学省。南部省以富集型地幔的同位素组成为特征,而北部省以亏损型地幔的同位素组成为特征。分属于这两个省的古生代晚期阶段岩浆岩有可能不是同一个地质过程的产物。     

Petrogenesis of Peraluminous Granites, Monashee Mountains, Southeastern Canadian Cordillera

Two-mica granites that locally contain garnet and sillimaniteoccur as dikes, sills, and sheets up to 50 m thick within thesillimanite zonc of the Monashee Mountains in the southeasternCanadian Cordillera of British Columbia. Syn-kinematic and post-kinematicgranites are recognized. U-Pb dating of zircon demonstrates that the syn-kinematic granitesare 100.4?0.3 Ma old, based on duplicate concordant single abradedzircon analyses. Other zircons have slightly older Pb/Pb dates,indicating small amounts of inherited zircons. Monazites are99?10 Ma old. Post-kinematic granites have 62.5?0.2 Ma zirconages and 634+0.1 Ma monazite ages. High initial 87 ratios (0.71492–0.74181)and evidence of Precambrian Pb inheritance indicates that bothsyn- and post-kinematic granites were derived from a crustalsource. Geobarometric estimates suggest that both generationsof granites equilibrated at 6–8 kb (22–30 km). Zirconand monazite saturation temperatures range from 660–824?Cand indicate that these minerals were liquidus phases earlyin the crystallization history of the granites. Because monazitesaturation temperatures generally exceed those of zircon, itis possible that some monazites may be inherited. Apatite saturationtemperatures in excess of 900?C suggest that both generationsof granites contain source inherited apatite. Syn- and post-kinematic granites have essentially identicalmajor and trace element chemistries. Syn-kinematic graniteshave steep light rare earth element (LREE) enriched patternswith pronounced negative Eu anomalies. The REE patterns of post-kinematicgranites range from steep LREE enriched patterns with negativeNd and Eu anomalies to flat patterns with low LREE contents,negative Nd anomalies, and both positive and negative Eu anomalies.Modelling of REE, Rb, Sr, and Ba contents demonstrates thatsyn-kinematic gramtes could have been generated by a low degreeof partial melting (with 10–25% feldspar fractionationof the melt) of Late Proterozoic Horsethief Creek Group metapelitesleaving a monazite-bearing upper amphibolite facies residue.Post-kinematic granites were produced by partial melting ofa geochemically and isotopically similar metapelitic source.The suite of post-kinematic granites can be related by a smallamount (up to 0.1%) of monazite crystal fractionation.     

Magma chamber processes in central volcanic systems of Iceland: constraints from layered gabbro of the Austurhorn intrusive complex

New field work and petrological investigations of the largest gabbro outcrop in Iceland, the Hvalnesfjall gabbro of the 6–7 Ma Austurhorn intrusive complex, have established a stratigraphic sequence exceeding 800 m composed of at least 8 macrorhythmic units. The bases of the macrorhythmic units are composed of 2–10 m thick melanocratic layers rich in clinopyroxene and sometimes olivine, relative to the thicker overlying leucocratic oxide gabbros. While the overall compositional variation is limited (Mg# clinopyroxene 72–84; An% plagioclase 56–85), the melanocratic bases display spikes in Mg# and Cr₂O₃ of clinopyroxene and magnetite indicative of magma replenishment. Some macrorhythmic units show mineral trends indicative of up-section fractional crystallisation over up to 100 m, whereas others show little variation. Two populations of plagioclase crystals (large, An-rich and small, less An-rich) indicate that the recharge magma carried plagioclase xenocrysts (high An-type). The lack of evolved gabbros suggests formation in a dynamic magma chamber with frequent recharge, tapping and fractionation. Modelling of these compositional trends shows that the parent magma was similar to known transitional olivine basalts from Iceland that had undergone about 20% crystallisation of olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene and that the macrorhythmic units formed from thin magma layers not exceeding 200–300 m. Such a “mushy” magma chamber is akin to volcanic plumbing systems in settings of high magma supply rate including the mid-ocean ridges and present-day magma chambers over the Iceland mantle plume. The Austurhorn central volcano likely formed in an off-rift flank zone proximal to the Iceland mantle plume during a major rift relocation. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The Role of Fractional Crystallization in the Evolution of the Nandewar Volcano, North-eastern New South Wales, Australia

The Nandewar Volcano is composed of a suite of transitionalalkaline eruptives ranging in composition from mildly hy-normativehawaiites and trachyandesites through tristanites and trachytesto comendites. Field relations, mineralogy, and chemical dataare discussed and applied to evaluate those genetic controlsresponsible for the variation in this association. These dataindicate that the majority of the Nandewar volcanics were derivedfrom a common upper mantle source with specific major and traceelement characteristics. Mass-balance calculations do not favoura genetic model which relates all members of the suite by closed-systemfractional crystallization. An alternative genetic model forthe hawaiites and trachyandesites is based on differential partialmelting of discrete upper mantle peridotitic sources with differentmodal pargasitic amphibole (?mica) and apatite abundances, andwhich were relatively Fe-rich compared with a pyrolite-likesource. Lack of precise knowledge about potential source compositionsprevents quantitative evaluation of this model. Mass-balancecalculations are broadly consistent with the genesis of thetristanites and mafic trachytes by fractional crystallizationof the most ‘evolved’ trachyandesites, but the rarityof cognate cumulates as inclusions is not favourable to thismodel. Rocks spanning the compositional range trachyte-comenditecannot be related by fractional crystallization of observedphenocrysts and an alternative model based on liquid-state differentiationprocesses is tentatively proposed. Subsequent late-stage volatileloss and addition has significantly modified alkali and traceelement abundances of some comendites.     

Partial Crystallization of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts in the Crust and Mantle

Pressures at which partial crystallization occurs for mid-oceanridge basalts (MORB) have been examined by a new petrologicalmethod that is based on a parameterization of experimental datain the form of projections. Application to a global MORB glassdatabase shows that partial crystallization of olivine + plagioclase+ augite ranges from 1 atm to 1·0 GPa, in good agreementwith previous determinations, and that there are regional variationsthat generally correlate with spreading rate. MORB from fast-spreadingcenters display partial crystallization in the crust at ridgesegment centers and in both mantle and crust at ridge terminations.Fracture zones are likely to be regions where magma chambersare absent and where there is enhanced conductive cooling ofthe lithosphere at depth. MORB from slow-spreading centers displayprominent partial crystallization in the mantle, consistentwith models of enhanced conductive cooling of the lithosphereand the greater abundance of fracture zones through which theypass. In general, magmas that move through cold mantle experiencesome partial crystallization, whereas magmas that pass throughhot mantle may be comparatively unaffected. Estimated pressuresof partial crystallization indicate that the top of the partialmelting region is deeper than about 20–35 km below slow-spreadingcenters and some ridge segment terminations at fast-spreadingcenters. KEY WORDS: MORB; olivine gabbro; partial crystallization; partial melting; ridge segmentation; fracture zones; crust; mantle; lithosphere