Partition of nickel between olivine and sulfide: A test for immiscible sulfide liquids

The partition of Ni between olivine, crystallised from basalt liquids, and iron-nickel monosulfide has been determined experimentally at 1160 and 1050 °C using alumina crucibles in sealed silica glass tubes. The compositional ranges investigated are 83 to 88 mol. % Fo and 5 to 50 mol. % NiS. The average distribution coefficient for the exchange reaction FeS +NiSi_0.5O₂NiS+FeSi_0.5O₂ is remarkably similar to the literature value of 33.2 for 900 °C. It is concluded that within the temperature and pressure range of magmatic olivine crystallisation the exchange reaction is effectively independent of temperature, pressure, olivine composition and composition and physical state of the sulfide.The NiO contents of early magmatic olivine are appreciably greater than the calculated NiO contents for equilibration with any hypothetical iron-rich immiscible sulfide liquid, suggesting that an immiscible sulfide liquid may not be a normal product of upper mantle magmatic processes. Similarly, it appears unlikely that sulfide liquid immiscibility had any role in the genesis of nickel sulfide ores.Olivine from upper mantle and crustal rock associations has characteristic NiO/MgO distributions. Both distributions appear to be the products of extensive fractionation by crystal-liquid processes although the crustal olivine distribution may be complicated by the added factor of heterogeneity of mantle magma source.     

La–SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Yb–SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> systematics in mid-ocean ridge magmas: implications for the origin of oceanic plagiogranite

Analytical expressions for the variation in D _La and D _Yb with increasing liquid SiO₂ for olivine, plagioclase, augite, hornblende, orthopyroxene, magnetite and ilmenite (Brophy in Contrib Mineral Petrol 2008, online first) have been combined with numerical models of hydrous partial melting, of mid-ocean ridge (MOR) cumulate gabbro melting, and fractional crystallization of slightly hydrous mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) magma to assess a melting versus fractionation origin for oceanic plagiogranite. For felsic magmas (>63 wt.% SiO₂) the modeling predicts the following. MOR cumulate gabbro melting should yield constant or decreasing La and constant Yb abundances with increasing liquid SiO₂. The overall abundances should be similar to those in associated mafic magmas. MORB fractional crystallization should yield steadily increasing La and Yb abundances with increasing SiO₂ with overall abundances significantly higher than those in associated mafic magmas. Application to natural occurrences of oceanic plagiogranite indicate that both MOR cumulate gabbro melting and MORB fractionation are responsible. Application of the model results to Icelandic rhyolites strongly support a fractional crystallization rather than a crustal melting origin.     

Evolution of the Kap Edvard Holm Complex: a Mafic Intrusion at a Rifted Continental Margin

The Kap Edvard Holm Layered Series forms part of the East GreenlandTertiary Province, and was emplaced at shallow crustal level(at depths corresponding to a pressure of 1–2 kbar) duringcontinental break-up. It consists of two suites: a gabbro suitecomprising olivine and oxide gabbros, leucocratic olivine gabbrosand anorthosites, and a suite of wehrlites that formed fromthe intrusion of the gabbros during their solidification bya hydrous, high-MgO magma. Ion microprobe analyses of clinopyroxenereveal chemical contrasts between the parental melt of the wehrlitesuite and that of the gabbro suite. Thin sills (1–2 mthick) of the wehrlite suite, however, have clinopyroxene compositionssimilar to the gabbro suite, and were formed by interactionwith interstitial melts from the host layered gabbros. All evolvedmembers of the gabbro suite have elevated Nd, Zr and Sr concentrationsand Nd/Yb ratios, relative to the melt parental to the gabbrosuite. These characteristics are attributed to establishmentof a magma chamber at depths corresponding to a pressure of10 kbar, where melts evolved before injection into the low-pressuremagma chamber. Anorthosites of the gabbro suite are believedto have crystallized from such injections. The melts becamesupersaturated in plagioclase by the pressure release that followedtransportation to the low-pressure magma chamber after initialfractionation at 10 kbar. The most evolved gabbros formed bysubsequent fractionation within the low-pressure magma chamber.Our results indicate that high-pressure fractionation may beimportant in generating some of the lithological variationsin layered intrusions. KEY WORDS: fractionation; ion microprobe; layered intrusions; rift processes; trace elements ^*Corresponding author.     

花岗岩类矿床成矿流体形成过程的原位观测实验

花岗岩浆液态不混溶作用和饱和H₂O花岗岩浆的热液出溶作用是花岗岩类矿床成矿流体形成的重要机制。利用最新式热液金刚石压腔,开展了成矿流体形成机制的原位观测实验。在岩浆热液出溶过程的实验中,初始样品为各类硅酸盐和纯H₂O或LiCl水溶液,在H₂O饱和状态中,硅酸盐熔体珠不断分异出富H₂O的流体。花岗岩浆液态不混溶实验的初始样品为NaAlSi₃O₈-LiAlSiO₄-SiO₂-LiCl-H₂O。在硅酸盐完全重熔后的降温过程中,硅酸盐熔体珠分离出富H₂O熔体相和贫H₂O熔体相,压力的突然降低促进了相分离的发生。研究表明：岩浆热液的出溶作用发生在H₂O饱和的条件下,是岩浆的“第二次”沸腾作用,对花岗岩型稀有金属矿床的形成具有重要意义;花岗岩浆液态不混溶产生的富H₂O熔体易于结晶出粗大晶体,暗示岩浆液态不混溶作用可能是一些花岗伟晶岩形成的主要机制。两类成矿流体形成机制实验条件的差异表明,Li是花岗岩浆发生不混溶作用的重要因素。在今后的研究中,应把热液金刚石压腔的原位观测与微束分析技术结合,在高温高压状态下分析成矿元素的迁移和富集规律。     

The formation of SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-rich melts within the deep oceanic crust by hydrous partial melting of gabbros

Small amounts of felsic, evolved plutonic rocks, often called oceanic plagiogranites, always occur as veins or small stocks within the gabbroic section of the oceanic crust. Four major models are under debate to explain the formation of these rocks: (1) late-stage differentiation of a parental MORB melt, (2) partial melting of gabbroic rocks, (3) immiscibility in an evolved tholeiitic liquid, and (4) assimilation and partial melting of previously altered dikes. Recent experimental data in hydrous MORB-type systems are used to evaluate the petrogenesis of oceanic plagiogranites within the deep oceanic crust. Experiments show that TiO₂ is a key parameter for the discrimination between different processes: TiO₂ is relatively low in melts generated by anatexis of gabbros which is a consequence of the low TiO₂ contents of the protolith, due to the depleted nature of typical cumulate gabbros formed in the oceanic crust. On the other hand, TiO₂ is relatively high in those melts generated by MORB differentiation or liquid immiscibility. Since the TiO₂ content of many oceanic plagiogranites is far below that expected in case of a generation by simple MORB differentiation or immiscibility, these rocks may be regarded as products of anatexis. This may indicate that partial melting processes triggered by water-rich fluids are more common in the deep oceanic crust than believed up to now. At slow-spreading ridges, seawater may be transported via high-temperature shear zones deeply into the crust and thus made available for melting processes.     

张广才岭地块早-中二叠世镁铁质侵入岩体的年代学、地球化学及岩石成因

双凤山基性侵入岩体位于松嫩-张广才岭地块南缘,其岩石组成主要为橄榄辉长岩.锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年显示该岩体形成于279±4 Ma.岩石矿物组成主要为橄榄石、单斜辉石、斜方辉石、高An值（80.1~87.9）斜长石以及以反应边形式存在的角闪石,矿物学特征指示其母岩浆为经历过充分流体交代的富水岩浆.全岩主微量元素组成揭示其源区物质组成为石榴子石二辉橄榄岩,部分熔融程度约20%,岩浆演化过程中经历了斜长石堆晶作用以及斜方辉石的结晶分异作用.全岩Sr-Nd同位素及锆石Hf同位素研究显示其（87Sr/86Sr）_i=0.705 2~0.706 1,并具有正的ε_Nd（t）值（0.9~1.3）和ε_Hf（t）值（0~10.2）,表明其来源于亏损的地幔源区,并且岩浆上升过程中没有经历明显的地壳混染.微量元素和同位素特征综合反映岩浆源区经历了古亚洲洋俯冲沉积物熔体和流体交代作用的改造,但起主导作用的是流体.其地球化学特征总体显示MORB以及弧型玄武岩过渡的特征,暗示其形成于弧后伸展环境.研究区基性侵入岩地幔源区的不均一性主要受到古亚洲洋多期次俯冲作用析出熔/流体对上覆地幔楔不同程度的改造.      

加拿大萨德伯里奈恩( Nairn) 铜多金属矿 地球化学特征及意义

[摘 要] 加拿大奈恩(Nairn)工作区位于萨德伯里(Sudbury)镍铜矿集区南西方向约50 km,工作区 内的矿化类型可划分两类:淤产于辉长岩中的铜镍矿化和于产于石英角砾岩中的铜矿化。两种矿石的 微量元素和稀土元素特征较为相似, 高场强元素中富集Th-Zr-Hf 而相对亏损Nb-Ta 等,大离子亲石元 素中富集Rb-U-Pb 而相对亏损Ba-P-Ti 等,稀土元素相对富集轻稀土,轻稀土元素分馏程度明显,而重 稀土元素分馏程度不明显,铈异常不明显,而铕异常变化较大,总体上表现为负异常。上述特征暗示其 物质来源可能相似,结合其矿物组合和本区围岩特征来看, 铜镍矿石主要与中-基性岩浆有关,而石英 角砾岩的铜矿化主要与后期的岩浆热液有关,表明两种矿化类型主要与本区岩浆的结晶分异作用有关, 早期的高温铜镍硫化物随辉长岩中硅酸盐矿物的结晶而后生成,晚期的含矿热液沿构造产生的断层破 碎带迁移并最终充填在构造裂隙中。从奈恩矿区成矿特征来看,本区辉长岩墙与上伏围岩的接触部位, 特别是构造发育或相互交汇处将为最有利的成矿部位。     

The activity of silica in kimberlites,revisited

The activity of silica in a silicate liquid in equilibrium with olivine and orthopyroxene decreases with increasing pressure. In contrast, the activity of silica in an unbuffered silicate liquid changes little with pressure. Although the implications of these pressure dependencies have been considered by previous authors in terms of inferring pressures of origin of magmas, less consideration has been given to the implications of these dependencies on the evolution of the magma en route to the surface, or to the mantle through which the magma passes. In this paper, a combination of Schreinemakers’ analysis in isothermal section and calculated reactions in space is used to (a) rationalize the absence of orthopyroxene xenocrysts in kimberlites and the relative abundance of olivine “megacrysts” therein, (b) propose another reason for the paucity of xenocrystic mantle-derived carbonates in kimberlites, (c) explain why clinopyroxene is much less reactive in the kimberlite melt than is orthopyroxene, and (d) explore the implications of the relative stabilities of olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene in kimberlitic magma for the mantle through which the magma transits.

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Liquid immiscibility between trachyte and carbonate in ash flow tuffs from Kenya

Three thin, syn-caldera ash flow tuffs of the Suswa volcano, Kenya, contain pumiceous clasts and globules of trachytic glass, and clasts rich in carbonate globules, in a carbonate ash matrix. Petrographic and textural evidence indicates that the carbonate was magmatic. The trachyte is metaluminous to mildly peralkaline and varies from nepheline- to quartz-normative. The carbonate is calcium-rich, with high REE and F contents. The silicate and carbonate fractions have similar ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values, suggesting a common parental magma. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns are consistent with a carbonate liquid being exsolved from a silicate liquid after alkali feldspar fractionation. Sr isotopic and REE data show that the carbonate matrix of even the freshest tuffs interacted to some degree with hydrothermal and/or meteoric water. A liquid immiscibility relationship between the trachyte and carbonate is indicated by the presence of sharp, curved menisci between them, the presence of carbonate globules in silicate glass and of fiamme rich in carbonate globules separated by silicate glass, and by the fact that similar phenocryst phases occur in both melts. It is inferred that the carbonate liquid separated from a carbonated trachyte magma prior to, or during, caldera collapse. Viscosity differences segregated the magma into a fraction comprising silicate magma with scattered carbonate globules, and a fraction comprising carbonate globules in a silicate magmatic host.Explosive disruption of the magma generated silicate-and carbonate-rich clasts in a carbonate matrix. The silicate liquid was disaggregated by explosive disruption and texturally appears to have been budding-off into the carbonate matrix. After emplacement, the basal parts of the flows welded slightly and flattened. The Suswa rocks represent a rare and clear example of a liquid immiscibility relationship between trachyte and carbonate melts.     

Petrology and geochemistry of boninite series volcanic rocks from the Mariana trench

Boninite series volcanic rocks have been recovered from three dredge hauls on the inner slope of the Mariana Trench. These hauls included olivine boninites, boninites, boninitic andesites and boninitic dacites, as well as island arc tholeiitic basalts and andesites. The boninite series volcanics range from 52 to 68% SiO₂, and are characterized by very low abundances of high-field-strength cations and heavy-rare-earth elements. Boninites and olivine boninites have phenocrysts of olivine and orthopyroxene, the andesites phenocrysts of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, and the dacites orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase. Most of the major and trace element variation in the series from boninite to boninitic dacite can be modelled by fractionation of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase in the proportions 2.5412, leaving 47% residual liquid. The fractionation must be in part open-system: reverse zoned phenocrysts, resorbed olivine and plagioclase xenocrysts, and bulk rock compositions which cannot be fit by simple closed system crystallization indicate some magma mixing and phenocryst accumulation. Two boninitic magma stems can be identified, with similar high-field-strength element abundances, but different amounts of Ca, Na, Al and light-rare-earth elements. There is also evidence for a magma stem transitional in chemistry from the boninites to arc tholeiites. The compositions of these boninites are consistent with hypotheses for boninite formation by partial melting of a depleted mantle mixed with an incompatible element enriched fluid. The Mariana forearc boninite series lacks a strong iron enrichment, but produces andesites with lower Ti, Al and Y/Zr, and higher Mg, Ni and Cr than typical calcalkaline arc andesites and dacites. Boninites in the Mariana system were erupted only in the earliest phases of subduction zone activity.     

The role of liquid immiscibility in the genesis of carbonatites — An experimental study

The two-liquid field between alkali-carbonate liquids and phonolite or nephelinite magmas from the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano has been determined between 0.7 and 7.6 kb and 900°–1,250° C. The miscibility gap expands with increase in and decrease in temperature. Concomitantly there is a rotation of tie-lines so that the carbonate liquids become richer in CaO. The element distribution between the melts indicates that a carbonate liquid equivalent in composition to Oldoinyo Lengai natrocarbonatite lava would have separated from a phonolitic rather than a nephelinitic magma. CO₂-saturated nephelinites coexist with carbonate liquids much richer in CaO than the Lengai carbonatites, but even so these liquids have high alkali concentrations. If the sövites of hypabyssal and plutonic ijolite-carbonatite complexes originated by liquid immiscibility, then large quantities of alkalis have been lost, as is suggested by fenitization and related phenomena. The miscibility gap closes away from Na₂O-rich compositions, so that the tendency to exsolve a carbonatite melt is greater in salic than in mafic silicate magmas. The two-liquid field does not approach kimberlitic compositions over the range of pressures studied, suggesting that the globular textures observed in many kimberlite sills and dykes may be the result of processes other than liquid immiscibility at crustal pressures.     

Fractional Crystallization and Liquid Immiscibility Processes in the Alkaline-Carbonatite Complex of Juqui (So Paulo, Brazil)

The Juqui circular intrusion, which is Cretaceous in age (130–135Ma), crops out in the Precambrian gneissic basement in Brazilover an area of 14 km2. It consists of olivine clinopyroxen-itecumulates (with minor olivine gabbros) in the northeastern sector(74 vol.%), whereas ijolites-melteigites-urtites (4%) and nephelinesyenites with minor essexites and syenodiorites (21%) outlinesubannular concentric patterns with an Mg-carbonatite core (1%), in the southwestern part of the complex. Petrographical, bulk rock, and mineral compositional trendsindicate that the origin of the complex can be largely accountedfor by shallow-level fractional crystallization of a carbonatedbasanitic parental magma. Such a magma was generated deep inthe subcontinental lithosphere by low-degree partial meltingof a garnet-phlogopite peridotite source. Mass-balance calculations in agreement with field volume estimatespermit definition of several fractionation stages of the magmaticevolution under nearly closed-system conditions, with inwarddevelopment of zonally arranged side-wall cumulates. These stagesinvolved: (1) fractionation from basanite to essexite magma(liquid fraction F = 33–5%) by crystallization of olivineclinopyroxenite plus minor olivine alkali gabbro cumulates;(2) derivation of the least differentiated mafic nepheline syenite(F = 5–5 %) from essexitic magma by subtraction of a syenodioriteassemblage; (3) exsolution of a carbonatite liquid (5%) froma CO₂-enriched mafic nepheline syenite magma, which also underwentcontinuous fractionation giving rise to ijolite-melteigite-urtitecumulates. The proportion of cumulus clinopyroxene and biotiteand intercumulus nepheline and alkali feldspar in these lastrocks, as well as the absence of alkalis in carbonatite, maybe attributed, at least in part, to loss of alkali-rich hydrousfluids released during and after the unmixing formation of thetwo conjugate liquids. The KD values determined for Mg-carbonatite/nepheline syeniteare lower (1–4–2–9) for light rare earth elements(LREE) than for REE from Eu to Yb (4–6–7–8),in contrast to recent experimental results (Hamilton et al.,1989). A possible explanation is that Juquia Mg-carbonatiterepresents an alreadydifferentiated magma, which underwent extensivefractionation of LREE-enriched calcite. In this way, the highvariability of K₀ REE patterns observed in several alkaline-carbonatitecomplexes can also be accounted for. The remarkably constant initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (mostly between0–7052 and 0–7057) support the interpretation ofthe intrusion as having been generated by fractrional crystallizationand liquid immiscibility from a common parental magma. Iligherisotopic ratios (0–7060–0–7078), found mainlyin dykes and in the border facies of the intrusion, may be dueto contamination by the gecissic basement.     

The McIntosh Layered Troctolite-Olivine Gabbro Intrusion, East Kimberley, Western Australia

The well-preserved ?lower Proterozoic McIntosh intrusion consistsof 96 macro-layers with a total stratigraphic thickness of about6 km. The lowermost rocks in this possible cone-shaped intrusionare hidden, and the roof and the upper layers were removed byerosion. The layered sequence is dominated by 40 bimodal cyclicunits of troctolite and olivine gabbro. Minor gabbronorite layersoccur throughout the sequence, and are more abundant and morefractionated higher in the sequence. Six imperfect megacycicunits are developed in the upper 2700 m, each unit consistingof several troctolite-olivine gabbro cyclic units followed bya Fe-Ti oxide-bearing gabbronorite. The overall cumulus crystallizationorder in each megacyclic unit was plagioclase first, closelyfollowed by olivine, then augite, orthopyroxene, and magnetitesuccessively. Cryptic composition data for troctolites and olivine gabbrosshow a slight overall decrease of 10 mol per cent An and Fofrom the base to the top of the layered sequence (approximateranges An_80–70 and Fo_78–68). Several major fluctuationsoccur however, and are generally associated with the oxide gabbronorites,which are significantly more fractionated than the adjacentlayers (plagioclase An_53–60, orthopyroxene Mg_52–69Each fluctuation comprises a marked progressive discontinuity(rapid normal fractionation) followed by a gradual to rapidregressive discontinuity (or reversal) in the overlying troctolitesand olivine gabbros. Apparently, such marked progressive discontinuitieshave not been described in layered intrusions. A chilled margin and the overall composition of the intrusionsuggest an olivine tholeiite parent magma, inferred to havecrystallized at P 6 kb, relatively low _PH2O and high f_O2 (>NNO buffer). The troctolite-olivine gabbro cyclic units areinferred to have formed by fractional crystallization of periodicadditions of new magma. However, the oxide gabbronorites seemtoo fractionated relative to the underlying layers to have formedby conventional crystal fractionation mechanisms, and they couldhave resulted from a ‘liquid fractionation’ processin which fractionated residual magma, instead of rising, periodicallybecame denser and ponded on the temporary floor (a density crossover).Gradual, reversed cryptic trends in the cyclic units above theoxide gabbronorite layers may reflect mixing of this fractionatedmagma with successive magma additions.     

Liquid immiscibility in deep-seated magmas and the generation of carbonatite melts

This paper reviews the results of investigations of melt inclusions in minerals of carbonatites and spatially associated silicate rocks genetically related to various deep-seated undersaturated silicate magmas of alkaline ultrabasic, alkaline basic, lamproitic, and kimberlitic compositions. The analysis of this direct genetic information showed that all the deep magmas are inherently enriched in volatile components, the most abundant among which are carbon dioxide, alkalis, halides, sulfur, and phosphorus. The volatiles probably initially served as agents of mantle metasomatism and promoted melting in deep magma sources. The derived magmas became enriched in carbon dioxide, alkalis, and other volatile components owing to the crystallization and fractionation of early high-magnesium minerals and gradually acquired the characteristics of carbonated silicate liquids. When critical compositional parameters were reached, the accumulated volatiles catalyzed immiscibility, the magmas became heterogeneous, and two-phase carbonate-silicate liquid immiscibility occurred at temperatures of ≥1280–1250°C. The immiscibility was accompanied by the partitioning of elements: the major portion of fluid components partitioned together with Ca into the carbonate-salt fraction (parental carbonatite melt), and the silicate melt was correspondingly depleted in these components and became more silicic. After spatial separation, the silicate and carbonate-silicate melts evolved independently during slow cooling. Differentiation and fractionation were characteristic of silicate melts. The carbonatite melts became again heterogeneous within the temperature range from 1200 to 800–600°C and separated into immiscible carbonate-salt fractions of various compositions: alkali-sulfate, alkali-phosphate, alkali-fluoride, alkali-chloride, and Fe-Mg-Ca carbonate. In large scale systems, polyphase silicate-carbonate-salt liquid immiscibility is usually manifested during the slow cooling and prolonged evolution of deeply derived melts in the Earth’s crust. It may lead to the formation of various types of intrusive carbonatites: widespread calcite-dolomite and rare alkali-sulfate, alkali-phosphate, and alkali-halide rocks. The initial alkaline carbonatite melts can retain their compositions enriched in P, S, Cl, and F only at rapid eruption followed by instantaneous quenching.     

Chemical mass transfer in magmatic processes

Lasaga's (1982) Master Equation for crystal growth is solved for multicomponent systems in situations which allow for coupled diffusion of melt species. The structure of the solution is explored in some detail for the case of a constant diffusion coefficient matrix. Incorporating these results, the growth of plagioclase is modeled in undercooled tholeiitic melts by approximating interface growth rates with (1) a reduced growth rate function and with (2) calculated solid-liquid solution properties obtained from the silicate liquid solution model of Ghiorso et al. (1983; appendix of Ghiorso 1985). For this purpose algorithms are provided for estimating the liquidus temperature or the chemical affinity of a multicomponent solid solution precipitating from a complex melt of specified bulk composition. Compositional trends in initial solids produced by successive degrees of undercooling are opposite to those predicted in the binary system NaAlSi₃O₈-CaAl₂Si₂O₈. Calculations suggest that the solid phase and interface melt compositions rapidly approach a steady state for a given degree of undercooling. Consequently, the overall isothermal growth rate of plagioclase forming from tholeiitic melts appears to be entirely diffusion controlled. In magmatic systems the multicomponent growth equations allow for the formation of oscillatory zoned crystals as a consequence of the couplingr between interface reaction kinetics and melt diffusion. The magnitude of this effect is largely dependent upon the asymmetry of the diffusion coefficient matrix. Methods are described to facilitate the calibration of diffusion matrices from experimental data on multicomponent penetration curves.Experimental results (Lesher and Walker 1986) on steady state Soret concentration profiles resulting from thermal diffusion in MORB and andesitic liquids are analyzed using the theory of multicomponent linear irreversible thermodynamics. Under conditions where the entropy production is minimized, a linear relationship is derived between liquid chemical potentials and temperature. This relationship is utilized to evaluate the validity of the solution model of Ghiorso et al. (1983) in melts up to 300° C above their liquidus. The results indicate that configurational entropies are accurately modeled for MORB and andesite bulk compositions. The modeling fails in two four-component systems tested. Equations are derived which allow the calibration of multicomponent regular solution parameters from steady state Soret arrays. An algorithm is demonstrated which permits the calculation of steady state Soret concentration profiles, given an overall bulk melt composition and temperature gradient. This algorithm uses the liquid solution properties of Ghiorso et al. (1983) and constants obtained from the experimental measurements of Lesher and Walker (1986).     

Timing and source constraints on the relationship between mafic and felsic intrusions in the Emeishan large igneous province

Several I- and A-type granite, syenite plutons and spatially associated, giant Fe-Ti-V deposit-bearing mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions occur in the Pan-Xi (Panzhihua-Xichang) area within the inner zone of the Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP). These complexes are interpreted to be related to the Emeishan mantle plume. We present LA-ICP-MS and SIMS zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-Nd isotopic compositions for the gabbros, syenites and granites from these complexes. The dating shows that the age of the felsic intrusive magmatism (256.2 ± 3.0-259.8 ± 1.6 Ma) is indistinguishable from that of the mafic intrusive magmatism (255.4 ± 3.1-259.5 ± 2.7 Ma) and represents the final phase of a continuous magmatic episode that lasted no more than 10 Myr. The upper gabbros in the mafic-ultramafic intrusions are generally more isotopically enriched (lower ε_Nd and ε_Hf) than the middle and lower gabbros, suggesting that the upper gabbros have experienced a higher level of crustal contamination than the lower gabbros. The significantly positive ε_Hf(t) values of the A-type granites and syenites (+4.9 to +10.8) are higher than those of the upper gabbros of the associated mafic intrusion, which shows that they cannot be derived by fractional crystallization of these bodies. They are however identical to those of the mafic enclaves (+7.0 to +11.4) and middle and lower gabbros, implying that they are cogenetic. We suggest that they were generated by fractionation of large-volume, plume-related basaltic magmas that ponded deep in the crust. The deep-seated magma chamber erupted in two stages: the first near a density minimum in the basaltic fractionation trend and the second during the final stage of fractionation when the magma was a low density Fe-poor, Si-rich felsic magma. The basaltic magmas emplaced in the shallow-level magma chambers differentiated to form mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions accompanied by a small amount of crustal assimilation through roof melting. Evolved A-type granites (synenites and syenodiorites) were produced dominantly by crystallization in the deep crustal magma chamber. In contrast, the I-type granites have negative ε_Nd(t) [−6.3 to −7.5] and ε_Hf(t) [−1.3 to −6.7] values, with the Nd model ages () of 1.63−1.67 Ga and Hf model ages () of 1.56−1.58 Ga, suggesting that they were mainly derived from partial melting of Mesoproterozoic crust. In combination with previous studies, this study also shows that plume activity not only gave rise to reworking of ancient crust, but also significant growth of juvenile crust in the center of the ELIP.     

The genesis of basaltic magmas

This paper reports the results of a detailed experimental investigation of fractionation of natural basaltic compositions under conditions of high pressure and high temperature. A single stage, piston-cylinder apparatus has been used in the pressure range up to 27 kb and at temperatures up to 1500° C to study the melting behaviour of several basaltic compositions. The compositions chosen are olivine-rich (20% or more normative olivine) and include olivine tholeiite (12% normative hypersthene), olivine basalt (1% normative hypersthene) alkali olivine basalt (2% normative nepheline) and picrite (3% normative hypersthene). The liquidus phases of the olivine tholeiite and olivine basalt are olivine at 1 Atmosphere, 4.5 kb and 9 kb, orthopyroxene at 13.5 and 18 kb, clinopyroxene at 22.5 kb and garnet at 27 kb. In the alkali olivine basalt composition, the liquidus phases are olivine at 1 Atmosphere and 9 kb, orthopyroxene with clinopyroxene at 13.5 kb, clinopyroxene at 18 kb and garnet at 27 kb. The sequence of appearance of phases below the liquidus has also been studied in detail. The electron probe micro-analyser has been used to make partial quantitative analyses of olivines, orthopyroxenes, clinopyroxenes and garnets which have crystallized at high pressure.These experimental and analytical results are used to determine the directions of fractionation of basaltic magmas during crystallization over a wide range of pressures. At pressures corresponding to depths of 35–70 km separation of aluminous enstatite from olivine tholeiite magma produces a direct fractionation trend from olivine tholeiites through olivine basalts to alkali olivine basalts. Co-precipitation of sub-calcic, aluminous clinopyroxene with the orthopyroxene in the more undersaturated compositions of this sequence produces derivative liquids of basanite type. Magmas of alkali olivine basalt and basanite type represent the lower temperature liquids derived by approximately 30% crystallization of olivine-rich tholeiite at 35–70 km depth. At depths of about 30 km, fractionation of olivine-rich tholeiite with separation of both olivine and low-alumina enstatite, joined at lower temperatures by sub-calcic clinopyroxene, leads to derivative liquids with relatively constant SiO₂ (48 to 50%) increasingly high Al₂O₃ (15–17%) contents and retaining olivine + hypersthene normative chemistry (5–15% normative olivine). These have the composition of typical high-alumina olivine tholeiites. The effects of low pressure fractionation may be superimposed on magma compositions derived from various depths within the mantle. These lead to divergence of the alkali olivine basalt and tholeiitic series but convergence of both the low-alumina and high-alumina tholeiites towards quartz tholeiite derivative liquids.The general problem of derivation of basaltic magmas from a mantle of peridotitic composition is discussed in some detail. Magmas are considered to be a consequence of partial melting but the composition of a magma is determined not by the depth of partial melting but by the depth at which magma segregation from residual crystals occurs. Magma generation from parental peridotite (pyrolite) at depths up to 100 km involves liquid-crystal equilibria between basaltic liquids and olivine + aluminous pyroxenes and does not involve garnet. At 35–70 km depth, basaltic liquids segregating from a pyrolite mantle will be of alkali olivine basalt type with about 20% partial melting but with increasing degrees of partial melting, liquids will change to olivine-rich tholeiite type with about 30% melting. If the depth of magma segregation is about 30 km, then magmas produced by 20–25% partial melting will be of high-alumina olivine tholeiite type, similar to the oceanic tholeiites occurring on the sea floor along the mid-oceanic ridges.Hypotheses of magma fractionation and generation by partial melting are considered in relation to the abundances and ratios of trace elements and in relation to isotopic abundance data on natural basalts. It is shown that there is a group of elements (including K, Ti, P, U, Th, Ba, Rb, Sr, Cs, Zr, Hf and the rare-earth elements) which show enrichment factors in alkali olivine basalts and in some tholeiites, which are inconsistent with simple crystal fractionation relationships between the magma types. This group of elements has been called incompatible elements referring to their inability to substitute to any appreciable extent in the major minerals of the upper mantle (olivine, aluminous pyroxenes). Because of the lack of temperature contrast between magma and wall-rock for a body of magma near to its depth of segregation in the mantle, cooling of the magma involves complementary processes of reaction with the wall-rook, including selective melting and extraction of the lowest melting fraction. The incompatible elements are probably highly concentrated in the lowest melting fraction of the pyrolite. The production of large overall enrichments in incompatible elements in a magma by reaction with and highly selective sampling of large volumes of mantle wall-rock during slow ascent of a magma is considered to be a normal, complementary process to crystal fractionation in the mantle. This process has been called wall-rock reaction. Magma generation in the mantle is rarely a simple, closed-system partial melting process and the isotopic abundances and incompatible element abundances of a basalt as observed at the earth's surface may be largely determined by the degree of reaction with the mantle or lower crustal wall-rocks and bear little relation to the abundances and ratios of the original parental mantle material (pyrolite).Occurrences of cognate xenoliths and xenocrysts in basalts are considered in relation to the experimental data on liquid-crystal equilibria at high pressure. It is inferred that the lherzolite nodules largely represent residual material after extraction of alkali olivine basalt from mantle pyrolite or pyrolite which has been selectively depleted in incompatible elements by wall-rock reaction processes. Lherzolite nodules included in tholeiitic magmas would melt to a relatively large extent and disintegrate, but would have a largely refractory character if included in alkali olivine basalt magma. Other examples of xenocrystal material in basalts are shown to be probable liquidus crystals or accumulates at high pressure from basaltic magma and provide a useful link between the experimental study and natural processes.     

Experimental petrology of normal MORB near the Kane Fracture Zone: 22°–25° N,mid-Atlantic ridge

Melting experiments carried out at 1-atm and at 2 kbar on mid-ocean ridge basalts dredged from the mid-Atlantic ridge near the Kane Fracture Zone (KFZ, 22° to 25° N. latitude) provide a basis for evaluating the role of crystal fractionation in generating compositional variability observed in normal mid-ocean ridge basalt. The 1-atm olivine-plagioclase-clinopyroxene saturation boundary for KFZ lavas defines a path in mineral projection schemes and in oxide-oxide diagrams that is displaced from the same experimentally determined boundaries in FAMOUS (Grove and Bryan 1983) and Oceanographer Fracture Zone (Walker et al. 1979) basalts. The glass margins of sparsely phyric KFZ lavas record small amounts of near surface, low pressure fractional crystallization, and their glass and bulk rock compositions are similar. An important signature of low pressure differentiation is recorded in the quenched glass margins of moderately phyric KFZ lavas compared to their bulk rock compositions, and the glass has evolved along low-pressure fractionation paths that are similar to those produced in the 1-atm experiments. Many of the lavas have retained phenocrysts in equilibrium proportions, so that their bulk rock compositions represent liquid compositions. When the effects of near-surface differentiation and crystal accumulation are removed from the Kane data set, and only liquid compositions are considered, a suite of basalt magmas can be identified that forms a trend in mineral component projection schemes parallel to the 1-atm oliv-plag-cpx multiple saturation boundary, but displaced from it toward olivine. These basalts have only olivine and plagioclase as phenocrysts, and are well removed from clinopyroxene saturation at low pressure. The compositional variation can not be generated by mixing any primary liquid composition with a low pressure liquid that has evolved along the oliv-plag-cpx multiple saturation boundary. Major and trace element models of this trend using olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene as fractionating phases match the compositional variability. This compositional trend is generated by fractionation at pressures greater than 2 kbar, but within the plagioclase stability field. A review of the data for other normal MORB suites from this part of the mid-Atlantic ridge reveals a similar elevated pressure fractionation signature which persists when the effects of low pressure magma mixing are removed from the data set.     

Petrogenesis of the gabbros from Mt. St. Hilaire,Quebec, Canada

Mt. St. Hilaire occurs as a small funnel-shaped intrusion in the Monteregian petrographic province of Quebec and consists of alkali gabbros and later nepheline syenites. Based on field relations, petrography, and geochemistry, five types of gabbro are recognized. In order of intrusion these are: leucogabbro, foliated gabbro, kaersutite-biotite gabbro, kaersutite gabbro, and a gabbro-melagabbro series. Based on analyses of the early-forming ilmenite-titanomagnetite, the gabbros crystallized under high fO₂ conditions which lead to subsequent crystallization of olivines with high MnO contents. Fractionation of ilmenite and titanomagnetite was a major control on the Ti and A[TV]concentrations in the clinopyroxenes. Plagioclase compositions in the gabbros became richer in Ab contents in the sequence gabbro-melagabbro to leucogabbro. Whole-rock analyses suggest that the parental magma of alkali basaltic composition was fairly evolved prior to emplacement. Lack of olivine in the cumulate gabbro-melagabbros and low Ni and Cr in all gabbros may reflect either extreme olivine fractionation and/or a very low olivine content in the source material for these basalts. Differentiation of the gabbros occurred both pre- and post-emplacement, probably by a process of crystal-liquid fractionation at depths between 3-5 and 8 km. This is in accordance with geophysical measurements for other Monteregian intrusions. A model is presented for the mechanism of emplacement.     

Melt Inclusions in Primitive Olivine Phenocrysts: the Role of Localized Reaction Processes in the Origin of Anomalous Compositions

Melt inclusions are small portions of liquid trapped by growingcrystals during magma evolution. Recent studies of melt inclusionshave revealed a large range of unusual major and trace elementcompositions in phenocrysts from primitive mantle-derived magmaticrocks [e.g. in high-Fo olivine (Fo > 85 mol %), spinel, high-Anplagioclase]. Inclusions in phenocrysts crystallized from moreevolved magmas (e.g. olivine Fo < 85 mol %), are usuallycompositionally similar to the host lavas. This paper reviewsthe chemistry of melt inclusions in high-Fo olivine phenocrystsfocusing on those with anomalous major and trace element contentsfrom mid-ocean ridge and subduction-related basalts. We suggestthat a significant portion of the anomalous inclusion compositionsreflects localized, grain-scale dissolution–reaction–mixing(DRM) processes within the magmatic plumbing system. The DRMprocesses occur at the margins of primitive magma bodies, wheremagma is in contact with cooler wall rocks and/or pre-existingsemi-solidified crystal mush zones (depending on the specificenvironment). Injection of hotter, more primitive magma causespartial dissolution (incongruent melting) of the mush-zone phases,which are not in equilibrium with the primitive melt, and mixingof the reaction products with the primitive magma. Localizedrapid crystallization of high-Fo olivines from the primitivemagma may lead to entrapment of numerous large melt inclusions,which record the DRM processes in progress. In some magmaticsuites melt inclusions in primitive phenocrysts may be naturallybiased towards the anomalous compositions. The occurrence ofmelt inclusions with unusual compositions does not necessarilyimply the existence of new geologically significant magma typesand/or melt-generation processes, and caution should be exercisedin their interpretation. KEY WORDS: melt inclusions; olivine; geochemistry; mush zones; MORB; subduction-related magmas