Electron-probe studies of the earlier pyroxenes and olivines from the Skaergaard intrusion,East Greenland

Pyroxenes and olivines from the earlier stages of fractionation of the Skaergaard intrusion (Wager and Brown, 1968; Brown, 1957) have been studied using the electron microprobe. The subsolidus trend for both Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxenes has been established, from the Mg-rich portion of the quadrilateral to the Hed-Fs join, together with the orientations of the tie-lines joining coexisting pyroxenes. For the Mg-rich Ca-poor pyroxenes, Brown's (1957) solidus trend has been modified slightly. From a study of a previously undescribed drill core, reversals in the cryptic layering have been found in the Lower Zone. The reversals are attributed to existence within the convecting magma chamber of local temperature differences. The Skaergaard magma temperatures are postulated to have passed out of the orthopyroxene stability field into the pigeonite stability field at EnFs ratios of 7228, for Ca-free calculated compositions, and specimen 1849, a perpendicular-feldspar rock, is interpreted as straddling the orthopyroxene-pigeonite transition interval. The cessation of crystallisation of Ca-poor pyroxene and the increase in Wo content of the Ca-rich pyroxene trend have been reexamined, and Muir's (1954) peritectic reaction (pigeonite+liquid=augite) has been confirmed. The composition at which Ca-poor pyroxene starts reacting with the liquid is postulated as Wo₁₀ En_36.7Fs_{53 3}. It is suggested that the cessation of crystallisation of Ca-poor pyroxene is sensitive to the amount of plagioclase crystallising from the liquid.A complete series of accurate olivine compositions for the whole Skaergaard sequence is presented for the first time, including the compositions of the Middle Zone olivine reaction rims.     

Investigations in the Stillwater Complex: Part II. Petrology and Petrogenesis of the Ultramafic Series

The Ultramafic series of the Stillwater Complex has been dividedinto two major zones: a Peridotite zone formed of 20 macro-rhythmicunits of dunite-harzburgite-orthopyroxenite, and an overlyingOrthopyroxenite zone. The stratigraphic section has been determinedat Mountain View (2065 m) and at Chrome Mountain (840 m). TheMountain View section apparently formed in a subsiding basinwhereas the rocks at Chrome Mountain accumulated in a relativelystable, higher area of the chamber floor. In both sections,Mg/(Mg + Fe) in cumulus mafic minerals increases with stratigraphicheight in the lower 400 m, then remains relatively constantthrough the rest of the series. The base of the series is marked by the first appearance oflaterally extensive olivine-rich cumulates. The accretion ofthe cumulates and the growth of the chamber proceeded throughperiodic injections of olivine-saturated mafic magma. The lowercontact of the cycles represents a hiatus in crystallizationand a return to a more primitive magma composition. Althoughhotter, the primitive magma was more dense, so it entered thechamber at or near the floor and did not immediately mix withthe more differentiated orthopyroxene-saturated magma alreadypresent. As it cooled by transfer of heat across its upper surface,the primitive magma crystallized olivine and differentiatedin situ to form the lower dunite. With the accumulation of olivinenear the base, the crystal/liquid ratio, and thus the density,decreased at the top of the layer eventually resulting in mixingand the formation of harzburgite. After removal of olivine byresorption and settling from the hybrid magma, orthopyroxenealone crystallized forming an orthopyroxenite. Chromitite layersprobably formed by the mixing of primitive olivine± chromite-saturatedmagma and narrow layers of orthopyroxene-saturated magma trappedunderneath. The Mg-enrichment trend in the lower 400 m resulted from reactionof cumulus olivine and/or orthopyroxene with progressively decreasingvolumes of intercumulus liquid. As heat loss through the floordecreased, accumulation rate approached a steady state, thefraction of trapped liquid remained more or less constant andvariation in Mg/(Mg + Fe) was governed dominantly by cumulusprocesses. The constant NiO abundances in olivine throughoutthe section are consistent with the model for the formationof the macro-rhythmic units. Depletion of NiO was dampened byrepeated additions of parental magma, localized equilibriumcrystallization, mixing, and the effect of postcumulus equi-librationwith varied amounts of trapped liquid. Discordant dunite bodies, which are common at Chrome Mountain,formed by the replacement by olivine of earlier formed cumulates.The replacement involved the incongruent dissolution of ortho-pyroxeneat near-solidus temperatures by a late-stage, hydrous vaporprobably derived from the magma. The vapor phase migrated alongfractures formed by the readjustment of the cumulate pile.     

Experimental study of a jotunite (hypersthene monzodiorite): constraints on the parent magma composition and crystallization conditions (P,T, f O 2) of the Bjerkreim-Sokndal layered intrusion (Norway)

The Bjerkreim-Sokndal layered intrusion is part of the Rogaland anorthosite Province of southern Norway and is made of cumulates of the anorthositemangerite-charnockite suite. This study presents experimental phase equilibrium data for one of the finegrained jotunite (Tjörn locality) occurring along its northwestern lobe. These experimental data show that a jotunitic liquid similar in composition to the Tjörn jotunite, but slightly more magnesian and with a higher plagioclase component is the likely parent of macrocyclic units (MCU)III and IV of the intrusion. The limit of the olivine stability field in the experimentally determined phase diagram as well as comparison of the Al₂O₃ content of low-Ca pyroxenes from experiments and cumulates (1.5%) yields a pressure of emplacement 5 kbar. Experimentally determined Fe-Ti oxide equilibria compared to the order of cumulus arrival in the intrusion show that the oxygen fugacity was close to FMQ (fayalite-magnetite-quartz) during the early crystallization. It subsequently decreased relative to this buffer when magnetite disappeared from the cumulus assemblage and then increased until the reentry of this mineral. Calculated densities of experimental liquids show a density increase with fractionation at 7, 10 and 13 kbar due to the predominance of plagioclase in the crystallizing assemblage. At 5 kbar and 1 atm (FMQ-1), where plagioclase is the liquidus phase, density first increases and then drops when olivine (5 kbar) or olivine+ilmenite (1 atm: FMQ-1) precipitate. At 1 atm and NNO (nickel-nickel oxide), the presence of both magnetite and ilmenite as near liquidus phases induces a density decrease. In the Bjerkreim magma chamber, oxides are early cumulus phases and liquid density is then supposed to have decreased during fractionation. This density path implies that new influxes of magma emplaced in the chamber were both hotter and denser than the resident magma. The density contrast inferred between plagioclase and the parent magma shows that this mineral was not able to sink in the magma, suggesting anin situ crystallization process.     

Density changes during the fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas: fluid dynamic implications

The dynamical behaviour of basaltic magma chambers is fundamentally controlled by the changes that occur in the density of magma as it crystallizes. In this paper the term fractionation density is introduced and defined as the ratio of the gram formula weight to molar volume of the chemical components in the liquid phase that are being removed by fractional crystallization. Removal of olivine and pyroxene, whose values of fractionation density are larger than the density of the magma, causes the density of residual liquid to decrease. Removal of plagioclase, with fractionation density less than the magma density, can cause the density of residual liquid to increase. During the progressive differentiation of basaltic magma, density decreases during fractionation of olivine, olivine-pyroxene, and pyroxene assemblages. When plagioclase joins these mafic phases magma density can sometimes increase leading to a density minimum. Calculations of melt density changes during fractionation show that compositional effects on density are usually greater than associated thermal effects.In the closed-system evolution of basaltic magma, several stages of distinctive fluid dynamical behaviour can be recognised that depend on the density changes which accompany crystallization, as well as on the geometry of the chamber. In an early stage of the evolution, where olivine and/or pyroxenes are the fractionating phases, compositional stratification can occur due to side-wall crystallization and replenishment by new magma, with the most differentiated magma tending to accumulate at the roof of the chamber. When plagioclase becomes a fractionating phase a zone of well-mixed magma with a composition close to the density minimum of the system can form in the chamber. The growth of a zone of constant composition destroys the stratification in the chamber. A chamber of well-mixed magma is maintained while further differentiation occurs, unless the walls of the chamber slope inwards, in which case dense boundary layer flows can lead to stable stratification of cool, differentiated magma at the floor of the chamber.In a basaltic magma chamber replenished by primitive magma, the new magma ponds at the base and evolves until it reaches the same density and composition as overlying magma. Successive cycles of replenishment of primitive magma can also form compositional zonation if successive cycles occur before internal thermal equilibrium is reached in a chamber. In a chamber containing well-mixed, plagioclase — saturated magma, the primitive magma can be either denser or lighter than the resident magma. In the first case, the new magma ponds at the base and fractionates until it reaches the same density as the evolved magma. Mixing then occurs between magmas of different temperatures and compositions. In the second case a turbulent plume is generated that causes the new magma to mix immediately with the resident magma.     

Slow,dense replenishments of a basic magma chamber: the layered series of the Newark Island layered intrusion,Nain, Labrador

The Newark Island layered intrusion is a composite layered intrusion within the Nain anorthosite complex, Labrador. The intrusion comprises a lower layered series (LS) dominated by troctolites, olivine gabbros and oxide-rich cumulates and an upper hybrid series (HS) characterized by a wide range of mafic, granitic and hybrid cumulates and discontinuous layers of chilled mafic rocks (Wiebe 1988). The HS crystallized from a series of replenishments of both silicic and basic magmas. The LS crystallized from periodically replenished basic magmas. The LS has a lower zone that consists mainly of olivine-plagioclase cumulates and contains minor cryptic reversals in mineral compositions that resulted from replenishments of relatively primitive magma. An upper zone is dominated by olivine-plagioclaseaugite-ilmenite cumulates. Cumulus titanomagnetite and pyrrhotite occur within some oxide-rich cumulates, and the stratigraphically highest layers contain cumulus apatite. At intermediate levels in the sequence, cumulus inverted pigeonite occurs in place of olivine. Several prominent regressions in the stratigraphy of the upper zone are marked by fine-grained troctolitic layers with much higher Mg no. [100 MgO/(MgO+FeO)] and anorthite than underlying cumulates. These layers coarsen upward and grade back to oxide-bearing olivine gabbros within thicknesses ranging from 10 cm to 15 m. Dikes that cut the LS have major- and trace-element compositions that strongly suggest that they are feeders for the replenishments. In the lower zone when olivine and plagioclase were the only cumulus phases, replenishments were less dense than the resident magma and rose as plumes and mixed with it. Precipitation of cumulus oxides in the upper zone lowered the density of resident magma so that subsequent replenishments were more dense than resident magma. Replenishments that occurred after oxides began to precipitate had small injection velocities. These post-oxide injections flowed along the interface between resident magma and the cumulate pile and precipitated flow-banded, fine-grained troctolites.     

Petrology and origin of the shergottite meteorites

Shergottites contain cumulus pigeonite and augite, probably without cumulus plagioclase and crystallized under relatively oxidizing conditions. Shergotty and Zagami may differ in the relative proportions of cumulus pyroxenes and crystallized intercumulus liquid, but the compositions of pyroxenes and liquid are similar in both meteorites. Absence of olivine in melting experiments suggests that the shergottites crystallized from fractionated derivatives of primary liquids. Low-Ca pyroxene and augite apparently began to crystallize from these primary liquids prior to plagioclase. Shergottites can be readily distinguished from other achondrite groups by their mineralogies, crystallization sequences and inferred source region compositions. However, the source regions of the shergottites may be related to those of other achondrite types by addition or loss of volatile components.The bulk composition of the Earth's upper mantle overlaps that of permissible shergottite source regions. Shergottites and terrestrial basalts display similarities in oxidation state and concentrations of trace and minor elements with a wide range of cosmochemical and geochemical affinities. Accretion of similar materials to produce the terrestrial upper mantle and the shergottite parent body or accretion of the Earth's upper mantle from planetesimals similar to the shergottite parent body may account for many of their similarities. Models of the origin of the Earth's upper mantle which attribute its oxidation state, its siderophile element abundances and its volatile element abundances to uniquely terrestrial processes or conditions, or to factors unique to the origin and differentiation of large bodies, are unattractive in light of the similarities between shergottites and terrestrial basalts.     

Petrology of the Proterozoic Potato River Layered Intrusion, Northern Wisconsin, USA

The Potato River intrusion is a Keweenawan (1100 Ma) mafic plutonemplaced in Keweenawan volcanics and earlier Proterozoic metasedimentaryrocks along the southeastern flank of the Lake Superior syncline.It comprises the following lithostratigraphic zones: a thinto absent Border zone of altered olivine gabbro; a Lower zoneof olivine gabbro; a Picritic zone of picrite and troctolite;a Middle zone of olivine gabbro and leucogabbro; an Upper zoneof quartz leucogabbro and ferrogabbro; and a Roof zone of granophyricand granitic rocks. Fractional crystallization is evident fromcompositional changes in the rocks and cumulus minerals withstratigraphic height. Elements concentrated in the cumulus mineralsolivine and plagioclase (Mg, Fe²⁺, Al, Ca, Ni, Co, Cr, Sr) decreasewith height; elements concentrated in the trapped liquid (Na,K, La, Y, Zr, Nb, Rb, Ba) increase with height; and other elements(Ti, Fe³⁺, P, Ga, V, Sc, Cu, Zn) show complicated behavior relatedto the appearance of additional cumulus phases such as clinopyroxene,Fe-Ti oxides, and apatite. Lower zone rocks contain some sulfide,probably from sulfur derived from the country rock, and theUpper zone has sulfides probably precipitated from an immisciblesulfide liquid. The sulfide-bearing rocks have similaritiesto those of other intrusions, such as Bushveld, Stillwater,and Skaergaard. The picritic and troctolitic rocks of the Picritic zone indicatethat the intrusion was open to additional injections of maficmagma. Roof zone granophyric rocks are residual liquids intrudedalong the upper margin of the intrusion during regional tilting,but Roof zone granitic rocks are probably melted country rock.An attempt is made to estimate by reverse stratigraphic summationthe compositional path of the magma that solidified above thePicritic zone. The first compositions are highly aluminous,which suggests that the upper part of the intrusion has beenenriched in plagioclase by convection-aided crystal sorting.A complementary unit of mafic rocks is not exposed, but it couldbe present down dip. Some of the later compositions are similarto typical Keweenawan high-Al tholeiites. The magma did notundergo extreme iron enrichment, probably because of oxygenfugacity buffering.     

Present condition of Mt. Elbrus volcano

The Freetown layered complex, located on the western coast of Sierra Leone, is a rift-related tholeiitic intrusion associated with the Jurassic (～193 Ma) opening of the Atlantic Ocean at midlatitude. The complex is ～ 60 km long, 14 km wide, and 7 km thick along a major E-W traverse extending from Waterloo to York. Gravity data and dips of laminations in the layered rocks suggest that the intrusive complex is lopolithic in shape, with some parts presently being submarine.

The exposed rocks consist of a rhythmically layered sequence of troctolite, olivine gabbro, gabbronorite, gabbro, and anorthosite. The complex has been divided into four zones delineated by (1) topographic expression, whereby the base of each zone forms a scarp, and the top forms dip slopes and strike valleys; and (2) cyclical repetition of rock types (Wells, 1962). A new detailed stratigraphic section along the Waterloo-York traverse is presented, in which Zone 3 is subdivided into an upper 2000-m-thick anorthosite-gabbro interval and a lower 1700-m-thick rhythmically layered subzone.

Inverted pigeonite first became a cumulus phase at the bottom of Zone 2, before disappearing near the middle of Zone 3 at the anorthosite-gabbro interval, only to reappear at the top of Zone 4 with cumulus titanomagnetite. Mineral compositions in the complex range from An₇₂ to An₇₂ plagioclase, Fo₅₆ to Fo₇₅ olivine, En_38.5 to En_44.8 augite, and En_54.9 to En_74.6 orthopyroxene. The compositions of plagioclase and olivine in Zone 2 vary irregularly, although the overall trend is toward reverse differentiation. By contrast, Zone 4 is characterized by a rapid decrease in Fo and An from the base of the zone upward, followed by an increase. Cryptic variation also is shown by the Ni content of olivine and Cr content of clinopyroxene.

The overall pattern of cryptic variation in the complex suggests continual leakage of fresh magma into the chamber, followed by oscillatory spikes in the rhythmically layered subzone of Zone 3, where major influxes of new magma occurred. The changes in mineral compositions and modal abundances as a function of stratigraphic height are the result of magma recharge, followed by mixing of new and evolved resident magmas in the Freetown magma chamber. This probably resulted in the expansion of the chamber and crystallization in situ without any discharge. The inferred crystallization sequence for each zone is different, reflecting different magma compositions and changes that occur in the magmas during crystallization. The alternative hypotheses that the Freetown Complex formed from a single parental magma, or that mineral layering was the result of the crystallization sequence Fe-Ti oxides→olivine→pyroxene→plagioclase, are not supported by the evidence.     

Petrology of the Marginal Border Series of the Skaergaard Intrusion

The Marginal Border Series (MBS) of the Skaergaard intrusionconsists of rocks formed by in situ crystallization againstthe walls of the intrusion. Most of these rocks are productsof fractional crystallization, though samples believed to representchilled liquid occur locally at the intrusive contact. The MBScomprises only 5% of the exposed volume of the intrusion, butwithin its thickness, the order of crystallization and the compositionsof fractionated rocks and minerals vary systematically withdistance inward from the intrusive contact in largely the samemanner as rocks and minerals upward through the Layered Series(LS). Earliest differentiates are cumulates of olivine and plagioclase.The most basic compositions of cumulus plagioclase (An₇₂) andolivine (Fo₈₄) in these rocks indicate that the amount of fractionationpreceding formation of the exposed LS was substantially lessthat previously believed. Field and compositional data indicatethat picritic blocks are xenoliths rather than cumulates ofthe Skaergaard magma. Xenoliths of gneiss in all stages of reactionare locally abundant; however, there is no evidence that uppercrustal material contaminated the magma from which the MBS cumulatesformed. Compositions of cumulus minerals in the MBS differ fromthose in comparable LS rocks. Cumulates in the lower marginscontain more calcic plagioclase, more magnesian augite in allbut the late differentiates, and more iron-rich olivine. Thecompositions of cumulus olivine and to a lesser degree thoseof other mafic silicates, were modified to more iron-rich compositionsby re-equilibration with relatively large amounts of interstitialliquid. The lower MBS and LS crystallized from the same magma, but fractionationoccurred at different rates on the walls and floor of the intrusion.The upper margin may have crystallized from a magma of modifiedcomposition and fractionated at rates different from that inthe lower margin and Upper Border Series (UBS). Crystals onthe floor and roof of the intrusion accumulated faster or moreefficiently than on the walls. At any given stage of fractionation,crystals also accumulated against all sides of the magma chamberat about the same rate. Either the rates of cooling, crystallization,and crystal retention affected accumulation rates locally asfunctions of rock type and geometry of the walls, or these rateswere largely independent of wall rock owing to buffering ofconductive heat loss possibly to an envelope of hydrothermalfluid circulating around the crystallizing magma. The appearanceor disappearance of cumulus minerals in the lower MBS occursat higher structural levels than in the LS and at lower structurallevels than in the UBS. These relationships together with cumulusmineral compositions indicate that magma at the margins wasalways somewhat less fractionated than that at the floor androof of the chamber. It is proposed that these relationshipsreflect the combined effects of liquid and crystal fractionationof the magma within largely independent convection systems inthe lower and upper parts of the chamber.     

吉林红旗岭1号和7号岩体中含矿超镁铁质岩的矿物化学特征:对岩浆演化过程以及铜镍硫化物矿床形成机制的约束

本文对吉林红旗岭1号和7号岩体中含矿超镁铁质岩的主要造岩矿物进行了详细研究。两岩体的主要造岩矿物为贵橄榄石、古铜辉石、单斜辉石、斜长石、角闪石和金云母。岩浆的暗色矿物结晶顺序为:橄榄石→斜方辉石→单斜辉石→角闪石→黑云母,与镜下实际观察一致,是岩浆在不同深度结晶的产物。原始岩浆来自上地幔,两岩体进入高位岩浆房中的熔体的MgO含量分别13.98%和14.22%、Mg#值分别为72.22和71.05,为含水的高镁的苦橄质玄武岩浆。深部岩浆房深度距地表约26～27km,岩浆房内的结晶温度介于1280～1379℃之间,即结晶于下地壳中。岩浆由深部上升到高位(浅部)岩浆房中的过程是近绝热的,也是快速完成的。岩浆可能经历了两次岩浆房的演化过程,岩浆在上升到高位岩浆房之前,在深部曾经历了较短时间的橄榄石和少量辉石的分离结晶作用;但在高位岩浆房中混染了地壳物质,与此同时,还经历了同源岩浆混合作用以及岩浆过冷却作用,这些都有利于岩浆体系中成矿元素含量增高以及硫达到饱和状态,使金属硫化物熔离并晶出,从而使岩体发生铜镍矿化作用。     

Pyroxene in enclaves and syenites of the Red Hill complex,New Hampshire: an ion and electron microprobe study

The Red Hill complex, New Hampshire, contains both silica-undersaturated and silica-saturated to oversaturated syenites. Ion microprobe analyses of pyroxene from the Nepheline Sodalite Syenite (NSS) and its enclaves reveal that the REE abundances increase in a systematic manner from low values in the enclave pyroxenes to higher values in the NSS host rock pyroxenes. This variation is interpreted to have resulted from differentiation and coupled with previously published mineral and bulk-rock compositions, suggests that the enclaves represent samples of NSS parental liquids that intruded into residual, syenitic liquids in a zoned magma chamber. Pyroxene analyses of the Garland Peak Syenite (GPS) and its enclaves indicate that the enclaves are of several populations: some may be related to the GPS, others are not. The GPS itself is heterogeneous and pyroxene trace element zoning is difficult to explain by fractionation processes. The silica-oversaturated Outer Coarse Syenite (OCS) contains pyroxenes with trace element characteristics that are distinct from the NSS. The low V concentrations suggest that the OCS exprienced magnetite fractionation prior to pyroxene growth. It is proposed that high f O₂in the OCS magma caused Fe-Ti oxide crystallization, which in turn, influenced magmatic silica activity. The chondrite normalized REE patterns of OCS pyroxenes are also suggestive of titanite crystallization, another indication of high f O₂. In contrast to the influence of magnetite crystallization, the high and rimwardly increasing Y and Yb concentrations in both the NSS and the OCS pyroxenes suggest that amphibole fractionation was not the major influence on silica activity. Therefore, it is unlikely that the OCS was derived by amphibole fractionation from a NSS precursor magma.     

Pyroxenes of the Dufek Intrusion, Antarctica

The Dufek intrusion is a stratiform mafic body, 24,000 to 34,000km² in area and 8 to 9 km thick, in the Pensacola Mountainsof Antarctica. Textures, structures, magmatic stratigraphy,and chemical variation indicate that layered gabbros and relatedrocks of this body developed by accumulation of crystals thatsettled on the floor of a magma chamber. The major cumulus phasesin the exposed part of the intrusion are plagioclase, pyroxene,and iron-titanium oxides. The base of the Dufek intrusion is not exposed, and both Ca-richand Ca-poor pyroxene coexist as cumulus phases in the lowerexposed rocks. The Ca-rich pyroxenes belong to an augite-ferroaugiteseries (Ca_36.4Mg_48.7Fe_14.9-Ca_30.0Mg_23.5Fe_46.5) that extendsup through the 300 m thick capping granophyre. The Ca-poor pyroxenesbelong to a bronzite-inverted pigeonite series (Ca_3.5Mg_69.1Fe_27.4-Ca_11.4Mg_34.0Fe_54.6)that extends only to about 200 m below the granophyre layer.In addition to the cumulus pyroxenes some rocks contain post-cumulusgreen calcic augite and ferrohypersthene. The compositional change of the cumulus pyroxenes with stratigraphicheight is one of general iron enrichment. Superimposed on thistrend are (1) a 1 km thick section in the lower part of thebody that shows slight to no iron enrichment and (2) a markedreversal in the Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratio about 1 km below the top ofthe body. The variations from the general trend are associatedwith cyclic units and are best explained by convective overturnof the magma. In general, the pyroxene compositional trends are similar tothose of the Skaergaard and Bushveld intrusions. One significantdifference in the Dufek intrusion is the limited iron enrichmentof its Ca-rich pyroxenes, that may relate to a slower decreaseof P_O2 during crystallization of the Dufek magma.     

Serpentinization and alteration in an olivine cumulate from the Stillwater Complex,Southwestern Montana

Some of the olivine cumulates of the Ultramafic zone of the Stillwater Complex, Montana, are progressively altered to serpentine minerals and thompsonite. Lizardite and chrysotile developed in the cumulus olivine and postcumulus pyroxenes; thompsonite developed in postcumulus plagioclase. The detailed mineralogy, petrology, and chemistry indicate that olivine and plagioclase react to form the alteration products, except for H₂O, without changes in the bulk composition of the rocks.     

Two different pyroxene crystallisation trends in the trough bands of the Skaergaard Intrusion,East Greenland

Pyroxenes and olivines from the trough bands in the Upper Zone (UZa) of Skaergaard Intrusion have been investigated, together with previously analysed pyroxenes (Brown, 1957; Brown and Vincent, 1963) and olivines from the Layered Series ferrodiorites. The electron microprobe, electron microscope, and analytical electron microscope EMMA-4 were used. Results show a striking difference between the cumulus and intercumulus trends of the trough-band pyroxenes. The cumulus trend follows that of the main Layered Series whereas the intercumulus trend shows a shrinking of the miscibility gap together with great enrichment in the Fs molecule, the miscibility gap being symmetrical about ～Wo₂₄. The shrinking appears to be a function of the different crystallisation conditions in the intercumulus liquid which was closed off in “cells” from the main mass of supernatant liquid. Enrichment in the Fs molecule is due to the much lower crystallisation temperatures of the intercumulus pyroxenes. Iron enrichment is also reflected in the intercumulus olivines. For the cumulus trend, Brown's calcium-poor pyroxene trend (1957) has been extended into more iron-rich parts of the pyroxene quadrilateral, well after olivine has reappeared and subsequent to the increase in calcium of the ferroaugites. The subsolidus trend for pyroxenes in the Fs-rich region has also been established.     

Petrogenetic implications of mineral chemical data for the Permian Baima igneous complex, SW China

The Late Permian Fe-Ti oxide ore-bearing Baima igneous complex (BIC) is one of three gabbro-granitoid complexes with the Emeishan large igneous province. Mineral compositions are determined for the BIC layered gabbro in order to constrain subsolidus and magma chamber processes. The averaged compositions of cumulus olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase within individual samples range from Fo_65-76, Mg# = 75 to 82 and An_49-64 but they are not correlative. The observed mineral compositions are consistent with those modeled using the pHMELTS program. Highly variable magnetite compositions are consistent with extensive subsolidus re-equilibration and exsolution. The occurrence of reversely-zoned granular olivine in Fe-Ti oxide ores is a manifestation of Mg transfer between Fe-Ti oxides and olivine at relatively high (<1150?°C) subsolidus temperatures. The primary oxide is inferred to be an aluminous titanomagnetite. Similar to other layered intrusions in the region, the gabbroic unit of the BIC displays Zr depletion which is consistent with loss of a residual liquid during magma differentiation. If the most Zr-rich syenites of the complex are taken into account, the Zr budgets between the combined gabbro-syenite and the basalts are similar. This indicates that the BIC most likely represents a closed system in terms of magma extraction.     

The Geology of the Great 'Dyke', Zimbabwe: The Ultramafic Rocks

Textural and mineral chemistry data for the ultramafic sequenceof the Hartley Complex are presented with the object of evaluatingemplacement mechanisms, crystallization history and sub-solidusre-equilibration processes for the Great ‘Dyke’.Mineral chemistry indicates in situ crystallizaration for theultramafic sequence, whereas textural evidence suggests thatlimited crystal settling of chromite took place. It is concludedthat crystallization of cumulus phases occurred at or near thefloor of the magma chamber. The mineral chemistry indicates that the volume of magma fromwhich each unit crystallized was significantly smaller thanthat represented by the stratigraphic succession of the HartleyComplex. The magma chamber may effectively have been part ofan open system during the crystallization of the ultramaficsequence. The results are consistent with the concept of a stratifiedmagma chamber and the process of double-diffusion convection. Modelling of the liquid line of descent and crystallizationsequences indicate that none of the previously proposed initialliquid compositions are likely to have constituted the parentalmagma of the Great ‘Dyke’. Rather than komatüticor exceptionally high magnesium liquids, as previously suggested,a parental magma with about 15 per cent MgO, similar to thecomposition of the chill phase of a dyke parallel to and inclose proximity to the East Dyke is in closest agreement withthe observed and modelled results. Chromite compositions are strongly related to textural and mineralogicalenvironments. Seam chromitites are higher in Cr, Mg and Fe³⁺than chromites enclosed in silicates. Chromite enclosed in cumulusolivine is higher in Fe²⁺ than that in coexisting pyroxenesbut there is little difference in the proportions of the trivalentcaptions. Seam chromitites are considered to have precipitatedin response to increases in foi associated with periodic influxesof magma into the magma chamber. The higher ferric iron contentof the seam chromitites compared with the chromite enclosedin the silicates is consistent with such a mechanism. Compositional zoning in olivine and pyroxene adjacent to enclosedchromite grains is interpreted as reflecting subsolidus re-equilibrationwith cooling. Zoning profiles exhibit strong crystallographiccontrol. Computer modelling using finite difference approximationshas allowed controlling factors to be assessed by optimizationof the modelled parameters to give closest agreement to themeasured results. Interdiffusion coefficients and distributioncoefficients for Fe²⁺ and Mg for olivine and pyroxene with chromiteare modelled and compared with published data. Indicated blockingtemperatures for olivine are of the order of 600 °C to 700°C and 750 °C to 850 °C for orthopyroxene. Thuschromites enclosed in orthopyroxene are more Mg-rich than thoseenclosed in olivine. Coarse-grained seam chromitites have beenlittle modified subsequent to crystallization but the compositionsof the associated silicates have been influenced by the modalabundance of the chromite. Geothermometers based on chromite-silicate equilibria are probablynot applicable to layered intrusions, but information on thermalhistories may be provided by evaluation of the diffusion profiles.     

赣杭构造带龙游地区早白垩世基性岩矿物化学、岩石地球化学特征及其地质意义

通过龙游晚中生代基性岩岩相学观察、全岩主量、微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素及矿物电子探针分析,对岩石成因、岩浆演化和构造环境进行探讨。龙游基性岩岩性为橄榄辉长岩,Sr-Nd同位素显示为幔源特征;主量、微量元素特征显示其经历了以橄榄石、辉石为主的分离结晶作用,且未发生明显的地壳物质混染。橄榄石颗粒具核-边结构,富Mg贫Fe的核部Fo值为90.1～91.8,指示原始岩浆是软流圈地幔,富Fe贫Mg的边部显示橄榄石Fo值为77.4～85.3,且核-边两部分的Fo值相差较大,显示原始橄榄石形成之后受到地幔熔体/流体的交代作用。辉石斑晶大多属于透辉石,在部分斑晶的边部发育少量霓辉石。透辉石斑晶普遍具有核-幔-边结构,从核部到边部的SiO_2含量降低,TiO_2、Al_2O_3含量升高,结晶温度升高,显示原始辉石形成之后受到温度更高的地幔熔体/流体的交代作用。研究认为,古太平洋板块后撤造成岩石圈地幔拉伸作用并形成赣杭构造带深部断裂后,部分软流圈物质受到地幔流体/熔体的交代作用,并沿这些深部断裂向上侵位,经历了以橄榄石和辉石矿物为主的分离结晶作用和微弱的地壳物质混染,最终形成龙游橄榄辉长岩。     

Intraplutonic Quench Zones in the Kap Edvard Holm Layered Gabbro Complex, East Greenland

The Kap Edvard Holm Layered Gabbro Complex is a large layeredgabbro intrusion (>300 km²) situated on the opposite sideof the Kangerdlugssuaq fjord from the Skaergaard Intrusion.It was emplaced in a continental margin ophiolite setting duringearly Tertiary rifting of the North Atlantic. Gabbroic cumulates, covering a total stratigraphic thicknessof >5 km, have a typical four-phase tholeiitic cumulus mineralogy:plagioclase, clinopyroxene, olivine, and Fe–Ti oxides.The cryptic variation is restricted (plagioclase An_81–51,olivine Fo_85–66, clinopyroxene Wo_43–41 En_46–37Fs_20–11) and there are several reversals in mineral chemistry.Crystallization took place in a low-pressure, continuously fractionatingmagma chamber system which was periodically replenished andtapped. Fine-grained (0•2–0•4 mm) equigranular, thin(0•5–3 m), laterally continuous basaltic zones occurwithin an {small tilde}1000 m thick layered sequence in theTaco Point area. Twelve such zones define the bases of individualmacrorhythmic units with an average thickness of {small tilde}80m. The fine-grained basaltic zones grade upwards, over a fewmetres, into medium-grained (>1 mm) poikilitic, olivine gabbrowith smallscale modal layering. Each fine-grained basaltic zoneis interpreted as an intraplutonic quench zone in which magmachilled against the underlying layered gabbros during influxalong the chamber floor. Supercooling by {small tilde}50C isbelieved to have caused nucleation of plagioclase, olivine,and clinopyroxene in the quench zone. The nucleation rate isbelieved to have been enhanced as the result of in situ crystallizationin a continuously flowing magma. The transition to the overlyingpoikilitic olivine gabbro reflects a decreasing degree of supercooling. Compositional variation in the Taco Point sequence is typicalfor an open magma chamber system: olivine (Fo_{77–68 5})and plagioclase cores (An_80–72) show a zig-zag crypticvariation pattern with no overall systematic trend. Olivinehas the most primitive compositions in the quench zones andmore evolved compositions in the olivine gabbro; plagioclasecores show the opposite trend. Although plagioclase cores arebelieved to retain their original compositions, olivines re-equilibratedby reaction with trapped liquid. Some plagioclase cores containrelatively sodic patches which retain quench compositions. Whole-rock compositions of nine different quench zones varyover a range from 10 to 18% MgO although the mg-number remainsconstant at {small tilde}0•78. The average composition(47•7% SiO₂, 13•3%MgO, 1•57% Na₂O+K₂O) is takenas a best estimate of the parental magma composition, and isequivalent to a high-magnesian olivine tholeiite. The compositionalvariation of the quench zones is believed to reflect burstsof nucleation and growth of olivine and plagioclase during quenching. Magma emplacement is believed to have taken place by separatetranquil influxes which flowed along the interface between alargely consolidated cumulus pile and the residual magma. Theresident magma was elevated with little or no mixing. At certainlevels in the layered sequence the magma drained back into thefeeder system; such a mechanism is referred to as a surge-typemagma chamber system.     

Petrology of the Basistoppen Sill, East Greenland: A Calculated Magma Differentiation Trend

The 660 m thick Basistoppen sill is an Eocene, tholeiitic, layeredintrusion emplaced in the upper part of the Skaergaard complexshortly after solidification of the Skaergaard magma. Despiteits small size, the Basistoppen sill has one of the most extensivedifferentiation sequences known. The ranges of the solid solutionsin olivine, plagioclase, and pyroxene from the Basistoppen arecomparable to those in the Skaergaard and Bushveld intrusions.The rocks of the sill are orthocumulates composed of approximately35% trapped liquid and 65% cumulus minerals and can be dividedinto zones based on changes in the cumulus mineral assemblage.From the base upward those zones are: a Gabbro Picrite Zonecontaining cumulus olivine, Fe-Cr spinel, and minor biotite;a Bronzite Gabbro Zone containing cumulus orthopyroxene, Ca-richclinopyroxene, plagioclase, and minor Fe-Cr spinel; a PigeoniteGabbro Zone containing cumulus plagioclase, Ca-rich clinopyroxene,pigeonite, magnetite, and minor ilmenite; and a Fayalite DioriteZone containing cumulus plagioclase, Ca-rich clinopyroxene,magnetite, ilmenite, apatite, and olivine. The Basistoppen isoverlain by a zoned granophyre sill that was most likely derivedin part from the Basistoppen magma and in part from melted Precambriangneiss. The excellent exposure, uncomplicated structure, goodchilled margin, and lack of strong modal layering facilitatethe calculation of a differentiation trend for the Basistoppensill. During crystallization the Basistoppen magma became progressivelyricher in Fe, P, Na, K, Zn, Rb, Zr, La, Sm, and Th, became progressivelypoorer in Mg, Ca, Al, Cr, and Ni, and remained relatively unchangedin Si, Sc, and Sr through at least the first 90% of crystallization.     

Compositional variations of olivine from the Jinchuan Ni–Cu sulfide deposit,western China: implications for ore genesis

The Jinchuan Ni–Cu sulfide deposit is hosted by an elongated, olivine-rich ultramafic body that is divided by subvertical strike-slip faults into three segments (central, eastern, and western). The central segment is characterized by concentric enrichments of cumulus olivine crystals and interstitial sulfides (pyrrhotite–pentlandite–chalcopyrite intergrowth), whereas the eastern and western segments are characterized by an increase of sulfides toward the lower contacts. In all segments sulfides are concentrated at the expense of intercumulus silicates. Olivine re-crystallization is found to be associated with actinolite alteration in some samples. The compositional variations of primary olivine from the sulfide-poor samples can be explained by a small degree of olivine crystallization (<5%) from a basaltic magma followed by local re-equilibration of the olivine with up to 30% trapped silicate liquid. In the sulfide-bearing samples the compositions of primary olivine record the results of olivine-sulfide Fe–Ni exchange that occurred after the trapped silicate liquid crystallized. Our olivine data indicate that Ni in the original sulfide liquids increased inward in the central segment and laterally away from the lower contact in the eastern segment. Variations in the compositions of sulfide liquids are thought to result from fractional segregation of immiscible sulfide liquid from a basaltic magma in a staging chamber instead of in situ differentiation. High concentrations of olivine crystals (mostly >50 modal%) and sulfide (averaging ~5 wt%) in the rocks are consistent with the interpretation that the Jinchuan deposit was formed by olivine- and sulfide-laden magma successively ascending through a conduit to a higher, now-eroded, level. Sulfide enrichment toward the center in the central segment and toward the lower contact in the eastern and western segments may have, in part, resulted from flow differentiation and gravitational settling during magma ascent, respectively.Editorial handling: P. Lightfoot