The Zoned Plagioclase of the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland

The variation in zoning and An-content of plagioclases in theSkaergaard intrusion was investigated using microprobe analysisand optical methods on material from the surface of the intrusionas well as from a drill core from the hidden zone of the layeredseries. The plagioclases display cryptic variation and prominentvariations in type of zoning with structural height: oscillatoryzoned and resorbed plagioclase cores are predominant in thehidden zone, unzoned cores are typical of the lower zone, andplagioclases of the upper zone display skeletal zoning. Thereverse, oscillatory and skeletal zoning of plagioclase coresis ascribed to supercooled crystallization, and not to convectionor other petrogenetic factors. The variations in type of zoningand An-content of plagioclases from the hidden zone suggestonset of convection at the same time in the cooling historyof the intrusion as is indicated by the transition between thetranquil division and the banded division of the marginal bordergroup. A crystallization model is suggested, which accountsfor the observed variations. The variation in An-content ofplagioclases from the hidden zone suggests a limited extensionof some hundred metres of the intrusion at depth.     

The Isotopic Composition of Strontium in the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland

The isotopic composition of strontium in the different partsof the differentiated Skaergaard intrusion has been determined.The average Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio for the basic rocks was found tobe 0?7065?0?002. Higher values, between 0?7101 and 0?7303, wererestricted to the late-stage acid granophyres. The Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ratios for the basic Skaergaard rocks are similar to those foundby previous workers. The enrichment in Sr⁸⁷ expressed in theSr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio is taken to indicate contamination of the acidgranophyres by a source enriched in Sr⁸⁷. From considerationsbased upon circumstantial evidence the average country rock,composed of old Precambrian acid to intermediate gneiss, isnot sufficiently enriched in.Sr⁸⁷ to account for the Sr⁸⁷ enrichmentobserved in the acid granophyres by a simple assimilation process.At the present stage of the investigation the enrichment ofthe acid granophyres in Sr⁸⁷ is unexplained.     

A Textural Record of Solidification and Cooling in the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland

The clinopyroxene–plagioclase–plagioclase dihedralangle, _cpp, in gabbroic cumulates records the time-integratedthermal history in the sub-solidus and provides a measure oftextural maturity. Variations in _cpp through the Layered Seriesof the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland, demonstrate thatthe onset of crystallization of clinopyroxene (within LZa),Fe–Ti oxides (at the base of LZc) and apatite (at thebase of UZb) as liquidus phases in the bulk magma is recordedby a stepwise increase in textural maturity, related to an increasein the contribution of latent heat to the total heat loss tothe surroundings and a reduction in the specific cooling rateat the crystallization front of the intrusion. The onset ofboth liquidus Fe–Ti oxide and apatite crystallizationis marked by a transient increase in textural maturity, probablylinked to overstepping before nucleation. Textural maturationat pyroxene–plagioclase–plagioclase triple junctionseffectively ceases in the uppermost parts of the Layered Seriesas a result of the entire pluton cooling below the closure temperaturefor dihedral angle change, which is 1075°C. Solidificationof the Layered Series of the Skaergaard intrusion occurred viathe upwards propagation of a mush zone only a few metres thick. KEY WORDS: magma; partial melting; asthenosphere; olivine; mantle     

Pyroxenes from the Late Stages of Fractionation of the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland

The pyroxenes of the upper zone of the Skaergaard layered seriesconsist of an iron-rich series of brown and green clinopyroxenes.Five new analyses are presented, together with a revised trendline which includes the full range of clinopyroxenes believedrepresentative of the Skaergaard fractionation sequence. Therange for the augite-ferroaugite-ferrohedenbergite series isfrom Ca_42?4 Mg_47?9 Fe_9?7 to Ca_42?5 Mg_0?4 Fe_57?1, the most ferriferousvariety coexisting with a pure fayalite. A re-study of the compositionsand textures of certain green ferrohedenbergites supports thebelief that they are the product of sub-solidus inversion offerriferous ß-wollaston?tes, which crystallized asa temporary phase between the periods when brown ferrohedenbergitescrystallized directly from the magma. A consideration of thecompositional and textural relationships between green and brownpyroxenes, and the significance of the mosaic inversion texture,have led to an interpretation of the crystallization and inversionsequence for these minerals. Four new analyses of ferrohedenbergitesfrom the downward-crystallized upper border group rocks provideevidence for a trend which differs slightly from that for thelayered series ferrohedenbergites.     

Origin of the picrite blocks in the Marginal Border Group of the Skaergaard Intrusion,East Greenland

New evidence shows that the picrite blocks in the margins of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland are gabbro-contaminated xenoliths of ultramafic rock. Earlier studies suggested that the picrite blocks were cumulates formed in the Marginal Border Group or in the Hidden Zone. However, there are no known occurrences of undisturbed picrite or ultramafic rocks in the Skaergaard intrusion, and an extensive Hidden Zone is not supported by geophysical data. The picrite blocks are most abundant near a body of wehrlite in Precambrian rocks near Watkins Fjord. The wehrlite, which has a composition and mineralogy similar to the most mafic of the picrite blocks, lies structurally below the northern margin of the intrusion. It is possible that the refractory precursors of picrite in the Skaergaard intrusion may have been ultramafic xenoliths and are not representative of the earliest differentiated pan of the intrusion.     

O18/O16 Ratios in Rocks and Coexisting Minerals of the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland

The Skaergaard intrusion of East Greenland is a gravitationallystratified gabbroic mass that has undergone extreme fractionalcrystallization. Oxygen-isotopic analyses have been obtainedfor the various rock types of this intrusion and for severalcoexisting minerals of these rocks. The general relationshipsamong the O¹⁸/O¹⁶ ratios of the minerals are the same as havebeen found for other igneous rocks, but the isotopic fracticnationsare smaller, probably as a result of the higher temperatureof formation of the Skaergaard rocks. The later differentiatesare progressively depleted in O¹⁸ to a marked degree relativeto the earlier-formed portions of the layered series; the late-stagegranophyres are 4–5 per mil lower in O¹⁸/O¹⁶ than thelayered Lower Zone gabbros, and are 7–9 per mil lowerthan normal granitic rocks from other localities. This progressivedepletion in O¹⁸ is a result of crystallization and settlingout of minerals that are, on the whole, about 1 per mil higherin O¹⁸/O¹⁶ than the magma liquid. Calculations based on a simplecrystallization model are in agreement with the experimentalresults.     

Isotopic studies of processes in mafic magma chambers: II. The Skaergaard Intrusion,East Greenland

Isotopic ratios of Nd and Sr have been measured in a suite of samples spanning most of the exposed stratigraphy of the Skaergaard intrusion in order to detect and quantify input (such as assimilated wallrock and fresh magma) into the magma chamber during crystallization. Unlike ¹⁸O and D, Nd and Sr isotope ratios do not appear to have been significantly affected by circulation of meteoric waters in the upper part of the intrusion. Variations in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and _Nd suggest that the Skaergaard magma chamber was affected during its crystallization by a small amount (2%–4%) of assimilation of Precambrian gneiss wallrock (high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, low _Nd) and possibly recharge of uncontaminated magma. Decreases in _Nd and increases in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr during the early stages (0%–30%) of crystallization give way to approximately unchanging isotopic ratios through crystallization of the latest-deposited cumulates. Modelling of assimilation-fractional crystallization-recharge processes using these data as constraints shows that the assimilation rate must have been decreasing throughout crystallization. In addition, the isotope data allow replenishment by an amount of uncontaminated magma equal to 20%–30% of the total intrusion mass, occurring either continuously or in pulses over the first 75% of crystallization. Comparison of the recharge models with published Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺) data from Skaergaard cumulates shows that the modelled replenishment rates are not inconsistent with available major element data, although significant recharge during the final 25% of crystallization can be ruled out. The isotope data show that the Skaergaard magma could have incorporated only a small amount of the gneiss that it displaced from the floor of the chamber; assimilation appears to have taken place primarily across a partially molten zone that formed at the roof from the wallrock that was dislodged during emplacement. In the latest stages of crystallization (>75% crystallized), the Skaergaard magma may have become stratified into two separately-convecting layers, effectively insulating Layered Series cumulates from further contamination.     

Petrology of the Vandfaldsdalen Macrodike, Skaergaard Region, East Greenland

The Vandfaldsdalen macrodike is a layered and differentiatedgabbroic dike approximately 3?5 km long and from 200 to 500m wide. It appears to cut the eastern margin of the Skaergaardintrusion and may have served as a feeder for the Basistoppensill. The macrodike can be divided into three series of rocks:a marginal series of differentiated gabbros adjacent to thewalls of the dike; a central series of differentiated and subhorizontallylayered gabbros and ferrodiorites in the interior of the dike;and an upper felsic series of granophyric rocks with abundantquartzo-feldspathic xenoliths. The mineral and bulk-rock compositionsthrough both the marginal series and central series show progressiveiron enrichment. The most Ca-rich plagioclase (An₆₉) and mostmagnesian pyroxene (Wo₄₂ En₄₆ Fs₁₂) occur in olivine-bearingrocks of the marginal series about 5 m from the contact withwall rocks. The most Na-rich plagioclase (An₃₉) and Fe-richpyroxene (Wo₃₈ En₂₄ Fs₃₈) are in olivine-free ferrodiorite ofthe central series, about 20 m below the contact with the felsicseries. Evidence from field observations, bulk-rock chemical compositions,and Sr and Nd isotopic data indicate the felsic series formedas a mixture of the initial macrodike magma and granitic countryrock. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of specimens from the felsic series rangebetween 0?7129 and 0?7294. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios vary between 0?51208and 0?51118. Both ratios vary serially with the SiO₂ contentsof the specimens. We suggest that the felsic series evolvedas a separate body of low density liquid which floated on thedenser gabbroic magma of the central series. Heat from crystallizationof the gabbroic magma must have diffused into the felsic layer,enabling extensive assimilation of the granitic xenoliths, butour data indicate there was very little exchange of chemicalcomponents between the two liquids.     

Two different crystallization trends of pyroxene in a tholeiitic dolerite,Semi, northern Japan

Compositional and textural relations of coexisting augite and pigeonite in a tholeiitic dolerite in Semi, northern Japan have been analysed with the electron probe microanalyser. Two different crystallization trends of augite have been recognized. In the first case, augite varies in composition from Ca₃₇ Mg₄₁ Fe₂₂ to Ca₃₅ Mg₃₂ Fe₃₃ with nearly constant Ca/Ca +Mg+Fe ratio, whereas in the second case, augite varies from Ca₃₆Mg₄₀Fe₂₄ to Ca₂₈Mg₃₅Fe₃₇ with a considerable decrease of Ca/Ca+Mg+Fe ratio. The compositional trend of augite in the first case may be explained by cotectic crystallization of augite and pigeonite, and that in the second case may be explained by metastable crystallization of subcalcic augite due to undercooling of magma. Such metastable crystallization may have resulted in local heterogeneity of magma.     

Super-concentration of PGE, Au, Se and Te by Sulfide Liquid Dissolution in Closed Systems: Evidence from the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland

Please refer to the attachment(s) for more details     

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.     

The Shape and Volume of the Skaergaard Intrusion, Greenland: Implications for Mass Balance and Bulk Composition

Re-examination of the Skaergaard intrusion in the context ofits regional setting, combined with new data from explorationdrilling, has resulted in a revised structural model for theintrusion. It is modelled as an irregular box, c. 11 km fromnorth to south, up to 8 km from east to west, and 3·4–4km from the lower to the upper contact. The walls of the intrusionare inferred to follow pre-existing and penecontemporaneoussteep faults, and the floor and roof seem largely controlledby bedding planes in the host sediments and lavas, similar toregional sills. The suggested shape and volume are in agreementwith published gravimetric modelling. Crystallization alongall margins of the intrusion concentrated the evolving meltin the upper, central part of the intrusion, best visualizedas an ‘onion-skin’ structure inside the box. Thetotal volume is estimated to c. 280 ± 23 km³, of which13·7% are referred to the Upper Border Series (UBS),16·4% to the Marginal Border Series (MBS) and 69·9%to the Layered Series (LS). In the LS, the Lower Zone (LZ) isestimated to constitute 66·8%, the Middle Zone (MZ) 13·5%and the Upper Zone (UZ) 19·7%. The new volume relationshipsprovide a mass balance estimate of the major and trace elementbulk composition of the intrusion. The parental magma to theSkaergaard intrusion is similar to high-Ti East Greenland tholeiiticplateau basalts with Mg number c. 0.45. The intrusion representsthe solidification of contemporary plateau basalt magma trappedand crystallized under closed-system conditions in a crustalreservoir at the developing East Greenland continental margin. KEY WORDS: bulk composition; emplacement; mass proportions; Skaergaard intrusion; structure     

Exsolution in augite from the Skaergaard Intrusion

The exsolution phenomena of augite from Ferrogabbro 4430 of the Skaergaard Intrusion were examined in detail by single crystal X-ray diffraction and heating experiments to study the stepwise exsolution process. In the augite crystals, five different phases were detected: pigeonite (001), pigeonite (100), orthopyroxene (a), orthopyroxene (p) and a small amount of clinoamphibole. The two different pigeonites nearly share the corresponding (001) and (100) planes with the host. Orthopyroxene (a) and orthopyroxene (p) have (100) in common with the host and with exsolved pigeonite (001), respectively. Clinoamphibole was observed in the form of rather weak reflections in many crystals. It has (010) in common with the host.A large number of augite crystals exhibited a pigeonite (001) phase with curved, rotated reflections and diffuse streaks along the a* direction in (h0l) precession photographs. It appears that these streaks are related to orthopyroxene (p). Orthopyroxene (p) seems to be crystallized from pigeonite (001) by nucleation at (100) stacking fault planes (inverted pigeonite). Pigeonite (100) may be formed at growth ledges between augite host and exsolved orthopyroxene (a) at a later stage of exsolution to stabilize the boundaries.From the X-ray diffraction profiles and the results of the heating experiments, a possible exsolution sequence is suggested. Clinoamphibole appears to be a product of alteration at the latest stage of the exsolution process. It seems to be related to particular conditions of partial water pressure.     

Xenoliths of gneisses and the conformable,clot-like granophyres in the Marginal Border Group,Skaergaard intrusion,East Greenland

Results of this research and the earlier work of Wager and his colleagues indicate that contamination influenced the overall character of the Marginal Border Group of the Skaergaard intrusion. Precambrian gneisses were a major source of contamination and are identifiable as xenoliths in the Marginal Border. A variety of other xenoliths occur with a wide compositional range.The range of K _D values for partitioning of Fe and Mg in coexisting pyroxene pairs in xenoliths from various parts of the Marginal Border, and in hornfelses adjacent to it, is consistent with temperatures that rose steeply inward. Temperatures estimated on the basis of compositions of coexisting pyroxenes are also consistent with dehydration that exceeded the stability of amphibole (850°C). The texturally compatible association of some granophyres with gneissic xenoliths suggests that both formed during melting. These observations suggest that there was a similar range of temperature for formation of xenoliths and granophyres.The xenoliths of gneisses have bulk rock compositional features which indicate that lithophilic constituents were removed, causing an increase in basic constituents upon assimilation of the gneissic precursors. If we assume that granophyres and xenoliths of gneisses represent a consanguineous set formed by a fusion process from gneiss, enrichment and depletion factors for excluded trace elements are complementary and generally less than 10. Allowable enrichment in granophyres by crystal fractionation using the average for a large number of chilled marginal gabbro analyses as an initial composition, is also less than 10 for the same elements. The calculated low factors for enrichment of lithophile elements in granophyres by both mechanisms favor the hypothesis of partial melting of gneiss.     

The differentiation of the Skaergaard Intrusion

Previous interpretations of the Skaergaard Intrusion suggested that differentiation involved extreme iron-enrichment but no silica-enrichment until a very late stage. This model is difficult to reconcile with petrological and geochemical evidence, with the behaviour of tholeiitic volcanic suites and with phase equilibria. We propose that the Skaergaard magma evolved on a trend of pronounced silica-enrichment after cumulus magnetite appeared at the top of the Lower Zone. At that stage, the magma was of ferrobasaltic composition with close to 50% SiO₂. The Middle and Upper Zones of the intrusion dominantly represent crystal accumulation during differentiation from ferrobasalt through iron-rich basaltic andesite and icelandite to rhyolite, a fractionation sequence common in tholeiitic volcanic provinces. This interpretation requires re-appraisal of the physical processes responsible for the differentiation. In particular, residual liquids became lower in density with fractionation and would have caused the Skaergaard magma chamber to have become compositionally zoned.     

Modally-Graded Rhythmic Layering in the Skaergaard Intrusion

The origin of igneous layering in the Skaergaard and other intrusionsis the subject of much debate. Currently held theories for itsorigin include gravitational sorting, rhythmic nucleation, andchemical diffusion models. This paper presents data on small-scale,modally-graded, rhythmic layers, one of several distinct typesof layering found in the Skaergaard. These layers occur onlyin the Layered Series of the intrusion, in which they are awidespread, almost ubiquitous feature. They are characterizedby strong variations in modal composition, with magnetite, ilmenite,and olivine concentrated in the lower part of the layers, pyroxenein the middle of the layers, and plagioclase in the upper partof the layers. In addition, the layers are size graded, withthe largest grain sizes of the different minerals generallyoccurring where the mineral is most abundant. The chemical compositionof both plagioclase and Ca-rich pyroxene do not vary in anyregular manner within the layers studied. The forsterite compositionof olivine is consistently higher in the lower part of the layers.This trend, however, correlates very strongly with the modalvariations of olivine and can be explained by minor amountsof subsolidus reequilibration between cumulus and adcumulusolivine, suggesting that the original composition of cumulusolivine within individual layers was constant. These results are consistent with layers formed by some gravitationalsorting process and, in several cases, are at odds with othertheories that have been proposed for the origin of igneous layers.Based on these data and the widespread evidence for currentinteraction (crossbeds, trough-shaped layers, and internallygraded layers), we propose that these layers result from periodicdisruption of a static zone of crystal growth on the floor ofthe magma chamber by convection or density currents. This mechanism,however, is almost certainly not responsible for the formationof all of the types of layering found in the intrusion.     

Chemistry,subsolidus relations and electron petrography of pyroxenes from the late ferrodiorites of the Skaergaard intrusion,East Greenland

The ferroaugites, inverted ferrowollastonites and the brown and green ferrohedenbergites from the Upper Zone (UZb and UZc) of the Skaergaard intrusion (Brown and Vincent, 1963) have been studied with the electron microprobe, and where necessary, with the electron microscope. The cloudy “inclusions” in the inverted ferrowollastonite (Wo_ss) of 4471 are established to be strain fields associated with stacking faults, dislocations and sub-grain boundaries. The green pyroxenes of 1881 have undoubtedly inverted from Wo_ss, as both major and minor element chemistry show. The orientation of the tie-line joining coexisting Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxenes has also been established for this part of the quadrilateral, together with the Fe-Mg values at which the 4471 inverted Wo_ss would project on to Brown and Vincent's (1963) trend line for Ca-rich pyroxenes. These Fe-Mg values are the same as those of the 1881 brown ferrohedenbergites (Hed_ss). The subsolidus cooling history of the inverted Wo_ss has been examined in the light of the present data. It is proposed that a Wo_ss of solidus composition Wo₃₉ may either (a) react to a two-phase assemblage of Hed_ss (composition Wo_42.5) + metastable clinoferrosilite, or (b) invert metastably to a Hed_ss of the same composition. For specimen 4471, these two types of subsolidus behaviour may occur in different crystals within the same large mosaic-patterned grain. The proposed model is consistent with difficulty in nucleation of clinoferrosilitic lamellae, combined with the sluggishness of reactions at low temperatures for these Fe-rich compositions. In both case (a) and (b), inversion to Hed_ss (with or without the formation of mosaic texture) precedes exsolution of clinoferrosilite. The two final subsolidus compositions for the host are ～Wo₄₆ and ～Wo₄₂, for types (a) and (b) respectively, and the final subsolidus composition of the lamellae is Wo₀-Wo₂. The brown and green pyroxenes of 4330 show distinct differences in chemistry, the green being richer in Si, and depleted in Al and Ti relative to the brown. The 4330 green pyroxenes are poorer in Mn, and richer in Na, compared to the green inverted Wo_ss. The green colour in these UZc pyroxenes may be due to the drop in Ti content relative to brown pyroxenes.     

Crystallization and Layering of the Skaergaard Intrusion

Solidification of large slowly cooled intrusions is a complexprocess entailing progressive changes of rheological propertiesas the crystallizing magma passes through successive stagesbetween a viscous Newtonian fluid and a brittle solid rock.Studies of this transition in the Skaergaard intrusion indicatethat most crystallization took place in an advancing front ofsolidification against the floor, walls, and roof where crystalsnucleated and grew in a static boundary layer, much in the mannerproposed by Jackson in 1961. The non-Newtonian properties ofthe crystallizing magma account for the fact that plagioclase,which was lighter than the liquid, is a major component of rockson the floor, while mafic minerals that were heavier than theliquid accumulated under the roof. Crystals that nucleated andgrew in these zones were trapped by an increasingly rigid zonethat advanced more rapidly than the crystals sank or floated.If any crystals escaped entrapment, they were those of the largestsize and density contrast. The rates of accumulation in different parts of the intrusionwere not governed by rates of gravitational accumulation somuch as by the nature of convection and heat transfer. Cumulatetextures, preferred orientations of crystals, and layering,all of which have been taken as evidence of sedimentation, canbe explained in terms of in situ crystallization. Layering cannothave been caused by density currents sweeping across the floor;it is well developed on the walls and under the roof, lacksthe size and density grading and mineralogical compositionsthat would be expected, and shows no evidence of having beenaffected by obstructions in the paths of the currents. We propose an alternative origin of layering that is based onprocesses governed by the relative rates of chemical and thermaldiffusion during cooling. Intermittent layering resulted fromgravitational stratification of the liquid, and cyclic layeringwas produced by an oscillatory process of nucleation and crystalgrowth. The effects of differentiation during in situ crystallizationare strongly dependent on relative rates of diffusion of individualcomponents, and some of the compositional variations in differentparts of the intrusion can be explained in terms of these differences.     

Methane-bearing,aqueous, saline solutions in the Skaergaard intrusion,east Greenland

Solutions of H₂O–NaCl–CH₄ occur in fluid inclusions enclosed by quartz, apatite and feldspar from gabbroic pegmatitites, anorthositic structures and intercumulus minerals within the Skaergaard intrusion. The majority of the fluid inclusions resemble 10 m diameter sub-to euhedral negative crystals. A vapour phase and a liquid phase are visible at room temperature, solids are normally absent. The salinity of the fluids ranges from 17.5 to 22.8 wt.% NaCl. CH₄, which comprises less than six mole percent of the solution, was detected in the vapour phase of the fluid inclusions with Raman microprobe analysis. Homogenization of the fluid inclusions occurred in the liquid phase in the majority of the fluid inclusions, though 10% of the inclusions homogenized in the gas phase. Thermodynamic consideration of the stability of feldspars + quartz, and the C–O–H system, indicates that the solutions were trapped at temperatures between 655 and 770°C, at oxygen fugacities between 1.5 and 2.0 log units below the QFM oxygen buffer. Textural evidence and the composition of the solutions suggest that the fluids coexisted with late-magmatic intercumulus melts and the melts which formed gabbroic pegmatites. These solutions are thought to have contributed to late-magmatic metasomatism of the primocryst assemblages of the Skaergaard intrusion.     

The Lilloise Intrusion, East Greenland: Fractionation of a Hydrous Alkali Picritic Magma

The Lilloise is an 8 km4 km layered mafic intrusion which cutsthe plateau basalts of the East Greenland Tertiary province.Lilloise was intruded at 50 Ma, 4–5 Ma after cessationof the voluminous tholeiitic magmatism which accompanied riftingof the East Greenland continental margin. Lilloise is unusualamong layered intrusions in the province because it had a hydrousalkali picrite parent magma and generated a late-stage effluxof magmatic water from the intrusion into the aureole rocks.The three major subdivisions of the layered rocks are: olivine-clinopyroxene,olivine-clinopyroxene-plagioclase and plagioclase-amphibolecumulates. Massive subsidence of the intrusion before completesolidification resulted in deformation of the internal layeringand downturn of the bedding in the surrounding basalts. A strikingfeature of the intrusion is the injection of the layered rocksby a plexus of magmatic sheets which formed at the time of subsidence.The composition of these sheets is representative of the fractionationtrend of the intrusion and ranges from hawaiite to mildly saturatedquartz trachyte. The fractionation trend is successfully explainedby extraction of cumulus minerals of the layered rocks froma parent magma represented by alkali picrite dykes of a contemporaneousregional dyke swarm. Saturated to mildly over-saturated syenitesare a major component of the East Greenland province and theLilloise intrusion is illustrative of an important magmatictrend towards such compositions at this stage in the openingof the North Atlantic. KEY WORDS: Lilloise intrusion; East Greenland; alkali picrite magma; layered intrusion; magmatic differentiation ^*Corraponding author