Na-rich Partial Melts from Newly Underplated Basaltic Crust: the Cordillera Blanca Batholith, Peru

The late Miocene Cordillera Blanca Batholith lies directly overthick (50 km) crust, inboard of the older Cretaceous CoastalBatholith. Its peraluminous ‘S’ type mineralogyand its position suggest recycling of continental crust, whichis commonly thought to be an increasingly important componentin magmas inboard of continental margins. However, the peraluminous,apparent ‘S’ type character of the batholith isan artefact of deformation and uplift along a major crustallineament. The batholith is a metaluminous ‘I’ typeand the dominant high-silica rocks (>70%) are Na rich withmany of the characteristics of subducted oceanic slab melts.However, the position of the batholith and age of the oceaniccrust at the trench during the Miocene preclude slab melting.Instead, partial melting of newly underplated Miocene crustis proposed. In this dynamic model newly underplated basalticmaterial is melted to produce high-Na, low HREE, high-Al ‘trondhjemitic’type melts with residues of garnet, clinopyroxene and amphibole.Such Na-rich magmas are characteristic of thick Andean crust;they are significantly different from typical cole-alkaline,tonalite-grano-diorite magmas, and their presence along thespine of the Andes provokes questions about models of trondhjemitegenesis by melting of subducted oceanic crust, as well as anygeneralized, circum-Pacific model involving consistent isotopicor chemical changes inboard from the trench. KEY WORDS: batholith; modified ‘I’ type granite; Na-rich magma; thick crust ^* Corresponding author.     

Compositional Layering and Syn-eruptive Mixing of a Periodically Refilled Shallow Magma Chamber: the AD 79 Plinian Eruption of Vesuvius

A detailed study of the pyroclastic deposits of the AD 79 ‘Pompei’Plinian eruption of Vesuvius has allowed: (1) reconstructionof the thermal, compositional and isotopic (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) pre-eruptivelayering of the shallow magma chamber; (2) quantitative definitionof the syn-eruptive mixing between the different magmas occupyingthe chamber, and its relationships with eruption dynamics; (3)recognition of the variability of mafic magma batches supplyingthe chamber. During the different phases of the eruption 25–30%of the magma was ejected as white K-phonolitic pumice, and 70–75%as grey K-tephri-phonolitic pumice. The white pumice resultsfrom the tapping of progressively deeper magma from a body (T= 850–900%C) consisting of two distinct layers mainlyformed by crystal fractionation. The grey pumice results fromsyn-eruptive mixing involving three main end-members: the phonolitic‘white’ magmas (salic end-member, SEM), mafic cumulates(cumulate end-member, CEM) and a crystal-poor ‘grey’phono-tephritic magma (mafic end-member, MEM), which was nevererupted without first being mixed with ‘white’ magma.Evidence is provided that mixing occurred within the chamberand was characterized by a transition with time from physicalmixing at a microscopic scale to chemical hybridization. TheMEM magma had a homogeneous composition and constant ⁸⁷Sr⁸⁶Srisotopic ratio, possibly as a result of sustained convection.No unambiguous liquidus phases were found, suggesting that theMEM magma was superheated (T = 1000–1100C); its verylow viscosity was a main cause in the establishment of a physicaldiscontinuity separating the white and the grey magmas. Thewhite-grey boundary layer possibly consisted of a multiply diffusiveinterface, periodically broken and recreated, supplying thephonolitic body through mixing of moderate amounts of fractionatedgrey melts with the overlying white magma. The presence of alarge overheated mass indicates the young, growing stage ofthe AD 79 chamber, whose main engine was the periodic arrivalof hot mafic magma batches. These were characterized by K-tephriticto K-basanitic compositions, high temperatures (>1150C),high volatile contents (20–25% H₂O +Cl+F+S), low viscosities[(1+2 10² poises)] and relatively low densities (2500–2600kg/m³). The birth of the Pompei chamber followed the repeatedarrival of these batches (on average characterized by ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr070729)into a reservoir containing a tephriticphonolitic, crystal-enriched,magma, a residue from the preceding ‘Avellino’ Plinianeruption (3400 BP).In fact, about half of magma ejected duringthe AD 79 eruption could have been inherited from pre-Avellinotimes. KEY WORDS: Vesuvius; magma chamber; magma mixing; compositional layering phonolites; magma supply; potassic magmas ^*Correponding author     

Comparison of Thermochronometers in a Slowly Cooled Granulite Terrain: Nagssugtoqidian Orogen, West Greenland

Uranium–Pb sphene and apatite, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar hornblende,muscovite and K-feldspar ages from the core of the ProterozoicNagssugtoqidian orogen, West Greenland, are used to constrainthe timing of granulite-facies metamorphism and the subsequentcooling history. Metamorphic monazite growth occurred at 1858± 2, 1830 ± 1 and 1807 ± 2 Ma and definesthe peak of metamorphism. The uncertainty in the cooling rateshas to include the error in the decay constants of the systemsused. This source of uncertainty is, however, negligible ifa single decay scheme is used or when the age difference betweenthe chronometers is large (>100 m.y.). Over the last twodecades increasingly higher closure temperatures have been proposed.This trend reflects the difficulty of determining ‘absolute’closure temperatures and in using a limited number of closuretemperature estimates to infer closure temperatures of othergeochronometers. Cooling rates at Ussuit were 2·9 ±1·7°C/m.y. from 1762 Ma (670°C) to 1705 Ma (500°C),1·5 ± 1·1°C/m.y. from 1705 Ma to 1640Ma (410°C), and 0·9 ± 0·4°C/m.y.between 1640 and 1416 Ma (200°C). Between 1720 and 1645Ma cooling rates in Lersletten, 60 km north of Ussuit, are indistinguishablefrom those at Ussuit. After 1645 Ma, however, the area cooledto 200°C at a slightly faster rate of 2·6 ±1·2°C/m.y. KEY WORDS: ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and U–Pb geochronometers; granulite metamorphism; slow cooling; T–t path     

Peridotite Melting at 1 GPa: Reversal Experiments on Partial Melt Compositions Produced by Peridotite-Basalt Sandwich Experiments

One of the goals of igneous petrology is to use the subtle andmore obvious differences in the geochemistry of primitive basaltsto place constraints on mantle composition, melting conditionsand dynamics of mantle upwelling and melt extraction. For thisgoal to be achieved, our first-order understanding of mantlemelting must be refined by high-quality, systematic data oncorrelated melt and residual phase compositions under knownpressures and temperatures. Discrepancies in earlier data onmelt compositions from a fertile mantle composition [MORB (mid-oceanridge basalt) Pyrolite mg-number 87] and refractory lherzolite(Tinaquillo Lherzolite mg-number 90) are resolved here. Errorsin earlier data resulted from drift of W/Re thermocouples at1 GPa and access of water, lowering liquidus temperatures by30–80°C. We demonstrate the suitability of the ‘sandwich’technique for determining the compositions of multiphase-saturatedliquids in lherzolite, provided fine-grained sintered oxidemixes are used as the peridotite starting materials, and thechanges in bulk composition are considered. Compositions ofliquids in equilibrium with lherzolitic to harzburgitic residueat 1 GPa, 1300–1450°C in the two lherzolite compositionsare reported. Melt compositions are olivine + hypersthene-normative(olivine tholeiites) with the more refractory composition producinga lower melt fraction (7–8% at 1300°C) compared withthe model MORB source (18–20% at 1300°C). KEY WORDS: mantle melting; sandwich experiments; reversal experiments; anhydrous peridotite melting; thermocouple oxidation; olivine geothermometry     

Zircon Inheritance Reveals Exceptionally Fast Crustal Magma Generation Processes in Central Iberia during the Cambro-Ordovician

The Variscan basement of the Central Iberian Zone contains abundantCambro-Ordovician calc-alkaline to peraluminous metagranitesand metavolcanic rocks with two notable features: first, theywere apparently produced with no connection to any major tectonicor metamorphic event; second, they have an unusually high zirconinheritance. U–Pb dating combined with cathodoluminescenceimaging reveals that about 70–80%, in some samples nearer100%, of the zircon grains contain inherited pre-magmatic cores,despite the temperature reached by the magmas (about 900°C,calculated using the Ti-in-zircon thermometer) being high enoughto dissolve all the available zircon (from the rock's zirconsaturation temperature, 770–860°C). The fact thatthe dissolution of zircon was so incomplete can only be attributedto the kinetics of heat transfer to and from the magmas. Three-dimensionalmodeling of zircon dissolution behavior in melts with a compositionsimilar to the Iberian Cambro-Ordovician magmas indicates thatthe survival of zircons from the suggested late Pan-Africanprotolith would be possible only if melt production was rapid,specifically less than 10⁴ years, and probably about 2 x 10³years, from the beginning of melting (700°C) to the thermalpeak (900°C). Melt production was followed by fast magmatransfer to upper crustal levels resulting either in surfaceeruption or in the emplacement of small (< 400 m thick) sillsor laccoliths. We suggest that these elevated rates of crustalmelting could only have been caused by intrusion of mantle-derivedmafic magmas, most probably at the base of the crust. This scenariois consistent with a rifting regime in which crust and mantlewere mechanically decoupled; this would explain the scarcityof contemporaneous crustal deformation. Furthermore, fast meltingrates in the lower crust followed by fast melt transportationto the upper crust could also explain the lack of contemporaneousmetamorphism. The speed of the partial melting process resultedin the production of felsic magmas that inherited the geochemicalcharacteristics of their granitoid crustal protolith. This explainsthe apparent contradiction between the calc-alkaline to peraluminousgeochemical characteristics of the magmas and the inferred extensional(i.e. rift-related) tectonic setting. Our model is compatiblewith the hypothesis of fragmentation and dispersal of terranesfrom the northern margin of Gondwana that led to the openingof the Rheic and Galicia–South Brittany oceans and, ultimately,caused the detachment of the Iberian microplate from Armoricaand Gondwana during the early Paleozoic. KEY WORDS: igneous petrology; migmatite; granite; geochemistry; crustal contamination; ICP-MS; laser ablation     

Rare Earth and 3d Transition Element Geochemistry of Peridotitic Rocks: I. Peridotites from the Western Alps

Trace element analyses have been obtained employing RNAA andINAA techniques for 23 bulk-rock specimens and for five pairsof mechanically separated opx and cpx from Western Alpine peridotites.Investigated rocks include 5 garnet lherzolites from Alpe Arami,and spinel (+plagioclase) lherzolites from Finero (2), Balmuccia(7), Baldissero (6) and Lanzo (3). Three pyroxene pairs wereanalysed from Balmuccia and two from Baldissero. All rocks exhibit marked LREE depletions relative to chondriticabundances except for the two Finero samples which appear tobe HREE depleted. Separated minerals also show LREE depletionsand HREE enrichments relative to chondrites. However, intermediaterare earths are markedly depleted in opx whereas they are enrichedin coexisting cpx. Higher overall concentrations and patternssimilar to those of the bulk rocks indicate that REE distributionsin lherzolites are dominated by clinopyroxene chemistry. Incontrast, both opx and cpx appear to contribute equally to the3d transition element geochemistry of the investigated peridotites. Most of the investigated rocks show the effects of early partialmelting of a pre-existing mantle source material characterizedby ‘chondritic’ REE fractionation and by a 3d transitionelement composition near the estimated values of Jagoutz etal. (1979). The melting process probably developed in a closed system (equilibriummelting) and at temperatures which, for the spinel peridotiteprotolith, seemingly were compatible with estimates of Presnallel al. (1979) for the ‘melting at the cusp’ process(T = 1200–1250 °C). In some cases the residual rocksunderwent a further contamination event. This is particularlyevident for the Lanzo peridotites, but possibly also for singleBaldissero and Balmuccia specimens. During ascent to the surface, the rocks underwent subsolidusannealing which occurred at temperatures around 900–1000°C under more or less closed system conditions.     

A Portion of the System Fe-S-O between 900 and 1080 {degrees}C and its Application to Sulfide Ore Magmas

The portion of the Fe–S–O system including pyrrbotite,wüsite, magnetite, and iron has been studied between 900and 1080 °C by modifed silica-tube techniques. At 900 °C,tie lines extend from pyrrhotite containing between 63.53 and62.8±0.2 wt. per cent Fe to wüstite solid solutionand form pyrrhotite containing between 62.8 and 60.0 wt. percent Fe to magnetite. A ternary eutectic, troilite-wüstite-iron-liquidoccurs at 915±2 °C. A ternary invariant point, wherepyrrhotite (composition 62.8±0.2 wt. per cent Fe)+wüstite magnetite+liquid occurs at 934 °C. Pyrrohotite compositionstrongly influences the temperature of thee magnetite-pyrrhotitesolidus. Magnetite-pyrrhotite assemblages begin to melt at 934°C when the pyrrhotite contains 62.8 wt. lper cent Fe, at1010 °C when it contains 62.5 wt. per cent Fe, at 1030 °Cwhen it contains 62.0 wt. per cent Fe, and at 1050 °C whenit contains 60.5 wt. per cent Fe. Craig & Naldrett (1967) have shown that up to 20 wt. percent nickel substituting for iron in pyrrhotite solid solutionon a weight per cent basis has little effect on magnetite-pyrrhotitesolidus temperature and that up to 2 wt. per cent copper substitutingin a sunukar way lowers the solidus less than 20 °C. Byredetermining the solidus in the presence of H₂O at 2 kb totalpressure Naldrett & Ricahrdson (1967) have show that, withinexperimental accuracy (± 10 °C), water has no effecton melting temperature. since natural iron-sulfide magmas rarelycrystallize pyrrhotites containing more than 62.5 wt. per centtotal metal, the temperature range of from 1010 to 1050 °Cdetermined in this study is probably within 20 °C of theminimum temperature of introduction of a large number of magnaticsulfide ores. Comparison of the melting temperatures of ores with those ofthe rocks with which they are associated suggest that crystallizationunder different water pressures is responsible for the presenceof sulfides disseminated as rounded ‘buck-shot’type spherules in some rocks ans as an interstittial fillingin others. The composition of an iron sufide-oxide ore magma settling fromits associated silicate magma is controlled by the sulfur andoxygen fugacities of the silicate magma at the moment when equilibrationbetween the two ceases. In the case of large bodies of massivesulfide ore, equilibration probably ceased when the ore settledout of its host; the sulfide to magnetite ratio of such orewill depen on how far below its liquidus temperature the sulfide-oxideliquid was at the moment of separation. In the case of sulfide-richdroplets remaining disseminated throughtot the plutonic hostrock, equilibration probably continued to subsolidus temperatures;under these conditions it is possible that the droplets maylose all of their oxygen to the host rock. Finally in the caseof sulfife-rich droplets trapped within rapidly cooled volcanicrocks complete re-equilibration was probably prevented by therate of cooling and consequently these droplets retain muchof their original oxygen as magnetite.     

Crustal Anatexis and Granite Petrogenesis During Low-pressure Regional Metamorphism: The Trois Seigneurs Massif, Pyrenees, France

Detailed mapping of Hercynian basement rocks exposed in theTrois Seigneurs Massif, Pyrenees, France, has demonstrated acontinuous metamorphic sequence developed in Palaeozoic peliticsediments, ranging from chlorite-grade phyllites, through andalusiteand sillimanite mica schists to a zone of migmatites and ultimatelya heterogeneous, peraluminous, biotite- and cordiente-bearinggranitoid (ranging in composition from biotite granite to quartzdiorite) at the deepest tectonic levels exposed. In additionto this ‘deep’ pluton, a syn-metamorphic leucogranitesuite forms pods and sills within the migmatites and mica schistsand a post-metamorphic, homogeneous biotite granodiorite intrudes(and superimposes a contact aureole on) the metasediments. Despitepost-metamorphic deformations, it is clear that the small ({smalltilde} 3 km) separation of low- and high-grade rocks impliesthe existence of very high temperature gradients (80–100?C km ^–1) during Hercynian metamorphism. Extensive meltingoccurred at {small tilde} 700 ?C at 10–12 km depth, indicatedby the metamorphic mineral assemblages and metamorphic reactionsoccurring in the mica schists. Whole rock XRF analyses of 50 rock samples, including all themain lithologies, indicate that leucogranite compositions areuniform and identical to those of migmatite leucosomes; theyare also close to the major-element composition of experimentallygenerated partial melts of pelitic rocks from the Trois SeigneursMassif. Taken with field relationships, this implies that allleucogranites were generated by partial fusion of pelitic material(< 40 wt. per cent) from the metamorphic sequence, with rapidremoval of the melt by segregation and intrusion to higher structurallevels. The deep biotite granite was probably generated by partialmelting and homogenisation of the same source material, withthe addition of a small magmatic component that was not derivedlocally from the pelites. The late granodiorite was not generatedby anatexis of pelitic material as observed in the metamorphicsequence, and was probably derived by melting of the lower crustat deeper levels than any contemporary exposure of Hercynianbasement in the Pyrenees. Petrological analysis of the metamorphic sequence suggests thatwater activity was externally buffered to high values throughoutthe ‘high-level’ anatexis observed in the TroisSeigneurs sequence. Evidence for this is provided by metacarbonateand metapelite mineral equilibria, by the sequence of metamorphicisograds and by their sharp definition. Moreover, ‘wet’melting conditions are required in order to generate the observedlarge quantities(> 40 wt. per cent) of granitic melt frompelitic material over the small (< 30 ?C) temperature increaseimplied by the section through the migmatite zone. Anatexisof pelitic metasediment was thus promoted by an influx of hydrousfluid into the melting zone. Stable-isotope studies suggestthat this influx was derived from the ground surface, allowingmelts to be continuously saturated as they were generated, andimplying that groundwater infiltration was primarily responsiblefor large-scale anatexis of metasediment at such shallow depths.     

Evidence for shear heating,Musgrave Block,central Australia

The phenomenon of shear-heating is generally difficult to recognise from petrologic evidence alone. Establishing that shear zones attain higher temperatures than the surrounding country rocks requires independent evidence for temperature gradients. In the Musgrave Block, central Australia, there is a clear spatial association between shear zones and interpreted elevated temperatures. Eclogite facies shear zones that formed at ∼550 Ma record temperatures of ∼650–700°C. Outside the high-pressure shear zones, minerals with low closure temperatures such as biotite (∼450°C in the ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar and Rb–Sr systems), preserve ages >800 Ma, suggesting that these rocks did not experience temperatures greater than about 450°C at ∼550 Ma for any extended period. Thus, the shear zones record temperatures that are ∼200°C higher than the surrounding country rocks. Simple calculations show that the combination of relatively high shear stresses (∼100 MPa) and high strain rates (∼10⁻¹¹ s⁻¹) for short durations (<1 Ma) can account for the observed apparent temperature variations. The evidence indicates that shear heating is the dominant mechanism for localised temperature increases in the shear zones, while the country rock remained at relatively lower temperatures.     

Mantle-melt Evolution (Dynamic Source) in the Origin of a Single MORB Suite: a Perspective from Magnesian Glasses of Macquarie Island

The effects of source composition and source evolution duringprogressive partial melting on the chemistry of mantle-derivedmid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) melts were tested using a comprehensivegeochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataset for fresh,magnesian basaltic glasses from the Miocene Macquarie Islandophiolite, SW Pacific. These glasses: (1) exhibit clear parent–daughterrelationships; (2) allow simple reconstruction of primary meltcompositions; (3) show exceptional compositional diversity (e.g.K₂O/TiO₂ 0·09–0·9; La/Yb 1·5–22;²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 18·70–19·52); (4) preserve changesin major element and isotope compositions, which are correlatedwith the degree of trace element enrichment (e.g. La/Sm). Conventionalmodels for MORB genesis invoke melting of mantle that is heterogeneouson a small scale, followed by binary mixing of variably lithophileelement-enriched melt batches. This type of model fails to explainthe compositions of the Macquarie Island glasses, principallybecause incompatible element ratios (e.g. Nb/U, Sr/Nd) and Pbisotope ratios vary non-systematically with the degree of enrichment.We propose that individual melt batches are produced from instantaneous‘parental’ mantle parageneses, which change continuouslyas melting and melt extraction proceeds. This concept of a ‘dynamicsource’ combines the models of small-scale mantle heterogeneitiesand fractional melting. A dynamic source is an assemblage oflocally equilibrated mantle solids and a related melt fraction.Common MORB magmas that integrate the characteristics of numerousmelt batches therefore tend to conceal the chemical and isotopicidentity of a dynamic source. This study shows that isotoperatios of poorly mixed MORB melts are a complex function ofthe dynamic source evolution, and that the range in isotoperatios within a single MORB suite does not necessarily requiremixing of diverse components. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalt; Macquarie Island; radiogenic isotopes; mantle; geochemistry     

Fluid Assisted Recrystallization in Upper Mantle Peridotite Xenoliths from Kimberlites

The development of recrystallization microstructures has beenstudied in some ‘hot deformed’ peridotite xenolithsfrom the Thaba Putsoa Kimberlite pipe in S. Africa. The xenolithswere deformed to high strains by dislocation creep in the uppermantle and then annealed as they were uplifted by the kimberlitefluid. Static recrystallization occurs during annealing producingeuhedral shaped ‘tablet’ grains. Tablet grain boundariesare sub-parallel to crystal growth habits in olivine and orthopyroxene.This microstructure is characteristic of recrystallization byfluid-assisted grain boundary migration, where a thin fluidfilm is present along the boundary. There is microstructural evidence for a complex fluid infiltrationhistory involving an early Fe-Ti rich metasomatic silicate fluidand later kimberlite fluids. Minor partial melting of clinopyroxenecan also be inferred, which, is consistent with infiltrationof a kimberlite-derived C-H-O rich fluid into the xenoliths.Any of these fluids could have been present along the tabletgrain boundaries during static recrystallization. The occurrenceof tablet grains in ‘cold deformed’ xenoliths, whichhave a simple infiitration history, suggests that a C-H-O richfluid derived from kimberlite is the most probable boundaryfluid in both the hot and cold deformed xenoliths. The occurrence of dynamically stable semi-continuous grain boundaryfluid films during re crystallization indicates that mechanismsof fluid segregation and transport in the upper mantle are likelyto be dependent upon the type of deformation and recrystallizationmechanisms operating. In addition the destabilization of thestatic fluid distribution by grain boundary migration and deformationwill also influence the rheology of the upper mantle where fluidsare present. ^*Present address: Mineralogy Research Centre, Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.     

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.     

Evidence of a Temperature-dependent 'Blueschist' to 'Eclogite' Transformation in High-pressure Metamorphism of Metabasic Rocks

Textures in the blueschist metabasic rocks of the island ofSyros, Greece, indicate a reaction forming omphacite and garnetfrom earlier glaucophane and epidote. A balanced ‘wholerock’ reaction can be written using the phase compositionsand modal mineralogy of the products observed. This reactionis continuous in P-T space if Mg and Fe²⁺ are independent components.The available thermodynamic data suggest that the ‘eclogite’(garnet plus omphacite) assemblage is favoured by higher temperatures. It cannot, however, be conclusively shown that the rocks wentthrough an up-temperature interval of metamorphism. The reactionseen could be promoted by reduced silica, or water activity.The details of the reaction textures and mineral zonation patternsshow furthermore that chemical equilibrium was not maintainedthroughout the rock development. The reaction textures differin detail in different samples. In those samples in which thetextures are most consistent with maintained chemical equilibriumhowever, the mineral zonation patterns do imply up-temperaturemetamorphism.     

Subsolidus Emplacement of Mantle Peridotites during Incipient Oceanic Rifting and Opening of the Mesozoic Tethys (Voltri Massif, NW Italy)

The Erro–Tobbio (ET) peridotite (Voltri Massif, NW Italy)represents a fragment of subcontinental mantle, emplaced athigh crustal levels during rifting and opening of the Piemonte–Ligurianocean, the Alps–Apennine part of the Mesozoic Tethys.The ET peridotite is dominated by spinel-bearing lherzolites,with minor dunites, spinel websterites and plagioclase-bearinglherzolites. Granular spinel lherzolites in the ET peridotiteare transected by five generations of shear zone structures:porphyroclastic spinel-bearing tectonites, plagioclase-, hornblende-and chlorite-bearing peridotite mylonites, and serpentinitemylonites. There is a systematic correlation between the microstructuresand the composition of the constituent mineral phases. Thesecompositional trends are related to changing conditions of Pand T during the pertinent stages of syntectonic recrystallizationin the shear zones. Geothermobarometry shows that the shearzone structures developed at progressively lower P and T conditions.The P–T path obtained for the ET peridotite indicatessubsolidus uplift, from deep levels in the subcontinental mantletowards the ocean floor. Uplift is associated with limited ‘wet’partial melting. This subsolidus trajectory is particularlyconsistent with the thermal history expected for the footwallof a lithosphere-scale, dipping extensional shear zone, anddiffers from those of more oceanic peridotites showing an adiabaticuplift history at much higher temperatures presumably relatedto convective upwelling. The shear zone structures in the ETperidotites are therefore interpreted as fragments of an extensionaldetachment system. This interpretation is consistent with theoverall asymmetric architecture of the coeval passive marginsbordering the Piemonte–Ligurian ocean. It is suggestedthat the uplift of the ET peridotites occurred by tectonic denudation,in a slightly to strongly asymmetric oceanic rift. ^* Present address: Shell Int. Petroleum Maatschappij, P.O. Box 162, 2501 AN The Hague, Netherlands     

Hybridization of a Shallow 'I-type' Granitoid Pluton and its Host Migmatite by Magma-Chamber Wall Collapse: the Tokuwa Pluton, Central Japan

The Miocene Tokuwa pluton of ‘I-type’ granitoidaffinity was emplaced discordantly into a Cretaceous to Paleogeneaccretionary complex and induced a contact aureole in whichvarious thermally metamorphosed rocks were developed, includinghornfels, metatexite, diatexite and cordierite-bearing tonalite(Crd-tonalite) of ‘S-type’ granite affinity. Thethermally metamorphosed rocks show low-pressure reaction texturesculminating in partial melting. Peak P–T conditions of3 kbar at 780°C are estimated on the basis of the TWQ thermobarometerfor the garnet-bearing rocks. The rocks in the contact aureoleexhibit a gradual transition from hornfels, through metatexiteand diatexite to Crd-tonalite. The Sr-isotopic composition atthe time of Tokuwa pluton emplacement at 12 Ma decreases systematicallyfrom metatexite (0·7100–0·7112) throughdiatexite (0·7078–0·7094) to Crd-tonalite(0·7067–0·7068); this trend is interpretedin terms of mixing between the Tokuwa magma and the aureolemigmatites. The field relationships, geochemical data, and isotopicdata collectively suggest that the emplacement of the Tokuwapluton triggered partial melting of the surrounding metasedimentaryrocks. Subsequent hybridization of the Tokuwa magma with themetatexite in variable proportions produced the Crd-tonaliteand diatexite. The hybridization was caused by invasion of theTokuwa magma into the migmatite zone, accompanied by gravitationalcollapse of the previously crystallized wall of the magma chamber.The data presented demonstrate that even a relatively low-temperature,shallow, ‘I-type’ granitoid pluton can induce contactanatexis and hybrid ‘S-type’ granitoid formationat the intrusive contact. KEY WORDS: contact metamorphism; hybridization; magma–host-rock interaction; migmatite; ‘S-type’ granitoid     

An Experimental Study of Nepheline-Kalsilite Exsolution

The nepheline-kalsilite exsolution reaction was studied isothermallybetween 400 and 700°C. Under nonaqueous conditions the mechanisminvolves nucleation of kalsilite and growth by diffusion ofthe alkalis. As predicted by simple nucleation theory, the nucleationrate and hence the over-all exsolution rate are strongly dependenton the supersaturation of the nepheline. A decrease in temperatureat constant composition increases the supersaturation and therebythe nucleation rate. This increased nucleation rate is opposedby the decrease in the growth rate due to slower volume diffusion.At a supersaturation of more than 8–10 mole per cent thenumber of nuclei is large and the over-all exsolution rate isdetermined primarily by the growth rate. The activation energyfor growth is 28 kcal/mole. An increase of two kilobars in thehydrostatic pressure has little effect on the kinetics of thereaction. Under nonhydrostatic conditions the exsolution rateincreases significantly because the nucleation rate is faster. Under hydrothermal conditions the ‘exsolution’ rateis approximately two orders of magnitude faster due to a modificationin the mechanism. Partial dissolution of the original solidsolution in distilled water creates a condition of nonequilibriumin which the fluid is sodium-rich. Rapid alkali exchange eliminatesthis condition but produces the equilibrium compositions ofthe solids because kalsilite nucleates and grows in contactwith the fluid. The experimental evidence for this mechanismincludes X-ray diffraction data showing a gradual change inthe composition of the initial supersaturated solid, essentiallyidentical activation energies for growth under aqueous and nonaqueousconditions, and a lower percentage of oxygen isotope exchangethan ‘exsolution’ in the same experiment.     

Internal Differentiation of the Archean Continental Crust: Fluid-Controlled Partial Melting of Granulites and TTG-Amphibolite Associations in Central Finland

Fault bound blocks of granulite and enderbite occur within upperamphibolite-facies migmatitic tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioritic(TTG) gneisses of the Iisalmi block of Central Finland. Theseunits record reworking and partial melting of different levelsof the Archean crust during a major tectonothermal event at2·6–2·7 Ga. Anhydrous mineral assemblagesand tonalitic melts in the granulites formed as a result ofhydrous phase breakdown melting reactions involving amphiboleat peak metamorphic conditions of 8–11 kbar and 750–900°C.A nominally fluid-absent melting regime in the granulites issupported by the presence of carbonic fluid inclusions. Thegeochemical signature of light rare earth element (LREE)-depletedmafic granulites can be modelled by 10–30 wt % partialmelting of an amphibolite source rock leaving a garnet-bearingresidue. The degree of melting in intermediate granulites isinferred to be less than 10 wt % and was restricted by the availabilityof quartz. Pressure–temperature estimates for the TTGgneisses are significantly lower than for the granulites at660–770°C and 5–6 kbar. Based on the P–Tconditions, melting of the TTG gneisses is inferred to haveoccurred at the wet solidus in the presence of an H₂O-rich fluid.A hydrous mineralogy, abundant aqueous fluid inclusions andthe absence of carbonic inclusions in the gneisses are in accordancewith a water-fluxed melting regime. Low REE contents and strongpositive Eu anomalies in most leucosomes irrespective of thehost rock composition suggest that the leucosomes are not meltcompositions, but represent plagioclase–quartz assemblagesthat crystallized early from felsic melts. Furthermore, similarplagioclase compositions in leucosomes and adjacent mesosomesare not a ‘migmatite paradox’, as both record equilibrationwith the same melt phase percolating along grain boundaries. KEY WORDS: Archean continental crust; fluid inclusion; granulite; migmatite; partial melting     

Residence, Resorption and Recycling of Zircons in Devils Kitchen Rhyolite, Coso Volcanic Field, California

Zircons from the Devils Kitchen rhyolite in the PleistoceneCoso Volcanic field, California have been analyzed by in situPb/U ion microprobe (SHRIMP-RG) and by detailed cathodoluminescenceimaging. The zircons yield common-Pb-corrected and disequilibrium-corrected²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages that predate a previously reported K–Arsanidine age by up to 200 kyr, and the range of ages exhibitedby the zircons is also approximately 200 kyr. Cathodoluminescenceimaging indicates that zircons formed in contrasting environments.Most zircons are euhedral, and a majority of the zircons areweakly zoned, but many also have anhedral, embayed cores, witheuhedral overgrowths and multiple internal surfaces that aretruncated by later crystal zones. Concentrations of U and Thvary by two orders of magnitude within the zircon population,and by 10–20 times between zones within some zircon crystals,indicating that zircons were transferred between contrastingchemical environments. A zircon saturation temperature of 750°Coverlaps within error a previously reported phenocryst equilibrationtemperature of 740 ± 25°C. Textures in zircons indicativeof repeated dissolution and subsequent regrowth are probablycaused by punctuated heating by mafic magma input into rhyolite.The overall span of ages and large variation in U and Th concentrations,combined with calculated zircon saturation temperatures andresorption times, are most compatible with crystallization inmagma bodies that were emplaced piecemeal in the crust at Cosoover 200 kyr prior to eruption, and that were periodically rejuvenatedor melted by subsequent basaltic injections. KEY WORDS: zircon geochronology; residence time; rhyolite; ion microprobe; California     

Melting of Refractory Mantle at 1{middle dot}5, 2 and 2{middle dot}5 GPa under Anhydrous and H2O-undersaturated Conditions: Implications for the Petrogenesis of High-Ca Boninites and the Influence of Subduction Components on Mantle Melting

Boninites are an important ‘end-member’ supra-subductionzone magmatic suite as they have the highest H₂O contents andrequire the most refractory of mantle wedge sources. The pressure–temperatureconditions of boninite origins in the mantle wedge are importantto understanding subduction zone initiation and subsequent evolution.Reaction experiments at 1·5 GPa (1350–1530°C),2 GPa (1400–1600°C) and 2·5 GPa (1450–1530°C)between a model primary high-Ca boninite magma composition anda refractory harzburgite under anhydrous and H₂O-undersaturatedconditions (2–3 wt % H₂O in the melt) have been completed.The boninite composition was modelled on melt inclusions occurringin the most magnesian olivine phenocrysts in high-Ca boninitesfrom the Northern Tongan forearc and the Upper Pillow Lavasof the Troodos ophiolite. Direct melting experiments on a modelrefractory lherzolite and a harzburgite composition at 1·5GPa under anhydrous conditions (1400–1600°C) havealso been completed. Experiments establish a P, T ‘meltinggrid’ for refractory harzburgite at 1·5, 2 and2·5 GPa and in the presence of 2–3 wt % H₂O. Theeffect of 2–3 wt % dissolved H₂O produces a liquidus depressionin primary boninite of