Petrogenesis of Mafic Garnet Granulite in the Lower Crust of the Kohistan Paleo-arc Complex (Northern Pakistan): Implications for Intra-crustal Differentiation of Island Arcs and Generation of Continental Crust

We report the results of a geochemical study of the Jijal andSarangar complexes, which constitute the lower crust of theMesozoic Kohistan paleo-island arc (Northern Pakistan). TheJijal complex is composed of basal peridotites topped by a gabbroicsection made up of mafic garnet granulite with minor lensesof garnet hornblendite and granite, grading up-section to hornblendegabbronorite. The Sarangar complex is composed of metagabbro.The Sarangar gabbro and Jijal hornblende gabbronorite have melt-like,light rare earth element (LREE)-enriched REE patterns similarto those of island arc basalts. Together with the Jijal garnetgranulite, they define negative covariations of La_N, Yb_N and(La/Sm)_N with Eu^* [Eu^* = 2 x Eu_N/(Sm_N + Gd_N), where N indicateschondrite normalized], and positive covariations of (Yb/Gd)_Nwith Eu^*. REE modeling indicates that these covariations cannotbe accounted for by high-pressure crystal fractionation of hydrousprimitive or derivative andesites. They are consistent withformation of the garnet granulites as plagioclase–garnetassemblages with variable trapped melt fractions via eitherhigh-pressure crystallization of primitive island arc basaltsor dehydration-melting of hornblende gabbronorite, providedthat the amount of segregated or restitic garnet was low (<5wt %). Field, petrographic, geochemical and experimental evidenceis more consistent with formation of the Jijal garnet granuliteby dehydration-melting of Jijal hornblende gabbronorite. Similarly,the Jijal garnet-bearing hornblendite lenses were probably generatedby coeval dehydration-melting of hornblendites. Melting modelsand geochronological data point to intrusive leucogranites inthe overlying metaplutonic complex as the melts generated bydehydration-melting of the plutonic protoliths of the Jijalgarnet-bearing restites. Consistent with the metamorphic evolutionof the Kohistan lower arc crust, dehydration-melting occurredat the mature stage of this island arc when shallower hornblende-bearingplutonic rocks were buried to depths exceeding 25–30 kmand heated to temperatures above c. 900°C. Available experimentaldata on dehydration-melting of amphibolitic sources imply thatthickening of oceanic arcs to depths >30 km (equivalent toc. 1·0 GPa), together with the hot geotherms now postulatedfor lower island arc crust, should cause dehydration-meltingof amphibole-bearing plutonic rocks generating dense garnetgranulitic roots in island arcs. Dehydration-melting of hornblende-bearingplutonic rocks may, hence, be a common intracrustal chemicaland physical differentiation process in island arcs and a naturalconsequence of their maturation, leading to the addition ofgranitic partial melts to the middle–upper arc crust andformation of dense, unstable garnet granulite roots in the lowerarc crust. Addition of LREE-enriched granitic melts producedby this process to the middle–upper island arc crust maydrive its basaltic composition toward that of andesite, affordinga plausible solution to the ‘arc paradox’ of formationof andesitic continental-like crust in island arc settings. KEY WORDS: island arc crust; Kohistan complex; Jijal complex; amphibole dehydration-melting; garnet granulite; continental crustal growth     

Crustal Growth by Magmatic Accretion Constrained by Metamorphic P-T Paths and Thermal Models of the Kohistan Arc, NW Himalayas

Magmatic accretion is potentially an important mechanism inthe growth of the continental crust and the formation of granulites.In this study, the thermal evolution of a magmatic arc in responseto magmatic accretion is modeled using numerical solutions ofthe one-dimensional heat conduction equation. The initial andboundary conditions used in the model are constrained by geologicalobservations made in the Kohistan area, NW Himalayas. Takingconsideration of the preferred intrusion locations for basalticmagmas, we consider two plausible modes of magmatic accretion:the first involves the repeated intrusion of basalt at mid-crustaldepths (‘intraplate model’), and the second evaluatesthe simultaneous intrusion of basalt and picrite at mid-crustaldepths and the base of the crust respectively (‘double-platemodel’). The results of the double-plate model accountfor both the inferred metamorphic P–T paths of the Kohistanmafic granulites and the continental geotherm determined frompeak P–T conditions observed for granulite terranes. Thedouble-plate model may be applicable as a key growth processfor the production of thick mafic lower crust in magmatic arcs. KEY WORDS: thermal model; magmatic underplating; P–T path; granulite; lower crust     

Lower Crustal Magma Genesis and Preservation: a Stochastic Framework for the Evaluation of Basalt-Crust Interaction

We present a quantitative assessment of the thermal and dynamicresponse of an amphibolitic lower crust to the intrusion ofbasaltic dike swarms in an arc setting. We consider the effectof variable intrusion geometry, depth of intrusion, and basaltflux on the production, persistence, and interaction of basalticand crustal melt in a stochastic computational framework. Distinctmelting and mixing environments are predicted as a result ofthe crustal thickness and age of the arc system. Shallow crustal(30 km) environments and arc settings with low fluxes of mantle-derivedbasalt are likely repositories of isolated pods of mantle andcrustal melts in the lower crust, both converging on daciticto rhyodacitic composition. These may be preferentially rejuvenatedin subsequent intrusive episodes. Mature arc systems with thickercrust (50 km) produce higher crustal and residual basaltic meltfractions, reaching 0·4 for geologically reasonable basaltfluxes. The basaltic to basaltic andesite composition of bothcrustal and mantle melts will facilitate mixing as the networkof dikes collapses, and Reynolds numbers reach 10^–4–1·0in the interiors of dikes that have been breached by ascendingcrustal melts. This may provide one mechanism for melting, assimilation,storage and homogenization (MASH)-like processes. Residual mineralassemblages of crust thickened by repeated intrusion are predictedto be garnet pyroxenitic, which are denser than mantle peridotiteand also generate convective instabilities where some of thecrustal material is lost to the mantle. This reconciles thethinner than predicted crust in regions that have undergonea large flux of mantle basalt for a prolonged period of time,and helps explain the enrichment of incompatible elements suchas K₂O, typical of mature arc settings, without the associatedmass balance problem. KEY WORDS: crustal anatexis; delamination; lower crust; magma mixing; thermal model     

Coronas and high-P veins in metagabbros of the Kohistan island arc, northern Pakistan: evidence for crustal thickening during cooling

Abstract The E-W-trending Kohistan terrane in the NW Himalaya is a sandwich of a magmatic arc between the collided Karakoram (Asian) and Indian plates. The southern part of the Kohistan arc is principally made up of amphibolites derived from volcanic and plutonic rocks of Early Cretaceous age. Gabbroic relics in the amphibolites display calc-alkaline character, and their mineralogy is similar to low-P plutonic rocks reported from modern and ancient island arcs. The largest of these relics, occurring along the southern margin of the amphibolite belt near Khwaza Khela, is subcircular in outline and is about 1 km across. It consists of cumulate gabbros and related rocks displaying a record of cooling and crustal thickening. Primary olivine and anorthite reacted to produce coronas consisting of two pyroxenes +Mg-Fe²⁺-Al spinel ± tschermakitic hornblende at about 800° C, 5.5–7.5 kbar. This thermotectonic event is of regional extent and may be related to the overthrusting of the Karakoram plate onto the Kohistan arc some 85 Ma ago, or even earlier. Later the gabbros were locally traversed by veins containing high-P assemblages: garnet, kyanite, zoisite, paragonite, oligoclase, calcite, scapolite and quartz ° Chlorite ° Corundum ± diopside. Formed in the range 510–600° C, and 10–12 kbar, these suggest further thickening and cooling of the crust before its uplift during the Tertiary. This paper presents microprobe data on the minerals, and discusses the tectonic implications of the coronitic and vein assemblages in the gabbros.     

Crustal Evolution of Island-Arc Ultramafic Magma: Galmoenan Pyroxenite-Dunite Plutonic Complex, Koryak Highland (Far East Russia)

Alaskan-type platinum-bearing plutons and potassium-enrichedmafic to ultramafic volcanic rocks are temporally and spatiallyassociated within the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene Achaivayam–Valaginskiiintra-oceanic palaeo-arc system, allochthonously present inthe Koryak Highland and Kamchatka Peninsula (Far East Russia).The compositions of the parental magmas to the Alaskan-typecomplexes are estimated using the Galmoenan plutonic complexas an example. This complex, composed of dunites, pyroxenitesand minor gabbros, is the largest (20 km³) in the system andthe best studied owing to associated platinum placer deposits.The compositions of the principal mineral phases in the Galmoenanintrusive rocks [olivine (Fo_79–92), clinopyroxene (1–3·5wt % Al₂O₃, 0·1–0·5 wt % TiO₂), and Cr-spinel(5–15 wt % Al₂O₃ and 0·3–0·7 wt %TiO₂)] are typical of liquidus assemblages in primitive island-arcmagmas in intra-oceanic settings, and closely resemble the mineralcompositions in the Achaivayam–Valaginskii ultramaficvolcanic rocks. The temporal and spatial association of intrusiveand extrusive units, and the similarity of their mineral compositions,suggest that both suites were formed from similar parental magmas.The composition of the parental magma for the Galmoenan plutonicrocks is estimated using previously reported data for the Achaivayam–Valaginskiiultramafic volcanic rocks and phenocryst-hosted melt inclusions.Quantitative simulation of crystallization of the parental magmain the Galmoenan magma chamber shows that the compositions ofthe cumulate units are best modelled by fractional crystallizationwith periodic magma replenishment. The model calculations reproducewell the observed mineral assemblages and the trace elementabundances in clinopyroxene. Based upon the estimated compositionof the parental magmas and their mantle source, we considerthat fluxing of a highly refractory mantle wedge (similar tothe source of boninites) by chlorine-rich aqueous fluids isprimarily responsible for both high degrees of partial meltingand the geochemical characteristics of the magmas, includingtheir enrichment in platinum-group elements. KEY WORDS: subduction; platinum-group elements; clinopyroxene; trace elements; fractional crystallization; Alaskan-type plutons     

A Detailed Geochemical Study of Island Arc Crust: the Talkeetna Arc Section, South-Central Alaska

The Early to Middle Jurassic Talkeetna Arc section exposed inthe Chugach Mountains of south–central Alaska is 5–18km wide and extends for over 150 km. This accreted island arcincludes exposures of upper mantle to volcanic upper crust.The section comprises six lithological units, in order of decreasingdepth: (1) residual upper mantle harzburgite (with lesser proportionsof dunite); (2) pyroxenite; (3) basal gabbronorite; (4) lowercrustal gabbronorite; (5) mid-crustal plutonic rocks; (6) volcanicrocks. The pyroxenites overlie residual mantle peridotite, withsome interfingering of the two along the contact. The basalgabbronorite overlies pyroxenite, again with some interfingeringof the two units along their contact. Lower crustal gabbronorite(10 km thick) includes abundant rocks with well-developed modallayering. The mid-crustal plutonic rocks include a heterogeneousassemblage of gabbroic rocks, dioritic to tonalitic rocks (30–40%area), and concentrations of mafic dikes and chilled mafic inclusions.The volcanic rocks (7 km thick) range from basalt to rhyolite.Many of the evolved volcanic compositions are a result of fractionalcrystallization processes whose cumulate products are directlyobservable in the lower crustal gabbronorites. For example,Ti and Eu enrichments in lower crustal gabbronorites are mirroredby Ti and Eu depletions in evolved volcanic rocks. In addition,calculated parental liquids from ion microprobe analyses ofclinopyroxene in lower crustal gabbronorites indicate that theclinopyroxenes crystallized in equilibrium with liquids whosecompositions were the same as those of the volcanic rocks. Thecompositional variation of the main series of volcanic and chilledmafic rocks can be modeled through fractionation of observedphase compositions and phase proportions in lower crustal gabbronorite(i.e. cumulates). Primary, mantle-derived melts in the TalkeetnaArc underwent fractionation of pyroxenite at the base of thecrust. Our calculations suggest that more than 25 wt % of theprimary melts crystallized as pyroxenites at the base of thecrust. The discrepancy between the observed proportion of pyroxenites(less than 5% of the arc section) and the proportion requiredby crystal fractionation modeling (more than 25%) may be bestunderstood as the result of gravitational instability, withdense ultramafic cumulates, probably together with dense garnetgranulites, foundering into the underlying mantle during thetime when the Talkeetna Arc was magmatically active, or in theinitial phases of slow cooling (and sub-solidus garnet growth)immediately after the cessation of arc activity. KEY WORDS: island arc crust; layered gabbro; Alaska geology; island arc magmatism; lower crust     

Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Stratigraphy of the Rustenburg Layered Suite, Bushveld Complex: Constraints on Crustal Contamination

New ¹⁸O values for plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine, and limitedwhole-rock D values are presented for samples from the RustenburgLayered Suite of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. In combinationwith existing data, these provide a much more complete compositeO-isotope stratigraphy for the intrusion. Throughout the layeredsuite, mineral ¹⁸O values indicate that the magmas from whichthey crystallized had ¹⁸O values that were about 7·1,that is, 1·4 higher than expected for mantle-derivedmagmas, suggesting extensive crustal contamination. More limitedH-isotope data suggest that the OH present within whole rocks,regardless of the degree of alteration, is of magmatic originand not an alteration phenomenon. There appears to be no systematicchange in ¹⁸O value with stratigraphic height and this requiresthe contamination to have taken place in a ‘staging chamber’before emplacement of the magma(s) into the present chamber.Large amounts (30–40%) of contamination by the lower tomiddle crust are needed to explain these ¹⁸O values, which isin general agreement with previous estimates based on Sr- andNd-isotope data. Alternatively, smaller amounts of contamination(20%) by sedimentary rocks, or their partial melts, representedby the country rock can explain the data, but it is not apparenthow such material could have been present at the depth of the‘staging chamber’ in the lower to middle crust. KEY WORDS: Bushveld Complex; Rustenburg Layered Suite; oxygen isotopes; hydrogen isotopes; crustal contamination     

Crustal thickening of the lower crust of the Kohistan arc (N. Pakistan) deduced from Al zoning in clinopyroxene and plagioclase

The lower-crustal rocks of the Kohistan complex (northern Pakistan) are mostly composed of metabasic rocks such as pyroxene granulites, garnet granulites and amphibolites. We have investigated P–T trajectories of the relic two-pyroxene granulites, which are the protolith of the amphibolites within the Kamila amphibolite belt. Aluminous pyroxene retains igneous textures such as exsolution lamellae developed in the core. The significant amount of Al in clinopyroxene is buffered by breakdown reactions of plagioclase accompanied by film-like quartz as a product at grain boundaries between plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Distinct Al zoning profiles are preserved in pyroxene with exsolution lamellae in the core and in plagioclase adjacent to clinopyroxene in pyroxene granulites. In the northern part of the Kamila amphibolite belt, Al in clinopyroxene increases towards the rim and abruptly decreases at the outer rim, and anorthite in plagioclase decreases towards the rim and abruptly increases near the grain boundary between plagioclase and clinopyroxene. In the southern part of the Kamila amphibolite belt, Al in clinopyroxene and anorthite in plagioclase simply increase towards the margins of the grains. The anorthite zoning in plagioclase is in agreement with the zoning profiles of Ca-Tschermaks and jadeite components inferred from variations of Al, Na, Ti and Fe³⁺ in clinopyroxene. Assuming that the growth surface between them was in equilibrium, geothermobarometry based on Al zoning in clinopyroxene coexisting with plagioclase indicates that metamorphic pressures significantly increased with increasing temperature under granulite facies metamorphism. The peak of granulite facies metamorphism occurred at conditions of about 800 °C and 800–1100 MPa. These prograde P–T paths represent a crustal thickening process of the Kohistan arc during the Early to Middle Cretaceous. The crustal thickening of the Kohistan arc was caused by accretion of basaltic magma at mid-crustal depths.     

Metapelites of the Kanskiy Granulite Complex (Eastern Siberia): Kinked P-T Paths and Geodynamic Model

The Southern Yenisey Range (Eastern Siberia) consists of thegranulite-facies Kanskiy complex bordered by the lower-gradeYeniseyskiy and Yukseevskiy complexes. Samples of metapeliteof the Kanskiy complex typically show characteristic garnet-formingreaction textures and near-isobaric cooling P–T paths.An important new result of this study concerns the differencein shape of the P–T paths from different parts of theKanskiy granulite complex: metapelites collected 8 km from theboundary with the Yeniseyskiy complex followed a linear pathwith dP/dT 0·006 kbar/°C; metapelites collected3 km from this boundary reveal a kinked P–T path withan interval of burial cooling (dP/dT –0·006 kbar/°C).The difference in the shape of the P–T paths is supportedby the chemical zoning of garnet studied in the second groupof samples. A mechanism of buoyant exhumation of granulite issuggested by comparison with the results of numerical modelling,which indicate that such a diversity of P–T paths mayresult from a transient disturbance of the thermal structureby rapid differential movement of material from different crustallevels. To arrive at a correct tectonic interpretation, thewhole assemblage of interrelated P–T paths of metamorphicrocks collected from different localities within the same complexmust be studied. KEY WORDS: crustal diapirism; exhumation; granulites; numerical modelling; P–T path     

Silica-rich Melts in Quartz Xenoliths from Vulcano Island and their Bearing on Processes of Crustal Anatexis and Crust-Magma Interaction beneath the Aeolian Arc, Southern Italy

Quartz-rich xenoliths in lavas and pyroclastic rocks from VulcanoIsland, part of the Aeolian arc, Italy, contain silicic meltinclusions with high SiO₂ (73–80 wt %) and K₂O (3–6wt %) contents. Two types of inclusions can be distinguishedbased on their time of entrapment and incompatible trace element(ITE) concentrations. One type (late, ITE-enriched inclusions)has trace element characteristics that resemble those of themetamorphic rocks of the Calabro-Peloritano basement of theadjacent mainland. Other inclusions (early, ITE-depleted) havevariable Ba, Rb, Sr and Cs, and low Nb, Zr and rare earth element(REE) contents. Their REE patterns are unfractionated, witha marked positive Eu anomaly. Geochemical modelling suggeststhat the ITE-depleted inclusions cannot be derived from equilibriummelting of Calabro-Peloritano metamorphic rocks. ITE-enrichedinclusions can be modelled by large degrees (>80%) of meltingof basement gneisses and schists, leaving a quartz-rich residuerepresented by the quartz-rich xenoliths. Glass inclusions inquartz-rich xenoliths represent potential contaminants of Aeolianarc magmas. Interaction between calc-alkaline magmas and crustalanatectic melts with a composition similar to the analysed inclusionsmay generate significant enrichment in potassium in the magmas.However, ITE contents of the melt inclusions are comparablewith or lower than those of Vulcano calc-alkaline and potassicrocks. This precludes the possibility that potassic magmas inthe Aeolian arc may originate from calc-alkaline parents throughdifferent degrees of incorporation of crustal melts. KEY WORDS: melt inclusions; crustal anatexis; magma assimilation; xenoliths; Vulcano Island     

Chemistry of the Shiant Isles Main Sill, NW Scotland, and Wider Implications for the Petrogenesis of Mafic Sills

Major and trace element data for the Tertiary, Shiant IslesMain Sill, NW Scotland, are used to discuss its complex internaldifferentiation. Vertical sections through the sill exhibitsharp breaks in chemistry that coincide with changes in texture,grain size and mineralogy. These breaks are paired, top andbottom, and correspond to the boundaries of intrusive units,confirming a four-phase multiple-intrusion model based on fieldrelations, petrography, mineralogy and isotopes. Whole-rockchemistry is consistent with this model and necessitates onlyminor revisions to the intrusive and differentiation mechanismspreviously proposed. The rocks contain strongly zoned minerals(e.g. olivine Fo_70–5, clinopyroxene Mg# = 75–5,plagioclase An_75–5) indicating almost perfect fractionalcrystallization, but whole-rock compositions do not show suchextreme variations. Thus, while residual liquids became highlyevolved in situ, they mainly became trapped within the crystalnetwork and did not undergo wholesale inward migration. Someinward (mainly upward) concentration of residual liquids didoccur to form a ‘sandwich horizon’, but the morevolatile-rich, late-stage liquids that did not crystallize insitu appear to have migrated to higher levels in the sill toform pegmatitic horizons. Parental liquid compositions are modelledfor the intrusive units and it is concluded that the originalparent magma formed by partial melting of upper mantle thatwas more depleted in LREE than the sources of most ScottishTertiary basaltic rocks. Incompatible trace elements in thepicrodolerite–crinanite intrusive unit support isotopeevidence that its parent magma was contaminated by crustal material.Attempts to reconcile the chemical characteristics of the sillwith a recently proposed petrogenetic model based on a singleintrusion of magma differentiated by novel, but controversial,processes fail comprehensively. It is predicted that the complexpetrogenetic history of the Shiant Isles sill is not unusualand could become the model for other large (>50 m thick)sills. KEY WORDS: alkali basalt; differentiation; geochemistry; multiple intrusion; Shiant Isles; sill     

Origin of Fe-Ti Oxide Ores in Mafic Intrusions: Evidence from the Panzhihua Intrusion, SW China

Economic concentrations of Fe–Ti oxides occur as massive,conformable lenses or layers in the lower part of the Panzhihuaintrusion, Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China. Mineralchemistry, textures and QUILF equilibria indicate that oxidesin rocks of the intrusion were subjected to extensive subsolidusre-equilibration and exsolution. The primary oxide, reconstructedfrom compositions of titanomagnetite in the ores and associatedintergrowths, is an aluminous titanomagnetite (Usp₄₀) with 40wt % FeO, 34 wt % Fe₂O₃, 16·5 wt % TiO₂, 5·3 wt% Al₂O₃, 3·5 wt % MgO and 0·5 wt % MnO. This compositionis similar to the bulk composition of the oxide ore, as inferredfrom whole-rock data. This similarity strongly suggests thatthe ores formed from accumulation of titanomagnetite crystals,not from immiscible oxide melt as proposed in earlier studies.The occurrence of oxide ores in the lower parts of the Panzhihuaintrusion is best explained by settling and sorting of densetitanomagnetite in the ferrogabbroic parental magma. This magmamust have crystallized Fe–Ti oxides relatively early andabundantly, and is likely to have been enriched in Fe and Tibut poor in SiO₂. These features are consistent with fractionationof mantle-derived melts under relatively high pressures (10kbar), followed by emplacement of the residual magma at 5 kbar.This study provides definitive field and geochemical evidencethat Fe–Ti oxide ores can form by accumulation in ferrogabbro.We suggest that many other massive Fe–Ti oxide depositsmay have formed in a similar fashion and that high concentrationsof phosphorus or carbon, or periodic fluctuation of fO₂ in themagma, are of secondary importance in ore formation. KEY WORDS: ELIP; Fe–Ti oxide ore; layered intrusion; Panzhihua; QUILF     

Petrology and Geochemistry of Early Cretaceous Bimodal Continental Flood Volcanism of the NW Etendeka, Namibia. Part 2: Characteristics and Petrogenesis of the High-Ti Latite and High-Ti and Low-Ti Voluminous Quartz Latite Eruptives

As a result of their relative concentration towards the respectiveAtlantic margins, the silicic eruptives of the Paraná(Brazil)–Etendeka large igneous province are disproportionatelyabundant in the Etendeka of Namibia. The NW Etendeka silicicunits, dated at     

The Petrology and Geochemistry of Volcanic Rocks on Jeju Island: Plume Magmatism along the Asian Continental Margin

The incompatible element signatures of volcanic rocks formingJeju Island, located at the eastern margin of the Asian continent,are identical to those of typical intraplate magmas. The sourceof these volcanic rocks may be a mantle plume, located immediatelybehind the SW Japan arc. Jeju plume magmas can be divided intothree series, based on major and trace element abundances: high-aluminaalkalic, low-alumina alkalic, and sub-alkalic. Mass-balancecalculations indicate that the compositional variations withineach magma series are largely governed by fractional crystallizationof three chemically distinct parental magmas. The compositionsof primary magmas for these series, using inferred residualmantle olivine compositions, suggest that the low-alumina alkalicand sub-alkalic magmas are generated at the deepest and shallowestdepths by lowest and highest degrees of melting, respectively.These estimates, together with systematic differences in traceelement and isotopic compositions, indicate that the upper mantlebeneath Jeju Island is characterized by an increased degreeof metasomatism and a change in major metasomatic hydrous mineralsfrom amphibole to phlogopite with decreasing depth. The originalplume material, having rather depleted geochemical characteristics,entrained shallower metasomatized uppermost mantle material,and segregated least-enriched low-alumina alkalic, moderatelyenriched high-alumina alkalic, and highly enriched sub-alkalicmagmas, with decreasing depth. KEY WORDS: Jeju Island; magma genesis; mantle plume; subcontinental mantle     

Oxygen Isotope Geochemistry of the Lassen Volcanic Center, California: Resolving Crustal and Mantle Contributions to Continental Arc Magmatism

This study reports oxygen isotope ratios determined by laserfluorination of mineral separates (mainly plagioclase) frombasaltic andesitic to rhyolitic composition volcanic rocks eruptedfrom the Lassen Volcanic Center (LVC), northern California.Plagioclase separates from nearly all rocks have ¹⁸O values(6·1–8·4) higher than expected for productionof the magmas by partial melting of little evolved basalticlavas erupted in the arc front and back-arc regions of the southernmostCascades during the late Cenozoic. Most LVC magmas must thereforecontain high ¹⁸O crustal material. In this regard, the ¹⁸O valuesof the volcanic rocks show strong spatial patterns, particularlyfor young rhyodacitic rocks that best represent unmodified partialmelts of the continental crust. Rhyodacitic magmas erupted fromvents located within 3·5 km of the inferred center ofthe LVC have consistently lower ¹⁸O values (average 6·3± 0·1) at given SiO₂ contents relative to rockserupted from distal vents (>7·0 km; average 7·1± 0.1). Further, magmas erupted from vents situated attransitional distances have intermediate values and span a largerrange (average 6·8 ± 0·2). Basaltic andesiticto andesitic composition rocks show similar spatial variations,although as a group the ¹⁸O values of these rocks are more variableand extend to higher values than the rhyodacitic rocks. Thesefeatures are interpreted to reflect assimilation of heterogeneouslower continental crust by mafic magmas, followed by mixingor mingling with silicic magmas formed by partial melting ofinitially high ¹⁸O continental crust (9·0) increasinglyhybridized by lower ¹⁸O (6·0) mantle-derived basalticmagmas toward the center of the system. Mixing calculationsusing estimated endmember source ¹⁸O values imply that LVC magmascontain on a molar oxygen basis approximately 42 to 4% isotopicallyheavy continental crust, with proportions declining in a broadlyregular fashion toward the center of the LVC. Conversely, the¹⁸O values of the rhyodacitic rocks suggest that the continentalcrust in the melt generation zones beneath the LVC has beensubstantially modified by intrusion of mantle-derived basalticmagmas, with the degree of hybridization ranging on a molaroxygen basis from approximately 60% at distances up to 12 kmfrom the center of the system to 97% directly beneath the focusregion. These results demonstrate on a relatively small scalethe strong influence that intrusion of mantle-derived maficmagmas can have on modifying the composition of pre-existingcontinental crust in regions of melt production. Given thisresult, similar, but larger-scale, regional trends in magmacompositions may reflect an analogous but more extensive processwherein the continental crust becomes progressively hybridizedbeneath frontal arc localities as a result of protracted intrusionof subduction-related basaltic magmas. KEY WORDS: oxygen isotopes; phenocrysts; continental arc magmatism; Cascades; Lassen     

Experimental Petrology of the Kiglapait Intrusion: Cotectic Trace for the Lower Zone at 5 kbar in Graphite

The inferred crystallization history of the troctolitic LowerZone of the Kiglapait Intrusion in Labrador is tested by meltingmineral mixtures from the intrusion, made to yield the observedcrystal compositions on the cotectic trace of liquid, plagioclase,and olivine. Melting experiments were made in a piston-cylinderapparatus, using graphite capsules at 5 kbar. Lower Zone assemblagescrystallized from 1245°C, 5% normative augite in the liquid,to 1203°C, 24% normative augite in the liquid at saturationwith augite crystals. This transit is consistent with modaldata and the large volume of the Lower Zone. The 1245°Ccotectic composition matches the average Inner Border Zone composition.Quenched troctolitic liquid from the Upper Border Zone, andothers from nearby Newark Island, plot on or near our experimentalcotectic, supporting a common fractionation history. Olivine–plagioclaseintergrowths from cotectic troctolitic melt show mosaic texturesreflecting the differing barriers to nucleation of these twophases. The linear partitioning of X_Ab in plagioclase–meltyields an intercept constant K_D = 0·524 for these maficmelts. Observed subsolidus exchange of Ca between plagioclaseand olivine elucidates the loss of Ca from plutonic olivines.The bulk composition of the intrusion is revised downward inFo and An. KEY WORDS: experimental; olivine; plagioclase; Kiglapait; partitioningAbbreviations: AP, MT, IL, OR, AB, AN, DI, HY, OL, FO, NE, Q, FSP, AUG: (Oxygen) Normative components; Ap, Aug, Ilm, Ol, Pl: Phases; Ab, An, Di, Fa, Fo, Or, Wo: Phase components; also ternary endmembers; BSE: Back-scattered electron; CaTs: Calcium Tschermak's component, CaAlAlSiO₆; D: Partition coefficient; f: Fugacity; F_L: Fraction of the system present as liquid = 1 – (PCS/100); FMQ: Fayalite = magnetite + quartz buffer; IBZ: Inner Border Zone; IW: Iron = wüstite buffer; kbar: kilobar, 10⁸ pascal; K_D: Exchange coefficient; KI: Kiglapait Intrusion; L: Liquid phase; LLD: Liquid line of descent; Ma: Mega-annum, age; Myr: Mega-year, time; OLHY: Normative OL + HY; OLRAT: The ratio OLHY/(OLHY + AUG); P: Pressure; P: Phosphorus; PCS: Percent solidified (volume); SMAR: South Margin average composition; T: Temperature, °C; UBZ: Upper Border Zone; WM: Wüstite = magnetite buffer; Wo: Wollastonite component of pyroxene; X: Mole fraction; X_Mg: Molar ratio Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺); , X_Mg(0): Initial X_Mg before MT is formed in the norm calculation; X: Coordinate, horizontal axis; Y: Coordinate, vertical axis     

Trace Element and Platinum Group Element Distributions and the Genesis of the Merensky Reef, Western Bushveld Complex, South Africa

The Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex is one of the world'slargest resources of platinum group elements (PGE); however,mechanisms for its formation remain poorly understood, and manycontradictory theories have been proposed. We present precisecompositional data [major elements, trace elements, and platinumgroup elements (PGE)] for 370 samples from four borehole coresections of the Merensky Reef in one area of the western BushveldComplex. Trace element patterns (incompatible elements and rareearth elements) exhibit systematic variations, including small-scalecyclic changes indicative of the presence of cumulus crystalsand intercumulus liquid derived from different magmas. Ratiosof highly incompatible elements for the different sections areintermediate to those of the proposed parental magmas (CriticalZone and Main Zone types) that gave rise to the Bushveld Complex.Mingling, but not complete mixing of different magmas is suggestedto have occurred during the formation of the Merensky Reef.The trace element patterns are indicative of transient associationsbetween distinct magma layers. The porosity of the cumulatesis shown to affect significantly the distribution of sulphidesand PGE. A genetic link is made between the thickness of theMerensky pyroxenite, the total PGE and sulphide content, petrologicaland textural features, and the trace element signatures in thesections studied. The rare earth elements reveal the importantrole of plagioclase in the formation of the Merensky pyroxenite,and the distribution of sulphide. KEY WORDS: Merensky Reef; platinum group elements; trace elements     

Petrology and Isotope Geochemistry of the Pan-African Negash Pluton, Northern Ethiopia: Mafic-Felsic Magma Interactions During the Construction of Shallow-level Calc-alkaline Plutons

The Negash pluton consists of monzogranites, granodiorites,hybrid quartz monzodiorites, quartz monzodiorites and pyroxenemonzodiorites, emplaced at 608 ± 7 Ma (zircon U–Pb)in low-grade volcaniclastic sediments. Field relationships betweenmafic and felsic rocks result from mingling and hybridizationat the lower interface of a mafic sheet injected into partiallycrystallized, phenocryst-laden, granodiorite magma (back-veining),and hybridization during simultaneous ascent of mafic and felsicmagmas in the feeder zone located to the NW of the pluton. Therock suite displays low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr₍₆₀₈₎ (0·70260–0·70350)and positive     

Dissolution of Quartz, Albite, and Orthoclase in H2O-Saturated Haplogranitic Melt at 800{degrees}C and 200 MPa: Diffusive Transport Properties of Granitic Melts at Crustal Anatectic Conditions

We have conducted experiments on dissolution of quartz, albite,orthoclase, and corundum into H₂O-saturated haplogranite meltat 800°C and 200 MPa over a duration of 120–1488 hwith the aim of ascertaining the diffusive transport propertiesof granitic melts at crustal anatectic temperatures. Cylindersof anhydrous starting glass and a single mineral phase (quartzor feldspar) were juxtaposed along flat and polished surfacesinside gold or platinum capsules with 10 wt % added H₂O. Concentrationprofiles in glass (quenched melt) perpendicular to the mineral–glassinterfaces and comparison with relevant phase diagrams suggestthat melts at the interface are saturated in the dissolvingphases after 384 h, and with longer durations the concentrationprofiles are controlled only by diffusion of components in themelt. The evolution of the concentration profiles with timeindicates that uncoupled diffusion in the melt takes place alongthe following four linearly independent directions in oxidecomposition space: SiO₂, Na₂O, and K₂O axes (Si-, Na-, and K-eigenvectors,respectively), and a direction between the Al₂O₃, Na₂O, andK₂O axes (Al-eigenvector), such that the Al/Na molar ratio isequal to that of the bulk melt and the Al/(Na + K) molar ratiois equal to the equilibrium ASI (= mol. Al₂O₃/[Na₂O + K₂O])of the melt. Experiments in which a glass cylinder was sandwichedbetween two mineral cylinders—quartz and albite, quartzand K-feldspar, or albite and corundum—tested the validityof the inferred directions of uncoupled diffusion and exploredlong-range chemical communication in the melt via chemical potentialgradients. The application of available solutions to the diffusionequations for the experimental quartz and feldspar dissolutiondata provides diffusivities along the directions of the Si-eigenvectorand Al-eigenvector of (2·0–2·8) x 10^–15m²/s and (0·6–2·4) x 10^–14 m²/s, respectively.Minimum diffusivities of alkalis [(3–9) x 10^–11m²/s] are orders of magnitude greater than the tetrahedral componentsof the melt. The information provided here determines the rateat which crustal anatexis can occur when sufficient heat issupplied and diffusion is the only mass transport (mixing) processin the melt. The calculated diffusivities imply that a quartzo-feldspathicsource rock with initial grain size of 2–3 mm undergoinghydrostatic, H₂O-saturated melting at 800°C (infinite heatsupply) could produce 20–30 vol. % of homogeneous meltin less than 1–10 years. Slower diffusion in H₂O-undersaturatedmelts will increase this time frame. KEY WORDS: chemical diffusion; haplogranite; mineral dissolution experiments; crustal anatexis