Comparative petrology of Archaean anorthosites in amphibolite and granulite facies terranes, SW Greenland

We report new field and petrographic observations, and mineral-chemical data, on the amphibolite-facies Buksefjorden and granulite-facies Nordland anorthosites, which occur in different tectonostratigraphic terranes within the Archaean gneiss complex of SW Greenland. The Buksefjorden body [from the Akulleq (middle) terrane] is dominated by plagioclase and Ca-amphibole, but shows widespread effects of retrograde hydration (epidote, chlorite). Most plagioclase compositions are in the An_60–82 range, with the majority of samples showing average core compositions ∼An₇₆, whereas rims or recrystallized margins are ∼An₆₅. Most grains in the An_70–82 range display optically visible Huttenlocher intergrowths. Amphiboles at Buksefjorden are mainly magnesio-hornblende with X _Mg ranging from 0.70 to 0.45. The Nordland anorthosite [from the Akia (northern) terrane] is also dominated by plagioclase and Ca-amphibole, but contains additional clinopyroxene (∼Ca₄₇Mg₃₈Fe₁₅) as well as minor orthopyroxene (∼En₆₈), spinel and corundum. Plagioclase at Nordland shows an equilibrated, equigranular texture, consistent with prolonged slow cooling from high temperatures. Despite this textural equilibration, plagioclase at Nordland shows a striking range of compositions from An₂₈ to An₉₇, most of which is found in single thin sections. A distinctive feature is the presence of discrete anorthite (+ spinel ± corundum) domains in some samples. Although a number of explanations may apply, we consider these domains to result from prograde mass transfer reactions involving Ca-amphibole and plagioclase. Amphibole compositions at Nordland show similar X _Mg to those at Buksefjorden, but are more aluminous, alkalic, and titanian. This shift to more pargasitic compositions is consistent with the contrasts in metamorphic grade between the two anorthosite bodies. At Buksefjorden, there is no correlation between the amount of modal Ca-amphibole and plagioclase composition, which would be expected if amphibole was produced solely through metamorphism. Our results suggest, alternatively, that the primary igneous mineralogy of these rocks may have been plagioclase (∼An₇₆) + hornblende + pyroxene + magnetite. The primary mineralogy at Nordland is less certain, but it is noteworthy that no rocks contain anorthite of unambiguous igneous origin, in contrast to some other occurrences of Archaean anorthosites. Received: 17 January 1996 / Accepted: 12 March 1997     

Superposition of replacements in the mafic granulites of the Jijal complex of the Kohistan arc, northern Pakistan: dehydration and rehydration within deep arc crust

A deep-level crustal section of the Cretaceous Kohistan arc is exposed in the northern part of the Jijal complex. The occurrence of mafic to ultramafic granulite-facies rocks exhibits the nature and metamorphic evolution of the lower crust. Mafic granulites are divided into two rock types: two-pyroxene granulite (orthopyroxene+clinopyroxene+plagioclase±quartz [1]); and garnet–clinopyroxene granulite (garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+quartz [2]). Two-pyroxene granulite occurs in the northeastern part of the Jijal complex as a relict host rock of garnet–clinopyroxene granulite, where the orthopyroxene-rich host is transected by elongated patches and bands of garnet–clinopyroxene granulite. Garnet–clinopyroxene granulite, together with two-pyroxene granulite, has been partly replaced by amphibolite (hornblende±garnet+plagioclase+quartz [3]). The garnet-bearing assemblage [2] is expressed by a compression–dehydration reaction: hornblende+orthopyroxene+plagioclase=garnet+clinopyroxene+quartz+H₂O↑. Subsequent amphibolitization to form the assemblage [3] is expressed by two hydration reactions: garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+H₂O=hornblende+quartz and plagioclase+hornblende+H₂O=zoisite+chlorite+quartz. The mafic granulites include pod- and lens-shaped bodies of ultramafic granulites which consist of garnet hornblendite (garnet+hornblende+clinopyroxene [4]) associated with garnet clinopyroxenite, garnetite, and hornblendite. Field relation and comparisons in modal–chemical compositions between the mafic and ultramafic granulites indicate that the ultramafic granulites were originally intrusive rocks which dissected the protoliths of the mafic granulites and then have been metamorphosed simultaneously with the formation of garnet–clinopyroxene granulite. The results combined with isotopic ages reported elsewhere give the following tectonic constraints: (1) crustal thickening through the development of the Kohistan arc and the subsequent Kohistan–Asia collision caused the high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism in the Jijal complex; (2) local amphibolitization of the mafic granulites occurred after the collision.     

Mantle and crustal sources of Archean anorthosite: a combined in situ isotopic study of Pb–Pb in plagioclase and Lu–Hf in zircon

Isotopic analyses of ancient mantle-derived magmatic rocks are used to trace the geochemical evolution of the Earth’s mantle, but it is often difficult to determine their primary, initial isotope ratios due to the detrimental effects of metamorphism and secondary alteration. We present in situ analyses by LA-MC-ICPMS for the Pb isotopic compositions of igneous plagioclase (An_75–89) megacrysts and the Hf isotopic compositions of BSE-imaged domains of zircon grains from two mantle-derived anorthosite complexes from south West Greenland, Fiskenæsset and Nunataarsuk, which represent two of the best-preserved Archean anorthosites in the world. In situ LA-ICPMS U–Pb geochronology of the zircon grains suggests that the minimum crystallization age of the Fiskenæsset complex is 2,936 ± 13 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.5) and the Nunataarsuk complex is 2,914 ± 6.9 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 2.0). Initial Hf isotopic compositions of zircon grains from both anorthosite complexes fall between depleted mantle and a less radiogenic crustal source with a total range up to 5 ε_Hf units. In terms of Pb isotopic compositions of plagioclase, both anorthosite complexes share a depleted mantle end member yet their Pb isotopic compositions diverge in opposite directions from this point: Fiskenæsset toward a high-μ, more radiogenic Pb, crustal composition and Nunataarsuk toward low-μ, less radiogenic Pb, crustal composition. By using Hf isotopes in zircon in conjunction with Pb isotopes in plagioclase, we are able to constrain both the timing of mantle extraction of the crustal end member and its composition. At Fiskenæsset, the depleted mantle melt interacted with an Eoarchean (~3,700 Ma) mafic crust with a maximum ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ~0.028. At Nunataarsuk, the depleted mantle melt interacted with a Hadean (~4,200 Ma) mafic crust with a maximum ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ~0.0315. Evidence from both anorthosite complexes provides support for the long-term survival of ancient mafic crusts that, although unidentified at the surface to date, could still be present within the Fiskenæsset and Nunataarsuk regions.     

Lower Crustal Cumulate Nodules in Proterozoic Dikes of the Nain Complex: Evidence for the Origin of Proterozoic Anorthosites

Nodules and xenocrysts dominated by high-A1 orthopyroxene occurin Proterozoic basaltic dikes that cut the Nain anorthositecomplex, Labrador. This pyroxene (En_73–68, Al₂O₃ = 6.5–4.5)lacks exsolution and occurs both as anhedral xenocrysts up to10 cm in diameter and with euhedral plagioclase (An₅₅) in ophiticnodules. Rarely, olivine (Fo₇₀) occurs with orthopyroxene andAl-spinel with plagioclase. Scarce, more Fe-rich nodules containtwo pyroxenes (orthopyroxene + pigeonite and pigeonite+augite)and coarse intergrowths of ilmenite and Ti-rich magnetite. Pyroxenepairs yield temperatures of 1250? to 1170 ?C; coexisting oxidelamellae yield temperatures between 1145? and 1120 ?C. The highsubsolidus temperatures of the nodules contrasts with the lowtemperature of the host anorthosite at the time of dike emplacementand indicates a deep source for the nodules. Coexisting olivine(Fo₇₀) and plagioclase (An₅₄) suggest a maximum pressure ofabout 11 kb.The dominant orthopyroxene in these nodules is nearlyidentical in composition to the high-Al orthopyroxene megacrystswith exsolved plagioclase (HAOM) found in most Proterozoic anorthosites,and the ophitic nodules have textures similar to ophitic occurrencesof HAOM in anorthosite. Rafting of cotectic nodules from thelower crust can explain occurrences of HAOM in shallow levelanorthosites.The nodules and xenocrysts have compositions consistentwith crystallization from magmas that were parental to the anorthosites.They lend support to models which derive anorthosites by fractionalcrystallization of basaltic magma near the base of the crust.     

Parental magmas of the Nain Plutonic Suite anorthosites and mafic cumulates: a trace element modelling approach

Equilibrium melt trace element contents are calculated from Proterozoic Nain Plutonic Suite (NPS) mafic and anorthositic cumulates, and from plagioclase and orthopyroxene megacrysts. Assumed trapped melt fractions (TMF) <20% generally eliminate all minor phases in most mafic cumulate rocks, reducing them to mixtures of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine, which would represent the high-temperature cumulus assemblage. In anorthosites, TMF <15% generally reduce the mode to a feldspar-only assemblage. All model melts have trace element profiles enriched in highly incompatible elements relative to normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (NMORB); commonly with negative Nb and Th anomalies. Most mafic cumulates yield similar profiles with constant incompatible element ratios, and can be linked through fractional crystallization. High K-La subtypes probably represent crust-contaminated facies. Mafic cumulates are inferred to belong to a tholeiitic differentiation series, variably contaminated by upper and lower crustal components, and probably related to coeval tholeiitic basaltic dyke swarms and lavas in Labrador. Model melts from anorthosites and megacrysts have normalized trace element profiles with steeper slopes than those calculated from mafic cumulates, indicating that mafic cumulates and anorthosites did not crystallize from the same melts. Orthopyroxene megacrysts yield model melts that are more enriched than typical anorthositic model melts, precluding an origin from parental melts. Jotunites have lower K-Rb-Ba-Y-Yb and higher La-Ce than model residues from fractionation of anorthositic model melts, suggesting they are not cosanguineous with them, but provide reasonable fits to evolved mafic cumulate model melts. Incompatible element profiles of anorthositic model melts closely resemble those of crustal melts such as tonalites, with steep Y-Yb-Lu segments that suggest residual garnet in the source. Inversion models yield protoliths similar to depleted lower crustal granulite xenoliths with aluminous compositions, suggesting that the incompatible trace element budget of the anorthosites are derived from remobilization of the lower crust. The similarity of the highly incompatible trace elements and LILE between anorthositic and mafic cumulate model melts suggests that the basalts parental to the mafic cumulates locally assimilated considerable quantities of the same crust that yielded the anorthosites. The reaction between underplating basalt and aluminous lower crust would have forced crystallization of abundant plagioclase, and remobilization of these hybrid plagioclase-rich mushes then produced the anorthosite massifs.     

The Plagioclase-Magma Density Paradox Re-examined and the Crystallization of Proterozoic Anorthosites

Intermediate-composition plagioclase (An_40–60) is typicallyless dense than the relatively evolved basaltic magmas fromwhich it crystallizes and the crystallization of plagioclaseproduces a dense residual liquid, thus plagioclase should havea tendency to float in these magmatic systems. There is, however,little direct evidence for plagioclase flotation cumulates eitherin layered intrusions or in Proterozoic anorthosite complexes.The layered series of the Poe Mountain anorthosite, southeastWyoming, contains numerous anorthosite–leucogabbro blocksthat constrain density relations during differentiation. Allblocks are more mafic than their hosting anorthositic cumulates,their plagioclase compositions are more calcic, and each blockis in strong Sr isotopic disequilibrium with its host cumulate.Associated structures—disrupted and deformed layering—indicatethat (1) a floor was present during crystallization and thatplagioclase was accumulating and/or crystallizing on the floor,(2) compositional layering and plagioclase lamination formeddirectly at the magma–crystal pile interface, and (3)the upper portions of the crystal pile contained significantamounts of interstitial melt. Liquid densities are calculatedfor proposed high-Al olivine gabbroic parental magmas and Fe-enrichedferrodioritic and monzodioritic residual magmas of the anorthositestaking into account pressure, oxygen fugacity, P₂O₅, estimatedvolatile contents, and variable temperatures of crystallization.For all reasonable conditions, calculated block densities aregreater than those of the associated melt. The liquid densities,however, are greater than those for An_40–60 plagioclase,which cannot have settled to the floor. Plagioclase must eitherhave been carried to the floor in relatively dense packets ofcooled liquid plus crystals or have crystallized in situ. Asloping floor, possibly produced by diapiric ascent of relativelylight plagioclase-rich cumulates, is required to allow for drainingand removal of the dense interstitial liquid produced in thecrystal pile and may be a characteristic feature during thecrystallization of many Proterozoic anorthosites and layeredintrusions. KEY WORDS: magma; density; Proterozoic anorthosites; blocks; plagioclase     

The Petrology and Geochemistry of Mafic Igneous Rocks in the Anorthosite-Bearing Adirondack Highlands, New York

Igneous rocks of broadly basaltic composition are widely distributedin the anorthosite-bearing Adirondack Highlands of New York.They constitute a mafic series of rocks that occurs on the marginsof the anorthosite series and up to 50 km away from the anorthosite.On an Sr reference diagram, the mafic series has an apparentinitial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr value of 0.7036, which is consistent with1100 Ma subcontinental mantle. The series was probably emplacedin the interval 1150–1100 Ma, during which time anorthositeand granitic magmas were also emplaced. The rocks were metamorphosedshortly thereafter ({small tilde} 1088 Ma) under upper-amphiboliteand granulite facies conditions. Individual bodies of maficrocks range in thickness from small enclaves and layers >>1 m thick to large lensoid masses several tens of meters thick.Despite deformation and metamorphic recrystallization, manyof the rocks retain chiHed margins, cross-cutting relationships,and relict igneous textures. Selected samples of the mafic series have been analyzed fortheir major and trace element compositions. Metamorphism didnot significantly alter the igneous geochemical relationships,and the rocks retain mantle-like values for Zr/Nb, K/Zr, K/Rb,Rb/Sr, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. The most primitive rocks of the seriesare silica-undersaturated gabbroic troctolites, and the moreevolved rocks are basaltic in composition. The mafic seriesas a whole has high abundances of A1₂O₃, FeO, the light rareearth elements (LREE), and other incompatible trace elements.Even the most geochemically primitive compositions have highFeO contents. The Fe enrichment and Si depletion that are shownby chemically evolved compositions are consistent with a Fennertrend of fractionation. Low levels of normative di indicatethat high Fe is not a result of the extensive fractionationof cpx. The geochemical trends that are defined by the traceelements, including the REE, suggest the basaltic rocks maybe differentiates of a parental magma of gabbroic troctolitecomposition. The main compositional trend of the mafic seriescan be simulated by 61% crystallization of olivine and plagioclaseof a gabbroic troctolite, followed by 13% crystallization ofolivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and titanomagnetite atthe final stages. The modelled ratio of olivine to plagioclasecrystallization changes from 1–8: 1 to 0–64: 1.These non-cotectic ratios may reflect a delay in the crystallizationof plagioclase relative to olivine, possibly as a result oflow nucleation rates. At later stages of differentiation, plagioclasewas more important in the crystallization of the series. Delayedcrystallization of plagioclase may also have resulted in thehigh A1₂O₃ contents and enhancement of Eu and Sr relative toother trace elements at early stages of differentiation. The mafic series and the silica-saturated anorthosite seriestogether form an anorthosite-norite-troctolite (ANT) suite.More than one mantle composition may have been involved in generatingthe Adirondack mafic magmas. The rocks retain geochemical evidenceof a source that was depleted in basaltic components (cpx) butenriched in Fe, Ti, K, and the LREE. Previously documented evidenceof anticlockwise cooling paths (Bohlen, 1987) and of a regionalgravity high centered beneath the Adirondack region (Simmons,1964) suggests that of the continental crust by basaltic magmasmay have underplating of the continental crust by basaltic magmasmay have been an important feature of the tectonic evolutionofthe region. A model of mantle upwelling beneath thinning continentalcrust explains the geochemically hybrid nature of the maficseries magmas. It is also consistent with a tectonic settingof incipient or failed continental rifting, to which the generationof the anorthosites is commonly attributed.     

An Anorthosite Suite in a Ring-Complex: Crystallization and Emplacement of an Anorogenic Type from Abontorok, A?r, Niger

Laminated anorthosite grading outwards into leucogabbro, gabbro,and monzogabbro occurs in a 2.6-km-diameter funnel-shaped intrusion,cut by a quartz alkali syenite plug and concentric syenite andgranite ring-dykes. The anorthosite-gabbro series is laminatedbut not modally or otherwise texturally layered. The lamination,defined by large tabular plagioclase crystals, forms a set ofinwarddipping cones, the dips of which decrease from 60–45?in the central anorthosite to < 25? in the outer gabbros.Rocks close to the outer contact are medium-grained isotropicgabbros. Plagioclase, forming >80% of the series, generallyhas homogeneous labradorite cores (An_62–58 in the wholeseries) and thin strongly zoned rims, which follow progressivelylonger solidus paths from the anorthosites to the gabbros. Allrocks contain a late-magmatic alkali feldspar. Plagioclase isthe main or only cumulus phase, the anorthosites being ad- tomesocumulates and the gabbros orthocumulates. Olivine (FO_49–41)is more abundant than clinopyroxene in most of the series. Dependingon quartz content, the syenites and granites are hypersolvusor subsolvus and the depth of crystallization was calculatedto be 5 ? 2 km. A Rb/Sr isochron for the syenites and granites gave an age of399 ? 10 Ma with an initial strontium isotopic ratio of 0.7084? 0.0005. Ten samples from the anorthosite-gabbro scries havean average calculated initial ratio of 0.70582 ? 0-00004 at– 400 Ma, showing that the two series are not comagmatic.The anorthosite-gabbro series has parallel REE trends (La_N/Yb_N{small tilde} 7–10) with decreasing positive Eu anomaliesand increasing total REE contents from anorthosite to gabbro;two monzogabbros have almost no Eu anomaly. The liquid calculatedto be in equilibrium with the lowest anorthosite has almostno Eu anomaly and its normalized REE pattern lies just abovethose for the monzogabbros. The syenites and granites have complementaryREE patterns with negative Eu anomalies. The inferred parental magma was alkalic and leucotroctoliticwith high TiO₂ P₂O₅, Sr and K/Rb and with low MgO, very similarto parental magmas in the Gardar province, South Greenland.It was probably produced at depth by settling of olivine andclinopyroxene but not of plagioclase, which accumulated by flotation.It is suggested that plagioclase crystals from this lower chamberwere progressively entrained (from 0% in the gabbros to 30–40%in the anorthosites), giving rise to the flow lamination inthe upper chamber. The magma in the lower chamber may have beenlayered, because the plagioclase cores in the anorthosite areconsiderably richer in Or than those in the leucogabbros orgabbros. Overall convection did not occur in the upper chamber,whereas compositional convection occurred in the more slowlycooled central anorthositic adcumulates.     

Origin of Archean anorthosites: Evidence from the Bad Vermilion Lake anorthosite complex,Ontario

The Bad Vermilion Lake anorthosite complex (2,700 m.y.) is exposed over an area of about 100 km² near Rainy Lake, Ontario. As is typical of other Archean anorthosites, it is composed of coarse (1–30 cm across), equidimensional, euhedral to subhedral, calcic (An₈₀) plagioclase, in a finer grained mafic matrix. The amount of mafic matrix in individual samples ranges from none to about 70% by volume. The complex has been variably metamorphosed to greenschist facies. Zoisite, chlorite, and hornblende are abundant, but primary plagioclase is preserved in many places. The anorthosite complex is associated with gabbro and with mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks, and is cut by tonalite plutons and by mafic dikes. Some gabbros contain local concentrations of Fe-Ti oxides and/or apatite, but no chromite. The mafic groundmass of the anorthositic rocks is similar in major and trace element chemistry, including rare earth elements, to the associated basaltic metavolcanics, suggesting that the anorthositic complex may have accumulated from a subvolcanic magma chamber which fed mafic lavas to the surface during its crystallization. Mafic flows and dikes chemically similar to the mafic metavolcanics contain plagioclase megacrysts akin to those of the anorthositic rocks, and thus may represent a link between the anorthosite complex and associated mafic lavas. Elongate pretectonic tonalite intrusions were comagmatic with the felsic metavolcanics, but not with the anorthosites or metabasalts. These silicic rocks may represent low-pressure partial melts of the mafic rocks. There is no direct or indirect evidence for significant volumes of ultramafic material at the present exposure level of the complex. An estimate of the bulk composition of all rocks presumed to be comagmatic with the anorthosites, including gabbros and mafic metavolcanics, is an aluminous basalt with about 20 wt.% Al₂O₃. This composition has REE abundances unlike those of typical Archean high-Al basalts and probably does not represent that of a primary or evolved melt. The possibility must be considered, therefore, that a substantial fraction of material comagmatic with the anorthosites has been separated from the complex, either by magmatic or tectonic processes.     

Magma Evolution and Open-System Processes at Shiveluch Volcano: Insights from Phenocryst Zoning

Phenocryst zoning patterns are used to identify open-systemmagmatic processes in the products of the 2001 eruption of ShiveluchVolcano, Kamchatka. The lavas and pumices studied are hornblende–plagioclaseandesites with average pre-eruptive temperatures of 840°Cand fO₂ of 1·5–2·1 log units above nickel–nickeloxide (NNO). Plagioclase zoning includes oscillatory and patchyzonation and sieve textures. Hornblendes are commonly unzoned,but some show simple, multiple or patchy zoning. Apatite microphenocrystsdisplay normal and reverse zoning of sulphur. The textural similarityof patchy hornblende and plagioclase, together with Ba–Srsystematics in patchy plagioclase, indicate that the cores ofthese crystals were derived from cumulate material. Plagioclase–liquidequilibria suggest that the patchy texture develops by resorptionduring H₂O-undersaturated decompression. When H₂O-saturatedcrystallization recommences at lower pressure, reduced pH₂Oresults in lower X_An in plagioclase, causing more Al-rich hornblendeto crystallize. Plagioclase cores with diffuse oscillatory zoning,and unzoned hornblende crystals, probably represent a populationof crystals resident in the magma chamber for long periods oftime. In contrast, oscillatory zoning in the rims of plagioclasephenocrysts may reflect eruption dynamics during decompressioncrystallization. Increasing Fe/Al in oscillatory zoned rimssuggests oxidation as a result of degassing of H₂O during decompression.A general lack of textural overlap between phenocryst typessuggests that different phenocryst populations were spatiallyor temporally isolated during crystallization. We present evidencethat the host andesite has mixed with both more felsic and moremafic magmas. Olivine and orthopyroxene xenocrysts with reactionor overgrowth rims and strong normal zoning indicate mixingwith basalt. Sieve-textured plagioclase resulted from mixingof a more felsic magma with the host andesite. The mineralogyand mineral compositions of a mafic andesite enclave are identicalto those of the host magma, which implies efficient thermalquenching, and thus small volumes of intruding magma. Mixingof this magma with the host andesite results in phenocryst zoningbecause of differences in dissolved volatile contents. We suggestthat small magma pulses differentiated at depth and ascendedintermittently into the growing magma chamber, producing incrementalvariations in whole-rock compositions. KEY WORDS: patchy zoning; magma mixing; Shiveluch     

A mantle or mafic crustal source for Proterozoic anorthosites?

Calculations of fractional crystallization (FC) and assimilation fractional crystallization (AFC) at 11 kb for a variety of primitive magmatic compositions and a mafic assimilant demonstrate that none of them has a bulk composition suitable to be parental to massif anorthosites. Mafic compositions thought to be parental to massif anorthosites have Mg′ values of 0.6 to 0.4 and form coherent arrays with moderately steep slopes on plots of TiO₂, K₂O, and P₂O₅ versus Mg′. The calculated liquid lines of descent (LLD) of basaltic magmas undergoing FC or AFC processes pass through the arrays of anorthosite parent magma compositions with much shallower slopes than the natural arrays, which indicates that the arrays of natural parental magmas were produced by a process other than FC/AFC. Also, by the time most crystallizing basaltic magmas with or without assimilation reach plagioclase saturation, their residual liquids have Mg′ values that are too low to be parental to anorthosites. MORB-like olivine tholeiites and high-aluminum olivine tholeiites (HAOT) from convergent plate margins do reach plagioclase saturation while sufficiently magnesian, but their Wo (Wollastonite) contents are too high such that they reach plagioclase saturation coexisting only with augite and do not reach orthopyroxene saturation (if at all) until Mg′ is too low. Calculations show it is not possible to produce a high-Al melt from typical mantle peridotites that has sufficient TiO₂ to make andesine-type anorthosite.

Calculation of partial melting for an average mafic crustal composition at 11 kbar provides a much closer match to the array of natural parental compositions in terms of minor element concentrations and proportions of mineral components. However, accounting for the entire array requires a more magnesian source composition. Such compositions exist in several crustal xenolith localities. Similar results were obtained using the bulk composition of the Stillwater Complex, which is used as a model mafic source (here the premise is that overdense crustal intrusions might sink back into the mantle). As with the terrain composition, this particular layered intrusion composition is not sufficiently magnesian, however, the fit improves when mixtures of early and late stage portions of the complex (i.e., the denser portions) were run as potential source regions.     

Convergent phase equilibria at the massif anorthosite—granulite interface near Bolangir,Orissa, India and thermal evolution of a part of the Indian shield

This investigation is based on detailed geological mapping of the western part of the Bolangir anorthosite massif of Orissa, India and its granulite borders, detailed petrography, whole-rock chemistry, mineralogy and an equilibrium thermodynamic analysis of the mineral phase relations. Structural analysis of the foliations of the granulites and the primary flow layers and the joint system of the anorthositic rocks strongly indicates that the pluton was forcefully intruded into the granulitic cover with considerable stretching and extension and approached the form and structure of a schlieren dome. The anorthositic suite of rocks includes anorthositic norites (median plagioclase composition An₇₅), noritic anorthosites (median plagioclase composition An₇₀) and anorthosites (median plagioclase composition An₅₂), while the bordering granulites include leptynites (K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + orthopyroxene + biotite + garnet + ilmenite), khondalites (K-feldspar + quartz + sillimanite + garnet + graphite + ilmenite ± biotite), basic granulites (plagioclase + diopsidic clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene + garnet + hornblende + ilmenite ± K-feldspar ± quartz ± magnetite) and calc-granulites (diopside + scapolite + calcite + garnet + microline + quartz + sphene ± magnetite ± apatite). The anorthositic rocks have a relatively high K₂O/SiO₂ ratio with the MgO/FeO ratio mainly between 1 and 2. The MgO/FeO vs. plagioclase/mafics relations of the anorthositic suite indicate the fractionation trend: anorthositic norite → noritic anorthosite → anorthosite.The calculated P−T curves for nine different mineral equilibria in the anorthosites and the granulites converge to a broad cluster within the region, 3–7 kbar and 600–740°C. The orthopyroxene—garnet thermometer (Harley) and orthopyroxene—plagioclase—garnet—quartz barometer (Newton and Perkins) restrict the convergence to a slightly narrower P−T region: 4.7–7 kbar and 620–740°C. The two-pyroxene equilibria were possibly quenched at a somewhat higher temperature region and the temperature spread of the order of 200°C at pressures between 4.7 and 7 kbar may represent the P−T path over which the pluton cooled in the final stage of its evolution. The parent magma of the anorthosites, believed to be coeval with the 1312 Ma old Chilka Lake massif anorthosites of Orissa, may have formed under a Proterozoic continental crust of well over 20 km thickness.     

Diverse Origins of Xenoliths from Seamounts at the Continental Margin, Offshore Central California

A diverse assemblage of small mafic and ultramafic xenolithsoccurs in alkalic lava from Davidson and Pioneer seamounts locatedat the continental margin of central California. Based on mineralcompositions and textures, they form three groups: (1) mantlexenoliths of lherzolite, pyroxenite, and dunite with olivineof >Fo₉₀; (2) ocean crust xenoliths of dunite with olivine<Fo₉₀, troctolite, pyroxene-gabbro, and anorthosite withlow-K₂O plagioclase; (3) cumulates of seamount magmas of alkalicgabbro with primary amphibole and biotite and anorthosites withhigh-K₂O plagioclase. The alkalic cumulates are geneticallyrelated to, but more evolved than, their host lavas and probablycrystallized at the margins of magma reservoirs. Modeling andcomparison with experimentally derived phases suggest an originat moderate pressures (0·5–0·9 GPa). Thehigh volatile contents of the alkalic host lavas may have pressurizedthe magma chambers and helped to propel the xenolith-bearinglavas directly from deep storage at the base of the lithosphereto the eruption site on the ocean floor, entraining fragmentsof the upper mantle and ocean crust cumulates from the underlyingabandoned spreading center. KEY WORDS: basaltic magmatism; continental margin seamounts; geothermobarometry; mineral chemistry; xenoliths     

Origin of Mafic Enclaves in the Dinkey Creek Pluton, Central Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

Two types of mafic enclaves occur in the Dinkey Creek pluton:ubiquitous microgranular enclaves, and rare gabbroic enclaves.Common petrographic features of the microgranular enclaves are:(1) fine grain-size, (2) abundant acicular apatite, and (3)plagioclase zoned from bytownitic cores to andesine-labradoriterims, with sharp boundaries between these main zones. Subordinateoscillatory variations are commonly superimposed on both coresand rims. It has been found by secondary ion mass spectrometrythat the rims are identical in major and trace element compositionto plagioclase in the tonalite, which suggests crystallizationfrom the same or similar magmas. The gabbroic enclaves are composedpredominantly of hornblende (50–85%) and appear to bemagmatic segregations. The microgranular enclaves and host rocks display two convergingtrends on silica variation diagrams for Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, Al₂O₃,Zn, and Zr. The dominant trend is defined by small microgranularenclaves, by samples from a large (20 m?30 m) microgranularenclave, and by the Dinkey Creek tonalites and granodiorites.The subordinate trend covers tholeiltic dikes and tonalitich and converges with the Dinkey Creek host rocks at 61 wt.%SiO₂ Alkali and alkaline earth elements exhibit greater variabilitythan the above constituents and appear to be either enrichedor depleted as required for equilibrium with the host rocks.Low CaO and Sr concentrations in small enclaves (<30 cm)apparently reflect a lower modal abundance of calcic plagioclaseand more sericitization of this feldspar as compared with theplagioclase of the large microgranular enclave. The large enclaveis also richer in MgO than the small enclaves. With the exceptionof the alkali elements, the major element compositions of themicrogranular enclaves approach high-Al basaltic to andesiticcom positions. In one analyzed microgranular enclave, low La/Cerelative to chondrites and more abundant HREE than in othermicrogranular samples suggest that it may also contain minorcumulus hornblende. The petrographic and whole-rock geochemical relations, and theplagioclase compositions in the microgranular enclaves and theirhost rocks, indicate that the microgranular enclaves representmixtures of quenched basalts and Dinkey Creek tonalites. Itappears that dikes of high-alumina basalt were intruded intothe lower, tonalitic portions of the Dinkey Creek pluton, wherethey were partially quenched along an interface with overlyingtonalitic magma. Large portions of residual liquid in the partiallyquenched basalts permitted mixing with the overlying magma toform a hybrid zone. This zone was then disaggregated, yieldingthe enclaves, and they were dispersed throughout the upper partof the Dinkey Creek magma chamber. Subsequent crystallizationof tonalitic melt within the enclaves produced the zoned plagioclaseand re-equilibrated hornblende and biotite in the enclaves tothe Dinkey Creek magmatic conditions. Scouring disrupted hornblende-richmagmatic segregations and produced the gabbroic enclaves.     

Hornblende-dehydration melting in mafic rocks and the link between massif-type charnockite and associated granulites,Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt,India

A massif-type (intrusive) charnockite body in the Eastern Ghats granulite belt, India, is associated with hornblende-bearing mafic granulite, two-pyroxene granulite and enderbitic granulite. The charnockite is characterised by pervasive gneissic foliation (S₁). This is axial planar to the folded layers of hornblende-bearing mafic granulite (F₁ folds), indicating that the granulite protoliths were present before the development of S₁. Two-pyroxene granulite and enderbitic granulite occur as lenticular patches disposed along the foliation and hence could be syngenetic to S₁. The tonalitic to granodioritic, metaluminous to weakly peraluminous compositions and relatively high Sr/Rb of the charnockite are consistent with its derivation by partial melting of a mafic protolith. Strong Y depletion, lack of Sr depletion and strongly fractionated REE patterns with high (La/Yb)_N ratio, but relatively lower HREE (Gd/Lu) fractionation with marked positive Eu anomalies, suggest major residual hornblende (as well as garnet), but not plagioclase, consistent with the hornblende dehydration melting in the source rocks. Such a residual mineralogy is broadly similar to those of some of the hornblende-bearing mafic granulite inclusions, which have compositional features indicative of a restitic nature. Quantitative modelling supports an origin for the charnockite melts by partial melting of a hornblende-rich mafic granulite source, although source heterogeneity is very likely given the rather variable trace element contents of the charnockite. The whole-rock and mineral compositions of the two-pyroxene granulites and enderbitic granulites are consistent with them representing peritectic phase segregations of hornblende-dehydration melting. A clockwise P-T path implies that melting could have occurred in thickened continental crust undergoing decompression.Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

Anorthosite formation by plagioclase flotation in ferrobasalt and implications for the lunar crust

The Sept Iles layered intrusion (Quebec, Canada) is dominated by a basal Layered Series made up of troctolites and gabbros, and by anorthosites occurring (1) at the roof of the magma chamber (100-500 m-thick) and (2) as cm- to m-size blocks in gabbros of the Layered Series. Anorthosite rocks are made up of plagioclase, with minor clinopyroxene, olivine and Fe-Ti oxide minerals. Plagioclase displays a very restricted range of compositions for major elements (An₆₈-An₆₀), trace elements (Sr: 1023-1071 ppm; Ba: 132-172 ppm) and Sr isotopic ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i: 0.70356-0.70379). This compositional range is identical to that observed in troctolites, the most primitive cumulates of the Layered Series, whereas plagioclase in layered gabbros is more evolved (An₆₀-An₃₈). The origin of Sept Iles anorthosites has been investigated by calculating the density of plagioclase and that of the evolving melts. The density of the FeO-rich tholeiitic basalt parent magma first increased from 2.70 to 2.75 g/cm³ during early fractionation of troctolites and then decreased continuously to 2.16 g/cm³ with fractionation of Fe-Ti oxide-bearing gabbros. Plagioclase (An₆₉-An₆₀) was initially positively buoyant and partly accumulated at the top of the magma chamber to form the roof anorthosite. With further differentiation, plagioclase (<An₆₀) became negatively buoyant and anorthosite stopped forming. Blocks of anorthosite (autoliths) even fell downward to the basal cumulate pile. The presence of positively buoyant plagioclase in basal troctolites is explained by the low efficiency of plagioclase flotation due to crystallization at the floor and/or minor plagioclase nucleation within the main magma body. Dense mafic minerals of the roof anorthosite are shown to have crystallized from the interstitial liquid.The processes related to floating and sinking of plagioclase in a large and shallow layered intrusion serve as a proxy to refine the crystallization model of the lunar magma ocean and explain the vertically stratified structure of the lunar crust, with (gabbro-)noritic rocks at the base and anorthositic rocks at the top. We propose that the lunar crust mainly crystallized bottom-up. This basal crystallization formed a mafic lower crust that might have a geochemical signature similar to the magnesian-suite without KREEP contamination, while flotation of some plagioclase grains produced ferroan anorthosites in the upper crust.     

Gabbro-derived Granulites from the Northern Apennines (Italy): Evidence for Lower-crustal Emplacement of Tholeiitic Liquids in Post-Variscan Times

The mafic granulites from the Northern Apennines commonly containsignificant amounts of either olivine or Fe–Ti-oxide phases.On the basis of mineralogy and whole-rock major and trace elementcompositions, their protoliths are recognized as cumulus rocksderived from variably evolved tholeiitic liquids. Clinopyroxenesfrom the olivine-bearing rocks show peculiar trace element compositions(e.g. low amounts of Cr, Zr and lanthanides, coupled with relativelyhigh Sr concentrations) that record a process of granulite-faciestrace element redistribution controlled by a reaction betweenolivine and plagioclase. The trace element compositions of clinopyroxenesfrom the Fe–Ti-oxide-bearing rocks point to igneous geochemicaltrends that argue for a common igneous parentage. The     

Strontium isotope disequilibrium of plagioclase in the Upper Critical Zone of the Bushveld Complex: evidence for mixing of crystal slurries

We report in situ Sr isotope data for plagioclase of the Bushveld Complex. We found disequilibrium Sr isotopic compositions on several scales, (1) between cores and rims of plagioclase grains in the Merensky pyroxenite, the Bastard anorthosite, and the UG1 unit and its noritic footwall, (2) between cores of different plagioclase grains within thin sections of anorthosite and pyroxenite of the Merensky unit, the footwall anorthosite of the Merensky reef and the footwall norite of the UG1 chromitite. The data are consistent with a model of co-accumulation of cumulus plagioclase grains that had crystallized from different magmas, followed by late-stage overgrowth of the cumulus grains in a residual liquid derived from a different level of the compacting cumulate pile. We propose that the rocks formed through slumping of semi-consolidated crystal slurries at the top of the Critical Zone during subsidence of the center of the intrusion. Slumping led to sorting of crystals based on density differences, resulting in a layered interval of pyroxenites, norites and anorthosites.     

Geochemistry and origin of metabasites from the granulite-gneiss complex of the Angara-Kan block,southwestern Siberian craton

In this paper, we present data on major and trace elements in highly metamorphosed mafic rocks from the granulite-gneiss complex of the Angara-Kan block (southwestern Siberian craton), identify igneous protoliths of the metabasites, and assess the mobility of elements during metamorphism. Two types of rocks with different geologic relations and compositions were recognized. Garnet-bearing two-pyroxene granulites (Cpx + Pl + Grt + Opx) occur as sheet- and boudin-like bodies, which were folded and deformed with their host paragneisses. Dikes, which in most cases underwent only brittle deformation, are composed of metabasites characterized by the assemblage Cpx + Hbl + Pl + Grt. The major element compositions of igneous protoliths for the mafic granulites and metabasite dykes correspond to variously differentiated basaltic magmas. The protoliths of the metabasites are depleted in K₂O, LILE, Zr, Nb, and LREE and were derived from a depleted mantle source. The major and trace element compositions of the dike metabasites are similar to those of low-K tholeiitic basalts of oceanic island arcs. Continental intraplate basalts derived from an enriched mantle source are possible igneous protoliths for the mafic granulites enriched in Ba, LREE, Nb, Ta, Zr, and Hf. It is assumed that lower Rb, Th, and U contents in the mafic granulites compared with continental flood basalts, high K/Rb and La/Th, and moderate Th/U ratios reflect the loss of Rb, Th and U during granulite-facies metamorphism.     

Geochemistry of the shawmere anorthosite complex,kapuskasing structural zone,Ontario

The Archean Shawmere Anorthosite Complex, at the southern end of the Kapuskasing Structural Zone, consists dominantly of anorthosite (An_{65 –85}) with minor gabbroic and ultramafic units, which are completely enclosed and cut by tonalites. Both the anorthosites and the tonalites are themselves cut by narrow dikes of gabbroic anorthosite. All of the rocks have undergone high grade metamorphism and are recrystallized so that few igneous textures remain.The anorthosites, gabbros and ultramafic rocks of this complex are cumulates which contain calcic plagioclase (An_65–95) and have atomic Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) ratios (Mg#) greater than 0.6; less than 3 ppm Rb; 150–210 ppm Sr; and less than 60 ppm Ba. REE abundanees range from 0.2 to 10 times chondritic and exhibit both light-enriched and light-depleted REE patterns. The lower Mg^# for the samples having more enriched light REE indicates substantial fractions of ferromagnesian minerals crystallized in addition to plagioclase during fractional crystallization, suggesting that the parent magma was basaltic, and not anorthositic. The ranges in Sr, Ba and REE abundances required for the magmas are typical of those for tholeiitic basalts from Archean greenstone belts. Thus the Shawmere Anorthosite Complex may represent cumulates of a crustal-level magma chamber which could have been the immediate source of basic Archean volcanics.One gabbroic anorthositic dike sample has a steeply fractionalted REE pattern with heavy REE abundances less than chondrites and a large positive Eu anomaly. The proposed interpretations is that this rock formed by partial melting of mafic cumulates, perhaps those of the Shawmere Anorthosite Complex itself.