Simple statistical and mineralogical studies as petrogenetic indicator for neoproterozoic mylliem porphyritic granites of east Khasi Hills,Meghalaya, Northeastern India

The porphyritic granite body (∼ 600 Ma) around Mylliem (25°32′N: 91°52′E), east Khasi hills district, Meghalaya occurs as a distinct intrusive body into the host rock of low- grade meta-sediments belonging to Proterozoic Shillong Group. The porphyritic granite body manifests prominent lath- shaped feldspar phenocrysts giving rise to dominant porphyritic texture. Further, this porphyritic granite body is characterized by primary foliation (defined by parallely arranged feldspar laths), tongues and appophyses and xenoliths of older metamorphics. Petrographically, the Mylliem porphyritic granite is grey leucocratic, coarse grained, phanerocrystalline with modal variants ranging from granite to granodiorite tending to tonalite. Simple statistical studies based on correlation coefficient values involving modal variables of the Mylliem porphyritic granite bodies appear significant in majority of the cases indicating magmatic crystallization. Use of relevant thermometric method indicates temperature of equilibration of the body in the range of 369°C to 507°C. The crystallization of the Mylliem porphyritic granite pluton initiated at an average lithostatic pressure in the tune of ∼11 Kb followed by dominant P_H2O controlled milieu. Spatially projected mineralogical parameters suggest a general trend of the magmatic cooling of the body from margin inward with sudden influx of volatile matters that occasionally offsets mineralogical trends.     

Plagioclase buoyancy in basaltic liquids as determined with a centrifuge furnace

Plagioclase buoyancy experiments have been carried out in a high-temperature centrifuge furnace using seventeen basaltic liquids and plagioclase crystals of three compositions: An₈₉, An⁷⁶ and An₅₅. The results show that the floating tendency of plagioclase in basaltic liquids is at least 0.03 g/cm³ greater than indicated by the calculations. If this correction factor is applied to calculations of plagioclase buoyancy in the Skaergaard Intrusion, it is found that the plagioclase crystals in the lower and middle zones were less dense than the coexisting liquids.Other phenomena relevant to crystal transport in basaltic liquids were observed in the centrifuge experiments. These included crystal flotation by rising bubbles, plagioclase sinking because of the formation of plagioclase-magnetite composite grains, graded bedding of olivine and magnetite, and more than 60% intercumulus basaltic liquid between settled olivine crystals.     

Grain-size-sensitive creep of plagioclase accompanied by solution–precipitation and mass transfer under mid-crustal conditions

We report here on a study of three deformed granitoids: two mylonites and an ultramylonite from the inner ductile shear zone of the Ryoke metamorphic belt, SW Japan. Monophase layers composed of quartz, plagioclase or K-feldspar are present in all samples. The plagioclase-rich layers consist of grains 6–10 μm in size, and sometimes include patchy K-feldspar and quartz, indicating solution-precipitation. In the mylonite, the fine-grained plagioclase is mainly An_23–25 and, the composition of plagioclase porphyroclast is An_21–39 without any significant maximum. The An compositions together with textural observations indicate that fine-grained plagioclase nucleated from solution with mass transfer during deformation. In the ultramylonite, fine-grained plagioclase is widely changed to be An_15–37, indicating that the grain-size-reduction process includes fracturing of original plagioclase porphyroclasts in addition to the solution–precipitation process, which results in the composition concentrated around An₃₀. In all samples, the crystallographic orientations of fine-grained plagioclases are almost random and do not correlate with neighbouring porphyroclasts. Grain-size-sensitive creep occurred during rock deformation subsequent to the process of solution–precipitation that involved mass transfer via fluids.     

Dissolution kinetics of plagioclase in the melt of the system diopside-albite-anorthite,and origin of dusty plagioclase in andesites

The textures and kinetics of reaction between plagioclase and melts have been investigated experimentally, and origin of dusty plagioclase in andesites has been discussed. In the experiments plagioclase of different compositions (An₉₆, An₆₁, An₅₄, An₂₃, and An₂₂) surrounded by glasses of six different compositions in the system diopside-albite-anorthite was heated at temperatures ranging from 1,200 to 1,410° C for 30 min to 88 h. Textures were closely related to temperature and chemical compositions. A crystal became smaller and rounded above the plagioclase liquidus temperature of the starting melt (glass) and remained its original euhedral shape below the liquidus. Whatever the temperature, the crystal-melt interface became rough and often more complicated (sieve-like texture composed of plagioclase-melt mixture in the scale of a few m was developed from the surface of the crystal inward; formation of mantled plagioclase) if the crystal is less calcic than the plagioclase in equilibrium with the surrounding melt, and the interface remained smooth if the crystal is more calcic than the equilibrium plagioclase. From these results the following two types of dissolution have been recognized; (1) a crystal simply dissolves in the melt which is undersaturated with respect to the phase (simple dissolution), and a crystal is partially dissolved to form mantled plagioclase by reaction between sodic plagioclase and calcic melt (partial dissolution). The amount of a crystal dissolved and reacted increased proportional to the square root of time. This suggests that these processes are controlled by diffusion, probably in the crystal.Mantled plagioclase produced in the experiments were very similar both texturally and chemically to some of the so-called resorbed plagioclase in igneous rocks. Chemical compositions and textures of plagioclase phenocrysts in island-arc andesites of magma mixing origin have been examined. Cores of clear and dusty plagioclase were clacic (about An₉₀) and sodic (about An₅₀), respectively. This result indicates that dusty plagioclases were formed by the partial melting due to reaction between sodic plagioclase already precipitated in a dacitic magma and a melt of intermediate composition in a mixed magma during the magma mixing.     

Structural characterization of labradorite-bytownite plagioclase from volcanic,plutonic and metamorphic environments

The transmission electron microscope and the electron microprobe are used to characterize calcic plagioclase (An₆₅ to An₈₅) from a variety of geological environments. The cooling histories of samples from volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic environments are estimated and the transformation and exsolution sequence is inferred from observations in the transmission electron microscope. Several distinctive textural modifications occur depending both on bulk composition and cooling history. (1) Exsolution occurs in increasingly calcic bulk compositions upon slower cooling, and the coexisting phases are An₆₆ intermediate plagioclase and An_85–90 P¯1, c=14 Å plagioclase in the sample from the metamorphic environment, (2) the morphology of b antiphase boundaries (APBs) in An₇₅ to An₈₅ plagioclase changes from smoothly curving (rapid cooling and calcic compositions) to zig-zag (slower cooling or sodic compositions). (3) The concentration of defects in the intermediate plagioclase superstructure changes from a high density in rapidly cooled plagioclase to a lower density in slowly cooled plagioclase. In all plagioclases except for the rapidly cooled, volcanic specimens there is evidence in images and diffraction patterns for short-range ordered domains with P¯1 symmetry. The observations allow the microstructure of a single zoned plagioclase to be used as an indication of the geologic environment under which it cooled.     

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     

Secondary Ca-Al silicates as low-grade alteration products of granitoid biotite

Secondary Ca-Al silicates, including andradite-grossular garnet, epidote, pumpellyite, and prehnite are shown to be extremely widespread as low-grade alteration products of granitoid biotite. All may occur within metadomains on the scale of a single biotite pseudomorph. They all generally have a lensoid habit parallel to the host biotite cleavage, which may, or may not be deformed. A cleavage or parting inherited from the host biotite cleavage is usually present.Prehnite, pumpellyite and epidote are unusually Fe-rich: 100 Fe/Fe + Al for prehnite and pumpellyite reaching 19.1 and 49.1 respectively and epidote Ps₃₆-Ps₄₈. Garnet compositions are relatively uniform averaging approximately andradite₅₆ grossular₃₅ hydrogrossular₇.Correlation of prehnite Fe³⁺ with host biotite Fe³⁺ and oxidation state support the textural evidence that prehnite in this paragenesis often replaces the host biotite. Sericitization of plagioclase and commonly a complete lack of hornblende indicate that plagioclase (An₅₀-An₁₅) is the chief source of Ca. Chlorite and muscovite (whose compositions are both directly related to the host biotite composition), aluminian sphene (Al₂O₃ reaching 7.72%), and K-feldspar (Or₉₉₊) are complimentary to the biotite breakdown reaction.Host rock composition to some extent controls the development of the Ca-Al silicates which do not occur in granitoids whose whole-rock CaO is less than 1%. An aqueous pore fluid with locally varying activities of ions enabled concentration of Ca in micro-metadomains, allowing development of Ca-Al silicates in relatively low-Ca granitoids. Individual phases generally appear to have developed independently due to fluctuation in chemical environment in micro-space and/or T, P fluctuation with time. Textures suggest that grandite may have locally replaced epidote in response to increasing temperature.In granitoids of the Victoria Range, South Island, New Zealand the alteration has probably occurred with P<2kb and T< 300 °–350 °C. Here alteration can be ascribed to strictly deuteric activity in only one of the two groups of granitoids so affected.     

新疆百口泉闪长岩中高An值斜长石的成因及岩石学意义

岩浆成因的高An值斜长石(An80~100)是玄武质岩浆早期结晶的产物,由于其形成条件较为苛刻,它对于限定寄主岩浆条件和探讨岩石成因有重要的指示作用。在新疆西准噶尔百口泉地区发育含高An值斜长石(An80~90)的闪长岩,高An值斜长石呈不规则包裹体形式存在于闪长岩主体斜长石中(An40~60)。锆石SHRIMP定年显示百口泉闪长岩形成于316.9±2.9Ma(MSWD=1.5),闪长岩主、微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素与区域内同时期岩浆作用产物具有相似的演化趋势。根据闪长岩岩石学特征,结合高An值斜长石的实验研究成果,本文认为百口泉闪长岩中的高An值斜长石不是捕虏晶,也不是闪长岩的结晶产物,而是与闪长岩成岩过程相关的循环晶。依据角闪石铝压力计的估算,闪长岩结晶于1.2~2.9kbar,与实验条件下获得的高An值斜长石产出的压力范围相符。高An值斜长石的产出表明原始岩浆具有富水、亏损的特征,对于探讨整个岩浆系统的演化过程有重要指示意义。     

Mineralogy of a scapolite-bearing rock from Rajasthan,northwest peninsular India

Electron-microprobe analyses of coexisting phases from a scapolite-garnet-epidote-calcite-plagioclase-hornblende-pyroxene (sphere-hematite-magnetite) rock of the Aravalli Group (Early Precambrian) at Karera, district Bhilwara, Rajasthan, reveal that chlorine is an important constituent of both scapolite (Me_71.3 and hornblende, making the latter a dashkesanite variety. The amphibole also contains an unusually high K₂O (3.7 wt.%), and is a chlor-potassium hastingsite. The epidote contains 41% pistacite and shows complete substitution of Al by Fe³⁺ in the Al-site and to some extent also in AIO and/or Al(OH) sites. The garnet is also rich in ferric iron and has a mol. composition Pyr₂₃Alm_8.5Gro₁₃And_54.5 Sp_1.0. The pyroxene is dominantly a hedenbergite. The phase relations and textural as well as geological criteria exclude metasomatic processes and favour equilibrium recrystallization of the scapolite-bearing assemblage; the chlorine presumably derived from an evaporite component of the Aravalli metasediments. The geothermometry based on the fractionation of Na and Ca between scapolite (EqAn 43.3) and plagioclase (An_85?90 yields metamorphic temperatures of around 700°C for the scapolite-bearing rock which are in agreement with those obtained by other mineral equilibria in the associated pelitic assemblages.     

Redox Condition,Nature and Tectono-magmatic Environment of Granitoids and Granite gneisses from the Karbi Anglong Hills,Northeast India: Constraints from Magnetic Susceptibility and Biotite Geochemistry

The Karbi Anglong hills (erstwhile Mikir hills) in northeast India are detached and separated from the Meghalaya plateau by a NW-SE trending Kopili rift. The Karbi Anglong hills granitoids (KAHG) and its granite gneissic variants belong to Cambrian plutons formed during Pan-African orogenic cycle, which commonly intrude the basement granite gneisses and Shillong Group metasediments. The KAHG can be broadly classified into three major granitoid facies viz., coarse grained porphyritic granitoid, medium grained massive non-porphyritic granitoid, and granite gneiss, which share a common mineral assemblage of plagioclase-K-feldspar-quartz-biotite±hornblende-apatite-titanite-zircon-magnetite but differ greatly in mineral proportion and texture. Modal mineralogy of KAHG, granite gneiss and basement granite gneiss largely represents monzogranite and syenogranite. The magnetic susceptibility (MS) of the KAHG, granite gneiss and basement granite gneiss varies widely between 0.11×10^-3 and 43.144×10^-3 SI units, corresponding to ilmenite series (<3×10^-3 SI; reduced type) and magnetite series (>3×10^-3 SI; oxidized type) of granitoids respectively. The observed MS variations are most likely intrinsic to heterogeneous source regions, modal variations of orthomagnetic and ferromagnetic minerals, and tectonothermal and deformational processes that acted upon these rocks. The primary and re-equilibrated compositions of biotites from the KAHG, granite gneiss and basement granite gneiss suggest calcalkaline, metaluminous (I-type) nature of felsic host magma formed in a subduction or post-collisional to peraluminous (S-type) host magma originated in syn-collisional tectonic settings, which were evolved and stabilized between FMQ and NNO buffers typically corresponding to reducing and oxidising magma environments respectively.     

Compositional controls on spinel clouding and garnet formation in plagioclase of olivine metagabbros,Adirondack Mountains,New York

Olivine metagabbros from the Adirondacks usually contain both clear and spinel-clouded plagioclase, as well as garnet. The latter occurs primarily as the outer rim of coronas surrounding olivine and pyroxene, and less commonly as lamellae or isolated grains within plagioclase. The formation of garnet and metamorphic spinel is dependent upon the anorthite content of the plagioclase. Plagioclase more sodic than An_38±2 does not exhibit spinel clouding, and garnet rarely occurs in contact with plagioclase more albitic than An_36±4. As a result of these compositional controls, the distribution of spinel and garnet mimics and visually enhances original igneous zoning in plagioclase. Most features of the arrangement of clear (unclouded) plagioclase, including the shells or moats of clear plagioclase which frequently occur inside the garnet rims of coronas, can be explained on the basis of igneous zoning. The form and distribution of the clear zones may also be affected by the metamorphic reactions which have produced the coronas, and by redistribution of plagioclase in response to local volume changes during metamorphism.Authors listed alphabeticallyPublished by permission of the Director, New York State Museum, Journal Series Number 299     

Transmission electron microscope study of the domain structures associated with the b-, c-, d-, e- and f-reflections in plagioclase feldspars

Ten specimens of plagioclase feldspars (An₁₀₀ to An₂₅) have been examined by transmission electron microscopy using dark field and direct lattice imaging. The specimens are classified into two groups: (i) those that have been quenched from the melt (synthetic An₁₀₀, An₉₅, An₆₆ and An₅₀) and (ii) those that have been cooled relatively slowly (An₉₄, An₇₇, An₇₅, An₅₂, An₃₂ and An₂₆). The observed contrast is interpreted in detail using the two-beam dynamical theory of electron diffraction contrast. The fault vectors of the antiphase boundaries (APBs) observed in An₁₀₀ and An₇₇ are determined. Direct resolution of the sublattice and superlattice in specimens of intermediate composition (An₇₅ to An₂₅) indicates that the superlattice is not a regular array of out-of-step faults and is probably due to a simple sinusoidal distortion of the structure. Only three specimens (An₁₀₀, An₇₇ and An₅₀) exhibited a single structural type. All the remaining specimens consisted of intergrowths of two structural types. The structural type present in any particular specimen depends upon its An-content and thermal history. The rate of transformation from any structural type to a lower-temperature structural type appears to decrease with decreasing An-content.     

The origin of plagioclase phenocrysts in basalts from continental monogenetic volcanoes of the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands field,New Zealand: implications for magmatic assembly and ascent

Late Quaternary, porphyritic basalts erupted in the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands area, New Zealand, provide an opportunity to explore the crystallization and ascent history of small volume magmas in an intra-continental monogenetic volcano field. The plagioclase phenocrysts represent a diverse crystal cargo. Most of the crystals have a rim growth that is compositionally similar to groundmass plagioclase (~?An₆₅) and is in equilibrium with the host basalt rock. The rims surround a resorbed core that is either less calcic (~?An_20–45) or more calcic (>?An₇₀), having crystallized in more differentiated or more primitive melts, respectively. The relic cores, particularly those that are less calcic (<?~?An₄₅), have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios that are either mantle-like (~?0.7030) or crustal-like (~?0.7040 to 0.7060), indicating some are antecrysts formed in melts fractionated from plutonic basaltic forerunners, while others are true xenocrysts from greywacke basement and/or Miocene arc volcanics. It is envisaged that intrusive basaltic forerunners produced a zone where various degrees of crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization occurred. The erupted basalts represent mafic recharge of this system, as indicated by the final crystal rim growths around the entrained antecrystic and xenocrystic cargo. The recharge also entrained cognate gabbros that occur as inclusions, and produced mingled groundmasses. Multi-stage magmatic ascent and interaction is indicated, and is consistent with the presence of a partial melt body in the lower crust detected by geophysical methods. This crystallization history contrasts with traditional concepts of low-flux basaltic systems where rapid ascent from the mantle is inferred. From a hazards perspective, the magmatic system inferred here increases the likelihood of detecting eruption precursor phenomena such as seismicity, degassing and surface deformation.     

Partial melting kinetics of plagioclase-diopside pairs

Partial melting experiments on plagioclase (An₆₀) and diopside have been carried out using pairs of large crystals to investigate textures and kinetics of melting. The experiments were done at one atmosphere pressure as a function of temperature (1,190–1,307° C) and time (1.5–192 h). Melting took place mainly at the plagioclase-diopside contact planes. Reaction zones composed of fine mixtures of calcic plagioclase and melt were developed from the surface of the plagioclase crystal inward. There exists a critical temperature, below which only a few % melting can occur over the duration of the experiments. This sluggish melting is caused by slow NaSi-CaAl diffusion in plagioclase, because the plagioclase crystal must change its composition to produce albite-rich cotectic melts. Diffusion in the solid also affects the chemical composition of the melts. During initial melting, potassium is preferentially extracted from plagioclase because K-Na diffusion in plagioclase is faster than that of NaSi-CaAl. This also causes a shift in the cotectic compositions. Above the critical temperature, on the other hand, melting is promoted by a metastable reaction in which the plagioclase composition does not change, and which produces melts with compositional gradients along the original An₆₀-diopside tie line. The critical temperature is determined by the intersection of the cotectic and the An₆₀-diopside tie line. Interdiffusion coefficients of plagioclase-diopside components in the melt are estimated from melting rates above the critical temperature by using a simplified steady-state diffusion model (e.g., 10^–8 cm²/sec at 1,300° C).Many examples of reaction zones due to partial melting have been described as spongy or fingerprint-like textures in xenoliths. Metastable melting above the critical temperature is considered to take place in natural melting where there is a high degree of melting. However, we cannot exclude the possibility of disequilibrium created by sluggish melting controlled by diffusion in the minerals. If melting occurs close to the solidus, this process can be important even for partial melting in the upper mantle.     

Mantled feldspars from the Golden Horn batholith,Washington

Mantled feldspars that formed by resorption, development of skeletal plagioclase crystals, and filling with alkali feldspar are common in the Golden Horn batholith, Washington. Subhedral plagioclase mantles have weak normal zoning from An₁₇ to An₁₀. Plagioclase zoning and twinning are crosscut by resorption channels. Resorption cavities and channels are coated with albite (An₁₀). Anhedral, perthitic orthoclase within the plagioclase is optically continuous with orthoclase in channels and on the mantle exterior.This texture resulted from resorption of calcic cores of plagioclase as pressure decreased when water-undersaturated granite magma intruded to a shallow crustal level. At shallow level, only alkali feldspar and quartz crystallized and were available to fill the skeletal plagioclase.     

Mineral chemistry of lava flows from Linga area of the Eastern Deccan Volcanic Province,India

Several basaltic lava flows have been identified in the study area in and around Linga, in the Eastern Deccan Volcanic Province (EDVP) on the basis of distinctly developed structural zones defined by primary volcanic structures such as columnar joints and vesicles. These basaltic lava flows are spatially distributed in four different sectors, viz., (i) Bargona–Gadarwara (BG) sector (ii) Shikarpur–Linga (SL) sector (iii) Arjunvari–Survir Hill (AS) sector and (iv) Kukrachiman–Morand Hill (KM) sector. A three-tier classification scheme has been adopted for the characterization and classification of individual lava flows. Each lava flow consists of a Lower Colonnade Zone (LCZ) overlain by the Entablature Zone (EZ) and Upper Colonnade Zone (UCZ). The LCZ and UCZ grade into a distinct/indistinct Lower Vesicular Zone (LVZ) and Upper Vesicular Zone (UVZ), respectively. The LCZ and UCZ of the flows are characterized by columnar joints while the EZ is marked by multi-directional hackly jointing. The geometry of different joint patterns corresponds to different styles of cooling during solidification of lava flows. Detailed petrographic studies of the investigated lava flows reveal inequigranular phenocrystal basalts characterized by development of phenocrystal phases including plagioclase, clinopyroxene and olivine, whereas groundmass composition is marked by tiny plagioclase, clinopyroxene, opaque mineral and glass. Electron microprobe analyses indicate that the olivine has a wide range ∼Fo₂₂ to Fo₆₆ revealing a wide spectrum of compositional variation. Pyroxene compositions are distinctly designated as Quad pyroxenes. Phenocrystal pyroxenes are mostly diopsidic, while the groundmass pyroxenes mainly correspond to augite with a minor pigeonite component. Pyroxene phenocrysts are characterized by a prominent Ti-enrichment. Phenocrystal plagioclase grains are calcic (An_52.7–An_72.9), whereas groundmass plagioclase are relatively sodic (An_39.2–An_61.6). Groundmass opaque minerals are characteristically found to be Ti–magnetite/ilmenite/pyrophanite. Pyroxene thermometry reveals a temperature span of 850°C to 1280°C for the studied lavas while olivine–clinopyroxene thermometry yields a temperature range from 1040°–1160°C. The variation of temperature for the lava flows is ascribed to their normal cooling history after eruption.     

Mantle derivation of Archean amphibole-bearing granitoid and associated mafic rocks: evidence from the southern Superior Province,Canada

Amphibole-bearing, Late Archean (2.73–2.68 Ga) granitoids of the southern Superior Province are examined to constrain processes of crustal development. The investigated plutons, which range from tonalite and diorite to monzodiorite, monzonite, and syenite, share textural, mineralogical and geochemical attributes suggesting a common origin as juvenile magmas. Despite variation in modal mineralogy, the plutons are geochemically characterized by normative quartz, high Al₂O₃ (> 15 wt%), Na-rich fractionation trends (mol Na₂O/K₂O >2), low to moderate Rb (generally<100 ppm), moderate to high Sr (200–1500 ppm), enriched light rare earth elements (LREE) (Ce_N generally 10–150), fractionated REE (Ce_N/Yb_N 8–30), Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu^*) 1, and decreasing REE with increasing SiO₂. The plutons all contain amphibole-rich, mafic-ultramafic rocks which occur as enclaves and igneous layers and as intrusive units which exhibit textures indicative of contemporaneous mafic and felsic magmatism. Mafic mineral assemblages include: hornblende + biotite in tonalites; augite + biotite ± orthopyroxene ± pargasitic hornblende or hornblende+biotite in dioritic to monzodioritic rocks; and aegirine-augite ± silicic edenite ± biotite in syenite to alkali granite. Discrete plagioclase and microcline grains are present in most of the suites, however, some of the syenitic rocks are hypersolvus granitoids and contain only perthite. Mafic-ultramafic rocks have REE and Y contents indicative of their formation as amphibole-rich cumulates from the associated granitoids. Some cumulate rocks have skeletal amphibole with X_Mg(Mg/(Mg+ Fe²⁺)) indicative of crystallization from more primitive liquids than the host granitoids. Geochemical variation in the granitoid suites is compatible with fractionation of amphibole together with subordinate plagioclase and, in some cases, mixing of fractionated and primitive magmas. Mafic to ultramafic units with magnesium-rich cumulus phases and primitive granitoids (mol MgO/ (MgO+0.9 FeO^TOTAL) from 0.60 to 0.70 and C_T >150 ppm) are comagmatic with the evolved granitoids and indicate that the suites are mantle-derived. Isotopic studies of Archean monzodioritic rocks have shown LREE enrichment and initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios indicating derivation from mantle sources enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) shortly before melting. Mineral assemblages record lower P_H2O with increased alkali contents of the suites. This evidence, in conjunction with experimental studies, suggests that increased alkali contents may reflect decreased P_H2O during mantle melting. These features indicate that 2.73 Ga tonalitic rocks are derived from more hydrous mantle sources than 2.68 Ga syenitic rocks, and that the spectrum of late Archean juvenile granitoid rocks is broader than previously recognized. Comparison with Phanerozoic and recent plutonic suites suggests that these Archean suites are subduction related.     

Petrography and geochemistry of granitoid and metamorphite pebbles from the early Archaean Moodies Group,Barberton Mountainland/South Africa

Pebbles of potassic granitoids and metamorphites constitute up to 5% of the basal conglomerate of the Moodies Group in a ratio of 2 : 1. The granitoid pebbles frequently show micrographic quartz–feldspar intergrowth, whereas the metamorphites—of a modal composition similar to that of the granitoids—are characterized by large quartz grains which could represent original quartz phenocrysts in felsic volcanic precursors.The granitoids show high K₂O, Sr, K₂O/Na₂O, and K/Rb, small enrichment of light REE, large negative Eu-anomalies, and slightly depleted and fractionated heavy REE. Compared to the granitoids the metamorphites show higher Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, and Cr concentrations, greater enrichment of light REE, and also large negative Eu-anomalies.There is little similarity between the Moodies pebbles and the majority of the rocks of the Ancient Gneiss Complex of Swaziland (AGC). There is only some similarity of the REE distribution patterns between the pebbles and the Mkhondo Metamorphic Suite, possibly an areally restricted phase of the AGC. The geochemical data, and especially the large negative Eu-anomalies suggest that the Moodies pebbles were derived from granites which represent residual magmas from which much plagioclase had been removed. The granites crystallized at depths of < 7 km from magmas with low H₂O-pressures in a rather thick sialic crust. It appears possible that the pre-Moodies granitoids originated through partial melting of low-Al₂O₃ siliceous gneisses of the AGC. A chronologic connection of the formation of the granitoids with the late Onverwacht Group volcanicity is possible.     

Magma mixing/mingling in the Eocene Horoz (Nigde) granitoids, Central southern Turkey: evidence from mafic microgranular enclaves

Mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) are widespread in the Horoz pluton with granodiorite and granite units. Rounded to elliptical MMEs have variable size (from a few centimetres up to metres) and are generally fine-grained with typical magmatic textures. The plagioclase compositions of the MMEs range from An₁₈?CAn₆₄ in the cores to An₁₇?CAn₂₉ in the rims, while that of the host rocks varies from An₁₇ to An₅₅ in the cores to An₀₇ to An₃₃ in the rims. The biotite is mostly eastonitic, and the calcic-amphibole is magnesio-hornblende and edenite. Oxygen fugacity estimates from both groups?? biotites suggest that the Horoz magma possibly crystallised at fO₂ conditions above the nickel?Cnickel oxide (NNO) buffer. The significance of magma mixing in their genesis is highlighted by various petrographic and mineralogical characteristics such as resorption surfaces in plagioclases and amphibole; quartz ocelli rimmed by biotite and amphibole; sieve and boxy cellular textures, and sharp zoning discontinuities in plagioclase. The importance of magma mixing is also evident in the amphiboles of the host rocks, which are slightly richer in Si, Fe³⁺ and Mg in comparison with the amphiboles of MMEs. However, the compositional similarity of the plagioclase and biotite phenocrysts from MMEs and their host rocks suggests that the MMEs were predominantly equilibrated with their hosts. Evidence from petrography and mineral chemistry suggests that the adakitic Horoz MMEs could be developed from a mantle-derived, water-rich magma (>3 mass%) affected by a mixing of felsic melt at P >2.3?kbar, T >730°C.     

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.