A Combined Transmission Electron Microscope and Electron Microprobe Study of Bushveld Pyroxenes from the Bethal Area

Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxenes present in the Bushveld rocksof the Bethal area display well developed exsolution texturestypical of slowly cooled mafic intrusions. This gave rise topoor reproducibility in electron microprobe analyses of thesame pyroxene grain, as well as results which departed fromthe bulk composition of the original homogeneous mineral. EMMA-4was used together with the electron microprobe to establishthe composition of the constituent phases in exsolved pyroxenes.The data showed that microprobe analyses carried out with adefocused beam were equivalent to the bulk composition of thepyroxenes. Microprobe analyses obtained using a focused beamwere found to approach closely the bulk composition of pyroxenesonly when the exsolution density reached 90 lamellae per millimetre. Transmission electron microscope examination of microstructuresin ion-thinned samples of pyroxenes at 100 kV and 1000 kV showedthat the exsolution mechanism in Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxeneswas one of heterogeneous nucleation. Subsequent growth tookplace by means of the migration of ledges along the (100) plane.Pigeonite inversion was also shown to occur in iron-rich Ca-poorpyroxene exsolution lamellae in augite. Fractionation trends established for the Bethal pyroxenes frommicroprobe analyses indicated an overall range from Fs₁₄En₈₄Wo₂to Fs₆₀En₃₁Wo₉ in the Ca-poor pyroxene and Fs₇En₅₀Wo₄₃ to Fs₃₆En₂₇Wo₃₇in the Ca-rich pyroxene. Comparison of pyroxene fractionationtrends from the western, eastern and Bethal areas of the Bushveldsuggests that crystallization took place under different conditionsof pressure and temperature.     

Petrology of Ultramafic Xenoliths from Loihi Seamount, Hawaii

Ultramafic xenoliths were recovered in four alkalic lava flowsfrom Loihi Seamount at depths between 2200 and 1400m. No xenolithbearing flows were sampled near the summit despite a concentrateddredge program. The flows, three of alkalic basalt and one ofbasanite, contain common olivine megacrysts and small xenolithsof dunite, rarer harzburgite, and a single wehrlite. Olivinemegacrysts as large as 8 mm are Fo_{84–88 6} and containmagnesiochromite inclusions with 1?1–3?5 wt.% TiO₂ Dunitecontains Fo_{83 5–88?5} olivine, magnesiochromite with l?5–6?9wt.% TiO₂ (avg. 3?2 wt.%), and extremely rare chrome-rich diopside.The wehrlite contains euhedral Fo_{85 9} olivine and magnesiochromitewith 1?9–4?7 wt.% TiO₂ poikilitically enclosed in chrome-richdiopside (Wo_{45 4}En_{48 0}Fs_6?6).Most of the olivine megacrysts,dunite, and the wehrlite are cumulates of Loihi alkalic lavasthat accumulated in a magma storage zone located at least 16kmbelow sea level. The rarity of dunite related to tholeiiticmagmas supports the interpretation that the alkalic lavas atLoihi generally predate the tholeiitic lavas. The harzburgitexenoliths have cataclastic textures and contain Fo_{89 5–926} olivine, enstatite (Wo_{2 0–2?7}En_{90?0–88 7}Fe_8?0–8?6),Cr-rich endiopside (Wo_{43 4–44 5}En_{52 0–50 0}Fs_{4 6–45}), and translucent red-brown magnesiochromite. The harzburgitexenoliths, which have 2-pyroxene temperatures of 1066 ? 35?C,originated in the uppermost mantle in a region of high strainrate, probably near the boundary between the mantle and theoverlying ocean crust. The presence of upper mantle xenolithsindicates that the magma storage zone is located below the baseof the ocean crust within the uppermost mantle.     

An Unusual Enstatite-Forsterite Basalt from Kolbeinsey Island, North of Iceland

This is the first account of volcanic rocks erupted from a northernextension of the MidAtlantic Ridge to a locality between Icelandand Jan Mayen. The islet of Kolbeinsey (67° 08' N., 18°36' W.) is being rapidly eroded and now measures 52x36 m, andreaches only to 7.5m above sea level. Two identical specimensof vesicular basalt were collected by the Icelandic Coastguardvessel Aegir in 1962, and have now been chemically analysed.The mineral compositions were determined by electron microprobeanalysis. The rock carries micro-phenocrysts of highly magnesianolivine (Fo_{98 8}) and of plagioclase (An₈₅ to An₃₀). Brown andlemon-yellow grains of augite (Wo₄₂ En₄₅ Fs₁₃) are accompaniedby pale-yellow, euhedral to subhedral, groundmass orthopyroxenesof highly magnesian composition (Wo₄ En₈₈ Fs₈) and with a calciumcontent higher than found previously in enstatites. The chemistryof the basalt, also, is unusual in showing Fe₂O₃ = 8.98 percent and FeO = 0.38 per cent. The high state of oxidation isconsidered in relation to the production of forsterite and enstatitefrom basalt magma. Historic submarine volcanism in the regionis discussed in relation to bathymetric and geophysical data.     

Intraplutonic Quench Zones in the Kap Edvard Holm Layered Gabbro Complex, East Greenland

The Kap Edvard Holm Layered Gabbro Complex is a large layeredgabbro intrusion (>300 km²) situated on the opposite sideof the Kangerdlugssuaq fjord from the Skaergaard Intrusion.It was emplaced in a continental margin ophiolite setting duringearly Tertiary rifting of the North Atlantic. Gabbroic cumulates, covering a total stratigraphic thicknessof >5 km, have a typical four-phase tholeiitic cumulus mineralogy:plagioclase, clinopyroxene, olivine, and Fe–Ti oxides.The cryptic variation is restricted (plagioclase An_81–51,olivine Fo_85–66, clinopyroxene Wo_43–41 En_46–37Fs_20–11) and there are several reversals in mineral chemistry.Crystallization took place in a low-pressure, continuously fractionatingmagma chamber system which was periodically replenished andtapped. Fine-grained (0•2–0•4 mm) equigranular, thin(0•5–3 m), laterally continuous basaltic zones occurwithin an {small tilde}1000 m thick layered sequence in theTaco Point area. Twelve such zones define the bases of individualmacrorhythmic units with an average thickness of {small tilde}80m. The fine-grained basaltic zones grade upwards, over a fewmetres, into medium-grained (>1 mm) poikilitic, olivine gabbrowith smallscale modal layering. Each fine-grained basaltic zoneis interpreted as an intraplutonic quench zone in which magmachilled against the underlying layered gabbros during influxalong the chamber floor. Supercooling by {small tilde}50C isbelieved to have caused nucleation of plagioclase, olivine,and clinopyroxene in the quench zone. The nucleation rate isbelieved to have been enhanced as the result of in situ crystallizationin a continuously flowing magma. The transition to the overlyingpoikilitic olivine gabbro reflects a decreasing degree of supercooling. Compositional variation in the Taco Point sequence is typicalfor an open magma chamber system: olivine (Fo_{77–68 5})and plagioclase cores (An_80–72) show a zig-zag crypticvariation pattern with no overall systematic trend. Olivinehas the most primitive compositions in the quench zones andmore evolved compositions in the olivine gabbro; plagioclasecores show the opposite trend. Although plagioclase cores arebelieved to retain their original compositions, olivines re-equilibratedby reaction with trapped liquid. Some plagioclase cores containrelatively sodic patches which retain quench compositions. Whole-rock compositions of nine different quench zones varyover a range from 10 to 18% MgO although the mg-number remainsconstant at {small tilde}0•78. The average composition(47•7% SiO₂, 13•3%MgO, 1•57% Na₂O+K₂O) is takenas a best estimate of the parental magma composition, and isequivalent to a high-magnesian olivine tholeiite. The compositionalvariation of the quench zones is believed to reflect burstsof nucleation and growth of olivine and plagioclase during quenching. Magma emplacement is believed to have taken place by separatetranquil influxes which flowed along the interface between alargely consolidated cumulus pile and the residual magma. Theresident magma was elevated with little or no mixing. At certainlevels in the layered sequence the magma drained back into thefeeder system; such a mechanism is referred to as a surge-typemagma chamber system.     

Electron-probe studies of the earlier pyroxenes and olivines from the Skaergaard intrusion,East Greenland

Pyroxenes and olivines from the earlier stages of fractionation of the Skaergaard intrusion (Wager and Brown, 1968; Brown, 1957) have been studied using the electron microprobe. The subsolidus trend for both Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxenes has been established, from the Mg-rich portion of the quadrilateral to the Hed-Fs join, together with the orientations of the tie-lines joining coexisting pyroxenes. For the Mg-rich Ca-poor pyroxenes, Brown's (1957) solidus trend has been modified slightly. From a study of a previously undescribed drill core, reversals in the cryptic layering have been found in the Lower Zone. The reversals are attributed to existence within the convecting magma chamber of local temperature differences. The Skaergaard magma temperatures are postulated to have passed out of the orthopyroxene stability field into the pigeonite stability field at EnFs ratios of 7228, for Ca-free calculated compositions, and specimen 1849, a perpendicular-feldspar rock, is interpreted as straddling the orthopyroxene-pigeonite transition interval. The cessation of crystallisation of Ca-poor pyroxene and the increase in Wo content of the Ca-rich pyroxene trend have been reexamined, and Muir's (1954) peritectic reaction (pigeonite+liquid=augite) has been confirmed. The composition at which Ca-poor pyroxene starts reacting with the liquid is postulated as Wo₁₀ En_36.7Fs_{53 3}. It is suggested that the cessation of crystallisation of Ca-poor pyroxene is sensitive to the amount of plagioclase crystallising from the liquid.A complete series of accurate olivine compositions for the whole Skaergaard sequence is presented for the first time, including the compositions of the Middle Zone olivine reaction rims.     

Phase Relations and Crystallization Sequence in a Contact-Metamorphosed Rock from the Gunflint Iron Formation, Minnesota

Portions of the Gunflint Iron Formation, originally a ferruginoussediment, were metamorphosed by the intrusion of the DuluthComplex to assemblages containing: pigeonite (Wo₁₀En₂₄Fs₆₆)+olivine(Fo₁₃Fa₃₇)+Fe-Ti oxide (Mt₆₂Usp₃₄Hc₄)+plagioclase (An₉₄Ab₆)+vapor+augite (Wo₄₀En₂₀Fs₄₀) or cummingtonite Fe/(Fe+Mg) {smalltilde} 0.69; quartz was present but probably was not in equilibriumwith olivine. Comparison with synthetic phase-equilibrium studiesindicate conditions of initial recrystallization of T 800 °C,P_total 2kb, fo₂ slightly below that of the pure fayalite-magnetite-quartzassemblage, and P_H2O < P_total. During the slow cooling process following initial recrystallization,the phases present underwent a complex series of exsolution,inversion, oxidation, and hydration reactions. Pigeonite initiallyexsolved augite along (001), then inverted to orthopyroxene,which then exsolved augite along (100). The augite exsolvedonly pigeonite on (001) during its cooling history. The Fe-Tioxide for the most part oxidized to an intergrowth of magnetiteand ilmenite, although unoxidized portions later exsolved ulvöspinel.Cummingtonite exsolved actinolite, forming irregular patchesof the latter. Olivine, orthopyroxene, and augite reacted withplagioclase to form retrograde amphiboles. Orthopyroxene had difficulty nucleating during this slow coolingprocess, forming only at widely spaced points in mosaics ofprimary pigeonite grains, and never nucleating within primaryaugite grains. The resulting orthopyroxene grains are much largerthan the original pigeonite grains.     

Mineralogical variations in the Delakhari sill,Deccan trap intrusion,central India

The Delakhari sill (maximum thickness cf. 200 m) is the most extensive Deccan Trap instrusion which occurs in central India, between longitutdes 78°3835 to 78°2240 and latitudes 22°26 and 22°2230. Based on petrographic examination, the sill is divided, from bottom to top, into (1) the Lower Chilled Zone (LCZ), up to 8 m thick, marked by abundant interstitial glass and an overall fine grain size, (2) the Olivine-Rich Zone (ORZ), 27 m thick, enriched in olivine (relative to the other zones in the sill), (3) the Central Zone (CZ), 70 m thick, marked by depletion in olivine and overall coarse grain size, (4) the Upper Zone (UZ), 55 m thick, marked by the presence of two chemically and morphologically distinct olivine types and abundant interstitial granophyre, and (5) the Upper Chilled Zone (UCZ), 10–25m thick, marked by abundant interstitial glass.Compositions of the pyroxenes and olivines show an overall increase in Fe/Mg with crystallization, but extensive interzonal and intrazonal variations and overlaps exist. Olivine ranges from Fa₂₄ (ORZ) to Fa₉₅ (UZ). In the UZ and inner UCZ, an equant (Fa_44–50, called type-A olivine) and interstitial skeletal olivine (Fa_70–95, called type-B olivine) occur together. Compositions of the Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxenes fall in the range Wo₃₈En₃₄Fs₂₈ to Wo₃₃En₈Fs₅₉ and Wo₁₄En₄₁Fs₄₅ to Wo₁₆En₁₉Fs₆₅, respectively. Overall, the two pyroxene trends converge with Fe-enrichment except for one anomalous sample from the UZ which contains a Ca-rich (Wo₃₄En₈Fs₅₈) and a Ca-poor (Wo₁₀En₁₈Fs₇₂) pyroxene well within the Forbidden Zone of Smith (1972).Compositions of coexisting oxide minerals indicate that the sill crystallized at oxygen fugacities from 10^–10 atm (ORZ) to 10^–13 (UZ). The magma prior to intrusion appears to have been derived from a more primitive melt from which a considerable amount of olivine and plagioclase have fractionated out. A model of open, interrupted fractional crystallization in the sill is proposed to explain the compositional variations exhibited by the major mineral phases.A previous study (Crookshank 1936) concluded that the sill is actually a multiple intrusion and has given rise to the lowermost (flow I) and the topmost (flow III) lava flows in the neighboring area around Tamia (78°4015, 22°2035). The olivines of flows I and III have compositions Fo₈₇ and Fo₈₈ respectively, and are much more Mg-rich than the maximum Mg-rich olivine (Fo₇₆) of the Delakhari sill, refuting the possibility of the sill being the feeder of the lava flows I and III.Geosciences Department, University of Texas at Dallas Contribution No. 338     

Mineralogy and petrology of the diabasic rocks in a differentiated olivine diabase sill complex,Sierra Ancha,Arizona

The Precambrian Sierra Ancha sill complex, more than 700 feet thick, is a multiple intrusion with a central layer of feldspathic olivine-rich diabase, and upper and lower layers of olivine diabase derived from a high-alumina basalt magma. Minor rock types include albite diabase and albite-diabase pegmatite. Deuteric alteration was extensive. Principal primary minerals are plagioclase (An₇₂ to An₁₆), augite (Wo₄₃En₄₄Fs₁₃ to Wo₄₀En₃₈Fs₂₂), olivine (Fo₇₄ to Fo₅₄), orthopyroxene (En₇₇ to En₄₄), magnetite (Mgt₆₆Usp₃₄ to Mgt₈₉Usp₁₁), and ilmenite (Ilm₈₆Hem₁₄ to Ilm₉₆Hem₄). Ilmenite formed by reaction-exsolution from magnetite_ss is consistently different in compositon from primary ilmenite. Primary ilmenite became enriched in Mn and depleted in Mg as crystallization proceded. A systematic Fe-Mg partition between contacting olivine and orthopyroxene suggests that equilibrium prevailed on an extremely local scale during crystallization. Albite-diabase pegmatite contains a mineral assemblage including augite, ferrosalite (Wo₄₉En₂₈Fs₂₃ to Wo₄₉En₁₄Fs₃₇), albite (An₂ to An₀), and iron-rich chlorite. Altered diabase and albite diabase also have unusually calcium-rich pyroxenes. The calcium-rich pyroxenes, which occur in assemblages like those characterizing some spilites, are richer in calcium and lower in aluminum and titanium than basaltic augite.Contribution No. 1712 of the Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.     

Crystallization, melt inclusion, and redox history of a Martian meteorite: Olivine-phyric shergottite Larkman Nunatak 06319

The Larkman Nunatak (LAR) 06319 olivine-phyric shergottite is composed of zoned megacrysts of olivine (Fo_76-55 from core to rim), pyroxene (from core to rim En₇₀Fs₂₅Wo₅, En₅₀Fs₂₅Wo₂₅, and En₄₅Fs₄₅Wo₁₀), and Cr-rich spinel in a matrix of maskelynite (An₅₂Ab₄₅), pyroxene (En_30-40Fs_40-55Wo_10-25,), olivine (Fo₅₀), Fe-Ti oxides, sulfides, phosphates, Si-rich glass, and baddeleyite. LAR 06319 experienced equilibration shock pressures of 30-35 GPa based on the presence of localized shock melts, mechanical deformation of olivine and pyroxene, and complete transformation of plagioclase to maskelynite with no relict birefringence. The various phases and textures of this picritic basalt can be explained by closed system differentiation of a shergottitic melt. Recalculated parent melt compositions obtained from melt inclusions located in the core of the olivine megacrysts (Fo_>72) resemble those of other shergottite parent melts and whole-rock compositions, albeit with a lower Ca content. These compositions were used in the MELTS software to reproduce the crystallization sequence. Four types of spinel and two types of ilmenite reflect changes in oxygen fugacity during igneous differentiation. Detailed oxybarometry using olivine-pyroxene-spinel and ilmenite-titanomagnetite assemblages indicates initial crystallization of the megacrysts at 2 log units below the Fayalite-Magnetite-Quartz buffer (FMQ - 2), followed by crystallization of the groundmass over a range of FMQ - 1 to FMQ + 0.3. Variation is nearly continuous throughout the differentiation sequence.LAR 06319 is the first member of the enriched shergottite subgroup whose bulk composition, and that of melt inclusions in its most primitive olivines, approximates that of the parental melt. The study of this picritic basalt indicates that oxidation of more than two log units of FMQ can occur during magmatic fractional crystallization and ascent. Some part of the wide range of oxygen fugacities recorded in shergottites may consequently be due to this process. The relatively reduced conditions at the beginning of the crystallization sequence of LAR 06319 may imply that the enriched shergottite mantle reservoir is slightly more reduced than previously thought. As a result, the total range of Martian mantle oxygen fugacities is probably limited to FMQ − 4 to − 2. This narrow range could have been generated during the slow crystallization of a magma ocean, a process favored to explain the origin of shergottite mantle reservoirs.     

Klyuchevskoy Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia: The Role of High-Flux Recharged, Tapped, and Fractionated Magma Chamber(s) in the Genesis of High-Al2O3 from High-MgO Basalt

Mineral Chemistry, and major and trace element variations ofthe basalts from Klyuchevskoy, the world's most active islandare volcano, are most consistently explained by the persistenceof a non-steady state, erupting, recharging, and fractionatingmagma chamber in which fractionation of a parental high-MgObasalt melt produces high-Al₂O₃ basalt. Although fractionalcrystallization is the dominant controlling mechanism, periodicrecharge with a more primitive high-MgO basalt is also an importantprocess contributing to the chemical evolution of the magmas.Hybrid basalts are the mixed product of high-Al₂O₃ basalt rechargedwith high-MgO basalt. The lavas range in composition from high-MgO, low-Al₂O₃ ( 12wt. % MgO, 14 wt. % Al₂O₃) to high-Al₂O₃, low-MgO ( 18 wt. %Al₂O₃, 4 wt. % MgO). The high-MgO lavas are characterized byphenocrysts of olivine (cores FO_90–80 and rims FO_85–75)with chromite inclusions [Cr/(Cr + Al)0.7], clinopyroxene (Wo_46–42En_48–42Fs_15–7),and the rare occurrence of orthopyroxene (En_72–70). Allthe phenocrysts are normally zoned and set in a groundmass ofplagioclase, pigeonite, clinopyroxene, magnetite, orthopyroxene.The high-Al₂O₃ basalts contain plagioclase (An_85–55),olivine (Fo_80–65), clinopyroxene (Wo_45–30En_50–38Fs_23–11), orthopyroxene (En_72–70) phenocrysts, that preserve bothnormal and reverse zoning in a groundmass of plagioclase, pigeonite,olivine, clinopyroxene, magnetite, orthopyroxene. Hybrid basaltshave characteristics of both high-MgO basalts and high-Al₂O₃basalts and preserve complicated normal-to-reverse, reverse-to-normal,and normally zoned phenocrysts. No hydrous minerals are presentin any of the lavas. The varied basaltic magmas erupted from Klyuchevskoy are derivedfrom a magma chamber(s) located near the base of the Kamchatkacrust (pressures 0.5–0.9 GPa) and characterized by relativelyhigh crystallization temperatures, some in excess of 1150C.Under these conditions, the fractionation of a parental high-MgOmagma, produced principally from the melting of a fluid-fluxed,peridotitic mantle wedge, results in the production of a chemicallydiverse spectrum of basalts ranging from high-MgO, low-Al₂O₃to high-Al₂O₃, low-MgO basalt, traversing the relatively primitiveend of both the calc-alkalic and tholeiitic differentiationtrends.     

Petrology of the Vandfaldsdalen Macrodike, Skaergaard Region, East Greenland

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

Mineralogy and partial melt textures within an ultramafic-mafic body,Greece

Ultramafic-mafic rocks from Makrirrakhi, Central Greece exhibit features of an original ophiolite sequence which contains depleted mantle material, ultramafic containing partial melt textures and possibly the mafic pluton which resulted from the coalescing of these partial melt segregations. Considerable mineralogical variation exists: unzoned olivine crystals range in composition from Fo_78–84 (mafics) to Fo_88–92 (ultramafics), plagioclases An_64–79 (mafics) to An_80–90 (ultramafics) and spinel varies from a chromian spinel (ultramafics) to a more aluminous-titaniferous spinel (mafics). Pyroxenes from the ultramafics display a limited range: En_89–92 Fs_9–8 Wo_0–2 (orthopyroxene) and En_48–54 Fs_1–10 Wo_38–50 (clinopyroxene). Mafic rocks display a greater range being richer in ferrosilite En_36–65 Fs_3–20 Wo_33–51. Pyroxenes from within the partial melt segregations have chemical affinities with those from the gabbrotroctolite series. A model of partial melt within the upper mantle, and, a set of criteria to distinguish partial melt textures from cumulate textures, are developed from analytical data and textural evidence.     

Petrology of the Partridge River Intrusion, Duluth Complex, Minnesota: 1. Relationships between Mineral Compositions, Density and Trapped Liquid Abundance

A 525-m-long drill core (DDH-221) through the Partridge Riverintrusion has been divided into four zones on the basis of changesin mineral abundances, compositions and grain size. The igneousrocks in the core consist of cumulate gabbro, troctolite andolivine gabbronorite, in which the original cumulate frameworkof plagioclase and olivine contained varying amounts of trappedintercumulus (pore) liquid. The compositions of the unzoned olivine (Fo_31–71) havebeen modified by reaction with Fe-rich in situ intercumulusliquid, but the plagioclase cores (An_59–73) have not.The compositions of postcumulus Ca-rich pyroxene, restrictedto En_36–44, and the more variable Ca-poor pyroxene (En_45–74),follow a downward Fe-enrichment trend similar to the Fe-enrichmentin the olivine. The cumulus olivine expected to be in equilibriumwith plausible parental magmas to these rocks was not preservedin the drill core, nor is the chilled margin to the intrusionsufficiently primitive to account for all the olivine. Revisedmass balance estimates of the primary magmatic compositionsof olivine are Fo_67–85. The new limiting value for theprimary olivine is similar to the Fo_83–85 olivine expectedto crystallize from the chilled margin to the nearby PigeonPoint olivine diabase sill under equilibrium conditions. Thechanges in the mineral compositions in core DDH-221 do not adequatelydescribe the behavior of parental melts on an equilibrium coolingpath, implying that the cumulus plagioclase and olivine crystallizedelsewhere, and were mixed with varying amounts of intercumulusliquid before introduction to the present crustal site of thePartridge River intrusion. Rock density increases with depth from 2?76 to 3?21, with amean of 2?98 g/cm³. Estimated trapped liquid densities rangefrom 2?56 to 2?92 g/cm³ at high temperatures. This is interpretedto mean that the intercumulus liquid could not have been expelledupward by compaction of the cumulate pile. The dense intercumulusliquid increased downward in abundance to form a series of rocksthat range continuously from variously packed framework cumulatesto chilled non-cumulate rocks in the basal zone. In situ crystallizationis concluded to be the dominant mode of solidification of thePartridge River intrusion, in which infiltration metasomatismis precluded by the high liquid density.     

Northwest Africa 773: lunar mare breccia with a shallow-formed olivine-cumulate component, inferred very-low-Ti (VLT) heritage, and a KREEP connection

Lunar meteorite Northwest Africa 773 (herein referred to as NWA773) is a breccia composed predominantly of mafic volcanic components, including a prominent igneous clast lithology. The clast lithology is an olivine-gabbro cumulate, which, on the basis of mineral and bulk compositions, is a hypabyssal igneous rock related compositionally to volcanic components in the meteorite. The olivine-gabbro lithology exhibits cumulus textures and, in our largest section of it, includes some 48% olivine (Fo₆₄ to Fo₇₀, average Fo₆₇), 27% pigeonite (En₆₀Fs₂₄Wo₁₆ to En₆₇Fs₂₇Wo₆), 11% augite (En₅₀Fs₁₇Wo₃₃ to En₄₇Fs₁₃Wo₄₀), 2% orthopyroxene (En₇₀Fs₂₆Wo₄), 11% plagioclase (An₈₀ to An₉₄), and trace barian K-feldspar, ilmenite, Cr-spinel, RE-merrillite, troilite, and Fe-Ni metal. The Mg/Fe ratios of the mafic silicates indicate equilibration of Fe and Mg; however, the silicates retain compositional variations in minor and trace elements that are consistent with intercumulus crystallization. Accessory mineralogy reflects crystallization of late-stage residual melt. Both lithologies (breccia and olivine cumulate) of the meteorite have very-low-Ti (VLT) major-element compositions, but with an unusual trace-element signature compared to most lunar VLT volcanic compositions, i.e., relative enrichment in light REE and large-ion-lithophile elements, and greater depletion in Eu than almost all other known lunar volcanic rocks. The calculated composition of the melt that was in equilibrium with pyroxene and plagioclase of the cumulate lithology exhibits a KREEP-like REE pattern, but at lower concentrations. Melt of a composition calculated to have been in equilibrium with the cumulate assemblage, plus excess olivine, yields a major-element composition that is similar to known green volcanic glasses. One volcanic glass type from Apollo 14 in particular, green glass B, type 1, has a very low Ti concentration and REE characteristics, including extremely low Eu concentration, that make it a candidate parent melt for the olivine-gabbro cumulate. We infer an origin for the parent melt of NWA773 volcanic components by assimilation of a trace-element-rich partial or residual melt by a magnesian, VLT magma deep in the lunar crust or in the mantle prior to transportation to the near-surface, accumulation of olivine and pyroxene in a shallow chamber, eruption onto a volcanic surface, and incorporation of components into local, predominantly volcanic regolith, prior to impact mixing of the volcanic terrain and related hypabyssal setting, and ejection from the surface of the Moon. Volcanic components such as these probably occur in the Oceanus Procellarum region near the site of origin of the green volcanic glasses found in the Apollo 14 regolith.     

Magmatic Evolution of the La Pacana Caldera System, Central Andes, Chile: Compositional Variation of Two Cogenetic, Large-Volume Felsic Ignimbrites

La Pacana is one of the largest known calderas on Earth, andis the source of at least two major ignimbrite eruptions witha combined volume of some 2700 km³. These ignimbrites have stronglycontrasting compositions, raising the question of whether theyare genetically related. The Toconao ignimbrite is crystal poor,and contains rhyolitic (76–77 wt % SiO₂) tube pumices.The overlying Atana ignimbrite is a homogeneous tuff whose pumiceis dacitic (66–70 wt % SiO₂), dense (40–60% vesicularity)and crystal rich (30–40 % crystals). Phase equilibriaindicate that the Atana magma equilibrated at temperatures of770–790°C with melt water contents of 3·1–4·4wt %. The pre-eruptive Toconao magma was cooler (730–750°C)and its melt more water rich (6·3–6·8 wt% H₂O). A pressure of 200 MPa is inferred from mineral barometryfor the Atana magma chamber. Isotope compositions are variablebut overlapping for both units (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i 0·7094–0·7131;¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd 0·51222–0·51230) and are consistentwith a dominantly crustal origin. Glass analyses from Atanapumices are similar in composition to those in Toconao tubepumices, demonstrating that the Toconao magma could representa differentiated melt of the Atana magma. Fractional crystallizationmodelling suggests that the Toconao magma can be produced by30% crystallization of the observed Atana mineral phases. Toconaomelt characteristics and intensive parameters are consistentwith a volatile oversaturation-driven eruption. However, thelow H₂O content, high viscosity and high crystal content ofthe Atana magma imply an external eruption trigger. KEY WORDS: Central Andes; crystal-rich dacite; eruption trigger; high-silica rhyolite; zoned magma chamber     

Petrography and geochemistry of the chassignite Northwest Africa 2737 (NWA 2737)

We report on the petrology and geochemistry of the Northwest Africa 2737 (NWA 2737) meteorite that was recovered from the Morrocan Sahara in 2000. It is the second member of the chassignite subclass of the SNC (Shergotitte-Nakhlite-Chassignite) group of meteorites that are thought to have originated on Mars. It consists of black olivine- and spinel-cumulate crystals (89.7 and 4.6 wt%, respectively), with intercumulus pyroxenes (augite 3.1 wt% and pigeonite-orthopyroxene 1.0 wt%), analbite glass (1.6 wt%) and apatite (0.2 wt%). Unlike Chassigny, plagioclase has not been observed in NWA 2737. Olivine crystals are rich in Mg, and highly equilibrated (Fo = 78.7 ± 0.5 mol%). The black color of olivine grains may be related to the strong shock experienced by the meteorite as revealed by the deformation features observed on the macroscopic to the atomic scale. Chromite is zoned from core to rim from Cr_83.4Uv_3.6Sp_13.0 to Cr_72.0Uv_6.9Sp_21.1. Pyroxene compositional trends are similar to those described for Chassigny except that they are richer in Mg. Compositions range from En_78.5Wo_2.7Fs_18.8 to En_76.6Wo_3.2Fs_20.2 for the orthopyroxene, from En_73.5Wo_8.0Fs_18.5 to En_64.0Wo_22.1Fs_13.9for pigeonite, and from En_54.6Wo_32.8Fs_12.6 to En_46.7Wo_44.1Fs_9.2 for augite. Bulk rock oxygen isotope compositions confirm that NWA 2737 is a new member of the martian meteorite clan (Δ¹⁷O = 0.305 ± 0.02‰, n = 2). REE abundances measured in NWA 2737 mineral phases are similar to those in Chassigny and suggest a genetic relationship between these two rocks. However, the parent melt of NWA 2737 was less evolved and had a lower Al abundance.     

Kistufell: Primitive Melt from the Iceland Mantle Plume

This paper presents new geochemical data from Kistufell (64°48'N,17°13'W), a monogenetic table mountain situated directlyabove the inferred locus of the Iceland mantle plume. Kistufellis composed of the most primitive olivine tholeiitic glassesfound in central Iceland (MgO 10·56 wt %, olivine Fo_89·7).The glasses are interpreted as near-primary, high-degree plumemelts derived from a heterogeneous mantle source. Mineral, glassand bulk-rock (glass + minerals) chemistry indicates a low averagemelting pressure (15 kbar), high initial crystallization pressuresand temperatures (10–15 kbar and 1270°C), and eruptiontemperatures (1240°C) that are among the highest observedin Iceland. The glasses have trace element signatures (La_n/Yb_n<1, Ba_n/Zr_n 0·55–0·58) indicative ofa trace element depleted source, and the Sr–Nd–Pbisotopic ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr 0·70304–0·70308,¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd 0·513058–0·513099, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb18·343–18·361) further suggest a long-termtrace element depletion relative to primordial mantle. HighHe isotopic ratios (15·3–16·8 R/R_a) combinedwith low ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (15·42–15·43) suggestthat the mantle source of the magma is different from that ofNorth Atlantic mid-ocean ridge basalt. Negative Pb anomalies,and positive Nb and Ta anomalies indicate that the source includesa recycled, subducted oceanic crustal or mantle component. PositiveSr anomalies (Sr_n/Nd_n = 1·39–1·50) furthersuggest that this recycled source component involves lower oceaniccrustal gabbros. The     

Mineralogy, Textures and P-T Relationships of a Suite of Xenoliths from the Monaro Volcanic Province, New South Wales, Australia

Intraplate basalts of the Eocene–Oligocene Monaro VolcanicProvince (MVP), in southeastern New South Wales, include lower-crustaland refractory to weakly metasomatized upper-mantle xenoliths.Lower-crustal-derived xenoliths appear to be all two-pyroxeneplagioclase granulites (Cpx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·17–0·56:0·63–0·77:0·28–0·89}Opx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·39–0·52:1·37–1·47:0·02}An_72–86 and An_48–50) but may also include garnetpyroxenites at depth. Mantle-derived xenoliths are principallyspinel-bearing lherzolites (Fo_{89·8–90·6}Cpx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·07–0·45:0·70–1·70:0·01–0·94}Opx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·16–0·19:1·62–1·75:0·01–0·10})but also include amphibole ± spinel-bearing lherzolite(Fo_{88·7–89·1} Cpx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·09–0·21:0·61–0·91:0·73–0·93}Opx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·09–0·31:0·70–1·54:0·03–0·91}),spinel-bearing harzburgite (Fo_{90·5–90·7}Cpx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·08:0·91–0·93:0·74–0·84}Opx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·16–0·18:1·73–1·79:0·00–0·02}),wehrlite, pyroxenite (Cpx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·08–0·10:0·84–0·90:0·80–0·85}Opx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·16–0·33:1·51–1·73:0·02–0·03})and rare garnet pyroxenite (Gt_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·83–0·95:1·60–1·70:0·45–0·48}Cpx_{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·14–0·21:0·69–0·77:0·78–0·86}Opx _{Fe:Mg:Ca 0·31–0·42:1·43–1·56:0·02–0·03})and amphibole–apatite composites. Xenolith textures aregenerally weakly to moderately foliated, a few are mosaic-porphyroblasticand rare samples are veined or highly strained. MVP xenolithsappear to have equilibrated under similar pressure–temperature(P–T) conditions to other southeastern Australian xenolithsequivalent to the South Eastern Australia (SEA) palaeogeotherm.P–T estimates for the MVP suite of xenoliths reveal aheterogeneous lower crust and upper mantle that is thickly underplatedto c. 1·8 GPa or c. 50 km depth. MVP xenolith P–Tdata are compared with those used to derive the SEA palaeogeotherm,which is shown to be in need of revision using more modern geothermometersand geobarometers and new xenolith coexisting mineral data. KEY WORDS: xenolith; petrography; texture; geotherm; Monaro; eastern Australia     

Evolution of a Porphyry-Cu Mineralized Magma System at Santa Rita, New Mexico (USA)

The magmatic processes leading to porphyry-Cu mineralizationat Santa Rita are reconstructed on the basis of petrographicstudies, thermobarometry, and laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasmamass-spectrometry analyses of silicate melt and sulfide inclusionsfrom dikes ranging from basaltic andesite to rhyodacite. Combinedresults suggest that magma evolution at Santa Rita is similarto that of sulfur-rich volcanoes situated above subduction zones,being characterized by repeated injection of hot, mafic magmainto an anhydrite-bearing magma chamber of rhyodacitic composition.The most mafic end-member identified at Santa Rita is a shoshoniticbasaltic andesite that crystallized at 1000–1050°C,1–3 kbar and log f_O2 = NNO + 0·7 to NNO + 1·0,whereas the rhyodacite crystallized at 730–760°C andlog f_O2 = NNO + 1·3 to NNO + 1·9. Mixing betweenthe two magmas caused precipitation of 0·1–0·2wt % magmatic sulfides and an associated decrease in the Cucontent of the silicate melt from 300–500 ppm to lessthan 20 ppm. Quantitative modeling suggests that temporal storageof ore-metals in magmatic sulfides does not significantly enhancethe amount of copper ultimately available to ore-forming hydrothermalfluids. Magmatic sulfides are therefore not vital to the formationof porphyry-Cu deposits, unless a mechanism is required thatholds back ore-forming metals until late in the evolution ofthe volcanic–plutonic system. KEY WORDS: porphyry-Cu; sulfur; sulfides; magma mixing; LA-ICP-MS     

Enriched End-member of Primitive MORB Melts: Petrology and Geochemistry of Glasses from Macquarie Island (SW Pacific)

Macquarie Island is an exposure above sea-level of part of thecrest of the Macquarie Ridge. The ridge marks the Australia–Pacificplate boundary south of New Zealand, where the plate boundaryhas evolved progressively since Eocene times from an oceanicspreading system into a system of long transform faults linkedby short spreading segments, and currently into a right-lateralstrike-slip plate boundary. The rocks of Macquarie Island wereformed during spreading at this plate boundary in Miocene times,and include intrusive rocks (mantle and cumulate peridotites,gabbros, sheeted dolerite dyke complexes), volcanic rocks (N-to E-MORB pillow lavas, picrites, breccias, hyaloclastites),and associated sediments. A set of Macquarie Island basalticglasses has been analysed by electron microprobe for major elements,S, Cl and F; by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy forH₂O; by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma massspectrometry for trace elements; and by secondary ion mass spectrometryfor Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes. An outstanding compositional featureof the data set (47·4–51·1 wt % SiO₂, 5·65–8·75wt % MgO) is the broad range of K₂O (0·1–1·8wt %) and the strong positive covariation of K₂O with otherincompatible minor and trace elements (e.g. TiO₂ 0·97–2·1%;Na₂O 2·4–4·3%; P₂O₅ 0·08–0·7%;H₂O 0·25–1·5%; La 4·3–46·6ppm). The extent of enrichment in incompatible elements in glassescorrelates positively with isotopic ratios of Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr= 0·70255–0·70275) and Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb =18·951–19·493; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15·528–15·589;²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38·523–38·979), and negativelywith Nd (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0·51310–0·51304).Macquarie Island basaltic glasses are divided into two compositionalgroups according to their mg-number–K₂O relationships.Near-primitive basaltic glasses (Group I) have the highest mg-number(63–69), and high Al₂O₃ and CaO contents at a given K₂Ocontent, and carry microphenocrysts of primitive olivine (Fo_86–89·5).Their bulk compositions are used to calculate primary melt compositionsin equilibrium with the most magnesian Macquarie Island olivines(Fo_90·5). Fractionated, Group II, basaltic glasses aresaturated with olivine + plagioclase ± clinopyroxene,and have lower mg-number (57–67), and relatively low Al₂O₃and CaO contents. Group I glasses define a seriate variationwithin the compositional spectrum of MORB, and extend the compositionalrange from N-MORB compositions to enriched compositions thatrepresent a new primitive enriched MORB end-member. Comparedwith N-MORB, this new end-member is characterized by relativelylow contents of MgO, FeO, SiO₂ and CaO, coupled with high contentsof Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Na₂O, P₂O₅, K₂O and incompatible trace elements,and has the most radiogenic Sr and Pb regional isotope composition.These unusual melt compositions could have been generated bylow-degree partial melting of an enriched mantle peridotitesource, and were erupted without significant mixing with commonN-MORB magmas. The mantle in the Macquarie Island region musthave been enriched and heterogeneous on a very fine scale. Wesuggest that the mantle enrichment implicated in this studyis more likely to be a regional signature that is shared bythe Balleny Islands magmatism than directly related to the hypotheticalBalleny plume itself. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalts; Macquarie Island; glass; petrology; geochemistry