斜长石和橄榄石成分对四川攀枝花钒钛磁铁矿床成因的指示意义

攀枝花岩体下部和中部岩相带各旋回中磁铁辉长岩和辉长岩的岩相结构特征表明,钛铁氧化物和斜长石、橄榄石的结晶发生在相近的温度区间内,这为我们利用斜长石和橄榄石的成分探讨磁铁矿形成时温度、氧逸度和岩浆成分的变化提供了可能.电子探针分析结果表明,下部和中部岩相带中斜长石An牌号自下向上有规律地逐渐降低,而在每一个旋回内部,橄榄石的F(o)值总是由磁铁辉长岩向辉长岩表现出强烈降低的趋势.这些特征说明攀枝花岩体经历了多次富铁钛的岩浆的补充.斜长石An牌号小幅度的规律性降低说明岩浆氧逸度和Fe3/Fe2+比值变化对斜长石成分影响很小,因此,我们可以根据斜长石成分估计钛铁氧化物结晶过程中温度变化.然而,同一旋回中橄榄石Fo值变化较大说明橄榄石成分在很大程度上取决于岩浆中的Fe3+/Fe2+和Fe2 +/Mg含量,因此,可以根据橄榄石成分分析磁铁辉长岩与辉长岩形成过程中氧逸度和Fe3+/Fe2比值的相对变化.计算得到下部和中部岩相带中斜长石的结晶温度介于1079～1121℃之间,认为钛铁氧化物的结晶也大致发生在此温度区间;根据同一旋回中磁铁辉长岩与邻近辉长岩中橄榄石Fo值的差异,发现每次新补充的岩浆分离结晶过程中氧逸度总是逐渐降低,这与前人对封闭体系岩浆结晶分异过程中氧逸度变化规律的认识一致.     

西南印度洋脊原位辉长岩元素地球化学特征及意义

通过对位于西南印度洋脊超慢速扩张脊东段的大洋钻探计划(ODP)ODP 735B钻孔上部岩心不同位置、不同岩性的样品进行全岩主、微量元素分析,并结合前人研究成果,对旋回内部及旋回之间的全岩地球化学特征差异进行了探讨,对其成因进行了约束.ODP 735B岩心全岩主量元素特征主要受控于分离结晶生成的矿物组合及比例.全岩主量元素之间的协变关系对反映玄武质熔体结晶演化过程中矿物生成及化学成分演化具有一定的指示意义.稀土元素的分析表明,除较明显的正Eu异常外,旋回1、2均表现出明显的LREE分馏,而HREE则未出现明显分馏.微量元素的分析表明,西南印度洋超低速洋脊的旋回1和旋回2中均表现出明显的Nb、Ta负异常和Sr、K正异常,但不能依靠其全岩微量元素Nb、Ta负异常特征对其源区地球化学特征成因和地质意义进行判断.      

北克拉拉Ezhimala深成侵入体的辉长岩—英云闪长岩—奥长花岗岩—花岗岩套的地球化学

在北克拉拉,可能在Sargar期侵入的Ezhimala侵入体是一个成分上从辉长岩,英云闪长岩和奥长花岗岩到花岗岩连续变化的分异岩套。地球化学研究表明这个岩套是浅部生成的岩浆底辟侵位和分离结晶产物。在分离结晶产物中,主要的矿物相是角内石和斜长石,黑云母、钛铁氧化物是次要的分离矿物。这个岩套是这个地区许多成分多变的火成岩体之一,这些岩体是克拉拉区晚元古和早古生代重要岩浆事件的产物。     

转换断层带(西印度洋亚特兰提斯断裂带Leg Dp118,钻孔地点735B)内辉长岩中的韧性变形和热液作用

亚特兰提斯Ⅱ破裂带走向近南北,它把印度洋西南洋中脊(扩张速率10m/a)错开了约210km。钻孔点就处于一个与该转换断层东盘平行的横向中脊上的凹地中(低于海低700m),该盘上的磁异常图案说明735B点的洋壳年龄约12百万年。该点的钻孔深度为500m,所恢复的435m辉长岩芯由六个岩性层组成。第一层为片理化变质辉长苏长岩(0～39.5mbsf);第二层为橄榄辉长岩(39.5～180mbsf);第三层为橄榄辉长岩夹Fe-Ti氧化物辉长岩(180～224mbsf);第四层为Fe-Ti氧化物辉长岩(224～273mbsf);第五层为橄榄辉长岩(273mbsf～400mbsf);第六层为橄榄辉长岩夹橄长岩(400～500mbsf)。     

山阳-柞水矿集区李家砭Ti-Fe矿床成矿构造背景研究

李家砭Ti-Fe矿床位于南秦岭山阳-柞水矿集区内南侧山阳-凤镇构造混杂带内,主要表现为钛磁铁矿和钛铁矿化,含矿围岩为堆晶辉长岩。矿物组合特征及结构分析表明,该矿床为典型的岩浆分异型矿床。矿物成分和岩石地球化学分析结果共同表明李家砭杂岩体具有岛弧钙碱性和大洋板内玄武岩双重岩浆性质。辉长岩SHRIMP锆石U-Pb测年结果表明,李家砭辉长岩和Ti-Fe矿床形成于621±6Ma,其中所含有的继承性锆石来自新元古代晚期岛弧中酸性岩浆岩,以上特征表明李家砭Ti-Fe矿床形成于新元古代晚期弧后盆地构造背景下。     

攀枝花岩体钛铁矿成分特征及其成因意义

峨眉大火成岩省是全球最大的钒钛磁铁矿床聚集区,攀枝花岩体是其中的典型代表。根据岩性特点,攀枝花岩体主体可划分为上、中、下三个岩相带,其中中部岩相带和下部岩相带岩性旋回非常发育,每个旋回从下向上铁钛氧化物和暗色硅酸盐矿物逐渐减少,块状铁钛氧化物矿石或磁铁矿辉长岩都出现在每个旋回的底部和下部。然而,尽管钛铁矿固相线以下固溶体出溶远弱于磁铁矿,从而能更好地保留成因信息,但其成分变化的成因意义没有受到足够重视。本次研究发现作为主要金属氧化物之一的钛铁矿的成分不仅在不同岩性中有明显差异,同时,中、下部岩相带的各岩性旋回中钛铁矿成分也具有周期性变化。例如,块状矿石中钛铁矿具有最高的MgO和TiO2及最低的FeO、Fe2O3和MnO,而辉长岩中钛铁矿则具有相反的成分特征。同时,钛铁矿的MgO含量与磁铁矿的MgO含量及橄榄石的Fo牌号具有显著的正相关关系。这种规律性变化说明每个旋回可以代表一次比较明显的岩浆补充,每次新岩浆补充后,钛铁矿和磁铁矿及橄榄石都是结晶较早的矿物。与Skaergaard岩体相比,攀枝花岩体钛铁矿的MgO含量较高,表明攀枝花岩体分离结晶过程中铁钛氧化物结晶较早;与挪威Tellnes斜长岩套铁钛矿床中的钛铁矿相比,攀枝花岩体的钛铁矿不仅具有较高的MgO和FeO,还具有极高的TiO2和MnO,但Fe2O3却很低,说明地幔柱背景下形成的钛铁矿与斜长岩套中钛铁矿的成分有显著的区别。     

压力对辉长岩矿物反应和部分熔融影响的实验研究

本文在高温高压条件下,开展了辉长岩矿物反应与部分熔融实验,利用偏光显微镜与扫描电镜对实验样品微观结构观察,研究实验中的新生矿物与熔体的分布;通过电子探针分析熔体成分特征。实验结果表明,在低压(300MPa)条件下,静压和塑性变形实验样品中,单斜辉石以固体反应方式生成橄榄石,在高压(1300MPa)塑性实验中所有实验样品都没有发现新生矿物颗粒,这与相图中低压条件下斜长石与橄榄石稳定共存,而高压下斜长石-辉石稳定共存相吻合。高压塑性变形条件下,单斜辉石和黑云母首先发生部分熔融,随着温度增高,斜长石逐渐参与熔融,熔体呈薄膜状分布在矿物颗粒边界,熔体成分依赖于参与熔融的矿物成分,表明出现的熔体为非平衡熔融结果。     

辉长岩部分熔融实验及地质学意义

利用高温高压多功能三轴实验装置对四川省攀枝花辉长岩进行了动态和静态部分熔融实验研究,实验的围压为450～800MPa,温度区间为900～1 200℃.实验表明,差应力对辉长岩动态部分熔融程度有一定影响,初始熔体主要分布在不同矿物的颗粒边界和三联点,变形影响熔体分布,变形与辉长岩韵律层具有一定成因联系.本文为熔体对岩石流变学行为影响提供了实验约束依据.     

0.6～2.0GPa压力下部分熔融角闪辉长岩的纵波波速

利用超声波透射-反射法,测量了0.6～2.0 GPa、最高1 085℃条件下角闪辉长岩的纵波波速(vp),详细统计了部分熔融阶段实验产物组分的体积百分含量,利用矿物含量和弹性参数,计算了角闪辉长岩的纵波波速.实验测量和理论计算显示了较一致的vp-t关系,即高压下角闪辉长岩的vp随温度升高先缓慢降低,在温度约800～900℃后转而大幅下降.实验产物显示,样品在温度达812℃(0.6 GPa)、865℃(1.0 GPa)和919℃(2.0 GPa)后发生矿物脱水和部分熔融,熔体含量随温度升高显著增加.熔体是导致高温阶段岩石vp快速降低的主要原因.在初熔阶段vp随熔体增加而降低尤为显著,可能是初熔时矿物脱水生成的自由水及含水量高的熔体,以微细熔体薄膜浸润矿物边界或裂隙所导致.     

西天山哈拉达拉辉长岩的Fe-Ti富集机制及其构造意义

特克斯哈拉达拉辉长岩体是西南天山出露规模最大的层状基性-超基性侵入杂岩体,其富含Fe-Ti氧化物(含量高达15%)。哈拉达拉辉长岩中的橄榄石具有较低的Fo值(64~75),斜长石主要为中-拉长石,单斜辉石相对低Mg^#(0.66~0.87),属于次透辉石或普通辉石,总体上显示出较高的岩浆演化程度。Fe-Ti氧化物以钒钛磁铁矿为主(TiO₂=0.8%~20.6%;V₂O₃=0.10%~0.83%),常与钛铁矿呈矿物对共生或出溶钛铁矿。晚期的云母矿物均围绕他形的Fe-Ti氧化物生长,主要为富MgO的金云母,少量属于黑云母;大部分云母成分富含F、Cl(F+Cl高达3.14%),指示岩浆形成于贫水环境。哈拉达拉辉长岩体的主量元素成分变化很大(Mg^#=0.48~0.73),橄榄辉长岩主要受橄榄石和斜长石的结晶分异/堆晶作用影响,而辉长岩的成分变化主要受控于斜长石和Fe-Ti氧化物的堆晶作用。哈拉达拉岩体的Fe-Ti氧化物主要为岩浆正常结晶分异作用的结果,该体系具有较低氧逸度、贫水的特点,其地幔源区的熔融程度较高,可能是塔里木地幔柱在天山造山带这一构造薄弱带的早期岩浆活动。     

Petrogenesis of the ~740 Korab Kansi mafic-ultramafic intrusion,South Eastern Desert of Egypt: Evidence of Ti-rich ferropicritic magmatism

The Neoproterozoic Korab Kansi mafic-ultramafic intrusion is one of the largest (100 km²) intrusions in the Southern Eastern Desert of Egypt. The intrusion consists of Fe-Ti-bearing dunite layers, amphibole peridotites, pyroxenites, troctolites, olivine gabbros, gabbronorites, pyroxene gabbros and pyroxene-hornblende gabbros, and also hosts significant Fe-Ti deposits, mainly as titanomagnetite-ilmenite. These lithologies show rhythmic layers and intrusive contacts against the surrounding granites and ophiolitic-island arc assemblages. The wide ranges of olivine forsterite contents (Fo_67.9-85.7), clinopyroxene Mg# (0.57–0.95), amphibole Mg# (0.47–0.88), and plagioclase compositions (An_85.8-40.9) indicate the role of fractional crystallization in the evolution from ultramafic to mafic rock types. Clinopyroxene (Cpx) has high REE contents (2–30 times chondrite) with depleted LREE relative to HREE, like those crystallized from ferropicritic melts generated in an island-arc setting. Melts in equilibrium with Cpx also resemble ferropicrites crystallized from olivine-rich mantle melts. Cpx chemistry and its host rock compositions have affinities to tholeiitic and calc-alkaline magma types. Compositions of mafic-ultramafic rocks are depleted in HFSE (e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr, Th and U) relative to LILE (e.g. Li, Rb, Ba, Pb and Sr) due to the addition of subduction-related hydrous fluids (rich in LILE) to the mantle source, suggesting an island-arc setting. Fine-grained olivine gabbros may represent quenched melts approximating the primary magma compositions because they are typically similar in assemblage and chemistry as well as in whole-rock chemistry to ferropicrites. We suggest that the Korab Kansi intrusion crystallized at temperatures ranging from ~700 to 1100 °C from ferropicritic magma derived from melting of metasomatized mantle at <5 Kbar. These hydrous ferropicritic melts were generated in the deep mantle and evolved by fractional crystallization under high ƒO₂ at relatively shallow depth. Fractionation formed calc-alkaline magmas during the maturation of an island arc system, reflecting the role of subduction-related fluids. The interaction of metasomatized lithosphere with upwelling asthenospheric melts produced the Fe and Ti-rich ferropicritic parental melts that are responsible for precipitating large quantities of Fe-Ti oxide layers in the Korab Kansi mafic-ultramafic intrusion. The other factors controlling these economic Fe-Ti deposits beside parental melts are high oxygen fugacity, water content and increasing degrees of mantle partial melting. The generation of Ti-rich melts and formation of Fe-Ti deposits in few layered intrusions in Egypt possibly reflect the Neoproterozoic mantle heterogeneity in the Nubian Shield. We suggest that Cryogenian-Tonian mafic intrusions in SE Egypt can be subdivided into Alaskan-type intrusions that are enriched in PGEs whereas Korab Kansi-type layered intrusions are enriched in Fe-Ti-V deposits.     

Mg-metasomatism of oceanic gabbros and its control on Ti-clinohumite formation during eclogitization

In the high-pressure meta-ophiolites of Western Liguria (Italy), serpentinized ultramafites host bodies of eclogite, metarodingite and Ti-clinohumite ± Ti-chondrodite-bearing rocks. The latter contain relics of augite, ilmenite and apatite, which suggest derivation from pristine Fe-Ti-rich gabbros. The composition of relict mantle clinopyroxene in the host serpentinites indicates primary depleted peridotite compositions. Compared with their inferred protoliths, the Ti-clinohumite dikelets and the host serpentinites display significant changes in their major and trace element concentrations, indicating element exchange between the two rock systems. In particular, the Fe-Ti-rich gabbros were depleted in CaO and FeO and were strongly enriched in MgO. Analogous compositional variations are shown by altered gabbros enclosed in serpentinized peridotites from the obducted ophiolite sequences of the Northern Apennine. This evidence suggests that the observed Mg-enrichment recorded by the Ti-clinohumite metagabbros occurred in oceanic environments as the result of diffusive exchange between ultramafites and gabbros in presence of fluids related to serpentinization of the ultramafic country rocks. Alteration of the gabbro and concomitant Mg-uptake mostly caused extensive chloritization of the igneous plagioclase. Survival of igneous ilmenite and augite and their reaction with the hydrothermal chlorite during high-pressure metamorphism produced the observed Ti-clinohumite and Ti-chondrodite assemblages. The data presented thus indicate that crystallization of Ti-clinohumite assemblages was facilitated by a stage of oceanic alteration leading to Mg-enrichment of original Fe-Ti-rich gabbros. We suggest that during alteration, Mg-metasomatism occurred prior to rodingitization and was related to the earlier stages of peridotite serpentinization. Survival of oceanic chemical heterogeneities in the Ti-clinohumite rocks, indicates that element mobility during high-pressure recrystallization of these rocks was on a limited scale. This allowed preservation of their pre-subduction alteration features. Received: 13 July 1998 / Accepted: 3 November 1998     

Weathering of a quaternary glass-rich basalt in Bakrit,Middle Atlas Mountains,Morocco. Comparison with a glass-poor basalt

We compared the disintegration processes and mineralogic and chemical evolution pathways of two Quaternary basalts at Bakrit and Ifrane, weathered in the same physiographic and hydrologic conditions, but differing in texture according to the quantity of glass present. At Bakrit, quite abundant glass favoured the formation of a microfissure network throughout the rock and its disintegration without any distinct weathering front. As a result, basaltic sand with polymineral grains and a clayey-silty matrix were produced. At Ifrane, weathering of a glass-poor basalt produced only a clayey-silty saprolite. In glass-rich basalts, secondary minerals formed in microfissures and were 2/1 clay-mineral rich. In glass-poor basalts, secondary minerals formed mainly within primary minerals and were 1/1 clay-mineral rich. Because glass could be easily dissolved, it protected the minerals of close chemical composition, especially the plagioclases. The order of basalt-mineral weathering (olivine, labrador, augite, Fe-Ti oxides) was modified when glass was abundant (glass, olivine, augite, labrador, Fe-Ti oxides).     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113000303

The Xinjie layered intrusion in the Panxi region,SW China,hosts both Fe-Ti oxide and platinum-group element（PGE） sulfide mineralization.The intrusion can be divided,from the base upward,into UnitsⅠ,ⅡandⅢ,in terms of mineral assemblages.UnitsⅠandⅡare mainly composed of wehrlite and clino-pyroxenite, whereas UnitⅢis mainly composed of gabbro.PGE sulfide-rich layers mainly occur in Unit I, whereas thick Fe-Ti oxide-rich layers mainly occur in UnitⅢ.An ilmenite-rich layer occurs at the top of UnitⅠ.Fe-Ti oxides include magnetite and ilmenite.Small amounts of cumulus and intercumulus magnetite occur in UnitsⅠandⅡ.Cumulus magnetite grains are commonly euhedral and enclosed within olivine and clinopyroxene.They have high Cr₂O₃ contents ranging from 6.02 to 22.5 wt.%,indicating that they are likely an early crystallized phase from magmas.Intercumulus magnetite that usually displays ilmenite exsolution occupies the interstices between cumulus olivine crystals and coexists with interstitial clinopyroxene and plagioclase.Intercumulus magnetite has Cr₂O₃ ranging from 1.65 to 6.18 wt.%, lower than cumulus magnetite.The intercumulus magnetite may have crystallized from the trapped liquid.Large amounts of magnetite in UnitⅢcontains Cr₂O₃（<0.28 wt.%） much lower than magnetite in UnitsⅠandⅡ.The magnetite in UnitⅢis proposed to be accumulated from a Fe-Ti-rich melt.The Fe-Ti-rich melt is estimated to contain 35.9 wt.%of SiO₂,26.9 wt.%of FeO^t,8.2 wt.%of TiO₂,13.2 wt.%of CaO, 8.3 wt.%of MgO,5.5 wt.%of Al₂O₃ and 1.0 wt.%of P₂O₅.The composition is comparable with the Fe-rich melts in the Skaergaard and Sept Iles intrusions.Paired non-reactive microstructures,granophyre pockets and ilmenite-rich intergrowths,are representative of Si-rich melt and Fe-Ti-rich melt,and are the direct evidence for the existence of an immiscible Fe-Ti-rich melt that formed from an evolved ferro-basaltic magma.     

Trace element geochemistry of coesite-bearing eclogites from the Roberts Victor kimberlite, Kaapvaal craton

Trace element characteristics of seven coesite-bearing eclogitic xenoliths from the Roberts Victor kimberlite demonstrate that this suite of eclogites originated as gabbroic cumulates in oceanic crust that was subsequently subducted. All but one of the garnets show positive Eu anomalies, accompanied by a flat heavy rare earth pattern, which is atypical of garnet, but characteristic of plagioclase, arguing for a considerable amount of plagioclase in the protoliths. Forward modelling of the accumulation of liquidus minerals from primitive komatiitic, picritic, and basaltic liquids suggests that at least some of the eclogite protoliths were not derived from basaltic parental liquids, whereas derivation from either komatiitic or picritic liquids is possible. The reconstructed eclogite bulk rocks compare favourably with oceanic gabbros from ODP hole 735B (SW Indian Ridge), even to the extent that oxygen isotopic systematics show signs of low-temperature seawater alteration. However, the oxygen isotope trends are the reverse of what is expected for cumulates in the lower section of the oceanic crust. These new findings show that δ¹⁸O values in eclogitic xenoliths, despite being sound indicators for their interaction with hydrothermal fluids at low pressure, do not necessarily bear a simple relationship with the inferred oceanic crustal stratigraphy of the protoliths.     

Glass-bearing gabbro inclusions in hyaloclastites from Tindfjallajökull,Iceland

Gabbro inclusions from Tindfjallajökull are divided into two types: I. Panidiomorphic gabbros of non-cumulative origin composed of plagioclase + olivine ± clinopyroxene and interstitil vesicular glass. They have formed in equilibrium with the host magma and may either represent a marginal facies or a highly solidified magma body. In the latter case the host magma or part of it could be mobilized interstitial liquid. II. Allotriomorphic-hypidiomorphic tholeiitic olivine gabbro and diorite xenoliths with scarce Ti-pargasite which have undergone less than 10% partial melting in the host magma forming melts of alkali basaltic or Hekla andesite-like compositions dependent on the original mineral assemblage. Such liquids, enriched in K₂O and possibly other incompatible elements, may contaminate basaltic magmas rising slowly through a gabbroic lower crust. Large scale production of andesites by partial melting of such rocks is not possible but would need more hydrous or differentiated source rocks.     

Petrogenesis of oceanic plagiogranites by partial melting of gabbros: an experimental study

We performed hydrous partial melting experiments at shallow pressures (0.2 GPa) under slightly oxidizing conditions (NNO oxygen buffer) on oceanic cumulate gabbros drilled by ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) cruises to evaluate whether the partial melting of oceanic gabbro can generate SiO₂-rich melts with compositions typical of oceanic plagiogranites. The experimental melts of the low-temperature runs broadly overlap those of natural plagiogranites. At 940 °C, the normalized SiO₂ contents of the experimental melts of all systems range between 60 and 61 wt%, and at 900 °C between 63 and 68 wt%. These liquids are characterized by low TiO₂ and FeO^tot contents, similar to those of natural plagiogranites from the plutonic section of the oceanic crust, but in contrast to Fe and Ti-rich low-temperature experimental melts obtained in MORB systems at ~950 °C. The ~1,500-m-long drilled gabbroic section of ODP Hole 735B (Legs 118 and 176) at the Southwest Indian Ridge contains numerous small plagiogranitic veins often associated with zones which are characterized by high-temperature shearing. The compositions of the experimental melts obtained at low temperatures match those of the natural plagiogranitic veins, while the compositions of the crystals of low-temperature runs correspond to those of minerals from high-temperature microscopic veins occurring in the gabbroic section of the Hole 735B. This suggests that the observed plagiogranitic veins are products of a partial melting process triggered by a water-rich fluid phase. If the temperature estimations for high-temperature shear zones are correct (up to 1,000 °C), and a water-rich fluid phase is present, the formation of plagiogranites by partial melting of gabbros is probably a widespread phenomenon in the genesis of the ocean crust.Editorial responsibility: J. Hoefs     

Petrogenesis of the gabbros from Mt. St. Hilaire,Quebec, Canada

Mt. St. Hilaire occurs as a small funnel-shaped intrusion in the Monteregian petrographic province of Quebec and consists of alkali gabbros and later nepheline syenites. Based on field relations, petrography, and geochemistry, five types of gabbro are recognized. In order of intrusion these are: leucogabbro, foliated gabbro, kaersutite-biotite gabbro, kaersutite gabbro, and a gabbro-melagabbro series. Based on analyses of the early-forming ilmenite-titanomagnetite, the gabbros crystallized under high fO₂ conditions which lead to subsequent crystallization of olivines with high MnO contents. Fractionation of ilmenite and titanomagnetite was a major control on the Ti and A[TV]concentrations in the clinopyroxenes. Plagioclase compositions in the gabbros became richer in Ab contents in the sequence gabbro-melagabbro to leucogabbro. Whole-rock analyses suggest that the parental magma of alkali basaltic composition was fairly evolved prior to emplacement. Lack of olivine in the cumulate gabbro-melagabbros and low Ni and Cr in all gabbros may reflect either extreme olivine fractionation and/or a very low olivine content in the source material for these basalts. Differentiation of the gabbros occurred both pre- and post-emplacement, probably by a process of crystal-liquid fractionation at depths between 3-5 and 8 km. This is in accordance with geophysical measurements for other Monteregian intrusions. A model is presented for the mechanism of emplacement.     

Weathering of a Quaternary glass-rich basalt in Bakrit,Middle Atlas Mountains,Morocco. Comparison with a glass-poor basalt

Abstract

We compared the disintegration processes and mineralogic and chemical evolution pathways of two Quaternary basalts at Bakrit and Ifrane, weathered in the same physiographic and hydrologic conditions, but differing in texture according to the quantity of glass present. At Bakrit, quite abundant glass favoured the formation of a microfissure network throughout the rock and its disintegration without any distinct weathering front. As a result, basaltic sand with polymineral grains and a clayey-silty matrix were produced. At Ifrane, weathering of a glass-poor basalt produced only a clayey-silty saprolite. In glass-rich basalts, secondary minerals formed in microfissures and were 2/1 clay-mineral rich. In glass-poor basalts, secondary minerals formed mainly within primary minerals and were 1/1 clay-mineral rich. Because glass could be easily dissolved, it protected the minerals of close chemical composition, especially the plagioclases. The order of basalt-mineral weathering (olivine, labrador, augite, Fe-Ti oxides) was modified when glass was abundant (glass, olivine, augite, labrador, Fe-Ti oxides). © Elsevier, Paris