Petrogenesis and significance of late Caledonian granitoid magmatism in western Norway

Obduction of the late Ordovician Solund-Stavfjord Ophiolite Complex (443±3 Ma), west Norwegian Caledonides, involved generation and high-level emplacement of granitic and granodioritic dikes and plutons. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the granites are low (0.7042–0.7059), suggesting either a mantle component or a Rb-poor crustal source. Initial Nd (Nd(t)) ranges from-0.8 to-8.8, indicating that the granites represent recycling of old crustal rocks, which is supported by Precambrian inheritance in zircons from two of the studied granites. I argue that the Rb-Sr and the Sm-Nd isotope systems are decoupled in the sense that the Sr-and the Nd-isotopes derive their dominant signals from two different sources, a mantle source and a crustal source respectively. The granites are metaluminous to peraluminous and typically have high Sr, Ba and Na₂O/K₂O ratios. SiO₂ contents range from 66 to 74 wt%. REE abundances are highly variable; the La contents range from 80 to 200 times chondrite, and are inversely correlated with the contents of SiO₂. The concentration of Nd in the granites decreases asymptotically with decreasing Nd(t) suggesting fractional crystallization of accessory phases and assimilation of continental crust. This argument is supported by the presence of partly dismembered xenoliths in the granites with Nd(t)-values that are significantly lower than Nd(t)-values in the host granite. The following models are suggested for the granites. When the ophiolite complex obducted, an outboard subduction zone approached the continental margin, and subduction-related magmas accumulated beneath the continental margin, and probably intruded the overlying eugeosynclinal deposits. The mantle-derived magmas most likely evolved to granitoid composition by assimilation of these eugeosynclinal sediments and by fractional crystallization of amphibole, feldspar, sphene, and allanite. Alternatively, but less likely, the heat content of the mantle-derived magmas caused extensive melting of immature graywackes and calc-alkaline volcaniclastic rocks in the deepest portions of the eugeosyncline. Either way, during ascent, the compositions of the granitic melts were modified by fractional crystallization of LREE-rich phases and by assimilation of continental metasediments.     

Paleoproterozoic accretion in the Northeast Siberian craton: Isotopic dating of the Anabar collision system

Geochronological database considered in the work and characterizing the Anabar collision system in the Northeast Siberian craton includes coordinated results of Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr dating of samples from crustal xenoliths in kimberlites, deep drill holes, and bedrock outcrops. As is inferred, collision developed in three stages dated at 2200–2100, 1940–1760, and 1710–1630 Ma. The age of 2000–1960 Ma is established for substratum of mafic rocks, which probably originated during the lower crust interaction with asthenosphere due to the local collapse of the collision prism. Comparison of Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron dates shows that the system cooling from ≈700 to ≈300°C lasted approximately 300 m.y. with a substantial lag relative to collision metamorphism and granite formation. It is assumed that accretion of the Siberian craton resulted in formation of a giant collision mountainous structure of the Himalayan type that was eroded by 1.65 Ga ago, when accumulation of gently dipping Meso-to Neoproterozoic (Riphean) platform cover commenced.     

Proterozoic Gremyakha-Vyrmes Polyphase Massif, Kola Peninsula: An example of mixing basic and alkaline mantle melts

The paper presents newly obtained data on the geological structure, age, and composition of the Gremyakha-Vyrmes Massif, which consists of rocks of the ultrabasic, granitoid, and foidolite series. According to the results of the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd geochronologic research and the U-Pb dating of single zircon grains, the three rock series composing the massif were emplaced within a fairly narrow age interval of 1885 ± 20 Ma, a fact testifying to the spatiotemporal closeness of the normal ultrabasic and alkaline melts. The interaction of these magmas within the crust resulted in the complicated series of derivatives of the Gremyakha-Vyrmes Massif, whose rocks show evidence of the mixing of compositionally diverse mantle melts. Model simulations based on precise geochemical data indicate that the probable parental magmas of the ultrabasic series of this massif were ferropicritic melts, which were formed by endogenic activity in the Pechenga-Varzuga rift zone. According to the simulation data, the granitoids of the massif were produced by the fractional crystallization of melts genetically related to the gabbro-peridotites and by the accompanying assimilation of Archean crustal material with the addition of small portions of alkaline-ultrabasic melts. The isotopic geochemical characteristics of the foidolites notably differ from those of the other rocks of the massif: together with carbonatites, these rocks define a trend implying the predominance of a more depleted mantle source in their genesis. The similarities between the Sm-Nd isotopic characteristics of foidolites from the Gremyakha-Vyrmes Massif and the rocks of the Tiksheozero Massif suggest that the parental alkaline-ultrabasic melts of these rocks were derived from an autonomous mantle source and were only very weakly affected by the crust. The occurrence of ultrabasic foidolites and carbonatites in the Gremyakha-Vyrmes Massif indicates that domains of metasomatized mantle material were produced in the sublithospheric mantle beneath the northeastern part of the Fennoscandian Shield already at 1.88 Ga, and these domains were enriched in incompatible elements and able to produce alkaline and carbonatite melts. The involvement of these domains in plume-lithospheric processes at 0.4–0.36 Ga gave rise to the peralkaline melts that formed the Paleozoic Kola alkaline province.     

Primitive andesites from the Taupo Volcanic Zone formed by magma mixing

Andesites with Mg# >45 erupted at subduction zones form either by partial melting of metasomatized mantle or by mixing and assimilation processes during melt ascent. Primitive whole rock basaltic andesites from the Pukeonake vent in the Tongariro Volcanic Centre in New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone contain olivine, clino- and orthopyroxene, and plagioclase xeno- and antecrysts in a partly glassy matrix. Glass pools interstitial between minerals and glass inclusions in clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and plagioclase as well as matrix glasses are rhyolitic to dacitic indicating that the melts were more evolved than their andesitic bulk host rock analyses indicate. Olivine xenocrysts have high Fo contents up to 94%, δ¹⁸O_(SMOW) of +5.1‰, and contain Cr-spinel inclusions, all of which imply an origin in equilibrium with primitive mantle-derived melts. Mineral zoning in olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase suggest that fractional crystallization occurred. Elevated O isotope ratios in clinopyroxene and glass indicate that the lavas assimilated sedimentary rocks during stagnation in the crust. Thus, the Pukeonake andesites formed by a combination of fractional crystallization, assimilation of crustal rocks, and mixing of dacite liquid with mantle-derived minerals in a complex crustal magma system. The disequilibrium textures and O isotope compositions of the minerals indicate mixing processes on timescales of less than a year prior to eruption. Similar processes may occur in other subduction zones and require careful study of the lavas to determine the origin of andesite magmas in arc volcanoes situated on continental crust.     

Construction of the granitoid crust of an island arc. Part II: a quantitative petrogenetic model

Results of simple model calculations that integrate cumulate compositions from the Kohistan arc terrain are presented in order to develop a consistent petrogenetic model to explain the Kohistan island arc granitoids. The model allows a quantitative approximation of the possible relative roles of fractional crystallization and assimilation to explain the silica-rich upper crust composition of oceanic arcs. Depending in detail on the parental magma composition hydrous moderate-to-high pressure fractional crystallization in the lower crust/upper mantle is an adequate upper continental crust forming mechanism in terms of volume and compositions. Accordingly, assimilation and partial melting in the lower crust is not per se a necessary process to explain island arc granitoids. However, deriving few percent of melts using low degree of dehydration melting is a crucial process to produce volumetrically important amounts of upper continental crust from silica-poorer parental magmas. Even though the model can explain the silica-rich upper crustal composition of the Kohistan, the fractionation model does not predict the accepted composition of the bulk continental crust. This finding supports the idea that additional crustal refining mechanism (e.g., delamination of lower crustal rocks) and/or non-cogenetic magmatic process were critical to create the bulk continental crust composition.     

Interaction between a mafic melt and host rocks during formation of the Kivakka layered intrusion,North Karelia

The study of interaction between mantle melts and crustal rocks is of great importance for deciphering the evolution of the Earth’s crust and for better understanding the composition of mantle sources, in particular, the degree of their compositional heterogeneity. This work presents the results of Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic studies of 37 samples taken from the Kivakka layered intrusion, host rocks, and rocks at the contact. The studies were aimed at verifying the hypothesis of possible crustal contamination of mafic melt during magma chamber crystallization. It was found that the section of the Kivakka layered massif is characterized by initial Sr and Nd isotopic heterogeneity, with negative correlation between initial Nd isotopic ratio and its content. The rocks of the massif have low ɛ_Nd(T) values.     

康定杂岩Rb-Sr、Sm-Nd同位素系统及其意义

通过对康定—冕宁地区出露的英云闪长岩、黑云角闪斜长片麻岩、角闪变粒岩全岩及其中所分离出的角闪石、黑云母、斜长石、钾长石的Rb-Sr、Sm-Nd同位素的系统测定,结合岩石的锆石U-Pb年龄结果,确定这些变质杂岩由于经历了复杂的形成过程与变质历史,Rb-Sr、Sm-Nd同位素体系难以确定其结晶年龄。由单矿物与全岩Rb-Sr、Sm-Nd体系拟合的~700 M a的等时线年龄反映了角闪岩相-高角闪岩相的变质作用年龄。Sm-Nd同位素体系由于在变质作用过程中的部分开放性,很容易给出无意义的较老的混合年龄。康定杂岩结晶后并没有经历麻粒岩相变质作用,区域上所含的麻粒岩透镜体可能是新元古代(773~721 M a)期间由Rod in ia超大陆裂解产生的新生洋壳向扬子克拉通陆块俯冲消减过程的变质产物。俯冲到一定深度后,由于板片被拉断,软流圈上涌导致变质洋壳板片岩石、先前底侵变质的镁铁质岩石及扬子陆块长英质基底岩石发生部分熔融,以镁铁质岩石熔融产生的熔浆为主(>70%),与长英质基底岩石熔融产生的熔浆混合形成w(Na2O)/w(K2O)>1的TTG组合。     

Petrogenesis of syenites at a rifted continental margin: origin,contamination and interaction of alkaline mafic and felsic magmas in the Astrophyllite Bay Complex,East Greenland

The Astrophyllite Bay Complex in East Greenland (part of the Palaeogene North Atlantic Igneous Province) consists of an alkaline diorite plug, with detached trachyandesitic pillows, surrounded by co-magmatic syenite that was emplaced into Archaean basement. The diorite intrusion has yielded a 47.11 ± 0.68 Ma Rb-Sr isochron age. Saw-cut profiles through pillow-syenite-gneiss sections have been taken to resolve close spatial elemental and isotopic (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-O) variations. The diorite and syenite formed from alkaline basaltic, mantle-derived, melts with complex histories of prolonged assimilation and fractional crystallisation. Each evolved to different extents in separate magma chambers during the establishment of new plumbing systems in the Kangerlussuaq area. The diorite is dominated by lower crustal, granulite facies contamination, whereas the syenite shows evidence for greater degrees of upper crustal amphibolite facies contamination, indicating stalling and fractionation of magmas at different levels within the crust. The syenite and diorite magmas were subsequently emplaced as separate pulses into the basement gneisses at Astrophyllite Bay giving rise to superimposed local contamination trends between pillow/syenite and syenite/gneiss, respectively.     

Age and origin of anorthosites,charnockites, and granulites in the Central Virginia Blue Ridge: Nd and Sr isotopic evidence

Rb-Sr isotopic data for anorthosites, charnockites, ferrodioritic to quartz monzonitic plutons, and high-grade gneisses of the Blue Ridge of central Virginia show evidence of post-emplacement metamorphism, but in some cases retain Grenville ages. The Pedlar River Charnockite Suite yields an isochron age of 1021 +/-36 Ma, (initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7047 +/-6), which agrees with published U-Pb zircon ages. Five samples of that unit which contain Paleozoic mylonitic fabrics define a regression line of 683 Ma, interpreted as a mixing line with no age significance. Samples of the Roseland Anorthosite Complex show excessive scatter on a Rb-Sr evolution diagram probably due to Paleozoic (475 m.y.) metamorphism. Data from the ferrodioritic to quartz monzonitic plutons of the area yield an age of 1009 +/-26 Ma (inital ratio=0.7058 +/-4), which is in the range of the U-Pb zircon ages of 1000–1100 Ma. The Stage Road Layered Gneiss yields an age of 1147 +/-34 Ma (initial ratio of 0.7047 +/- 5).Sm-Nd data for the Pedlar River Charnockite Suite reflect a pre-Grenville age of 1489 +/-118 Ma ( _Nd=+6.7 +/-1.2). Data for the Roseland Anorthosite Complex and the ferrodioritic to quartz monzonitic plutons yield Grenville isochron ages of 1045 +/44 Ma ( _Nd=+1.0 +/-0.3) and 1027 +/-101 Ma ( _Nd=+1.4 +/-1.0), respectively. Two Roseland Anorthosite samples plot far above the isochron, demonstrating the effects of post-emplacement disturbance of Sm-Nd systematics, while mylonitized Pedlar River Charnockite Suite samples show no evidence of Sm-Nd redistribution.The disparity of the Sm-Nd age and other isotopic ages for the Pedlar River Charnockite Suite probably reflects a Sm-Nd source age, suggesting the presence of an older crust within this portion of the ca. 1 Ga old basement.     

Nd, O and Sr isotopic constraints on the origin of Precambrian rocks, Southern Black Hills, South Dakota

The Nd, O and Sr isotopic characteristics of Precambrian metasedimentary, metavolcanic and granitic rocks from the Black Hills of South Dakota are examined. Two late-Archean granites (2.5-2.6 Ga) have T_dm ages of 3.05 and 3.30 Ga, suggesting that at least one of the granites was derived through the melting of significantly older crust. Early-Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks have T_dm ages that range from 2.32 to 2.45 Ga. These model ages, in conjunction with probable stratigraphic ages ranging from 1.9 to 2.2 Ga, indicate that mantle-derived material was added to the continental crust of this region during the early-Proterozoic. Previous studies of the Harney Peak Granite complex have reported U-Pb and Rb-Sr ages of about 1.71 Ga and most granite samples examined in this study have Sr isotopic compositions consistent with that age. Two granite samples taken from the same sill, however, give two-point Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd ages of 2.08 ±0.08 and 2.20 ±0.20 Ga (∑²²⁰⁰_Nd = −15.5), respectively. In addition, whole-rock and apatite samples of the spatially associated Tin Mountain pegmatite give a Sm-Nd isochron age of 2000 ±100 Ma (∑²²⁰⁰_Nd = −5.8 ±1.8).

The Sm-Nd, O and Rb-Sr isotopic systematics of these granitic rocks have been complicated to some degree by both crystallization and post-crystallization processes, and the age of the pegmatite and parts of the Harney Peak Granite complex remain uncertain. Processes that probably complicated the isotopic systematics of these rocks include derivation from heterogeneous source material, assimilation, mixing of REE between granite and country rock during crystallization via a fluid phase and post-crystallization mobility of Sr. The Nd isotopic compositions of the pegmatite and the Harney Peak Granite indicate that they were not derived primarily from the exposed metasedimentary rocks.     

A Nd and Sr isotopic study of the Ivrea zone,Southern Alps,N-Italy

The Ivrea zone represents a tilted cross section through deep continental crust. Sm-Nd isotopic data for peridotites from Baldissero and Balmuccia and for a suite of gabbros from the mafic formation adjacent to the Balmuccia peridotite provide evidence for an event of partial melting 607±19 Ma ago in an extended mantle source with ₆₀₇ ^Nd =+0.4±0.3. The peridotites are interpreted as the corresponding melt residue, the lower part of the mafic formation as the complementary melts which underwent further differentiation immediately after extraction. The Finero body represents a complex with layers of phlogopite peridotite, hornblende peridotite, and amphibole-rich gabbro. The isotopic signatures fall into two groups: (1) highly radiogenic Nd and low-radiogenic Sr characterize the phlogopite-free, amphibole-rich rocks, whereas (2) low-radiogenic Nd and highly radiogenic Sr is found in ultramafics affected by phlogopite metasomatism. Phlogopite metasomatism in the Ivrea zone is dated by a Rb-Sr whole rock isochron yielding 293±13 Ma. It was fed by K-rich fluids which were probably derived from metasediments. The high initial ₂₉₃ ^Nd value of about +7.5 for phlogopite-free samples indicates a high time-integrated Sm/Nd ratio in the Finero protolith 293 Ma ago. Sm-Nd analyses of metapelites from the paragneiss series yield Proterozoic crustal residence ages of 1.2 to 1.8 Ga. Internal Sm-Nd isochrons for three garnetiferous rocks show that closure of garnet at temperatures around 600° C or even lower occurred about 250 Ma ago.     

鞍山地区太古代岩石同位素地质年代学研究

鞍山本溪地区太古代变质岩可分为三套,即含铁的表壳岩建造、侵入于铁建造中的花岗质片麻岩和铁架山奥长花岗质-花岗质片麻岩,后者为表壳岩的基底。原划为上鞍山群樱桃园组(齐大山矿带)和山城子组(歪头山-北台矿带)的斜长角闪岩分别获得2729Ma和2724Ma的Sm-Nd等时线年龄。这就为有争议的鞍本地区铁建造属于同一时代提供了依据,并讨论了表壳岩中的变质沉积岩以及铁架山基底片麻岩的同位素年代。     

Assimilation of granite by basaltic magma at Burnt Lava flow,Medicine Lake volcano,northern California: Decoupling of heat and mass transfer

At Medicine Lake volcano, California, andesite of the Holocene Burnt Lava flow has been produced by fractional crystallization of parental high alumina basalt (HAB) accompanied by assimilation of granitic crustal material. Burnt Lava contains inclusions of quenched HAB liquid, a potential parent magma of the andesite, highly melted granitic crustal xenoliths, and xenocryst assemblages which provide a record of the fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation process. Samples of granitic crustal material occur as xenoliths in other Holocene and Pleistocene lavas, and these xenoliths are used to constrain geochemical models of the assimilation process.A large amount of assimilation accompanied fractional crystallization to produce the contaminated Burnt lava andesites. Models which assume that assimilation and fractionation occurred simultaneously estimate the ratio of assimilation to fractional crystallization (R) to be >1 and best fits to all geochemical data are at an R value of 1.35 at F=0.68. Petrologic evidence, however, indicates that the assimilation process did not involve continuous addition of granitic crust as fractionation occurred. Instead, heat and mass transfer were separated in space and time. During the assimilation process, HAB magma underwent large amounts of fractional crystallization which was not accompanied by significant amounts of assimilation. This fractionation process supplied heat to melt granitic crust. The models proposed to explain the contamination process involve fractionation, replenishment by parental HAB, and mixing of evolved and parental magmas with melted granitic crust.     

A discussion of isotopic systematics and mineral zoning in the shergottites: Evidence for a 180 m.y. igneous crystallization age

Proposed igneous and metamorphic ages of the shergottites, a suite of achondritic basaltic meteorites, are examined in terms of the shergottites' petrography and mineral chemistry. No metamorphic or hydrothermal event appears capable of resetting the refractory Sr and Nd isotopic systems of the shergottites since the time of their igneous crystallization. The approximately concordant Rb-Sr (180 ± 20 m.y.) and U-Th-Pb (190 ± 30 m.y.) internal “isochrons” are thus interpreted as representing the time of igneous crystallization. The Sm-Nd internal “isochrons” which yield older apparent ages also show large scatter and are regarded as artifacts of the shergottites' complex igneous history. Rubidium-Sr, Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb wholerock “isochrons” are interpreted as mixing lines and are reasonably attributed to igneous processes such as wall-rock assimilation and magma mixing. If the shergottites are indeed less than 200 m.y. old, they represent the youngest known extraterrestrial basalts. This conclusion is supportive of the hypothesis that the SNC meteorites are samples of the planet Mars.     

Garnet pyroxenite and eclogite in the Bohemian Massif: geochemical evidence for Variscan recycling of subducted lithosphere

High-temperature, high-pressure eclogite and garnet pyroxenite occur as lenses in garnet peridotite bodies of the Gföhl nappe in the Bohemian Massif. The high-pressure assemblages formed in the mantle and are important for allowing investigations of mantle compositions and processes. Eclogite is distinguished from garnet pyroxenite on the basis of elemental composition, with mg number <80, Na₂O > 0.75 wt.%, Cr₂O₃ < 0.15 wt.% and Ni < 400 ppm. Considerable scatter in two-element variation diagrams and the common modal layering of some eclogite bodies indicate the importance of crystal accumulation in eclogite and garnet pyroxenite petrogenesis. A wide range in isotopic composition of clinopyroxene separates [_Nd, +5.4 to –6.0; (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i, 0.70314–0.71445; ¹⁸O_SMOW, 3.8–5.8%o] requires that subducted oceanic crust is a component in some melts from which eclogite and garnet pyroxenite crystallized. Variscan Sm-Nd ages were obtained for garnet-clinopyroxene pairs from Dobeovice eclogite (338 Ma), Úhrov eclogite (344 Ma) and Nové Dvory garnet pyroxenite (343 Ma). Gföhl eclogite and garnet pyroxenite formed by high-pressure crystal accumulation (±trapped melt) from transient melts in the lithosphere, and the source of such melts was subducted, hydrothermally altered oceanic crust, including subducted sediments. Much of the chemical variation in the eclogites can be explained by simple fractional crystallization, whereas variation in the pyroxenites indicates fractional crystallization accompanied by some assimilation of the peridotite host.     

The petrogenesis of massif anorthosites: a Nd and Sr isotopic investigation of the Proterozoic of Rogaland/Vest-Agder,SW Norway

Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic analyses of charnockitic migmatite, augen gneiss, anorthosite-leuconorite and two acid plutons from the Rogaland and Vest-Agder districts of southwest Norway constrain their crustal residence ages, origin and evolution. The charnockitic migmatites, which are a major component of the metamorphic basement complex, represent the oldest and largest episode of accretion, in which new crust was derived 1.5–1.9 Ga ago from a mantle source of depleted Nd isotopic composition. The basement complex was intruded by a number of large anorthositic to granitic plutons during and after the Sveconorwegian orogenic period. Samples from the ca. 1050 Ma old, synorogenic Håland anorthosite-leuconorite massif exhibit substantial variation of initial _Nd of +2.1 to +4.4 at an anorthosite locality and –0.5 to +2.3 at a leuconorite locality, but display significant variation of initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio only between the localities (anorthosite mean=0.70369, leuconorite mean=0.70560). A model is proposed whereby the anorthosite and leuconorite were derived by major crustal contamination of, and fractional crystallization from, a picritic magma derived from isotopically-depleted mantle. Two younger acid intrusions, the 950 Ma old Lyngdal granodiorite and the 930 Ma old Farsund charnockite, both have initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios consistent with massive contamination of depleted-mantle-derived magma by old continental crustal material.     

The evolution of a silicic magma system: isotopic and chemical evidence from the Woods Mountains volcanic center,eastern California

The isotopic compositions of Nd and Sr and concentrations of major and trace elements were measured in flows and tuffs of the Woods Mountains volcanic center of eastern California to assess the relative roles of mantle versus crustal magma sources and of fractional crystallization in the evolution of silicic magmatic systems. This site was chosen because the contrast in isotopic composition between Precambrian-to-Mesozoic country rocks and the underlying mantle make the isotope ratios sensitive indicators of the proportions of crustal- and mantle-derived magma. The major eruptive unit is the Wild Horse Mesa tuff (15.8 m.y. old), a compositionally zoned rhyolite ignimbrite. Trachyte pumice fragments in the ash-flow deposits provide information on intermediate composition magma types. Crustal xenoliths and younger flows of basalt and andesite (10 m.y. old) provide opportunities to confirm the isotopic compositions of potential mantle and crustal magma sources inferred from regional patterns. The trachyte and rhyolite have _Nd values of -6.2 to -7.5 and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios mostly between 0.7086 and 0.7113. These magmas cannot have been melted directly from the continental basement because the _Nd values are too high. They also cannot have formed by closed system fractional crystallization of basalt because the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are higher than likely values for parental basalt. Both major and trace element variations indicate that crystal fractionation was an important process. These results require that the silicic magmas are end products of the evolution of mantle-derived basalt that underwent extensive fractional crystallization accompanied by assimilation of crustal rock. The mass fraction of crustal components in the trachyte and rhyolite is estimated to be between 10% and 40%, with the lower end of the range considered more likely. The generation of magmas with SiO₂ contents greater than 60% appears to be dominated by crystal fractionation with minimal assimilation of upper crustal rocks.     

Crustal accretion and metamorphism of Mesoarchean granulites in Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone,Southern India

This work provides unequivocal evidence of the existence of Mesoarchean granulite facies metamorphic event in the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone (PCSZ) of South India. Charnockite samples from two prominent hills at Kollaimalai (KM) and Pachchaimalai (PM) as well as from two quarries within the Bhavani Shear Zone (BSZ) have been analyzed for their Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr ages to investigate the existence or otherwise of the Archean granulite facies events within the PCSZ. The Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron ages for massive charnockites from both the hills appear to be contemporaneous at 2.9 Ga with the initial Sr isotopic ratios of 0.7012 and 0.7014, respectively. However, the Rb-Sr data for whole-rock samples of basic granulites from one of the quarries within the BSZ indicate open system behavior, while the charnockites from the other quarry have insufficient spread in ⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr ratios and do not yield any isochron. The Sm-Nd data, on the other hand, do not distinguish between the massive charnockite and the lowland charnockite and yield Depleted Mantle model ages in the range 2.98±0.3 Ga for all of them. The ɛ^T _CHUR for all of these rocks are highly positive. Both the Sr isotopic ratios and positive ɛ^T _CHUR values for these rocks strongly suggest a mantle source for all of them. An upper age limit of ∼3.28 Ga may be assigned to the crustal accretion of the protolith of all these rocks on the basis of their Nd model ages. The Rb-Sr isochron ages of 2.9 Ga for the two massifs could be the age of granulite facies metamorphism. Thus, the metamorphism in the KM and PM Hills took place within ∼100 Ma of crustal accretion of these rocks and probably was part of the same geological event of crust formation and metamorphism. The open system behavior with respect to Rb-Sr isotopes in the basic granulite from Bhavani is possibly due to the migration of Sr isotopes, triggered during the later shearing of these rocks.     

The Geochemistry of Ultramafic to Mafic Volcanics from the Belingwe Greenstone Belt, Zimbabwe: Magmatism in an Archean Continental Large Igneous Province

The evolution of the late Archean Belingwe greenstone belt,Zimbabwe, is discussed in relation to the geochemistry of theultramafic to mafic volcanic rocks. Four volcanic types (komatiite,komatiitic basalt, D-basalt and E-basalt) are distinguishedin the 2·7 Ga Ngezi volcanic sequence using a combinationof petrography and geochemistry. The komatiites and D-basaltsare rocks in which isotopic systems and trace elements are depleted.Chemical variations in komatiites and D-basalts can be explainedby fractional crystallization from the parental komatiite. Incontrast, komatiitic basalts and E-basalts are siliceous anddisplay enriched isotopic and trace element compositions. Theirchemical trends are best explained by assimilation with fractionalcrystallization (AFC) from the primary komatiite. AFC calculationsindicate that the komatiitic basalts and E-basalts are derivedfrom komatiites contaminated with 20% and 30% crustal material,respectively. The volcanic stratigraphy of the Ngezi sequence,which is based on field relationships and the trace elementcompositions of relict clinopyroxenes, shows that the leastcontaminated komatiite lies between highly contaminated komatiiticbasalt flows, and has limited exposure near the base of thesuccession. Above these flows, D- and E-basalts alternate. Thekomatiite appears to have erupted on the surface only in theearly stages, when plume activity was high. As activity decreasedwith time, komatiite magmas may have stagnated to form magmachambers within the continental crust. Subsequent komatiiticmagmas underwent fractional crystallization and were contaminatedwith crust to form D-basalts or E-basalts. KEY WORDS: komatiite; crustal assimilation; Belingwe greenstone belt; continental flood basalt; plume magmatism     

Significance of assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) process in the generation of basaltic lava flows from Chhotaudepur area,Deccan Large Igneous Province,NW India

Basaltic and basaltic andesitic flows have been identified from the Chhotaudepur area in the Deccan Large Igneous Province. The \(\hbox {SiO}_{2}\) content of these flows varies from 46.7 to 53.7 wt%. None of the samples have primary magma signatures as they exhibit low Mg# (0.42–0.68), Ni (4.8–33.4 ppm) and Cr (33.08–143.06 ppm). Highly variable concentrations of the LILE [Rb (2–74 ppm), Ba (52–351 ppm), Cs (0.1–1 ppm) and Sr (273–745 ppm)] and relatively enriched LREE are also noticed. The coherent chondrite normalized REE diagram and primitive mantle normalized multi-element diagram suggests a consanguinity among the flows. Low (Nb/Th)\(_{\mathrm{PM}}\) (0.30–1.09), high (Th/Yb)\(_{\mathrm{PM}}\) (3.09–16.58) ratios and marked variations in Rb concentration (2.4–74.11 ppm) with variable La/Yb (5.5–23.7) ratios suggests that magmas in the Chhotaudepur region were assimilated by the crustal components. The elevated Th/Ta and La/Yb relation further indicate concurrent assimilation and fractional crystallization process was involved in the genesis of the flows. Assimilation and fractional crystallization modelling of the flows was carried out with 20% olivine, 25% clinopyroxene, 45% plagioclase and 10% titano-magnetite as fractionating minerals and upper continental crust as the assimilant. The results reveal that all the flows were modified by AFC process.