Volcanism in the Vitim Volcanic Field, Siberia: Geochemical Evidence for a Mantle Plume Beneath the Baikal Rift Zone

The Baikal Rift is a zone of active lithospheric extension adjacentto the Siberian Craton. The 6–16 Myr old Vitim VolcanicField (VVF) lies approximately 200 km east of the rift axisand consists of 5000 km³ of melanephelinites, basanites, alkaliand tholeiitic basalts, and minor nephelinites. In the volcanicpile, 142 drill core samples were used to study temporal andspatial variations. Variations in major element abundances (e.g.MgO = 3·3–14·6 wt %) reflect polybaric fractionalcrystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i(0·7039–0·7049), ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_i (0·5127–0·5129)and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf_i (0·2829–0·2830) ratiosare similar to those for ocean island basalts and suggest thatthe magmas have not assimilated significant amounts of continentalcrust. Variable degrees of partial melting appear to be responsiblefor differences in Na₂O, P₂O₅, K₂O and incompatible trace elementabundances in the most primitive (high-MgO) magmas. Fractionatedheavy rare earth element (HREE) ratios (e.g. [Gd/Lu]_n > 2·5)indicate that the parental magmas of the Vitim lavas were predominantlygenerated within the garnet stability field. Forward major elementand REE inversion models suggest that the tholeiitic and alkalibasalts were generated by decompression melting of a fertileperidotite source within the convecting mantle beneath Vitim.Ba/Sr ratios and negative K anomalies in normalized multi-elementplots suggest that phlogopite was a residual mantle phase duringthe genesis of the nephelinites and basanites. Relatively highlight REE (LREE) abundances in the silica-undersaturated meltsrequire a metasomatically enriched lithospheric mantle source.Results of forward major element modelling suggest that meltingof phlogopite-bearing pyroxenite veins could explain the majorelement composition of these melts. In support of this, pyroxenitexenoliths have been found in the VVF. High Cenozoic mantle potentialtemperatures (1450°C) predicted from geochemical modellingsuggest the presence of a mantle plume beneath the Baikal RiftZone. KEY WORDS: Baikal Rift; mafic magmatism; mantle plume; metasomatism; partial melting     

Dehydration melting, fluid buffering and decompressional P–T path in a granulite complex from the Eastern Ghats, India

A suite of metapelites, charnockites, calc-silicate rocks, quartzo-feldspathic gneisses and mafic granulites is exposed at Garbham, a part of the Eastern Ghats granulite belt of India. Reaction textures and mineral compositional data have been used to determine the P–T–X evolutionary history of the granulites. In metapelites and charnockites, dehydration melting reactions involving biotite produced quartzofeldspathic segregations during peak metamorphism. However, migration of melt from the site of generation was limited. Subsequent to peak metamorphism at c . 860° C and 8 kbar, the complex evolved through nearly isothermal decompression to 530–650° C and 4–5 kbar. During this phase, coronal garnet grew in the calc-silicates, while garnet in the presence of quartz broke down in charnockite and mafic granulite. Fluid activities during metamorphism were internally buffered in different lithologies in the presence of a melt phase. The P–T path of the granulites at Garbham contrasts sharply with the other parts of the Eastern Ghats granulite belt where the rocks show dominantly near-isobaric cooling subsequent to peak metamorphism.     

Orthopyroxene–sillimanite–sapphirine granulites from the Bamble granulite terrane, southern Norway

Silica-deficient sapphirine-bearing rocks occur as an enclave within granulite facies Proterozoic gneisses and migmatites near Grimstad in the Bamble sector of south-east Norway (Hasleholmen locality). The rocks contain peraluminous sapphirine, orthopyroxene, gedrite, anthophyllite, sillimanite, sapphirine, corundum, cordierite, spinel, quartz and biotite in a variety of assemblages. Feldspar is absent.
Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺+ Mg) in the analysed minerals varies in the order: spinel > gedrite ≥ anthophyllite ≥ biotite > sapphirine>orthopyroxene > cordierite.
Characteristic pseudomorph textures indicate coexistence of orthopyroxene and sillimanite during early stages of the reaction history. Assemblages containing orthopyroxene-sillimanite-sapphirine-cordierite-corundum developed during a high-pressure phase of metamorphism and are consistent with equilibration pressures of about 9 kbar at temperatures of 750–800°C. Decompression towards medium-pressure granulite facies generated various sapphirine-bearing assemblages. The diagnostic assemblage of this stage is sapphirine-cordierite. Sapphirine occurs in characteristic symplectite textures. The major mineralogical changes can be described by the discontinuous FMAS reaction: orthopyroxene + sillimanite → sapphirine + cordierite + corundum.
The disequilibrium textures found in the Hasleholmen rocks are characteristic for reactions which have been in progress but then ceased before they run to completion. Textures such as reaction rims, symplectites, partial replacement, corrosion and dissolution of earlier minerals are characteristic of granulite facies rocks. They indicate that, despite relatively high temperatures (700–800° C), equilibrium domains were small and chemical communication and transport was hampered as a result of dry or H₂O-poor conditions.     

Beryllium and Other Trace Elements in Paragneisses and Anatectic Veins of the Ultrahigh-Temperature Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica: the Role of Sapphirine

Anatectic veins containing the Be minerals khmaralite and berylliansapphirine as primary phases (or surinamite derived therefrom)are associated with Mg–Al-rich paragneisses at three localitiesin the ultrahigh-temperature Napier complex, Antarctica, a uniqueBe mineralization in the granulite facies. Likely precursorsof the paragneisses are volcaniclastic deposits that were hydrothermallyaltered by heated seawater prior to metamorphism. Regular distributionof Be among minerals in the paragneisses suggests an approachto equilibrium with Be greatly concentrated in sapphirine (25–3430ppm Be) or cordierite (560–930 ppm Be) relative to plagioclaseAn53–66 (14–43 ppm Be) > cores of coarse-grainedorthopyroxene (0·7–29 ppm Be) > coronitic orthopyroxene(0·4–14 ppm Be) sillimanite (0·1–26ppm Be) plagioclase An18–33 (0·6–15 ppmBe) > biotite (0·06–8 ppm Be) > K-feldspar,quartz, garnet (0·05–0·7 ppm Be). Sapphirine-bearingparagneisses have average Be concentrations, 4·9 ±2·4 ppm (13 samples), about twice that of typical pelites,whereas paragneisses lacking sapphirine and primary cordieritehave only 2·9 ± 2·1 ppm Be (12 samples),implying some loss of Be during metamorphism. The likely sourcerocks for the Be-rich melts were biotitic rocks lacking theBe sinks sapphirine and cordierite. These gneisses were probablyless competent than the sapphirine-bearing gneisses, so themelts were drawn to the latter and collected in spaces openedduring deformation and boudinage of the more competent paragneisses.Fractionation of the melts concentrated Be to the extent thatBe minerals could crystallize. The final result was Be-mineralizedanatectic veins hosted by relatively Be-rich sapphirine-bearingparagneisses. KEY WORDS: Antarctica; beryllium; granulite facies; microprobe; sapphirine     

Precambrian mafic magmatism in south Indian granulite terrain

South Indian granulite terrain had witnessed significant part of Precambrian mafic igneous activity in the form of episodic mafic dyke intrusions of the Palaeoproterozoic period. Strike trends of these dykes are not uniform over the region and the dykes are generally fresh, massive, black dolerites except in the Bhavani shear zone bordering the southern fringes of Nilgiri massif. In Agali-Coimbatore area of our study in the western Bhavani shear zone, the dykes appear to be penecontemporaneous with shearing. Isotopic data place age of Agali-Coimbatore dyke intrusions at about 2.1 Ga. The age of these dykes is significant to constrain an early Palaeoproterozoic age for major shearing event in the Bhavani shear zone. Other dyke emplacement ages are placed at about 1.8 Ga and 1.65 Ga based on the Ar/Ar and K-Ar isotopic results of dykes in Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai areas. Older ages comparable to those of the Dharwar craton are not known and in this respect future isotopic dating is vital. Geochemically, these dykes are quartz/hypersthene normative subalkalic tholeiites. An attempt is made here to provide insights into the general petrogenetic history of the Precambrian dykes. Compositional trends are explained by the fractional crystallization of ferromagnesian phases and plagioclase control is conspicuous at the advanced stages of fractionation. Geochemical characteristics suggest that the dykes have tapped Fe-rich non-pyrolite mantle sources with LIL and LREE enrichment as in many continental basalts. The data suggest that role of crustal contamination is limited in petrogenesis; crustal signatures are noticed in the more mafic end members formed in early stage of evolution suggesting that contamination was temperature controlled with most primitive high temperature magmas being most vulnerable to the process. Nd-Sr isotopic data, at present restricted to Agali-Coimbatore dykes, suggest that Palaeoproterozoic magmas tapped subcontinental lithosphere that may have stabilized in the Archaean times at about 3 Ga during the major crustal building activity in the shield region. Further work coupled with isotopic and mineral chemistry will improve our knowledge on the petrological evolution of the dyke magmas and mafic magmatism in general.     

Magnetic anomalies across Bastar craton and Pranhita-Godavari basin in south of central India

Aeromagnetic anomalies over Bastar craton and Pranhita-Godavari (P-G) basin in the south of central India could be attributed to NW-SE striking mafic intrusives in both the areas at variable depths. Such intrusions can be explained considering the collision of the Bastar and Dharwar cratons by the end of the Archaean and the development of tensile regimes that followed in the Paleoproterozoic, facilitating intrusions of mafic dykes into the continental crust. The P-G basin area, being a zone of crustal weakness along the contact of the Bastar and Dharwar cratons, also experienced extensional tectonics. The inferred remanent magnetization of these dykes dips upwards and it is such that the dykes are oriented towards the east of the magnetic north at the time of their formation compared to their present NW-SE strike. Assuming that there was no imprint of magnetization of a later date, it is concluded that the Indian plate was located in the southern hemisphere, either independently or as part of a supercontinent, for some span of time during Paleoproterozoic and was involved in complex path of movement and rotation subsequently. The paper presents a case study of the utility of aeromagnetic anomalies in qualitatively deducing the palaeopositions of the landmasses from the interpreted remanent magnetism of buried intrusive bodies.     

新疆喀拉通克铜镍硫化物矿床成矿岩浆作用过程

喀拉通克铜镍硫化物矿床3个主要含矿镁铁质岩体的主量元素、微量元素和铂族元素组成分析及母岩浆组成估算结果表明:3个岩体中不同类型岩石的主要氧化物含量的变化具玄武质岩浆结晶分异的特征;在MgO含量为10%～15%区间,SiO2含量迅速增高;微量元素和稀土元素原始地幔标准化配分模式相似,具Nb和Ta亏损,K、Sr富集的特征.与1号和2号岩体相比,3号岩体中大离子亲石元素及轻稀土元素相对富集,(La/Yb)N介于6.8～9.2之间,δEu显示轻微负异常,在460 m深度表现出Cu-Ni等成矿元素与SiO2含量同时剧变的特征,铂族元素配分模式与2号岩体相似.上述结果显示,3个岩体可能是同源岩浆不同期次的产物,原始岩浆为高镁玄武岩浆.成矿岩浆演化过程中经历的岩浆分离结晶作用和富硅地壳组分混染可能是成矿岩浆硫饱和及硫化物熔离的主要诱因.     

内蒙古解放营子花岗闪长岩岩浆混合机制——来自斜长石和角闪石的矿物化学证据

为揭示华北克拉通北缘中晚三叠世解放营子花岗闪长岩的岩浆混合机制,对寄主岩石和镁铁质包体中斜长石和角闪石开展了电子探针分析.分析结果显示,多斑和少斑包体边部的斜长石斑晶发育An值增加的突变环带,环带的An值为32～46,明显高于核部和边部斜长石的An值(18～31),而核部的An值与寄主岩石中斜长石的An值一致,该特征指...     

Ordovician Granitoids and Silurian Mafic Dikes in the Western Kunlun Orogen, Northwest China: Implications for Evolution of the Proto-Tethys

The western Kunlun orogen in the northwest Tibet Plateau is related to subduction and collision of Proto-and Paleo-Tethys from early Paleozoic to early Mesozoic. This paper presents new LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb ages and Lu-Hf isotopes, whole-rock major and trace elements, and Sr–Nd isotopes of two Ordovician granitoid plutons(466–455 Ma) and their Silurian mafic dikes(～436 Ma) in the western Kunlun orogen. These granitoids show peraluminous high-K calcalkaline characteristics, with(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i value of 0.7129–0.7224, ε_Nd(t) values of -9.3 to -7.0 and zircon ε_Hf(t) values of -17.3 to -0.2, indicating that they were formed by partial melting of ancient lower-crust(metaigneous rocks mixed with metasedimentary rocks) with some mantle materials in response to subduction of the Proto-Tethyan Ocean and following collision. The Silurian mafic dikes were considered to have been derived from a low degree of partial melting of primary mafic magma. These mafic dikes show initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7101–0.7152 and ε_Nd(t) values of -3.8 to -3.4 and zircon ε_Hf(t) values of -8.8 to -4.9, indicating that they were derived from enriched mantle in response to post-collisional slab break-off. Combined with regional geology, our new data provide valuable insight into late evolution of the Proto-Tethys.     

西南天山柯坪地区萨尔干基性岩脉U-Pb年代学及地球化学特征

柯坪地区发育一套沿走滑断层侵位的萨尔干基性岩脉,其产出于西南天山造山带与塔里木克拉通的接触部位,具有重要的意义。文章通过对萨尔干基性岩脉样品进行锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年代学、岩石地球化学分析,探讨西南天山中新生代陆内造山作用过程。结果表明,萨尔干基性岩脉的LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为（49.14±0.8） Ma,表明该套岩石形成于始新世。地球化学表明该套岩石形成于与青藏高原碰撞远程效应相关的构造背景。