Petrogenesis of Tertiary Continental Intra-plate Lavas from the Westerwald Region, Germany

Tertiary volcanic rocks from the Westerwald region range frombasanites and alkali basalts to trachytes, whereas lavas fromthe margin of the Vogelsberg volcanic field consist of morealkaline basanites and alkali basalts. Heavy rare earth elementfractionation indicates that the primitive Westerwald magmasprobably represent melts of garnet peridotite. The Vogelsbergmelts formed in the spinel–garnet peridotite transitionregion with residual amphibole for some magmas suggesting meltingof relatively cold mantle. Assimilation of lower-crustal rocksand fractional crystallization altered the composition of lavasfrom the Westerwald and Vogelsberg region significantly. Thecontaminating lower crust beneath the Rhenish Massif has a differentisotopic composition from the lower continental crust beneaththe Hessian Depression and Vogelsberg, implying a compositionalboundary between the two crustal domains. The mantle sourceof the lavas from the Rhenish Massif has higher ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pband ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr than the mantle source beneath the Vogelsbergand Hessian Depression. The 30–20 Ma volcanism of theWesterwald apparently had the same mantle source as the QuaternaryEifel lavas, suggesting that the magmas probably formed in apulsing mantle plume with a maximum excess temperature of 100°Cbeneath the Rhenish Massif. The relatively shallow melting ofamphibole-bearing peridotite beneath the Vogelsberg and HessianDepression may indicate an origin from a metasomatized portionof the thermal boundary layer. KEY WORDS: continental rift volcanism; basanites; trachytes; assimilation; fractional crystallization; partial melting     

A new journal on current research

Book reviewed in this article:
Current Research . Vol. 1. pp. i-vii. 1–112. A Peopling of the Americas Publication. Center for the Study of Early Man. University of Maine at Orono. Maine.     

Peralkalinity, Al{rightleftharpoons}Si Substitution, and Solubility Mechanisms of H2O in Aluminosilicate Melts

The solubility mechanisms of H₂O in peralkaline sodium aluminosilicatequenched melts (anhydrous NBO/T = 0.5) have been studied withRaman spectroscopy as a function of Al/(Al + Si) (0–0–3)and H²O content (0–7.5 wt.%). The coexisting structuralunits in the anhydrous quenched melts are TO2 (Q4), T2O5(Q3),and TO3 (Q2). In Al-free Na₂Si₄O₉ (NS4) melt, H₂O forms complexes with Na⁺(Na–OH bonds) and with Si⁴⁺ (Si–OH bonds). MolecularH₂O is also detected. TO3 structural units are not detectedin this composition. In the H₂O concentration range between0 and 4 wt.%, there is an approximately 20% increase in NBO/Tresulting from the increased abundance ratio, T₂O₅/TO2. Withfurther increments in water activity, the NBO/T of hydrous NS4melt is reduced. The depolymerization results from hydroxylationof the silica tetrahedra, whereas polymerization is due to formationof complexes with Na–OH bonding. In Al-bearing compositions on the Na₂Si₄O₉–Na₂(NaAl)₄O₉–join, there is evidence for Al–OH bonding in additionto Na–OH and Si–OH bonds. Among these complexes,the relative abundance of those with Si–OH bonds diminisheswith increasing Al/(A1 + Si), whereas complexes with Al–OHand Na–OH bonds become more important. Complexes withNa–OH bonds dominate for H₂O4 wt.%, whereas complexeswith Al–OH dominate at higher water content. The threestructural units, TO₃, T₂O₅, and TO², were observed in bothanhydrous and hydrous peralkaline sodium aluminosilicate melts.Their abundance varies, however, with the H₂O concentrationin the melts. The NBO/T decreases to a minimum (a 30–50%lowering of NBO/T relative to anhydrous materials) for low H₂Ocontents (3–4 wt.% H₂O), and increases as the H₂O contentis increased further.     

Mafic Magma Intraplating: Anatexis and Hybridization in Arc Crust, Bindal Batholith, Norway

The dioritic Velfjord plutons (     

Alkali Picrites Formed by Melting of Old Metasomatized Lithospheric Mantle: Manitdlat Member, Vaigat Formation, Palaeocene of West Greenland

Alkaline picrites and basalts constitute 20–200 m of lavaflows and hyaloclastites in the middle part of an