Strontium Isotope Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of the Early Tertiary Lava Pile of the Isle of Skye, Scotland, and other Basic Rocks of the British Tertiary Province: an Example of Magma--Crust Interaction

Most of the flows in the Palaeocene lava pile remnant of Skyeare members of the Skye Main Lava Series (SMLS), comprisingtransitional basalts and two associated suites of evolved lavas.The first suite evolves through Fe-rich hawaiites and mugearitesto benmoreites, and the second suite evolves through Fe-poorintermediates to trachytes. Ca-rich, alkali-poor olivine tholeiites(the Preshal Mhor magma type) occur as sparse flows in the stratigraphicallyhighest parts of the lava pile remnant and are abundant in thedyke swarm transecting it. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios rangingfrom 0.70308 to 0.70571 in 45 SMLS samples show no significantcorrelation with degree of zeolitization (H₂O⁺), silica saturation,or ⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr. A moderately good negative correlation with totalSr confirms published Pb-isotope evidence of interaction withancient, sialic crust. Details of the (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_l versus Srpattern are consistent with previous hypotheses that the SMLSbasalt-benmoreite suite evolved at a depth near the Moho, whilstthe low-Fe trend to trachyte resulted from near-surface basaltfractionation. (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_l values ranging from 0.70307 to 0.70621 for PreshalMhor basalts show a strong positive correlation with total Sr,consistent with a model of extensive fractionation within theupper crust of a mantle-derived low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr-low Sr magma,which became progressively contaminated with comparatively radiogeniccrustal Sr. The lowest measured (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_l values of 0.70307and 0.70308, for a Preshal Mhor basalt and for an SMLS basaltrespectively, are consistent with the hypothesis that thesetwo magma types were produced by successive phases of partialmelting from a single volume of upper mantle. (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_l values for additional miscellaneous basaltic lavas,dykes and major intrusives from Skye and from nearby Isle ofMull exhibit considerable variability within the range 0.7038to 0.7072, whilst three basaltic dykes from Northern Englandare in the range 0.7089 to 0.7123. The latter values overlapwith published (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_l values for some of the granitesin the Tertiary Province of northwest Scotland and indirectlyremove objections based on Sr-isotopic arguments to the genesisof the granites by fractionation of basalt contaminated withcrustal Sr, but neither prove this nor disprove large-scalecrustal partial fusion.     

Isotope and Trace Element Geochemistry of Augustine Volcano, Alaska: Implications for Magmatic Evolution

Augustine Volcano, a Quaternary volcanic centre of the easternAleutian Arc, produces predominantly andesites and dacites oflow- to medium-K calc-alkaline composition. Mineralogical andmajor element characteristics of representative lavas suggestthat magmatic evolution has been influenced by both crystalfractionation and magma-mixing processes. However, incompatibletrace element variations (e.g. K/Rb) indicate that these evolvedlavas have been contaminated by the mafic arc crust of the underlyingTalkeetna accreted terrane. The limited range of isotope compositionsalso supports the assimilation of non-radiogenic mafic crust(e.g. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7032–0.7034; ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴ Nd = 0.51301–0.5130).In addition, Pb-isotope compositions parallel the North Pacificmean oceanic trend (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴ Pb = 18.3–18.8; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb= 15.5–15.6; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.2–38.3) and do notrequire a subducted sediment component in the source. Relativelyhigh (Ba/La) N (0.79–18.10) and B/Be (14.5) ratios do,however, suggest a metasomatic fluid component derived fromthe dehydration of the subducting plate. The thickened continental crust (35 km) of the eastern AleutianArc prevents the ascent of basaltic melts, which fractionateand assimilate at various depths to produce andesitic magmas.These andesites evolve towards more silicic compositions byfractional crystallization. The absence of evidence for a largehigh-level crustal magma chamber implies that the magmatic systembeneath the volcano is young and at an immature stage of evolution. KEY WORDS: Augustine Volcano; Aleutians; assimilation; melasomatism; geochemistry ^*Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA     

Strontium Isotope Abundance Studies and Rubidium--Strontium Age Determinations on Tertiary Igneous Rocks from the Isle of Skye North-West Scotland

The isotopic abundance of strontium has been measured in representativerock-types from the Tertiary igneous suite in the Isle of Skye,north-west Scotland. The isotopic abundance of Sr⁸⁷, expressedas the Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio, for twelve basalts, dolerites, gabbros,and peridotites is 0.7058?0.0010. On the other hand, the averageinitial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio for one granite from the Eastern RedhillsComplex and for three granites from the Western Redhills Complexis 0.7124?0.0015. The three principal members of the marscoitesuite of the Western Redhills Centre, namely, ferrodiorite,porphyritic felsite, and marscoite, also have significantlyhigher initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios than the basaltic rocks. Itis concluded that the rocks with high initial ratios were derivedfrom a source with significantly higher Rb/Sr ratio than thatof the basaltic rocks. The hypothesis which is most in accordwith the isotopic evidence is that the granitic rocks and themarscoite suite were produced by partial melting of ancientLewisian rocks, which form the underlying basement at no greatdepth in this area. Rb—Sr (and K-Ar) age determinations were carried out onsome representative rocks from the Eastern and Western RedhillsCentres. It was not possible to establish a significant agedifference between any of the rock units from either Centres.The mean age is 54?3 m.y. and suggests that intrusion of thegranitic rocks of Skye occurred during a relatively short periodof time within the Lower or Middle Eocene peroid.     

The age of the Earth and the oldest rocks

The ages of rocks and minerals can be determined by measuring the accumulation of the products of radioactive decay within them. The results provide a time–scale for the Earth and for the major geological events which have shaped the Earth's continental crust since it first started to separate from the mantle at least 3700 million years ago. The Earth itself is about 4600 million years old.