Equilibration History of the Basel Alpine-Type Peridotite, Red Mountain, New Zealand

The Red Mountain alpine peridotie forms the basal, dominantlyharzburgitic tectonite portion of an ophiolite suite in SouthIsland, New Zealand. Olivine and pyroxene Mg/Fe compositionsare constant for individual lithologies, but generally increasethrough the series harzburgite, orthopyroxenite, harzburgiticdunite, dunite. An olivine-clinopyroxene dominated transitionalperidotite along the western margin of the mass has more Fe-richsilicates than in the harzburgitic suite. Fe-Mg silicate-spinelrelationships and the distribution of Al between coexistingpyroxene and spinel indicate nearly complete post-layering equilibration.A partial re-equilibration is suggested by narrow compositionalrims on pyroxenes and spinel. Relative to the mineral cores,the rims show enhanced partitioning of Al into spinel relativeto pyroxene. The Fe-Mg relationships between silicates and spinel,and the compositional variations from cores to rims of pyroxenesand spinels indicate that the rims formed at lower temperaturesthan the mineral cores. This conclusion is supported by theapplication of several geothermometers, which give average temperaturesof equilibration and partial re-equilibration of 1000–1070?C and 920–1030 ?C, respectively. Pyroxene overgrowthson olivine probably represent pre-equilibration cooling phenomena.Equilibration pressures cannot be estimated with precision becauseRed Mountain pyroxenes have Al contents that vary as a functionof whole-rock Al₂O₃, and other compositional variables, as wellas of T and P of equilibration. The lack of plagioclase in theharzburgite tectonites, and the wide range of (Al/Cr)_spinelindicate equilibration at fairly high pressures, probably atdepths within the 25–80 km range. The transitional peridotiteprobably formed by re-equilibration of residual crystals withbasaltic melt at shallower (<25 km) depths, and is evidencesupporting the conclusion that the ultramafic and mafic partsof the ophiolite suite at Red Mountain represent complementaryparts of the same melting event.