Komatiites of the Onverwacht Group,S. Africa: REE geochemistry,Sm/Nd age and mantle evolution

Komatiites of the Tjakastad Subgroup of the Onverwacht Group (S. Africa) were dated by the Sm/Nd method. A whole-rock isochron yields an age of 3.56±0.24 (2) AE, with initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio of 0.50818±23 (2), corresponding to _Nd(T)= + 1.9±4.5. This age is interpreted as the time of initial Onverwacht volcanism. This result agrees with earlier Sm/Nd data of Hamilton et al. (1979) and is consistent with the Rb-Sr result of Jahn and Shih (1974).Komatiites may be divided into 3 groups based on the typology of heavy REE distributions (Jahn and Gruau 1981). According to this scheme, the Onverwacht komatiites of the present study belong to two groups: the predominant Group II rocks showing (Gd/Yb)_N1.4, CaO/Al₂O₃ = 1.33, Al₂O₃/TiO₂10.6; and the subordinate Group III rocks with (Gd/Yb)_N<1.0; CaO/Al₂O₃0.6 and A1₂O₃/ TiO₂40. This contrasting feature is best explained by garnet fractionation within the mantle sources.Younger komatiites (2.7 AE) from Finland, Canada, Rhodesia, and Australia have (Gd/Yb)_N1.0, CaO/ Al₂O₃<1.1 and Al₂O₃/TiO₂21 based on 58 analyses. These ratios are nearly chondritic or of the bulk earth value (Anders 1977). It appears that some late Archean komatiites are different in chemistry from many early Archean komatiites. This may imply that the upper mantle chemistry has evolved through Archean times. However, the age connotation of the chemical parameters, such as CaO/Al₂O₃, (Gd/Yb)_N or Al₂O₃/TiO₂ ratio has not been firmly established. The characteristic high CaO/Al₂O₃ or (Gd/Yb)_N ratios in many Onverwacht Group rocks can also be explained as a result of local short-term mantle heterogeneity.