Rare-earth element fractionation and petrogenetic modelling in charnockitic rocks,southwest Norway

Quantitative analysis of REE distribution in differentiated, clearly intrusive charnockites from southwest Norway, reveal extreme variation in both absolute abundances and fractionation patterns. The pyroxene-bearing, charnockitic facies show uniform REE patterns with slight enrichment of the light-REE (about 150x chondrites) and positive, neutral or negative Eu-anomalies. Subsequent amphibole-bearing, adamellitic facies show progressive, preferential enrichment of light-REE, reaching La-values higher than 500x chondrites, and increasingly negative Euanomalies. Finally, highly differentiated biotite-granites show a marked depletion of ight-REE, ending with chondrite-normalized La/Lu ratios about 1 and Eu/ Eu^* ratios less than 0.2.Using geochemical model calculation, relating major element variations between three main stages of differentiation in terms of refractory mineral assemblages, stepwise quantitative modelling of the REE distributions reproduces the observed changes, and support an origin of the charnockite series as progressively fractionated residual liquids.Close similarity with the REE patterns of charnockite-rapakivi suites elsewhere implies that these may constitute a series of co-magmatic rocks, derived from related more basic source magmas. The fact that the least differentiated members of the series, the charnockites, generally display remarkably uniform REE-patterns, suggests that they equilibrated with a refractory crystal fraction that produces a uniform, bulk partition coefficient. The present analysis suggests that this would be plagioclase and orthopyroxene in a ratio of about 41 and including minor apatite, which in turn points towards affinity with potentially plagioclase-rich cumulates.