Petrology and Thermal History of Highly Deformed Mantle Xenoliths from the Montferrier Basanites, Languedoc, Southern France: A Comparison with Ultramafic Complexes from the North Pyrenean Zone

The Oligocene basanites from Montferrier near Montpellier containvarious ultramafic xenoliths, predominantly spinel-lherzoliteslocally rich in amphibole, and a unique garnet-clinopyroxenite.The sulfide content of spinel-lherzolites is unusually highfor xenoliths and approaches that of MORB mantle sources. Thegarnet-clinopyroxenite, now consisting of recrystallized cpx+ garnet + opx + sp assemblage, results from subsolidus evolutionof a primary subcalcic clinopyroxene (plus minor spinel) compositionallysimilar to those experimentally obtained during high-pressurecrystallization of MORB; such an origin is also attested bythe Ni/Cu ratio of the coexisting sulfide component which isclose to 1. The spinel lherzolites display generally fine-grained porphyroclastictextures with varying proportions of porphyroclasts and neoblasts,and more rarely granuloblastic textures. Within each singlesample, the cores of the pyroxene and spinel porphyroclastshave nearly constant compositions. Significantly inhomogeneouschemical changes appear at the extreme edges of some large crystals,as well as in the fine-grained pyroxenes and spinel, whereasolivine composition is invariable. Such compositional variationsresult from the superimposed effects of two episodes of deformationand recrystallization. Geothermometric determinations show that all the spinel lherzolitesand the garnet-pyroxenite attained an equilibrium state around950?C. From a discussion on the origin of relict opx–cpx–spclusters and relatively high sulfide contents in peridotites,on the reconstructed primary paragenesis of the garnet-pyroxenite,and from a comparison with the North Pyrenean ultramafic associations,it is inferred that this equilibration occurred at the end ofan episode involving partial melting, crystallization, and subsolidusrecrystallization consequent on plastic deformation. Sulfideswere probably retained as sulfide melt early in this episodewhile metasomatism responsible for the crystallization of amphiboleoccurred late. This event is ascribed to a diapiric uplift upto a 45–50 km depth in relation with Oligocene riftingwhich started 35–40 m.y. ago in the Languedoc area. The compositional disequilibrium observed in a number of lherzolitesis related to a second episode of shearing deformation responsiblefor generating porphyroclastic textures, grading locally intomylonites. As a consequence of a concomitant cooling, Al andCr contents decrease in both pyroxenes, and Na content alsodecreases in clinopyroxene. The main chemical change of spinelconsists of a systematic substitution of MgAl₂O₄ by FeCr₂O₄,linked to the development of a porphyroclastic texture, i.e.to the degree of shearing deformations imposed upon the peridotites.The temperature decrease down to 750?C resulted from the ascentof previously equilibrated mantle blocks into colder parts nearthe Moho. This event occurred a few millions years before thecollection of xenoliths by the Montferrier basanites, probablyas the Cevennes fault zone below Oligocene grabens was reactivedat depth.