Apatite and clinopyroxene as tracers for metasomatic processes in nepheline clinopyroxenites of Uralian-Alaskan-type complexes in the Ural Mountains, Russian Federation

Abstract

Clinopyroxene and apatite are found to trace metasomatic processes in nepheline-bearing clinopyroxenites (tilaites) from the igneous, mafic–ultramafic Uralian-Alaskan-type complexes of Kytlym and Nizhny Tagil, Ural Mountains, Russian Federation. The clinopyroxenites consist predominantly of coarse-grained, partially to totally altered clinopyroxene phenocrysts in a matrix of fine-grained olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, K-feldspar, and nepheline. Apatite occurs as idiomorphic inclusions (<25μm) in the clinopyroxene and as xenomorphic grains in the matrix.In the matrix, plagioclase is partially to totally replaced by a fine-grained symplectitic intergrowth of K-feldspar and nepheline most likely due to the influx of an K2O-, Na2O-, and Al2O3-bearing fluid. During conversion of the plagioclase, CaO and SiO2 were partitioned into the fluid. Altered areas in the clinopyroxene phenocrysts are characterized by the redistribution of major and trace elements. This includes depletion in Mg, Rb, and Sr and enrichment in Al, Na, Ba, U, Th, REE except Eu, and HFSE compared to the original magmatic areas in the clinopyroxene. Apatite inclusions in the altered areas of the clinopyroxene and in the matrix are enriched in Cl relative to apatite inclusions in the unaltered areas of clinopyroxene.It is proposed that these rocks experienced a two-stage metasomatic process. Stage 1 was the partial to total alteration of plagioclase to K-feldspar and nepheline due to interaction with an infiltrating (K,Na)Cl-rich brine (most likely late magmatic) with an Al component, which enriched the fluid in CaCl2. Stage 2 consisted of the partial to total chemical alteration of the original magmatic clinopyroxene by this now CaCl2-enriched fluid through the mechanism of coupled dissolution–reprecipitation. This process also chemically altered the apatite inclusions from fluor-chlorapatite to chlor-fluorapatite and redistributed as well as partially removed the titanomagnetite inclusions in the altered areas. This is supported experimentally by the fact that alteration of fluorapatite to Cl-rich apatite can only take place in the presence of CaCl2-bearing fluids and by the fact that in general Fe and Ti, along with most metal cations, are relatively mobile in Cl-rich fluids.If this scenario is correct, the implications from this study are that inclusions of one mineral in a host mineral can be chemically overprinted during metasomatic alteration of the host mineral. While at the same time the original crystal shape and orientation of both the host phase as well as that of the inclusions are preserved.