Chemical structure in granitic magmas – a signal from the source?

Abstract

Though typically exhibiting considerable scatter, geochemical variations in granitic plutons and silicic volcanic deposits are commonly modelled as products of differentiation of originally homogeneous magmas. However, many silicic igneous bodies, particularly those classified as S-types, are internally heterogeneous in their mineralogy, geochemistry and isotope ratios, on scales from hundreds of metres down to one metre or less. The preservation of these heterogeneities supports recent models for the construction of granitic magma bodies through incremental additions of numerous batches (pulses) of magma derived from contrasting sources. Such pulses result from the sequential nature of the melting reactions and the commonly layered...