Differentiation trends in the Warrumbungle Volcano, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

The volcanic rocks of the Warrumbungle Shield volcano in central western New South Wales, Australia show two distinct differentiation trends. One trend of differentiation extends from alkali basalts to phonolitic trachytes becoming increasingly undersaturated with silica and a second differentiation trend extends from trachybasalts to quartzbearing trachyte that becomes progressively more oversaturated. The differentiation trends are the product of low pressure fractional crystallisation of an alkali basalt in a high level magma chamber.