Emplacement conditions of komatiite magmas from the 3.49 Ga Komati Formation, Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa

Abstract

This paper provides new constraints on the crystallization conditions of the 3.49 Ga Barberton komatiites. The compositional evidence from igneous pyroxene in the olivine spinifex komatiite units indicates that the magma contained significant quantities of dissolved H2O. Estimates are made from comparisons of the compositions of pyroxene preserved in Barberton komatiites with pyroxene produced in laboratory experiments at 0.1 MPa (1 bar) under anhydrous conditions and at 100 and 200 MPa (1 and 2 kbar) under H2O-saturated conditions on an analog Barberton composition. Pyroxene thermobarometry on high-Ca clinopyroxene compositions from ten samples requires a range of minimum magmatic water contents of 6 wt.% or greater at the time of pyroxene crystallization and minimum emplacement pressures of 190 MPa (6 km depth). Since high-Ca pyroxene appears after 30% crystallization of olivine and spinel, the liquidus H2O contents could be 4 to 6 wt.% H2O. The liquidus temperature of the Barberton komatiite composition studied is between 1370 and 1400°C at 200 MPa under H2O-saturated conditions. When compared to the temperature-depth regime of modern melt generation environments, the komatiite mantle source temperatures are 200°C higher than the hydrous mantle melting temperatures inferred in modern subduction zone environments and 100°C higher than mean mantle melting temperatures estimated at mid-ocean ridges. When compared to previous estimates of komatiite liquidus temperatures, melting under hydrous conditions occurs at temperatures that are ∼ 250°C lower than previous estimates for anhydrous komatiite. Mantle melting by near-fractional, adiabatic decompression takes place in a melting column that spans ∼ 38 km depth range under hydrous conditions. This depth interval for melting is only slightly greater than that observed in modern mid-ocean ridge environments. In contrast, anhydrous fractional melting models of komatiite occur over a larger depth range (∼ 130 km) and place the base of the melting column into the transition zone.