Geochemistry and geochronology of mafic rocks from Bamenda Mountains (Cameroon): Source composition and crustal contamination along the Cameroon Volcanic Line

Abstract

Mafic rocks from the Bamenda volcanic province along the Cameroon Volcanic Line have been dated from 17 to 0 Ma. Associated with some trachytes and rhyolites, this volcanism covers a period of more than 25 Ma. The studied rocks are basalts to mugearites. Most of them have been contaminated by continental crust during their transit to the surface. The oldest rocks are the most contaminated. One group of samples shows high Eu, Sr and Ba contents. This characteristic is not due to crustal contamination process, but has a mantle source origin. We argue that these characteristics have been acquired by mixing of melts formed by partial melting of mantle pyroxenites with melts formed in mantle peridotites. Such pyroxenites have been observed as mantle xenoliths in the Adamaoua province, and their chemical and isotopic compositions are consistent with such a model.