Geochemistry of ultramafic and calc-llkaline lamprophyres from the Lac Shortt area, Quebec

Abstract

Petrographic and geochemical data are presented for the Lac Shortt lamprophyre dyke swarm. The primary mineralogy in all samples has been largely destroyed either by alteration at the time of emplacement or by subsequent metamorphism. Most of the dykes are ultramafic lamprophyres. Extended trace element plots (ETP) for these dykes feature a characteristic double dome pattern, with one dome extending between Sr and Zr and the other between Zr and Yb. One ultramafic dyke was selected for detailed study. The ETP and rare earth element (REE) curves for the analyses of this dyke are essentially parallel, indicating the relative immobility of both groups of elements during the subsequent events. Significant correlation coefficients between the high field strength elements using phosphorus as representative of these elements, and the major element concentrations suggests that these were also relatively immobile. Pearce plots and principal component analyses reveal that olivine and apatite fractionation controlled the chemical variation across the control dyke. A plot of Nb anomalies against silica for Precambrian ultramafic and cafe-alkaline lamprophyres reveals two clear groupings—the former has no such anomalies in contrast to the latter which possesses this feature. A calc-alkaline lamprophyre dyke from the Lac Shortt Mine features significant Nb depletion on ETP suggesting that magmas with low Si02 content Si02 = 35.85 weight and chondrite normalized La = 1458) may be related to this catagory of lamprophyre.