Abstract
Silicate melt inclusions in phenocrysts are not directly representative of trapped magmatic liquid because chemical interaction between inclusions and host crystals usually occurs after melt entrapment. However, if more than one phenocryst type in a suite of rocks contains melt inclusions, the original trapped-liquid composition can be accurately fixed by the intersection of host-mineral fractionation lines in a triangular oxide plot of inclusion analyses. When plotted on a CaO—MgO—Al 2O 3 triangular diagram, analyses of inclusions in plagioclase, olivine, and clinopyroxene from a basalt dredged off Bouvet Island fall along crystal fractionation lines that intersect at a single point. This point represents an initial trapped liquid composition rich in CaO and MgO, and low in TiO 2 and total alkalies. The composition is transitional between tholeiite and basaltic komatiite, and may be indicative of extensive melting of clinopyroxene in the mantle.
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