Grain-size variations of cumulus plagioclase in the upper critical zone of the Bushveld Complex

Abstract

Due to the slow equilibration rate of feldspar, its zoning pattern is likely to be of primary origin. Initial studies of zoning patterns of cumulus feldspar within the interval between the UG2 chromitite and the Merensky Reef have shown postcumulus growth to affect only the outermost rims of grains. Therefore, present-day grain sizes of plagioclase are considered to resemble the original cumulus grain sizes. A correlation between grain size of plagioclase and its composition and zoning pattern has been established: larger, complexly zoned grains correlate with more calcic compositions. It is inferred that the residence time of neutrally buoyant plagioclases within a periodically replenished host liquid determined their size and zoning pattern. Older and more calcic grains are larger and more complexly zoned, whereas finer grain sizes, which are associated with relatively primitive (Mg-rich) orthopyroxenes, are the result of partial resorption of plagioclase. Grain sizes of plagioclase, furthermore, show regional variation: grains are larger in the vicinity of Union Section than in the southeastern parts of the Western Bushveld Complex, which is interpreted as a consequence of the increasing distance from a putative feeder zone located near Union Section.