Granitoid Series in Terms of Magnetic Susceptibility: A Case Study from the Barberton Region, South Africa

Abstract

Magnetic susceptibilities were measured on a representative collection of Archaean granitoids of the Barberton region using a portable KT5 magnetic susceptibility meter. The studied granitoids comprise, (1) syn-tectonic tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) granitoids (132 samples), (2) late-tectonic calc-alkaline granitoids (402 samples) and (3) post-tectonic low-Ca and high-Ca granitoids (12 samples). Most of the early-stage syn-tectonic granitoids (∼3450 Ma) have low magnetic susceptibilities, less than 3 × 10 −3 SI units, and correspond to ilmenite-series granitoids. The late-stage Kaap Valley tonalite pluton (∼3230 Ma) contains sporadically distributed higher magnetic susceptibility values (greater than 3 × 10 −3 SI units), which are less than one-third in magnetic susceptibility of typical magnetite-series TTG of the Japanese Island Arc and thus strictly belong to an intermediate series. The Barberton TTG suite is essentially derived from reduced amphibolitic lower crust that reflects the anoxic nature of the Earth surface during the Archaean Eon. The more oxidized nature of the Kaap Valley tonalite may be generated in an oxidized lower crust by fluids squeezed out of the subducting plate. Late-tectonic granodiorite - adamellite batholithic complexes (∼3105 Ma) belong mostly to the magnetite series, and seem to suggest that relatively oxidized continental crust, reflecting oxic atmosphere and subduction mechanism operating, had evolved it by this time. Post-tectonic granitic plutons formed largely between circa 2900 Ma and 2700 Ma can be subdivided into low-Ca ilmenite series and high-Ca magnetite series.