Mantle Plumes and Their Geologic Manifestations

Abstract

This paper interprets the conditions of plume formation with a focus on interpretations of origin at the core-mantle boundary. We also discuss important geological manifestations including formation of alkaline-basalt oceanic islands, kimberlite pipes, and plateau-basalt fields. The paper concentrates on the Siberian traps that formed between 249 and 245 Ma, one of the world's largest known plateau-basalt fields, and on the magmatic zonation and ore mineralization associated with the field and that are interpreted as forming from a Siberian mantle plume. One part of the field consists of undifferentiated low-K tholeiite basalts in the Tunguska syncline and contains only minor associated ore deposits. Major, unique Cu-Ni and PGE deposits are associated with differentiated alkaline basalt and with mafic-ultramafie intrusions in the northwestern Siberian platform. Angara-Ilim-type magnetite deposits occur in the southern part of the plateau-basalt province and are related to interaction of mafic magmas with overlying carbonate and evaporite sedimentary rocks. Permian and Triassic alkaline granitoid and bimodal magmatic rocks occur in fold-and-thrust belts that frame the southern, southwestern, and northwestern margins of the main trap area. The paper also presents new geochemical and geochronological data for A-granites for the Taymyr region that are synchronous with traps. For both the southern and northern framing areas, porphyry Cu deposits interpreted as derived from a mantle-crust system are associated with subalkaline and alkaline granitoids.