Mineral Chemistry and Descriptive Petrology of the Pan-African High-K Granitoids and Associated Mafic Rocks from Mbengwi, NW Cameroon: Petrogenetic Constraints and Geodynamic Setting

Abstract

The Mbengwi Pan-African high-K calk-alkaline I-type plutonic rocks consist of granitoids and monzodiorites. These granitoids have a rather homogeneous mineralogical composition made up of calcic amphiboles, ferromagnesian and lithio-aluminous micas, quartz, feldspars, oxides, titanite and incidentally of sulphides, magmatic epidote, apatite, zircon, chlorites and carbonates. Plagioclase compositions range from Na-albite to andesine. Micas are Mg-biotite in monzodiorites and Mg-biotite, Fe-biotite, siderophyllite, lepidomelane, muscovite and phengite in granitoids. Magmatic amphiboles are made up of Fe-hornblende, Mg-hornblende, Fe-edenite, Mg-hastingsite or edenite whereas post-magmatic amphiboles are actinolite. Trace elements analyses reveal: i) low rare earth elements content in monzodiorites (average = 199.9 ppm) compared to granitoids (average = 404.65 ppm); ii) a weak to strong fractionation ((La/Lu)N = 4.5 - 102.96), iii) an enrichment in LILE and LREE relative to HFSE and HREE, and iv) negative anomalies in Rb, K, Sr, Ti, Eu and positive ones in Th and La. Mineralogical and whole rock geochemical results reveal that magmas were produced by vapor-present partial melting of one or several heterogeneous igneous protoliths relatively rich in potassium. The investigated rocks were emplaced between 4 and 34 km deep, at pressure ranging from 1.2 to 9.4 Kbars and were not subjected to post-magmatic alterations according to their Zr/Hf values (> 20). Their differentiation process is the combined result of fractional crystallization and multiple mixing and mingling.