Mineralogy and geochemistry of microgranular enclaves in Palaeoproterozoic Malanjkhand granitoids, central India: evidence of magma mixing, mingling, and chemical equilibration

Abstract

Palaeoproterozoic (ca 2,480 Ma) felsic magmatism of Malanjkhand region of central Indian Precambrian shield, referred to as Malanjkhand granitoids (MG), contain xenoliths of country rocks and mesocratic to melanocratic, fine-grained porphyritic microgranular enclaves (ME). The shape of ME is spheroidal, ellipsoidal, discoidal, elongated, and lenticular, varying in size from a few centimeters to about 2 m across. The contact of ME with the host MG is commonly sharp, crenulate, and occasionally diffuse, which we attribute to the undercooling and disaggregation of ME globules within the cooler host MG. The ME as well as MG show hypidiomorphic texture with common mineral Hbl-Bt-Kfs-Pl-Qtz assemblage, but differ in modal proportions. The variation in minerals' composition, presence of apatite needles, elongated biotites, resorbed plagiclase, ocellar quartz, and other mafic–felsic xenocrysts strongly oppose the restite and cognate origins of ME. Compositions of plagioclases (An3–An29), amphiboles (Mg/Mg+Fe2+=0.55–0.69), and biotites (Mg/Mg+Fe2+=0.46–0.60) of ME are slightly distinct or similar to those of MG, which suggest partial to complete equilibration during mafic–felsic magma interactions. Al-in-amphibole estimates the MG pluton emplacement at ca 3.4 ± 0.5 kbar, and therefore, magma mixing and mingling must have occurred at or below this level. The $$\hbox{Fe}\rightleftharpoons\hbox{Mg}$$ substitution in biotites of ME and MG largely suggests subduction-related, calc–alkaline metaluminous (I-type) nature of felsic melts. Most major and trace elements against SiO2 produce near linear variation trends for ME and MG, probably generated by the mixing of mafic and felsic magmas in various proportions. Trace including rare earth elements patterns of ME–MG pairs, however, show partial to complete equilibration, most likely governed by different degrees of elemental diffusion. The available evidence supports the model of ME origin that coeval mafic (enclave) and felsic (MG) magmas produced a hybrid (ME) magma layer, which injected into cooler, partly crystalline MG, and dispersed, mingled, and undercooled as ME globules in a convectively dynamic magma chamber.