Abstract
The key mineralogical features of the Newania carbonatites, that illustrate their derivation from primary mantle melts (Gruau et al. Terra Nova, Abstract Suppl 1:336, 1995; Viladkar Petrology 6(3):272–283, 1998; Basu and Murty Abstracts of Goldschmidt Conference A40, 2006), are the presence of magnesite, graphite and Cr-rich magnetite. Magnesite is an early crystallizing phase. Cr-rich magnetite and graphite coexist with carbonatite minerals and precipitated from carbonate magma. Graphite, as well as gaseous CO2 and carbonate minerals such as dolomite and magnesite, can be stable in peridotite mantle. Coexistence of these minerals is controlled by fO 2 and PT-conditions. Mineral geothermometers for the Newania carbonatite give temperatures from 463 to 950°C. The parental source for Newania carbonatites was characterized by a relatively high log (fHF/fH2O) level which increased during the crystallization history of Newania. The estimated oxygen fugacity (for ilmenite–magnetite pairs) varies from −1.5 to +3.5 (log-bar unit deviation from FMQ buffer), which is supported by the presence of Fe-columbite, and the composition of phlogopite, amphibole and pyroxene that have an elevated concentration of Fe3+. However, the oxygen fugacity range represented by co-existing early-crystallized graphite and magnesite is below that of the FMQ buffer and lies on the CCO buffer.
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