Petrology and geochemistry of the Batchingou anorthositic suite rocks (Bana volcano‐plutonic complex, Cameroon Volcanic Line): Inference on their origin and relation with host granites

Abstract

This study focusses on field mapping, petrographic description, and geochemical analyses of the Batchingou anorthositic suite rocks (Bana Plutono‐volcanic Anorogenic Complex, Cameroon Volcanic Line). This suite consists of gabbroic (gabbro, gabbronorite, norite, and anorthosite) and charnockitic (mangerite, jotunite, enderbite, and monzogranite) rocks and intrude Ypresian granites (51 ± 1 Ma), within an elliptically shaped corridor of 1200 × 600 m2. Gabbroic rocks evolved by crystal fractionation of olivine, hypersthene, augite, plagioclase, and ilmenite following the path: gabbro → gabbronorite → norite → anorthosite. There is little or no crustal assimilation in this suite, contrarily to the charnockitic suite which likely evolved from a jotunite melt by assimilation of the Pan‐African granito‐gneissic basement rocks. Anorthosite has high Eu/Eu* (2.04–2.66), typical of anorthosites formed as cumulates. The La/Ta ratios (9.75–20.1 in gabbro, 21–45 in anorthosite and 23–76 charnockitic rocks), La/YbN (4.2–19.5), Nb/U (22–90), and Nb/Th (5–23) suggest that the parental magma of the Batchingou anorthositic suite rocks is an alkaline basaltic melt deriving from a garnet‐bearing asthenospheric mantle, but was variably modified during ascent by lithospheric spinel lherzolites and crustal rocks. The Batchingou gabbro has characteristics of evolved tholeiites and match the composition of the Laramie high‐Al gabbro, whereas jotunite shows compositional affinity to ferrodiorites from Proterozoic anorthosite complexes. The gabbro Ni (19–39 ppm) and Cu (44–118 ppm) contents are low, indicating that their parental melt is not primitive. The Batchingou anorthositic suite differentiated from a different magma batch postdating the host granitoids and is similar to the anorthosite dykes of the Mboutou ring complex (Cameroon) and most of the ring complexes of the Aïr Province (Niger).