Petrology of alkaline lamprophyres from the Coldwell alkaline complex, northwestern Ontario

Abstract

A suite of alkaline lamprophyre dikes emplaced in centers I and II rocks of the Coldwell alkaline complex is composed of camptonites with calcite ocelli, camptonites with quartz macrocrysts, amphibole camptonites, monchiquites, and sannaites. The camptonites are characterized by phenocrysts of olivine, aluminian pyroxene, kaersutite, and titanian ferropargasite set in a matrix of magnesian hastingsite, augite, plagioclase, biotite, magnetite, sphene, and minor nepheline. Quartz macrocrysts occur as corroded euhedral single crystals. Monchiquites are petrographically similar to the camptonites but are characterized by the presence of an isotropic groundmass. Sannaites contain aluminian and chromian diopside phenocrysts set in a matrix of ferroan pargasite, aluminian diopside, biotite, albitized plagioclase, and epidotized alkali feldspar.Major-element compositions indicate the ocellar camptonites, amphibole camptonites, and monchiquites have affinities with alkali olivine basalt and that monchiquites and camptonites are heteromorphs. None of the dikes represent primitive liquids. Poor correlations between incompatible trace elements (Sr, Ba, Nb, Zr, rare earths), together with the presence of reversely zoned and corroded phenocrysts, suggest that none of the lamprophyres represent single batches of magma. The lamprophyres are considered to be hybrid magmas, formed by the mixing of fragmented cumulates, several generations of phenocrysts, and batches of magma extracted from a continuously replenished evolving magma chamber located within the infrastructure of the complex. Quartz-bearing camptonites are considered to form by contamination of camptonites, although the source of the quartz cannot be determined.