Anorthosite Body Research Articles

Multi-isotope and geochemical approach to the magma source and tectonic setting of Proterozoic anorthosite massifs and Anorthosite-Mangerite-Charnockite-Granite (AMCG) suites

The occurrence of massif-type anorthosite intrusions is a widespread Proterozoic phenomenon. They are usually associated with gabbroic, charnockitic, and granitic rocks, comprising the so-called anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite (AMCG) suite. Although these rocks have been extensively studied worldwide, several aspects concerning their formation remain unsettled. Among them, the magma source and the tectonic setting are the most important. To evaluate these issues, we first compiled geochemical and isotopic data of Proterozoic anorthosite massifs and AMCG suites worldwide and stored it in a database named datAMCG. This plethora of data allows us to make some important interpretations. We argue that the wide-ranging multi-isotopic composition of this group of rocks reflects varying proportions of juvenile mantle-derived melts and crustal components. We interpret that the precursor magmas of most massive anorthosite bodies and associated mafic rocks have a mantle-dominated origin. However, we highlight that a crustal component is indispensable to generate these lithologies. Adding variable amounts of this material during succeeding multi-stage assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC) processes gives these intrusions their typical mantle-crustal hybrid isotopic traits. In contrast, a crustal-dominant origin with a complementary mantle component is interpreted for most MCG rocks. In summary, the isotopic information in datAMCG indicates that both sources are necessary to generate AMCG rocks. Therefore, we suggest that hybridized magmas with different mantle-crust proportions originate these rocks. This interpretation might offer a more nuanced and accurate depiction of this phenomenon in future work instead of choosing a single-sourced model as in the past decades. Finally, tectonomagmatic diagrams suggest that the rocks under study were likely generated in a tectonic environment that transitioned between collision and post-collisional extension, sometimes involving subduction-modified mantle sources. This interpretation is supported by geological and geochronological information from most complexes, thus challenging the Andean-type margins as an ideal tectonic setting.

The last gasp of the Rogaland Igneous Complex, Norway: a palaeopole for the 920 Ma Tellnes intrusion

SUMMARY The Rogaland Igneous Complex (RIC) in southern Norway intruded into Sveconorwegian granulite crust beginning ∼930 Ma. Three massif anorthosite bodies, Egersund–Ogna, Helleren and Åna-Sira, were intruded some 10 Myr later by the Bjerkreim–Sokndal layered intrusion. The Garsaknatt leuconorite and the ilmenite-rich Tellnes norite, one of the youngest rock in the complex at ∼920 Ma, intrude the anorthosite or nearby country rock. Magnetic mineralogy and palaeomagnetic studies carried out on the Tellnes norite, the Garsaknatt leuconorite and the surrounding Åna-Sira anorthosite, indicate the magnetization of all three bodies are dominated by hemo-ilmenite carrying the remanence as a thermochemical remanent magnetization, although magnetite is present in some samples. The three bodies yield steep negative inclinations with northwesterly declinations (Tellnes, I = −71.9°, D = 305.0°, α95 = 10.6°; Garsaknatt, I = −73.1°, D = 312.7°, α95 = 4.7°; and Åna-Sira, I = −81.2°, D = 326.3°, α95 = 6.7°). When combined with data from other bodies in the RIC, the older anorthosites have steeper inclinations, and higher palaeolatitudes, while the younger units have less steep inclinations and shallower palaeolatitudes by nearly 10°, indicating northward plate motion during cooling of the intrusions. Age of the remanence is difficult to determine precisely, however, best estimates are ∼910 Ma for the older anorthosites and ∼900 Ma for the younger intrusions. Although these differences are significant, a unified pole position (35.6° N, 215.1° E), combining all the 111 sites from the RIC, strongly supports the assumed position of southern Baltica in Rodinia at ∼900 MA.

Petrogenesis of the Córrego das Campinas Gabbro-Anorthosite Suite: Characterization of a Neoproterozoic massif-type anorthosite in the Goiás Magmatic Arc and its significance in the evolution of the Brasília belt, Brazil

Córrego das Campinas Anorthosite is a rare example of a massif-type anorthosite developed in the late Proterozoic (∼650 Ma) during the amalgamation of West Gondwana. This undisturbed, oval, and homogeneous massif body primarily consists of labradorite (An49-63) with a porphyritic and cumulatic inequigranular texture. Other rocks are associated with anorthosite, such as a gabbroic body, consisting of olivine gabbro, leucotroctolite and gabbro with granular, ophitic and cumulatic textures. The olivine gabbro presents a more primitive character, showing minerals enriched in Mg and Ca, such as olivine Fo76-78 intercumulates and anorthitic plagioclase (An90-97), albeit with an Al-rich diopside as well. The anorthosite body is also bordered by tonalite and quartz monzodiorite. These leucocratic and granular rocks contain An26-46 plagioclase in tonalite and An12-18 plagioclase in quartz monzodiorite. Given the signature of these rocks, they can be considered residual liquids from anorthosite crystallization, more enriched in Na and Fe. Metamorphosed ferrodiorites, amphibolites and ilmenite-rich levels occur in the form of dikes and veinlets associated with anorthosite and also seem to represent differentiated liquids from anorthosite crystallization. A quartz syenite body also occurs, consisting of perthitic orthoclase cumulates with an albite mantle, whose genesis is also associated with a process of accumulation in a magma chamber. A albite granite plug occurs intrusively. This albite granite presents enriched in enriched in Na, Si, Rb, Th, Ta, Nb, Ce, Zr, Hf, Y and Yb showing typical signature of an anorogenic granite. Zircon U–Pb dating of olivine gabbro, tonalite, quartz monzodiorite, ferrodiorite and albite granite indicate that these rocks are contemporaneous, with crystallization ages ranging from 648 to 661 Ma, showing older zircon grains indicating Neoproterozoic crustal material contamination (∼870–900 Ma) and even older in the genesis of these rocks. Sm–Nd model ages around 0.75 Ga and positive ϵNd(t) suggest that these rocks are juvenile and derive from depleted mantle, whereas another set of results around 1.0 Ga and less positive ϵNd(t) values indicate that these rocks are juvenile but show crustal contamination. The high percentages of plagioclase found in the rocks, combined with high Al2O3, CaO and Na2O concentrations in total rock, indicate that the rocks of this suite derive from calc-alkaline or Al-rich basaltic magmas. The formation of the suite is in accordance with the classical petrological model of plagioclase accumulation in magma chambers and its subsequent diapiric rise. The age of the suite and its positioning indicate a correlation with an important mafic magmatic event that occurred in the Brasília Belt between 670 and 600 Ma. The interpretation of geological data on the Brasília Belt, associated with the present study, indicates that the rocks of this suite initially developed in a back-arc setting during the pre-tectonic stage of an active continental margin and that the bodies ascended to shallower regions of the crust during the post-collisional stage, through pressure relief, at approximately 650 Ma. The evolution of the Brasília Belt was marked by a constantly elevated geothermal gradient and the Córrego das Campinas massif-type anorthosite supports this inference. Therefore, we suggest that the constantly elevated geothermal gradients in the Brasília Belt were caused by multiple, concurrent geodynamic processes during its evolution, such as i) blocked mantle convection currents triggered by oceanic crust subduction, which formed an intraoceanic island arc (Goiás Magmatic Arc) between 900 and 800 Ma; this physical barrier limited the heat release from these currents, generating a “heat trap” and thus accounting for the elevated geothermal gradients; ii) thickened crust caused by collisional and accretionary events; iii) increased heat of Rodinia break-up plume; and iv) elongated microplate of the Goiás Massif.

Geochemical and geochronological constraints on the Mesoproterozoic Red Granite Suite, Kunene AMCG Complex of Angola and Namibia

Anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite (AMCG) suites form large batholiths emplaced during the Proterozoic Eon. Magma source(s), emplacement mechanisms, and the tectonic setting of AMCG suites remain poorly understood. We present new major and trace element geochemistry combined with U-Pb zircon geochronology and Lu-Hf isotopes for the Red Granite Suite, part of the Mesoproterozoic Kunene AMCG Complex (Angola and Namibia), and its Paleoproterozoic host rocks, to elucidate the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Kunene Complex granitoids. The studied samples are mostly granite with minor syenite and quartz monzonite. LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb zircon dates indicate that felsic magmatism was active for at least 90 Myr (1450–1360 Ma) and shows spatial and temporal similarities with emplacement of the main anorthositic body. The geochemistry of the granitoids did not change substantially over time, with predominant alkali-calcic, A-type granites. The εHf(t) of zircon grains in the Red Granite Suite ranges between −11.3 and + 1.6. These results, when considered together with Hf isotopic compositions of zircon from the Paleoproterozoic host rocks (εHf(t) = -11.3 to + 0.4) and xenocrysts in the Red Granite, suggest the suite is derived from the mixing of a Paleoproterozoic crustal component with juvenile mantle-derived material. Syn-magmatic east–west shortening has been documented in both the anorthosites and Red Granites at the southwestern margin of the Kunene Complex in the period 1400–1380 Ma. The results from the Hf isotopes on zircon, combined with the long-lived nature of magmatism, the syn-contractional magmatism, at least locally, and the requirement for extensive crustal melting, suggest that the Red Granite Suite was formed in a convergent margin setting. This challenges the traditional view that A-type granitoids are restricted to anorogenic, extensional settings, and is in agreement with recent views on the petrogenesis of massif-type anorthosites and their associated MCG magmatism.

Thermal properties of carbonatite and anorthosite from the Superior Province, Ontario, and implications for non-magmatic local thermal effects of these intrusions

Igneous intrusions are important to the thermomechanical evolution of continents because they inject heat into their relatively cold host rocks, and potentially change the distribution of radiogenic heat production and thermal properties within the crust. To explore one aspect of the complex evolution of the continental crust, this paper investigates the local thermal effects of two intrusive rock types (carbonatites and anorthosites) on the Archean Superior Province of the Canadian shield. We provide new data on their contrasting properties: rock density near 298 K, thermal diffusivity, and heat capacity up to 800 K (which altogether yield thermal conductivity), plus radiogenic element contents. The volumetrically small carbonatites have widely varying radiogenic heat production (2–56 µW m−3) and moderate thermal conductivity at 298 K (~ 1 to 4 W m−1 K−1) which decreases with temperature. The massive Shawmere anorthosite has nearly negligible radiogenic heat production (< 0.002 µW m−3) and low, roughly temperature-independent thermal conductivity (~ 1.6 W m−1 K−1). Steady-state thermal structures within and around these intrusions, which have quite different shapes and physical properties, were modeled using a pipe geometry for carbonatite and a tabular geometry for anorthosite. We found that the thermal aureoles of these intrusion types persist for hundreds of millions of years after the magmatic heat advected by the intrusions has dissipated. Longevitity of aureoles is due to the high radiogenic element concentrations of the small carbonatite intrusions, and to the low thermal conductivity of the Shawmere anorthosite. Our findings apply to other anorthosite bodies, which vary little in composition and mineralogy, whereas results for carbonatites depend on variations in their radiogenic content.

Internal structure of the buried Suwałki Anorthosite Massif (East European Craton, NE Poland) based on borehole, magnetic and gravity data combined with new petrological results

Advanced magnetic and gravity data analysis has been used to acquire geophysical constraints providing new insights into the geological structure of the Suwalki Anorthosite Massif (SAM). The large negative magnetic anomaly of the SAM anorthosite intrusion is a result of the negative inclination of remanent magnetization, directed antiparallel to the present Earth’s magnetic field. Several filtering processes were applied to the magnetic and gravity maps to better understand the subsurface geology of the SAM area. The geological analysis of residual magnetic and gravity anomaly maps reveals the presence of different rock units, reflecting variation in petrological composition of the crystalline basement rocks. The 2-D modelling of magnetic and gravity data delineate the location and extent of the anorthosite-norite massif. The data is consistent with a thick upper crustal body with density 2690 kg/m3, low susceptibility (0.005 SI) and natural remanent magnetization (1.95 A/m), having inclination of I = –68°, and declination of D = –177°. The rocks bordering the central anorthosite body consist of norite and gabbronorite, granodiorite, diorite and charnockite. These main crystalline basement crustal units are shown more precisely on a new geological map of the SAM.

Formation of Chromitite Seams and Associated Anorthosites in Layered Intrusion by Reactive Volatile-rich Fluid Infiltration

Abstract Drilling related to development of the platinum-group element deposit of the J-M Reef of the Stillwater Complex returned samples of a rare chromitite seam between anorthosite and norite in a discordant anorthositic body. Plagioclase core An concentrations are marginally higher and modestly reversely zoned on the norite side (average Ancore = 83·8; average Ancore – Anrim = –1·1) as compared with the anorthosite side (average Ancore 82·5; average Ancore – Anrim = +1·0). The anorthosites are also characterized by a slightly smaller average plagioclase grain size than plagioclase in the norite (1·41 mm and 1·54 mm, respectively). The chromite can contain single and polyphase inclusions of orthopyroxene, plagioclase, amphibole, biotite and Cl-rich apatite. These and other compositional and textural features, as well as inference from other discordant anorthositic bodies in the Banded series, are all consistent with a chromatographic model of chromite precipitation at a reaction front as a norite protolith reacts with a Cl-rich aqueous fluid saturated in plagioclase alone. Chromitite seam formation is modeled using an infiltration metasomatic model, in which a fluid becomes progressively undersaturated in pyroxene as it rises into the hotter part of the crystal pile. As this pyroxene-undersaturated fluid moves through a noritic protolith, it dissolves the Cr-bearing orthopyroxene to produce an anorthosite. Chromite precipitates at the reaction front between the anorthosite and the norite owing to liberation of Mg and Cr from pyroxene. Continuous redissolution and reprecipitation of chromite occurs as the pyroxene dissolution front moves in the direction of fluid flow, collecting the Cr lost from the anorthosite. Owing to Cr dissolved mainly as a neutral divalent cation complex, CrCl(OH)0, in the solution, but incorporated as a trivalent cation in chromite, the required redox reaction can involve concurrent precipitation of sulfide with chromite. This mechanism differs from some recent models in that the anorthosites are themselves replacement bodies and are not original precipitates from a magma nor formed by loss of mafic material by partial melting. The results show the need for experimental mineral solubility data at T and P conditions appropriate to upper crustal mafic–ultramafic intrusions.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of Fe-Ti oxide ores from the Don Dieguito massif-type anorthosite suite, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Fe-Ti oxide ores are commonly associated with Proterozoic massif-type anorthosite bodies emplaced during the Grenville orogeny (~1.2-1.0 Ga). Some of these anorthositic bodies occur in the northernmost part of the Santa Marta Massif, Colombia. They locally contain crosscutting Fe-Ti(-V) ore bodies between the El Hierro creek and the Don Dieguito river. We have distinguished two types of Fe-Ti(-V) ores: i) oxide-apatite norite (fine grained ilmenite and magnetite disseminated in an assemblage of apatite, amphibole, chlorite, rutile and sericitized plagioclase) and ii) banded nelsonite (coarser grained ilmenite, magnetite and apatite distributed in bands, with minor baddeleyite, srilankite and högbomite). Ilmenite in the two ore types display distinct hematite exsolution features: a)needle-like in the oxide-apatite norite ore; and b) two generations of exsolutions in the banded ore. Magnetite shows similar Ti and V contents in both ore types (0.4 wt % TiO2 and 0.5 wt % V2O3 on average in the oxide-apatite norite ore, 0.5 wt % TiO2 and 0.4 wt % V2O3 in the banded ore), whereas ilmenite has higher hematite, pyrophanite and geikielite components in the banded ore. The ores might have formed from the combination of fractional crystallization and magma mixing, with exsolution occurring probably at 575-600°C. This first detailed mineralogical and textural study of Fe-Ti(-V) oxide ores in anorthosite massifs from Colombia suggests that the Santa Marta Massif is an interesting target for future research.

Palladogermanide Pd2Ge from sulfidized anorthosite of the Yoko-Dovyren intrusion: first finding in Russia

The Yoko-Dovyren ultramafic-mafic layered intrusion includes the Baikal deposit of Cu-Ni sulfide ores with Pt-Pd mineralization in the bottom part, and “horizons” and pockets of low-sulfide ores with Pt-Pd mineralization at the upper levels of the section. The highest concentration of Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Hg, and Cd, as well as the widest variability in the noble-metal minerals, is typical of the vein-like bodies of anorthosite and pegmatoid anorthosite in the upper part of the critical horizon at the boundary between troctolite and the overlying gabbronorite. Most of the noble-metal minerals are the postmagmatic pneumatolytic (fluid-metasomatic) phases. Among them are palladogermanide with 19.8 wt % Ge, paolovite with 8.1% Ge, and zvyagintsevite with 0.55% Ge. The composition of palladogermanide is Pd2.03(Ge0.80As0.15Bi0.02)0.97; Ge is significantly replaced with As in this phase, which is typical of endogenic Ge minerals.

Germanium-rich palladium minerals – palladogermanide pd2ge, paolovite pd2 (sn, ge), zvyagintsevite in sulfide-bearing anorthosites of the Yoko-Dovyren pluton, Baikal region

The bottom part of the Yoko-Dovyren layered mafic–ultramafic intrusion hosts the Baikalskoe deposit of Cu–Ni sulfide ores with Pt–Pd mineralization, and the stratigraphically higher portion of the intrusion includes units and pockets with low-sulfide ore with Pt–Pd mineralization. The maximum Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Hg, and Cd concentrations and the greatest number of noble-metal minerals, including those containing Ge, are typical of vein-shaped sulfide-bearing anorthosite bodies and pegmatoid anorthosites in the upper part of the Critical Unit, at the boundary between the troctolite unit and overlying gabbronorite. The noble-metal minerals were produced mostly by postmagmatic pneumatolytic (fluid–metasomatic) processes. These minerals are kotulskite, moncheite, zvyagintsevite, telargpalite, paolovite, and other Pd and Pt chalcogenides and intermetallic compounds, including palladogermanide that contains 19.8 wt % Ge (the first find in Russia), paolovite with 8.1 wt % Ge (first find), and Au-rich zvyagintsevite that bears 0.55 wt % Ge. The palladogermanide has the composition Pd2.03(Ge0.80As0.15Bi0.02)0.97, and much of its Ge is substituted for As, as is typical of endogenic Ge minerals. The composition of the Ge-paolovite isPd2.02(Sn0.54Ge0.35Sb0.05As0.04)0.98. The possible source of the germanium is contact-metasomatic pyrite-bearing paralic carbonaceous shales hosting the intrusion.

Lithology and Structural Mapping of Kadavur Basin, Tamil Nadu, India, Using IRS P6 LISS III Satellite Data

The Kadavur basin is located in the Southern Granulite Terrain, central part of Tamil Nadu, India. The basin structure and presence of anorthositic formation in the Kadavur are interesting features for many researchers. Anorthosite is an important igneous rock, with limited coverage on earth crust, and commonly present on lunar surface. The origin and emplacement of anorthosite in terrestrial environment are always a matter of interest among geoscientist. In the present study, moderate-resolution IRS P6 LISS III multispectral satellite data are used to interpret the lithology, structure and morphology of the Kadavur basin. The processed satellite outputs show contrast signatures for various rock types such as anorthosites, gabbro, quartzite, gneiss, augen gneiss and charnockites. The lithological and structural details collected during the field investigation were used for mapping. The DEM-generated image shows detail information on structural features including crust line, dipping beds and fault zone in the Kadavur basin. The circular quartzite ridges formed as major structural hill systems, dipping vertically inward toward the center of the basin. The lineation indicates the axis of the fold structure standing on edge or plunging very steeply. The various theories proposed for the origin of structural basin and emplacement of gabbroic anorthositic plutonic body in the Kadavur basin are discussed.

Palladogermanide PdGe2 from Sulfidized Anorthosite of the Yoko-Dovyren Intrusion: First Finding in Russia

The Yoko-Dovyren ultramafic-mafic layered intrusion includes the Baikal deposit of Cu-Ni sulfide ores with Pt-Pd mineralization in the bottom part, and “horizons” and pockets of low-sulfide ores with Pt-Pd mineralization at the upper levels of the section. The highest concentration of Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Hg, and Cd, as well as the widest variability in the noble-metal minerals, is typical of the vein-like bodies of anorthosite and pegmatoid anorthosite in the upper part of the critical horizon at the boundary between troctolite and the overlying gabbronorite. Most of the noble-metal minerals are the postmagmatic pneumatolytic (fluid-metasomatic) phases. Among them are palladogermanide with 19.8 wt % Ge, paolovite with 8.1% Ge, and zvyagintsevite with 0.55% Ge. The composition of palladogermanide is Pd 2.03 (Ge 0.80 As 0.15 Bi 0.02 ) 0.97 ; Ge is significantly replaced with As in this phase, which is typical of endogenic Ge minerals.

Crustal Structure at a Young Continental Rift: A Receiver Function Study From the Tanganyika Rift

AbstractThe southern Tanganyika Rift, within the Western rift, Africa, has earthquakes to depths of 37 km, yet few constraints exist on crustal thickness, or of early stage rifting processes in apparently amagmatic rift sectors. The aim of the TANGA14 experiment was to constrain bulk crustal properties to test whether magmatic processes modify the lithosphere in areas of deep seismicity, and the degree of lithospheric thinning. We use 11 broadband seismometers to implement receiver function analysis using H‐κ stacking, a method sensitive to crustal thickness and VP/VS ratio, to determine bulk crustal properties. Analyses include extensive error analysis through bootstrap, variance, and phase‐weighted stacking. Results show the Archean Tanzanian Craton and Bangweulu Block are characterized by VP/VS ratios of 1.75–1.77, implying a felsic bulk composition. Crust beneath the fault‐bounded basins has high VP/VS (&gt;1.9). Anorthosite bodies and surface sediments within the region may contribute to localized high VP/VS. However, elevated VP/VS values within fault‐bounded extensional basins where elevated heat flow, hydrothermal vent sites, and deep earthquakes are observed suggest that magma may be intruding the lower crust beneath the southern Tanganyika Rift. Crustal thicknesses on/near the relatively unextended Tanzanian craton and Bangweulu Block are 41.6–42.0 km. This contrasts with the Tanganyika Rift where crustal thicknesses are 31.6 km to 39 km from north to south. Our results provide evidence for ~20% crustal thinning localized to fault‐bounded basins. Taken together, they suggest a previously unrecognized role of magma intrusion in early stage continental rifting in the Western rift, Africa.

Reappraising the P–T evolution of the Rogaland–Vest Agder Sector, southwestern Norway

The Rogaland–Vest Agder Sector of southwestern Norway comprises high-grade metamorphic rocks intruded by voluminous plutonic bodies that include the ∼1000 km2 Rogaland Igneous Complex (RIC). New petrographic observations and thermodynamic phase equilibria modelling of three metapelitic samples collected at various distances (30 km, 10 km and ∼10 m) from one of the main bodies of RIC anorthosite were undertaken to assess two alternative P–T–t models for the metamorphic evolution of the area. The results are consistent with a revised two-phase evolution. Regional metamorphism followed a clockwise P–T path reaching peak conditions of ∼850–950 °C and ∼7–8 kbar at ∼1035 Ma followed by high-temperature decompression to ∼5 kbar at ∼950 Ma, and resulted in extensive anatexis and melt loss to produce highly residual rocks. Subsequent emplacement of the RIC at ∼930 Ma caused regional-scale contact metamorphism that affected country rocks 10 km or more from their contact with the anorthosite. This thermal overprint is expressed in the sample proximal to the anorthosite by replacement of sillimanite by coarse intergrowths of cordierite plus spinel and growth of a second generation of garnet, and in the intermediate (10 km) sample by replacement of sapphirine by coarse intergrowths of cordierite, spinel and biotite. The formation of late biotite in the intermediate sample may suggest the rocks retained small quantities of melt produced by regional metamorphism and remained at temperatures above the solidus for up to 100 Ma. Our results are more consistent with an accretionary rather than a collisional model for the Sveconorwegian Orogen.

Effect of small-scale heterogeneities on interpretation of crustal compositions exemplified by a layered anorthosite

The composition of the lower crust has a significant effect on geodynamic processes because it influences physical rock properties such as densities and seismic velocities. Compositional differences in lower crustal rocks are potentially large and exist on the scales of centimeters up to kilometers resulting in non-unique seismic and gravity data. While larger heterogeneities can be detected as reflections on seismic profiles, irregular small-scale compositional variations are not likely to be discovered, but will influence the averaged seismic velocities and densities of an area. The extent and effects of such small-scale heterogeneities are explored on an exposed high-grade layered anorthositic body by providing a detailed field map, petrological descriptions, pycnometry measurements as well as whole rock and mineral analyses combined with thermodynamic phase equilibria calculations. To evaluate the results of our thermodynamic calculations, densities and mineral modes obtained from the modeled phase equilibria are compared to measured densities and estimated mineral modes from rock samples. The proportion of mafic to ultramafic (plagioclase-poor) rocks in the mapped field area amounts to 10–15% but higher proportions of these rock types in the lower crust are feasible. To further study the effects of compositional variations, we have generated mixtures of mafic to ultramafic and anorthositic/intermediate rocks until the average properties of these mixtures are comparable to those of mafic granulites (3000–3100 kg/m3; 7.1–7.3 km/s). Mixtures of anorthosite with 40–45% and of tonalite with 50–60% high-grade mafic to ultramafic rocks yield average densities and seismic velocities similar to mafic granulites although they still contain 50–60 vol.% plagioclase. Hence small-scale mixing of certain rock types may result in the overestimation of the proportion of mafic (garnet) granulites in the lithologic interpretation of crustal compositions from seismic data. Since the transition to eclogite-facies in plagioclase-rich rocks is shifted to higher pressures and anorthositic/intermediate eclogites yield lower densities, a lower crust with higher modal amounts of plagioclase may not always provide the significant densification needed for certain geodynamic settings (e.g. delamination or subsidence).

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility versus lattice- and shape-preferred orientation in the Lac Tio hemo-ilmenite ore body (Grenville province, Quebec)

The Lac Tio hemo-ilmenite ore body crops out in the outer portion of the 1.06Ga Lac Allard anorthosite, a member of the Havre-Saint-Pierre anorthosite suite from the Grenville province of North America. It is made up of ilmenitite (commonly with more than 95% hemo-ilmenite) associated with noritic lithologies and anorthosite. The present study compares the magnetic fabric of the ore body, as deduced from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements, with the crystallographic and shape fabrics, obtained from lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) and shape-preferred orientation (SPO) measurements made using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and 3D image analysis, respectively. Room-temperature hysteresis measurements, thermomagnetic curves and values of the bulk magnetic susceptibility reveal a magnetic mineralogy dominated by a mixed contribution of hemo-ilmenite and magnetite. The hemo-ilmenite grains display a LPO characterized by a strong preferred orientation of the basal (0001) plane of ilmenite along which hematite was exsolved. This LPO and the magnetic fabric fit well (angle between the crystallographic c-axis and the axis of minimum susceptibility≤ca. 15° for most samples), and the latter is thus strongly influenced by the hemo-ilmenite magneto-crystalline anisotropy. A magnetite SPO, concordant with the hemo-ilmenite LPO, may also influence and even dominate the magnetic fabric. The rock shape fabric is coaxial with the magnetic fabric that can thus be used to perform detailed structural mapping. Interpretation of the magnetic fabric and field structural data suggests that the Lac Tio ore body would be a sag point at the margin of the Lac Allard anorthosite, deformed by ballooning during the final stage of diapiric emplacement of the anorthosite body.

하동군 북천면 직전리에서 산출되는 티탄철석광상의 자원량 평가를 위한 광체 3D 모델링

Ilmenite deposits are developed along the Precambrian intercumulated anorthosite body in Jikjeon-Ri, Bukcheon-Myeon, Hadong, Korea. Both detailed geological survey and drilling prospecting data for seven boreholes can be used to do resource estimation with GOCAD S/W. 3D modeling using geostatistics is applied to predict the shape and size of Ti ore bodies. As a result, 5 Ti ore veins occurred along N-S direction and average grade of Ti and ilmenite resources are calculated as 2.98 wt% Ti and 7,494,303 metric tons ilmenite ore reserves (Ti 223,330 t). This 3D modeling will be applied to the whole ilmenite deposits in Hadong-Sancheong area to predict the exact distribution and resources estimations of Ti ores.

Neoproterozoic massif-type anorthosites and related magmatic suites from the Eastern Ghats Belt, India: Implications for slab window magmatism at the terminal stage of collisional orogeny

The Jugsaipatna massif-type anorthosite complex (JAC) in the Eastern Ghats Belt of India comprises anorthosite–leuconorite–norite in the central part and gabbros, gabbronorites and porphyritic granites in the periphery. In this study, we report laser ablation ICP-MS zircon U–Pb data and REE geochemistry from the anorthosites, gabbros and porphyritic granites from the JAC. The zircon data yield weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 918±33Ma (MSWD=2.2) for the anorthosite and 931±38Ma (MSWD=2.2) and 928±35Ma (MSWD=0.99) for two leuconorites. The gabbros bordering the anorthosite body yield weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 984±10Ma (MSWD=0.41) and 969±12Ma (MSWD=1.5). Zircons from the associated porphyritic granites define two concordant age groups: an older group with 207Pb/206Pb weighted mean age of 996±11Ma (MSWD=2.1) and a younger group with an age of 964±29Ma (MSWD=2.1). Zircons from another granite sample yield an age of 957±17Ma (MSWD=1.1), identical to the Neoproterozoic age data obtained from the zircons in the anorthosites and gabbros of the JAC. The zircons from anorthosites show moderate REE contents, prominent HREE enrichment and a conspicuous positive Eu anomaly. The zircons from the granites show high REE contents, prominent HREE enrichment and a conspicuous positive Eu anomaly, suggesting a common melt source. The ages reported in study correlate well with similar ages of 983±2.5Ma for the anorthosites from Chilka Lake complex and the ca. 930Ma for Bolangir anorthosite in the Eastern Ghats Belt. The early Neoproterozoic ages reported from the magmatic suite in this study remarkably coincide with the timing of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism reported from various localities in the Eastern Ghats Belt in recent studies. The coeval nature of mantle-derived magmatism and ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in a collisional orogen following a prolonged subduction-accretion history along the eastern periphery of the Indian lithosphere suggests asthenospheric upwelling, probably through a slab-window mechanism. We correlate the geodynamic setting to post-collisional slab-break off at the terminal stages of the orogeny.

Petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology of the Chah-Bazargan gabbroic intrusions in the south Sanandaj–Sirjan zone, Neyriz, Iran

The Chah-Bazargan gabbroic intrusions are located in the south of Sanandaj–Sirjan zone. Precise U–Pb zircon SHRIMP ages of the intrusions show magmatic ages of 170.5 ± 1.9 Ma. These intrusions consist primarily of gabbros, interspersed with lenticular bodies of anorthosite, troctolite, clinopyroxenite, and wehrlite. The lenticular bodies show gradational or sharp boundaries with the gabbros. In the gradational boundaries, gabbros are mineralogically transformed into anorthosites, wehrlites, and/or clinopyroxenites. On the other hand, where the boundaries are sharp, the mineral assemblages change abruptly. There is no obvious deformation in the intrusions. Hence, the changes in mineral compositions are interpreted as the result of crystallization processes, such as fractionation in the magma chamber. Rock types with sharp boundaries show abrupt chemical changes, but the changes exhibit the same patterns of increasing and decreasing elements, especially of rare earth elements, as the gradational boundaries. Therefore, it is possible that all parts of the intrusions were formed from the same parental magma. Parts showing signs of nonequilibrium crystallization, such as cumulate features and sub-solidification, underwent fracturing and were interspersed throughout the magma chamber by late injection pulses or mechanical movements under mush conditions. The geological and age data show that the intrusions were formed from an Al-, Sr-, Fe-enriched and K-, Nb-depleted tholeiitic magma. The magma resulted from the partial melting of a metasomatized spinel demonstrated by negative Nb, P, Hf, and Ti, and positive Ba, Sr, and U anomalies typical of subduction-related magmas.

U–Pb zircon chronology of the Pangidi–Kondapalle layered intrusion, Eastern Ghats belt, India: Constraints on Mesoproterozoic arc magmatism in a convergent margin setting

The Pangidi–Kondapalle layered intrusion is emplaced within high-grade supracrustal rocks in the southern sector of the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt proximal to the south-eastern periphery of the Indian plate. This layered complex consists mainly of anorthosites and gabbronorites with pyroxenite cumulates containing orthopyroxenites and chromitites in a regressive intrusive sequence. Here we report laser ablation ICP-MS data and REE geochemistry of zircons from three co-spatial anorthositic bodies in this complex. Our results show mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1634±18Ma (MSWD=0.55) for the anorthosite from Pangidi. Two anorthosite samples from Kondapalle yield mean207Pb/206Pb ages of 1628±36Ma (MSWD=0.54) and 1693±110Ma (MSWD=5.5). The zircons from all the anorthosite samples show high REE contents, prominent HREE enrichment and a conspicuous positive Eu anomaly, suggesting a common melt source. The prominent Mesoproterozoic ages revealed from our U–Pb dating of zircons from these layered complexes suggest subduction-related magmatic underplating in a convergent margin setting associated with the amalgamation of the Columbia-derived fragments within the Neoproterozoic supercontinent.