Abstract Quantitative petrographic, structural, and textural parameters are integrated with geological, geochemical, and Sr-isotope data to examine the emplacement, growth processes, and magmatic evolution of the high-Ti tholeiitic Limeira Intrusion, in the Paraná Magmatic Province of SE Brazil. Our data strongly support a multiple-stage evolution, owing to the nested emplacement of distinct crystal-bearing magma pulses that probably evolved independently, except at their boundaries. A stage of cooling and crystallization between magma injections results in a stepwise T–t path, leading to variations in the plagioclase residence times and effective growth rates inwards, also occasioning sudden changes in crystal shape and size at the boundaries of each magma pulse. The time delay between pulses allows preservation of internal ‘chilled margins’ and the development of near-rigid surfaces at their contacts, increasing the alignment and clustering of crystals during magma replenishment. Isotopic and textural data demonstrate a complex assembly history, in which the appearance of mixed plagioclase populations between magma pulses coincides with the onset of initial Sr isotope ratio increase, which can be attributed to a locally enhanced cooling rate, and the extraction of residual melts from the previous crystallizing batches and mixing with the younger pulses. Typical C- and S-shaped MgO (wt%) compositional profiles within individual pulses indicate that the first one probably evolved by in situ fractional crystallization followed by melt migration inward, whereas the younger ones have contributions from both compaction of the lowermost crystallization front and compositional convection. Mafic globular structures are found at the boundaries of magma pulses and constituting the mafic-rich layers in layered rocks. They are interpreted as evidence for chemical disequilibrium, arguably associated with the trigger of silicate liquid immiscibility. The upwards compositional convection of the silica-rich residual liquid and the accumulation of the Fe–Ti–P-rich crystalbearing end-member in the bottom of the latest magma pulses might represent the most significant mechanism of differentiation in the Limeira Intrusion.
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