Combined Fractional Crystallization Research Articles

Insights into the petrogenetic evolution of the Khallari layered intrusion and coeval granites of the Paleoproterozoic Dongargarh Supergroup, Bastar Craton, India

Several layered igneous complexes around the globe host ultramafic-mafic lithologies at the base to more evolved lithologies at the roof sections. In this study, we report U-Pb zircon ages and geochemistry of Paleoproterozoic granites and Khallari layered intrusion from the Dongargarh Supergroup of Bastar craton, central India. The Khallari layered intrusion hosts pyroxenites at the base to more evolved lithologies including gabbro, layered gabbro and anorthositic gabbros towards the roof section of the magma chamber. The estimated weighted mean U-Pb zircon ages of granites (2443 ± 13 Ma) and layered intrusion (2494 ± 19 Ma and 2469.2 ± 5.2 Ma) are in conjunction with the major Siderian crust building peak identified at the craton. The granitic plutons of the Dongargarh Supergroup are chemically similar to post-collisional/anorogenic granitic rocks, in which the rapakivi granites exhibit a fractional crystallization relation with the Khallari layered intrusion. The Dongargarh granites and enclaves were derived by a combination of fractional crystallization and mixing of partial melts from the pre-existing crust of the Bastar craton. Petrogenetic modeling indicates Khallari layered intrusion is formed by the fractional crystallization of lithospheric mantle melt followed by crystal accumulation. The parental melt also experienced localized crustal contamination (up to 10%) during its evolution. The layered intrusion and the granites formed in a post-collisional rift setting where magmatism postdates the proposed subduction and collisional orogenesis at 2.5 Ga involves cratonic domains of Eastern and Western Bastar cratons.

A siliceous komatiitic source of Bushveld magmas revealed by primary melt inclusions in olivine

Our experimental thermobarogeochemical study of the primary melt inclusions in olivine (Fo91) from poikilitic harzburgite to dunite of the Uitkomst Complex in the Bushveld Igneous Province revealed a series of melt compositions that are the result of combined fractional crystallization and assimilation. The primary melt inclusions up to 50 μm in size are fully crystallized and composed of predominantly olivine and orthopyroxene with highly subordinate chromite, sulfide, amphibole and plagioclase accompanied by a fluid phase in shrinkage voids. The most primitive melt within the series has a re-homogenization temperature of >1450 °C and contains 22.47 wt% MgO, 12.57 wt% FeO, 51.90 wt% SiO2, 2.50 wt% CaO, 8.27 wt% Al2O3 and 1.69 wt% Na2O recalculated to equilibrium with the host olivine. This is the first direct measurement of the komatiitic parental magma of the Bushveld magmas, inferred in previous studies. The estimated maximum PT parameters of the melt corresponds to 2.5 GPa and 1590 °C implying that the primitive melt inclusions in the olivine were trapped while still in the upper mantle and before further crustal assimilation. This primitive melt shows the steepest slope (La/Yb)PM, the highest Ni and is depleted in volatile components (168 ppm H2O, 264 ppm Cl, 258 ppm F and 114 ppm S according to secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements) compared to more evolved compositions, which were progressively enriched in volatiles up to 7665 ppm Н2О, 1728 ppm Cl, 2288 ppm S, and 549 ppm F as the rehomogenization temperature fell to 1335 °C. The progressive assimilation of crustal material responsible for magma modification is also manifested by the occurrence of CaNa volatile-rich minerals (such as amphibole, phlogopite, albite, sodalite, natrolite, pectolite, Cl-apatite and carbonate) in the interstitial assemblage and in “exotic” polyphase inclusions in cumulus olivine.The concentrations and ratios of the incompatible elements in the melt inclusions in Uitkomst olivine are similar to those in the model compositions of the ultramafic Bushveld parental magma and support a common source of ultramafic melts in the Bushveld Province. The main components of the melts, however, are not in accord with either boninitic or komatiitic lineages indicating a unique nature for the Bushveld magmas.

Petrogenesis of Pleistocene Basalts from the Western Snake River Plain, Idaho

Abstract We present new geochemical, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope, and 40Ar/39Ar data from Pleistocene basalts of the Western Snake River Plain (WSRP), Idaho, USA to explore their petrogenesis and to investigate the nature of the lithosphere at the western boundary of the North American craton. The basalts are divided into three groups based on their geochemical and isotopic characteristics. Prior to ∼1 Ma, volcanoes in the WSRP erupted iron-rich tholeiites (FeB1), but subsequent volcanism was dominated by concurrent eruptions of mildly alkaline, alumina-rich lavas (AlB) and iron-rich tholeiites (FeB2) with isotopic signatures similar to the AlB lavas. New 40Ar/39Ar dates of AlB and FeB2 basalts range from 0·920 ± 0·049 to 0·287 ± 0·014 Ma. MELTS models of FeB1 differentiation trends indicate that the range of compositions in this suite can be produced by 10–15 % crystallization of olivine and plagioclase at low pressure using the least evolved FeB1 composition as a parental magma; isotopic ratios can be produced via combined assimilation of a Miocene rhyolite and fractional crystallization. Additional modeling suggests that parental magmas at AlB centers were produced by 3–12 % equilibrium melting of a garnet–spinel-enriched mantle source, slightly different from that proposed for the youngest mildly alkaline lavas of the eastern and central Snake River Plain. Our new geochemical, isotopic, and geochronological data for the FeB2 basalts suggests that they are related to AlB-type magmas via a combination of fractional crystallization and assimilation of evolved mafic crust. MELTS models suggest that crystallization of an AlB parental melt at a depth of 6–8 km (2·5 kbar) could produce residual liquids having many of the major oxide characteristics of FeB2 ferrobasalts. Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic signatures of these three suites indicate a dominant contribution from an enriched plume source. FeB1 lavas are probably products of mixing between melts of an enriched plume mantle source (represented by Imnaha and Steens Basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group) and isotopically heterogeneous sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) that has been isolated from the convecting mantle since the Archean. Isotopic ratios of FeB2 and AlB lavas capture mixing between enriched plume mantle and a more isotopically homogeneous ancient SCLM domain characteristic of the eastern and central Snake River Plain, with a coupled decrease in lithospheric contribution and degree of partial melting through time to the present. Mixtures of enriched asthenospheric reservoirs with lithospheric mantle have been proposed for neighboring volcanic fields to the east along the strike of the Yellowstone–SRP hotspot track, and to the west owing to differences in the mantle underlying the boundary of the North American craton and accreted terranes. Our petrogenetic model for the Pleistocene WSRP basalts suggests that there is also a lateral, across-strike gradient in the geometry and interaction of enriched plume mantle and ancient lithosphere. We reiterate suggestions that the WSRP is a lithosphere-scale conduit connecting initial plume-head impingement in east–central Oregon with the subsequent Yellowstone–SRP hotspot plume-tail track.

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.

Petrogenesis of plagiogranites from the Troodos Ophiolite Complex, Cyprus

Small volumes of felsic melt, commonly known as oceanic plagiogranites, appear as melt pockets or dikes within the gabbroic section and the sheeted dikes root zone of the oceanic crust. Plagiogranites from the Troodos Ophiolite Complex on Cyprus are among the best exposures of felsic rocks that are embedded in a complete section of obducted oceanic lithosphere. Nevertheless, their exact petrogenesis is still a matter of debate, largely due to limited high-quality trace element and radiogenic isotope data. Previously proposed models for Troodos plagiogranites have included both low-pressure dehydration melting and fractional crystallisation at deeper levels of the oceanic crust. To evaluate both models, oceanic plagiogranites from the Troodos Ophiolite Complex were analysed in this study for their major and trace elements, and for the first time also for Hf–Nd–Sr isotope compositions. The trace element measurements also include for the first time high-precision measurements of high-field-strength element (HFSE) abundances that now permit to better unravel the petrogenesis of the Troodos plagiogranites and their possible mantle sources. In general, the Troodos plagiogranites exhibit a narrow range of Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf that overlap the compositions of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). In line with earlier studies, three compositional groups can be identified: two groups formed by either fractional crystallisation or combined fractional crystallisation and wall rock assimilation, and one group derived from partial melting of slightly altered oceanic crust. The majority of the Troodos plagiogranites (Main Group) are the product of extensive fractional crystallisation of ambient arc-tholeiitic mafic melts. A second group of plagiogranites (Spilia Group) is generated by fractional crystallisation of boninitic precursor melts and the assimilation of arc-tholeiitic crustal material. Variable HFSE concentrations and diagnostic Hf–Nd isotope signatures that are unique to both suites allow discriminating between the two parental melts and fractionation processes. A small group of plagiogranites (Zoopigi Group) is interpreted to derive from partial melting in the conductive layer of active magma chamber lenses (AML). Elevated Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf, and light rare-earth element (LREE) enrichments in these rocks are in support of this model. Collectively, our data suggest that low-pressure fractional crystallisation (also in combination with assimilation of wall rocks) might be the predominant process controlling the formation of felsic rocks on Cyprus, whereas dehydration melting appears to be less important. If compared to Archean tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioritic suites (TTGs), compositions of plagiogranites from Cyprus mirror shallow-level processes in thin oceanic crust, which is illustrated by their narrow, MORB-like range of HFSE ratios and their distinct enrichment in heavy rare-earth elements (HREE) that distinguishes them from the Archean TTGs.

PROSPECTS OF APPLYING HEAT PUMPS UPON CARRYING OUT COMBINED MASS TRANSFER PROCESSES

The prospects of using heat pumps for the separation of mixtures by combination of different mass transfer processes are considered, which is associated with the supply and removal of thermal energy. The heat released in some stages can be successfully used at other stages of separation. Using heat pumps makes it possible to change the temperature potentials of heat fluxes, which greatly improves the efficiency of regenerative heat transfer. If a vapor phase forms when carrying out mass transfer processes, it can be used as the working fluid of the heat pump of the open type. If mass transfer processes are carried out without the formation of vapor phases, it is necessary to apply heat pumps of the closed type, in the circuit of which a variety of intermediate heat transfer fluids circulate. The article briefly describes the features of mixtures separation by a combination of fractional crystallization by evaporation, dissolution, fractional melting, distillation and rectification with the use of compressor heat pumps of open and closed type. In order to assess the energy efficiency of different variants of combined processes and to compare them with traditional separation it is suggested to use the relative equivalent consumption, which makes it possible to take into account the different cost of thermal and electric energy required for carrying out the considered process of separation. Different variants of organizing the combined separation are compared. It was found that their energy efficiency significantly depends on the composition of the initial mixture, on requirements for the separation products, as well as on the position of the eutectic point on the liquid - solid phase charts. It was shown that the use of heat pumps allows reducing several times energy costs, as well as the consumption of refrigerants for combined separation.

SEPARATION OF MIXTURES By COMBINING RECTIFICATION AND FRACTIONAL CRySTALLIZATION PROCESSES

Various options of separation of binary mixtures by combining the processes of fractional crystallization and rectification are considered. The base mixture, depending on its composition, can be initially directed to the rectification stage or to one of the stages of separated components crystallization using the proposed variants. The flow diagrams of integrated heat exchanging systems and schemes involving open and closed type heat pumps under consideration for the determination of ways of reducing energy consumption of the coupled processes were suggested. These solutions enable improving the processes energy efficiency. In addition, the analysis of the effect of the composition and temperature of the initial mixture, the temperature of fractionation at the crystallization stage, the composition of distillates and bottom products on the separation parameters was carried out. It was found that when the initial mixture is fed to the stage of crystallization of one of the components, the energy costs for carrying out the process under consideration are usually lower than when the initial mixture is fed to the rectification stage. It is shown that using a combination of fractional crystallization and rectification processes can significantly expand the possible separation range and improve the technical and economic characteristics of the separation process.

Primitive andesites from the Taupo Volcanic Zone formed by magma mixing

Andesites with Mg# >45 erupted at subduction zones form either by partial melting of metasomatized mantle or by mixing and assimilation processes during melt ascent. Primitive whole rock basaltic andesites from the Pukeonake vent in the Tongariro Volcanic Centre in New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone contain olivine, clino- and orthopyroxene, and plagioclase xeno- and antecrysts in a partly glassy matrix. Glass pools interstitial between minerals and glass inclusions in clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and plagioclase as well as matrix glasses are rhyolitic to dacitic indicating that the melts were more evolved than their andesitic bulk host rock analyses indicate. Olivine xenocrysts have high Fo contents up to 94%, δ18O(SMOW) of +5.1‰, and contain Cr-spinel inclusions, all of which imply an origin in equilibrium with primitive mantle-derived melts. Mineral zoning in olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase suggest that fractional crystallization occurred. Elevated O isotope ratios in clinopyroxene and glass indicate that the lavas assimilated sedimentary rocks during stagnation in the crust. Thus, the Pukeonake andesites formed by a combination of fractional crystallization, assimilation of crustal rocks, and mixing of dacite liquid with mantle-derived minerals in a complex crustal magma system. The disequilibrium textures and O isotope compositions of the minerals indicate mixing processes on timescales of less than a year prior to eruption. Similar processes may occur in other subduction zones and require careful study of the lavas to determine the origin of andesite magmas in arc volcanoes situated on continental crust.

Oligocene crustal anatexis in the Tethyan Himalaya, southern Tibet

Recent studies in the Xiaru and Malashan gneiss dome of the Tethyan Himalaya, southern Tibet identify that Xiaru and Paiku tourmaline-bearing leucogranite dike formed at ~28–29Ma. Together with ~28Ma Kuday garnet-bearing leucogranites, it is demonstrated that the Himalayan orogenic belt experienced a major episode of crustal melting in the Mid-Oligocene. Geochemical data indicate that three suites of leucogranite are characterized by large variations in the major and trace element compositions as well as Sr–Nd isotope systematics, which could be explained by combined fractional crystallization and relative contributions of micas and accessory phases dissolved into a crustal melt during decompressional melting of metapelitic rocks. Documentation of Oligocene partial melting of crustal rocks could indicate that the exhumation of deep crustal rocks in the Himalayan orogenic belt could have started as early as Oligocene.

Contrasting geochemical signatures between Upper Triassic Mo-hosting and barren granitoids in the central segment of the South Qinling orogenic belt, central China: Implications for Mo exploration

As a world-class molybdenum province, the Qinling orogenic belt is characterized by voluminous Mesozoic granitoids, which are attributed to the closure processes of the Paleo-Tethys and the collision between the South China and North China blocks. The middle segment of the South Qinling orogenic belt is marked by widespread Triassic granitoids. Several small intrusions, occurring as porphyry stocks or apophyses, are associated with Mo mineralization that occurred at ca. 200 Ma, as constrained by molybdenite Re−Os dating. To delineate the differences between ore-hosting and barren granitic intrusions, in this contribution, we report new laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U–Pb ages, and element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope data. The granitoids were emplaced episodically from 215 to 203 Ma, with the lithologies evolving from quartz diorites through granodiorites to monzogranites. They are metaluminous to peraluminous high-K calc-alkaline rocks transitional to shoshonites, showing arc-affinity geochemical traits, such as enrichment in LILEs and depletion in Nb, Ta and Ti. The ore-hosting intrusions are monzogranites with high SiO2 contents (>68 wt.%), whereas the barren ones are quartz diorites and granodiorites with low SiO2 contents (60.7–64.6 wt.%). Compared to the barren quartz diorites and granodiorites, the ore-hosting monzogranites show much lower Mg#, lower contents of transition metals (e.g., Sc, Ti, Co and V), and much stronger depletion of Sr, Ba, Eu, Ti and P. The isotopic ratios of the ore-hosting monzogranites (Isr = 0.7012 – 0.7060, εNd(t) = -3.32 − -4.58, εHf(t) = -0.81 − 2.30) and the barren granitoids (Isr = 0.7058 – 0.7060, εNd(t) = -1.24 − -5.80, εHf(t) = -3.47 − -5.24) are similar, but the former show slightly lower Isr, higher εNd(t) and higher εHf(t). This suggests that the ore-hosting magmas originated from a slightly more juvenile source, but were much more fractionated, which is also supported by their younger ages compared to the barrens. Therefore, the prolonged fractional crystallization is a feasible mechanism for the formation of the ore-hosting monzogranites. In addition, the U−Th correlation and Zr/Hf ratios indicate that the fluid process was responsible for the formation of quartz veins in both the barren and ore-hosting intrusions. Consequently, a combination of fractional crystallization and fluid action may have played a crucial role in the development of the Mo mineralization.

The 2.31 Ga mafic dykes in the Karelian Craton, eastern Fennoscandian shield: U–Pb age, source characteristics and implications for continental break-up processes

Major- and trace-element geochemistry, Sm–Nd isotopic and U–Pb geochronological (ID TIMS, baddeleyite) data are presented for Paleoproterozoic mafic dykes in the Karelian Craton, eastern Fennoscandian shield. Mafic dyke swarms recognized in the Lake Upper Kuito area in the Western Karelian terrane of the Karelian Craton include (i) NE-trending ca. 2450Ma gabbronorite dykes, (ii) NW-trending ca. 2310Ma dolerite dykes, and (iii) NNW-trending ca. 2130Ma continental MORB-type tholeiitic dykes. Each swarm belongs to a distinct intraplate igneous event and indicates specific mantle melting and extensional processes.The ca. 2.31Ga doleritic dykes have high-Fe, high-Ti tholeiitic series affinity and characterized by high concentrations of lithophile trace elements. The enrichment of LREE and unfractionated HREE patterns together with depletion of Nb on multi-element diagrams and initial ɛNd values of +0.5 to +0.8 are characteristic for ca. 2.31Ga dolerites. The geochemical modelling results suggest that these features could be originated via combination of fractional crystallization and crustal contamination processes, and do not indicative of a mantle source enrichment. It also indicates long-term storage of melts in an intracrustal magma chamber and a relatively slow ascent to the surface. The primary melts of ca. 2.31Ga dolerites possibly originated by partial melting of a DM-type mantle source in the spinel peridotite stability field.In contrast to previous ca. 2.45Ga event studied ca. 2.31Ga dolerites do not indicate high-temperature mantle-plume induced mantle melting. On the other hand, the ca. 2.31Ga dykes have some similarities with syn-breakup ca. 2.13Ga continental MORB-type tholeiites, although there is no evidence for the break-up of the continental lithosphere of the Karelian Craton at ca. 2.31Ga. Thus ca. 2.31Ga dykes could indicate the existence of relatively stable extensional tectonic environment and an unsuccessful attempt of break-up of the continent.The ca. 2.31Ga dykes together with previously studied Runkaus basalts and Taivalkoski dykes could be considered as a component of distinct relatively wide-spread Kuito-Taivalkoski igneous event within the ca. 2.2–2.4Ga “crustal age gap” period in the eastern Fennoscandian shield. This probably indicate that the number and intensity of endogenous events of age 2.4–2.2Ga are greatly undervalued. This also argues against a decrease of endogenic activity and magmatic “slowdown” during ca. 2.4–2.2Ga period.

Early Permian East-Ujimqin mafic–ultramafic and granitic rocks from the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt, North China: Origin, chronology, and tectonic implications

The East-Ujimqin complex, located north of the Erenhot–Hegenshan fault, North China, is composed of mafic–ultramafic and granitic rocks including peridotite, gabbro, alkali granite, and syenite. We investigated the tectonic setting, age, and anorogenic characteristics of the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt (XMOB) through field investigation and microscopic and geochemical analyses of samples from the East-Ujimqin complex and LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of gabbro and alkali granite. Petrographic and geochemical studies of the complex indicate that this multiphase plutonic suite developed through a combination of fractional crystallization, assimilation processes, and magma mixing. The mafic–ultramafic rocks are alkaline and have within-plate geochemical characteristics, indicating anorogenic magmatism in an extensional setting and derivation from a mantle source. The mafic–ultramafic magmas triggered partial melting of the crust and generated the granitic rocks. The granitic rocks are alkali and metaluminous and have high Fe/(Fe+Mg) characteristics, all of which are common features of within-plate plutons. Zircon U–Pb geochronological dating of two samples of gabbro and alkali granite yielded ages of 280.8±1.5 and 276.4±0.7Ma, placing them within the Early Permian. The zircon Hf isotopic data give inhomogeneous εHf(t) values of 8.2–14.7 for gabbroic zircons and extraordinary high εHf(t) values (8.9–12.5) for the alkali granite in magmatic zircons. Thus, we consider the East-Ujimqin mafic–ultramafic and granitic rocks to have been formed in an extensional tectonic setting caused by asthenospheric upwelling and lithospheric thinning. The sources of mafic–ultramafic and granitic rocks could be depleted garnet lherzolite mantle and juvenile continental lower crust, respectively. All the above indicate that an anorogenic magma event may have occurred in part of the XMOB during 280–276Ma.

Tectono-magmatic evolution of the younger Gardar southern rift, South Greenland

The 1300–1140 Ma Gardar period in South Greenland involved continental rifting, sedimentation and alkaline magmatism. The latest magmatism was located along two parallel rift zones, Isortoq–Nunarsuit in the north and the Tuttutooq–Ilimmaasaq–Narsarsuaq zone in the south addressed here. The intrusive rocks crystallised at a depth of troctolitic gabbros. These relatively reduced magmas evolved through marked iron enrichment to alkaline salic differentiates. In the Older giant dyke complex, undersaturated augite syenites grade into sodalite foyaite. The larger, c. 1163 Ma Younger giant dyke complex (YGDC) mainly consists of structureless troctolite with localised developments of layered cumulates. A layered pluton (Klokken) is considered to be coeval and presumably comagmatic with the YGDC. At the unconformity between the Ketilidian basement and Gardar rift deposits, the YGDC expanded into a gabbroic lopolith. Its magma may represent a sample from a great, underplated mafic magma reservoir, parental to all the salic alkaline rocks in the southern rift. The bulk of these are silica undersaturated; oversaturated differentiates are probably products of combined fractional crystallisation and crustal assimilation.
 A major dyke swarm 1–15 km broad was intruded during declining crustal extension, with decreasing dyke widths and increasing differentiation over time. Intersection of the dyke swarm and E–W-trending sinistral faults controlled the emplacement of at least three central complexes (Narssaq, South Qôroq and early Igdlerfigssalik). Three post-extensional complexes (Tugtutôq, Ilímaussaq and late Igdlerfigssalik) along the former rift mark the end of magmatism at c. 1140 Ma. The latter two complexes have oblate plans reflecting ductile, fault-related strain. The Tugtutôq complex comprises quartz syenites and alkali granites. The Ilímaussaq complex mainly consists of nepheline syenite crystallised from highly reduced, Fe-rich phonolitic peralkaline (agpaitic) magma, and resulted in rocks with very high incompatible element concentrations.
 Abundant anorthositic xenoliths in the mafic and intermediate intrusions point to a large anorthosite protolith at depth which is considered of critical importance in the petrogenesis of the salic rocks. Small intrusions of aillikite and carbonatite may represent remobilised mantle metasomites. The petrological similarity between Older and Younger Gardar suites implies strong lithospheric control of their petrogenesis. The parental magmas are inferred to have been derived from restitic Ketilidian lithospheric mantle, metasomatised by melts from subducting Ketilidian oceanic crust and by small-scale melt fractions associated with Gardar rifting.
 There are numerous analogies between the southern Gardar rift and the Palaeogene East African rift.

An evaluation of crustal assimilation within the Late Devonian South Mountain Batholith, SW Nova Scotia

AbstractThe Late Devonian South Mountain Batholith (SMB) of southwestern Nova Scotia is the largest batholith in the Appalachian Orogen of Eastern North America and contains economic deposits of U and Sn. The SMB comprises at least 11 individual plutons, which range in composition from granodiorite to biotite monzogranite, leucomonzogranite and leucogranite. Previous studies have suggested that a combination of fractional crystallization, assimilation of Meguma Supergroup country rocks and an influx of magmatic fluids contributed to the chemical evolution of the SMB. The amount of crustal assimilation is estimated to be as high as 33%. MELTS modelling assuming a starting composition of granodiorite with H2O = 4 wt%, pressure = 4 kbar (~12 km) and fO2 = FMQ can reproduce the chemical evolution observed in the SMB. However, some leucogranites likely require an additional component (e.g. hydrothermal fluids) to explain their alkali metal enrichment (e.g. Na, K, Rb). Zircon saturation thermometry estimates indicate the Salmontail Lake and Scrag Lake granodiorite plutons had high minimum initial temperatures of 823 ± 6°C and 832 ± 2°C, respectively, which are similar to low zircon-inheritance granitoids. The TiO2/Al2O3 and alkali-lime ratios of the surrounding country rocks and the leucogranites indicate the amount of crustal assimilation is likely to be between 10% and 20%. Our findings suggest the granodiorites of the SMB were likely produced by partial melting of the sub-Meguma Supergroup (e.g. Avalon terrane) lower crust caused by the contemporaneous injection of high temperature mafic to ultramafic magmas.

The Roles of Fractional Crystallization, Magma Mixing, Crystal Mush Remobilization and Volatile–Melt Interactions in the Genesis of a Young Basalt–Peralkaline Rhyolite Suite, the Greater Olkaria Volcanic Complex, Kenya Rift Valley

The Greater Olkaria Volcanic Complex is a young ( 20 ka) multi-centred lava and dome field dominated by the eruption of peralkaline rhyolites. Basaltic and trachytic magmas have been erupted peripherally to the complex and also form, with mugearites and benmoreites, an extensive suite of magmatic inclusions in the rhyolites. The eruptive rocks commonly represent mixed magmas and the magmatic inclusions are themselves two-, three- or four-component mixes. All rock types may carry xenocrysts of alkali feldspar, and less commonly plagioclase, derived from magma mixing and by remobilization of crystal mushes and/or plutonic rocks. Xenoliths in the range gabbro–syenite are common in the lavas and magmatic inclusions, the more salic varieties sometimes containing silicic glass representing partial melts and ranging in composition from anorthite ± corundum- to acmite-normative. The peralkaline varieties are broadly similar, in major element terms, to the eruptive peralkaline rhyolites. The basalt–trachyte suite formed by a combination of fractional crystallization, magma mixing and resorption of earlier-formed crystals. Matrix glass in metaluminous trachytes has a peralkaline rhyolitic composition, indicating that the eruptive rhyolites may have formed by fractional crystallization of trachyte. Anomalous trace element enrichments (e.g. 2000 ppm Y in a benmoreite) and negative Ce anomalies may have resulted from various Na- and K-enriched fluids evolving from melts of intermediate composition and either being lost from the system or enriched in other parts of the reservoirs. A small group of nepheline-normative, usually peralkaline, magmatic inclusions was formed by fluid transfer between peralkaline rhyolitic and benmoreitic magmas. The plumbing system of the complex consists of several independent reservoirs and conduits, repeatedly recharged by batches of mafic magma, with ubiquitous magma mixing.

Geology, geochronology, and geochemistry of the Miocene–Pliocene Ancestral Cascades arc, northern Sierra Nevada, California and Nevada: The roles of the upper mantle, subducting slab, and the Sierra Nevada lithosphere

The assemblage of ca. 28–3 Ma volcanic rocks exposed in the Lake Tahoe–Reno region of the northern Sierra Nevada, United States, is interpreted to be part of the Ancestral Cascades volcanic arc. The volcanic rocks are commonly highly porphyritic, including abundant plagioclase with clinopyroxene, amphibole, and rare biotite, and range from basaltic andesite to dacite in composition. Less common are poorly phyric, olivine- and clinopyroxene-bearing basalts and basaltic andesites. Porphyritic lavas dominate composite volcanic centers, whereas the poorly phyric lavas form isolated cinder cone and lava flow complexes. Tahoe-Reno arc lavas are calc-alkaline, enriched in the large ion lithophile elements but depleted in Nb and Ta relative to the light rare earth elements, and have highly variable radiogenic isotopic compositions. Compared to the modern south Cascade arc, Tahoe-Reno region basalts are enriched in the light rare earth and large ion lithophile elements and have higher 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and lower 143 Nd/ 144 Nd that are consistent with an old, subduction-modified lithospheric mantle source, such as that proposed for lavas of the Western Great Basin. Melting of the lithospheric mantle may be enhanced by fluid flux from the subducting slab if the Juan de Fuca slab dip is shallow. Andesites and dacites evolved from basaltic magmas by a combination of fractional crystallization and assimilation of lower crustal melts. Available geochronological data indicate that the westward sweep of Cenozoic volcanism through Nevada was associated with steepening of the slab dip, but the dip angle was lower during Miocene–Pliocene arc volcanism than it is today beneath the modern south Cascades.

Time, space, and composition relations among northern Nevada intrusive rocks and their metallogenic implications

Northern Nevada contains ∼360 igneous intrusions subequally distributed among three age groups: middle Tertiary, Cretaceous, and Jurassic. These intrusions are dominantly granodiorite and monzogranite, although some are more mafic. Major-oxide and trace-element compositions of intrusion age groups are remarkably similar, forming compositional arrays that are continuous, overlapping, and essentially indistinguishable. Within each age group, compositional diversity is controlled by a combination of fractional crystallization and two-component mixing. Mafic intrusions represent mixing of mantle-derived magma and assimilated continental crust, whereas intermediate to felsic intrusions evolved by fractional crystallization. Several petrologic parameters suggest that the northern Nevada intrusion age groups formed in a variety of subduction-related, magmatic arc settings: Jurassic intrusions were likely formed during backarc, slab-window magmatism related to breakoff of the Mezcalera plate; Cretaceous magmatism was related to rapid, shallow subduction of the Farallon plate and consequent inboard migration of arc magmatism; and Tertiary magmatism initially swept southward into northern Nevada in response to foundering of the Farallon plate and was followed by voluminous Miocene bimodal magmatism associated with backarc continental rifting. Nearly 3000 hydrothermal mineral deposits (many only small uneconomic occurrences), of diverse size and type, are spatially and (or) genetically associated with northern Nevada intrusions; significantly, the largest and most important deposits are aligned along prominent mineral-deposit trends. Because northern Nevada is a globally significant metallogenic province, determining whether age, modal composition, and geochemical features of associated intrusive rocks discriminate productive intrusions is important. Mineral-deposit types, including W vein and skarn, polymetallic vein, distal disseminated Au-Ag, porphyry Cu-Mo-W-Au, and epithermal Ag-Au deposits, all spatially and genetically associated with intrusions and known to involve magmatic inputs, are emphasized in this analysis. In addition, although evidence for a direct magmatic input, other than heat, is scarce for Carlin-type gold deposit formation, this deposit type was included because of its economic significance. Consequently, intrusions along mineral-deposit trends, in particular those associated with the largest and economically most significant mineral deposits, were a focus of the investigation. Importantly, modal composition, age, and geochemical characteristics of intrusions associated with large mineral deposits along the trends, are indistinguishable from non-mineralized intrusions in northern Nevada and thus do not identify intrusions associated with significant deposits. Moreover, intrusion age and composition show little correlation with mineral-deposit type, abundance, and size. Given the lack of diagnostic characteristics for intrusions associated with deposits, it is uncertain whether age, modal composition, and geochemical data can identify intrusions associated with mineral deposits. These findings suggest that associations between northern Nevada intrusions and mineral deposits reflect superimposition of many geologic factors, none of which was solely responsible for mineral-deposit formation. These factors might include intrusion size, efficiency of fluid and metal extraction from magma, prevailing redox and sulfidation conditions, or derivation of metals and ligands from host rocks and groundwater. The abundance and diversity of mineral deposits in northern Nevada may partly reflect geochemical inheritance, for example, along the mineral trends rather than the influence of petrologically unique magma or associated fluids.

Overlap of Karoo and Ferrar Magma Types in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

A suite of mafic dykes from the Underberg region of southern KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) were intruded at 178 Ma, coincident in age with the major Okavango Dyke Swarm of Botswana, and also coincident with minor Karoo-related intrusions of the northern and central Lebombo. The dykes are all low-Ti-Zr tholeiites, they trend NW-SE and are presumed to continue into the Karoo central area of the Lesotho Highlands. In many respects, the Underberg dykes are similar to the majority of the low-Ti-Zr volcanic and subvolcanic intrusions of the Karoo; however, their 87Sr/86Sr and Nd isotope ratios are either ‘Ferrar-like’ (87Sr/86Sr 0·710; Nd < -3) or transitional between Karoo low-Ti-Zr and Ferrar low-Ti magmas. A potential Ferrar source for at least some of the Underberg dykes is supported by anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility analyses of the dyke suite, which demonstrate absolute flow direction from the SE to the NW, consistent with Gondwana reconstructions. The role of crustal contamination and combined fractional crystallization is also demonstrated to have played a key role in the petrogenesis of the Underberg dykes, involving a local upper crust contaminant. However, the composition of the ‘Ferrar-like’ dykes cannot be easily explained by AFC processes, but they do demonstrate that melting of a lithospheric mantle source enriched to a small degree by subduction-derived fluid was also important.

Contemporaneous eruption of calc-alkaline and alkaline lavas in a continental arc (Eastern Mexican Volcanic Belt): chemically heterogeneous but isotopically homogeneous source

Nearly contemporaneous eruption of alkaline and calc-alkaline lavas occurred about 900 years BP from El Volcancillo paired vent, located behind the volcanic front in the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). Emission of hawaiite (Toxtlacuaya) was immediately followed by calc-alkaline basalt (Rio Naolinco). Hawaiites contain olivine microphenocrysts (Fo67–72), plagioclase (An56–60) phenocrysts, have 4–5 wt% MgO and 49.6–50.9 wt% SiO2. In contrast, calc-alkaline lavas contain plagioclase (An64–72) and olivine phenocrysts (Fo81–84) with spinel inclusions, and have 8–9 wt% MgO and 48.4–49.4 wt% SiO2. The most primitive lavas in the region (Rio Naolinco and Cerro Colorado) are not as primitive as parental melts in other arcs, and could represent either (a) variable degrees of melting of a subduction modified, garnet-bearing depleted mantle source, followed by AFC process, or (b) melting of two distinct mantle sources followed by AFC processes. These two hypotheses are evaluated using REE, HFSE, and Sr, Os and Pb isotopic data. The Toxtlacuaya flow and the Y & I lavas can be generated by combined fractional crystallization and assimilation of gabbroic granulite, starting with a parental liquid similar to the Cerro Colorado basalt. Although calc-alkaline and alkaline magmas commonly occur together in other areas of the MVB, evidence for subduction component in El Volcancillo magmas is minimal and limited to <1%, which is a unique feature in this region further from the trench. El Volcancillo lavas were produced from two different magma batches: we surmise that the injection of calc-alkaline magma into an alkaline magma chamber triggered the eruption of hawaiites. Our results suggest that the subalkaline and hawaiitic lavas were formed by different degrees of partial melting of a similar, largely depleted mantle source, followed by later AFC processes. This model is unusual for arcs, where such diversity is usually explained by melting of heterogeneous (enriched and depleted) and subduction-modified mantle.

Mechanisms of magmatic gas loss along the Southeast Indian Ridge and the Amsterdam –St. Paul Plateau

New analyses of He, Ne, Ar and CO2 trapped in basaltic glasses from the Southeast Indian Ridge (Amsterdam–St. Paul (ASP) region) show that ridge magmas degas by a Rayleigh distillation process. As a result, the absolute and relative noble gas abundances are highly fractionated with 4He/40Ar* ratios as high as 620 compared to a production ratio of ∼3 (where 40Ar* is 40Ar corrected for atmospheric contamination). There is a good correlation between 4He/40Ar* and the MgO content of the basalt, suggesting that the amount of gas lost from a particular magma is related to the degree of crystallization. Fractional crystallization forces oversaturation of CO2 because CO2 is an incompatible element. Therefore, crystallization will increase the fraction of gas lost from the magma. The He–Ar–CO2–MgO–TiO2 compositions of the ASP basalts are modeled as a combined fractional crystallization–fractional degassing process using experimentally determined noble gas and CO2 solubilities and partition coefficients at reasonable magmatic pressures (2–4 kbar). The combined fractional crystallization–degassing model reproduces the basalt compositions well, although it is not possible to rule out depth of eruption as a potential additional control on the extent of degassing. The extent of degassing determines the relative noble gas abundances (4He/40Ar*) and the 40Ar*/CO2 ratio but it cannot account for large (>factor 50) variations in He/CO2, due to the similar solubilities of He and CO2 in basaltic magmas. Instead, variations in CO2/3He (C/3He) trapped in the vesicles must reflect similar variations in the primary magma. The controls on C/3He in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) are not known. There are no obvious correlated variations between C/3He and tracers of mantle heterogeneity (3He/4He, K/Ti etc.), implying that the variations in C/3He are not likely to be a feature of the mantle source to these basalts. Mixing between MORB-like sources and more enriched, high 3He/4He sources occurs on and near the ASP plateau, resulting in variable 3He/4He and K/Ti compositions (and many other tracers). Using 4He/40Ar* to track degassing, we demonstrate that mixing systematics involving He isotopes are determined in large part by the extent of degassing. Relatively undegassed lavas (with low 4He/40Ar*) are characterized by steep 3He/4He–K/Ti mixing curves, with high He/Ti ratios in the enriched magma (relative to He/Ti in the MORB magma). Degassed samples (high 4He/40Ar*) on the other hand have roughly equal He/Ti ratios in both end-members, resulting in linear mixing trajectories involving He isotopes. Some degassing of ASP magmas must occur at depth, prior to magma mixing. As a result of degassing prior to mixing, mixing systematics of oceanic basalts that involve noble gas–lithophile pairs (e.g. 3He/4He vs. 87Sr/86Sr or 40Ar/36Ar vs. 206Pb/204Pb) are unlikely to reflect the noble gas composition of the mantle source to the basalts. Instead, the mixing curve will reflect the extent of gas loss from the magmas, which is in turn buffered by the pressure of combined crystallization–degassing and the initial CO2 content.