Trace-element partitioning between amphibole and silicate melt.

Knowledge of the partitioning behavior of trace elements between solid and liquid is a prerequisite for modern igneous and mantle petrology. Most of the mathematical models simulating melt generation, migration and evolution within the mantle and/or the crust require the availability of reliable solid/liquid partition coefficients for the mineral phases involved in the process. Calcic amphiboles are extremely important for the understanding of lithospheric processes because of both their common occurrence in a variety of igneous and metamorphic rocks types and their capability of hosting a large number of geochemically important trace elements. A series of studies on the partitioning behavi…

Geochemical characteristics of lawsonite blueschists in tectonic mélange from the Tavşanlı Zone, Turkey: Potential constraints on the origin of Mediterranean potassium-rich magmatism

Fe-rich Dunite Xenoliths from South African Kimberlites: Cumulates from Karoo Flood Basalts

Fe-rich dunite xenoliths within the Kimberley kimberlites comprise olivine neoblasts with minor elongated, parallel-oriented ilmenite, and rarely olivine porphyroclasts and spinel. Compared with typical mantle peridotites, olivines in the Fe-rich dunites have lower forsterite (Fo87^89) and NiOcontents (1300^2800 ppm), which precludes a restitic origin for the dunites. Chrome-rich spinels are remnants of a metasomatic reaction that produced ilmenite and phlogopite.Trace element compositions differ between porphyroclastic and neoblastic olivine, the latter having higherTi, V, Cr and Ni and lower Zn, Zr and Nb contents, documenting their different origins.The dunites have high Os/Os ratios (0 …

Tertiary Ultrapotassic Volcanism in Serbia: Constraints on Petrogenesis and Mantle Source Characteristics

The Serbian province of Tertiary ultrapotassic volcanism is related to a post-collisional tectonic regime that followed the closure of the Tethyan Vardar Ocean by Late Cretaceous subduction beneath the southern European continental margin. Rocks of this province form two ultrapotassic groups; one with affinities to lamproites, which is concentrated mostly in the central parts of the Vardar ophiolitic suture zone, and the other with affinities to kamafugites, which crops out in volcanoes restricted to the western part of Serbia. The lamproitic group is characterized by a wide range of Sr/Sri (0 70735–0 71299) and Nd/Ndi (0 51251–0 51216), whereas the kamafugitic group is isotopically more ho…

An experimental study of the role of partial melts of sediments versus mantle melts in the sources of potassic magmatism

Abstract Potassium-rich lavas with K/Na of >2 are common in orogenic and anorogenic intraplate magmatic provinces. However, in the primitive mantle, the concentration of Na exceeds that of K by 10 times. The source of K-rich lavas thus needs to be either K-enriched or Na-depleted to account for high K/Na ratios. The geochemical and isotopic compositions of high 87Sr/86Sr post-collisional lavas show that their mantle source contains a recycled crustal component. These highly K-enriched lavas with crustal like trace element patterns are termed “orogenic lamproites” and are compositionally distinct from K-rich “anorogenic lamproites” that show lower 87Sr/86Sr and a trace element pattern that r…

Origin of potassic postcollisional volcanic rocks in young, shallow, blueschist-rich lithosphere

Unusually high Th/La in K-rich orogenic rocks may indicate shallow blueschist-rich sources in accretionary settings.

The composition of near-solidus melts of peridotite in the presence of CO2 and H2O between 40 and 60 kbar

Abstract Partial melting experiments at 40, 50 and 60 kbar pressure on three peridotite compositions with 0.5–0.63 wt.% H2O and 2.0–3.2 wt.% CO2 added indicate melting temperatures only marginally above continental geotherms. Most experiments were performed on a composition with 1.5 wt.% K2O added, which causes a further decrease of about 40 °C in melting temperature. Melts progress gradually from carbonate-rich to carbonated silicate in composition: near-solidus melts have Ca/(Ca + Mg) of 0.46–0.53, which fall to  30 wt.%) and Al2O3 (  9 wt.%) and concomitant decrease in CaO (> 20 to Partial melts of peridotite with CO2 and H2O are too low in MgO to resemble kimberlites, but will act as ef…

The Palaeoanthropocene – The beginnings of anthropogenic environmental change

Abstract As efforts to recognize the Anthropocene as a new epoch of geological time are mounting, the controversial debate about the time of its beginning continues. Here, we suggest the term Palaeoanthropocene for the period between the first, barely recognizable, anthropogenic environmental changes and the industrial revolution when anthropogenically induced changes of climate, land use and biodiversity began to increase very rapidly. The concept of the Palaeoanthropocene recognizes that humans are an integral part of the Earth system rather than merely an external forcing factor. The delineation of the beginning of the Palaeoanthropocene will require an increase in the understanding and …

Lamproites as indicators of accretion and/or shallow subduction in the assembly of south-western Anatolia, Turkey

IntroductionThe Western Anatolian region of Tur-key is tectonically one of the mostcomplex parts of the Alpine–Himala-yan orogenic belt (Fig. 1) because ofits long accretional palaeotectonicevolution. One of the major tectonicfeatures shaping the structure ofwestern Anatolia is the Menderesmetamorphic massif, which consistsof several assembled and imbricatedterranes exhumed during the exten-sion that affected the entire Aegeanprovince during the Late Miocene(Yilmaz et al., 2000; Okay, 2002).The Menderes Massif is usually inter-preted as a core complex delineated bylow-angle detachment faults (Bozkurtand Park, 1994; Hetzel et al., 1995;Ring et al., 2003). An alternativeexplanation associates …

Constraints on the sources of post-collisional K-rich magmatism: The roles of continental clastic sediments and terrigenous blueschists

Abstract The possible role of continental sediments in the generation of potassium-enriched lavas of the Alpine-Himalayan belt depends on their melting behaviour either during subduction or during post-collisional relaxation. Although usually classed as orogenic lavas, these volcanic rocks may result from re-melting of newly formed mantle lithosphere 30–40 million years after collision ends, and can thus be considered as the first stage of intraplate volcanism. The potassic component in these volcanics is characterized by a high Th/La signature for which there are two competing explanations: melting of subducted continental clastic sediments, and the involvement of lawsonite blueschists in …

Measurement of sulfur isotope ratios in micrometer-sized samples by NanoSIMS

Abstract Sulfur isotope ratios of atmospheric aerosol particles can provide detailed information with regard to the origin and the transport of sulfur in the environment. The new Cameca NanoSIMS 50 ion microprobe technique permits analysis of individual aerosol particles with volumes down to 0.5 μm 3 and a precision for δ 34 S of 3–10‰ (2 σ ). This technique will set new standards in the analysis of isotope ratios in atmospheric aerosol. For the first time it is possible to directly compare chemical and isotopic composition of individual aerosol particles, identify internal and external mixtures and investigate reactions of anthropogenic gases with natural aerosol such as sea salt and miner…

Trace elements in olivine of ultramafic lamprophyres controlled by phlogopite-rich mineral assemblages in the mantle source

Abstract Carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) and associated rocks characteristically occur during the early stages of thinning and rifting of cratonic mantle lithosphere, prior to the eruption of melilitites, nephelinites and alkali basalts. It is accepted that they require volatile-rich melting conditions, and the presence of phlogopite and carbonate in the source, but the exact source rock assemblages are debated. Melts similar to carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) have been produced by melting of peridotites in the presence of CO2 and H2O, whereas isotopes and trace elements appear to favor distinct phlogopite-bearing rocks. Olivine macrocrysts in ailliki…

Contrasting types of metasomatism in dunite, wehrlite and websterite xenoliths from Kimberley, South Africa

Abstract Dunite, wehrlite and websterite are rare members of the mantle xenolith suite in the Kimberley kimberlites of the Kaapvaal Craton in southern Africa. All three types were originally residues of extensive melt extraction and experienced varying amounts and types of melt re-enrichment. The melt depletion event, dated by Re–Os isotope systematics at 2.9 Ga or older, is evidenced by the high Mg# (Mg/(Mg + Fe)) of silicate minerals (olivine (0.89–0.93); pyroxene (0.88–0.93); garnet (0.72–0.85)), high Cr# (Cr/(Cr + Al)) of spinel (0.53–0.84) and mostly low whole-rock SiO2, CaO and Al2O3 contents. Shortly after melt depletion, websterites were formed by reaction between depleted peridotit…

Petrological characterization of the mantle source of Mediterranean lamproites: Indications from major and trace elements of phlogopite

Lamproites are among the most enigmatic mantle generated melts, and are typically abundant in phlogopite. We investigated the major and trace element chemistry of phlogopite crystals from Mediterranean lamproite occurrences in Spain, Serbia and Turkey. The most primitive lamproite samples were selected in order to evaluate the generation of the different phlogopite populations in their distinct mantle setting(s). Phlogopite hosted in Mediterranean lamproites can be grouped into different compositional arrays on the basis of their major element chemistry using Al2O3, FeOT and TiO2 concentrations. Contents of Cr, F and presumably Ti allow discrimination of the macrocrysts into phlogopite phen…

Evidence from Antarctic mantle peridotite xenoliths for changes in mineralogy, geochemistry and geothermal gradients beneath a developing rift

Abstract Garnet and spinel peridotite xenoliths associated with the Phanerozoic Lambert–Amery Rift in eastern Antarctica contain evidence for several stages in the development of the mantle beneath the rift. Despite the fact that equilibria were only partly attained, a combination of petrography, whole-rock geochemistry, mineral chemistry and thermobarometry can be used to decipher four stages prior to entrainment of the xenoliths in the host magma during the initial stages of the breakup of Antarctica, India and Madagascar. The first chronological stage is represented by harzburgitic protoliths represented by rare occurrences of low-Ca olivines and orthopyroxenes in spinel lherzolites: the…

Internal Differentiation of the Archean Continental Crust: Fluid-Controlled Partial Melting of Granulites and TTG-Amphibolite Associations in Central Finland

Fault bound blocks of granulite and enderbite occur within upper amphibolite-facies migmatitic tonalitic-trondhjemitic-granodioritic (TTG) gneisses of the Iisalmi block of Central Finland. These units record reworking and partial melting of different levels of the Archean crust during a major tectonothermal event at 2·6-2·7 Ga. Anhydrous mineral assemblages and tonalitic melts in the granulites formed as a result of hydrous phase breakdown melting reactions involving amphibole at peak metamorphic conditions of 8-11 kbar and 750-900°C. A nominally fluid-absent melting regime in the granulites is supported by the presence of carbonic fluid inclusions. The geochemical signature of light rare e…

Patterns and origin of igneous activity around the Tanzanian craton

Abstract Tertiary and later igneous activity is common on and around the Tanzanian craton, with primitive magma compositions ranging from kimberlites and varieties of picrites through nephelinites, basanites and alkali basalts. This review focuses on elucidating the conditions of origin of the melts, addressing the question of the state and involvement of the Tanzanian cratonic lithosphere in magma genesis. The Tanzanian craton is anomalous with a surface elevation of >1100 m reflecting buoyancy supported by a subcratonic plume whose effects are seen in the volcanics of both western and eastern rift branches. Magmatism on the craton and at its edge has high K/Na and primitive melts show fra…

Two-Stage Origin of K-Enrichment in Ultrapotassic Magmatism Simulated by Melting of Experimentally Metasomatized Mantle

The generation of strongly potassic melts in the mantle requires the presence of phlogopite in the melting assemblage, while isotopic and trace element analyses of ultrapotassic rocks frequently indicate the involvement of subducted crustal lithologies in the source. However, phlogopite-free experiments that focus on melting of sedimentary rocks and subsequent hybridization with mantle rocks at pressures of 1&ndash

Petrogenesis of strongly alkaline primitive volcanic rocks at the propagating tip of the western branch of the East African Rift

Abstract Strongly silica-undersaturated potassic lavas (kamafugites) and carbonatitic tuffs are characteristic of the Toro-Ankole volcanic field in southwestern Uganda, forming the youngest and most northward volcanics of the western branch of the East African Rift. Lavas contain exceptionally low SiO2 (31.8–42.8 wt.%), high CaO (up to 16.6 wt.%) and K2O (up to 7 wt.%). They exhibit moderately enriched correlated Nd (eNd − 0.1 to − 4.7) and Hf (eHf − 0.1 to − 8.8) isotope signatures, indicating time-integrated enrichment in incompatible elements in the source, attributed to mixing between two metasomatic assemblages, a phlogopite-rich MARID-type and a later carbonate-rich assemblage. The re…

Ultrapotassic Mafic Rocks as Geochemical Proxies for Post-collisional Dynamics of Orogenic Lithospheric Mantle: the Case of Southwestern Anatolia, Turkey

High-Mg ultrapotassic volcanic rock occurrences of lamproitic affinity are exposed in southwestern Anatolia, mostly within the Menderes Massif. From north to south the lamproitic volcanism shows increasingly younger ages ranging from 20 to 4 Ma. Volcanism is contemporaneous with more voluminous shoshonitic, high-K calc-alkaline, and ultrapotassic magmatic activity in the Simav-Selendi, Usak, Kirka, Koroglu, Afyon and Isparta-Golcuk areas. The southward decrease in the age of the volcanism correlates with changes in geochemical composition, particularly a decrease in Sr-87/Sr-86, Pb-207/Pb-204, Zr/Nb and Th/Nb, and an increase in Nd-143/Nd-144, Hf-176/Hf-177, Pb-206/Pb-204, Pb-208/Pb-204 and…

The analcime problem and its impact on the geochemistry of ultrapotassic rocks from Serbia

AbstractTertiary ultrapotassic volcanic rocks from Serbia occasionally display low levels of K2O and K2O/ Na2O. In these rocks, analcime regularly appears as pseudomorphs after pre-existing leucite microphenocrysts. The process ofleucite transformation in Serbian ultrapotassic rocks is very thorough: fresh leucite survives only in ugandites from the Koritnik lava flows as well as in rare inclusions in Cpx. This paper focuses on the impact of ‘analcimization’ on the mineralogy and geochemistry ofthe Serbian ultrapotassic rocks, using the samples where leucite survived as a monitor for the process.Analcimization has had a great impact on the geochemistry of the rocks, but affects only a restr…

Low-pressure fractionation of the Nyiragongo volcanic rocks, Virunga Province, D.R. Congo

Abstract A new petrogenetic model for the Nyiragongo volcanics based on petrological and geochemical studies of a wide range of highly alkaline and silica-undersaturated fractionated rocks (Mg# 23–44) invokes low-pressure fractionation occurring mainly within the Nyiragongo volcanic edifice. The most primitive Nyiragongo rocks seem correspond to a pyroxene-nephelinitic melt which evolved to melilite nephelinite and melilitite by fractionation of leucite, together with varying amounts of nepheline. Leucite nephelinite, leucitite and leucite tephrite represent rock types originating partly by phenocryst accumulation. Mineral and bulk rock geochemistry of pyroxene nephelinites indicate an alre…

Metamorphism and melting of picritic crust in the early Earth

Abstract Partial melting experiments with models of Archean oceanic crust (MAOC; with 11, 13 and 15 wt.% MgO) are used to investigate the role of metamorphism and melting of primary picritic compositions in the formation of TTG-like melts and continental crust on the early Earth. The approach investigates the possibility that the average early crust composition was comparatively MgO-rich and evolved to lower magnesium content during the secular cooling of the Earth. High-pressure partial melting experiments indicate a transition of melt compositions from aluminous basaltic melts in MAOC 15 to predominantly tonalitic melts in MAOC 11 and higher melting temperatures with increasing magnesium …

Accretion of arc-oceanic lithospheric mantle in the Mediterranean: Evidence from extremely high-Mg olivines and Cr-rich spinel inclusions in lamproites

Abstract Si-rich Mediterranean type lamproites (48–56 wt.% SiO2) are olivine-phyric, mantle-derived volcanics, in which both phenocrystic and xenocrystic olivine are present. Here we demonstrate the phenocrystic origin of the most extremely NiO–MgO enriched olivine in lamproites with Mg# up to 0.95, that host Cr-rich (Cr# around 0.95) spinels. Our comprehensive study of olivine–spinel pairs from Mediterranean lamproites enables us to constrain the extent of depletion of their mantle source. Olivine–spinel pairs from primitive Mediterranean lamproites plot in the most refractory part of the olivine–spinel mantle array diagram, showing even more refractory character than mineral pairs from bo…

Orogenic vs anorogenic lamproites in a single volcanicprovince: Mediterranean-type lamproites from Turkey

Lamproites are mantle-derived ultrapotassic volcanic rocks, derived from phlogopite-bearing harzburgitic source. The origin of the metasomatism which enriched their mantle source is either an old event with a metasomatic component derived from the convecting mantle, or is a more recent introduction of an already aged metasomatic component. Together with different trace element signatures, this view serves for a general distinction between anorogenic and orogenic lamproites worldwide. In Turkey, lamproitic volcanism resulted from interplay of subduction/collisional and postcollisional/extensional regime since Miocene until Pliocene, in the Western Anatolia-Aegean and Kirka-Afyon-Isparta regi…

Trace element partitioning in lamproitic magmas—the Gaussberg olivine leucitite

Abstract Partition coefficients for compatible and incompatible trace elements for use in modelling the origin and evolution of lamproitic and other potassic rocks are reported. These are based on values obtained by in situ determination using laser ablation microprobe-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LAM-ICP-MS) on mineral/glass pairs in examples of the Gaussberg olivine leucitite, a classic leucite lamproite. Leucite/melt partition coefficients for 32 elements show values above 1 only for Cs and Rb, whereas values for Ni, Ga and Co are 0.4–0.1. DLc/Lq for most other elements are in the range 0.07–0.0005, and delineate a gently sloping pattern to lower values for elements gene…

Melting of sediments in the deep mantle produces saline fluid inclusions in diamonds.

We demonstrate the formation of highly saline mantle fluids by the reaction of subducted sediment with peridotite.

Molecular composition and chemotaxonomic aspects of Eocene amber from the Ameki Formation, Nigeria

The molecular composition of fossil resin from the Eocene Ameki Formation, southern Nigeria has been analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and thermochemolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to determine the structural class and botanical source of the resin. The pyrolysis products were dominated by bicyclic products derived from regular labdatriene structure and lacked succinic acid indicating Class Ib type amber. The biomarker compositions in the pyrolysates are dominated by sesquiterpenoids of the cadinane and bisabolane classes that are common constituents of higher plants and labdane type diterpenoids. The exclusive presence of labdane …

A Reappraisal of Redox Melting in the Earth’s Mantle as a Function of Tectonic Setting and Time

Redox melting refers to any process by which melt is generated by the contact of a rock with a fluid or melt with a contrasting oxidation state. It was originally applied to melting owing to the oxidation of reduced CH4and H2-bearing fluids in contact with more oxidized blocks in the mantle, particularly recycled crustal blocks.This oxidation mechanism causes an increase in the activity of H2O by the reaction of CH4 with O2, and the increased aH2O causes a rapid drop in the solidus temperature, and is here termed hydrous redox melting (HRM). Recently, a second redox melting mechanism (carbonate redox melting; CRM) has been discovered that operates in more oxidized conditions, and may post-d…

A trace element perspective on Archean crust formation and on the presence or absence of Archean subduction

Goldschmidt Abstracts 2010 – R

Sulfur isotope ratio measurements of individual sulfate particles by NanoSIMS

Abstract The sulfur isotopic compositions of barite (BaSO4), anhydrite (CaSO4), gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), mascagnite ((NH4)2SO4), thenardite (Na2SO4), boetite (K2SO4), epsomite (MgSO4·7H2O), magnesium sulfate (MgSO4·xH2O) and cysteine (an amino acid) were determined with a Cameca NanoSIMS 50 ion microprobe employing a Cs+ primary ion beam and measuring negative secondary ions. This ion microprobe permits the analysis of sulfur isotope ratios in sulfates on 0.001–0.5 ng of sample material, enabling the analysis of individual S-bearing particles with diameters as small as 500 nm. The grain-to-grain reproducibility of measurements is typically 5‰ (1σ) for micron-sized grains,

Terpenoid composition and origin of amber from the Cape York Peninsula, Australia

The terpenoid composition of fossil resin from the Cape York Peninsula, Australia has been analysed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) to determine its origin. The pyrolysis products were dominated by cadalene-based C15 bicyclic sesquiterpenoids including some C30–C31 bicadinanes and bicadinenes typical of Class II resin derived from angiosperm plants of Dipterocarpaceae. This observation contrasts with the Araucariaceae (Agathis sp.) source previously suggested for the resin based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses. Dipterocarpaceae are not known in Australian vegetation but grow abundantly in Southeast Asia including New Guinea, indicating that the geo…

Mineral and trace element composition of the Lokpanta oil shales in the Lower Benue Trough, Nigeria

Abstract The concentrations of minerals and trace elements in the Lokpanta oil shale from the Lower Benue Trough, Nigeria have been determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), respectively. X-ray diffraction data were evaluated using the SIROQUANT™ interactive data processing system based on Rietveld interpretation methods. A new method of trace element determination in oil shale, involving LA-ICP-MS analysis of glass beads prepared by fusing oil shale ash on an iridium strip heater was used, and the accuracy of the method was assessed by including a standard shale reference material (SGR-1b) in the analysis program. The…

Restoration of premetasomatic protolith compositions in mantle xenoliths

Minor and trace elements in olivines as probes into early igneous and mantle melting processes

Abstract The trace element composition of olivine is a rapidly growing research area that has several applications of great potential. Mantle olivines can be distinguished from volcanic olivines by lower concentrations of Ca (

Non-explosive, dome-forming eruptions at Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand

Abstract Volcanic domes may be emplaced rapidly and with few hazardous consequences, even at the summit of large stratovolcanoes. In this study the most recent activity of Mt. Taranaki in New Zealand is shown to have been a passive effusion of a c. 5.9 million m3 lava dome with minor associated explosions and little syn-eruptive hazard. This event, the Sisters eruption, appears to have been unrecorded by local indigenous populations but likely occurred between A.D. 1785 and 1820. The magma erupted is chemically distinct from the preceding A.D. 1755 Tahurangi eruption. Based on breakdown of hornblende crystal rims, the Sisters magma was probably only four days outside the hornblende stabilit…

Geochemistry of Chromian Spinels from the Indo-Myanmar Ophiolite Belt of Northeastern India

Chromite is commonly used for deciphering the petrogenesis and geodynamic setting of ultramafic rocks. Chromespinels from the Indo-Myanmar ophiolite belt occurring in the form of podiform chromitites associated with the mantle sequence and associated volcanic rocks are studied to characterise their geochemical composition. We have measured major and trace element concentrations of the chrome-spinels. Cr/(Cr+Al) (Cr#) and Mg/(Mg+Fe 2+ ) (Mg#) range from 66 to 70 and 66 to 69 respectively in the chromitite and 47 to 56 and 67 to 70 in volcanic spinel. The computed crystallization conditions show that the studied samples crystallized in an upper mantle environment. Using the chrome spinel comp…

Mediterranean Tertiary lamproites derived from multiple source components in postcollisional geodynamics

Abstract In the Mediterranean area, lamproitic provinces in Spain, Italy, Serbia and Macedonia have uniform geological, geochemical and petrographic characteristics. Mediterranean lamproites are SiO2-rich lamproites, characterized by relatively low CaO, Al2O3 and Na2O, and high K2O/Al2O3 and Mg-number. They are enriched in LILE relative to HFSE and in Pb, and show depletion in Ti, Nb and Ta. Mediterranean lamproites show huge regional variation of Sr, Nd and 207Pb/204Pb isotopic values, with 87Sr/86Sr range of 0.707–0.722, eNd range from −13 to −3, and 207Pb/204Pb range of 15.62–15.79. Lamproitic rocks are derived from melts with three components involved in their origin, characterized by c…

Partitioning of nitrogen during melting and recycling in subduction zones and the evolution of atmospheric nitrogen

Abstract The subduction of sediment connects the surface nitrogen cycle to that of the deep Earth. To understand the evolution of nitrogen in the atmosphere, the behavior of nitrogen during the subduction and melting of subducted sediments has to be estimated. This study presents high-pressure experimental measurements of the partitioning of nitrogen during the melting of sediments at sub-arc depths. For quantitative analysis of nitrogen in minerals and glasses, we calibrated the electron probe micro-analyzer on synthetic ammonium feldspar to measure nitrogen concentrations as low as 500 μg g−1. Nitrogen abundances in melt and mica are used together with mass balance calculations to determi…

Quantitative Estimation of Major and Trace Elements in Coals of the Benue Trough, Nigeria

The concentrations of major and trace elements in ash residues of coals of the Benue Trough, Nigeria have been determined by electron microprobe and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, respectively. Major and trace element determination in rocks by fusion on an iridium strip heater followed by electron microprobe and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry is extended here to coal ash, and the accuracy of the method is evaluated by including an Argonne Premium Coal reference sample in each analysis program. Si and Al are the major elements detected in the coal ashes. An assessment using worldwide concentration ranges of trace elements in coal ash…

Torngat ultramafic lamprophyres and their relation to the North Atlantic Alkaline Province

Geological mapping and diamond exploration in northern Quebec and Labrador has revealed an undeformed ultramafic dyke swarm in the northern Torngat Mountains. The dyke rocks are dominated by an olivine-phlogopite mineralogy and contain varying amounts of primary carbonate. Their mineralogy, mineral compositional trends and the presence of typomorphic minerals (e.g. kimzeyitic garnet), indicate that these dykes comprise an ultramafic lamprophyre suite grading into carbonatite. Recognized rock varieties are aillikite, mela-aillikite and subordinate carbonatite. Carbonatite and aillikite have in common high carbonate content and a lack of clinopyroxene. In contrast, mela-aillikites are richer …

The olivine macrocryst problem: New insights from minor and trace element compositions of olivine from Lac de Gras kimberlites, Canada

This study presents detailed petrographical and geochemical investigations on remarkably fresh olivines in kimberlites from the EKATI Diamond Mine™ located in the Tertiary/Cretaceous Lac de Gras kimberlite field within the Slave craton of Canada. Olivine, constituting about 42 vol.% of the analyzed samples, can be divided into two textural groups: (i) macrocrystic olivines, > 100 μm sub-rounded crystals and (ii) groundmass olivines, < 100 μm subhedral crystals. Olivines from both populations define two distinct chemical trends; a “mantle trend” with angular cores, showing low Ca (< 0.1 wt.% CaO) and high Ni (0.3–0.4 wt.% NiO) at varying Mg# (0.86–0.93), contrasts with a “melt trend” typifie…

Xenoliths from the sub-volcanic lithosphere of Mt Taranaki, New Zealand

Abstract Mount Taranaki is located 140 km west of the Taupo Volcanic Zone and represents the most westerly expression of subduction-related volcanism on the North Island of New Zealand. Taranaki is a predominantly high-K arc volcano but compositions range from basaltic andesite to andesite with minor dacite and basalt. The sub-volcanic basement under Taranaki is thought to comprise calc–alkaline plutonic and metamorphic rocks of the Median Batholith, overlain by a sequence of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments. Taranaki lavas contain abundant xenoliths that represent samples of the upper to lower crust beneath the volcano. The xenolith suite has been initially organised into six groups based…

Between carbonatite and lamproite - Diamondiferous Torngat ultramafic lamprophyres formed by carbonate-fluxed melting of cratonic MARID-type metasomes

Abstract New U–Pb perovskite ages reveal that diamondiferous ultramafic lamprophyre magmas erupted through the Archean crust of northern Labrador and Quebec (eastern Canada) between ca. 610 and 565 Ma, a period of strong rifting activity throughout contiguous Laurentia and Baltica. The observed Torngat carbonate-rich aillikite/carbonatite and carbonate-poor mela-aillikite dyke varieties show a large spread in Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotope ratios with pronounced correlations between isotope systems. An isotopically depleted component is identified solely within aillikites (87Sr/86Sri = 0.70323–0.70377; eNdi = +1.2–+1.8; eHfi = +1.4–+3.5; 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.2–18.5), whereas some aillikites and all mela-…

Re-enrichment of cratonic lithospheric mantle beneath an evolving rift: Mantle xenoliths from East Antarctica

Terpenoid composition and chemotaxonomic aspects of Miocene amber from the Koroglu Mountains, Turkey

Abstract A recently discovered fossil resin from Koroglu Mountain in Turkey has been analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to determine its structural class and botanical origin. The sesqui- and diterpenoids contained in the amber extract were used as chemosystematic markers when compared with terpenoids in extant conifers. The pyrolysis products were dominated by labdanoid derived bicyclic products together with succinic acid indicating Class Ia type amber. The biomarker compositions of the resin comprise mainly sesqui- and diterpenoids, and lack triterpenoids. This distribution suggests a gymnosperm, and more specifically a con…

A review of petrogenesis of Mediterranean Tertiary lamproites: A perspective from the Serbian ultrapotassic province

Integrating Ultramafic Lamprophyres into the IUGS Classification of Igneous Rocks: Rationale and Implications

RECEIVED JULY 16, 2004; ACCEPTED MARCH 16, 2005ADVANCE ACCESS PUBLICATION APRIL 29, 2005We introduce a modification to the current IUGS classificationsystem for igneous rocks to include ultramafic lamprophyres, whicharecurrentlyentirelyomitted.Thisisdonebyincludinganewstepinthe sequential system, after the assignment of pyroclastic rocks andcarbonatites, that considers ultramafic inequigranular textured rockswith olivine and phlogopite macrocrysts and/or phenocrysts. At thisstepultramaficlamprophyresareconsideredtogetherwithkimberlites,orangeites (former Group 2 kimberlites) and olivine lamproites.This proposal allows the correct identification and classificationof ultramafic lamprophyres w…

Anatectic amphibole and restitic garnet in Variscan migmatite from NE Sardinia, Italy: insights into partial melting from mineral trace elements

We report results of a laser-ICP-MS investigation of trace element contents in the main constituent minerals of an amphibole-bearing migmatite from the Variscan orogen in northeastern Sardinia. The migmatite is associated with migmatised orthogneiss and Al-silicate-bearing pelitic migmatites. The protolith of the amphibole-bearing migmatite was a mid-Ordovician igneous rock of intermediate composition characterised by a biotite + plagioclase + quartz assemblage. The migmatite consists of mesosomes and tonalitic (or, less frequently, granodioritic) leucosomes, characterised by amphibole crystals (potassian ferropargasite) up to 2 cm in size. The tonalitic leucosomes are made up of quartz, pl…

Potassium-rich magmatism from a phlogopite-free source

The generation of strongly potassic melts in the mantle is generally thought to require the presence of phlogopite in the melting assemblage. In the Mediterranean region, trace element and isotope compositions indicate that continental crustal material is involved in the generation of many potassium-rich lavas. This is clearest in ultrapotassic rocks like lamproites and shoshonites, for which the relevant chemical signals are less diluted by extensive melting of peridotite. Furthermore, melting occurs here in young lithosphere, so the continental crust was not stored for a long period of time in the mantle before reactivation. We have undertaken two types of experiments to investigate the r…

Rejuvenation and erosion of the cratonic lithosphere

Cratons are ancient continental nuclei that have resisted significant fragmentation for almost two billion years. Yet, many cratons also experience phases of instability in the form of erosion and rejuvenation of their thick lithospheric mantle keels. Melting governed by redox processes as well as small-scale convection play a key role in triggering such instability. Cratons are the ancient cores of continents, characterized by tectonic inactivity, a thick mantle lithosphere and low heat flow. Although stable as tectonically independent units for at least the past 2 billion years, cratons have experienced episodic rejuvenation events throughout their history. The lower part of the lithosphe…

Enhanced Role of Transition Metal Ion Catalysis During In-Cloud Oxidation of SO2

Global sulfate production plays a key role in aerosol radiative forcing; more than half of this production occurs in clouds. We found that sulfur dioxide oxidation catalyzed by natural transition metal ions is the dominant in-cloud oxidation pathway. The pathway was observed to occur primarily on coarse mineral dust, so the sulfate produced will have a short lifetime and little direct or indirect climatic effect. Taking this into account will lead to large changes in estimates of the magnitude and spatial distribution of aerosol forcing. Therefore, this oxidation pathway-which is currently included in only one of the 12 major global climate models-will have a significant impact on assessmen…

The contribution of ultramafic veins in alkaline and non-alkaline mafic magmatism

Os-isotope constraints on the dynamics of orogenic mantle: The case of the Central Balkans

Abstract We used Os isotopic systematics to assess the geochemical relationship between the lithospheric mantle beneath the Balkans (Mediterranean), ophiolitic peridotites and lavas derived from the lithospheric mantle. In our holistic approach we studied samples of Tertiary post-collisional ultrapotassic lavas sourced within the lithospheric mantle, placer Pt alloys from Vardar ophiolites, peridotites from nearby Othris ophiolites, as well as four mantle xenoliths representative for the composition of the local mantle lithosphere. Our ultimate aim was to monitor lithospheric mantle evolution under the Balkan part of the Alpine-Himalayan belt. The observations made on Os isotope and highly …

Recycling plus: A new recipe for the formation of Alpine-Himalayan orogenic mantle lithosphere

Abstract The origin of the lithospheric mantle beneath accretionary orogens is enigmatic; although severe compression of the buoyant crust occurs, the mantle lithosphere is generally thought to be removed and returned to the convecting mantle. We suggest that during the accretion of oceanic arcs and small continental blocks in the Mediterranean region, and more generally throughout the whole Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt, the mantle lithosphere is newly created and composed of intimately mixed peridotite and crustal material from the forearc region. Potassium-rich volcanic rocks emplaced sometimes more than 30 Ma after the formation of this lithosphere carry evidence for the presence of ex…

Coupled silicon-oxygen isotope fractionation traces Archaean silicification

International audience; Silica alteration zones and cherts are a conspicuous feature of Archaean greenstone belts worldwide and provide evidence of extensive mobilisation of silica in the marine environment of the early Earth. In order to understand the process(es) of silicification we measured the silicon and oxygen isotope composition of sections of variably silicified basalts and overlying bedded cherts from the Theespruit, Hooggenoeg and Kromberg Formations of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa.The δ30Si and δ18O values of bulk rock increase with increasing amount of silicification from unsilicified basalts (-0.64‰ 30Si 18O 30Si and δ18O values as high as + 0.81‰ and + 15.6‰, r…

δ30Si and δ29Si Determinations on USGS BHVO-1 and BHVO-2 Reference Materials with a New Configuration on a Nu Plasma Multi-Collector ICP-MS

We report silicon isotopic determinations for USGS rock reference materials BHVO-1 and BHVO-2 using a Nu Plasma multi-collector (MC)-ICP-MS, upgraded with a new adjustable entrance slit, to obtain medium resolution, as well as a stronger primary pump and newly designed sampler and skimmer cones ("B" cones). These settings, combined with the use of collector slits, allowed a resolution to be reached that was sufficient to overcome the (NO)-N-14-O-16 and N-14(2) interferences overlying the Si-30 and the Si-28 peaks, respectively, in an earlier set-up. This enabled accurate measurement of both delta Si-30 and delta Si-29. The delta value is expressed in per mil variation relative to the NBS 28…

Craton reactivation on the Labrador Sea margins: 40Ar/39Ar age and Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotope constraints from alkaline and carbonatite intrusives

Abstract The once-contiguous North Atlantic craton (NAC) is crosscut by the Labrador Sea that opened during the Early Cenozoic after extensive Mesozoic continental rifting and removal of cratonic mantle. This large-scale structural change within the cratonic lithosphere was followed at about 150 Ma by the cessation of ultrapotassic and potassic-to-carbonatitic magma production, which had prevailed throughout much of the NAC history. At Aillik Bay, a sequence of olivine lamproites (1374.2 ± 4.2 Ma, 2σ), aillikites/carbonatites (590–555 Ma), and nephelinites (141.6 ± 1.0 Ma, 2σ) erupted through the southern NAC edge on the present-day Labrador Sea margin. Links between these alkaline magma ty…

Hf isotope compositions of Mediterranean lamproites: Mixing of melts from asthenosphere and crustally contaminated mantle lithosphere

Abstract Mediterranean lamproites from Spain, Italy, Serbia and Macedonia are mantle-derived ultrapotassic volcanic rocks that occur exclusively in postcollisional, extension-related geodynamic settings within the Alpine–Himalaya orogenic belt. Previous studies inferred them to be multi-component melts, originating by mixing of several mantle end-members: (1) provenance-controlled crust-contaminated mantle component(s), (2) an ultra-depleted mantle component, and (3) a component ultimately derived from the convecting mantle. Hf isotope ratios of Mediterranean lamproites reported here cover a large range of eHf values from 0 to −15, for less variable eNd −2 to −13, providing further evidence…

Eclogite xenoliths from the Kuruman kimberlites, South Africa: geochemical fingerprinting of deep subduction and cumulate processes☆

The mineralogically diverse eclogite xenolith suite sampled by the >1.6 Ga Zero kimberlite in the Kuruman group, close to the western edge of the Kaapvaal craton consists of bimineralic eclogites, orthopyroxene-bearing eclogites with and without sanidine, and kyanite eclogites. Garnet exsolutions in clinopyroxene occur in all Zero eclogite types, and orthopyroxene and, where present, sanidine are also exsolved from clinopyroxene in orthopyroxene-bearing eclogites. Mineral thermobarometry indicates that the last P–T condition prior to the kimberlite eruption was 900–950 °C at 3.5–4.0 GPa. However, inclusions of quartz, rutile and rarely K-feldspar, plus former fluid inclusions in garnets, in…

Melting and dynamic metasomatism of mixed harzburgite + glimmerite mantle source: Implications for the genesis of orogenic potassic magmas

Abstract Tectonically young, orogenic settings are commonly the sites of post-collisional silica-rich ultrapotassic magmas with extreme K2O-contents of up to 9 wt% and K2O/Na2O > 2. Many experimental studies investigating the generation of these melts have concentrated on melting of homogenous phlogopite bearing peridotites, whereas geochemical signatures indicate the involvement of at least two types of source rocks: ultra-depleted and K and trace elements-enriched ones. We report the results of melting experiments at 1–2 GPa of mixed glimmerite and harzburgite, in which these rock types make up two halves each capsule. Melting begins in the glimmerite, and its metasomatic effects on the h…

Structural characterization of Nigerian coals by X-ray diffraction, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy

Abstract The structural parameters of six Nigerian coals were determined by X-ray diffraction, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. This study reveals that the coals contain crystalline carbon of turbostratic structure with some amount of highly disordered amorphous carbon. The average lateral sizes ( L a ), stacking heights ( L c ) and interlayer spacing ( d 002 ) of the crystallite structures calculated from the X-ray intensities range from 16.47 to 25.70, 8.12 to 13.25 and 3.48 to 3.58 A, respectively. The L a values derived from the Raman spectra analyses using the classical linear relationship between 1/ L a and the D/G band ratio are higher (27.53–34.67 A) than values obtained from X-ray diff…