Igneous geochemistry

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright a b s t r a c t As part of the Karoo large igneous province (LIP), the ∼ 700 km-long and ∼ 182 Ma-old Lebombo monocline outcrops inland of a younger Mozambique Lowland cover that separates it from the Indian Ocean. Detailed mapping of a particularly well exposed Olifant River traverse across this monocline correlates basaltic and rhyodacitic lava units within the Lebombo Group to at least three hosted generations of intrusions within the monocline-parallel Northern Lebombo dyke swarm, implying that a much denser feeder dyke swarm is covered by younger flows. Measured attitudes and thicknesses of up to 197 lavas and 791 dykes statistically quantify a structural cross section, from which a properly weighted lava log of nearly 5 km basalts inter-bedded with an overlying N 3.5 km of rhyodacites is constructed. The geological section is compatible with a slightly deeper (sub-lava) section through the innermost ∼ 30 km's of a relatively narrow East Greenland margin, to which the Lebombo monocline can be rigorously compared. In both cases, field relationships are consistent with early tectonic extension being overwhelmed by dyke dilation within margin-parallel swarm segments that may have been injected laterally from central magma chambers. Thus, it is argued that the Lebombo monocline is part of a successfully rifted margin that, furthermore, belongs to a distinct class of highly volcanic and relatively narrow margins, which only form proximal to classical triple rift LIP centers, where an elevated magma flux sustains a magmatic mode of extension. For the Karoo LIP, this conforms with (1) a tight Gondwana reconstruction of Africa with Antarctica, (2) successful breakup during intense ∼ 182 Ma emplacement of the Lebombo Group, (3) triple rift formation, together with a short-lived (∼ 181–178 Ma) Okavango dyke swarm, and (4) anomalously thick igneous crust formation during continued ∼ 2.5 cm/yr separation into a loose ∼ 155 Ma plate configuration of Africa and Antarctica.

Tin-tungsten-associated granites occur widely in the Dawei region of the Southeast Asian tin belt. In this contribution, we present a detailed study of zircon U–Pb geochronology and whole-rock and zircon elemental
geochemistry for the Wagone and Hermyingyi granites in southern Myanmar, with the aim of determining their
petrogenesis, mineralization associations, and tectonic setting. These granitic rocks, which belong to the high-K
calc-alkaline series A2-type granites, are characterized by high concentrations of SiO2 (75.2–82.5%), Rb
(264–927 ppm), Th (18.4–58.3 ppm), U (10.4–18.3 ppm), and Y (33.5–212 ppm), but low contents of TFeO
(0.57–3.45%), CaO (0.23–0.86%), MgO (0.02–0.19%), MnO (0.01–0.38%), TiO2 (0.01–0.10%), P2O5
(0.003–0.012%), Ba (3–162 ppm), and Sr (4.3–34.4 ppm). Hydrothermal zircons from the mineralized Wagone pluton show an anomalous lack of zoning and vermicular, spongy internal structures, and they contain high concentrations of Ti, Y, U, and light REEs but low Th/U ratios (mostly < 0.1). These features suggest slow
crystallization from a U-enriched and Th-depleted residual magmatic fluid under relatively cool and reducing
conditions. LA-ICPMS U–Pb dating of magmatic and hydrothermal zircons from the two granites yielded concordant ages of 61–60 Ma, indicating an Early Paleogene magmatic-mineralization event. Geochemical and geochronological data suggest that these A-type granites have a crustal origin and were produced by partial melting of a felsic clay-rich source in a back-arc extensional setting. The magmas may have ascended relatively slowly in the crust and experienced crystal fractionation and upper crustal contamination, contributing to intensive Sn–W mineralization in the Dawei area.

Oceanic island basalts and related magmatic rocks from Hawaii are derived from a compositionally heterogeneous mantle plume. Here we describe how this heterogeneity results from the transport of filaments of a specific composition in the plume, representing a relatively small volume of rocks (~15%) interbedded inside a dry peridotite mantle. Four types of filaments are considered: sub-primitive mantle, ultra-low-velocity zone, fertilized-harzburgite and eclogite type filaments. We present a model that describes the flow within a plume and the stress field in the overriding viscoelastic lithosphere and that can determine, from depth to the surface, the melting rate, composition and trajectory of melts produced within each type of filament. Our model shows that (i) the filaments melt at a depth greater than 5 GPa, where the temperature gap between the solidus and liquidus is narrow (~ 40°C to 80°C), and (ii) the volume of filaments is small relative to the total volume of mantle, which therefore allows the latent heat required for the partial melting to be provided via conduction inside the hot plume. The primitive melts produced inside the filaments, occasionally mixed with the melt derived from an eclogite filament, represent a volume comparable with that expected in a plume composed only of dry peridotite that partially melts to a degree of ~10% at the interface between the spinel and garnet fields (60–70 km depth). In particular, in the centre of the plume, sub- primitive mantle filaments produce up to 30% tholeiite-picrite melts, whereas in fertilized- harzburgite filaments, the mantle melts completely to produce a melt having a meimechite-like composition. A key finding is that the fractional crystallization of these melts likely forms the so-called “primary mantle–derived alkaline magmas” along with dunites and olivine-rich cumulates. Our plume model shows that the mantle flow divides into two parts. The first corresponds to hot flowlines that originate at a depth of ~200 km and at a distance of less than 25 km from the plume axis. Along these flowlines, when the mantle reaches a pressure of 5 GPa, the partially molten horizon in filaments is sufficiently thick for the interstitial melt to be squeezed out via dykes. This melt eventually ponds as sills in a subrectangular zone that is located inside the overlying lithosphere, between 70 and 50 km depth and centred over a distance of less than 40 km on either side of the axis. This zone is designated as the shield magmatic reservoir. The volatile-rich melt inside the sills infiltrates the surrounding mantle lithosphere and partially melts it. After ~0.1 Ma, the melt resumes its vertical ascent via dykes and eventually ponds and differentiates within subcrustal magma chambers located below active shield volcanoes. This sequence of processes matches the expected volume, petrology and geochemistry recorded for shield volcanoes. The second part of the melt flow does not pond within the shield magmatic reservoir. Rather, the mantle cold flowlines, originating at ~200 km depth and at 25 to 35 km from the plume axis, discharge their interstitial melt through dykes that were initially generated deeper, at ~5 GPa. The melt reaches the Moho at 100 to 150 km from the plume axis, where it forms magmatic bodies within which the melt differentiates. This melt likely represents that observed in pre- and postshield volcanoes. Finally, at ~70 km from the plume axis and at a depth greater than 200 km, the flowlines are subvertical. They then deflect at ~180 km depth and rotate toward the horizontal and eventually transit at 10° to 20° to the horizontal across a ~200 km distance from the axis and reach ~140 km depth. The fertilized-harzburgite and sub-primitive mantle/ultra-low-velocity zone filaments that flow along these elbows partially melt by a few to several percent. The resulting interstitial melt has a kimberlite-like composition. Thereafter, the excess pressure at the top of the filament at ~200 km from the axis overcomes the threshold for dyking and thus allows the escape of the interstitial melt via dykes ponding in subcrustal magma chambers or emerging directly at the surface. These melts have a composition similar to that associated with rejuvenated volcanism. We use the nature and the composition of whole erupted magmas and the seismic structure along the Hawaiian chain to validate this model

The Chahgaz Zn–Pb–Cu volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit occurs within a metamorphosed bimodal volcano–sedimentary sequence in the south Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ) of southern Iran. This deposit is hosted by rhyodacitic volcaniclastics and is underlain and overlain by rhyodacitic flows, volcaniclastics, and pelites. Peperitic textures between rhyodacite flows and contact pelites indicate that emplacement of the rhyodacite occurred prior to the lithification of the pelites. The rhyodacitic flows are calc-alkaline, and show rare earth and trace elements features characteristic of arc magmatism. Zircons extracted from stratigraphic footwall and hanging-wall rhyodacitic flows of the Chahgaz deposit yield concordant U–Pb ages of 175.7 ± 1.7 and 172.9 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively, and a mean age of 174 ± 1.2 Ma. This time period is interpreted to represent the age of mineralization of the Chahgaz deposit. This Middle Jurassic age is suggested as a major time of VMS mineralization within pull-apart basins formed during Neo-Tethyan oblique subduction-related arc volcano-plutonism in the SSZ. Galena mineral separates from the layered massive sulphide have uniform lead isotope ratios of 206 Pb/ 204 Pb = 18.604–18.617, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb = 15.654–15.667, and 208 204 Pb/ Pb = 38.736–38.769; they show a model age of 200 Ma, consistent with the derivation of Pb from a Late Triassic, homogeneous upper crustal source.

Elephanta Island near Mumbai is an important area for understanding the stratigraphic and structural framework of the Deccan flood basalt province in the tectonically disturbed Panvel flexure zone on the western Indian rifted margin. Elephanta exposes a west-dipping, 66–65 Ma sequence of tholeiitic lava flows and dykes. Geochemical correlations with the thick, horizontal, 66–65 Ma Western Ghats sequence to the east show that lava flows of the Khandala and Ambenali formations are present at Elephanta, with two lava flows probably being locally derived. The Elephanta tholeiites have experienced crystal fractionation and accumulation, particularly of olivine. They have εNd(t) ranging from +5.4 to −7.9 and (87Sr/86Sr)t from 0.70391 to 0.70784, with most tholeiites little contaminated by continental lithosphere, probably lower crust. Field and geochemical data indicate a normal fault along the central part of Elephanta with a 220 m downthrow, consistent with a domino-type block-faulted s...

The Woodlark Basin consists primarily of crust formed at the Woodlark spreading center over the last five million years. The basin and spreading center are
currently being subducted beneath the New Georgia Group, part of the Solomons island arc. The crust of the Woodlark Basin and the overriding plate were dredged
by R/V KANA KEOKI in 1982 to explore the geochemical consequences of ridge subduction. This paper reports on the geochemistry of the dredged volcanics from
the Woodlark spreading center and the triple junction region.

Although the one rock previously recovered from the Woodlark Basin was midocean ridge basalt (MORB), only one of four dredges (RD26) contained normal MORB. The other three dredges recovered (1) basalts with slight backarc basin affinities from RD29 and RD28; (2) basalts and basaltic andesites with marked backarc basin
affinities from RD32; and (3) a unique basalt type with approximately 5% Na20, less than 0.1% K2O, around 220 ppm Sr, less than 5 ppm Ba and relatively high Ti02
contents from RD32.
The Woodlark Basin is apparently chemically zoned orthogonal to the current locus of subduct ion. Crust farther than 150 km from the subduct ion zone is normal
MORB. Nearer the subduction zone the submarine volcanic rocks acquire an increasingly arc-like chemistry. Kavachi volcano, which is 30 km from the subduction zone on the overriding plate, appears to be a continuation of the chemical zoning of the Woodlark Basin. The chemical zonation is difficult to explain in terms of the current plate configuration but may be explicable if the mantle beneath the Woodlark Basin was previously affected by subduction of reversed polarity.

The Palaeozoic Hodgkinson Province in northeastern Queensland, Australia, is host to Late Ordovician to Devonian rock assemblages that contain tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalts. These basalts occur as massive fault-bounded units interspersed with marine sedimentary rocks and limestones that are metamor-phosed to lower greenschist facies in the Ordovician Mulgrave, Silurian Chillagoe and Devonian Hodgkin-son formations, respectively. The petrogenetic and Sm– Nd isotope characteristics of these mafic volcanic rocks were investigated to constrain the tectonic setting in which they erupted. Major, trace and rare earth element analyses were carried out on samples from these formations and intrusive dolerites. The mafic rocks can be classified as basalts and basaltic andesites with distinct MORB characteristics. Furthermore, the basalts are characterized by a slight to moderate enrichment in Th and concomitant depletion in Nb, both of which become less pronounced with basalt evolution through time. These features are consistent with decreasing volcanic arc affinity of Silurian and Devonian MORB-type bas-alts in the Hodgkinson Province. Sm–Nd isotope characteristics of these basalts indicate a change in source region from dominantly sub-continental lithospheric mantle in the Silurian to asthenospheric input in the Devonian. Collectively, the geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the Hodgkinson Province basalts are interpreted to reflect deposition in an evolving back-arc basin setting. The onset of basin extension was initiated in the Silurian. Accelerated basin subsidence occurred throughout the Devonian and was halted by basin inversion in the Late Devonian. Basin evolution was controlled by an eastward stepping subduction zone outboard of the Australian Craton.

Elephanta Island near Mumbai is an important area for understanding the stratigraphic and structural framework of the Deccan flood basalt province in the tectonically disturbed Panvel flexure zone on the western Indian rifted margin. Elephanta exposes a west-dipping, 66-65 Ma sequence of tholeiitic lava flows and dykes. Geochemical correlations with the thick, horizontal, 66-65 Ma Western Ghats sequence to the east show that lava flows of the Khandala and Ambenali formations are present at Elephanta, with two lava flows probably being locally derived. The Elephanta tholeiites have experienced crystal fractionation and accumulation, particularly of olivine. They have εNd(t) ranging from +5.4 to −7.9 and (87 Sr/ 86 Sr)t from 0.70391 to 0.70784, with most tholeiites little contaminated by continental lithosphere, probably lower crust. Field and geochemical data indicate a normal fault along the central part of Elephanta with a 220 m downthrow, consistent with a domino-type block-faulted structure of Elephanta, and the surrounding area as previously known. Seventeen of the 20 analyzed Elephanta intrusions, striking ~N-S, belong to the Coastal dyke swarm of the western Deccan province. Several of these are probable feeders to the Ambenali Formation in the Western Ghats sequence, requiring reconsideration of the current view that the voluminous Wai Subgroup lavas of the Western Ghats were erupted without organized crustal extension. East-west-directed extensional strain was already active at 66-65 Ma along this future (62.5 Ma) rifted continental margin. A young (~62 Ma) ankaramite dyke on Elephanta Island is a probable feeder to the Powai ankaramite flow in the 62.5 Ma Mumbai sequence 20 km to the northwest.

Olistolith production and magmatism are processes commonly associated with extensional tectonic settings, such as rift basins. We present a cautionary exemplar from one such Precambrian basin, in which we reinterpret metabasite bodies, previously documented as sills, to be olistoliths. We nevertheless demonstrate that, on the basis of field observation alone, the previous but erroneous sill interpretation is parsimonious. Indeed, it is only by using isotopic age and compositional analysis that the true identities of these metabasite olistoliths are revealed. We present new data from metabasites and metasedimentary strata of the Kingston Peak Formation (Cryogenian) and Crystal Spring Formation (Mesoproterozoic) of Death Valley, USA. These include field observations, U–Pb apatite ages, U–Pb zircon ages (detrital and igneous) and whole-rock geochemistry. These data also provide a new maximum age for the base of the Pahrump Group and suggest that the Crystal Spring Diabase was more thol...

Elephanta Island near Mumbai is an important area for understanding the stratigraphic and structural framework of the Deccan flood basalt province in the tectonically disturbed Panvel flexure zone on the western Indian rifted margin. Elephanta exposes a west-dipping, 66–65 Ma sequence of tholeiitic lava flows and dykes. Geochemical correlations with the thick, horizontal, 66–65 Ma Western Ghats sequence to the east show that lava flows of the Khandala and Ambenali formations are present at Elephanta, with two lava flows probably being locally derived. The Elephanta tholeiites have experienced crystal fractionation and accumulation, particularly of olivine. They have εNd(t) ranging from +5.4 to −7.9 and (87Sr/86Sr)t from 0.70391 to 0.70784, with most tholeiites little contaminated by continental lithosphere, probably lower crust. Field and geochemical data indicate a normal fault along the central part of Elephanta with a 220 m downthrow, consistent with a domino-type block-faulted s...

Abstract Tin-tungsten-associated granites occur widely in the Dawei region of the Southeast Asian tin belt. In this contribution, we present a detailed study of zircon U–Pb geochronology and whole-rock and zircon elemental geochemistry for the Wagone and Hermyingyi granites in southern Myanmar, with the aim of determining their petrogenesis, mineralization associations, and tectonic setting. These granitic rocks, which belong to the high-K calc-alkaline series A 2 -type granites, are characterized by high concentrations of SiO 2 (75.2–82.5%), Rb (264–927 ppm), Th (18.4–58.3 ppm), U (10.4–18.3 ppm), and Y (33.5–212 ppm), but low contents of TFeO (0.57–3.45%), CaO (0.23–0.86%), MgO (0.02–0.19%), MnO (0.01–0.38%), TiO 2 (0.01–0.10%), P 2 O 5 (0.003–0.012%), Ba (3–162 ppm), and Sr (4.3–34.4 ppm). Hydrothermal zircons from the mineralized Wagone pluton show an anomalous lack of zoning and vermicular, spongy internal structures, and they contain high concentrations of Ti, Y, U, and light REEs but low Th/U ratios (mostly