Library

Notes: Abstract Apparent crustal residence ages indicated by Nd model age data for metamorphic rocks, sediments and granitoids of the Hercynian Fold Belt of Europe vary from 1.3 Ga to 3.0 Ga, but are mainly in the range 1.4–1.7 Ga. 2 Ga basement inliers have been documented previously in northern Spain and islands off northwestern France but, in addition to these, old (∼2–3 Ga) model ages are found along the southern margin of the fold belt. These do not identify old inliers but are interpreted to represent Archeanearly Proterozoic crustal components recycled from a southern source. The Nd data, when considered together with the surface geology and recent single-grain zircon ion microprobe data, argue against a binary mixing of Archean components with new Palaeozoic crustal additions to generate the main 1.4–1.7 Ga model age population. Hercynian Europe comprise mainly recycled Proterozoic components although significant new Palaeozoic additions as well as Archean contributions are indicated. Nd and Sr isotopic data together with previous chemical and petrographic observations allow the recognition of a northern belt of continent margin I-type granitoids grading southwards to inner continent S-type plutons in the eastern half of the fold belt. This felsic plutonic association is used to infer a Hercynian plate configuration involving the attachment of the fold belt to a southern parent cratonic block that the model age data suggest may be of early Proterozoic-Archean age.

Notes: Abstract The Balmuccia peridotite massif in the central Ivrea Zone constitutes an upper mantle slice which has been tectonically emplaced into the crust. It represents the residue from partial melting of undepleted mantle material and varies in composition from lherzolite to harzburgite and subordinate dunite. Dikes of websterite and gabbroic pods within the peridotite can be subdivided into an older Crdiopside suite and a younger Al-augite suite. Nd isotopic data on whole rocks of these lithotypes in combination with independent observations suggest that the dikes formed during a Hercynian event about 270 Ma ago. The rocks of the Cr-diopside dikes, in particular, display isotopic signatures similar to those of the lherzolite and represent fractionates from partial melts derived from the lherzolite wall rock. The Sm-Nd data of the pyroxenites and gabbros of the Al-augite suite, in contrast, scatter widely and suggest that partial melting of lherzolite was triggered or at least accompanied by introduction of fluids and/or liquid phases. These fluids or liquids carried exotic isotopic components from elsewhere in the crust-mantle complex, and deposited them within the rocks by metasomatic reactions. Two distinct types of metasomatism must have operated not only within the Balmuccia body, but also in the complex of Finero: The first type of metasomatism introduced mantle-derived volatiles and is responsible for formation of amphibole. The other type has a crustal source and led to formation of phlogopite, which occurs mainly within mantle rocks of Finero, but occasionally, within the Balmuccia body also.

Notes: Abstract  In the central Vetreny Belt, southeastern Baltic Shield, an areally extensive 110 m deep lava lake is exposed consisting of remarkably fresh differentiated komatiitic basalt. During eruption, the liquid had a temperature of 1380–1400 °C and contained ∼15% MgO. The lava ponded in a large topographic depression soon after eruption. The differentiation of the lava lake was controlled by settling of transported olivine and chromite phenocrysts and caused the origin of prominent internal layering. The last portions of the trapped liquid crystallized at temperatures of 1250– 1070 °C. A Sm-Nd isochron of 2410±34 Ma for whole rock samples, olivine, augite and pigeonite separates from the lava lake provides a reliable estimate for the time of formation of the uppermost sequences in the Vetreny Belt. This age is in good agreement with the Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb isochron ages of 2449±35 and 2424±178 Ma for the volcanic rocks from the same stratigraphic level in the northwestern Vetreny Belt. Modeling of Nd-isotopes and major and trace elements shows that the komatiitic basalts at Lion Hills may have had a komatiite parent depleted in highly incompatible elements. It can be shown that this initial liquid was contaminated by 7–9% of Archaean upper crustal material from the adjacent Vodla and Belomorian Blocks en route to the surface thus acquiring the observed geochemical and isotope signatures including relative enrichment in Zr, Ba, and LREE, negative Nb- and Ti-anomalies and ɛNd(T) of −1.

Notes: Abstract The Onega plateau constitutes part of a vast continental flood basalt province in the SE Baltic Shield. It consists of Jatulian-Ludikovian submarine volcanic, volcaniclastic and sedimentary sequences attaining in places 4.5 km in thickness. The parental magmas of the lavas contained ∼10% MgO and were derived from melts generated in the garnet stability field at depths 80–100 km. The Sm-Nd mineral and Pb-Pb whole-rock isochron ages of 1975 ± 24 and 1980 ± 57 Ma for the upper part of the plateau and a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of 1976 ± 9 Ma for its lower part imply the formation of the entire sequence within a short time span. These ages coincide with those of picrites in the Pechenga-Imandra belt (the Kola Peninsula) and komatiites and basalts in the Karasjok-Kittilä belt (Norway and Finnmark). Together with lithostratigraphic, chemical and isotope evidence, these ages suggest the derivation of the three provinces from a single large (∼2000 km in diameter) mantle plume. These plume-generated magmas covered ∼600,000 km2 of the Baltic Shield and represent a major contribution of juvenile material to the existing continental crust at 2.0 Ga. The uppermost Onega plateau lavas have high (Nb/Th)N = 1.4–2.4, (Nb/La)N= 1.1–1.3, positive ɛNd(T) of +3.2 and unradiogenic Pb-isotope composition (μ1 = 8.57), comparable with those of modern oceanic plume-derived magmas (oceanic flood basalt and ocean island basalt). These parameters are regarded as source characteristics. The lower sequences have (Nb/Th)N= 0.58–1.2, (Nb/La)N= 0.52–0.88 and ɛNd(T) =−2.6. They have experienced mixing with 10–30% of continental crust and resemble contaminated lavas from other continental flood basalt provinces. The estimated Nb/U ratios of 53 ± 4 in the uncontaminated rocks are similar to those found in the modern mantle (∼47) suggesting that by 2.0 Ga a volume of continental crust similar to the present-day value already existed.

Notes: Abstract  Mantle peridotites of the Internal Liguride (IL) units (Northern Apennines) constitute a rare example of the depleted lithosphere of the Jurassic Ligurian Tethys. Detailed chemical (ICP-MS and SIMS techniques) and isotopic investigations on very fresh samples have been performed with the major aim to constrain the timing and mechanism of their evolution and to furnish new data for the geodynamic interpretation. The data are also useful to discuss some general geochemical aspects of oceanic-type mantle. The studied samples consist of clinopyroxene-poor spinel lherzolites, showing incipient re-equilibration in the plagioclase-facies stability field. The spinel-facies assemblage records high (asthenospheric) equilibration temperatures (1150–1250° C). Whole rocks, and constituent clinopyroxenes, show a decoupling between severe depletion in highly incompatible elements [light rare earth elements (LREE), Sr, Zr, Na, Ti] and less pronounced depletion in moderate incompatible elements (Ca, Al, Sc, V). Bulk rocks also display a relatively strong M(middle)REE/H(heavy)REE fractionation. These compositional features indicate low-degree (〈10%) fractional melting, which presumably started in the garnet stability field, as the most suitable depletion mechanism. In this respect, the IL ultramafics show strong similarity to abyssal peridotites. The Sr and Nd isotopic compositions, determined on carefully handpicked clinopyroxene separates, indicate an extremely depleted signature (87Sr/86Sr=0.702203–0.702285; 143Nd/144Nd=0.513619–0.513775). The Sm/Nd model ages suggest that the IL peridotites melted most likely during Permian times. They could record, therefore, the early upwelling and melting of mid ocean ridge basalt (MORB) type asthenosphere, in response to the onset of extensional mechanisms which led to the opening of the Western Tethys. They subsequently cooled and experienced a composite subsolidus evolution testified by multiple episodes of gabbroic intrusions and HT-LP retrograde metamorphic re-equilibration, prior to their emplacement on the sea floor. The trace element chemistry of IL peridotites also provides useful information about the composition of oceanic-type mantle. The most important feature concerns the occurrence of Sr and Zr negative anomalies (relative to “adjacent” REE) in both clinopyroxenes and bulk rocks. We suggest that such anomalies reflect changes in the relative magnitude of Sr, Zr and REE partition coefficients, depending on the specific melting conditions.

Notes: Abstract This paper presents a method for the systematic trace element modelling of a cogenetic suite of lavas. It is based on the geochemical inversion technique of Allègre and coworkers and utilizes the variations in the trace element concentrations of the lavas to calculate initial concentrations and source mineralogy. We reduce this inversion to a simple, step-by-step procedure: (1) correcting for fractional crystallization; (2) testing the inferred primary melt compositions for consistency with a model of equilibrium partial melts (with constant partition coefficients) formed from identical sources; (3) estimating the proportions of mineral phases entering the melt; (4) computing concentrations and bulk partition coefficients in the initial source relative to the concentration of a common reference element; (5) estimating relative mineral abundances in the source. Except for the fractionation correction, the calculations are done element by element using a direct analytic solution. For the purpose of comparison we apply this method to the same set of data used by Minster and Allègre (1978), a suite of lavas from Grenada (lesser Antilles) originally analyzed by Shimizu and Arculus (1975). The results of both methods agree well for the source abundances of the light REE, whereas the heavy REE abundances are shown to be poorly constrained by the data. Both methods require residual clinopyroxene and garnet in the source, but the ratio of these minerals is not well constrained. We are unable to reproduce the shape of D0 pattern (=bulk partition coefficients of the initial source) given by Minster and Allègre. The reason for this cannot be evaluated without repeating their calculations in detail. The set of data from Grenada is useful for comparison of the methods only, because it is now known from isotopic data that the samples are not truly cogenetic. Possibly better suited sets of samples for petrogenetic modelling are presented in parts II and III of this series.

Notes: Abstract The Ascutney Mountain complex of eastern Vermont, USA, is a composite epizonal pluton of genetically related gabbro to granite intrusives. Nd isotopic data are reported for mafic rocks, granites, and nearby country rock. The parental mafic magma producing the complex 122 m.y. ago had 87Sr/86Sr=0.7039, 143Nd/144Nd=0.512678 (ɛ Nd=+3.8) and δ 18O=6.1‰, indicating a mantle source with time-integrated lithophile element depletion. Uniform initial radiogenic isotope ratios for granites, which are undistinguishable from those for the most primitive gabbro, suggest that the granite magma evolved from the mafic magma without crustal contamination and that the increase in δ 18O, to about 7.8‰, is the result of fractional crystallization. Mafic rocks show a large range in initial 143Nd/144Nd ratio, from about 0.51267 to 0.51236 (ɛ Nd= +3.7 to −2.5), which is correlated with elevated 87Sr/86Sr ratios and δ 18O. These data substantiate the production of mafic lithologies by fractional crystallization of the parental magma accompanied by assimilation of up to about 50% crust. The local country rocks include gneiss and schist and assimilation involved representatives of both rock types. The isotopic and chemical relationships preclude derivation from a single batch of magma undergoing contamination and indicate that a large magma body at depth evolved largely by fractionation with batches of melt issued from this chamber being variably contaminated at higher levels or at the level of emplacement. The Precambrian gneisses of the Chester dome and overlying lower Paleozoic schists have essentially identical Nd isotope systematics which suggest a crustal formation age of about 1.6. b.y. The parental sediments for the schists were apparently derived from a protolith similar to the gneissic basement without appreciable Sm/Nd fractionation.

Notes: Abstract The Ivrea zone represents a tilted cross section through deep continental crust. Sm-Nd isotopic data for peridotites from Baldissero and Balmuccia and for a suite of gabbros from the mafic formation adjacent to the Balmuccia peridotite provide evidence for an event of partial melting 607±19 Ma ago in an extended mantle source with ɛ 607 Nd =+0.4±0.3. The peridotites are interpreted as the corresponding melt residue, the lower part of the mafic formation as the complementary melts which underwent further differentiation immediately after extraction. The Finero body represents a complex with layers of phlogopite peridotite, hornblende peridotite, and amphibole-rich gabbro. The isotopic signatures fall into two groups: (1) highly radiogenic Nd and low-radiogenic Sr characterize the phlogopite-free, amphibole-rich rocks, whereas (2) low-radiogenic Nd and highly radiogenic Sr is found in ultramafics affected by “phlogopite metasomatism”. Phlogopite metasomatism in the Ivrea zone is dated by a Rb-Sr whole rock isochron yielding 293±13 Ma. It was fed by K-rich fluids which were probably derived from metasediments. The high initial ɛ 293 Nd value of about +7.5 for phlogopite-free samples indicates a high time-integrated Sm/Nd ratio in the Finero protolith 293 Ma ago. Sm-Nd analyses of metapelites from the paragneiss series yield Proterozoic “crustal residence ages” of 1.2 to 1.8 Ga. Internal Sm-Nd isochrons for three garnetiferous rocks show that closure of garnet at temperatures around 600° C or even lower occurred about 250 Ma ago.

Notes: Abstract The photoplate detection system of a spark source mass spectrometer has been recently replaced by a detector array consisting of 20 separate small channeltrons for simultaneous ion counting of up to 20 trace elements. The new multi-ion counting – spark source mass spectrometry (MIC-SSMS) technique combines the advantages of conventional SSMS with modern on-line detection of elements. It has important analytical features, such as simple and fast solid-state sample preparation, high precision (about 1–2%) and accuracy (4%) using multielement isotope dilution, high sensitivity which leads to short measuring times (10–50 min) and low detection limits (about 0.001–0.01 μg/g).