Library

Notes: Lower crustal garnet-bearing mafic granulite xenoliths from beneath the cratonic areas of NE Europe (NW Russia, Belarus, Finland) have unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd ratios that differ strongly from those of xenoliths from beneath Phanerozoic regions of the European plate and worldwide, but closely resemble xenoliths from other cratonic regions of the world. Phanerozoic lower crustal xenoliths worldwide also show a very limited range of Pb isotope compositions whereas most cratonic lower crustal xenoliths have more varied but usually unradiogenic Pb isotope compositions, plotting to the left of the Geochron. However, many of the xenoliths from beneath NE Europe plot on the right-hand side of the Geochron and also have more radiogenic 208Pb/204Pb ratios. Thus, the lower crust of NE Europe shows characteristics of both cratonic lower crust (unradiogenic Nd isotopes) and Phanerozoic lower crust (radiogenic Pb isotopes). Its present-day low U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios indicate that it has been depleted in heat-producing elements, but the radiogenic Pb isotope ratios show that this depletion occurred relatively recently.

Notes: Abstract The problem of mantle metasomatism vs. crustal contamination in the genesis of arc magmas with different potassium contents has been investigated using new trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data on the island of Vulcano, Aeolian arc. The analysed rocks range in age from 120 ka to the present day, and cover a compositional range from basalt to rhyolite of the high-K calc-alkaline (HKCA) to shoshonitic (SHO) and potassic (KS) series. Older Vulcano products (〉30 ka) consist of HKCA–SHO rocks with SiO2=48–56%. They show lower contents of K2O, Rb and of several other incompatible trace element abundances and ratios than younger rocks with comparable degree of evolution. 87Sr/86Sr ranges from 0.70417 to 0.70504 and increases with decreasing MgO and compatible element contents. 206Pb/204Pb ratios display significant variations (19.31 to 19.76) and are positively correlated with MgO, 143Nd/144Nd (0.512532–0.512768), 207Pb/204Pb (15.66–15.71) and 208Pb/204Pb (39.21–39.49). Overall, geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the evolution of the older series was dominated by assimilation–fractional crystallisation (AFC) with an important role for continuous mixing with mafic liquids. Magmas erupted within the last 30 ka consist mostly of SHO and KS intermediate and acid rocks, with minor mafic products. Except for a few acid rocks, they display moderate isotopic variations (e.g. 87Sr/86Sr=0.70457–0.70484; 206Pb/204Pb=19.28–19.55, but 207Pb/204Pb=15.66–15.82), which suggest an evolution by fractional crystallisation, or in some cases by mixing, with little interaction with crustal material. The higher Sr isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr=0.70494–0.70587) of a few, low-volume, intermediate to acid rocks support differentiation by AFC at shallow depths for some magma batches. New radiogenic isotope data on the Aeolian islands of Alicudi and Stromboli, as well as new data for lamproites from central Italy, are also reported in order to discuss along-arc compositional variations and to evaluate the role of mantle metasomatism. Geochemical and petrological data demonstrate that the younger K-rich mafic magmas from Vulcano cannot be related to the older HKCA and SHO ones by intra-crustal evolutionary processes and point to a derivation from different mantle sources. The data from Alicudi and Stromboli suggest that, even though interaction between magma and wall rocks of the Calabrian basement during shallow level magma evolution was an important process locally, a similar interpretation can be extended to the entire Aeolian arc.

Notes: Abstract Assimilation of crustal rocks with concomitant fractional crystallisation (AFC) is a well documented phenomenon in many igneous suites, but geochemical evidence from the Tertiary Mull lava succession suggests that in these magmas crustal contamination occurred by a distinctly different mechanism. Lavas from the lower half of the Mull Plateau group (MPG) can be divided into two broad sub-types; high (〉8%) MgO basalts with elevated Ba and K; and lower MgO (〈8%) basaltic-hawaiites with lower Ba and K. The lower crust and most of the upper crust beneath Mull is probably of Lewisian age. The Sr-, Nd-and Pb-isotope compositions of local Lewisian crustal samples yield the following ranges: 87Sr/86Sr=0.71002–0.72348, 143Nd/144Nd=0.51045–0.51058 and 206Pb/204Pb=14.0–14.6. Ten lavas have also been analysed and yield the following ranges: 87Sr/86Sr=0.7028–0.7042, 143Nd/144Nd=0.51214–0.51230 and 206Pb/204Pb=15.1–17.9. However, within this range, it is predominantly the more primitive mafic compositions, with elevated Mg, Ba and K, that show the lowest Nd- and Pb-, and the highest Sr-isotope values. Modelling of these isotopic results, in conjunction with major and trace element data, show that: (1) contamination by Lewisian lower crustal material does occur; (2) that the process involved was not one of assimilation with concomitant fractional crystallisation (AFC). The proposed contamination process is one whereby the hottest (most MgO rich) magmas have assimilated acidic partial melts of Lewisian lower crust during turbulent ascent (ATA) through thin, poorly connected dyke- and sill-like magma chambers. The chemical composition of the contaminated lavas can be modelled successfully through addition of ∼5% acidic Lewisian crust to an uncontaminated lava. In contrast, the more evolved magmas — which probably fractionated at sub-crustal levels — were either not hot enough to molt significant amounts of crust, or did not ascend turbulently because of their higher viscosity, and so are less contaminated with crust.

Notes: Abstract  Assimilation of crustal rocks with concomitant fractional crystallisation (AFC) is a well documented phenomenon in many igneous suites, but geochemical evidence from the Tertiary Mull lava succession suggests that in these magmas crustal contamination occurred by a distinctly different mechanism. Lavas from the lower half of the Mull Plateau group (MPG) can be divided into two broad sub-types; high (〉8%) MgO basalts with elevated Ba and K; and lower MgO (〈8%) basaltic-hawaiites with lower Ba and K. The lower crust and most of the upper crust beneath Mull is probably of Lewisian age. The Sr-, Nd- and Pb-isotope compositions of local Lewisian crustal samples yield the following ranges: 87Sr/86Sr= 0.71002–0.72348, 143Nd/144Nd=0.51045–0.51058 and 206Pb/204Pb=14.0–14.6. Ten lavas have also been analysed and yield the following ranges: 87Sr/86Sr=0.7028–0.7042, 143Nd/144Nd=0.51214 –0.51230 and 206Pb/204Pb=15.1–17.9. However, within this range, it is predominantly the more primitive mafic compositions, with elevated Mg, Ba and K, that show the lowest Nd- and Pb-, and the highest Sr-isotope values. Modelling of these isotopic results, in conjunction with major and trace element data, show that: (1) contamination by Lewisian lower crustal material does occur; (2) that the process involved was not one of assimilation with concomitant fractional crystallisation (AFC). The proposed contamination process is one whereby the hottest (most MgO rich) magmas have assimilated acidic partial melts of Lewisian lower crust during turbulent ascent (ATA) through thin, poorly connected dyke- and sill-like magma chambers. The chemical composition of the contaminated lavas can be modelled successfully through addition of ∼5% acidic Lewisian crust to an uncontaminated lava. In contrast, the more evolved magmas – which probably fractionated at sub-crustal levels – were either not hot enough to melt significant amounts of crust, or did not ascend turbulently because of their higher viscosity, and so are less contaminated with crust.