33 resultados para clinopyroxene
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The Cretaceous Mont Saint-Hilaire complex (Quebec, Canada) comprises three major rock units that were emplaced in the following sequence: (I) gabbros; (II) diorites; (III) diverse partly agpaitic foid syenites. The major element compositions of the rock-forming minerals, age-corrected Nd and oxygen isotope data for mineral separates and trace element data of Fe-Mg silicates from the various lithologies imply a common source for all units. The distribution of the rare earth elements in clinopyroxene from the gabbros indicates an ocean island basalt type composition for the parental magma. Gabbros record temperatures of 1200 to 800 degrees C, variable silica activities between 0 center dot 7 and 0 center dot 3, and f(O2) values between -0 center dot 5 and +0 center dot 7 (log delta FMQ, where FMQ is fayalite-magnetite-quartz). The diorites crystallized under uniform a(SiO2) (a(SiO2) = 0 center dot 4-0 center dot 5) and more reduced f(O2) conditions (log delta FMQ similar to-1) between similar to 1100 and similar to 800 degrees C. Phase equilibria in various foid syenites indicate that silica activities decrease from 0 center dot 6-0 center dot 3 at similar to 1000 degrees C to < 0 center dot 3 at similar to 550 degrees C. Release of an aqueous fluid during the transition to the hydrothermal stage caused a(SiO2) to drop to very low values, which results from reduced SiO(2) solubilities in aqueous fluids compared with silicate melts. During the hydrothermal stage, high water activities stabilized zeolite-group minerals. Fluid inclusions record a complex post-magmatic history, which includes trapping of an aqueous fluid that unmixed from the restitic foid syenitic magma. Cogenetic aqueous and carbonic fluid inclusions reflect heterogeneous trapping of coexisting immiscible external fluids in the latest evolutionary stage. The O and C isotope characteristics of fluid-inclusion hosted CO(2) and late-stage carbonates imply that the surrounding limestones were the source of the external fluids. The mineral-rich syenitic rocks at Mont Saint-Hilaire evolved as follows: first, alkalis, high field strength and large ion lithophile elements were pre-enriched in the (late) magmatic and subsequent hydrothermal stages; second, percolation of external fluids in equilibrium with the carbonate host-rocks and mixing processes with internal fluids as well as fluid-rock interaction governed dissolution of pre-existing minerals, element transport and precipitation of mineral assemblages determined by locally variable parameters. It is this hydrothermal interplay between internal and external fluids that is responsible for the mineral wealth found at Mont Saint-Hilaire.
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1. ABSTRACTS - RÉSUMÉSSCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT - ENGLISH VERSIONGeometry, petrology and growth of a shallow crustal laccolith: the Torres del Paine Mafi c Complex (Patagonia)The Torres del Paine intrusive complex (TPIC) is a composite mafic-granitic intrusion, ~70km2, belonging to a chain of isolated Miocene plutons in southern Patagonia. Their position is intermediate between the Mesozoic-Cenozoic calc-alkaline subduction related Patagonian batholith in the West and the late Cenozoic alkaline basaltic back-arc related plateau lavas in the East. The Torres del Paine complex formed during an important reconfiguration of the Patagonian geodynamic setting, with a migration of magmatism from the arc to the back-arc, possibly related to the Chile ridge subductionThe complex intruded the flysch of the Cretaceous Cerro Toro and Punta Barrosa Formations during the Miocene, creating a well-defined narrow contact aureole of 200-400 m width.In its eastern part, the Torres del Paine intrusive complex is a laccolith, composed of a succession of hornblende-gabbro to diorite sills at its base, with a total thickness of ~250m, showing brittle contacts with the overlying granitic sills, that form spectacular cliffs of more than 1000m. This laccolith is connected, in the western part, to its feeding system, with vertical alternating sheets of layered gabbronorite and Hbl-gabbro, surrounded and percolated by diorites. ID-TIMS U-Pb on zircons on feeder zone (FZ) gab- bros yield 12.593±0.009Ma and 12.587±0.009Ma, which is identifcal within error to the oldest granite dated so far by Michel et al. (2008). In contrast, the laccolith mafic complex is younger than than the youngest granite (12.50±0.02Ma), and has been emplaced from 12.472±0.009Ma to 12.431 ±0.006Ma, by under-accretion beneath the youngest granite at the interface with previously emplaced mafic sills.The gabbronorite crystallization sequence in the feeder zone is dominated by olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene, while amphibole forms late interstitial crystals. The crystallization sequence is identical in Hornblende-gabbro from the feeder zone, with higher modal hornblende. Gabbronorite and Hornblende-gabbro both display distinct Eu and Sr positive anomalies. In the laccolith, a lower Hornblende-gabbro crystallized in sills and evolved to a high alkali shoshonitic series. The Al203, Ti02, Na20, K20, Ba and Sr composition of these gabbros is highly variable and increases up to ~50wt% Si02. The lower hornblende-gabbro is characterized by kaersutite anhedral cores with inclusions of olivine, clino- and orthopyroxene and rare apatite and An70 plagioclase. Trace element modelling indicates that hornblende and clinopyroxene are in equilibrium with a liquid whose composition is similar to late basaltic trachyandesitic dikes that cut the complex. The matrix in the lower hornblende gabbro is composed of normally zoned oligoclase, Magnesio-hornblende, biotite, ilmenite and rare quartz and potassium feldspar. This assemblage crystallized in-situ from a Ba and Sr-depleted melts. In contrast, the upper Hbl-gabbro is high-K calc-alkaline. Poikilitic pargasite cores have inclusions of euhedral An70 plagioclase inclusions, and contain occasionally clinopyroxene, olivine and orthopyroxene. The matrix composition is identical to the lower hornblende-gabbro and similar to the diorite. Diorite bulk rock compositions show the same mineralogy but different modal proportions relative to hornblende-gabbrosThe Torres del Paine Intrusive Complex isotopic composition is 87Sr/86Sr=0.704, 143Nd/144Nd=0.5127, 206Pb/204Pb=18.70 and 207Pb/204Pb=15.65. Differentiated dioritic and granitic units may be linked to the gabbroic cumulates series, with 20-50% trapped interstitial melt, through fractionation of olivine-bearing gabbronorite or hornblende-gabbro fractionation The relative homogeneity of the isotopic compositions indicate that only small amounts of assimilation occurred. Two-pyroxenes thermometry, clinopyroxene barometry and amphibole-plagioclase thermometry was used to estimate pressure and temperature conditions. The early fractionation of ultramafic cumulates occurs at mid to lower crustal conditions, at temperatures exceeding 900°C. In contrast, the TPIC emplacement conditions have been estimated to ~0.7±0.5kbar and 790±60°C.Based on field and microtextural observations and geochemical modelling, fractionation of basaltic-trachyandesitic liquids at intermediate to lower crustal levels, has led to the formation of the Torres del Paine granites. Repetitive replenishment of basaltic trachy- andesitic liquid in crustal reservoirs led to mixed magmas that will ascend via the feeder zone, and crystallize into a laccolith, in the form of successive dioritic and gabbroic sills. Dynamic fractionation during emplacement concentrated hornblende rich cumulates in the center of individual sills. Variable degrees.of post-emplacement compaction led to the expulsion of felsic liquids that preferentially concentrated at the top of the sills. Incremental sills amalgamation of the entire Torres del Paine Intrusive Complex has lasted for ~160ka.RESUME SCIENTIFIQUE - VERSION FRANÇAISEGéométrie, pétrologie et croissance d'un laccolite peu profond : Le complexe ma- fique du Torres del Paine (Patagonie)Le Complexe Intrusif du Torres del Paine (CITP) est une intrusion bimodale, d'environ 70km2, appartenant à une chaîne de plutons Miocènes isolés, dans le sud de la Patago-nie. Leur position est intermédiaire entre le batholite patagonien calco-alcalin, à l'Ouest, mis en place au Mesozoïque-Cenozoïque dans un contexte de subduction, et les basal-tes andésitiques et trachybasaltes alcalins de plateau, plus jeune, à l'Est, lié à l'ouverture d'un arrière-arc.A son extrémité Est, le CITP est une succession de sills de gabbro à Hbl et de diorite, sur une épaisseur de ~250m, avec des évidences de mélange. Les contacts avec les sills de granite au-dessus, formant des parois de plus de 1000m, sont cassants. Ce laccolite est connecté, dans sa partie Ouest, à une zone d'alimentation, avec des intrusions sub-ver- ticales de gabbronorite litée et de gabbro à Hbl, en alternance. Celles-ci sont traversées et entourées par des diorites. Les zircons des gabbros de la zone d'alimentation, datés par ID-TIMS, ont cristallisés à 12.593±0.009Ma et 12.587±0.009Ma, ce qui correspond au plus vieux granite daté à ce jour par Michel et al. (2008). A l'inverse, les roches manques du laccolite se sont mises en place entre 12.472±0.009Ma et 12.431 ±0.006Ma, par sous-plaquage successifs à l'interface avec le granite le plus jeune daté à ce jour (12.50±0.02Ma).La séquence de cristallisation des gabbronorites est dominée par Ol, Plg, Cpx et Opx, alors que la Hbl est un cristal interstitiel. Elle est identique dans les gabbros à Hbl de la zone d'alimentation, avec ~30%vol de Hbl. Les gabbros de la zone d'alimentation montrent des anomalies positives en Eu et Sr distinctes. Dans le laccolite, le gabbro à Hbl inférieur évolue le long d'une série shoshonitique, riche en éléments incompatibles. Sa concentration en Al203, Ti02, Na20, K20, Ba et Sr est très variable et augmente rapide-ment jusqu'à ~50wt% Si02. Il est caractérisé par la présence de coeurs résorbés de kaer- sutite, entourés de Bt, et contenant des inclusions d'OI, Cpx et Opx, ou alors d'Ap et de rares Plg (An70). Hbl et Cpx ont cristallisés à partir d'un liquide de composition similaire aux dykes trachy-andesite basaltique du CITP. La matrice, cristallisée in-situ à partir d'un liquide pauvre en Ba et Sr, est composée d'oligoclase zoné de façon simple, de Mg-Hbl, Bt, llm ainsi que de rares Qtz et KF. Le gabbro à Hbl supérieur, quant à lui, appartient à une suite chimique calco-alcaline riche en K. Des coeurs poecilitiques de pargasite con-tiennent de nombreuses inclusions de Plg (An70) automorphe, ainsi que des Ol, Cpx et Opx. La composition de la matrice est identique à celle des gabbros à Hbl inférieurs et toutes deux sont similaires à la minéralogie des diorites. Les analyses sur roches totales de diorites montrent la même variabilité que celles de gabbros à Hbl, mais avec une ten-eur en Si02 plus élevée.La composition isotopique des liquides primitifs du CITP a été mesurée à 87Sr/86Sr=0.704, 143Nd/144Nd=0.5127, 206Pb/204Pb=18.70 et 207Pb/204Pb=15.65. Les granites et diorites différenciés peuvent être reliés à des cumulais gabbronoritiques (F=0.74 pour les granites et F=1-0.5 pour les diorites) et gabbroïques à Hbl (fractionnement supplémentaire pour les granites, avec F=0.3). La cristallisation de 20 à 50%vol de liquide interstitiel piégé dans les gabbros du CITP explique leur signature géochimique. Seules de faibles quantités de croûte continentale ont été assimilées. La température et la pression de fractionnement ont été estimées, sur la base des thermobaromètres Opx-Cpx, Hbl-Plg et Cpx, à plus de 900°C et une profondeur correspondant à la croûte inférieure-moyenne. A l'inverse, les conditions de cristallisation de la matrice des gabbros et diorites du laccolite ont été estimées à 790±60°C et ~0.7±0.5kbar.Je propose que les liquides felsiques du CITP se soient formés par cristallisation frac-tionnée en profondeur des assemblages minéralogiques observés dans les gabbros du CITP, à partir d'un liquide trachy-andesite basaltique. La percolation de magma dans les cristaux accumulés permet la remontée du mélange à travers la zone d'alimentation, vers le laccolite, où des sills se mettent en place successivement. L'amalgamation de sills dans le CITP a duré ~160ka.Le CITP s'est formé durant une reconfiguration importante du contexte géodynamique en Patagonie, avec un changement du magmatisme d'arc vers un volcanisme d'arrière- arc. Ce changement est certainement lié à la subduction de la ride du Chili.RESUME GRAND PUBLIC - VERSION FRANÇAISEGéométrie, pétrologie et croissance d'une chambre magmatique peu profonde : Le complexe mafique du Torres del Paine (Patagonie)Le pourtour de l'Océan Pacifique est caractérisé par une zone de convergence de plaques tectoniques, appelée zone de subduction, avec le plongement de croûte océa-nique sous les Andes dans le cas de la Patagonie. De nombreux volcans y sont associés, formant la ceinture de feu. Mais seuls quelques pourcents de tout le magma traversant la croûte terrestre parviennent à la surface et la majeure partie cristallise en profondeur, dans des chambres magmatiques. Quelles est leur forme, croissance, cristallisation et durée de vie ? Le complexe magmatique du Torres del Paine représente l'un des meilleurs endroits au monde pour répondre à ces questions. Il se situe au sud de la Patagonie, formant un massif de 70km2. Des réponses peuvent être trouvées à différentes échelles, variant de la montagne à des minéraux de quelques 1000ème de millimètres.Il est possible de distinguer trois types de roches : des gabbros et des diorites sur une épaisseur de 250m, surmontées par des parois de granite de plus de 1000m. Les contacts entre ces roches sont tous horizontaux. Entre granites et gabbro-diorite, le contact est net, indiquant que le second magma s'est mis en place au contact avec un magma plus ancien, totalement solidifié. Entre gabbros et diorites, les contacts sont diffus, souvent non-linéaires, indiquant à l'inverse la mise en contact de magmas encore partiellement liquides. Dans la partie Ouest de cette chambre magmatique, les contacts entre roches sont verticaux. Il s'agit certainement du lieu de remplissage de la chambre magmatique.Lors du refroidissement d'un magma, différents cristaux vont se former. Leur stabilité et leur composition varient en fonction de la pression, de la température ou de la chimie du magma. La séquence de cristallisation peut être définie sur la base d'observations microscopiques et de la composition chimique des minéraux. Différents gabbros sont ainsi distingués : le gabbro à la base est riche en hornblende, d'une taille de ~5mm, sans inclusion de plagioclase mais avec des cristaux d'olivine, clinopyroxene et orthopyroxene inclus ; le gabbro supérieur est lui-aussi riche en hornblende (~5mm), avec les mêmes inclusions additionnées de plagioclase. Ces cristaux se sont formés à une température supérieure à 900°C et une profondeur correspondant à la croûte moyenne ou inférieure. Les minéraux plus fin, se trouvant hors des cristaux de hornblende des deux gabbros, sont similaires à ceux des diorites : plagioclase, biotite, hornblende, apatite, quartz et feldspath alcalin. Ces minéraux sont caractéristiques des granites. Ils ont cristallisé à ~790°C et ~2km de profondeur.La cristallisation des minéraux et leur extraction du magma par gravité provoque un changement progressif de la composition de ce dernier. Ainsi, après extraction d'olivine et d'orthopyroxene riches en Mg, de clinopyroxene riche en Ca, de plagioclase riche en Ca et Al et d'hornblende riche en Ca, Al et Mg, le liquide final sera appauvri en ces élé-ments. Un lien peut ainsi être proposé entre les diorites dont la composition est proche du liquide de départ, les granites dont la composition est similaire au liquide final, et les gabbros dont la minéralogie correspond aux minéraux extraits.L'utilisation de zircons, un minéral riche en U dont les atomes se transforment en Pb par décomposition radioactive au cours de millions d'années, permet de dater le refroidissement des roches qui les contiennent. Ainsi, il a été observé que les roches de la zone d'alimentation, à l'Ouest du complexe magmatique, ont cristallisés il y a 12.59±0.01 Ma, en même temps que les granites les plus vieux, se trouvant au sommet de la chambre magmatique, datés par Michel et al. (2008). Les deux roches pourraient donc avoir la même origine. A l'inverse, les gabbros et diorites de la chambre magmatique ont cristallisé entre 12.47±0.01Ma et 12.43±0.01Ma, les roches les plus vieilles étant à la base.En comparant la composition des roches du Torres del Paine avec celles d'autres en-tités géologiques de Patagonie, les causes du magmatisme peuvent être recherchées. A l'Ouest, on trouve en effet des intrusions granitiques, plus anciennes, caractéristiques de zones de convergence de plaque tectonique, alors qu'à l'Est, des laves basaltiques plus jeunes sont caractéristiques d'une dynamique d'extension. Sur la base des compositions chimiques des roches de ces différentes entités, l'évolution progressive de l'une à l'autre a pu être démontrée. Elle est certainement due à l'arrivée d'une dorsale océanique (zone d'extension crustale et de création de croûte océanique par la remontée de magma) dans la zone de subduction, le long des Andes.Je propose que, dans un premier temps, des magmas granitiques sont remontés dans la chambre magmatique, laissant d'importants volumes de cristaux dans la croûte pro-fonde. Dans un second épisode, les cristaux formés en profondeur ont été transportés à travers la croûte continentale, suite au mélange avec un nouveau magma injecté. Ces magmas chargés de cristaux ont traversé la zone d'alimentation avant de s'injecter dans la chambre magmatique. Différents puises ont été distingués, injectés dans la chambre magmatique du sommet à la base concernant les granites, puis à la base du granite le plus jeune pour les gabbros et diorites. Le complexe magmatique du Torres del Paine s'est construit sur une période totale de 160'000±20'000 ans.
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Late Triassic submarine alkali basalts and hawaiites were collected from two superimposed tectonic slices belonging to the Kara Dere - Sayrun unit of the Middle Antalya nappes, southwestern Turkey. New determinations on conodont faunas allow to date this sequence to the Lower Carnian (Julian). The volcanic rocks show rather homogeneous compositions, with high TiO2 and relatively low MgO and Ni contents which suggest olivine fractionation. Their primitive mantle-normalised multi-elements plots show Nb and Ta enrichments relative to La, Pb negative anomalies and heavy rare earth element and Y depletions typical of intraplate ocean island basalts. These characteristics are consistent with the major and trace element compositions of their primary clinopyroxene phenocrysts, which do not show any feature ascribable to crustal contamination. The studied lavas display a restricted range of epsilon Nd (+4.6 to +5.2) which falls within the range of ocean island basalts. Their initial (Nd-143/Nd-144)i ratios are too low to be explained by a simple mixing line between depleted MORB mantle (DMM) and HIMU components. Their Pb and Nd isotopic compositions plot along a mixing line between HIMU component and an enriched mantle, the composition of which could be the result of the addition of about 5 to 8% of an EM2 component (recycled marine sediments) to DMM. The lack of evidence for any continental crustal component. in their genesis could be consistent with their emplacement in an intra-oceanic setting.
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The eastern part of the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador comprises thick buoyant oceanic plateaus associated with island-arc tholeiites and subduction-related calc-alkaline series, accreted to the Ecuadorian Continental Margin from Late Cretaceous to Eocene times. One of these plateau sequences, the Guaranda Oceanic Plateau is considered as remnant of the Caribbean-Colombian Oceanic Province (CCOP) accreted to the Ecuadorian Margin in the Maastrichtien. Samples studied in this paper were taken from four cross-sections through two arc-sequences in the northern part of the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador, dated as (Rio Cala) or ascribed to (Macuchi) the Late Cretaceous and one arc-like sequence in the Chogon-Colonche Cordillera (Las Orquideas). These three island-arcs can clearly be identified and rest conformably on the CCOP. In all four localities, basalts with abundant large clinopyroxene phenocrysts can be found, mimicking a picritic or ankaramitic facies. This mineralogical particularity, although not uncommon in island arc lavas, hints at a contribution of the CCOP in the genesis of these island arc rocks. The complete petrological and geochemical study of these rocks reveals that some have a primitive island-arc nature (MgO values range from 6 to 11 wt.%). Studied samples display marked Nb, Ta and Ti negative anomalies relative to the adjacent elements in the spidergrams characteristic of subductionrelated magmatism. These rocks are LREE-enriched and their clinopyroxenes show a tholeiitic affinity (FeO(1)-TiO(2) enrichment and CaO depletion from core to rim within a single crystal). The four sampled cross-sections through the island-arc sequences display homogeneous initial Nd, and Pb isotope ratios that suggest a unique mantellic source for these rocks resulting from the mixing of three components: an East-Pacific MORB end-member, an enriched pelagic sediment component, and a HIMU component carried by the CCOP. Indeed, the ankaramite and Mg-basalt sequences that form part of the Caribbean-Colombian Oceanic Plateau are radiogenically enriched in (206)Pb/(204)Pb and (207)Pb/(204)Pb and contain a HIMU component similar to that observed in the Gorgona basalts and Galapagos lavas. The subduction zone that generated the Late Cretaceous arcs occurred far from the continental margin, in an oceanic environment. This implies that no terrigenous detrital sediments interacted with the source at this period. Thus, the enriched component can only result from the melting of subducted pelagic sediments. We have thus defined the East-Pacific MORB, enriched (cherts, pelagic sediments) and HIMU components in an attempt to constrain and model the genesis of the studied island-arc magmatism, using a compilation of carefully selected isotopic data from literature according to rock age and paleogeographic location at the time of arc edification. Tripolar mixing models reveal that proportions of 12-15 wt.% of the HIMU component, 7-15 wt.% of the pelagic sediment end-member and 70-75 wt.% of an East-pacific MORB end-member are needed to explain the measured isotope ratios. These surprisingly high proportions of the HIMU/CCOP component could be explained by the young age of the oceanic plateau (5-15 Ma) during the Late Cretaceous arc emplacement. The CCOP, basement of these arc sequences, was probably still hot and easily assimilated at the island-arc lava source. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved,
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To evaluate the role of garnet and amphibole fractionation at conditions relevant for the crystallization of magmas in the roots of island arcs, a series of experiments were performed on a synthetic andesite at conditions ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 GPa, 800-1,000 degrees C and variable H2O contents. At water undersaturated conditions and fO(2) established around QFM, garnet has a wide stability field. At 1.2 GPa garnet ? amphibole are the high-temperature liquidus phases followed by plagioclase at lower temperature. Clinopyroxene reaches its maximal stability at H2O-contents <= 9 wt% at 950 degrees C and is replaced by amphibole at lower temperature. The slopes of the plagioclase-in boundaries are moderately negative in T-XH2O space. At 0.8 GPa, garnet is stable at magmatic H2O contents exceeding 8 wt% and is replaced by spinel at decreasing dissolved H2O. The liquids formed by crystallization evolve through continuous silica increase from andesite to dacite and rhyolite for the 1.2 GPa series, but show substantial enrichment in FeO/MgO for the 0.8 GPa series related to the contrasting roles of garnet and amphibole in fractionating Fe-Mg in derivative liquids. Our experiments indicate that the stability of igneous garnet increases with increasing dissolved H2O in silicate liquids and is thus likely to affect trace element compositions of H2O-rich derivative arc volcanic rocks by fractionation. Garnet-controlled trace element ratios cannot be used as a proxy
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Accreted terranes, comprising a wide variety of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous igneous and sedimentary rocks are an important feature of Cuban geology. Their characterization is helpful for understanding Caribbean paleogeography. The Guaniguanico terrane (western Cuba) is formed by upper Jurassic platform sediments intruded by microgranular dolerite dykes. The geochemical characteristics of the dolerite whole rock samples and their minerals (augitic clinopyroxene, labradorite and andesine) are consistent with a tholeiitic affinity. Major and trace element concentrations as well as Nd, Sr and Pb isotopes show that these rocks also have a continental affinity. Sample chemistry indicates that these lavas are similar to a low Ti-P2O5 (LTi) variety of continental flood basalts (CFB) similar to the dolerites of Ferrar (Tasmania). They derived from mixing of a lithospheric mantle Source and an asthenopheric component similar to E-MORB with minor markers of crustal contamination and sediment assimilation. However, the small quantity of Cuban magmatic rocks, similarly to Tasmania, Antarctica and Siberia differs from other volumetrically important CFB occurrences Such as Parana and Deccan. These dolerites are dated as 165-150 Ma and were emplaced during the separation of the Yucatan block from South America. They could in fact be part of the Yucatan-South America margin through which the intrusive system was emplaced and which was later accreted to the Cretaceous arc of central Cuba and to the Palaeogene arc of eastern Cuba. These samples could therefore reflect the pre-rift stage between North and South America and the opening of the gulf of Mexico.
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On Ile de Groix, Variscan metamorphic former tholeiitic and alkaline basalts occur as glaucophane-eclogites, blueschists and greenschists in isolated lenses and layers within metapelites. Whole-rock delta O-18(SMOW) values of the metabasites show limited variations (10.4-12.0 parts per thousand) and no systematic differences among rock types and metamorphic grades. This provides no argument for large-scale blueschist-to-greenschist transformation driven by infiltration of externally derived fluids. Metamorphic mineralogical changes should have been triggered by internal fluids. Element variations in interlayered blue- and greenschists can be attributed to magmatic fractionation. Assemblages with garnet, clinopyroxene and glaucophane of a high-pressure/low-temperature (HP-LT) metamorphism M1, and NaCa-amphiboles (barroisite, magnesiohornblende, actinolite) of a medium-pressure/medium-temperature metamorphism M2 crystallized during deformation Dl. Detailed core-rim zonation profiles display increasing and then decreasing Al-IV in glaucophane of M1. NaCa-amphiboles of M2, mantling glaucophane and crystallized in porphyroblasts, show first increasing, then decreasing, Al-IV and Al-IV. Empirically calibrated thermobarometers allowed P-T path reconstructions. In glaucophane-eclogites of a metamorphic zone I, a prograde evolution to M1 peak conditions at 400-500 degreesC/10-12 kbar was followed by a retrograde P-T path within the glaucophane stability field. The subsequent M2 evolution was again prograde up to > 600 degreesC at 8 kbar and then retrograde. Similarly, in metamorphic zones II and III, prograde and retrograde paths of MI and M2 at lower maximal temperatures and pressures exist. The almost complete metamorphic cycle during M2 signalizes that the HP-LT rocks escaped from an early erosion by a moderate second burial event and explains the longlasting slow uplift with low average cooling rates.
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Despite the key importance of altered oceanic mantle as a repository and carrier of light elements (B, Li, and Be) to depth, its inventory of these elements has hardly been explored and quantified. In order to constrain the systematics and budget of these elements we have studied samples of highly serpentinized (>50%) spinel harzburgite drilled at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Fifteen-Twenty Fracture zone, ODP Leg 209, Sites 1272A and 1274A). In-situ analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry reveals that the B, Li and Be contents of mantle minerals (olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene) remain unchanged during serpentinization. B and Li abundances largely correspond to those of unaltered mantle minerals whereas Be is close to the detection limit. The Li contents of clinopyroxene are slightly higher (0.44-2.8 mu g g(-1)) compared to unaltered mantle clinopyroxene, and olivine and clinopyroxene show an inverse Li partitioning compared to literature data. These findings along with textural observations and major element composition obtained from microprobe analysis suggest reaction of the peridotites with a mafic silicate melt before serpentinization. Serpentine minerals are enriched in B (most values between 10 and 100 mu g g(-1)), depleted in Li (most values below I mu g g(-1)) compared to the primary phases, with considerable variation within and between samples. Be is at the detection limit. Analysis of whole rock samples by prompt gamma activation shows that serpentinization tends to increase B (10.4-65.0 mu g g(-1)), H2O and Cl contents and to lower Li contents (0.07-3.37 mu g g(-1)) of peridotites, implying that-contrary to alteration of oceanic crust-B is fractionated from Li and that the B and Li inventory should depend essentially on rock-water ratios. Based on our results and on literature data, we calculate the inventory of B and Li contained in the oceanic lithosphere, and its partitioning between crust and mantle as a function of plate characteristics. We model four cases, an ODP Leg 209-type lithosphere with almost no igneous crust, and a Semail-type lithosphere with a thick igneous crust, both at I and 75 Ma, respectively. The results show that the Li contents of the oceanic lithosphere are highly variable (17-307 kg in a column of I m x I m x thickness of the lithosphere (kg/col)). They are controlled by the primary mantle phases and by altered crust, whereas the B contents (25-904 kg/col) depend entirely on serpentinization. In all cases, large quantities of B reside in the uppermost part of the plate and could hence be easily liberated during slab dehydration. The most prominent input of Li into subduction zones is to be expected from Semail-type lithosphere because most of the Li is stored at shallow levels in the plate. Subducting an ODP Leg 209-type lithosphere would mean only very little Li contribution from the slab. Serpentinized mantle thus plays an important role in B recycling in subduction zones, but it is of lesser importance for Li. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Delamination and foundering of the lower continental crust (LCC) into the mantle is part of the crust-forming mechanism. However, knowledge of the composition and mineralogy of the preserved or delaminated LCC over geological timescales remains scarce. We provide a synopsis of recent research within the Kohistan arc (Pakistan) and demonstrate that hydrous and less hydrous liquid lines of descent related to flux assisted and decompression mantle melting, respectively, produce compositionally different lower crustal rocks. The argument refers to two lower crustal sections exposed in Kohistan, the older Southern Plutonic Complex (SPC) and the younger Chilas Complex. The SPC typifies a hydrous, high-pressure fractionation sequence of olivine-pyroxenes-garnet-Fe/Ti-oxide-amphibole-plagioclase. The Chilas Complex illustrates a less hydrous fractionation sequence of olivine-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene-plagioclase-amphibole. Despite the similarity of the Chilas Complex rocks to proposed lower crust compositions, the less hydrous fractionation results in unrealistically small volumes of silica-rich rocks, precluding the Chilas Complex gabbros to represent the magmatic complement to the upper crust. The composition of the SPC lower crust differs markedly from bulk lower crust estimates, but is complementary to silica-rich rocks exposed along this section and in the Kohistan batholith. These observations inspire a composite model for the formation of continental crust (CC) where the negatively buoyant delaminated and the buoyant preserved lower continental crusts (LCC) differ in genesis, mineralogy, and composition. We propose that the upper, non-sedimentary subsequent removal of the complementary, negatively buoyant garnet-pyroxene-amphibole-plagioclase-rich cumulates. In contrast, the LCC, which is buoyant and preserved over geological timescales, is formed by less hydrous parental mantle melts. We suggest that the bulk continental crust composition is related to mixing of these petrologically not directly related end members. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Magmas of the arc-tholeiitic and calc-alkaline differentiation suites contribute substantially to the formation of continental crust in subduction zones. Different geochemical-petrological models have been put forward to achieve evolved magmas forming large volumes of tonalitic to granitic plutons, building an important part of the continental crust. Primary magmas produced in the mantle wedge overlying the subducted slab migrate through the mantle and the crust. During the transfer, magma can accumulate in intermediate reservoirs at different levels where crystallization leads to differentiation and the heat transfer from the magma, together with gained heat from solidification, lead to partial melting of the crust. Partial melts can be assimilated and mix with more primitive magma. Moreover, already formed crystal cumulates or crystal mushes can be recycled and reactivated to transfer to higher crustal levels. Magma transport in the crust involves fow through fractures within a brittle elastic rock. The solidified magma filled crack, a dyke, can crosscut previously formed geological structures and thus serves as a relative or absolute time marker. The study area is situated in the Adamello massif. The Adamello massif is a composite of plutons that were emplaced between 42 and 29 million years. A later dyke swarm intruded into the southern part of the Adamello Batholith. A fractionation model covering dyke compositions from picrobasalts to dacites results in the cummulative crystallization of 17% olivine, 2% Cr-rich spinel, 18% clinopyroxene, 41% amphibole, 4% plagioclase and 0.1% magnetite to achieve an andesitic composition out of a hydrous primitive picrobasalt. These rocks show a similar geochemical evolution as experimental data simulating fractional crystallization and associated magma differentiation at lower crustal depth (7-10 kbar). The peraluminous, corundum normative composition is one characteristic of more evolved dacitic magmas, which has been explained in a long lasting debate with two di_erent models. Melting of mafic crust or politic material provides one model, whereas an alternative is fractionation from primary mantle derived melts. Amphibole occurring in basaltic-andesitic and andesitic dyke rocks as fractionating cumulate phase extracted from lower crustal depth (6-7.5 kbar) is driving the magmas to peraluminous, corundum normative compositions, which are represented by tonalites forming most of the Adamello Batholith. Most primitive picrobasaltic dykes have a slightly steepened chondrite normalized rare earth elements (REE) pattern and the increased enrichment of light-REE (LREE) for andesites and dacites can be explained by the fractional crystallization model originating from a picrobasalt, taking the changing fractionating phase assemblage and temperature into account. The injection of hot basaltic magma (~1050°C) in a closely spaced dyke swarm increases the surface of the contact to the mainly tonalitic wallrock. Such a setting induces partial melting of the wall rock and selective assimilation. Partial melting of the tonalite host is further expressed through intrusion breccias from basaltic dykes. Heat conduction models with instantaneous magma injection for such a dyke swarm geometry can explain features of partial melting observed in the field. Geochemical data of minerals and bulk rock further underline the selective or bulk assimilation of the tonalite host rock at upper crustal levels (~2-3 kbar), in particular with regard to light ion lithophile elements (LILE) such as Sr, Ba and Rb. Primitive picrobasalts carry an immiscible felsic assimilant as enclaves that bring along refractory rutile and zircon with textures typically found in oceanic plagiogranites or high pressure/low-temperature metamorphic rocks in general. U-Pb data implies a lower Cretaceous age for zircon not yet described as assimilant in Eocene to Oligocene magmatic rocks of the Central Southern Alps. The distribution of post-plutonic dykes in large batholiths such as the Adamello is one of the key features for understanding the regional stress field during the post-batholith emplacement cooling history. The emplacement of the regional dyke swarm covering the southern part of the Adamello massif was associated with consistent left lateral strike-slip movement along magma dilatation planes, leading to en echelon segmentation of dykes. Through the dilation by magma of pre-existing weaknesses and cracks in an otherwise uniform host rock, the dyke propagation and according orientation in the horizontal plane adjusted continuously perpendicular to least compressive remote stress σ3, resulting in an inferred rotation of the remote principal stress field. Les magmas issus des zones de subduction contribuent substantiellement à la formation de la croûte continentale. Les plutons tonalitiques et granitiques représentent, en effet, une partie importante de la croûte continentale. Des magmas primaires produits dans le 'mantle wedge ', partie du manteau se trouvant au-dessus de la plaque plongeante dans des zones de subduction, migrent à travers le manteau puis la croûte. Pendant ce transfert, le magma peut s'accumuler dans des réservoirs intermédiaires à différentes profondeurs. Le stockage de magma dans ces réservoirs engendre, d'une part, la différentiation des magmas par cristallisation fractionnée et, d'autre part, une fusion partielle la croûte continentale préexistante associée au transfert de la chaleur des magmas vers l'encaissant. Ces liquides magmatiques issus de la croûte peuvent, ensuite, se mélanger avec des magmas primaires. Le transport du magma dans la croûte implique notamment un flux de magma à travers différentes fractures recoupant les roches encaissantes élastiques. Au cours de ce processus de migration, des cumulats de cristaux ou des agrégats de cristaux encore non-solidifiés, peuvent être recyclés et réactivés pour être transportés à des niveaux supérieures de la croûte. Le terrain d'étude est situé dans le massif d'Adamello. Celui-ci est composé de plusieurs plutons mis en place entre 42 et 29 millions d'années. Dans une phase tardive de l'activité magmatique liée à ce batholite, une série de filons de composition variable allant de picrobasalte à des compositions dacitiques s'est mise en place la partie sud du massif. Deux modèles sont proposés dans la littérature, pour expliquer la formation des magmas dacitiques caractérisés par des compositions peralumineux (i.e. à corindon normatif). Le premier modèle propose que ces magmas soient issus de la fusion de matériel mafique et pélitique présent dans la partie inférieur de la croûte, alors que le deuxième modèle suggère une évolution par cristallisation fractionnée à partir de liquides primaires issus du manteau. Un modèle de cristallisation fractionnée a pu être développé pour expliquer l'évolution des filons de l'Adamello. Ce modèle explique la formation des filons dacitiques par la cristallisation fractionnée de 17% olivine, 2% spinelle riche en Cr, 18% clinopyroxène, 41% amphibole, 4% plagioclase et 0.1% magnetite à partir de liquide de compositions picrobasaltiques. Ce modèle prend en considération les contraintes pétrologiques déduites de l'observation des différents filons ainsi que du champ de stabilité des différentes phases en fonction de la température. Ces roches montrent une évolution géochimique similaire aux données expérimentales simulant la cristallisation fractionnée de magmas évoluant à des niveaux inférieurs de la croûte (7-10 kbar). Le modèle montre, en particulier, le rôle prépondérant de l'amphibole, une phase qui contrôle en particulier le caractère peralumineux des magmas différentiés ainsi que leurs compositions en éléments en traces. Des phénomènes de fusion partielle de l'encaissant tonalitique lors de la mise en place de _lons mafiques sont observée sur le terrain. L'injection du magma basaltique chaud (~1050°C) sous forme de filons rapprochés augmente la surface du contact avec l'encaissante tonalitique. Une telle situation produit la fusion partielle des roches encaissantes nécessaire à l'incorporation d'enclaves mafiques observés au sein des tonalites. Pour comprendre les conditions nécessaires pour la fusion partielle des roches encaissantes, des modèles de conduction thermique pour une injection simultanée d'une série de filons ont été développées. Des données géochimiques sur les minéraux et sur les roches totales soulignent qu'au niveau supérieur de la croûte, l'assimilation sélective ou totale de l'encaissante tonalitique modifie la composition du liquide primaire pour les éléments lithophiles tel que le Sr, Ba et Rb. Un autre aspect important concernant la pétrologie des filons de l'Adamello est la présence d'enclaves felsiques dans les filons les plus primitifs. Ces enclaves montrent, en particulier, des textures proches de celles rencontrées dans des plagiogranites océaniques ou dans des roches métamorphiques de haute pression/basse température. Ces enclaves contiennent du zircon et du rutile. La datations de ces zircons à l'aide du géochronomètre U-Pb indique un âge Crétacé inférieur. Cet âge est important, car aucune roche de cet âge n'a été considérée comme un assimilant potentiel pour des roches magmatiques d'âge Eocène à Oligocène dans les Alpes Sud Centrales. La réparation spatiale des filons post-plutoniques dans des grands batholites tel que l'Adamello, est une caractéristique clé pour la compréhension des champs de contraintes lors du refroidissement du batholite. L'orientation des filons va, en particulier, indiqué la contrainte minimal au sein des roches encaissante. La mise en place de la série de filon recoupant la partie Sud du massif de l'Adamello est associée à un décrochement senestre, un décrochement que l'on peut lié aux contraintes tectoniques régionales auxquelles s'ajoutent l'effet de la dilatation produite par la mise en place du batholite lui-même. Ce décrochement senestre produit une segmentation en échelon des filons.
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Except for the first 2 years since July 29, 1968, Arenal volcano has continuously erupted compositionally monotonous and phenocryst-rich (similar to35%) basaltic andesites composed of plagioclase (plag), orthopyroxene (opx), clinopyroxene (cpx), spinel olivine. Detailed textural and compositional analyses of phenocrysts, mineral inclusions, and microlites reveal comparable complexities in any given sample and identify mineral components that require a minimum of four crystallization environments. We suggest three distinct crystallization environments crystallized low Mg# (<78) silicate phases from andesitic magma but at different physical conditions, such as variable pressure of crystallization and water conditions. The dominant environment, i.e., the one which accounts for the majority of minerals and overprinted all other assemblages near rims of phenocrysts, cocrystallized clinopyroxene (Mg# similar to71-78), orthopyroxene (Mg# similar to71-78), titanomagnetite and plagioclase (An(60) to An(85)). The second environment cocrystallized clinopyroxene (Mg# 71-78), olivine (<Fo(78)), titanomagnetite, and very high An (similar to90) plagioclase, while the third cocrystallized clinopyroxene (Mg# 71-78) with high (>7) Al/Ti and high (>4 wt.%) Al2O3, titanomagnetite with considerable Al2O3 (10-18 wt.%) and possibly olivine but appears to lack plagioclase. A fourth crystallization environment is characterized by clinopyroxene (e.g., Mg#=similar to78-85; Cr2O3=0.15-0.7 wt.%), Al-, Cr-rich spinel olivine (similar toFo(80)), and in some circumstances high-An (>80) plagioclase. This assemblage seems to record mafic inputs into the Arenal system and crystallization at high to low pressures. Single crystals cannot be completely classified as xenocrysts, antecrysts (cognate crystals), or phenocrysts, because they often contain different parts each representing a different crystallization environment and thus belong to different categories. Bulk compositions are mostly too mafic to have crystallized the bulk of ferromagnesian minerals and thus likely do not represent liquid compositions. On the other hand, they are the cumulative products of multiple mixing events assembling melts and minerals from a variety of sources. The driving force for this multistage mixing evolution to generate erupting basaltic andesites is thought to be the ascent of mafic magma from lower crustal levels to subvolcanic depths which at the same time may also go through compositional modification by fractionation and assimilation of country rocks. Thus, mafic magmas become basaltic andesite through mixing, fractionation and assimilation by the time they arrive at subvolcanic depths. We infer new increments of basaltic andesite are supplied nearly continuously to the subvolcanic reservoir concurrently to the current eruption and that these new increments are blended into the residing, subvolcanic magma. Thus, the compositional monotony is mostly the product of repetitious production of very similar basaltic andesite. Furthermore, we propose that this quasi-constant supply of small increments of magma is the fundamental cause for small-scale, decade-long continuous volcanic activity; that is, the current eruption of Arenal is flux-controlled by inputs of mantle magmas. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Results of a field and microstructural study between the northern and the central bodies of the Lanzo plagioclase peridotite massif (NW Italy) indicate that the spatial distribution of deformation is asymmetric across kilometre-scale mantle shear zones. The southwestern part of the shear zone (footwall) shows a gradually increasing degree of deformation from porphyroclastic peridotites to mylonite, whereas the northeastern part (hanging wall) quickly grades into weakly deformed peridotites. Discordant gabbroic and basaltic dykes are asymmetrically distributed and far more abundant in the footwall of the shear zone. The porphyroclastic peridotite displays porphyroclastic zones and domains of igneous crystallization whereas mylonites are characterized by elongated porphyroclasts, embedded between fine-grained, polycrystalline bands of olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, spinel, rare titanian pargasite, and domains of recrystallized olivine. Two types of melt impregnation textures have been found: (1) clinopyroxene porphyroclasts incongruently reacted with migrating melt to form orthopyroxene plagioclase; (2) olivine porphyroclasts are partially replaced by interstitial orthopyroxene. The meltrock reaction textures tend to disappear in the mylonites, indicating that deformation in the mylonite continued under subsolidus conditions. The pyroxene chemistry is correlated with grain size. High-Al pyroxene cores indicate high temperatures (11001030C), whereas low-Al neoblasts display lower final equilibration temperatures (860C). The spinel Cr-number [molar Cr/(Cr Al)] and TiO2 concentrations show extreme variability covering almost the entire range known from abyssal peridotites. The spinel compositions of porphyroclastic peridotites from the central body are more variable than spinel from mylonite, mylonite with ultra-mylonite bands, and porphyroclastic rocks of the northern body. The spinel compositions probably indicate disequilibrium and would favour rapid cooling, and a faster exhumation of the central peridotite body, relative to the northern one. Our results indicate that melt migration and high-temperature deformation are juxtaposed both in time and space. Meltrock reaction may have caused grain-size reduction, which in turn led to localization of deformation. It is likely that melt-lubricated, actively deforming peridotites acted as melt focusing zones, with permeabilities higher than the surrounding, less deformed peridotites. Later, under subsolidus conditions, pinning in polycrystalline bands in the mylonites inhibited substantial grain growth and led to permanent weak zones in the upper mantle peridotite, with a permeability that is lower than in the weakly deformed peridotites. Such an inversion in permeability might explain why actively deforming, fine-grained peridotite mylonite acted as a permeability barrier and why ascending mafic melts might terminate and crystallize as gabbros along actively deforming shear zones. Melt-lubricated mantle shear zones provide a mechanism for explaining the discontinuous distribution of gabbros in oceancontinent transition zones, oceanic core complexes and ultraslow-spreading ridges.
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The Gronnedal-Ika complex is dominated by layered nepheline syenites which were intruded by a xenolithic syenite and a central plug of calcite to calcite-siderite carbonatite. Aegirine-augite, alkali feldspar and nepheline are the major mineral phases in the syenites, along with rare calcite. Temperatures of 680-910degreesC and silica activities of 0.28-0.43 were determined for the crystallization of the syenites on the basis of mineral equilibria. Oxygen fugacities, estimated using titanomagnetite compositions, were between 2 and 5 log units above the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer during the magmatic stage. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of magmatic calcite in both carbonatites and syenites are characterized by REE enrichment (La-CN-Yb-CN = 10-70). Calcite from the carbonatites has higher Ba (similar to5490 ppm) and lower HREE concentrations than calcite from the syenites (54-106 ppm Ba). This is consistent with the behavior of these elements during separation of immiscible silicate-carbonate liquid pairs. epsilon(Nd)(T = 1.30 Ga) values of clinopyroxenes from the syenites vary between +1.8 and +2.8, and epsilon(Nd)(T) values of whole-rock carbonatites range from +2.4 to +2.8. Calcite from the carbonatites has delta(18)O values of 7.8 to 8.6parts per thousand and delta(13)C values of -3.9 to -4.6parts per thousand. delta(18)O values of clinopyroxene separates from the nepheline syenites range between 4.2 and 4.9parts per thousand. The average oxygen isotopic composition of the nepheline syenitic melt was calculated based on known rock-water and mineral-water isotope fractionation to be 5.7 +/- 0.4parts per thousand. Nd and C-O isotope compositions are typical for mantle-derived rocks and do not indicate significant crustal assimilation for either syenite or carbonatite magmas. The difference in delta(18)O between calculated syenitic melts and carbonatites, and the overlap in epsilon(Nd) values between carbonatites and syenites, are consistent with derivation of the carbonatites from the syenites via liquid immiscibility.
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The origin and evolution of CO2 inclusions and calcite veins in peridotite xenoliths of the Pannonian Basin, Hungary, were investigated by means of petrographic investigation and stable isotope analyses. The fluid inclusions recovered in paragenetic olivine and clinopyroxene belong to distinct populations: type A (texturally early) inclusions with regular shapes (often with negative crystal forms) forming intragranular trails, type B (texturally late) inclusions defining randomly oriented trails that reach grain boundaries Type B inclusions are often associated with silicate melt (type C) inclusions Stable carbon isotope compositions in inclusion-hosted CO2 were obtained by vacuum crushing followed by conventional dual inlet as well as continuous flow mass spectrometry in order to eliminate possible lab artifacts. Olivines, clino- and orthopyroxenes of the host peridotite have oxygen isotope compositions from 5.3 to 6.0 parts per thousand (relative to V-SMOW). without any relationship with xenolith texture. Some of the xenoliths contained calcite in various forms veins and infillings in silicate globules in veins, secondary carbonate veins filling cracks and metasomatic veins with diffuse margins The former two carbonate types have delta C-13 values around -13 parts per thousand (relative to V-PDB) and low Sr contents (<05 wt %), whereas the third type,veins with high-temperature metasomatic features have a delta C-13 value of -5 0 parts per thousand and high Sr contents up to 34 wt.% In spite of the mantle-like delta C-13 value and the unusually high Sr content typical for mantle-derived carbonate, trace element compositions have proven a crustal origin. This observation supports the conclusions of earlier studies that the carbonate melt droplets found on peridotite xenoliths in the alkaline basalts represent mobilized sedimentary carbonate. The large delta C-13 range and the C-12-enrichment in the carbonates can be attributed to devolanlization of the migrating carbonate or infiltration of surficial fluids containing C-12-rich dissolved carbon Carbon isotope compositions of inclusion-hosted CO2 range from -17 8 to -4.8 parts per thousand (relative to V-PDB) with no relation to the amount of CO2 released by vacuum crushing. Low-delta C-13 values measured by stepwise heating under vacuum suggest that the carbon component is pristine and not related to surficial contamination, and that primary mantle fluids with delta C-13 values around -5 parts per thousand were at least partly preserved in the xenoliths Tectonic reworking and heating by the basaltic magma resulted in partial CO2 release and local C-13-depletion. (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved
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Lutetium zoning in garnet within eclogites from the Zermatt-Saas Fee zone, Western Alps, reveal sharp, exponentially decreasing central peaks. They can be used to constrain maximum Lu volume diffusion in garnets. A prograde garnet growth temperature interval of 450-600 A degrees C has been estimated based on pseudosection calculations and garnet-clinopyroxene thermometry. The maximum pre-exponential diffusion coefficient which fits the measured central peak is in the order of D-0= 5.7*10(-6) m(2)/s, taking an estimated activation energy of 270 kJ/mol based on diffusion experiments for other rare earth elements in garnet. This corresponds to a maximum diffusion rate of D (600 A degrees C) = 4.0*10(-22) m(2)/s. The diffusion estimate of Lu can be used to estimate the minimum closure temperature, T-c, for Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf age data that have been obtained in eclogites of the Western Alps, postulating, based on a literature review, that D (Hf) < D (Nd) < D (Sm) a parts per thousand currency sign D (Lu). T-c calculations, using the Dodson equation, yielded minimum closure temperatures of about 630 A degrees C, assuming a rapid initial exhumation rate of 50A degrees/m.y., and an average crystal size of garnets (r = 1 mm). This suggests that Sm/Nd and Lu/Hf isochron age differences in eclogites from the Western Alps, where peak temperatures did rarely exceed 600 A degrees C must be interpreted in terms of prograde metamorphism.