Chromite in the mantle section of the Oman Ophiolite: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the Oman Ophiolite

Chromite in the Oman ophiolite is located in the mantle section of the ophiolite sequence and forms abundant small podiformdeposits throughout the length of the ophiolite (Rollinson, 2005).The Oman ophiolite has an exposed mantle section of ca 10 000 km2, and contains ca 200 chromitite bodies. Most are less than 10 000 tonnes and a only a few are >30 000 tonnes (Boudier and Al-Rajhi, 2014). We have examined these deposits in eight different areas of the ophiolite (Figure 1, Rollinson and Adetunji, 2013a), two of which we have studied in great detail – in WadiRajmi in the north of Oman (Rollinson, 2008) and atMaqsad in the south(Rollinson and Adetunji, 2013b).University of Derby URS

The genesis and tectonic significance of chromitite-bearing serpentinites in southern NSW

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Science.The Tumut Serpentinite Province consists of four major serpentinite belts and numerous small serpentinite bodies, that occupy a long narrow tract within the Lachlan Fold Belt of southern NSW. The tectonic setting of one belt, the Coolac Serpentinite Belt, has been contentious. Much of the uncertainty results from lack of a combined study on the major belts and inadequate age constraints. Resolving the uncertainty will benefit construction of a tectonic model for the evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt. The belts mainly comprise massive serpentinite or harzburgite, with internal shear zones of schistose serpentinite, and intrusions of plagiogranite, gabbro, basalt, pyroxenite, dunite and chromitite. The main foliation has a consistent NNW-SSE trend and is similar in the adjacent rock units. The various rock types of the serpentinite belts are geochemically akin to similar rocks from ophiolite sequences. Podiform chromitites are geochemically, mineralogically and geometrically akin to those in the mantle sequence ofmost ophiolites. The different chromitite types are interpreted in tenns of the degree of evolution of the MORB-type magma and hence the extent of fractionation ofthe source. Serpentinisation and rodingitisation occurred during progressive cooling of the chromitites and host rocks and were accompanied by systematic fracturing and remobilisation of chemical components. Radioisotope dating gives an age of crystallisation of41Z-400 Ma for the plagiogranites and leucogabbros, whilst an inherited zircon age of 430 Ma appears to be derived from Early Silurian felsic volcanic rocks of the region. As the plagiogranites, leucogabbros and other rock types within the serpentinite belts have common deformational and metamorphic histories, their crystallisation age constrains the ages of deformation and metamorphism. The serpentinite belts are interpreted as ophiolites of the 'embryonic' type that formed within a back-arc basin setting in the Late Silurian-Early Devonian. Crystallisation of the MORB sequence and emplacement onto continental crust, together with metamorphism and deformation may have only spanned 20 Ma. In the Late Silurian to Early Devonian, the Tumut Serpentinite Province differed from basins elsewhere within the Lachlan Fold Belt in.that a volcanic arc was ruptured by mantle-derived MORB magmas which ascended to the stuface. Their extrusion was short-lived and after the Early Devonian, the development of the Tumut region differed little from that in the rest of the Lachlan Fold Belt. The development of oceanic crust within the Tumut Serpentinite Province and the generation of granitic magmas within the central and eastern parts of the Lachlan Fold Belt are symptomatic of the same Late Silurian to Early Devonian tectonothennal event. An important aspect of this is that oceanic and crustal rocks need not fonn from different events or in substantially different tectonic settings

The podiform chromitites in the Dagküplü and Kavak mines, Eskisehir ophiolite (NW-Turkey) : genetic implications of mineralogical and geochemical data

Mantle tectonites from Eskisehir (NW-Turkey) include high-Cr chromitites with limited variation of Cr#, ranging from 65 to 82. Mg# ratios are between 54 and 72 and chromite grains contain up to 3.71 wt% Fe2O3 and 0.30 wt% TiO2. PGE contents are variable and range from 109 to 533 pbb. Chondrite-normalized PGE patterns are flat from Os to Rh and negatively sloping from Rh to Pd. Total PGE contents and low Pd/Ir ratios (from 0.07 to 0.41) of chromitites are consistent with typical ophiolitic chromitites. Chromite grains contain a great number of solid inclusions. They comprise mainly of highly magnesian (Mg# 95-98) mafic silicates (olivine, amphibole and clinopyroxene) and base-metal sulfide inclusions of millerite (NiS), godlevskite (Ni7S6), bornite (C5FeS4) with minor Ni arsenides of maucherite (Ni11As8) and orcelite (Ni5-xAs2), and unnamed Cu2FeS3 phases. Heazlewoodite, awaruite, pyrite, and rare putoranite (Cu9Fe,Ni9S16) were also detected in the matrix of chromite as secondary minerals. Laurite [(Ru,Os)S2] was the only platinum-group minerals found as primary inclusions in chromite. They occur as euhedral to subhedral crystals trapped within chromite grains and are believed to have formed in the high temperature magmatic stage during chromite crystallization. Laurite has limited compositional variation, range between Ru0.94Os0.03Ir0.02S1.95 and Ru0.64Os0.21Ir0.10S1.85, and contain up to 1.96 at% Rh and 3.67 at% As. Close association of some laurite grains with amphibole and clinopyroxene indicates crystallization from alkali rich fluid bearing melt in the suprasubduction environment. The lack of any IPGE alloys, as well as the low Os-content of laurite, assumes that the melt from which chromite and laurite were crystallized had relatively high fS2 but never reached the fS2 to crystallize the erlichmanite. The presence of millerite, as primary inclusions in chromite, reflects the increasing fS2 during the chromite crystallization

Closed-system behaviour of the Re-Os isotope system recorded in primary and secondary platinum-group mineral assemblages : evidence from a mantle chromitite at Harold's Grave (Shetland ophiolite complex, Scotland)

This study evaluates in detail the mineral chemistry, wholerock and mineral separate Os-isotope compositions of distinct platinumgroup mineral (PGM) assemblages in an isolated chromitite pod at Harold's Grave which occurs in mantle tectonite in the Shetland Ophiolite Complex (SOC), Scotland. This was the first ophiolite sequence worldwide that was shown to contain ppm levels of all six platinum-group elements (PGE) in podiform chromitite, including the contrasting type localities found here and at Cliff. At Harold's Grave the primary PGM assemblage is composed mainly of laurite and/or Os-rich iridium and formed early together with chromite, whereas the secondary PGM assemblage dominated by laurite, Osrich laurite, irarsite, native osmium and Ru-bearing pentlandite is likely to reflect processes including in-situ serpentinization, alteration during emplacement and regional greenschist metamorphism. The osmium isotope data define a restricted range of 'unradiogenic' 187Os/188Os values for coexisting laurite and Os-rich alloy pairs from 'primary' PGM assemblage (0.12473-0.12488) and similar 'unradiogenic' 187Os/188Os values for both 'primary' and 'secondary' PGM assemblages (0.1242±0.0008 and 0.1245±0.0006, respectively), which closely match the bulk 187Os/188Os value of their host chromitite (0.1240±0.0006). The unprecedented isotopic similarity between primary or secondary PGM assemblages and chromitite we report suggests that the osmium isotope budget of chromitite is largely controlled by the contained laurite and Os-rich alloy. This demonstrates that closed system behaviour of the Re- Os isotope system is possible, even during complex postmagmatic hydrothermal and/or metamorphic events. The preserved mantle Os-isotope signatures provide further support for an Enstatite Chondrite Reservoir (ECR) model for the convective upper mantle and are consistent with origin of the complex as a Caledonian ophiolite formed in a suprasubduction zone setting shortly before obduction

Chromite and platinum group elements mineralization in the Santa Elena Ultramafic Nappe (Costa Rica): geodynamic implications

Chromitites associated with strongly altered peridotite from six distinct localities in the Santa Elena ultramafic nappe (Costa Rica) have been investigated for the first time. Santa Elena chromitites commonly display a compositional variation from extremely chromiferous (Cr/(Cr+Al)=0.81) to intermediate and aluminous (Cr/(Cr+Al)=0.54). This composition varies along a continuous trend, corresponding to calculated parental liquids which may have been derived from the differentiation of a single batch of boninitic magma with Cr-rich and (Al, Ti)-poor initial composition. Fractional precipitation of chromite probably occurred during differentiation of the boninitic melt and progressive metasomatic reaction with mantle peridotite. The distribution of platinum group elements (PGE) displays the high (Os+Ir+Ru)/(Rh+Pt+Pd) ratio typical of ophiolitic chromitites and, consistently, the platinum group minerals (PGM) encountered are mainly Ru-Os-Ir sulfides and arsenides. Textural relations of most of the platinum group elements suggest crystallization at magmatic temperatures, possibly under relatively high sulfur fugacity as indicated by the apparent lack of primary Os-Ir-Ru alloys. The chemical and mineralogical characteristics of chromitites from the Santa Elena ultramafic nappe have a strong affinity to podiform chromitites in the mantle section of supra-subduction-zone ophiolites. Calculated parental melts of the chromitites are consistent with the differentiation of arc-related magmas, and do not support the oceanic spreading center geodynamic setting previously proposed by some authors

Formation and evolution of the chromitites of the Stillwater Complex : a trace element study

Large layered intrusions, such as the Stillwater Complex, contain cyclic units of chromite-rich layers (cm to m thick) having kilometre-scale lateral extension. Chromite cumulates are among the first to form after new primitive melt injections into the magma chamber. Therefore, chromite cumulates could be used to investigate the nature of the parental magma, given the fact that chromite preserves its primary original magmatic composition. The cooling and crystallization history of large layered intrusions is long, complex, and involves multiple injections of hot primitive magma into an evolving and fractionating magma chamber. Our study on Stillwater chromites shows that the early crystallized chromite experiences various post-cumulus processes with the interstitial silicate melt, such as the precipitation of chromite overgrowths on early formed cumulus chromite and/or the reaction - reequilibration of early formed cumulus chromite. These processes have modifed the primary magmatic composition of the chromite making it difficult to identify the parental magma. Moreover, mineralogical evidence for chromite - interstitial melt interactions have probably been obliterated during late post-magmatic textural maturation and recrystallization which tends to homogenize chromite grain size and composition

Masirah – The other Oman ophiolite: A better analogue for mid-ocean ridge processes?

Oman has two ophiolites – the better known late Cretaceous northern Oman (or Semail) ophiolite and the lesser known and smaller, Jurassic Masirah ophiolite located on the eastern coast of the country adjacent to the Indian Ocean. A number of geological, geochronological and geochemical lines of evidence strongly suggest that the northern Oman ophiolite did not form at a mid-ocean ridge but rather in a supra-subduction zone setting by fast spreading during subduction initiation. In contrast the Masirah ophiolite is structurally part of a series of ophiolite nappes which are rooted in the Indian Ocean floor. There are significant geochemical differences between the Masirah and northern Oman ophiolites and none of the supra-subduction features typical of the northern Oman ophiolite are found at Masirah. Geochemically Masirah is MORB, although in detail it contains both enriched and depleted MORB reflecting a complex source for the lavas and dykes. The enrichment of this source predates the formation of the ophiolite. The condensed crustal section on Masirah (ca 2 km) contains a very thin gabbro sequence and is thought to reflect its genesis from a cool mantle source associated with the early stages of sea-floor spreading during the early separation of eastern and western Gondwana. These data suggest that the Masirah ophiolite is a suitable analogue for an ophiolite created at a mid-ocean ridge, whereas the northern Oman ophiolite is not. The stratigraphic history of the Masirah ophiolite shows that it remained a part of the oceanic crust for ca 80 Ma. The chemical variability and enrichment of the Masirah lavas is similar to that found elsewhere in Indian Ocean basalts and may simply reflect a similar provenance rather than a feature fundamental to the formation of the ophiolite.University of Derb

Surprises from the top of the mantle transition zone

Recent studies of chromite deposits from the mantle section of ophiolites have revealed a most unusual collection of minerals present as inclusions within the chromite. The initial discoveries were of diamonds from the Luobosa ophiolite in Tibet. Further work has shown that mantle chromitites from ophiolites in Tibet, the Russian Urals and Oman contain a range of crustal minerals including zircon, and a suite of highly reducing minerals including carbides, nitrides and metal alloys. Some of the minerals found represent very high pressure phases indicating that their likely minimum depth is close to the top of the mantle transition zone. These new results suggest that crustal materials may be subducted to mantle transition zone depths and subsequently exhumed during the initiation of new subduction zones—the most likely environment for the formation of their host ophiolites. The presence of highly reducing phases indicates that at mantle transition zone depths the Earth’s mantle is ‘super’-reducing.Uo

Metamorphism on Chromite Ores from the Dobromirtsi Ultramafic Massif, Rhodope Mountains (SE Bulgaria)

Podiform chromitite bodies occur in highly serpentinized peridotites at Dobromirtsi Ultramafic Massif (Rhodope Mountains, southeastern Bulgaria). The ultramafic body is believed to represent a fragment of Palaeozoic ophiolite mantle. The ophiolite sequence is associated with greenschist - lower-temperature amphibolite facies metamorphosed rocks (biotitic gneisses hosting amphibolite). This association suggests that peridotites, chromitites and metamorphic rocks underwent a common metamorphic evolution. Chromitites at Dobromirtsi have been strongly altered. Their degree of alteration depends on the chromite/silicate ratio and to a lesser extent, on the size of chromitite bodies. Alteration is recorded in individual chromite grains in the form of optical and chemical zoning. Core to rim chemical trends are expressed by MgO- and Al2O3- impoverishment, mainly compensated by FeO and/or Fe2O3 increases. Such chemical variations correspond with three main alteration events. The first one was associated with ocean-floor metamorphism and was characterized by a lizardite replacement of olivine and the absence of chromite alteration. The second event took place during greenchist facies metamorphism. During this event, MgO- and SiO2-rich fluids (derived from low temperatura serpentinization of olivine and pyroxenes) reacted with chromite to form chlorite; as a consequence, chromite became altered to a FeO- and Cr2O3-rich, Al2O3-poor chromite. The third event, mainly developed during lower temperature amphibolite facies metamorphism, caused the replacement of the primary and previously altered chromite by Fe2O3-rich chromite (ferritchromite)