8 research outputs found
The ascent of kimberlite: Insights from olivine
Olivine xenocrysts are ubiquitous in kimberlite deposits worldwide and derive from the disaggregation of mantle-derived peridotitic xenoliths. Here, we provide descriptions of textural features in xenocrystic olivine from kimberlite deposits at the Diavik Diamond Mine, Canada and at Igwisi Hills volcano, Tanzania. We establish a relative sequence of textural events recorded by olivine during magma ascent through the cratonic mantle lithosphere, including: xenolith disaggregation, decompression fracturing expressed as mineral- and fluid-inclusion-rich sealed and healed cracks, grain size and shape modification by chemical dissolution and abrasion, late-stage crystallization of overgrowths on olivine xenocrysts, and lastly, mechanical milling and rounding of the olivine cargo prior to emplacement. Ascent through the lithosphere operates as a âkimberlite factoryâ wherein progressive upward dyke propagation of the initial carbonatitic melt fractures the overlying mantle to entrain and disaggregate mantle xenoliths. Preferential assimilation of orthopyroxene (Opx) xenocrysts by the silica-undersaturated carbonatitic melt leads to deep-seated exsolution of CO2-rich fluid generating buoyancy and supporting rapid ascent. Concomitant dissolution of olivine produces irregular-shaped relict grains preserved as cores to most kimberlitic olivine. Multiple generations of decompression cracks in olivine provide evidence for a progression in ambient fluid compositions (e.g., from carbonatitic to silicic) during ascent. Numerical modelling predicts tensile failure of xenoliths (disaggregation) and olivine (cracks) over ascent distances of 2â7 km and 15â25 km, respectively, at velocities of 0.1 to >4 mâsâ1. Efficient assimilation of Opx during ascent results in a silica-enriched, olivine-saturated kimberlitic melt (i.e. SiO2 >20 wt.%) that crystallizes overgrowths on partially digested and abraded olivine xenocrysts. Olivine saturation is constrained to occur at pressures <1 GPa; an absence of decompression cracks within olivine overgrowths suggests depths <25 km. Late stage (<25 km) resurfacing and reshaping of olivine by particleâparticle milling is indicative of turbulent flow conditions within a fully fluidized, gas-charged, crystal-rich magma
Experimental evidence for the preservation of U-Pb isotope ratios in mantle-recycled crustal zircon grains
Zircon of crustal origin found in mantle-derived rocks is of great interest because of the information it
may provide about crust recycling and mantle dynamics. Consideration of this requires understanding
of how mantle temperatures, notably higher than zircon crystallization temperatures, affected the
recycled zircon grains, particularly their isotopic clocks. Since Pb2+ diffuses faster than U4+ and Th+4,
it is generally believed that recycled zircon grains lose all radiogenic Pb after a few million years, thus
limiting the time range over which they can be detected. Nonetheless, this might not be the case
for zircon included in mantle minerals with low Pb2+ diffusivity and partitioning such as olivine and
orthopyroxene because these may act as zircon sealants. Annealing experiments with natural zircon
embedded in cristobalite (an effective zircon sealant) show that zircon grains do not lose Pb to their
surroundings, although they may lose some Pb to molten inclusions. Diffusion tends to homogenize the
Pb concentration in each grain changing the U-Pb and Th-Pb isotope ratios proportionally to the initial
206Pb, 207Pb and 208Pb concentration gradients (no gradient-no change) but in most cases the original
age is still recognizable. It seems, therefore, that recycled crustal zircon grains can be detected, and
even accurately dated, no matter how long they have dwelled in the mantle.This paper has been financed by the Spanish Grants CGL2013-40785-P and
CGL2017-84469-P