Long-term memory of subduction processes in the lithospheric mantle: evidence from the geochemistry of basic dykes in the Gardar Province of South Greenland

The rift-related magmas of the Proterozoic Gardar Igneous Province were emplaced across the contact between the South Greenland Archaean craton and the Palaeoproterozoic Ketilidian mobile belt. It has been suggested that the geochemistry of Gardar intrusive rocks in the two areas varies across the craton margin and that this reflects a lithospheric control. However, comparison of the geochemical and isotopic signatures of basic and ultrabasic dykes from across the area shows that there is no systematic variation related to the age of the country rock. All the Gardar basic rocks are inferred to have been derived from the mantle, with relatively little crustal contamination. We suggest that the lithospheric mantle beneath the Gardar Province was enriched by slab-derived fluids during the Ketilidian orogeny (c. 1800 Ma). Subsequent melting of this mantle source was promoted during Gardar rifting when volatile-rich, small-degree melts from the asthenosphere were introduced into the lithospheric mantle, forming enriched metasomites. Ultrabasic lamprophyre dykes in the Gardar Province represent melts derived largely from these metasomites, whereas basaltic magmas were formed by larger-scale melting of the lithospheric mantle, inheriting a subductionrelated signature. There is no evidence that the Gardar magmas were derived from a highly enriched lithospheric keel that had existed since craton formation

Carboniferous and Permian magmatism in Scotland

Extensional tectonics to the north of the Variscan Front during the Early Carboniferous generated fault-controlled basins across the British Isles, with accompanying basaltic magmatism. In Scotland Dinantian magmatism was dominantly mildly alkaline-transitional in composition. Tournaisian activity was followed by widespread Visean eruptions largely concentrated within the Scottish Midland Valley where the lava successions, dominantly of basaltic-hawaiitic composition, attained thicknesses of up to 1000 m. Changing stress fields in the late Visean coincided with a change in the nature of the igneous activity; subsequently, wholly basic magmatism persisted into the Silesian. As sedimentary basin fills increased, sill intrusion tended to dominate over lava extrusion. In the Late Carboniferous (Stephanian) a major melting episode, producing large volumes of tholeiitic magma, gave rise to a major dyke swarm and sills across northern England and Scotland. Alkali basaltic magmatism persisted into the Permian, possibly until as late as 250 Ma in Orkney. Geochemical data suggest that the Carboniferous-Permian magmas were dominantly of asthenospheric origin, derived from variable degrees of partial melting of a heterogeneous mantle source; varying degrees of interaction with the lithosphere are indicated. Peridotite, pyroxenite and granulite-facies basic meta-igneous rocks entrained as xenoliths within the most primitive magmas provide evidence for metasomatism of the lithospheric mantle and high-pressure crystal fractionation

Ultramafic xenoliths from the Bearpaw Mountains, Montana, USA: evidence for multiple metasomatic events in the lithospheric mantle beneath the Wyoming craton

Ultramafic xenoliths in Eocene minettes of the Bearpaw Mountains volcanic field (Montana, USA), derived from the lower lithosphere of the Wyoming craton, can be divided based on textural criteria into tectonite and cumulate groups. The tectonites consist of strongly depleted spinel lherzolites, harzburgites and dunites. Although their mineralogical compositions are generally similar to those of spinel peridotites in off-craton settings, some contain pyroxenes and spinels that have unusually low Al2O3 contents more akin to those found in cratonic spinel peridotites. Furthermore, the tectonite peridotites have whole-rock major element compositions that tend to be significantly more depleted than non-cratonic mantle spinel peridotites (high MgO, low CaO, Al2O3 and TiO2) and resemble those of cratonic mantle. These compositions could have been generated by up to 30% partial melting of an undepleted mantle source. Petrographic evidence suggests that the mantle beneath the Wyoming craton was re-enriched in three ways: (1) by silicate melts that formed mica websterite and clinopyroxenite veins; (2) by growth of phlogopite from K-rich hydrous fluids; (3) by interaction with aqueous fluids to form orthopyroxene porphyroblasts and orthopyroxenite veins. In contrast to their depleted major element compositions, the tectonite peridotites are mostly light rare earth element (LREE)-enriched and show enrichment in fluid-mobile elements such as Cs, Rb, U and Pb on mantle-normalized diagrams. Lack of enrichment in high field strength elements (HFSE; e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf) suggests that the tectonite peridotites have been metasomatized by a subduction-related fluid. Clinopyroxenes from the tectonite peridotites have distinct U-shaped REE patterns with strong LREE enrichment. They have 143Nd/144Nd values that range from 0·5121 (close to the host minette values) to 0·5107, similar to those of xenoliths from the nearby Highwood Mountains. Foliated mica websterites also have low 143Nd/144Nd values (0·5113) and extremely high 87Sr/86Sr ratios in their constituent phlogopite, indicating an ancient (probably mid-Proterozoic) enrichment. This enriched mantle lithosphere later contributed to the formation of the high-K Eocene host magmas. The cumulate group ranges from clinopyroxene-rich mica peridotites (including abundant mica wehrlites) to mica clinopyroxenites. Most contain >30% phlogopite. Their mineral compositions are similar to those of phenocrysts in the host minettes. Their whole-rock compositions are generally poorer in MgO but richer in incompatible trace elements than those of the tectonite peridotites. Whole-rock trace element patterns are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE; Rb, Cs, U and Pb) and depleted in HFSE (Nb, Ta Zr and Hf) as in the host minettes, and their Sr–Nd isotopic compositions are also identical to those of the minettes. Their clinopyroxenes are LREE-enriched and formed in equilibrium with a LREE-enriched melt closely resembling the minettes. The cumulates therefore represent a much younger magmatic event, related to crystallization at mantle depths of minette magmas in Eocene times, that caused further metasomatic enrichment of the lithosphere

The lithospheric mantle and lower crust-mantle relationships under Scotland: a xenolithic perspective

In the British Isles the majority of volcanic rocks containing upper mantle and lower crustal xenoliths occur in Scotland. Most of the occurrences are of Carboniferous–Permian age. This paper presents new data on the mineral chemistry of spinel lherzolite xenoliths from the five principal Scottish tectonic terranes. Compositional variations among the minerals emphasize the broad lateral heterogeneity of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle across the region. The remarkable range of Al2O3 v. CaO exhibited by the clinopyroxenes compared with data from other ‘xenolith provinces' emphasizes the extremely complex tectonomagmatic history of the Scottish lithosphere. The generalized age increase from southern and central Scotland to the Northern Highland and Hebridean terranes of the north and NW, with concomitant complexity of geological history, is reflected also by trace element and isotopic studies. Reaction relationships in lherzolites from the Hebridean Terrane, owing to pervasive metasomatism, involve secondary growth of sodic feldspar. This, and light REE enrichment of clinopyroxenes, points to involvement of a natro-carbonatitic melt. Most pyroxenitic xenoliths are inferred to form a basal crustal layer with a generally sharp discontinuity above the underlying (dominantly lherzolitic) mantle. A second discontinuity is inferred to separate these ultramafic cumulates from overlying, broadly cognate metagabbroic cumulates

Complex subvolcanic magma plumbing system of an alkali basaltic maar-diatreme volcano (Elie Ness, Fife, Scotland)

Alkali basaltic diatremes such as Elie Ness (Fife, Scotland) expose a range of volcanic lithofacies that points to a complex, multi-stage emplacement history. Here, basanites contain phenocrysts including pyrope garnet and sub-calcic augites from depths of ~60km. Volcanic rocks from all units, pyroclastic and hypabyssal, are characterised by rare earth element (REE) patterns that show continuous enrichment from heavy REE (HREE) to light REE (LREE), and high Zr/Y that are consistent with retention of garnet in the mantle source during melting of peridotite in a garnet lherzolite facies. Erupted garnets are euhedral and unresorbed, signifying rapid ascent through the lithosphere. The magmas also transported abundant pyroxenitic clasts, cognate with the basanite host, from shallower depths (~35–40km). These clasts exhibit wide variation in texture, mode and mineralogy, consistent with growth from a range of compositionally diverse melts. Further, clinopyroxene phenocrysts from both the hypabyssal and pyroclastic units exhibit a very wide compositional range, indicative of polybaric fractionation and magma mixing. This is attributed to stalling of earlier magmas in the lower crust — principally from ~22 to 28km — as indicated by pyroxene thermobarometry. Many clinopyroxenes display chemical zoning profiles, occasionally with mantles and rims of higher magnesium number (Mg#) suggesting the magmas were mobilised by juvenile basanite magma. The tuffs also contain alkali feldspar megacrysts together with Fe-clinopyroxene, zircon and related salic xenoliths, of the ‘anorthoclasite suite’ — inferred to have crystallised at upper mantle to lower crustal depths from salic magma in advance of the mafic host magmas. Despite evidence for entrainment of heterogeneous crystal mushes, the rapidly ascending melts experienced negligible crustal contamination. The complex association of phenocrysts, megacrysts and autoliths at Elie Ness indicates thorough mixing in a dynamic system immediately prior to explosive diatreme-forming eruptions.Clough and Mykura Fund of the Geological Society of Edinburgh; Timothy Jefferson Fund of the Geological Society of Londo

Silica-undersaturated trachytic rocks of central Scotland

The paper presents a review of silica-undersaturated salic intrusions (nepheline-normative trachytes and phonolites) from the Carboniferous-Permian magmatic province in central Scotland. New whole-rock major and trace element analyses, together with Sr and Nd isotopic data, are presented for six intrusions (Bass Rock, North Berwick Law, Traprain Law, Hairy Craig, Fintry and Loudoun Hill) and two syenite autoliths within the Loudoun Hill intrusion. On the basis of the conventional total alkalis versus silica diagram, all six intrusions are trachytes except for Traprain Law, which is a phonolite. Traprain Law is the most highly evolved and the most undersaturated in silica. The Loudoun autoliths are the most basic (Mg numbers of 21.8-27.3) and are inferred to be fragments of cumulates entrained at shallow crustal depths. Whilst all eight samples have approximately constant initial ɛNd (+4.3-+1.99), initial 87Sr/86Sr data are more variable (0.725929-0.709817). Although four of the samples have isotopic characteristics on, or close to, the Sr-Nd mantle array, those from Fintry, Bass Rock, Loudoun Hill and North Berwick Law lie at higher 87Sr/86Sri values, probably as a result of secondary alteration. From their petrographic and geochemical affinity, the six intrusions are considered to have had similar petrogenesis as late-stage residues from mildly silica-deficient basalt magmas, produced in deep crustal chambers and subsequently intruded with minimal crustal interaction

Xenolithic insights into the deep geology beneath the Ross of Mull

A rich assemblage of xenoliths is present in three small Permian dykes that cut the Ross of Mull granite on the SW coast of Mull, bordering the Sound of Iona. The xenoliths, up to 80 mm in diameter, are abundant, and include a wide range of compositions, including spinel lherzolites, dunites, pyroxenites, meta-basic granulite-facies gneisses, anorthosites, anorthoclasites, quartzo-feldspathic gneisses and psammitic meta-sediments. Granitic xenoliths attributable to the Ross of Mull pluton are strikingly scarce. The inference is that the majority of the xenoliths were entrained from beneath the pluton. The xenoliths represent a wide cross-section of the lithosphere, from below the Moho to relatively high crustal levels. Cataclasis and intense shearing in some of the crustal xenoliths suggests that the dykes intersected one or more of the bounding Caledonian thrusts at mid-crustal depths

Geochemical evolution of the Ivigtut granite, South Greenland: a fluorine-rich "A-type" intrusion

The Ivigtut alkali granite stock lies within the Proterozoic Gardar alkaline igneous province of South Greenland. This small (300 m across) granite body once contained the world's largest body of cryolite, now mined out. The granite surrounding the cryolite body has been extensively metasomatised by F- and CO2- rich fluids, leading to zonal enrichment in HFSE and REE. Variations in the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd systematics of the granite can be correlated with the degree of metasomatism. Unaltered granites have highly variable initial Sr-87/Sr-86, and initial epsilon(Nd) ratios of around -3, suggesting formation through crustal contamination of a mantle-derived magma. Metasomatised granites show higher initial epsilon(Nd) ratios, which can be interpreted to suggest that the metasomatic fluid was derived from a mantle source

Petrogenesis of late stage magmatism at Hold with Hope, East Greenland

The Myggbukta caldera complex and a swarm of basic dykes constitute the latest Tertiary magmatism in the Hold with Hope region, East Greenland. The Sr and Nd isotope ratios of these rocks show coherent variations which extend to high 87Sr/86Sr and low 143Nd/144Nd values and require a contribution from continental lithosphere. Broad correlations with major element differentiation indices suggest that the continental component was incorporated during magmatic differentiation thereby favouring a crustal contamination process. Trace element concentrations are strongly correlated with isotopic compositions but display ranges for many incompatible elements which extend beyond likely crustal contaminant compositions. This is readily modelled by AFC processes in which the dominant cause of trace element enrichment is the concentration effect of fractional crystallisation rather than the composition of the contaminant. The simplest such models still require unrealistically high degrees of fractional crystallisation to explain the ten-fold enrichment of some trace elements. This can be overcome if the primary magmas entering the crust already had highly variable trace element compositions. Such variability is readily achieved if melts from different parts of the melting column escape without thorough homogenization. An AFC model which incorporates variability in parental magma composition is then able to simulate the range of compositions observed at Hold with Hope. This carries the implication that the variations observed are more readily attributed to changes in uncontaminated parental magma than to variations in the composition or amount of contaminant