Brian O'Driscoll

Trevorite: Ni-rich spinel formed by metasomatism and desulfurization processes at Bon Accord, South Africa?

Abstract The 3.5 Ga Bon Accord Ni deposit occurs within the lowest serpentinized mafic-ultramafic lavas of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (South Africa). Though now completely mined out, it comprised a suite of rare Ni-rich minerals that led to its interpretation as either an extraterrestrial body or as an oxidized fragment of Fe-Ni alloy originating from the terrestrial core. In this study, we draw on detailed petrographic observation and mineral chemical data, as well as previous work, to re-evaluate these ideas. The balance of evidence, from thin section (<1 mm) to regional (~10s of km) scales, appears to support an alternative origin for Bon Accord, possibly as an oxidized Ni-sulfide deposit formed in association with ocean floor komatiite eruptions.

The structure, fabrics and AMS of the Slieve Gullion ring-complex, Northern Ireland: testing the ring-dyke emplacement model

Abstract A structural investigation of the Slieve Gullion ring-complex, part of the approximately 56 Ma Slieve Gullion Igneous Centre, County Armagh, Northern Ireland was carried out with a view to testing the ring-dyke emplacement mechanism. This investigation involved the detailed examination and mapping of critical field relationships and the measurement of visible and magnetic fabrics, within the porphyritic rhyolite (felsite) and the porphyritic granite (granophyre) parts of the ring-complex. Set against existing theories for the emplacement of this complex, our investigation failed to find steep outward-dipping fabrics and lineations that would support the emplacement of this ring-complex as a ring-dyke. Instead, we propose that the ring-complex was emplaced as a series of extrusive and intrusive subhorizontal sheets, controlled by a circular zone of deformation, and subsequently domed by the emplacement of the younger central complex. From its gently dipping bulk geometries and a disharmonically folded eutaxitic internal fabric (supported by AMS – anisotropy of magnetic susceptibilty), the earlier rhyolite is reinterpreted as a pyroclastic deposit. The rhyolite was probably deposited against the wall of a subsiding caldera and is now preserved in the SW quadrant of the complex. From primary intrusive contact geometries with pre-Palaeogene country rocks, magnetic fabrics and subtle visible foliations – all of which are gently dipping – the younger and more extensive granitic ring is suggested to have initially been a subhorizontal sheet that is now domed. Only its gently outward-dipping floor is exposed around the ring-complex, and this is for much of its circumference bounded by a circular zone of deformation – a ring-fault. This study highlights the importance of detailed structural investigation in assessing the emplacement of igneous ring-complexes, emphasizing the need to look further than a simple ring-dyke emplacement model.

Controls on emplacement of the Caledonian Ross of Mull Granite, NW Scotland: Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and magmatic and regional structures

ABSTRACT Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) was measured from 139 sites across the exposed portion of the Caledonian Ross of Mull Granite, Argyllshire, NW Scotland, to investigate the internal architecture of the pluton. Field and petrographic observations support the results of the AMS study, and a complementary suite of rock magnetic experiments was used to quantify the magnetic mineralogy of the granite. AMS data reveal a fabric that records a partial tectonic overprint of an emplacement-related magma inflow fabric. The partially preserved inflow pattern indicates a south to north emplacement of subhorizontal sheets that coalesced to form a tabular pluton. The AMS data are remarkably consistent across the intrusion, with clear north-south strikes and trends dominating the magnetic foliation and lineation patterns, respectively. These AMS fabrics are discordant to internal zonation in the granite. In the southernmost part of the granite, AMS data are parallel to bedding-cleavage orientations preserved in many large (>100 m) Proterozoic Moine blocks. The scarcity of Moine blocks in the northern part of the intrusion and the prevalence of randomly oriented stoped blocks suggest that this part of the intrusion is nearer to the ceiling of the pluton. The partial tectonic overprint, consistent with east-west compression, occurred during the latter stages of emplacement and mainly affected the younger granite facies (RM2), while the oldest granite facies (RM1) and certain magmatic structures (diorite enclaves) preserve the original emplacement fabric. An alternative explanation interprets the magnetic lineations as an intersection fabric between a shallowly dipping emplacement fabric and a steep tectonic fabric. We argue that emplacement was not associated with eastward orogenic collapse of the Scandian Moine nappes, as proposed by previous workers, but occurred either before orogenic collapse or during a period of compressional reactivation.

Characteristics of djerfisherite from fluid-rich, metasomatized alkaline intrusive environments and anhydrous enstatite chondrites and achondrites

Abstract Djerfisherite is a K-Cl-bearing sulfide that is present in both ultra-reduced extraterrestrial enstatite meteorites (enstatite chondrites or achondrites) and reduced terrestrial alkaline intrusions, kimberlites, ore deposits, and skarns. Major element chemistry of two terrestrial occurrences of djerfisherite (from the Ilímaussaq and Khibina alkaline igneous suites) and three extraterrestrial examples of djerfisherite have been determined and combined with petrographic characterization and element mapping to unravel three discrete modes of djerfisherite formation. High Fe/Cu is characteristic of extraterrestrial djerfisherite and low Fe/Cu is typical of terrestrial djerfisherite. Ilímaussaq djerfisherite, which has high-Fe contents (~55 wt%) is the exception. Low Ni contents are typical of terrestrial djerfisherite due to preferential incorporation of Fe and/or Cu over Ni, but Ni contents of up to 2.2 wt% are measured in extraterrestrial djerfisherite. Extensive interchange between K and Na is evident in extraterrestrial samples, though Na is limited (<0.15 wt%) in terrestrial djerfisherite. We propose three setting-dependent mechanisms of djerfisherite formation: primitive djerfisherite as a product of nebula condensation in the unequilibrated E chondrites; formation by extensive K-metasomatism in Khibina djerfisherite; and as a product of primary “unmixing” due to silicate-sulfide immiscibility for Ilímaussaq djerfisherite. There are several important reasons why a deeper understanding of the petrogenesis of this rare and unusual mineral is valuable: (1) its anomalously high K-contents make it a potential target for Ar-Ar geochronology to constrain the timing of metasomatic alteration; (2) typically high Cl-contents (~1.1 wt%) mean it can be used as a valuable tracer of fluid evolution during metasomatic alteration; and (3) it may be a potential source of K and magmatic Cl in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), which has implications for metal solubility and the generation of ore deposits.

Structural parameters of Cr-bearing spinels and pleonaste from the Cuillin Igneous Complex (Isle of Skye, Scotland): Implications for metamorphic and cooling history

Abstract The Outer Layered Suite of the Cuillin Igneous Complex (Isle of Skye,NWScotland) comprises a Peridotite Series and a younger Allivalite Series (the latter comprising troctolites, eucrites and gabbros). Close to the junction between the Peridotite and the Allivalite Series (but wholly contained within the latter), an ultramafic breccia unit containing abundant peridotite xenoliths crops out. In the Peridotite Series, reddishbrown Cr-bearing spinels are present as disseminated crystals in the peridotite and also as chromitite seams, while in the peridotite xenoliths of the breccia unit, green pleonaste occurs in both of these modes of textural occurrence. Optical absorption spectroscopy reveals that the colour difference between the two spinel phases is related mainly to variable Al, Cr and Fe contents, while crystal structural analysis shows that the cooling rate calculated utilizing the oxygen positional parameter is comparable for all samples. The intracrystalline closure temperature for the Cr-spinel in the Peridotite Series is different for the disseminated and seam textural occurrences of the spinels, while the temperatures yielded by pleonaste in the peridotite xenoliths are the same for both textural occurrences. Our dataset suggests that the pleonaste in the peridotite xenoliths has been heated and equilibrated under subsolidus conditions, probably during breccia formation. During this heating, homogenization of the closure temperatures of pleonaste spinels occurred.

Identification of mantle peridotite as a possible Iapetan ophiolite sliver in south Shetland, Scottish Caledonides

The Neoproterozoic Dunrossness Spilite Subgroup of south Shetland, Scotland, has been interpreted as a series of komatiitic and mafic lava flows formed in a marginal basin in response to Laurentian continental margin rifting. We show that ultramafic rocks previously identified as komatiites are depleted mantle peridotites that experienced seafloor hydrothermal alteration. The presence of positive Bouguer gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies extending from the Dunrossness Spilite Subgroup northward to the Shetland Ophiolite Complex suggests instead that these rocks may form part of an extensive ophiolite sliver, obducted during Iapetus Ocean closure in a forearc setting. Supplementary material: Supplementary information, including methods, supplementary figures and tabulated data, is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3469161.

Incremental Construction of the Unit 10 Peridotite, Rum Eastern Layered Intrusion, NW Scotland

The Rum Eastern Layered Intrusion (ELI) is the product of part of a ~60 Ma open-system magma chamber. The 16 coupled peridotite/troctolite ± gabbro macro-rhythmic units it contains represent crystallisation of multiple batches of basaltic and picritic magma. Within the ELI, Unit 10 has been considered the type example of batch fractionation of magma on Rum for more than 50 years, successively producing peridotite, troctolite and olivine gabbro. Detailed field observations and logs of the Unit 10 peridotite cumulate are presented here, together with mineralogical and textural analyses of Cr-spinel seams and their peridotite host rocks. Numerous harrisite layers are commonly associated with diffuse, laterally discontinuous platinum-group element (PGE) enriched Cr-spinel seams. Multiple millimetre–centimetre thick Cr-spinel seams occur at the bases, tops and within harrisite layers. These relationships are inconsistent with simple batch fractionation of magma. Critically, the harrisite layers also exhibit centimetre to metre-scale, upward oriented apophyses that point to injection of magma into the overlying cumulate, indicating an intrusive origin for the harrisite. Quantitative textural and chemical analysis suggests that the Cr-spinel seams formed via in situ crystallisation within the crystal mush together with the intrusive peridotites from an assimilation reaction between the replenishing magma and peridotitic crystal mush. Intrusive magma replenishment in Unit 10 caused significant compositional disequilibrium between the crystallising phases in response to the postcumulus migration of reactive liquid, resulting in chemical zoning of intercumulus plagioclase crystals. We propose that the Unit 10 peridotite is intrusive and that repeated small volume magma replenishments are responsible for incremental construction of a large proportion of the peridotite body, similar to recent interpretations of parts of Unit 12 and Unit 14. Moreover, it is suggested that some or all of the injections of magma occurred into the crystal mush, rather than at the magma chamber floor. This new model of intra-mush Cr-spinel formation may have significant economic implications for PGE enrichment in other layered intrusions, such as the peridotite-hosted chromitites of the Stillwater Complex Ultramafic Series (Montana, USA). It is also worth noting that thin platiniferous chromitite seams considered to have formed in situ occur below the Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex (South Africa).

On the compositional variability of dalyite, K2ZrSi6O15: a new occurrence from Terceira, Azores

Abstract The rare potassium zirconium silicate dalyite has been identified for the first time on Terceira, Azores, within syenitic ejecta of the Caldeira-Castelinho Ignimbrite Formation. New quantitative analyses of this dalyite were combined with the small number of published analyses from various locations worldwide to evaluate the mineral’s compositional variability. Additionally, solid-state modelling has been applied to assess the site allocations of substituting elements. The new analyses yield the average formula (K1.84Na0.15)Σ=1.99(Zr0.94Ti0.012Hf0.011Fe0.004)Σ=0.967Si6.03O. Model results predict the placement of substituting Hf and Ti in the octahedral site, and highlight the overall complexity in the incorporation of Fe, Mg and Ba. The combined dataset reveals that dalyite found within peralkaline granites and syenites is generally defined by higher Na↔K substitution and lower Ti↔Zr substitution relative to dalyite from highly potassic rocks. The Terceira dalyite exhibits a bimodal variation in the degree of Na↔K substitutionwhich is attributed to a K-enrichment trend induced by late-stage pore wall crystallization and albitization, coupled with the control of pore size upon the degree of supersaturation required to initiate nucleation of dalyite in pores of varying size.

Spherulite formation in obsidian lavas in the Aeolian Islands, Italy

The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge Andy Tindle (The Open University) for assistance with EMP analyses, and Richard Darton and David Evans (Keele University) for assistance with XRD and Prof Alun Vaughan and Nicola Freebody (University of Southampton) with Raman analyses. LAB is grateful to Sophie Blanchard for support with MATLAB. The authors acknowledge support from Keele University, and grants from the Mineralogical Society (UK and Ireland) and Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group. The authors thank Silvio Mollo and Francesca Forni for their detailed and helpful comments.

Petrogenesis of the peralkaline ignimbrites of Terceira, Azores

The recent (< 100 ka) volcanic stratigraphy of Terceira, Azores, includes at least seven peralkaline trachytic ignimbrite formations, attesting to a history of explosive eruptions. In this study, the petrogenesis and pre-eruptive storage conditions of the ignimbrite-forming magmas are investigated via whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, melt inclusion and groundmass glass major element and volatile compositions, mineral chemistry, thermobarometric models, and petrogenetic modelling. Our primary aims are to develop a model for the magmatic plumbing system from which the ignimbrite-forming trachytes of Terceira were produced by evaluating various petrogenetic processes and constraining pre-eruptive magma storage conditions. We also place the ignimbriteforming magmas into the context of the Terceira suite and discuss the potential implications of preeruptive magma conditions for eruptive behaviour. Results indicate that ignimbrite-forming, comenditic trachytes are generated predominantly by extended fractional crystallization of basaltic parental magmas at redox conditions around 1 log unit below the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer. This is achieved via a polybaric fractionation pathway, in which mantle-derived basalts stall and fractionate to hawaiitic compositions at lower crustal depths ( 15 km), before ascending to a shallow crustal magma storage zone ( 2–4 km) and fractionating towards comenditic trachytic compositions. The most evolved pantelleritic magmas of Terceira (not represented by the ignimbrites) are plausibly generated by continued fractionation from the comenditic trachytes. Syenite autoliths represent portions of peralkaline trachytic melt that crystallized in situ at the margins of a silicic reservoir. Trachytic enclaves hosted within syenitic autoliths provide direct evidence for a two-stage mingling process, in which ascending hawaiites are mixed with trachytic magmas in the shallow crustal magma storage zone. The resulting hybridized trachytes then ascend further and mix with the more evolved peralkaline trachytes in the uppermost eruptible cap of the system, passing first through a syenitic crystal mush. The reduced viscosities of the peralkaline silicic magmas of this study in comparison with their metaluminous counterparts facilitate rapid crystal–melt segregation via crystal settling, generating compositionally zoned magma bodies and, in some instances, relatively crystalpoor erupted magmas. Reduced viscosity may also inhibit highly explosive activity (e.g. formation of a sustained eruption column), and limit the majority of explosive eruptions to low pyroclastic fountaining or ‘boil-over’ eruption styles. The formation of intermediate composition magmas within the system is considered to be limited to episodic mixing between mafic and silicic magmas.