Petrology of the alkali syenites of the Mundwara magmatic suite, Sirohi, Rajasthan, India

SummaryThe alkali syenites of the Mundwara magmatic suite, Sirohi district, Rajasthan, in north-western India, are chiefly developed in the Musala hill of the complex. They comprise three principal varieties representing different stages of crystallization, viz. nepheline-sodalite syenite, nepheline-barkevikite microsyenite, and nepheline poor leucosyenite. The dominant constituent of these hypersolvus syenites is alkali feldspar, an orthoclase microperthite showing a variable degree of exsolution. The chief mafic mineral is a distinctly green and zoned sodic pyroxene, close to aegirine-augite in composition. A brown calciferous amphibole, identified as a barkevikite, is developed in addition in the microsyenites. Reddish brown biotite of the phlogopite-annite series is common to all the syenites. The petrography and mineralogy of the syenites are discussed, and a comparative study of the Mundwara syenites with similar rocks of the Deccan volcanic province is presented. Chemistry and mineralogy of the syenites of the Mundwara suite suggest that they are related to those associated with the Deccan volcanic province.

On aluminous and edenitic hornblendes

SummaryBased on nearly 1500 published amphibole analyses the maximum possible Alvi in hornblendes is shown to increase with increase of Aliv. New analyses of hornblendes from amphibole-corundum rocks, with and without anorthite, are given and after critical examination of the available data it is concluded that the maximum verified Alvi-rich calciferous amphibole that approaches the closest to hypothetical tschermakite comes from a kyanite-bearing aluminous high-pressure-crystallized schist from Lukmanier, Switzerland. Pure natural edenite or ferroedenite is unknown, but a new analysis of the nearest known natural edenite, from Mysore, India, agrees with the postulated view that extraordinarily low temperatures are needed for edenite-ferroedenite crystallization, much below that possible in magmas and only rarely achieved in metamorphic rocks containing amphiboles. The limit of the approach of igneous hornblendes to edenite-ferroedenite and tremolite-ferroactinolite is outlined.At least 1100 °C is required for complete expulsion of water from some amphiboles.