Mineralogy of an Appinitic Hornblende Gabbro and Its Significance for the Evolution of Rising Calc-Alkaline Magmas

The magmatic and sub-solidus evolution of calcic amphiboles and Fe–Ti oxides was investigated in the Neoproterozoic Frog Lake pluton, Nova Scotia, Canada, in order to understand the relationship between the history of hydrous magma and the resulting mineralogy. The pluton occurs as sheet-like bodies of hornblende gabbro and hornblendite, with lesser tonalite dykes and granite bodies, interlayed with screens of medium-grade metamorphic country rock. Small, diffuse clots of felsic minerals are present in the gabbro. The subsolidus growth of actinolite occurs in early clinopyroxenes and amphiboles. Ilmenite is the dominant Fe–Ti oxide, as interstitial magmatic crystals. The increase of Mn towards the margin of the ilmenite crystals indicates a gradual increase in oxygen fugacity with time, leading to the precipitation of titanite and ferrohypersthene. The replacement of titanite by ilmenite and ilmenite lamellae in the amphiboles suggests subsequent reducing conditions during the sub-solidus crystallisation. The gabbros in the coeval, but apparently shallower, Jeffers Brook granodiorite laccolith have dominant magnetite and Mg-rich subsolidus amphiboles, which are indicative of high oxygen fugacity. The differences between the two plutons suggest that there was a greater flux of hydrothermal water through the sheet-like architecture of the Frog Lake pluton.

Reactive bulk assimilation: A model for crust-mantle mixing in silicic magmas

Bulk assimilation of small (millimeters to ∼1 km) fragments of crust—driven and (ultimately) masked by reactions during xenolith melting and magma crystallization—is an important mechanism for crust-mantle mixing. Xenoliths containing mica or amphibole undergo dehydration melting when incorporated into a host magma, yielding mainly plagioclase, pyroxene, Fe-Ti oxides, and hydrous melt. The xenolith is physically compromised by partial melting and begins to disintegrate; xenolithic melt and crystals are mixed into the host magma. Xenocrystic zircon is liberated at this stage. The cryptic character of assimilation is greatly enhanced in any hydrous magma by hydration crystallization reactions (the reverse of dehydration melting). All pyroxenes and oxides (phenocrysts, xenocrysts, or crystals having a hybrid signature) will be subject to these reactions, producing feldspars, amphiboles, and micas that incorporate material from several sources, a particularly effective mixing mechanism. Implicit in the model is a reduced energy penalty for bulk assimilation—much of the assimilant remains in solid form—compared to melt-assimilation models. A large role for bulk assimilation supports stoping as a credible mechanism for the ascent of magmas. While the assimilation of low-density crust and concomitant fractionation provide the isostatic impetus for ascent, the wholesale incorporation and processing of crustal rocks in the magma chamber helps create the room for ascent.

Comparison of the Rainy Ridge analcime phonolite sill and the Crowsnest volcanics, Alberta, Canada

A 5–7 m thick analcime phonolite sill occurs in the middle of the Proterozoic Gateway Formation in southwest Alberta. The sill consists of sanidine, aegirine–augite, magnesian hastingsite, melanite with hydrogrossular rims, titanite, and minor biotite, apatite, and opaque minerals. Mineralogical and chemical similarities to the analcime-rich phases of the Cretaceous Crowsnest Formation found some 20 km to the north suggest a genetic relationship. Major differences are the presence of amphibole and hydrogrossular, minerals not reported in the Crowsnest Formation. The presence of amphibole as a primary hydrous phase in the Rainy Ridge sill indicates crystallization from a hydrous magma. Microprobe studies indicate a progressive enrichment of sodium in amphiboles and pyroxenes. An apparent difference in chemical composition and alteration behavior of primary analcime phenocrysts and groundmass analcime is interpreted to reflect crystallization of analcime from a hydrous melt at depth, followed by rapid transport to a shallow depth, and crystallization of the groundmass analcime and hydrogrossular rims.