Abstract
The origin of anorthosite and associated igneous gabbronorite and ferrodiorite was investigated through detailed study of a typical massif-type anorthosite complex from Gruber, Central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Field observations showed that the Gruber Complex is made up of gabbronorite-anorthosite pluton which was intruded by ferrodiorite dykes. Systematic samples collected from the Gruber Complex revealed significant geochemical variations within the region. Four rock types have been identified, based on modal proportions of mineral phases and their geochemistry data. Clinopyroxene-gabbronorite and plagioclase-gabbronorite are the two types of gabbronorite with the dominance of clinopyroxene and plagioclase, respectively. Anorthosite is represented by rocks having predominance of plagioclase with minor clinopyroxene. Ferrodiorite is characterized by modal abundance of orthopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxide. Major and trace element systematics showed that all the four rock types are co-magmatic and are related through fractional crystallization. Based on this study, it is reported that clinopyroxene was the first phase to crystallize followed by plagioclase and then Fe-Ti oxides. Furthermore, trace element composition of the parental melt was calculated using LA-ICPMS analysis of the most primitive, pure clinopyroxene found in the clinopyroxene gabbronorite. Our analyses suggested that the parental melt was similar to that of continental arc basalt and showed signatures of subduction-related metasomatism. Based on mineral chemical and geochemical data, it is interpreted that the parent melt went through changing sequence of crystallization which led to the formation of massive anorthosite.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashwal L.D. (1993) Anorthosite [M]. pp.422. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, New York.
Bartels K.S., Kinzler R.J., and Grove T.L. (1991) High pressure phase relations of primitive high-alumina basalts from Medicine Lake Volcano, Northern California [J]. Contrib. Mineral and Petrol. 108, 253–270.
Be’dard J.H. (2001) Parental magmas of the Nain Plutonic Suite anorthosites and mafic cumulates: A trace element modelling approach [J]. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 141, 747–771.
Brooks C.K. and Nielsen T.F.D. (1978) Early stages of the Skaergaard magma as revealed by a closely related suite of dike rocks [J]. Lithos. 11, 1–14.
Dalziel I.W.D. (1997) Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic geography and tectonics: Review, hypothesis, environmental speculation [J]. Geol. Soc. America Bull. 109, 16–42.
Dalziel I.W.D. (1992) Antarctica: A tale of two supercontinents?[J]. Ann. Rev. Earth. Planet. Sci. 20, 501–526.
Elthon D. and Scarfe C.M. (1984) High-pressure phase equilibria of a high-magnesia basalt and the genesis of primary oceanic basalts [J]. American Mineralogist. 69(1–2), 1–15.
Emslie R.F. (1994) Petrogenesis of a Mid-Proterozoic anorthosite-mangerite-charnokite granite (AMCG) complex: Isotopic and chemical evidence from the Nain plutonic complex [J]. J. Geol. 102, 539–558.
Emslie R.F. (1985) Proterozoic anorthosite massifs. In The Deep Crust in the North Atlantic Provinces, NATO Advanced Study Institute Series C 158 (eds. Tobi A.C. and Touret J.R.L.) [M]. pp.39–60. Reidel, Dordrecht.
Gaetani G.A., Grove T.L., and Bryan W.B. (1993) The influence of water on the petrogenesis of subduction-related igneous rocks [J]. Nature. 365, 332–334.
Greene A.R., DeBari S.M., Kelemen P.B., Blusztajn J., and Clift P.D. (2006) A detailed geochemical study of the island arc crust: The Talkeetna arc section, south-central Alaska [J]. Jour. of Petrology, 47, 1051–1093.
Grunov A., Hanson R., and Wilson T. (1996) Were aspects of Pan-African deformation linked to Iapetus opening? [J]. Geology. 24, 1063–1066.
Gust D.A. and Perfit M.R. (1987) Phase relations of a high-Mg basalt from the Aleutian Island Arc: Implications for primary island arc basalts and high-Al basalts [J]. Contrib. Mineral and Petrol. 97, 7–18.
Hart S.R. and Dunn T. (1993) Experimental CPX/Melt partitioning of 24 trace elements [J]. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 113, 1–8.
Hermann J., Muentener O., and Guenther D. (2001) Differentiation of mafic magma in a continental crust-to-mantle transition zone [J]. Jour. of Petrol. 42, 189–206.
Hooper P.R. and Hawkesworth C.J. (1993) Isotopic and geochemical constraints on the origin and evolution of the Columbia River Basalts [J]. Jour. Petrol. 34, 1203–1246.
Hoover J.D. (1978) Melting relations of a new chilled margin sample from the Skaergaard intrusion [J]. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Yearb. 77, 739–743.
Indian Antarctic Expedition Report (2003–2004) National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research, Goa, 403804, India.
Indian Antarctic Expedition Report (2006–2007), National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research, Goa, 403804, India
Jacobs J. (1999) Neoproterozoic/lower Palaeozoic events in central Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica) [J]. Gondwana Research. 2, 473–480.
Jagoutz O., Muentener O., Ulmer P., Pettke T., Burg J-P., Dawood H., and Hussain S. (2007) Petrology and mineral chemistry of the lower crustal intrusions: The Chilas Complex, Kohistan (NW Pakistan) [J]. Jour. Petrol. doi:10.1093/petrology/egm044. 1–59.
Longhi J., Van der Auwera J., Fram M.S., and Duchesne J-C. (1999) Some phase equilibrium constraints on the origin of Proterozoic (massif) anorthosites and related rocks [J]. J. Petrol. 40, 339–362.
Markl G. and Piazolo S. (1998) Halogen-bearing minerals in syenites and high-grade marbles of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica; monitors of fluid compositional changes during late-magmatic rock-rock interaction processes [J]. Contrib. Mineral and Petrol. 132, 246–268.
McDonough W.F. and Sun S.S. (1995) The composition of the Earth [J]. Chem. Geol. 120, 23–253.
Mikhalsky E.V., Beliatsky B.V., Savva E.V., Wetzel H.-U., Federov L.V., Weiser T., and Hahne K. (1995) Reconnaissance geochronologic data on polymetamorphic and igneous rocks of the Humboldt Mountains, Central Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica. In The Antarctic Region: Geological Evolution and Processes. Proceedings of the VII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences, Siena (ed. Alberto R.C) [M]. pp.45–54. Terra Antarctica Publication, Siena.
Morse S.A. (1982) A partisan review of Proterozoic Anorthosites [J]. Am. Mineral. 67, 1087–1100.
Muentener O., Hermann J., and Trommsdorff V. (2001). Cooling history and exhumation of lower-crustal granulite and upper mantle (Malenco, eastern Central Alps) [J]. Jour. of Petrol. 41, 175–200.
Murton B.J., Tindle A.G., Milton J.A., and Sauter D. (2005) Heterogeneity in southern central Indian ridge MORB: Implications for ridge hotspot interaction [J]. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 6, Q03E20, doi:10.1029/2004GC000798.
Panjasawatwong Y., Danyushevsky L.V., Crawford A.J., and Harris K.L. (1995) An experimental study of the effects of melt composition on plagioclase; melt equilibria at 5 and 10 kbar; implications for the origin of magmatic high-An plagioclase [J]. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 118, 420–432.
Rudnick R.L. and Gao S. (2003) Composition of the Continental Crust. In The Crust (ed. Rudnick R.L.) 3, 1–64, Treatise on Geochemistry (eds. Holland H.D. and Turekian K.K.) [M]. Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford.
Schiellerup H., Lambert R.D., Prestvik T., Robins B., McBride J., and Larsen R.B. (2000) Re-Os isotopic evidence for a lower crustal origin of massif-type anorthosites [J]. Nature. 405, 781–784.
Shackleton R.M. (1996) The final collision zone between East and West Gondwana: Where is it? [J]. Jour. Afr. Earth Sci. 23, 271–287.
Sisson T.W. and Grove T.L. (1993) Experimental investigations of the role of H2O in calc alkaline differentiation and subduction zone magmatism [J]. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 113, 143–166.
Stern R.J. (1994) Arc assembly and continental collision in the Neoproterozoic East African Orogen: Implication for the consolidation of Gondwanaland [J]. Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 22, 319–351.
Sun S.S. and McDonough W.F. (1989) Chemical and isotopic systematics of oceanic basalts: Implications for mantle composition and processes. In Magmatism in Ocean Basins (Special Publication No. 42) (eds. Saunders A.D. and Norry M.J.) [M]. pp.313–345. Geological Society of London.
Sun C.H. and Stern R.J. (2001) Genesis of Mariana shoshonites: contribution of the subduction component [J]. J. Geophys. Res. 106(B1), 589–608.
Tegner C., Wilson J.R., and Brooks C.K. (1993) Intraplutonic quench zones in the Kap Edvard Holm layered gabbro complex, East Greenland [J]. Jour. Petrol. 34, 681–710.
Villiger S., Ulmer P., and Muentener O. (2007) Equilibrium and fractional crystallization experiments at 0.7 GPa-The effect of pressure on phase relations, liquid compositions and mineral-liquid exchange reactions of tholeiitic magmas [J]. Jour. of Petrol. 48, 159–184.
Wager L.R. (1960) The major element variation of the layered series of the Skaergaard Intrusion and a re-estimation of the average composition of the hidden layered series and of the successive residual magmas [J]. J. Petrol. 1, 364–398.
Wood D.A. (1980) The application of a Th-Hf-Ta diagram to problems for tectonomagmatic classification and to establishing the nature of crustal contamination of basaltic lavas of the British Tertiary volcanic province [J]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 50, 11–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pandey, A., Dharwadkar, A., Ravindra, R. et al. Petrogenesis of massif-type anorthosite complex, Gruber, Central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica: Implications for magma source and evolution. Chin. J. Geochem. 28, 340–350 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-009-0340-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-009-0340-2