Tuesday, 28 August 2007 - 2:30 PM
2.P1.D-4

Ferropicritic dikes of Vestfjella, western Dronning Maud Land: Fe-enriched mantle source for late-stage Karoo magmas

Jussi S. Heinonen and Arto V. Luttinen. Department of Geology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

Ferropicritic dikes (MgO = 12-18 wt. %, FeOT > 14 wt. %) and their differentiates are found cross-cutting Jurassic continental flood basalts of the Karoo large igneous province (LIP) at Vestfjella, western Dronning Maud Land. The dikes show geochemical divergence: (1) Depleted ferropicritic types (D-FP) have (La/Sm)N 1.1-1.3, (Sm/Yb)N 3.2-4.5, and they show relative enrichment in Sr, Ti, and V, and depletion in P; (2) Enriched ferropicritic types (E-FP) have (La/Sm)N 1.5-1.7, (Sm/Yb)N 4.9-5.4, and they show overall enrichment in incompatible trace elements. The Vestfjella ferropicrites are geochemically unique among the Karoo LIP. Primarily high Fe contents of D-FP and E-FP may have been inherited from anomalously Fe-rich eclogite component entrained in a pyroxenitic mantle source. Low-degree melting at high pressures may also have contributed to the high Fe contents. In contrast to other known ferropicrite successions, the Vestfjella ferropicrites represent a quite late stage of plume-related volcanic activity.

[Manuscript]