Melting of hydrous pyroxenites with alkali amphiboles in the continental mantle

Abstract

The trace element compositions of melts and minerals from high-pressure experiments on hydrous pyroxenites containing K-richterite are presented. The experiments used mixtures of a third each of the natural minerals clinopyroxene, phlogopite and K-richterite, some with the addition of 5% of an accessory phase ilmenite, rutile or apatite. Although the major element compositions of melts resemble natural lamproites, the trace element contents of most trace elements from the three-mineral mixture are much lower than in lamproites. Apatite is required in the source to provide high abundances of the rare earth elements, and either rutile and/or ilmenite is required to provide the high field strength elements Ti, Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf. Phlogopite controls the high levels of Rb, Cs and Ba. Since abundances of trace elements in the various starting mixtures vary strongly because of the use of natural minerals, we calculated mineral/melt partition coefficients (DMin/melt) using mineral modes and melting reactions and present trace element patterns for different degrees of partial melting of hydrous pyroxenites. Rb, Cs and Ba are compatible in phlogopite and the partition coefficient ratio phlogopite/K-richterite is high for Ba (1 3 6) and Rb (12). All melts have low contents of most of the first row transition elements, particularly Ni and Cu ((0.1–0.01) × primitive mantle). Nickel has high DMin/melt for all the major minerals (12 for K-richterite, 9.2 for phlogopite and 5.6 for Cpx) and so behaves at least as compatibly as in melting of peridotites. Fluorine/chlorine ratios in melts are high and DMin/melt for fluorine decreases in the order apatite (2.2) > phlogopite (1.5) > K-richterite (0.87). The requirement for apatite and at least one Ti-oxide in the source of natural lamproites holds for mica pyroxenites that lack K-richterite. The results are used to model isotopic ageing in hydrous pyroxenite source rocks: phlogopite controls Sr isotopes, so that lamproites with relatively low 87Sr/86Sr must come from phlogopite-poor source rocks, probably dominated by Cpx and K-richterite. At high pressures (>4 GPa), peritectic Cpx holds back Na, explaining the high K2O/Na2O of lamproites. Show more