Peridotites sample suites

By definition, peridotites contain greater than 40% olivine with lesser amounts of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. An aluminous phase, plagio-clase, spinel, or garnet may be present depending on the pressure of equilibration and defines the facies from which the peridotite xenolith was sampled (Figure 2). Plagioclase-peridotites are generally rare in continental xenolith suites... 

The modal abundances of ohvine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel observed for spinel peridotites from six well-characterized olf-craton xenolith suites are plotted against a depletion index in Figures 3(a)-(c). The amount of ohvine correlates negatively with degree of depletion, as expected because olivine is a product of the reaction that produces melt at the solidus (Figure 2) (see Chapter 2.08). The number of samples compiled (n = 143) may not be completely representative, but there is nonetheless a suspicious population gap at 2 wt.% AI2O3. 

Figures 3(d)-(f) compares modes observed in four well-characterized on-craton xenolith suites (n = 189) with degree of depletion. When compared to the off-craton samples, trends are far more scattered for olivine and orthopyroxene, and a significant population of samples are orthopyr-oxene-rich, as originally remarked by Boyd (1989). The trend for garnet is remarkably regular and uniform, whereas many samples contain far more clinopyroxene than expected for their level of depletion. This excess clinopyroxene may be of exsolution origin, or introduced to the rock after its original formation as a residue (Canil, 1992 Shimizu, 1999 Simon et al, 2003). Comparison with trends expected from peridotite melting models is complicated by the fact that orthopyroxene is replaced at the solidus by a low calcium clinopyroxene, and is a product of the melting reaction at P > 3 GPa (Walter, 1998). The mean and median modes of off-craton and on-craton xenoliths from Figure 3 are summarized in Table 2.

The number of extant P-T estimates for mantle samples is enormous. The pressures and temperatures recorded by garnet peridotite xeno-liths compiled and reviewed recently by Rudnick and Nyblade (1999) are shown with additional data in Figure 6. Many of these suites have regular P-T arrays that are reasonably assumed to record the steady-state paleogeothermal gradient at the... 

Figure 6 P-T arrays compiled for garnet peridotite xenoliths from several suites using two-pyroxene thermometry and Al-in-orthopyroxene barometry (Tbkn and Rbkn methods, Table 5). Data sources given in Rudnick and Nyblade with additional data here for Vitim (Ionov et al., 1993a) and Canada (MacKenzie and Canil, 1999 Schmidberger and Francis, 1999). The best-fit line for the Kaapvaal data is plotted in each figure for reference. Intersection of P-T array with mantle adiabats (shaded field) represents an estimate of the thickness of lithosphere at the time of sampling.

Mildly incompatible elements. The abundance of V in several different mantle residues was recently reviewed by Canil (2(X)2). The trends for abyssal and massif peridotites are compared with on- and off-craton xenolith suites in Figure 14. Abyssal peridotites contain the most V at a given degree of depletion. Massif peridotites are shifted from the abyssal samples and parallel the off-craton samples, but the latter... 

Figure 17 Summary fields of chondrite-normalized REE patterns for whole-rock peridotites and cUnopyroxenes for peridotite xenoliths. Noncratonic whole-rock peridotites are either LREE-depleted (type lA least common) or LREE-enriched (type IB most common). Data sources from Stosch and Seek (1980), Stosch and Lugmair (1986), Menzies et al (1985). Clinopyroxenes from these rocks also show LREE enrichment or depletion. Cratonic peridotite whole rocks are ubiquitously LREE-enriched. Low-T (granular) suite show greater LREE/HREE compared to high-T (sheared) suite and this is reflected in the more LREE-enriched clinopyroxene compositions in the low-T suite. Data sources from Shimizu (1975), Nixon et al. (1981), and Irvine (2002). Low-T whole-rock suite includes 19 samples...

The Cr-diopside series is the most abundant type of xenolith found in alkali basalts. Amphibole is uncommon in samples of this series, but rare examples have been found from locations across the world (see review by Kempton, 1987). The amphibole is typically a chromium-rich pargasite and has been observed to constitute up to 6% of the mode. Commonly, these amphiboles have partially broken down, a process interpreted to be a response to the incorporation of the xenolith into the ascending host magma. Phlogopite seems to be less commonly observed in spinel peridotites, but is present along with amphibole in some suites (Kempton, 1987 and references therein). In other suites, phlogopite is the only hydrous phase present (Francis, 1987 Canil and Scarfe, 1989). 

Sulfur is almost always present in mantle-derived magmas and mantle samples as sulfide, which has been documented from mantle xenolith suites, abyssal peridotites, peridotite massifs, and diamonds (Meyer and Brookins, 1971 Desborough and Czamanske, 1973 Frick, 1973 Vakhrushev and Sobolev, 1973 Bishop et al., 1975 De Waal and Calk, 1975 Meyer and... 

To illustrate the appUcation of these methods we have analysed selected samples from different suites of cratonic peridotites for PGE abundances and Re-Os isotopic composition that had been previously analysed for major elements (Table 1). The sample set comprises three peridotites from the Jericho kimberlite, Northern Slave Craton (Irvine et al. 1999 Kopylova Russell 2000) two peridotites from the Kaapvaal Craton (Pearson et al. 1995a Carlson et al. 1999) three peridotites from the Farm Louwrencia kimberlite, Southern Namibia, on the periphery of the Kaapvaal Craton (Pearson et al. 1994, 1998a Hoal et al. 1995 Frantz et al. 1996) three peridotites from the Vitim alkali basalt field, on the southern margin of the Siberian Craton (Ionov et al. 1993 Pearson et al. 19986). 

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