GP41A-3608:
Rock Magnetic Mineral Assemblage in Mineral Separates from Xenoliths of Continental Lithospheric Mantle
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Evgeniya Khakhalova, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Joshua M Feinberg, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Dmitri A Ionov, University of Montpellier II, Montpellier Cedex 05, France, Eric C. Ferre, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, United States, Sarah A Friedman, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Department of Geology, Carbondale, IL, United States, Fatima Martin Hernandez, UCM, Madrid, Spain, Clive Robert Neal, Univ Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States and James Andrew Conder, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Geology, Carbondale, IL, United States
Abstract:
Studies of aeromagnetic anomalies suggest that the lithospheric mantle may contribute to long wavelength features. Examination of unaltered mantle xenoliths may reveal the mineralogical sources of these aeromagnetic anomalies. Prior work has reported microscopic inclusions of magnetic minerals in mantle silicates. Here we explore the magnetism of pure olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and spinel separated from peridotite xenoliths from the Dariganga and Tariat localities in Mongolia that sample the lithospheric mantle. All separates were leached with HF and HCl to remove secondary minerals adhering to the surface of the grains or in cracks. Separates were then mounted in cement to create monomineralic specimens for investigation using hysteresis loops, first order reversal curves (FORC), alternating field and thermal demagnetization of a 1T IRM, and low-temperature magnetometry. All specimens showed trace concentrations of ferromagnetic inclusions with Ms values of ~10-3 Am2kg-1. Thermal demagnetization showed a range of unblocking temperatures with median destructive temperatures of 300-400°C. Two specimens showed a dramatic demagnetization at 585°C, consistent with pure magnetite (Mt). The presence of Mt was confirmed by observations of the Verwey transition at 100-120K and by backfield remanence acquisition curves that plateau at ~300 mT. The median destructive alternating field was ~20 mT and 40-80 mT for specimens from Dariganga and Tariat, respectively. FORC diagrams show single-domain-like behavior with a median Hc of ~20 mT. The demagnetization experiments suggest that Mt inclusions in the lattice of olivine, opx, cpx and spinel carry magnetic remanence. Thus, the lithospheric mantle may exhibit in-situ ferromagnetism carried by Mt below 585°C. The magnetization of separates varies between xenolith localities but is consistent amongst minerals of the same locality. Future work will address whether the Mt formed before or during xenolith ascent.
