Roots of Magmatic Systems of Large Continental Igneous Provinces

Abstract:

It is consensus now that appearance of the large igneous provinces (LIP) is considered with ascending of mantle superplumes. It is evident that beneath LIPs was not exited magma oceans and adiabatic melting occurred in heads of protuberances on their surface (local, or secondary plumes), which can reach relatively shallow levels.

The least known element of magmatic system is area of magma generation and meltedsources. Important information about it is contained in the mantle xenoliths in alkali basalts. They are represented by two series: (1) “green”: spinel peridotite (maily lherzolite) and minor spinel pyroxenite (websterite), and (2) “black” (veins in the peridotite matrix): wehrlite, Al-Ti-augite and hornblende clinopyroxenite, hornblendite, phlogopitite, etc, which crystallized from fluid-saturated melts or high-density fluid. Very likely, that these fluids, enriched in Fe, Ti, alkalis and incompatible elements, were parts of intergranular material of original plume material and were released due to its decompression; evidently, they provided specific composition of plume-related melts. Both types of xenoliths represent material of plume head and accordingly – the melting substratum.

One of problem of plume-related magmatism is coexisting of alkali and tholeiitic basalts, which origin often considered with different PT conditions. However, this situation can be explained another way. Because fluid components, acting jointly or separately, impregnated the peridotite matrix nonuniform, it led to heterogeneous composition of smelted magmas, and primary melts can have different composition even though be forming at similar PT conditions. According to Yoder and Tilley (1962), even small differences in SiO2 content lead to different ways in evolution of magmas due to critical plane of silica undersaturation. As a result, one magmas will develop to Ne enrichment (alkali basalts) and another – to silica direction (tholeiite basalts.