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Relationships between oxygen fugacity and metasomatism in the Kaapvaal subcratonic mantle, represented by garnet peridotite xenoliths in the Wesselton kimberlite, South Africa

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 06:38 authored by Hanger, BJ, Yaxley, GM, Berry, AJ, Vadim Kamenetsky
A suite of 12 peridotite xenoliths from the Wesselton kimberlite was studied and found to sample the subcratonic lithospheric mantle over a pressure range from 3.6 to 4.7 GPa and a temperature range of 880 to 1120 °C. Major, minor and trace element compositions indicate that both metasomatised and un-metasomatised samples are present over this pressure range. Fe3 +/∑ Fe in garnet from four xenoliths was determined using Fe K-edge XANES spectroscopy, enabling the redox state of the sampled subcratonic mantle to be determined for three garnet bearing samples. ΔlogfO2[FMQ] varied from 0 to − 3.3 over the sampled pressure interval, with the un-metasomatised samples falling within the global trend of decreasing ΔlogfO2[FMQ] with increasing depth. Superimposed on this was an oxidation trend, at higher pressures (≥ 4.5 GPa), with ΔlogfO2 increasing by 1.5 to 2 units in the metasomatically enriched samples, indicating a clear link between metasomatism and oxidation. One potential source of this oxidation is a carbonated silicate melt, which will increase in carbonate content as ΔlogfO2 increases. Mantle minerals affected by such a melt have the potential to shift from the field of diamond stability into that of carbonate, threatening the stability of diamond.

History

Publication title

Lithos

Volume

212-215

Pagination

443-452

ISSN

0024-4937

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Elsevier Science Bv

Place of publication

Po Box 211, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1000 Ae

Rights statement

Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences

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