Sixth Hutton Symposium on the Origin of Granitic Rocks

Some characteristics and a possible genesis of extremely high heat producing Mesoproterozoic granites from Mount Painter Province, South Australia
K. Kromkhun 1, J. D. Foden2
1 Geology and Geophysics, University of Adelaide, kamonporn.kromkhun@student.adelaide.edu.au 2 Geology and Geophysics, University of Adelaide, john.foden@adelaide.edu.au

The Mount Painter (MP) and Mount Babbage basement inliers (Figure 1) in the northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia, expose Mesoproterozoic granites and associated felsic volcanics with very high U and Th contents. These suites intrude late Palaeoproterozoic sediment-dominated basement.

orientation in both YG and enclave suggests magma mingling and mixing. An implied petrogenetic relationship is reinforced by the mafic suites very high U-Th. Other mafic dykes in the area have normal low U-Th contents and may be Neoproterozoic.

Figure 1: Location of Mesoproterozoic granite at Mount Painter Province, South Australia.

Figure 2: Heat production values (values at the top bar), U and Th contents (values at the below bar) of I- and S-type granites, A-type granites, Mount Painter granites, Yerila granites and high HP mafic dykes (Stewart and Foden, 2001; unpublished data and this study).

The high heat production granites (HHPG) have heat production values (HP average of 16 Wm-3) that are 3-4 times those of normal granites (Figure 2). Associated volcanic rocks and mafic dykes are also characterized by high HP (average of 10 and 18 Wm-3, respectively). The Yerila granite (YG) in particular contains extreme U and Th contents (average U of 121 ppm and Th of 422 ppm) with HP values up to 112 Wm-3 (average 61.8 Wm3 ). The Yerila and Mt Neil granites are also associated with mafic magmas (quartz lamprophyre or diorite) occurring both as dykes and as mingled schlieren or enclaves. The irregular contact of the hosted mafic enclaves and the common K-feldspar

The YG is typically medium- to coarsegrained, with tabular K-feldspar and quartz phenocrysts within a quartz, microcline, plagioclase, biotite, hornblende groundmass and contains abundant accessory mineral including zircon, titanite, allanite, fluorite and apatite. Biotite generally shows damage haloes around radioactive minerals. Large euhedral allanite shows internal zoning. The enclaves and mafic dykes associated with the YG are quartz-bearing hornblende-biotiterich lamprophyres or diorites and are Kfeldspar-plagioclase-phyric with the same accessory minerals as the YG. The MP granites and volcanics are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous. All units show A-type and alkaline

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Sixth Hutton Symposium on the Origin of Granitic Rocks

characteristics. The SiO2 content of MP granites varies from ~65 to 78 wt% while the YG is among the most mafic (SiO 2 average of 69 wt%). The YG has high K2O, Fe/ (Fe+Mg) and Rb/Sr. The high HP mafic dykes have higher FeO, MgO, MnO, P2O and TiO2 (~2.2 wt%TiO2) with lower SiO2 and K2O contents than the YG. Incompatible trace elements (including HFSE and REE) in the YG and the lamprophyre/ diorite dykes and enclaves are very enriched. The Th/U ratio of both granites and mafic magmas has a narrow range averaging ~ 3.24 suggesting magmatic control rather than hydrothermal U mobilisation. A key question is what is the source of the Yerila and related MP HHP granites? Based on preliminary data these granites have initial Nd values at 1565Ma that average -2.0 (McLaren et al, 2006, Stewart and Foden , 2001) and are significantly higher than the local crust (Nd = -6 to -4), implying a role of a mantle-derived component. Very limited data on the contemporary mafic samples suggests a role for both fractional crystallisation of highly enriched mafic parent magmas coupled with mixing trends produced by mingling between mafic melts and felsic differentiates, presumably in upper crustal magma chambers. SiO2 TiO2 and SiO2-Ce variation (Figure3) illustrates these separate trends. Both Ti and Ce show initial enrichment with silica resulting from References

fractional crystallisation. This is followed by rapid Ti and Ce decline with further silica enrichment due to allanite and titanite saturation. The YG suite mostly falls on this part of the fractionation trend. By contrast many of the other MP HHG series define linear mixing trends due to back-mingling with mafic parents.

Figure 3: Bivariant plots of TiO2 (wt%) and Ce

(ppm) versus SiO2 (wt%) showing fractionation crystallisation of allanite and titanite

Our interim conclusion is that the HHP granite suite is derived by fractional crystallisation from a parental mafic magma that is unusually incompatible element enriched. The source of this magma is probably in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. Future work using Nd-Sm and U-Pb isotopic data will be used to further define this unusual mantle source and to determine the age of enrichment. The magma system probably evolved as a series of stacked chambers in which crystallisation occurred with periodic replenishment by new mafic magma batches.

McLaren, S., Sandiford, M., Powell, R., Neumann, N., and Woodhead, J., 2006, Palaeozoic intraplate crustal anatexis in the Mount Painter Province, South Australia: Timing, thermal budgets and the role of crustal heat production: Journal of Petrology, v. 47, p. 2281-2302. Stewart, K. & Foden, J., 2001. Mesozoic granites of South Australia. University of Adelaide; Primary Industries and Resources SA.

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