The elusive Congo craton margin during Gondwana breakup: Insights from lithospheric mantle structure and heat-flow beneath the Xaudum kimberlite province, NW Botswana

IF 3.5 2区 地球科学 Q1 GEOCHEMISTRY & GEOPHYSICS Journal of Petrology Pub Date : 2024-01-17 DOI:10.1093/petrology/egae002
Azhar M Shaikh, Sebastian Tappe, Fanus Viljoen, Mike C J de Wit
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Abstract

The continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) beneath the southern margin of the Congo craton has remained elusive mainly because of thick Phanerozoic sedimentary cover concealing possible kimberlite and lamproite diatremes. In this study, we explore this lithospheric mantle section by using major and trace element compositions of mantle-derived clinopyroxene and garnet xenocrysts from kimberlites of the ca. 84 Ma Nxau Nxau cluster in NW Botswana, which is part of the poorly known Xaudum kimberlite province extending into northern Namibia. We utilize these data to better understand the thermal and compositional evolution of the lithospheric mantle at the southern margin of the Congo craton. The clinopyroxene population (83 individual grains) comprises Cr-rich and Cr-poor diopsides with variable major (Al2O3, Na2O, Mg#) and incompatible trace element (U, Th, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, REEs) compositions. The large garnet population studied (496 individual grains) is dominated by lherzolitic G9 (38%) and `megacrystic´ G1 (41%) compositions, with minor contributions from Ti-metasomatized G11 (7%) and eclogitic G3 (6%) cratonic mantle sources. Harzburgitic G10 garnet is very rare (two grains only), consistent with a lherzolite-dominated CLM section in a craton margin position. The eclogitic garnet population has compositions akin to garnet from high-Mg cratonic mantle eclogite xenoliths, and such compositions have recently been interpreted as metasomatic in origin within the mantle xenoliths literature. Pressure–temperature calculations using the single-grain clinopyroxene technique reveal a relatively cold cratonic geotherm of 37-38 mW/m2 for the study region during the Late Mesozoic. For peridotitic garnets, projections of calculated Ni-in-garnet temperatures onto the independently constrained regional conductive geotherm suggest that lherzolite dominates at <145 km depths, whereas high-Ti lherzolitic G11 garnets and `megacrystic´ G1 garnets originate mostly from greater depths, down to the lithosphere base at 150 to 210 km depth. The apparent confinement of ´megacrystic´ G1 garnet to the bottom of the lithosphere suggests formation from infiltrating asthenosphere-derived proto-kimberlite liquids during melt–rock interactions. In general, the data suggest that the CLM beneath NW Botswana is depleted to about 145 km depth, and between 145-210 km depths a thick metasomatized layer is identified, representing the transition into the underlying asthenosphere. A relatively thin lithosphere beneath NW Botswana is consistent with the proposed craton margin setting, especially when compared to the thicker cratonic roots beneath the central regions of the Congo and Kalahari cratons in Angola and South Africa, respectively, reaching down to 250 km depth and possibly even deeper. The compositional dissimilarity between the deepest-derived garnets from kimberlites in NW Botswana (i.e., from the diamond stability field) and garnets that occur as inclusions in diamond from cratons worldwide suggests extensive overprinting of the lowermost cratonic lithosphere by oxidative melt-related metasomatism. This finding, together with the very low diamond grades of the Xaudum kimberlites, points to a diminished diamond potential of the large and mostly unexposed ‘cratonic’ region (e.g., covered by thick desert sand) located between the major diamond mining districts of the Congo craton to the north (e.g., Catoca) and the Kalahari craton to the south (e.g., Orapa and Jwaneng).
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冈瓦纳断裂期间难以捉摸的刚果克拉通边缘:从博茨瓦纳西北部Xaudum金伯利岩矿区下方岩石圈地幔结构和热流中获得的启示
刚果克拉通南缘下方的大陆岩石圈地幔(CLM)一直难以捉摸,主要原因是厚厚的新生代沉积覆盖层掩盖了可能的金伯利岩和灯泡岩二叠体。在本研究中,我们利用来自约 84 Ma Nxau Nxau 金伯利岩的地幔衍生倩辉石和石榴石异晶石的主要和痕量元素组成,对这一岩石圈地幔部分进行了探索。博茨瓦纳西北部 84 Ma Nxau Nxau 金伯利岩群是延伸至纳米比亚北部的鲜为人知的 Xaudum 金伯利岩区的一部分。我们利用这些数据来更好地了解刚果克拉通南缘岩石圈地幔的热演化和成分演变。菱镁矿群(83 个单个晶粒)包括富铬和贫铬二元菱镁矿,其主要成分(Al2O3、Na2O、Mg#)和不相容微量元素(U、Th、Zr、Hf、Nb、Ta、REEs)成分各不相同。所研究的大型石榴石群(496粒)主要由黑沸石G9(38%)和 "巨晶 "G1(41%)组成,另有少量来自钛-金属化G11(7%)和蚀变G3(6%)板幔源。Harzburgitic G10石榴石非常罕见(只有两粒),这与克拉通边缘位置以蛭石为主的CLM断面一致。斜长岩石榴石群的成分类似于来自高镁板块地幔斜长岩异长岩的石榴石,这种成分最近在地幔异长岩文献中被解释为元杂质来源。利用单晶粒clinopyroxene技术进行的压力-温度计算显示,在中生代晚期,研究区域的地幔地温为37-38 mW/m2,相对较低。就橄榄石榴辉岩而言,将计算出的榴辉岩中镍的温度投影到独立约束的区域传导地温上表明,蛭石在<145千米深处占主导地位,而高钛蛭石G11榴辉岩和 "巨晶 "G1榴辉岩则主要来自更深的地方,一直到岩石圈底部150至210千米深处。麦哲伦G1石榴石明显被限制在岩石圈底部,这表明它们是在熔岩-岩石相互作用过程中由渗入天体圈的原金伯利岩液体形成的。总体而言,数据表明,博茨瓦纳西北部地下的CLM已经耗竭到大约145千米的深度,在145-210千米的深度之间发现了一个厚的变质层,代表着向底层岩石圈的过渡。博茨瓦纳西北部地下的岩石圈相对较薄,这与所提出的克拉通边缘环境相符,尤其是与安哥拉和南非的刚果和卡拉哈里克拉通中部地区地下较厚的克拉通根系相比,其深度可达 250 千米,甚至可能更深。博茨瓦纳西北部金伯利岩(即金刚石稳定场)中最深的石榴石与世界各地的陨石坑中作为金刚石包裹体出现的石榴石之间的成分差异表明,与氧化熔融有关的变质作用对最下部的陨石坑岩石圈造成了广泛的覆盖。这一发现,再加上绍杜姆金伯利岩钻石品位很低,表明位于刚果陨石坑北部(如卡托卡)和卡拉哈里陨石坑南部(如奥拉帕和瓦嫩)主要钻石开采区之间的大片且大部分未暴露的 "陨石 "地区(如被厚厚的沙漠沙覆盖)的钻石潜力已经减弱。
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来源期刊
Journal of Petrology
Journal of Petrology 地学-地球化学与地球物理
CiteScore
6.90
自引率
12.80%
发文量
117
审稿时长
12 months
期刊介绍: The Journal of Petrology provides an international forum for the publication of high quality research in the broad field of igneous and metamorphic petrology and petrogenesis. Papers published cover a vast range of topics in areas such as major element, trace element and isotope geochemistry and geochronology applied to petrogenesis; experimental petrology; processes of magma generation, differentiation and emplacement; quantitative studies of rock-forming minerals and their paragenesis; regional studies of igneous and meta morphic rocks which contribute to the solution of fundamental petrological problems; theoretical modelling of petrogenetic processes.
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