Geochemical variations within podiform chromitite deposits in the Shetland ophiolite: implications for petrogenesis and PGE concentration

Brough, Chris, Prichard, Hazel Margaret, Neary, Chris, Fisher, Peter Charles and McDonald, Iain ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9066-7244 2015. Geochemical variations within podiform chromitite deposits in the Shetland ophiolite: implications for petrogenesis and PGE concentration. Economic Geology 110 (1) , pp. 187-208. 10.2113/econgeo.110.1.187

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

The Shetland ophiolite, located to the NE of the Scottish mainland contains podiform chromitites. Two of these are known to host extremely anomalous PGE concentrations. The chromitite at Cliff is enriched in Pt, Pd and Rh PGE (PPGE) and the Harold's Grave chromitite is enriched in Ir, Ru and Os PGE (IPGE). Analysis of multiple samples of chromitite from chromite quarry spoil tips and surrounding chromite-bearing dunite and chromite-bearing harzburgite has revealed that there are links between the chromite geochemistry and the PGE. Both Cliff and Harold's Grave have a characteristic chromite geochemistry which distinguishes them from the other PGEpoor chromitites. The IPGE-rich Harold's Grave chromite contains elevated trace elements (TiO2, V2O5 and Zn), lower Mg# and a lower Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio than in the other chromitite deposits. This suggests formation from a more reduced magma that favors the concentration of IPGE in chromitite. It is proposed that the IPGE have been concentrated to such enriched and consistent concentrations due to large throughput of magma, leaving an unusually large dunite envelope that surrounds a rather small concentration of chromitite. The geochemistry of the Harold's Grave deposit suggests formation from a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)/ Island Arc Tholeiite type magma. There is a range of chromite compositions at Cliff that suggests formation of the chromitite from a variety of mantle melts from mantle of variable composition. PPGE-rich Cliff chromite has a lower Cr# combined with a higher TiO2 than the other chromite in chromitites at Cliff. It is suggested that a more island arc tholeiite (IAT) type magma formed these PPGE-rich chromitites compared to a more boninitic magma that formed the other chromitites at Cliff. This IAT type magma was closer to sulfur saturation than the boninitic magma and reached sulfur saturation producing the very PPGE-rich chromite at Cliff.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QE Geology
Publisher:	Society of Economic Geologists
ISSN:	0361-0128
Funders:	NERC
Date of Acceptance:	16 May 2014
Last Modified:	27 Oct 2022 08:19
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/61984

Citation Data

Cited 18 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item