School of Earth Sciences - Theses
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ItemIsotopic disequilibrium in granitic systems: the origins of heterogeneity in granites and implications for partial melting in the crust and petrogenetic models( 2017)Unravelling the processes involved in granite magmatism is essential to our understanding of the continental crust, its formation and evolution. Radiogenic isotope systems are commonly employed to this end, but the behaviour of these systems may not be as simple as is often assumed. Understanding the causes of isotopic complexity in granite suites is the aim of this research. By modelling the disequilibrium partial melting of isotopically heterogeneous protoliths the different compositions of the melt, source and restite for a range of hypothetical scenarios have been calculated. Results demonstrate that the melt produced may have Sr, Nd and Hf isotope compositions distinct from both the protolith and restite. A corollary is that restite-bearing magmas may exhibit different isotope compositions than their melts, a feature which should be preserved as a difference between the Hf isotope compositions of bulk-rock samples and their magmatic zircon populations. The same modelling also suggests that a single source rock can produce melts with diverse isotope compositions. The predictions of this modelling have been tested by analysing S- and I-type granites from the Lachlan Fold Belt, southeastern Australia, including iconic examples of restite-bearing rocks. Comparisons of Hf isotope compositions between bulk-rocks and their magmatic zircons reveal discrepancies (ΔεHfbulk-zircon) ranging from -0.6 to +2.5 ε units for I-type granites. This intra-sample Hf isotopic heterogeneity is interpreted to represent disequilibrium between the melt and restite assemblage. The ΔεHfbulk-zircon values are consistent with calculated ΔεHfmagma-melt values (from -4.2 to +7.4) based on the disequilibrium amphibole dehydration melting of 0.5-1.0 Ga meta-igneous protoliths. S-type granites also record differences between their bulk-rock and magmatic zircon Hf isotope compositions; however, the disparity is more subtle. Both positive and small negative ΔεHfbulk-zircon values are observed, consistent with modelling the partial melting of isotopically heterogeneous meta-sedimentary protoliths. In addition to low-temperature granites, case studies of two high-temperature I-type granitoid suites (Boggy Plain and Wallundry) have also been conducted. Both display a weak coupling between geochemical parameters that have been interpreted previously to indicate the involvement of assimilation and fractional crystallisation (AFC) processes. Positive ΔεHfbulk-zircon values obtained in the Boggy Plain Suite support the existing petrogenetic model in which basaltic melt becomes variously contaminated by material derived from the continental crust. The positive value is explained by retention of earlier-crystallised, more radiogenic phases in isotopically evolved, more felsic samples. In contrast, the Wallundry Suite is characterised by negative ΔεHfbulk-zircon values caused by the presence of unmelted components of its contaminant. A complex interplay of contamination, crystallisation, melt segregation and interaction between magma batches is required to account for the Wallundry Suite isotope data. The results of this study indicate that disequilibrium partial melting can produce within-suite isotopic variability without recourse to assimilation or mixing processes (1) in mafic to felsic samples caused by the progressive separation of melt from its isotopically distinct restite assemblage; and (2) via the extraction of multiple batches of isotopically distinct melts produced from a single source as anatexis proceeds. Furthermore, the isotope variation resulting from restite unmixing may be distinguished from magma mixing by decoupling of the Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systems. Importantly, the isotopic discrepancy between bulk-rock granite samples and their magmatic zircon populations suggests that the most mafic bulk-rock granite samples of a given suite, not magmatic zircon, provide the most accurate estimate of source rock Hf isotope compositions. This raises concerns regarding the ubiquitous use of zircon Hf isotope data to constrain crustal growth models.
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ItemGabbro magmatism in the Lachlan Orogen, southeastern Australia: implications for mafic–felsic associations and granitoid petrogenesis( 2016)The nature and role of mafic endmembers in granitoid petrogenesis is poorly constrained in the Lachlan Orogen of southeastern Australia. Most previous studies have focussed on intermediate–felsic magmas and attempted to model the nature of their primitive precursors. Ordovician–Devonian magmatic rocks of gabbroic composition are exposed as rare volumetrically minor intrusions throughout the Lachlan Orogen, and are temporally and spatially associated with more voluminous granitoids. A detailed study of tholeiitic and alkali gabbros exposed in the Kuark Zone of eastern Victoria provides new insights into gabbro petrogenesis and the source regions of such magmas which in turn have implications for the generation of granitoids, particularly I- and A-type magmas, throughout the Lachlan Orogen. The Arte Igneous Complex and Scrubby Flat Gabbro are poorly exposed mafic intrusions spatially associated with A-, I- and S-type magmas. Although major- and trace-element variations do not always show clear evidence for a geochemical link between these units, variations in Sr, Nd and Hf isotope compositions indicate a shared source for at least some of the magmas. Alkali gabbros in particular preserve considerable Sr-Nd isotopic heterogeneity ranging greater than 10 epsilon Nd units within a small geographic area interpreted to represent the root of the Arte intrusion. It is proposed herein that magmatic differentiation occurred via fractional crystallisation and cumulate processes; however, it is argued that much of the Sr-Nd isotopic variation was inherited from a heterogeneous source region. A model involving a small degree (<20%) of partial melting of greenstone basement can explain the variation within the alkali gabbro of the Arte Igneous Complex. Subsequent higher degrees of partial melting (>30%) can explain the more voluminous, less heterogeneous tholeiitic gabbros. Spatially associated A- I- and S-type granitoids and the gabbros is more cryptic, some geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope links are apparent. Importantly, the I-type intrusions are interpreted to have been derived magmas fromed by partial melting of more intermediate compositions within greenstone basement (c.f. ultramafic to mafic for the gabbros), thus they share a similar heterogeneous source region with the gabbro rocks. In contrast, the S-types intrusions have a more complex link to the gabbros and are interpreted to have been derived via partial melting and assimilation of Ordovician turbidites by tonalite magmas of the Arte Igneous Complex. Comparison of the magmatic rocks of the Kuark Zone with other twelve of the 20 known Lachlan Orogen gabbros reveals similar isotopic heterogeneity. This requires that the source heterogeneity is present on a local- and regional-scale. Cambrian greenstone basement exposed in rare fault-bounded belts throughout the Lachlan Orogen have the same isotopic heterogeneity. Moreover, the same heterogeneity is observed in I-type granitoids of the Lachlan Orogen. The implication is that I-type magmas may also be generated by partial melting of greenstone basement rocks, thus both gabbroic and I-type magmas image their source region. There is a correlation between the age of gabbros and Sr-Nd isotope values, with younger gabbros characterised by on average more isotopically juvenile compositions. The ca. 380 Ma Bingie Bingie Suite that approachs compositions of depleted mantle. A number of the gabbros exhibit arc-like trace-element characteristics, however, given that the greenstones were generated in a Cambrian arc environment, these signatures may be inherited from their source (greenstones) rather than the gabbro magmas themselves being generated in a subduction zone setting. The chemical characteristics of most of the gabbros are consistent with the partial melting of greenstone basement in a back arc basin setting under extension. Influx of new mantle-derived magma is only likely to have occurred to produce the youngest mafic rocks (e.g., Mount Buller Igneous Complex). The results of this study provide new insights into the source regions for mafic intrusions of gabbro/diorite composition in the Lachlan Orogen. In light of this new information, these insights present an opportunity to re-examine the petrogenetic models for I- and A-type granitoids in particular.