Late Archaean crust-mantle interactions: geochemistry of LREE-enriched mantle derived magmas. Example of the Closepet batholith, southern India

Abstract

The Closepet batholith in South India is generally considered as a typical crustal granite emplaced 2.5 Ga ago and derived through partial melting of the surrounding Peninsular Gneisses (3.3 to 3.0 Ga). In the field, it appears as a composite batholith made up of at least two groups of intrusions. (a) An early SiO2-poor group (clinopyroxene quartz-monzonite and porphyritic phyritic monzogranite) is located in the central part of the batholith. These rocks display a narrow range in both initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7017-0.7035) and e{open}Nd(-0.9to -4.1). (b) A later SiO2-rich group (equigranular grey and pink granites) is located along the interface between the SiO2-poor group and the Peninsular Gneisses. They progressively grade into migmatised Peninsular Gneisses, thus indicating their anatectic derivation. Their isotopic characteristics vary over a wide range (87Sr/86Sr ratios=0.7028-0.7336 and e{open}Nd values from-2.7 to-8.3, at 2.52 Ga). Field and geochronological evidence shows that the two groups are broadly contemporaneous (2.518-2.513 Ga) and mechanically mixed. This observation is supported by the chemical data that display well defined mixing trends in the e{open}Sr vs e{open}Nd and elemental variation diagrams. The continuous chemical variation of the two magmatic bodies is interpreted in terms of interaction and mixing of two unrelated end-members derived from different source regions (enriched peridotitic mantle and Peninsular Gneisses). It is proposed that the intrusion of mantle-derived magmas into mid-crustal levels occurred along a transcurrent shear zone; these magmas supplied additional heat and fluids that initiated anatexis of the surrounding crust. During this event, large-scale mixing occurred between mantle and crustal melts, thus generating the composite Closepet batholith. The mantle-derived magmatism is clearly associated with granulite facies metamorphism 2.51±0.01 Ga ago. Both are interpreted as resulting from a major crustal accretion event, possibly related to mantle plume activity. © 1995 Springer-Verlag.