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Geological implications and validity of calculated equilibration conditions for ultramafic xenoliths from the pipe 200 kimberlite, northern Lesotho

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Abstract

Current methods of geothermometry and geobarometry applicable to garnet lherzolite are reviewed with reference to recent experimental studies of the equilibration of natural garnet lherzolite and it is concluded that the Wells and Mori-Green formulations of the two pyroxene solvus provide the most reasonable temperature estimates. Pressures are best estimated by using these temperatures with Wood's formulation of the orthopyroxene-garnet geobarometer without chromium corrections. Pipe 200 garnet lherzolites are considered to have equilibrated at 907°–950° C at 30.0–34.5 kb.

It is shown that the transport times of xenoliths from the mantle are sufficiently long (0.5–24 h) to allow thermal equilibration with kimberlite but are too short to allow chemical re-equilibration to occur. Xenolith suites therefore retain information regarding the pressure/temperature history of the upper mantle despite being heated to the temperature of the kimberlite magma during transport.

The Pipe 200 xenolith suite indicates that the upper mantle beneath Lesotho has been perturbed to temperatures slightly above those defined by steady state geotherms. The Pipe 200 suite is derived from a narrow depth range (90–110 km) and derivation of chromite and garnet lherzolites from similar depths implies that the mantle is heterogeneous over short vertical distances. No simple stratigraphy, in which chromite lherzolites overlie garnet lherzolites is evident. Comparison with other suites of Lesotho garnet lherzolites shows that it is not possible to construct an upper mantle stratigraphy except in the most general terms because of the prevailing lateral and vertical heterogeneity and apparent limited depth range represented by the xenolith suites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1, Canada

    R. H. Mitchell

  2. Department of Geology, Sheffield University, S1 3JD, Sheffield, UK

    D. A. Carswell

  3. Department of Geology, Dalhousie University, B3H 3J5, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    D. B. Clarke

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  1. R. H. Mitchell
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  2. D. A. Carswell
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  3. D. B. Clarke
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Mitchell, R.H., Carswell, D.A. & Clarke, D.B. Geological implications and validity of calculated equilibration conditions for ultramafic xenoliths from the pipe 200 kimberlite, northern Lesotho. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 72, 205–217 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00399481

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