Intraplate magmatism

 Hotspots
 Rift zones (often associated with hotspots)

 Intra-oceanic plate: Tholeitic to alkaline series; mostly

basalts (OIB = Oceanic Islands Basalts), some
differenciated alkaline terms
 Intra-continental plate:
 either large tholeitic basaltic provinces (CFB = Continental Flood
Basalts), occasionally bimodal (ass. with rhyolites)
 or smaller, alkaline to hyper-alkaline, differenciated
intrusions/volcanoes (syenites/phonolites; carbonatites;
kimberlites; and more…)
Continental alkaline series

Alkali volcanoes – basaltic strombolian cone in front,

trachytic pelean dome behind– in the West European rift
 The West-
european rift
sytem
Continental Alkaline
Magmatism.
The East African Rift

Figure 19-2. Map of the East African Rift system (after

Kampunzu and Mohr, 1991), Magmatic evolution and
petrogenesis in the East African Rift system. In A. B.
Kampunzu and R. T. Lubala (eds.), Magmatism in
Extensional Settings, the Phanerozoic African Plate.
Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 85-136. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology.
Prentice Hall.
 Continental alkaline series
 Rift (or hotspot) related
 Large diversity (possibly > 80% of the rock
names, for <1% volume !)
 Strange rocks (carbonatites…)
 Common features of continental
alkali series
 Alkaline (!)
 Undersaturated to just oversaturated
 Peralkaline
 Alkaline series

Mildly alkaline
Strongly alkaline
 Q
Quartzolite
90 90

Quartz-rich
Granitoid

60 60

Saturated Granite Grano-

diorite

Alkali Fs. 20 20 Qtz. Diorite/

Quartz Syenite Qtz. Gabbro
Quartz Quartz Quartz 60 60

Alkali Fs. Syenite Monzonite Monzodiorite

5 5 Diorite/Gabbro/
Syenite Syenite Monzodiorite
10 35 Monzonite 65 90 Anorthosite Rhyolite Dacite
A (Foid)-bearing (Foid)-bearing (Foid)-bearing P
Syenite Monzonite Monzodiorite
10 10 (Foid)-bearing
20 20
Diorite/Gabbro
(Foid)-bearing
Alkali Fs. Syenite Trachyte Latite Andesite/Basalt
35 65
(Foid) (Foid) A (foid)-bearing (foid)-bearing (foid)-bearing P
Monzosyenite Monzodiorite Trachyte Latite Andesite/Basalt
10 10

Under-saturated Phonolite Tephrite

60 60

(Foid)olites 60 60

(Foid)ites

F F
 The alkali eutectic

Figure 19-7. Phase diagram for the system SiO2-NaAlSiO4-KAlSiO4-H2O at 1 atm. pressure. Insert shows a T-X section from the silica-
undersaturated thermal minimum (Mu) to the silica-oversaturated thermal minimum (Ms). that crosses the lowest point (M) on the
binary Ab-Or thermal barrier that separates the undersaturated and oversaturated zones. After Schairer and Bowen (1935) Trans. Amer.
Geophys. Union, 16th Ann. Meeting, and Schairer (1950), J. Geol., 58, 512-517. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and
Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 biotite pyroxene aegirine
muscovite hornblende riebeckite
cordierite biotite arfvedsonite
andalusite
garnet CaO

CaO

CaO K2O
moles

K2O
Al2O3 K2O Al2O3 Al2O3

Na2O Na2O
Na2O

Peraluminous Metaluminous Peralkaline

Figure 18-2. Alumina saturation classes based on the molar proportions of Al2O3/(CaO+Na2O+K2O) (“A/CNK”) after
Shand (1927). Common non-quartzo-feldspathic minerals for each type are included. After Clarke (1992). Granitoid
Rocks. Chapman Hall.
 Trace elements enriched

Figure 19-5. Chondrite-normalized REE

variation diagram for examples of the four
magmatic series of the East African Rift
(after Kampunzu and Mohr, 1991),
Magmatic evolution and petrogenesis in the
East African Rift system. In A. B.
Kampunzu and R. T. Lubala (eds.),
Magmatism in Extensional Settings, the
Phanerozoic African Plate. Springer-Verlag,
Berlin, pp. 85-136. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic
Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Enriched mantle source

Figure 19-3. 143Nd/144Nd vs. 87Sr/86Sr for East

African Rift lavas (solid outline) and
xenoliths (dashed). The “cross-hair”
intersects at Bulk Earth (after Kampunzu
and Mohr, 1991), Magmatic evolution and
petrogenesis in the East African Rift system.
In A. B. Kampunzu and R. T. Lubala (eds.),
Magmatism in Extensional Settings, the
Phanerozoic African Plate. Springer-Verlag,
Berlin, pp. 85-136. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic
Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Generated from low to very low melt fractions

Figure 19-14. Grid showing the melting products as a function of pressure and % partial melting of model pyrolite mantle with 0.1%
H2O. Dashed curves are the stability limits of the minerals indicated. After Green (1970), Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 3, 221-235. Winter
(2001) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Diversity of alkaline continental
magmas – some examples
 Saturated alkaline series Series with a true
geological
 Undersaturated alkaline series importance

Oddities and
 Carbonatites curiosities – but
economic
 Lamprophyres, kimberlites & co. importance!
Figure 19-1. Variations in alkali ratios (wt. %) for oceanic (a) and continental (b) alkaline series. The heavy dashed lines distinguish the
alkaline magma subdivisions from Figure 8-14 and the shaded area represents the range for the more common oceanic intraplate series.
After McBirney (1993). Igneous Petrology (2nd ed.), Jones and Bartlett. Boston. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and
Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
Continental Alkaline
Magmatism.
The East African Rift

Figure 19-2. Map of the East African Rift system (after

Kampunzu and Mohr, 1991), Magmatic evolution and
petrogenesis in the East African Rift system. In A. B.
Kampunzu and R. T. Lubala (eds.), Magmatism in
Extensional Settings, the Phanerozoic African Plate.
Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 85-136. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology.
Prentice Hall.
East African rift (Afar) – mildly alkaline
16

14

12

10
Na2O+K2O

0
38 43 48 53 58 63 68 73 78
SiO2
Central African Rift – Strongly alkaline

16

14

12

10
Na2O+K2O

0
38 43 48 53 58 63 68 73 78
SiO2
 Two main series

 Basalts-Trachydandesites-Trachydacites-
Rhyolites (stronly bimodal): (just) saturated
alkali series
 A-type granites can be formed there
 Role of the preexisting crust?

 Basanite-Foidite (nephelinite)-Phonolite:
strongly undersaturated alkali series
Figure 19-9. Hypothetical cross sections
(same vertical and horizontal scales)
showing a proposed model for the
progressive development of the East African
Rift System. a. Pre-rift stage, in which an
asthenospheric mantle diapir rises
(forcefully or passively) into the lithosphere.
Decompression melting (cross-hatch-green
indicate areas undergoing partial melting)
produces variably alkaline melts. Some
partial melting of the metasomatized sub-
continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) may
also occur. Reversed decollements (D1)
provide room for the diapir. b. Rift stage:
development of continental rifting, eruption
of alkaline magmas (red) mostly from a deep
asthenospheric source. Rise of hot
asthenosphere induces some crustal anatexis.
Rift valleys accumulate volcanics and
volcaniclastic material. c. Afar stage, in
which asthenospheric ascent reaches crustal
levels. This is transitional to the development
of oceanic crust. Successively higher
reversed decollements (D2 and D3)
accommodate space for the rising diapir.
After Kampunzu and Mohr (1991),
Magmatic evolution and petrogenesis in the
East African Rift system. In A. B.
Kampunzu and R. T. Lubala (eds.),
Magmatism in Extensional Settings, the
Phanerozoic African Plate. Springer-Verlag,
Berlin, pp. 85-136 and P. Mohr (personal
communication). Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic
Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Bimodal associations
(the « Daly gap »)
 Mantle vs. Crustal sources?
 Remelting of underplated basalts?
 Simply an effect of the different eutectics?
16

14

12

10
Na2O+K2O

0
38 43 48 53 58 63 68 73 78
SiO2
 The oddities…
 Carbonatites
 Lamproites, kimberlites, etc.
 Table 19-5. Representative Carbonatite Compositions

Chapter 19: Continental %

ppm
Calcite- Dolomite- Ferro- Natro-
carbonatite carbonatite carbonatite carbonatite

Alkaline Magmatism. Li
Be
Sc
2
7
0.1 -
<5
14
10
12
10
-
-
-
V 80 89 191 116

Carbonatites Cr
Co
Ni
13
11
18
55
17
33
62
26
26
0

0
-

Cu 24 27 16 -
Zn 188 251 606 88
Ga <5 5 12 <20
Table 19-5. Representative Carbonatite Compositions Rb 14 31 - 178
Y 119 61 204 7
Zr 189 165 127 0
Calcite- Dolomite- Ferro- Natro-
Nb 1204 569* 1292 28
% carbonatite carbonatite carbonatite carbonatite Mo - 12 71 125
SiO2 2.72 3.63 4.7 0.16 Ag - 3 4 -
TIO2 0.15 0.33 0.42 0.02 Cs 20 1 1 6
Hf - 3 - 0
Al2O3 1.06 0.99 1.46 0.01 Ta 5 21 1 0
Fe2O3 2.25 2.41 7.44 0.05 W - 10 20 49
FeO 1.01 3.93 5.28 0.23 Au - - 12 -
Pb 56 89 217 -
MnO 0.52 0.96 1.65 0.38
Th 52 93 276 4
MgO 1.80 15.06 6.05 0.38
U 9 13 7 11
CaO 49.1 30.1 32.8 14.0 La 608 764 2666 545
Na2O 0.29 0.29 0.39 32.2 Ce 1687 2183 5125 645
K2O 0.26 0.28 0.39 8.38 Pr 219 560 550 -
Nd 883 634 1618 102
P2O5 2.10 1.90 1.97 0.85
Sm 130 45 128 8
H2O+ 0.76 1.20 1.25 0.56 Eu 39 12 34 2
CO2 36.6 36.8 30.7 31.6 Gd 105 - 130 -
BaO 0.34 0.64 3.25 1.66 Tb 9 5 16 -
Dy 34 - 52 2
SrO 0.86 0.69 0.88 1.42
Ho 6 - 6 -
F 0.29 0.31 0.45 2.50 Er 4 - 17 -
Cl 0.08 0.07 0.02 3.40 Tm 1 - 2 -
S 0.41 0.35 0.96 Yb 5 10 16 -
SO3 0.88 1.08 4.14 3.72 Lu 1 0 - 0
Wooley & Kempe (1989), natrocarb. from Keller & Spettel (1995).
* one excluded analysis contained 16,780 ppm Nb.
 Carbonatites

Figure 19-11. Idealized cross section of

a carbonatite-alkaline silicate complex
with early ijolite cut by more evolved
urtite. Carbonatite (most commonly
calcitic) intrudes the silicate plutons,
and is itself cut by later dikes or cone
sheets of carbonatite and
ferrocarbonatite. The last events in
many complexes are late pods of Fe
and REE-rich carbonatites. A fenite
aureole surrounds the carbonatite
phases and perhaps also the alkaline
silicate magmas. After Le Bas (1987)
Carbonatite magmas. Mineral. Mag.,
44, 133-40. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and
Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Chapter 19: Continental Alkaline Magmatism.
Carbonatites

Figure 19-15. Silicate-carbonate liquid

immiscibility in the system Na2O-
CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-CO2 (modified by
Freestone and Hamilton, 1980, to
incorporate K2O, MgO, FeO, and
TiO2). The system is projected from
CO2 for CO2-saturated conditions.
The dark shaded liquids enclose the
miscibility gap of Kjarsgaard and
Hamilton (1988, 1989) at 0.5 GPa,
that extends to the alkali-free side (A-
A). The lighter shaded liquids enclose
the smaller gap (B) of Lee and Wyllie
(1994) at 2.5 GPa. C-C is the revised
gap of Kjarsgaard and Hamilton.
Dashed tie-lines connect some of the
conjugate silicate-carbonate liquid
pairs found to coexist in the system.
After Lee and Wyllie (1996)
International Geology Review, 36, 797-
819. Winter (2001) An Introduction to
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology.
Prentice Hall.
 Chapter 19: Continental Alkaline Magmatism.
Carbonatites

Figure 19-15. Schematic cross

section of an asthenospheric
mantle plume beneath a
continental rift environment, and
the genesis of nephelinite-
carbonatites and kimberlite-
carbonatites. Numbers
correspond to Figure 19-13. After
Wyllie (1989, Origin of
carbonatites: Evidence from
phase equilibrium studies. In K.
Bell (ed.), Carbonatites: Genesis
and Evolution. Unwin Hyman,
London. pp. 500-545) and Wyllie
et al., (1990, Lithos, 26, 3-19).
Winter (2001) An Introduction to
Igneous and Metamorphic
Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Lamproites and kimberlites
 … many, many, many rock types
 … many, many different names – mostly
purely local and after the one known
occurrence of that rock type (Vosgesite,
Wyomingite, Orangeite …)
 Table 19-8. Average Analyses and Compositional Ranges
of Kimberlites, Orangeites, and Lamproites.
Chapter 19: Kimberlite Orangeite Lamproite*
SiO2 33.0 27.8-37.5 35.0 27.6-41.9 45.5

Continental Alkaline TiO2

Al2O3
1.3
2.0
0.4-2.8
1.0-5.1
1.1
2.9
0.4-2.5
0.9-6.0
2.3
8.9

Magmatism. FeO*
MnO
MgO
7.6
0.14
34.0
5.9-12.2
0.1-0.17
17.0-38.6
7.1
0.19
27.
4.6-9.3
0.1-0.6
10.4-39.8
6.0

11.2

Kimberlites CaO
Na2O
6.7
0.12
2.1-21.3
0.03-0.48
7.5
0.17
2.9-24.5
0.01-0.7
11.8
0.8
K2O 0.8 0.4-2.1 3.0 0.5-6.7 7.8
P2O5 1.3 0.5-1.9 1.0 0.1-3.3 2.1
LOI 10.9 7.4-13.9 11.7 5.2-21.5 3.5

Sc 14 20 19
V 100 95 66
Cr 893 1722 430
Ni 965 1227 152
Co 65 77 41
Cu 93 28
Zn 69 65
Ba 885 3164 9831
Sr 847 1263 3860
Zr 263 268 1302
Hf 5 7 42
Nb 171 120 99
Ta 12 9 6
Th 20 28 37
U 4 5 9
La 150 186 297
Yb 1 1 1
Data from Mitchell (1995), Mitchell and Bergman (1991)
* Leucite Hills madupidic lamproite
 Chapter 19: Continental Alkaline Magmatism.
Lamproites

Figure 19-18a. Initial 87Sr/86Sr vs. 143Nd/144Nd for lamproites (red-brown) and kimberlites (red). MORB and the Mantle Array are
included for reference. After Mitchell and Bergman (1991) Petrology of Lamproites. Plenum. New York. Typical MORB and OIB from
Figure 10-13 for comparison. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Chapter 19:
Continental Alkaline
Magmatism.
Kimberlites

Figure 19-20a. Chondrite-normalized REE diagram

for kimberlites, unevolved orangeites, and
phlogopite lamproites (with typical OIB and
MORB). After Mitchell (1995) Kimberlites,
Orangeites, and Related Rocks. Plenum. New York.
and Mitchell and Bergman (1991) Petrology of
Lamproites. Plenum. New York. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic
Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Chapter 19:
Continental Alkaline
Magmatism.
Kimberlites

Figure 19-19. Model of an idealized kimberlite

system, illustrating the hypabyssal dike-sill complex
leading to a diatreme and tuff ring explosive crater.
This model is not to scale, as the diatreme portion is
expanded to illustrate it better. From Mitchell
(1986) Kimberlites: Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and
Petrology. Plenum. New York. Winter (2001) An
Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic
Petrology. Prentice Hall.
 Chapter 19: Continental Alkaline Magmatism.
Kimberlites

Figure 19-20b. Hypothetical cross section of an Archean craton with an extinct ancient mobile belt (once associated with subduction) and
a young rift. The low cratonal geotherm causes the graphite-diamond transition to rise in the central portion. Lithospheric diamonds
therefore occur only in the peridotites and eclogites of the deep cratonal root, where they are then incorporated by rising magmas (mostly
kimberlitic- “K”). Lithospheric orangeites (“O”) and some lamproites (“L”) may also scavenge diamonds. Melilitites (“M”) are generated
by more extensive partial melting of the asthenosphere. Depending on the depth of segregation they may contain diamonds. Nephelinites
(“N”) and associated carbonatites develop from extensive partial melting at shallow depths in rift areas. After Mitchell (1995) Kimberlites,
Orangeites, and Related Rocks. Plenum. New York. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.