Microstructural evidence for crystallization regimes in mafic intrusions: a case study from the Little Minch Sill Complex, Scotland.
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Publication Date
2018Journal Title
Contrib Mineral Petrol
ISSN
0010-7999
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
173
Issue
12
Pages
97
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Physical Medium
Print-Electronic
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Nicoli, G., Holness, M., Neufeld, J., & Farr, R. (2018). Microstructural evidence for crystallization regimes in mafic intrusions: a case study from the Little Minch Sill Complex, Scotland.. Contrib Mineral Petrol, 173 (12), 97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-018-1525-7
Abstract
The magma forming the 20 m thick crinanitic/picrodoleritic Dun Raisburgh sill, part of the Little Minch Sill Complex of NW Scotland, comprised a mafic carrier liquid with a crystal cargo of plagioclase and olivine (1 vol%). The olivine component of the cargo settled on the floor of the intrusion while the more buoyant plagioclase component remained suspended during solidification, resulting in a relatively high plagioclase content in the centre of the sill. The settled olivine grains form a lower fining-upwards sequence overlain by a poorly sorted accumulation formed of grains that grew within the convecting magma. The accumulation of olivine on the sill floor occurred over 5-10 weeks, synchronous with the upwards-propagation of a solidification front comprising a porous (~ 70 vol% interstitial liquid) plagioclase-rich crystal mush.
Sponsorship
Natural Environment Research Council (NE/N009894/1)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-018-1525-7
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/286557
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