1. Lithium enrichment and isotopic variation in minerals from peridotite xenoliths from northwestern Ethiopian plateau
- Author
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Patrick Asamoah Sakyi, Muhammed Haji, Melesse Alemayehu, and Hong-Fu Zhang
- Subjects
Peridotite ,Basalt ,Olivine ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Isotope ,Geochemistry ,Geology ,Fractionation ,engineering.material ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,01 natural sciences ,Mantle (geology) ,engineering ,Xenolith ,Metasomatism ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
We report Lithium (Li) concentrations and isotopic compositions for co-existing olivine, orthopyroxene (opx), and clinopyroxene (cpx) mineral separates from depleted and metasomatised peridotite xenoliths hosted by basaltic lavas from northwestern Ethiopian plateau (Gundeweyn area). The peridotites contain five lherzolites and one harzburgite and are variably depleted and enriched in LREE relative to HREE. In both depleted and enriched lherzolites, Li is preferentially incorporated into olivine (2.4-3.3 ppm) compared to opx (1.4-2.1 ppm) and cpx (1.4-2.0 ppm) whereas the Li contents of olivines (5.4 ppm) from an enriched harzburgiteare higher than those of lherzolites. Olivines from the samples show higher Li abundances than normal mantle olivines (1.6-1.9 ppm) indicating the occurrence of Li enrichments through melt-preroditite interaction. The average δ7 Li values range from +2.2 to +6.0‰ in olivine, from -0.1 to +2.0‰ in opx and from -4.4 to -0.9‰ in cpx from the lherzolites. The Li isotopic composition (3.5‰) of olivines from harzburgite fall within the range of olivine from lherzolites but the opxs show low in δ7Li (-2.0‰). Overall Li isotopic compositions of olivines from the peridotites fall within the range of normal mantle olivine, δ7Li values of ~+4±2‰ within uncertainty, reflecting metasomatism (enrichment) of the peridotites by isotopically heavy Li-rich asthenospheric melt. Li isotope zonation is also observed in most peridotite minerals. Majority of olivine grains display isotopically heavy cores and light rims and the reverse case is observed for some olivine grains. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene grains show irregular distribution in δ7Li. These features of Li isotopic compositions within and between grains in the samples reflect the effect of diffusion-driven isotopic fractionation during meltperidotite interaction and cooling processes.
- Published
- 2018
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