Mineralogy and geochemistry of the leucitite at Cosgrove, Victoria

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Comparison of bulk chemistry confirms the comagmatic nature of the New South Wales leucitite belt and the olivine leucitite at Cosgrove, Victoria. This relationship was previously implied by general mineralogical, petrographical, and age similarities, as well as the meridional trend of the occurrences. Differences of a minor nature occur between the N.S.W. and Victorian rock types, the latter being less potassic and magnesian (poorer in leucite and olivine) and more calcic (richer in clinopyroxene). Trace‐element compositions for the Cosgrove leucitite are within the ranges recorded for the N.S.W. belt. Essentially one‐rock type—a melanocratic leucitite—characterizes the belt, with the essential minerals olivine, diopside/salite, leucite, titanomagnetite, ilmenite, nepheline, and Ti‐Ba biotite. However, a pegmatoid phase, relatively enriched in Ti, Fe, and P, is well developed at Cosgrove, with its mineralogy (salite‐titanian aegirine, sodic amphibole, K‐feldspar, nepheline, titanomagnetite, apatite, ilmenite, aenigma‐tite, sodalite, and analcite) demonstrating extreme peralkaline differentiation. Some evidence suggests that the analcite resulted from alteration of leucite. The role of volatiles such as F was significant in facilitating development of coarse textures as well as crystallization of the amphibole, apatite, and sodalite. Magmas for the southeastern Australian leucitite belt were probably generated by equilibrium fusion of phlogopite peridotites, of slightly variable mineralogy. Deep‐seated crustal fractures controlled the relatively limited appearance of the magmas at the surface. There is no regular age variation along the belt, despite the age range of from 7 to 13 m.y.