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Importance of water for Archaean granitoid petrology: a comparative study of TTG and potassic granitoids from Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa

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Abstract

A new model for Archaean granitoid magmatism is presented which reconciles the most important geochemical similarities and differences between tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) and potassic granitoids. Trace element abundances reveal a strong arc magmatism signature in all studied granitoids from Barberton Mountain Land. Characteristic features include HFSE depletion as well as distinct enrichment peaks of fluid-sensitive trace elements such as Pb in N-MORB normalisation, clearly indicating that all studied granitoids are derived from refertilised mantle above subduction zones. We envisage hydrous basaltic (s.l.) melts as parental liquids, which underwent extensive fractional crystallisation. Distinctive residual cumulates evolved depending on initial water content. High-H2O melts crystallised garnet/amphibole together with pyroxenes and minor plagioclase, but no olivine. This fractionation path ultimately led to TTG-like melts. Less hydrous basaltic melts also crystallised garnet/amphibole, but the lower compatible element content indicates that olivine was also a liquidus phase. Pronounced negative Eu-anomalies of the granitic melts, correlating with Na, Ca and Al, indicate plagioclase to be of major importance. In the context of our model, the post-Archaean disappearance of TTG and concomitant preponderance of granites (s.l.), therefore, is explained with secular decrease of aqueous fluid transport into subduction zones and/or efficiency of deep fluid release from slabs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jeff Ryan for a constructive review and one anonymous reviewer for his critical comments. Othmar Müntener is thanked for very helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We thank Ronny Schoenberg for providing samples from Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa, and Alan Greig for great lab support during the stay of ICK at the University of Queensland. This work has been supported by Swiss National Science Foundation grant no. 20-61933.00 to ICK and JDK. BSK acknowledges funding by UQ's PVC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geological Sciences, Isotope Geology Group, University of Bern, Erlachstrasse 9a, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

    Ilka C. Kleinhanns & Jan D. Kramers

  2. AQUIRE, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

    Balz S. Kamber

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  1. Ilka C. Kleinhanns
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  2. Jan D. Kramers
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Correspondence to Ilka C. Kleinhanns.

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Kleinhanns, I.C., Kramers, J.D. & Kamber, B.S. Importance of water for Archaean granitoid petrology: a comparative study of TTG and potassic granitoids from Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa. Contrib Mineral Petrol 145, 377–389 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-003-0459-9

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