Serpentinization of cumulate ultramafic rocks from the North Arm Mountain massif of the Bay of Islands ophiolite
Abstract
Partially serpentinized dunites and wehrlites comprise the bulk of the cumulate ultramafic unit at the North Arm Mountain massif of the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex, Newfoundland. In a suite of 59 dunites and werhlites from the base of the unit, the serpentinized portions consist of lizardite + chrysotile + brucite + (accessory) magnetite. The ratio of ( lizardite + chrysotile) to brucite = ~8:2 ( weight percent) . Petrographic observations show that most serpentinization occurred at the expense of olivine; only limited amounts of clinopyroxene were serpentized. An estimated volume increase of 32% accompanied serpentinization of the peridotites. Reconstructions of the primary modal proportions of wehrlites (made taking this volume increase into account) contain an average of 6% more clinopyroxene and 6% less olivine than do modal reconstructions that ignore the volume increase. Mass balance calculations provide no clear evidence for appreciable metasomatism of Al 2O 3, CaO, FeO, MgO, or SiO 2 during Serpentinization. The presence of brucite, the evidence that most serpentinization occurred at the expense of olivine, and the lack of appreciable metasomatism, suggest that the primary reaction that controlled serpentinization of the peridotites is: 2Mg 2SiO 2 + 3H 2O ⇌ Mg 3Si 2O 5(OH) 4 + Mg(OH) 2. olivine added serpentine brucite
- Publication:
-
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
- Pub Date:
- November 1985
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0016-7037(85)90233-9
- Bibcode:
- 1985GeCoA..49.2331K