Description
Summary:Portrush Sill, Co.Antrim, Northern Ireland, is a dolerite intrusion related to the North-Atlantic Province. It was intruded in Jurassic mudstones about 55 My ago, forming a contact aureole by thermal metamorphism. Describing Portrush Sill and its interaction with sedimentary country rocks is essential to estimate aureole toxic gasses emission and its environmental impact. We adopted a multi-method approach, including petrologic, petrographic and geochemistry analyses. The field study revealed two new magmatic units prior to the main sill: the upper sill, and numerous minor dolerite intrusions. Major and trace analyses show two magma contamination process: a deep crustal assimilation, and a superficial fluid circulation contamination. Data obtained for the contact aureole show isochemical high-T° metamorphism within hornfels (> 660 °C): the CO 2-poor shale facies of the protolite leads to only water liberation, without environmental effect. South-Eastward, the Scawt Hill contact aureole also revealed isochemical metamorphism, but from other origins: the lack of toxic gas releasing is due to the high-T° s tability of carbonates. Those two intrusions show that environmental impact due to degassing process in aureole contact are essentially dependent on the sediment composition and the degree of pick metamorphism. Le sill de Portrush, Co.Antrim, en Irlande du Nord, est une intrusion de dolérite associée à la Province Magmatique Nord Atlantique. Mis en place il y a ~ 55 Ma dans les dépôts argileux du Jurassique, il provoque la formation d'une auréole de contact par métamorphisme thermique. Caractériser le sill de Portrush et son interaction avec l'encaissant sédimentaire est essentiel pour évaluer la quantité de gaz toxiques émis par l'auréole et estimer son impact sur l'environnement. Une approche multiméthodes est adoptée, combinant des analyses pétrologiques, pétrographiques et géochimiques. L'étude de terrain a permis de découvrir deux nouvelles unités magmatiques antérieures au sill principal : un sill ...