Petrogenesis of the peralkaline granite (and associated syenite) dykes of the Straumsvola Complex, Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

The Straumsvola nepheline syenite complex in Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica consists of an outer massive and inner layered nepheline syenite that is itself intruded by ijolite. The complex and its immediate country rock was intruded by numerous dykes. A small proportion of these dykes are pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dreyer, Tanya Shayna
Other Authors: Harris, Chris, Le Roux, Petrus
Format: Master Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Cape Town 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19964
https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/11427/19964/1/thesis_sci_2015_dreyer_tanya_shayna.pdf
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Summary:The Straumsvola nepheline syenite complex in Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica consists of an outer massive and inner layered nepheline syenite that is itself intruded by ijolite. The complex and its immediate country rock was intruded by numerous dykes. A small proportion of these dykes are peralkaline syenite and microgranite, and these are found only to intrude the nepheline syenite and not the country rock. The presence of peralkaline granite dykes intruding a silica-undersaturated complex is unexpected, given the thermal divide that exists at low pressures between silica-under and -oversaturated phases. Major and trace element variations in the dykes are found to be consistent with fractional crystallisation of a parental peralkaline magma of trachyte composition.