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Chromite chemistry as an indicator of petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Ranomena ultramafic complex in north-eastern Madagascar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2016

C. ISHWAR-KUMAR ,
V.J. RAJESH ,
B.F. WINDLEY ,
T. RAZAKAMANANA ,
T. ITAYA ,
E.V.S.S.K. BABU  and
K. SAJEEV
C. ISHWAR-KUMAR
Affiliation:
Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
V.J. RAJESH
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695547, India
B.F. WINDLEY
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, The University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
T. RAZAKAMANANA
Affiliation:
Départment de Sciences Naturelles, Université de Toliara, BP.185, Toliara 601, Madagascar
T. ITAYA
Affiliation:
Japan Geochronology Network (NPO), 2–5 Nakahima, Naka Ward, Okayama 703–8252, Japan
E.V.S.S.K. BABU
Affiliation:
CSIR - National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad 500007, India
K. SAJEEV*
Affiliation:
Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
*
#Author for correspondence: sajeev@ceas.iisc.ernet.in
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Abstract

The Ranomena ultramafic complex in NE Madagascar consists of layered gabbro, harzburgite, orthopyroxenite, clinopyroxenite, garnet websterite and chromitite-layered peridotite. This study of the Ranomena chromite chemistry aims to better understand the petrogenesis and palaeotectonic environment of the complex. The chromite from the Ranomena chromitite is unzoned/weakly zoned and has a Cr# (Cr/(Cr + Al)) of 0.59–0.69, a Mg# (Mg/(Fe + Mg)) of 0.37–0.44, and low Al2O3 (15–23 wt %) suggesting derivation from a supra-subduction zone arc setting. Calculation of parental melt composition suggests that the parental magma composition of the Ranomena chromitite was similar to that of a primitive tholeiitic basalt formed at a high degree of mantle melting, suggesting the parental melt composition was equivalent to that of an island-arc tholeiite (IAT). The parental magma of the Ranomena chromite had a FeO/MgO ratio of 0.9 to 1.8, suggesting arc derivation. The parental magma was Al- and Fe-rich, similar to a tholeiitic basaltic magma. The composition of orthopyroxene from the chromitite indicates a crystallization temperature range of 1250–1300°C at 1.0 GPa. The chemistry of the chromite in the Ranomena chromitite further suggests that the complex formed in a supra-subduction zone arc tectonic setting.

Keywords

ChromitechromititeRanomena ultramafic complexBetsimisaraka sutureNE Madagascar
Type
Original Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 155 , Issue 1 , January 2018 , pp. 109 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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