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Abstract

A suite of 12 peridotite xenoliths from the Wesselton kimberlite was studied and found to sample the subcratonic lithospheric mantle over a pressure range from 3.6 to 4.7 GPa and a temperature range of 880 to 1120 °C. Major, minor and trace element compositions indicate that both metasomatised and un-metasomatised samples are present over this pressure range. Fe3 +/∑ Fe in garnet from four xenoliths was determined using Fe K-edge XANES spectroscopy, enabling the redox state of the sampled subcratonic mantle to be determined for three garnet bearing samples. ΔlogfO2[FMQ] varied from 0 to − 3.3 over the sampled pressure interval, with the un-metasomatised samples falling within the global trend of decreasing ΔlogfO2[FMQ] with increasing depth. Superimposed on this was an oxidation trend, at higher pressures (≥ 4.5 GPa), with ΔlogfO2 increasing by 1.5 to 2 units in the metasomatically enriched samples, indicating a clear link between metasomatism and oxidation. One potential source of this oxidation is a carbonated silicate melt, which will increase in carbonate content as ΔlogfO2 increases. Mantle minerals affected by such a melt have the potential to shift from the field of diamond stability into that of carbonate, threatening the stability of diamond.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Hanger, BJ and Yaxley, GM and Berry, AJ and Kamenetsky, VS
Journal or Publication Title:	Lithos
ISSN:	00244937
DOI / ID Number:	10.1016/j.lithos.2014.09.030
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2014 Elsevier
Related URLs:	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S...
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