Peridotite xenoliths from the Nó grá d-Gö mö r Volcanic Field (NGVF) record the geochemical evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the northern margin of the Pannonian Basin. This study is focused on spinel lherzolites and presents petrography, and major and trace element geochemistry for 51 xenoliths selected from all xenolith-bearing localities of the NGVF. The xenoliths consist of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel 6 amphibole. No correlations between modal composition and textures were recognized; however, major and trace element geochemistry reveals several processes, which allow the distinction of xenolith groups with different geochemical evolution. The xenoliths have undergone varying degrees ($7-25%) of partial melting with overprinting by different metasomatic processes. Based on their Mg#, the xenoliths can be subdivided into two major groups. Group I has olivine Mg# between 89 and 91, whereas Group II has Mg# <89, significant enrichment of Fe and Mn in olivine and pyroxenes, and high Ti in spinel. Trace element contents of the xenoliths vary widely, allowing a further division based on light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment or depletion in pyroxenes. REE patterns of amphiboles match those of clinopyroxenes in each xenolith where they appear, and are inferred to have different origins based on their Nb (and other high field strength element) contents. It is proposed that Nb-poor amphiboles record the oldest metasomatic event, caused by subduction-related volatilebearing silicate melts or fluids, followed by at least two further metasomatic processes: one that resulted in U-Th-(Nb-Ta)-LREE enrichment and crystallization of Nb-rich amphibole, affecting
This study analyzes the microstructures and deformational characteristics of spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Nógrád-Gömör Volcanic Field (NGVF), located on the northern margin of a young extensional basin presently affected by compression. The xenoliths show a wide range of microstructures, bearing the imprints of heterogeneous deformation and variable degrees of subsequent annealing. Olivine crystal preferred orientations (CPOs) have dominantly [010]-fiber and orthorhombic patterns. Orthopyroxene CPOs indicate coeval deformation with olivine. Olivine J indices correlate positively with equilibration temperatures, suggesting that the CPO strength increases with depth. In contrast, the intensity of intragranular deformation in olivine varies as a function of the sampling locality. We interpret the microstructures and CPO patterns as recording deformation by dislocation creep in a transpressional regime, which is consistent with recent tectonic evolution in the Carpathian-Pannonian region due to the convergence between the Adria microplate and the European platform. Postkinematic annealing is probably linked to percolation of metasomatism by mafic melts through the upper mantle of the NGVF prior to the eruption of the host alkali basalt. Elevated equilibration temperatures in xenoliths from the central part of the volcanic field are interpreted to be associated with the last metasomatic event, which only shortly preceded the ascent of the host magma. Despite well-developed olivine CPOs in the xenoliths, which imply a strong seismic anisotropy, the lithospheric mantle alone cannot account for the shear wave splitting delay times measured in the NGVF, indicating that deformation in both the lithosphere and the asthenosphere contributes to the observed shear wave splitting.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.