PGE geochemistry of low-Ti high-Mg siliceous mafic rocks within the Archaean Central Indian Bastar Craton: implications for magma fractionation

Abstract

Boninite-norite (BN) suites emplaced in an intracratonic setting in Archaean Cratons, are reported from many parts of the world. Such high-Mg low-Ti siliceous rocks are emplaced during Neoarchaean-Paleoproterozoic. The Archaean central Indian Bastar Craton also contains such a boninite-norite suite, which occurs in the form of dykes and volcanics. The spatial and temporal correlation of these high-Mg low-Ti siliceous rocks with similar rocks occurring around the northern Bastar and Dharwar Cratons probably represent a Bastar-Dharwar Large Igneous Province during the Neoarchaean-Paleoproterozoic. Platinum group element (PGE) abundances in these rocks provide constraints on their geochemical evolution during the Neoarchaean-Paleoproterozoic. The PGE geochemistry of the boninite-norite suite from the southern part of the central Indian Bastar Craton is presented to understand their behaviour during magma fractionation. In primitive mantle-normalized plots all samples have similar PGE fractionated patterns that are enriched in Pd, Pt and Rh relative to Ru. The Pd/Ru ratios for eight samples range from 2.0 to 7.0 which is higher than primitive mantle (primitive mantle Pd/Ru ≈1.2). The Pd/Pt ratios range between 0.2-2.5 with an average value of 0.7 which is near chondritic (primitive mantle Pd/Pt ≈0.5). PGE variations in these rocks together with those of major and other trace elements are consistent with a model involving olivine fractionation along with chromite as a cotectic phase. The Pt fractionation from Pd and Rh is controlled by both olivine and chromite crystallization at an early stage during high temperature crystal fractionation when the Pt was strongly compatible and Pd and Rh were incompatible. Strong negative correlations of the S content with iron and TiO₂ plus lithophile element contents of the rock suggest a decrease of the S solubility in the parental high-Mg magma and separation of an immiscible sulfide liquid with decreasing temperature. Palladium plus other available chalcophile elements (e.g., Re, Au, Ag) have been fractionated in this immiscible sulfide liquid after considerable olivine fractionation of the magma.