Geochemistry, petrology, and isotopic characteristics of the Enseada da Caieira intrusions : insights from mineral chemistry and Nd and Sr isotopes from Fernando de Noronha, South Atlantic, Brazil.

Abstract

The alkaline magmatism found in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin (BEM) in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, such as that observed in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, poses intriguing questions about its origin and its relationship to guyots and onshore magmatism of similar alkaline compositions in northeast Brazil. The Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FNA) exhibits a broad spectrum of alkaline magmatism, ranging from foiditic to phonolitic/trachytic compositions. At the Enseada da Caieira, a group of intrusions reflects this wide variety from FNA. This paper presents a complete description of these intrusions based on petrography, lithogeochemistry, and mineral and isotopic chemistry, as well as thermobarometry and petrogenetic modeling. The new data are compared with data compiled from the FNA, BEM onshore and offshore magmatism, and the Vitória-Trindade Ridge (VTR). The intrusions are classified as trachyte, alkali-basalt/basanite, phonotephrite, and picrobasalt. The compositional diversity of dikes outcropping in a relatively small area suggests a complex petrogenetic evolution for the feeding system of the Fernando de Noronha Island. This is supported by the presence of porphyritic clinopyroxenes (for example) with compositional zoning, indicating multistage crystallization processes. Flow, resorption, and glomeroporphyritic textures are common. Skeletal crystals also occur as phenocrysts of olivine and clinopyroxene due to supercooling. Secondary minerals such as zeolites and carbonate commonly occur as fillers in amygdules. Values for ƐNd range from +0.2 to +3.1. The Sr–Nd isotopic signatures suggest a mixture between an enriched component (EMII) and a depleted mantle component (DMM). A multi-approach thermo-barometer using clinopyroxene, amphibole, and zircon mineral chemistry reveals different stages for crystallization, with pressure and temperature ranging from 320 to 1300 MPa and 750 to 1240 ◦C, respectively. The whole-rock lithogeochemistry modeling suggests a low degree of partial melting (around 2% or less) of an enriched source with variable proportions from spinel and garnet-lherzolite melting zones.