Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nmvwc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-20T10:18:39.019Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Moine amphibolite suites of central and northern Sutherland, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

Steven J. Moorhouse  and
Valerie E. Moorhouse
Steven J. Moorhouse
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
Valerie E. Moorhouse
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Three groups of amphibolites within the Moine rocks of Sutherland have been analysed for twenty-six elements by XRF analysis. (1) Very rare epidotic hornblende schists within pelite, possibly derived from volcanic ash deposited penecontemporaneously with the pelite (2 analyses). (2) Major and minor bodies of ‘early Moine’ schistose garnetiferous amphibolite intruded early in the deformational sequence (41 analyses). (3) Small bodies of ‘Loch a' Mhòid metadolerite’, intruded later in the deformational sequence (23 analyses). Rare Moine ultrabasites are associated with these metadolerites and probably formed from the same magma as olivine cumulates. These ultrabasites (5 analyses) are chemically distinct from Lewisian ultrabasites (both in the basement sheets within the Moine rocks of Sutherland and in the foreland Lewisian rocks) and from the Glen Urquhart ultrabasic body (3 analyses).

Using variation diagrams it is inferred that chemical variation in these amphibolites is due largely to pyroxene and plagioclase crystallization in the early amphibolites and olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase crystallization in the Loch a' Mhòid metadolerites and ultrabasites, followed in both cases by high-level fractionation. This has led to high values of incompatible elements in many of the early amphibolites. Although geochemical discrimination diagrams tend to give ambiguous results for many of these rocks, the early amphibolites are shown to be tholeiitic in nature with a chemistry transitional between within-plate and island-arc type basaltic magma. The Loch a' Mhòid metadolerites are mildly alkaline within-plate type basaltic magma.

Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 43 , Issue 326 , June 1979 , pp. 211 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bloxham, (T. W.) and Lewis, (A. D.), 1972. Nature (Phys. Sci.), 237, 134-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cann, (J. R.), 1969. J. Petrol. 10, 1-19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cann, (J. R.) 1970. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 10, 7-11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, (Y. C.), 1942. Proc. Geol. Assoc. Lond. 53, 67-85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, (Y. C.) 1943. Q. J. Geol. Soc. 99, 107-54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, (K. G.), Macdonald, (R.), and Hornung, (G.), 1967. Am. Mineral. 52, 1451-74.Google Scholar
Field, (D.) and Elliott, (R. B.), 1974. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 47, 63-76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flett, (Sir J. S.), 1906. Suture. Prog. Geol. Surv. GB, 1905, 155-67.Google Scholar
Floyd, (P. A.) and Winchester, (J. A.), 1975. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 27, 211-18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francis, (G. H.), 1956. Am. J. Sci. 254, 201-26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frey, (F. A.), Haskin, (M. A.), Poetz, (J. A.), and Haskin, (L. A.), 1968. J. Geophys. Res. 73, 6085-98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garson, (M.) and Plant, (J.), 1973. Nature (Phys. Sci.), 242, 34-7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harrison, (V. E.) and Moorhouse, (S. J.), 1976. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 132, 461-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, (S. R.) and Nalwalk, (A. J.), 1970. Geochim. Cosmo- chim. Acta, 34, 145-56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herrman, (A. G.) and Wedepohl, (K. H.), 1970. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 29, 255-74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jakes, (P.) and Gill, (J. B.), 1970. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 9, 17-28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jakes, (P.) and White, (A. J. R.), 1972. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 83, 29-40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, (M. R. W.), 1975. Nature, 257, 301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leake, (B. E.), 1964. J. Petrol. 5, 238-53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leake, (B. E.) Hendry, (G. L.), Kemp, (A.), Plant, (A. G.), Harvey, (P. K.), Wilson, (J. R.), Coats, (J. S.), Aucott, (J. W.), Lünel, (T.), and Howarth, (R. J.), 1969. Chem. Geol. 5, 7-86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leeman, (W. P.), Vitaliano, (C. J.), and Prinz, (M.), 1976. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 56, 35-60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lippard, (S. J.), 1976. Norges Geol. Unders. 327, 35-40.Google Scholar
Macdonald, (G. A.) and Katsura, (T.), 1964. J. Petrol. 5, 82-133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manson, (V.), 1968. In Hess, (H. H.) and Poldervaart, (A.) (eds.), Basalts. lnterscience, New York.Google Scholar
Moorhouse, (S. J.), 1976. Scott. J. Geol. 12, 159-65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moorhouse, (S. J.) and Harrison, (V. E.), 1976. Nature, 259, 249-50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moorhouse, (S. J.) and Moorhouse, (V. E.), 1977. Scott. J. Geol. 13, 289-300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norrish, (K.) and Hutton, (J. T.), 1969. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 33, 431-53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearce, (J. A.), 1975. Tectonophysics, 25, 41-67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearce, (J. A.) and Cann, (J. R.), 1971. Earth Planet. Sci,Lett. 12, 339-49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearce, (J. A.) 1973. Ibid. 19, 290-300.Google Scholar
Pearce, (J. A.) and Gale, (G. H.), 1977. In Jones, (M. J.) (ed.), Volcanic processes in ore genesis. London (Inst. Mining and Metallurgy and Geol. Soc. Special Publ. 7), 14-24.Google Scholar
Prinz, (M.), 1968. In Hess, (H. H.) and Poldervaart, (A.) (ed.), Basalts. Interscience, New York.Google Scholar
Read, (H. H.), 1931. The Geology of central Sutherland. Mem. Geol. Surv. GB.Google Scholar
Read, (H. H.) 1934. Geol. Mag. 71, 302-17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwarzer, (R. R.) and Rodgers, (J. J. W.), 1974. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 23, 286-96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorpe, (R. S.), 1972. Nature (Phys. Sci.), 240, 164-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van De Kamp, (P. C.), 1969. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 80, 1127-36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winchester, (J. A.), 1976. Scott. J. Geol. 12, 187-204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winchester, (J. A.) and Floyd, (P. A.), 1976. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 28, 459-69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winchester, (J. A.) 1977. Chem. Geol. 20, 325-43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar