Tracing Lithosphere Evolution through the Analysis of Heterogeneous G9–G10 Garnets in Peridotite Xenoliths, II: REE Chemistry

Following previous publication of major–minor element data, this paper presents rare earth element (REE) data for heterogeneous (chemically zoned) garnets belonging to the peridotite suite of mantle xenoliths from the Jagersfontein kimberlite pipe, South Africa. The rim compositions of the garnets in the highest temperature–pressure (deepest) deformed peridotites show a typical megacryst-like pattern, of very low light REE (LREE) increasing through the middle REE (MREE) to a plateau of heavy REE (HREE) at c. 20 times chondrite; these compositions would be in equilibrium with small-volume melts of the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) source (asthenosphere). With decreasing depth the garnet rims show increasing LREE and decreasing HREE, eventually resulting in humped relative abundance patterns. A set of compositions is calculated for melts that would be in equilibrium with the garnet rims at different depths. These show decreasing relative abundance of each REE from La to Lu, and the La/Lu ratio of the melts increases with decreasing depth of formation. Modelling of the effects of crystal fractionation shows that this process could largely generate the sequence of garnet rim and melt compositions found with decreasing depth, including the humped REE patterns in high-level garnets. Considering the behaviour of major–minor elements as well as REE, a process of percolative fractional crystallization is advocated in which megacryst source melts percolate upwards through peridotites and undergo fractionation in conjunction with exchange with the peridotite minerals. The initial megacryst melt probably includes melt of lithospheric origin as well as melt from the MORB source, and it is suggested that the process of percolative fractional crystallization may form a variety of metasomatic and kimberlitic melts from initial megacryst melts. Repeated metasomatism of the lower lithosphere by such differentiating melts is suggested by consideration of garnet core compositions. Such metasomatism would progressively convert harzburgites to lherzolites by increasing their CaO content, and this may account for the fact that the Cr-rich diamond–garnet harzburgite paragenesis is commonly preserved only where it has been encapsulated in diamonds.