Biotite phenocryst-rich high-K basaltic boulder from upper stream of the Kuzuryu River in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture

Boulders of biotite-phenocryst-rich, high-K basaltic rock were discovered in the upper stream of the Kuzuryu River in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture. The biotite phenocrysts are zoned, with pale brown cores and dark brown margins. Relics of mafic minerals, replaced by carbonate minerals, contain chromian spinel. Although the primary chemical composition is affected by the formation of secondary minerals such as carbonate, the SiO2 and K2O contents of the studied rock are 48-49 wt% and 3.6 wt%, respectively, which are within the chemical range of absarokite. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element and primitive-mantle-normalized trace element patterns of the studied volcanic rocks are characterized by high LREEs/HREEs, high concentrations of LILEs, and negative anomalies of HFSEs (Nb, Ti). These petrological and geochemical characteristics represent a primary composition that has never before been reported in the Hokuriku district.