Geochemical and mineralogical changes caused by melt-rock and fluid-rock
interactions as evidenced from the residual mantle peridotites of the
east Arunachal ophiolites, Northeast Himalaya, India
Abstract
Rocks of ophiolitic affinity occurring in east Arunachal Pradesh, India
consist of a number of dismembered units of mantle peridotites, mafic
intrusives, amphibolites, volcano-sedimentaries and meta-carbonates and
are considered to be the north-eastern continuation of the Indus-Tsangpo
Suture Zone. Petrographical observations of the mantle peridotites
include features such as occurrence of two kinds of olivine – larger
(0.25mm) showing embayed boundaries and surrounded by smaller olivines
(0.12mm) which show cumulate textures, low modal abundance of
clinopyroxenes, serpentinized olivine and orthopyroxene, presence of
Cr-chlorite surrounding spinels and formation of tremolite at the
expense of clinopyroxene. They depict highly refractory geochemical
characteristics like low CaO (<0.7 wt%) and
TiO2 (<0.08 wt%) values accompanied by Fo
content between 0.90 and 0.92 for the larger olivine grains. Low HREE
fractionation suggests a moderate to high degree of partial melting
(~21%). We also observe selective enrichment in LREEs
and HFSEs, extremely high Cr content of metamorphic spinels (0.97-0.99)
and high Fo content in recrystallized cumulative olivines
(>96).These evidences suggest that peridotites are residual
in nature and formed by moderate to high degree of partial melting. They
were subjected to interactions with a percolating boninitic melt in the
nascent fore-arc of an intra-oceanic subduction zone which caused their
re-fertilization in terms of REEs and HFSEs. Later, the peridotites
underwent low-temperature fluid-rock interactions during the mature
subduction or exhumation stage which caused formation of hydrous
minerals like Cr-chlorite and tremolite.