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The Lyngen Gabbro: the lower crust of an Ordovician Incipient Arc

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Abstract

We present evidence for the origin of the Lyngen Gabbro of the Ordovician Lyngen Magmatic Complex in Troms, Northern Norway. The two magmatic suites of the Lyngen Gabbro strike parallel NNE-SSW, and have distinct magmatic signatures. We define these signatures by using major and trace-element analyses together with selected major- and trace-element mineral analyses and 143Nd/144Nd-isotope whole-rock analyses of gabbroic to tonalitic plutonic rocks from seven detailed cross-sections from this large gabbro-complex. The Western suite of the Lyngen Gabbro precipitated from magma that may have been derived from the same system as the associated volcanic rocks. The gabbros have high An-content (An>90) of their plagioclases relative to co-existing mafic minerals. Together with somewhat high ɛNd(t) values (+6), this implies that the parental magmas were hydrous tholeiites similar to those found in back arc basins today. The Eastern suite, on the other hand, consist of cumulates that were precipitated from melts resembling those of ultra-depleted high-Ca boninitic magmas found in fore-arcs. Extremely high-An plagioclases (An>95) co-exist with evolved mafic minerals and oxides, and the ɛNd(t) values are lower (+4) than in the Western suite. The Eastern suite has no volcanic counterpart, but dikes intersecting the suites have compositions that possibly represent its parental magma. The oceanic Rypdalen Shear Zone generally separates the two suites in the north, but several non-tectonic transitions from boninitic to tholeiitic signatures southwards advocate that the magmatism happened concurrently. The magmatic proximity between the suites, the hydrous magmatism and the absence of a silicic or calc-alkaline mature arc section, suggests that the Lyngen Gabbro formed in the Iapetus Ocean under conditions presently found in incipient arcs later emplaced as outer arc highs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Harald Furnes, Dagfinn Slagstad and Rune Selbekk for assistance in the field, and Ole Tumyr for assistance in the lab. This manuscript was improved by an early review by Rhea Workman and formal reviews by Don Elthon and Alan Boudreau. The study was supported by the Norwegian Research Council and is Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution contribution# 11229.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany

    Astri J. S. Kvassnes

  2. Statoil, 4035, Stavanger, Norway

    Anita Hetland Strand

  3. Nipefjellet 83, 5300, Kleppestø, Norway

    Heidi Moen-Eikeland

  4. Department of Earth-Science, University of Bergen, Allegt 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Rolf Birger Pedersen

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  1. Astri J. S. Kvassnes
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Kvassnes, A.J.S., Strand, A.H., Moen-Eikeland, H. et al. The Lyngen Gabbro: the lower crust of an Ordovician Incipient Arc. Contrib Mineral Petrol 148, 358–379 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-004-0609-8

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