Project Details
Projekt
Das Verhalten von Platingruppenelementen während oberkrustaler in situ - Fraktionierung in Magmen der Ferrar Plateaubasaltprovinz, Antarktis
Applicant
Professor Dr. Lothar Viereck
Subject Area
Oceanography
Term
from 2006 to 2010
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 26949114
The PGE-patterns of shallow intrusive rocks of the Ferrar Large Igneous Province studied within our previous project are fractionated with respect to primitive mantle, R and Pd being strongly enriched over Ir and Ru (IPGE), correlating with the degree of magma differentiation. While the compatible IPGE are uniformly depleted like Ni and the chalcophile element Cu is uniformly enriched with further differentiation, R and Pd either exhibit enrichment or depletion. The coupled enrichment trend with Cu is unknown from any other volcanic field in MORB-, ocean island- or flood basalt environments. Based on the existing data set on rock chemistry and petrography we are unable to deduce physicochemical differences that may explain the compatible or incompatible behaviour of Pt and Pd during differentiation. Within the project applied here for, we will test the model that internal physicochemical variations in shallow upper crustal magma bodys during in situ - differentiation are responsible for the observed fractionation patterns. Aside from whole-rock analyses we will identify the PGE-bearing mineral phases. These studies will be performed exclusively on already taken samples from sills and the Dufek Intrusion provided by Prof. Woerner, Goettingen, and Prof. Mukasa, Univ. of Michigan, USA and taken by the applicant during the expedition GANOVEX IX in 2005/06. The project is intended to be the initiation of detailed investigations on the PGE internal stratigraphy in the Dufek Intrusion within the framework of two IPY-projects (MESCHEDE et al. 2004, MUKASA 2004).
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
