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Platinum-group elements in sills of the Jurassic Ferrar Large Igneous Province from Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica
Platinum-group element (PGE) abundances were analysed in basaltic andesites and andesites from sills of the
Ferrar Large Igneous Province in northern Victoria Land. The strongly fractionated primitive mantle-normalised PGE-
patterns show enrichment of the Pt-PGE over the Ir-PGE. The single element abundances exhibit good correlations with the degree of differentiation of the distinctly evolved samples and are interpreted to result mainly from low-pressure in-situ differentiation after magma emplacement in the upper crust. Compared to tholeiitic rocks from other magmatic
provinces, only the Ferrar rocks exhibit coupled enrichment of Pd, Pt and Cu even in most evolved samples. The
decrease of Pt and Pd in some of the more evolved samples does not necessarily signify sulphide fractionation, but may indicate the formation of other PGE-compounds. The inferred sulphur-undersaturated conditions during differentiation
are in agreement with the high degrees of partial melting as well as the refractory nature of the proposed subcontinental lithospheric mantle source beneath this magmatic province
Suggested Citation
Hanemann, R., and Viereck-Goette, L., 2007, Platinum-group elements in sills of the Jurassic Ferrar Large Igneous Province from Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1047-SRP-032, 5 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20071047SRP032.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
Publication type
Report
Publication Subtype
USGS Numbered Series
Title
Platinum-group elements in sills of the Jurassic Ferrar Large Igneous Province from Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica