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Petrology of rodingites from the equatorial Mid-Atlantic fracture zones and their geotectonic significance

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Abstract

Rodingites were dredged from fracture zones of the equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge along with serpentinized ultramafics, and fresh and metamorphosed basalts and gabbroids. These rodingites were generated by a metasomatic process at low temperature involving an enrichment in lime and water, and a loss of silica and alkalis. The parent rocks were gabbronorites which intruded ultramafic material as it ascended from the upper mantle to its present location in the upper oceanic crust. The gabbronorites were probably altered to rodingites while they were still in the lower oceanic crust. Since the rodingitization process appears to be concomitant, complementary and simultaneous with the serpentinization of the host ultramafic rocks, we infer that the serpentinization process also took place in the deeper part of the oceanic crust. These two simultaneous metasomatic processes thus predate the major phase of tectonic events which uplifted these blocks as cold, solid diapiric emplacements of ultramafic material and accompanying rodingites to their present positions along lines of weakness expressed as fracture zones.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, USA

    José Honnorez

  2. Miami-Bade Community College, USA

    Paul Kirst

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Honnorez, J., Kirst, P. Petrology of rodingites from the equatorial Mid-Atlantic fracture zones and their geotectonic significance. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 49, 233–257 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376590

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