Geochemistry and petrology of ultramafic lamprophyres from Schirmacher Oasis, East AntarcticaGeochemie und Petrologie von Ouachititen aus der Schirmacher Oase, Ostantarktika

Petrographic and geochemical data are presented for some ouachitites from the Schirmacher Oasis. The studied dike intruded into the metamorphic basement of the East Antarctic craton. The ouachitite samples contain substantial amounts of zoned phlogopite and diopsidic to salitic pyroxene as phenocrysts. K-rich nepheline is the predominant phase of the matrix. The rocks are characterized by low SiO2 concentrations (up to 36.5 wt.%), low mg# and high abundances of Al2O3, alkalis and volatiles. Trace element compositions of the Schirmacher ouachitites differ from those of ultramafic lamprophyres from other regions in that they contain significantly lower Cr and Ni concentrations and relatively low enrichments in LILE and LREE. The studied rocks have low143Nd/144Nd and enhanced87Sr/86Sr ratios. Pb isotope compositions of the ouachitites closely resemble those of MORB. The Δ18O values range between 4.1 and 4.70/00 which may be due to interactions with meteoric water. Because the Schirmacher ouachitites are only represented by a few samples it is impossible to discuss the petrogenesis of this magma. However, according to trace element and isotopic characteristics, it can be ruled out that Schirmacher ouachitites and associated minettes (documented inHoch, 1997;Hoch andTobschall, 1998) were derived from the same mantle reservoir.