Magma Immiscibility in the Shonkin Sag Laccolith Highwood Mountains Montana
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1980 Magma immiscibility in the Shonkin Sag laccolith Highwood Mountains Montana Carolyn Lorraine Edmond The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Edmond, Carolyn Lorraine, "Magma immiscibility in the Shonkin Sag laccolith Highwood Mountains Montana" (1980). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 7173. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/7173 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976 Th is is an unpublished manuscript in which copyright sub s is t s . Any further r e p r in t in g of it s contents must be approved BY THE AUTHOR. Mansfield Library University of Montana Date: QFC 1 7 1980 MAGMA IMMISCIBILITY IN THE SHONKIN SAG LACCOLITH, HIGHWOOD MOUNTAINS, MONTANA by Carolyn Lorraine Edmond B.A., Colorado College, 1976 Presented in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1980 Approved by: Chairman, Board of Examiners Dear^ Graduate Sch - ! lo~ )jo Date UMI Number: EP37974 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed. a note will indicate the deletion. UMT UMI EP37974 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT Edmond, Carolyn L o rra in e , M .S., S p rin g , 1980 Geology Magma Im m iscibility in the Shonkin Sag Laccolith, Highwood Moun tains, Montana Director: Dr. David Alt Although the Shonkin Sag laccolith has long been considered a classic example of differentiation in place through crystal settling, recent field work, pétrographie studies, and chemical analyses provide evidence for the gravitational separation of tv;o immiscible magmas with different densities. The laccolith, con sisting generally of augite and potassium feldspar, contains a layer of syenite resting directly upon a darker and heavier shon- kinite. The fla t horizontal contact suggests a gravity-controlled mechanism. However, evidence for crystal settling such as cumu late textures, rhythmic or cryptic layering, and size sorting of grains is absent. Unusual syenite segregations that are rounded or spherical and seem to coalesce in some places suggest immis cible separation as do chemical trends incompatible with a model based solely upon fractional crystallization. The "incompatible" elements, which tend to concentrate in felsic rocks, are either not enriched in either rock (U, Th) or are higher in the shonki- nite (Li, Be). These trends can be attributed to liquid immisci b ility , which also explains the sharp contacts, lack of inter mediate rock types, and the unusual rock textures. Globules of syenite are totally enclosed within shonkinite. These represent immiscible syenite magma that was trapped within shonkinite as the laccolith cooled. Earlier syenite globules were able to separate completely from the mafic magma. These coalesced and rose to the top of the magma chamber to form a thick layer of uniform syenite. Acknowledgments This work would have been impossible without the help of several people. I would like to thank Dave A lt, who suggested the idea and pro vided continual encouragement. Don Hyndman helped me gain the back ground knowledge necessary for this study, and helped edit the manu script. John Scott kindly reviewed the manuscript, and Ian Lange allowed me to use chemical data from samples he collected. Larry Shore spent many hours helping me retrieve the data. George Kendrick pro vided an excellent sounding board during hours of discussion, specula tion, and frustration. I would like to express my appreciation to all these people, and to the fine folks in Geraldine, Montana who made my stay there extremely pleasant. Special thanks to John, Mary, and W illia m Tanner, and to Chuck and Lois Tonne f o r t h e ir e x tra o rd in a ry hospitality. Last, but most important, I would like to thank my parents for their unfailing moral (and sometimes financial) support. I l l TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................... ü ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................................ü i LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................v i l CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................... 1 Regional Setting ..................................................................................... 1 Description ............................................................................................... 1 Other Laccoliths in the Highwood Area .......................................... 4 Statement of Problem .......................................................................... 5 I I . PREVIOUS WORK............................................................................................ 8 I I I . FIELD RELATIONS..............................................................................................16 Chilled Zone .................................................................................................16 Lower Shonkinite ........................................................................................ 17 Pegm atite ......................................................................................................... 18 S ye n ite ............................................................................................................. 21 Upper Shonkinite ........................................................................................ 22 IV. PETROGRAPHY......................................................................................................28 Chilled Zone .................................................................................................28 S h o n k in ite ..................................................................................................... 30 Textural Variations Within the Lower Shonkinite . 34 Upper Shonkinite .................................................................................... 37 S y e n ite ..............................................................................................................37 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (C ontinued) Page Pegm atite .........................................................................................................41 Felsic Dike!et ........................................................................................ 44 B iotite-rich Segregation .................................................................. 45 Aegerine Syenite ................................................................................... 45 V. GEOCHEMISTRY..................................................................................................47 R e s u lts ............................................................................................................. 47 Discussion of Results ............................................................................... 48 V I. DIFFERENTIATION OF THE SHONKIN SAG LACCOLITH.............................56 Assimilation ........................................................................................... 56 V olatile Movement ................................................... 56 Thermogravitational Diffusion .............................................................. 57 Fractional Crystallization ............................................................. 58 Flowage D ifferentiation ...................................................................58 Filter-press Action ...................................................................... 58 Crystal Settling ................................................................................... 59 Differentiation through Liquid Im m iscibility ...................... 63 Evidence for Crystal Settling in the Shonkin Sag Lacco l i t h ..................................................................................................................69 Evidence for Magma Im m iscibility in the Shonkin Sag L a c c o lith ......................................................................................................... 70 V II. PETROGENESIS OF THE LACCOLITH................................................................73 V III. DISCUSSION...................................................................................................... 77 IX. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...........................................................................