Origin of Ba-rich sanidine megacrysts in a porphyry from Papua New Guinea

P. H. Nixon, N. A. Chapman, J. V. Smith
1980 Mineralogical magazine  
A Miocene porphyry belonging to the sheshonite association contains 7 cm sanidine megacrysts in a groundmass of microphenocrysts of labradoritebytownite, augite, sporadic hastingsite, magnetite, sphene, K feldspar, apatite, Ca zeolite and calcite. The megacrysts (Or78–94) are enriched in BaO (≃ 2.0 wt%) and SrO relative to the groundmass. Although mineralogr and texture suggest that the megacrysts were suspended in a liquid, now represented by the groundmass, calculated liquid densities except
more » ... or dry melts are less than those observed for the megacrysts and it is concluded that the original magma contained very little water. It possibly originated in a subduction zone with the main hycration taking place at shallow levels of intrusion during contact with groundwater. This produced zeolitization of the feldspars and may have played a part in the K enrichment at the margins of the sanidine megacrysts.
doi:10.1180/minmag.1980.043.331.04 fatcat:wuw6xfxc6fdwlc25qxmvzq5gyq