Comparative Characteristics of the Layering of Mafic–Ultramafic Intrusions of the Oulanka Group, Northern Karelia

Abstract

The Oulanka group is a compact group of three peridotite–gabbronorite intrusions that is convenient for testing various petrogenetic concepts. The three intrusions are similar in age and occur not far from one another but differ in the composition of their original magmas, are characterized by different sets of cumulus mineral assemblages, and are different in inner structure and rhythmic layering. We applied cluster analysis of the contents of major elements to reproduce the cumulus mineral assemblages of the isochemically altered rocks of the Tsipringa and Lukkulaisvaara massifs. Although the parental magmas of the Kivakka and Tsipringa massifs were of different composition and their crystallization sequences were also different, the vertical sections of these massifs can be clearly subdivided into zones according to their cumulus mineral assemblages, with the limited development of rhythmic interbedding (with individual rhythms ranging from a few to a few dozen meters in thickness). Conversely, the Lukkulaisvaara intrusion does not possess any clearly distinguishable cumulus zones, and large-scale rhythmic layering is traceable throughout the entire thickness of the massif (with rhythms ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred meters in thickness). The different character of the rhythmic layering of the three intrusions may provide an insight into the different scenarios of magma convection in the chambers.