ANORTHOSITE

The term anorthosite is derived from French ‘anorthose’ (referring to french—

plagioclase) was coined by Sterry Hunt.

Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock characterized by its composition:

mostly plagioclase feldspar (90–100%), with a very less amount of mafic component (0–
10%). Pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, and olivine are the mafic minerals most commonly
present.

Six major types of anorthosite occurrences:

1. Archean anorthosite.

2. Proterozoic "massif-type" anorthosite plutons.

3. Centimeter-to-100 m thick layers in layered mafic intrusions.

4. Thin cumulate layers in ophiolites/oceanic crust.

5. Small inclusions in other rock types (xenoliths and cognate inclusions).

6. Lunar highland anorthosites

ARCHEAN ANORTHOSITES

 Most Archean anorthosites are 3.2 to 2.8 Ga in age. They commonly occur as
kilometre-scale lenses in Archean high-grade metamorphic gneiss terranes.
 Some bodies are hundreds of kilometers long, but most are tectonically disrupted
and metamorphosed.
 They are generally < 1 km thick, and appear to be sheet-like conformable sills. The
extensive deformation typical of Archean terranes makes the original thickness of
the anorthosites difficult to determine.
 Archean anorthosites are associated with gabbroic rocks and are commonly
internally layered.
 Other associated rock types range from very plagioclase-rich leuco-gabbros to
ultramafic rocks. Archean anorthosites are similar to layered mafic intrusions, but
plagioclase is much more prominent.
 The plagioclase crystals in Archean anorthosites are sub-hedral to euhedral
megacrysts ranging in size from 0.5 to 30 cm in diameter (most are 1 to 5 cm).
 The megacrysts are relatively equidimensional, homogeneous and calcic in
composition (An80-90) and are surrounded by a finer-grained mafic matrix.
 The mafic matrix is commonly dominated by metamorphic amphibole, but some
original pyroxene or olivine may occasionally remain along with oxides, such as
chromite or magnetite.
 The original mineralogy suggests that the magma was initially dry, and was
hydrated during subsequent metamorphism.
  The parental magma for Archean anorthosites is a tholeiitic basalt that is rich in Fe,
Al, and Ca. The parent is enriched in plagioclase components beyond any parental
basalt including layered mafic intrusions.
 The high Fe content of the parental basalt indicates that it cannot be a primary
magma in equilibrium with the mantle, and thus it must be differentiated at depth
from a more primitive magma, either a basalt, a picrite, or even a komatiite.

PROTEROZOIC ANORTHOSITES

 Proterozoic anorthosites are generally referred to as massif-type anorthosite,

which indicate a plutonic mass of large size.
 They may occur as small plutons to batholith-sized composite intrusive complexes
up to 15,000-20,000 km2. Some of these larger complexes can be shown to consist
of 20 or more individual coalescent plutons.
 Proterozoic anorthosites differ from their Archean counterparts in several ways.
They are larger and less sill-like, Plagioclase is intermediate in composition
(typically An40 or An-60) and occurs as lath-shaped crystals; in some cases, such
crystals may reach 1 m across, they contain less mafic matrix or mafic cumulates,
and they are associated more with granitoids and not greenstone belts.
 Thus age, composition and magmatic texture distinguish Proterozoic massif-type
from Archean anorthosites. Aside from anorthosite, the dominant rock types of
anorthosites massif, include leucogabbro, leuconorite and leucotroctolite, with
minor gabbroic rocks. Ultramafic rocks are extremely rare or absent.
 Spatially associated granitoids can be shown to represent coeval (same age/ date
of origin), but chemically independent magmas. This magma probably produced by
crustal melting of country rocks induced by the heat from intrusive anorthosite
massifs.
 If the magma is basaltic, as seems likely from mineralogy and petrology, then a
major volume of mafic and ultramafic rock is missing from the present sites of
anorthosite exposure.
 This fact, along with other clues, has led to a widely accepted two-stage model for
massif-type anorthosites (below Fig) that involves deep crustal ponding and
fractionation of basaltic melts, sinking of mafic silicates (possibly into the mantle)
and strong buoyancy of plagioclase to form flotation cumulates that diapirically
rise through the crust as anorthositic mushes. These masses coalesce in the shallow
crust to form large composite massifs.
Model for the generation of Massif-type
anorthosites.
A) Mantle-derived magma underplates the
crust as it becomes density equilibrated.

B) Crystallization of mafic phases (which sink),

and partial melting of the crust above the
ponded magma. The melt becomes enriched in
Al and Fe/Mg.

C) Plagioclase forms when the melt is

sufficiently enriched. Plagioclase rises to the
top of the chamber whereas mafics sink.

D) Plagioclase accumulations become less

dense than the crust above and rise as crystal
mush plutons.

E) Plagioclase plutons coalesce to form massif

anorthosite, whereas granitoid crustal melts
rise to shallow levels as well. Mafic cumulates
remain at depth or detach and sink into the
mantle.