Major and trace element variation in ilmenite in the Skaergaard Intrusion: petrologic implications

Ilmenite separates from the floor (LS), roof (UBS), and wall (MBS) sequences of the Skaergaard Intrusion were analyzed for major and trace elements using DCP-AES and ICP-MS techniques. In all three sequences, FeO progressively increases, and MgO and Al2O3 progressively decrease with differentiation. Although trace element abundances are, in general, higher in UBS ilmenite than in MBS and LS ilmenite, all three sequences have similar trends for trace element abundance vs. crystallization. Ba, Cs, Rb, Sr, Th, U, Y, and the REEs are excluded elements in ilmenite, and remained at low abundances during differentiation. Cr, Ni, Sc, and V are included elements in ilmenite and other mafic phases, and decreased during differentiation. V contents in ilmenite, however, do not decrease significantly until the upper part of the middle zone, suggesting that magnetite did not begin to affect the magma differentiation trend until much later than when it first appears in the intrusion. Hf, Nb, Ta, and Zr, which are strongly excluded elements in silicates, are included elements in ilmenite. The element ratios Zr/Hf, Y/Ho, Nb/Ta, and U/Th are relatively constant in Skaergaard ilmenite from different parts of the intrusion, suggesting that fluid transport did not significantly effect these elements during differentiation or post-solidification cooling. Calculated partition coefficients for ilmenite in the Skaergaard Intrusion are similar to those reported from previous studies of lunar and terrestrial basalts and kimberlites, and for most elements are significantly lower than those reported for ilmenite in rhyolitic magma. Similar Diʹs for Zr, Hf, Nb, and Ta suggest that ilmenite crystallization did not significantly affect Zr/Nb or Hf/Ta in the Skaergaard magma, but the ratios of Zr, Hf, Nb, or Ta to other high field strength elements, such as Th, U, Y, or the REEs, may have been altered by ilmenite fractionation.