High-temperature hydrothermal alteration of tje Boehls Butte anorthosite: Origin of a bimodal plagioclase assemblage

Abstract

The Boehls Butte anorthosite consists predominantly of an unusual bimodal assemblage of andesine and bytownite–anorthite. Oxygen isotope compositions of the anorthosite were profoundly altered by high temperature, retrograde interaction with meteorichydrothermal fluids that varied in composition from isotopically evolved to nearly pristine meteoric water. Oxygen isotope ratios of bulk plagioclase separates are in the range ?7.0 to -6.2% V-SMOW, however, secondary ion mass spectrometry indicates spot-sized isotope values as low as -16%. Typical inter- and intra-plagioclase grain variability is 3–6%, and extreme heterogeneity of up to 20%is noted in a few samples. High-temperature hydrothermal alteration of intermediate plagioclase is proposed to explain the origin of bytownite–anorthite in the anorthosite and creation of its unusual bimodal plagioclase assemblage. The anorthite-forming reaction created retrograde reaction-enhanced permeability which, together with rapid decompression, extension, and unroofing of the anorthosite complex, helped to accommodated influx of significant volumes of meteoric-hydrothermal fluids into the anorthosite.