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TEXTURAL AND MICROANALYSIS OF IGNEOUS ROCKS: TOOLS ...

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investigating magmatic evolution using crystal stratigraphy because 1) it is a<br />

common igneous mineral in mafic through felsic systems; 2) it appears early as<br />

a liquidus phase in basaltic systems and is stable on the liquidus for a relatively<br />

long period of time because of its capability for solid solution; 3) minerals that<br />

crystallize before plagioclase (e.g., olivine) do not significantly fractionate trace<br />

elements so plagioclase compositions adequately reflect the composition of the<br />

parental magma; 4) plagioclase contains measurable quantities of trace elements<br />

from different geochemical groups (e.g., large ion lithophile elements - LILE and<br />

rare earth elements - REE); 5) plagioclase has a highly polymerized crystal struc-<br />

ture relative to olivine or clinopyroxene that leads to very slow diffusivities of<br />

major and trace cations so magmatic-induced zonations are commonly preserved<br />

(e.g., [13, 24–28, 56–58]). Plagioclase therefore commonly records events in the<br />

evolution of a magma body that are evident as optical zonation or resorption<br />

features. Such features have been previously studied through experimental work<br />

(e.g., [77, 87, 107, 136]) and numerical modeling (e.g., [1, 86, 90]).<br />

The simple fact that Sr is compatible in plagioclase makes it an ideal candidate<br />

mineral for intra-mineral measurements of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios via microdrilling, micro<br />

Sr extraction and analysis by TIMS [38]. Micro Sr isotope studies have proven to<br />

be fruitful at elucidating important processes during open system shallow magma<br />

evolution, as 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios are not heavily influenced by closed system magmatic<br />

processes and partial crystallization (e.g., [39]).<br />

16

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