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Differentiation of the Skaergaard Intrusion

Abstract

Re-examination of the Skaergaard intrusion of East Greenland has revealed that the model of differentiation based on an original liquid with the composition of the chilled margin and a large hidden zone is no longer tenable. The composition of the Skaergaard magma has been determined experimentally for various stages of its evolution, and these compositions are consistent with revised volumetric and compositional data for the individual units of the intrusion. In its later stages, the magma separated into two immiscible liquids, one rich in iron and phosphorus and the other rich in silica and alkalis.

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McBirney, A. Differentiation of the Skaergaard Intrusion. Nature 253, 691–694 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253691a0

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