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Origin of corundum-normative intrusive and extrusive magmas

Abstract

MANY intrusive and extrusive calc-alkaline suites show a continuous trend from diopsode-normative basic magma to corundum normative acid magmas, that is, with an increasing SiO2 content there is an exceptional decrease in the Ca:Al ratio of the magma. A number of explanations have been proposed for these trends, including secondary alteration, vapour phase transfer, assimilation, crustal remelting, hydrous melting of the upper mantle and the fractional crystallisation of a variety of phases. We demonstrate here that corundum-normative magmas can be produced by the fractional crystallisation of a hornblendic amphibole from calc-alkaline magma under moderate water pressure.

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CAWTHORN, R., STRONG, D. & BROWN, P. Origin of corundum-normative intrusive and extrusive magmas. Nature 259, 102–104 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259102a0

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