Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T18:39:23.024Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trace element variation in the leucogranites within the main Galway Granite, Connemara, Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

M. Feely  and
J. S. Madden
M. Feely
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University College, Galway, Ireland
J. S. Madden
Affiliation:
Applied Geophysics Unit, University College, Galway, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Six hundred and forty four gamma-ray spectrometer assays of U and Th obtained within the late Caledonian Galway Granite western Ireland are presented. The data cover the range of granodiorites, adamellites and leucogranites (Murvey Granite) present in the batholith. There is an overall increase in U and Th abundances with petrological evolution. The broad scatter of values that characterizes the Murvey Granite reflects the geographically separate occurrences of this leucogranite. Rubidium and strontium data imply varying degrees of fractionation among these separate Murvey Granite occurrences. Y and HREE are notably enriched in the Murvey granite at Costelloe which also contains the highest Th levels amongst the leucogranites. Thorite, uraninite, monazite and Y-zircon are present in this leucogranite and are responsible for the observed enrichments in U, Th, Y and HREE.

Keywords

Galway GraniteMurvey Granitetrace elementsleucogranitesuraniumthoriumRb/Sr datayttriumrare-earth elements
Type
Geochemistry
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 52 , Issue 365 , April 1988 , pp. 139 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Coats, J.S. and Wilson, R.J. (1971) The Eastern End of the Galway Granite. Mineral. Mag. 38, 138-51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook, B.G. and Rogers, J. J. W. (1968) Radiometry and Crystallisation history of the Buchanan Granite Massif, Texas, USA. Lithos 1, 305-14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feely, M. (1982) Geological, Geochemical and Geophysical studies on the Galway Granite in the Costelloe/Inveran Sector, Western Ireland. Unpubl. Ph.D. Thesis, National University of Ireland.Google Scholar
Feely, M. and Madden, J.S. (1986) A quantitative regional gamma-ray survey on the main Galway Granite, Western Ireland. In The Geology and Genesis of mineral Deposits in Ireland (Andrew, C.J., Crowe, R.W. A., Finlay, S., Pennell, W.M. and Pyne, J.F., eds.). Irish Assoc. Econ. Geol. 195-200.Google Scholar
Feely, M. and Madden, J.S. (1987) The Spatial Distribution of K,, U,, Th and Surface Heat Production in the Galway Granite, Connemara, Western Ireland. Irish J. Earth Sci. 8, 155.Google Scholar
I-Iaskin, L. A., Haskin, M.A., Frey, F.A. and Wildeman, T.R. (1968) Relative and absolute terrestrial abundances of the rare earths. In Origin and distribution of the elements (Ahrens, L.H., ed.) Pergamon Press, New York, 889-912.Google Scholar
Jefferies, N.L. (1985) The distribution of the rare earth elements within the Carnmenellis Pluton, Cornwall. Mineral. Mag. 49, 495-504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawrence, G. (1975) The use of Rb/Sr ratios as a guide to mineralisation in the Galway Granite, Ireland. In Geochemical Exploration (Elliot, I.L. and Fletcher, W.K., eds.) Elsevier, 353-370.Google Scholar
Leake, B.E. (1974) The crystallisation history and mechanism of emplacement of the western part of the Galway Granite, Connemara, Western Ireland. Mineral. Mag. 39, 498-13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leake, B.E. (1978) Granite Emplacement: the granites of Ireland and their origin. In Crustalevolution in northwestern Britain and adjacent regions (Bowes, D.R. and Leake, B.E., eds.) Geological Journal Special Issue 10, 221-48.Google Scholar
Leake, B.E. and Leggo, P.J. (1963) On the age relations of the Connemara migmatites and the Galway Granite west of Ireland. Geol. Mag. 1011, 193-204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, P. W. G. and Senior, A. (1981) The Geology of Connemara, 1:63360 Geological Map. University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Leggo, P.J., Compston, W. and Leake, B.E. (1966) The geochronology of the Connemara granites and its hearing on the antiquity of the Dalradian series. Q. J. Geol. Soc. London, 122, 91-188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovborg, L. (1984) The calibration of portable and airborne gamma-ray spectrometers-theory, problems and facilities. Riso National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark Report No. M2456. 207 pp.Google Scholar
Max, M.D., Long, C.B. and Geoghegan, M. (1978) The Galway Granite and it's setting. Geol. Surv. Ireland Bull. 2, 223-33.Google Scholar
Ryan, P.D. and Inamder, D.D. (1983) A magnetic deep structural geology interpretation of Ireland. Tectonics 2, 431-51.Google Scholar
McKie, D. and Burke, K. (1955) The Geology of the islands of South Connemara. Geol. Mag. 92, 487-98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, C.F. and Mittlefehldt, D.W. (1982) Depletion of light rare-earth elements in felsic magmas. Geology 10, 129-33.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, T. (1952) Measurements of gravity in Ireland: gravity survey of central Ireland. Dublin Inst. Advanced Studies Geophys. Mem. 2, part 3,31 pp.Google Scholar
O'Connor, P.J., Hennessy, J., Bruck, P.M. and Williams, C.T. (1982) Abundance and distribution of uranium and thorium in northern units of the Leinster Granite, Ireland. Geol. Mag. 119, 67-76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pidgeon, R.T. (1969) Zircon U-Pb ages from the Galway Granite and the Dalradian, Connemara, Ireland. Scottish J. Geol. 5, 375-92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plant, A.G. (1968) Geology of the Leam-Shannawona district, Connemara, Ireland. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis, University of Bristol.Google Scholar
Rogers, J.J. W. and Ragland, P.C. (1961) Variation of thorium and uranium in selected granitic rocks. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 25, 99-109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, J.J. W. and Ragland, P.C. and Adams, J.A. S. (1978) Uranium (92), Thorium (90). In Handbook of Geochemistry (Wedepohl, K.H., ed.) Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Sawka, W.N., Chappell, B.W. and Norrish, K. (1984) Light-rare-earth-element zoning in sphene and allanite during granitoid fractionation. Geology 12, 131–4.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tilling, R.I. and Gottfried, D. (1969) Distribution of thorium, uranium and potassium in igneous-rocks of the Boulder Batholith region Montana and its bearing on radiogenic heat production and heat flow: Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 614-E.Google Scholar
Webb, P.C. and Brown, G.C. (1984) The Lake District granites: heat production and geochemistry. In Investigation of the geothermal potential of the U.K. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 66 pp.Google Scholar
Webb, P.C. and Brown, G.C. Tindle, A.G., Barritt, S.D., Brown G. C. and Miller, J.F. (1985) Radiothermal granites of the United Kingdom: Comparision of fractionation patterns and variation of heat production for selected granites. In High heat production (HHP) granites, hydrothermal circulation and ore genesis. I.M.M. Conference Volume, 409-24.Google Scholar
Wedepohl, K.H. (1970) Yttrium and Lanthanides. Handbook of Geochemistry (11-2). Springer Verlag 39,57-71.Google Scholar
Wright, P.C. (1964) The Petrology, Chemistry and Structure of the Galway Granite of the Carna area, Co. Galway. Proc. Royal Irish Acad. 63B, 239-64.Google Scholar

A correction has been issued for this article:

Errata