Some picritic lavas from near the base of the volcanic succession in the Lebombo region of the Karoo Province contain phenocrysts of olivine and skeletal microphenocrysts of ilmenite, the latter indicating rapid crystallization from the magma. These ilmenite grains contain up to 6% MgO. The near-liquidus crystallization and the high MgO content of the ilmenite are highly anomalous for ilmenite in tholeiitic rocks. These features reflect the atypical nature (high MgO and TiO2) of the parental magma and/or highly reduced conditions of crystallization.
