The Cambrian–Ordovician metasedimentary rocks of the Meguma terrane (Canadian Appalachians) were extensively intruded by silicic plutons during Middle Devonian to Early Carboniferous times. Syn-plutonic but volumetrically minor mafic-ultramafic intrusions were also emplaced. In most localities, the silicic plutons and mafic-ultramafic intrusions do not appear to be petrogenetically related and are likely derived from different sources. The Attwoods Brook gabbronorite of SW Nova Scotia yielded an in situ zircon weighted-mean 206Pb–238U age of 357.9 ± 3.3 Ma that is within the uncertainty of the age of the neighbouring Wedgeport pluton (357 ± 1 Ma). The Wedgeport pluton is a rare example of a mantle-derived, peraluminous A-type granite within the Meguma terrane. The similar ages and Nd isotopes of the Attwoods Brook gabbronorite (εNd(t) = +1.1 to +4.0) and Wedgeport pluton (εNd(t) = +2.1 to +3.3) suggest the two intrusions are petrogenetically related. Fractional crystallization modelling demonstrates that a parental magma similar to the Attwoods Brook gabbronorite can produce residual silicic liquids that resemble the granites of the Wedgeport pluton, indicating that they could be members of the same intrusive complex. The emplacement of the gabbronorite and Wedgeport pluton occurred during a period of tensional plate stress that was contemporaneous with rifting of the Maritimes Basin that produced the Fountain Lake continental flood basalts and A-type granites of the Cobequid Highlands within the Avalon terrane. It is possible that the Early Carboniferous rocks of SW Nova Scotia are related to the rifted-related magmatism within the Maritimes Basin.

Many evolved peraluminous granite plutons contain either andalusite (Al2SiO5) or topaz (Al2SiO4(OH,F)2), but some plutons contain both of these A/NK [mol. Al2O3/(Na2O+K2O)] = ∞ phases. We present the results of experiments conducted to locate the andalusite-topaz boundary in water-saturated peraluminous haplogranite melts in T-P-Xspace, where T = 700—650°C, P = 200 MPa. andX(A/NK = 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and F = 0, 1, 2, 4 wt.%).The starting materials are synthetic K-Na-Al-Si gels, with added H2O and AgF, with seeds of natural andalusite and topaz, and with run times of 5—7 days. Phase identification is by electron microprobe. All experimental run products contained quartz. For all values of bulk A/NK, F concentrations ⩽ 1 wt.% favour andalusite stability, whereas F concentrations ⩾ 1 wt.% favour topaz stability. For bulk A/NK ⩽ 1.2 and intermediate F concentrations, no A/NK = phase is present; for bulk A/NK ⩾ 1.3, quench or metastable mullite formed. Topaz reaction rims on naturally occurring andalusite, frequency of naturally occurring assemblages, general chemical considerations, and experimental evidence all suggest that some topaz is the product of a peritectic reaction between an early primary magmatic andalusite and a late F-enriched melt. The appearance of such topaz is an important mineralogical expression of F activity in the melt, and may be an indicator for high field-strength Sn-W-U-Mo polymetallic mineralization.

Strongly peraluminous, cordierite-bearing anatectic dacites from the offshore Tertiary Erlend volcanic centre, north of the Shetland Isles, are shown to contain graphite which is interpreted as being essentially a restite phase inherited from carbonaceous pelitic source rocks. The form and characteristics of the graphite are documented and graphite geothermometry applied to establish that the graphite records a minimum peak temperature of ∼800°C, confirming that temperatures at which anatexis occurs were attained. The different morphological forms of graphite observed suggest the possibility that minor amounts of fluid-deposited graphite may also be present. The chemistry of the Erlend dacites is compared with that of other known examples of graphite-bearing peraluminous silicic igneous rocks and briefly with experimentally generated peraluminous liquid compositions. The Erlend source rocks were probably subjected to a higher degree of partial melting than has occurred in the petrogenesis of many other anatectic peraluminous silicic rocks.

In this paper we present new petrological and geochemical data for two peraluminous granite batholiths (Nisa Alburquerque and Jalama batholiths) representative of the ‘Araya-type’ granites of the Central-Iberian Zone. Both granites are composite with several facies (monzogranites and leucogranites) that can be grouped into two main granite units: the external units and central units. Intrusive relationships and lack of geochemical coherence between the central and external units indicate that they are not comagmatic but represent different pulses. The central units of both batholiths are petrologically and geochemically different. On the other hand, external units show a lot of similarities and are the main object of this study. The main characteristics of the external granites can be interpreted in terms of an incomplete fractional crystallization process of early mineral phases (plg + Kf + bt) which probably took place at the level of emplacement. Other possible mechanisms of magmatic differentiation (magma mixing, restite unmixing, sequential melting) can be discarded based on field, petrography and geochemical data. We propose that the ‘Araya-type’ granites are formed by the intrusion of distinct magma pulses (central and external). Further evolution within each pulse can be due to incomplete fractional crystallization possibly taking place at the emplacement level.

The Minastira granite, a c. 25 Ma subvolcanic plug of fine-grained granitic rock in the Cordillera Oriental of SE Peru, has preserved textures indicative of a history involving mixing of at least two magmas, a volumetrically dominant felsic component and a less voluminous mafic one. The felsic component is represented by variably fractured, altered and embayed crystals of quartz, feldspar, biotite with minor coarsegrained melt- and fluid-inclusion rich apatite, and possible cordierite (now a pseudomorphous Fe-Mg phase), whereas the mafic component is represented by calcic plagioclase. The process of magma mixing is reflected by: (1) ubiquitous sieved-textured plagioclase with complex textural relationships; (2) a large range in plagioclase compositions with reversals and spike patterns in profiles; (3) embayed and internally fractured (thermal shock?) quartz; (4) the rare occurrence of pyroxene coronas on quartz; and (5) textures within biotite suggestive of its incipient breakdown. The lack of mafic enclaves indicates that physico-chemical conditions of the mixing were conducive to homogenization (i.e. chemical diffusion) and a superficially homogeneous rock is now observed. The association of glomeroclasts of crystals originating from both the mafic and felsic end members and a quenched quartz-feldspar matrix indicate that the mixing occurred in an underlying magma chamber.

The Late Devonian South Mountain Batholith (SMB) of southwestern Nova Scotia is the largest batholith in the Appalachian Orogen of Eastern North America and contains economic deposits of U and Sn. The SMB comprises at least 11 individual plutons, which range in composition from granodiorite to biotite monzogranite, leucomonzogranite and leucogranite. Previous studies have suggested that a combination of fractional crystallization, assimilation of Meguma Supergroup country rocks and an influx of magmatic fluids contributed to the chemical evolution of the SMB. The amount of crustal assimilation is estimated to be as high as 33%. MELTS modelling assuming a starting composition of granodiorite with H2O = 4 wt%, pressure = 4 kbar (~12 km) and fO2 = FMQ can reproduce the chemical evolution observed in the SMB. However, some leucogranites likely require an additional component (e.g. hydrothermal fluids) to explain their alkali metal enrichment (e.g. Na, K, Rb). Zircon saturation thermometry estimates indicate the Salmontail Lake and Scrag Lake granodiorite plutons had high minimum initial temperatures of 823 ± 6°C and 832 ± 2°C, respectively, which are similar to low zircon-inheritance granitoids. The TiO2/Al2O3 and alkali-lime ratios of the surrounding country rocks and the leucogranites indicate the amount of crustal assimilation is likely to be between 10% and 20%. Our findings suggest the granodiorites of the SMB were likely produced by partial melting of the sub-Meguma Supergroup (e.g. Avalon terrane) lower crust caused by the contemporaneous injection of high temperature mafic to ultramafic magmas.

The high-dT/dP-type Hidaka Metamorphic Belt in Hokkaido, northern Japan, represents a tilted crustal section of a magmatic arc of Tertiary age. The highest metamorphic grades reached are granulite facies, and the syn-metamorphic granitic rocks are widely distributed in this metamorphic terrane. The granitic rocks are mainly tonalitic and granodioritic in composition, and are classified into peraluminous (S-type) and metaluminous (I-type) granitoids. A large amount of pyroxene-bearing S-type tonalites (garnet-orthopyroxene tonalite) is distributed in the Niikappu river region in the northern part of the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt. Pyroxene-bearing I-type tonalite (two-pyroxene hornblende tonalite) bodies are also distributed in this area.

The pyroxene-bearing tonalites are classified into several sub-types on the basis of their field occurrence, texture, mineral assemblage and geochemical features. Homogeneous IH- and SH-type tonalite are thought to represent original magmas, i.e. those which have been generated by partial melting of mafic metamorphic rocks and pelitic-psammitic metamorphic rocks, respectively. Model calculations assuming batch partial melting indicate that possible restites are garnet-two-pyroxene mafic granulite for IH-type and garnet-orthopyroxene aluminous granulite for SH-type. The unexposed lowermost crust of the ‘Hidaka crust’ is thought to be composed of garnet-two-pyroxene mafic granulite, garnet-orthopyroxene aluminous granulite and metagabbros.

The 370 Ma peraluminous South Mountain Batholith (SMB) intrudes Meguma Supergroup metasedimentary rocks in Nova Scotia. The New Ross area of the SMB contains polymetallic mineralisation (Sn, W, U, Mo, Cu and Mn) in pegmatite, greisen and vein directly or indirectly associated with highly evolved fractions of the SMB. Eight mineral deposits from this area have several fluid inclusion types hosted by quartz: (1) monophase liquid (L); (2) monophase vapour (V); (3) aqueous, L-V (4) aqueous, L-rich + solids; (5) aqueous, L-rich + halite. Inclusions have irregular to equant shapes and are pseudo-secondary or secondary. The irregularity and variability of L:V ratios within fluid inclusion populations suggest post-entrapment modifications of inclusions (i.e. necking).

Thermometric data indicate three distinct fluids in terms of salinity: (1) 19-25 wt. % equiv. NaCl (rarely 14-25 wt. % NaCl equiv.), (2) 29-43 wt. % equiv. NaCl, and (3) 0-9 wt. % equiv. NaCl. Temperatures of first melting and ice/hydrohalife melting indicate CaCl2 in solution. Proximity of the deposits to Meguma Supergroup metasedimentary rocks suggests that this Ca component may be externally derived. The majority of the low-salinity fluid population has the composition of meteoric water. Electron microprobe analyses of artificially decrepitated mounds identify Na, Ca and K as major solutes, with a continuum in terms of compositions. Other solute components in the mounds are Fe and Ba, and a variety of metals of unknown speciation also occur (Cu, Zn, Fe, Ni). Homogenisation temperatures (Th) range from c. 80°C to 370°C, but for inclusion assemblages the range is 10°C to 20°C. Given the 3 kbar depth of emplacement of the SMB, estimated entrapment temperatures are c. 200°C to 550°C. The fluid inclusion data appear to reflect: (1) trapping of mixed Na-K-Ca brines during isobaric cooling in pegmatite and greisen deposits as indicated by large ranges in Th; (2) formation of deposits at different ambient pressures (i.e. depth); and (3) mixing of fluids of different reservoirs (i.e. magmatic, metamorphic, meteoric).

Liquidus phase relationships at H2O-saturated and -undersaturated conditions and 2 kbar in the systems Qz-Or-Ab (SiO2-KAlSi3O8-NaAlSi3O8), Qz-Or-Ab-Al2O3, and subsystems are compared and discussed. In the peraluminous systems (i.e. when melts are saturated with respect to mullite) the liquidus temperatures are lowered by 40-55°C for compositions in the quartz primary field and by 15-25°C for cotectic compositions. The composition of the Qz-Ab eutectic and of the minimum are slightly shifted towards more Qz-rich compositions (minimum composition at P(H2O) = 2 kbar in the system Qz-Or-Ab-A12O3, saturated with respect to mullite: Qz40Or23Ab37). In melts saturated with sillimanite or mullite, the effect of high Al content may be lower for the Qz-Or than for the Qz-Ab eutectic.

The depression of the liquidus temperatures may be partly related to the higher H2O solubility in melts saturated with respect to mullite. The solubility of H2O in a melt with a composition of Qz28Or34Ab38 at 2 kbar and 800°C is 5·77 ± 0·15 wt% H2O and 6·36 ± 0·30 wt% H2O in a melt with the same Qz/Or/Ab proportions but saturated with respect to mullite.

The effect of high Al contents on the Mg and Fe contents of Ca-free granite melts was investigated at 775°C-3 kbar (melts coexisting with phlogopite), and at 820°C-2 kbar (melts coexisting with biotite and spinel), under NNO buffer conditions. Less than 0·15 wt% MgO is incorporated in subaluminous melts coexisting with phlogopite, whereas peraluminous melts (2·9 wt% normative corundum) contain 0·6–0·7 wt% MgO. A similar behaviour of the MgO content is observed for melts coexisting with biotite. In contrast, no significant effect of high Al contents on the FeO content of melt coexisting with biotite was observed. This suggests that the Fe/Mg ratio may be significantly lower in peraluminous than in subaluminous granitic melts.

S-type granites have properties that are a result of their derivation from sedimentary source rocks. Slightly more than half of the granites exposed in the Lachlan Fold Belt of southeastern Australia are of this type. These S-type rocks occur in all environments ranging from an association with migmatites and high grade regional metamorphic rocks, through an occurrence as large batholiths, to those occurring as related volcanic rocks. The association with high grade metamorphic rocks is uncommon. Most of the S-type granites were derived from deeper parts of the crust and emplaced at higher levels; hence their study provides insights into the nature of that deeper crust. Only source rocks that contain enough of the granite-forming elements (Si, Al, Na and K) to provide substantial quantities of melt can produce magmas and there is therefore a fertile window in the composition of these sedimentary rocks corresponding to feldspathic greywacke, from which granite magmas may be formed.

In this paper, three contrasting S-type granite suites of the Lachlan Fold Belt are discussed. Firstly, the Cooma Granodiorite occurs within a regional metamorphic complex and is associated with migmatites. It has isotopic and chemical features matching those of the widespread Ordovician sediments that occur in the fold belt. Secondly, the S-type granites of the Bullenbalong Suite are found as voluminous contact-aureole and subvolcanic granites, with volcanic equivalents. These granites are all cordierite-bearing and have low Na2O, CaO and Sr, high Ni, strongly negative εNd and high 87Sr/86Sr, all indicative of S-type character. However, the values of these parameters are not as extreme as for the Cooma Granodiorite. Evidence is discussed to show that these granites were derived from a less mature, unexposed, deeper and older sedimentary source. Other hypotheses such as basalt mixing are discussed and can be ruled out. The Strathbogie Suite granites are more felsic but all are cordierite-bearing and have chemical and other features indicative of an immature sedimentary source. They are closely associated with cordierite-bearing volcanic rocks. The more felsic nature of the suite results in part from crystal fractionation. It is suggested that the magma may have entered this “crystal fractionation” stage of evolution because it was a slightly higher temperature magma produced from an even less mature sediment than the Bullenbalong Suite. The production of these S-type magmas is discussed in terms of vapour-absent melting of metagreywackes involving both muscovite and biotite. The production of a magma in this way is consistent with the low H2O contents and geological setting of S-type granites and volcanic rocks in the Lachlan Fold Belt.