Hydrous komatiites from Commondale, South Africa: An experimental study

This study examines the emplacement conditions of komatiites in the 3.33 Ga Commondale Ultramafic Suite in South Africa. The komatiites of Commondale are unlike any other komatiites in both their physical structure and chemical nature. Komatiite unit chill margins preserve original komatiite liquid compositions with an Mg# of 0.91, MgO = 31.9 wt.%, Al2O3 wt.%/TiO2 = 80 (wt.%), and SiO2 content of 49.7 wt.%. A common feature throughout the komatiite sequence is the presence of orthopyroxene spinifex, where original orthopyroxene crystals are still preserved. The compositional information preserved in the most primitive of the natural pyroxenes present in these spinifex zones (Mg# = 0.92), provides insight into the original emplacement conditions of the komatiites. This study used anhydrous and hydrous equilibrium experiments, along with disequilibrium cooling-rate experiments, to quantify the crystallization conditions of the Commondale komatiites. The anhydrous, 1-atm liquidus was found at 1550 °C, with Fo97 olivine being the initial crystallizing phase, followed by spinel and then by protoenstatite, Mg# 0.95, at 1335 °C. The phase relations were also examined at 200 MPa under H2O saturated conditions. The addition of ~ 4 wt.% H2O lowers the appearance temperature of the initial pyroxene by 210 °C, thereby producing orthopyroxene with a Mg# closer to that of the most primitive preserved orthopyroxenes found in the komatiites. Additionally, dynamic cooling-rate experiments show that the natural pyroxenes preserve a chemical signature indicative of crystallization and cooling within an inflated flow complex. Estimates of the pre-eruptive H2O content for the Commondale komatiites are between ~ 2 and 4.3 wt.% H2O in the liquid. This range is similar to that estimated for 3.5 Ga komatiites of the Barberton Mountainland and may indicate formation of both suites in similar tectonic environments.