Fluid-Induced Inhomogeneous Cr-spinel in Dunite and Wehrlite from the Duke Island Complex, Southeastern Alaska

Abstract

Cr-spinel [(Mg, Fe2+)(Cr, Al, Fe3+)2O4)] is a common mineral in the ultramafic core of the Duke Island complex in southeastern Alaska, US. Cr-spinel grains with an unmixed texture have been observed in dunite and wehrlite of the complex. Inhomogeneous Cr-spinel with a ratio of Cr/(Al + Cr + Fe3+) <0.37 is prominent in dunite. The inhomogeneous Cr-spinel consists of two completely different compositions: Al-rich Cr-spinel, and Fe3+-rich Cr-spinel with a wide range of Cr content (from 11.8 wt.% to 28.6 wt.% Cr2O3). The unmixed texture is complex, and three subtypes of inhomogeneous Cr-spinel are recognized: TypeB1 Cr-spinel showing complete separation, crystallographically oriented type B2 Cr-spinel, and irregular Al-rich Cr-spinel rimmed type B3 Cr-spinel. The unmixed texture was achieved by an unmixing process at around 600 °C due to the miscibility gap of spinel between Al-rich and Fe3+-rich phases. The unmixed patterns of inhomogeneous Cr-spinel are controlled by the initial chemical composition, grain size of the initial spinel, and the cooling process. We propose that the initial composition of inhomogeneous Cr-spinel was formed by the interaction of high-temperature fluid and olivine; Cr-spinel that experienced unmixing may be a useful proxy to unveil the activity of high-temperature fluid in the formation of Alaskan-type complexes.