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RELATIONSHIPSBETWEENMAGNETIC
SUSCEPTIBILITYANDROCKCOMPOSITIONS
Oxidesandsulfideswerelumpedtogetherasopaquemineralsinpointcountsofgabbros
fromHole735B(ShipboardScientificParty,1989,1999b)therefore,proportionsof
ilmenitetomagnetiteintherockswerenotdeterminedbythismeans.Inreflectedlight,
theproportionofilmenitetomagnetiteinoxidegabbroswasestimated(notpoint
counted)tobeatleast3:1butitreaches5:1insomesamples.Sincetheoxidesare
coarsegrainedinmanyoftheserocks,nogreatstockshouldbetakeninthisvariance
onlythehighproportionofilmenitetomagnetiteisimportant.Attheextreme,afew
oxidegabbrosareextensivelyhydrothermallyaltered.Inthesecases,all,even
secondary,magnetiteiscompletelyreplacedbygreenamphibolebutilmeniteremainsin
grids,relictfromanoriginaloxyexsolutionintergrowthwithmagnetite.
Ignoringsuchalteredsamples,however,howconsistentistheproportionofthetwo
minerals?Amongoxidegabbros,bulkrockcompositionsshowthattheproportionisvery
consistent.IntheternaryofFigureF32A,theproportionofthetwomineralsinoxide
gabbroscanbeestimatedfromtheratioofTiO2toFeO,usingsamplesinwhichthelatter
wasmeasuredbytitration(ShipboardScientificParty,19891999b).Thethird
componentintheternary,SiO2thatiscombinedinsilicateminerals,behavessimplyasa
dilutantwithrespecttotheoxideminerals,inwhichTiO2andFeOaresoconcentrated.
Samplesplottedareleastalteredgabbros,havingeitherpositiveorsmallnegativeloss
onignition(LOI>2%).ThisprocedurescreensoutsampleswithhighFe2O3/FeO,which
wereoxidizedduringalteration,plusthosethathaveabundantsecondaryamphibole
containingstructuralFe2O3.PositiveLOIindicatesweightgain,mainlybyadditionof
oxygentoFeO,forexample,thatispresentintheoxideminerals,duringignitionat
1000CthefirststepinpreparationofrockpowdersforXRFanalysis.Suchsamplesare
extremelyfresh,andmanyoxidegabbrosanalyzedonboardshiphavepositiveLOI.
Leastalteredolivinegabbrosandtroctolites(234sampleswithFeOdeterminedby
titration)havesolittleTiO2thattheyplotveryclosetotheSiO2FeOsidelineinFigure
F32A,asdoaverageclinopyroxenesandamphiboles,takenfromelectronprobe
analysesofmineralscompiledbyDicketal.(Chap.10,thisvolume).Almostalloxide
gabbrosfallalongasingletrendpointingtowardthebasalTiO2FeOsidelinebetweenthe
plottedpositionsofaverageilmeniteandmagnetite(datafromNatlandetal.,1991).The
dashedsidesoftheshadedtriangledefinesimplemixingtrendsbetweenthepureoxide
mineralsandanapexolivinegabbrowithfewornooxideminerals.Theapex
correspondstotheintersectionofthetrendforoxidegabbroswiththesidelinetrendfor
olivinegabbrosandtroctolites.Theleverruleappliedtothistriangleindicatesthatthe
proportionofilmenitetomagnetiteintheoxidegabbrosis4:1withsmallscatter.
However,twoleastalteredsamplesplotwelltotherightofthemaintrendofoxide
gabbros.TheseareolivineclinopyroxenitescumulatesrichinFeMgsilicatesratherthan
plagioclasewithaverysmallproportionofoxideminerals.Suchrocksareminorin
abundanceinthecore(Dicketal.,2000).However,theydemonstratethattowhatever
extentanysamplecontainsFeOinsilicateminerals,itwillplotclosertotherightsideline
oftheternary.Sincemostoxidegabbrosdonotdothisandinsteadfallalongasingle,
welldefinedtrend,thismeansthattheyhaveclosetocotecticproportionsofFeMg
silicatesandplagioclaseandthattheoxidemineralstheycontainareeffectivelyapure
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cumulusadditiontotherocks(cf.NatlandandDick,2001),withilmeniteexceeding
magnetiteintheminimumproportionof4:1.
Sinceolivinegabbrosandtroctoliteshugtherightsidelineoftheternaryclosetothe
SiO2corner,however,theirbulkcompositionsaredeterminedalmostentirelybysilicate
minerals.PlagioclaseplotsvirtuallyattheSiO2corneroftheternary,ofcourse,and
olivineandorthopyroxenefallalmostexactlyalongthesideline.Oftheprincipalsilicates,
onlyaverageclinopyroxenehasasmallamountofTiO2(0.61%).Averageamphibolehas
onlyabitmoreTiO2thanthis(1.14%).Bothplotbetweentheoxidegabbrosandthe
SiO2corneroftheternary,thustheydovirtuallynothingtodeflectthemoretitanianand
ironrichtrendamongoxidegabbros.Thattrendinsteadiscontrolledalmostentirelyby
thetotalamountandfixedproportionofilmenitetomagnetiteinthoserocks.
TheTiO2contentsofolivinegabbrosandtroctolitesalsocorrelatewithMgNo(Fig.
F32B),eventhoughTiO2issensitivebothtotheproportionofplagioclaseintherocks
andtothepresenceofevenaverysmallamountofilmenite.Thecorrelationthus
indicatesthatmostoftheserockscontainnearlycotecticproportionsofplagioclaseto
FeMgsilicates(ShipboardScientificParty,1999b)andalmostnomagmaticilmeniteor
magnetite.Theaveragenormativeproportionofplagioclaseintheserocks,forexample,
is577,averytightclustering.AsshowninFigureF32B,ilmeniteitselfcancauseonly
atriflingshiftinbulkrockMgNo,andthereisclearlyinsufficientmagmaticmagnetiteto
dothisifitisconsistentlyintergrownwithfourtimesitsabundanceofilmenite.Instead,
therocksareadcumulates,withextremelylowproportionsofmaterialcrystallizedfrom
residualinterstitialliquidfromwhichthelatecrystallizingoxidemineralscouldhave
precipitated(Natlandetal.,1991NatlandandDick,2001).Theoxidemineralstherefore
constitutenomorethanafewtenthsofapercentofthemodeofolivinegabbrosand
troctolites.Theverylowmodalproportionsofmagmaticoxidesinsuchrocksarea
consequenceoftheextremeefficiencyofexpulsionofresidualliquidsduringthe
compaction,deformation,andfinalstagesofcrystallizationoftheserocks.
TherearethustwobroadclassesofrockamongthegabbrosofHole735B,onewith
significantandinsomecasesveryabundantmagmaticoxidesandtheotheralmost
entirelywithoutmagmaticoxides.Thetwocorrespondtothedivisionbetweenthose
rocksprovidingsusceptibilitypeaksandpeakregionsontheonehandandthosewith
backgroundmagneticsusceptibilitiesontheother.
FigureF33AshowstherelationshipbetweenTiO2contentsofgabbrosfromHole735B
drilledduringLeg176andtheirmagneticsusceptibility,ineachcasemeasuredatone
pointwithinthelengthofasampletakenfromwholeroundcoreandanalyzedbyXRFon
boardJOIDESResolution.EachXRFsamplewasusuallyaslaborquarterroundpieceof
core~5cmlong.Thefigureisaloglogdiagram,choseninordertoamplifythescaleof
variabilityamongsampleswithlowmagneticsusceptibilityandlowTiO2contents,mainly
olivinegabbrosandtroctolites.Bothlinearandpowerlawregressionshavecorrelation
coefficientsofr=~0.9.Onaloglogdiagram,thelinearregressioniscurvedandthe
powerlawregressionisastraightline.ThetwovirtuallycoincideforrockshavingTiO2
contentsbetween0.2%and1.0%.
Magmaticilmenite,inwhichmostoftheTiO2inoxidegabbroresides,doesnothavea
highmagneticsusceptibility.However,sinceilmeniteisintergrownwithhigh
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susceptibilitymagnetiteinaconsistentproportionofabout4:1,thisclearlyprovidesthe
strongcorrelationbetweenmagneticsusceptibilityandTiO2contentsamongtheserocks.
Ofcourse,thestrengthoftheoverallcorrelationisprovidedmainlybyoxidegabbros.
Consideringgabbroswith<0.7%TiO2,alinearcorrelationisweaker(r=0.58).Asjust
demonstrated,however,mostofthevariabilityinTiO2contentsamongolivinegabbrosis
controlledbyclinopyroxene,nottheoxideminerals,becausetherocksareadcumulates.
TroctoliteshaveverylittleclinopyroxeneandbothlowerTiO2contentsandlower
magneticsusceptibilitythanolivinegabbros(Fig.F33A).Thusallrocktypescontribute
totheoverallstrongcorrelation,eventhoughtheamountofintergrownmagmatic
ilmeniteandmagnetiteinolivinegabbrosandtroctolitesisinconsequential.
Olivinegabbrosandtroctolitesalsoshowafairlystrongcorrelationbetweenmagnetic
susceptibilityandbulkMgNooftherocks(Fig.F33B).Here,someofthescatterabout
thecorrelationresultsfromthedifferentvolumesandgeometriesofrockmaterial
sampledbytheBartingtonsensorandforXRFanalysis.Perhapsthereisalsoaslight
effectofvariablebutsmallamountsofintergrownmagmaticoxides.Someotherfactor,
however,overridestheseeffectsamongolivinegabbrosandtroctolitesandprovidesthe
correlation.Oneoftheothertypesofmagnetiteintherocksmentionedearliermustbe
responsible.Sinceleastalteredrockswereusedtoestablishthecorrelations,magnetite
associatedwithsecondaryamphiboleisprobablynotimportant,althoughitmayalso
contributesomewhattothescatteraboutthecorrelationinFigureF33Bandtosome
variabilityinsusceptibilityalongtheentiresectiondrilled.
Magnetiteexsolvedfromprimarysilicates,includingplagioclase,isthereforeleftasthe
oxidemineralmostlikelycausingtheprincipalvariabilityofbackgroundmeasurements
ofmagneticsusceptibilityamongolivinegabbrosandtroctolites.Thecorrelationbetween
MgNoandmagneticsusceptibilityjustamongtheserockssuggeststhattheproportionof
suchmagnetitedependsonthecompositionofthesilicatemineralsbeinghigherinrocks
withmoreironrichpyroxenes(similarlyolivine)andmoresodicplagioclase.
Inalmostalltroctolitesandolivinegabbros,tinydarkinclusionsarepresentinallthree
oftheprincipalsilicates,olivine,pyroxene,andplagioclase.Somearesecondary
inclusionsarrayedalongfractures(Fig.F34AF34F),somearealongcleavageplanes,
andsomefollowcrystallographicpartings(Fig.F34EF34G),butontheusualscaleof
observationtheywererarelynotedinshipboarddescriptions.Migratingfluidsormelts
mayhaveprecipitatedtheinclusionsalongthefracturesalternatively,thesewere
producedbyreactionwiththosefluids.Theothertwotypesarepresentalongcleavage
planesandpartings.Theymorelikelyformedbysimpleexsolution.Tinyopaquegrains
arealsopresentatgrainboundariesbetweenplagioclaseneoblastsandalsoevidently
formedbyexsolution.Thetinyinclusionsareusuallycompletelysurroundedbyhostor
adjacentsilicatesinthe30mthicknesstypicalofthinsectionsonlythosefew
intersectingthepolishedsurfacesofthethinsectionswerebroughtoutaspinpoint
reflectivesurfacesbyroutinepolishing(Fig.F34B,F34D,F34F,F34G).Magnetite
inclusionsinplagioclaseareusuallyrodlikeinform,paralleltocrystallographicaxes,and
palebrownincolor,whichisappropriateforverytinymagnetitegrains.Insome
plagioclases,exsolvedmagnetiteformsspectaculargridsparallelingcrystallographicaxes
(Fig.F34H).
Plagioclasemaycontributesignificantlytothetotalamountofmagnetiteinolivine
gabbrosandtroctolites.PlagioclasephenocrystsinabyssaltholeiitesfromtheIndian
Oceancontainasmuchas0.2%1.2%FeO,increasingasAndecreases(Fig.F35).
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PresumablysimilaramountsofFeOoriginallypartitionedintoplagioclasesofgabbro
cumulatesofHole735B.AtsimilarAnvalues,plagioclaseingabbrosfromHole735Bnow
containsonly0.04%0.30%FeO.Thefeldsparthereforeappearstohavelostbetween
0.2%and0.6%ofironasFeOduringsubsolidusreequilibration,withthegreateramount
beinglostfrommoresodicplagioclase.Bythemselves,theelectronprobeanalysesdo
notsaywherethemissingironwent,butfrompetrography,itprobablyisnowtiedupin
exsolvedmagnetiteeitherwithinthecrystalsorattheinterfacesbetweenthem.There
shouldalsobemoreexsolvedmagnetiteinplagioclasesofthemoredifferentiatedolivine
gabbrosthaninthoseoftroctolites.Acicularironoxideexsolvedfromplagioclasehas
describedfromsomelayeredintrusionsandelsewhere(Sobolev,1990Tegner,1997
Selkinetal.,2000).
MgNo,however,isaratioandindependentofthevariationsinthemodalproportionof
plagioclasetoolivineandpyroxenes.Forittocorrelatewithmagneticsusceptibility
amongtroctolitesandolivinegabbros,eithertheamountofexsolvedmagnetiteina
givenrockdoesnotdifferbetweenFeMgsilicatesandplagioclase,oritdoes,butthe
proportionofplagioclaseintherocksisnearlyconstant,andexsolutionhasproceededto
thesamedegreeinallrocks.Averagemodalproportionsofolivinegabbrosmeasured
duringLeg176(ShipboardScientificParty,1999b)areol/plag/cpx=9.8/59.2/29.2.
Theseareveryclosetoexperimentallydeterminedproportions(11/59/30)(Groveand
Baker,1984Groveetal.,1992ToplisandCarroll,1995).Theproportionofnormative
plagioclase(577,asmentionedearlier)isvirtuallythesameastheproportionof
plagioclaseinthemode.Introctolites,thecotecticproportionsareol/plag=30/67,also
verysimilartothemodalproportionsmeasuredinsuchrocksduringLeg176.Thereis
thusnosimplewayoftellingwhetherplagioclaseorFeMgsilicateshavemoreexsolved
magnetite.Bothmineralgroupshavesome,sotheybothmustcontributetothesignalof
magneticsusceptibilityoftheserocks.
Insummary,whetherornotthereismoreexsolvedmagnetiteinFeMgsilicatesthanin
plagioclase,theoverallamountofitcorrelateswithacrypticcompositionalparameterof
theolivinegabbrosandtroctolites,namelytheirMgNo,andthisprovidesasignalof
magneticsusceptibilityincreasingwiththeextentofdifferentiationoftheserocks.
Second,becausemosttherocksalsohavenearlycotecticproportionsofsilicate
minerals,thisalsoprovidesasomewhatweakercorrelationbetweenmagnetic
susceptibilityandthebulkTiO2contentoftherocks,thisbeingprovidedbytheirnearly
fixedproportionofclinopyroxene.Inrockswith>0.7%TiO2contents,thesusceptibility
signalisdominatedbymagmaticilmeniteandmagnetite,intergrowninnearlyfixed
proportionsintherocks.
CrypticvariationisatermcoinedbyWagerandDeer(1939)todescribevariationsin
gabbrocompositionthatareindependentofthemodalproportionsofminerals.
Mineralogically,theFocontentofolivine,En/Fsofpyroxenes,andAncontentof
plagioclasesareallcrypticparameters.SoalsoinageneralwayarebulkrockMgNoand
normativeAn/(An+Ab).Ifacumulusmineralassemblageisquitepurewithasmall
proportionofmaterialcrystallizedfromtrappedresidualliquid,thenitsmineralogicaland
evenbulkchemicalcrypticparameterscanberelatedtotheliquidcompositionsthat
producedthecumulates.Atissuenowiswhethermagneticsusceptibilityisameasureof
oneofthemostimportantcrypticparametersofthegabbrosfromHole735B,namely
MgNo.Weknowthatthehighmagneticsusceptibilitiesofoxidegabbrosreflecttheir
proportionofmagmaticoxides.Thisisnotacrypticpropertyoftherocks.Whatabout
olivinegabbrosandtroctolites?
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Onetestistofindoutwhethersusceptibilitycorrelateswiththevariabilityofasilicate
mineral,forexample,theFocontentofolivine.FigureF36Aplotscompositionsofolivine
vs.magneticsusceptibilityfromtheLeg176portionofthecore(olivinedatafromDick
etal.,Chap10,thisvolume).Althoughthereareweaklinearandpowerlaw
correlations,magneticsusceptibilitystillspanstwoordersofmagnitudeatsomeolivine
compositions(e.g.,Fo70).Thetwodonotcorrelate.Thustherearemanysusceptibility
peaksrepresentingoxidegabbrosinwhichtheoxidemineralshaveapparentlysimply
beenaddedtoanunderlyingandpreexistingmatrixofolivinegabbro.Someofthese,
identifiedinthecoredescriptions,containsomanymagmaticoxidesthattheywerenot
evenidentifiedasolivinegabbro.Thereareseveralcasesoftwosamplesonlyafew
centimetersapartinthecore,onebeinganoxidegabbrothatprovidedaspikein
magneticsusceptibilityofseveralthousandx106MU,theotherbeinganolivinegabbro
withbackgroundmagneticsusceptibilityofonly~100x106to300x106MU.Yetthe
olivineintheoxidegabbroisevenmoreforsteriticthanintheadjacentolivinegabbro.
Onthecontrary,somerockswitholivineasironrichasFo55haveverylowmagnetic
susceptibility.
Thisresultissowidespreadthatitcanbeusedtooutlineageneralargumentaboutthe
petrogenesisoftherockscoredduringLeg176.First,theoxidemineralsoverallhadto
crystallizefromliquidsmoredifferentiatedmoreironrichthantheliquidsthat
producedeventhemostironricholivineinanyofthem(Fo46).Suchliquidsare
representedbysomeoftheevenmoredifferentiatedoxidegabbrosfromtheupper500
mofthehole,drilledduringLeg118,whichhaveolivineasfayaliticasFo30(Ozawaet
al.,1991).Second,ironrichliquidsalmostalwayswereefficientlyexpelledfromthe
intercumulusmatrixofallgabbrosthatcrystallizedolivinerangingfromFo84toFo46to
produceadcumulateswithverylittleironrichinterstitialmeltremaining.Third,notonly
didtheexpelledliquidsaggregateandreintrudethesectionenmasseatthoseplaces
thatnowshowupaspeakregionsinmagneticsusceptibility,someofthemnearly2m
thick,buttheyalsoinjectedtheintercrystallineporositystructureofprimitivegabbrosat
hundredsofplacesupanddownthecore,producingahostofnarrowspikesinmagnetic
susceptibilitybutwithoutsignificantlychangingthemineralogyoftheirnewhosts.
Preexistingolivines,forexample,werenotcompletelydestroyedbyreactionwiththe
penetratingmelts.Reactionwiththeinjectedliquidsmayhaveleftthoseolivines
embeddedinthecommonorthopyroxenecoronasseenadjacenttotheminmanyof
theserocks.Inthisway,theoriginalcrypticvariabilityoftheolivinewasmaintained,
eveniftherockitselfbecameinfestedwithoxidemineralsandcannotnowbeidentified
asanolivinegabbro.Someveryunusualrocktypes,suchasthedisseminatedoxide
troctolitementionedearlier,resultedfromthisprocess.
Ascomplicatedasthismightseem,allisnotlost.Thereactionprocessmayhave
occurredinportionsofrockthatarediscreteenoughthatwecanstillconsiderthecryptic
variationofolivineamongjustolivinegabbrosandtroctolites,evenincludingsomerocks
thatexperiencedoxideenrichment,andcompareitwiththebackgroundmagnetic
susceptibility.FigureF36Bshowsbothbackgroundmagneticsusceptibilityandaverage
compositionofolivinepersamplevs.depth.Theplottedolivinecompositionsarethe
sameasthosewithintheboxlabeled"Selected"inFigureF36A.Theyarescreenedto
includeallolivinecompositionsmoremagnesianthanFo60withmagneticsusceptibility
<1000x106MU.Thisremovesrocksasdifferentiatedasolivinegabbronoritesfromthe
comparison.Amongallremainingrocks,itassumesthatthedifferentialbetween
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backgroundsusceptibilitiesand1000x106MUresultedfromadditionofasmall
proportionofoxidemineralstotherocks,withoutdestroyingthehostolivinecompletely.
Inotherwords,therocksoriginallyhadalowerproportionofoxideminerals,andafter
freezing,wouldhaveproducedmagneticsusceptibilitieswithinbackgroundlimits.
Instead,theylayinthepathofapercolating,ironrichmelt.FigureF36Bincludes10%
weightedcurvesforbothmagneticsusceptibilityandolivinecompositions,scaledsothat
thetwocurvesaresuperimposed.
Becauseverticalscaleswerechosensothattheamplitudesoffluctuationsalongthetwo
weightedcurvesaresimilar,thescatterofolivinecompositionsfallsalmostentirely
withinthebandofbackgroundmagneticsusceptibility.Althoughtherearefarfewer
olivinecompositionsthanmeasurementsofmagneticsusceptibility,whensimilarwindow
averagesareusedthensomeofthesimilaritiesofthetwoweightedcurvesappeartobe
significant.Thefirstisthatthefaultat1100mbsf,markedbyasharpdropin
backgroundsusceptibilityamongtherocksdeeperthanthis,isalsoreflectedinmore
forsteriticolivinecompositions.Therearealsosimilargeneralfluctuationsinthetwo
curves,notablyrisesinamplitudebetween900and1100mbsf,downturnsinboth
curvestoverylowsusceptibilitiesandhighFocontentsat~830mbsf,andperhapsa
smallupturninbothcurvesat~1350mbsf.Notethatthedownturnintheolivinecurve
at~820mbsfprobablywouldnotexistwithoutinclusionofforsteriticolivinefromjust
twosamples.Thisunderscoresthedifficultyofdeterminingthetruepatternofcryptic
mineralogicalvariationinthiscomplicatedcorefrommineraldatausingsamplesspaced
ontheaverage12mapart.
Between500and700mbsf,thetwocurvesdonotcorrespond.Partlythisresultedfrom
selectedsamplingoftroctolitesusedformicroprobeanalysisat~510mbsf.These
providedseveralmagnesianolivines,butadjacent,moredifferentiated,andtypical
gabbrosfromthispartofthecorewerenotsampled.From550to650mbsf,core
recoverywassomewhatlowbecauseofthepresenceoffracturedandhydrothermally
alteredrockintwocloselyspacedfaultzones.Thealterationparticularlyaffectedolivine
thosesamplesinwhichitwaspreservedmaynotrepresentthetypicallithologiesinthis
partofthecore.
Iconclude,somewhatguardedly,thatbackgroundmagneticsusceptibilityingeneral
revealsthepatternofcrypticvariabilityamongolivinegabbrosandtroctolitesalongmost
ofthecorerecoveredduringODPLeg176.Sincealmostalloftheserocksare
adcumulates,thismeansthatexpulsionofintercumulusmelts,theresidualfromwhich
theoxidemineralsprecipitated,wasbothefficientandfairlyuniformthroughoutthe
core.Someofthelocalscatterinbackgroundmagneticsusceptibility,butnotits
weightedvariabilityonascaleof50mormore,mayindicatevariationsinthe
percentageofinterstitialmeltthatwaspresentwhentheoxidemineralscrystallized.
Althoughthecorewasrivenwithmanylatestageoxiderichseams,magnetic
susceptibilityrevealstheoccurrenceandwidthofthoseseamsandthemaximumextent
ofthecorethatwasrefertilizedwithironrichmelt.Allsuchrockshavebeenscreened
fromFigureF36B.Thefigureisthusamapofthedistributionofadcumulatesinthecore
rocksfromwhichinterstitialmeltwasefficientlysqueezed,amountingtonearly63%of
thesection.Italsogivesageneralideaofhowdifferentiatedthoserockshappentobe.
Somefairlystronglydifferentiatedgabbronoritesarealsoadcumulateswithlow
percentagesofoxidemineralsandbackgroundlevelsofmagneticsusceptibility.These
areincludedinFigureF36B.
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Foroxidebearingandoxiderichgabbros,theutilityofmagneticsusceptibilityasa
geochemicalindexismuchmorestraightforward.SimplyconsideringTiO2contents,a
crudebreakdownisquitemeaningful.Thusolivinegabbrosandtroctoliteshave<0.7%
TiO2disseminatedoxidegabbroshave0.7%<TiO2<2.0%andoxidegabbroshave
>2.0%TiO2.Thebulkofanalyzedsampleswithintheselimitshaveclearlydifferent
magneticsusceptibilities.Presenceorabsenceofthedifferentsilicatemineralsallowed
discriminationofparticularlithologies.Ingabbroswith<0.7%TiO2content,mostofthe
TiO2residesinclinopyroxeneandissimplyinfluencedbyolivine,orthopyroxene,and
plagioclase,whichhaveverylowTiO2contents,actingasdilutants.Theproportionof
clinopyroxenetotheseotherminerals,however,oscillatesonlyasmallamountfrom
cotecticproportions,andthisultimatelyallowsustousemagneticsusceptibilityasa
geochemicallogevenamongtheserocks.
Above0.7%TiO2contents,however,thetrendproducedsimplybythelowTiO 2silicate
mineralsisdeflectedbyanincreaseinthemodeofoxideminerals(ShipboardScientific
Party,1999b).TheproportionofTiO2intheoxidemineralsexceedstheamounttiedup
inclinopyroxene.Additionofcumulusilmeniteandmagnetitebecomesparamountandis
independentoftheunderlyingcompositionofsilicateminerals.NatlandandDick(2001)
describethisasaprocessofaccumulationofthetwooxidemineralsastheyprecipitated
insmallscaleporositystructureinamatrix,ormush,ofsilicatemineralsduringfluxof
highlydifferentiatedliquidsrichinironandtitanium.Theeffectivenessofformationof
cumulusoxidemineralswasstronglycontrolledbypatternsofporositystructurethat
developedinresponsetodeformationoftherocks.Someaspectsofthishavebeen
developedinthispaper.

TheAverageCompositionoftheCore
ThelinearregressionofFigureF33Acanbeusedtoestimateaspectsofthebulk
compositionofthecore.Thisobviouslyappliesonlytothethreegeneralclassesof
gabbroicrocksjustmentioned.NeitherFigureF33AnorF33Bincludescompositionsof
felsicveins(quartzdioritestogranites)orhybridsbetweenfelsicveinsandcountryrocks
(diorites).However,thesecompriseonly~0.3%ofthecoretheydonotsignificantly
affecttheresultoutlinedbelow.
Dicketal.(2000)calculatedaveragecompositionsforeach500mportionofHole735B.
Theirprocedurecorrectedthelengthsoflithologicintervalsforinstancesofbothlow
recoveryand>100%recoveryandusedaveragecompositionsofeachlithologictype,
weightingthemproperlyfordifferencesindensity.Recoveryof>100%occurswhenthe
drillrecoresastumpofrockleftfromapriorcoreandthenaddsafull9.7mof
additionalrocktoit.Iwishedtocheckthevalidityofthisapproachusingmagnetic
susceptibility,giventhatthismeasurementallowsagreatlyrefinedestimationofthe
proportionsofrockshavingdifferentcompositionsthroughoutthecorerecoveredduring
Leg176.MyanalysisonlyconcernsTiO2contents,sincethisoxideisonethatIcan
relatemostsimplyanddirectlytomagneticsusceptibility.Intheenditfairlystrongly
validatestheestimatesofDicketal.(2000).
TheprocedureIusedformagneticsusceptibilitywastoobtaintheaveragevalueper
core,relatethisasquantitativelyaspossibletotheTiO2contentsofanalyzedrocks,and
considerthattheaverageestimatedTiO2contentsrepresentthedepthrangeforthat
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coregiveninthesitereport(ShipboardScientificParty,1999b,tableT1).Theaverage
TiO2contentofeachcorewascalculatedusingthelinearregressioninFigureF33A.For
thedensitycorrection,Icalculatedalinearregressionfortherelationshipbetween
normativedensitycalculatedfrombulkXRFcompositions(basedonNiuandBatiza,1991
withsomeadditionalmineraldensitiesfromDeeretal.,1992)andTiO2contents.The
relationshipfor323chemicalanalysesisD=0.68xTiO2+3.013(r=0.87).Therange
ofnormativedensitiesis3.0133.120g/cm3,slightlyhigherthanmeasureddensitiesfor
minicoresbecauseasmeasuredondeck,thelatterusuallyincludetinycracksandother
microporositystructure,reducingtheirdensities.Onlyrelativedifferencesinnormative
densityamongsampleshaveanybearingonthiscalculation,however,andnormative
densitiesfollowdifferencesinmeasureddensitiesveryclosely.Theaveragedensity
correctedTiO2contentforeachcorewasthendividedbythetotaldepthrangeunder
consideration(partorallofthe1003.2mcoredduringLeg176)andthevaluessummed
overthatintervaltoprovidetheaverageTiO2contentfortheinterval.

TheaverageTiO2contentcalculatedinthiswayfortheintervalfromCores176735B
88Rthrough153r(504.81005.3mbsf)is0.71%,nearlythesameasthevalue(0.70%)
obtainedbyDicketal.(2000)forlithologiesfrom500to1000mbsf.FromCores176
735B154Rthrough210R(1005.31508.0mbsf),theaverageis0.41%,abitlowerthan
the0.50%obtainedforthelowermost500moftheholebyDicketal.(2000).The
valuesforthetwopartsoftheholeshouldcorrespondtodifferencesinothercorrelative
attributesofcomposition(Mg#,Ca#,etc.)citedbyDicketal.(2000)asbeingrelatedin
generaltothedegreeofdifferentiationofbasalticliquidsfromwhichthesecumulates
crystallized.Thedeepest500mofthehole,andcertainlythebodyofrocksbelowthe
faultat1100m,isaslightlymoreprimitivebodyofgabbrothansuggestedbythe
estimatebasedonidentificationoflithologicintervalsintheshipboarddescriptions.
Giventheuncertaintiesimplicitineitheroftheestimatesbylithologyormagnetic
susceptibility,Iconsiderthattheoverallagreementisquitegoodandthattheestimates
ofDicketal.(2000)forTiO2,alltheotheroxides,andtheseveraltraceelementsarenot
likelytodiffersignificantlyfromamoreextensivetreatmentbasedonmagnetic
susceptibility.

http://wwwodp.tamu.edu/publications/176_SR/chap_11/c11_9.htm

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