Compositional variation of Fe-Ti oxides from the Sokli complex, northeastern Finland

Abstract

The phoscorite-carbonatite complex at Sokli, northeastern Finland, is composed of five stages of intrusions of phoscorites and carbonatites (P1-C1, P2-C2, P3-C3 phoscorites and calcite carbonatites, D4 and D5 dolomite carbonatites) which are cut by numerous lamprophyric dikes. Magnetite is ubiquitous in all constituent rock units of the complex and frequently associates with ilmenite. Most ilmenite intergrowths from the Sokli phoscorite-carbonatite complex occur as internal and/or external granules (composite type exsolutions) or sandwich type exsolution lamellae in the host magnetites. Discrete ilmenite crystals are found only in P3 and C3. Whereas, in the ultramafic lamprophyres ilmenites occur as discrete crystals as well as trellis and sandwich type exsolution lamellae or composite type exsolutions in magnetite. Electron microprobe analyses reveal that magnetite of the Sokli complex belongs essentially to the magnetite-ulv？;spinel solid solution series with a small proportion of magnesioferrite. The compositions of magnetite from the Sokli phoscorite-carbonatite complex vary systematically from stage to stage with increasing Fe2+/(Fe2++Mg) ratio, and decreasing Al, Mn and Ti contents. Magnetite from the ultramafic lamprophyres is characterized by large compositional ranges due to the large amount of mantle-derived xenocrysts. Some grains are particularly high in Cr (up to 21.0 wt.% Cr2O3). Ti-, Mg- and Al-rich aluminous magnesian titanomagnetites are also found, however, most magnetites in the ultramafic lamprophyres are pure magnetite. The compositional variation of ilmenite from the Sokli complex is mainly caused by the substitution of Fe2+ into Mg and Mn, and partly Ti into Nb. Mg- and Mn-rich ilmenites in the early stage P1-C1 rocks evolve towards pure FeTiO3 composition in the latest D5 dolomite carbonatite. Ilmenites from the ultramafic lamprophyres are relatively poor in Mn compared to those from the phoscorite-carbonatite complex. In the coexisting m