Abstract
Theδ 18O (SMOW) values of the Kirkpatrick Basalt (Jurassic) on Mt. Falla, Queen Alexandra Range, vary between +6.3‰ and +8.6‰ The apparent enrichment of these rocks in18O excludes the possibility that they were altered by interaction with aqueous solutions of meteoric origin. Theδ 18O values of the flows correlate significantly with the initial87Sr/86Sr ratios and all major elements. These correlations confirm the hypothesis that the basalt magma was contaminated by rocks of the continental crust through which it was extruded. Estimates of the chemical composition of the basalt magma and the contaminant, based on extrapolations of the new oxygen data, generally confirm earlier estimates based on extrapolations of initial87Sr/86Sr ratios. The87Sr/86Sr ratio of the uncontaminated basalt was 0.7093 which indicates that magma may have originated by melting either in old Rb-enriched lithospheric mantle under Antarctica or in the overlying crust, or both.
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Hoefs, J., Faure, G. & Elliot, D.H. Correlation of δ18O and initial87Sr/86Sr ratios in Kirkpatrick basalt on Mt. Falla, transantarctic mountains. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 75, 199–203 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01166760
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01166760