Ultramafic rocks

Ultramafic rocks (UMR) are composed chiefly of ferromagnesian minerals and have a low silicon content compared with the crust, mafic rocks and basalts. The term is often used interchangeably with ultrabasic; pyroxene-rich rocks are ultramafic but not ultrabasic because of their high SiO2 content. Peridotites, lherzolite, dunite and harzburgite are specific names applied to ultramafic rocks that are chiefly composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and an aluminous phase such as plagioclase, spinel or garnet. Ultramafic rocks are dense and mainly composed of refractory minerals with high seismic velocities. Basic rocks, such as basalts, become dense at high pressure (for example, eclogite) and can have properties comparable to the more refractory peridotites. Some eclogites overlap basalts in their bulk chemistry. The relationships between these rocks are shown in Figure 15.1.

Peridotites can represent

1. (1) The refractory residue left after basalt extraction.

2. (2) Cumulates formed by the crystallization of a magma.

3. (3) Primitive mantle that can yield basalts by partial melting.

4. (4) Cumulates or residues that have been intruded by basalt.

5. (5) High-pressure or high-temperature melts.

Peridotites contain more than 40% olivine. They are divided into fertile or infertile (or barren). Fertile peridotites can be viewed as having an appreciable basaltic component. The terms ‘enriched’ and ‘depleted’ are often used interchangeably with ‘fertile’ and ‘infertile’ but have trace-element and isotopic connotations that are often inconsistent with the major-element chemistry. Table 15.1 gives compositions for representative ultramafic rocks.