lamproite
Sign in to savethumb|right|Sample of lamproite Lamproite is an ultrapotassic mantle-derived volcanic or subvolcanic rock. It has low CaO, Al2O3, Na2O, high K2O/Al2O3, a relatively high MgO content and extreme enrichment in incompatible elements.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Petrology
- Mineralogy
- Geochemistry
- Economic importance
- Nomenclature
- Related rock types
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|right|Sample of lamproite Lamproite is an ultrapotassic mantle-derived volcanic or subvolcanic rock. It has low CaO, Al2O3, Na2O, high K2O/Al2O3, a relatively high MgO content and extreme enrichment in incompatible elements.
Lamproites are geographically widespread yet are volumetrically insignificant. Unlike kimberlites, which are found exclusively in Archaean cratons, lamproites are found in terranes of varying age, ranging from Archaean in Western Australia, to Palaeozoic and Mesozoic in southern Spain. They also vary widely in age, from Proterozoic to Pleistocene, the youngest known example from Gaussberg in Antarctica being 56,000 ± 5,000 years old.