A crustal-upper-mantle model for the Colorado Plateau based on observations of crystalline rock fragments in the Moses Rock Dike

Abstract

On the basis of the size, the abundance, and the petrographic character of xenoliths in the Moses Rock dike, a model for the vertical stratigraphy of crystalline rocks beneath the dike is proposed extending from near the surface to a depth of about 200 km. Sedimentary clasts, whose original position in the undisturbed vent walls is known but which are now within the intrusive breccia of the Moses Rock dike, show a decrease in size with distance of upward transport from their original position in the vent walls. This inverse relationship between fragment size and known depth of origin provides an empirical basis for a reconstructed model for the distribution of rocks on the basis of the particle size of fragments in the intrusive breccia. Metabasalt, granite, and granite gneiss are abundant in the upper part of the crust along the dike walls; diorite, gabbro, and amphibole schists of basic composition constitute intermediate layers, and garnet-bearing metagabbro (basic granulite gneiss) and serpentine schist are present in the lower crust. The crustal rock suite is predominantly metavolcanic and metaplutonic and basic in composition. Dense ultramafic rocks, possibly derived from the mantle, constitute about 0.3% of the breccia filling the dike and include jadeite-rich clinopyroxenite, eclogite, spinel-websterite, spinel-lherzolite, and garnet-lherzolite. The M discontinuity appraently occurs within a petrologically complex region and may coincide with phase and compositional transitions, which include hydration. A compositional transition within the upper mantle between spinel- and garnet-peridotite (lherzolite) is inferred. The variety and the abundance of ultramafic and dense types, together with the complexity of their textures, suggest that the mantle may be as complicated as the crust in composition and history.