Petrology and geochemistry of potassic and ultrapotassic volcanism in central Italy: petrogenesis and inferences on the evolution of the mantle sources

Major, trace element, Sr isotopic and mineral chemical data are reported for mafic volcanic rocks (Mg-value 65) from the northern-central sector of the potassic volcanic belt of Central Italy. The rocks investigated range from potassic series (KS) and high-K series (HKS) to lamproitic (LMP) and kamafugitic (KAM) through a transitional series (TRANS), thus covering the entire compositional spectrum of potassic and ultrapotassic magmas. KAM rocks are strongly silica undersaturated and, compared with the other rock series, have low SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Na₂O, Sc and V and high CaO, K/Na, (Na + K)/Al. KS and HKS have high Al₂O₃, CaO and variable enrichment in K₂O and incompatible elements. LMP rocks are saturated in silica and have high SiO₂, K₂O, K₂O/Na₂, MgO, Ni and Cr and low Al₂O₃, CaO, Na₂O, Sc and V. TRANS rocks display intermediate compositional characteristics between LMP and KS.

All the rocks under study have fractionated hygromagmaphile element patterns with high LIL/HFS element values and negative anomalies of Ti, Ta, Nb and Ba. Negative Sr anomalies are observed in the LMP and TRANS rocks. LIL elements show overall positive correlations with K₂O, whereas different trends of Sr and HFSE vs. K₂O are defined by LMP-TRANS and KS-HKS-KAM. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr range from about 0.710 to 0.716. KS, HKS and KAM rocks have similar ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values clustering around 0.710. LMP and TRANS rocks have the highest ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values.

Geochemical and isotopic data reported for the most primitive Italian potassic and ultrapotassic rocks support the hypothesis that the interaction between crustal and mantle reservoirs was a main process in the genesis of Italian potassic magmatism. Simple mass balance calculations exclude, however, an important role of crustal assimilation during ascent of subcrustal magmas to the surface and indicate that the sources of Central Italy volcanics underwent contamination with fluids and/or melts released by upper crustal material previously brought into the mantle by subduction processes.

Different trends of incompatible elements vs. K₂O observed in the studied rocks suggest distinct metasomatic processes for the sources of the investigated magmas. Liquids derived by bulk melting of pelitic sediments are believed to be the most likely contaminants of the source of LMP rocks. Fluids or melts rich in Ca, Sr and with high LILE/HFSE value and Sr isotopic composition around 0.710 are the most likely contaminant of the source region of KS, HKS and KAM volcanics. Variations in CaO, Na₂O and ferromagnesian element abundances and ratios suggest that, in some zones, the mantle source of potassic magmas experienced partial melting with extraction of basaltic liquids prior to metasomatism.