Characteristics of alkali magma differentiation at the Cape Verde Islands

Parental magmas of the Cape Verde Islands are high-Mg foidites, picrobasalts, and basanites. The rocks can be classified into the following two differentiated series: (1) a high-alkali series, which includes picrites, high-Mg foidites, low-Mg-foidites, and phonolites; and (2) a series of moderate alkalinity, which includes picrobasalts, basanites, tephrites, tephrophonolites, phonotephrites, phonolites, and trachytes.The differentiation of both series is associated with a decrease in the concentrations of Mg, Fe, Ti, and Ca and an increase in the contents of Al, Si, K, and Na. Rare lithophile elements (REE, Zr, Nb, Th, Rb, and U) progressively enrich younger derivatives. The Sr and Ba concentrations pass through a maximum, as is typical of alkaline series, which are characterized by broad crystallization fields of plagioclase and melilite, minerals that have high distribution coefficients of these elements. The analysis of the composition of volcanic rocks from the Cape Verde Islands within the scope of the system olivine-diopside-nepheline shows that the evolution of the parental magmas was controlled by crystallization differentiation in shallow-depth intermediate chambers. This conclusion finds further support in data on inclusions in minerals and a simulated crystallization model in a magmatic chamber.