Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Stratigraphy of the Rustenburg Layered Suite, Bushveld Complex: Constraints on Crustal Contamination

Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Stratigraphy ofthe Rustenburg Layered Suite, BushveldComplex: Constraints on CrustalContamination

CHRIS HARRIS1,2*, JULIE J. M. PRONOST2,3, LEWIS D. ASHWAL4

AND R. GRANT CAWTHORN4

1DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, RONDEBOSCH 7700, SOUTH AFRICA

2D�EEPARTEMENT DE G�EEOLOGIE, UMR 6524, UNIVERSIT�EE JEAN MONNET, 23 RUE PAUL MICHELON,

F-42023 C�EEDEX 2, FRANCE

3LABORATOIRE MAGMAS ET VOLCANS, UMR 6524, 5 RUE KESSLER, 63000 CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE

4SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, PRIVATE BAG 3, PO WITS, 2050,

SOUTH AFRICA

RECEIVED JANUARY 1, 2004; ACCEPTED OCTOBER 5, 2004ADVANCE ACCESS PUBLICATION DECEMBER 3, 2004

New d18O values for plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine, and limited

whole-rock dD values are presented for samples from the Rustenburg

Layered Suite of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. In combination

with existing data, these provide a much more complete composite

O-isotope stratigraphy for the intrusion. Throughout the layered suite,

mineral d18O values indicate that the magmas from which they crystal-

lized had d18O values that were about 7�1‰, that is, 1�4‰ higher

than expected for mantle-derived magmas, suggesting extensive crustal

contamination.More limited H-isotope data suggest that the OH present

within whole rocks, regardless of the degree of alteration, is of magmatic

origin and not an alteration phenomenon. There appears to be no

systematic change in d18O value with stratigraphic height and this

requires the contamination to have taken place in a ‘staging chamber’

before emplacement of the magma(s) into the present chamber. Large

amounts (30–40%) of contamination by the lower to middle crust are

needed to explain these d18O values, which is in general agreement with

previous estimates based on Sr- and Nd-isotope data. Alternatively,

smaller amounts of contamination (�20%) by sedimentary rocks, or

their partial melts, represented by the country rock can explain the

data, but it is not apparent how such material could have been present

at the depth of the ‘staging chamber’ in the lower to middle crust.

KEY WORDS: Bushveld Complex; Rustenburg Layered Suite; oxygen

isotopes; hydrogen isotopes; crustal contamination

INTRODUCTIONThe mafic–ultramafic component of the Bushveld Com-plex of South Africa is the largest such igneous intrusion onEarth (e.g. Eales & Cawthorn, 1996) and contains someof the most important magmatic ore deposits yet discov-ered. The intrusion covers an area of roughly 65 000 km2

(e.g. Tankard et al., 1982) and lies almost entirely withinthe bounds of the sedimentary rocks of the TransvaalSupergroup (Fig. 1). The layered mafic–ultramafic rocksof the Bushveld complex have been designated theRustenburg Layered Suite [South African Committeeon Stratigraphy (SACS), 1980], henceforth abbreviatedto RLS, and were emplaced at 2058�9 � 0�8Ma (U/Pbdate on titanite, Buick et al., 2001). The RLS is mostcommonly subdivided using a zonal stratigraphy into anorite Marginal Zone, an ultramafic Lower Zone (LZ),an ultramafic to mafic Critical Zone (CZ), a gabbronori-tic Main Zone (MZ), and a ferrogabbroic Upper Zone(UZ). The boundaries between the zones are not alwaysdefined in the same way by different researchers, but theexact position of boundaries is not of great significance tothe present paper. A schematic stratigraphic column isshown in Fig. 1. Despite the large amount ofexisting data, no consensus has yet been reached on the

*Corresponding author. Telephone: þ27 21 6502926. Fax: þ27 21

6503783. E-mail: [email protected]

# The Author 2004. Published by Oxford University Press. All

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petrogenesis of the Bushveld magma(s). Most workers(e.g. Davies et al., 1980; Cawthorn et al., 1981; Sharpe,1981; Kruger, 1994; Eales & Cawthorn, 1996) are agreedthat the Rustenburg Layered Suite appears to have crys-tallized from at least three distinct magma types, and thatthese magmas were affected by a significant amount ofcrustal contamination.A large number of stratigraphic profiles have been

compiled through different sections of the layeredrocks; these include studies on the changes in mineralproportion and cryptic variations recorded in mineralcompositions (e.g. von Gruenewaldt, 1973; Cameron,1978; Teigler & Eales, 1996). One of the most signifi-cant stratigraphic datasets, which has greatly influencedideas concerning the origin and evolution of the mag-ma(s), is that of initial Sr-isotope ratio (Hamilton, 1977;Kruger & Marsh, 1982; Harmer & Sharpe, 1985;Sharpe, 1985; Kruger, 1994). The base of the LZrecords the lowest initial Sr-isotope ratios (0�7048)and thereafter the LZ shows considerable variability,reaching a high of 0�707 (Fig. 1). The CZ is also highlyvariable, with a sudden increase from 0�7065 to 0�7075at the level of the Merensky Reef (Kruger & Marsh,1982) just below the contact between the CZ and theMZ. The lower part of the MZ has variable initial

Sr-isotope ratios (0�7075–0�709) before becoming fairlyconstant (0�7085) through its upper part. At the Pyrox-enite Marker (Fig. 1), just below the contact betweenthe MZ and UZ, there is a sudden shift to lower initialSr-isotope ratios (0�7073), which remain at a similarvalue throughout the UZ. The Pyroxenite Marker (vonGruenewaldt, 1973) represents an important event,because it marks a reversal in composition of bothplagioclase and pyroxene, and a reversal in pyroxenemineralogy in that primary orthopyroxene reappears atthis layer, whereas there is inverted pigeonite below.Together with the Sr-isotope break, these observationssuggest a significant role for magma recharge. Kruger(1994) suggested that the variable Sr-isotope ratiosfrom the LZ to the lower MZ represent an open-system ‘integration stage’ with numerous influxes ofmagma, whereas the upper MZ and UZ represent aclosed-system ‘differentiation stage’ where the evolutionof the magmas was dominated by fractional crystal-lization with infrequent addition of new magma orin situ contamination.In contrast to the Rb–Sr system, there are compara-

tively few Sm–Nd isotope data for the Bushveld Com-plex. Maier et al. (2000) demonstrated that the eNd

stratigraphy of a 4700m section of the LZ to MZ in the

250 300

300SOUTH AFRICA

PRETORIAwestern limb

eastern limbnorthern limb

Rustenburg Layered Suite

Bushveld granite/granophyre

P Pilanesberg complex

MR

LZ

MZ

8 km

0 km100 km

0.709

Stratigraphy

0.706

Initial 87Sr/86Sr

PM

P

BV

ORT SFCT

Bushveld Complex

BPR

MZ

3.5 km

Stratigraphy

E and W limbs N limb

UZ

0m

1000m

3000m

LG6

Marginal Zone

CT

ORT

Clapham samples

Oliphantssamples

LG6

far western limb

CZ

Rustenburg

UZ

26o 30o

30o26o

25o25o

Fig. 1. Sketch map of the Bushveld Complex showing its location in South Africa (inset), and its three main limbs (eastern, western and northern).The location of the Bellevue borehole (BV), the Oliphants River and Clapham Troughs (ORT, CT), the Schwerin fold (SF), and Burgersfort (B)are shown. Also given are the generalized lithological stratigraphy and the variation of initial Sr-isotope ratio (from Kruger, 1994) withstratigraphic height for the western and eastern limbs and the lithological stratigraphy of the northern limb (UZ, Upper Zone; MZ, MainZone; CZ, Critical Zone; LZ, Lower Zone; PM, Pyroxenite Marker; MR, Merensky Reef; PR, Platreef). The stratigraphy of the LZ and CZat Clapham (Lee & Tredoux, 1986) and the Oliphants River (Cameron, 1978), and the location of samples analysed are also indicated.

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western limb follows an inverse relationship to that ofinitial Sr-isotope ratio, and that there is a negative(although not especially strong) correlation between eNd

and initial Sr-isotope ratios. Those workers concludedthat the parental magmas that fed into the lower part ofthe intrusion had assimilated a relatively small amount ofa partial melt of the crust, whereas the magmas parentalto the upper part of the complex had assimilated a higherproportion of an incompatible element poor residue ofthat previous partial melting event.Like Nd-isotopes, oxygen-isotope data for Bushveld

mafic rocks are comparatively scarce. Previous workhas shown that the d18O values of Bushveld magmas,estimated from mineral d18O values (Schiffries & Rye,1989; Reid et al., 1993; Harris & Chaumba, 2001),are typically about 1�5% higher than the value of5�7% expected for a mantle-derived basaltic magma(Ito et al., 1987; Eiler, 2001). Unlike Sr-isotopes, theoxygen-isotope data appear to show no systematicchange with stratigraphic height. The constancy ofthese data was taken by those workers to suggest thatthe parental magmas had already assimilated a signifi-cant amount of crust before emplacement and thatprogressive contamination of the magma in situ didnot occur to a significant degree.At present, it is not easy to reconcile models explain-

ing the radiogenic isotopes in terms of the influx ofdifferent magmas that had experienced variabledegrees of contamination and/or different contami-nants, with the lack of change in the O-isotope com-position. Nevertheless, it ought to be possible to useO-isotope data in combination with existing radiogenicisotope data to produce a well-constrained model forthe types of contamination process and the variouscontaminants involved. Oxygen isotopes have oneimportant advantage over radiogenic isotopes in thatthe concentration of oxygen in the various end-members would not be expected to vary significantly.Modelling of contamination processes using oxygenisotopes produces inherently better constrained solu-tions than is the case for radiogenic isotopes (e.g. Srand Nd) because the Sr and Nd concentrations aregenerally not known in all end-members. In the caseof the Rustenburg Layered Suite, modelling of radio-genic isotopes is problematic because the rocks arecumulates. Although the initial isotope ratios in thecumulates and the liquids from which they crystallizedought to be the same, it is not a simple matter todetermine the elemental concentration of Sr and Ndin the liquids based on the cumulate compositionsbecause of the trapped liquid effect (e.g. Cawthorn,1996). This is compounded by the problem of estimat-ing element concentrations in the proposed contami-nant, which for some zones may be a partial melt of acrustal rock.

PURPOSE OF STUDY

Our first aim is to produce a more detailed O-isotopestratigraphy of the Rustenburg Layered Suite. The exist-ing data comprise samples (n ¼ 24) from the eastern limb(Schiffries & Rye, 1989) with additional data for thenorthern limb from Harris & Chaumba (2001). Existingdata for the LZ and Marginal Zone are particularlysparse (only one sample of LZ), whereas the MerenskyReef and its immediate footwall and hanging wall havebeen comparatively thoroughly analysed by Schiffries &Rye (1989) and Reid et al. (1993). It is clearly importantto improve the density and distribution of sampling, andin this paper we combine the existing data with mineralanalyses of 25 additional samples from the northern limb(Fig. 1), and 14 samples of LZ and Marginal rocks fromthe eastern limb. We regard the acquisition of data fromthe Marginal Zone and the LZ of particular importance,as they potentially provide information on the composi-tion of the earliest magma(s) that were intruded. Theresulting dataset, although composite, gives a muchmore complete view of the O-isotope stratigraphy.Our second aim is to produce a model for crustal

contamination that can explain both the Sr- and Nd-isotope data and the O-isotope data for the Bushveldlayered rocks. In particular, it is important to explainwhy the radiogenic isotopes apparently vary systemati-cally with stratigraphic height whereas O-isotopes appar-ently do not. Although, as discussed above, O-isotopestudies permit well-constrained crustal contaminationmodels, they are more susceptible than Sr- and particu-larly Nd-isotopes to change during alteration processes.The approach used in this, as in previous papers(Schiffries & Rye, 1989; Reid et al, 1993; Harris &Chaumba, 2001), has been to analyse separated mineralsas opposed to whole-rock powders. The use of mineraldata has several advantages over whole rocks; only freshmineral grains are selected for analysis, and the differencein d18O value of coexisting plagioclase and pyroxene(Dplagioclase–pyroxene) indicates whether or not the mine-rals are in oxygen-isotope equilibrium at magmatictemperatures.It is important for this study that the effects of second-

ary alteration are well understood and can be eliminatedas a possible cause of O-isotope variation. With this inmind, a subset of samples have been analysed for theirhydrogen-isotope composition.

GEOLOGY AND SAMPLE

SELECTION

The Rustenburg Layered Suite (SACS, 1980) can bedivided into eastern and western limbs of approximatelythe same size, and a smaller northern limb (Fig. 1). Thefar western limb consists mainly of Marginal Zone rocks

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and the Bethal limb is situated under the cover of KarooSupergroup rocks. The oxygen-isotope data of Schiffries& Rye (1989) are for samples collected predominantlyin the eastern limb. Our new analyses are for LZ andMarginal Zone rocks from the Olifants River Trough(Cameron, 1978) and the Clapham Trough ( Valigy,1998) of the eastern limb. The location and a summaryof the stratigraphic position of the samples are given inFig. 1. These data are combined with new and existingdata for samples from a 3 km core through the northernlimb at Bellevue. The stratigraphy of the Bellevue corehas been described by Knoper & von Gruenewaldt(1992), Ashwal et al. (2004) and Barnes et al. (2004), andis not repeated here. An important difference betweenthis section through the northern limb and similarsections through the eastern and western limbs is theabsence of the Pyroxenite Marker, and its associatedreversal in mineral compositions and changes in pyrox-ene mineralogy. The core, drilled from the top of the UZ,does not extend as far as the Platreef, which is the miner-alized zone found at the base of the MZ in the northernlimb (Buchanan et al., 1981; Lee, 1996; Harris &Chaumba, 2001).To relate the samples in a composite stratigraphy,

the Bellevue core data and the data of Schiffries & Rye(1989) were combined using the appearance of cumu-lus magnetite at the UZ–MZ boundary as a commonreference. The Clapham Trough samples were relatedto the base of the LZ, with Marginal Zone samples(i.e. stratigraphically lower than the LZ) being assignednegative height (the Marginal Zone being of the orderof 220m thick here). Two samples are from theBurgersfort area and sample 382 was taken 1mabove the contact with metasedimentary rock. Theultramafic rocks above this contact were considered bySharpe & Hulbert (1985) to be a sill formed by ejec-tion of an olivine-rich mush expelled from the LZ. TheOlifants River Trough samples are from the middleharzburgite unit of the LZ (Cameron, 1978) and havebeen assigned a height of 1100m. It should be notedthat the LZ section at Clapham Trough is compressedrelative to that of Olifants River Trough, suggestingthat each developed as a separate ‘basin’ (e.g. Uken &Watkeys, 1997) separated by the Schwerin fold (Fig. 1).

PETROGRAPHY

Modal proportions for the samples from Bellevue,Clapham Trough and Olifants River Trough sectionsare presented in Tables 1 and 2. The petrography andmineral chemistry of samples analysed from the Bellevuecore (Fig. 1) were described by Knoper & von Gruenewaldt(1992) and Ashwal et al. (2004). The samples include gab-bros, norites, gabbronorites and anorthosites. Magnetite

and Fe-rich olivine are present in some of the UZ samplesand up to 10% modal quartz is present in some of theuppermost samples of the UZ. In the case of someanorthosites, it was not possible to separate sufficientpyroxene for analysis. The proportion of modal plagio-clase in the analysed samples (Table 1) varies from 46 to98% (mean 71%). Just over 400m below the MZ–UZboundary in the Bellevue core (at 1970�8m), there is afeldspathic clinopyroxenite layer about 1m thick (heretermed the Pyroxenite Horizon). This horizon is notequivalent to the Pyroxenite Marker of the western andeastern limbs (Ashwal et al., 2004), as there are funda-mental differences. It does not mark a reversal in mineralcompositions, and it coincides with a change from pri-mary orthopyroxene (below) to primary (now inverted)pigeonite (above), i.e. in the reverse sense to the Pyrox-enite Marker (Ashwal et al., 2004). Although there is noa priori evidence to link this horizon to an input of newmagma, by analogy with the western and eastern limbs, itmust be close to the level where the input of new (UZ)magma occurred. Ashwal et al. (2004) suggested that up to500m of the uppermost MZ (including the PyroxeniteMarker), is missing from the northern limb, possibly as aresult of thermal and/or mechanical erosion of theuppermost MZ by the emplacement of UZ magmas.The two lowest samples from the Bellevue core (2849�4and 2901; Table 1) contain significant quantities of olivine(10% and 12%, respectively) and as such are atypicalfor the MZ, which elsewhere contains no olivine. Theolivine-bearing rocks comprise four troctolitic layersfound near the base of the core. The two samples ana-lysed are from the uppermost and lowermost of theselayers, which are of the order of 50m in thickness. Ashwalet al. (2004) suggested that the primitive nature of mineralcompositions in these troctolites (An70–80, En80–83,Fo75–78) is more akin to the CZ, suggesting that thetroctolitic horizons might represent a sliver of CZ rocksdismembered by the intrusion of MZ magmas.The samples from the Clapham Trough and Olifants

River Trough, being from the LZ, are considerably moremafic and comprise norites, and feldspathic harzburgitesand pyroxenites. The Olifants River Trough samplescome from a short section that is rich in olivine(30–90%). In four samples (1352, 1532, 1535 and 1582;Table 2) it was possible to separate fresh olivine foranalysis, although these olivines showed minor serpen-tinization along cracks and at grain boundaries. TheClapham Trough samples contain no olivine, but havemuch higher amounts of orthopyroxene (65–92%) thanthe Olifants River Trough samples. The Marginal Zonenorites consist of orthopyroxene and plagioclase withvariable proportions of clinopyroxene, magnetite, quartzand biotite, the latter two minerals (which are not foundin the LZ, CZ or MZ rocks) suggesting some degree oflocal crustal contamination.

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Table1:Oxygen-

andhydrogen-isotope

dataforBellevuecoresamples

Dep

th(m

)Ht(m

)Typ

e%

plag

%opx

%pig

%cp

x%

ol

%op

%bi

%am

p%

qz

%ap

d18O

d18O

d18O

dDwr

H2Oþ

%An

plag

pyrox

qz

Upper

Zone

106.2

7949

Olivineferrodiorite

400

04

205

415

52

�117

0.27

42

352

7712

Quartz

anorthosite

830

00

03

40

100

7.6

47

375.1

7690

Granitevein

8.7

�60

0.35

45

417

7649

Quartz

anorthosite

870

00

01

02

100

7.4

6.1

45

462.7

7640

Olivinegab

bro

463

018

1510

50

03

6.9

5.9

�88

0.64

44

612

7461

Mag

netitean

orthosite

620

00

030

53

00

7.8

54

689.5

7386

Mgtolivinegab

bro

570

023

810

20

00

6.9

5.8

�95

0.21

47

847.4

7234

Mgtgab

bronorite

5515

016

012

20

00

6.1

6.0

�79

0.27

53

894

7189

Mgtleuco

gab

bro

740

105

08

21

00

8.0

56

969

7116

Anorthosite

8.3

58

969.5

7115

Mgtgab

bronorite

660

107

014

30

00

8.0

6.7

�69

0.65

58

1046

7042

Quartz

anorthosite

870

00

02

10

100

7.5

57

1146

6945

Mgtleuco

gab

bro

810

03

08

50

30

7.6

57

1211. 9

6881

Mgtgab

bronorite

689

07

015

10

00

9.1

6.3

�74

0.41

55

1318

6799

Mgtleuco

gab

bro

816

03

09

10

00

7.5

6.3

56

1402

6698

Mgtgab

bronorite

820

03

013

20

00

7.8

57

1510

6594

Mottledan

orthosite

970

02

00

00

10

7.2

6.6

57

1547. 9

6557

Leu

cogab

bronorite

730

612

09

00

00

7.3

6.4

�49

0.25

55

1558. 8

6546

Mgtleuco

gab

bronorite

820

34

011

00

00

8.4

6.2

�59

0.23

55

1560

6545

Mgtgab

bronorite

830

73

07

00

00

10. 4

55

Dep

th(m

)Ht(m

)Typ

e%

plag

%opx

%pig

%cp

x%

ol

%op

%qz

d18O

d18O

dDwr

H2Oþ

%An

plag

pyrox

MainZone;

MZ�UZboundaryat

1575. 81m

1594. 5

6511

Gab

bronorite

550

3015

00

07.2

6.3

�59

0.18

55

1618

6489

Gab

bronorite

450

4510

00

07.3

6.5

54

1693. 9

6416

Gab

bronorite

550

2520

00

07.1

6.4

�71

0.16

1745

6367

Gab

bronorite

490

3515

00

113. 1

6.4

�40

0.28

55

1790. 5

6323

Gab

bronorite

600

2713

00

07.6

6.4

56

1843. 3

6272

Gab

bronorite

500

3515

00

06.6

5.9

�75

0.28

54

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Table1:Continued

Dep

th(m

)Ht(m

)Typ

e%

plag

%opx

%pig

%cp

x%

ol

%op

%qz

d18O

d18O

dDwr

H2Oþ

%An

plag

pyrox

1870. 6

6245

Gab

bronorite

500

3515

00

06.9

6.4

�55

0.18

56

1912. 3

6205

Norite

580

357

00

07.1

6.5

�87

0.28

55

1934. 6

6183

Anorthosite

950

00

00

57.1

55

1955. 7

6163

Leu

conorite

800

155

00

07.0

6.2

�76

0.29

56

1966

6153

Melan

orite

460

504

00

06.9

6.5

58

PyroxeniteHorizon1969�1973

m

1975

6144

Mottledan

orthosite

940

41

00

17.0

6.6

60

1980. 1

6139

Gab

bronorite

5820

020

00

07.1

6.5

�94

0.18

60

1994. 6

6126

Leu

conorite

880

102

00

07.0

6.6

59

2021. 1

6100

Gab

bronorite

5030

020

00

06.8

6.3

�85

0.23

60

2046

6076

Gab

bronorite

6025

213

00

07.3

6.3

�52

0.15

59

2093. 2

6030

Leu

cogab

bronorite

760

1410

00

06.7

5.8

�73

0.20

60

2115

6009

Mottledan

orthosite

900

04

04

27.2

7.6

60

2307

5824

Leu

conorite

943

03

00

07.4

6.4

65

2446

5689

Leu

cogab

bronorite

881

010

00

17.2

6.6

70

2516

5622

Mottledan

orthosite

895

06

00

07.8

6.6

73

2703

5441

Anorthosite

980

02

00

07.1

75

2849. 4

5300

Olivinegab

bronorite

6013

07

200

06.8

7.0

�79

0.23

75

2901

5250

Troctolitelayerþ

opx

861

01

120

07.2

7.5

76

Geo

logyofco

re,modean

dplagioclaseco

mpositiondatafrom

Ashwalet

al.(2004).Dep

thisin

metresmeasuredalongtheco

re,heightistheestimated

heightin

the

intrusionas

awhole(see

text).Thedip

ofthemag

maticlayeringin

thearea

oftheboreholevaries

from

10to

20�(dip

assumed

tobe15

�forco

rrectionpurposes).plag,

plagioclase;

pyrox,

bulk

pyroxene;

opx,

orthopyroxene;

pig,inverted

pigeo

nite;

cpx,

Ca-rich

clinopyroxene;

ol,

olivine;

op,opaq

ueminerals;

bi,

biotite;am

p,

amphibole;qz,

quartz;ap

,ap

atite.

Sam

ple

106.2co

ntainsan

additional

5%alkalifeldspar.Biotite

andap

atite<1%

orab

sentin

allsamplesbelow

UZ�MZco

ntact.

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ANALYTICAL METHODS

Mineral separates were prepared by hand picking cleansieved material under a binocular microscope, in somecases after initial magnetic separation. Oxygen-isotoperatios of the silicate minerals were determined at theUniversity of Cape Town (UCT) and Universit�ee JeanMonnet (UJM) after drying powdered material in anoven at 50�C, and degassing under vacuum on conven-tional silicate lines at 200�C for 2 h. The silicate mineralswere reacted with ClF3 (UCT) or BrF5 (UJM) and the O2

was converted to CO2 using a hot platinized carbon rod.Stable isotope ratios were measured using either aFinnigan MAT252 (UCT) or a Micromass Isoprime

(UJM) mass spectrometer and are reported in the familiard notation where d ¼ (Rsample/Rstandard � 1) � 1000 andR ¼ 18O/16O. Duplicate splits of an internal standard(Murchison Line quartz, MQ) were run with each batchof samples in both laboratories. The d18O of MQ hasbeen accurately determined to be 10�1% after calibrationagainst the NBS-28 quartz standard, assuming a valuefor NBS-28 of 9�64% (Coplen et al., 1983). The averagevalue obtained for MQ was used to normalize the rawdata to the SMOW scale. The average differencebetween duplicates of MQ analysed during the courseof this work was 0�11% (UCT, n ¼ 8) and 0�20% (UJM,n ¼ 15). These are equivalent to 1s values of 0�06 and0�17, respectively, and represent the typical precision of

Table 2: Oxygen-isotope data for Marginal Zone, Lower Zone and Critical Zone samples

Sample Zone Ht (m) Type % plag % opx % cpx % ol d18O plag d18O pyrox d18O oliv dD wr H2Oþ

Burgersfort

382 LZ 1 Harzburgite 0 70 0 30 6.2 �65 3.92

6.3

384 Harzburgite �76 1.94

Oliphants River Trough

1352 LZ 1100 Harzburgite tr 70 0 30 6.4 5.6 �92 0.23

1532 LZ 1100 Pyroxenite 5.7 6.3 �79 0.50

5.7

6.0

1535 LZ 1100 Harzburgite 0 20 0 80 6.8 6.5 �86 3.56

1582 LZ 1100 Dunite 0 10 0 90 6.5 �77 6.86

1943 LZ 1100 Harzburgite tr 45 10 45 5.9 �97 0.21

Schwerin fold

1581 Marginal 0 Norite 7.8 �84 0.53

Clapham Trough

C11 LZ 53 Norite 7.3 7.5

C14 LZ 45 Pyroxenite 15 80 5 7.4 7.6

C17 LZ 35 Pyroxenite 5 92 3 7.3 7.0

C20 LZ 10 Pyroxenite 30 65 5 6.7

C22 Marginal �43 Norite 65 30 5 7.8 7.0



Brakspruit (Merensky Reef)

B85-14(-10) CZ Norite 6.7 6.2

B85-14(þ4) CZ Pegmatoid 6.7 6.5

B85-21 CZ Pegmatoid 6.8 6.3

B85-17(-80) CZ Norite 7.1 6.4

B85-23 CZ Norite 7.1 6.2

Olivine by laser fluorination; pyroxene and plagioclase by conventional fluorination. Mineral modes obtained by visualestimation using thin sections. Ht is stratigraphic height above the base of the LZ, hence Marginal Zone samples havenegative height. The Brakspruit data are unpublished analyses, courtesy of E. A. Mathez and P. Agrinier.

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the analyses. Further details of the methods employed forextraction of oxygen from silicates at UCT have beengiven by Vennemann & Smith (1990) and Harris &Erlank (1992); the UJM extraction procedure has beendescribed by Gerbe & Thouret (2004). The yields of CO2

produced from each mineral were measured to confirmcomplete reaction. The average yield of the conventionalextraction method was 98%. A smaller number ofmineral separates (including all olivine samples) wereanalysed using laser fluorination methods at UJM usingthe same equipment as described by Harris et al. (2000),but with BrF5 as reagent. Replicate analyses of theMonastery garnet standard (Harris et al., 2000) suggestthat the precision is comparable with that of the conven-tional fluorination data. Unlike the conventional ana-lyses, which comprise many individual grains, the laserdata were obtained on 1–3 individual mineral grains. Theaverage yields for laser fluorination during the courseof this work were plagioclase 97%, quartz 94%, pyroxene97% and olivine 96%.Hydrogen isotopes were determined at UCT using

the method of Vennemann & O’Neil (1993). Whole-rock samples were degassed on the vacuum line at200�C prior to pyrolysis. An internal water standard(CTMP; dD ¼ �9%) was used to calibrate the datato the SMOW scale and a second water standard (DML;dD ¼ �300%) was used to correct for scale compression(e.g. Coplen, 1993). Typical reproducibility of internalbiotite standards during the period of analysis was �2%(1s). Water contents were determined either from thevoltage measured on the mass 2 collector or (in the caseof large samples) from the pressure measured duringsample inlet using identical inlet volume to standards ofknown number of micromoles. Repeated measurementsof water standards of known mass suggest that the typicalrelative error for the water content is 3%. However, itshould be noted that many of the whole-rock samplesanalysed contain very little H2O

þ and in these samplesthe errors might be somewhat higher. Duplicate analysesof sample 2046 gave dD values of �52 and �54% andH2O

þ values of 0�15 and 0�15 wt %.

RESULTS

The d18O values of plagioclase and pyroxene samplesfrom the Bellevue core are given in Table 1 and pre-sented graphically in Figs 2–4. Both plagioclase and pyr-oxene show a fairly restricted range in d18O values, from6�1 to 8�4% (mean 7�32%; n¼ 41) and from 5�8 to 7�6%(mean 6�45%; n ¼ 32), respectively. The only exceptionsare three samples (1211�91, 1560, 1745) that have plagi-oclase of much higher d18O value (9�1, 10�4 and 13�1%,respectively), which have not been included in the aver-age. The per mil difference (D) between plagioclase and

pyroxene ranges from þ0�6% to þ1�3% (mean valueþ0�98%; n ¼ 31, not including the samples with abnor-mally high plagioclase d18O values), with two exceptionsat �0�4 and þ0�1% (samples 2115 and 847�42, respec-tively). A single olivine from one of the olivine-bearingzones at the base of the Bellevue core gave a d18O valueof 6�4%.Data from the LZ and Marginal Zone of the eastern

limb are given in Table 2. Pyroxene and olivine from theultramafic rocks of the Olifants River Trough gave d18Ovalues of 5�7–6�8% and 5�6–6�5%, respectively. Repli-cate analyses were made of olivine from two samples andthe difference (0�6%) is somewhat larger than predictedby the normal analytical precision. This may be due tooxygen-isotope heterogeneity among olivine grains, butit is also possible that small amounts of alteration are pre-sent along cracks, which affects the d18O value of eachgrain to a different degree. The Marginal Zone and LZsamples from the Clapham Trough have very consistentplagioclase (mean 7�47%) and pyroxene (mean 7�04%)d18O values and a single Marginal Zone norite from theSchwerin fold contains plagioclase with a d18O of 7�8%.A comparison of conventional and laser fluorination

data for selected samples from the Bellevue core is shownin Table 3. Although there is broad agreement betweendata obtained by the different methods for some samples(e.g. 1843�34 and 2849�40), the laser data sometimesdiffer considerably from the conventional data, particu-larly so for plagioclase. For the samples in Table 3, themean d18O values for plagioclase and pyroxene by con-ventional analysis are 6�96 and 6�21%, whereas by laserfluorination the values are 6�54 and 5�98%, respectively.Thus it appears that the laser data are generally slightlylower than the conventional values. It is important tonote that the conventional data represent an average ofmany grains, whereas the laser data often represent onlyone grain, having 5–15% of the mass of the sampleanalysed by the conventional method. Apart from analy-tical error, possible explanations for this apparent differ-ence are, first, that individual mineral grains containvariable quantities of impurities and/or minor alterationphases and, second, that the d18O values of minerals areinherently heterogeneous. Variability in plagioclase d18Ovalues within the same sample could be due to post-magmatic interaction with fluids, which is not petrogra-phically visible. Pyroxene is more resistant to alteration,but unlike plagioclase there is the possibility of the pre-sence of small magnetite inclusions, which are not alwaysvisible under the binocular microscope. A single magne-tite was analysed, which has a much lower d18O value(�0�1%, Table 3). The observed per mil differencebetween pyroxene and magnetite in this sample corres-ponds to a temperature of 515�C [using the equationsof Chiba et al. (1989)]. The presence of small magnetiteinclusions within pyroxene grains in the UZ might

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explain why the laser pyroxene analyses tend to be morevariable than the conventional analyses. Variable d18Ovalues within fresh phenocryst populations (and some-times within individual crystals) have been recognizedin volcanic rocks (e.g. Baker et al., 2000) and related tocrystal accumulation during contamination. In the RLS,Prevec et al. (2004) showed that individual rocks from theMerensky and Bastard Reefs of the RLS contain mineralswith variable initial Nd- and Sr-isotope ratios. It is, there-fore, possible that individual minerals in the RLS haveinherently heterogeneous d18O values as a result ofmagmatic processes. Because of the greater variabilityof the laser data, we have chosen to use the conventionald18O values for pyroxene and plagioclase on all plots. Amore detailed study of the intra-sample variability ind18O values within RLS rocks, combined with radiogenicisotopes, is required to resolve this issue.

Figure 2 shows a plot of plagioclase vs pyroxene d18Ovalues for the Bellevue core samples, Clapham Troughsamples, and samples from all three zones of the layeredsuite analysed by Schiffries & Rye (1989). Also plotted areMerensky Reef data from Brakspruit in the western limb(E. A. Mathez & P. Agrinier, unpublished data, 2004) andthe range of values for Merensky Reef footwall rocks fromImpala Platinum, western limb (Reid et al., 1993). Mostsamples plot between the 550�C and 1150�C iso-therms with a significant minority (including most of theSchiffries & Rye samples) having Dplagioclase–pyroxene

values between 0 and 0�58%. It should be noted thatthe three samples that have very high plagioclase d18Ovalues are not plotted, and there are four samples thathave values of Dplagioclase–pyroxene close to zero. The threesamples for which both olivine and pyroxene have beenanalysed are also plotted in Fig. 2. Two of the samples

18O

plag

iocl

ase/

oliv

ine

18O pyroxene5 6 7 8

6

7

8

9= 1.74 (550

o C)

= 0.58 (1150o C)

MR BrakspruitBellevueS & R (1989)

Plag-pyroxene

Ol-pyroxene

LZ

= -0.45 (1150o C)

K

ST

GDPossible CZ rocks

21152901

2849.40

LZ ClaphamMR footwall

Fig. 2. Plot of the d18O value of plagioclase (or olivine) vs the d18O value of pyroxene for Bellevue and Clapham Trough (LZ) samples. TheOliphants River Trough data cannot be plotted as the rocks do not contain plagioclase. Also plotted are the Bushveld data of Schiffries & Rye(1989) and Merensky Reef data from Brakspruit (Nicholson & Mathez, 1991), in the Rustenburg section of the western limb [E. A. Mathez &P. Agrinier, unpublished data (2004) given in Table 1]. The field of data for samples from the Merensky Reef footwall at Impala Platinum, in thewestern limb (n ¼ 18, Reid et al., 1993) is also shown. The crosses mark the average for the Great Dyke (GD, Chaumba & Wilson, 1997), Kiglapait(K, Kalamarides, 1984) and Stillwater (ST, Dunn, 1986). The two olivine-bearing samples from the base of the Bellevue core that might representCZ (see text) are indicated. Plagioclase–pyroxene isotherms for 550 and 1150�C (corresponding to values of Dplagioclase–pyroxene of 1�74 and 0�58%,respectively) are shown, as is the olivine–pyroxene isotherm for 1150�C (D ¼ �0�45%). The isotherms are calculated using the calibrations ofChiba et al. (1989) and for plagioclase assume a constant composition of An60.

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show Dolivine–pyroxene values that are close to the predicteddifference of �0�45% at 1150�C. There is no correlation(Fig. 3) between plagioclase d18O value (or pyroxene; notshown) and the modal percent plagioclase, nor is therea correlation between Dplagioclase–pyroxene and modalpercent plagioclase.Whole-rock hydrogen-isotope compositions and water

contents for selected samples are given in Tables 1 and 2,and presented graphically in Fig. 5. The range of dDvalues from �53 to �99% is similar to values previouslyobtained for the Bushveld (Mathez et al., 1994; Harris &Chaumba, 2001; Willmore et al., 2002). The Bellevuesamples are notable for their relatively low whole-rockwater contents (0�18–0�65 wt %) whereas some of the LZsamples have much higher water contents as a resultof partial serpentinization. It should be noted that thereis no correlation between water content and dD value orbetween dD value and Dplagioclase–pyroxene. The highlyserpentinized sample 1582 with 6�86 wt % water (equiva-lent to about 50% serpentine) has a dD value (�77%)that is comparable with the dD value in comparativelyunaltered samples. Those samples with <0�5% H2O

þ

have similar average dD values (�82%) to those samples

with >0�5% H2Oþ (�76%). Mathez et al. (1994) deter-

mined the dD values in samples within a 40m sectionintersecting the Merensky Reef at Atok (now LebowaPlatinum Mines) in the eastern limb. They found verylow bulk-rock water contents (0�04–0�26 wt %, mean0�13, n ¼ 36) and concluded that the water resided eitheras structural water within pyroxene, as suggested byBell & Rossman (1992) for mantle orthopyroxenes, or assubmicroscopic phlogopite along orthopyroxene clea-vage planes. The data presented in Tables 1 and 2 suggestthat there is little or no difference in H-isotope composi-tion between water in high-temperature minerals suchas amphibole and biotite, and water in hydrous mineralssuch as serpentine formed at lower temperatures, at leastin the LZ.

MAGMATIC VS HYDROTHERMAL

SIGNATURES

Because some layered intrusions (e.g. Skaergaard andSkye; Taylor & Forester, 1979; Taylor, 1987) showshifts in d18O associated with subsolidus hydrothermal

Modal % plagioclase

0 20 40 60 80 100

18O

plag

iocl

ase

6

7

8

plag

iocl

ase-

pyro

xene

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5 LZ Oliphants River

MZ and UZ Bellevue core

Marginal Zone

Fig. 3. Plots of the difference in d18O value of plagioclase and pyroxene (Dplagioclase–pyroxene) and plagioclase d18O value vs the modal percentplagioclase. Only data from the Bellevue core, the Oliphants River Trough and the Marginal Zone are shown.

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alteration (e.g. Gregory & Criss, 1986), it is important toestablish whether or not the samples analysed here reflectthe composition of the crystallizing cumulates, or resultfrom subsequent fluid–rock interaction. In general, theeffects of post-crystallization hydrothermal activity onplutonic rocks can be investigated by evaluating thedegree of oxygen-isotope equilibrium between coexistingminerals and/or whole rocks, using so-called d–d plots(Gregory & Criss, 1986; Gregory et al., 1989). The mostuseful d–d diagrams plot the d18O value of a mineral thatexchanges oxygen relatively rapidly vs the d18O value of acoexisting mineral that exchanges oxygen more slowly.Minerals in equilibrium in a suite of rocks are character-ized by arrays that lie on an equilibrium line of constantper mil difference between the two minerals (D), whichare lines of constant temperature. Rock assemblages thathave interacted with an external fluid will form arraysthat are not parallel to these equilibrium lines becauseof the greater susceptibility of one of the minerals toequilibrate with the fluid.Schiffries & Rye (1989, 1990) showed that

Dplagioclase–pyroxene values for samples from the eastern

limb of the Bushveld Complex showed no evidence forinteraction with hydrothermal fluids. In Fig. 2, our newdata are plotted together with those of Schiffries & Rye(1989), and it can be seen that there is a relatively highdegree of internal oxygen-isotope equilibrium. The newdata are generally more scattered than the existing databut the overall spreads of data are similar.Values of Dplagioclase–pyroxene between 0�58 and 1�74%

[from 1150 to 550�C using the plagioclase–diopside frac-tionation curve of Chiba et al. (1989)] can be explained bycontinued oxygen-isotope exchange during slow cooling(e.g. Giletti, 1986). The plagioclase samples with highd18O values have presumably been affected by post-crystallization interaction with fluids at low temperatures,which would have raised their d18O values. The twosamples at the base of the Bellevue core (2849�4 and2901), which possibly represent large xenoliths or screensof LZ or CZ material, are notable for having plagioclased18O values slightly lower than that of pyroxene, whichplot away from the main dataset, along with two LZsamples and sample 2115 in Fig. 3. These samples withnegative Dplagioclase–pyroxene values presumably indicate

5 6 7 8 -118O pyroxene

5 6 7 8 9

Str

atig

raph

ic h

eigh

t

5000

6000

7000

8000

18O plagioclase

quartz

PH

UZMZ

0 1 2

plag-pyroxene

(a) (b) (c)

Olivine-bearing (CZ ?)

Model A Model B

Fig. 4. Variation of (a) pyroxene, (b) plagioclase d18O values and (c) Dplagioclase–pyroxene with stratigraphic height in the Bellevue core throughthe northern limb. Stratigraphic height is taken to be the overall height in the intrusion calculated with reference to the MZ–UZ boundary.Conventional data only are plotted. PH, Pyroxenite Horizon (see text). In (c) calculated curves for Dplagioclase–pyroxene are shown. Model A assumesa linear decrease in crystallization temperature between 1150�C (base) and 1050�C (top) and no subsolidus re-equilibration of oxygen. Model Bassumes oxygen-isotope equilibrium between plagioclase and pyroxene continued to a closure temperature of 550�C. The calibrations of Chibaet al. (1989) were used to calculate Dplagioclase–pyroxene using the appropriate An content of each sample (Table 1).

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Table 3: Comparison of Bellevue core data produced by laser and conventional extraction methods

Depth (m) Type Conventional Laser

d18O d18O d18O d18O d18O

plag pyrox plag pyrox other

106.20 Olivine ferrodiorite 7.3 8.7(qz)

689.49 Magnetite olivine gabbro 6.9 5.8 7.8 5.9

847.42 Magnetite gabbronorite 6.1 6.0 7.5 5.7

969 Anorthosite 8.0 6.7 7.5 5.6 �0.1(mgt)

1211.91 Magnetite gabbronorite 9.1 6.3

1558.77 Magnetite leucogabbronorite 8.4 6.2 7.2, 6.6 5.6

MZ�UZ boundary at 1575.81m

1843.34 Gabbronorite 6.6 5.9 6.6 6.0

1912.31 Norite 7.1 6.5 5.5, 6.0 6.4,7.0

1955.67 Leuconorite 7.0 6.2 5.4 6.0

1980.10 Gabbronorite 7.1 6.5 5.6, 5.4 5.9

2021.05 Gabbronorite 6.8 6.3 6.8

2849.40 Olivine gabbronorite 6.8 7.0 7.1 7.0 6.4 (ol)

H2O+ wt.%

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

Str

atig

raph

iche

ight

5000

6000

7000

8000

D whole-rock-100 -80 -60 -40

UZMZ

PH

(LZ)(1.94, 3.56, 3.92, 6.86)

(LZ)

Fig. 5. Variation of whole-rock dD value and wt % H2Oþ with stratigraphic height in the Bellevue core through the northern limb. The MZ–UZ

contact and the level of the Pyroxenite Horizon are indicated. The data for the LZ are shown plotted at an arbitrary stratigraphic height forcomparison. It should be noted that some LZ samples have H2O

þ contents that are too high to be plotted, and these are indicated.

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O-isotope disequilibrium as a result of alteration. Sample2849�4 has Dolivine–pyroxene¼�0�6%, which is close to the1150�C value of 0�45% given by Chiba et al. (1989).These data suggest that, in at least some rocks, plagioclased18O values have been lowered during alteration, in thiscase at high temperatures. The most important feature ofthe data, however, is that the Dplagioclase–pyroxene values ofbetween 0�3 and 1�5% observed for the Bushveld rocksare typical of fresh gabbros worldwide (e.g. Taylor, 1968;Gregory & Criss, 1986), and imply the preservation ofmagmatic oxygen-isotope compositions in the vast major-ity of rocks of the Rustenburg Layered Suite.The range of dD values for bulk rocks and minerals

of �53 to �99% obtained by previous workers has beeninterpreted as magmatic in origin (Mathez et al., 1994;Harris & Chaumba, 2001; Willmore et al., 2002). Harris& Chaumba (2001) suggested, on the basis of palaeomag-netically determined latitude, that meteoric water inter-acting with the Bushveld rocks at 2050Ma would havehad a dD value of about �20%. Water of this isotopecomposition would have produced serpentine with a dDvalue of about�40% [assuming a temperature of 400�C,and the Dserpentine–water of �20% given by Suzuoki &Epstein (1976)]. The hydrogen-isotope data, therefore,do not suggest a significant role for 2050Ma (or recent)meteoric water, even in the serpentinized LZ sampleswith high water content. This suggests either that theestimate for the dD value of ambient meteoric water iswrong, or that the fluids responsible for serpentinizationwere of magmatic rather than meteoric origin.

OXYGEN-ISOTOPE COMPOSITION

OF THE PARENT MAGMA

It is important to note that the norites and pyroxenites ofthe Bushveld intrusion do not represent quenched liquidcompositions, with the possible exception of the MarginalZone rocks. It is, therefore, necessary to estimate themagma d18O value from mineral data. It was shownabove (Fig. 2) that most of the analysed samples haveplagioclase and pyroxene d18O values that are consistentwith oxygen-isotope equilibrium at magmatic tempera-tures in that they plot between the closure (550�C) andcrystallization (1150�C) isotherms. Let us consider thecase of a bimineralic gabbro with 71% plagioclase and29% pyroxene, as is the case for the average Bellevuesample. At the moment of crystallization from a mantle-derived basaltic magma with, for example, a d18O valueof 5�70%, this rock would have plagioclase with a d18Ovalue of 5�90%, pyroxene with a d18O value of 5�40%,and a whole-rock d18O value of 5�76% (i.e. the cumulatehas a slightly higher bulk d18O value than the magma),assuming Dplagioclase–pyroxene¼ 0�5, appropriate for plagio-clase (An70) and pyroxene at 1150�C (Chiba et al., 1989)

and that Dplagioclase–melt ¼ þ0�2% (Kyser et al., 1981). Ifthis cumulate cooled slowly to about 750�C, a plausibleclosure temperature for pyroxene in a medium-grainedigneous rock, Dplagioclase–pyroxene ¼ 1% (Chiba et al., 1989)and the d18O values of the coexisting plagioclase andpyroxene will therefore be 6�05 and 5�05%, respectively(by mass balance, assuming equal concentrations ofoxygen in both minerals, with the bulk-rock d18O valueremaining at 5�76%). The change in pyroxene d18Ovalue is larger than that of plagioclase because its modalabundance is less. Hence the pyroxene d18O value is now0�65% less than that of the original magma.The above approach cannot be used to relate mineral

and magma d18O values exactly because the magnitudeof the change in pyroxene and plagioclase d18O valueduring slow cooling is also dependent on parameters suchas grain size and cooling rate (e.g. Gregory & Criss,1986). Furthermore, the closure temperature to oxygendiffusion is not known and the rocks commonly departsignificantly from bimineralic assemblages. Nevertheless,the original magma d18O value is unlikely to differ greatlyfrom that of the bulk rock, even for rocks with extrememodal mineralogy. In Fig. 6c the bulk-rock d18O valuefor the Bellevue samples has been calculated from themineral d18O values and the modal proportions, assum-ing that the rocks contain only plagioclase and pyroxene.In the absence of a more rigorous approach, which isnot justified, these bulk-rock d18O values are assumed toapproximate those of the original magmas. The lack ofcorrelation between modal percent plagioclase andmineral d18O values (Fig. 3) supports this assumption.For rocks where only one mineral has been analysed,and for the Schiffries & Rye (1989) data, for which nomodes are available, it is assumed that Dplagioclase–rock andDpyroxene–rock are þ0�35 and �0�65%, respectively.

O- AND H-ISOTOPE

STRATIGRAPHY

Upper and Main Zones (Bellevue)

Although there is a certain amount of scatter in the data,particularly for plagioclase, the following general featuresof the oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of Bellevue are evi-dent. Pyroxene d18O values in the Bellevue core (Fig. 4)show an overall decrease with increasing stratigraphicheight, whereas plagioclase d18O values show more scat-ter but do not appear to show a systematic change. Thisfeature is also seen in the data of Schiffries & Rye (1989)through a much larger stratigraphic thickness of theeastern limb of the Bushveld. In addition, between thelevel of the Pyroxenite Horizon and the UZ–MZ bound-ary (Fig. 4), there appears to be a zone with generallylower values of Dplagioclase–pyroxene.

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As a general rule, the value of Dplagioclase–pyroxene wouldbe expected to increase with stratigraphic height for tworeasons.(1) The plagioclase becomes more sodic with height

(Ashwal et al., 2004; Table 3) and Dplagioclase–pyroxene isknown to increase with decreasing anorthite content inthe plagioclase (Chiba et al., 1989).(2) It is generally understood that the crystallization

temperature in the layered suite decreased with strati-graphic height (e.g. Wager & Brown 1968) and thiswould have resulted in an increase in Dplagioclase–pyroxene

of the primary minerals with stratigraphic height. How-ever, post-crystallization reaction could obscure suchtrends.The data presented in Fig. 4 for the Bellevue core

suggest a value of Dplagioclase–pyroxene of about 0�9% forthe lowest analysed part of the MZ (above the olivine-bearing rocks). There is no apparent systematic changein plagioclase d18O value and because plagioclase con-stitutes typically 80–90% of these rocks, no change inbulk-rock d18O is implied. The predicted Dplagioclase–pyroxene

at crystallization temperatures is 0�53% [calculated fromthe data of Chiba et al. (1989) assuming An70 and1150�C]. Just below the pyroxenite horizon the plagio-clase composition is An64. Plagioclase of this composition

and an observed Dplagioclase–pyroxene of 0�9% suggestfinal O-isotope equilibrium at 850�C. Just above thePyroxenite Horizon, Dplagioclase–pyroxene is 0�4%, whichimplies closure to O diffusion at much higher, magmatictemperatures. The value of Dplagioclase–pyroxene appears toremain constant for the remainder of the MZ (Fig. 4c). Inthe UZ, the d18O value of plagioclase varies significantly,probably the result of interaction with fluids, but there isno indication of a systematic change. Although the datafor the upper part of the UZ are scattered, values forDplagioclase–pyroxene are fairly constant at about 1�3%. Fora plagioclase of An47 (typical for the UZ, Table 1), thiscorresponds to a temperature of 730�C using the Chibaet al. (1989) fractionation factors.The rocks between the Pyroxenite Horizon and the

MZ–UZ contact are much more pyroxene rich (generallyabout 50% pyroxene 50% plagioclase) but the change inmodal proportions in these essentially bimineralic rocksshould not affect Dplagioclase–pyroxene. Using the observedchanges in modal proportions and assuming plagioclaseand pyroxene d18O values of 6�2 and 7�1% (below thePyroxenite Horizon) and 6�6 and 6�9% (above thePyroxenite Horizon), it could be argued that there wasa change in magma d18O value from 7�0 (below) to 6�8%(above) at the level of the Pyroxenite Horizon, although it

18O pyroxene

5 6 7 8

Str

atig

raph

iche

ight

(met

res)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

6 7 8 918O plagioclase

quartz

olivine

This work

Schiffries & Rye

6 7 8 918O bulk-rock

LZ

CZ

MR

MZ

UZ

KST

GD

K

STGD

(a) (b) (c)

210-1 3

(d)

MR Brakspruit

plag-pyroxene

Man

tle-d

eriv

edm

agm

a

Man

tle-d

eriv

edm

agm

a

Man

tle-d

eriv

edm

agm

a

Fig. 6. Variation of d18O value of (a) pyroxene, (b) plagioclase, (c) calculated bulk rock (see text) and (d) Dplagioclase–pyroxene with stratigraphicheight for the RLS. This is a composite section with data taken from different parts of the intrusion (see text) and includes published data fromSchiffries & Rye (1989) and E. A. Mathez & P. Agrinier (unpublished data, 2004). Data from the Merensky Reef footwall at Impala (western limb)from Reid et al. (1993) show the same range as the MR data plotted here, and are omitted from the figure for clarity. Details of procedure followedfor estimating stratigraphic height are given in the text. Datum is taken to be the base of the LZ, hence Marginal Zone samples have beenallocated negative values for stratigraphic height. The range and average for similar rocks from the Great Dyke (GD), Kiglapait (K) and Stillwater(ST) are shown; data sources as for Fig. 2.

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should be noted that the difference is well within theanalytical errors and uncertainty in estimating magmacomposition from mineral d18O values.The hydrogen-isotope stratigraphy of the Bellevue core

is shown in Fig. 5. There is no obvious systematic changein dD with stratigraphic height, but it may be significantthat the least negative dD values are found in the rocksbetween the Pyroxenite Horizon and the MZ–UZ con-tact. Water contents in the MZ rocks are uniformly low(0�15–0�30 wt %), although this may, in part, be due tothe fact that only the freshest looking samples were ana-lysed. The UZ rocks have variable, but generally higherwater content (up to 0�65 wt %), which is often muchhigher than expected given the small amount of biotiteand/or amphibole usually present (Table 1). This is con-sistent with the occurrence of significant quantities ofhydroxyl-bearing minerals as very small inclusionswithin, for example, pyroxene and/or the presence ofwater within the pyroxene structure as discussed byMathez et al. (1994).

Lower and Marginal Zones (Clapham andOlifants River Troughs)

The Lower Zone samples (Table 2) have more variedd18O values than the rocks from elsewhere in theBushveld Complex. Kruger (1994) documented fairlylarge variations in initial Sr-isotope ratio in the LZ(0�7047–0�7072), which suggest that greater variation inmagma d18O than the MZ and UZ might also haveexisted. Both olivine and pyroxene in the Olifants RiverTrough samples, and pyroxene and plagioclase in theClapham Trough samples, have variable d18O values.The Olifants River Trough samples have pyroxened18O values of between 5�7 and 6�8% and olivine d18Ovalues that range from 5�6 to 6�5%. Pyroxene d18Ovalues from the Clapham Trough samples range from6�6 to 7�6% (mean 7�04, n ¼ 7) with plagioclase d18Ovalues ranging from 7�3 to 7�8% (mean 7�47 n ¼ 6). TheClapham Trough samples typically have higher d18Ovalues than the Olifants River Trough samples. Typicald18O values of these minerals within mantle-derived vol-canic rocks would be around 5�5% (pyroxene) and 5�2%(olivine) (e.g. Eiler, 2001). Thus all samples studied fromthe LZ have higher d18O values than expected forentirely mantle-derived magmas.

Overall stratigraphy of the RLS

A composite oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of the Bushveldlayered rocks is shown in Fig. 6, which combines our datafrom the LZ of the eastern limb, and the MZ and UZ ofthe northern limb (Bellevue), with published data for theeastern limb (Schiffries & Rye, 1989) and Merensky Reefdata from the western limb. As described above, these

data come from numerous different localities over a hor-izontal distance of over 200 km, and there is, therefore,a degree of uncertainty in how each group of samples isstratigraphically related. However, this uncertainty isrelatively small compared with the total stratigraphicheight of the intrusion. The following are the most impor-tant features. The LZ shows the most variation in plagio-clase and pyroxene d18O values with the lowest valuesrecorded in the Olifants River Trough samples. Althoughthere is scatter in the data, the only systematic changein d18O value with height is a general increase inDplagioclase–pyroxene. This corresponds to little or no changein the bulk-rock d18O value (see below). Apart from somesamples in the LZ, all Bushveld gabbros have d18O thatare higher than typical mantle-derived magmas (or theircumulates). The variation of bulk-rock d18O value withstratigraphic height for the whole intrusion is shown inFig. 6c. The average bulk-rock d18O value is 7�12 �0�47% (1s, n ¼ 101), which becomes 7�07 � 0�34 (1s)if three samples with anomalously high d18O values areomitted. The most important features of these diagramsare that there seems to be no evidence for systematicchange in d18O value with stratigraphic height and that,on average, the RLS cumulates crystallized from magmasthat had d18O values of �7�1%. Figure 6c suggests thatthere might be a slight decrease in bulk-rock d18O withincreasing stratigraphic height, but the average d18Ovalue for the UZ is 6�95 � 0�38 (1s, n ¼ 35), whichis not statistically different from the average d18O valuefor the MZ of 7�09 � 0�29 (1s, n ¼ 19). The moredetailed stratigraphy available for the Bellevue samplesindicates that the rocks between the Pyroxenite Horizonand the top of theMZ crystallized frommagmas that mayhave had slightly lower d18O values (�6�8%).Unfortunately, our hydrogen-isotope stratigraphy for the

Rustenburg Layered Suite is much less complete thanthat for oxygen (Fig. 5). Nevertheless, despite consider-able variation in water content and degree of alteration(particularly in the LZ), there appears to be no systematicchange in whole-rock dD value with stratigraphic height.

Comparison with other layered intrusions

The mean values and 1s variation for other layeredintrusions (Kiglapait, Stillwater and the Great Dyke)with similar mineralogy, are shown in Fig. 6a and b. Itshould be noted that all three intrusions have minerald18O values that indicate final oxygen-isotope equili-brium at high temperatures (Fig. 2). Average plagioclaseand pyroxene d18O values for Kiglapait, Stillwater andthe Great Dyke are 6�84 (n ¼ 32) and 5�29% (n ¼ 3)(Kalmarides, 1985), 6�48 (n ¼ 28) and 5�9% (n ¼ 10)(Dunn, 1986) and 6�90 (n ¼ 5) and 6�08% (n ¼ 5)(Chaumba & Wilson, 1997), respectively. The averaged18O values for Rustenburg Layered Suite plagioclase

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and pyroxene are 7�23% (n ¼ 69; two samples withd18O >10% omitted) and 6�45% (n ¼ 64) respectively,which are slightly, but as we shall show, significantlyhigher than values for the other three intrusions.

DISCUSSION

Origin of high d18O values

Although the d18O values of the Bushveld magmas arenot ‘high’ in the generally accepted sense, the fact that thegabbros appear to have crystallized from mafic magma(s)that had a d18O value around 7�1% indicates significantcrustal contamination, as does the fact that the RLS d18Ovalues are somewhat higher than other similar mafic–ultramafic intrusions. The Bushveld magmas have d18Ovalues that are about 1�4% higher than expected from anuncontaminated mantle-derived magma (5�7%, Ito et al.,1987; Eiler, 2001). Schiffries & Rye (1989) suggested thatpartial melting of an 18O-enriched mantle source wasan unlikely explanation for the high d18O values in theBushveld magmas. This explanation has become evenless tenable since their study because mantle xenolithsfrom the Kaapvaal Craton show no evidence for elevatedd18O values. Mattey et al. (1994) showed that olivine frommantle xenoliths and diamond inclusions from five kim-berlite pipes in South Africa had an average d18O valueof 5�19% (�0�28 2s, n ¼ 24). This value is indistinguish-able from that expected for olivine in equilibrium withNMORB magma assuming Dmelt–olivine ¼ 0�5% (Eiler,2001, p. 323). Willmore et al. (2002) suggested that theRLS magmas were derived by hydration partial meltingin a subduction setting, on the basis of the high Cl/Fratios of CZ and LZ rocks, d37Cl values of biotites thatare higher than the country rocks, and the ‘boninitic arc-like character’ of their magmas. However, an arc affinity,even if true, could not explain the high d18O values of theRLS magmas because Eiler et al. (2000) have shown thatmost arc-derived lavas have d18O values that are within0�2% of MORB.The other plausible explanation for higher than mantle

d18O values is crustal contamination, which is the pre-ferred model of most workers to explain the high initialSr-isotope ratios of the RLS (e.g. Hamilton, 1977; Kruger& Marsh, 1982; Harmer & Sharpe, 1985; Kruger, 1994).The lack of any apparent systematic change in d18O withstratigraphic height for each zone suggests that themagmas became contaminated before emplacement atupper-crustal levels and were well mixed at the time ofintrusion, as previously pointed out by Schiffries & Rye(1989). Sharpe et al. (1986) suggested that picritic mantle-derived magmas mixed with partially melted crust in a‘master AFC crystallization chamber’ which then peri-odically fed into the Bushveld chamber to give rise to theRustenburg Layered Suite. Although Sharpe et al. (1986)

suggested that this staging magma chamber was situatedat the crust–mantle boundary, the exact depth is poorlyconstrained and, depending on the crustal level, possiblecontaminants could include the local country rocks(Archaean granites, and Transvaal Supergroup dolo-mites, metamorphosed shales, and quartzites), as well asdeeper crust.In the following sections, crustal contamination models

will be discussed in terms of bulk mixing between magmaand possible contaminants. This approach has also beenused to model radiogenic isotope data by Maier et al.(2000), who discussed the limitations of using such asimple approach on the validity of their models. The factthat oxygen concentrations do not vary significantlybetween end-members means that bulk mixing andmore complex models such as AFC (assimilation accom-panied by fractional crystallization, DePaolo, 1981) donot lead to significantly different solutions. Bulk mixingcan be viewed as an end-member case of an AFCprocess where none of the introduced material with (inthis case) higher 18O content is lost via the cumulates. Foran AFC process, the integrated amount of contaminationrequired to explain a given shift in d18O value is alwayslarger than for bulk mixing.Schiffries & Rye (1989) concluded that the rocks of the

Transvaal Supergroup were the most likely contaminantsbecause of their availability and relatively high d18Ovalues (9–15%). Simple mixing models indicate thatbetween 15 and 42% contamination with such materialwould raise the d18O values of the magmas to 7�1%.Pelitic rocks are present in considerable thicknesseswithin the Transvaal Supergroup (SACS, 1980; Ericksson& Reczko, 1995); for example, the Silverton Formation(up to 800m) and the Timeball Hill Formation (up to1500m), which have easily fusible components andrepresent the most plausible upper-crustal material thatcould have contaminated the RLS magmas. Johnson et al.(2003) discussed partial melting in metapelites of theSilverton Formation (within the contact aureole of east-ern limb). Those workers found little variation in whole-rock d18O value across a wide range of metamorphicgrade (12�2 � 1�0%, 2s, n ¼ 20) with leucosomes havingd18O values only slightly higher than the host rocks(average 12�8%, n¼ 3), which was interpreted as indicat-ing closed-system melting. Similar partial melts couldpresumably have mixed with the RLS magmas, and20% of material having a d18O value of 12�8% wouldhave been required to raise the magma d18O value from5�7 to 7�1%.The available d18O values for Archaean granitic rocks

of the Kaapvaal craton suggest typical values of around6–8% (Taylor, 1968; Barker et al., 1976; Faure & Harris,1991), and Archaean granite below the northern limb hasa whole-rock d18O value of 8�3% (Harris & Chaumba,2001). Because the d18O values of these granitic rocks are

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only a few per mil higher than the expected value fora mantle-derived magma, they are not plausible contam-inants on the grounds that very large amounts of con-tamination (>50%) would be required. The MalmaniDolomite in the vicinity of the northern limb (Fig. 1)has high d18O values (21–23%, Harris & Chaumba,2001) but is not a suitable contaminant on chemicalgrounds because its assimilation would have decreasedthe silica activity of the magma (i.e. favouring the crystal-lization of olivine). Thus contamination by either thegranite or dolomite at shallow levels is not favoured.If contamination took place at a much deeper level in

the crust before magma emplacement, it is necessary toconsider the likely oxygen-isotope composition of lower–middle crust. The closest exposures of rocks that arereasonable candidates for lower to middle crust beneaththe Bushveld are in the Vredefort impact structure150 km to the south (Hart et al., 1990; Lana et al., 2003)and the southern marginal zone of the Limpopometamorphic belt a similar distance to the north. Inboth cases an extensive O-isotope database is available( Vennemann & Smith, 1992; La Grange et al., 2000;La Grange, 2004).Archaean basement rocks exposed in the core of the

Vredefort structure have been divided by Hart et al.(1990) into the OGG (outer granite gneiss) and ILG(inlandsee leucogranofels). The boundary between thetwo appears to represent the transition between partialmelt-depleted granulites (ILG) and melt-rich amphibo-lite-facies migmatitic gneisses (OGG) that formed duringregional metamorphism of tonalitic crust at 3�1Ga (Lanaet al., 2003). Geobarometry on pelitic gneisses suggests adepth of burial of about 17–20 km for the OGG (Stevenset al., 1997) and at the time of formation of the BushveldComplex at 2�05Ga, the OGG–ILG rocks would havebeen typical of the middle crust in the region. A d18Oprofile through an 11 km section of the OGG and ILGrocks of the Vredefort structure (La Grange, 2004) showscomparatively little variation in whole-rock d18O value,with the majority of whole-rock d18O values beingbetween 8 and 10%. The average d18O value of theVredefort orthogneisses is 9�15% (2s ¼ 1�96%, n ¼ 35)and the average d18O value of quartz in the analysedrocks is 9�83 (2s¼ 1�41%, n¼ 6) (La Grange, 2004). It isunlikely that any partial melt of these rocks would havehad a d18O value that is more than 1% higher thanthe bulk rock. The oxygen-isotope composition ofamphibolite- to granulite-facies pelitic rocks of the South-ern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt (Vennemann& Smith, 1992) is very similar to those of Vredefort.The Limpopo amphibolite-facies rocks have a meand18O value of 9�59% (n ¼ 11), which is almost identicalto the average for the granulites of 9�61% (n ¼ 9).Furthermore, the total range from 8�1 to 11�4% is verysimilar to that of Vredefort, which suggests that the

oxygen-isotope composition of the lower to middle crustdoes not (and did not at 2050Ma) vary significantlybeneath the Bushveld.Mass-balance calculations assuming simple mixing

show that it would require 41% contamination of theBushveld magma by material having a d18O valueequal to the average for Vredefort of 9�15% to raisethe d18O value from 5�7 to 7�1%. Similarly, it wouldrequire 36% contamination by material having a d18Ovalue equal to the average for the Limpopo metapelites of9�60% to raise the d18O value of the Bushveld magmafrom 5�7 to 7�0%.In summary, there are effectively two different assimila-

tion models that can explain the high d18O values ofthe Rustenburg Layered Suite. The first, endorsed bySchiffries & Rye (1989) and subsequently by Harris &Chaumba (2001), favours the Transvaal Supergroup sedi-mentary rocks as the contaminants, the most likelymechanism being mixing with partial melts of peliticunits such as the Silverton Formation. The second modelproposes that assimilation took place in a staging magmachamber(s) that was situated in the lower to middle crust.In the case of the Transvaal Supergroup, the contaminantshave relatively high d18O values and about 20% assimila-tion would be required to raise the magma d18O value to7�1%. Because the d18O value of the lower to middle crustappears to be neither especially high (9�2–9�6%) nor veryvariable, then it is necessary to accept that, for assimilationat these levels, the amount of contamination would havebeen much higher, of the order of 36–41%.As it appears that the crustal assimilation process took

place before emplacement, it seems unlikely that theseshallow-level crustal rocks could have been available ascontaminants. The Transvaal Supergroup sedimentaryrocks are only about 200Myr older than the BushveldComplex (e.g. Eriksson & Reczko, 1995) and the max-imum thickness of the Transvaal Supergroup is of theorder of 10–15 km in the area of the eastern limb accord-ing to SACS (1980). The RLS was intruded discordantlywithin the Transvaal Supergroup (e.g. Cawthorn 1998),which means that the thickness of Transvaal Supergrouprocks beneath the RLS is variable and difficult toestimate. It seems unlikely that a staging magmachamber could have been situated within the TransvaalSupergroup.

Multi-isotope constraints on crustalcontamination

Differences in initial Sr-isotope composition led Hamilton(1977) to suggest that each zone of the RLS crystallizedfrom magma of a different isotope composition and itis now generally accepted (e.g. Kruger, 1994; Eales &Cawthorn, 1996) that at least three different magmatypes were involved; one with LZ–CZ affinity, one from

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the Merensky interval to the Pyroxenite Marker, and onefrom the Pyroxenite Marker to the top of the UZ. Thefirst magma was fairly silica- and magnesium-rich (55�7and 12�4%, respectively) as suggested by Davies et al.(1980) and Sharpe (1981). The second magma, emplacedat the level of the Merensky Unit and called B3 bySharpe (1981), was a more typical tholeiitic composition(between 51 and 53% SiO2 and 8�5–9�2% MgO accord-ing to the previous two workers). The third magma,intruded at the level of the Pyroxenite Marker, contained49�3% SiO2 and 6�1%MgO (Davies & Cawthorn, 1984).The first combined Sr- and Nd-isotope study of the

RLS rocks was by Maier et al. (2000). Those workerssuggested that the LZ was contaminated with relativelysmall amounts (10–30%) of material of granitic composi-tion, formed by small degrees of melting (5%) of thetypical upper-crust composition proposed by Taylor &McClennan (1985). By contrast, the MZ magma wasformed through higher degrees (40–50%) of contamin-ation with the depleted restite formed as a result of thefirst partial melting event. Maier et al. (2000) envisagedthat the CZ magma would be intermediate between LZand MZ magmas. At the level in the crust proposed bythem for the staging chamber (about 35 km), residues ofpartial melting would be granulites (Pati~nno Douce &Beard, 1995), which ought to have lower Nd and higherSr contents than their partial melts. The conclusions ofMaier et al. (2000) are qualitatively consistent with themajor element compositions of the proposed parentalmagmas in that the LZ magma had high silica togetherwith high MgO. The MZ magma had lower silica andlower MgO content, which is consistent with higherdegrees of contamination (hence lower MgO) by materialhaving lower silica (i.e. restite). The modelling of Maieret al. (2000) shows that in terms of Sr- and Nd-isotopes,the lower portion of the crust exposed at Vredefort is alsoa suitable contaminant with about 15% contaminationby a partial melt indicated for the LZ magmas and35–40% contamination by the restite indicated for theMZ magmas. However, Maier et al. (2000) rejectedVredefort lower crust as a potential contaminant infavour of generic upper crust (of Taylor & McClennan,1985) on the basis of trace element arguments. However,given that major uncertainty exists over the radiogenicisotope and trace element composition of the parentalmantle-derived magma for all magma types, argumentsagainst contamination by material similar to Vredefortlower crust cannot be regarded as well founded.The estimates of Maier et al. (2000) for the required

degree of contamination by Vredefort rocks to generatethe MZ magmas (about 33–40%, their fig. 7c) and theestimates based on simple mass-balance models for oxygenisotopes discussed above (38%) agree well. There is, how-ever, less agreement for the LZ. Our data for theLZ suggest a range in d18O values of 6�2–7�6% for the

LZ magma(s) (Fig. 6c). As discussed above, a partial meltof the Vredefort rocks would be unlikely to have a d18Ovalue higher than 10�15%. Simple mass-balance mixingmodels assuming a mantle-derived magma of 5�7% and acontaminant of 10�15% suggest that amounts of contam-ination from 11 to 43% could generate the range in d18Ovalues, with 29% contamination to generate the averageLZ value of 7�0%. This is much higher than the 15%contamination proposed for the LZmagma byMaier et al.(2000).The UZ was not considered by Maier et al. (2000) but

it appears to have crystallized from a tholeiitic magma,which had a slightly lower initial Sr-isotope ratio (0�7073)than the preceding MZ (0�7085; Kruger, 1994). How-ever, the magma that was added at the level of thePyroxenite Marker and then mixed with residual MZmagma had an initial Sr-isotope ratio of 0�706(Cawthorn et al., 1991) The initial Sr-isotope ratio of theUZ magma is higher than expected for mantle-derivedmagmas. In the UZ, Sr-isotope ratio does not vary sys-tematically with stratigraphic height, which again sug-gests that crustal contamination took place beforeemplacement. As discussed above, d18O values estimatedfor bulk rocks between the Pyroxenite Horizon and thebase of the UZ are on average about 0�2% lower thanthose for the rocks above and below, but apart from this,there is no indication that the UZ and MZ rocks havesignificantly different d18O values.The lack of systematic change in d18O value with

stratigraphic height in the RLS coupled with the appar-ent lack of variation in d18O of the middle to lower crustof the Kaapvaal Craton, as suggested by the VredefortDome data of La Grange (2004), requires that theamount of contamination was roughly similar in theUZ, MZ and LZ. The initial UZ magma had a lowerMgO content than the MZ magma, which would beconsistent either with a more felsic contaminant (i.e. themost easily melted fraction) or a greater amount of frac-tional crystallization at depth. The lower initial Sr-isotoperatio could then be explained either by a lower Sr contentor lower Sr-isotope ratio at 2050Ma of the UZ contam-inant compared with the MZ contaminant. These fea-tures are consistent with the contaminant of the UZmagma being a partial melt, in the same manner as thecontaminant to the LZ. This in turn requires that thestaging magma chamber be situated at a different level inthe lower to middle crust that was unaffected by theearlier partial melting event. Sharpe (1985) and Maieret al. (2001) suggested that the MZ intruded the RLSmagma chamber during the later stages of crystallizationof the upper CZ. In this model, the UZ represents dis-placed, less dense, residual magma, which eventuallycrystallized above the MZ, despite being older. If thismodel were to be true, it would obviate the need for asecond staging chamber.

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Four samples from the Marginal Zone of the Bushveldhave d18O values that lie at the high end of the entiredataset, averaging 7�6 and 6�8% for pyroxene and pla-gioclase, respectively. Such values suggest crystallizationfrom a magma having higher d18O than all other samplesfrom the RLS except those of the Platreef in contact withthe country rock (Harris & Chaumba, 2001). This maybe related to contamination of the Marginal Zonemagma by local country rocks of the Transvaal Super-group, perhaps by the partial melts described by Johnsonet al. (2003).

Origin of RLS magmas

It was suggested above that the RLS magmas were con-taminated by lower to middle crust because of a lackof availability of upper-crustal material in a sub-RLSstaging chamber. However, a mechanism that couldaccount for the presence of upper-crustal material deepwithin the crust is the meteorite impact hypothesis, firstproposed for the Bushveld by Hamilton (1970) and sub-sequently supported by Rhodes (1975). It has recentlybeen suggested by Jones et al. (2002) that impact-inducedmelting may be more important than hitherto realizedin the formation of large igneous provinces, of which theBushveld Complex is an example. Jones et al. envisagedthat such a situation would result in mantle melts mixingwith melts from the sub-crater materials in a similarmanner to that suggested above for formation of RLSmagmas. The lack of physical evidence for impact, in theform of a crater, was explained by Jones et al. (2002)by auto-obliteration by the subsequent volcanism.Despite the fact that impact is an attractive mechanism

for explaining pre-emplacement assimilation of uppercrust by RLS magmas, the absence of convincing evi-dence for shock deformation of pre-Bushveld rocks (e.g.Buchanan & Reimold, 1998) strongly suggests that theBushveld Complex did not form as a result of impact.The high silica content (55�7%) of the LZ magma com-bined with its high MgO (12�44%) has led some research-ers to suggest that the early RLS magmas were boninites(Sharpe & Hulbert, 1985; Hatton & Sharpe, 1989) andtherefore formed in a subduction-related environment.As discussed above, such an origin cannot explain thehigh d18O values of the RLS magmas, and we believethat their composition can equally well be explainedby extensive crustal contamination. The high degree ofassimilation proposed here, and by Maier et al. (2000),clearly required considerable heat, which suggests thatthe original mantle-derived magma was high-MgO picri-tic or possibly komatiitic in composition (e.g. Barnes,1989). Numerous workers have attributed Bushveldmagmatism to the influence of a mantle plume (e.g.Sharpe et al., 1986; Hatton, 1995), and in common withMaier et al. (2000) we believe it provides a reasonable

explanation of the composition and extent of the RLSmagmas. In this situation, extensive crustal assimilationcould be expected only where the crust is already hot,that is, at the deep levels in the crust we have proposed.

Magma influx at the Pyroxenite Horizon?

Although there are no sudden changes in bulk-rock d18Ovalues, the marked decrease in Dplagioclase–pyroxene at thelevel of the Pyroxenite Horizon (Fig. 4) requires explan-ation. Given that this stratigraphic level may be close tothe interval that marks the influx of the new magmaparental to the UZ, it seems reasonable to suppose thatinflux of magma might be the cause of the change inDplagioclase–pyroxene. The influx of new magma to form theUZ at the level of the Pyroxenite Marker in the easternand western limbs has previously been suggested on thebasis of a reversal in mineral compositions and a suddendecrease in initial Sr-isotope ratio (e.g. von Gruenewaldt,1973; Sharpe, 1985; Cawthorn et al., 1991). Although itsMgO was not especially high (6�1%, Davies & Cawthorn,1984) the more primitive mineral compositions (in termsof Mg-number) suggest that it was hotter than the magmaalready in the chamber. The relationship between thePyroxenite Marker in the eastern and western limbs andthe Pyroxenite Horizon in the northern limb is unclear.Ashwal et al. (2004) suggested that the level of the Pyrox-enite Horizon represents a magmatic transgression ofUpper Zone magmas over Main Zone cumulates.There are four possible causes for change in

Dplagioclase–pyroxene at the Pyroxenite Horizon that couldbe related to an influx of magma:(1) crystallization from a hotter magma;(2) change in pyroxene type from primary orthopyrox-

ene to pigeonite;(3) change in volatile content of the recharge magma;(4) change in cooling rate.

In theory, Dplagioclase–pyroxene depends on the temperatureof the magma from which the minerals crystallize, but thedifference in Dplagioclase–pyroxene for plagioclase of com-position An60 between 1150 and 1000�C is only 0�15%(Chiba et al., 1989). A change from An70 to An60 (which isnot observed) would only increase this difference by0�07%. Therefore on both petrographic grounds (theabsence of mineral reversals) and consideration of frac-tionation factors, the shift in Dplagioclase–pyroxene cannot bedue to the intrusion of hotter magma at that level of thenorthern limb.At the level of the Pyroxenite Horizon, the pyroxene

assemblage changes from primary orthopyroxene andcalcic clinopyroxene to primary pigeonite and calcicclinopyroxene. Hence, a change in the Dplagioclase–pyroxene

may occur coincident with this phase change if pigeonitefractionates oxygen isotopes in a similar manner to calcicclinopyroxene. However, the theoretical fractionations of

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Zheng (1993) suggest that the difference in d18O betweenortho- and clinopyroxene is of the order of 0�26% at555�C and 0�09% at 1150�C. Hence, this differenceis not large enough to explain the observed decrease inDplagioclase–pyroxene across this boundary.Mechanisms (3) and (4) are related to changes in the

temperature of mineral closure to oxygen diffusion (e.g.Giletti, 1986). As discussed above, oxygen can continueto diffuse and equilibrate isotopically between mineralsafter crystallization down to a theoretical minimum tem-perature of about 550�C, at which Dplagioclase–pyroxene ismuch larger (1�74% for An60) than at magmatic tem-peratures. Two parameters that could influence the finalclosure temperature are volatile content and rate of cool-ing. Any new magma injected into the Bushveld magmachamber ought to have been less volatile-rich than theexisting magma in the chamber. This is because volatileswould have been excluded from the anhydrous crystal-lizing phases and would have become concentrated in theresidual magma as the proportion crystallized increased.The presence of volatiles is known to increase the rate ofdiffusion of oxygen in minerals (e.g. Cole & Chakraborty,2001). Alternatively, the decrease in Dplagioclase–pyroxene

could represent a sudden increase in the rate of cooling.Of the two mechanisms, the latter is more consistentwith the seemingly abrupt change in Dplagioclase–pyroxene

and there is no supporting petrographic evidence (e.g.hydrous minerals, or higher H2O

þ in the samples imme-diately below the Pyroxenite Horizon) for the former.Hence the Pyroxenite Horizon could represent an influxof magma that initially cooled fairly rapidly in contactwith the surrounding, colder cumulates, before inflationof the chamber and intrusion of the main body of UZmagma. There is some petrographic support for this asthe rocks within the stratigraphic interval in question aregenerally finer grained than the rest of the Bellevue core(Ashwal et al., 2004).

CONCLUSIONS

(1) The original RLS magma(s) had d18O values thatare on average 1�4% higher than the 5�7% expected in anuncontaminated mantle-derived magma. The RLS rockshave higher d18O values than other layered mafic toultramafic intrusions such as Stillwater, Kiglapait andthe Great Dyke for which mineral d18O values are avail-able. Crustal contamination is the most likely cause ofhigh d18O values, as previously suggested.(2) Hydrogen-isotope data suggest that water contained

within RLS minerals is of magmatic origin and is not analteration phenomenon.(3) There is no evidence for any systematic change in

magma d18O value, either in the 2500m section throughthe northern limb that was studied in detail, nor in the

Rustenburg Layered Suite as a whole. The intrudingmagmas must have been already contaminated and wellmixed, which suggests a ‘staging’ magma chamber inthe middle to lower crust. It is unlikely that the exposedcountry rocks around the Bushveld were available ascontaminants at the required depth in the crust.(4) The lower to middle crust in the region has consis-

tent d18O values of around 9�2–9�6% over a considerabledepth range (>10 km). Considerable degrees of contam-ination (36–41%) are required to raise d18O from atypical mantle value of 5�7% to the observed values ofabout 7�1%.(5) Previously published models using a combination

of Sr- and Nd-isotope data have indicated that the LZwas contaminated by 10–30% of a partial melt of thecrust, whereas the MZ was contaminated by muchgreater quantities (40–50%) of the residue of partial melt-ing. Although consistent with the large amounts of con-tamination required, the O-isotope data require that theamounts of contamination to form both the LZ and MZmagmas are similar. Previous models relating the extentof shifts in radiogenic isotope data to changes in concen-tration of the element in question in the contaminantcaused by partial melting can explain the paradox ofchanging radiogenic isotope composition with strati-graphic height with the lack of change in d18O value ofthe various magmas.(6) The value of Dplagioclase–pyroxene is significantly lower

between the level of the Pyroxenite Horizon and theMZ–UZ contact in the northern limb. This can best beexplained by a higher closure temperature to oxygendiffusion in these rocks, which is most likely to be aresponse to the input of new magma intruded at thislevel. The most plausible explanation is that the initialmagma cooled more rapidly against the pre-existingrocks before further inflation of the magma chamberand formation of the UZ.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was financed by the NRF as part of a colla-borative project to study the Bellevue Core co-ordinatedby L.D.A. The analytical work in France was funded bythe CNRS and the Universit�ee Jean Monnet. Ed Mathezand Pierre Agrinier unselfishly made available unpub-lished data on the Merensky Reef, which we reporthere. We are indebted to Fayrooza Rawoot for her care-ful undertaking of some of the analytical work. We arealso grateful to Mike Knoper for assistance in sampling,and to Viviane Berthon, Marie-Christine Gerbe andChristophe Renac for help with the stable isotope ana-lyses in St-Etienne. Financial support for this work wasprovided by the NRF (South Africa) and the CNRS(France). Constructive reviews by Colin MacPherson,

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Wolf Maier and Ed Mathez, and the editorial sug-gestions of Marjorie Wilson, helped to improve therevised version.

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