Rodingites from the Veria-Naousa ophiolite (Greece): Mineralogical evolution, metasomatism and petrogenetic processes

In the Veria-Naousa ophiolitic complex (north Greece), rodingite appears mainly in the form of cross cutting dykes within serpentinised peridotites. It is distinguished into three types, based upon the provenance of its protoliths, textural characteristics, mineralogical assemblages and geochemical affinities. Type I rodigites were derived from boninitic diabasic protoliths and their mineralogical assemblage include garnet + clinopyroxene + chlorite. Type II rodingites were formed at the expense of gabbroic precursors, comprising clinopyroxene + garnet + vesuvianite ± quartz, whereas Type III rodingites replaced diabasic tholeiitic protoliths comprising of garnets + vesuvianite + clinopyroxene + chlorite. Rodingitisation resulted in desilification, decrease of alkalies, Al, Fe, Mg and increase in Ca contents. In Type I rodingites the MREE (middle rare earth elements) and HREE (heavy rare earth elements) were slightly reduced. Type II rodingites experienced LREE (light rare earth elements) depletions, whereas MREE and HREE remained fairly stable. Restricted mobility of REE in Type III rodingites is assigned to shallow-level rodingitisation under decreasing pH.Rodingitisation occured in two distinct stages at fore-arc settings. The first stage occured under mildly oxidising conditions and enhanced CO2/H2O ratios. This stage affected the protoliths of all rodingite types. The second rodingitisation stage occured under more oxidising conditions and lower CO2/H2O ratios, which corresponds to the exhumation stage of the serpentinite-rodingite formations. Types II and III rodingites were subjected to further rodingitisation under the increasing influence of slab-derived hydrous phases at shallower depths, leading to the formation of late-stage andradite and vesuvianite. All stages of rodingitisation are estimated to have occurred under relatively moderate temperatures and pressure (~300 to 450 °C; ~2–6 kbar respectively).