Lamprophyre
1. Introduction and Definition
Lamprophyres are dark-colored, fine- to medium-grained, porphyritic igneous rocks that are rich in
mafic minerals (biotite, amphibole, pyroxene) and alkali feldspar. They typically occur as dikes, sills,
or small intrusive bodies and are characterized by their panidiomorphic texture with abundant
euhedral mafic phenocrysts in a fine-grained groundmass.
Definition: Lamprophyres are a group of alkaline, ultrapotassic or sub-alkaline hypabyssal rocks,
rich in biotite, hornblende, and other ferromagnesian minerals, occurring as minor intrusions
(especially dikes).
2. Mineral and Chemical Composition
Mineral Composition:
Essential minerals: Biotite, Hornblende, Augite, Olivine (occasionally)
Accessory minerals: Magnetite, Ilmenite, Apatite, Zircon, Titanite
Groundmass minerals: Alkali feldspar, Plagioclase, Quartz (rare), Carbonates
Chemical Composition:
High K■O and Na■O (alkaline), low SiO■ (45–55%), high MgO, FeO, and CaO; enriched in LILEs
(Ba, Sr, Rb) and depleted in HFSEs (Nb, Ti).
Oxide Weight %
SiO■ 45–55
Al■O■ 12–17
FeO + Fe■O■ 7–12
MgO 6–10
CaO 5–10
Na■O 2–4
K■O 3–6
3. Petrography
Texture: Typically porphyritic to panidiomorphic.
Phenocrysts: Euhedral to subhedral biotite, amphibole, and pyroxene.
Groundmass: Very fine-grained feldspar, biotite, and opaque oxides.
Alteration: Common alteration to chlorite, serpentine, or carbonate.
Special features: No quartz or feldspathoids as phenocrysts; feldspars occur mainly in groundmass.
4. Petrogenesis
Lamprophyres are mantle-derived, volatile-rich magmas that represent late-stage, low-degree
partial melts of metasomatized mantle enriched in volatile components like H■O, CO■, K■O.
Stages:
1. Partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle.
2. Ascent through the crust with crustal assimilation.
3. Rapid crystallization near the surface as dikes or small intrusions.
They are commonly associated with orogenic belts, post-orogenic settings, and alkaline provinces.
5. Classification Table
Type Dominant Minerals Representative Rock
Calc-alkaline series Biotite + Hornblende Minette
Alkaline series Biotite + Augite Kersantite
Ultramafic series Olivine + Augite Monchiquite
Melilitic series Melilite + Leucite Alnöite
6. Textures
Panidiomorphic texture: Well-formed mafic phenocrysts.
Porphyritic texture: Large phenocrysts in fine groundmass.
Intersertal or trachytic texture: Groundmass arrangement.
Glomeroporphyritic texture: Aggregates of mafic minerals.
Vesicular or amygdaloidal texture: Due to volatile content.
7. Field Relations
Lamprophyres occur as dikes, sills, or small plugs cutting across older rocks.
Commonly associated with granites, syenites, carbonatites, and kimberlites.
Found in post-orogenic or late-stage magmatic events and often form swarm dike systems in
metamorphic terrains.
8. Uses and Economic Importance
• Indicators of mantle processes and deep crustal magmatism.
• Associated with gold, nickel, and rare earth element mineralization.
• Used in petrological and geochemical studies to understand mantle metasomatism.
• Occasionally used as decorative stones.
