The early stage basalts of the tholeiite series from the Nasu volcanic zone in northeast Japan are found only in the Funagata volcanic group and are characterized by containing Mg rich pigeonite as phenocrysts. These basalts, showing the chemical composition of typical tholeiite, are notably rich in CaO and very poor in
Na2O and
k2O as compared with those of the other regions of the world.
In the tholeiite magma from the Nasu volcanic zone, the order of crystallization and their evolution of mafic minerals are as follows:
Mg-olivine‾→bronzite-→pigeonite—
diopsidic augite‾→augite‾→ferroaugite
The crystallization trends of the pyroxene are similar to that of the Skaergaard intrusion and are unlike that of the pigeonitic rock series (tholeiite series) of the Izu and Hakone districts.
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