Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Palma Sola

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Occurrence number: 
108-00-016
Country: 
Mexico
Region: 
Vera Cruz
Location: 
Longitude: -96.67, Latitude: 19.73
Carbonatite: 
No

Lying on the intersection of the east-west-trending Mexican Volcanic Belt, which is predominantly andesitic, and the essentially north-south-trending eastern, or oriental, alkaline province, the Palma Sola complex includes both calc-alkaline and alkaline rock suites (Robin, 1982, p. 21). The earlier Miocene calc-alkaline rocks are essentially adnesites and their intrusive equivalents. The later alkaline series dconsists predominantly of Pliocene to Recent alkaline olivine basalts amongst which, particularly in the small cones of La Cruz and El Abra, are basaltic rocks containing modal nepheline and analcime. Some of these are referred to as nephelinites by Robin (1982, p. 24) but they contain plagioclase and an analysed specimen (op. cit., p. 460, no. VE 67) has 25% normative feldspar and 21% nepheliine.

Age: 
The alkaline rocks are Pliocene-Quaternary (Robin, 1982, p. 23).
References: 

ROBIN, C. 1982. Relations volcanologie - magmatologie - geodynamique: application au passage entre volcanismes alcalin et andesitique dans le sud Mexicain. Annales Scientifiques de l'Universite de Clermont-Ferrand II: Geologie Mineralogie, 70: 1-503

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith