Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

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

Rumphi And Mphompha (North Vipya)

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Occurrence number: 
103-00-007
Country: 
Malawi
Region: 
The North Nyasa Alkaline Province
Location: 
Longitude: 34.07, Latitude: -10.98
Carbonatite: 
No

Rumphi is a large igneous complex of approximately 60x15 km which includes granite, syenite, diorite and nepheline syenite (Hopkins, 1973; Kemp, 1975), of which the nepheline syenites form a discrete body known as Mphompha, which is the North Vipya intrusion of Bloomfield (1965b). Hopkins (1973), who described the southern half of the Rumphi complex, indicates that a riebeckitic amphibole is present in the quartz syenites and granites, whereas for the northern half Kemp (1975) describes the syenites as comprising microcline perthite, a little oligoclase/albite, aegirine and aegirine-augite and a number of amphiboles including arfvedsonite and riebeckite. These alkaline minerals are apparently not present in the quartz syenites and granites. The outer contacts of the Mphompha intrusion appear not to be exposed but it seems probable that Mphompha was intruded into the surrounding granites and syenites. Mphompha is oval in outline with two smaller, circular bodies lying within syenites some 1.5 km north of the main intrusion. The nepheline syenite is a coarse rock of microcline perthite, a little oligoclase/albite, up to 40% nepheline, a calcic amphibole, and minor aegirine-augite, which may be present as cores to the amphibole, and biotite; sodalite occurs in some rocks. There are small areas of more mafic rocks which are described by Kemp (1975) as malignite and ijolite. The latter rock consists of pyroxene and amphibole prisms and smaller irregular grains of the same minerals set in masses of optically continuous nepheline. Seven analyses of nepheline-bearing rocks are in Kemp (1975).

References: 

BLOOMFIELD, K. 1965b. A reconnaissance survey of alkaline rocks in the northern and central regions. Records, Geological Survey of Malawi, 5: 17-63.HOPKINS, D.A.S. 1973. The geology of the Rumphi-Nkhata Bay area. Bulletin, Geological Survey of Malawi, 38/39: 1-42. KEMP. J. 1975. The geology of the Uzumara area. Bulletin, Geological Survey of Malawi, 41: 1-56.

Fig. 3_147 Rumphi and Mphompha (after 1:100,000 geological maps of Kemp, 1975 and Hopkins, 1973).
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith