Rare earth element patterns of rocks from the centre 3 igneous complex, Ardnamurchan, Argyllshire
Systematic, differences in absolute abundancies and distribution patterns of rare earth elements are shown to exist for the main rock types of the third and final phase of the Tertiary igneous complex of Ardnamurchan. Published partition coefficients of the rare earth elements between crystals and host magmas of extrusive rocks have been used, together with modes of the Ardnamurchan rocks, to estimate the rare earth element patterns of the parent magmas. The results confirm that the basic rocks formed by crystal fractionation but that continued crystal fractionation from a single parent magma could not have formed the intermediate rocks.