%0 Journal Article
%T Sapphires related to alkali basalts from the Cerov¨˘ Highlands, Western Carpathians (southern Slovakia): composition and origin
%A Pavel Uher
%A Gaston Giuliani
%A S¨˘ndor Szak¨˘ll
%A Anthony Fallick
%A Vladim¨Şr Strunga
%A Tom¨˘  Vaculovi
%A Daniel Ozd¨Şn
%A Margar¨¦ta Greg¨˘¨ľov¨˘
%J Geologica Carpathica
%@ 1336-8052
%D 2012
%I 
%R 10.2478/v10096-012-0005-7
%X Blue, grey-pink and pink sapphires from the Cerov¨˘ Highlands, Western Carpathians (southern Slovakia) have been studied using CL, LA-ICP-MS, EMPA, and oxygen isotope methods. The sapphire occurs as (1) clastic heavy mineral in the secondary sandy filling of a Pliocene alkali basaltic maar at Hajn¨˘ ka, and (2) crystals in a pyroxenebearing syenite/anorthoclasite xenolith of Pleistocene alkali basalt near Gortva. Critical evaluation of compositional diagrams (Fe, Ti, Cr, Ga, Mg contents, Fe/Ti, Cr/Ga, Ga/Mg ratios) suggests a magmatic origin for clastic blue sapphires with lower Cr and Mg, but higher Fe and Ti concentrations in comparison to the grey-pink and pink varietes, as well as similar compositional trends with blue sapphire from the Gortva magmatic xenolith. Moreover, blue sapphires show similar ¦Ä18O values: 5.1 ˇë in the Gortva xenolith, 3.8 and 5.85 ˇë in the Hajn¨˘ ka placer, closely comparable to mantle to lower crustal magmatic rocks. On the contrary, pink and grey-pink sapphires show higher Cr and Mg, but lower Fe and Ti contents and their composition points to a metamorphic (metasomatic) origin.
%K Western Carpathians
%K Slovakia
%K Hajn¨˘ ka
%K Gortva
%K CL
%K LA-ICP-MS
%K EMPA
%K oxygen isotopes
%K placer
%K alkali basalts
%K anorthoclasite xenolith
%K corundum
%K sapphire
%U http://versita.metapress.com/content/f9321154724830pw/?p=d11c7594f7d04df89d3afbabca6c48c0&pi=4