Cenozoic corundum-related
basalts have been discovered in the western, eastern, central, and northern
parts of Thailand. These basalts usually contain various types of inclusion
were collected from Bo Phloi, Chanthaburi-Trat, Wichian Buri, Chiang Khong,
Nam Cho, and Den Chai basaltic areas. Petrographically, the xenoliths are
characterised particularly by ultramafic and feldspathic rocks of wide-ranging
modal compositions. Ultramafic nodules, presumed to be form the upper mantle,
are usually represented by peridotites, such as spinel lherzolite, spinel-plagioclase
lherzolite and spinel harzburgite, although rocks of the pyroxenite series
are occasionally represented by olivine websterite and norite. The feldspathic
xenoliths, which probably originated in the lower crust, are usually composed
of abundant alkali-feldspar with minor amounts of plagioclase, quartz and
traces of apatite, amphibole, zircon and opaque minerals. In addition,
other types of xenolith, such as gabbro, dolerite, tuff, etc., are locally
found in these basalts. Xenocrysts in these basalts comprise mainly olivine,
clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, spinel, alkali-feldspar and minor localised
garnet, plagioclase, nepheline, amphibole, apatite and magnetite. These
xenocryst types are related predominantly to minerals in the associated
xenoliths; however, mineral chemistry indicates that these garnets are
pyrope-rich and chemically resemble garnets in periotite nodules from kimberlites.
Regarding preliminary thermobarometry, estimated pressures and temperatures
of equilibration of spinel lherzolite, spinel-plagioclase lherzolite, spinel
harzburgite and olivine websterite range approximately from 11 to 22 kbar
and 1170 to 1450oC, respectively. The pressures indicate that
the xenoliths were sampled from depths of ca. 40 to 80 km. The estimated
condition probable reflect pressures and temperatures within the upper
mantle beneath Thailand in late Cenozoic time (ca. 10-1 Ma ago). A Cenozoic
geothermal gradient of ca. 27 ±
12oC/km is implied by the data.