Do carbonatites and alkaline rocks reflect variable redox conditions in their upper mantle source?

A detailed investigation on seven carbonatites and associated alkaline rock complexes (Kaiserstuhl, Sokli, Kovdor, Palabora, Oka, Magnet Cove, Jacupiranga), together with a world-wide comparison between carbonatites, alkaline silicate rocks and mantle xenoliths, implies peculiar redox conditions for carbonatite-bearing alkaline complexes: Carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks in continental settings crystallize from relatively oxidized magmas, on average 1.4 log units (σ=1.7) and 1.3 log units (σ=1.1) above the synthetic fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) buffer. In contrast, alkaline rocks in continental settings that lack associated carbonatites reveal rather reduced conditions (mean ΔFMQ=−1.1; σ=1.4). The calculated redox conditions for carbonatites and associated silicate rocks demonstrate that these crystallize from relatively oxidized mantle-derived melts compared to the general range found for alkaline rocks in continental settings.