The Caledonides of the British Isles--reviewed. 1979. Geological Society of London. The Assynt alkaline suite

SUMMARY: The alkaline intrusives in Assynt overlap the thrust movements and can be used to put limits on their magnitude and timing. The Ailsh syenite is the earliest igneous body within the thrust belt; the Borralan complex is later and overlapped major movements on the Assynt hrust. Large scale displacements on the Sole and Assynt hrusts ended before movement ceased on the Moine thrust. Pyroxene variation in the Ailsh complex confirms that the leucosyenites form a series fractionated before emplacement, but the pyroxene range is unusual for an igneous eries and consistent with a metasomatic origin for pyroxene-rich members. The Caledonian alkaline rocks in Assynt are part of a suite of alkaline major and minor intrusions including the three Loch Loyal centres to the northeast and the Batbjerg complex in the Kangerdlugssuaq region of E Greenland (Brooks et al. 1978). The Assynt group are of particular interest because of the insight they give into th