DATA ARTICLE | SHORT Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 1 of 8 A whole-rock data set for the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland Christian Tegner*1 ,Lars Peter Salmonsen2 , Marian B. Holness3 , Charles E. Lesher1 , Madeleine C. S. Humphreys3,4 , Peter Thy5 , Troels F. D. Nielsen6 1Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 2Rambøll, Aarhus, Denmark; 3Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; 4Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK; 5Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA; 6Department of Mapping and Mineral Resources, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract We report a compilation of new and published whole-rock major and trace element analyses for 646 samples of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland. The samples were collected in 14 strati- graphic profiles either from accessible and well-exposed surface areas or from drill core, and they cover most regions of the intrusion. This includes the Layered Series, the Upper Border Series, the Marginal Border Series and the Sandwich Horizon. The geochemical data were obtained by a combination of X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. This data set can, for example, be used to constrain processes of igneous differentiation and ore formation. *Correspondence: christian.tegner@geo.au.dk Received: 05 Apr 2022 Revised: 01 Mar 2023 Accepted: 13 Apr 2023 Published: 15 June 2023 Keywords: Skaergaard intrusion, layered mafic intrusion, bulk-rock geochemical data, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) Abbreviations a.s.l.: above sea level F: mass fraction of melt remaining in the chamber GEUS: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. HZ: Hidden Zone ICP-MS: inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry LOI: mass lost on ignition LS: Layered Series LZ: Lower Zone MZ: Middle Zone s.d.: standard deviation SH: Sandwich Horizon UZ: Upper Zone XRF: X-ray fluorescence GEUS Bulletin (eISSN: 2597–2154) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal published by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). This article is distributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence, permitting free redistribution, and reproduction for any purpose, even commercial, provided proper citation of the original work. Author(s) retain copyright. Edited by: Kerstin Saalmann (Geological Survey of Norway) Reviewed by: Rais Latypov (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa), Howard Naslund (Binghamton University, USA) Funding: See page 7 Competing interests: See page 7 Additional files: See page 7 Tabular abstract Geographical coverage The Skaergaard intrusion occupies a c. 11 × 8 km outcrop area of layered gabbroic rocks at Uttentals Sund, Kangerlussuaq area, East Greenland. Located at c. 68°9 ′N and 31°41′ W. Temporal coverage Palaeogene (c. 56.0 Ma) Subject(s) Cosmochemistry and geochronology, economic geology, geochem- istry, igneous rocks and processes Data format(s) Major and trace element compositions reported in an Excel spreadsheet. Sample collection & analysis Samples (n = 646) taken from surface outcrops and drill cores were analysed by X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The samples are stored and curated at: Aarhus University (surface samples from the Layered Series and Upper Border Series); Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (surface samples from the Layered Series); Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen (drill core samples) and the Harker Collection of the Sedgwick Museum, University of Cambridge (Cam- bridge 1966 drill core and surface samples of the Marginal Border Series). Parameters Major and trace element whole-rock compositions. Related publications: Tegner 1997; Tegner et al. 2009; Salmonsen & Tegner 2013; Holness et al. 2015, 2017, 2022; Thy et al. in press. Potential applica- tion(s) for these data This data set can, for example, be used to constrain processes of igneous differentiation and ore formation. Data collection To examine the petrology and ore bodies of the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland, we have collected hundreds of samples during six field expe- ditions between 1993 and 2017. In addition, we have collected samples from drill core material housed at the Natural History Museum of Denmark https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1407-7298 https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8005-0150 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9911-8292 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4033-4809 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9343-1237 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9267-5798 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4932-3869 mailto:christian.tegner@geo.au.dk Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 2 of 8 w w w . g e u s b u l l e t i n . o r g (University of Copenhagen) and the Harker Collection of the Sedgwick Museum (University of Cambridge). Here, we report a compilation of 646 whole-rock analyses for these samples attached as one Excel spreadsheet (Supplementary Data File 1). All samples were analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF); most of these data (n = 409) were published in Tegner (1997), Tegner et al. (2009), Salmonsen & Tegner (2013), Holness et al. (2015, 2022) and Thy et al. (in press). The remaining analyses (n = 237) are reported here for the first time apart from P2O5 data (n = 167), which were reported in Holness et al. (2017). A subset of 271 samples were analysed by inductively cou- pled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). About half of these (n = 130) were published in Tegner et al. (2009) and Thy et al. (in press); the remaining analyses (n = 141) are reported here for the first time. The analysed samples mainly represent mafic cumulate rocks (n = 623) but also include gabbropegmatite and granophyric pods and layers (n = 23). Details of subsets of the present bulk- rock data set have been described and discussed in a number of publications (e.g. Tegner 1997; Tegner et al. 2009; Thy et al. 2009, in press; Tegner & Cawthorn 2010; McKenzie 2011; Salmonsen & Tegner 2013; Namur et al. 2013, 2014; Holness et al. 2015, 2017, 2022; Nielsen et al. 2015; Keays & Tegner 2016; Pedersen et al. 2021). The samples were collected in 14 stratigraphic profiles as shown on the geological map (Fig. 1), in a schematic cross-section (Fig. 2), listed in Table 1 and described in detail in Supplementary Data File 2. The sample sec- tions thus cover the known stratigraphy and rock units reported in the Layered Series (LS: including Hidden Zone, HZ; Lower Zone a, LZa; Lower Zone b, LZb; Lower Zone c, LZc; Middle Zone, MZ; Upper Zone a; UZa; Upper Zone b, UZb; Upper Zone C, UZc), the Marginal Border Series (MBS: including Lower Zone a*, LZa*; Lower Zone b*, LZb*; Lower Zone c*, LZc*; Middle Zone*, MZ*; Upper Zone a*; UZa*; Upper Zone b*, UZb*; Upper Zone C*, UZc*), the Upper Border Series (UBS: including Lower Zone a´, LZa´; Lower Zone b´, LZb´; Lower Zone c´, LZc´; Middle Zone´, MZ´; Upper Zone a´; UZa´; Upper Zone b´, UZb´; Upper Zone C´, UZc´), and the Sandwich Horizon (SH). This zonal subdivision is outlined in Figs  1 and 2. A field photograph (Fig. 3) shows an example of layered rocks (Layered Series). Further selected out- crops are shown in Fig. S1 (Supplementary Data File 2). Previous work has shown that the intrusion represents the result of prolonged, uninterrupted differentiation of a tholeiitic magma (Wager & Deer 1939; Wager & Brown 1968; Naslund 1984; Hoover 1989; McBirney 1996; Irvine et al. 1998). Palladium and gold mineralisations have been identified in the LS (Andersen et al. 1998; Nielsen et al. 2015). A key point is that the LS, MBS and UBS appear to represent continuous and synchronous crystallisation on the floor, margins and roof and SH the products of the most evolved, last drops of magma in the interior of the intrusion. These rocks, therefore, allow evaluation of the processes resulting in igneous differentiation and ore formation in opposite positions relative to gravity (e.g. McBirney 1995). Sample profiles The stratigraphic profiles (n = 14) are summarised in Table 1 and illustrated in Figs 1 and 2. The profiles cover most regions of the intrusion and were collected either from accessible and well exposed surface areas or from drill core. The details of the sample profiles are described in Supplementary Data File 2. Sampling strategy The sampling was directed to obtain mainly average rock compositions in systematic stratigraphic sections. Additional samples of outcrop features such as gab- bropegmatites, subzone boundaries and layered struc- tures were also included, for example, the ‘wavy pyroxene rocks’ and colloform banding of the MBS (Humphreys & Holness 2010; Namur et al. 2013). The sample posi- tions were recorded by GPS and altimeter readings (Supplementary Data File 1). For LS and UBS, the strati- graphic thicknesses were calculated relative to the local strike and dip of layering as described previously (Tegner et al. 2009; Salmonsen & Tegner 2013) and are listed in Supplementary Data File 1. Within the limitations of out- crops, we aimed to sample at regular stratigraphic inter- vals. For LS and UBS, the average stratigraphic interval was 12 ± 13 m (1 s.d.). For MBS, the lateral distance from the contact is recorded and the average spacing between samples was 18 ± 6 m (1 s.d.; Holness et al. 2022). Calculation of fraction of melt remaining (F) The box-like appearance of the intrusion with onion- ring distribution of zones and subzones (Fig. 2) implies that stratigraphic thickness, and mass proportions are not proportional (Nielsen 2004). Based on mass pro- portions estimated for each subzone in the floor, wall and roof series (Nielsen 2004), the mass fraction of melt remaining in the chamber, F, can be estimated for sub- zone boundaries. For the ‘reference profile’ of LS, a sec- ond-order polynomial was fitted to subzone boundaries to relate F to stratigraphic height (H) and given below as equation 1 (Tegner et al. 2009): F = 1.091 × 10-7H2 – 5.9064 × 10-4H + 0.7678 (1) The F values for the 90-10 and 90-23 drill core sam- ples were also estimated using equation 1 and tied to the ‘reference profile’ at the H of the UZa/b boundary https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 http://www.geusbulletin.org Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 3 of 8 w w w . g e u s b u l l e t i n . o r g Fig. 1 Geological map of the Skaergaard intrusion and adjacent host rocks. The rocks that solidified at the floor (Layered Series composed of Lower Zone, LZ, Middle Zone, MZ, and Upper Zone, UZ), walls (Marginal Border Series, MBS) and roof (Upper Border Series, UBS) are shown. Also shown are the approximate locations of 14 sample profiles (surface samples and drill cores) that are studied here. The sample profiles are numbered 1 to 14 and listed in Table 1. Further subzone abbreviations are in the text. Modi- fied from McBirney (1989). Uttental Sund Forbindelsesgletscher LZb LZc LZc LZa MB S UZa 2 km UZa UZc UZb UZb MZ MZ Uttental Plateau Kraemer Ø Figure 1 Dobbelt Gletscher Skaergaard Bay Hammer Gletscher Basistoppen LZ MZ UZ MBS UBS Basalt Contact of the Skaergaard intrusion La ye re d S er ie s Gneiss Sea Ice Later mafic intrusion Drill core Sample profile [1] [1] [2] [1] [1] [4] [1] [3] [5][6] [7] [8] [9] [14] [13] [12] [11] [10] 68 °0 8ʹ N 68 °1 3ʹ N 31°45ʹW 31°35ʹW https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 http://www.geusbulletin.org Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 4 of 8 w w w . g e u s b u l l e t i n . o r g (1615 m). Similarly, the F values for the samples of the Cambridge Core were estimated with equation 1, setting H to zero at the LZa/HZ boundary (Holness et al. 2015). For UBS, F values of subzone boundaries were fixed to the same values as for LS, and F values of samples were related to stratigraphic height by linear interpolation (Salmonsen & Tegner 2013). Similarly for MBS, the F values at subzone boundaries were assumed equal to those of LS, and the F values of the samples were related to the distance between subzone boundaries by linear interpolation. Finally, in the sections crossing the SH, we assigned an F value of zero to the sample with the low- est MgO content (≤0.02 wt%). The estimated F values are reported in Supplementary Data File 1. Analytical methods All samples were collected, prepared and analysed in the same way. From surface outcrops, we collected samples weighing 1–4 kg and avoiding alteration veins. The samples were trimmed for surface weathering by sawing, and an aliquot (100–400 g) was crushed to small aggregates (<2  cm) in a hydraulic steel press. This was followed by splitting, pre-contamination of a corundum shatterbox, cleaning and finally powdering of c. 30 g. The drill core material was prepared in the same way with one exception. The powders of drill core 90-22 (n = 51) were prepared using a steel jaw crusher and a tungsten-carbide shatterbox. All samples were prepared at Aarhus University as described in Tegner et al. (2009). Fig. 2 Schematic cross-section of the Skaergaard intrusion showing the distribution of rocks that solidified at the floor (Layered Series), the walls (Marginal Border Series, MBS) and the roof (Upper Border Series, UBS). Also shown are the approximate locations of 14 sample profiles (surface samples: blue lines, drill cores: orange lines) that are studied here. The sample profiles are also shown on the map in Fig. 1 and numbered 1 to 14 as listed in Table 1. The floor, wall and roof sequences are divided into subzones (HZ–UZc) depending on the appearance and disappearance of primary (cumulus) crystal phases as marked on the subzone bound- aries. Abbreviations: HZ: Hidden Zone. LZ: Lower Zone. MZ: Middle Zone. UZ: Upper Zone. SH: Sandwich Horizon. Further subzone abbreviations and nomenclature are in the text. Modified from McBirney (2002) and Nielsen (2004). 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0 LZa LZb LZc MZ UZa UZb UZc LZa’ LZb’ LZc’ MZ’ UZa’ UZb’ UZc’ HZ LZa* LZb* LZc* M Z* U Za* U Zb* S tra tig ra ph ic th ic kn es s (k m ) Sandwich Horizon Platinova Reefs 3.0 East West c. 8 km Aug+ Mt+ Ap+ Ol- Ol+ Granophyre UZb’+c’ [1] [6] [1] [1] [1] [1] [11] [10] [8] [7] [9] [5] [4] [3] [2] [14] [13] [12] MBS MBS UBS Layered Series Basistoppen Sill Melanogranophyre https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 http://www.geusbulletin.org Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 5 of 8 w w w . g e u s b u l l e t i n . o r g Ta b le 1  O ve rv ie w o f sa m p le s an d s am p le p ro fil es Sa m p le p ro fil e R o ck s er ie s Su b zo n es N o . o f sa m p le s N o . o f sa m p le s N o . o f sa m p le s N o . o f sa m p le s R ef er en ce N am e N o . b     To ta l C u m u la te M el an o gr an o p h yr e G ab b ro p eg m at it e R ef er en ce p ro fil e a [1 ] La ye re d S er ie s LZ a, L Zb , L Zc , M Z, U Za , U Zb , U Zc 13 8 13 5 2 1 Te gn er (1 99 7) ; T eg n er e t a l. (2 00 9) ; T h y et a l. (in p re ss ) C am b ri d ge d ri ll co re [2 ] La ye re d S er ie s H Z, L Za 12 1 12 1 H o ln es s et a l. (2 01 5) D o b b el t G le ts ch er [3 ] La ye re d S er ie s H Z, L Za 8 8 Th is s tu d y 90 -1 0 d ri ll co re [4 ] La ye re d S er ie s M Z, U Za , U Zb 81 81 Th is s tu d y 90 -2 3 d ri ll co re [5 ] La ye re d S er ie s U Za , U Zb , U Zc 87 87 Th is s tu d y N W B as is to p p en [6 ] La ye re d S er ie s/ U p p er B o rd er S er ie s U Zc , S H , U Zc ´ 21 12 9 Th is s tu d y K ile n [7 ] U p p er B o rd er S er ie s/ La ye re d S er ie s H Z´ , L Za ´, L Zb ´, L Zc ´, M Z´ , U Za ´, U Zb ´, U Zc ´, S H ; U Zc 33 26 6 1 Sa lm o n se n & T eg n er (2 01 3) H am m er P as s [8 ] U p p er B o rd er S er ie s H Z´ , L Za ´, L Zb ´, L Zc ´, M Z´ , U Za ´ 25 25 Sa lm o n se n & T eg n er (2 01 3) B rø d re to p p en [9 ] U p p er B o rd er S er ie s H Z´ , L Za ´, L Zb ´, L Zc ´, M Z´ , U Za ´, U Zb ´, U Zc ´, S H 37 34 3 Sa lm o n se n & T eg n er (2 01 3) Sy d to p p en [1 0] U p p er B o rd er S er ie s H Z´ 11 11 Sa lm o n se n & T eg n er (2 01 3) Sk ae rg aa rd B ay [1 1] U p p er B o rd er S er ie s H Z´ , L Za ´, L Zb ´ 15 15 Th is s tu d y Sk ae rg aa rd P en in su la [1 2] M ar gi n al B o rd er S er ie s LZ a* , L Zb *, L Zc *, M Z* , U Za *, U Zb * 33 33 H o ln es s et a l. (2 02 2) Iv n ar m iu t Is la n d [1 3] M ar gi n al B o rd er S er ie s LZ a* , L Zb *, M Z* 17 17 H o ln es s et a l. (2 02 2) K ra em er Ø [1 4] M ar gi n al B o rd er S er ie s LZ a* , L Zb * 19 19 H o ln es s et a l. (2 02 2) To ta l n o . o f sa m p le s 64 6 62 4 20 2   a R ef er en ce p ro fil e co n si st s o f su rf ac e sa m p le s fr o m U tt en ta l P la te au , K ra em er Ø , P u ku ga gr yg ge n /F o rb in d el se sg le ts ch er , W es t B as is to p p en , a n d d ri ll co re 9 0- 22 . b N u m b er s la b el le d in F ig . 1 . LZ : L o w er Z o n e. M Z: M id d le Z o n e. U Z: U p p er Z o n e. H Z: H id d en Z o n e. S H : S an d w ic h H o ri zo n . https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 http://www.geusbulletin.org Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 6 of 8 w w w . g e u s b u l l e t i n . o r g The major and trace element data were obtained by a combination of XRF at Aarhus University and ICP-MS at the University of California, Davis and AcmeLabs as described in Tegner et al. (2009), Thy et al. (in press) and Tegner et al. (2019), respectively. Concentrations of FeO were determined by titration with potassium dichromate. The mass lost on ignition (LOI) was determined by heat- ing the powder in air in a muffle furnace at 950°C for 3 h. The values obtained for certified reference materials, BHVO-1 and BIR-1, are reported in Supplementary Data File 3. XRF analyses of BHVO-1 and BIR-1 (n = 53–63) demonstrate that the relative variation of repeated analy- ses is less than 4.5% (1 s.d./average value) for most major element oxides. However, in BIR-1, the relative variation is higher (14%) for K2O, which has a relatively low con- centration (0.027 wt%; Jochum et al. 2016). For the trace elements measured by XRF, the relative variation of the transition metals (V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn) and Sr are within 5%. In BHVO-1, the relative variation is moderate for Rb, Y, Zr, Nb and Ba (4–12%) and higher for Ce (20%). In BIR-1, which is depleted in these elements relative to BHVO-1 (Jochum et al. 2016), the relative variation of repeat anal- yses is somewhat higher for Rb, Y, Zr and Nb and Pb (7–28%) and much higher for Ba and Ce. The accuracy or relative deviation from the preferred values for BHVO-1 is within 11% for all oxides and trace elements. Similar values were obtained for the accuracy of BIR-1, except for Rb, Nb and Ce, which have sub-ppm preferred values. In conclusion, the XRF data can generally be viewed as accurate down to a few ppm. Repeat ICP-MS analy- ses of standards at AcmeLab (n = 14) and University of California (n = 6) deviate less than 7 and 18%, respec- tively, from the preferred values for all trace elements reported in this study (Supplementary Data File 3). Data description and main features The bulk compositions of cumulate rocks, such as those reported here, represent a mix of accumulated liquidus crystals (cumulus) and interstitial material (intercumulus) derived from crystallisation of inter- stitial melt (Wager et al. 1960; Irvine 1982). The pres- ent data set thus tracks changes in the compositions Fig. 3 Field photo showing the northwards view from Kraemer Ø. Metre-scale modal layering occurs in the Middle Zone (MZ) (foreground, lower two-thirds) and in the background where the Triple Group can be seen on Wager Peak (c. 1200 m a.s.l.). Wager Peak Triple Group SENW MZ MZ Fig. 4 Example compositional data available in the data set. a: Whole-rock FeOtotal versus SiO2 (wt%) for the Skaergaard intru- sion. One outlier at 17 wt% SiO2 and 50 wt% FeO is not shown. b, c: Stratigraphic variations in whole-rock FeOtotal and Rb con- tents. Data from Supplementary Data File 1. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Fe O (w t% ) SiO2 (wt%) HZ+LZ MZLS UBS MBS UZ LZ* MZ* UZ* HZ´+LZ´ MZ´ UZ´ Gabbropegmatite Melanogranophyre 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Fe O (w t% ) 10 20 30 40 50 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 R b (p pm ) Fraction of magma remaining (F) 60 HZ LZa LZb LZc MZ UZa UZb UZc (b) (a) (c) https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 http://www.geusbulletin.org Tegner et al. 2023: GEUS Bulletin 53. 8316. https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v53.8316 7 of 8 w w w . g e u s b u l l e t i n . o r g and proportions of minerals and trapped melt during solidification of the Skaergaard magma chamber. Importantly, the bulk-rock compositions do not directly represent liquid compositions. The data set can there- fore be used to evaluate igneous processes during crystallisation and ore formation. Figure 4a, for exam- ple, shows that bulk-rock FeOtotal and SiO2 vary consid- erably and display a negative correlation. These two oxides also show systematic variations between zones (HZ, LZ, MZ, UZ). The compositions generally overlap between LS, MBS and UBS rocks although the most FeO-rich rocks occur in LS. In the UZ equivalents, the UBS rocks are enriched in SiO2 relative to LS and MBS rocks. Not surprisingly, the highest SiO2 and the lowest FeO values are seen for granophyres sensu lato. Figure 4 also shows two examples of stratigraphic variations plotted against the calculated fraction of melt remain- ing (F). In Fig. 4b, FeO generally increases from LZ to UZ equivalents and displays a marked increase across the LZb/LZc boundary, reflecting accumulation of mag- netite and ilmenite. In the lower and middle part of the stratigraphy (HZ–UZa), the FeO contents are com- parable in the floor, wall and roof rocks. However, in UZb’ and UZc’ of the roof (UBS), FeO is markedly lower compared to LS and MBS rocks. Figure 4c shows the stratigraphic trends of the incompatible element Rb. In the lower and middle parts (HZ–UZa), the trends are relatively flat and display comparable values in rocks from LS and MBS, while higher values are found in UBS rocks. Closer to SH (UZb and UZc equivalents), Rb increases exponentially in the cumulate rocks and shows the highest values in the melanogranophyres. The compiled whole-rock data set can, for example, be used to constrain processes of igneous differentiation and ore formation. Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Danish Lithosphere Centre for supporting field work in 2000. Platina Resources were accommodating during the 2008 and 2011 field seasons. The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) helped with field logistics in 2017. Platinova Resources Ltd. are thanked for access to drill core material. We thank C. Kent Brooks for inspiring this project. We are indebted to Jakob K. Keiding for help with field work, sample preparation and discus- sion. We also enjoyed assistance and company in the field from Jens C.Ø. Andersen, Olivier Namur, Anja K.M. Fonseca and Joel A. Simpson. Sidsel Grundvig, Ingrid Aaes and Jette Villesen, Aarhus University, are thanked for help with sample preparation and X-ray fluorescence analyses. We thank two reviewers, Rais Latypov and Howard Naslund, as well as Kerstin Saalmann for careful editorial handling. Additional information Funding statement This work was supported by funding from Danish National Science Research Council (CT, TFDN), the Danish National Research Foundation (TFDN, CEL, CT), the Carlsberg foundation (CT), Aarhus University (CT, LPS), the UK Natural Environment Research Council (MBH, MCSH), the US National Science Foundation under Grant Number NSF-EAR-0208075 (CEL), the UK Royal Society International Joint Project (MBH, CT). Author contributions CT: Conceptualisation, Data curation, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Visualisation, Writing – orig- inal draft. LPS: Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review and editing. MBH: Conceptualisation, Data curation, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review and editing. CEL: Investigation, Conceptualisation, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Writing – review and editing. MCSH: Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review and editing. PT: Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review and editing. TFDN: Investigation, Conceptualisation, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Writing – review and editing. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Additional files Three additional files, including the data set, a description of sam- ple profiles and analytical precision and uncertainty are available at https://doi.org/10.22008/FK2/HOWW6F. References Andersen, J.C.Ø., Rasmussen, H., Nielsen, T.F.D. & Rønsbo, J.C. 1998: The Triple Group and the Platinova gold and palladium reefs in the Skaergaard Intrusion: stratigraphic and petrographic rela- tions. Economic Geology 93, 488–509. https://doi.org/10.2113/ gsecongeo.93.4.488 Holness, M.B., Humphreys, M.C.S., Namur, O., Andersen, J.C.Ø., Tegner, C. & Nielsen, T.F.D. 2022: Crystal mush growth and collapse on a steep wall: the Marginal Border Series of the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland. 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