Electron microprobe analyses of micas from the Cairngorm pluton in the Eastern Grampian Highlands of Scotland show extensive compositional variation in biotite, despite a lack of chemical variation in the host granite. Biotite has high Fe/(Fe + Mg) (0.6–0.85) and Alvi (0.6–2.1 a.f.u.), and enrichment trends in these two parameters are attributable to the Al-Tschermak and dioctahedral-trioctahedral substitutions, the latter becoming dominant with increasing Alvi content. Ti content is low (0.2–0.4 a.f.u.), and is largely controlled by a Tschermak-type substitution. Biotite is also unusually rich in Mn (up to 2.57 wt. % MnO), which increases with both Alvi and Fe/(Fe+Mg). F contents generally range between 0.55 and 2.05 wt.% All compositional variation in biotite can be attributed to the extensive development of a fluid phase during the late-magmatic and subsolidus evolution of the pluton. The presence of an abundant fluid phase has resulted in the alteration of biotite to muscovite, which has occurred in response to de-stabilization of the biotite as octahedral R2+ cations are lost in favour of Al. Extreme build-up of this fluid phase has resulted in the crystallization of muscovite as a late, interstitial primary phase. Both primary and replacive muscovite have Fe/(Fe+Mg) > 0.50, 15–36 mol. % celadonite and <1 mol. %paragonite.

Though typically exhibiting considerable scatter, geochemical variations in granitic plutons and silicic volcanic deposits are commonly modelled as products of differentiation of originally homogeneous magmas. However, many silicic igneous bodies, particularly those classified as S-types, are internally heterogeneous in their mineralogy, geochemistry and isotope ratios, on scales from hundreds of metres down to one metre or less. The preservation of these heterogeneities supports recent models for the construction of granitic magma bodies through incremental additions of numerous batches (pulses) of magma derived from contrasting sources. Such pulses result from the sequential nature of the melting reactions and the commonly layered structure of crustal magma sources. Internal differentiation of these batches occurs, but not generally on the scales of whole magma chambers. Rather than being created through differentiation or hybridisation processes, at or near emplacement levels, much of the variation within such bodies (e.g. trace-element or Mg# variation with SiO2 or isotope ratios) is a primary or near-source feature. At emplacement levels, the relatively high magma viscosities and slow diffusion rates of many chemical components in silicic melts probably inhibit processes that would lead to homogenisation. This permits at least partial preservation of the primary heterogeneities.