The evolution of the Arabian lower crust and lithospheric mantle — Geochemical constraints from southern Syrian mafic and ultramafic xenoliths

Geochemical compositions of lower crustal and lithospheric mantle xenoliths found in alkali basaltic lavas from the Harrat Ash Shamah volcanic field in southern Syria place constraints on the formation of the Arabian–Nubian Shield in northern Arabia. Compositions of lower crustal granulites are compatible with a cumulate formation from mafic melts and indicate that they are not genetically related to their host rocks. Instead, their depletion in Nb relative to other incompatible elements points to an origin in a Neoproterozoic subduction zone as recorded by an average depleted mantle Sm–Nd model age of 630 Ma.Lithospheric spinel peridotites typically represent relatively low degree (< 10%) partial melting residues of spinel lherzolite with primitive mantle compositions as indicated by major and trace element modelling of clinopyroxene and spinel. The primary compositions of the xenoliths were subsequently altered by metasomatic reactions with low degree silicate melts and possibly carbonatites. Because host lavas lack these signatures any recent reaction of the lherzolites with their host magma can be ruled out. Sm–Nd data of clinopyroxene from Arabian lithospheric mantle lherzolites yield an average age of 640 Ma suggesting that the lithosphere was not replaced since its formation and supporting a common origin of the Arabian lower crustal and lithospheric mantle sections.The new data along with published Arabian mantle xenolith compositions are consistent with a model in which the lithospheric precursor was depleted oceanic lithosphere that was overprinted by metasomatic processes related to subduction and arc accretion during the generation of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. The less refractory nature of the northern Arabian lithosphere as indicated by higher Al, Na and lower Si and Mg contents of clinopyroxenes compared to the more depleted nature of the south Arabian lithospheric mantle, and the comparable low extent of melt extraction suggest that the northern Arabian lithosphere formed in a continental arc system, whereas the lithosphere in the southern part of Arabia appears to be of oceanic arc origin.     

Post-collisional ultrapotassic rocks and mantle xenoliths in the Sailipu volcanic field of Lhasa terrane,south Tibet: Petrological and geochemical constraints on mantle source and geodynamic setting

Post-collisional ultrapotassic magmatic rocks (15.2–18.8 Ma), containing mantle xenoliths, are extensively distributed in the Sailipu volcanic field of the Lhasa terrane in south Tibet. They could be subdivided into high-MgO and low-MgO subgroups based on their petrological and geochemical characteristics. The high-MgO subgroup has olivine-I (Fo_87–92), phlogopite and clinopyroxene as phenocryst phases, while the low-MgO subgroup consists mainly of phlogopite, clinopyroxene and olivine-II (Fo_77–89). These ultrapotassic magmatic rocks have high MgO (4.6–14.5 wt%), Ni (145–346 ppm), Cr (289–610 ppm) contents, and display enrichment in light rare earth element (REE) over heavy REE and enriched large ion lithophile elements (LILE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE) with strongly negative Nb-Ta-Ti anomalies in primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagrams. They have extremely radiogenic (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i (0.7167–0.7274) and unradiogenic (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)_i (0.5118–0.5120), high (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (15.740–15.816) and (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (39.661–39.827) at a given (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (18.363–18.790) with high δ¹⁸O values (7.3–9.7‰). Strongly linear correlations between depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt-source mantle (DMM) and the Indian continental crust (HHCS) in Sr-Nd-Pb-O isotopic diagrams indicate that the geochemical features could result from reaction between mantle peridotite and enriched components (fluids and melts) released by the eclogitized Indian continental crust (HHCS) in the mantle wedge. The high-MgO (13.7–14.5 wt%) subgroup displays higher (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)_i, lower (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i and (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i ratios and lower δ¹⁸O values compared with the low-MgO (4.6–8.8 wt%) subgroup. High Ni (850–4862 ppm) contents of olivine phenocrysts and high whole-rock SiO₂, NiO, low CaO contents indicate that the low-MgO ultrapotassic magmatic rocks are derived from partial melting of olivine-poor mantle pyroxenite. However, lower Ni concentrations of olivine phenocryst and lower whole-rock SiO₂, NiO, higher CaO contents of the high-MgO ultrapotassic rocks may indicate their peridotite mantle source. This could be attributed to different amounts of silicate-rich components added into the mantle sources of the parental magmas in the mantle wedge caused by the northward subduction of the Indian continental lithosphere. The reaction-formed websterite xenoliths, reported for the first time in this study, are made up of anhedral and interlocking clinopyroxene (45–65 vol%) and orthopyroxene (30–50 vol%) with minor phlogopite (< 3 vol%) and quartz (< 2 vol%) and are suggested to be formed by silicate metasomatism of the mantle peridotite. The harzburgites, another major type of mantle xenolith in south Tibet, have a mineral assemblage of olivine (60–75 vol%), orthopyroxene (20–35 vol%), clinopyroxene (< 3 vol%), phlogopite (< 2 vol%) and spinel (< 2 vol%) and may have experienced subduction-related metasomatism. Combined with two types of ultrapotassic magmas, we propose that compositions of mantle wedge beneath south Tibet may gradually evolve from harzburgite through lherzolite to websterite with strong metasomatism of silicate-rich components in their mantle source region. Partial melting of the enriched mantle sources could be triggered by rollback of Indian continental slab during 25–8 Ma in south Tibet.     

Mineral chemistry and zircon geochronology of xenocrysts and altered mantle and crustal xenoliths from the Aries micaceous kimberlite: Constraints on the composition and age of the central Kimberley Craton,Western Australia

The Neoproterozoic (∼ 820 Ma) Aries micaceous kimberlite intrudes the central Kimberley Basin, northern Western Australia, and has yielded a suite of 27 serpentinised ultramafic xenoliths, including spinel-bearing and rare, metasomatised, phlogopite–biotite and rutile-bearing types, along with minor granite xenoliths. Proton-microprobe trace-element analysis of pyrope and chromian spinel grains derived from heavy mineral concentrates from the kimberlite has been used to define a ∼ 35–40 mW/m² Proterozoic geotherm for the central Kimberley Craton. Lherzolitic chromian pyrope highly depleted in Zr and Y, and Cr-rich magnesiochromite xenocrysts (class 1), probably were derived from depleted garnet peridotite mantle at ∼ 150 km depth. Sampling of shallower levels of the lithospheric mantle by kimberlite magmas in the north and north-extension lobes entrained high-Fe chromite xenocrysts (class 2), and aluminous spinel-bearing xenoliths, where both spinel compositions are anomalously Fe-rich for spinels from mantle xenoliths. This Fe-enrichment may have resulted from Fe–Mg exchange with olivine during slow cooling of the peridotite host rocks. Fine exsolution rods of aluminous spinel in diopside and zircon in rutile grains in spinel- and rutile-bearing serpentinised ultramafic xenoliths, respectively, suggest nearly isobaric cooling of host rocks in the lithospheric mantle, and indicate that at least some aluminous spinel in spinel-facies peridotites formed through exsolution from chromian diopside. Fe–Ti-rich metasomatism in the spinel-facies Kimberley mantle probably produced high-Ti phlogopite–biotite + rutile and Ti, V, Zn, Ni-enriched aluminous spinel ± ilmenite associations in several ultramafic xenoliths. U–Pb SHRIMP ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb zircon ages for one granite (1851 ± 10 Ma) and two serpentinised ultramafic xenoliths (1845 ± 30 Ma; 1861 ± 31 Ma) indicate that the granitic basement and lower crust beneath the central Kimberley Basin are at least Palaeoproterozoic in age. However, Hf-isotope analyses of the zircons in the ultramafic xenoliths suggest that the underlying lithospheric mantle is at least late Archean in age.     

Na Metasomatism in the Island-Arc Mantle by Slab Melt--Peridotite Interaction: Evidence from Mantle Xenoliths in the North Kamchatka Arc

The Pliocene (7 Ma) Nb-enriched arc basalts of the ValovayamVolcanic Field (VVF) in the northern segment of the Kamchatkaarc, Russia, host abundant mantle xenoliths, including spinelIherzolites. Textural and microstructural evidence for high-temperature,multi-stage, creep-related deformations in spinel Iherzolitessupports a sub-arc mantle derivation. Pyroxene chemistry indicatesthe existence of two compositional suites: (1) a Cr-diopsidesuite with low-Tt, moderate-Al clinopyroxene compositions, and(2) an Al-augite suite with high Al and Tt, and low Cr concentrationsin clinopyroxene. Some spinel lherzolite xenoliths contain metasomaticAl-augite-type clinopyroxene, Al-Tt spinel, and felsic veinssimilar to trondhjemite melt. The Al-augite series xenolithstypically contain high-Na plagioclase, Cr-poor, Al-Fe-Mg andAl-Tt-Fe spinels, with occasional almandine-grossularite garnetand high-Al and -Na pargasitic amphibole. Pyroxene and spinel compositional trends suggest that the Crdiopsideseries xenoliths from the VVF Nb-enriched arc basalts representan island-arc mantle affected by a metasomatic event. Occurrenceof high-Na plagioclase and trondhjemitic veins favors the additionof a metasomatic component with high Na, Al and Si to the northernKamchatka arc mantle. Trondhjemitic veins, representing siliceousslab melts, compositionally exemplify the metasomatic component.Na metasomatism by peridotite-slab melt interaction is an importantmantle hybridization process responsible for arc-related alkalinemagma generation from a veined sub-arc mantle. KEY WORDS: metasomatism; island arc; mantle xenoliths; Kamchatka; mantle     

Lithospheric petrology of the eastern Arabian Plate: Constraints from Al-Ashkhara (Oman) xenoliths

Mafic granulite and spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Cenozoic alkaline basalts near Al-Ashkhara, eastern Oman, have been selected for a systematic mineralogical, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic study. This is the only place in E Arabia where samples of both lower crust and upper mantle can be examined. Lower crustal xenoliths consist of two mineralogically and chemically distinct groups: gabbronorite (subequal abundances of ortho- and clino-pyroxene and plagioclase) and plagioclase pyroxenite (dominant pyroxene and subordinate plagioclase). Temperature estimates for lower crustal xenoliths using the two pyroxene geothermometer (T-Wells) yield 810–865 °C. The mineral assemblage (spinel–pyroxene–plagioclase) and Al content in pyroxene indicate that plagioclase-bearing xenoliths equilibrated at 5–8 kbar (13 and 30 km depth) in the lower crust. εNd and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr calculated at 700 Ma for Al-Ashkhara lower crustal xenoliths (+ 6.4 to + 6.6; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7028 to 0.7039) are consistent with the interpretation that juvenile, mafic melts were added to the lower crust during Neoproterozoic time and that there was no discernible contribution from pre-Neoproterozoic crust. Upper mantle xenoliths consist of both dry and hydrous (phlogopite-bearing) lherzolites. These peridotites are more Fe-rich than expected for primitive mantle or melt residues and probably formed by pervasive circulation of melts that have refertilized pre-existing mantle peridotites. Mineral equilibration temperatures range from 990 to 1070 °C. Isotopic compositions calculated at 700 Ma are εNd = + 6.8 to + 7.8 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7016 to 0.7025, indicating depleted upper mantle. Pb isotopic compositions indicate that the metasomatism was relatively recent, perhaps related to Paleogene tectonics and basanite igneous activity. Nd model ages for the spinel peridotite xenoliths range between 0.59 and 0.65 Ga. The xenolith data suggest that eastern Arabian lower crust is of hotspot origin, in contrast to western Arabian lower crust, which mostly formed at a convergent plate margin. Geochemical and isotopic differences between lower crust and upper mantle indicate that these are unrelated, possibly because delamination replaced the E Arabian mantle root in Neoproterozoic time.     

Compositional signatures of SSZ-type peridotites from the northern Vourinos ultra-depleted upper mantle suite,NW Greece

The northern Vourinos massif, located in the Dinarides-Hellenides mountain belt in the Balkan Peninsula, forms a section of the so-called Neotethyan ophiolitic belt in the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic system. It is comprised mainly of a well-preserved mantle sequence, dominated by voluminous massive harzburgite with variable clinopyroxene and olivine modal abundances, accompanied by subordinate coarse- and fine-grained dunite. The harzburgite rock varieties are characterized by high Cr# [Cr/(Cr + Al)] values in Cr-spinel (0.47–0.74), elevated Mg# [Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺)] in olivine (0.90–0.93), low Al₂O₃ content in clinopyroxene (≤1.82 wt.%) and low average bulk-rock concentrations of CaO (0.52 wt.%) and Al₂O₃ (0.40 wt.%), which are indicative of their refractory nature. In addition, dunite-type rocks display even more depleted compositions, containing Cr-spinel and olivine with higher Cr# (0.76–0.84) and Mg# (0.91–0.94), respectively. They also display extremely low average abundances of CaO (0.13 wt.%) and Al₂O₃ (0.15 wt.%). The vast majority of the studied peridotites are also strongly depleted in REE. Simple batch and fractional melting models are not sufficient to explain their ultra-depleted composition. Whole-rock trace element abundances of the northern Vourinos mantle rocks can be modeled by up to 22–31% closed-system non-modal dynamic melting of an assumed primitive mantle (PM) source having spinel lherzolite composition. The highly depleted compositional signatures of the investigated peridotites indicate that they have experienced hydrous melting in the fore-arc mantle region above a SSZ. This intense melting event was responsible for the release of arc-related melts from the mantle. These melts reacted with the studied peridotites causing incongruent melting of pyroxenes followed by considerable olivine and Cr-spinel addition in terms of cryptic metasomatism. This later metasomatic episode has obscured any geochemical fingerprints indicative of an early mantle melting event in a MOR setting. The lack of any MOR-type peridotites in the northern Vourinos depleted mantle suite is quite uncommon for SSZ-type Neotethyan ophiolites.     

Origins of non-equilibrium lithium isotopic fractionation in xenolithic peridotite minerals: Examples from Tanzania

Olivine, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in variably metasomatised peridotite xenoliths from three lithospheric mantle sections beneath the East African Rift in Tanzania (Lashaine, Olmani, Labait) show systematic differences in their average Li concentrations (2.4 ppm, 2.0 ppm and 1.5 ppm, respectively) and intermineral isotopic fractionations, with olivine being heaviest (δ⁷Li = + 2.3 to + 13.9‰, average + 5.0‰), followed by orthopyroxene (? 4.1 to + 6.5‰, average + 0.8‰) and clinopyroxene (? 6.7 to + 4.1‰, average ? 1.6‰). These features are ascribed to the effects of kinetic Li isotope fractionation combined with different Li diffusivities in mantle minerals.Two main mechanisms likely generate diffusion-driven kinetic Li isotope fractionation in mantle xenoliths (1) Li diffusion from grain boundary melt into minerals during recent metasomatism or entrainment in the host magma and (2) subsolidus intermineral Li-redistribution. The latter can produce both isotopically light (Li-addition) and heavy (Li-loss) minerals and may occur in response to changes in pressure and/or temperature.Modelling shows that non-mantle-like δ⁷Li in clinopyroxene (< + 2‰), combined with apparent equilibrium olivine-clinopyroxene elemental partitioning in most peridotite xenoliths from all three Tanzanian localities probably reflects incipient Li addition during interaction with the host magma. Low δ⁷Li (< ? 3‰), combined with high Li concentrations (> 3 ppm) in some clinopyroxene may require very recent (minutes) Li ingress from a Li-rich melt (100s of ppm) having mantle-like δ⁷Li. This might happen during late fragmentation of some mantle xenoliths caused by a volatile- (and Li-) rich component exsolved from the host basalt. In contrast, high Li concentrations (> 2 ppm) and δ⁷Li (> 4‰) in olivine from many Labait and Olmani samples are attributed to an older, pre-entrainment enrichment event during which isotopic equilibrium was attained and whose signature was not corrupted during xenolith entrainment. Low Li concentrations and mantle-like isotopic composition of olivine from most Lashaine xenoliths indicate limited metasomatic Li addition.Thus, Li concentrations and isotope compositions of mantle peridotites worldwide may reflect two processes, with olivine mainly preserving a signature of depletion in refractory samples (low Li contents and δ⁷Li) or of older (precursory) melt addition in metasomatised samples (high Li contents and δ⁷Li), while non mantle-like, low δ⁷Li in almost all clinopyroxene can be due to Li ingress during transport in the host magma and/or slow cooling, if the samples were erupted in lavas. In Tanzania, the peridotites experienced rift-related heating prior to entrainment and were quenched upon eruption, so Li ingress is the most likely process responsible for the isotopically light clinopyroxene here.     

Destruction of the North China Craton: Delamination or thermal/chemical erosion? Mineral chemistry and oxygen isotope insights from websterite xenoliths

The destruction (or reactivation) of the North China Craton (NCC) is one of the important issues related to the Phanerozoic evolution of eastern China, although the processes of destruction remain debated. Two main mechanisms – delamination and thermal/chemical erosion – have been proposed based on the geochemistry of Mesozoic–Cenozoic basalts and entrained deep–seated xenoliths. A key criterion in distinguishing between these mechanisms is the nature of the melt, derived from delaminated crust or the asthenosphere, that modified the lithospheric mantle. Here we investigate the mechanism of destruction of the NCC based on mineral compositions and oxygen isotopic data from olivines, and strontium isotopic data for clinopyroxenes within websterite xenoliths from the Early Cretaceous Feixian basalts in the eastern NCC. Olivines in websterite xenoliths have higher Mg# (86–86.4), Ni content (2187–2468 ppm), and lower Ca (983–1134 ppm), Ti (58.1–76.1 ppm), and Mn (1478–1639 ppm) contents than olivine phenocrysts (Mg# = 71.0–77.3, Ni = 233–1038 ppm, Ca = 1286–2857 ppm, Ti = 120–300 ppm, and Mn = 2092–4106 ppm) from Late Cretaceous basalts. Additionally, olivines in websterite xenolith have δ¹⁸O values of 7.10 ± 0.21‰ to 8.40 ± 0.21‰, evidently higher than those of typical mantle-derived olivines. Similarly, orthopyroxenes (Opx) and clinopyroxenes (Cpx) in the websterite xenoliths have much higher Mg# (86.3–89.2 and 87.5–90.3, respectively), and Ni contents (1097–1491 ppm and 581–809 ppm, respectively) than orthopyroxene- and clinopyroxene-phenocrysts (Opx: Mg# = 82.2–83.9, Ni = 730–798 ppm; Cpx: Mg# = 74.2–84.6, Ni = 117–277 ppm) from Late Cretaceous basalts. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of clinopyroxenes in the websterite xenoliths range from 0.70862 to 0.70979, and are much higher than those of clinopyroxene grains from peridotite xenoliths and basalts. These data indicate that olivines are the residue of ancient lithospheric mantle that was modified intensively by a melt derived from recycled continental crust, and that the silicic and calcic metasomatic melt might have been derived from the partial melting of the subducted Yangtze slab and delaminated lower crust of the NCC. The existence of recycled continental crust in the Mesozoic lithospheric mantle implies that delamination was an important mechanism of destruction of the NCC.     

Slab melt and intraplate metasomatism in Kapfenstein mantle xenoliths (Styrian Basin, Austria)

Anhydrous and amphibole-bearing mantle peridotite xenoliths from Kapfenstein (Styrian Basin) have been studied with the aim of understanding both the processes responsible for amphibole formation and the nature of metasomatizing agents which affected this portion of lithosphere. This area of the Pannonian Basin underwent a subduction event which was followed after about 15 Ma, by alkaline intraplate magmatism. Primary clinopyroxene (cpx1) in four-phase lherzolite xenoliths is characterized by LREE-depleted to slightly LREE-enriched patterns. LREE-depleted cpx1 have low Th and U contents and Zr (and Hf) anomalies varying from slightly negative to positive. LREE-enriched cpx have high Th and U contents and remarkable positive anomalies of Zr and Hf. Primary clinopyroxenes in amphibole-bearing lherzolites present a comparable compositional variation from LREE (and Th, U, Zr, Hf)-depleted type to LREE (and Th, U, Zr, Hf)-enriched type. LREE-depleted cpx1, with strong negative Zr and Ti anomalies, are also recognized in the peridotite matrix of a composite sample cut by a large amphibole vein. Textural and geochemical evidence indicates that amphibole disseminated within the matrix grew at the expense of primary spinel and clinopyroxene, mimicking the trace element patterns of the latter. As a consequence, the geochemical features of amphibole vary in relation to those of clinopyroxene, from enriched to depleted. On the other hand, the composition of vein amphibole in the composite xenolith compares well with amphibole megacrysts and microphenocrysts, suggesting that it represents a fractionation product of alkaline melt that passed through the lithosphere. Two kinds of metasomatism, superimposed on a slightly depleted lithospheric mantle, were identified. A slab-derived melt (proto-adakite?) metasomatic agent was responsible for the first enrichment in Th, U, Zr and Hf observed in clinopyroxene, whereas an alkaline within-plate metasomatic agent caused the formation of the Nb (and Ta)- rich disseminated amphibole. The final process was the alkaline magmatism, which was responsible for the formation of the large amphibole vein and megacrysts. It is proposed that the Nb-poor and Nb-rich amphiboles record the transition between the suprasubduction slab melt-related and the intraplate alkaline metasomatism.

These geochemical features are consistent with a lithospheric portion enriched in slab melt components which was subsequently metasomatized by alkaline melt. Alternatively an asthenospheric uprising could have scavenged a previously slab melt-enriched region of the lithosphere.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of spinel lherzolite xenoliths from Boeun,Korea

Geochemical characteristics of spinel lherzolite xenoliths, enclosed in Miocene alkali basalt from Boeun, Korea, provide important clues for understanding the lithosphere composition, equilibrium temperature and pressure conditions, and depletion and enrichment processes of subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath Boeun. The spinel lherzolite xenoliths with protogranular to porpyroclastic textures were accidentally trapped by the ascending alkali basalt magma. The spinel lherzolite xenoliths originated at depths between 50 and 63 km with equilibrium temperatures ranging from 847 to 1030 °C. These xenoliths may have undergone small degrees (1–2%) of partial melting and cryptic metasomatism by an alkali basaltic melt. Based on Sr and Nd isotope compositions, the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath Boeun was heterogeneous and similar to that beneath East China and Central Mongolia rather than the Japanese Island Arc.     

Contrasting types of metasomatism in dunite, wehrlite and websterite xenoliths from Kimberley, South Africa

Dunite, wehrlite and websterite are rare members of the mantle xenolith suite in the Kimberley kimberlites of the Kaapvaal Craton in southern Africa. All three types were originally residues of extensive melt extraction and experienced varying amounts and types of melt re-enrichment. The melt depletion event, dated by Re-Os isotope systematics at 2.9 Ga or older, is evidenced by the high Mg# (Mg/(Mg + Fe)) of silicate minerals (olivine (0.89-0.93); pyroxene (0.88-0.93); garnet (0.72-0.85)), high Cr# (Cr/(Cr + Al)) of spinel (0.53-0.84) and mostly low whole-rock SiO₂, CaO and Al₂O₃ contents. Shortly after melt depletion, websterites were formed by reaction between depleted peridotites and silica-rich melt (>60 wt% SiO₂) derived by partial melting of eclogite before or during cratonization. The melt-peridotite interaction converted olivine into orthopyroxene.All three xenolith types have secondary metasomatic clinopyroxene and garnet, which occur along olivine grain boundaries and have an amoeboid texture. As indicated by the preservation of oxygen isotope disequilibrium in the minerals and trace-element concentrations in clinopyroxene and garnet, this metasomatic event is probably of Mesozoic age and was caused by percolating alkaline basaltic melts. This melt metasomatism enriched the xenoliths in CaO, Al₂O₃, FeO and high-field-strength-elements, and might correspond to the Karoo magmatism at 200 Ma. The websterite xenoliths experienced both the orthoyproxene-enrichment and clinopyroxene-garnet metasomatic events, whereas dunite and wehrlite xenoliths only saw the later basaltic melt event, and may have been situated further away from the source of melt migration channels.     

汉诺坝玄武岩中地幔岩捕掳体REE和Sr,Nd同位素地球化学

本文报道汉诺坝玄武岩中地幔岩捕掳体的ＲＥＥ丰度和Ｓｒ、Ｎｄ同位素组成。不同岩石类型的ＲＥＥ配分模式和同位素组成反映地幔部分熔融程度和交代作用过程。二辉橄榄岩亏损轻稀土，是原始地幔经不同程度部分熔融的残留体。方辉橄榄岩具Ｕ型ＲＥＥ配分模式，是强烈亏损的地幔岩被熔体非化学平衡交代的结果。二辉岩脉状体富轻、中稀土，它同与脉状体接触的二辉橄榄岩可达化学平衡或近于化学平衡，而二辉岩脉状体的形成与玄武岩岩浆无成因关系。据对二辉岩脉状体和不含脉状体橄榄岩的Ｓｍ－Ｎｄ同位素定年，这种脉状体形成于３００Ｍａ左右。     

Geochemical and O-isotope constraints on the evolution of lithospheric mantle in the Ross Sea rift area (Antarctica)

Peridotite xenoliths found in Cenozoic alkali basalts of northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, vary from fertile spinel-lherzolite to harzburgite. They often contain glass-bearing pockets formed after primary pyroxenes and spinel. Few samples are composite and consist of depleted spinel lherzolite crosscut by amphibole veins and/or lherzolite in contact with poikilitic wehrlite. Peridotite xenoliths are characterized by negative Al₂O₃–Mg# and TiO₂–Mg# covariations of clino- and orthopyroxenes, low to intermediate HREE concentrations in clinopyroxene, negative Cr–Al trend in spinel, suggesting variable degrees of partial melting. Metasomatic overprint is evidenced by trace element enrichment in clinopyroxene and sporadic increase of Ti–Fe_tot. Preferential Nb, Zr, Sr enrichments in clinopyroxene associated with high Ti–Fe_tot contents constrain the metasomatic agent to be an alkaline basic melt. In composite xenoliths, clinopyroxene REE contents increase next to the veins suggesting metasomatic diffusion of incompatible element. Oxygen isotope data indicate disequilibrium conditions among clinopyroxene, olivine and orthopyroxene. The highest δ¹⁸O values are observed in minerals of the amphibole-bearing xenolith. The δ¹⁸O_cpx correlations with clinopyroxene modal abundance and geochemical parameters (e.g. Mg# and Cr#) suggest a possible influence of partial melting on oxygen isotope composition. Thermobarometric estimates define a geotherm of 80°C/GPa for the refractory lithosphere of NVL, in a pressure range between 1 and 2.5 GPa. Clinopyroxene microlites of melt pockets provide P–T data close to the anhydrous peridotite solidus and confirm that they originated from heating and decompression during transport in the host magma. All these geothermometric data constrain the mantle potential temperature to values of 1250–1350°C, consistent with the occurrence of mantle decompressional melting in a transtensive tectonic regime for the Ross Sea region.     

辽西中生代粗面玄武岩中地幔和下地壳捕虏体的发现及其地质意义

辽西中生代粗面玄武岩的KAr同位素年龄为84.76±1.67Ma,其 中 含有丰富的超镁 铁质岩和深部壳源捕虏体,主要有角闪尖晶二辉橄榄岩、尖晶石二辉橄榄岩、二辉橄榄岩、 含斜长石的角闪二辉石岩、二辉麻粒岩和辉石斜长片麻岩等。包体的组构及矿物化学研究表 明超镁质岩捕虏体来源于上地幔,麻粒岩和片麻岩则为深部壳源捕虏体。该类包体的发现对 中国东部中生代上地幔和下地壳的研究具有重要意义。     

Petrology and geochemistry of peridotite xenoliths from the Lianshan region: Nature and evolution of lithospheric mantle beneath the lower Yangtze block

Lithospheric thinning beneath the North China Craton is widely recognized, but whether the Yangtze block has undergone the same process is a controversial issue. Based on a detailed petrographic study, a suite of xenoliths from the Lianshan Cenozoic basalts have been analyzed for the compositions of minerals and whole rocks, and their Sr–Nd isotopes to probe the nature and evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the lower Yangtze block. The Lianshan xenoliths can be subdivided into two Types: the main Type 1 xenoliths (9–15% clinopyroxene and olivine-Mg# < 90) and minor Type 2 peridotites (1.8–6.2% clinopyroxene and olivine-Mg# > 90). Type 1 peridotites are characterized by low MgO, high levels of basaltic components (i.e., Al₂O₃, CaO and TiO₂), LREE-depleted patterns in clinopyroxenes and whole rocks, and relatively high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.513219–0.513331) and low ⁸⁶Sr/⁸⁷Sr (0.702279–0.702789). These features suggest that Type 1 peridotites represent fragments of the newly accreted fertile lithospheric mantle that have undergone ~ 1% of fractional partial melting and later weak silicate–melt metasomatism, similar to Phanerozoic lithospheric mantle beneath the eastern North China Craton. Type 2 peridotites may be shallow relics of the older lithospheric mantle depleted in basaltic components, with LREE-enriched and HREE-depleted patterns, relatively low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512499–0.512956) and high ⁸⁶Sr/⁸⁷Sr (0.703275–0.703997), which can be produced by 9–14% partial melting and subsequent carbonatite–melt metasomatism. Neither type shows a correlation between equilibration temperatures and Mg# in olivine, indicating that the lithospheric mantle is not compositionally stratified, but both types coexist at similar depths. This coexistence suggests that the residual refractory lithospheric mantle (i.e., Type 2 peridotites) may be irregularly eroded by upwelling asthenosphere materials along weak zones and eventually replaced to create a new and fertile lithosphere mantle (i.e., Type 1 xenoliths) as the asthenosphere cooled. Therefore, the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the lower Yangtze block shared a common evolutional dynamic environment with that beneath the eastern North China Craton during late Mesozoic–Cenozoic time.     

Metasomatic interactions between slab-derived melts and depleted mantle: Insights from xenoliths within Monglo adakite (Luzon arc, Philippines)

The Monglo adakite contains mafic and ultramafic xenoliths, which probably originated from the mantle section of an Early Cretaceous supra-subduction zone ophiolitic complex located within the Luzon arc crust. Spinel-bearing dunites are dominant among this xenolith collection and display evidence for three episodes of subduction-related melt percolation. The first one is evidenced by an undeformed clinopyroxene characterized by convex-upwards REE pattern. This clinopyroxene crystallized from a calc-alkaline basaltic magma, likely formed in the Cretaceous supra-subduction setting of the ophiolite. Then, two metasomatic events, evidenced by orthopyroxene-rich and amphibole-rich secondary parageneses, respectively, affected most of the spinel dunites. The opx-rich paragenesis is related to the circulation within the dunitic upper mantle of hydrous slab-derived melts similar to those affecting the mantle peridotite xenoliths from Papua New Guinea and Kamchatka. Finally the amphibole-rich veins are related to the interaction between the studied dunite xenoliths and the host adakite or an adakitic melt similar to it.     

Peculiar Mg–Ca–Si metasomatism along a shear zone within the mantle wedge: inference from fine-grained xenoliths from Avacha volcano,Kamchatka

We found extremely high-Mg# (=Mg/(Mg + total Fe) atomic ratio) ultramafic rocks in Avacha peridotite suite. All the high-Mg# rocks have higher modal amounts of clinopyroxene than ordinary Avacha peridotite xenoliths, and their lithology is characteristically heterogeneous, varying from clinopyroxenite through olivine websterite to pyroxene-bearing dunite. The Mg# of minerals is up to 0.99, 0.98 and 0.97 in clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine, respectively, decreasing progressively toward contact with dunitic part, if any. The petrographical feature of pyroxenes in the high-Mg# pyroxenite indicates their metasomatic origin, and high LREE/HREE ratio of the metasomatic clinopyroxene implies that the pyroxenites are the products of reaction between dunitic peridotites and high-Ca, silicate-rich fluids. The lithological variation of the Avacha high-Mg# pyroxenites from clinopyroxenite to olivine websterite resulted from various degrees of fluid-rock reaction coupled with fractional crystallization of the high-Ca fluids, which started by precipitation of high-Mg# clinopyroxene. Such fluids were possibly generated originally at a highly reduced serpentinized peridotite layer above the subducting slab. The fluids can reach the uppermost mantle along a shear zone as a conduit composed of fine-grained peridotite that developed after continent-ward asthenospheric retreats from the mantle wedge beneath the volcanic front. The fluids are incorporated in mantle partial melts when the magmatism is activated by expansion of asthenosphere to mantle wedge beneath the volcanic front.     

Carbonatite metasomatized peridotite xenoliths from southern Patagonia: implications for lithospheric processes and Neogene plateau magmatism

The mineral chemistry, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd isotopic composition of Cr-diopside, spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Estancia Lote 17 locality in southern Patagonia document a strong carbonatitic metasomatism of the backarc continental lithosphere. The Lote 17 peridotite xenolith suite consists of hydrous spinel lherzolite, wehrlite, and olivine websterite, and anhydrous harzburgite and lherzolite. Two-pyroxene thermometry indicates equilibration temperatures ranging from 870 to 1015 °C and the lack of plagioclase or garnet suggests the xenoliths originated from between ˜40 and 60 km depth. All of the xenoliths are LILE- and LREE-enriched, but have relatively low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70294 to 0.70342) and high ɛ_Nd (+3.0 to +6.6), indicating recent trace element enrichment (∼25 Ma, based on the low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and high Rb concentrations of phlogopite separates) in the long-term, melt-depleted Patagonian lithosphere. Lote 17 peridotite xenoliths are divided into two basic groups. Group 1 xenoliths consist of fertile peridotites that contain hydrous phases (amphibole ± phlogopite ± apatite). Group 1 xenoliths are further subdivided into three groups (a, b, and c) based on distinctive textures and whole-rock chemistry. Group 1 xenolith mineralogy and chemistry are consistent with a complex metasomatic history involving variable extents of recent carbonatite metasomatism (high Ca/Al, Nb/La, Zr/Hf, low Ti/Eu) that has overprinted earlier metasomatic events. Group 2 xenoliths consist of infertile, anhydrous harzburgites and record cryptic metasomatism that is attributed to CO₂-rich fluids liberated from Group 1 carbonatite metasomatic reactions. Extremely variable incompatible trace element ratios and depleted Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of Lote 17 peridotite xenoliths indicate that the continental lithosphere was neither the primary source nor an enriched lithospheric contaminant for Neogene Patagonian plateau lavas. Neogene plateau magmatism associated with formation of asthenospheric slab windows may have triggered this occurrence of “intraplate-type” carbonatite metasomatism in an active continental backarc setting. Received: 26 January 2000 / Accepted: 1 March 2000     

Origin of melt pockets in mantle xenoliths from southern Patagonia,Argentina

Peridotite mantle xenoliths collected north of Gobernador Gregores, Patagonia, affected by cryptic and modal metasomatism bear melt pockets of unusually large size. Melt pockets consist of second generation olivine (ol2), clinopyroxene (cpx2) and spinel (sp2) ± relict amphibole (amph) immersed in a yellowish vesicular glass matrix. Amphibole breakdown was responsible for melt pocket generation as suggested by textural evidence and proved by consistent mass-balance calculations: amph → cpx2 + ol2 + sp2 + melt. Composition of calculated amphibole in amphibole-free melt pockets is very similar to that measured in amphibole-bearing melt pockets from the same xenolith, i.e. amphibole was consumed in the melt pocket generation process. In melt pockets devoid of relict amphibole, mass-balance calculations show remarkable differences between the calculated amphibole and the measured amphibole compositions in melt pockets from the same xenolith. The participation of minor proportions of a consumed reactant phase could be a reasonable explanation. In some samples the calculated phase proportion of glass is in excess compared to modal estimations based on backscattered electron images, probably because a portion of the generated melt was able to migrate out of the melt pockets. Compositional inhomogeneity of cpx2 and variable Ti Kd in cpx2 vs. glass in the same melt pocket reflect fast nucleation and growth and disequilibrium crystallisation, respectively. This and the difference between forsterite content in calculated equilibrium olivine and second generation olivine, suggest that mineral equilibrium was inhibited by rapid quenching of melt pockets.     

Residence of incompatible trace elements in a large spinel lherzolite xenolith from alkali basalt of Shavaryn Tsaram-1 paleovolcano (western Mongolia)

We have studied a large (12 × 22 × 30 cm) spinel lherzolite xenolith with undeformed margins in alkali basalt (basanite) from the eroded crater of Late Cenozoic Shavaryn Tsaram-1 volcano in western Mongolia. The xenolith was sampled along its median transversal profile, at every 15–20 mm for bulk chemistry of lherzolite and basalt (ICP-MS) and at 4–10 mm for the chemistry of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and Cr-spinel minerals, and of material filling cracks (LA ICP-MS). Incompatible elements (especially, LREE) are distributed unevenly over the xenolith, both in lherzolite and in its constituent minerals, as well as in crack-filling material, with abnormal LREE enrichment in some specimens. Judging by the measured trace-element spectra compared with the model patterns, incompatible elements reside in different amounts as interstitial impurity in cracks inside and between mineral grains in lherzolite, also being a substitutional impurity in the lherzolite constituent minerals. Experimental acid leaching of specimens from sites of high crack density showed (La/Yb)_n ratios in the crack fill to be much higher than in the basalt host and more so in bulk lherzolite (180 against 33 and 1.5–3.6, respectively). The proportional contents of P and Ca in the leaching solution, especially in that from the xenolith’s center mark the presence of an apatite microphase, which can be a LREE repository.The observed patterns of LREE and other incompatible elements in the xenolith and in the host alkali basalt fit a model implying that mobile elements residing as interstitial impurity came with fluids which were released from rising basaltic magma and percolated into the xenolith along cracks.