Evolution of the basalts from three back-arc basins of southwest Pacific

 Petrography, petrochemistry, and mineral chemistry of basalts from the Woodlark, Manus, and Lau basins from the southwest Pacific, have been studied to understand their magmatic evolution. Basalt from the western Woodlark Basin (Dobu Seamount) indicates mixing of a near-primitive magma with fractionated basaltic melt in shallow magma chambers. Basalts from Manus Basin and Central Lau Spreading Center (Lau Basin) are typical N-MORBs, and they exhibit olivine fractionation under high oxidizing conditions while basalts from Mangatolu Triple Junction (Lau Basin) are enriched in Al₂O₃, K₂O, and Zr indicative of a contribution from a subducting plate. Received: 4 August 1998 / Revision received: 19 February 1999     

东马努斯盆地高镁安山岩物质来源及演化过程——基于全岩主微量和同位素分析

对东马努斯盆地高镁安山岩做了全岩主微量和Sr-Nd-Pb同位素分析,并结合前人测试数据,探究了岩浆物质来源及演化过程。由主量元素[MgO、CaO、FeOT(全铁)、Al_2O_3、TiO_2和P_2O_5]含量随着硅含量的升高而降低和La/Sm随着La含量的升高而保持不变可知,岩浆在演化过程中只发生了矿物的分离结晶,分离的矿物可能为橄榄石、辉石、斜长石、钛铁矿和磷灰石。东马努斯盆地高镁安山岩的Pb和大离子亲石元素(K,Rb,Sr,Ba和U)的富集、高场强元素(Nb,Th,Ta和Ti)的亏损说明岩浆受到了俯冲板块脱水作用的影响。推测该区高镁安山岩是流体交代的地幔楔部分熔融形成的。由Sr-Nd同位素混合模拟结果可知东马努斯盆地高镁安山岩主要来源于马努斯MORB(洋中脊玄武岩),少量来自于太平洋蚀变洋壳和海底沉积物。根据Sr-Nd-Pb同位素特征推测岩浆混合作用发生在地幔源区,属于源区混染,岩浆在喷发的过程中没有发生同化混染作用,也没有加入其他体系的物质。     

基于独立成分分析的马里亚纳弧后地幔源区特征研究

对采自太平洋洋中脊(277组)、印度洋洋中脊(159组)、马里亚纳海槽(53组)、马里亚纳岛弧(39组)、中南劳海盆(72组)共600组玄武岩数据进行了独立成分分析,从Sr-Nd-Pb五维同位素比值空间提取出占样本方差99%的3个独立成分(IC1,IC2,IC3),并利用这3个独立成分(ICs)与微量元素比值之间的相关性来讨论独立成分的起源。分析结果表明:IC1可以将马里亚纳海槽玄武岩与太平洋洋中脊及马里亚纳岛弧玄武岩区分,并且IC1值与(La/Sm)N比值呈正相关。IC2可以将马里亚纳海槽和马里亚纳岛弧玄武岩区分,而且IC2值与Ba/Th比值呈正相关;IC3可以将弧后盆地和洋中脊玄武岩区分,同时IC3值与Th/Nb呈负相关。分析独立成分的统计特征和微量元素比值特征可知,IC1与印度洋型MORB地幔的富集组分相关,IC2与太平洋板块俯冲产生的含水流体相关,IC3与再循环俯冲沉积物熔体相关。根据ICs地理分布特点,我们认为:1)马里亚纳海槽北部比南部受到更多印度洋型MORB地幔富集组分的影响,表明印度洋型MORB地幔可能从北部置换太平洋型MORB地幔;2)海槽北部地幔源区则是受到再循环沉积物熔体的影响较大,而中部和南部地幔源区可能受到更多俯冲流体的影响。     

Preliminary K-Ar geochronology of lavas from southern Lau Basin

In this short note, we report the ages of five lava samples from a segment of the Eastern Lau Spreading Center (ELSC) and three samples from the Valu Fa Ridge (VFR) in the southern Lau Basin. These samples were collected in situ from the axes and flanks of the spreading centers in the basin. These ages provide a key to better understanding the spreading mode, crustal formation and overall tectonic evolution of the basin. Except for two basaltic andesites and one andesite, the lavas analyzed are basalts. The ages of the lavas from ELSC range from (1.45 ± 0.15) Ma to (0.74 ± 0.04) Ma whereas those from VFR range from (0.50 ± 0.06) Ma to (0.32 ± 0.27) Ma, and the basalts give the oldest ages. The relatively younger ages of the VFR lavas are consistent with proposed tectonic evolution of the southern Lau Basin, i.e., VFR is a propagating extension of ELSC. The occurence of older lavas close to or on spreading axes in the southern Lau Basin implies the complex tectonic evolution of the basin. These results underscore a need for further detailed geophysical and geological studies in the southern Lau Basin, in order to better clarify the crustal accretion tectonic evolution in this area.     

冲绳海槽浮岩中碳、氢同位素组成特征

利用分阶段热解释放气体质谱分析法研究了冲绳海槽浮岩热解释放气中CO₂和H₂O的碳、氢同位素组成,结果显示:浮岩中原生CO₂和H₂O主要释放于400～1 000℃,CO₂的碳同位素组成介于-6.7×10-3～-22.7×10-3,H₂O的氢同位素组成从-45×10-3变到-71×10-3,均落入幔源火山岩的变化范围,而且浮岩的氢同位素组成与海槽区玄武岩的氢同位素组成非常接近,这表明冲绳海槽浮岩与玄武岩之间具有密切的成因联系,浮岩岩浆和玄武岩岩浆是同源岩浆不同程度结晶分异的产物.另外,这些浮岩较洋中脊玄武岩要贫13C,并富集D,同时具有从洋中脊玄武岩向岛弧玄武岩变化的趋势,这表明浮岩岩浆在形成或上升过程中可能受到俯冲板块释放流体的影响.     

东马努斯海盆PACMANUS热液区Cu的物质来源：质量守恒模拟证据

东马努斯海盆位于巴布亚新几内亚的俾斯麦海域，是一个正在扩张的弧后盆地，与其活动热液喷口相关的热液产物，是现代海底系统中富含铜最丰富的矿产资源之一。火山岩与这种成矿作用有着密切的关系，然而通过海水对火山岩的淋滤作用是否可以为富含Cu的硫化物提供充足的Cu元素。PACMANUS热液区位于东马努斯海盆，质量守恒模拟在该热液系统的应用表明，由于水岩反应中较低的淋滤、转移和沉淀效率，通过热液流体对稳定反应区（0.144 km³）的简单淋滤无法满足硫化物矿床中Cu的需求。即使在100%的淋滤、转移和沉淀效率条件下，为了满足PACMANUS热液区硫化物中Cu的总量，仍需要0.166 km³体积的火山岩参与淋滤作用。
形成富含金属元素的岩浆流体的关键在于金属元素可以在挥发分中富集。首先，俯冲物质对地幔楔的交代作用，导致了东马努斯海盆地区生成的岩浆具有较高的氧逸度，进而使其岩浆房中富集Cu元素。其次，Pual Ridge的安山岩包裹体的气泡中富含Cu元素，进一步证实了在东马努斯海盆，Cu元素通过岩浆脱气作用向挥发分中运移。数值模拟结果显示，每1 km³体积的岩浆就可能向热液系统中运移0.236 Mt Cu。因此，岩浆脱气作用可能比淋滤作用更显著。     

Mineral chemistry of Carlsberg Ridge basalts at 3°35′–3°41′N

Mineral chemical analyses of transitional basalts from the Carlsberg Ridge show plagioclase (An ~ 87 mole %), phenocrysts, and microphenocrysts have a K₂O depletion as compared to the laths (An ~ 79 mole %). Olivine (Fo ~ 91 mole %) are few and rarely zoned. The composition of plagioclase and olivine indicate low pressure equilibrium crystallization. The basalts were probably derived through fractional crystallization at shallow depths under low partial melting conditions. Morphology of plagioclase phenocrysts and bulk rock chemistry suggest magma mixing and fractional crystallization for the origin of these basalts. (Detailed chemical analyses can be obtained from the authors.)     

Highly magnetised and differentiated basalts at the 18–19° S propagating spreading centre in the North Fiji Basin

Geochemical and magnetic properties of basalts dredged along a propagating spreading centre (central part of the North Fiji Basin) have been analysed. Two phenomena appear to be important in controlling variations of natural remanent magnetisation (NRM): 1) an extensive magma differentiation to Fe-Ti basalts increases with the intensity of NRM; and both increase towards the propagator tip, 2) low temperature oxidation (maghemitisation) seems to have already occurred along the ridge axis for the zero age basalts. This paper shows that despite the apparent lack of correlation between NRM and the maghemitisation process (masked by the effect of extensive magma differentiation), the latter involves a change of the domain state of magnetic carriers, from pseudo single-domain to single-domain. We separated the NRM into 4 partial NRMs (pNRM) depending on the coercivity of grains. This analysis showed that the contribution to the remanence of grains with high coercivity increases with maghemitisation, whereas the contribution of grains with weak coercivity decreases.Despite the relatively high degree of maghemitisation, the variations of natural remanent magnetisation intensity principally reflect the variations of magmatic processes. This joint work on magnetic and magmatic properties of basalts collected on the NS-propagating spreading centre from the North Fiji Basin reinforces the magnetic telechemistry hypothesis of Vogt (1979).     

Petrology of seamounts in the Central Indian Ocean Basin: Evidence for near-axis origin

Previous studies on the distribution and morphology of ancient seamount chains (> 50 Ma) in the Central Indian Ocean basin (CIOB) indicated their generation from the fast spreading Southeast Indian Ridge. Here we describe the petrology of some of these seamounts. Fresh glass veneers of pillow basalts from these seamounts were analyzed by electron microprobe. The rocks show a low content of TiO₂ and FeO and moderate Mg# suggesting slow eruption of a minimally fractionated N-MORB magma. In terms of chemistry and morphology, CIOB seamounts are indistinguishable from seamounts across slow spreading MAR and fast spreading EPR.     

Characteristics of silicon and oxygen isotopic compositions of basalts near East Pacific Rise 13°N

In this study, 13 groups of silicon and oxygen isotopes and major elements of the basalts near the East Pacific Rise 13°N are used to study the fractionation of silicon and oxygen isotopes. Among these data, δ30Si values of basalts vary from -0.4%o to 0.2%o with a mean value of δ30Si of （-0.18±0.22）%o. The δ180 values range from 4.1%o to 6.4%o with a mean δ180 value of （＋5.35±0.73） %0. Since the δ30Si values increase in the series of basalt-basaltic andesite- andesite, and δ180 values display a positive correlation with the SiO2 content, we propose that the fractionation of silicon and oxygen isotopes is influenced by the SiO2 content in igneous rocks. Compared with the igneous rocks from Manus Basin with clinopyroxene as their dominant mineral phase, MORBs in this study containing olivine and plagioclase as primary minerals have lower δ180 and δ30Si values, indicating that the fractionation of silicon and oxygen isotopes is also affected by different Si-O bridges in silicate minerals. Furthermore, our samples from the EPR are defined as E-MORB based on K/Ti ratios. Probably, the difference in δ30Si and δ30O between our samples and a normal MORB are cause by the enriched components in E-MORBs.     

Quaternary hemipelagic sedimentation in the basins flanking the Solomon Islands volcanic arc

Quaternary sediments in the Woodlark Basin and New Georgia Sound, adjacent to the Solomon Islands volcanic arc, are hemipelagic. They consist of mixtures of clay minerals, calcareous plankton (foraminifera, coccoliths, and pteropods), and sand- and silt-sized volcanic debris. Variations in sediment composition are related primarily to distance from land (the source of volcanic components), water depth (because of the Aragonite and Calcite Compensation Depths), and bathymetric isolation. Much of the sedimentary debris is delivered to the basin by turbidity currents and other mass movements; little material is supplied by ash fall. Sedimentation rates appear to exceed 3 cm/1,000 years in New Georgia Sound, and range from 2 to 4.5 cm/1,000 years in the Woodlark Basin.     

Microbial community structure and diversity in deep-sea hydrothermal vent sediments along the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre

The aim of this study is to investigate microbial structures and diversities in five active hydrothermal fields’ sediments along the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre (ELSC) in the Lau Basin (southwest Pacific). Microbial communities were surveyed by denatured gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and clone library analysis of 16S rRNA genes. The differences in microbial community structures among sediment samples from the five deep-sea hydrothermal sites were revealed by DGGE profiles. Cluster analysis of DGGE profiles separated the five hydrothermal samples into two groups. Four different 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, representing two selected hydrothermal samples (19-4TVG8 and 19-4TVG11), were constructed. Twenty-three and 32 phylotypes were identified from 166 and 160 bacterial clones respectively, including Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae and Planctomycetes. The phylum Proteobacteria is dominant in both bacterial libraries with a predominance of Gamma-Proteobacteria. A total of 31 and 25 phylotypes were obtained from 160 and 130 archaeal clones respectively, including Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotic Group, Marine Group Ⅰ and Ⅲ, Marine Benthic Group E, Terrestrial Hot Spring Crenarchaeota and Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vent Euryarchaeota. These results show a variety of clones related to those involved in sulfur cycling, suggesting that the cycling and utilization of sulfur compounds may extensively occur in the Lau Basin deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystem.     

A multi-national,multi-parameter marine study of the western Solomon Sea and Region

A geological /geophysical survey of the western Solomon Sea and Manus Basin, northeastern Bismarck Sea, was carried out in 1983-84. The results of the survey and associated studies are reported in this issue and a later issue ofGeo-Marine Letters.     

白垩纪以来太平洋上地幔组成和温度变化

The geological evolution of the Earth during the mid-Cretaceous were shown to be anomalous, e.g., the pause of the geomagnetic field, the global sea level rise, and increased intra-plate volcanic activities, which could be attributed to deep mantle processes. As the anomalous volcanic activities occurred mainly in the Cretaceous Pacific, here we use basalt chemical compositions from the oceanic drilling(DSDP/ODP/IODP) sites to investigate their mantle sources and melting conditions. Based on locations relative to the Pacific plateaus, we classified these sites as oceanic plateau basalts, normal mid-ocean ridge basalts, and near-plateau seafloor basalts. This study shows that those normal mid-ocean ridge basalts formed during mid-Cretaceous are broadly similar in average Na8, La/Sm and Sm/Yb ratios and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions to modern Pacific spreading ridge(the East Pacific Rise). The Ontong Java plateau(125–90 Ma) basalts have distinctly lower Na8 and143Nd/144 Nd, and higher La/Sm and 87Sr/86 Sr than normal seafloor basalts, whereas those for the near-plateau seafloor basalts are similar to the plateau basalts, indicating influences from the Ontong Java mantle source. The super mantle plume activity that might have formed the Ontong Java plateau influenced the mantle source of the simultaneously formed large areas of seafloor basalts. Based on the chemical data from normal seafloor basalts, I propose that the mantle compositions and melting conditions of the normal mid-ocean ridges during the Cretaceous are similar to the fast spreading East Pacific Rise. Slight variations of mid-Cretaceous normal seafloor basalts in melting conditions could be related to the local mantle source and spreading rate.     

A multi-national, multi-parameter marine study of the western Solomon Sea and Region

A geological /geophysical survey of the western Solomon Sea and Manus Basin, northeastern Bismarck Sea, was carried out in 1983-84. The results of the survey and associated studies are reported in this issue and a later issue ofGeo-Marine Letters.     

Mantle source heterogeneity and magmatic evolution at Carlsberg Ridge (3.7°N): constrains from elemental and isotopic (Sr,Nd, Pb) data

We present new major element, ICP-MS trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data of basalts from four locations along the Carlsberg Ridge (CR), northern Indian Ocean. The basalts are low-K tholeiites with 7.52–9.51 wt% MgO, 49.40–50.60 wt% SiO₂, 0.09–0.27 wt% K₂O, 2.55–2.90 wt% Na₂O, and 0.60–0.68 Mg^#. Trace element contents of the basalts show characteristics similar to those of average normal MORB, such as LREE depleted patterns with (La/Sm)_N ratio of 0.55–0.69; however, some samples are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements such as K and Rb, suggesting probable modification of the mantle source. Poor correlations between the compatible elements [e.g. Ni, Cr, and Sr (related to olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase, respectively)] and the incompatible elements (e.g. Zr and Y), and positive correlations in the Zr versus Zr/Y and Nb versus Nb/Y plots suggest a magmatic evolution controlled mainly by mantle melting rather than fractional crystallization. Our results extend the CR basalt range to higher radiogenic Pb isotopes and lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd. These basalts and basalts from the northern Indian Ocean Ridge show lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values than those of the depleted mantle (DM), defining a trend towards pelagic sediment composition. The Pb isotopic ratios of basalts from CR 3–4°N lie along the compositional mixing lines between the DM and the upper continental crust. However, the low radiogenic Pb of basalts from CR 9–10°N lie on the mixing line between the DM and lower continental crust. Since the Pb isotopic ratio of MORB would decrease if the source mantle was contaminated by continental lithospheric mantle, we suggest that CR contains continental lithospheric material, resulting in heterogeneous mantle beneath different ridge segments. The continental lithospheric material was introduced into the asthenosphere before or during the breakup of the Gondwana. These results support the long-term preservation of continental material in the oceanic mantle which would significantly influence the isotopic anomaly of the Indian Ocean MORB.     

Ferrobasalts from the Central Indian Ocean Basin

We report the occurrence of ferrobasalts recovered from the Central Indian Ocean Basin crust generated at the Southeast Indian Ridge during a phase of moderate to fast spreading accretion (～110–190?mm/yr, full rate).The rocks are rich in plagioclase, FeO* (13–19%), and TiO₂ (2.27–2.76%), poor in olivine and MgO (3.44–6.20%), and associated with topographic highs and increased amplitude magnetic anomalies corresponding to chrons A25 and A24. We suggest that secon dary eruptions from ancient N-MORB magma, which may have been trapped at a shallow depth in a horizon of neutral buoyancy, could have produced the ferrobasalts.     

东马努斯海盆PACMANUS热液区Si-Fe-Mn-羟基氧化物的Sr、Nd、Pb同位素特征

Si-Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides dredged at the PACMANUS(Papua New Guinea–Australia–Canada–Manus)hydrothermal field, Eastern Manus Basin, have 87Sr/86Sr=0.708 079–0.708 581; εNd=5.149 833–6.534 826;208Pb/204Pb=38.245–38.440; 207Pb/204Pb=15.503–15.560; 206Pb/204Pb=18.682–18.783. 87Sr/86 Sr isotope ratios are relatively homogeneous and close to the value of the surrounding seawater(0.709 16). The content of Sr in the samples contributed by seawater was estimated to be 76.7%–83.1% of total amount. The mixing temperature of hydrothermal fluids and seawater were ranging from 53.2°C to 72.2°C and the hydrothermal activities were unstable when the samples precipitated. The εNd values of all the samples are positive, which differ from the values of ferromanganese nodules(crusts) with hydrogenic origin. Nd was mainly derived from substrate rocks leached by hydrothermal circulation and preserved the hydrothermal signature. Pb isotopic compositions of most samples show minor variability except Sample #9–2 that has relatively high values of Pb isotopes. The Pb may be derived from the Eastern Manus Basin rocks leached by the hydrothermal fluid. The slightly lower 208Pb/204 Pb and207Pb/204 Pb values of the samples indicated that the hydrothermal circulation in PACMANUS was not entire and sufficient, or that hydrothermal circulation had transient changes in the past. Si-Fe-Mn-oxyhydroxides in the samples preserved the heterogeneities of local rocks.     

Hydrothermal plumes in the eastern Manus Basin, Bismarck Sea: CH4, Mn, Al and pH anomalies

We present evidence for strong hydrothermal activity in the eastern Manus Basin (depth: 1700–2100 m), the existence of large scale triple-layered buoyant plumes at depths of 1100 m (“shallow plume”), 1700 m (“deep plume”), and 1400 m (“middle plume” with less extent than the other two plumes) that were revealed from water column anomalies of CH₄, Mn, Al and pH observed in November to December 1990. Judging from the horizontal distribution of these parameters, the deep plume seems to originate from two distinct hydrothermal sites (eastern and western sites) in the research area, the eastern site being visually ascertained with deep-tow observations at the same time. The CH₄/Mn ratio (mol mol⁻¹) of the deep plume (0.02–0.05) is the lowest yet observed in hydrothermal plumes. The order of magnitude difference of CH₄/Mn ratios between the shallow plume and the deep plume suggests that different kinds of fluid-rock interaction occurred to make the hydrothermal end members for the deep and shallow plumes. The shallow plume, which had an areal extent of more than 50 km, may be an episodic “megaplume”, because it was not recognized in the previous CH₄ profiles in 1986, and because it has a similar CH₄/Mn ratio as the megaplume observed in the North Fiji Basin. We found that the eastern deep plume is characterized by enormously high aluminium concentrations (0.6– 1.5 μmol kg⁻¹), pH anomalies (0.1) and high Al/Mn ratios (10–17). The endmember fluid for the eastern deep plume may have an unusually low pH value to dissolve this much aluminum during fluid-rock interaction, or this plume may originate from an eruption-influenced fluid.     

Ferrobasalts from the Central Indian Ocean Basin

 We report the occurrence of ferrobasalts recovered from the Central Indian Ocean Basin crust generated at the Southeast Indian Ridge during a phase of moderate to fast spreading accretion (∼110–190 mm/yr, full rate).The rocks are rich in plagioclase, FeO^* (13–19%), and TiO₂ (2.27–2.76%), poor in olivine and MgO (3.44–6.20%), and associated with topographic highs and increased amplitude magnetic anomalies corresponding to chrons A25 and A24. We suggest that secon dary eruptions from ancient N-MORB magma, which may have been trapped at a shallow depth in a horizon of neutral buoyancy, could have produced the ferrobasalts. Received: 27 January 1998 / Revision received: 25 May 1998