Partitioning of U and Th during garnet pyroxenite partial melting: Constraints on the source of alkaline ocean island basalts

Uranium series disequilibria in ocean island basalts (OIB) provide evidence for the presence of garnet in their source region. It has been suggested that enriched OIB signatures derive from mantle lithologies other than peridotite, such as eclogite or pyroxenite, and, in particular, that silica-poor garnet pyroxenite is the source lithology for alkali basalts. To test the ability of such a source to produce the U–Th disequilibria observed in alkali OIB, we determined experimentally clinopyroxene-melt and garnet-melt partition coefficients for a suite of trace elements, including U and Th, at 2.5 GPa and 1420–1450 °C. The starting composition for the experiments was a 21% partial melt of a silica-poor garnet pyroxenite. Experimentally determined clinopyroxene-melt partition coefficients range from 0.0083 ± 0.0006 to 0.020 ± 0.002 for Th and from 0.0094 ± 0.0006 to 0.024 ±0.002 for U, and garnet-melt partition coefficients are 0.0032 ± 0.0004 for Th and 0.013 ± 0.002 for U. Comparison of our experimental results with partition coefficients from previous experimental studies shows that the relative compatibilities of U and Th in both garnet and clinopyroxene are different for different mineral compositions, leading to varying degrees of U/Th fractionation with changing lithology. For a given melting rate and extent of partial melting, mafic lithologies tend to produce larger ²³⁰Th excesses than peridotite. However, this effect is minimized by the greater overall extents of melting experienced by eclogites and pyroxenites relative to peridotite. Results from chromatographic, batch, and fractional melting calculations with binary mixing between partial melts of pyroxenite and peridotite, carried out using our new partitioning data for the pyroxenite component and taking into account variable productivities and different solidus depths for the two lithologies, suggest that OIB are not the product of progressive melting of a source containing a fixed quantity of garnet pyroxenite. Melting a peridotite with enriched signatures, and mixing those melts with melts of a depleted, “normal” peridotite, is an alternative explanation for the trends seen in Hawaiian, Azores and Samoan lavas.     

Melting experiments on hydrous low-K tholeiite: Implications for the genesis of tonalitic crust in the Izu–Bonin – Mariana arc

A series of water-deficient partial melting experiments on a low-K tholeiite were carried out under lower crustal P–T–H₂O conditions (900–1200 °C, 0.7–1.5 GPa, 2 and 5 wt% H₂O added) using a piston-cylinder apparatus. With increasing temperature at 1.0 GPa, supersolidus mineral assemblages vary from amphibolitic to pyroxenitic. Garnet crystallizes in the higher pressure runs (> 1.2 GPa). Melt compositions show low-K calc-alkalic trends, and are classified as metaluminous or peraluminous tonalite. These features are similar to the felsic rocks in the Izu–Bonin – Mariana (IBM) arc, for example Tanzawa plutonic rocks. The anatectic origin of Tanzawa tonalites is consistent with geochemical modeling, which demonstrates that the rare earth element (REE) characteristics of Tanzawa plutonic rocks (which represent the middle crust of the IBM arc) can be generated by partial melting of amphibolite in the lower crust (∼ 50% melting at 1050 °C and below 1.2 GPa). Estimated densities of pyroxenitic restites (∼ 3.9 g/cm³) after extraction of andesitic melts are higher than that of mantle peridotite beneath the island arc (3.3 g/cm³). The high density of the restite could cause delamination of the IBM arc lower crust. Rhyolitic magmas in the IBM arc (e.g. Niijima) could be formed by low degrees of partial melting of the amphibolitic crust at a temperature just above the solidus (10% melting at or below 900 °C).     

Experimental studies of melt-peridotite reactions at 1–2 GPa and 1250–1400°C and their implications for transforming the nature of lithospheric mantle and for high-Mg signatures in adakitic rocks

Experiments of the melt-peridotite reaction at pressures of 1 and 2 GPa and temperatures of 1250–1400°C have been carried out to understand the nature of the peridotite xenoliths in the Mesozoic high-Mg diorites and basalts of the North China Craton,and further to elucidate the processes in which the Mesozoic lithospheric mantle in this region was transformed.We used Fuxin alkali basalt,Feixian alkali basalt,and Xu-Huai hornblende-garnet pyroxenite as starting materials for the reacting melts,and lherzolite xenoliths and synthesized harzburgite as starting materials for the lithospheric mantle.The experimental results indicate that:(1)the reactions between basaltic melts and lherzolite and harzburgite at 1–2 GPa and 1300–1400°C tended to dissolve pyroxene and precipitate low-Mg#olivine(Mg#=83.6–89.3),forming sequences of dunite-lherzolite(D-L)and duniteharzburgite(D-H),respectively;(2)reactions between hornblende-garnet pyroxenite and lherzolite at 1 GPa and 1250°C formed a D-H sequence,whereas reactions at 2 GPa and 1350°C formed orthopyroxenite layers and lherzolite;and(3)the reaction between a partial melt of hornblende-garnet pyroxenite and harzburgite resulted in a layer of orthopyroxenite at the boundary of the pyroxenite and harzburgite.The reacted melts have higher MgO abundances than the starting melts,demonstrating that the melt-peridotite reactions are responsible for the high-Mg#signatures of andesites or adakitic rocks.Our experimental results support the proposition that the abundant peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths in western Shandong and the southern Taihang Mountains might have experienced multiple modifications in reaction to a variety of melts.We suggest that melt-peridotite reactions played important roles in transforming the nature of the Mesozoic lithospheric mantle in the region of the North China Craton.     

Enriched,HIMU-type peridotite and depleted recycled pyroxenite in the Canary plume: A mixed-up mantle

The Earth's mantle is chemically and isotopically heterogeneous, and a component of recycled oceanic crust is generally suspected in the convecting mantle [Hofmann and White, 1982. Mantle plumes from ancient oceanic crust. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 57, 421–436]. Indeed, the HIMU component (high µ = ²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb), one of four isotopically distinct end-members in the Earth's mantle, is generally attributed to relatively old (≥ 1–2 Ga) recycled oceanic crust in the form of eclogite/pyroxenite, e.g. [Zindler and Hart, 1986. Chemical geodynamics. Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 14, 493–571]. Although the presence of the recycled component is generally supported by element and isotopic data, little is known about its physical state at mantle depths. Here we show that the concentrations of Ni, Mn and Ca in olivine from the Canarian shield stage lavas, which can be used to assess the physical nature of the source material (peridotite versus olivine-free pyroxenite) [Sobolev et al., 2007. The amount of recycled crust in sources of mantle-derived melts. Science 316, 412–417], correlate strongly with bulk rock Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic ratios. The most important result following from our data is that the enriched, HIMU-type (having higher ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb than generally found in the other mantle end-members) signature of the Canarian hotspot magmas was not caused by a pyroxenite/eclogite constituent of the plume but appears to have been primarily hosted by peridotite. This implies that the old (older than ~ 1 Ga) ocean crust, which has more evolved radiogenic isotope compositions, was stirred into/reacted with the mantle so that there is not significant eclogite left, whereas younger recycled oceanic crust with depleted MORB isotopic signature (< 1 Ga) can be preserved as eclogite, which when melted can generate reaction pyroxenite.     

Reaction experiments between tonalitic melt and mantle olivine and their implications for genesis of high-Mg andesites within cratons

High-Mg (Mg#>45) andesites (HMA) within cratons attract great attention from geologists. Their origin remains strongly debated. In order to examine and provide direct evidence for previous assumptions about HMA’s genesis inferred from petrological and geochemical investigations, we performed reaction experiments between tonalitic melt and mantle olivine on a six-anvil apparatus at high-temperature of 1250–1400°C and high-pressure of 2.0–5.0 GPa. Our experiments in this work simulated the interaction between the tonalitic melt derived from partial melting of eclogitized lower crust foundering into the Earth’s mantle and mantle peridotite. The experimental results show that the reacted melts have very similar variations in chemical compositions to the HMAs within the North China Craton. Therefore, this interaction is probably an important process to generate the HMAs within crations.     

Connectivity of molten Fe alloy in peridotite based on in situ electrical conductivity measurements: implications for core formation in terrestrial planets

The connectivity of molten Fe-S in peridotite has been experimentally investigated by means of in situ electrical conductivity measurements at high temperatures and 1 GPa. Starting materials were powdered mixtures of peridotite KLB-1 with various amounts (0, 3, 6, 13, 19, 24 vol.%) of the 1 GPa eutectic composition in the Fe-FeS binary system. At temperatures above the eutectic point in the Fe-FeS system (∼980 °C) and below the solidus of KLB1 (∼1200 °C), molten Fe-S in a solid silicate matrix interconnects when the volume fraction is over ∼5%. Conductivity-temperature paths indicate that in the presence of partial silicate melting the connectivity of molten Fe-S in a peridotite matrix is inhibited. Based on observations of retrieved samples, the percolation threshold of Fe-S melts in the presence of low to moderate degrees of silicate melt is estimated at 13±2 vol.%. These results indicate that if the volume fraction of Fe-alloy in a planetesimal was initially greater than 5%, and if early heating by decay of radionuclides raised the temperature of the interior above the Fe-alloy melting point, initial metal segregation was controlled by permeable flow of molten iron alloy in a solid silicate matrix. These conditions were likely met by many terrestrial objects in the early solar nebula. Efficient removal of residual Fe-alloy (5 vol.%) from silicate requires high-degree melting of silicate so that metal can segregate as droplets. Giant impacts during the final stage of accretion of large planetary objects could supply the energy required for high-degrees of melting. Alternatively, if initial metal segregation were delayed until a planetary object grew to large size (∼1000 km in diameter), release of gravitational potential energy due to metal segregation could contribute enough heat to form a magma ocean.     

Low-degree partial melting trends recorded in upper mantle minerals

The study of glass inclusions inside mantle minerals provides direct information about the chemistry of naturally occurring mantle-derived melts and the fine-scale complexity of the melting process responsible for their genesis. Minerals in a spinel lherzolite nodule from Grande Comore island contain glass inclusions which, after homogenization by heating, exhibit a continuous suite of chemical compositions clearly distinct from that of the host basanitic lava. The compositions range from silicic, with nepheline–olivine normative, 64 wt% SiO₂ and 11 wt% alkali oxides, to almost basaltic, with quartz normative, 50 wt% SiO₂ and 1–2 wt% alkali oxides. Within a single mineral phase, olivine, the inferred primary melt composition varies from 54 to 64 wt% SiO₂ for MgO content ranging from 8 to 0.8 wt%. An experimental study of the glass and fluid inclusions indicates that trapped melts represent liquids that are in equilibrium with their host phases at moderate temperature and pressure (T≈1230°C and P≈1.0 Gpa for melts trapped in olivine). Quantitative modelling of the compositional trends defined in the suite shows that all of the glasses are part of a cogenetic set of melts formed by fractional melting of spinel lherzolite, with F varying between 0.2 and 5%. The initial highly silicic, alkali-rich melts preserved in Mg-rich olivine become richer in FeO, MgO, CaO and Cr₂O₃ and poorer in SiO₂, K₂O, Na₂O, Al₂O₃ and Cl with increasing melt fractions, evolving toward the basaltic melts found in clinopyroxene. These results confirm the connection between glass inclusions inside mantle minerals and partial mantle melts, and indicate that primary melts with SiO₂ >60 wt%, alkali oxides >11%, FeO <1 wt% and MgO <1 wt% are generated during incipient melting of spinel peridotite. The composition of the primary melts is inferred to be dependent on pressure, and to reflect both the speciation of dissolved CO₂ and the effect of alkali oxides on the silica activity coefficient in the melt. At pressures around 1 GPa, low-degree melts are characterized by alkali and silica-rich compositions, with a limited effect of dissolved CO₂ and a decreased silica activity coefficient caused by the presence of alkali oxides, whereas at higher pressures alkali oxides form complexes with carbonates and, consequently, alkali-rich silica-poor melts will be generated.     

Formation time of the big mantle wedge beneath eastern China and a new lithospheric thinning mechanism of the North China craton—Geodynamic effects of deep recycled carbon

High-resolution P wave tomography shows that the subducting Pacific slab is stagnant in the mantle transition zone and forms a big mantle wedge beneath eastern China. The Mg isotopic investigation of large numbers of mantle-derived volcanic rocks from eastern China has revealed that carbonates carried by the subducted slab have been recycled into the upper mantle and formed carbonated peridotite overlying the mantle transition zone, which becomes the sources of various basalts. These basalts display light Mg isotopic compositions(δ26 Mg = –0.60‰ to –0.30‰) and relatively low87 Sr/86 Sr ratios(0.70314–0.70564) with ages ranging from 106 Ma to Quaternary, suggesting that their mantle source had been hybridized by recycled magnesite with minor dolomite and their initial melting occurred at 300-360 km in depth. Therefore, the carbonate metasomatism of their mantle source should have occurred at the depth larger than 360 km, which means that the subducted slab should be stagnant in the mantle transition zone forming the big mantle wedge before 106 Ma. This timing supports the rollback model of subducting slab to form the big mantle wedge. Based on high P-T experiment results, when carbonated silicate melts produced by partial melting of carbonated peridotite was raising and reached the bottom(180–120 km in depth) of cratonic lithosphere in North China, the carbonated silicate melts should have 25–18 wt% CO2 contents, with lower Si O2 and Al2 O3 contents, and higher Ca O/Al2 O3 values, similar to those of nephelinites and basanites, and have higher εNdvalues(2 to 6). The carbonatited silicate melts migrated upward and metasomatized the overlying lithospheric mantle, resulting in carbonated peridotite in the bottom of continental lithosphere beneath eastern China. As the craton lithospheric geotherm intersects the solidus of carbonated peridotite at 130 km in depth, the carbonated peridotite in the bottom of cratonic lithosphere should be partially melted, thus its physical characters are similar to the asthenosphere and it could be easily replaced by convective mantle. The newly formed carbonated silicate melts will migrate upward and metasomatize the overlying lithospheric mantle. Similarly, such metasomatism and partial melting processes repeat, and as a result the cratonic lithosphere in North China would be thinning and the carbonated silicate partial melts will be transformed to high-Si O2 alkali basalts with lower εNdvalues(to-2). As the lithospheric thinning goes on,initial melting depth of carbonated peridotite must decrease from 130 km to close 70 km, because the craton geotherm changed to approach oceanic lithosphere geotherm along with lithospheric thinning of the North China craton. Consequently, the interaction between carbonated silicate melt and cratonic lithosphere is a possible mechanism for lithosphere thinning of the North China craton during the late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Based on the age statistics of low δ26 Mg basalts in eastern China, the lithospheric thinning processes caused by carbonated metasomatism and partial melting in eastern China are limited in a timespan from 106 to25 Ma, but increased quickly after 25 Ma. Therefore, there are two peak times for the lithospheric thinning of the North China craton: the first peak in 135-115 Ma simultaneously with the cratonic destruction, and the second peak caused by interaction between carbonated silicate melt and lithosphere mainly after 25 Ma. The later decreased the lithospheric thickness to about70 km in the eastern part of North China craton.     

Formation of diamond with mineral inclusions of “mixed” eclogite and peridotite paragenesis

Two unusual diamonds were studied from kimberlites from China, which contain both ultramafic and eclogitic mineral inclusions in the same diamond hosts. Diamond L32 contains seven Fe-rich garnets, four omphacites and one olivine inclusion. Four olivine, one sanidine and one coesite were recovered from diamond S32. Both garnet and omphacite inclusions have similar compositions as those from other localities of the world, and show basaltic bulk composition. All the garnet and omphacite inclusions in diamond L32 have positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu^*1.64 1.79). These observations support the proposal that mantle eclogite is the metamorphic product of subducted ancient oceanic crust. The Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratio of the olivine inclusions from the two diamonds (91-92) are evidently lower than the normal olivine inclusions in diamonds from the same kimberlite pipe (92-95). The following model is proposed for the formation of diamonds with “mixed” mineral inclusions. Ascending diamond-bearing eclogite (recycled oceanic crust) entrained in mantle plumes may experience extensive partial melting, whereas the ambient peridotite matrix remains subsolidus in the diamond stable field. This provides a mechanism for the transport of diamond from its original eclogitic host to an ultramafic one. Subsequent re-growth of diamond in the new environment makes it possible to capture mineral inclusions of different lithological suites. Partial melts of basaltic sources may interact with the surrounding peridotite, resulting in the relatively lower Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios of the coexisting olivine inclusions from the studied diamonds. Diamonds with “mixed” mineral inclusions demonstrate that plume activity also occurred in the Archean cratons.     

Trace element characteristics of partial melts produced by melting of metabasalts at high pressures: Constraints on the formation condition of adakitic melts

Modern adakite, Archean tonalite-trondhjemite- granodiorite (TTG) and adakitic rocks derived from lower continental crust are high Na and Al felsic rocks and are characterized by strong heavy REE and Y de- pletion and high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, which sug…     

Major- and trace-element systematics and isotope geochemistry of Cenozoic mafic volcanic rocks from the Vogelsberg (central Germany): Constraints on the origin of continental alkaline and tholeiitic basalts and their mantle sources

The Cenozoic basaltic province of the Vogelsberg area (central Germany) is mainly composed of intercalated olivine to quartz tholeiites and near-primary nephelinites to basanites. The inferred mantle source for the alkaline and tholeiitic rocks is asthenospheric metasomatized garnet peridotite containing some amphibole as the main hydrous phase. Trace element modelling indicates 2 to 3% partial melting for the alkaline rocks and 5 to 7% partial melting for the olivine tholeiites. Incompatible trace element abundances and ratios as well as Nd and Sr radiogenic isotope compositions lie between plume compositions and enriched mantle compositions and are similar to those measured in Ocean Island Basalts (OIB) and the Central European Volcanic Province elsewhere. The mafic olivine tholeiites have similar Ba/Nb, Ba/La and Nd–Sr isotope ratios to the alkaline rocks indicating derivation of both magma types from chemically comparable mantle sources. However, Zr/Nb ratios are slightly higher in olivine tholeiites than in basanites reflecting some fractionation of Zr relative to Nb during partial melting. Quartz tholeiites have higher Ba/Nb, Zr/Nb, La/Nb, but lower Ce/Pb ratios and lower Nd isotope compositions than the alkaline rocks which can be explained by interaction of the basaltic melt with lower (granulite facies) crustal material or partial melts thereof during stagnation within the lower crust. It appears most likely that upwelling of hot, asthenospheric material results in the generation of primitive alkaline rocks at the base of the lithosphere at depths of 75–90 km. Lithospheric extension together with minor plume activity and probably lower lithosphere erosion induced melting of shallower heterogenous upper mantle generating a spectrum of olivine tholeiitic melts. These olivine tholeiitic rocks evolved via crystal fractionation and probably limited contamination to quartz tholeiites.     

Origin of Icelandic basalts: A review of their petrology and geochemistry

The petrology and geochemistry of Icelandic basalts have been studied for more than a century. The results reveal that the Holocene basalts belong to three magma series: two sub-alkaline series (tholeiitic and transitional alkaline) and an alkali one. The alkali and the transitional basalts, which occupy the off-rift volcanic zones, are enriched in incompatible trace elements compared to the tholeiites, and have more radiogenic Sr, Pb and He isotope compositions. Compared to the tholeiites, they are most likely formed by partial melting of a lithologically heterogeneous mantle with higher proportions of melts derived from recycled oceanic crust in the form of garnet pyroxenites compared to the tholeiites. The tholeiitic basalts characterise the mid-Atlantic rift zone that transects the island, and their most enriched compositions and highest primordial (least radiogenic) He isotope signature are observed close to the centre of the presumed mantle plume. High-MgO basalts are found scattered along the rift zone and probably represent partial melting of refractory mantle already depleted of initial water-rich melts. Higher mantle temperature in the centre of the Iceland mantle plume explains the combination of higher magma productivity and diluted signatures of garnet pyroxenites in basalts from Central Iceland. A crustal component, derived from altered basalts, is evident in evolved tholeiites and indeed in most basalts; however, distinguishing between contamination by the present hydrothermally altered crust, and melting of recycled oceanic crust, remains non-trivial. Constraints from radiogenic isotope ratios suggest the presence of three principal mantle components beneath Iceland: a depleted upper mantle source, enriched mantle plume, and recycled oceanic crust.The study of glass inclusions in primitive phenocrysts is still in its infancy but already shows results unattainable by other methods. Such studies reveal the existence of mantle melts with highly variable compositions, such as calcium-rich melts and a low-¹⁸O mantle component, probably recycled oceanic crust. Future high-resolution seismic studies may help to identify and reveal the relative proportions of different lithologies in the mantle.     

Archaean greenstone belts may include terrestrial equivalents of lunar maria?

The lower portions of the volcanic sequence of some Archaean greenstone belts include members with crystallized from ultramafic liquids extruded at the earth's surface at 1600–1650°C. These liquids are interpreted as products of 60–80% melting of their mantle source composition which implies more catastrophic conditions of mantle melting than obtained in Palaeozoic, Mesozoic or Recent crust-mantle dynamics. Such conditions may be a consequence of major impacts on the surface of the primitive earth. It is suggested that the production of the lunar maria basins was accompanied by similar impacts on the earth and that such terrestrial maria played an important role in early stages of chemical differentiation of the crust and upper mantle. An hypothesis is presented in which some Archaean greenstone belts are interpreted as very large impact scars, initially filled with impact-triggered melts of ultramafic to mafic composition and thereafter evolving with further magmatism, deformation and metamorphism to the present Archaean greenstone belts.     

A petrogenetic study of the garnet pyroxenite enclaves in spinel peridotite,North Dabieshan,China

Recently, garnet pyroxenite enclaves within peridotites occurring near Raobazhai, Huoshan County, have been discovered. The garnet pyroxenite is small pods, decimeters in size, enclosed within intensively serpentinized peridotites. Major mineral components comprise: garnet (Prp_25–35), sodium augite (Jd_10–25) with a small amount of ilmenite. There are two stages of retrometamorphism: the retrogressive granulite facies mineral assemblage is superimposed by that of amphibolite facies. The host rocks of the garnet pyroxenite are spinel peridotites, including spinel harzburgite and lherzolite. Due to intensive serpentinitization, only 5%–40% of the relic olivine (Fo_92–93) are preserved. The orthopyroxenes are Mg-rich (En_87–93) with bending of cleavages and granulation at their margins showing intracrystalline plasticity. On the basis of garnet-clinopyroxene Fe?Mg exchange equilibrium geothermometry proposed by Ellis & Green (1979) and Krogh (1988)K _D=4.06–5.28;T=793–919°C,P=1.5 GPa are estimated for the garnet pyroxenite. It is inferred that the peridotites are mantle rocks about 60 km in depth. During the exhumation of the orogenic belt, it was tectonically emplaced into the lower crust in the solid state and then uplifted to the shallow depth. Obviously, this kind of garnet pyroxenite must be petrogenetically related to its host rock. The REE distribution pattern and the Ni?Co?Sc diagram reveal that they are chemically equivalent to the basaltic melt and ultramafic residua respectively derived from partial melting of mantle rocks.     

A petrogenetic study of the garnet pyroxenite enclaves in spinel peridotite,North Dabieshan,China

Recently, garnet pyroxenite enclaves within peridotites occurring near Raobazhai, Huoshan County, have been discovered. The garnet pyroxenite is small pods, decimeters in size, enclosed within intensively serpentinized peridotites. Major mineral components comprise: garnet (Prp_25–35), sodium augite (Jd_10–25) with a small amount of ilmenite. There are two stages of retrometamorphism: the retrogressive granulite facies mineral assemblage is superimposed by that of amphibolite facies. The host rocks of the garnet pyroxenite are spinel peridotites, including spinel harzburgite and lherzolite. Due to intensive serpentinitization, only 5%–40% of the relic olivine (Fo_92–93) are preserved. The orthopyroxenes are Mg-rich (En_87–93) with bending of cleavages and granulation at their margins showing intracrystalline plasticity. On the basis of garnet-clinopyroxene Fe−Mg exchange equilibrium geothermometry proposed by Ellis & Green (1979) and Krogh (1988)K _D=4.06–5.28;T=793–919°C,P=1.5 GPa are estimated for the garnet pyroxenite. It is inferred that the peridotites are mantle rocks about 60 km in depth. During the exhumation of the orogenic belt, it was tectonically emplaced into the lower crust in the solid state and then uplifted to the shallow depth. Obviously, this kind of garnet pyroxenite must be petrogenetically related to its host rock. The REE distribution pattern and the Ni−Co−Sc diagram reveal that they are chemically equivalent to the basaltic melt and ultramafic residua respectively derived from partial melting of mantle rocks.

     

Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China: Implications for thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere

The North China Craton (NCC) has been thinned from >200 km to <100 km in its eastern part. The ancient subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) has been replaced by the juvenile SCLM in the Meoszoic. During this period, the NCC was destructed as indicated by extensive magmatism in the Early Cretaceous. While there is a consensus on the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China, it has been hotly debated about the mechanism of cartonic destruction. This study attempts to provide a resolution to current debates in the view of Mesozoic mafic magmatism in North China. We made a compilation of geochemical data available for Mesozoic mafic igneous rocks in the NCC. The results indicate that these mafic igneous rocks can be categorized into two series, manifesting a dramatic change in the nature of mantle sources at ~121 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks emplaced at this age start to show both oceanic island basalts (OIB)-like trace element distribution patterns and depleted to weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. In contrast, mafic igneous rocks emplaced before and after this age exhibit both island arc basalts (IAB)-like trace element distribution patterns and enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions. This difference indicates a geochemical mutation in the SCLM of North China at ~121 Ma. Although mafic magmatism also took place in the Late Triassic, it was related to exhumation of the deeply subducted South China continental crust because the subduction of Paleo-Pacific slab was not operated at that time. Paleo-Pacific slab started to subduct beneath the eastern margin of Eruasian continent since the Jurrasic. The subducting slab and its overlying SCLM wedge were coupled in the Jurassic, and slab dehydration resulted in hydration and weakening of the cratonic mantle. The mantle sources of ancient IAB-like mafic igneous rocks are a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the cratonic mantle wedge peridotite not only with aqueous solutions derived from dehydration of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust in the Jurassic but also with hydrous melts derived from partial melting of the subducting South China continental crust in the Triassic. On the other hand, the mantle sources of juvenile OIB-like mafic igneous rocks are also a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that were generated by reaction of the asthenospheric mantle underneath the North China lithosphere with hydrous felsic melts derived from partial melting of the subducting Paleo-Pacific oceanic crust. The subducting Paleo-Pacific slab became rollback at ~144 Ma. Afterwards the SCLM base was heated by laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, leading to thinning of the hydrated and weakened cratonic mantle. There was extensive bimodal magmatism at 130 to 120 Ma, marking intensive destruction of the cratonic lithosphere. Not only the ultramafic metasomatites in the lower part of the cratonic mantle wedge underwent partial melting to produce mafic igneous rocks showing negative ε_Nd(t) values, depletion in Nb and Ta but enrichment in Pb, but also the lower continent crust overlying the cratonic mantle wedge was heated for extensive felsic magmatism. At the same time, the rollback slab surface was heated by the laterally filled asthenospheric mantle, resulting in partial melting of the previously dehydrated rocks beyond rutile stability on the slab surface. This produce still hydrous felsic melts, which metasomatized the overlying asthenospheric mantle peridotite to generate the ultramafic metasomatites that show positive ε_Nd(t) values, no depletion or even enrichment in Nb and Ta but depletion in Pb. Partial melting of such metasomatites started at ~121 Ma, giving rise to the mafic igneous rocks with juvenile OIB-like geochemical signatures. In this context, the age of ~121 Ma may terminate replacement of the ancient SCLM by the juvenile SCLM in North China. Paleo-Pacific slab was not subducted to the mantle transition zone in the Mesozoic as revealed by modern seismic tomography, and it was subducted at a low angle since the Jurassic, like the subduction of Nazca Plate beneath American continent. This flat subduction would not only chemically metasomatize the cratonic mantle but also physically erode the cratonic mantle. Therefore, the interaction between Paleo-Pacific slab and the cratonic mantle is the first-order geodynamic mechanism for the thinning and destruction of cratonic lithosphere in North China.     

Evolution of lithospheric mantle in the north of Nain‐Baft oceanic crust (Neo‐Tethyan ophiolite of Ashin,Central Iran)

This study is focused on a plagioclase‐bearing spinel lherzolite from Chah Loqeh area in the Neo‐Tethyan Ashin ophiolite. It is exposed along the west of left‐lateral strike‐slip Dorouneh Fault in the northwest of Central‐East Iranian Microcontinent. Mineral chemistry (Mg#^olivine < ~ 90, Cr#^{clinopyroxene} < ~ 0.2, Cr#^spinel < ~ 0.5, Al₂O₃^{orthopyroxene} > ~ 2.5 wt%, Al₂O₃^{clinopyroxene} > ~ 4.5 wt%, Al₂O₃^spinel > ~ 41.5 wt%, Na₂O^{clinopyroxene} > ~ 0.11 wt%, and TiO₂^{clinopyroxene} > ~ 0.04 wt%) confirms Ashin lherzolite was originally a mid‐oceanic ridge peridotite with low degrees of partial melting at spinel‐peridotite facies in a lithospheric mantle level. However, some Ashin lherzolites record mantle upwelling and tectonic exhumation at plagioclase‐peridotite facies during oceanic extension and diapiric motion of mantle along Nain‐Baft suture zone. This mantle upwelling is evidenced by some modifications in the modal composition (i.e. subsolidus recrystallization of plagioclase and olivine between pyroxene and spinel) and mineral chemistry (e.g. increase in TiO₂ and Na₂O of clinopyroxene, and TiO₂ and Cr# of spinel and decrease in Mg# of olivine), as a consequence of decompression during a progressive upwelling of mantle. Previous geochronological and geochemical data and increasing the depth of subsolidus plagioclase formation at plagioclase‐peridotite facies from Nain ophiolite (~ 16 km) to Ashin ophiolite (~ 35 km) suggest a south to north closure for the Nain‐Baft oceanic crust in the northwest of Central‐East Iranian Microcontinent.     

The versatility of petrological modeling: Thermobarometry of high-pressure metabasites from the Renge and Sanbagawa belts and phase evolution during warm subduction at Nankai

Petrological modeling is a powerful technique to address different types of geological problems via phase-equilibria predictions at different pressure–temperature-composition conditions. Here, we show the versatility of this technique by (1) performing thermobarometrical calculations using phase equilibrium diagrams to explore the petrological evolution of high-pressure (HP) metabasites from the Renge and Sanbagawa belts, Japan and (2) forward-modeling the mineral–melt evolution of the subducted fresh and altered oceanic crust along the Nankai subduction zone geotherm at the Kii peninsula, Japan. In the first case, we selected three representative samples from these metamorphic belts: a glaucophane eclogite and a garnet glaucophane schist from the Renge belt (Omi area) and a quartz eclogite from the Sanbagawa belt (Besshi area). We calculated the peak metamorphic conditions at ~2.0–2.3 GPa and ~550–630 °C for the HP metabasites from the Renge belt, whereas for the quartz eclogite, the peak equilibrium conditions were calculated at 2.5–2.8 GPa and ~640–750 °C. According to our models, the quartz eclogite experienced partial melting after peak metamorphism. In terms of the petrological evolution of the subducted uppermost portion of the oceanic crust along the warm Nankai geotherm, our models show that fluid release occurs at ~20–60 km, likely promoting high pore-fluid pressure, and thus, seismicity at these depths; dehydration is controlled by chlorite breakdown. Our petrological models predict partial melting at >60 km, mainly driven by phengite and amphibole breakdown. According to our models, the melt proportion is relatively small, suggesting that slab anatexis is not an efficient mechanism for generating voluminous magmatism at these conditions. Modeled melt compositions correspond to high-SiO₂ adakites; these are similar to compositions found in the Daisen and Sambe volcanoes, in southwest Japan, suggesting that the modeled melts may serve as an analog to explain adakite petrogenesis.     

Experimental study on the effects of crustal temperature and composition on assimilation with fractional crystallization at the floor of magma chambers

When a hot basaltic magma is emplaced into continental crust or a pre-existing silicic magma chamber, the processes of assimilation with fractional crystallization (AFC) are likely to control the liquid line of descent of the magma. These processes are particularly important at the floor of the magma chamber because evolved light liquids generated by floor melting readily mix with the overlying basaltic magma. In order to clarify the effects of temperature and composition of the floor on the AFC processes, we experimentally investigated simultaneous melting and crystallization of a NH₄Cl–H₂O binary eutectic system. In the experiments, evolution of temperature and compositional profiles of a hot solution overlying a cold solid mixture of variable initial temperatures and compositions were measured. The initial NH₄Cl concentrations of solid and liquid are chosen to be higher than the eutectic composition, such that the density change of the experimental material by crystallization and melting is qualitatively the same as that of natural magmas and crusts. The results show that a mushy layer forms at the floor due to simultaneous crystallization and (partial) melting and that the liquid evolves due to mixing with liquids released by crystallization and melting. The ratio of melting mass to crystallization mass (M/C ratio) depends on the initial floor temperature and composition. As the initial floor temperature decreases, the rate of melting largely decreases, so that the M/C ratio becomes smaller. As the initial NH₄Cl concentration of the solid floor decreases, the degree of partial melting of the floor increases; however, it does not necessarily result in an increase in the M/C ratio. The higher melt fraction of the mushy layer increases permeability within the mushy layer, so that vertical exchange between the liquid in the mushy layer and the more concentrated overlying liquid is enhanced. This effect promotes crystallization in the mushy layer, and decreases the M/C ratio. It is suggested that the M/C ratio during AFC processes depends on details of the mixing process in the liquid layer such as spacing and meandering of buoyant plumes.     

Major element chemistry of ocean island basalts — Conditions of mantle melting and heterogeneity of mantle source

We estimate average compositions of near-primary, ‘reference’ ocean island basalts (OIBs) for 120 volcanic centers from 31 major island groups and constrain the depth of lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) at the time of volcanism and the possible depth of melt–mantle equilibration based on recently calibrated melt silica activity barometer. The LAB depth versus fractionation corrected OIB compositions (lava compositions, X, corrected to Mg# 73, X_OIB^#73, i.e., magmas in equilibrium with Fo₉₀, if olivine is present in the mantle source) show an increased major element compositional variability with increasing LAB depths. OIBs erupted on lithospheres < 40 km thick approach the compositions (e.g. SiO₂^#73, TiO₂^#73, [CaO/Al₂O₃]^#73) of primitive ridge basalts and are influenced strongly by depth and extent of shallow melting. However, X_OIB^#73 on thicker lithospheres cannot be explained by melt–mantle equilibration as shallow as LAB. Melt generation from a somewhat deeper (up to 50 km deeper than the LAB) peridotite source can explain the OIB major element chemistry on lithospheres ≤ 70 km. However, deeper melting of volatile-free, fertile peridotite is not sufficient to explain the end member primary OIBs on ≥ 70 km thick lithospheres. Comparison between X_OIB^#73 and experimental partial melts of fertile peridotite indicates that at least two additional melt components need to be derived from OIB source regions. The first component, similar to that identified in HIMU lavas, is characterized by low SiO₂^#73, Al₂O₃^#73, [Na₂O/TiO₂]^#73, and high FeO?^#73, CaO^#73, [CaO/Al₂O₃]^#73. The second component, similar to that found in Hawaiian Koolau lavas, is characterized by high SiO₂^#73, moderately high FeO?^#73, and low CaO^#73 and Al₂O₃^#73. These two components are not evenly sampled by all the islands, suggesting a heterogeneous distribution of mantle components that generate them. We suggest that carbonated eclogite and volatile-free, silica-excess eclogite are the two most likely candidates, which in conjunction with fertile mantle peridotite, give rise to the two primitive OIB end members.