The late Cretaceous lithospheric mantle beneath the Central Andes: Evidence from phase equilibria and composition of mantle xenoliths

Temperature estimates and chemical composition of mantle xenoliths from the Cretaceous rift system of NW Argentina (26°S) constrain the rift evolution and chemical and physical properties of the lithospheric mantle at the eastern edge of the Cenozoic Andean plateau. The xenolith suite comprises mainly spinel lherzolite and subordinate pyroxenite and carbonatized lherzolite. The spinel lherzolite xenoliths equilibrated at high-T (most samples >1000 °C) and P below garnet-in. The Sm–Nd systematics of compositionally unzoned clino- and orthopyroxene indicate a Cretaceous minimum age for the high-T regime, i.e., the asthenosphere/lithosphere thermal boundary was at ca. 70 km depth in the Cretaceous rift. Major elements and Cr, Ni, Co and V contents of the xenoliths range between values of primitive and depleted mantle. Calculated densities based on the bulk composition of the xenoliths are <3280 kg/m³ for the estimated P–T conditions and indicate a buoyant, stable upper mantle lithosphere. The well-equilibrated metamorphic fabric and mineral paragenesis with the general lack of high-T hydrous phases did not preserve traces of metasomatism in the mantle xenoliths. Late Mesozoic metasomatism, however, is obvious in the gradual enrichment of Sr, U, Th and light to medium REE and changes in the radiogenic isotope composition of an originally depleted mantle. These changes are independent of the degree of depletion evidenced by major element composition. ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_i ratios of clinopyroxene from the main group of xenoliths decrease with increasing Nd content from >0.5130 (depleted samples) to ca. 0.5127 (enriched samples). ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i ratios (0.7127–0.7131, depleted samples; 0.7130–0.7134, enriched samples) show no variation with variable Sr contents. Pb_i isotope ratios of the enriched samples are rather radiogenic (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 18.8–20.6, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 15.6–15.7, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i 38.6–47) compared with the Pb isotope signature of the depleted samples. The large scatter and high values of ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i ratios of many xenoliths indicates at least two Pb sources that are characterized by similar U/Pb but by different Th/Pb ratios. The dominant mantle type in the investigated system is depleted mantle according to its Sr and Nd isotopic composition with relatively radiogenic Pb isotope ratios. This mantle is different from the Pacific MORB source and old subcontinental mantle from the adjacent Brazilian Shield. Its composition probably reflects material influx into the mantle wedge during various episodes of subduction that commenced in early Paleozoic or even earlier. Old subcontinental mantle was already replaced in the Paleozoic, but some inheritance from old mantle lithosphere is represented by rare xenoliths with isotope signatures indicating a Proterozoic origin.     

Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the Kovdor phoscorite–carbonatite complex, Kola Peninsula, NW Russia

The Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions for the Kovdor phoscorite–carbonatite complex (PCC), Kola Peninsula, NW Russia, have been determined to characterize the mantle sources involved and to evaluate the relative contributions of a plume and subcontinental lithospheric mantle in the formation of the complex. The Kovdor PCC is a part of the Kovdor ultramafic–alkaline–carbonatite massif, and consists of six intrusions. The initial isotopic ratios of the analyzed samples, calculated at 380 Ma, display limited variations: ε_Nd, + 2.0 to + 4.7; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, 0.70319 to 0.70361 (ε_Sr, − 12.2 to − 6.2); ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 18.38 to 18.74; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 15.45 to 15.50; ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 37.98 to 39.28. The Nd and Sr isotope data of the Kovdor PCC generally fit the patterns of the other phoscorites and carbonatites from the Kola Alkaline Province (KAP), but some data are slightly shifted from the mixing line defined as the Kola Carbonatite Line, having more radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. However, the less radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions and negative Δ7/4 values of Pb isotopes of the analyzed samples exclude crustal contamination, but imply the involvement of a metasomatized lithospheric mantle source. Isotopic variations indicate mixing of at least three distinct mantle components: FOZO-like primitive plume component, EMI-like enriched component and DMM-like depleted component. The isotopic nature of the EMI- and DMM-like mantle component observed in the Kovdor samples is considered to be inherited from metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle. This supports the previous models invoking plume–lithosphere interaction to explain the origin of the Devonian alkaline carbonatite magmatism in the KAP.     

Radiogenic helium in xenoliths from Simcoe, Washington, USA: implications for metasomatic processes in the mantle wedge above subduction zones

We report ³He/⁴He ratios from 10 peridotite xenoliths considered to represent samples of the uppermost mantle wedge above the downgoing Juan de Fuca Plate. Helium isotopic ratios in all but two of the xenoliths are similar to many arc magmas, roughly 7 Ra (1 Ra=atmospheric value). Based on decoupling of He from Sr, Nd and Os in these samples, similar He ratios in olivines from rims of larger xenoliths, and modeling of helium exchange between xenoliths and magmas, we interpret this ratio as that of helium in the host basalt. ³He/⁴He ratios as low as 4.2 Ra are found in olivines from the cores of the two largest xenoliths. These results cannot be reasonably explained by interaction with crustal material or post-eruptive ingrowth of ⁴He, but have been produced by interaction between mantle peridotite and a ⁴He-rich melt or fluid. Either ⁴He already present in the subducting oceanic crust has been retained to significant depths below Simcoe and then directly released behind the arc to interact with the mantle wedge, or, more likely, ⁴He has been produced by decay of U and Th in metasomatized mantle directly above the slab; a He-rich fluid or melt from this source has then ascended and modified the region of mantle represented by the xenoliths. This latter model is supported by estimates of residence time for the Simcoe metasomatic agent from U–Th–Pb isotopic systematics of pyroxenes from the Simcoe peridotites, estimated U and Th concentrations in the source of the fluid or melt, and commonly assumed patterns of helium behavior. This model is also consistent with higher ³He/⁴He ratios typically measured in arc samples; the portion of sub-arc mantle with such low He isotope ratios may be quite small, but the Simcoe xenoliths record a much larger volumetric contribution of the He-rich metasomatic agent than do arc lavas.     

Pre-Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism along the Central Andes (17–34°S): Composition of the mantle at an active margin

Sr–Nd–Pb isotope ratios of alkaline mafic intra-plate magmatism constrain the isotopic compositions of the lithospheric mantle along what is now the eastern foreland or back arc of the Cenozoic Central Andes (17–34°S). Most small-volume basanite volcanic rocks and alkaline intrusive rocks of Cretaceous (and rare Miocene) age were derived from a depleted lithospheric mantle source with rather uniform initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ( 0.5127–0.5128) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ( 0.7032–0.7040). The initial ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are variable (18.5–19.7) at uniform ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios (15.60 ± 0.05). A variety of the Cretaceous depleted mantle source of the magmatic rocks shows elevated Sr isotope ratios up to 0.707 at constant high Nd isotope ratios. The variable Sr and Pb isotope ratios are probably due to radiogenic growth in a metasomatized lithospheric mantle, which represents the former sub-arc mantle beneath the early Palaeozoic active continental margin. Sr–Nd–Pb isotope signatures of a second mantle type reflected in the composition of Cretaceous (one late Palaeozoic age) intra-plate magmatic rocks (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd  0.5123, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr  0.704, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb  17.5–18.5, and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb  15.45–15.50) are similar to the isotopic composition of old sub-continental lithospheric mantle of the Brazilian Shield.

Published Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of Mesozoic to Cenozoic arc-related magmatic rocks (18–40°S) represent the composition of the convective sub-arc mantle in the Central Andes and are similar to those of the Cretaceous (and rare Miocene) intra-plate magmatic rocks. The dominant convective and lithospheric mantle type beneath this old continental margin is depleted mantle, which is compositionally different from average MORB-type depleted mantle. The old sub-continental lithospheric mantle did not contribute to Mesozoic to Cenozoic arc magmatism.     

Growth of subcontinental lithosphere: evidence from repeated dike injections in the Balmuccia lherzolite massif, Italian Alps

The Balmuccia alpine lherzolite massif is a fragment of subcontinental lithospheric mantle emplaced into the lower crust 251 Ma ago during the final, extensional phase of the Hercynian orogeny. The Balmuccia massif consists largely of lherzolite, with subordinate harzburgite and dunite, and an array of dike rocks formed in the mantle before crustal emplacement. Dike rocks include websterite and bronzitite of the Cr-diopside suite, spinel clinopyroxenite and spinel-poor websterite of the Al-augite suite, gabbro and gabbronorite of the late gabbro suite, and hornblendite of the hydrous vein suite. The dike rocks display consistent intrusive relationships with one another, such that Cr-diopside suite dikes are always older than dikes and veins of the Al-augite suite, followed by dikes of the late gabbro suite and veins of the hydrous vein suite. Phlogopite (phl) veinlets that formed during interaction with the adjacent crust are the youngest event. There are at least three generations of Cr-diopside suite dikes, as shown by crosscutting relations. Dikes of the Al-augite suite form a polybaric fractionation series from spinel clinopyroxenite to websterite and feldspathic websterite, which crystallized from aluminous alkaline magmas at relatively high pressures. The late gabbro suite of dikes intruded at lower pressures, where plagioclase saturation occurred before significant mafic phase fractionation. Hornblendite veins have distinct compositional and isotopic characteristics, which show that they are not related to either the Al-augite suite or to the late gabbro dike suite. Cr-diopside suite dikes have Nd and Sr isotopic compositions similar to those of the host lherzolite and within the range of compositions defined by ocean–island basalts. The Al-augite dikes and the hornblendite veins have Sr and Nd isotopic compositions similar to those of Cr-diopside suite lherzolite and websterite. The late gabbro dikes have Nd and Sr isotopic compositions similar to mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) asthenosphere. Lead isotopic compositions for all of the samples fall in the present-day MORB field on the ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagram but are displaced above this field on the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagram. There is overlap in the data between the Cr-diopside suite and the Al-augite and hydrous vein suites, with the exception that the Cr-diopside websterite dikes have more radiogenic Pb than any of the other samples. In Pb–Pb space as well, the late gabbro suite has the least radiogenic isotopic compositions, reflecting a change in magma source region during uplift. These data show that tectonic thinning of subcontinental lithospheric mantle during extension caused a change in the source regions of mantle-derived magmas from an ocean island basalt (OIB)-like lithosphere to the underlying MORB asthenosphere. They also demonstrate that the upper mantle acquires its heterogeneous isotopic character through several different processes, including in situ radiogenic growth, addition of asthenospheric melts, dike-wall rock ionic exchange, redistribution of the lithospheric dike and vein materials by melting, and in the late stages of emplacement, assimilation of crustal materials.     

Sr, Nd and Pb Isotopic Systematics of the Cenozoic Basalts of the Korean Peninsula and Their Implications for the Permo-Triassic Continental Collision Boundary

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of the Cenozoic basalts were analyzed from Baengnyeongdo Island, Jeongok, Ganseong, and Jejudo Island of Korea. They reveal relatively enriched Sr and Nd isotopic compositions (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.703300.70555, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.512980.51256) compared with MORB.²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values of all the analyzed Korean basalts lie above the Northern Hemisphere Reference Line (NHRL) defined by Hart (1984). Pb isotopic compositions of basalts from Jejudo Islands (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.6119.12, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.5415.69, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.9839.72) are significantly more radiogenic than the rest (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 17.7218.03, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.4415.58, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 37.7738.64). The Cenozoic Korean basalts thus can be divided into two groups based on their Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. The north group reveals mixing between DMM and EM1 while the south group displays DMM-EM2 mixing. Such a distribution is the same as Chinese Cenozoic basalts and it can be interpreted that the subcontinental lithospheric mantle under Korea represents simple lateral continuation of the South and North China Blocks. We suggest that Korean continental collision zone cross the Korean Peninsula through the region between the north and south basalt groups of Korea.     

Os, Nd, and Sr isotopic and chemical compositions of ultramafic xenoliths from Kurose, SW Japan: Implications for contribution of slab-derived material to wedge mantle

We examined seven ultramafic xenoliths from 1~3 Ma alkali olivine basalt reefs near the Eurasian continent and one sample of the host alkali basalt to identify the mantle wedge material and to constrain the origin and evolution of mantle beneath SW Japan. Six xenoliths are from Kurose and one xenolith is from Takashima, northern part of the Kyushu islands, SW Japan. The Sr and Nd isotopic ratios vary from 0.70416 to 0.70773 and from 0.51228 to 0.51283, respectively. The Kurose and Takashima xenoliths have higher Sr isotopic ratios and lower Nd isotopic ratios than those of the peridotite xenoliths from the other arc settings such as Simcoe and NE Japan.

The Kurose xenoliths have less radiogenic Os isotopic ratios (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.123–0.129) than the primitive upper mantle (PUM) estimate and limited variation compared to the other arc xenoliths. Their Os isotope compositions are rather similar to the ultramafic xenoliths from NE and east China. In addition, the samples of the Kurose and Takashima xenoliths plot along a mixing line between ultramafic xenoliths from SE and NE China and a slab component in Sr–Nd–Os isotopic space. Our results suggest that fragments of continental lithospheric mantle from the China craton may exist beneath Kurose and Takashima after the Sea of Japan expansion when the Japanese islands were rifted away from the Eurasian continent during Miocene. Later magmatism due to subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the SW Japan arc around 15 Ma ago may have introduced fluids or melts derived from slab component, interpreted to be oceanic sediments rather than altered oceanic crust, that possibly modified the original composition of the lithospheric mantle sampled by the peridotite xenoliths from Kurose and Takashima.     

Isotopic equilibrium/disequilibrium in granites, metasedimentary rocks and migmatites (Damara orogen, Namibia)—a consequence of polymetamorphism and melting

The overwhelming part of the continental crust in the high-grade part of the Damara orogen of Namibia consists of S-type granites, metasedimentary rocks and migmatites. At Oetmoed (central Damara orogen) two different S-type granites occur. Their negative ε_Nd values (− 3.3 to − 5.9), moderately high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.714–0.731), moderately high ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (18.21–18.70) and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (37.74–37.89) isotope ratios suggest that they originated by melting of mainly mid-Proterozoic metasedimentary material. Metasedimentary country rocks have initial ε_Nd of − 4.2 to − 5.6, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.718–0.725, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios of 18.32–18.69 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios of 37.91–38.45 compatible with their variation in Rb/Sr, U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios. Some migmatites and residual metasedimentary xenoliths tend to have more variable ε_Nd values (initial ε_Nd: − 4.2 to − 7.1), initial Sr isotope ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.708–0.735) and less radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (18.22–18.53) and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (37.78–38.10) isotope compositions than the metasedimentary rocks. On a Rb–Sr isochron plot the metasedimentary rocks and various migmatites plot on a straight line that corresponds to an age of c. 550 Ma which is interpreted to indicate major fractionation of the Rb–Sr system at that time. However, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the melanosomes of the stromatic migmatites (calculated for their U–Pb monazite and Sm–Nd garnet ages of c. 510 Ma) are more radiogenic (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.725) than those obtained on their corresponding leucosomes (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.718) implying disequilibrium conditions during migmatization that have not lead to complete homogenization of the Rb–Sr system. However, the leucosomes have similar Nd isotope characteristics than the inferred residues (melanosomes) indicating the robustness of the Sm–Nd isotope system during high-grade metamorphism and melting. On a Rb–Sr isochron plot residual metasedimentary xenoliths show residual slopes of c. 66 Ma (calculated for an U–Pb monazite age of 470 Ma) again indicating major fractionation of Rb/Sr at c. 540 Ma. However, at 540 Ma, these xenoliths have unradiogenic Sr isotope compositions of c. 0.7052, indicating depleted metasedimentary sources at depth. Based on the distinct Pb isotope composition of the metasedimentary rocks and S-type granites, metasedimentary rocks similar to the country rocks are unlikely sources for the S-type granites. Moreover, a combination of Sr, Nd, Pb and O isotopes favours a three-component mixing model (metasedimentary rocks, altered volcanogenic material, meta-igneous crust) that may explain the isotopic variabilty of the granites. The mid-crustal origin of the different types of granite emphasises the importance of recycling and reprocessing of pre-existing differentiated material and precludes a direct mantle contribution during the petrogenesis of the orogenic granites in the central Damara orogen of Namibia.     

Spinel-facies mantle xenoliths from Cerro Redondo, Argentine Patagonia: Petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic evidence of interaction between xenoliths and host basalt

Cerro Redondo is an ancient cinder cone now almost completely eroded, sited over a sill that corresponds to a sub-volcanic magma chamber, in Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, Argentina. It is composed of Pliocene-Pleistocene alkaline basalt containing spinel-facies lherzolite and harzburgite mantle xenoliths. Core compositions of pyroxenes indicate temperatures of 823 °C to 1043 °C and pressures of 12.4 kb to 21.4 kb. Based on P–T estimates, petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic characteristics, we propose that Cerro Redondo xenoliths come from a thick homogeneous mantle column (36 km to 63 km depth), and present different degrees of basalt infiltration. A simple mixing model based on Sr isotopes was used to quantify the host basalt infiltration, and contamination values of 0.0%, 0.2%, 3%, and 12% were obtained for samples X-F, X-D, X-C, and X-B, respectively. For unknown reasons, samples X-G and X-E suffered selective isotopic and trace element modification, respectively, associated with 1% of basalt infiltration. Sample X-F best represents the sub-continental lithospheric mantle column, conserving primary equilibrium textures with sharp grain boundaries, and having TiO₂, CaO, Na₂O, K₂O, and P₂O₅ contents lower than average spinel lherzolite, flat chondrite-normalized REE pattern, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of 0.70519 and 0.51297, respectively. This sample records a decoupling of the Sr–Nd system where Sr ratios increase at constant Nd ratios, possibly caused by chromatographic processes. Its ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are 17.987, 15.556, and 37.959, respectively. As the interaction with the host basalt increases, xenoliths show a gradual increase of disequilibrium textures such as reaction rims and exsolution lamellae in orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, and increase of TiO₂, CaO, Al₂O₃, Na₂O, K₂O, P₂O₅, LREE, and incompatible element concentrations. The Sr–Nd system shows an unusual positive trend from the unmodified sample X-F toward the host basalt isotope composition with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of 0.70447 and 0.51279, respectively, while ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios tend to increase toward those of the host basalt (18.424, 15.648, and 38.728, respectively) as the xenolith–basalt interaction increases. The basalt–xenolith reaction probably started during the transport of the xenoliths to the surface, and continued during the residence of xenoliths in the sub-volcanic magma chamber of Cerro Redondo.     

Isotopic characteristics of potassic rocks: evidence for the involvement of subducted sediments in magma genesis

The potassic igneous rock suite (with molar K₂O/Na₂O > 1) can be divided into an “orogenic” subgroup that occur in subduction-related tectonic settings and an “anorogenic” sub-group that are confined to stable continental settings. Representatives of both sub-groups possess trace element and isotopic features consistent with the contamination of their magma sources by incompatible element rich and isotopically evolved “metasomatic” components. It is argued here that these metasomatic components are principally derived from subducted lithosphere, including subducted sediments. Most examples of orogenic potassic magmatism (e.g. Italian potassic rocks, Spanish lamproites, Sunda arc leucitites) have trace-element and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics consistent with the contamination of their mantle sources by a component derived from marine sediments. Anorogenic sub-group potassic magmas have generally similar incompatible trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic characteristics to those of orogenic potassic magmas, but many examples have unusual Pb isotopic compositions with unradiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb. Modern marine sediments characteristically have low U/Pb ratios and the unradiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb of anorogenic potassic magmas may have evolved during long-term storage of subducted sediments (or components derived from them) within the subcontinental lithosphere. These unusual Pb isotopic compositions require substantial time periods (> 1 Ga) to have elapsed between the fractionation events lowering the U/Pb ratio (i.e. erosion and sedimentation at the Earth's surface) and subsequent potassic magmatism and it is therefore not surprising that most examples of anorogenic potassic magmatism are not associated with recent subduction processes. Although the eruption of potassic magmas is commonly related to rifting or hotspot activity, these processes do not necessarily play an important role in the genesis of the unusual sources from which potassic magmas are derived.     

Pb isotopic composition of late Archaean granites and the extent of recycling early Archaean crust in the Slave Province, northwest Canada

Initial Pb isotopic compositions have been determined for potassium feldspar from ca. 2.58 to 2.62 Ga plutonic rocks in the southern and central Slave Province of northwestern Canada to evaluate the extent of recycling of ancient crust within the province. Large differences in initial Pb compositions were measured which correlate with geographical areas of the province. Plutons in the east-central part of the province have initial compositions only slightly more radiogenic than estimated mantle values (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 14.8–14.9), and were dominantly deruved from juvenile crustal sources. In contrast, plutons in the Point Lake and western Contwoyto Lake areas of the western Slave Province have radiogenic compositions (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 15.1–15.2), and indicate significant recycling of pre-3.5 Ga crust. The Pb data support previous interpretations, based on Nd isotopes, for a major isotopic boundary in the central part of the province. Granites from the southern part of the province, near Yellowknife, have intermediate compositions which indicate: (1) the age of the protolith to the granitoids in the Yellowknife area is younger than at Point Lake, but older than in the eastern Slave; or (2) the granitoids in the Yellowknife area contain a mixture of an older Point Lake-type component and younger crust. The absence of pre-3.2 Ga crust in the Yellowknife area and lack of evidence for pre-2.8 Ga inherited zircons in the Yellowknife granitoids favour the former possibility. Evidence for recycling of ancient crustal sources, such as the Acasta Gneiss, is limited to a relatively small area of the west-central part of the province, suggesting that Acasta aged, or derived, crust is not widespread in the province. The marked regionality of isotopic composition may reflect a basement in the western part of the province which is itself a collage of crust of different age, being younger (ca 3.2-2.9) in the south, relative to the Point Lake region (3.9-3.2 Ga).     

Neo-Proterozoic rift-related syenites (Northern Damara Belt, Namibia): Geochemical and Nd–Sr–Pb–O isotope constraints for mantle sources and petrogenesis

Major element, trace element and Nd–Sr–Pb–O isotope data for a suite of Neo-Proterozic, pre-orogenic, rift-related syenites from the Northern Damara orogen (Namibia) constrain their sources and petrogenesis. New U–Pb ages obtained on euhdreal titanite of inferred magmatic origin constrain the age of intrusion of the Lofdal and Oas syenites to ca. 750 Ma compatible with previous high-precision zircon analyses from the Oas complex. Major rock types from Lofdal and Oas are mildly sodic nepheline-normative and quartz-normative syenites and were primarily generated by fractional crystallization from a mantle-derived alkaline magma. Primitive samples from Lofdal and Oas show depletion of Rb, K and Th relative to Ba and Nb together with variable negative anomalies of P and Ti on a primitive mantle-normalized diagram. Evolved samples from Oas develop significant negative Ba, Sr, P and Ti anomalies and positive U and Th anomalies mainly as a function of crystal fractionation processes. The lack of a pronounced negative Nb anomaly in samples from Lofdal suggests that involvement of a crustal component is negligible. For the nepheline-normative samples from Lofdal, the unradiogenic Sr and radiogenic Nd isotope composition and low δ¹⁸O values suggest derivation of these samples from a moderately depleted lithospheric upper mantle with crustal-like U/Pb ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7031–0.7035, ε Nd: ca. + 1, δ¹⁸O: 7‰, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: ca.18.00, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.58–15.60). Primitive samples of the Oas quartz-normative syenites have identical isotope characteristics (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7034, ε Nd: ca. + 1, δ¹⁸O: 6.5‰, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: ca.18.00, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.59) whereas more differentiated samples have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.709–0.714), slightly higher δ¹⁸O values (7.0–7.1‰), less radiogenic ε Nd values (− 1.1 to − 1.4) and more radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios up to 18.27. These features together with model calculations using Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes suggest modification of a primary syenite magma by combined AFC processes involving ancient continental crust. In this case, high Nb abundances of the parental syenite liquid prevent the development of significant negative Nb anomalies that may be expected due to interaction with continental crust.     

Petrology, geochemistry and geodynamic implications of Jurassic island arc magmatism as revealed by mafic volcanic rocks in the Mesozoic low-grade sequence, eastern Rhodope, Bulgaria

In the eastern Bulgarian Rhodope, mafic extrusive rocks and underlying greenschists are found in the Mesozoic low-grade unit, which represents the northern extension of similar sequences including the Evros ophiolites in Thrace (Greece). Both rock types define a suite of low-Ti tholeiitic basalts to transitional boninitic basaltic andesites and andesites and associated metapyroclastites (greenschists), intruded at its base by diorite dikes of a boninitic affinity. Mafic lavas and greenschists display large ion lithophile element (LILE) enrichment relative to high-field strength elements (HFSE), flat REE patterns of a slight light REE depletion, a strong island arc tholeiite (IAT) and weak MORB-like signature. All these rocks are characterized by negative Nb anomalies ascribed to arc lavas. They have positive Nd_i values in the range of + 4.87 to + 6.09, approaching the lower limit of MORB-like source, and relatively high (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (15.57–15.663) at low (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (18.13–18.54) ratios. The Nd isotopic compositions coupled with trace element data imply a dominantly depleted MORB-like mantle source and a contribution of subduction modified LILE-enriched component derived from the mantle wedge. The diorite dike has a low Nd_i value of − 2.61 and is slightly more Pb radiogenic (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (15.64) and (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i (18.56), respectively, reflecting crustal contamination. Petrologic and geochemical data indicate that the greenschists and mafic extrusive rocks represent a magmatic assemblage formed in an island arc setting. The magmatic suite is interpreted as representing an island arc–accretionary complex related to the southward subduction of the Meliata–Maliac ocean under the supra-subduction back-arc Vardar ocean/island arc system. Magmatic activity appears to have initiated in the north during the inception of the island arc system by the Early–Middle Jurassic time in the eastern Rhodope that most likely graded to back-arc spreading southwards as represented by the Late Jurassic MORB-type Samothraki Island ophiolites. This tectonic scenario is further constrained by paleotectonic reconstructions. The arc–trench system collided with the Rhodope in the Late Jurassic times.     

The evolution of the lithospheric mantle along the N. African Plate: geochemical and isotopic evidence from the tholeiitic and alkaline volcanic rocks of the Hyblean plateau, Italy

The geochemical characteristics of primitive tholeiitic and alkaline volcanic rocks that erupted in the Plio-Pleistocene along fissures on the Hyblean plateau in Sicily (Italy) were used to constrain the mantle sources involved in the volcanic activity of this area of the Mediterranean. It is shown that some of the Hyblean plateau magmas with the most extreme isotopic compositions have combined radiogenic Nd, Sr and Pb, a feature that is distinct from the mixing end-members of the oceanic array. In addition, alkalinity in the basalts is found to be positively correlated with an increase in some HFSE ratios (e.g. Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf) and negatively correlated with ratios between HFSE and MREE (e.g. Ti/Eu), a characteristic that is attributed to a mantle source that has been modified by a carbonatitic metasomatic agent. This metasomatic enrichment had the effect of increasing the U/Pb of portions of the lower lithosphere, possibly by adding phases such as sodic pyroxene and apatite to the basalt-depleted lithosphere. It is suggested that rock types that formed by melting metasomatized portions of lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary affected by this recent enrichment in U/Pb fall along a trend with a shallow slope in a plot of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb versus ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and have Nd isotopic compositions that are as radiogenic as present day MORB. The isotopic compositions and trace-element concentrations of the Hyblean plateau basalts are, therefore, mostly consistent with the interaction of a MORB-type mantle source with a young lithosphere that was probably formed in the Phanerozoic and metasomatized by CO₂-rich fluids, possibly during the Jurassic. The absence of a geochemical component indicative of involvement of older Proterozoic lithosphere and continental crust in the evolution of these magmas distinguishes them from those erupted along the margins of the Tyrrhenian sea, and supports the suggestion that at least portions of the lithosphere underneath Sicily have oceanic affinity and may be genetically related to the adjacent Ionian abyssal plain. Received 4 June 1997 / Accepted 25 November 1997     

Pb and Nd isotopic composition of the Jigongshan granite: constraints on crustal structure of Tongbaishan in the middle part of the Qinling–Tongbai–Dabie orogenic belt, Central China

The Qinling–Dabie–Sulu belt is the world's largest ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt. The UHP metamorphism is well dated at 220–245 Ma in the Dabie–Sulu belt but at 507 Ma in the Qinling belt. The Tongbaishan is located between the Qinling orogenic belt to the west and the Dabie–Sulu UHP metamorphic belt to the east. It is the key area for studying the tectonic relation between the Qinling and Dabie–Sulu belts and the diachronous UHP metamorphism. The Jigongshan granitic pluton (t=128 Ma) with a total area of 1200 km², composed of monzogranite, was mostly emplaced into the Tongbai complex, an exposed basement in the Tongbaishan. The Jigongshan granites have SiO₂=69.85–72.35%, K₂O/Na₂O=0.87–1.13, A/CNK=0.91–1.03, Rb/Sr=0.14–0.25 and Th/U=3.3–12. Their REE compositions show strongly fractionated patterns with (La/Yb)_N=14–58 and Eu*/Eu=0.79–1.05. The granites are characterized by low radiogenic Pb isotopic composition. The present-day whole-rock Pb isotopic ratios are ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=16.707–17.055, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.239–15.326 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=37.587–37.853, which are similar to that of the continental lower crust. Their _Nd(t) values range from −16 to −20, and depleted-mantle Nd model ages (T_DM) from 1.8 to 2.2 Ga. The above evidence indicates that the magma of the Jigongshan granites was derived from the partial melting of the continental crust. The Pb and Nd isotopic compositions of the Jigongshan granites resemble those of the Dabie core complex in the Dabieshan but are distinct from those of the Tongbai complex in the Tongbaishan. Thus, the Dabie core complex would be the magma source of the Jigongshan granites. The result implies that the Dabie core complex is extended to the west and constitutes the unexposed basement underlaying the Tongbai complex in the Tongbaishan.     

Genesis and evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Buffalo Head Terrane, Alberta (Canada)

Mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts were retrieved from three of the 88–86 Ma Buffalo Hills kimberlites (K6, K11, K14) for a reconnaissance study of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Buffalo Head Terrane (Alberta, Canada). The xenoliths include spinel lherzolites, one garnet spinel lherzolite, garnet harzburgites, one sheared garnet lherzolite and pyroxenites. Pyroxenitic and wehrlitic garnet xenocrysts are derived primarily from the shallow mantle and lherzolitic garnet xenocrysts from the deep mantle. Harzburgite with Ca-saturated garnets is concentrated in a layer between 135–165 km depth. Garnet xenocrysts define a model conductive paleogeotherm corresponding to a heat flow of 38–39 mW/m². The sheared garnet lherzolite lies on an inflection of this geotherm and may constrain the depth of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath this region to ca 180 km depth.

A loss of >20% partial melt is recorded by spinel lherzolites and up to 60% by the garnet harzburgites, which may be related to lithosphere formation. The mantle was subsequently modified during at least two metasomatic events. An older metasomatic event is evident in incompatible-element enrichments in homogeneous equilibrated garnet and clinopyroxene. Silicate melt metasomatism predominated in the deep lithosphere and led to enrichments in the HFSE with minor enrichments in LREE. Metasomatism by small-volume volatile-rich melts, such as carbonatite, appears to have been more important in the shallow lithosphere and led to enrichments in LREE with minor enrichments in HFSE. An intermediate metasomatic style, possibly a signature of volatile-rich silicate melts, is also recognised. These metasomatic styles may be related through modification of a single melt during progressive interaction with the mantle. This metasomatism is suggested to have occurred during Paleoproterozoic rifting of the Buffalo Head Terrane from the neighbouring Rae Province and may be responsible for the evolution of some samples toward unradiogenic Nd and Hf isotopic compositions.

Disturbed Re–Os isotope systematics, evident in implausible model ages, were obtained in situ for sulfides in several spinel lherzolites and suggest that many sulfides are secondary (metasomatic) or mixtures of primary and secondary sulfides. Sulfide in one peridotite has unradiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and gives a model age of 1.89±0.38 Ga. This age coincides with the inferred emplacement of mafic sheets in the crust and suggests that the melts parental to the intrusions interacted with the lithospheric mantle.

A younger metasomatic event is indicated by the occurrence of sulfide-rich melt patches, unequilibrated mineral compositions and overgrowths on spinel that are Ti-, Cr- and Fe-rich but Zn-poor. Subsequent cooling is recorded by fine exsolution lamellae in the pyroxenes and by arrested mineral reactions.

If the lithosphere beneath the Buffalo Head Terrane was formed in the Archaean, any unambiguous signatures of this ancient origin may have been obliterated during these multiple events.     

Geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the Eocene Dölek and Sariçiçek Plutons, Eastern Turkey: Implications for magma interaction in the genesis of high-K calc-alkaline granitoids in a post-collision extensional setting

The major and trace elements and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes of the host rocks and the mafic microgranular enclaves (MME) gathered from the Dölek and Sariçiçek plutons, Eastern Turkey, were studied to understand the underlying petrogenesis and geodynamic setting. The plutons were emplaced at  43 Ma at shallow depths ( 5 to 9 km) as estimated from Al-in hornblende geobarometry. The host rocks consist of a variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite (SiO₂ = 56.98–72.67 wt.%; Mg# = 36.8–50.0) populated by MMEs of gabbroic diorite to monzodiorite in composition (SiO₂ = 53.21–60.94 wt.%; Mg# = 44.4–53.5). All the rocks show a high-K calc-alkaline differentiation trend. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns are moderately fractionated and relatively flat [(La/Yb)_N = 5.11 to 8.51]. They display small negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu = 0.62 to 0.88), with enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE. Initial Nd–Sr isotopic compositions for the host rocks are ε_Nd(43 Ma) = − 0.6 to 0.8 and mostly I_Sr = 0.70482–0.70548. The Nd model ages (T_DM) vary from 0.84 to 0.99 Ga. The Pb isotopic ratios are (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 18.60–18.65, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 15.61–15.66 and (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 38.69–38.85. Compared with the host rocks, the MMEs are relatively homogeneous in isotopic composition, with I_Sr ranging from 0.70485 to 0.70517, ε_Nd(43 Ma) − 0.1 to 0.8 and with Pb isotopic ratios of (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 18.58–18.64, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 15.60–15.66 and (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 38.64–38.77. The MMEs have T_DM ranging from 0.86 to 1.36 Ga. The geochemical and isotopic similarities between the MMEs and their host rocks indicate that the enclaves are of mixed origin and are most probably formed by the interaction between the lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas. All the geochemical data, in conjunction with the geodynamic evidence, suggest that a basic magma derived from an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle, probably triggered by the upwelling of the asthenophere, and interacted with a crustal melt that originated from the dehydration melting of the mafic lower crust at deep crustal levels. Modeling based on the Sr–Nd isotope data indicates that  77–83% of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle involved in the genesis. Consequently, the interaction process played an important role in the genesis of the hybrid granitoid bodies, which subsequently underwent a fractional crystallization process along with minor amounts of crustal assimilation, en route to the upper crustal levels generating a wide variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite in an extensional regime.     

Geochemical and isotope data from the Acatlán Volcanic Field, western Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: Origin and evolution

The Quaternary Acatlán Volcanic Field (AVF) is located at the western edge of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). This region is related to the subduction of the Pacific Cocos and Rivera plates beneath the North American plate since the late Miocene. AVF rocks are products of Pleistocene volcanic activity and include lava flows, domes, erupted basaltic andesite, trachyandesite, trachydacite, and rhyolite of calc–alkaline affinity. Most rocks show depletion in high field-strength elements and enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements as is typical for magmas in subduction-related volcanic arcs. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values range from 0.70361 to 0.70412, while Nd values vary from +2.3 to +5.2. Sr–Nd isotopic data plot along the mantle array. On the other hand, lead isotope compositions (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.62–18.75, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.57–15.64, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=38.37–38.67) give evidence for combined influences of the upper mantle, fluxes derived from subducted sediments, and the upper continental crust involved in magma genesis at AVF. Additionally δ¹⁸O whole rock analyses range from +6.35‰ in black pumice to +10.9‰ in white pumice of the Acatlán Ignimbrite. A fairly good correlation is displayed between Sr as well as O isotopes and SiO₂ emphasizing the effects of crustal contamination. Compositional and isotopic data suggest that the different AVF series derived from distinct parental magmas, which were generated by partial melting of a heterogeneous mantle source.     

Isotope and trace element geochemistry of Colorado Plateau volcanics

Basalts from the San Francisco Peaks and North Rim of Grand Canyon, nephelinites from the Hopi Buttes and Navajo minettes (Colorado Plateau) have been analyzed for trace element contents and Sr, Nd, Pb isotope compositions. The ages increase eastward from the Quaternary (basalt) to 5 Ma (nephelinite) and 30 Ma (minette) as does the depth of melt generation inferred from xenolith mineralogy and major element geochemistry.

The three rock types present an enrichment of incompatible elements (although minettes present negative concentration spikes for Nb, Zr, Ti, Ba, Sr) relative to other magma types. The chondrite-normalized Ce/Yb ratio changes from 8–22 (basalt) to 25–30 (nephelinite) and 33–60 (minette) and reflects small degrees of partial melting of a mantle source with a garnet/clinopyroxene ratio increasing with depth. The negative Eu anomaly present in minette, the low Sr/Nd and high Pb/Ce suggest the presence of a recycled continental crust component in their mantle source.

The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio varies from 0.7032-0.7045 (basalt and nephelinite) to 0.7052-0.7071 (minette), while ε_Nd is remarkably more constant at +0.8 to +3.7 (nephelinite) and −2.6 to +2.2 (basalt and minette). Good linear correlations are observed in both ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagrams with basalt being the least and nephelinite the most radiogenic and indicate a 2.3 ±0.1 Ga age and a Th/U of 3.4.

Three lithospheric source components are indicated: a) an OIB-type depleted mantle source, b) an end-member with unradiogenic Sr, Nd and Pb for basalt and nephelinite and c) a recycled crustal component for minette.     

The lower crust beneath cratonic north-east Europe: isotopic constraints from garnet granulite xenoliths

Lower crustal garnet-bearing mafic granulite xenoliths from beneath the cratonic areas of NE Europe (NW Russia, Belarus, Finland) have unradiogenic ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios that differ strongly from those of xenoliths from beneath Phanerozoic regions of the European plate and worldwide, but closely resemble xenoliths from other cratonic regions of the world. Phanerozoic lower crustal xenoliths worldwide also show a very limited range of Pb isotope compositions whereas most cratonic lower crustal xenoliths have more varied but usually unradiogenic Pb isotope compositions, plotting to the left of the Geochron. However, many of the xenoliths from beneath NE Europe plot on the right-hand side of the Geochron and also have more radiogenic ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios. Thus, the lower crust of NE Europe shows characteristics of both cratonic lower crust (unradiogenic Nd isotopes) and Phanerozoic lower crust (radiogenic Pb isotopes). Its present-day low U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios indicate that it has been depleted in heat-producing elements, but the radiogenic Pb isotope ratios show that this depletion occurred relatively recently.