Carbonatite Magmatism and Plume Activity: Implications from the Nd, Pb and Sr Isotope Systematics of Oldoinyo Lengai

New Nd (0.51261–0.51268), Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 19.24–19.26),and Sr (0.70437–0.70446) isotopic compositions from tennatrocarbonatite lavas, collected in June 1993 from OldoinyoLengai, the only known active carbonatite volcano, are relativelyuniform, and are similar to data from the 1960 and 1988 flows.Three of the samples contain silicate spheroids, one of whichhas Nd and Sr isotopic ratios similar to host natrocarbonatite,consistent with an origin by liquid immiscibility or the mixingof melts with similar isotopic compositions. Pb isotope datafor two samples of trona are inconsistent with its involvementin the genesis of natrocarbonatite. New Pb isotope data fromsilicate volcanic and plutonic blocks (ijolite, nephelinite,phonolite, syenite) from Oldoinyo Lengai are highly variable(²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 17.75–19.34; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 15.41–15.67;²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 37.79–39.67), and define near-linear arraysin Pb-Pb diagrams. The isotopic data for the silicate rocksfrom Oldoinyo Lengai are best explained by invoking discretepartial melting events which generate undersaturated alkalinesilicate magmas with distinct isotopic ratios. Pb isotope ratiosfrom most ijolites and phonolites are predominantly lower andmore variable than from the natrocarbonatites, and are attributedto interaction between silicate melts involving HIMU and EMIsource components and an additional component, such as lower-crustalgranulites, DMM or PREMA (prevalent mantle). Variations in Nd,Pb and Sr isotope ratios from Oldoinyo Lengai, among the largestyet documented from a single volcano, are attributed to mantlesource heterogeneity involving mainly the mixing of HIMU andEMI mantle components. Based on the new isotopic data from OldoinyoLengai and data from other East African carbonatites, and mantlexenoliths, we propose a two-stage model in an attempt to explainthe isotope variations shown by carbonatites in this area. Themodel involves (I) the release of metasomatizing agents withHIMU-like signatures from upwelling mantle (‘plume’)source, which in turn metasomatize the sub-continental (old,isotopically enriched, EMI-like) lithosphere, and (2) variabledegrees and discrete partial melting of the resulting heterogeneous,metasomatized lithosphere. KEY WORDS: carbonatite; isotopes; Oldoinyo Lengai; mantle plumes ^*Telephone: (613) 788–2660, ext. 4419. Fax: (613) 788–4490. e-mail: kbell{at}ccs.carleton.ca     

Lithospheric Mantle Evolution beneath the Eifel (Germany): Constraints from Sr-Nd-Pb Isotopes and Trace Element Abundances in Spinel Peridotite and Pyroxenite Xenoliths

The Pb isotope compositions of amphiboles and clinopyroxenesin spinel peridotite and pyroxenite mantle xenoliths from theintra-plate Quaternary volcanic fields of the Eifel province(Germany) are strongly correlated with their Sr–Nd isotopeand trace element compositions. High-temperature anhydrous xenolithsfrom a depth of around 60 km have trace element and Sr–Nd–Pbisotope compositions similar to the depleted source of mid-oceanridge basalts (Depleted MORB Mantle, DMM). Amphibole-bearingxenoliths from shallower depths (<45 km) provide evidencefor three temporally distinct episodes of mantle metasomatismin the subcontinental lithosphere: (1) aqueous fluids from anisotopically enriched (EM-like) mantle reservoir caused amphiboleformation during deformation in the shallow continental lithosphericmantle and may be subduction related, probably associated withthe last major tectonic event that influenced the area (Hercynianorogeny). (2) During a second phase of mantle metasomatism theEM-like lithospheric mantle was affected by melts from an ancient,HIMU-like (high time-integrated µ = ²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) mantlesource. The HIMU-like component introduced by these fluids hada much more radiogenic Pb isotope composition than the asthenosphericsource of the widespread Cenozoic magmatism in Europe and maybe linked to reactivation of ancient subducted crustal domainsduring the Hercynian orogeny or to early Cretaceous deep-sourcedmantle plumes. (3) During a brief final stage the heterogeneouslyenriched EM–HIMU subcontinental lithosphere was locallymodified by basaltic melts migrating along fractures and veinsthrough the upper mantle as a consequence of the Cenozoic Eifelvolcanism. Although a DMM component is completely lacking inthe metasomatic fluids of the metasomatic episodes 1 and 2,the vein melts of episode 3 and the Cenozoic Eifel lavas requiremantle sources containing three end-member components (DMM–HIMU–EM).Thus, mobilization of the more depleted mantle material occurredat the earliest in the Tertiary, contemporaneously with thedevelopment of the extensive rift system and main melt generationin Europe. Alternatively, the variety of Sr–Nd–Pbisotope signatures of the metasomatic agents may have been producedby melting of isotopically distinct mantle domains in a heterogeneousuprising mantle plume. KEY WORDS: Eifel; Europe; mantle xenoliths; metasomatism; Pb isotopes     

碳酸岩Sr、Nd、Pb 同位素地球化学研究评述

碳酸岩是出露相对较少的幔源岩石，其中Sr与Nd是研究地幔物质组成的主要对象之一。本文统计了世界上主要碳酸岩的锶、钕、铅同位素组成特征；研究显示，碳酸岩源区主要是洋岛玄武岩高U／Pb的HIMU端员和富集端员(EM1或EM2)的混合作用；此外大部分碳酸岩的锶、钕同位素落在大洋玄武岩范围内；这些均表明其成因与地慢柱有密切联系。碳酸岩及与之共生的硅酸岩的同源或独立源区模式部很难充分解释两者同位素组成特征，逭反映碳酸岩的演化模式涉及更复杂的过程。可能是俯冲作用使碳酸岩源区经历不同时间和程度的富集、亏损过程导致地幔源区成分不均一。     

Tertiary Mafic Lavas of Turkana, Kenya: Constraints on East African Plume Structure and the Occurrence of High-{micro} Volcanism in Africa

The East African Rift System is important to understanding plume-initiatedrifting as manifest in the geochemistry of mafic lavas eruptedalong the rift throughout its evolution. We present new datafrom high-MgO Tertiary lavas from Turkana, northern Kenya, toinvestigate regional melt source components, to identify thedepths and degrees of melting, and to characterize spatiallyand temporally the chemical structure of the underlying mantle.The Turkana area is a region of high lithospheric extensionthat sits between two topographic uplifts thought to be surfaceexpressions of one or more upwelling mantle plumes. Thinningof local crust is believed to be accompanied by widespread removalof the mantle lithosphere, causing the asthenosphere to be inclose contact with the overlying crust. New geochemical dataon basanites, picrites and basalts (MgO >7 wt %) tightlyconstrain the primary melt source regions of Tertiary volcanism.Initial isotopic signatures (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0·51267–0·51283,⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0·7031–0·7036) and trace elementabundances (Ce/Pb 30, La/Nb = 0·6–0·8 andBa/Nb = 3–10) in these lavas are consistent with derivationfrom sub-lithospheric sources. Basalts and picrites eruptedbetween 23 and 20 Ma have Sr–Nd–Pb–He isotopiccharacteristics indicative of high-µ influence, recordhigh depths and degrees of partial melting, and are associatedwith rift propagation to the north and south. Accordingly, theselavas sample a source region that is geochemically distinctfrom that reflected both in Oligocene Ethiopian flood basaltsand in the modern Afar region. The geochemical data supportnumerical and theoretical models as well as tomographic resultsproviding for a complex thermal structure in the mantle beneathEast Africa and are interpreted to reflect isotopically distinctplume heads beneath Tanzania and Afar that are derived fromthe chemically heterogeneous South African superplume. KEY WORDS: East African Rift System; mantle plumes; HIMU; geochemistry; Afar     

Carbonatite and Alkaline Magmatism in Taourirt (Morocco): Petrological, Geochemical and Sr-Nd Isotope Characteristics

Alkaline lamprophyre dykes from Taourirt (North Morocco) containnumerous xenoliths, ranging from alkaline pyroxenites, kaersutitites,gabbros and nepheline syenites to a calcite carbonatite. Thesilicate xenoliths and the host rocks consist of Al- and Ti-richdiopside–salite, mica or kaersutitite, ± nepheline,± plagioclase and K-feldspar, and ubiquitous apatite.Both the xenoliths and the lamprophyres are enriched in incompatibleelements. The chemical composition of the lamprophyres cannotbe accounted for by fractional crystallization alone. Moreover,the clinopyroxenes exhibit complex zoning, which requires repeatedmixing of pulses of more or less fractionated melts. The carbonatiteis a sövite cumulate with Sr-rich calcite, pyrochlore,fluorapatite, and rare salite. The Sr–Nd isotopic compositionsof the Taourirt rocks indicate a depleted mantle source, thecarbonatite having the most depleted composition, and definea linear trend similar to that of the East African carbonatites.The different rocks thus represent unrelated magmas, and thetrend is interpreted as mixing between two components with HIMUand EM1 mantle end-member signatures. An EM2 mantle componentcould also be involved for a few samples; it may correspondto hydrous metasomatized mantle of the PP–PKP (phlogopiteand phlogopite K-richterite peridotite) and MARID (mica, amphibole,rutile, ilmenite and diopside) type. KEY WORDS: alkaline magmatism; carbonatite; Morocco; REE; Sr–Nd isotopes     

Plume-Lithosphere Interactions in the Generation of the Basalts of the Kenya Rift, East Africa

Major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic datafor mafic volcanic rocks are used to assess the number of mantleplumes contributing to the Tertiary–Holocene magmatismof the Kenya Rift Valley, current estimates of which vary fromnone to three. Rocks ranging in composition from nepheliniteto hypersthene-normative basalt have been sampled from threelithospheric zones: the Tanzanian craton, the craton marginreworked during the late Proterozoic, and the Mozambique mobilebelt. The magmas are interpreted as the products of variabledegrees of partial melting within the spinel–garnet peridotitetransition zone. Trace element and isotopic compositions fromall three zones are broadly similar to those of oceanic islandbasalts, but there is considerable compositional variation,which is related to a strong overprint from the lithosphereon plume-derived melts. Sr and Nd isotopic ratios provide theonly clear distinction between magmatic rocks from the threelithospheric domains. Within each setting, mafic magmatism hastended to become less silica undersaturated with time, and atany one locality magmatism has migrated towards the centre ofthe rift. Magmas may have formed as a result of the infiltrationof plume-derived melts into the base of the lithosphere. Theextent of interaction of inferred plume melts with the lithospherehas not varied systematically in time or space. The plume componentappears to be similar to the source of oceanic island basalts. KEY WORDS: Kenya Rift Valley; mantle plumes; geochemistry; metasomatism     

Source of parental melts to carbonatites–critical isotopic constraints

The restriction of most carbonatites to continental areas raises questions as to whether the parental liquids to carbonatites are generated within the continental lithosphere, or whether they are derived from deeper parts of the mantle with the lithosphere playing a subsidiary, but important, role in trapping volatile-rich melts/fluids. The constraints imposed by both radiogenic and stable isotopic data from carbonatites world-wide are consistent with a sub-lithospheric source for the parental melts, associated with either asthenospheric ‘upwellings’ or more deep-seated, plume-related activity. Crucial evidences that support the generation of carbonated melts from sub-lithospheric mantle are: the petrogenetic and temporal association of carbonatites with large igneous provinces (LIPs; e.g., Deccan, Parana), carbonatites with primitive noble gas isotopic signatures, radiogenic isotope ratios similar to OIBs (i.e. involving HIMU, EM1 and FOZO mantle components), and the uniform, time-integrated Rb/Sr and Sm/Nd development lines for Sr and Nd isotopic data for carbonatites from the Superior Province, Canada, and the Kola Peninsula, Russia. Such findings are difficult to reconcile with a lithospheric origin. Even if a metasomatized lithospheric mantle is considered to be the sole source of carbonated melts, an unknown mantle process is required, large enough to generate widespread, synchronous metasomatism spanning regions in excess of 1?×?10⁶?km².     

Geochemical diversity in submarine HIMU basalts from Austral Islands, French Polynesia

We present the first report of geochemical data for submarine basalts collected by a manned submersible from Rurutu, Tubuai, and Raivavae in the Austral Islands in the South Pacific, where subaerial basalts exhibit HIMU isotopic signatures with highly radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions. With the exception of one sample from Tubuai, the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the submarine basalts show no significant age gaps between the submarine and subaerial basalts, and the major element compositions are indistinguishable at each island. However, the variations in Pb, Sr, Nd, and Hf isotopic compositions in the submarine basalts are much larger than those previously reported in subaerial basalts. The submarine basalts with less-radiogenic Pb and radiogenic Nd and Hf isotopic compositions show systematically lower concentrations in highly incompatible elements than the typical HIMU basalts. These geochemical variations are best explained by a two-component mixing process in which the depleted asthenospheric mantle was entrained by the mantle plume from the HIMU reservoir during its upwelling, and the melts from the HIMU reservoir and depleted asthenospheric mantle were then mixed in various proportions. The present and compiled data demonstrate that the HIMU reservoir has a uniquely low ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf decoupled from ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, suggesting that it was derived from an ancient subducted slab. Moreover, the Nd/Hf ratios of the HIMU basalts and curvilinear Nd–Hf isotopic mixing trend require higher Nd/Hf ratios for the melt from the HIMU reservoir than that from the depleted mantle component. Such elevated Nd/Hf ratios could reflect source enrichment by a subducted slab during reservoir formation.     

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) and carbonatites

There is increasing evidence that many carbonatites are linked both spatially and temporally with large igneous provinces (LIPs), i.e. high volume, short duration, intraplate-type, magmatic events consisting mainly of flood basalts and their plumbing systems (of dykes, sills and layered intrusions). Examples of LIP-carbonatite associations include: i. the 66 Ma Deccan flood basalt province associated with the Amba Dongar, Sarnu-Dandali (Barmer), and Mundwara carbonatites and associated alkali rocks, ii. the 130 Ma Paraná-Etendeka (e.g. Jacupiranga, Messum); iii. the 250 Ma Siberian LIP that includes a major alkaline province, Maimecha-Kotui with numerous carbonatites, iv. the ca. 370 Ma Kola Alkaline Province coeval with basaltic magmatism widespread in parts of the East European craton, and v. the 615–555 Ma CIMP (Central Iapetus Magmatic Province) of eastern Laurentia and western Baltica. In the Superior craton, Canada, a number of carbonatites are associated with the 1114–1085 Ma Keweenawan LIP and some are coeval with the pan-Superior 1880 Ma mafic-ultramafic magmatism. In addition, the Phalaborwa and Shiel carbonatites are associated with the 2055 Ma Bushveld event of the Kaapvaal craton. The frequency of this LIP-carbonatite association suggests that LIPs and carbonatites might be considered as different evolutionary ‘pathways’ in a single magmatic process/system. The isotopic mantle components FOZO, HIMU, EM1 but not DMM, along with primitive noble gas signatures in some carbonatites, suggest a sub-lithospheric mantle source for carbonatites, consistent with a plume/asthenospheric upwelling origin proposed for many LIPs.     

Petrogenesis of Tertiary Mafic Alkaline Magmas in the Hocheifel, Germany

Primitive nephelinites and basanites from the Tertiary Hocheifelarea of Germany (part of the Central European Volcanic Province;CEVP) have high Mg-number (>0·64), high Cr and Nicontents and strong light rare earth element enrichment butsystematic depletion in Rb, K and Ba relative to trace elementsof similar compatibility in anhydrous mantle. Alkali basaltsand more differentiated magmatic rocks have lower Mg-numberand lower abundances of Ni and Cr, and have undergone fractionationof mainly olivine, clinopyroxene, Fe–Ti oxide, amphiboleand plagioclase. Some nephelinites and basanites approach theSr–Nd–Pb isotope compositions inferred for the EAR(European Asthenospheric Reservoir) component. The Nd–Sr–Pbisotope composition of the differentiated rocks indicates thatassimilation of lower crustal material has modified the compositionof the primary mantle-derived magmas. Rare earth element meltingmodels can explain the petrogenesis of the most primitive maficmagmatic rocks in terms of mixing of melt fractions from anamphibole-bearing garnet peridotite source with melt fractionsfrom an amphibole-bearing spinel peridotite source, both sourcescontaining residual amphibole. It is inferred that amphibolewas precipitated in the asthenospheric mantle beneath the Hocheifel,close to the garnet peridotite–spinel peridotite boundary,by metasomatic fluids or melts from a rising mantle diapir orplume. Melt generation with amphibole present suggests relativelylow mantle potential temperatures (<1200°C); thus themantle plume is not thermally anomalous. A comparison of recentlypublished Ar/Ar ages for Hocheifel basanites with the geochemicaland isotopic composition of samples from this study collectedat the same sample sites indicates that eruption of earlierlavas with an EM signature was followed by the eruption of laterlavas derived from a source with EAR or HIMU characteristics,suggesting a contribution from the advancing plume. Thus, theHocheifel area represents an analogue for magmatism during continentalrift initiation, during which interaction of a mantle plumewith the overlying lithosphere may have led to the generationof partial melts from both the lower lithosphere and the asthenosphere. KEY WORDS: alkali basalts; continental volcanism; crustal contamination; partial melting; Eifel, Germany     

The brevity of carbonatite sources in the mantle: evidence from Hf isotopes

Hf, Zr and Ti in carbonatites primarily reside in their non-carbonate fraction while the carbonate fraction dominates the Nd and Sr elemental budget of the whole rock. A detailed investigation of the Hf, Nd and Sr isotopic compositions shows frequent isotopic disequilibrium between the carbonate and non-carbonate fractions. We suggest that the trace element and isotopic composition of the carbonate fraction better represents that of the carbonatite magma, which in turn better reflects the composition of the carbonatitic source. Experimental partitioning data between carbonatite melt and peridotitic mineralogy suggest that the Lu/Hf ratio of the carbonatite source will be equal to or greater than the Lu/Hf ratio of the carbonatite. This, combined with the Hf isotope systematics of carbonatites, suggests that, if carbonatites are primary mantle melts, then their sources must be short-lived features in the mantle (maximum age of 10–30 Ma), otherwise they would develop extremely radiogenic Hf compositions. Alternatively, if carbonatites are products of extreme crystal fractionation or liquid immiscibility then the lack of radiogenic initial Hf isotope compositions also suggests that their sources do not have long-lived Hf depletions. We present a model in which the carbonatite source is created in the sublithospheric mantle by the crystallization of earlier carbonatitic melts from a mantle plume. This new source melts shortly after its formation by the excess heat provided by the approaching hotter center of the plume and/or the subsequent ascending silicate melts. This model explains the HIMU-EMI isotope characteristics of the East African carbonatites, their high LREE/HREE ratios as well as the rarity of carbonatites in the oceanic lithosphere.     

The Sub-lithospheric Source of North Atlantic Basalts: Evidence for, and Significance of, a Common End-member

Palaeogene basalts from the margins of the North Atlantic oftenshow geochemical variations that are consistent with their parentalmagmas having interacted with the lithosphere en route to theEarth’s surface. These geochemical trends vary dependingon the nature of the local lithospheric contaminants. Usingexamples from the British Tertiary Igneous Province and SE Greenland,we construct coherent contamination trends, which converge ona restricted Pb isotope composition, apparently indicating acommon uncontaminated asthenospheric mantle component. Significantly,this composition is also suitable as one end-member of the Pbisotope arrays recorded in Recent Icelandic basalts. We concludethat this composition has been a persistent component of theIceland plume over 60 my, dominating the mantle contributionto the Palaeocene phase of flood basalt magmatism but constitutingonly one end-member on Iceland. The Pb isotope composition ofthis ‘North Atlantic end-member’ is consistent with,but not necessarily demanding of, a primordial source. Recentevidence suggesting a lower-mantle origin for mantle plumesencourages investigation of whether the geochemical evidencesupports that hypothesis. Helium isotope data from PalaeogeneNorth Atlantic basalts support a lower-mantle contribution.However, mixing models suggest that it is unlikely that thelower-mantle contribution is large enough to dominate the Sr–Nd–Pbisotope compositions and lithophile trace element signaturesof any plume-derived basalts. KEY WORDS: North Atlantic; Iceland; lower mantle; mantle plumes; flood basalts; isotopes     

Do We Really Need Mantle Components to Define Mantle Composition?

We discuss the concept of components in the Earth's mantle startingfrom a petrological and geochemical approach, but adopting anew method of projection of geochemical and isotopic data. Thisallows the compositional variability of magmatic associationsto be evaluated in multi-dimensional space, thus simultaneouslyaccounting for a large number of compositional variables. Wedemonstrate that ocean island basalts (OIB) and mid-ocean ridgebasalts (MORB) are derived from a marble-cake mantle, in whichdifferent degrees of partial melting of recycled lithosphere,which are heterogeneous in age and composition, contribute tothe magma genesis. This view is supported by the variabilityin the geochemical and isotopic signatures of OIB that are observedon the scale of a single ocean island as well as on that ofan ocean, mostly varying between two extreme compositions, thatare not strictly related to the commonly accepted mantle components(DMM, EMI, EMII, HIMU). Rather they are a distinctive featureof the mantle source sampled at each ocean island and are stronglydependent on the Pb isotope system. We recommend a change inperspective in studies of MORB–OIB geochemistry from onebased on physically distinct mantle components to a model basedon the existence of a marble-cake-like upper mantle. Althoughresembling the statistical upper mantle, this model impliesthat geochemical homogenization can be attained only withinthe limits of local mantle composition, so that a world-wideuniform depleted reservoir cannot be sampled by simply extendingthe volume of the region undergoing partial melting. KEY WORDS: geochemistry; isotope; mantle; OIB     

Flood basalts and metallogeny: The lithospheric mantle connection

Continental flood basalts, derived from mantle plumes that rise from the convecting mantle and possibly as deep as the core–mantle boundary, are major hosts for world-class Ni–Cu–PGE ore deposits. Each plume may have a complex history and heterogeneous composition. Therefore, some plumes may be predisposed to be favourable for large-scale Ni–PGE mineralisation (“fertile”).Geochemical data from 10 large igneous provinces (LIPs) have been collected from the literature to search for chemical signatures favourable for Ni–PGE mineralisation. The provinces include Deccan, Kerguelen, Ontong Java, Paraná, Ferrar, Karoo, Emeishan, Siberia, Midcontinent and Bushveld. Among these LIPs, Bushveld, Siberia, Midcontinent, Emei Mt and Karoo are “fertile”, hosting magmatic ore deposits or mineralisation of various type, size and grade. They most commonly intruded through, or on the edges of, Archaean–Paleoproterozoic cratonic blocks. In contrast, the “barren” LIPs have erupted through both continental and oceanic crustal terranes of various ages.Radiogenic isotopic signatures indicate that almost all parental LIP magmas are generated from deep-seated mantle plumes, and not from the more widespread depleted asthenospheric mantle source: this confirms generally accepted plume models. However, several important geochemical signatures of LIPs have been identified in this study that can discriminate between those that are “fertile” or “barren” in terms of their Ni–PGE potential.The fertile LIPs generally contain a relatively high proportion of primitive melts that are high in MgO and Ni, low in Al₂O₃ and Na₂O, and are highly enriched in most of the strongly incompatible elements such as K, P, Ba, Sr, Pb, Th, Nb, and LREE. They have relatively high Os contents (≥ 0.03 to 10 ppb) and low Re/Os (< 10). The fertile LIP basalts display trends of Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic variation intermediate between the depleted plume and an EM1-type mantle composition (and thus could represent a mixing of these two source types), and have elevated Ba/Th, Ba/Nb and K/Ti ratios. These elemental and isotopic signatures suggest that interaction between plume-related magmas and ancient cratonic lithospheric mantle with pre-existing Ni- and PGE-rich sulfide phases may have contributed significantly to the PGE and Ni budget of the fertile flood basalts and eventually to the mineralisation. This observation is consistent with the location of fertile LIPs adjacent to deep old lithospheric roots (as inferred from tectonic environment and also seen in global tomographic images) and has predictive implications for exploration models.Barren LIPs contain fewer high-MgO lavas. The barren LIP lavas in general have low Os contents (mostly ≤ 0.02 ppb) with high Re/Os (10–≥ 200). They show isotopic variations between plume and EM2 geochemical signatures and have high Rb/Ba ratios. These signatures may indicate involvement of deep recycled material in the mantle sources or crustal contamination for barren LIPs, but low degrees of interaction with old lithospheric-type roots.     

Origin of submarine volcanism at the eastern margin of the central atlantic: Investigation of the alkaline volcanic rocks of the carter seamount (Grimaldi Seamounts)

This paper addresses the composition, geochemistry, isotopic characteristics, and age of rocks from the Carter Seamount of the Grimaldi seamount group at the eastern margin of the Central Atlantic. The age of the seamount was estimated as 57–58 Ma. Together with other seamounts of the Grimaldi system and the Nadir Seamount, it forms a “hot line” related to the Guinea Fracture Zone, which was formed during the late Paleocene pulse of volcanism. The Carter Seamount is made up of olivine melilitites, ankaramites, and analcime-bearing nepheline tephrites, which are differentiated products of the fractional crystallization of melts similar to an alkaline ultramafic magma. The volcanics contain xenoliths entrained by melt at different depths from the mantle, layer 3 of the oceanic crust, which was formed at 113–115 Ma, and earlier magma chambers. The rocks were altered by low-temperature hydrothermal solutions. The parental melts of the volcanics of the Carter Seamount were derived at very low degrees of mantle melting in the stability field of garnet lherzolite at depths of no less than 105 km. Anomalously high Th, Nb, Ta, and La contents in the volcanics indicate that a metasomatized mantle reservoir contributed to the formation of their primary melts. The Sr, Pb, and Nd isotopic systematics of the rocks show that the composition of the mantle source lies on the mixing line between two mantle components. One of them is a mixture of prevailing HIMU and the depleted mantle, and the other is an enriched EM2-type mantle reservoir. These data suggest that the formation of the Carter Seamount volcanics was caused by extension-related decompression melting in the Guinea Fracture Zone of either (1) hot mantle plume material (HIMU component) affected by carbonate metasomatism or (2) carbonated basic enclaves (eclogites) ubiquitous in the asthenosphere, whose isotopic characteristics corresponded to the HIMU and EM2 components. In the former case, it is assumed that the melt assimilated during ascent the material of the metasomatized subcontinental mantle (EM2 component), which was incorporated into the oceanic lithospheric mantle during rifting and the breakup of Pangea.     

Cenozoic Italian magmatism – Isotope constraints for possible plume-related activity

Assessment of the isotope systematics and the magmatotectonic history of mainly Cenozoic igneous rocks from Italy shows them to be inconsistent with subduction-related magmatism. We attempt to fit these data into an alternative model involving long-term, recurrent plume activity that extended over a period of about 100 Ma, that involved mantle expansion and subsequent mixing between isotopically-distinct, mantle components. Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of Cenozoic Italian igneous rocks, rather than being random, reflect binary mixing involving a common end-member similar to FOZO. Most isotopic data from along the entire length of Italy, from the Aeolian Islands to the Alpine belt, define a Main Italian Radiogenic Trend (MIRT), characterized by mixing between FOZO and a highly radiogenic Sr, mantle end-member (ITEM, ITalian Enriched Mantle). Data from the Adria foreland, Sicily and the south-western Tyrrhenian Sea and Sardinia deviate from MIRT suggesting mixing with other components, perhaps HIMU and EM1. Both the absence of pure DMM, and the presence of isotopic end-members not recognized in present-day consuming-plate margins are incompatible with subduction-related models. Two models are discussed, one in which ITEM is attributed to melting of pre-Alpine sediments/upper continental crust entrained in a FOZO-like mantle and the other to widespread metasomatic activity involving deep-seated plume activity. In the latter, the widespread nature of FOZO is attributed to a late Triassic–early Jurassic plume that preceded the opening of the Alpine Tethys and led to modification of the lithosphere and/or asthenosphere. Late Jurassic–early Cretaceous plume activity produced mantle expansion and the opening of the Alpine Tethys. A new phase of plume activity started during the Oligocene with the opening of the western and central Mediterranean Basins. Stretching and large-scale extension of the Mediterranean lithosphere was caused by the progressive eastward growth and volume increase of a plume head trapped within the Transition Zone. Plume-generated fluids/melts enriched in K–Ca–CO₂–H₂O, produced mantle sources capable of generating widespread alkaline, mafic, and carbonatitic magmatism. Lithospheric unloading controlled the Tyrrhenian and peri-Tyrrhenian magmatic activity.     

Geochemistry and geochronology of the mafic lavas from the southeastern Ethiopian rift (the East African Rift System): assessment of models on magma sources,plume–lithosphere interaction and plume evolution

Major and trace element and isotopic ratios (Sr, Nd and Pb) are presented for mafic lavas (MgO > 4 wt%) from the southwestern Yabello region (southern Ethiopia) in the vicinity of the East African Rift System (EARS). New K/Ar dating results confirm three magmatic periods of activity in the region: (1) Miocene (12.3–10.5 Ma) alkali basalts and hawaiites, (2) Pliocene (4.7–3.6 Ma) tholeiitic basalts, and (3) Recent (1.9–0.3 Ma) basanite-dominant alkaline lavas. Trace element and isotopic characteristics of the Miocene and Quaternary lavas bear a close similarity to ocean island basalts that derived from HIMU-type sublithospheric source. The Pliocene basalts have higher Ba/Nb, La/Nb, Zr/Nb and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70395–0.70417) and less radiogenic Pb isotopic ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.12–18.27) relative to the Miocene and Quaternary lavas, indicative of significant contribution from enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle in their sources. Intermittent upwelling of hot mantle plume in at least two cycles can explain the magmatic evolution in the southern Ethiopian region. Although plumes have been originated from a common and deeper superplume extending from the core–mantle boundary, the diversity of plume components during the Miocene and Quaternary reflects heterogeneity of secondary plumes at shallower levels connected to the African superplume, which have evolved to more homogeneous source.     

Complex geometry of the Cenozoic magma plumbing system in the central Sahara,NW Africa

Topographic uplifts in the central Sahara occur in the Hoggar-Aïr and Tibesti-Gharyan swells that consist of Precambrian rocks overlain by Cenozoic volcanic rocks. The swells and associated Cenozoic volcanism have been related either to mantle plumes or to asthenospheric upwelling and to partial melting due to rift-related delamination along pre-existing Pan-African mega-shears during the collision between Africa and Europe. The Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the Hoggar generally range from Oligocene tholeiitic/transitional plateau basalts, which occur in the centre of the dome, to Neogene alkali basalts characterized by a decrease in their degree of silica undersaturation and an increase in their La/Yb ratios. The alkali basaltic rocks occur mainly along the margins of the dome and typically have less radiogenic Nd and Sr isotopic ratios than the tholeiitic/transitional basalts. The geochemistry of the most primitive basaltic rocks resembles oceanic island basalt (OIB) tholeiitic – in particular high-U/Pb mantle (HIMU)-type – and is also similar to those of the Circum-Mediterranean Anorogenic Cenozoic Igneous (CiMACI) province. These characteristics are consistent with, but do not require, a mantle plume origin. Geophysical data suggest a combination of the two mechanisms resulting in a complex plumbing system consisting of (a) at depths of 250–200 km, an upper mantle plume (presently under the Aïr massif); (b) between 200 and 150 km, approximately 700 km northeastward deflection of plume-derived magma by drag at the base of the African Plate and by mantle convection; (c) at approximately 150 km, the magma continues upwards to the surface in the Tibesti swell; (d) at approximately 100 km depth, part of the magma is diverted into a low S-wave velocity corridor under the Sahara Basin; and (e) at approximately 80 km depth, the corridor is tapped by Cenozoic volcanism in the Hoggar and Aïr massifs that flowed southwards along reactivated Precambrian faults.     

Crustal Assimilation as a Major Petrogenetic Process in the East Carpathian Neogene and Quaternary Continental Margin Arc, Romania

Miocene to Pleistocene calc-alkaline volcanism in the East Carpathianarc of Romania was related to the subduction of a small oceanbasin beneath the continental Tisza–Dacia microlate. Volcanicproducts are predominantly andesitic to dadtic in composition,with rare basalts and rhyodacites (51–l71% SiO₂; mg-number0.65–0.26) and have medium- to high-K calcalkaline andshoshonitic affinities. Mg, Cr and Ni are low in all rock-types,indicating the absence of primary erupted compositions. Detailedtrace element and Sr, Nd, Pb and 0 isotope data suggest thatmagmas were strongly crustally contaminated. Assimilation andfractional crystallization (AFC) calculations predict the consumptionof 5–35% local upper-crustal metasediments or sedimentsfrom the palaeo-accretionary wedge. Variations in the isotopiccomposition of the contaminants and parental magmas caused variationsin the mixing trajectories in different parts of the arc Themost primitive isotopic compositions are found in low-K dacitesof the northern Cdlimani volcanic centre and are interpretedas largely mantle derived. A second possible mantle reservoirof lower ¹⁴⁹ Nd/¹⁴⁴ Nd and lower ²⁰⁶ Pb/²⁰⁴ Pb is identifiedfrom back-arc basic calc-alkaline rocks in the south of thearc Both magmatic reservoirs have elevated isotopic characteristics,owing either to source bulk mixing (between depleted or enrichedasthenosphere and <1% average subducted local sediment) orlower-crustal contamination. KEY WORDS: Carpathians; assimilation; calc-alkaline; Sr-Nd-Pb-0 isotopes; laser flurination     

Li-Sr-Nd isotope signatures of the plume and cratonic lithospheric mantle beneath the margin of the rifted Tanzanian craton (Labait)

Lithium concentrations and isotopic compositions of olivine and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of coexisting clinopyroxene from peridotite xenoliths from the Quaternary Labait volcano, Tanzania, document the influence of rift-related metasomatism on the ancient cratonic mantle. Olivines show negative correlations between Fo content and both δ⁷Li and Li concentrations. Olivines in iron-rich peridotites (Fo_85–87) have high Li concentrations (3.2–4.8 ppm) and heavy δ⁷Li (+5.2 to +6.6). In contrast, olivines in ancient, refractory peridotites have lower Li concentrations (∼2 ppm) and relatively light δ⁷Li (+2.6 to +3.5). This reflects mixing between ancient, refractory cratonic lithosphere and asthenosphere-derived rift magmas. A uniquely fertile, deformed, high-temperature garnet lherzolite, interpreted to be from the base of the lithosphere, has a ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7029 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.51286, similar to HIMU oceanic basalts. It provides the best estimate of the Sr–Nd isotope composition of the upwelling mantle (i.e., plume, sensu lato) underlying this portion of the East African Rift, and is slightly less radiogenic compared to previous estimates of the plume that were based on rift basalts. Although elevated δ⁷Li are not exclusive to HIMU source regions, the data collectively indicate that the plume beneath Labait has HIMU characteristics in Sr, Nd and Li isotope composition. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.