Strontium isotope ratios in volcanic rocks from the South Sandwich Islands

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the island-arc tholeiite series from the South Sandwich Islands cluster about a value of 0.7040. There is no apparent correlation of strontium isotope values with any major chemical component or with Rb/Sr ratios. The uniformity of the⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values is consistent with the fractional crystallization relationship previously proposed for this suite. Though higher than values reported for ocean-floor tholeiites they are not significantly different from ratios reported for calc-alkaline island-arcs.     

Strontium isotope evidence for crustal contamination of calc-alkaline volcanic rocks from Cerro Galan,northwest Argentina

The Pampean Ranges of northwest Argentina are a basin-and-range tectonic province with a late Precambrian to Paleozoic basement and extensive Miocene-Recent calc-alkaline volcanism. The volcanoes include the large resurgent Cerro Galan caldera, and Recent scoria cones and lava flows. Miocene-Recent volcanic rocks of basalt to dacite composition from the Cerro Galan area exhibit a range of Rb/Sr ratios of 0.043–1.092 and initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7057–0.7115 with a clear positive correlation between⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr, indicating an apparent age of ca. 130 Ma. This relationship is interpreted to indicate that the Sr isotope variation in the Cerro Galan volcanic rocks results from mixing of a mantle-derived component with low⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (<0.7057) and high Sr (>700 ppm) with a crustal component characterized by higher⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (>0.7115) and lower Sr (<240 ppm). It is concluded that the mixing is best explained as a result of a small degree of selective crustal Sr contamination (ca. 10%) of a range of subsequently erupted magmas produced largely by fractional crystallization within the continental crust. We propose that the mantle-derived end-member is derived by partial melting of sub-Andean mantle with an⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of ca. 0.704, and that such an Sr isotope ratio characterizes the source region for calc-alkaline volcanic rocks throughout the Andes.     

Possible origin of K-rich volcanic rocks from Virunga,East Africa,by metasomatism of continental crustal material: Pb,Nd and Sr isotopic evidence

The isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd and Pb together with the abundances of Rb, Sr, U and Pb have been determined for mafic and felsic potassic alkaline rocks from the young Virunga volcanic field in the western branch of the East African rift system.⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr varies from 0.7055 to 0.7082 in the mafic rocks and from 0.7073 to 0.7103 in the felsic rocks. The latter all come from one volcano, Sabinyo. Sabinyo rocks have negative ε_Ndvalues ofε_Nd = ?10. Nd and Sr isotopic variations in the basic potassic rocks are correlated and plot between Sabinyo and previously reported [1] compositions (ε_Nd = +2.5;⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr≈ 0.7047) for Nyiragongo nephelinites. The Pb isotopic compositions for Sabinyo rocks are nearly uniform and average²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb≈ 19.4,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb= 15.79–15.84,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb≈ 41.2. The basic potassic rocks have similar²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values but range in²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb from the Sabinyo values to less radiogenic compositions.Excellent correlations of⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr with Rb/Sr, 1/Sr and²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb for Sabinyo rocks suggest these to be members of a hybrid magma series. However, the nearly uniform Pb compositions for this series points to radiogenic growth of⁸⁷Sr in the magma source region following an event which homogenized the isotopic compositions but not Rb/Sr. The Rb-Sr age derived from the erupted Sabinyo isochron-mixing line is consistent with the ～500 Myr Pb-Pb age from Nyiragongo [1], which suggests that this event affected all Virunga magma sources. The event can again be traced in the Pb-Pb, Pb-Sr and Nd-Sr isotopic correlations for all Virunga rocks, including Nyiragongo, when allowances are made for radiogenic growth subsequent to this mixing or incomplete homogenization event. Inferred parent/daughter element fractionations point to a metasomatic event during which a mantle fluid invaded two lithospheric reservoirs: a +ε_Nd reservoir sampled by the Nyiragongo nephelinites and suggested to be the subcontinental mantle and a ?ε_Nd reservoir sampled by the mafic and felsic potasssic volcanism. Whether this ?ε_Nd reservoir is the crust, continental crustal material in the mantle or anomalous mantle cannot be decided from the data. The simplest answer, that this reservoir is the continental crust, seems to be at variance with experimental evidence suggesting a subcrustal origin for basic potassic magmas. Partial melting of the ancient metasomatised lithospheric domains and ensuing volcanism seems to be entirely a response to decompression and rising geotherms during rifting and thinning of the lithosphere.     

S, O and Sr isotope systematics of active vent materials from the Mariana backarc basin spreading axis at 18°N

Stable isotope ratios of S, O and Sr have been measured for active vent materials which were first found and sampled in April 1987 from the Mariana backarc spreading axis at 18°N. Chimneys consisted mostly of barite with a lesser proportion of sulfide minerals such as sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and pyrite. Theδ³⁴S values of sphalerite and galena taken from several chimneys and various parts of a chimney showed a narrow range from 2.1 to 3.1‰, suggesting uniform conditions of fluid chemistry during chimney growth. The sulfur isotopic results imply a contribution of hydrogen sulfide reduced from seawater sulfate in the deep hydrothermal reaction zone, considering that fresh glasses of the Mariana Trough basalts haveδ³⁴S= −0.6 ± 0.3‰. Sulfur isotopic compositions of hydrogen sulfide in the high temperature vent fluids (δ³⁴S= 3.6–4.8‰) which are higher than those of the sulfide minerals suggest the secondary addition of hydrogen sulfide partially reduced from entrained seawater SO₄²⁻ at a basal part of the chimneys. This interpretation is consistent with theδ³⁴S values of barite (21–22‰) that are higher than those of seawater sulfate. The residence time of the entrained SO₄²⁻ was an order of an hour on a basis of oxygen isotopic disequilibrium of barite. Strontium isotopic variations of barite and vent waters indicated that Sr in barite was mostly derived from the Mariana Trough basalts with a slight contribution from Sr in circulating sea-water, and that 10–20% mixing of seawater with ascending hydrothermal fluids induced precipitation of barite at the sea-floor.     

Heterogeneous initial Sr isotope compositions of highly evolved volcanic rocks from the Main Ethiopian Rift,Ethiopia

Many individual mineral Sr isotope studies have revealed the complex evolution of highly evolved rocks in upper crustal magmatic systems, casting doubts on the meaning of whole-rock Sr isotopes in such samples. In this paper, whole-rock Sr isotope measurements were replicated (three to 13 times) on six highly evolved peralkaline rhyolites from the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) to appraise their internal heterogeneity and, thus, the significance of such data. These rocks were all fresh samples of pumice, obsidian and lava. Their maximum Sr contents and ages were 15 μg/g and 1.7 Ma, respectively. Significant small-scale heterogeneities of both Sr isotopes and Rb and Sr contents were observed in most samples, although not necessarily associated with petrological characteristics suggesting possible inheritance processes. Only two, almost crystal-free, obsidian give fairly homogeneous Sr isotope ratios. These results outline the ambiguity of a single whole-rock Sr isotope determination on highly evolved peralkaline rocks, especially when no simultaneous accurate determination of the Rb/Sr is performed. They also suggest that the limitations of Sr whole-rock analyses are not restricted to phenocryst-rich samples as phenocryst-poor obsidian and almost aphyric pumices and lava are also concerned. These data further underscore that unreplicated whole-rock Sr isotope measurements should always be used with great caution in the petrogenetic modeling of highly evolved rocks. However, multiple determinations of whole rock ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the same samples, combined with other geochemical and isotopic data, may provide constraints on the shallow level evolution of these magmas. It is suggested that selective upper crustal contamination and/or interactions with halogen-bearing hydrous fluids, typical of evolved peralkaline magmas, were probably involved in the late magmatic evolution of these MER rhyolites. The more pervasive character of fluid interaction processes would probably better account for the small-scale association of uncontaminated and contaminated signatures in a single sample. Thus, even fresh samples may have their Rb–Sr isotopic system significantly modified by fluid interactions, not as a secondary process but at the late magmatic stage.     

Stable isotope compositions and water contents of boninite series volcanic rocks from Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan

Measurements of stable isotope compositions and water contents of boninite series volcanic rocks from the island of Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan, confirm that a large amount (1.6–2.4 wt.%) of primary water was present in these unusual magmas. An enrichment of 0.6‰ in¹⁸O during differentiation is explained by crystallization of¹⁸O-depleted mafic phases. Silicic glasses have elevated δ¹⁸O values and relatively low δD values indicating that they were modified by low-temperature alteration and hydration processes. Mafic glasses, on the other hand, have for the most part retained their primary isotopic signatures since Eocene time. Primary δD values of −53 for boninite glasses are higher than those of MORB and suggest that the water was derived from subducted oceanic lithosphere.     

On the lateral variations in chemical composition and volume of quaternary volcanic rocks across Japanese arcs

The Fe/Mg+Fe) ratios (X_Fe) of the Quaternary basalts (SiO₂ < 53 wt.%) in the Japanese arcs were examined. The X_XFe of relatively magnesian basalts decreases from the volcanic front toward the Japan Sea across the arcs. Based on the partition coefficient of Mg-Fe²⁺ between olivine and liquid, it is suggested that all the basalts near the volcanic front, which are mostly tholeiitic basalts, are significantly fractionated, whereas many basalts near the Japan Sea, which are mostly alkali basalts, are little fractionated. The K₂ O content in the primary basalt magmas increases toward the Japan Sea. Combining the X_Fe and K₂ O data, it is suggested that relatively large amounts of tholeiitic magmas are produced near the volcanic front, but they fractionate during their ascent, whereas smaller amounts of alkali basalt magmas are formed near the Japan Sea, but they can ascend with less fractionation. The density of primary tholeiite magma is significantly larger than that of primary alkali basalt magmas. It is most likely that primary tholeiite magmas cannot ascend beyond the upper crust and would fractionate to produce less dense tholeiitic magmas near the volcanic front, whereas primary alkali basalt magmas can ascend through the upper crust without fractionation, as far as buoyancy is the principal ascending force. In the Japanese arcs, the stress field may be less compressional near the Japan Sea than near the volcanic front, so that magmas can ascend more rapidly in the latter region than in the former. These two factors may be responsible for the above mentioned chemical variations of basalt magmas across the arcs. The variation in volume of the Quaternary volcanic rocks across the arcs can be explained by the presence of a melt-rich zone above but nearly parallel to the subducted slab.     

Major element, REE, and Pb, Nd and Sr isotopic geochemistry of Cenozoic volcanic rocks of eastern China: implications for their origin from suboceanic-type mantle reservoirs

Major- and rare-earth-element (REE) concentrations and UThPb, SmNd, and RbSr isotope systematics are reported for Cenozoic volcanic rocks from northeastern and eastern China. These volcanic rocks, characteristically lacking the calc-alkaline suite of orogenic belts, were emplaced in a rift system which formed in response to the subduction of the western Pacific plate beneath the eastern Asiatic continental margin. The rocks sampled range from basanite and alkali olivine basalt, through olivine tholeiite and quartz tholeiite, to potassic basalts, alkali trachytes, pantellerite, and limburgite. These rock suites represent the volcanic centers of Datong, Hanobar, Kuandian, Changbaishan and Wudalianchi in northeastern China, and Mingxi in the Fujian Province of eastern China.The major-element and REE geochemistry is characteristic of each volcanic suite broadly evolving through cogenetic magmatic processes. Some of the outstanding features of the isotopic correlation arrays are as follows: (1) NdSr shows an anticorrelation within the field of ocean island basalts, extending from the MORB end-member to an enriched, time-averaged high Rb/Sr and Nd/Sr end-member (EM1), (2) SrPb also shows an anticorrelation, similar to that of Hawaiian and walvis Ridge basalts, (3) NdPb shows a positive correlation, and (4) the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb plot shows linear arrays parallel to the general trend (NHRL) for MORB on both sides of the geochron, although in the ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb plot the linear array is significantly displaced above the NHRL in a pattern similar to that of the oceanic island basalts that show the Dupal signatures. In all isotope correlation patterns, the data arrays define two different mantle components—a MORB-like component and an enriched mantle component. The isotopic data presented here clearly demonstrate the existence of Dupal compositions in the sources of the continental volcanic rocks of eastern China. We suggest that the subcontinental mantle beneath eastern China served as the reservoir for the EMI component, and that the MORB component was either introduced by subduction of the Kula-Pacific Ridge beneath the Asiatic plate in the Late Cretaceous, as proposed by Uyeda and Miyashiro, or by upwellings in the subcontinental asthenosphere due to subduction.     

Recharge and aquifer response: Northern Guam Lens Aquifer, Guam, Mariana Islands

The Northern Guam Lens Aquifer is an island karst aquifer in uplifted young, highly conductive limestone. Calculations of recharge based on differences between daily rainfall and daily pan evaporation suggest that the maximum annual mass of water delivered to the freshwater lens is about 67% of mean annual rainfall. Hydrographs of daily well-level responses plotted against daily rainfall indicate that the rate at which water is delivered to the lens is a function of rainfall intensity and the relative saturation of the vadose zone. Together, these variables determine the degree to which stormwater is shunted into fast flow through preferred pathways that bypass the bedrock matrix, rather than percolating slowly through the bedrock matrix.

Data from the 40-year interval from 1956 to 1995 show that some 17% of rainfall on northern Guam arrives in small amounts (<0.6 cm/day). Most of this light rainfall is probably lost to evapotranspiration. At least another 20% of total rainfall on Guam arrives at very high intensities (>5.0 cm/day), which tend to promote fast flow at the expense of percolation. Rapid recovery of the water table from rapid recharge suggests that the lens either takes such recharge into storage very rapidly, discharges it rapidly without taking it into storage, or some combination of both. Significant vadose buffering of recharge to the lens is indicated by the fact that simulations assuming that the recharge from precipitation received in any given month is transmitted to the lens during the same month consistently over-predict observed peak mean monthly water levels and under-predict the minima.     

Ar and Sr isotopes of mantle-derived rocks from the Japanese Islands

⁴⁰Ar-³⁰Ar and Sr isotope analyses have been made for ultramatic nodules in basaltic rocks from Itinome-gata and the Oki-Dōgo Island, northeast and southwest of Japan respectively, in order to examine the state of the upper mantle under the Japanese Islands. ⁴⁰Ar-³⁰Ar analyses have revealed that ultramafic nodules from Oki-Dōgo Island were involved in events which caused Ar redistribution in these rocks and probably were related to their formation not older than several tens of millions of years ago. These nodules are relatively depleted in both Rb and Sr contents together with some other incompatible elements compared to similar nodules from the other regions in the world. This may be typical for ultramafic nodules from the Japanese Islands. Ultramafic nodules show mostly a little higher⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.704–0.706) than those of host basaltic rocks (0.703–0.705) indicating the accidental origin for these nodules. Present results also suggest both horizontal and vertical inhomogeneities of the uppermost part of the mantle with respect to Sr isotopes on a regional scale. Hence, the ultramafic nodules in volcanic rocks may not always directly represent the upper mantle materials from which the magma is produced at present. Such ultramafic nodules might be relatively old material from the uppermost part of the mantle under the Japanese Islands.     

Strontium isotope composition in volcanic rocks from the Northeast Japan arc

In the Northeast Japan arc, a number of Quaternary volcanoes form a long, narrow belt, parallel to the Japan Trench. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios were determined in 52 specimens of volcanic rocks from 27 volcanoes in the Northeast Japan arc area. The results reveal that the ratios change systematically in space. Decreasing ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios across the arc were confirmed over a wide area of Northeast Japan. In the same direction, increases in both Rb and Sr contents were also found. The regular trends are considered to be a strong constraint for elucidation of subduction-originated magma genesis at the Eurasia plate vs. Pacific plate boundary. In the northern region of the Northeast Japan arc, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in volcanic rocks along the volcanic front were almost constant (0.7038–0.7045) and slightly higher than those from the Izu-Ogasawara arc (0.7032–0.7038). This suggests that “interactions” between the Eurasia plate and the Pacific plate, and those between the Philippine Sea plate and the Pacific plate are slightly different. The southern region of the Northeast Japan arc, where the direction of the volcanic front bends from southward to westward, showed anomalously high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, reaching to 0.7077. This region coincides with the triple junction of the Eurasia, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates, suggesting “anomalous interaction” at the triple junction.     

Oxygen and strontium isotopic characteristics of calc-alkalic volcanic rocks from the central and western Japan arcs: Evaluation of contribution of crustal components to the magmas

¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios were determined for Quaternary calc-alkalic volcanic rocks from six volcanic rock suites in the central and western Japan arcs. The δ¹⁸O values relative to SMOW and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from +6.3 to +9.9⁰/₀₀ and 0.70357 to 0.70684, respectively. Both the O- and Sr-isotopic compositions are higher than those for island-arc primitive magmas and their differentiates. The isotopic compositions of the calc-alkalic rocks cannot be derived by a simple fractional crystallization of the primitive magmas. On the other hand, the ¹⁸O- and ⁸⁷Sr-enrichment is confined to the rock suites located in well-developed island arcs having thick continental-type crust with low or negative Bouguer anomalies. Involvement of ¹⁸O- and ⁸⁷Sr-rich crustal material in the magma formation is suggested.The isotopic compositions vary remarkably within individual rock suites as well as from volcano to volcano. The data points in δ¹⁸O vs. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr plot accord with a mixing model between primitive magmas and crustal material of dioritic composition on an average, assuming their comparative Sr contents. The primitive magmas involved could not be low-Sr tholeiites, but magmas more or less enriched in incompatible elements including Sr, which correspond to high-alkali tholeiites or alkali basalts and their evolved magmas. The nature of the primitive magmas seems to change from tholeiitic to more alkalic with progressing island-arc evolution.Mixing of crust-derived melts is more plausible than assimilation of solid-rocks for involving 20 to 30% crustal material in the magmas along simple mixing curves. Isotopic variations between the rock suites are ascribed to variable Sr concentration radio of the end-members, variable isotopic compositions of crustal material or variable mixing ratio of the end-members. Extremely high-δ ¹⁸O rocks with moderate increase in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio suggest another mixing process in shallower magma chambers between andesite magmas and metasedimentary rocks having high δ ¹⁸O and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values but low Sr content. Subsequent fractional crystallization of once-derived magmas would be the prominent process for the rock suites showing gradual increase in ¹⁸O up to 1⁰/₀₀ with uniform ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios.     

Correlated Nd,Sr and Pb isotope variation in Walvis Ridge basalts and implications for the evolution of their mantle source

Basement intersected in DSDP holes 525A, 528 and 527 on the Walvis Ridge consists of submarine basalt flows and pillows with minor intercalated sediments. These holes are situated on the crest and mid and lower northwest flank of a NNW-SSE-trending ridge block which would have closely paralleled the paleo mid-ocean ridge [13, 14]. The basalts were erupted approximately 70 m.y. ago, an age equivalent to that of immediately adjacent oceanic crust in the Angola Basin and consistent with formation at the paleo mid-ocean ridge [14]. The basalt types vary from aphyric quartz tholeiites on the ridge crest to highly plagioclase phyric olivine tholeiites on the ridge flank. These show systematic differences in incompatible trace element and isotopic composition. Many element and isotope ratio pairs form systematic trends with the ridge crest basalts at one end and the highly phyric ridge flank basalts at the other.The low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51238), ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (17.54), ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (15.47), ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (38.14) and high⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70512) ratios of the ridge crest basalts suggest derivation from an old Nd/Sm-, Rb/Sr- and Pb/U-enriched mantle source. This isotopic signature is similar to that of alkaline basalts on Tristan de Cunha but offset to significantly lower Nd and Pb isotopic ratios. The isotopic ratio trends may be extrapolated beyond the ridge flank basalts with higher¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51270), ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (18.32), ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (15.52), ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (38.77) and lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70417) ratios in the direction of increasingly Nd/Sm-, Rb/Sr- and Pb/U-depleted source compositions. These isotopic correlations are equally consistent with mixing od depleted and enriched end member melts or partial melting of an inhomogenous, variably enriched mantle source. However, observe ZrBaNbY interelement relationships are inconsistent with any simple two-component model of magma mixing, as might result from the rise of a lower mantle plume through the upper mantle. Incompatible element and Pb isotopic systematics also preclude extensive involvement of depleted (N-type) MORB material or its mantle sources. In our preferred petrogenetic model the Walvis Ridge basalts were derived by partial melting of mantle similar to an enriched (E-type) MORB source which had become heterogeneous on a small scale due to the introduction of small-volume melts and metasomatic fluids.     

Compositions of deep-sea ash layers derived from north pacific volcanic arcs: variations in time and space

Glass separates from 115 ash layers derived from the Kamchatkan (DSDP Site 192; 34 layers), the eastern Aleutian (DSDP Site 183; 56 layers) and the Alaska Peninsula (DSDP Site 178; 25 layers) volcanic arcs have been analyzed for up to 28 elements. In addition, the abundance and diversity of associated mafic phenocrysts have been evaluated. The resulting data set has made possible an evaluation of the late Miocene to Recent changes in composition of ashes derived from North Pacific volcanic arcs and of the factors controlling the evolution of highly siliceous magmas.We find no evidence for a general transition from arc tholeiite to calc-alkalic magma parentage of ashes derived from the volcanic arcs during the last 10 m.y., but instead find 0.1- to 0.5-m.y. intervals during which particular types of volcanism are prevalent. Most convincing is the transition from arc tholeiite to calc-alkalic for ashes derived from Kamchatka during the last 0.8 m.y., a change believed to be associated with a landward shift in the site of magma generation. Considered together, ashes derived from North Pacific volcanic arcs have been becoming more siliceous during the last 1.5 m.y. and may be associated with accelerated subduction during the same time interval.Hydrous phenocrysts (e.g., biotite) are typically associated with low-silica deep-sea ashes, but not with terrestrial volcanic rocks of comparable silica contents, suggesting the important role of water in the evolution of siliceous magma. REE patterns and relative abundances of mafic phenocrysts demonstrate the importance of fractional crystallization in controlling the evolution of highly siliceous arc magmas. REE increase with increasing silica, but become less concentrated in ashes with SiO₂ > 64%. Eu anomalies increase throughout the SiO₂ range. Initial fractionation is dominated by clinopyroxene and plagioclase with amphibole strongly influencing fractionation above 64% SiO₂.     

Identification of recycled continental material in the mantle from Sr,Nd and Pb isotope investigations

Pb, Nd and Sr isotope compositions of oceanic basalts have been used to identify recycled components of continent derivation in the mantle. The isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd and Pb, together with U, Pb, Sm, Nd, Rb, and Sr abundances have been determined for back-arc basalt glasses from the Scotia Sea and Parece Vela and West Philippine Basins, in addition to basalts from South Sandwich Islands, Ascension, St. Helena and Tristan da Cunha. Comparisons made between the isotopic compositions of South Sandwich Islands basalts and Atlantic MORB glasses permit the identification of recycled components of continent derivation in the source of the island arc basalts. Recycled Sr of continent derivation is also recognisable in back-arc basalt glasses from the Scotia Sea and Parece Vela and West Philippine Basins. However, contemporary reinjection of material with the isotopic structures similar to those identified as a component of island arc and back-arc regions cannot be the sole or dominant influence on the fine structure observed in MORB glasses from the Atlantic Ocean, nor the isotopic compositions of Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena and Ascension basalts. Recycled materials are likely to have been responsible for the generation of these heterogeneities only if they have been stored in the mantle for periods of time exceeding 10⁹ years.     

Helium isotopic variations in volcanic rocks from Loihi Seamount and the Island of Hawaii

Helium isotopic ratios ranging from 20 to 32 times the atmospheric ³He/⁴He(R_A) have been observed in a suite of 15 basaltic glasses from the Loihi Seamount. These ratios, which are up to four times higher than those of MORB glasses and more than twice those of nearby Kilauea, are strongly suggestive of a primitive source of volatiles supplying this volcanism. The Loihi glasses measured span a broad compositional range, and the ³He/⁴He ratios were found to be generally lower for the alkali basalts than for the tholeiites. The component with a lower ³He/⁴He ratio appears to be associated with olivine xenocrysts, within which fluid inclusions are probably the carrier of contaminant helium. One Loihi sample has a much lower isotopic ratio (<5 R_A), but a combination of low He concentration, high vesicularity, and presence of cracks lined with clay minerals suggests that the low ratio is due to gas loss and contamination by atmospheric helium.Crushing and melting experiments show that for modest vesicularities (<5% by volume) the Loihi glasses obey a MORB-type partitioning trend, but at higher vesicularities the data show considerably more scatter due to volatile mobilization. The high vesicularities, low extrusion pressure and generally low helium concentrations are consistent with a considerable degree of degassing. Analyses of dunites, plus a correlation between total helium concentrations with xenocryst abundances also suggest that xenocrysts are a significant carrier of contaminating (low ³He/⁴He) helium.³He/⁴He ratios from samples of other Hawaiian volcanoes (Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea) show a smooth decrease in ³He/⁴He with increasing volcano age and volume. We interpret this to be a synoptic picture of the time evolution of a hot-spot diapir: the earliest stage is characterized by primitive (> 30 R_A) helium with some (variable) component of lithospheric contamination added during “breakthrough”, while the later stages are characterized by a relaxation toward lithospheric ³He/⁴He ratios (～ 8 R_A) due to isolation of the diapir from the mantle below (as the plate moves on), and subsequent mining of the inherited helium and contamination from the surrounding lithosphere. The abrupt contrast in ³He/⁴He ratios between Kilauea and Loihi, despite their close proximity, is indicative of the small lateral extent of the plume.     

Sr isotope diversity of hot spring and volcanic lake waters from Zao volcano,Japan

The ratio of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr was measured from different water samples of thermal/mineral (hot spring as well as crater lake) and meteoric origins, in order to specify the location and to verify the detailed model of a volcano-hydrothermal system beneath Zao volcano. The ratio showed a trimodal distribution for the case of thermal/mineral water: 0.7052–0.7053 (Type A, Zao hot spring), 0.7039–0.7043 (Type B, Okama crater lake and Shin-funkiko hot spring), and 0.7070–0.7073 (Type C, Gaga, Aone, and Togatta hot springs), respectively. However, in comparison, the ratio was found to be higher for meteoric waters (0.7077–0.7079). The water from the central volcanic edifice (Type B) was found to be similar to that of nearby volcanic rocks in their Sr isotopic ratio. This indicates that the Sr in water was derived from shallow volcanic rocks. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio for water from the Zao hot spring (Type A) was intermediate between those of the pre-Tertiary granitic and the Quaternary volcanic rocks, thus suggesting that the water had reacted with both volcanic and granitic rocks. The location of the vapor–liquid separation was determined as the boundary of the pre-Tertiary granitic and the Quaternary volcanic rocks by comparing the results of this strontium isotopic study with those of Kiyosu and Kurahashi [Kiyosu, Y., Kurahashi, M., 1984. Isotopic geochemistry of acid thermal waters and volcanic gases from Zao volcano in Japan. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 21, 313–331.].     

Regional variations in the crustal structure of Northern Canada from surface wave dispersion

Rayleigh and Love wave group velocities in the Arctic islands and adjacent mainland of northern Canada exhibit large regional variations which can be attributed to variations in crustal structure. The shield and platform regions, the eastern Sverdrup basin, and the western Sverdrup basin are characterized by progressively slower velocities. Inversions of the regionalized group velocity data lead to three distinct shear-velocity models. The shield and platform model is similar to earlier models obtained for the Canadian shield. The Sverdrup basin models have low near-surface velocities which may correspond to thick accumulations of sediment. A sediment thickness of about 12 km obtained for the eastern basin corresponds to the maximum thickness inferred from earlier geological studies. An even thicker zone of low velocities occurs in the upper crust of the western basin. This zone may represent the true thickness of a very deep basin or slow velocities in basement rock may underlie the shallower sediments. A third alternative is that low apparent velocities for the western Sverdrup basin result from systematic errors in group velocity determinations produced by epicentral mislocations or origin time errors of the earthquakes used, but such mislocation or errors would have to be quite large to explain the observations. It is not possible to explain the group velocities across the basin areas by simply adding sediments to the shield and platform model. The resulting discrepancies with the data suggest an altogether different crustal structure beneath the basin than that beneath the shield and platform areas.