Phase Relations of Basalts in their Melting Range at PH2O = 5 kb as a Function of Oxygen Fugacity: Part I. Mafic Phases

The phase relations of three basalts, the Picture Gorge tholeiite,the 1921 Kilauea olivine tholeiite, and the 1801 Hualalai alkalibasalt, were studied at 5 kb water pressure, 680–1000°C,at the oxygen fugacities of the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM)and hematite-magnetite (HM) buffers. In the range 680–850 °C, the crystalline assemblageon the QFM buffer is dominantly hornblende+ plagioclase, ±ilmenite, magnetite, sphene, fayalitic olivine, and phlogopiticmica. From 875 to 1000 °C the crystalline assemblage ishornblende+ olivine± augite+ ilmenite± magnetite.A melt phase is present from 700 to 1000 °C; a vapor phasewas present in all charges. The hornblendes formed on the QFM buffer range in compositionfrom common green hornblendes at low temperatures to kaersutitichornblendes at 1000 °C. A1(IV) and Ti increase temperature.AI(VI) passes through a maximum near 825 °C, decreasingboth above and below this temperature. AI(IV) is proportionalto the sum A1(VI)+2Ti. There is a positive linear correlationof approximately 3 : 1 between AI(IV) and the number of cationsin the A-site. The most likely explanation for this correlationat present is that the substitution of AI(VI) or Ti⁺⁴for a divalentcation creates local charge imbalances in the amphibole structurewhich can be compensated only by further A-site substitution.There also appears to be a correlation between the a-cell dimensionof hornblende and the A-site occupancy. Above a thresh holdvalue of approxmately 0.5 cations in A, a increases as A-siteoccupancy increases. Phase relations on the hematite-magnetite buffer are considerablysimpler. The hornblendes show relatively little change in compositionas temperature increases, and in the tholelitic compositionsbreak down at or below 970 °C 35–60 °C above thefirst appearance of augite±olivine. The melting of hornblendeis incongruent in all cases. The Fe-Ti oxides are pseudo-brookiteand titanohematite; at 1000 °C these oxides make up 10 percent by weight of the assemblage and contain most of the Tio₂and FeO in the charge. The patterns of hornblende variation observed in this studycompare closely with those reported in a wide range of experimentaland field data. The appearance of high-TiO₂ kaersutitic hornblendesin the tholeities at 1000° C, P_H2O= 5 kb on the QFM bufferimplies that the restricted occurence of kaersutite in nature(where it is associated only with mafic to intermediate alkalicrocks) is controlled by volatile content (H₂O_,F₂)rather thanby differences in condensed bulk composition.     

Phase Relations and Melting of Anhydrous K-bearing Eclogite from 1200 to 1600{degrees}C and 3 to 5 GPa

To investigate eclogite melting under mantle conditions, wehave performed a series of piston-cylinder experiments usinga homogeneous synthetic starting material (GA2) that is representativeof altered mid-ocean ridge basalt. Experiments were conductedat pressures of 3·0, 4·0 and 5·0 GPa andover a temperature range of 1200–1600°C. The subsolidusmineralogy of GA2 consists of garnet and clinopyroxene withminor quartz–coesite, rutile and feldspar. Solidus temperaturesare located at 1230°C at 3·0 GPa and 1300°C at5·0 GPa, giving a steep solidus slope of 30–40°C/GPa.Melting intervals are in excess of 200°C and increase withpressure up to 5·0 GPa. At 3·0 GPa feldspar, rutileand quartz are residual phases up to 40°C above the solidus,whereas at higher pressures feldspar and rutile are rapidlymelted out above the solidus. Garnet and clinopyroxene are theonly residual phases once melt fractions exceed 20% and garnetis the sole liquidus phase over the investigated pressure range.With increasing melt fraction garnet and clinopyroxene becomeprogressively more Mg-rich, whereas coexisting melts vary fromK-rich dacites at low degrees of melting to basaltic andesitesat high melt fractions. Increasing pressure tends to increasethe jadeite and Ca-eskolaite components in clinopyroxene andenhance the modal proportion of garnet at low melt fractions,which effects a marked reduction in the Al₂O₃ and Na₂O contentof the melt with pressure. In contrast, the TiO₂ and K₂O contentsof the low-degree melts increase with increasing pressure; thusNa₂O and K₂O behave in a contrasted manner as a function ofpressure. Altered oceanic basalt is an important component ofcrust returned to the mantle via plate subduction, so GA2 maybe representative of one of many different mafic lithologiespresent in the upper mantle. During upwelling of heterogeneousmantle domains, these mafic rock-types may undergo extensivemelting at great depths, because of their low solidus temperaturescompared with mantle peridotite. Melt batches may be highlyvariable in composition depending on the composition and degreeof melting of the source, the depth of melting, and the degreeof magma mixing. Some of the eclogite-derived melts may alsoreact with and refertilize surrounding peridotite, which itselfmay partially melt with further upwelling. Such complex magma-genesisconditions may partly explain the wide spectrum of primitivemagma compositions found within oceanic basalt suites. KEY WORDS: eclogite; experimental petrology; mafic magmatism; mantle melting; oceanic basalts     

Subduction Influence on Oxygen Fugacity and Trace and Volatile Elements in Basalts Across the Cascade Volcanic Arc

Fluids or melts derived from a subducting plate are often citedas a mechanism for the oxidation of arc magmas. What remainsunclear is the link between the fluid, oxygen fugacity, andother major and trace components, as well as the spatial distributionof the impact of those fluids. To test the potential effectsof addition of a subduction-derived fluid or melt to the sub-arcmantle, olivine-hosted melt inclusions from primitive basalticlavas sampled from across the central Oregon Cascades (43°–45°N)have been analyzed for major, trace and volatile elements andfO₂. Oxygen fugacity was determined in melt inclusions fromsulfur speciation determined by electron microprobe and fromolivine–chromite oxygen geobarometry. The overall rangein fO₂ based on sulfur speciation measurements is from <–0·25log units to + 1·9 log units (FMQ, where FMQ is fayalite–magnetite–quartzbuffer). Oxygen fugacity is positively correlated with fluid-mobiletrace element and light rare earth element contents in basaltsgenerated by relatively low-degree partial melting. Establishinga further correlation between fO₂ and fluid-mobile trace elementabundances with position along the arc requires the basaltsto be subdivided into shoshonitic, calc-alkaline, low-K tholeiiteand enriched intraplate basalt groups. Melt inclusions fromenriched intraplate and shoshonitic lavas show increasing fO₂and trace element abundances closer to the trench, whereas calc-alkalinemelt inclusions exhibit no significant across-arc variations.Low-K tholeiitic melt inclusions record an increase in incompatibletrace elements closer to the trench; however, there is no correlatedincrease in fO₂. The correlation observed in enriched intraplateand shoshonitic melt inclusions is interpreted to reflect aprogressively greater proportion of a fluid-rich, oxidized subductioncomponent in magmas generated nearer the subduction zone. Significantly,calc-alkaline melt inclusions with high ratios of large ionlithophile elements to high field strength elements, characteristicof ‘typical’ arc magmas, have oxidation states indistinguishablefrom low-K tholeiite and enriched intraplate basalt melt inclusions.The lack of across-arc geochemical variation in calc-alkalinemelt inclusions may suggest that these basalts are not necessarilythe most appropriate magmas for examining recent addition ofa subduction component to the sub-arc mantle. Flux and batchmelt model results produce a wide range of predicted amountsof melting and subduction component added to the mantle source;however, general trends characterized by increased melting andproportion of the subduction component from enriched intraplate,to low-K tholeiite, to calc-alkaline are robust. The model resultsdo not require enriched intraplate, low-K tholeiite and calc-alkalinemagmas to be produced from the same more fertile mantle source.However, enriched intraplate magmas, in contrast to calc-alkalineand low-K tholeiite magmas, cannot be generated from a depletedmantle source. Flux or batch melting of either the more fertileor depleted mantle sources used to generate the low-K tholeiite,calc-alkaline, and enriched intraplate magmas cannot reproduceshoshonitic compositions, which require a significantly depletedmantle source strongly metasomatized by a subduction component.The potential mantle source for shoshonitic basalts has a predictedfO₂ (after oxidation) from + 0·3 to + 2·4 logunits (FMQ) whereas the mantle source for low-K tholeiite, calc-alkaline,and enriched intraplate magmas may range from –1·1to + 0·7 log units (FMQ). KEY WORDS: basalt; Cascades; melt inclusions; oxidation state; volatiles     

Variations in Melt Productivity and Melting Conditions along SWIR (70{degrees}E-49{degrees}E): Evidence from Olivine-hosted and Plagioclase-hosted Melt Inclusions

Melt inclusion and host glass compositions from the easternend of the Southwest Indian Ridge show a progressive depletionin light rare earth elements (LREE), Na₈ and (La/Sm)_n, but anincrease in Fe₈, from the NE (64°E) towards the SW (49°E).These changes indicate an increase in the degree of mantle meltingtowards the SW and correlate with a shallowing of the ridgeaxial depth and increase in crustal thickness. In addition,LREE enrichment in both melt inclusions and host glasses fromthe NE end of the ridge are compatible with re-fertilizationof a depleted mantle source. The large compositional variations(e.g. P₂O₅ and K₂O) of the melt inclusions from the NE end ofthe ridge (64°E), coupled with low Fe₈ values, suggest thatmelts from the NE correspond to a variety of different batchesof melts generated at shallow levels in the mantle melting column.In contrast, the progressively more depleted compositions andhigher Fe₈ values of the olivine- and plagioclase-hosted meltinclusions at the SW end of the studied region (49°E), suggestthat these melt inclusions represent batches of melt generatedby higher degrees of melting at greater mean depths in the mantlemelting column. Systematic differences in Fe₈ values betweenthe plagioclase- and the olivine-hosted melt inclusions in theSW end (49°E) of the studied ridge area, suggest that theplagioclase-hosted melt inclusions represent final batches ofmelt generated at the top of the mantle melting column, whereasthe olivine-hosted melt inclusions correspond to melts generatedfrom less depleted, more fertile mantle at greater depths. KEY WORDS: basalt; melt inclusions; olivine; plagioclase; Southwest Indian Ridge     

Experimental Constraints on the Origin of the 1991 Pinatubo Dacite

Crystallization (dacite) and interaction (dacite–peridotite)experiments have been performed on the 1991 Pinatubo dacite(Luzon Island, Philippines) to constrain its petrogenesis. Inthe dacite–H₂O system at 960 MPa, magnetite and eitherclinopyroxene (low H₂O) or amphibole (high H₂O) are the liquidusphases. No garnet is observed at this pressure. Dacite–peridotite interaction at 920 MPa produces massive orthopyroxenecrystallization, in addition to amphibole ± phlogopite.Amphibole crystallizing in dacite at 960 MPa has the same compositionas the aluminium-rich hornblende preserved in the cores of amphibolephenocrysts in the 1991 dacite, suggesting a high-pressure stageof dacite crystallization with high melt H₂O contents (>10wt %) at relatively low temperature (<950°C). The compositionsof plagioclase, amphibole and melt inclusion suggest that thePinatubo dacite was water-rich, oxidized and not much hotterthan 900°C, when emplaced into the shallow magma reservoirin which most phenocrysts precipitated before the onset of the1991 eruption. The LREE-enriched REE pattern of the whole-rockdacite demands garnet somewhere during its petrogenesis, whichin turn suggests high-pressure derivation. Partial melting ofsubducted oceanic crust yields melts unlike the Pinatubo dacite.Interaction of these slab melts with sub-arc peridotite is unableto produce a Pinatubo type of dacite, nor is a direct mantleorigin conceivable on the basis of our peridotite–daciteinteraction experimental results. Dehydration melting of underplatedbasalts requires unrealistically high temperatures and doesnot yield dacite with the low FeO/MgO, and high H₂O, Ni andCr contents typical of the Pinatubo dacite. The most plausibleorigin of the Pinatubo dacite is via high-pressure fractionationof a hydrous, oxidized, primitive basalt that crystallized amphiboleand garnet upon cooling. Dacite melts produced in this way weredirectly expelled from the uppermost mantle or lower crust toshallow-level reservoirs from which they erupted occasionally.Magmas such as the Pinatubo dacite may provide evidence forthe existence of particularly H₂O-rich conditions in the sub-arcmantle wedge rather than the melting of the young, hot subductingoceanic plate. KEY WORDS: Pinatubo dacite; slab melt; experimental petrology; arc magmas     

高温高压条件下实验变形石英闪长岩微观结构与熔体特征研究

本文以高温高压条件下石英闪长岩流变实验样品为研究对象,利用偏光显微镜进行微观结构观察,研究了样品在实验温度压力条件下的变形机制与斜长石结构对流变强度的影响;通过透射电镜能谱与电子探针,分析了熔体分布和成分特征,讨论了角闪石脱水熔融的影响因素与脱水熔融对岩石流变的影响。结果表明,随着温度升高,岩石从脆塑性过渡域逐渐向高温位错攀移和动态重结晶为主的塑性域转化。在高温条件下,角闪石出现了脱水与部分熔融,脱水熔融的熔体分布和成分体现出非均匀与非平衡熔融的特点,空间分布上,熔体主要出现在角闪石和黑云母矿物颗粒的边缘以及角闪石和长石颗粒之间的区域内;成分分布上,熔体的成分与参与熔融的矿物成分密切相关。角闪石边缘的熔体和黑云母边缘的熔体具有低硅铝、高铁镁特征,斜长石边缘的熔体具有高硅铝、低铁镁的特征,处于角闪石和斜长石颗粒中间的熔体,其成分间于斜长石与角闪石成分之间。实验中出现的非平衡非均匀部分熔融可以解释混合岩中的浅色体与暗色体的成因,富硅熔体可以形成富硅铝的花岗质岩石,而贫硅富铁镁的熔体可以形成基性岩。角闪石的脱水熔融程度依赖于样品的封闭条件,处于封闭环境的样品,角闪石不易脱水熔融,而处于开放环境时,角闪石脱水熔融显著。拆离断层带及其附近具备这样的开放环境,有利于角闪石发生脱水熔融。实验力学数据和微观结构显示,随机分布的斜长石对岩石强度影响并不明显,但斜长石的长轴方向与最大主应力方向呈大角度相交(近90°)会显著强化岩石的强度,这意味着岩石组构与主应力方向大角度相交或呈垂直方向时,不利于岩石变形和拆离断层的形成,反之,均匀岩石或岩石组构与最大主应力方向小角度相交,有利于岩石的变形,容易发育拆离断层。     

Shear Zone-hosted Migmatites (Eastern India): the Role of Dynamic Melting in the Generation of REE-depleted Felsic Melts, and Implications for Disequilibrium Melting

In the Ranmal migmatite complex, non-anatectic foliated graniteprotoliths can be traced to polyphase migmatites. Structural–microtexturalrelations and thermobarometry indicate that syn-deformationalsegregation–crystallization of in situ stromatic and diatexiteleucosomes occurred at 800°C and 8 kbar. The protolith,the neosome, and the mesosome comprise quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase,hornblende, biotite, sphene, apatite, zircon, and ilmenite,but the modal mineralogy differs widely. The protolith compositionis straddled by element abundances in the leucosome and themesosome. The leucosomes are characterized by lower CaO, FeO+MgO,mg-number, TiO₂ , P₂O₅ , Rb, Zr and total rare earth elements(REE), and higher SiO₂ , K₂O, Ba and Sr than the protolith andthe mesosome, whereas Na₂O and Al₂O₃ abundances are similar.The protolith and the mesosome have negative Eu anomalies, butprotolith-normalized abundances of REE-depleted leucosomes showpositive Eu anomalies. The congruent melting reaction for leucosomeproduction is inferred to be 0·325 quartz+0·288K-feldspar+0·32 plagioclase+0·05 biotite+0·014hornblende+0·001 apatite+0·001 zircon+0·002sphene=melt. Based on the reaction, large ion lithophile element,REE and Zr abundances in model melts computed using dynamicmelting approached the measured element abundances in leucosomesfor >0·5 mass fraction of unsegregated melts withinthe mesosome. Disequilibrium-accommodated dynamic melting andequilibrium crystallization of melts led to uniform plagioclasecomposition in migmatites and REE depletion in leucosome. KEY WORDS: migmatite; REE; trace element; partial melting; P–T conditions     

Melting Behaviour of Model Lherzolite in the System CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-FeO at 0{middle dot}7-2{middle dot}8 GPa

Fe–Mg exchange is the most important solid solution involvedin partial melting of spinel lherzolite, and the system CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–FeO(CMASF) is ideally suited to explore this type of exchange duringmantle melting. Also, if primary mid-ocean ridge basalts arelargely generated in the spinel lherzolite stability field bynear-fractional fusion, then Na and other highly incompatibleelements will early on become depleted in the source, and themelting behaviour of mantle lherzolite should resemble the meltingbehaviour of simplified lherzolite in the CMASF system. We havedetermined the isobarically univariant melting relations ofthe lherzolite phase assemblage in the CMASF system in the 0·7–2·8GPa pressure range. Isobarically, for every 1 wt % increasein the FeO content of the melt in equilibrium with the lherzolitephase assemblage, the equilibrium temperature is lower by about3–5°C. Relative to the solidus of model lherzolitein the CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ system, melt compositionsin the CMASF system are displaced slightly towards the alkalicside of the basalt tetrahedron. The transition on the solidusfrom spinel to plagioclase lherzolite has a positive Clapeyronslope with the spinel lherzolite assemblage on the high-temperatureside, and has an almost identical position in P–T spaceto the comparable transition in the CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–Na₂O(CMASN) system. When the compositions of all phases are describedmathematically and used to model the generation of primary basalts,temperature and melt composition changes are small as percentmelting increases. More specifically, 10% melting takes placeover 1·5–2°C, melt compositions are relativelyinsensitive to the degree of melting and bulk composition, andequilibrium and near-fractional melting yield similar melt compositions.FeO and MgO are the oxides that exhibit the greatest changein the melt with degree of melting and bulk composition. Theamount of FeO decreases with increasing degree of melting, whereasthe amount of MgO increases. The coefficients for Fe–Mgexchange between the coexisting crystalline phases and melt,K_dFe–Mg^xl–liq, show a relatively simple and predictablebehaviour with pressure and temperature: the coefficients forolivine and spinel do not show significant dependence on temperature,whereas the coefficients for orthopyroxene and clinopyroxeneincrease with pressure and temperature. When melting of lherzoliteis modeled in the CMASF system, a strong linear correlationis observed between the mg-number of the lherzolite and themg-number of the near-solidus melts. Comparison with meltingin the CMASN system indicates that Na₂O has a strong effecton lherzolite melting behaviour only at small degrees of melting. KEY WORDS: CMASF; lherzolite solidus; mantle melting     

The Composition of Near-solidus Partial Melts of Fertile Peridotite at 1 and 1{middle dot}5 GPa: Implications for the Petrogenesis of MORB

We have determined the near-solidus melt compositions for peridotiteMM-3, a suitable composition for the production of mid-oceanridge basalt (MORB) by decompression partial melting, at 1 and1·5 GPa. At 1 GPa the MM-3 composition has a subsolidusplagioclase-bearing spinel lherzolite assemblage, and a solidusat 1270°C. At only 5°C above the solidus, 4% meltis present as a result of almost complete melting of plagioclase.This melting behaviour in plagioclase lherzolite is predictedfrom simple systems and previous experimental work. The persistenceof plagioclase to > 0·8 GPa is strongly dependenton bulk-rock CaO/Na₂O and normative plagioclase content in theperidotite. At 1·5 GPa the MM-3 composition has a subsolidusspinel lherzolite assemblage, and a solidus at 1350°C.We have determined a near-solidus melt composition at 2% meltingwithin 10°C of the solidus. Near-solidus melts at both 1and 1·5 GPa are nepheline normative, and have low normativediopside contents; also they have the highest TiO₂, Al₂O₃ andNa₂O, and the lowest FeO and Cr₂O₃ contents compared with higherdegree partial melts. Comparison of these near-solidus meltswith primitive MORB glasses, which lie in the olivine-only fieldof crystallization at low pressure, indicate that petrogeneticmodels involving aggregation of near-fractional melts formedduring melting at pressures of 1·5 GPa or less are unlikelyto be correct. In this study we use an experimental approachthat utilizes sintered oxide mix starting materials and peridotitereaction experiments. We also examine some recent studies usingan alternative approach of melt migration into, and entrapmentwithin ‘melt traps’ (olivine, diamond, vitreouscarbon) and discuss optimal procedures for this method. KEY WORDS: experimental petrology; mantle melting; near-solidus; fertile peridotite; MORB     

An Experimental Investigation of the Influence of Water and Oxygen Fugacity on Differentiation of MORB at 200 MPa

Crystallization experiments were performed at 200 MPa in thetemperature range 1150–950°C at oxygen fugacitiescorresponding to the quartz–fayalite–magnetite (QFM)and MnO–Mn₃O₄ buffers to assess the role of water andf_O2 on phase relations and differentiation trends in mid-oceanridge basalt (MORB) systems. Starting from a primitive (MgO9·8 wt %) and an evolved MORB (MgO 6·49 wt %),crystallization paths with four different water contents (0·35–4·7wt % H₂O) have been investigated. In primitive MORB, olivineis the liquidus phase followed by plagioclase + clinopyroxene.Amphibole is present only at water-saturated conditions below1000°C, but not all fluid-saturated runs contain amphibole.Magnetite and orthopyroxene are not stable at low f_O2 (QFM buffer).Residual liquids obtained at low f_O2 show a tholeiitic differentiationtrend. The crystallization of magnetite at high f_O2 (MnO–Mn₃O₄buffer) results in a decrease of melt FeO^*/MgO ratio, causinga calc-alkaline differentiation trend. Because the magnetitecrystallization temperature is nearly independent of the H₂Ocontent, in contrast to silicate minerals, the calc-alkalinedifferentiation trend is more pronounced at high water contents.Residual melts at 950°C in a primitive MORB system havecompositions approaching those of oceanic plagiogranites interms of SiO₂ and K₂O, but have Ca/Na ratios and FeO^* contentsthat are too high compared with the natural rocks, implyingthat fractionation processes are necessary to reach typicalcompositions of natural oceanic plagiogranites. KEY WORDS: differentiation; MORB; oxygen fugacity; water activity; oceanic plagiogranite     

Partial Melting of Spinel Lherzolite in the System CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 {+/-} K2O at 1{middle dot}1 GPa

The compositions of multiply saturated partial melts are valuablefor the thermodynamic information that they contain, but aredifficult to determine experimentally because they exist onlyover a narrow temperature range at a given pressure. Here wetry a new approach for determining the composition of the partialmelt in equilibrium with olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxeneand spinel (Ol + Opx + Cpx + Sp + Melt) in the system CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂(CMAS) at 1·1 GPa: various amounts of K₂O are added tothe system, and the resulting melt compositions and temperatureare extrapolated to zero K₂O. The ‘sandwich’ experimentalmethod was used to minimize problems caused by quench modification,and Opx and Cpx were previously synthesized at conditions nearthose of the melting experiments to ensure they had appropriatecompositions. Results were then checked by reversal crystallizationexperiments. The results are in good agreement with previouswork, and establish the anhydrous solidus in CMAS to be at 1320± 10°C at 1·1 GPa. The effect of K₂O is todepress the solidus by 5·8°C/wt %, while the meltcomposition becomes increasingly enriched in SiO₂, being quartz-normativeabove 4 wt % K₂O. Compared with Na₂O, K₂O has a stronger effectin depressing the solidus and modifying melt compositions. Theisobaric invariant point in the system CMAS–K₂O at whichOl + Opx + Cpx + Sp + Melt is joined by sanidine (San) is at1240 ± 10°C. During the course of the study severalother isobaric invariant points were identified and their crystaland melt compositions determined in unreversed experiments:Opx + Cpx + Sp + An + Melt in the system CMAS at 1315 ±10°C; in CMAS–K₂O, Opx + Cpx + Sp + An + San + Meltat 1230 ± 10°C and Opx + Sp + An + San + Sapph +Melt at 1230 ± 10°C, where An is anorthite and Sapphis sapphirine. Coexisting San plus An in three experiments helpdefine the An–San solvus at 1230–1250°C. KEY WORDS: feldspar solvus; igneous sapphirine; mantle solidus; partial melting; systems CMAS and CMAS–K₂O     

Origin of the Oceanic Lithosphere

In a global examination of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasscompositions, we find that Na₈–Fe₈–depth variationsdo not support modeling of MORBs as aggregates of melt compositionsgenerated over a large range of temperature and pressure. However,the Na₈–Fe₈ variations are consistent with the compositionalsystematics of solidus melts in the plagioclase–spinellherzolite transition in the CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–Na₂O–FeO(CMASNF) system. For natural compositions, the P–T rangefor melt extraction is estimated to be 1·2–1·5GPa and 1250–1280°C. This P–T range is a closematch with the maximum P–T conditions for explosive pressure-releasevaporization of carbonate-bearing melts. It is proposed thatfracturing of the lithosphere induces explosive formation andescape of CO₂ vapor. This provides the vehicle for extractionof MORBs at a relatively uniform T and P. The upper portionof the CO₂-bearing and slightly melted seismic low-velocityzone flows toward the ridge, rises at the ridge axis to lower-lithospheredepths, melts much more extensively during this rise, and releasesMORB melts to the surface driven by explosively escaping CO₂vapor. The residue and overlying crust produced by this meltingthen migrate away from the ridge axis as new oceanic lithosphere.The entire process of oceanic lithosphere creation involvesonly the upper 140 km. When lithospheric stresses shift fractureformation to other localities, escape of CO₂ ceases, the vehiclefor transporting melt to the surface disappears, and ridgesdie. Inverse correlations of Na₈ vs Fe₈ for MORB glasses areexplained by mantle heterogeneity, and positive variations superimposedon the inverse variations are consistent with progressive extractionof melts from short, ascending melting columns. The uniformlylow temperatures of MORB extraction are not consistent withthe existence of hot plumes on or close to ocean ridges. Inthis modeling, the southern Atlantic mantle from Bouvet to about26°N is relatively homogeneous, whereas the Atlantic mantlenorth of about 26°N shows significant long-range heterogeneity.The mantle between the Charlie Gibbs and Jan Mayen fracturezones is strongly enriched in FeO/MgO, perhaps by a trappedfragment of basaltic crust. Iceland is explained as the productof this enrichment, not a hot plume. The East Pacific Rise,Galapagos Ridge, Gorda Ridge, and Juan de Fuca Ridge samplemantle that is heterogeneous over short distances. The mantlebeneath the Red Sea is enriched in FeO/MgO relative to the mantlebeneath the northern Indian Ocean.     

Melting of Amphibole-bearing Wehrlites: an Experimental Study on the Origin of Ultra-calcic Nepheline-normative Melts

Olivine + clinopyroxene ± amphibole cumulates have beenwidely documented in island arc settings and may constitutea significant portion of the lowermost arc crust. Because ofthe low melting temperature of amphibole (1100°C), suchcumulates could melt during intrusion of primary mantle magmas.We have experimentally (piston-cylinder, 0·5–1·0GPa, 1200–1350°C, Pt–graphite capsules) investigatedthe melting behaviour of a model amphibole–olivine–clinopyroxenerock, to assess the possible role of such cumulates in islandarc magma genesis. Initial melts are controlled by pargasiticamphibole breakdown, are strongly nepheline-normative and areAl₂O₃-rich. With increasing melt fraction (T > 1190°Cat 1·0 GPa), the melts become ultra-calcic while remainingstrongly nepheline-normative, and are saturated with olivineand clinopyroxene. The experimental melts have strong compositionalsimilarities to natural nepheline-normative ultra-calcic meltinclusions and lavas exclusively found in arc settings. Theexperimentally derived phase relations show that such naturalmelt compositions originate by melting according to the reactionamphibole + clinopyroxene = melt + olivine in the arc crust.Pargasitic amphibole is the key phase in this process, as itlowers melting temperatures and imposes the nepheline-normativesignature. Ultra-calcic nepheline-normative melt inclusionsare tracers of magma–rock interaction (assimilative recycling)in the arc crust. KEY WORDS: experimental melting; subduction zone; ultra-calcic melts; wehrlite     

Partial Melting Experiments of Peridotite + CO2 at 3 GPa and Genesis of Alkalic Ocean Island Basalts

We document compositions of minerals and melts from 3 GPa partialmelting experiments on two carbonate-bearing natural lherzolitebulk compositions (PERC: MixKLB-1 + 2·5 wt% CO₂; PERC3:MixKLB-1 + 1 wt% CO₂) and discuss the compositions of partialmelts in relation to the genesis of alkalic to highly alkalicocean island basalts (OIB). Near-solidus (PERC: 1075–1105°C;PERC3: 1050°C) carbonatitic partial melts with <10 wt%SiO₂ and 40 wt% CO₂ evolve continuously to carbonated silicatemelts with >25 wt% SiO₂ and <25 wt% CO₂ between 1325 and1350°C in the presence of residual olivine, orthopyroxene,clinopyroxene, and garnet. The first appearance of CO₂-bearingsilicate melt at 3 GPa is 150°C cooler than the solidusof CO₂-free peridotite. The compositions of carbonated silicatepartial melts between 1350 and 1600°C vary in the rangeof 28–46 wt% SiO₂, 1·6–0·5 wt% TiO₂,12–10 wt% FeO*, and 19–29 wt% MgO for PERC, and42–48 wt% SiO₂, 1·9–0·5 wt% TiO₂,10·5–8·4 wt% FeO*, and 15–26 wt% MgOfor PERC3. The CaO/Al₂O₃ weight ratio of silicate melts rangesfrom 2·7 to 1·1 for PERC and from 1·7 to1·0 for PERC3. The SiO₂ contents of carbonated silicatemelts in equilibrium with residual peridotite diminish significantlywith increasing dissolved CO₂ in the melt, whereas the CaO contentsincrease markedly. Equilibrium constants for Fe*–Mg exchangebetween carbonated silicate liquid and olivine span a rangesimilar to those for CO₂-free liquids at 3 GPa, but diminishslightly with increasing dissolved CO₂ in the melt. The carbonatedsilicate partial melts of PERC3 at <20% melting and partialmelts of PERC at 15–33% melting have SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents,and CaO/Al₂O₃ values, similar to those of melilititic to basaniticalkali OIB, but compared with the natural lavas they are moreenriched in CaO and they lack the strong enrichments in TiO₂characteristic of highly alkalic OIB. If a primitive mantlesource is assumed, the TiO₂ contents of alkalic OIB, combinedwith bulk peridotite/melt partition coefficients of TiO₂ determinedin this study and in volatile-free studies of peridotite partialmelting, can be used to estimate that melilitites, nephelinites,and basanites from oceanic islands are produced from 0–6%partial melting. The SiO₂ and CaO contents of such small-degreepartial melts of peridotite with small amounts of total CO₂can be estimated from the SiO₂–CO₂ and CaO–CO₂ correlationsobserved in our higher-degree partial melting experiments. Thesesuggest that many compositional features of highly alkalic OIBmay be produced by 1–5% partial melting of a fertile peridotitesource with 0·1–0·25 wt% CO₂. Owing to verydeep solidi of carbonated mantle lithologies, generation ofcarbonated silicate melts in OIB source regions probably happensby reaction between peridotite and/or eclogite and migratingcarbonatitic melts produced at greater depths. KEY WORDS: alkali basalts; carbonated peridotite; experimental petrology; ocean island basalts; partial melting     

Composition and conditions of formation of the parental melts of Jurassic dolerites of southwestern Crimea: Evidence from melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts

This study focuses on Jurassic shallow intrusions and subvolcanic bodies from around Trudolyubovka village in the southwestern Crimea. All the rocks are similar in mineral composition and have similar geochemical features and occur in close spatial and geological association. This allows us to assign the intrusions to a single magmatic series and interpret them as differentiation products of a single parental melt. The investigation of melt inclusions in olivine from the most magnesian sample showed that the composition of igneous melts ranged from basalt to basaltic andesite of a moderately potassic subalkaline affinity. Compared with N-MORB, they are enriched in LILE, but have similar HFSE and REE contents. The early magmatic melts crystallized at temperatures ranging from 1240 to 1125°C, pressures of 6–8 kbar, and an oxygen fugacity of ΔQFM = +0.6; and later melts crystallized at 1090–940°C, ~1.5 kbar, and oxygen fugacity increasing from ΔQFM + 0.9 to ΔQFM + 2.3. The minimum pressure of groundmass crystallization was estimated as 40–60 bar. The primitive melts were formed in a mature island arc or an active continental margin setting by ~13% melting of a DMM-like source. The melting occurred at spinel-facies depths under the influence of a slab-derived fluid at a temperature 25°C below the dry peridotite solidus.     

Melt evolution in subarc mantle: evidence from heating experiments on spinel-hosted melt inclusions in peridotite xenoliths from the andesitic Avacha volcano (Kamchatka,Russia)

Glass-bearing inclusions hosted by Cr-spinel in harzburgite xenoliths from Avacha are grouped based on homogenization temperatures and daughter minerals into high-T (1,200°C; opx + cpx), intermediate (900–1,100°C; cpx ± amph), and low-T (900°C; amph) and are commonly accompanied by larger “melt pockets”. Unlike previous work on unheated inclusions and interstitial glass in xenoliths from Kamchatka, the homogenized glass compositions in this study are not affected by low-pressure melt fractionation during transport and cooling or by interaction with host magma. Primary melt compositions constrained for each inclusion type differ in major and trace element abundances and were formed by different events, but all are silica saturated, Ca-rich, and K-poor, with enrichments in LREE, Sr, Rb, and Ba and negative Nb anomalies. These melts are inferred to have been formed with participation of fluids produced by dehydration of slab materials. The high-T inclusions trapped liquids produced by ancient high-degree, fluid-induced melting in the mantle wedge. The low-T inclusions are related to percolation of low-T melts or hydrous fluids in arc mantle lithosphere. Melt pockets arise from localized heating and fluid-assisted melting induced by rising magmas shortly before the entrapment of the xenoliths. The “high-T” melt inclusions in Avacha xenoliths are unique in preserving evidence of ancient, high-T melting events in arc mantle, whereas the published data appear to characterize pre-eruption enrichment events.     

Mantle-melt Evolution (Dynamic Source) in the Origin of a Single MORB Suite: a Perspective from Magnesian Glasses of Macquarie Island

The effects of source composition and source evolution duringprogressive partial melting on the chemistry of mantle-derivedmid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) melts were tested using a comprehensivegeochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataset for fresh,magnesian basaltic glasses from the Miocene Macquarie Islandophiolite, SW Pacific. These glasses: (1) exhibit clear parent–daughterrelationships; (2) allow simple reconstruction of primary meltcompositions; (3) show exceptional compositional diversity (e.g.K₂O/TiO₂ 0·09–0·9; La/Yb 1·5–22;²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb 18·70–19·52); (4) preserve changesin major element and isotope compositions, which are correlatedwith the degree of trace element enrichment (e.g. La/Sm). Conventionalmodels for MORB genesis invoke melting of mantle that is heterogeneouson a small scale, followed by binary mixing of variably lithophileelement-enriched melt batches. This type of model fails to explainthe compositions of the Macquarie Island glasses, principallybecause incompatible element ratios (e.g. Nb/U, Sr/Nd) and Pbisotope ratios vary non-systematically with the degree of enrichment.We propose that individual melt batches are produced from instantaneous‘parental’ mantle parageneses, which change continuouslyas melting and melt extraction proceeds. This concept of a ‘dynamicsource’ combines the models of small-scale mantle heterogeneitiesand fractional melting. A dynamic source is an assemblage oflocally equilibrated mantle solids and a related melt fraction.Common MORB magmas that integrate the characteristics of numerousmelt batches therefore tend to conceal the chemical and isotopicidentity of a dynamic source. This study shows that isotoperatios of poorly mixed MORB melts are a complex function ofthe dynamic source evolution, and that the range in isotoperatios within a single MORB suite does not necessarily requiremixing of diverse components. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalt; Macquarie Island; radiogenic isotopes; mantle; geochemistry     

Empirical Solution Model for Alkalic to Tholeiitic Basic Magmas

Currently available models to simulate naturally occurring mineral–meltequilibria use mineral components limited to tholeiitic basaltcompositions and thus they cannot be used for alkali-rick basaltsand basanites. To expand mineral–melt equilibria calculationsto alkali-rich composition space at low pressures, we have derivedequations that describe chemical equilibria between olivine–melt,pyroxene–melt, plagioclase–melt, nepheline–meltand leucite–melt components. Excess free energies of reactionsbetween the end-member mineral and melt components at equilibriumhave been expressed as a function of melt composition, temperatureand fo₂. The database used to calculate the mineral–meltexpressions consists of a total of >350 anhydrous experimentsconducted under controlled oxygen fugacity defined by the quartz–fayalite–magnetite(QFM) oxygen buffer. Rocks used in these experiments range frombasanites, nephelinites and alkali olivine basalts, to tholeiiticbasalts and basaltic andesites. Using bulk compositions of startingmaterials both in this experimental database and in others thatwere not incorporated into the regression of modeled parameters,modeled equations successfully predict, at a given temperatureand fo₂, compositions of multiply saturated melts as well asthe compositions of coexisting minerals. Standard deviationsof the calculated mole fractions of mineral components () areas follows: anorthite 002; forsterite 002; clinoenstatite002; enstatite 0003; nepheline 002; and leucite 001. Standarddeviations () of the calculated melt compositions in terms ofweight percent of oxides are: SiO₂ 0•96; Al₂O₃ 132; Fe₂O₃023; FeO 121; MgO 084; CaO 079; Na₂O 058; and K₂O 069.All calculations were carried out using a non-linear Newton–Raphsonnumerical procedure. KEY WORDS: mineral–melt equilibria; alkalic–tholeiitic basalts; equilibrium thermodynamics ^*Corresponding author     

An Experimental Study of the Sulfur Content in Basaltic Melts Saturated with Immiscible Sulfide or Sulfate Liquids at 1300{degrees}C and 1{middle dot}0 GPa

The sulfur content in basaltic melts coexisting with eithersulfide or sulfate melts was determined experimentally. Theexperimental conditions were in the range of 1300–1355°Cand 1·0–1·6 GPa, conditions appropriatefor the melting of the upper mantle above subduction zones.Under these conditions, both sulfide and sulfate were presentas immiscible liquids, as inferred from the round geometriesof the quenched sulfide and sulfate phases. The measured S contentin basaltic melts saturated with sulfate liquids ([S] = 1·5± 0·2 wt %) was 10 times higher than the S contentin basaltic melts saturated with sulfide liquids ([S] = 0·14± 0·02 wt %). In our experiments, sulfate liquidswere stable at fO₂ as low as FMQ = +1·85 [FMQ = log (fO₂)_sample– log (fO₂)_FMQ, where FMQ is the fayalite–magnetite–quartzoxygen buffer], and evidence from other sources indicates thatsulfates will be stable at lower fO₂ in melts with lower activitiesof silica. Because chalcophile and highly siderophile elements,such as Cu, Ni, Au, and Pd, are partitioned preferentially intosulfide phases, melting of sufficiently oxidized sources, inwhich sulfides are not stable, would favor incorporation ofthese elements into the silicate melt produced. Such melts wouldhave a higher potential to generate ore deposits. This studyshows that the high sulfur contents of such oxidized basaltsalso means that relatively small amounts of such magmas canprovide significant amounts of sulfur to exsolving volatilephases and account for the bulk of the sulfur expelled in somevolcanic eruptions, such the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. KEY WORDS: basalt; mantle; oxidation state; sulfate; sulfur     

Using In Situ Trace-Element Determinations to Monitor Partial-Melting Processes in Metabasites

Peak metamorphism (800–850°C, 8–10 kbar) inthe Harts Range Meta-Igneous Complex (Harts Range, central Australia)was associated with localized partial melting by the reactionhornblende + plagioclase + quartz + H₂O = garnet + clinopyroxene+ titanite + melt. In situ trace-element determinations of prograde,peak and retrograde minerals in migmatitic metabasites and associatedtonalitic melts using laser-ablation ICP–MS has allowedmonitoring of a range of partial-melting processes (melting,melt segregation and back-reaction between crystallizing meltand restitic minerals). Mass balance calculations indicate thattitanite is a major carrier of trace elements such as Ti, Nb,Ta, Sm, U and Th, and therefore may be an important accessoryphase to control the redistribution of these elements duringthe partial melting of amphibolites. Titanite preferentiallyincorporates Ta over Nb and, hence, residual titanite mightassist in the formation of melts with high Nb/Ta. The fact thatsingle minerals record different rare earth element (REE) patterns,from prograde to peak to retrograde conditions, demonstratesthat REE diffusion is not significant up to 800°C. Therefore,trace-element analysis in minerals can be a powerful tool toinvestigate high-grade metamorphic processes beyond the limitsgiven by major elements. KEY WORDS: Harts Range; laser-ablation ICP–MS; metabasites; partial melting; trace elements