Geochemistry and tectonic setting of mafic rocks from the Othris Ophiolite,Greece

We present new geochemical analyses of minerals and whole rocks for a suite of mafic rocks from the crustal section of the Othris Ophiolite in central Greece. The mafic rocks form three chemically distinct groups. Group 1 is characterized by N-MORB-type basalt and basaltic andesite with Na- and Ti-rich clinopyroxenes. These rocks show mild LREE depletion and no HFSE anomalies, consistent with moderate degrees (~15%) of anhydrous partial melting of depleted mantle followed by 30–50% crystal fractionation. Group 2 is represented by E-MORB-type basalt with clinopyroxenes with higher Ti contents than Group 1 basalts. Group 2 basalts also have higher concentrations of incompatible trace elements with slightly lower HREE contents than Group 1 basalts. These chemical features can be explained by ~10% partial melting of an enriched mantle source. Group 3 includes high MgO cumulates with Na- and Ti-poor clinopyroxene, forsteritic olivine, and Cr-rich spinel. The cumulates show strong depletion of HFSE, low HREE contents, and LREE enrichments. These rocks may have formed by olivine accumulation from boninitic magmas. The petrogenesis of the N-MORB-type basalts and basaltic andesites is in excellent agreement with the melting conditions inferred from the MOR-type peridotites in Othris. The occurrence of both N- and E-MORB-type lavas suggests that the mantle generating the lavas of the Othris Ophiolite must have been heterogeneous on a comparatively fine scale. Furthermore, the inferred parental magmas of the SSZ-type cumulates are broadly complementary to the SSZ-type peridotites found in Othris. These results suggest that the crustal section may be genetically related to the mantle section. In the Othris Ophiolite mafic rocks recording magmatic processes characteristic both of mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones occur within close spatial association. These observations are consistent with the formation of the Othris Ophiolite in the upper plate of a newly created intra-oceanic subduction zone. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The Othris Ophiolite, Greece: A snapshot of subduction initiation at a mid-ocean ridge

The mantle section of the Tethyan-type Othris Ophiolite, Greece, records tectono-magmatic processes characteristic of both mid-ocean ridges and supra-subduction zones. The Othris Ophiolite is a remnant of the Jurassic Neotethys Ocean, which existed between Eurasia and Gondwanaland. Othris peridotites range from fertile plagioclase lherzolites to depleted harzburgites. Abundances of Al₂O₃ and CaO show well-defined inverse linear correlations with MgO, suggesting that the Othris peridotites formed as residua from variable degrees of partial melting.

Peridotites from the Fournos Kaïtsa and western Katáchloron sub-massifs are similar to abyssal peridotites and can be explained by a multistage model with some melting in the garnet stability field followed by moderate degrees of anhydrous near-fractional melting in the spinel stability field. In contrast, the peridotites from the Metalleio, Eretria, and eastern Katáchloron sub-massifs, and the Vourinos ophiolite are highly depleted and have extremely low concentrations of Al₂O₃ and heavy rare earth elements. These peridotites have enriched light REE contents compared to the middle REE. These residua are best modelled by hydrous melting due to a flux of slab-derived fluid to the mantle wedge during melting.

The occurrence of both styles of melting regimes within close spatial and temporal association in the same ophiolite is explained by intra-oceanic thrusting and forced subduction initiation at (or near) a mid-ocean ridge. Thus, the Othris Ophiolite, and probably Tethyan-type ophiolites in general, represent a transient phase of plate tectonic reorganisation rather than quasi-steady state plate tectonics.     

Transformation of Archaean Lithospheric Mantle by Refertilization: Evidence from Exposed Peridotites in the Western Gneiss Region, Norway

Orogenic peridotites occur enclosed in Proterozoic gneissesat several localities in the Western Gneiss Region (WGR) ofwestern Norway; garnet peridotites typically occur as discretezones within larger bodies of garnet-free, chromite-bearingdunite and are commonly closely associated with pyroxenitesand eclogites. The dunites of the large Almklovdalen peridotitebody have extremely depleted compositions (Mg-number 92–93·6);the garnet peridotites have lower Mg-number (90·6–91·7)and higher whole-rock Ca and Al contents. Post-depletion metasomatismof both rock types is indicated by variable enrichment in thelight rare earth elements, Th, Ba and Sr. The dunites can bemodelled as residues after very high degrees (>60%) of meltextraction at high pressure (5–7 GPa), inconsistent withthe preservation of lower degrees of melting in the garnet peridotites.The garnet peridotites are, therefore, interpreted as zonesof melt percolation, which resulted in refertilization of thedunites by a silicate melt rich in Fe, Ca, Al and Na, but notTi. Previous Re–Os dating gives Archaean model ages forthe dunites, but mixed Archaean and Proterozoic ages for thegarnet peridotites, suggesting that refertilization occurredin Proterozoic time. At least some Proterozoic lithosphere mayrepresent reworked and transformed Archaean lithospheric mantle. KEY WORDS: Archaean mantle; Proterozoic mantle; Western Gneiss Region, Norway; mantle metasomatism; garnet peridotite     

Emplacement of Deep Upper-Mantle Rocks into Cratonic Lithosphere by Convection and Diapiric Upwelling

Rocks containing breakdown products of majoritic garnet, derivedfrom the deep upper mantle, occur in kimberlite xenoliths andin orogenic peridotites from Otrøy in Norway. The Otrøyperidotites are banded harzburgites and dunites with similarcompositions to mantle xenoliths from Precambrian cratons andPhanerozoic supra-subduction-zone peridotites. Pressure–temperature(P–T) paths deduced for the Otrøy peridotites andkimberlite xenoliths from South Africa are consistent with emplacementof deep mantle peridotites into cratonic lithosphere by asthenospherediapirism. Numerical thermo-convection models provide insightinto the possible P–T histories of deep upper-mantle rocks.In the models, material from the base of the convecting systemis transported to depths of 60–100 km by convection andsmall (50–100 km) diapirs. Diapir intrusion induces small-scaleconvection in the low-viscosity deeper part of the thermochemicallydefined lithosphere. Small-scale convection in the craton rootcan produce complex P–T paths, complex recurrent meltinghistories and complex compositional structure in the craton.P–T paths derived from the numerical models for asthenospherediapirism in a hot upper mantle are consistent with the sequenceof sub-solidus P–T conditions deduced for the cratonicperidotites. KEY WORDS: asthenosphere diapirs; cratonic lithosphere; deep upper mantle; majoritic garnet     

REE and PGE Geochemical Constraints on the Formation of Dunites in the Luobusa Ophiolite, Southern Tibet

The Luobusa ophiolite, Southern Tibet, lies in the Indus–YarlungZangbo suture zone that separates Eurasia to the north fromthe Indian continent to the south. The ophiolite contains awell-preserved mantle sequence consisting of harzburgite, clinopyroxene(cpx)-bearing harzburgite and dunite. The harzburgite containsabundant pods of chromitite, most of which have dunite envelopes,and the cpx-bearing harzburgites host numerous dunite dykes.Dunite also exists as a massive unit similar to those of themantle–crust transition zones in other ophiolites. Allof the dunites in the ophiolite have a similar mineralogy, comprisingmainly olivine with minor orthopyroxene and chromite and tracesof clinopyroxene. They also display similar chemical compositions,including U-shaped chondrite-normalized REE patterns. Mantle-normalizedPGE patterns show variable negative Pt anomalies. Detailed analysisof a chromite-bearing dunite dyke, which grades into the hostcpx-bearing harzburgite, indicates that LREE and Ir decrease,whereas HREE, Pd and Pt increase away from the dunite. Thesefeatures are consistent with formation of the dunite dykes byinteraction of MORB peridotites with boninitic melts from whichthe chromitites were formed. Because the transition-zone dunitesare mineralogically and chemically identical to those formedby such melt–rock reaction, we infer that they are ofsimilar origin. The Luobusa ultramafic rocks originally formedas MORB-source upper mantle, which was subsequently trappedas part of a mantle wedge above a subduction zone. Hydrous meltsgenerated under the influence of the subducted slab at depthmigrated upward and reacted with the cpx-bearing harzburgitesto form the dunite dykes. The modified melts ponded in smallpockets higher in the section, where they produced podiformchromitites with dunite envelopes. At the top of the mantlesection, pervasive reaction between melts and harzburgite producedthe transition-zone dunites. KEY WORDS: melt–rock interaction; REE; PGE; hydrous melt; mantle; ophiolite; Tibet     

Chronology, Petrology and Isotope Geochemistry of the Erro-Tobbio Peridotites (Ligurian Alps, Italy): Records of Late Palaeozoic Lithospheric Extension

Mantle peridotites from the Erro–Tobbio (ET) ophioliticunit (Voltri Massif, Ligurian Alps) record a tectono-metamorphicdecompressional evolution, indicated by re-equilibration fromspinel- to plagioclase- to amphibole-facies conditions, andprogressive deformation from granular to tectonite to mylonitefabrics. The peridotites are considered to represent subcontinentallithospheric mantle that was tectonically denuded during riftingand opening of the Jurassic Ligurian Tethys ocean, similar tothe Northern Apennine (External Ligurides) ophiolitic peridotites.We performed chemical and isotopic investigations on selectedgranular and tectonite spinel peridotites and plagioclase tectonitesand mylonites, with the aim of defining the nature of the mantleprotoliths, and to date the onset of exhumation of the ET peridotites.Spinel- and plagioclase-bearing tectonites and mylonites exhibitheterogeneous bulk-rock major and trace element composition,despite rather homogeneous mineral chemistry, thus indicatingthat the ET mantle protoliths record a composite history ofpartial melting and melt migration by reactive porous flow.The lack of correlation between the observed geochemical heterogeneityand the structural type (granular, tectonite, mylonite) indicatesthat the inferred reactive porous flow event preceded the exhumation-relatedlithospheric history of the Erro–Tobbio mantle. The tectono-metamorphicevolution caused systematic chemical changes in minerals: (1)Al decrease in orthopyroxene; (2) Al decrease, and Cr and Tiincrease in spinels; (3) Al and Sr decrease, Cr, Ti, Zr, Sc,V and middle to heavy rare earth element increase and developmentof a negative Eu anomaly in clinopyroxene. The studied sampleshave Nd isotope compositions consistent with a mid-ocean ridgebasalt mantle reservoir. Sm/Nd isotope data on plagioclase andclinopyroxene separates (and corresponding whole rocks) fromtwo plagioclase peridotites, representative of the plagioclase-bearingmylonitic extensional shear zone, have yielded ages of 273 ±16 Ma and 313 ± 16 Ma, for the plagioclase-facies recrystallizationstage, significantly older than the expected Jurassic age. Thisindicates that the Erro–Tobbio peridotites represent subcontinentallithospheric mantle that was tectonically exhumed from spinel-faciesdepths to shallower lithospheric levels during Late Carboniferous–Permiantimes. Our results are consistent with the previously documentedevidence for an extensional regime in the Europe–Adrialithosphere during Late Palaeozoic time, and they representthe first record that extensional mechanisms were also activeat lithospheric mantle levels. KEY WORDS: plagioclase-bearing peridotites; subcontinental lithospheric mantle; mantle exhumation; Sm/Nd dating     

Melt migration and melt-rock reaction in the Alpine-Apennine peridotites:Insights on mantle dynamics in extending lithosphere

The compositional variability of the lithospheric mantle at extensional settings is largely caused by the reactive percolation of uprising melts in the thermal boundary layer and in lithospheric environments.The Alpine-Apennine(A-A)ophiolites are predominantly constituted by mantle peridotites and are widely thought to represent analogs of the oceanic lithosphere formed at ocean/continent transition and slow-to ultraslow-spreading settings.Structural and geochemical studies on the A-A mantle peridotites have revealed that they preserve significant compositional and isotopic heterogeneity at variable scale,reflecting a long-lived multi-stage melt migration,intrusion and melt-rock interaction history,occurred at different lithospheric depths during progressive uplift.The A-A mantle peridotites thus constitute a unique window on mantle dynamics and lithosphere-asthenosphere interactions in very slow spreading environments.In this work,we review field,microstructural and chemical-isotopic evidence on the major stages of melt percolation and melt-rock interaction recorded by the A-A peridotites and discuss their consequences in creating chemical-isotopic heterogeneities at variable scales and enhancing weakening and deformation of the extending mantle.Focus will be on three most important stages:(i)old(pre-Jurassic)pyroxenite emplacement,and the significant isotopic modification induced in the host mantle by pyroxenite-derived melts,(ii)melt-peridotite interactions during Jurassic mantle exhumation,i.e.the open-system reactive porous flow at spinel facies depths causing bulk depletion(origin of reactive harzburgites and dunites),and the shallower melt impregnation which originated plagioclase-rich peridotites and an overall mantle refertilization.We infer that migrating melts largely originated as shallow,variably depleted,melt fractions,and acquired Si-rich composition by reactive dissolution of mantle pyroxenes during upward migration.Such melt-rock reaction processes share significant similarities with those documented in modern oceanic peridotites from slow-to ultraslow-spreading environments and track the progressive exhumation of large mantle sectors at shallow depths in oceanic settings where a thicker thermal boundary layer exists,as a consequence of slow-spreading rate.     

Multi-stage melt–rock interaction in the Mt. Maggiore (Corsica, France) ophiolitic peridotites: microstructural and geochemical evidence

Spinel and plagioclase peridotites from the Mt.Maggiore (Corsica, France) ophiolitic massif record a composite asthenosphere–lithosphere history of partial melting and subsequent multi-stage melt–rock interaction. Cpx-poor spinel lherzolites are consistent with mantle residues after low-degree fractional melting (F = 5–10%). Opx + spinel symplectites at the rims of orthopyroxene porphyroclasts indicate post-melting lithospheric cooling (T = 970–1,100°C); this was followed by formation of olivine embayments within pyroxene porphyroclasts by melt–rock interaction. Enrichment in modal olivine (up to 85 wt%) at constant bulk Mg values, and variable absolute REE contents (at constant LREE/HREE) indicate olivine precipitation and pyroxene dissolution during reactive porous melt flow. This stage occurred at spinel-facies depths, after incorporation of the peridotites in the thermal lithosphere. Plagioclase-enriched peridotites show melt impregnation microtextures, like opx + plag intergrowths replacing exsolved cpx porphyroclasts and interstitial gabbronoritic veinlets. This second melt–rock interaction stage caused systematic chemical changes in clinopyroxene (e.g. Ti, REE, Zr, Y increase), related to the concomitant effects of local melt–rock interaction at decreasing melt mass, and crystallization of small (<3%) trapped melt fractions. LREE depletion in minerals of the gabbronoritic veinlets indicates that the impregnating melts were more depleted than normal MORB. Preserved microtextural evidence of previous melt–rock interaction in the impregnated peridotites suggests that they were progressively uplifted in response to lithosphere extension and thinning. Migrating melts were likely produced by mantle upwelling and melting related to extension; they were modified from olivine-saturated to opx-saturated compositions, and caused different styles of melt–rock interaction (reactive spinel harzburgites, vs. impregnated plagioclase peridotites) depending on the lithospheric depths at which interaction occurred. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Initiation of Subduction Zones as a Consequence of Lateral Compositional Buoyancy Contrast within the Lithosphere: a Petrological Perspective

Tonga and Mariana fore-arc peridotites, inferred to representtheir respective sub-arc mantle lithospheres, are compositionallyhighly depleted (low Fe/Mg) and thus physically buoyant relativeto abyssal peridotites representing normal oceanic lithosphere(high Fe/Mg) formed at ocean ridges. The observation that thedepletion of these fore-arc lithospheres is unrelated to, andpre-dates, the inception of present-day western Pacific subductionzones demonstrates the pre-existence of compositional buoyancycontrast at the sites of these subduction zones. These observationsallow us to suggest that lateral compositional buoyancy contrastwithin the oceanic lithosphere creates the favoured and necessarycondition for subduction initiation. Edges of buoyant oceanicplateaux, for example, mark a compositional buoyancy contrastwithin the oceanic lithosphere. These edges under deviatoriccompression (e.g. ridge push) could develop reverse faults withcombined forces in excess of the oceanic lithosphere strength,allowing the dense normal oceanic lithosphere to sink into theasthenosphere beneath the buoyant overriding oceanic plateaux,i.e. the initiation of subduction zones. We term this conceptthe ‘oceanic plateau model’. This model explainsmany other observations and offers testable hypotheses on importantgeodynamic problems on a global scale. These include (1) theorigin of the 43 Ma bend along the Hawaii–Emperor SeamountChain in the Pacific, (2) mechanisms of ophiolite emplacement,(3) continental accretion, etc. Subduction initiation is notunique to oceanic plateaux, but the plateau model well illustratesthe importance of the compositional buoyancy contrast withinthe lithosphere for subduction initiation. Most portions ofpassive continental margins, such as in the Atlantic where largecompositional buoyancy contrast exists, are the loci of futuresubduction zones. KEY WORDS: subduction initiation; compositional buoyancy contrast; oceanic lithosphere; plate tectonics; mantle plumes; hotspots; oceanic plateaux; passive continental margins; continental accretion; mantle peridotites; ophiolites     

Geodynamic Information in Peridotite Petrology

Systematic differences are observed in the petrology and majorelement geochemistry of natural peridotite samples from thesea floor near oceanic ridges and subduction zones, the mantlesection of ophiolites, massif peridotites, and xenoliths ofcratonic mantle in kimberlite. Some of these differences reflectvariable temperature and pressure conditions of melt extraction,and these have been calibrated by a parameterization of experimentaldata on fertile mantle peridotite. Abyssal peridotites are examplesof cold residues produced at oceanic ridges. High-MgO peridotitesfrom the Ronda massif are examples of hot residues producedin a plume. Most peridotites from subduction zones and ophiolitesare too enriched in SiO₂ and too depleted in Al₂O₃ to be residues,and were produced by melt–rock reaction of a precursorprotolith. Peridotite xenoliths from the Japan, Cascades andChile–Patagonian back-arcs are possible examples of arcprecursors, and they have the characteristics of hot residues.Opx-rich cratonic mantle is similar to subduction zone peridotites,but there are important differences in FeO_T. Opx-poor xenolithsof cratonic mantle were hot residues of primary magmas with16–20% MgO, and they may have formed in either ancientplumes or hot ridges. Cratonic mantle was not produced as aresidue of Archean komatiites. KEY WORDS: peridotite; residues; fractional melting; abyssal; cratonic mantle; subduction zone; ophiolite; potential temperature; plumes; hot ridges     

Sr-Nd-Pb Isotopic Compositions of Peridotite Xenoliths from Spitsbergen: Numerical Modelling Indicates Sr-Nd Decoupling in the Mantle by Melt Percolation Metasomatism

Several spinel peridotite xenoliths from Spitsbergen have Sr–Ndisotopic compositions that plot to the right of the ‘mantlearray’ defined by oceanic basalts and the DM end-member(depleted mantle, with low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd).These xenoliths also show strong fractionation of elements withsimilar compatibility (e.g. high La/Ce), which cannot be producedby simple mixing of light rare earth element-depleted peridotiteswith ocean island basalt-type or other enriched mantle melts.Numerical simulations of porous melt flow in spinel peridotitesapplied to Sr–Nd isotope compositions indicate that thesefeatures of the Spitsbergen peridotites can be explained bychemical fractionation during metasomatism in the mantle. ‘Chromatographic’effects of melt percolation create a transient zone where thehost depleted peridotites have experienced enrichment in Sr(with a radiogenic isotope composition) but not in Nd, thusproducing Sr–Nd decoupling mainly controlled by partitioncoefficients and abundances of Sr and Nd in the melt and theperidotite. Therefore, Sr–Nd isotope decoupling, earlierreported for some other mantle peridotites worldwide, may bea signature of metasomatic processes rather than a source-relatedcharacteristic, contrary to models that invoke mixing with hypotheticalSr-rich fluids derived from subducted oceanic lithosphere. Pbisotope compositions of the Spitsbergen xenoliths do not appearto be consistently affected by the metasomatism. KEY WORDS: Spitsbergen; lithospheric mantle; metasomatism; radiogenic isotopes; theoretical modelling     

Petrogenetic evolution of the Koziakas ophiolite complex (W. Thessaly, Greece)

Summary The Koziakas ophiolitic complex is situated in W. Thessaly and is interpreted as an incomplete ophiolite sequence, thrust over the Western Thessaly Unit (W.T.U.). Two tectonically distinct units represent it: (1) the lower unit with a metamorphic sole and a tectonosedimentary mélange and (2) the upper unit including mantle peridotites and basaltic lavas. The mantle peridotites are composed by harzburgite, lherzolite and plagioclase lherzolite intruded by a sparse network of gabbroic, plagiogranitic and doleritic dykes. The volcanic sequence of the upper unit can be geochemically subdivided into four groups of basalts with: (1) tholeiitic N-type MORB affinities, (2) low-Ti boninitic affinities, (3) subalkalic E-MORB type affinities and (4) alkali characteristics displaying a different petrogenetic evolution with respect to the other groups. The magmatic history of the Koziakas ophiolite is in agreement with extensive fractional crystallization and variable degrees of partial melting of a heterogeneous mantle source, yielding, magmas mainly of MORB composition. Modal and cryptic metasomatic phenomena of the mantle peridotites as well as Sr-Nd isotopic ratios imply that this melt contained also a hydrous component derived from melting of a subducted lithosphere. The above geochemical characteristics and the correlation with the adjacent ophiolite suites of Pindos, Othris and Vourinos indicate that Koziakas ophiolitic complex formed in a small backarc basin situated at the eastern margin of the greater Pindos Ocean, between the Western Thessaly Unit (W.T.U.) and the Pelagonian continent.     

Mantle Xenoliths from the Southeastern Slave Craton: Evidence for Chemical Zonation in a Thick, Cold Lithosphere

We present the first data on the petrology of the mantle lithosphereof the Southeastern (SE) Slave craton, Canada. These are basedon petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical studies of mantlexenoliths in Pipe 5034 of the Cambrian Gahcho Kué kimberlitecluster. Major types of mantle xenoliths include altered eclogite,coarse garnet or spinel peridotite, and deformed garnet peridotite.The peridotites belong to the low-temperature suite and formedat T=600–1300°C and P= 25–80 kbar in a thick(at least 220–250 km), cool lithosphere. The SE Slavemantle is cooler than the mantle of other Archaean cratons andthat below other terranes of the Slave craton. The thick lithosphereand the relatively cool thermal regime provide favourable conditionsfor formation and preservation of diamonds beneath the SE Slaveterrane. Similar to average Archaean mantle worldwide, the SESlave peridotite is depleted in magmaphile major elements andcontains olivine with forsterite content of 91–93·5.With respect to olivine composition and mode, all terranes ofthe Slave mantle show broadly similar compositions and are relativelyorthopyroxene-poor compared with those of the Kaapvaal and Siberiancratons. The SE Slave spinel peridotite is poorer in Al, Caand Fe, and richer in Mg than deeper garnet peridotite. Thegreater chemical depletion of the shallow upper mantle is typicalof all terranes of the Slave craton and may be common for thesubcontinental lithospheric peridotitic mantle in general. Peridotiticxenoliths of the SE Slave craton were impregnated by kimberliticfluids that caused late-stage recrystallization of primary clinopyroxene,spinel, olivine and spinel-facies orthopyroxene, and formationof interstitial clinopyroxene. This kimberlite-related recrystallizationdepleted primary pyroxenes and spinel in Al. The kimberliticfluid was oxidizing, Ti-, Fe- and K-rich, and Na-poor, and introducedserpentine, chlorite, phlogopite and spinel into peridotitesat P < 35 kbar. KEY WORDS: kimberlite xenolith; lithosphere; mantle terrane; chemical zoning; thermobarometry; Slave craton     

Origin and emplacement of ultramafic–mafic intrusions in the Erro-Tobbio mantle peridotite (Ligurian Alps, Italy)

The Erro-Tobbio peridotites (Voltri Massif, Ligurian Alps) represent subcontinental lithospheric mantle tectonically exhumed during Permo–Mesozoic extension of the Europe–Adria lithosphere. Previous studies have shown that exhumation started during Permian times, and occurred along kilometer-scale lithospheric shear zones which enhanced progressive deformation and recrystallization from spinel- to plagioclase-facies conditions. Ongoing field and petrologic investigations have revealed that the peridotites experienced, during uplift, a composite history of diffuse melt migration and multiple episodes of ultramafic–mafic intrusions. In this paper we present the results of field, structural and petrologic–geochemical investigations into a sector of the Erro-Tobbio peridotite unit that preserves well this multiple intrusion history. Melt impregnation in the peridotites is evidenced by significant plagioclase enrichment and crystallization of unstrained orthopyroxene replacing kinked mantle olivine and clinopyroxene; impregnating melts were thus opx-saturated. Melt–rock interaction caused chemical changes in mantle minerals (e.g. Al decrease and REE increase in cpx; Ti and Cr# enrichment in spinel). Nevertheless, clinopyroxenes still exhibit LREE depletion (Ce_N/Sm_N = 0.006–0.011), indicating a depleted signature for the percolating melts. Melt impregnation was thus related to diffuse porous flow migration of depleted MORB-type melt fractions that modified their compositions towards opx saturation by mantle–melt interaction during ascent. The impregnated peridotites are intruded by a hectometer-scale stratified cumulate body, mostly consisting of troctolites and plagioclase wehrlites, showing gradational, interfingered contacts with the host mantle rocks. Subsequent intrusion events are revealed by the occurrence of olivine gabbros as decameter-wide lenses, variably thick (centimeter- to meter-scale) dykes and thin dykelets, which crosscut both the peridotite foliation and the magmatic layering in the cumulates. Overall, major and trace element compositions of minerals in the intrusives indicate that they represent variably differentiated cumulus products crystallized from rather primitive N-MORB-type aggregated melts. Slightly more evolved compositions are shown by olivine gabbros, relative to the troctolites and plagioclase wehrlites of the cumulate body. Mineral chemistry features (e.g. the Fo–An correlation and high Na, Ti, Mg# in cpx) indicate that the studied intrusive rocks crystallized at moderate pressure conditions (3–5 kbar, i.e. 9–15 km depth). Our study thus points to a progressive transition from porous flow melt migration to emplacement of magmas in fractures, presumably related to progressive change of lithospheric mantle rheology during extension-related uplift and cooling.     

Rare earth geochemistry of fused ophiolitic and alpine lherzolites—I. Othris,Lanzo and Troodos

Lherzolites from two Mediterranean peridotite masses have major and trace element data compatible with an origin as a fragment of relatively undepleted mantle. Field observations indicate a close association with in situ basaltic melt (gabbroic dikes and segregations) and a barren refractory residue (harzburgite) produced by the removal of the melt fraction.Two lherzolites Othris (ophiolite) and Lanzo (alpine¹ periodotite) have approximately chondritic rare earth abundances with a slight depletion in light rare earths. The refractory material is moderately to heavily depleted in light REE dependent on the efficiency of removal of basaltic melt. Lherzolite xenoliths from the Massif Central probably contain an interstitial light REE enriched fraction as the recalculated lherzolite is depleted and not light REE enriched like the actual whole rock. These basaltic xenoliths are similar in major, trace and REE profile to the Lanzo and Othris mantle lherzolites, giving some indication of source homogeneity in the Mediterranean area. Partial fusion calculations on the Othris and Lanzo peridotites reveal that tholeiitic liquids could be generated by 10–30% partial melting. Such tholeiitic liquids separated from the Othris mantle section and probably formed early sea floor in a small ocean basin. Alkalic basalts are also associated with the Othris ophiolite as an early rifting sequence, and such liquids could have been generated from the source Iherzolite but difficulties would occur in removing such a liquid from the refractory residue.     

Basal lherzolites in the Bay of Islands Ophiolite: origin by detachment-related telescoping of a ridge-parallel melting gradient

Decompression melting under a spreading centre should generate a residual upper mantle section with a weak vertical gradient in the degree of chemical depletion. Chemical data from the 6 km-thick ophiolitic mantle section of the Table Mountain massif (Bay of Islands Ophiolite, Newfoundland) reveal, however, a depletion gradient of 1% melting/100 m in the basal mantle section of the massif. Within the framework of a segmented ridge we suggest that during ophiolite detachment intermittent accretion of progressively less depleted peridotites occurred to the (former) base of the ophiolite, amounting to a several hundred metre-thick lherzolitic sole. In this view, the basal mantle section in Table Mountain extends a structural concept previously established for the metamorphic sole: both metamorphic gradient in the sole and melting gradient in the basal mantle rocks are apparent and of tectonic nature. Like the sole, the basal mantle sequence may thus expose mantle material derived from a scale larger than the preserved ophiolite complex.     

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     

西藏雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带罗布莎地幔橄榄岩的成因

广泛分布在雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带的地幔橄榄岩是没有蛇纹石化的新鲜岩石,因而通过显微镜下观察和全岩化学分布探索其成因和地幔活动,是十分有利和简便的。最近几年来,利用岩石化学资料揭示远洋橄榄岩,认为它不是原始地幔岩经分或分离熔化作用萃取出玄武岩熔体后的直接残余物。罗布落蛇绿岩橄的镜下观察和岩石化学资料也证明,它不是原始地幔岩经局部熔化后的残余物,而且由来自更深层的地幔过渡带的硅酸盐超高压矿物底辟上升经熔取     

Constraints on the Trace Element Composition of the Archean Mantle Root beneath Somerset Island, Arctic Canada

Peridotites that sample Archean mantle roots are frequentlyincompatible trace element enriched despite their refractorymajor element compositions. To constrain the trace element budgetof the lithosphere beneath the Canadian craton, trace elementand rare earth element (REE) abundances were determined fora suite of garnet peridotites and garnet pyroxenites from theNikos kimberlite pipe on Somerset Island, Canadian Arctic, theirconstituent garnet and clinopyroxene, and the host kimberlite.These refractory mantle xenoliths are depleted in fusible majorelements, but enriched in incompatible trace elements, suchas large ion lithophile elements (LILE), Th, U and light rareearth elements (LREE). Mass balance calculations based on modalabundances of clinopyroxene and garnet and their respectiveREE contents yield discrepancies between calculated and analyzedREE contents for the Nikos bulk rocks that amount to LREE deficienciesof 70–99%, suggesting the presence of small amounts ofinterstitial kimberlite liquid (0·4–2 wt %) toaccount for the excess LREE abundances. These results indicatethat the peridotites had in fact depleted or flat LREE patternsbefore contamination by their host kimberlite. LREE and Sr enrichmentin clinopyroxene and low Zr and Sr abundances in garnet in low-temperatureperidotites (800–1100°C) compared with high-temperatureperidotites (1200–1400°C) suggest that the shallowlithosphere is geochemically distinct from the deep lithospherebeneath the northern margin of the Canadian craton. The Somersetmantle root appears to be characterized by a depth zonationthat may date from the time of its stabilization in the Archean. KEY WORDS: Canada; mantle; metasomatism; peridotite; trace elements     

Clinopyroxene REE Geochemistry of the Red Hills Peridotite, New Zealand: Interpretation of Magmatic Processes in the Upper Mantle and in the Moho Transition Zone

The Red Hills peridotite in the Dun Mountain ophiolite of SouthIsland, New Zealand, is assumed to have been produced in a paleo-mid-oceanridge tectonic setting. The peridotite is composed mostly ofharzburgite and dunite, which represent residual mantle andthe Moho transition zone (MTZ), respectively. Dunite channelswithin harzburgite blocks of various scales represent the MTZcomponent. Plagioclase- and clinopyroxene-bearing dunites occursporadically within common dunites. These dunites representproducts of melt–wall-rock interaction. Chondrite-normalizedrare earth element (REE) patterns of MTZ clinopyroxenes showa wide compositional range. Clinopyroxenes in plagioclase dunitesare extremely depleted in light REE (LREE) ([Lu/La]_N >100),and are comparable with clinopyroxenes in abyssal peridotitesfrom normal mid-ocean ridges. Interstitial clinopyroxenes inthe common dunite have flatter patterns ([Lu/La]_N 2) comparablewith those for dunite in the Oman ophiolite. Clinopyroxenesin the lower part of the residual mantle harzburgites are evenmore strongly depleted in LREE ([Lu/La]_N = 100–1000) thanare mid-ocean ridge peridotites, and rival the most depletedabyssal clinopyroxenes reported from the Bouvet hotspot. Incontrast, those in the uppermost residual mantle harzburgiteand harzburgite blocks in the MTZ are less LREE depleted ([Lu/La]_N= 10–100), and are similar to those in plagioclase dunite.Clinopyroxenes in the clinopyroxene dunite in the MTZ are similarto those reported from mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) cumulates,and clinopyroxenes in the gabbroic rocks have compositions similarto those reported from MORB. Strong LREE and middle REE (MREE)depletion in clinopyroxenes in the harzburgite suggests thatthe harzburgites are residues of two-stage fractional melting,which operated initially in the garnet field, and subsequentlycontinued in the spinel lherzolite field. The early stage meltingproduced the depleted harzburgite. The later stage melting wasresponsible for the gabbroic rocks and dunite. Strongly LREE–MREE-depletedclinopyroxene in the lower harzburgite and HREE-enriched clinopyroxenein the upper harzburgite and plagioclase dunite were formedby later reactive melt migration occurring in the harzburgite. KEY WORDS: clinopyroxene REE geochemistry; Dun Mountain ophiolite; Moho transition zone; orogenic peridotite; Red Hills