N-MORB、E-MORB 和OIB 的区别及其可能的原因：大数据的启示

MORB 是玄武岩中研究得最详细的玄武岩类,可分为N-MORB 和E-MORB 两类。通常认为,N-MORB 和OIB 都是独立的端元,分别来自亏损和富集的地幔源岩,而E-MORB 则是N-MORB 与OIB 混合的结果。本文研究表明,E-MORB 具复杂的成因,洋脊深度、洋脊扩张速率及源区部分熔融程度及压力不是造成E-MORB 富集的主要原因。压力及部分熔融程度对玄武岩成分的影响远小于地幔不均一性的影响。推测E-MORB 可能有两个主要的形成方式：1） 由较深处略富集的地幔发生部分熔融而成;2） 由N-MORB 与OIB 混合形成。玄武岩微量元素频率直方图表明,N-MORB 基本上保持了来自亏损地幔源区的特征;OIB 则多多少少受到外来物质加入或与N-MORB 混合的影响; E-MORB 则是N-MORB 受OIB 影响的产物。OIB 与E-MORB 似乎没有本质上的区别, 仅仅是受影响和混合程度的不同而已。OIB 富集LILE,可能既有继承了来自源区的特征（深部富集地幔、循环的古洋壳、循环的陆壳、大陆岩石圈地幔、LVZ 熔体层或早期交代岩脉等）,也可能有外来物质加入的影响（与N-MORB 发生不同程度的混合作用）。3 类玄武岩的87Sr/86Sr 和143Nd/144Nd 同位素频率分布与早先的结论一致,但206Pb/204Pb、207Pb/204Pb和208Pb/204Pb同位素频率分布显示OIB 具有更加复杂的特征。     

Estimation of the average contents of H2O, Cl, F, and S in the depleted mantle on the basis of the compositions of melt inclusions and quenched glasses of mid-ocean ridge basalts

Using our database of the compositions of melt inclusions and quenched glasses of basaltic magmas from mid-ocean ridges (MORB), the average concentrations and ratios of H₂O, Cl, F, S, K₂O, Ce, and Dy were determined in these magmas. Assuming that the concentration ratios of volatile components to K₂O are constant in the MORB magmas and their sources (depleted mantle, DM), and taking an average K₂O content in the DM of 72 ppm, the following average contents were estimated for the DM: 158 ppm H₂O, 6.6 ppm Cl, and 8.3 ppm F. Using an S/Dy ratio of 212 for MORB melts and a Dy concentration of 0.531 ppm in the DM, the concentration of S in the DM was estimated as 113 ppm. Our value for the average content of Cl is much higher than estimates obtained by other authors. This discrepancy could be due either to the assimilation of crustal (and hydrospheric) Cl by MORB magmas or to the deep mantle recycling of Cl. The latter mechanism is supported by the statistically significant positive correlation of Cl with K₂O, H₂O, and F. Such a correlation is not consistent with the hypothesis of basaltic magma contamination by seawater-derived chloride brines. Similar to other surface processes, the assimilation of crustal material operates within the existing global correlations and disturbs them. Based on the average integrated degree of mantle melting and the average degree of MORB magma differentiation (0.05), the average contents of potassium and volatile components in N-MORB and E-MORB mantle sources were estimated as 39 and 126 ppm K₂O, 103 and 197 ppm H₂O, 4.0 and 10.7 ppm Cl, and 3.9 and 9.1 ppm F, respectively. It is not likely that normal MORB magmas can be derived from depleted mantle that experienced a previous partial melting event (for instance, during the extraction of the primordial continental crust in the Early Precambrian), which was referred to as the ultradepleted mantle. Ordinary (not ultradepleted) MORB magmas can be derived either by the melting of a zone enriched DM (for instance, progressively enriched in incompatible components with depth), which is hardly possible, or by the continuous addition (mixing) of an enriched component to the ultradepleted mantle at the expense of sediments and crustal materials involved in deep recycling.     

Melt inclusions in high-An plagioclase from the Gorda Ridge: an example of the local diversity of MORB parent magmas

 The use of ocean floor basalt chemistry as a tool to investigate mantle composition and processes requires that we work with basalts that have been modified little since leaving the mantle. One source of such basalts is melt inclusions trapped in primitive crystals. However, obtaining information from these melt inclusions is complicated by the fact that melt inclusions in natural basalts are essentially always altered by post-entrapment crystallization. This requires that we develop techniques for reconstructing the original trapped liquid compositions. We conducted a series of experiments to reverse the effects of post-entrapment crystallization by re-heating the host crystals to their crystallization temperature. For these experiments we used plagioclase crystals separated from a single Gorda Ridge lava. The crystallization temperature for these crystals was determined by a set of incremental re-heating experiments to be ∼1240–1260° C. The inclusions are primitive, high Ca-Al basaltic melts, saturated with plagioclase, olivine and Al-rich chromite at low pressure. The inclusion analyses can be linked to the host lava composition by low pressure fractionation. The major element composition of the re-homogenized melt inclusions within each crystal is relatively constant. However, the incompatible element analyses have extremely wide ranges. The range of La/Sm and Ti/Zr from inclusions analyzed from a single sample from the Gorda Ridge exceeds the range reported for lavas sampled from the entire ridge. The pyroxene compositions predicted to be in equilibrium with the melt inclusion trace element signature cover much of the range represented by pyroxenes from abyssal peridotites. The volumetric proportions of the magmas entering the base of the crust can be evaluated using frequency distribution of melt inclusion compositions. This distribution suggests that the array of magmas was skewed towards the more depleted compositions, with little evidence for an enriched component in this system. This pattern is more consistent with a dynamic flow model of the mantle or of a passive flow model where the melts produced in the peripheral areas of the melting regime were not focused to the ridge. Received: 5 January 1995 / Accepted: 13 June 1995     

Geodynamic formation conditions of Early Cambrian lavas in the Ozernaya zone of Mongolia

Four types of pre-accretionary Early Cambrian lava sequences are distinguishable in the geological structure of the Ozernaya zone in western Mongolia: (I) close to N-MORB; (II) close to E-MORB; (III) enriched with trace elements and with HFSE minimums; (IV) depleted in trace elements and with HFSE minimums. All these lavas could have been formed in an island-arc?back-arc basin system. N-MORB basalts were melted from depleted magma sources with с ε_Nd(t) = 10.0–11.5. Plume melts originated from mantle sources with ε_Nd(t) = 4.8–9.7. The sources of island arc lavas were characterized by ε_Nd(t) = 7.3–9.9.     

Geochemical characteristics of the La Réunion mantle plume source inferred from olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the adventive cones of Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island)

Major and trace element compositions were obtained for bulk rocks and melt inclusions hosted in olivine crystals (Fo > 85) from the adventive cones of the Piton de La Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island). Ratios of highly incompatible trace elements for these magmas are used to identify the nature of the La Réunion mantle plume source. Although adventive cone lavas display unusual major element compositions compared to the historical lavas of the volcano (e.g., lower CaO/Al₂O₃), trace element data suggest that the magmas emitted by the adventive cones originate from a common chemical source. This source may correspond to either a homogeneous mixed source of different mantle components or a near-primitive less-differentiated mantle source. The melt inclusions display ratios of highly incompatible elements (e.g., Th/La, Nb/La) which are similar to primitive mantle values, and lower Nb/U ratios compared to most oceanic basalts. These results and previous isotopic and trace element data suggest that La Réunion plume samples a source which is intermediate between a primitive-like mantle domain and a slightly depleted one almost unaffected by the recycling processes. This source could have originated from early depletion of the primitive mantle. Assuming a depletion 4.45 Gyr ago, ~10% melting of this slightly depleted source could explain the enriched trace element concentrations of the melt inclusions.     

The Bangong Lake ophiolite (NW Tibet) and its bearing on the tectonic evolution of the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone

The Jurassic Bangong Lake ophiolite, NW Tibet, is a key element within the western part of the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone, which marks the boundary between the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks. It is a tectonic mélange consisting of numerous blocks of peridotite, mafic lavas and dikes. The mantle peridotites include both clinopyroxene-bearing and clinopyroxene-free harzburgites. The Cpx-bearing harzburgite contains Al-rich spinel with low Cr#s (20–25), resembling peridotites formed in mid-ocean ridge settings. On the other hand, the Cpx-free harzburgite is highly depleted with Cr-rich spinel (Cr# = 69–73), typical of peridotites formed in subduction zone environments. Mafic rocks include lavas of N-MORB and E-MORB affinity and boninites. The N-MORB rocks consist of pillow lavas and mafic dikes, whereas the E-MORB rocks are brecciated basalts. The boninites have high SiO₂ (53.2–57.9 wt%), MgO (6.5–12.5 wt%), Cr (166–752 ppm) and Ni (63–213 ppm) and low TiO₂ (0.22–0.37 wt%) and Y (5.34–8.10 ppm), and are characterized by having U-shaped, chondrite-normalized REE patterns. The N-MORB and E-MORB lavas probably formed by different degrees of partial melting of primitive mantle, whereas the boninites reflect partial melting of depleted peridotite in a suprasubduction zone environment. The geochemistry of the ophiolite suggests that it is a fragment of oceanic lithosphere formed originally at a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) and then trapped above an intraoceanic subduction zone (SSZ), where the mantle peridotites were modified by boninitic melts. The Bangong–Nujiang suture zone is believed to mark the boundary between two blocks within Gondwanaland rather than to separate Gondwanaland from Eurasia.     

The Stonyford Volcanic Complex: a Forearc Seamount in the Northern California Coast Ranges

Jurassic age volcanic rocks of the Stonyford volcanic complex(SFVC) comprise three distinct petrological groups based ontheir whole-rock geochemistry: (1) oceanic tholeiites; (2) transitionalalkali basalts and glasses; (3) high-Al, low-Ti tholeiites.Major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic dataindicate that the oceanic tholeiites formed as low-degree partialmelts of normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)-source asthenospheresimilar in isotope composition to the East Pacific Rise today;the alkalic lavas were derived from an enriched source similarto that of E-MORB. The high-Al, low-Ti lavas resemble second-stagemelts of a depleted MORB-source asthenosphere that formed bymelting spinel lherzolite at low pressures. Trace element systematicsof the high-Al, low-Ti basalts show the influence of an enrichedcomponent, which overprints generally depleted trace elementcharacteristics. Tectonic discrimination diagrams show thatthe oceanic tholeiite and alkali suites are similar to present-daybasalts generated at mid-oceanic ridges. The high-Al, low-Tisuite resembles primitive arc basalts with an enriched, alkalibasalt-like overprint. Isotopic data show the influence of recycledcomponents in all three suites. The SFVC was constructed ona substrate of normal Coast Range ophiolite in an extensionalforearc setting. The close juxtaposition of the MORB-like olivinetholeiites with alkali and high-Al, low-Ti basalts suggestsderivation from a hybrid mantle source region that includedMORB-source asthenosphere, enriched oceanic asthenosphere, andthe depleted supra-subduction zone mantle wedge. We proposethat the SFVC formed in response to collision of a mid-oceanridge spreading center with the Coast Range ophiolite subductionzone. Formation of a slab window beneath the forearc duringcollision allowed the influx of ridge-derived magmas or themantle source of these magmas. Continued melting of the previouslydepleted mantle wedge above the now defunct subduction zoneproduced strongly depleted high-Al, low-Ti basalts that werepartially fertilized with enriched, alkali basalt-type meltsand slab-derived fluids. KEY WORDS: CRO; oceanic basalts; California     

Magmatic processes and mantle heterogeneity beneath the slow-spreading northern Kolbeinsey Ridge segment,North Atlantic

We present new data on mineralogical, major and trace element compositions of lavas from the northernmost segment of the Kolbeinsey Ridge (North Kolbeinsey Ridge, NKR). The incompatible element enriched North Kolbeinsey basalts lie on a crystal fractionation trend which differs from that of the other Kolbeinsey segments, most likely due to higher water contents (~0.2%) in the NKR basalts. The most evolved NKR magmas erupt close to the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone, implying increased cooling and fractionation of the ascending magmas. Mainly incompatible element-enriched basalts, as well as some slightly depleted lavas, erupt on the NKR. They show evidence for mixing between different mantle sources and magma mixing. North Kolbeinsey Ridge magmas probably formed by similar degrees of melting to other Kolbeinsey basalts, implying that no lateral variation in mantle potential temperature occurs on the spreading axis north of the Iceland plume and that the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone does not have a cooling effect on the mantle. Residual garnet from deep melting in garnet peridotite or from enriched garnet pyroxenite veins does not play a role. The incompatible element-enriched source has high Ba/La and Nb/Zr, but must be depleted in iron. The iron-depleted mantle is less dense than surrounding mantle and leads to the formation of the North Kolbeinsey segment and its shallow bathymetry. The enriched NKR source formed from a relatively refractory mantle, enriched by a small degree melt rather than by recycling of enriched basaltic crust. The depleted mantle source resembles the mantle of the Middle Kolbeinsey segment with a depletion in incompatible elements, but a fertile major element composition.     

Garnet-Pyroxenite-Derived End-Member Magma Type in Kamchatka: Evidence from Composition of Olivine and Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions in Holocene Rocks of Kekuknaisky Volcano

Late Quaternary volcanoes of Sredinny Range (Kamchatka) attract geoscientists’ attention by their unusual geochemical features and geodynamic setting. They produced volcanic rocks that are enriched relative to N-MORB in most of incompatible trace elements (except HREE), including strong enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, and show a negative Nb–Ta anomaly, which is typical for rocks formed in supra-subduction settings. However, modern subduction of the Pacific Plate does not reach the most part of Sredinny Range, as inferred by mapping of Wadati–Benioff zone or seismic tomography. We constrain the source of parental magmas for Sredinny Range volcanic rocks by combining major and trace element geochemical data for olivine and naturally quenched olivine-hosed melt inclusions for Holocene tephra layers of the Kekuknaisky field. Composition of the most magnesian olivine (Ni > 2000 ppm, Fe/Mn ≈ 75 at Mg# ~ 84–85 mol %) and geochemical characteristics of the most primitive melts (FC3MS = 0.61 ± 0.04 (2s)) are consistent with their derivation from a pyroxenite source, while elevated LREE/HREE ratios in lavas indicate that it contained garnet. This garnet-bearing pyroxenite likely originated from the lower crust or lithospheric mantle. Its melting could have occurred due to delamination and sinking into the hotter mantle.     

Hidden melting signatures recorded in the Troodos ophiolite plutonic suite: evidence for widespread generation of depleted melts and intra-crustal melt aggregation

The main plutonic complex of the Troodos ophiolite, north of the Arakapas Fault Zone, has been re-examined both from field and geochemical perspectives. Ion microprobe analyses of clinopyroxene crystal cores show that the range of melt compositions added to the lower crust far exceeds that of published lavas in the main Troodos massif. This suggests that the lower crust acted as a filter into which a large range of melt compositions were added and out of which a homogenised (and generally fractionated) derivative was extracted. This crustal-level aggregation homogenised diverse melt fractions from a broad range of degrees of melting. Depleted melts with U-shaped rare earth element (REE) patterns were a significant component of the melts added to the crust, but because of their low incompatible element abundances, mixing with less depleted melts prior to eruption masked their signature in the lavas. The discovery that highly depleted melts constituted a significant component of the melts added to the Troodos crust, but not of the lavas, demonstrates that the spatial distribution of lava-types is not necessarily a good indicator of where different parental melt compositions are generated within the mantle. Compared with normal mid-ocean ridge basalts, the Troodos parental melts were (1) generally depleted in immobile incompatible trace elements, (2) less depleted in light REE (LREE) than would be expected for the concomitant depletion in middle and heavy REE, (3) enriched in Sr with respect to the LREE and (4) more oxidised. Modelling of these characteristics suggests a mantle source that had previously lost a significant melt fraction under relatively reducing conditions. This was followed by remelting under more oxidising conditions in an environment in which Sr and LREE were added to the source consistent with previous models of a supra-subduction zone setting.     

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     

Geochemistry of mid-ocean ridge mafic intrusives from the Manipur Ophiolitic Complex,Indo-Myanmar Orogenic Belt,NE India

Mafic intrusives emplaced within the mélange zone of the Manipur Ophiolitic Complex are subalkalinetholeiitic affinity with Fe-enrichment. Based on the field occurrences, textures-mineralogy and whole-rock compositions, these mafic intrusives can be identified as type-I (gabbro intrusives) and type-II (basalt-dolerite dykes). The type-I resembling enriched-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB) shows moderate LREE enrichment (La_N/Sm_N = 2.5–2.6), slightly enriched MORB normalized HFSE patterns possibly represent melts derived from enriched MORB sub-oceanic mantle sources by small degree of partial melting. The other type-II has normal-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB) geochemical features, as it exhibits nearly flat to depleted LREE (La_N/Sm_N = 1.0–0.6), flat MORB normalized HFSE patterns with slight LREE/HREE depletion (Ce_N/Yb_N = 1.37–0.46). It might have been derived from depleted MORB type sub-oceanic mantle source. The MORB signature displayed by these mafic intrusives indicates that they are dismembered fragments of oceanic crust generated at mid-ocean spreading ridge system and support the hypothesis that the Manipur ophiolites was initially formed in the divergent plate margin.     

Water and other volatile systematics of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Yellowstone hotspot track

Major oxide, trace element and volatile (H₂O, CO₂, S, F, and Cl) compositions have been analyzed for olivine-hosted melt inclusions in eight basalt samples from Yellowstone National Park and the Snake River Plain (SRP) to identify the least differentiated melt compositions and assess the volatile budget of the Yellowstone hotspot. Melt-inclusion chemistry was evaluated to understand potential overprinting effects in the shallow mantle and crust of magmas derived from deeper levels. Maximum water concentrations of 3.3 wt% and CO₂ up to 1,677 ppm have been observed in olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Gerritt Basalts at Mesa Falls, Idaho (SRP region), which is significantly higher than the maximum concentrations measured in lavas from other hotspots such as Hawaii (~0.8–0.9 wt%). Maximum water concentrations were generally observed in the least differentiated melt inclusions in terms of incompatible major oxide concentrations, indicating that high water concentrations are characteristic of the mantle or perhaps lower crust rather than resulting from differentiation enhancement within the shallow crust, even taking into account the fact that water behaves as an incompatible element during crystal fractionation. Enrichment in Ba coupled with depletion in Th in many of the melt inclusions and their host rocks is a characteristic of many arc lavas and may indicate that volatiles in Yellowstone-Snake River Plain basalts could have a subduction zone origin.     

Chemical composition of melts of the Early Eocene volcanic center at Cape Khairyuzova,western Kamchatka: Evidence from inclusions in minerals

Original authors’ data on the mineralogy and composition of melt inclusions in two samples show that the Early Eocene magmatic rocks at Cape Khairyuzova were formed by mixing melts of mafic, intermediate, and acid composition, which were derived from different sources. The mafic melt was rich in MgO, and its temperature was 1100–1150°C. The temperature of the acid melt varied from 1070 to 1130°C. The melts are also different in concentrations of trace elements and in their ratios. All three melt types are enriched in LILE and LREE and depleted in HFSE and were likely derived in suprasubductional environments. The mafic and intermediate magmas were formed by melting a mantle wedge and subsequent fractionation of the melts. The acid melts could be formed by melting crustal rocks when they were overheated in the newly formed orogen of significant thickness. When ascending, the mantle melts could mix in variable proportions with acid melts in crustal chambers.     

The relationship between E- and N-type magmas in the Baffin Bay Lavas

The picritic lavas of Baffin Island represent one of the most primitive Phanerozoic volcanic suites in the world with MgO contents ranging from 22 wt% (29 Mg, cation unit = Mg/100 cations) for olivine-rich lavas to 11 wt% (16 Mg) for olivine-poor lavas. Two magma types can be recognized on the basis of trace element and isotopic geochemistry. N-type magma, which dominates the high-MgO lavas, has depleted LREE patterns [(La/Sm)_N0.6–0.7] typical of N-MORB, K/Ti<0.05, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr <0.7032. E-type magma, which dominates the lower MgO lavas, has flat to slightly enriched LREE patterns [(La/Sm)_N1.1–1.2] typical of E-MORB, K/Ti>0.5 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranging between 0.7032–0.7039. These two magma types are, however, virtually indistinguishable in terms of major clements and many other trace elements. The E and N-type samples are intermixed throughout the volcanic succession, indicating that both types of magma erupted contemporaneously. Although the compositional spectrum observed for major and highly incompatible elements is consistent with olivine fractionation, crystal fractionation cannot account for the difference in the LREE between E-type and N-type lavas. Crustal contamination involving a lower crust composition cannot reproduce the more magnesian E-type lavas.and can only repoduce the lowest (La/Sm)_N ratios of the E-type lavas if high degrees of assimilation (50%) have occurred. Partial melting models can reasonably account for the distinct (La/Sm)_N ratios and the similar Zr/Y values of the two magma types, but fail to reproduce the observed abundances or REE, Sr, Y and Zr. Compositionally different mantle sources are required to explain the two distinct magma types observed in Baffin Island. A model in which the mantle source is a mixture of enriched plume material and depleted entrained mantle in the head of a mantle plume may explain the contemporaneous eruption of N and E-type magmas in the Baffin Bay picritic suite. The Baffin Island E-type lavas are less enriched in Sr, Y and Zr contents and have lower Zr/Y, for similar (La/Sm)_N than the other E-type lavas of the northern North Atlantic region.     

Evidence for southward subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic plate: Implications from Mesozoic adakitic lavas from Mongolia

A combination of new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating results, major- and trace-element data, plus Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope data, are used to investigate the petrogenesis of Triassic high-Si adakite (HSA), Cretaceous low-Si adakite-like (LSA) lavas, and Cretaceous high-K and shoshonitic trachyandesite lavas, from eastern and south-central Mongolia. All samples are light rare-earth element and large-ion lithophile element enriched but depleted in some high-field strength elements (notably Nb, Ta and Ti). Two alternative models are proposed to explain the petrogenesis of the HSA samples. (1) A southward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab underwent partial melting in the Triassic during the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean, with the resultant melts assimilating mantle and crustal material. Alternatively (2), a basaltic underplate of thickened (>50 km; >1.5 GPa), eclogitic lower crust foundered into the underlying mantle, and underwent partial melting with minor contamination from mantle material and some shallow-level crustal contamination. The LSA samples are interpreted as melts derived from a lithospheric mantle wedge that was previously metasomatised by slab melts. Similarly, the trachyandesite lavas are interpreted as melts deriving from a subduction-enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The spatial distribution of these samples implies that metasomatism likely occurred due to a southward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab associated with the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. When this interpretation is combined with previous evidence for a northward-subducting Mongol-Okhotsk slab it advocates that the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean closed with double-sided subduction.     

Contributions of Slab Fluid, Mantle Wedge and Crust to the Origin of Quaternary Lavas in the NE Japan Arc

Quaternary lavas from the NE Japan arc show geochemical evidenceof mixing between mantle-derived basalts and crustal melts atthe magmatic front, whereas significant crustal signals arenot detected in the rear-arc lavas. The along-arc chemical variationsin lavas from the magmatic front are attributable almost entirelyto geochemical variations in the crustal melts that were mixedwith a common mantle-derived basalt. The mantle-derived basaltshave slightly enriched Sr–Pb and depleted Nd isotopiccompositions relative to the rear-arc lavas, but the variationis less pronounced if crustal contributions are eliminated.Therefore, the source mantle compositions and slab-derived fluxesare relatively uniform, both across and along the arc. Despitethis, incompatible element concentrations are significantlyhigher in the rear-arc basalts. We examine an open-system, fluid-fluxedmelting model, assuming that depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt(MORB)-source mantle melted by the addition of fluids derivedfrom subducted oceanic crust (MORB) and sediment (SED) hybridsat mixing proportions of 7% and 3% SED in the frontal- and rear-arcsources, respectively. The results reproduce the chemical variationsfound across the NE Japan arc with the conditions: 0·2%fluid flux with degree of melting F = 3% at 2 GPa in the garnetperidotite field for the rear arc, and 0·7% fluid fluxwith F = 20% at 1 GPa in the spinel peridotite field beneaththe magmatic front. The chemical process operating in the mantlewedge requires: (1) various SED–MORB hybrid slab fluidsources; (2) variable amounts of fluid; (3) a common depletedmantle source; (4) different melting parameters to explain across-arcchemical variations. KEY WORDS: arc magma; crustal melt; depleted mantle; NE Japan; Quaternary; slab fluid     

Petrogenesis of the Fe-Ti intrusive complexes in the Sierra Leone region, Central Atlantic

The study of melt inclusions in Cr-spinels from melanocratic troctolites provided the first direct information on the physicochemical parameters of enriched magmatic systems that produced high-Fe and high-Ti intrusive complexes in the Sierra-Leone region (Central Atlantic, 6°N). These complexes are made up of predominating hornblende Fe-Ti oxide gabbronorites and gabbrodiorites with subordinate amount of ultramafics, diorites, quartz diorites, and trondhjemites. The study of melt inclusions and rocks showed that the majority of gabbroids of the Central Atlantic (Sierra Leone area and 15°20′ Fracture Zone) were derived from N-MORB-type melts, whereas differentiated Fe-Ti-oxide rocks were crystallized from other melts, which were preserved as inclusions in the Cr-spinels from the melanocratic troctolites of the Sierra Leone region. The ion-microprobe study of these inclusions yield direct evidence on the elevated water content (up to 1.24–1.77 wt %) in the parental melts of Fe-Ti oxide rocks. Data on trace and rare-earth element distribution together with high (La/Sm)_N and (Ce/Yb)_N ratios in the inclusions indicate the possible influence of deep plume source on the generation of these magmas. Simulation based on melt inclusion data testifies that high-Fe intrusions of the Sierra Leone area were crystallized from the water-saturated magmas at relatively low temperatures (1020–1240°C). It was shown that the geochemically enriched Fe-Ti melts were presumably formed regardless of N-MORB-type magmatism predominant in Central Atlantic, under the influence of new mantle plume that caused melting of hydrated oceanic lithosphere.     

Meimechites, porphyritic alkaline picrites, and melanephelinites of Siberia: Conditions of crystallization, parental magmas, and sources

The investigation of rocks, minerals, and melt inclusions showed that porphyritic alkaline picrites and meimechites crystallized from different parental magmas. At a similar ultrabasic composition, the alkaline picrite melts were enriched in K₂O relative to Na₂O, and contained up to 0.12–0.13 wt % F and less Cr, Ni, and H₂O (only 0.01–0.16 wt % H₂O, versus 0.6–1.6 wt % in the meimechite melts) compared with the meimechite magmas. The crystallization of alkaline picrite melts occurred under stable conditions at relatively low temperatures without abrupt changes: olivine and clinopyroxene crystallized at 1340–1285 and 1230–1200°C, respectively, as compared with 1600–1450 and 1230–1200°C in the meimechites. The alkaline picrite melts evolved toward melanephelinite, nephelinite, tephrite, and trachydolerite; whereas the meimechite magmas gave rise to subalkaline picritic rocks. The partitioning of vanadium between olivine and melt suggests that the meimechite magma crystallized under more oxidizing conditions compared with the alkaline picrite melts: the K_DV values for the meimechite melts (0.011–0.016) were three times lower than those for the alkaline picrite melts (0.045–0.052). The parental magmas of the alkaline picrites and meimechites were enriched in trace elements relative to mantle levels by factors of tens to hundreds. The alkaline picrite magma showed lower LILE and LREE contents compared with the meimechite magma. The magmas had also different indicator ratios of incompatible elements, including those immobile in aqueous fluids. It was concluded that the meimechite and alkaline picrite melts were derived from different mantle sources. The former were generated at lower degrees of melting of an undepleted mantle source, and the meimechite melts were produced by high-degree melting of a probably lherzolite-harzburgite source.     

Low- and high-alumina komatiites from a Late Archaean sequence,Newton Township,Ontario

Late Archaean komatiitic lavas from Newton Township, Ontario, consist of 6 chemically distinct magma types: 3 komatiites and 3 komatiitic basalts. The succession is unusual in containing both Al- and HREE-depleted komatiites and Al- and HREE-undepleted komatiites. The two types form distinct stratigraphic units separated by komatiitic basalts. Two komatiite types are strongly LREE depleted, whilst the third and the associated komatiitic basalts range from mildly depleted to enriched. Of the six magma types, only the two strongly LREE depleted komatiites represent primary mantle melts. The other komatiite type and the komatiitic basalts were derived from the primary komatiite magmas by combinations of olivine (+chromite) fractionation, assimilation of continental crust, and magma mixing. The two primary magmas may have been derived from similar sources, their contrasting chemistry being due to differing degrees of garnet segregation during melting. A generally applicable conclusion is that a wide range of komatiitic magma types can be generated from a relatively homogeneous depleted mantle, under conditions likely to prevail during the eruption of late Archean greenstone belt sequences.