A re-appraisal of the use of trace elements to classify and discriminate between magma series erupted in different tectonic settings

The hygromagmatophile element composition of basic lavas from several tectonic environments are compared with the estimated composition of the primordial mantle. The observed variations are used to subdivide mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) into two main types according to the tectonic character of the ridge segment from which they were erupted. Ridge segments with positive residual gravity, depth and heat flow anomalies erupt E-type MORB which are predominantly enriched in the more hygromagmatophile elements, but also include magma types which are depleted in most of these elements. Both enriched and depleted E-type MORB can be distinguished from the basalts erupted at normal ridge segments (N-type MORB) by their La/Ta ratios (in E-type MORB La/Ta ～10, in N-type MORB La/Ta is ～15) and by Hf/Ta ratios (in E-type MORB Hf/Ta> 7, in N-type MORB Hf/Ta> 7). E-type MORB can be distinguished from the basalts erupted at ocean islands by their higher Hf/Ta ratios (>2). A Th-Hf-Ta triangular diagram is used to discriminate between the different ocean floor basalts as well as those erupted at destructive plate margins, which are depleted in Ta and Nb. This diagram can also distinguish between silicic lavas from the different tectonic environments as well as identifying lavas that have been contaminated with continental crust.     

Geochemistry of basalts from central and southern New Hebrides arc: implication for their source rock composition

The basaltic rocks from the central and southern islands of the New Hebrides-Aneityum, Tanna, Erromango, Efate, Emae, Tongoa and Epi, have geochemical features typical of island arc volcanics. They are enriched in LILE and depleted in Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta compared to N-type MORB. The rocks were derived from a similar upper mantle source as N-type MORB but with a higher degree of partial melting. In addition their source was enriched in LILE (K, Rb, Sr, Ba and LREE) probably by migrating hydrous fluids released during the dehydration of the subducted oceanic slab. The basalts from Futuna island which is located farther from the trench, display characteristics typical of calc-alkaline rocks. The Futuna basalts were generated from a different LILE-enriched upper mantle source. It seems that this upper mantle source was modified by interaction with partial melts from the subducted oceanic lithosphere.     

Fine-scale isotopic variation in Mariana Trough basalts: evidence for heterogeneity and a recycled component in backarc basin mantle

Fine-scale sampling with alvin and by dredging of the axial ridge in the Mariana Trough between 17°40′N and 18°30°N recovered basalts with isotopic compositions that span the range between N-type MORB and Mariana island arc basalts. There is a local tectonic-morphological control on basalt compositions; MORB-like basalts are found on the deeper ridge segment bounded by the Pagan transform and the ridge offset at 17°56′N, while basalts from the shallower ridge to the north are typical Mariana Trough basalts (MTB) having compositions intermediate between the two endmember rock types. Arc-like basalts were recovered from one site on the axial ridge.The discovery of basalts with such diverse isotopic characteristics from a short (100 km) section of this backarc spreading center constrains the chemical characteristics and distribution of mantle source variability in the Mariana Trough. SrNdPb isotopic variability suggests that the MTB source is heterogeneous on the scale of individual melt batches. The principal component in the MTB mantle source region is depleted peridotite similar to the source of MORB. The enriched component, most evident in the arc-like basalts and intimately mixed in MTB, has isotopic characteristics similar to those observed in the Mariana arc basalts. The isotopic data suggest that source variability for Mariana axial ridge basalts can be explained by mixed arc-like and MORB-like mantle. We hypothesize that there are fragments of old oceanic lithosphere in the backarc source region. This lithospheric component may reflect remnants of subducted seafloor or forearc-volcanic arc mantle that predate rifting in the backarc basin.     

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

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

Magma generation and crustal accretion as evidenced by supra-subduction ophiolites of the Albanide–Hellenide Subpelagonian zone

Abstract Ophiolites of the Mirdita–Subpelagonian zone form a nearly continuous belt in the Albanide–Hellenide orogen, including mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB) associations in the western Mirdita sector and supra‐subduction zone (SSZ) complexes, with prevalent island arc tholeiitic (IAT) and minor boninitic affinities in the eastern part of the belt (i.e. eastern Mirdita, Pindos, Vourinos). In addition, basalts with geochemical features intermediate between MORB and IAT (MORB/IAT) are found in the central Mirdita and in the Aspropotamos sequence (Pindos). These basalts alternate with pure MORB and are cut by boninitic dykes. The distinctive compositional characteristics of the mafic magmas parental to the different ophiolitic suites can be accounted for by partial melting of mantle sources progressively depleted by melt extractions. Partial melting processes (10–20%) of lherzolitic sources generated pure MORB, leaving clinopyroxene‐poor lherzolite as a residuum. Approximately 10% water‐assisted partial melting of this latter source, in an SSZ setting, may in turn generate basalts with MORB/IAT intermediate characteristics, whereas IAT basalts and boninites may have been derived from 10–20% and 30% partial melting, respectively, of the same source variably enriched by subduction‐derived fluids. In addition, boninites may also have been derived by comparatively lower degrees of hydrated partial melting of more refractory harzburgitic sources. A generalized petrologic model based on mass balance calculations between bulk rock and mineral compositions, indicate that most of the intrusives (from ultramafic cumulates to gabbronorites and plagiogranites), as well as sheeted dykes and volcanics (from basalts to rhyodacites) forming the bulk crustal section of the SSZ ophiolites, may be accounted for by shallow fractional crystallization from low‐Ti picritic parental magmas very similar in composition to IAT picrites from Pacific intraoceanic arcs. The most appropriate tectono‐magmatic model for the generation of the SSZ Tethyan ophiolites implies low velocity plate‐convergence of the intraoceanic subduction and generation of a nascent arc with IAT affinity and progressive slab roll‐back, mantle diapirism and extension from the arc axis to the forearc region, with generation of MORB/IAT intermediate basalts and boninitic magmas.     

Mantle heterogeneity beneath the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge: trace element evidence for contamination of ambient asthenospheric mantle

We report new trace element data for an extensive suite of quench basalt glasses dredged from the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 40°S and 52.5°S. Ratios between highly incompatible trace elements are strongly correlated and indicate a systematic distribution of incompatible element enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) (E-type: Zr/Nb=5.9-19, Y/Nb=0.9-8.4, (La/Sm)_n=1.0-2.9) and incompatible element depleted MORB (N-type: Zr/Nb=30-69, Y/Nb=11-29, (La/Sm)_n=0.48-0.79) along this section of the southern MAR. A notable feature of N-type MORB from the region is the higher than usual Ba/Nb (4-9), La/Nb (1.2-2.4) and primitive mantle normalised K/Nb ratios (>1). Ba/Nb ratios in E-type MORB samples from 47.5 to 49°S are especially elevated (>10). The occurrence and geographic distribution of E-type MORB along this section of the southern MAR can be correlated with the ridge-centred Shona and off-axis Discovery mantle plumes. In conjunction with published isotope data for a subset of the same sample suite [Douglass et al., J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 2941], a model is developed whereby prior to the breakup of Gondwana and the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, the underlying asthenospheric mantle was locally contaminated by fluids/melts rising from the major Mesozoic subduction zone along the south-southwest boundary of Gondwana, leaving a subduction zone geochemical imprint (elevated (K/Nb)_n and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, decreased ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios). Subsequent impingement of three major mantle plume heads (Tristan/Gough, Discovery, Shona) resulted in heating and thermal erosion of the lowermost subcontinental lithosphere and dispersal into the convecting asthenospheric mantle. With the opening of the ocean basin, continued plume upwelling led to plume-ridge interactions and mixing between geochemically enriched mantle derived from the Shona and Discovery mantle plumes, material derived from delamination of the subcontinental lithosphere, and mildly subduction zone contaminated depleted asthenospheric mantle.     

Slab melt as metasomatic agent in island arc magma mantle sources, Negros and Batan (Philippines)

Abstract Two new cases of association of adakites with ‘normal’ island arc lavas and transitional adakites are recognized in the islands of Batan and Negros in northern and central Philippines, respectively. The Batan lavas are related to the subduction of the middle Miocene portion of the South China Sea basin along the Manila trench; those of Negros come from the almost aseismic subduction of the middle Miocene Sulu Sea crust along the Negros trench. The occurrence of the Batan adakites is consistent with previous findings showing adakitic glass inclusions within minerals of mantle xenoliths associated with Batan arc lavas. The similarity of adakite ages (1.09 Ma) and that of the metasomatized xenoliths (1 Ma) suggests that both are linked to the same slab‐melting and metasomatic event. Earlier Sr, Pb and Nd‐isotopic studies, however, also reveal the presence of an important sediment contribution to the Batan lava geochemistry. Thus, the role played by slab melts, assumed to have mid‐ocean ridge basalts‐like (MORB) isotopic characteristics, in enriching the Batan subarc mantle is largely masked by the sediment input. The Negros adakites are present only in Mount Cuernos, the volcanic center nearest to the Negros trench. Batch partial melting calculations show that the Negros adakites could be derived from a garnet amphibolitic source with normal‐MORB (N‐MORB) geochemistry. This is supported by the MORB‐like isotopic characteristics of the Mount Cuernos lavas. The volcanic rocks from the other volcanoes consist of normal arc and transitional adakitic lavas that have slightly higher Sr‐ and Pb‐isotopic ratios, probably due to slight sediment input. Mixing of adakites and normal arc lavas to produce transitional adakites is only partly supported by trace element geochemistry and not by field evidence. The transitional adakites can be modeled as partial melts of an adakite‐enriched mantle. Trace element enrichment of non‐adakitic lavas could reflect the interaction of their mantle source with uprising slab melts, as metasomatic mantle minerals scavenge certain trace elements from the adakitic fluids. Therefore, in arcs beneath which thick (up to 2 km) continent‐derived detrital sediments are involved in subduction, like in Batan, the sediment signature can overwhelm the slab melt input. In arcs like Negros where slow subduction could cause a more efficient scraping of thinner (approximately 1 km) detrital sediments, the contribution of slab melts is easier to detect.     

Asthenospheric percolation of alkaline melts beneath the St. Paul region (Central Atlantic Ocean)

Two peridotite suites collected by submersible in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean (Hekinian et al., 2000) were studied for textures, modes, and in situ major and trace element compositions in pyroxenes. Dive SP12 runs along the immersed flank of the St. Peter and Paul Rocks islets where amphibole-bearing, ultramafic mylonites enriched in alkalies and incompatible elements are exposed (Roden et al., 1984), whereas dive SP03 sampled a small intra-transform spreading centre situated about 370 km east of the St. Peter and Paul Rocks. Both suites are characterized by undeformed, coarse-grained granular textures typical of abyssal peridotites, derived from residual mantle after ～ 15% melting of a DMM source, starting in the garnet stability field. Trace element modelling, textures and lack of mineral zoning indicate that the residual peridotites were percolated, reacted and refertilized by ～ 2.6% partially aggregated melts in the uppermost level of the melting region. This relatively large amount of refertilization is in agreement with the cold and thick lithosphere inferred by previous studies. Freezing of trapped melts occurred as the peridotite entered the conductive layer, resulting in late-stage crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, spinel, ± plagioclase. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns in clinopyroxenes from SP03 indicate that they last equilibrated with (ultra-) depleted partial melts. In contrast, REE concentrations in clinopyroxenes from SP12 display U and S shaped LREE-enriched patterns and the calculated compositions of the impregnating melts span the compositional range of the regional basalts, which vary from normal MORB to alkali basalt sometimes modified by chromatographic fractionation with no, or very limited, mineral reaction. Thus the mylonitic band forming the St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks ridge is not a fragment of subcontinental lithospheric mantle left behind during the opening of the Central Atlantic, nor the source of the alkaline basalts as previously suggested. Rather, dive SP12 sampled residual peridotites of normal MORB mantle that were located close to channels transporting alkali basalts. Reacted melts escaping from these channels, infiltrated, and locally equilibrated with, the peridotite matrix by ion exchange reactions. Relicts of the source of the alkaline basalts were not sampled but our study suggests that it was a component of the MORB mantle underlying the St. Paul region.     

PGE geochemistry of Jiding ophiolite in Tibet and its constraint on mantle processes

The total PGE amount (σPGE) of mantle peridotite in the Jiding ophiolite is slightly higher than that of the primitive mantle, but the PGE contents of basalt are higher than those of the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), with obviously lower Pd/Ir ratios. The accumulates, dyke swarm and basalts show remarkable negative Pt and positive Rh anomalies, resulting in the special N-type PGE patterns. Mantle peridotite and crustal rocks have similar distribution patterns. It is proposed that the PGE distribution patterns in the Jiding ophiolite are closely related with a higher degree of partial melting of the mantle in this region. Magmatic crystallization-differentiation led to PGE fractionation, thus making the contents of PGE in the accumulates decrease in the ascending direction. The higher content of Au in the Jiding ophiolite is the result of metasomatic alteration at later stages. Pt-Pd fractionation indicates that both the PGEs are controlled by their alloy and sulfide phases. Positive Rh anomalies seem to be related with higher oxygen fugacity in the melts.     

The water content and hydrogen isotope composition of continental lithospheric mantle and mantle-derived mafic igneous rocks in eastern China

The water contents of minerals and whole-rock in mantle-derived xenoliths from eastern China exhibit large variations and are generally lower than those from other on- and off-craton lithotectonic units. Nevertheless, the water contents of mineral and whole-rock in Junan peridotite xenoliths, which sourced from the juvenile lithospheric mantle, are generally higher than those elsewhere in eastern China. This suggests that the initial water content of juvenile lithospheric mantle is not low. There is no obvious correlation between the water contents and Mg^# values of minerals in the mantle xenoliths and no occurrence of diffusion profile in pyroxene, suggesting no relationship between the low water content of mantle xenolith and the diffusion loss of water during xenolith ascent with host basaltic magmas. If the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) base is heated by the asthenospheric mantle, the diffusion loss of water is expected to occur. On the other hand, extraction of basaltic melts from the SCLM is a more efficient mechanism to reduce the water content of xenoliths. The primary melts of Mesozoic and Cenozoic basalts in eastern China have water contents, as calculated from the water contents of phenocrysts, higher than those of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). The Mesozoic basalts exhibit similar water contents to those of island arc basalts, whereas the Cenozoic basalts exhibit comparable water contents to oceanic island basalts and backarc basin basalts with some of them resembling island arc basalts. These observations suggest the water enrichment in the mantle source of continental basalts due to metasomatism by aqueous fluids and hydrous melts derived from dehydration and melting of deeply subducted crust. Mantle-derived megacrysts, minerals in xenoliths and phenocrysts in basalts from eastern China also exhibit largely variable hydrogen isotope compositions, indicating a large isotopic heterogeneity for the Cenozoic SCLM in eastern China. The water content that is higher than that of depleted MORB mantle and the hydrogen isotope composition that is deviated from that of depleted MORB mantle suggest that the Cenozoic continental lithospheric mantle suffered the metasomatism by hydrous melts derived from partial melting of the subducted Pacific slab below eastern China continent. The metasomatism would lead to the increase of water content in the SCLM base and then to the decrease of its viscosity. As a consequence, the SCLM base would be weakened and thus susceptible to tectonic erosion and delamination. As such, the crust-mantle interaction in oceanic subduction channel is the major cause for thinning of the craton lithosphere in North China.     

Sr isotopic composition of Afar volcanics and its implication for mantle evolution

Investigations of Rb-Sr systematics of basalts from the Afar depression (Ethiopia) indicate the presence of a heterogeneous mantle source region. The Sr isotopic compositions of the basalts from the Afar axial and transverse ranges identify source regions which are enriched in LIL elements and radiogenic Sr (axial ranges) and others which are relatively depleted (transverse ranges). Sr isotopic composition of basalts from the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Tadjoura, which range from 0.70300 to 0.70340 are also reported and compared with the more radiogenic Afar region, which is characterized by⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranging from 0.70328 to 0.70410.Available geochemical and isotopic data suggest that a relation exists between magma composition and the advancement of the rifting process through progressive lithosphere attenuation leading to continental break-up. However, the petrogenetic process is not simple and probably implies a vertically zoned mantle beneath the Afar region. Sr isotopic evidence suggests that the vertically zoned mantle is more radiogenic and enriched in LIL elements in its upper part.     

Lau Basin basalts (LBB): trace element and SrNd isotopic evidence for heterogeneity in backarc basin mantle

Diverse⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd isotopic compositions among basalts from the Lau Basin (LBB), an active backarc basin in the southwest Pacific, indicate heterogeneity in the underlying mantle. Isotopic compositions display bimodal distributions which are related to geographic location. Type I LBB (⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶Sr 0.70366;¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd 0.51297) include tholeiites from the central basin, Peggy Ridge, and Rochambeau Bank, while Type II basaltic and andesitic glasses from the northeastern portion of the basin, near Niua Fo'ou island, have higher⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ( 0.7038) and lower ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ( 0.51288). Both depleted (e.g. N-MORB) and enriched (e.g. E-MORB) trace element abundances occur among Type I and Type II LBB.Covariation between trace element and isotopic ratios among Type I LBB is consistent with mixing between depleted mantle similar to the source for MORB and relatively enriched peridotite similar to the source for E-MORB. Relative to MORB, uniformly high⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ( +0.0005) among all Type I LBB for given Nd isotopic compositions ( ε_Nd = +8 to +12) may reflect a lithospheric component, such as ancient recycled altered ocean crust. Type II LBB have SrNd isotopic compositions which are gradational between enriched mantle similar to the source of OIB and a component with distinct Sr isotopic composition such as that observed in Samoan post-erosional basalts. Isotopic and geographic discontinuity between Type I and Type II LBB, and isotopic affinity of Type II and Niua Fo`ou island basalts with those from Samoa suggests that volcanism in the northeastern portion of the basin is tapping deeper mantle beneath the adjoining Pacific plate, as well as Indo-Australian mantle overlying the Pacific lithosphere that is subducted into the Tonga Trench.     

Geochemistry of peridotite xenoliths in alkali basalts from Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract   Ultramafic xenoliths in alkali basalts from Jeju Island, Korea, are mostly spinel lherzolites with subordinate amounts of spinel harzburgites and pyroxenites. The compositions of major oxides and compatible to moderately incompatible elements of the Jeju peridotite xenoliths suggest that they are residues after various extents of melting. The estimated degrees of partial melting from compositionally homogeneous and unfractionated mantle to form the residual xenoliths reach 30%. However, their complex patterns of chondrite-normalized rare earth element, from light rare earth element (LREE)-depleted through spoon-shaped to LREE-enriched, reflect an additional process. Metasomatism by a small amount of melt/fluid enriched in LREE followed the former melt removal, which resulted in the enrichment of the incompatible trace elements. Sr and Nd isotopic ratios of the Jeju xenoliths display a wide scatter from depleted mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB)-like to near bulk-earth estimates along the MORB–oceanic island basalt (OIB) mantle array. The varieties in modal proportions of minerals, (La/Yb)_N ratio and Sr-Nd isotopes for the xenoliths demonstrate that the lithospheric mantle beneath Jeju Island is heterogeneous. The heterogeneity is a probable result of its long-term growth and enrichment history.     

Element transport by dehydration of subducted sediments: Implication for arc and ocean island magmatism

High-pressure experiments on a natural pelite have been conducted at 2–11-GPa pressures in order to evaluate contributions of subducted sediments to arc and ocean island magmatism. Obtained phase relations suggest that, at least in modern subduction zones, subsolidus dehydration of chlorite and phengitic muscovite in the subducted sediments, rather than partial melting, is a predominant process in overprinting sediment components onto the magma source region. Trace element compositions of sediment-derived fluids are estimated based on dehydration experiments at 5.5 GPa and 900/1300°C. Pb is effectively transported by fluids relative to other elements. This results in the Pb enrichment for arc basalts by fluids, generated by the dehydration of subducted sediments, together with altered mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and complementary depletion of Pb in subducted sediments. Inferred arc magma compositions obtained by model calculations based on the present experimental results agree well with a natural primitive arc basalt composition. A large increase in the U/Pb ratio in the subducted sediments at deeper levels than major dehydration depths results in a high Pb isotopic ratio through radioactive decay after long periods of isolation. Combined with other isotopic ratios such as Sr and Nd, it is possible to produce the EM II source, one of the enriched geochemical reservoirs for ocean island basalt magmas, by mixing of a small amount of subducted sediments with depleted or primitive mantle.     

New constraints on the HIMU mantle from neon and helium isotopic compositions of basalts from the Cook–Austral Islands

High ⁴He/³He ratios of 100 000 to 160 000 found at HIMU ocean islands (“high μ,” where μ is the U/Pb ratio) are usually attributed to the presence of recycled oceanic crust in the HIMU mantle source. However, significantly higher ⁴He/³He ratios are expected in recycled crust after residence in the mantle for periods greater than 1 Ga. In order to better understand the helium isotopic signatures in HIMU basalts, we have measured helium and neon isotopic compositions in a suite of geochemically well-characterized basalts from the Cook–Austral Islands. We observe ⁴He/³He ratios ranging from 56 000 to 141 000, suggesting the involvement of mantle reservoirs both more and less radiogenic than the mantle source for mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). In addition, we find that the neon isotopic compositions of HIMU lavas extend from the MORB range to compositions less nucleogenic than MORBs. The Cook-Austral HIMU He–Ne isotopic compositions, along with Sr, Nd, Pb, and Os isotopic compositions, indicate that in addition to recycled crust, a relatively undegassed mantle end-member (e.g., FOZO) is involved in the genesis of these basalts. The association of relatively undegassed mantle material with recycled crust provides an explanation for the close geographical association between HIMU lavas and EM (enriched mantle)-type lavas from this island chain: EM-type signatures represent a higher mixing proportion of relatively undegassed mantle material. Mixing between recycled material and relatively undegassed mantle material may be a natural result of entrainment processes and convective stirring in deep mantle.     

Origin of Icelandic basalts: A review of their petrology and geochemistry

The petrology and geochemistry of Icelandic basalts have been studied for more than a century. The results reveal that the Holocene basalts belong to three magma series: two sub-alkaline series (tholeiitic and transitional alkaline) and an alkali one. The alkali and the transitional basalts, which occupy the off-rift volcanic zones, are enriched in incompatible trace elements compared to the tholeiites, and have more radiogenic Sr, Pb and He isotope compositions. Compared to the tholeiites, they are most likely formed by partial melting of a lithologically heterogeneous mantle with higher proportions of melts derived from recycled oceanic crust in the form of garnet pyroxenites compared to the tholeiites. The tholeiitic basalts characterise the mid-Atlantic rift zone that transects the island, and their most enriched compositions and highest primordial (least radiogenic) He isotope signature are observed close to the centre of the presumed mantle plume. High-MgO basalts are found scattered along the rift zone and probably represent partial melting of refractory mantle already depleted of initial water-rich melts. Higher mantle temperature in the centre of the Iceland mantle plume explains the combination of higher magma productivity and diluted signatures of garnet pyroxenites in basalts from Central Iceland. A crustal component, derived from altered basalts, is evident in evolved tholeiites and indeed in most basalts; however, distinguishing between contamination by the present hydrothermally altered crust, and melting of recycled oceanic crust, remains non-trivial. Constraints from radiogenic isotope ratios suggest the presence of three principal mantle components beneath Iceland: a depleted upper mantle source, enriched mantle plume, and recycled oceanic crust.The study of glass inclusions in primitive phenocrysts is still in its infancy but already shows results unattainable by other methods. Such studies reveal the existence of mantle melts with highly variable compositions, such as calcium-rich melts and a low-¹⁸O mantle component, probably recycled oceanic crust. Future high-resolution seismic studies may help to identify and reveal the relative proportions of different lithologies in the mantle.     

143Nd/144Nd,87Sr/86Sr and trace element constraints on the petrogenesis of Aleutian island arc magmas

¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd,⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and trace element results are reported for volcanic and plutonic rocks of the Aleutian island arc. The Nd and Sr isotopic compositions plot within the mantle array with ε_Nd values of from 6.5 to 9.1 and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of from 0.70289 to 0.70342. Basalts have mildly enriched light REE abundances but essentially unfractionated heavy REE abundances, while andesites exhibit a greater degree of light to heavy REE fractionation. Both the basalts and andesites have significant large ion lithophile element to light rare earth element (LILE/LREE) enrichments. Variations in the isotopic compositions of Nd and Sr are not related to the spatial distribution of volcanoes in the arc, nor are they related to temporal differences. ε_Nd and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr do not correlate with major element compositions but do, however, correlate with certain LILE/LREE ratios (e.g. Ba_N/La_N). Plutonic rocks have isotropic and trace element characteristics identical to some of the volcanic rocks. Rocks that make up the tholeiitic, calc-alkaline and alkaline series in the Aleutians do not come from isotopically distinct sources, but do exhibit some differing LILE characteristics.Given these elemental and isotopic constraints it is shown that the Aleutian arc magmas could not have been derived directly from homogeneous MORB-type mantle, or fresh or altered MORB subducted beneath the arc. Mixtures of partially altered MORB with deep-sea sediment can in principle account for the isotopic characteristics and most of the observed LILE/LREE enrichments. However, some samples have exceedingly high LILE/LREE enrichments which cannot be accounted for by sediment contamination alone. For these samples a more complex scenario is considered whereby dehydration and partial melting of the subducted slab, containing less than 8% sediment, produces a LILE-enriched (relative to REE) metasomatic fluid which interacts with the overlying depleted mantle wedge. The isotopic and LILE characteristics of the mantle are extremely sensitive to metasomatism by small percentages of added fluid, whereas major elements are not substantially effected, Major element compositions of Aleutian magmas are dominantly controlled by the partial melting of this mantle and subsequent crystal fractionation; whereas isotopic and LILE characteristics are determined by localized mantle heterogeneities.     

Anomalously nucleogenic neon in North Chile Ridge basalt glasses suggesting a previously degassed mantle source

Fresh basalt glasses from the North Chile Ridge (NCR) in the southeastern Pacific have Ne isotopic compositions distinctly different from typical mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). In a three-isotope plot of ²⁰Ne/²²Ne vs. ²¹Ne/²²Ne, the NCR data define a correlation line with a slope smaller than that of the MORB correlation line, i.e. their Ne composition is more nucleogenic than that of MORB. ³He/⁴He ratios are slightly lower than the MORB average, whereas in a few stepwise heating fractions very high ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios up to 28,000 are found. One model to explain the data assumes contamination of the NCR mantle source by material from the continental or oceanic crust, but in addition to difficulties with quantitatively reconciling the noble gas patterns with such a model it seems unable to account for some geochemical characteristics of NCR basalts reported earlier [Bach et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 142 (1996) 223–240], such as depletions in highly incompatible elements and unradiogenic Sr isotope compositions. Therefore we favor the scenario of a mantle source which was depleted and degassed previously, possibly as a residue from mantle melting beneath the southern East Pacific Rise that was transported to the NCR and melted again. The time during which such a depleted reservoir would have to be separated from the MORB mantle is estimated at 10–100 Ma based on U/Th–Ne systematics, in reasonable agreement with the time scale deduced from the formation history of the NCR and the temporal evolution of the southeast Pacific.     

Nd and Sr isotope ratios and rare earth element abundances in Reykjanes Peninsula basalts evidence for mantle heterogeneity beneath Iceland

Post-glacial tholeiitic basalts from the western Reykjanes Peninsula range from picrite basalts (oldest) to olivine tholeiites to tholeiites (youngest). In this sequence there are large systematic variations in rare earth element (REE) abundances (La/Sm normalized to chondrites ranges from 0.33 in the picrite basalts to 1.25 in the fissure tholeiites) and corresponding variations in ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51317 in the picrite basalts to 0.51299 in the fissure tholeiites). The large viaration in ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, more than one-third the total range observed in most ocean islands and mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), is accompanied by only a small variation in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7031–0.7032). These ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are within the range of other Icelandic tholeiites, and distinct from those of MORB.We conclude that the mantle beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula is heterogeneous with respect to relative REE abundances and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios. On a time-averaged basis all parts of this mantle show evidence of relative depletion in light REE. Though parts of this mantle have REE abundances and Nd isotope ratios similar to the mantle source of “normal” MORB, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is distinctly higher. Unlike previous studies we find no evidence for chondritic relative REE abundances in the mantle beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula; in fact, the data require significant chemical heterogeneity in the hypothesized mantle plume beneath Iceland, as well as lateral mantle heterogeneity from the Reykjanes Ridge to the Reykjanes Peninsula. The compositional range of the Reykjanes Peninsula basalts is consistent with mixing of magmas produced by different degrees of melting in different parts of the heterogeneous mantle source beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula.     

Petrology of the greenstones of the Lower Sorachi Group in the Sorachi–Yezo Belt, central Hokkaido, Japan, with special reference to discrimination between oceanic plateau basalts and mid-oceanic ridge basalts

Abstract   The Lower Sorachi Group of the Sorachi–Yezo Belt in central Hokkaido, Japan is a peculiar accretionary complex characterized by numerous occurrences of greenstones (metabasalts and diabases), which are mostly composed of aphyric basalts. Clinopyroxene-rich phenocryst assemblage in phyric basalts is different from olivine–plagioclase assemblage in mid-oceanic ridge basalts (MORB). The greenstones are geochemically uniform, and show a lower-Ti trend than MORB in an FeO*/MgO-TiO₂ diagram, mostly plotting on the island arc tholeiite (IAT) field in a TiO₂−10MnO−10P₂O₅ diagram. In a MORB-normalized spider diagram, the greenstones show a flat pattern from P to Y, which are lower than those of normal mid-oceanic ridge basalt (N-MORB). These indicate that the greenstones were derived by a higher degree of partial melting from a depleted mantle similar to a N-MORB source, and experienced olivine–clinopyroxene fractional crystallization. However, a positive spike of Nb in the spider diagram cannot be explained, and may be attributed to mantle heterogeneity. These characteristics are analogous to those of oceanic plateau basalts (OPB) such as in Ontong Java Plateau, Manihiki Plateau and Nauru Basin, suggesting that the greenstones in the Lower Sorachi Group are of oceanic plateau origin. The present study proposes new field divisions to distinguish OPB from MORB in the conventional FeO*/MgO–TiO₂ and TiO₂−10MnO−10P₂O₅ diagrams.