The brevity of carbonatite sources in the mantle: evidence from Hf isotopes

Hf, Zr and Ti in carbonatites primarily reside in their non-carbonate fraction while the carbonate fraction dominates the Nd and Sr elemental budget of the whole rock. A detailed investigation of the Hf, Nd and Sr isotopic compositions shows frequent isotopic disequilibrium between the carbonate and non-carbonate fractions. We suggest that the trace element and isotopic composition of the carbonate fraction better represents that of the carbonatite magma, which in turn better reflects the composition of the carbonatitic source. Experimental partitioning data between carbonatite melt and peridotitic mineralogy suggest that the Lu/Hf ratio of the carbonatite source will be equal to or greater than the Lu/Hf ratio of the carbonatite. This, combined with the Hf isotope systematics of carbonatites, suggests that, if carbonatites are primary mantle melts, then their sources must be short-lived features in the mantle (maximum age of 10–30 Ma), otherwise they would develop extremely radiogenic Hf compositions. Alternatively, if carbonatites are products of extreme crystal fractionation or liquid immiscibility then the lack of radiogenic initial Hf isotope compositions also suggests that their sources do not have long-lived Hf depletions. We present a model in which the carbonatite source is created in the sublithospheric mantle by the crystallization of earlier carbonatitic melts from a mantle plume. This new source melts shortly after its formation by the excess heat provided by the approaching hotter center of the plume and/or the subsequent ascending silicate melts. This model explains the HIMU-EMI isotope characteristics of the East African carbonatites, their high LREE/HREE ratios as well as the rarity of carbonatites in the oceanic lithosphere.     

Mafic dykes derived from Early Cretaceous depleted mantle beneath the Dabie orogenic belt: implications for changing lithosphere mantle beneath Eastern China

SHRIMP zircon U–Pb geochronological, elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic data from Early Cretaceous mafic dykes in North Dabie orogenic belt elucidate a change of Mesozoic lithospheric mantle in eastern China. The dykes are predominantly dolerite with the major mineral assemblage clinopyroxene + hornblende + plagioclase and yield a SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age of 111.6 ± 5.3 Ma. They have a narrow range of SiO₂ from 46.16% to 49.78%, and relative low concentrations of K₂O (1.07−2.62%), Na₂O (2.45−3.54%), Al₂O₃ (13.04−14.07%), and P₂O₅ (0.42−0.55%) but relatively high concentration of MgO (5.94–6.61%) with Mg^# 52–54. All the samples are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g., Ba, Th) and high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Nb, Ti). (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios from 0.704 to 0.705, ε_Nd values from 3.36 to 4.33 and mantle‐depletion Nd model ages (T_2DM) in the range 0.56–0.64 Ga indicate that the magma of the Baiyashan mafic dykes was derived from a young depleted mantle source. This finding is different from previous research on mafic dykes in the age range 120–138 Ma that revealed enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE, high initial Sr isotopic ratios and negative ε_Nd, value which represents an old enriched mantle source. Ours is the first report of the existence of Early Cretaceous depleted mantle in eastern China and it implies that changing of enriched mantle to depleted mantle occurred at ca. 112 Ma, associated with back‐arc extension which resulted from the subduction of the Palaeo‐Pacific Plate towards the Asian Continent. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formation of cratonic subcontinental lithospheric mantle and complementary komatiite from hybrid plume sources

Peridotitic sulphide inclusions in diamonds from the central Slave craton constrain the age and origin of their subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) sources. These sulphides align with either a ca. 3.5 Ga (shallow SCLM) or a ca. 3.3 Ga isochron (deep SCLM) on a Re–Os ischron diagram, with variably enriched initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os. Since some Archaean to recent plume-derived melts carry a subducted crust (eclogite) signature and some cratonic SCLM may have been generated in plumes by extraction of komatiitic liquids, we explain these data by subduction of evolved lithospheric material (shallow SCLM) and melting in a hybrid mantle plume that contains domains of recycled eclogite (deep SCLM), respectively. In upwelling hybrid mantle, eclogite-derived melts react with olivine in surrounding peridotites to form aluminous orthopyroxene, convert peridotite to pyroxenite and confer their crustal isotope signatures. We suggest that it is subsequent to orthopyroxene enrichment of peridotite in an upwelling plume that partial melting of this Al- and Si- enriched source generated komatiites and complementary ultradepleted cratonic mantle residues. Although subduction is needed to explain some cratonic features, melting of a hybrid plume source satisfies several key observations: (1) suprachondritic initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os in subsets of lithospheric mantle samples and in some coeval Archaean komatiites; (2) variable enrichment of cratonic mantle by high-temperature aluminous orthopyroxene; (3) high Mg# combined with high orthopyroxene content in cratonic mantle due to higher melt productivity of an Al- and Si-richer source; (4) variable orthopyroxene enrichment possibly linked to varying mantle potential temperatures (Tp), plume buoyancy and resultant eclogite load and/or variable availability of subducted material in the source; and (5) absence of younger analogues due to a secular decrease in Tp. Most importantly, this model also alleviates a mass balance problem, because it predicts a hybrid mantle source with variably higher SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ than primitive mantle, and, contrary to a primitive mantle source, is able to reconcile compositions of komatiites and complementary cratonic mantle residues.     

Geochemistry and geochronology of proterozoic tholeiite dykes of east antarctica: evidence for mantle metasomatism

Two episodes of tholeiite dyke emplacement have been identified in Archaean high-grade metamorphics of the Napier Complex in Enderby Land. Middle Proterozoic Amundsen dykes are typical continental tholeiites and most of the chemical variation in individual suites can be explained in terms of different degrees of partial melting and low-pressure crystal fractionation. Group I Amundsen tholeiites were derived from a relatively homogeneous source region 1,190±200 m.y. ago, whereas that of the group II Amundsen tholeiites was chemically and isotopically heterogeneous. Group II dykes have various degrees of enrichment in incompatible elements, and commonly show normalised trace element abundance patterns with negative Nb anomalies. These features imply variable metasomatism of the source region by a volatile-rich fluid phase (rather than a melt of any observed igneous composition) enriched in K, Rb, Ba, Th, and possibly La and Ce.Early Proterozoic (2,350±48 m.y.) tholeiites were emplaced at considerable depths in the crust during the waning stages of granulite-facies metamorphism and include a high-Mg suite of possible komatiitic affinity, ranging in composition from hypersthene-rich tholeiite (norite) to quartz-rich tholeiite. They tend to have higher ratios of highly to moderately incompatible elements (e.g., K/Zr, K/Ce), and larger Nb anomalies (i.e., higher K/Nb) compared with middle Proterozoic tholeiites, suggesting derivation from more enriched source regions. Isotopic data are not compatible with significant crustal contamination, but constrain source metasomatism to a time immediately before emplacement. Metasomatism of the source region of the much younger group I tholeiites may have been contemporaneous with that of the high-Mg suite.     

Accretionary lapilli-filled clastic dykes: a comparison of compaction strain estimates from dyke folding and lapilli shape factors

Within pyroclastic and tuffaceous sediments of the late Archaean Fortescue Group, Western Australia, small-scale clastic dykes have been infilled by accretionary lapilli. This unusual occurrence allows quantification of compaction by two independent means using the folded nature of the dykes and the shape factors of the accretionary lapilli. The dyke-fold method consistently gives a much lower estimate of the compaction strain than the accretionary lapilli. Two dykes giving shortening of 20 and 2% by the dyke method both contain accretionary lapilli recording 40% compaction.     

Constraints on metasomatized mantle under Central South America: evidence from Jurassic alkaline lamprophyre dykes from the Eastern Cordillera, NM Argentina

In the Río Grande Valley, NW Argentina, several porphyritic panidiomorphic, ocelli-bearing dykes and sills intrude the Neoproterozoic to lower Paleozoic basement of the Eastern Cordillera. New petrographical and geochemical data permit us to classify these rocks as ocellar-analcime monchiquites, a feldspar-free variety of alkaline lamprophyre composed of Ti-rich-diopside/augite, Ti-rich biotite/phlogopite, forsteritic olivine, titanian-pargasite and analcime, with abundant ocelli filled with analcime/carbonate. In terms of geochemical compositions they are characterized by LILE and LREE enrichment and lack of Nb-Ta and Eu anomalies. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd initial ratios range between 0.70377 to 0.70781 and 0.512506 and 0.512716 respectively, and T_DM model ages vary between 0.25–0.64 Ga. A K-Ar age of 163?±?9 Ma suggests that these rocks are related to the pre-rifting stage of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental Salta Rift in NW Argentina. Partial melting of a heterogeneous enriched metasomatized lithospheric mantle, magma mixing and fractionation are envisaged to explain the petrographic, geochemical and isotope characteristics of these magmas.     

Basalts of the North Fiji Basin: the generation of back arc basin magmas by mixing of depleted and enriched mantle sources

Active spreading ridges in the North Fiji Basin range from well-developed stable ridges where largescale mantle upwelling is in progress to proto-ridges where spreading is incipient. South of 17°S, where the central ridge of the North Fiji Basin has a bathymetric profile normally expected of a fast-spreading, steadystate mid-ocean ridge, basalts are evolved N-type MORBs. North of 17°S, where the central ridge is propagating northward into old North Fiji Basin crust and spreading is in the initial stages, two types of basalt have been recovered: N-type MORBs from this northern arm of the central ridge are believed to be samples of older North Fiji Basin crust; basalts with transitional alkalic chemistry (up to 0.5% Ne in the Norm) and characterized by strong relative enrichments in Rb, Ba, K, Nb, La, Ce, Sr, P, Zr, and Ti are believed to be associated with incipient rifting. Among the latter group are compositions that are intermediate between transitional alkalic types and MORBs and these are geochemically similar to the back-arc basin (BABB) magma type defined by Sinton and Fryer (1987) from a study of Mariana back arc basin basalts. Dredges along the South Pandora Ridge, a transform zone characterized by short spreading segments, are dominated by basalts that are enriched in large-ion lithophile and high field strength minor and trace elements and compositions range from types resembling ocean island tholeiites to transitional alkalic varieties. Basalts from Rotuma are regarded as alkalic end-members of the South Pandora Ridge magmatic spectrum. In areas of the North Fiji Basin where relatively fast spreading must be accompanied by largescale asthenospheric upwelling, depleted (N-type) MORBs dominate, whereas in areas of slow mantle upwelling, or where some other tectonic effect (e.g. a transform fault) causes a transient thermal disturbance within the lithosphere or upper asthenosphere, enriched (alkalic) magmas either dominate or make a significant and noticeable contribution to the overall chemical characteristics of basalts being erupted. The MORBs have a depleted asthenospheric source, and the alkalic component is believed to derive from an enriched lithospheric or shallow asthenospheric source. The BABB magma type may simply be part of the spectrum of mixed magmas that can occur in the transitional tectonic settings represented by the early development of most back-arc basins.     

Determining melt productivity of mantle sources from U-Th and U-Pa disequilibria; an example from Pico Island, Azores

We use coupled ²³⁸U-²³⁰Th and ²³⁵U-²³¹Pa disequilibria measurements from Pico Island, Azores to examine the melting behavior of the underlying mantle. U-series disequilibria in young, mafic lavas are dependent on the melting rate of their source, which in most cases is primarily controlled by its melt productivity. Mafic lithologies such as eclogite and pyroxenite have much higher melt productivities than peridotite and so U-series measurements may provide constraints on the mineralogy of the melting mantle. Recent Pico Mountain lavas show limited geochemical variations and a restricted range of U-series disequilibria with (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) = 1.22-1.25 and (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) = 1.46-1.50. Using a simple, dynamic melting model of a homogeneous source, these results can be reproduced with melting rates of <1 × 10⁻⁴ kg/m³/a and melt porosities of <0.7% near the onset of melting. For a plausible range of upwelling rates, this implies that the melt productivity is <6%/GPa. This value is consistent with a garnet peridotite source but not with more highly productive mafic lithologies. Given independent evidence for the involvement of mafic lithologies such as recycled oceanic crust in Pico magmagenesis, we suggest a scenario in which initial eclogitic melts are dispersed through melt-rock reaction into a larger volume of surrounding peridotite. Subsequent re-melting of the resultant incompatible element enriched peridotite carries a geochemical signature of the mafic lithologies but not necessarily a record of their high melt productivity.     

Evolution of Archaean Southern Indian lithospheric mantle: a geochemical study of Proterozoic Agali — Coimbatore dykes

 Agali–Coimbatore dolerite dykes constitute an important Proterozoic magmatic event that affected the south Indian shield. Rb-Sr whole rock isotope data yield an “errorchron” of 2369±400 Ma (2σ error) which is within error of the reported 2030±65 Ma K-Ar age. The dyke magmas were evolved Fe-rich tholeiitic melts produced by fractionation of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine in the initial stages. Plagioclase became a fractionation phase during the latter stages of crystallization. The dykes characteristically have high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i (0.703–0.706) and are enriched in large-ion lithophile and light rare earth elements relative to primordial mantle values and show negative Nb anomalies. These compositional characteristics are interpreted as source mantle characteristics whereas some crustal effects are visible in some samples with high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. Peridotite with minor hydrous metasomatic phases like amphibole (and phlogopite) within the shallow lithospheric mantle could be a potential source material for the dykes. However, at this stage we cannot convincingly differentiate whether the source of the parent magmas is solely lithospheric or a product of asthenosphere-lithosphere mixing. The δ¹⁸O values of the dykes range from +5.2 to +7.2 per mil (vs standard mean oceanic water). Initial Nd isotope values at the time of dyke intrusion (ɛ_Nd at t=2.0 Ga) range from −2.3 to −4.8. Whole rocks define a correlation on an Sm-Nd isochron plot with a slope equivalent to an age of 3.15±0.53 Ga (2σ error); Sm-Nd crustal residence ages average at 2.87 Ga. The isochron age does not appear to be the result of systematic mixing with an older crustal component. These results together with trace element geochemistry suggest that the south Indian mantle lithosphere developed by addition of enriched melts/fluids at about 3.0 Ga synchronously with major crustal gene- ration in the south Indian shield. Received 20 June 1994/Accepted: 17 May 1995     

汉诺坝玄武岩及幔源包体对大陆地幔不均一性的指示

了解大陆地幔的不均一性对于理解地壳成分再循环、壳-幔相互作用等过程至关重要。本文通过对华北克拉通北缘汉诺坝地区来自不同地幔深度幔源岩石（玄武岩及橄榄岩和辉石岩包体）的研究进行综述,探讨了地幔在垂向上成分的不均一性特征。汉诺坝玄武岩的研究揭示了汉诺坝地区软流圈顶部存在再循环的碳酸盐化榴辉岩以及岩石圈底部具有富集的古老洋壳和沉积物成分。另外,玄武岩携带的橄榄岩和多类型辉石岩包体记录了不同来源（蚀变洋壳、沉积碳酸盐岩、碎屑沉积物、拆沉下地壳、软流圈）且不同成分（硅酸盐、碳酸盐）的熔/流体活动。富集地壳来源的熔/流体加入明显影响了汉诺坝地区陆下地幔成分的均质性,使得陆下地幔在微米至千米尺度存在明显的成分不均一特征。汉诺坝地区陆下地幔不均一性的认识为了解地壳物质再循环提供了绝佳的窗口。

     

Petrology of the parental melts and mantle sources of Siberian trap magmatism

Based on the investigation of olivine phenocrysts and melt and spinel inclusions in them from the picrites of the Gudchikhinsky Formation and olivine phenocrysts and the whole-rock geochemistry from the Tuklonsky and Nadezhdinsky formations of the Noril’sk region, the compositions and conditions of formation and evolution of the parental melts and mantle sources of Siberian trap magmatism were evaluated. Olivine phenocrysts from the samples studied are enriched in Ni and depleted in Mn compared with olivines equilibrated with the products of peridotite melting, which suggests a considerable role of a nonperidotitic component (olivine-free pyroxenite) in their mantle source. The onset of Siberian trap magmatism (Gudchikhinsky Formation) was related to the melting of pyroxenite produced by the interaction of ancient recycled oceanic crust with mantle peridotite. During the subsequent evolution of the magmatic system (development of the Tuklonsky and Nadezhdinsky formations), the fraction of the pyroxenite component in the source region decreased rapidly (to 40 and 60%, respectively) owing to the entrainment of peridotite material into the melting zone. The formation of magmas was significantly affected by the contamination by continental crustal material. The primitive magmas of the Gudchikhinsky Formation crystallized under near-surface conditions at temperatures of 1250–1170°C and oxygen fugacities 2.5–3.0 orders of magnitude below the Ni-NiO buffer. Simultaneously, the magmas were contaminated by continental silicic rocks and evaporites. The parental magmas of the Gudchikhinsky rocks corresponded to tholeiitic picrites with 11–14 wt % MgO. They were strongly undersaturated in sulfur, contained less than 0.25 wt % water and carbon dioxide, and were chemically similar to the Hawaiian tholeiites. They were produced by melting of a pyroxenite source at depths of 130–180 km in a mantle plume with a potential temperature of 1500–1580°C. The presence of low melting temperature pyroxenite material in the source of Siberian trap magmas promoted the formation of considerable volumes of melt under the thick continental lithosphere, which could trigger its catastrophic collapse. The contribution of pyroxenite-derived melt to the magmas of the Siberian trap province was no less than 40–50%. This component, whose solid residue was free of sulfides and olivine, played a key role in the origin of high contents of Ni, Cu, and Pt-group elements and low sulfur contents in the parental trap magmas and prevented the early dispersion of these elements at the expense of sulfide melt fractionation. The high contents of Cl in the magmas resulted in considerable HCl emission into the atmosphere and could be responsible for the mass extinction at the Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary.     

Chemical characteristics of island-arc basalts: Implications for mantle sources

Major-element, trace-element and isotopic compositions of approximately 1200 basalts (< 53 wt. % SiO₂) from intra-oceanic island arcs have been compiled to assess the nature and possible sources of primitive island-arc basalts (IAB). The chemical characteristics of IAB are examined with reference to those of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and intraplate oceanic basalts (IPB). Major-element compositions of primitive [$\text{Mg}\text{(}\text{Mg +Fe}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{)}\text{> 65}$] IAB and MORB are similar, but differ significantly from IPB. In general, IAB do not have higher Al₂O₃, lower TiO₂ or a lack of Fe enrichment compared to primitive MORB but many do have greater K₂O contents. Differences in major- and minor-element contents between more evolved IAB and MORB result from the dominance of plagioclase + olivine crystal fractionation in MORB magmas vs. clinopyroxene + olivine controlled fractionation in IAB suites. This difference in crystallization history may be related to the higher P_H2O or greater depth of crystallization of IAB magmas compared to those inferred for MORB.IAB are characteristically enriched in large-ion-lithophile (LIL) elements and depleted in high-field-strength ions (e.g., Zr, Nb and Hf) relative to normal MORB (N-type) and IPB. The enrichment of some LIL elements (e.g., Sr, Rb, Ba and Pb) relative to the rare-earth elements in IAB is difficult to explain by simple partial melting alone and suggests a multistage petrogenesis involving an LIL-enriched component. Low abundances of high-field-strength ions in evolved IAB are explicable in terms of fractional crystallization, but the cause for consistently low abundances in primitive IAB remains problematic.Island-arc lavas contain greater concentrations of volatiles and have higher $\text{CO}{}_2\text{H}{}_2\text{O}$ and Cl/F ratios than either MORB or IPB, suggesting involvement of a slab-derived volatile component. However, this is not consistent with ${}^3\text{He}{}^4\text{He}$ data which indicate that only near-trench volcanics have been significantly affected by dehydration of the oceanic crust.Sr-, Nd-, Pb- and O-isotopic data, in conjunction with the trace-element data, clearly indicate that IAB are derived from heterogeneous, LIL-depleted mantle sources most similar to those which give rise to enriched MORB (E-type). The marked shift towards higher ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ in IAB compared to oceanic lavas with similar ${}^{143}\text{Nd}{}^{144}\text{Nd}$ values cannot be explained simply by the addition of radiogenic Sr from the slab. Variable degrees of contamination from a crustally-derived sedimentary component is consistent with the isotopic and trace-element data from a number of arcs. However, the lack of correlation between LIL/REE ratios and more radiogenic isotopic ratios suggests that this enrichment/contamination process is complex. A multi-stage petrogenetic model involving subducted oceanic crust (± sediments), dehydration/volatile transfer, and partial melting of metasomatized mantle beneath island arcs is considered the most reasonable, although least constrained, method to generate a variety of primitive IAB.     

The carbonatite-marble dykes of Abyan Province, Yemen Republic: the mixing of mantle and crustal carbonate materials revealed by isotope and trace element analysis

Summary Dykes of carbonate rocks, that cut gneisses in the Lowder-Mudiah area of southern Yemen, consist of dolomite and/or calcite with or without apatite, barite and monazite. Petrographic observations, mineralogical, XRF and ICP-MS analyses reveal that some of the carbonate rocks are derived from sedimentary protoliths, whereas others are magmatic calcio- and magnesio-carbonatites some of which are mineralized with barite-monazite. The interbanded occurrence and apparent contemporary emplacement of these different rock types within individual dykes, backed by Sr–Nd isotope evidence, are interpreted to show that intrusion of mantle-derived carbonatite magma was accompanied by mobilization of crustal marbles. That took place some 840Ma ago but the REE-mineralization is dated at ca. 400Ma.Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00710-004-0056-2     

Age and geochemistry of Karoo dolerite dykes from northeast Botswana

The Botswana Dyke Swarm is a prominent 800 km long and 100 km wide feature on aeromagnetic maps of southern Africa, but little has been published on its exact age or geochemical composition. New age, trace element and isotope data for this dyke swarm show that is magmatism is indistinguishable from Karoo continental flood basalts. Ar/Ar dating gives an age of 178.9 ± 1.4 Ma. Both high Ti-Zr and low Ti-Zr dolerites occur, but the high Ti-Zr rocks appear to be the dominant type of magmatism. Low Ti-Zr mafic rocks have isotopic and trace element characteristics similar to a combination of a normal mid-ocean ridge basalt source with sedimentary and fluid-enriched components, which are thought to reside in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. A lithospheric component seen in the high Ti-Zr mafic rocks is similar to that in nephelinites from Zimbabwe.     

Volatiles in basaltic magmas of ocean islands and their mantle sources: II. Estimation of contents in mantle reservoirs

In this paper, we address the average compositions (including the contents of H₂O, Cl, F, and S) and the compositional structure of oceanic mantle plumes on the basis of element contents and ratios in ocean island magmas. The average contents of incompatible volatile and nonvolatile elements were calculated for the material of mantle plumes using a thermal and a more plausible moderately enriched model. The following average contents were estimated for the plume mantle: 510 ppm K₂O, 520 ppm H₂O, 21 ppm Cl, 55 ppm F, and 83 ppm S. These values are significantly higher than those of the depleted mantle (except for S). The primitive mantle normalized average content of water in mantle plumes is similar to those of La and Ce but lower than those of K, Cl, and Sr. This is at odds with the hypothesis of “wet” mantle plumes. Three types of basaltic magmas distinguished in our previous study (Part I) characterize three types of plume sources (MI, MII, and MIII). Using the favored moderately enriched model, the average contents of H₂O, Cl, F, and S were estimated for the three sources (ppm): 130, 33, 11, and 110 for MI; 110, 12, 65, and 45 for MII; and 530, 29, 49, and 110 for MIII, respectively. The plume mantle is heterogeneous and its heterogeneity can be described by the presence of three main types of compositions, one of which (MI) is similar to the composition of the mid-ocean ridge mantle and the other two types (MII and MIII) are moderately enriched in K, Ti, P, F, and incompatible trace elements but depleted in Cl, H₂O, and sometimes S. The compositions of MII and MIII have different H₂O, Cl, and S contents: MII is significantly depleted in these components compared with MIII. The MII component is probably similar to the enriched mantle (EM). In addition to the aforementioned three main components, the plume mantle probably contains high-Cl and low-F materials, which are related to the recycling of the oceanic and continental crust. All the observed characteristics of the mantle plumes are in adequate agreement with the model of a zonal mantle plume including a central part hot and depleted in H₂O, Cl, and S; a periphery enriched in volatile components; and the enclosing mantle interacting with the plume material.     

The oxidation state of subcontinental mantle: oxygen thermobarometry of mantle xenoliths from central Asia

The oxygen fugacities of 48 mantle xenoliths from 5 localities in southern Siberia (USSR) and Mongolia have been determined. Ferric iron contents of spinels were measured by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and oxygen fugacities calculated from spinel-olivineorthopyroxene equilibrium. The samples studied represent the major types of upper mantle lithologies including spinel and garnet peridotites and pyroxenites, fertile and depleted peridotites and anhydrous and metasomatized samples which come from diverse tectonic settings. Extensive geochemical and isotope data are also available for these samples. Oxygen fugacity values for most central Asian xenoliths fall within the range observed in peridotite xenoliths from other continental regions at or slightly below the FMQ buffer. However, xenoliths from the Baikal rift zone are the most reduced among xenoliths for which Mössbauer data on spinels are available. They yield fO₂ values similar to those in oceanic peridotites and MORBs, while xenoliths in other occurrences have higher fO₂s. In general, the continental lithosperic mantle is more oxidized than MORB-like oceanic mantle. This difference seems to be due to incorporation of oxidized material into some parts of the subcontinental mantle as a result of subduction of oceanic crust. Garnet- and garnet-spinel lherzolites from the Baikal rift area have slightly higher oxygen fugacities than shallower spinel lherzolites. Oxygen fugacity does not appear to be correlated with the degree of depletion of peridotites, and its values in peridotites and pyroxenites are very much alike, suggesting that partial melting (at least at moderate degrees) takes place at essentially the same fO₂s that are now recorded by the residual material. Modally (amphibole- and phlogopitebearing) and cryptically metasomatized xenoliths from the Baikal rift zone give the same fO₂ values as depleted anhydrous peridotites, suggesting that solid-melt-fluid reactions in the continental rift mantle also take place without substantial change in redox state. This is in contrast to other tectonic environments where metasomatism appears to be associated with oxidation.