Evolution of basaltic and differentiated lavas from Anjouan,Comores Archipelago

Anjouan is one of four volcanic islands comprising the Comores Archipelago. Three (arbitrarily defined) categories of basic magma are recognised on Anjouan: ‘hypersthenenormative’, ‘alkalic’ and ‘basanitic’, which appear in that order with an eruptive sequence involving 1) shield construction, 2) peripheral fissure-controlled activity, and 3) rejuvenescent (posterosional) eruptions. Differentiated magmas have evolved within the three chemical groupings, and trend mainly towards undersaturated trachyte and phonolite. These trends are considered to have developed by initial removal of olivine and clinopyroxene, followed by Fe-Ti oxides, apatite and amphibole from arrested liquid pools within and beneath the volcano. The appearance of feldspar on the liquidus was clearly inhibited by the high contents of normative diopside in most Anjouan magmas, although late stage plagioclase fractionation is probably responsible for development of peralkaline phonolites at shallow depths, assisted eventually by alkali feldspar. Lherzolite-xenolith-bearing lavas are likely to be directly mantle-derived liquids. Three analysed representatives with 100 · Mg/Mg + Fe²⁺ (atomic) ratios approaching 70 are characteristically rich in normative diopside and may confirm the suggestion of primitive ankaramitic melts in mantle regions. High pressure fractional crystallisation may involve fractionation of ‘eclogite’, orthopyroxene or clinopyroxene, with or without olivine. It is believed however that such processes do not adequately explain the compositional change from hypersthene-normative basalt towards basanite, as they imply unacceptable degrees of Fe-enrichment. Problems of large ion element enrichment and fractionation would also remain, while the high contents of Cr and Ni place limits on the extent of crystal fractionation. A partial melting model of magma genesis is able to explain the main features of basalt geochemistry, especially if the upper mantle low velocity zone is regarded as having been severely fractionated due to upward migration of large ion elements. An ‘open’ system of magma production in the context of regional plate movement, and the implied decoupling between lithosphere and asthenosphere, accomodates realistic degrees of partial melting and allows a greater potential volume of mantle available for melting than possible ‘closed’ systems. The model also accounts for the migratory pattern of Comores volcanism.     

Sedimentary fabric characterized by X-ray tomography: A case-study from tsunami deposits on the Marquesas Islands,French Polynesia

X-ray tomography is used to analyse the grain size and sedimentary fabric of two tsunami deposits in the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean) which are particularly exposed to trans-Pacific tsunamis. One site is located on the southern coast of Nuku Hiva Island (Hooumi) and the other one is on the southern coast of Hiva Oa Island (Tahauku). Results are compared with other techniques such as two-dimensional image analysis on bulk samples (particle analyser) and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. The sedimentary fabric is characterized through three-dimensional stacks of horizontal slices (following a vertical step of 2·5 mm along the cores), while grain-size distribution is estimated from two-dimensional vertical slices (following a step of 2 mm). Four types of fabric are distinguished: (a) moderate to high angle (15 to 75°); (b) bimodal low-angle (<15°); (c) low to high angle with at least two different orientations; and (d) dispersed fabric. The fabric geometry in a tsunami deposit is not only controlled by the characteristics of the flow itself (current strength, flow regime, etc.) but also sediment concentration, deposition rate and grain-size distribution. There is a notable correlation between unimodal high-angle fabric – type (a) – and finely-skewed grain-size distribution. The two tsunami deposits studied represent two different scenarios of inundation. As demonstrated here, X-ray tomography is an essential method for characterizing past tsunamis from their deposits. The method can be applied to many other types of sediments and sedimentary rocks.     

Geochemistry of basaltic lavas from the southern Lau Basin: input of compositionally variable subduction components

We present new major element, trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data for 18 basaltic lavas and six glasses collected in situ from the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre (ELSC) and the Valu Fa Ridge (VFR). All lava samples are aphanitic and contain rare plagioclase and clinopyroxene microlites and microphenocrysts. The rocks are sub-alkaline and range from basalt and basaltic andesite to more differentiated andesite. In terms of trace element compositions, the samples are transitional between typical normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and island arc basalt. Samples from the VFR have higher large ion lithophile element/high field strength element ratios (e.g. Ba/Nb) than the ELSC samples. VFR and ELSC Sr–Nd isotopic compositions plot between Indian MORB and Tonga arc lavas, but VFR samples have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr for a given ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio than ELSC analogues. The Pb isotopic composition of ELSC lavas is more Indian MORB-like, whereas that of VFR lavas is more Pacific MORB-like. Our new data, combined with literature data for the Central Lau Spreading Centre, indicate that the mantle beneath the ELSC and VFR spreading centres was originally of Pacific type in composition, but was displaced by Indian-type mantle as rifting propagated to the south. The mantle beneath the spreading centres also was variably affected by subduction-induced metasomatism, mainly by fluids released from the altered, subducting oceanic crust; the influence of these components is best seen in VFR lavas. To a first approximation, the effects of underflow on the composition and degree of partial melting of the mantle source of Lau spreading centre lavas inversely correlate with distance of the spreading centres from the Tonga arc. Superimposed on this general process, however, are the effects of the local geographic contrasts in the composition of subduction components. The latter have been transferred mainly by dehydration-generated fluids into the mantle beneath the Tonga supra-subduction zone.     

The mineral chemistry and origin of xenoliths from the lavas of Anjouan,Comores Archipelago,Western Indian Ocean

Mineralogical data for xenoliths occurring as inclusions in the fissure erupted alkali basalts and the basanitic tuffs of Anjouan reveal three xenolith suites: 1) the lherzolites, 2) the dunites and wehrlites, 3) the gabbros and syenites. The dunite-wehrlite suite and the gabbro suite are shown to represent high-level cumulate sequences resulting from ankaramitic fractionation of the hy-normative shield-building lavas and cotecictic fractionation of the alkali basalt lavas respectively, whilst the syenitic xenoliths represent evolved high-level intrusions. Mineralogical and rare earth element (REE) data indicate that the most likely origin for the spinel lherzolite xenoliths is by extraction of a basaltic phase from spinel peridotite, leaving a light REE-poor spinel lherzolite residuum. REE models, constructed using model peridotite assemblages, imply that the hy-normative basalt lavas may be derived by partial melting of spinel peridotite at pressures of <20–25 kb leaving a residual lherzolite, and that the alkali basalt and basanite melts are formed by small degrees of melting of a garnet-peridotite source at pressures of >20–25 kb. The spinel lherzolite source for the hy-normative basalts has been accidentally sampled during explosive eruption of the alkali basalt and basanite magmas.     

Delayed fractionation of basaltic lavas

The phenocryst cores of the basaltic lavas from Jan Mayen and Hawaii display a range in compositions. The textural features of the phenocrysts also vary, both euhedral and skeletal phenocrysts are present in the same thin section. Apparently the basaltic magmas underwent crystallization within a temperature interval of 50–200° C before they became fractionated. The fractionates of basaltic lavas are therefore average compositions of the phenocryst assemblages rather than liquidus compositions. This type of fractionation is called delayed fractionation. It is considered that most tholeiitic and alkalic basaltic lavas undergo delayed fractionation.     

Atypical hotspot chains: evidence for a secondary melting zone below the Marquesas (French Polynesia)

The atypical age/distance to the hotspot relationships observed for the Marquesas linear chain, which present a considerable scatter, are best explained considering (1) a Pacific plate motion of 10.5 cm yr^?1 in the N115°E direction and (2) rejuvenation of volcanism in Ua Huka island. New K–Ar ages show that the main hotspot activity in Ua Huka emplaced successively shield olivine tholeiites and post‐shield alkali basalts between 3.11 ± 0.04 and 2.43 ± 0.04 Ma. Then, after a quiescence period of 1.28 ± 0.06 Myr, two small basanitic volcanoes were emplaced between 1.15 ± 0.02 and 0.763 ± 0.013 Ma. With respect to the main hotspot volcanics, their lavas originated from weaker partial melting rates of a deeper source. Field, petrologic and geochemical arguments are consistent with the existence of a secondary melting zone located c. 140 km downstream the Marquesas hotspot, which produced the rejuvenated volcanics.     

Temporal geochemical evolution in oceanic intra-plate volcanics: a case study from the Marquesas (French Polynesia) and comparison with other hotspots

Sr-, Nd-isotopic and trace element data are reported for a suite of Marquesan volcanic rocks. These data complement earlier work on the island of Ua Pou and reveal that the marked shifts in source composition between shield-building and post-shield eruptives noted there are common to most islands in the archipelago. In addition, there appears to be a relationship between the magnitude of these shifts and the repose period between shield-building and post-shield activity such that, the longer the period of volcanic inactivity, the larger the isotopic and trace element differences between the two phases of volcanism. This, coupled with the compositional uniformity of the shield-building phase, and its close geochemical similarity to depleted mantle reservoirs, implies a strong lithosperic control on magmatic evolution: models invoking entrainment of asthenospheric material during plume ascent are not readily compatible with the observed time-compositional paths. Comparisons with other oceanic islands reveal two end member styles of temporal evolution, herein termed Marquesan and Hawaiian, and attributed to the interaction between the oceanic lithosphere and respectively weak and strong plumes, terms used to denote penetrative capacity and not necessarily size or buoyancy flux. Many other plumes may display characteristics intermediate between these extremes. The state of stress and temperature within the oceanic lithosphere in the region of an ascending diapir is also likely to exert a strong control on the geochemical evolution of OIB suites.     

Mineralogy and proposed P-T paths of basaltic lavas from Rabaul caldera,Papua New Guinea

Rabaul caldera is a large volcanic depression at the north-east tip of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The lavas range in composition from basalt to rhyolite and have a calc-alkalic affinity but also display features typical of tholeiites, including moderate absolute iron enrichment in flows cropping out around the caldera. The basalts contain phenocrysts of plagioclase and clinopyroxene with less abundant olivine and titanomagnetite. In the basaltic andesites olivine is rare, while orthopyroxene and titanomagnetite are common along with plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Orthopyroxene is also found mantling olivine in some of the basalts while in both rock types pigeonitic augite is a fairly common constituent of the groundmass. Plagioclase in both basalt and basaltic andesite often exhibits sieve texture and analysis of the glass blebs show them to be of similar composition to the bulk rock. Phenocrystic clinopyroxene is a diopsidic augite in both basalt and basaltic andesite. Al₂O₃ content of the clinopyroxene is moderately high (4%) and often shows considerable variation in any one grain. Calculations show that the microphenocrysts probably crystallised near the surface, while phenocrysts crystallised at around 7 kb (21 km). Neither the basalts nor the basaltic andesites would have been in equilibrium at any geologically reasonable P and T with quartz eclogite. Equilibration between mantle peridotite and a. typical Rabaul basaltic liquid could have occurred around 35 kb and 1270 °C. A basaltic andesite liquid yields a temperature of 1263 °C and a pressure of 28 kb for equilibration with mantle peridotite.Partial melting of sufficient volumes of mantle peridotite at these P's and T's requires about 15% H₂O, but there is no evidence that these magmas ever contained large amounts of water. It is proposed that the Rabaul magmas were initially generated by partial melting of subducted lithosphere and subsequently modified by minor partial melting as they passed through the overlying mantle peridotite.     

浙江新昌基性麻粒岩包体初步研究

来自下地壳的基性麻粒岩是壳幔作用过程的产物,蕴含着有关岩浆成因及与壳幔作用之关系的重要信息。位于西太平洋活动大陆边缘的东南大陆沿海（浙闽粤赣诸省）广泛分布中—新生代火山岩,被称为“东南大陆火山岩带”,构成了环太平洋火山岩带中的重要一环。目前关于东南大陆火山岩带的成因及大地构造背景,如岩浆物质来源、岩浆混合作用及岩浆起源的地球动力学机制等,还存在不少争议,这与缺乏深部壳幔作用过程的直接证据有关［1～3］。因此,东南大陆火山岩带中是否存在基性麻粒岩包体,一直受到地质界的关注。以往认为东南大陆沿海地区不…     

Geochemistry of an oceanite-ankaramite-basalt suite from East Island,Crozet Archipelago

The petrology and geochemistry of East Island have been investigated for the first time. The island is a deeply dissected remnant of a Pleistocene shield volcano, one of several emerging from an oceanic rise forming part of the southwest branch of the Indian Ocean ridge system. The lavas form a flat-lying sequence of oceanites, ankaramites, olivine basalts and feldsparphyric basalts, the ankaramites containing 1 cm phenocrysts of diopsidic clinopyroxene. X-Ray fluorescence analyses were made of 43 lavas for the major elements plus Cr, Ni, Rb, Sr, Ba, Pb, and Th and the minerals were analysed by electron microprobe. The elements Mg, Cr, and Ni are strongly concentrated in spinel, olivine and clinopyroxene phases and in the ankaramites and oceanite lavas with maximum concentrations of 18% MgO, 1,000 ppm Cr, 380 ppm Ni, while Al, Ti, K, Rb, Ba, Th, Na, P, Sr concentrate in the groundmass and in the feldspathic and aphyric basalts. The elements Si, Ca, Fe and Mn remain virtually constant throughout the series.Correlations of +0.95 or better exist between the concentrations of elements within the two groups given above, and negative correlations between elements in different groups. The fractionation trends are unique with respect to the constant Al/Ti ratio and K/Sr ratio, but all trends may be reproduced by calculating the effect of subtraction of suitable amounts of chromite, olivine and low Ti clinopyroxene from an alkaline olivine basalt parent. Either fractionation has taken place involving these three phases under low pressure conditions or it is the result of different degrees of partial melting of mantle material.A complex magnesian chrome spinel is found in the ankaramites and is often jacketed by a chromian titanomagnetite. A complete series of intermediate compositions appears to exist between the two end members.     

The alteration of olivine in basaltic and associated lavas

Olivines which cool under oxidizing conditions exsolve iron oxides at high temperature, and at low temperatures break down to essentially chloritic materials. Olivines which cool under non-oxidizing conditions alter at intermediate temperatures to complex assemblages of chlorite and interstratified phyllosilicates containing a smectite. Alteration under oxidizing conditions at low temperature, probably below 140° C, produces iddingsite, an orientated assemblage of goethite and interstratified phyllosilicates also containing a smectite.Post-deuteric alteration extends or initiates the breakdown of olivine to phyllosilicate mixtures often resulting in widespread movement of materials through the flow. Post-deuteric alteration of iddingsite produces strongly pleochroic, highly ordered varieties which eventually break down to green phyllosilicate assemblages.Weathering of olivine may produce orientated assemblages similar to deuteric forms of iddingsite. Weathering of green alteration products results in oxidation and the liberation of discrete iron hydroxides.Alteration in all cases requires exchange of material between interstitial components and olivine. During deuteric alteration, plagioclase and pyroxene are usually unaffected.     

Origin of Exceptionally Abundant Phonolites on Ua Pou Island (Marquesas, French Polynesia): Partial Melting of Basanites Followed by Crustal Contamination

On the basis of the first systematic mapping of Ua Pou, longknown for its exceptionally abundant phonolites, we estimatethat these rocks cover 65% of the surface of the island whereasmafic lavas cover 27% and intermediate ones 8%. The silica-undersaturatedsuite was erupted in a restricted time span (2·9–2·35Myr), following the emplacement of tholeiites derived from ayoung HIMU-type source at c. 4 Ma. Primitive basanites, derivedfrom a heterogeneous mantle source with a dominant EM II + HIMUsignature, represent likely parental magmas. The series is characterizedby a Daly gap defined by a lack of phonotephrites. We considerthat the most likely model for the origin of evolved lavas ispartial melting at depth of primitive basanites, leaving anamphibole-rich residuum and producing tephriphonolitic magmas.These tephriphonolitic magmas may have evolved by closed-systemfractional crystallization towards Group A phonolites. Threeother groups of phonolites could have been derived from tephriphonoliticmagmas by open-system fractional crystallization processes,characterized respectively by seawater contamination (GroupB), assimilation of nepheline syenite-type materials (GroupC) and extreme fractionation coupled with assimilation of theunderlying oceanic crust (Group D). The prominence of evolvedlavas is a consequence of their origin from partial meltingof mafic precursors followed by crustal contamination. KEY WORDS: Marquesas; French Polynesia; phonolite; partial melting; contamination     

Geochemistry of basalt lavas from Vestfjella and adjacent areas,Dronning Maud Land,Antarctica

KAr ages, major- and trace-element compositions, and Sr-isotope data are presented for basalt lavas from Vestfjella, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The new conventional KAr age data have yielded ages from 171 ± 2 to 695 ± 11 Ma, but the youngest (i.e. Middle Jurassic) ages are preferred. Mineralogical and chemical data show that the majority of the basalts are tholeiites. Petrographic mixing calculations, REE modelling, and the Sr isotope data suggest that they were derived by partial melting of garnet-free lherzolites with variable REE patterns, and subsequently modified by fractionation of olivine, Ca-rich pyroxene and plagioclase. Incompatible trace-element data from nearby Middle Jurassic basalt lavas (from Kirwanryggen and Heimefrontfjella) suggest a different source and REE modelling indicates generation from garnet lherzolites.     

Petrology and origin of primitive lavas from the Troodos ophiolite,Cyprus

Parental magmas to the Troodos ophiolite are characterised by low TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ and high SiO₂. Extremely fresh and chemically primitive (high MgO) rocks are found within the Upper Pillow Lavas and along the Arakapas Fault Belt of Cyprus and contain forsteritic olivine±enstatite and groundmass clinopyroxene set in glass or plagioclase, with accessory magnesiochromite and sometimes hornblende. They are quartz-normative and may have originally contained up to 3 wt% H₂O. Geochemically, there are three distinct groups of primitive lavas, based on TiO₂ and Zr contents but also reflected by CaO, Na₂O and REE abundances. These groups cannot be related by crystal fractionation and are considered to have been generated by incremental melting of a variably depleted source region. The parental magma to the least depleted group (Group I) was that of the major portion of the Troodos plutonic complex and is similar to those postulated for other low-Ti ophiolites. Chemically it has close affinities with komatiitic basalts. The most depleted lavas (Group III) all have U-shaped REE profiles and variable ¹⁴³Nd/ ¹⁴⁴Nd ratios, interpreted in terms of metasomatism of the source region by an incompatible element-enriched component which was probably derived from a subducted slab. These lavas represent an intermediate step in the development of boninite series rocks.     

Geochemistry of the Hawi lavas,Kohala Volcano,Hawaii

Hawi lavas form the late stage alkalic cap on Kohala Volcano and range in composition from hawaiite to trachyte. New, detailed field mapping of Kohala and reinterpretation of previously published age data suggest that there was no significant eruption hiatus between the Hawi and underlying Pololu shield lavas as was previously suggested. Mineral and whole-rock chemical data are consistent with a crystal fractionation origin for the hawaiite to trachyte compositional variation observed within the Hawi lavas. Plagioclase, clinopyroxene, Ti-magnetite, olivine and apatite fractionation are needed to explain this variation. The clinopyroxene fractionation may have occurred at moderate pressure because it is virtually absent in these lavas and is not a near liquidus phase at pressures of less than 8 Kb. Plagioclase would be buoyant in the Hawi hawaiite magmas so a mechanism like dynamic flow crystallization is needed for its fractionation and to account for the virtual absence of phenocrysts in the lavas. Hawi lavas are distinct in Sr and Nd isotopic ratios and/or incompatible element ratios from the Pololu lavas. Thus they were derived from compositionally distinct sources. Compared to other suites of Hawaiian alkalic cap lavas, Hawi lavas have anomalously high concentrations of phosphorus and rare earth elements. These differences could be due to greater apatite content in the source for the Hawi lavas.     

Geochemical diversity in submarine HIMU basalts from Austral Islands, French Polynesia

We present the first report of geochemical data for submarine basalts collected by a manned submersible from Rurutu, Tubuai, and Raivavae in the Austral Islands in the South Pacific, where subaerial basalts exhibit HIMU isotopic signatures with highly radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions. With the exception of one sample from Tubuai, the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the submarine basalts show no significant age gaps between the submarine and subaerial basalts, and the major element compositions are indistinguishable at each island. However, the variations in Pb, Sr, Nd, and Hf isotopic compositions in the submarine basalts are much larger than those previously reported in subaerial basalts. The submarine basalts with less-radiogenic Pb and radiogenic Nd and Hf isotopic compositions show systematically lower concentrations in highly incompatible elements than the typical HIMU basalts. These geochemical variations are best explained by a two-component mixing process in which the depleted asthenospheric mantle was entrained by the mantle plume from the HIMU reservoir during its upwelling, and the melts from the HIMU reservoir and depleted asthenospheric mantle were then mixed in various proportions. The present and compiled data demonstrate that the HIMU reservoir has a uniquely low ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf decoupled from ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, suggesting that it was derived from an ancient subducted slab. Moreover, the Nd/Hf ratios of the HIMU basalts and curvilinear Nd–Hf isotopic mixing trend require higher Nd/Hf ratios for the melt from the HIMU reservoir than that from the depleted mantle component. Such elevated Nd/Hf ratios could reflect source enrichment by a subducted slab during reservoir formation.     

Geochemistry and evolution of Iherzolite-bearing phonolitic lavas from Nigeria,Australia, East Germany and New Zealand

The major and trace element chemistry of phonolites containing spinel Iherzolite xenoliths from Bokkos (Nigeria), Phonolite Hill (northeastern Australia) and Heldburg (East Germany) is consistent with an origin by fractional crystallization of basanitic magmas at upper mantle pressures (10–15 kbar). At Bokkos, spatially associated lavas ranging from hawaiitic nepheline mugearite to nepheline benmoreite can be modeled very well by fractional crystallization of kaersutitic amphibole + olivine + Fe-Ti-spinel + apatite, a crystal extract consistent with experimentally-determined near-liquidus phase relationships for mugearitic liquids. Further fractional crystallization of aluminous clinopyroxene + mica + apatite will yield the phonolites. A similar model relating the unusual Iherzolite-bearing mafic nepheline benmoreite from Pigroot (New Zealand) to basanitic lavas of the East Otago province is not supported by major and trace element data. The Pigroot lava is possibly the product of melting of a mantle source region previously enriched in Sr and light rare earth elements, with subsequent minor fractional crystallization of olivine + kaersutite. Dynamic flow crystallization processes operating within conduit systems from mantle pressures are capable of yielding large volumes of evolved phonolitic liquids from primary basanitic liquids, if magma flow rates are appropriate. This mechanism may provide an explanation for the volumetric bias towards salic differentiates in some alkalic provinces.     

Geochemistry of post-collisional mafic lavas from the North Anatolian Fault zone, Northwestern Turkey

Extensive magmatic activity developed at the northwestern part of the Anatolian block and produced basaltic lavas that are situated along and between the two segments of the North Anatolian Fault zone. This region is a composite tectonic unit formed by collision of continental fragments after consumption of Neotethyan ocean floor during the late Cretaceous. Northwestern Anatolian basalts and evolved lavas exhibit both tholeiitic and calc-alkaline characteristics. Mafic lavas are moderately enriched in LILE (except depleted part of Yuvacık and İznik samples) and depleted in HFSE (but not Zr, Hf) relative to primitive mantle values, suggesting derivation from a MORB-like mantle source that is unexpected in this subduction environment. Sr and Nd isotopes are close to the mantle array and vary beyond analytical error (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr 0.70404–0.70546, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd 0.51270–0.51289). These geochemical features may result from two possible processes: (1) melting of a MORB-like mantle source that was modified by subduction-released fluids and melts or (2) modification of mafic liquids derived from a dominantly MORB-like source by crustal or lithospheric mantle material. Geochemical characteristics of the lavas (e.g., Ba/Rb, Rb/Sr, Ba/Zr, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, Sr/P) vary systematically along the fault zone from east to west, consistent with a decrease in the degree of melting from east to west or a change in the nature of the source composition itself. Thus, the difference in incompatible elements and Sr–Nd isotopic ratios seems to result from small-scale mantle heterogeneity in a post-collisional tectonic environment.     

Rare earth element distribution in lavas and ultramafic xenoliths from the Comores Archipelago,Western Indian Ocean

Lavas and included xenoliths from the Comores Archipelago have been analysed for the rare earth elements (REE) La-Lu. Among basaltic lava types fractionation of REE rock/chondrite distribution patterns is more extreme with greater SiO₂ undersaturation and contents of incompatible elements. Enrichment and slight fractionation of REE in the rock series basanite-phonolite is considered compatible with a model of fractional crystallisation at low pressures involving mainly olivine and clinopyroxene, and to a much lesser extent, plagioclase. Apatite is probably effective in curtailing further enrichment of REE. High level fractional crystallisation and eclogite fractionation at depth appear unlikely causes for the relative enrichment of light REE (La-Eu) in the undersaturated basalts. This effect is more probably due to mineralogical control during partial melting in the upper mantle. Lherzolite xenoliths are poor in REE, exhibiting a slight relative depletion in the light REE. These patterns are interpreted as those of possible mantle material subjected to small degrees of partial melting, although not necessarily related to those melts erupted as lava flows at the surface.     

High energy coralgal-stromatolite frameworks from Holocene reefs (Tahiti, French Polynesia)

Drill cores from Holocene reefs on Tahiti (French Polynesia) reveal a framework composed of massive branching acroporids encrusted by coralline algae associated with sessile vermetid gastropods and arborescent foraminifers. Laminated micritic crusts form coatings over coral branches or, more commonly, over related encrusting organisms throughout the cored reef sections; these crusts appear as a major structural and volumetric component of the reef framework. The microbial nature of these micritic crusts is inferred from their typical organic growth forms and geometry, the occurrence of microbial remains and stable isotope measurements. The reef communities accumulated at depths less than 5 m below mean sea level in a high energy environment throughout vertical growth from 7140 ± 170 yr bp to the present. The nature of the involved benthic communities, stable isotope data and high calcification rates of microbially encrusted corals strongly suggest that local environmental conditions have been optimal for reef development for the last 7000 years. The causes of the predominance of microbial communities over actual encrusters (red algae, foraminifers) remain problematic and could be related to short term fluctuations in ecological parameters. Microbial micritic crusts seemingly played a prominent role in protecting the coralgal colonies from bioeroders and grazers and, possibly, in strengthening the framework, due to rapid lithification. The record of similar microbial crusts in other Quaternary reef tracts suggests that microbial communities may have played a more prominent role in Quaternary reefs than presently recognized.